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Viper
One Thousand Club
Sachael City. It was a place filled with everything the modern human could have wanted in a home. The night life was filled with clubs of every kind, restaurants that ranged from fast to formal, and entertainment matching that of New York City. The day life was not too shabby either, homes could be simple flats on the outskirts or lavish penthouses looking above the many successful businesses newly built or the schools that were fairly respected within the state. The best part though was the lake in the very center, the one that was always clean and calm no matter the weather. People fished and boated daily, once a year a festival was hosted and there was always at least one event that took place on the water. It was paradise on earth…. Or at least it used to be.
The divine City of Sachael faced a single problem about ten years ago, when out of the blue, an entire city district erupted into chaos of the worst kind. There were so many accounts of vandalism, riots, and deaths that the police force, which normally did not have to deal with crimes of this scale, were severely not prepared for and overrun. No one could explain it, but it was like a hurricane had come through or perhaps some disease that caused aggression. One week the town was full of fun and ambition, the next, nearly a hundred innocents were dead or injured after a man broke out of prison and took a large number of criminals on his way out. He incited the first riot with his newly freed friends, the chaos spreading to each person until everyone had either fled or committed a crime of some level. After that, there was no going back.
Now, a decade later, after many deaths, coup d'etats, and deceptions, no one called this place Sachael anymore. No, instead, both natives to the city and those on the outside called it simply Sin City. It certainly fit better than it's old name, because this place was where vice and sin ruled. There were seven gangs ruling seven out of eight districts in varied ways that when looked at from an outsider's perspective, seemed to coincidentally fit into the categories of the seven deadly sins. There was a group of nobodies with a habit for selling drugs and poison, brothels and prostitutes were suddenly a common occurrence if you knew the signs, there is the violent gang that started it all now committing riots and murders weekly, and that was just three out of the seven.
At this point, violence and paranoia were common for everyday citizens and it was becoming rare for people not to have been apart of a gang at least once in their life. It’s not like joining a gang was any less dangerous than simply trying to live in the areas that they have claimed as theirs. To make it worse, there were no cops left in seven of the districts that were not dead or corrupted beyond hope, only the East side police force was left to even try and hold back the seemingly unstoppable gangs.
To put it simply, the once great city was now hell on earth.
~~~~~
In an old church that was long ago abandoned, just like the dozens of other ones that had been left behind by distressed people when they long ago gave up hope on God coming to save them, sat eight figures sitting in a single long pew with their heads down and voices low. Despite this, their eyes were up and all glared at the broken glass of the ruined church as well as the cross that stubbornly refused to fall off the wall no matter how much both rotted. None looked happy to be there, and if there were anyone else in the church at that time, they would not have been happy to see the group of boys either. No one had ever seen these men in the same room before, and for good reason, they were all leaders of powerful groups that were the very cause behind the loss of hope in this city. No one would look for them at an old church though so it was the perfect place to hide from curious eyes.
“Father…” One of them finally whispered, breaking the silence that had settled over the large room. Despite the condition of the place and the low volume, his voice echoed back as if to replicate what the others on the pew wanted to say as well. “It’s been almost a full decade now. I’m sick of it here.”
“We all are.” Another voice chimed in, a blonde man in a suit two spots to the right, “We’ve been working as fast as we could. Getting a solid foothold in this city was harder than expected.”
A harsh ‘tsk’ was heard between the first and second voice, the black haired man shifting his glare away from the cross and now towards the blonde man on his right, “It wouldn't have taken so long if you are your ‘associates’ actually did something more than write checks all day. I had my territory crying for mercy by the end of the first year. Were are still here because of you lazy pacifists.”
“I don’t work fast” The simple answer came from the end of the pew, the youngest face of them all still looking at the cross with slow, heavy blinks.
“Yeah, I always prefer the quiet approach over-”
The thirds voice was cut off off by the brunette wearing a vibrant red suit, “Oh come on now~ In case you forget, neither do I. Subtly is not always a slow process when you know how to work with what you have... And my methods are even less direct than yours.”
“Guys, come on. We came here for an update so instead of fighting, can’t we just listen to Dad and then go back to killing each other later?” The red head broke in, chuckling either at the bickering or over thoughts of fighting them all later, it was impossible to say. Still, the group knew that he was far from wrong, and realizing this, all fell silent as their eyes turned towards the young boy sitting at the far left.
He was the shortest of them all, the youngest, and yet his hair was white and the smile on his face was sinister that even the criminals flinched at the sight. “Thank you for that. Now…” Standing up, the teenager slowly moved his way to the front of the church, ending up behind the podium like he was about to give a sermon. As he spoke he kept his eyes trained on the cross above them. His face held no fury but there was an emotion in that young boys face that could not be identified due to the conflicting nature of it. “Pride, Wrath, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth…. I called you here today to inform you that the window of opportunity is coming. We were not strong enough to accomplish our goal ten years ago, and if we wait too much longer, there is a risk that the government of this place may find a way to take back what we have claimed. Naturally, we cannot let this happen. Before the end of this year, we need to have found an eighth and have completed the ritual. That is the only way to gain back what we have lost.”
“Father, may I ask a question?" Always the polite one, Greed waited to hear a confirmation before continuing. "Why can't you just be the eighth? I’m sure getting to the location would be easy for you and you have the power to make it happen. It seems like a more secure method than relying on a human” This sin was always looking for more information and data to use for his own gain, even if it helped another person down the way, he would always benefit right along side them.
“I need to be at the center.” The young Father simply answered before finally turning away from the cross to face the gang leaders. “I propose this. We all attempt to find one ally, one person who has the necessary qualifications to perform the ritual and willing to follow directions. By next month, we will decide who fits the the role the most. Sounds easy enough, yes?”
Although it was a question, none could refuse when their Father, the man who made them not out of blood but out of soul, made a request. A series of ‘understood’ ‘yes, father’ and ‘sure’ stumbled out of the soft voices of the seven deadly sins. Free will may have been within their power but it was never an option worth taking when dealing with the white haired teenager who only looked innocent, but was far from it.
“Good. Now go. Time is no longer on our side.” The group of eight slowly paced their way out of the ruined church, not speaking until they had exited the doors at which point a number of them began laughing at Envy for numerous reasons, the main one being just because they could. The father trailed behind them, and with an expression somewhere in between a smirk and snarl, he slammed the church doors. Then, the only sound left in the ruined church was the echo of the cross falling from the wall and into the dust.
The divine City of Sachael faced a single problem about ten years ago, when out of the blue, an entire city district erupted into chaos of the worst kind. There were so many accounts of vandalism, riots, and deaths that the police force, which normally did not have to deal with crimes of this scale, were severely not prepared for and overrun. No one could explain it, but it was like a hurricane had come through or perhaps some disease that caused aggression. One week the town was full of fun and ambition, the next, nearly a hundred innocents were dead or injured after a man broke out of prison and took a large number of criminals on his way out. He incited the first riot with his newly freed friends, the chaos spreading to each person until everyone had either fled or committed a crime of some level. After that, there was no going back.
Now, a decade later, after many deaths, coup d'etats, and deceptions, no one called this place Sachael anymore. No, instead, both natives to the city and those on the outside called it simply Sin City. It certainly fit better than it's old name, because this place was where vice and sin ruled. There were seven gangs ruling seven out of eight districts in varied ways that when looked at from an outsider's perspective, seemed to coincidentally fit into the categories of the seven deadly sins. There was a group of nobodies with a habit for selling drugs and poison, brothels and prostitutes were suddenly a common occurrence if you knew the signs, there is the violent gang that started it all now committing riots and murders weekly, and that was just three out of the seven.
At this point, violence and paranoia were common for everyday citizens and it was becoming rare for people not to have been apart of a gang at least once in their life. It’s not like joining a gang was any less dangerous than simply trying to live in the areas that they have claimed as theirs. To make it worse, there were no cops left in seven of the districts that were not dead or corrupted beyond hope, only the East side police force was left to even try and hold back the seemingly unstoppable gangs.
To put it simply, the once great city was now hell on earth.
~~~~~
In an old church that was long ago abandoned, just like the dozens of other ones that had been left behind by distressed people when they long ago gave up hope on God coming to save them, sat eight figures sitting in a single long pew with their heads down and voices low. Despite this, their eyes were up and all glared at the broken glass of the ruined church as well as the cross that stubbornly refused to fall off the wall no matter how much both rotted. None looked happy to be there, and if there were anyone else in the church at that time, they would not have been happy to see the group of boys either. No one had ever seen these men in the same room before, and for good reason, they were all leaders of powerful groups that were the very cause behind the loss of hope in this city. No one would look for them at an old church though so it was the perfect place to hide from curious eyes.
“Father…” One of them finally whispered, breaking the silence that had settled over the large room. Despite the condition of the place and the low volume, his voice echoed back as if to replicate what the others on the pew wanted to say as well. “It’s been almost a full decade now. I’m sick of it here.”
“We all are.” Another voice chimed in, a blonde man in a suit two spots to the right, “We’ve been working as fast as we could. Getting a solid foothold in this city was harder than expected.”
A harsh ‘tsk’ was heard between the first and second voice, the black haired man shifting his glare away from the cross and now towards the blonde man on his right, “It wouldn't have taken so long if you are your ‘associates’ actually did something more than write checks all day. I had my territory crying for mercy by the end of the first year. Were are still here because of you lazy pacifists.”
“I don’t work fast” The simple answer came from the end of the pew, the youngest face of them all still looking at the cross with slow, heavy blinks.
“Yeah, I always prefer the quiet approach over-”
The thirds voice was cut off off by the brunette wearing a vibrant red suit, “Oh come on now~ In case you forget, neither do I. Subtly is not always a slow process when you know how to work with what you have... And my methods are even less direct than yours.”
“Guys, come on. We came here for an update so instead of fighting, can’t we just listen to Dad and then go back to killing each other later?” The red head broke in, chuckling either at the bickering or over thoughts of fighting them all later, it was impossible to say. Still, the group knew that he was far from wrong, and realizing this, all fell silent as their eyes turned towards the young boy sitting at the far left.
He was the shortest of them all, the youngest, and yet his hair was white and the smile on his face was sinister that even the criminals flinched at the sight. “Thank you for that. Now…” Standing up, the teenager slowly moved his way to the front of the church, ending up behind the podium like he was about to give a sermon. As he spoke he kept his eyes trained on the cross above them. His face held no fury but there was an emotion in that young boys face that could not be identified due to the conflicting nature of it. “Pride, Wrath, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth…. I called you here today to inform you that the window of opportunity is coming. We were not strong enough to accomplish our goal ten years ago, and if we wait too much longer, there is a risk that the government of this place may find a way to take back what we have claimed. Naturally, we cannot let this happen. Before the end of this year, we need to have found an eighth and have completed the ritual. That is the only way to gain back what we have lost.”
“Father, may I ask a question?" Always the polite one, Greed waited to hear a confirmation before continuing. "Why can't you just be the eighth? I’m sure getting to the location would be easy for you and you have the power to make it happen. It seems like a more secure method than relying on a human” This sin was always looking for more information and data to use for his own gain, even if it helped another person down the way, he would always benefit right along side them.
“I need to be at the center.” The young Father simply answered before finally turning away from the cross to face the gang leaders. “I propose this. We all attempt to find one ally, one person who has the necessary qualifications to perform the ritual and willing to follow directions. By next month, we will decide who fits the the role the most. Sounds easy enough, yes?”
Although it was a question, none could refuse when their Father, the man who made them not out of blood but out of soul, made a request. A series of ‘understood’ ‘yes, father’ and ‘sure’ stumbled out of the soft voices of the seven deadly sins. Free will may have been within their power but it was never an option worth taking when dealing with the white haired teenager who only looked innocent, but was far from it.
“Good. Now go. Time is no longer on our side.” The group of eight slowly paced their way out of the ruined church, not speaking until they had exited the doors at which point a number of them began laughing at Envy for numerous reasons, the main one being just because they could. The father trailed behind them, and with an expression somewhere in between a smirk and snarl, he slammed the church doors. Then, the only sound left in the ruined church was the echo of the cross falling from the wall and into the dust.
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The most obnoxious sound on the planet filled Arianna's senses, bringing her out of her slumber and into the world of the living. She didn't have to look at the clock on her phone to know it was about five AM, and she didn't have to open her eyes to know that the sun hadn't even come up yet. The alarm was still sounding, so without opening her eyes she reached over to her bedside table, feeling around blindly for the accursed object. She found it-- when her hand brushed against it, knocking it onto the floor. "Fuck." She breathed, one eye opening and staring at the wall opposite her bed. It was the same off white as it always was, same as the rest of the walls of her flat.
Though the beeping was slightly muffled now, it was still annoying, and she needed to shut it off. Tossing back the comforter with a groan, she simultaneously opened her eyes and sat up, yawning as she did so. She located the phone quickly, reaching down and grabbing it, shutting the alarm off with a quick swipe. Silence filled the room, and she tossed her phone aside, both hands planted on the bed beside her. Five am came early, but it came especially early when you only went to bed a few hours before. She'd been up half the night on a stakeout with her partner, Peterson. The man was a good partner and a good cop, thorough and honest to a fault.
He was older, somewhere in his fourties. Married with kids that he proudly displayed on his desk at work. The photos always made her smile, considering the only frame on Ari's desk had been a gift on her last birthday from one of the other detectives, the picture inside the same dog that had come with the frame. It was a source of constant teasing from the department, but it wasn't as if she had a boyfriend or a family to display. Peterson was the only detective who knew anything about where she came from, and he was pretty good at keeping his mouth shut. He never started drama, and always said it wasn't anyone's business unless she wanted it to be.
With a sigh, Arianna pushed herself off the bed and stretched, twisting her back from side to side and then backwards and finally, forwards. Her first stop would be the bathroom, where she would use it, and then brush her teeth to get rid of the nights grime. Her running clothes were already draped over the end of her bed, and once she was done in the bathroom, she would reenter her room to get them. Removing her shirt and shorts that she'd slept in, she pulled on the black leggings and sports bra first, followed by the tank top. Grabbing a pair of socks from her drawer, she pulled them on while sitting on the side of her bed.
Grabbing the hair tie from the table beside her bed, she flipped her hair upside down and gathered it together, tying it into a high messy bun as she straightened back up. Her last step before leaving was to grab her armband, which she would strap around her left upper arm and tuck her phone into. Her headphones were in the drawer beside her bed, and she doubled back for those. She draped them around her neck for now, then left the safety of her bedroom for her living room. Her shoes and keys were beside the door, ready and waiting for her. She slid her feet into the all black sneakers while grabbing the single key from the bowl.
She never went running with her full keyring, since she didn't have a place to put them. But the single key was easy; she would just tuck it into her sports bra after locking her door. And thats exactly what she did. Double checking to make sure the door was locked, she tucked the key away and headed for the street. Jogging in place while she plugged in her headphones, she glanced up to check out the neighborhood, out of habit. The sun would be up soon, and the street was deserted as it usually was this time of day. Placing the headphones in her ears, she pressed play on her running playlist, smiling as the song Work It by Britney Spears started playing. Call it a guilty pleasure song. Either way, it got her blood pumping everyday.
Her path was usually the same: down her street, around the corner and up the hill to the wealthier neighborhood. She liked looking at the houses there, so she usually wove through some of those streets before passing the school, and then finally, the park. Sometimes she skipped the park, but today she wouldn't. She needed the extra running time. Since she didn't have to be to the office until about seven, she had plenty of time to run, get home, shower and get ready for the day. After tucking the phone back into her armband and making sure it was secure, she set off. She always started off in a light jog, pushing herself to run up the hill and usually on her last half mile or so.
She made sure to keep her breathing even, though her mind wasn't really on her run today. Although her neighborhood and the one above it weren't super bad places, it was no secret that the other seven districts were ruined. Though some people had hope, not everyone did. It was one of the biggest cases in the department, and it wasn't one she was assigned to. She stayed out of them since they weren't her jurisdiction, but she had ventured close to the two bordering her own district, just out of curiosity. She'd ended up fleeing for her life that night. Back then she was just a rookie cop, nineteen and dumb. Now she was smarter and older, and she knew better. But that didn't stop the curiosity that burned inside of her. She wanted to know what made those districts tick, and just what had gone so wrong.
But she knew she wouldn't get put on that case in a million years. With an irritated sigh, she rounded the corner and saw the hill up ahead. Leaning forward, she put her all into the run, arms swinging back and forth close to her side as she ran. She reached the top of the hill in record time, slowing to a jog at the top to give her heart time to relax and her breathing time to regulate, heading down the first street of the wealthy homes.
The most obnoxious sound on the planet filled Arianna's senses, bringing her out of her slumber and into the world of the living. She didn't have to look at the clock on her phone to know it was about five AM, and she didn't have to open her eyes to know that the sun hadn't even come up yet. The alarm was still sounding, so without opening her eyes she reached over to her bedside table, feeling around blindly for the accursed object. She found it-- when her hand brushed against it, knocking it onto the floor. "Fuck." She breathed, one eye opening and staring at the wall opposite her bed. It was the same off white as it always was, same as the rest of the walls of her flat.
Though the beeping was slightly muffled now, it was still annoying, and she needed to shut it off. Tossing back the comforter with a groan, she simultaneously opened her eyes and sat up, yawning as she did so. She located the phone quickly, reaching down and grabbing it, shutting the alarm off with a quick swipe. Silence filled the room, and she tossed her phone aside, both hands planted on the bed beside her. Five am came early, but it came especially early when you only went to bed a few hours before. She'd been up half the night on a stakeout with her partner, Peterson. The man was a good partner and a good cop, thorough and honest to a fault.
He was older, somewhere in his fourties. Married with kids that he proudly displayed on his desk at work. The photos always made her smile, considering the only frame on Ari's desk had been a gift on her last birthday from one of the other detectives, the picture inside the same dog that had come with the frame. It was a source of constant teasing from the department, but it wasn't as if she had a boyfriend or a family to display. Peterson was the only detective who knew anything about where she came from, and he was pretty good at keeping his mouth shut. He never started drama, and always said it wasn't anyone's business unless she wanted it to be.
With a sigh, Arianna pushed herself off the bed and stretched, twisting her back from side to side and then backwards and finally, forwards. Her first stop would be the bathroom, where she would use it, and then brush her teeth to get rid of the nights grime. Her running clothes were already draped over the end of her bed, and once she was done in the bathroom, she would reenter her room to get them. Removing her shirt and shorts that she'd slept in, she pulled on the black leggings and sports bra first, followed by the tank top. Grabbing a pair of socks from her drawer, she pulled them on while sitting on the side of her bed.
Grabbing the hair tie from the table beside her bed, she flipped her hair upside down and gathered it together, tying it into a high messy bun as she straightened back up. Her last step before leaving was to grab her armband, which she would strap around her left upper arm and tuck her phone into. Her headphones were in the drawer beside her bed, and she doubled back for those. She draped them around her neck for now, then left the safety of her bedroom for her living room. Her shoes and keys were beside the door, ready and waiting for her. She slid her feet into the all black sneakers while grabbing the single key from the bowl.
She never went running with her full keyring, since she didn't have a place to put them. But the single key was easy; she would just tuck it into her sports bra after locking her door. And thats exactly what she did. Double checking to make sure the door was locked, she tucked the key away and headed for the street. Jogging in place while she plugged in her headphones, she glanced up to check out the neighborhood, out of habit. The sun would be up soon, and the street was deserted as it usually was this time of day. Placing the headphones in her ears, she pressed play on her running playlist, smiling as the song Work It by Britney Spears started playing. Call it a guilty pleasure song. Either way, it got her blood pumping everyday.
Her path was usually the same: down her street, around the corner and up the hill to the wealthier neighborhood. She liked looking at the houses there, so she usually wove through some of those streets before passing the school, and then finally, the park. Sometimes she skipped the park, but today she wouldn't. She needed the extra running time. Since she didn't have to be to the office until about seven, she had plenty of time to run, get home, shower and get ready for the day. After tucking the phone back into her armband and making sure it was secure, she set off. She always started off in a light jog, pushing herself to run up the hill and usually on her last half mile or so.
She made sure to keep her breathing even, though her mind wasn't really on her run today. Although her neighborhood and the one above it weren't super bad places, it was no secret that the other seven districts were ruined. Though some people had hope, not everyone did. It was one of the biggest cases in the department, and it wasn't one she was assigned to. She stayed out of them since they weren't her jurisdiction, but she had ventured close to the two bordering her own district, just out of curiosity. She'd ended up fleeing for her life that night. Back then she was just a rookie cop, nineteen and dumb. Now she was smarter and older, and she knew better. But that didn't stop the curiosity that burned inside of her. She wanted to know what made those districts tick, and just what had gone so wrong.
But she knew she wouldn't get put on that case in a million years. With an irritated sigh, she rounded the corner and saw the hill up ahead. Leaning forward, she put her all into the run, arms swinging back and forth close to her side as she ran. She reached the top of the hill in record time, slowing to a jog at the top to give her heart time to relax and her breathing time to regulate, heading down the first street of the wealthy homes.
Viper
One Thousand Club
As the modern world progressed over it’s long and often bloody history, mankind has went from being used to seeing the abnormal at every corner, to rejecting it completely, and now was sitting somewhere in between the two dynamic stages. People rejected the reality of strangeness now, they came up with ridiculous 'realistic' reasons for oddities to be seen as normal even when there was no realistic explanation. So they accepted the abnormal, even if in their mind they no longer considered it such. For example, things such as hair color where a few centuries ago, anyone walking around with pure white hair would have been considered a witch and killed on sight, but now… well, now you could walk around with any hair color and people would barely glance at you. They called it dyeing… a word Devin found rather amusing.
Besides his white hair and rather young appearance, Devin looked fairly common for people his age. He often dressed in dark hoodies with t-shirts on underneath depicting some band, the designs often a looking a bit satanic to be honest, but they were known bands if you were into the genre. It was true that Devin was not into the groups himself, but he could not resist wearing them anyway. He wore jeans, he had freckles, and his hair never saw more than his fingers when it came to brushing it… normal teenage boy in all ways. He certainly would not stand out in a crowd, and unless he purposely gave you a reason to remember him, you likely would not think about him twice. Which was for the best because, unknown to those he met on the street, Devin was a ghost. Legally, he was never born and had stayed out of the system all this time, but since he was so young no one ever asked him for ID anyways. He wanted to keep it that way too.
As Devin left the church himself and went about his task, he knew exactly what he was looking for that early morning. Unlike the others of this city, he could walk anywhere and everywhere, being bothered little by the gangs.Killers and thieves did not care about a fifteen year old much… which was lucky because it would have been a real shame to ruin his otherwise unexisting record. On a more important note, no one liked to see grown men cry. In fact, he had more trouble with the police interfering in his actions than any criminal. They did not like 'kids' wandering the streets alone anymore and would often pull over to talk to him or offer him a ride.
Hoping that he would not run into any good natured cops with too much free time, Devin took a casual stroll directly to the non- corrupted east district. He figured that his ‘companions’ would be busy looking for qualified humans in their own territories, so no one would be looking for someone worthy in the ‘peaceful’ district. As he walked through the streets he stole glances at the people who walked or drove passed him, looking for a special someone. Of the people Devin saw, none had that ‘spark’ he was looking for. The spark that would tell him if they had the potential to do the job that he needed to be done. But this was expected, he had high standards and the task he was looking to be done was far from easy. It would be surprising if he found anyone today that fit the bill even slightly.
And yet fate was on his side that day. Devin only a few hours after starting his search found that ‘spark’ in some random jogger in the park standing at the top of the hill. Back in the day he could have taken one look at her and known her entire history, what she feared, what she desired, even specific events in her past that made her who she was. Now though, now when he looked at this woman he saw two things. Her sins, that was mainly Pride, and the fact she was, at least in comparison to the average human, stronger in spiritual strength and quality. This was the minimal requirement necessary for consideration. Devin smiled at this sight, his mind wandering towards the possibilities. Could she be taught? With his council, could she be moved to further corruption? In order for her to truly fit the bill, her soul needed to be far darker than it was now, a person with minimal sins was not capable of participating in his ritual. A few kills and crimes was all that it would take to push her over the necessary line.
"Well, there is only one way to find out." Devin spoke aloud to himself, pleased at this unexpected discovery and the possibilities of this girl matching his goal were endless.
He ran up the hill quickly, ending up behind the woman in no time and without even changing his breathing pattern. For a few moments he jogged behind her, taking a closer look at his target, but before they could fully exit the park and enter the wealthy side of the neighborhood, Devin made first contact. Sadly though, it was not in the most polite or causal way that he could have done. Speeding his pace briefly, he weaved his smaller frame in front of the woman, almost but not quite making her run into him. If they had made contact they both would have fallen to the hard ground, but thankfully Devin kept just far enough away to avoid the collision.
“Hello there!” He started, acting as if he had not just cut her off and now was blocking her path. Oh but he knew what he had done, and from the closed smile on his face, it was not hard to guess that he had made such a sudden entrance on purpose. Holding out his hand for a handshake, he began to introduce himself without waiting to see if the woman even wanted to know who he was or not. “Nice to meet you this beutiful, peaceful morning! My names Elle, well my last name is at least. My first names Devin. Who are you, miss?”
For a normal teenager, acting this familiar to a stranger was dangerous as a rule. It was true that most gangs stuck to their districts but a handful would occasionally branch out and try, but fail, to make a living in the eighth district. It happened rarely but enough to make even people here cautious when it was dark. So approaching a stranger barely at dawn and with no one around meant one of two things, you were suicidal or you were likely apart of the danger that most people feared. So the question was this, which one would this woman think Devin was? A stupid kid asking for trouble or a stupid kid who was trouble?
“You look like you run a lot.” Devin said forwardly, not so subtly checking her out in a way more inquisitive than perverse. He cocked his head to the side as he did so, making it necessary for him to look at her through his white hair that now fell over his large eyes. He was trying to figure her out before she could tell him, looking for answers about her life as if they were printed onto her skin. “Do you run for fitness, hobby, or work? I did not used to run, but recently stamina and speed have become very important to my after school activities. Obviously, I'm not very strong.” That was a lie of course, but she didn't need to know what she was dealing with outside of a skinny fifteen year old with more bravery than caution.
Besides his white hair and rather young appearance, Devin looked fairly common for people his age. He often dressed in dark hoodies with t-shirts on underneath depicting some band, the designs often a looking a bit satanic to be honest, but they were known bands if you were into the genre. It was true that Devin was not into the groups himself, but he could not resist wearing them anyway. He wore jeans, he had freckles, and his hair never saw more than his fingers when it came to brushing it… normal teenage boy in all ways. He certainly would not stand out in a crowd, and unless he purposely gave you a reason to remember him, you likely would not think about him twice. Which was for the best because, unknown to those he met on the street, Devin was a ghost. Legally, he was never born and had stayed out of the system all this time, but since he was so young no one ever asked him for ID anyways. He wanted to keep it that way too.
As Devin left the church himself and went about his task, he knew exactly what he was looking for that early morning. Unlike the others of this city, he could walk anywhere and everywhere, being bothered little by the gangs.Killers and thieves did not care about a fifteen year old much… which was lucky because it would have been a real shame to ruin his otherwise unexisting record. On a more important note, no one liked to see grown men cry. In fact, he had more trouble with the police interfering in his actions than any criminal. They did not like 'kids' wandering the streets alone anymore and would often pull over to talk to him or offer him a ride.
Hoping that he would not run into any good natured cops with too much free time, Devin took a casual stroll directly to the non- corrupted east district. He figured that his ‘companions’ would be busy looking for qualified humans in their own territories, so no one would be looking for someone worthy in the ‘peaceful’ district. As he walked through the streets he stole glances at the people who walked or drove passed him, looking for a special someone. Of the people Devin saw, none had that ‘spark’ he was looking for. The spark that would tell him if they had the potential to do the job that he needed to be done. But this was expected, he had high standards and the task he was looking to be done was far from easy. It would be surprising if he found anyone today that fit the bill even slightly.
And yet fate was on his side that day. Devin only a few hours after starting his search found that ‘spark’ in some random jogger in the park standing at the top of the hill. Back in the day he could have taken one look at her and known her entire history, what she feared, what she desired, even specific events in her past that made her who she was. Now though, now when he looked at this woman he saw two things. Her sins, that was mainly Pride, and the fact she was, at least in comparison to the average human, stronger in spiritual strength and quality. This was the minimal requirement necessary for consideration. Devin smiled at this sight, his mind wandering towards the possibilities. Could she be taught? With his council, could she be moved to further corruption? In order for her to truly fit the bill, her soul needed to be far darker than it was now, a person with minimal sins was not capable of participating in his ritual. A few kills and crimes was all that it would take to push her over the necessary line.
"Well, there is only one way to find out." Devin spoke aloud to himself, pleased at this unexpected discovery and the possibilities of this girl matching his goal were endless.
He ran up the hill quickly, ending up behind the woman in no time and without even changing his breathing pattern. For a few moments he jogged behind her, taking a closer look at his target, but before they could fully exit the park and enter the wealthy side of the neighborhood, Devin made first contact. Sadly though, it was not in the most polite or causal way that he could have done. Speeding his pace briefly, he weaved his smaller frame in front of the woman, almost but not quite making her run into him. If they had made contact they both would have fallen to the hard ground, but thankfully Devin kept just far enough away to avoid the collision.
“Hello there!” He started, acting as if he had not just cut her off and now was blocking her path. Oh but he knew what he had done, and from the closed smile on his face, it was not hard to guess that he had made such a sudden entrance on purpose. Holding out his hand for a handshake, he began to introduce himself without waiting to see if the woman even wanted to know who he was or not. “Nice to meet you this beutiful, peaceful morning! My names Elle, well my last name is at least. My first names Devin. Who are you, miss?”
For a normal teenager, acting this familiar to a stranger was dangerous as a rule. It was true that most gangs stuck to their districts but a handful would occasionally branch out and try, but fail, to make a living in the eighth district. It happened rarely but enough to make even people here cautious when it was dark. So approaching a stranger barely at dawn and with no one around meant one of two things, you were suicidal or you were likely apart of the danger that most people feared. So the question was this, which one would this woman think Devin was? A stupid kid asking for trouble or a stupid kid who was trouble?
“You look like you run a lot.” Devin said forwardly, not so subtly checking her out in a way more inquisitive than perverse. He cocked his head to the side as he did so, making it necessary for him to look at her through his white hair that now fell over his large eyes. He was trying to figure her out before she could tell him, looking for answers about her life as if they were printed onto her skin. “Do you run for fitness, hobby, or work? I did not used to run, but recently stamina and speed have become very important to my after school activities. Obviously, I'm not very strong.” That was a lie of course, but she didn't need to know what she was dealing with outside of a skinny fifteen year old with more bravery than caution.
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
Arianna jogged in place at the top of the hill, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face. The wealthy neighborhood loomed ahead, and Ari liked taking her time jogging through those streets, sometimes even making up scenarios in her head where she lived in one of them. Perhaps she would be married, with a kid on the way. Oh and a dog, of course. She would still work on the force, but maybe part time, so that she would have time to spend with her family. She was a rotten cook, though, so whoever she married would have to take on that responsibility. She could clean, do laundry, whatever else she needed to do to ensure their home was a happy one. The scenarios she would imagine in her mind always made her smile, but towards the end of her run, reality would crash back down around her.
Arianna would remember why she was single. The last time she'd dated, Arianna was about twenty-two. She met Rob on a job; she'd had to interview him a few times as a witness to a robbery. So she was in and out of his place, and at first it had been strictly professional. Arianna hadn't even thought of dating him, but on her third trip to his place for another round of questions, he'd asked her out. She'd been asked out before, but for some reason, she found it hard to tell him no. Not that she didn't try, of course. Obviously he knew she was a cop, and for which part of the city. After she turned him down that night, she had a bouquet of roses on her desk the next day. They ended up in the trash.
After that, she started getting one rose a week, always with a note. Will you go out with me? tied to the rose on fancy parchment paper, with his phone number attached. After they closed the robbery case, Peterson took Arianna aside and asked her flat out if she had a stalker. Since Arianna hadn't seen him since he'd asked her out, just the roses, she told him no. She did tell Peterson who the flowers were from, though, and she still remembered to this day how his wrinkled face looked when he smiled at her, and told her that maybe she should give it a shot. That night, the rose ended up in the trash, but the attached note was gone.
Ari and Rob dated for eight months. Looking back, she still doesn't exactly understand how she never realized he was playing her. They were just starting to get super serious, almost coming up on their one year anniversary, when a woman showed up at the department. She was frantic, and of course, Arianna thought something was wrong so she took her to a private room to calm her down. When they were alone, the woman turned on her and slapped Arianna, calling her a homewrecker, along with everything else she could think of. Turns out, she was Rob's wife of three years, and though they were separated it wasn't a divorce separation.
Peterson barged into the room when he heard the screaming, and Arianna left work early that day. She wasn't the type to just roll over and take the lies, and she definitely wasn't going to stay with him. He was happy to see her early in the afternoon that day, but after Ari slapped him across the face, things went sour. He started yelling at her and calling her crazy, trying to turn the tables on her and make her feel like it was her fault. Arianna sees the world in black and white, has ever since she was little. There were no excuses or reasons he could give her for what he'd done, and Arianna remembered slamming his door shut so hard that she heard something crash inside. She never went back to find out what it was, and she'd never seen him since that day.
Her bad history with relationships started way before Rob, and included more than just boyfriends. Family, friends, you name it. Most of them had been toxic to her health, whether she'd realized it at the time or not. She didn't like to think back that far, though, and did her best not to. She'd grown since then, moved on with her life and become an officer of the law. She worked hard to get where she's at, and she didn't want to let anyone make her forget that.
Realizing she'd been jogging in place for a few moments now, she set off to head down the first street nearby. She was quickening her pace, regulating her breathing as she ran when it happened. Some kid ran past her, then practically jumped in front of her and came to a stop. Arianna hit the brakes, but almost as if he'd known what he was doing the entire time, he remained far enough away that she didn't collide into him. "Whoa!" She called out, her arms flying out to her sides as if that would help her stop. The sudden loss of momentum almost made her dizzy, but she drew in a few deep breaths and tried to calm her now racing heartbeat. Bending over slightly, she gripped her knees and looked up at the white haired kid, breathing heavily.
He was very upbeat, she noticed, and appeared to be pretty young. Straightening as he held out his hand to her, she stared at it for a moment before taking it, giving him a brisk handshake before withdrawing her hand and placing it-- along with the other one-- on her hips. She wasn't so sure about introducing herself to a stranger, but it wasn't as though she wasn't known around town anyway. "Nice to meet you, Devin. Call me Ari." She told him through her deep breaths, shaking her head. She noted that he was very talkative, and that made her think that he was just a kid she hadn't seen before, perhaps who wasn't quite aware of the dangers of being out at this time without an adult.
"Where are your parents?" She asked, wondering if perhaps they were all out for a run. Seeing no one, she turned back to Devin. "You should probably go home, kid. The world's not always a safe place to be in. You live around here?" She gestured to the beautiful homes around them. The least she could do was escort him home, make sure that he got there in one piece. She waited for him to answer, reaching up and clasping her hands together behind her head, studying him again. After a beat, she couldn't stop her curiosity. "What after school activities are you in? Track? Football, baseball?"
Arianna would remember why she was single. The last time she'd dated, Arianna was about twenty-two. She met Rob on a job; she'd had to interview him a few times as a witness to a robbery. So she was in and out of his place, and at first it had been strictly professional. Arianna hadn't even thought of dating him, but on her third trip to his place for another round of questions, he'd asked her out. She'd been asked out before, but for some reason, she found it hard to tell him no. Not that she didn't try, of course. Obviously he knew she was a cop, and for which part of the city. After she turned him down that night, she had a bouquet of roses on her desk the next day. They ended up in the trash.
After that, she started getting one rose a week, always with a note. Will you go out with me? tied to the rose on fancy parchment paper, with his phone number attached. After they closed the robbery case, Peterson took Arianna aside and asked her flat out if she had a stalker. Since Arianna hadn't seen him since he'd asked her out, just the roses, she told him no. She did tell Peterson who the flowers were from, though, and she still remembered to this day how his wrinkled face looked when he smiled at her, and told her that maybe she should give it a shot. That night, the rose ended up in the trash, but the attached note was gone.
Ari and Rob dated for eight months. Looking back, she still doesn't exactly understand how she never realized he was playing her. They were just starting to get super serious, almost coming up on their one year anniversary, when a woman showed up at the department. She was frantic, and of course, Arianna thought something was wrong so she took her to a private room to calm her down. When they were alone, the woman turned on her and slapped Arianna, calling her a homewrecker, along with everything else she could think of. Turns out, she was Rob's wife of three years, and though they were separated it wasn't a divorce separation.
Peterson barged into the room when he heard the screaming, and Arianna left work early that day. She wasn't the type to just roll over and take the lies, and she definitely wasn't going to stay with him. He was happy to see her early in the afternoon that day, but after Ari slapped him across the face, things went sour. He started yelling at her and calling her crazy, trying to turn the tables on her and make her feel like it was her fault. Arianna sees the world in black and white, has ever since she was little. There were no excuses or reasons he could give her for what he'd done, and Arianna remembered slamming his door shut so hard that she heard something crash inside. She never went back to find out what it was, and she'd never seen him since that day.
Her bad history with relationships started way before Rob, and included more than just boyfriends. Family, friends, you name it. Most of them had been toxic to her health, whether she'd realized it at the time or not. She didn't like to think back that far, though, and did her best not to. She'd grown since then, moved on with her life and become an officer of the law. She worked hard to get where she's at, and she didn't want to let anyone make her forget that.
Realizing she'd been jogging in place for a few moments now, she set off to head down the first street nearby. She was quickening her pace, regulating her breathing as she ran when it happened. Some kid ran past her, then practically jumped in front of her and came to a stop. Arianna hit the brakes, but almost as if he'd known what he was doing the entire time, he remained far enough away that she didn't collide into him. "Whoa!" She called out, her arms flying out to her sides as if that would help her stop. The sudden loss of momentum almost made her dizzy, but she drew in a few deep breaths and tried to calm her now racing heartbeat. Bending over slightly, she gripped her knees and looked up at the white haired kid, breathing heavily.
He was very upbeat, she noticed, and appeared to be pretty young. Straightening as he held out his hand to her, she stared at it for a moment before taking it, giving him a brisk handshake before withdrawing her hand and placing it-- along with the other one-- on her hips. She wasn't so sure about introducing herself to a stranger, but it wasn't as though she wasn't known around town anyway. "Nice to meet you, Devin. Call me Ari." She told him through her deep breaths, shaking her head. She noted that he was very talkative, and that made her think that he was just a kid she hadn't seen before, perhaps who wasn't quite aware of the dangers of being out at this time without an adult.
"Where are your parents?" She asked, wondering if perhaps they were all out for a run. Seeing no one, she turned back to Devin. "You should probably go home, kid. The world's not always a safe place to be in. You live around here?" She gestured to the beautiful homes around them. The least she could do was escort him home, make sure that he got there in one piece. She waited for him to answer, reaching up and clasping her hands together behind her head, studying him again. After a beat, she couldn't stop her curiosity. "What after school activities are you in? Track? Football, baseball?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
“Ari, huh? That short for anything? Arissa, perhaps?” Devil questioned, tilting his head to the side like a curious animal. In his experience, Ari was a male name, so this was likely a nickname of some kind. Of course, it could just be a name like Terra or Riley and the gender specifics have changed to being more androgynous. But that's why he asked. “Did you know that the name Ari in Hebrew means lion? It kinda works don’t you think since you are blonde and all.” Devin shrugged as if having the meaning of names is the most casual conversation topic in the world. “My name means divine and perfect which, obviously, fits me!” With a dramatic flair Devin ran a hand through his hair sending himself into a giggle fit after he had did so. "Kidding... well, mostly."
At the question of his parents though, Devin sobered up quickly. Shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets he began shifting his weight back and forth from heel to toe, “My parents?” He repeated, his cheeky attempt at buying time obvious, but eventually with a shrug he answered. This was far from a fun topic but it was not one he was ashamed about either, so he shared although the tone was far more flat than it had been the rest of the conversation. “No idea who my mom is, for all I know she is dead or I was adopted, but my dad is not around very often. He spends most of his time out of the city… But I prefer that since we don’t get along very much.” At these words Devin snarled, his wide eyes narrowing briefly before he visibly perfected up again, “I don’t care though! I get to do what I want, when I want! If he were around I would not be able to wander around and meet interesting people like you! I meet a LOT of cool people wandering around the city at this time of day, you know.”
“And I don’t want to go home.” He bluntly said, “But your right, this world is a bit dangerous if you can’t handle yourself. Which is exactly why I am not going to tell you where I live. That’s rule number one when talking to strangers, is it not? For all I know, you could be a murderer plotting to kidnap me right now. “ For a moment Devin kept a serious expression before bursting out into laughter, “I’m just kidding! I’m sure you are not a murderer, although unless you can give me a good reason to trust you, my address is a secret. I’m a thrill seeker, not stupid.”
“Oh nothing as mundane as that.” Devin waved Ari off when she mentioned such dull activities like track and baseball. “My after school activities are not exactly sponsored by the school itself.. They are more like a hobby for me, a serious hobby though. It’s a bit dangerous, I’ll admit, but that’s why I have to work on my stamina and parkour skills so much. I need to be able to run away from any trouble I run into during my 'extracurricular' activities.” Winking playfully, Devin motioned towards the sky, signifying how the sun was only just rising, “In case you can’t tell, I’m a bit of a daredevil. I like excitement in my life and since Dad is far away, I have the freedom to do it.”
“Do you want to know what it is I do?” Although he was asking, he was going to tell Ari no matter what she said. “I’m sure you have heard of the Sins, the seven gangs in this city that have basically taken over everything, yeah? Well, don't tell anyone, I could get in a lot of trouble with a lot of people if they ever learn about this, but when I’m not working or at school, I sort of… dabble in the gangs of this city.” Dabble was an understatement, but Devin did not feel the need to talk about it further than that.
Realizing the implications of his words, Devin quickly held up his hands as if in surrender, “Oh don’t worry, I’m not actually apart of any of the gangs! I don’t think more than a handful even know my face! I don’t hurt or steal from people at all! By dabble I only meant… you know, study them. They are so cool so whenever I can, I try to keep track of them, where they are in the city, who they are dealing with, when meetings are being held, members identities… that kind of fancy stuff! I even knew one of their secret handshakes until they changed it a month ago!”
“One day, I’m going to write a book about the inner workings of the gangs! But since I don’t want to get killed and i have trust issues, I’m keeping all that information up here where no one can trace them back to me.” Devin tapped his temple at this point, wiggling his eyebrows as if he were not talking about information that could literally get himself killed if the wrong person overheard this information. “I’m not like those idiots who write blogs about the Sins because the stuff I know is pretty heavy. Like, just the other day I snuck myself into the place where the Jade Demons were currently hanging out, and I’m pretty sure I saw one of them talking to the mayor. Can you imagine the trouble I would have caused if I had posted or told anyone their deal-”
Slamming a hand over his mouth, Devin forced himself to shut up. “Shit, I said to much! Wait, I swore too, sorry!” From the way he spoke, he seemed far more apologetic about swearing than he did the fact that he had just told Ari incriminating information. “I don’t talk about this hobby of mine very often so when I get a chance to I tend to ramble on for far longer than necessary. Pretend you didn't hear that, alright? I don’t want you to get killed for knowing too much. I try so hard not to get civilians involved so I would feel really guilty if anything happened to you! You are way too pretty and nice to get mixed up in all this!”
On the outside, Devin was admittedly putting on a show of feeling bad, but on the inside he actually didn't care that much. Why should he? All he was doing while talking to this woman was testing her. Sure he knew that she had potential, but her being a bit athletic was not enough for him to fully invest in her just yet. For example, if she turned out to be a coward who would run away after knowing this information, he would know that she did not fit the bill. But if she encouraged him to talk more or at least was unfazed by his dangerous knowledge, then he would be able to further push her towards his goals. It was a gamble where he was revealing a bit too much of his hand, but it could pay off a lot depending on the outcome.
“You won’t tell the cops that I do this stuff will you? I don’t want my dad finding out about what I get up to while he is out of town. He would blow a gasket and would probably lock me up for who knows how long! The last time he grounded me I was not allowed to leave my home for what felt like centuries!”
At the question of his parents though, Devin sobered up quickly. Shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets he began shifting his weight back and forth from heel to toe, “My parents?” He repeated, his cheeky attempt at buying time obvious, but eventually with a shrug he answered. This was far from a fun topic but it was not one he was ashamed about either, so he shared although the tone was far more flat than it had been the rest of the conversation. “No idea who my mom is, for all I know she is dead or I was adopted, but my dad is not around very often. He spends most of his time out of the city… But I prefer that since we don’t get along very much.” At these words Devin snarled, his wide eyes narrowing briefly before he visibly perfected up again, “I don’t care though! I get to do what I want, when I want! If he were around I would not be able to wander around and meet interesting people like you! I meet a LOT of cool people wandering around the city at this time of day, you know.”
“And I don’t want to go home.” He bluntly said, “But your right, this world is a bit dangerous if you can’t handle yourself. Which is exactly why I am not going to tell you where I live. That’s rule number one when talking to strangers, is it not? For all I know, you could be a murderer plotting to kidnap me right now. “ For a moment Devin kept a serious expression before bursting out into laughter, “I’m just kidding! I’m sure you are not a murderer, although unless you can give me a good reason to trust you, my address is a secret. I’m a thrill seeker, not stupid.”
“Oh nothing as mundane as that.” Devin waved Ari off when she mentioned such dull activities like track and baseball. “My after school activities are not exactly sponsored by the school itself.. They are more like a hobby for me, a serious hobby though. It’s a bit dangerous, I’ll admit, but that’s why I have to work on my stamina and parkour skills so much. I need to be able to run away from any trouble I run into during my 'extracurricular' activities.” Winking playfully, Devin motioned towards the sky, signifying how the sun was only just rising, “In case you can’t tell, I’m a bit of a daredevil. I like excitement in my life and since Dad is far away, I have the freedom to do it.”
“Do you want to know what it is I do?” Although he was asking, he was going to tell Ari no matter what she said. “I’m sure you have heard of the Sins, the seven gangs in this city that have basically taken over everything, yeah? Well, don't tell anyone, I could get in a lot of trouble with a lot of people if they ever learn about this, but when I’m not working or at school, I sort of… dabble in the gangs of this city.” Dabble was an understatement, but Devin did not feel the need to talk about it further than that.
Realizing the implications of his words, Devin quickly held up his hands as if in surrender, “Oh don’t worry, I’m not actually apart of any of the gangs! I don’t think more than a handful even know my face! I don’t hurt or steal from people at all! By dabble I only meant… you know, study them. They are so cool so whenever I can, I try to keep track of them, where they are in the city, who they are dealing with, when meetings are being held, members identities… that kind of fancy stuff! I even knew one of their secret handshakes until they changed it a month ago!”
“One day, I’m going to write a book about the inner workings of the gangs! But since I don’t want to get killed and i have trust issues, I’m keeping all that information up here where no one can trace them back to me.” Devin tapped his temple at this point, wiggling his eyebrows as if he were not talking about information that could literally get himself killed if the wrong person overheard this information. “I’m not like those idiots who write blogs about the Sins because the stuff I know is pretty heavy. Like, just the other day I snuck myself into the place where the Jade Demons were currently hanging out, and I’m pretty sure I saw one of them talking to the mayor. Can you imagine the trouble I would have caused if I had posted or told anyone their deal-”
Slamming a hand over his mouth, Devin forced himself to shut up. “Shit, I said to much! Wait, I swore too, sorry!” From the way he spoke, he seemed far more apologetic about swearing than he did the fact that he had just told Ari incriminating information. “I don’t talk about this hobby of mine very often so when I get a chance to I tend to ramble on for far longer than necessary. Pretend you didn't hear that, alright? I don’t want you to get killed for knowing too much. I try so hard not to get civilians involved so I would feel really guilty if anything happened to you! You are way too pretty and nice to get mixed up in all this!”
On the outside, Devin was admittedly putting on a show of feeling bad, but on the inside he actually didn't care that much. Why should he? All he was doing while talking to this woman was testing her. Sure he knew that she had potential, but her being a bit athletic was not enough for him to fully invest in her just yet. For example, if she turned out to be a coward who would run away after knowing this information, he would know that she did not fit the bill. But if she encouraged him to talk more or at least was unfazed by his dangerous knowledge, then he would be able to further push her towards his goals. It was a gamble where he was revealing a bit too much of his hand, but it could pay off a lot depending on the outcome.
“You won’t tell the cops that I do this stuff will you? I don’t want my dad finding out about what I get up to while he is out of town. He would blow a gasket and would probably lock me up for who knows how long! The last time he grounded me I was not allowed to leave my home for what felt like centuries!”
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
The kid was cute. Not in an attractive sort of way, but he had this naive way about him that Ari couldn't help but to admire. And really, he wasn't a kid, that she knew. He couldn't be much younger than her, really. Less than a decade, she guessed. "I had no idea." She told him in response to him telling her that Ari meant lion, but he was already moving on to comparing his own name to himself. At his giggle, she couldn't help but smile herself, giving a slight shake of her head as she glanced around at the still empty streets. "Ari is short for Arianna, though I'll still take the comparison to a lion. They're pretty majestic, don't you think?"
She noticed how quickly he sobered up when she mentioned his parents, and she instantly grew wary of his reaction. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie and started shifting his weight back and forth, echoing her words in an attempt to buy time. "Yeah. Your parents." She repeated, placing her palms on her hips, her voice taking on a more serious tone. She'd dealt with kids like this before, thinking that they had free reign of the town, when they didn't even realize the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Some didn't even bother hiding; they sat out in plain sunlight, ready and waiting for someone naive to pass them by.
It saddened her to hear that he didn't know the whereabouts of his mother, but then again, Arianna of all people understood. She was taken away from her birth mother at a year old; she didn't even remember what the woman looked like. And she'd never met her real dad, not that she remembered at all. Not getting along with your parents was another thing she sympathized with, considering the hatred she still bore for her adoptive parents. She hadn't spoken to them since leaving their home at eighteen, and she felt as though she were much better off without their presence in her life. Just thinking about her years spent with them made her want to punch something.
Reigning in her sudden temper, she focused on Devin again. "Smart kid." She told him after a moment, though her expression was playful. "But you know, there are people out there you can trust. I'm one of them." After a moment, she shrugged, letting her arms fall by her sides. "Of course, that's exactly what someone would tell you even if they couldn't be trusted, so believe me. I get it." Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied the teen in front of her. He was young but not dumb, seemed to be almost wise beyond his years. Though he didn't have the build of say, a football player, she could see him being able to run. But run from what? What kind of trouble would someone like him cause?
He mentioned his extracurriculars as if reading her mind, pulling her attention out of her thoughts and back into the present. Her mind was going at full speed, mostly curious about what kind of after school activities someone could be a part of that would involve running away, and being a daredevil. She opened her mouth to ask, but he pressed on, piquing Arianna's curiosity even more when he asked if she wanted to know what he did. She simply nodded, trying to keep her face impassive as he mentioned the Sins, though she was sure a mixture of shock and interest appeared on her face for at least a couple of moments.
"You do what?" Unable to hide the surprise from her voice, she stared at Devin, her jaw slightly open. He held up his hands in a form of mock surrender, and she blinked, shutting her mouth and glancing around the empty streets again before letting her blue eyes fall back onto the teen. "That's dangerous." She breathed, uncrossing her arms and placing one hand on her hip. He kept talking, though, and her resolve to hide how she felt began to crumble more and more.
She knew that she should probably be at least a little afraid-- after all, who knew what this kid was saying that was truthful or not? He could be a part of one of the gangs, branching out onto her turf to try to take over the last standing district. Or perhaps he was just some young kid, doing research and just being adventurous. But really, it wasn't adventurous as much as it was stupid-- he could easily get himself or someone else hurt, or even worse, killed. He seemed confident, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was more cocky, to the point where he thought he couldn't get hurt. She realized her earlier assumption of him might be wrong-- he might not be as naive as she thought.
A sudden, heavy silence took over the two when Devin clamped a hand over his mouth. Shaking her head, she waved a hand in the air. "Swear away." She told him, blinking a few times to process what she just heard. He told her she was too pretty to be involved in what he'd told her and she laughed, though that didn't take away what she'd already heard. "Don't worry about me, Devin, I can handle myself." Bringing her bottom lip into her mouth, she bit down, a little harder than she'd meant to. Releasing the slightly swollen lip, she thought quickly, not wanting to tell him she was a cop and scaring him off, but at the same time, not wanting to lose her new informant by lying.
Finally making a decision, she slid both of her hands around to her back. "Listen, Devin. I won't tell the cops." She paused. "Well, the other cops." She offered him a half apologetic smile, then grew serious again. "But only if you help me out." She paused again, doubting herself for a moment. Deciding it was too late to back out now-- was it?-- she mentally shook herself and went on. "I want to know about them. The Sins. I want to know what you know-- how they work, who's involved, anything, really." She took one more glance around before meeting his gaze again, her eyes intense. "What do you think?"
She noticed how quickly he sobered up when she mentioned his parents, and she instantly grew wary of his reaction. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie and started shifting his weight back and forth, echoing her words in an attempt to buy time. "Yeah. Your parents." She repeated, placing her palms on her hips, her voice taking on a more serious tone. She'd dealt with kids like this before, thinking that they had free reign of the town, when they didn't even realize the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Some didn't even bother hiding; they sat out in plain sunlight, ready and waiting for someone naive to pass them by.
It saddened her to hear that he didn't know the whereabouts of his mother, but then again, Arianna of all people understood. She was taken away from her birth mother at a year old; she didn't even remember what the woman looked like. And she'd never met her real dad, not that she remembered at all. Not getting along with your parents was another thing she sympathized with, considering the hatred she still bore for her adoptive parents. She hadn't spoken to them since leaving their home at eighteen, and she felt as though she were much better off without their presence in her life. Just thinking about her years spent with them made her want to punch something.
Reigning in her sudden temper, she focused on Devin again. "Smart kid." She told him after a moment, though her expression was playful. "But you know, there are people out there you can trust. I'm one of them." After a moment, she shrugged, letting her arms fall by her sides. "Of course, that's exactly what someone would tell you even if they couldn't be trusted, so believe me. I get it." Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied the teen in front of her. He was young but not dumb, seemed to be almost wise beyond his years. Though he didn't have the build of say, a football player, she could see him being able to run. But run from what? What kind of trouble would someone like him cause?
He mentioned his extracurriculars as if reading her mind, pulling her attention out of her thoughts and back into the present. Her mind was going at full speed, mostly curious about what kind of after school activities someone could be a part of that would involve running away, and being a daredevil. She opened her mouth to ask, but he pressed on, piquing Arianna's curiosity even more when he asked if she wanted to know what he did. She simply nodded, trying to keep her face impassive as he mentioned the Sins, though she was sure a mixture of shock and interest appeared on her face for at least a couple of moments.
"You do what?" Unable to hide the surprise from her voice, she stared at Devin, her jaw slightly open. He held up his hands in a form of mock surrender, and she blinked, shutting her mouth and glancing around the empty streets again before letting her blue eyes fall back onto the teen. "That's dangerous." She breathed, uncrossing her arms and placing one hand on her hip. He kept talking, though, and her resolve to hide how she felt began to crumble more and more.
She knew that she should probably be at least a little afraid-- after all, who knew what this kid was saying that was truthful or not? He could be a part of one of the gangs, branching out onto her turf to try to take over the last standing district. Or perhaps he was just some young kid, doing research and just being adventurous. But really, it wasn't adventurous as much as it was stupid-- he could easily get himself or someone else hurt, or even worse, killed. He seemed confident, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was more cocky, to the point where he thought he couldn't get hurt. She realized her earlier assumption of him might be wrong-- he might not be as naive as she thought.
A sudden, heavy silence took over the two when Devin clamped a hand over his mouth. Shaking her head, she waved a hand in the air. "Swear away." She told him, blinking a few times to process what she just heard. He told her she was too pretty to be involved in what he'd told her and she laughed, though that didn't take away what she'd already heard. "Don't worry about me, Devin, I can handle myself." Bringing her bottom lip into her mouth, she bit down, a little harder than she'd meant to. Releasing the slightly swollen lip, she thought quickly, not wanting to tell him she was a cop and scaring him off, but at the same time, not wanting to lose her new informant by lying.
Finally making a decision, she slid both of her hands around to her back. "Listen, Devin. I won't tell the cops." She paused. "Well, the other cops." She offered him a half apologetic smile, then grew serious again. "But only if you help me out." She paused again, doubting herself for a moment. Deciding it was too late to back out now-- was it?-- she mentally shook herself and went on. "I want to know about them. The Sins. I want to know what you know-- how they work, who's involved, anything, really." She took one more glance around before meeting his gaze again, her eyes intense. "What do you think?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
“Lions are cool but Arianna is even better!” Devin almost squealed, his excitement for her name even more apparent. “That means 'very holy' so we are practically cousins! I’m divine and you are holy! That’s just perfect!” To all those who attempted to thwart their attempts, knowing that the ritual was completed by someone named very holy would be the perfect irony. It was too good.
It was hard not to raise a died brow at the woman he now knew as Ari when she spoke about her being one that could be trusted. SO many people said this, but considering that at the end of the day Devin trusted no one, he always found this 'reassurance' comical anytime he heard it. But he did not hesitate on it long. Why would he? He was about to see her reaction to the biggest scoop any news reporter could dream of. He did not make it a habit of his to share even this much information after all.
And he was not disappointed. Openly he laughed at the woman's reaction, clapping his hands together in glee. “Oh I should tell more people what I do in my free time if that's how people are going to react! And of course it's fucking dangerous, I’m dealing with gangs that kill people for fun or money! Hell, if it were not dangerous, I would probably not be doing this in the first place! I've got enough boring things going on during the day!” Although he was far from the worst of his age group, it seemed like now that he knew he could swear, he was getting a bit more free with it.
“Oh yeah? Can you handle yourself?” He prompted, taking a step closer, leaning forward in an almost bowing fashion so that he could look up at her from a closer angle. He had looked playful as he did this, smirking up at her through his white bangs. “Alrighty, I’m listening.”
When she mentioned that she wouldn't tell the cops his smile grew, but when she specified that she meant other cops, his eyes enlarged into fear. The boy did decently at keeping the smile on his face from twitching too much, likely a skill gained while spying on the other gangs, but he stepped out of the bowing position and further away from her immediately. Hands were back into his pockets and he was shifting toe to heel once again. This was starting to become a sure sign that he did not like the conversation topic.
“Damn it, of course you're a cop, Holy.” He said, the voice loud but flat, the smile no longer holding joy, it was only mask used to hide the wheels turning in his head. He was trying to figure out if her being a cop was a good or bad thing. His first impulse was that talking to a police was dangerous, both for his hobby and for his goals, but on the other hand… she was already trained and had access to plenty of things that could be useful. There was still a chance that this was the one he would place his largest bet on in the upcoming weeks.
Devin was an optimist though, so now that his few minutes of panic was over he could see the bright side of the situation. Devin let out a laugh as he came to this realization, his laugh deeper than before, clearly from the gut and not just a simple giggle this time. When he finished the playful grin was back onto his face and he flew his hands out to the sides with more drama than necessary. “Let me get this straight, you're trying to blackmail me? That’s rather ambitious of you, don’t you think?” This was admittedly a bit of a challenge on his part and was obviously a display of his cockiness. He had been studying the gangs for months, so he was confident that he knew how to cover his tracks at the very least. “After all, what proof do you have that I know anything? I told you already, I don’t have a single scrap of information written down so you have nothing to hold against me to make me talk! And, based on that tank top of yours, I don't think you have a wire on either. Hell, my name may not even be Devin!”
“I mean, that is my name, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.” Devin took this opportunity to close the distance between them again, his confidence directly reflected how his body moved and his proximity to others. “I may be a kid, but I’m not stupid. I left no paper trail and if you coppers could find footage or DNA of those involved with the Sins, you would have no need for my information, would ya? I have no obligation to tell you a single thing, so I wont!”
He had looked very smug up until this point but, taking a deep breath first, Devin lowered his volume and took the first step towards his end goal. “Well…. actually…. I will tell you what I know. That is, at least, if you have something to offer me in turn.” Pointing a finger up into the air Devin came up with a plan, the symbolic light bulb going off in his brain. This woman could do far more than he could in this city, her being a cop, female, and older opened up a lot of doors closed to a teenage boy. “So I offer you a deal, my holy cousin! Give me your phone number, and when I come up with some information that may interest you, I’ll share it. In return though, I want you to be my legs. When I can’t gain access to someplace or to someone, you will go in my place, and any information you find you have to share with me. Quid pro quo, tit for tat, as they say.”
His finger was still pointed to the sky, so he raised two more to make a total of three as he continued, counting down. “I have three more rules. One, I will share no information with anyone but you. Far too many cops these day are corrupt and I don’t trust them, so if any other cop tries to contact me, we are done. Following that, my second rule is that you have to keep my face and name out of everything. Even the name in your phone will be an alias that I come up with. And third, if I ever absolutely need your help with something, you will give it to me. Sharing my information with a cop is dangerous and puts my life at much more of a risk, so one day I may be targeted and I will need to call upon your help. When that day comes, I need you to be there, ready to act in my favor.”
“So…. now it’s my turn to ask you, what do you think? Do we have a deal?” Once again, Devin held out his hand to Arianna, offering her a handshake to ‘seal the deal’ as if this was simply a business transaction between them. “No compromises, accept my more than fair conditions or I will never say a word about the Sins ever again.”
At this point in the conversation, which had been going on a bit longer than it felt, the sun had rose over the horizon, lighting up the park and bringing people out of their homes. Seeing that the area was getting more populated by the minute, Devin pushed the conversation just a touch more. He was not desperate, but he was obviously rushing her to make a choice. “I’ve got school and I’m sure your have work, yeah? I've got places to be, people to see, gangs to spy on… you know how it is, I’m sure. So whats your answer?”
It was hard not to raise a died brow at the woman he now knew as Ari when she spoke about her being one that could be trusted. SO many people said this, but considering that at the end of the day Devin trusted no one, he always found this 'reassurance' comical anytime he heard it. But he did not hesitate on it long. Why would he? He was about to see her reaction to the biggest scoop any news reporter could dream of. He did not make it a habit of his to share even this much information after all.
And he was not disappointed. Openly he laughed at the woman's reaction, clapping his hands together in glee. “Oh I should tell more people what I do in my free time if that's how people are going to react! And of course it's fucking dangerous, I’m dealing with gangs that kill people for fun or money! Hell, if it were not dangerous, I would probably not be doing this in the first place! I've got enough boring things going on during the day!” Although he was far from the worst of his age group, it seemed like now that he knew he could swear, he was getting a bit more free with it.
“Oh yeah? Can you handle yourself?” He prompted, taking a step closer, leaning forward in an almost bowing fashion so that he could look up at her from a closer angle. He had looked playful as he did this, smirking up at her through his white bangs. “Alrighty, I’m listening.”
When she mentioned that she wouldn't tell the cops his smile grew, but when she specified that she meant other cops, his eyes enlarged into fear. The boy did decently at keeping the smile on his face from twitching too much, likely a skill gained while spying on the other gangs, but he stepped out of the bowing position and further away from her immediately. Hands were back into his pockets and he was shifting toe to heel once again. This was starting to become a sure sign that he did not like the conversation topic.
“Damn it, of course you're a cop, Holy.” He said, the voice loud but flat, the smile no longer holding joy, it was only mask used to hide the wheels turning in his head. He was trying to figure out if her being a cop was a good or bad thing. His first impulse was that talking to a police was dangerous, both for his hobby and for his goals, but on the other hand… she was already trained and had access to plenty of things that could be useful. There was still a chance that this was the one he would place his largest bet on in the upcoming weeks.
Devin was an optimist though, so now that his few minutes of panic was over he could see the bright side of the situation. Devin let out a laugh as he came to this realization, his laugh deeper than before, clearly from the gut and not just a simple giggle this time. When he finished the playful grin was back onto his face and he flew his hands out to the sides with more drama than necessary. “Let me get this straight, you're trying to blackmail me? That’s rather ambitious of you, don’t you think?” This was admittedly a bit of a challenge on his part and was obviously a display of his cockiness. He had been studying the gangs for months, so he was confident that he knew how to cover his tracks at the very least. “After all, what proof do you have that I know anything? I told you already, I don’t have a single scrap of information written down so you have nothing to hold against me to make me talk! And, based on that tank top of yours, I don't think you have a wire on either. Hell, my name may not even be Devin!”
“I mean, that is my name, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.” Devin took this opportunity to close the distance between them again, his confidence directly reflected how his body moved and his proximity to others. “I may be a kid, but I’m not stupid. I left no paper trail and if you coppers could find footage or DNA of those involved with the Sins, you would have no need for my information, would ya? I have no obligation to tell you a single thing, so I wont!”
He had looked very smug up until this point but, taking a deep breath first, Devin lowered his volume and took the first step towards his end goal. “Well…. actually…. I will tell you what I know. That is, at least, if you have something to offer me in turn.” Pointing a finger up into the air Devin came up with a plan, the symbolic light bulb going off in his brain. This woman could do far more than he could in this city, her being a cop, female, and older opened up a lot of doors closed to a teenage boy. “So I offer you a deal, my holy cousin! Give me your phone number, and when I come up with some information that may interest you, I’ll share it. In return though, I want you to be my legs. When I can’t gain access to someplace or to someone, you will go in my place, and any information you find you have to share with me. Quid pro quo, tit for tat, as they say.”
His finger was still pointed to the sky, so he raised two more to make a total of three as he continued, counting down. “I have three more rules. One, I will share no information with anyone but you. Far too many cops these day are corrupt and I don’t trust them, so if any other cop tries to contact me, we are done. Following that, my second rule is that you have to keep my face and name out of everything. Even the name in your phone will be an alias that I come up with. And third, if I ever absolutely need your help with something, you will give it to me. Sharing my information with a cop is dangerous and puts my life at much more of a risk, so one day I may be targeted and I will need to call upon your help. When that day comes, I need you to be there, ready to act in my favor.”
“So…. now it’s my turn to ask you, what do you think? Do we have a deal?” Once again, Devin held out his hand to Arianna, offering her a handshake to ‘seal the deal’ as if this was simply a business transaction between them. “No compromises, accept my more than fair conditions or I will never say a word about the Sins ever again.”
At this point in the conversation, which had been going on a bit longer than it felt, the sun had rose over the horizon, lighting up the park and bringing people out of their homes. Seeing that the area was getting more populated by the minute, Devin pushed the conversation just a touch more. He was not desperate, but he was obviously rushing her to make a choice. “I’ve got school and I’m sure your have work, yeah? I've got places to be, people to see, gangs to spy on… you know how it is, I’m sure. So whats your answer?”
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
Arianna couldn't help but chuckle when he called them cousins. He couldn't be more far off, but in reality, she didn't know just how far. She did mean it when she said that he could trust her. Despite being a cop, she wasn't your typical billy-badass type who didn't care about the general population. To be fair, alot of cops weren't like that. They did care, but they had to have that hard exterior to keep themselves from getting more involved in something than they should. Arianna, whether it was because she was a woman, or because of her past, or even some other reason unknown to her, still had a soft heart under her somewhat tough exterior. Her time as a cop had not hardened her to the trials of others.
Her childhood made her sensitive especially to the plight of kids and teenagers. Perhaps that's why she was so open to the information she was receiving from the teen in front of her, with his excited eyes and dyed-white hair. She had no idea what type of life he lived, but she did have a pretty vivid imagination, and she could only guess at the reason he felt the need to involve himself with the most dangerous gangs of the city. He grew excited the more he spoke, and she thought he might live a pretty boring or adventureless life. As a teen herself, she probably craved adventure too, but she thought that she craved other things more. Affection, a loving touch.
He stepped closer to her, curving his body so that he could look up at her through his bangs, his expression playful. She offered him a small smile in return for his good mood and the information that she wanted, curiosity winning over her better judgement. When her words sank in, however, that she was a cop-- his whole demeanor changed. The smile dropped from her face as he snapped up straight, stepping away from her and began bouncing back and forth from the heels of his feet to his toes. She remembered he'd acted like that when she'd brought up his parents. Her expression grew slightly concerned, but she said nothing.
“Damn it, of course you're a cop, Holy.” His voice was flat, but she thought she saw some gears turning in his head. Probably trying to figure out if he should keep talking, or run and get out while he was ahead. She couldn't really blame him. The cops in this district were itching to bring down the seven gangs. There were tons of cops-- herself not included-- on the case. But it was hard to determine who was dirty and who wasn't. There could definitely be cops in this district touched by the gangs influence. Arianna had worked her way up to detective, sure, but she still was a baby detective and she knew that's how she was viewed by alot of the others. It didn't help that she was a woman.
Devin laughed suddenly, causing Arianna to tense up in surprise. The laugh subsided and the playful grin was back. "I wouldn't really call it blackmail." She spoke carefully, tilting her head to the side slightly. He was right; she didn't have a wire on, and she had no proof he actually knew anything. He could be playing her, and she could be falling for his trap. She liked to think that she was smarter than that, though. "Based on your previous excitement, however, I sincerely doubt you made all of that up. I can see it. A mischievous teen, begging for adventure. Getting in over his head, maybe wanting someone to vent to or just an ear to listen." She paused.
"I'm not trying to turn you in, Devin." Thinking that playing bad cop wouldn't work with him, she decided to try a different route. "I don't want you to get in trouble, or anything like that. I just want information. Same as you." She thought he might have considered her words, for when he spoke again, he said he would tell her what he knew. But only if she had something to offer him in turn. Intrigued, she listened carefully, not wanting to miss anything. Sure, she was an adult, and he a teenager-- but that didn't mean that she was the brighter one here. He was the one who had infiltrated the gangs so far, learned about them, and managed to live to tell the story.
Knowing she didn't have long to think about it, she started to speak, but he went on, sharing three more rules with her. No other cops, no sharing his face or name, and helping him should he call upon her. He stuck out his hand to seal the deal, and her eyes flickered down to it. It was dangerous, getting involved with the sins, when she had no idea what to expect. It wasn't her job, it wasn't her case. The sun was starting to come up, and she knew she had to get to work soon, and he stated he had school. It was now or never. If she didn't accept, she'd likely never hear from or see him again. She had to choose.
Almost without realizing what she was doing, she stuck her own hand out and shook his. "We have a deal." She heard herself telling him. She withdrew her hand after a moment, reaching for her phone. Unplugging the headphones, she draped them around her neck and navigated to her contact list, hitting the add button and then turning the device his way. "Here."
Her childhood made her sensitive especially to the plight of kids and teenagers. Perhaps that's why she was so open to the information she was receiving from the teen in front of her, with his excited eyes and dyed-white hair. She had no idea what type of life he lived, but she did have a pretty vivid imagination, and she could only guess at the reason he felt the need to involve himself with the most dangerous gangs of the city. He grew excited the more he spoke, and she thought he might live a pretty boring or adventureless life. As a teen herself, she probably craved adventure too, but she thought that she craved other things more. Affection, a loving touch.
He stepped closer to her, curving his body so that he could look up at her through his bangs, his expression playful. She offered him a small smile in return for his good mood and the information that she wanted, curiosity winning over her better judgement. When her words sank in, however, that she was a cop-- his whole demeanor changed. The smile dropped from her face as he snapped up straight, stepping away from her and began bouncing back and forth from the heels of his feet to his toes. She remembered he'd acted like that when she'd brought up his parents. Her expression grew slightly concerned, but she said nothing.
“Damn it, of course you're a cop, Holy.” His voice was flat, but she thought she saw some gears turning in his head. Probably trying to figure out if he should keep talking, or run and get out while he was ahead. She couldn't really blame him. The cops in this district were itching to bring down the seven gangs. There were tons of cops-- herself not included-- on the case. But it was hard to determine who was dirty and who wasn't. There could definitely be cops in this district touched by the gangs influence. Arianna had worked her way up to detective, sure, but she still was a baby detective and she knew that's how she was viewed by alot of the others. It didn't help that she was a woman.
Devin laughed suddenly, causing Arianna to tense up in surprise. The laugh subsided and the playful grin was back. "I wouldn't really call it blackmail." She spoke carefully, tilting her head to the side slightly. He was right; she didn't have a wire on, and she had no proof he actually knew anything. He could be playing her, and she could be falling for his trap. She liked to think that she was smarter than that, though. "Based on your previous excitement, however, I sincerely doubt you made all of that up. I can see it. A mischievous teen, begging for adventure. Getting in over his head, maybe wanting someone to vent to or just an ear to listen." She paused.
"I'm not trying to turn you in, Devin." Thinking that playing bad cop wouldn't work with him, she decided to try a different route. "I don't want you to get in trouble, or anything like that. I just want information. Same as you." She thought he might have considered her words, for when he spoke again, he said he would tell her what he knew. But only if she had something to offer him in turn. Intrigued, she listened carefully, not wanting to miss anything. Sure, she was an adult, and he a teenager-- but that didn't mean that she was the brighter one here. He was the one who had infiltrated the gangs so far, learned about them, and managed to live to tell the story.
Knowing she didn't have long to think about it, she started to speak, but he went on, sharing three more rules with her. No other cops, no sharing his face or name, and helping him should he call upon her. He stuck out his hand to seal the deal, and her eyes flickered down to it. It was dangerous, getting involved with the sins, when she had no idea what to expect. It wasn't her job, it wasn't her case. The sun was starting to come up, and she knew she had to get to work soon, and he stated he had school. It was now or never. If she didn't accept, she'd likely never hear from or see him again. She had to choose.
Almost without realizing what she was doing, she stuck her own hand out and shook his. "We have a deal." She heard herself telling him. She withdrew her hand after a moment, reaching for her phone. Unplugging the headphones, she draped them around her neck and navigated to her contact list, hitting the add button and then turning the device his way. "Here."
Viper
One Thousand Club
As Arianna's palm touched his, Devin took a deep breath as a grin stretched across his young face. It always felt so nice to make a deal... old habits and all that. Sure, the contract was not as binding as the ones he used to make but he would take it just as seriously. He would do what he promised, share information about the Sins with her, and he fully expected her to uphold all aspects of her side of the agreement as well. There was only so much Devin could get away with but he was certain that should she break her word, he would be able to make her life a living hell at the very least and at best, send her to hell literally.
“Glad to be working with you Ari!” Devin chirped, taking her phone with eager hands and typing his information into the contact list quickly. “Here is the number to one of my disposable phones…. I keep a lot of those for sneaky business just like this…. And I set my name as Divine. It’s a little inside joke between us, 'cousin'!” Of course, Devin knew that they were not actually related but it was nice to make, even if it was a bit forced, a sense of familiarity between partners. It’s hard to be disloyal to people that considered you family, especially if you thought fondly of them in return. “The best part? Divine is the perfect alias because it’s not even a lie!”
After sending a short text to his phone so that he would have her number in turn, he tossed her phone back into her hands. “Alrighty then! Looks like my work here is done and it’s time to get back to my weekly dose of ennui!” Putting two fingers to his forehead, Devin gave Arianna a mock salute like a goodbye wave. “When I come up with anything interesting, something that you can act upon, I’ll get in contact with you!”
Devin started to walk away, his steps more like prances considering how bouncy he moved. Once he got a few steps away though he turned around and quickly walked back. “Ah, one more thing! Any place I should focus my attention? Any group that ‘attracts’ you more than others? I’m more likely to find something fun if I focus on one group rather than spread myself thin. I do need time for homework after all!” The second Devin got his answer, he turned on his heels and ran off, not slowing down until he was far out of sight of Arianna and any other early morning citizen.
~~~~~~~~~
In fact, Devin ran until he was out of Arianna’s ‘safe’ district and in another. The wrath district was easily the most dangerous, everyone knew that since the group was more upfront with their violent tendencies. The safest though was likely the area greed ruled over. That was, after all, the place where business had been and continued to be the most concentrated. Skyscrapers blocked out the sun there were so many office buildings. To further bring about the guise of civility and normality, the district greed runs was orderly, mostly due to the still active police force. In fact, it was impossible to go more than a few corners without seeing a cop on duty. Unfortunately, these cops are all corrupt, although they would forever deny such things. These cops still pretend to be righteous, justice seeking workers, going so far as to continuously attempting to make contact with Arianna’s force in the attempt to 'team up' as if they were not part of the problem.
That made this distract the best place to go when looking for information about cops, especially when you wanted information that would be illegal to share with civilians. Last names, addresses, and job records were only a few examples of things that should not be shared with any person who came asking…. But at the sixth district of Sin City, that information was available for anyone who could meet the right price.
“Hello, gentleman!” Devin called out as he threw open the police doors, shocking a few inside but receiving a handful of smiles in return. Most of them looked at Devin not unlike how Ari had before, but one of them smiled with a different emotion behind it… expectation. Devin walked up to the man and held out his arms, throwing them around the cop as he exclaimed loud enough for others to hear, “Uncle Jimmy! Guess who’s in town?” Once again, Devin was not related to this person, but as far as anyone else knew, he very well could be Jimmy's younger cousin. The cousin did really exist somewhere in the country, Devin was just not that boy, and for that reason it was the perfect cover. A lie hidden in a truth, the best kind of lie in Devin's expert opinion.
This was one of the few precautions Devin took to cover his tracks and to keep his involvement within the other districts a secret from the gang leaders. Sure, he had every right to do whatever he wanted within his ‘sons’ domains, but it was fun to pretend he was respecting their privacy. It kept them guessing, kept them alert, and made them vaguely remember the good old days. This was a kindness Devin offered the gang leaders, and although considering Ari he was no longer being kind, any other time he made it a point not to have too many of his own contacts. In the case of the greed district, Jimmy was one of the few people in the city who was more loyal to Devin than to the greed gang leader who was like a puppeteer that had a string around everyone's wallets.
As Devin hugged his ‘uncle’, with deft hands he slipped a thick stack of cash into the corrupt cops pockets and whispered a quick order into his ear, “Arianna, a cop from the eighth district. Get me as much information as you can as soon as you can.” Two slaps on Devins back signaled that Jimmy would deliver. Two deals and it wasn't even 9am yet…. Not bad.
“Glad to be working with you Ari!” Devin chirped, taking her phone with eager hands and typing his information into the contact list quickly. “Here is the number to one of my disposable phones…. I keep a lot of those for sneaky business just like this…. And I set my name as Divine. It’s a little inside joke between us, 'cousin'!” Of course, Devin knew that they were not actually related but it was nice to make, even if it was a bit forced, a sense of familiarity between partners. It’s hard to be disloyal to people that considered you family, especially if you thought fondly of them in return. “The best part? Divine is the perfect alias because it’s not even a lie!”
After sending a short text to his phone so that he would have her number in turn, he tossed her phone back into her hands. “Alrighty then! Looks like my work here is done and it’s time to get back to my weekly dose of ennui!” Putting two fingers to his forehead, Devin gave Arianna a mock salute like a goodbye wave. “When I come up with anything interesting, something that you can act upon, I’ll get in contact with you!”
Devin started to walk away, his steps more like prances considering how bouncy he moved. Once he got a few steps away though he turned around and quickly walked back. “Ah, one more thing! Any place I should focus my attention? Any group that ‘attracts’ you more than others? I’m more likely to find something fun if I focus on one group rather than spread myself thin. I do need time for homework after all!” The second Devin got his answer, he turned on his heels and ran off, not slowing down until he was far out of sight of Arianna and any other early morning citizen.
~~~~~~~~~
In fact, Devin ran until he was out of Arianna’s ‘safe’ district and in another. The wrath district was easily the most dangerous, everyone knew that since the group was more upfront with their violent tendencies. The safest though was likely the area greed ruled over. That was, after all, the place where business had been and continued to be the most concentrated. Skyscrapers blocked out the sun there were so many office buildings. To further bring about the guise of civility and normality, the district greed runs was orderly, mostly due to the still active police force. In fact, it was impossible to go more than a few corners without seeing a cop on duty. Unfortunately, these cops are all corrupt, although they would forever deny such things. These cops still pretend to be righteous, justice seeking workers, going so far as to continuously attempting to make contact with Arianna’s force in the attempt to 'team up' as if they were not part of the problem.
That made this distract the best place to go when looking for information about cops, especially when you wanted information that would be illegal to share with civilians. Last names, addresses, and job records were only a few examples of things that should not be shared with any person who came asking…. But at the sixth district of Sin City, that information was available for anyone who could meet the right price.
“Hello, gentleman!” Devin called out as he threw open the police doors, shocking a few inside but receiving a handful of smiles in return. Most of them looked at Devin not unlike how Ari had before, but one of them smiled with a different emotion behind it… expectation. Devin walked up to the man and held out his arms, throwing them around the cop as he exclaimed loud enough for others to hear, “Uncle Jimmy! Guess who’s in town?” Once again, Devin was not related to this person, but as far as anyone else knew, he very well could be Jimmy's younger cousin. The cousin did really exist somewhere in the country, Devin was just not that boy, and for that reason it was the perfect cover. A lie hidden in a truth, the best kind of lie in Devin's expert opinion.
This was one of the few precautions Devin took to cover his tracks and to keep his involvement within the other districts a secret from the gang leaders. Sure, he had every right to do whatever he wanted within his ‘sons’ domains, but it was fun to pretend he was respecting their privacy. It kept them guessing, kept them alert, and made them vaguely remember the good old days. This was a kindness Devin offered the gang leaders, and although considering Ari he was no longer being kind, any other time he made it a point not to have too many of his own contacts. In the case of the greed district, Jimmy was one of the few people in the city who was more loyal to Devin than to the greed gang leader who was like a puppeteer that had a string around everyone's wallets.
As Devin hugged his ‘uncle’, with deft hands he slipped a thick stack of cash into the corrupt cops pockets and whispered a quick order into his ear, “Arianna, a cop from the eighth district. Get me as much information as you can as soon as you can.” Two slaps on Devins back signaled that Jimmy would deliver. Two deals and it wasn't even 9am yet…. Not bad.
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
Arianna didn't realize exactly how much of a defining moment it was to shake his hand. Moments like that in life are rarely crystal clear, and there's never a neon sign overhead telling you that your decision is about to change your life. It there were, perhaps people would have an easier time making decisions, and they would make better choices. As it was, since there was no sign-- their handshake sealed the deal. Ari handed over her phone and Devin took it gleefully, typing in his number and saving it. Devine, he told her it was saved under. She couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips at the irony. Cousin.
Shaking her head slightly, she took her phone back and glanced down at the screen, spotting the text. She read over it quickly, though quickly grew distracted as Devin started speaking again, giving her a mock two finger salute. She nodded, and he turned to leave, getting a few paces away before turning back. She'd been about to turn herself to head back down the hill towards the less expensive homes, her run having been cut short. When she heard his voice again, she looked at him over her shoulder, considering the question for a few moments before responding.
"Pride." Was her answer, and he quickly scurried off. She watched him go, until she noticed an elderly woman peering at her through her bifocals. Arianna smiled and waved at the woman, who hmphed and promptly turned on her heels. "And I thought people up here would be nicer?" Arianna sighed and watched the woman go back inside her home, though she'd turned away before the woman could even shut her door. Running down the hill would get her home faster than she'd jogged up it, luckily she could manage to be a few minutes late to work still.
Arianna glanced over her shoulder once before starting down the hill, though she didn't see Devin. Deciding that she couldn't focus on the kid all day, she cleared her mind and started the short run home. Arriving back at her home, she pulled the key from her sports bra and unlocked the door, the cool air inside greeting her as she opened the door. Brushing some sweat off of her forehead, she turned and shut/locked the door. A quick glance at her phone told her it was past shower time, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. She wasn't going to work like this.
She showered at double speed, almost slipping in her haste to get out once she was done. After taking a moment to calm her breathing, she reentered her room and pulled on a pair of black slacks, complete with a pastel blue button up shirt with a tank top underneath. She slid her feet into her low grey wedges; high enough to be professional, low enough to be comfortable and convenient. She brushed her hair and pulled it up into a tight bun on top of her head, since leaving it down while wet wasn't a good idea, unless she wanted to end the day looking like a lion with the frizz.
As far as makeup goes, her routine was the same every day. She didn't wear alot; in fact, she only wore eyeliner and mascara. It was enough to make her eyes pop, and make her seem awake, without going over the top. Who had time for that anyway? She finished the last stroke with the mascara brush and tossed it aside, running her hands down her shirt to flatten out the wrinkles. Barely glancing at her reflection, she grabbed her purse, work bag, and keys (including her single house key) and left again.
Work was work, every day, always the same. Different assignments, different crime scenes, but it was still the same. Someone not paying attention, someone not caring that led to someone else getting hurt or even a casualty. It was sad, really, but Arianna didn't mind doing the dirty work. Someone had to. As she walked into the unit, she was greeted by some of the other detectives. She nodded back at them, but made her way to her desk like she always did, dropping her things on top.
She turned and made her way to the coffeepot, pouring some of the steaming black liquid into a styrofoam cup. "Thanks, Jenkins." She muttered, since he was the one to always make the coffee.
"Didn't have time to stop this morning?" Peterson asked from beside her, a doughnut in one hand and a coffee in the other.
Arianna glanced over, almost smirking at the irony for the second time that day. "Overslept."
"Ahhh." Peterson took a bite out of the doughnut and turned, leaning against the table and staring out into the main room. "Can today be better?" It was a question he asked her everyday, to which Arianna responded the same way everytime.
"Nope."
Shaking her head slightly, she took her phone back and glanced down at the screen, spotting the text. She read over it quickly, though quickly grew distracted as Devin started speaking again, giving her a mock two finger salute. She nodded, and he turned to leave, getting a few paces away before turning back. She'd been about to turn herself to head back down the hill towards the less expensive homes, her run having been cut short. When she heard his voice again, she looked at him over her shoulder, considering the question for a few moments before responding.
"Pride." Was her answer, and he quickly scurried off. She watched him go, until she noticed an elderly woman peering at her through her bifocals. Arianna smiled and waved at the woman, who hmphed and promptly turned on her heels. "And I thought people up here would be nicer?" Arianna sighed and watched the woman go back inside her home, though she'd turned away before the woman could even shut her door. Running down the hill would get her home faster than she'd jogged up it, luckily she could manage to be a few minutes late to work still.
Arianna glanced over her shoulder once before starting down the hill, though she didn't see Devin. Deciding that she couldn't focus on the kid all day, she cleared her mind and started the short run home. Arriving back at her home, she pulled the key from her sports bra and unlocked the door, the cool air inside greeting her as she opened the door. Brushing some sweat off of her forehead, she turned and shut/locked the door. A quick glance at her phone told her it was past shower time, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. She wasn't going to work like this.
She showered at double speed, almost slipping in her haste to get out once she was done. After taking a moment to calm her breathing, she reentered her room and pulled on a pair of black slacks, complete with a pastel blue button up shirt with a tank top underneath. She slid her feet into her low grey wedges; high enough to be professional, low enough to be comfortable and convenient. She brushed her hair and pulled it up into a tight bun on top of her head, since leaving it down while wet wasn't a good idea, unless she wanted to end the day looking like a lion with the frizz.
As far as makeup goes, her routine was the same every day. She didn't wear alot; in fact, she only wore eyeliner and mascara. It was enough to make her eyes pop, and make her seem awake, without going over the top. Who had time for that anyway? She finished the last stroke with the mascara brush and tossed it aside, running her hands down her shirt to flatten out the wrinkles. Barely glancing at her reflection, she grabbed her purse, work bag, and keys (including her single house key) and left again.
Work was work, every day, always the same. Different assignments, different crime scenes, but it was still the same. Someone not paying attention, someone not caring that led to someone else getting hurt or even a casualty. It was sad, really, but Arianna didn't mind doing the dirty work. Someone had to. As she walked into the unit, she was greeted by some of the other detectives. She nodded back at them, but made her way to her desk like she always did, dropping her things on top.
She turned and made her way to the coffeepot, pouring some of the steaming black liquid into a styrofoam cup. "Thanks, Jenkins." She muttered, since he was the one to always make the coffee.
"Didn't have time to stop this morning?" Peterson asked from beside her, a doughnut in one hand and a coffee in the other.
Arianna glanced over, almost smirking at the irony for the second time that day. "Overslept."
"Ahhh." Peterson took a bite out of the doughnut and turned, leaning against the table and staring out into the main room. "Can today be better?" It was a question he asked her everyday, to which Arianna responded the same way everytime.
"Nope."
Viper
One Thousand Club
Pride. It was cosmic justice in a way that Ari would choose him first. If she had picked anyone else and was found out, he certainly would have been offended that he was not the first group she wanted to infiltrate. The group and the leader was, after all, obsessed with the notion of being the best and the first at everything. They must have been doing a good job at that considering that they were her first choice…. If only Devin could tell them of this honor, their heads out likely explode due to the sudden ego boost.
That night Devin got to work. He had plenty of information to share up in his head, names and faces, addresses and connections, but he couldn't give all of that up at the start. He wanted Ari to get some hands on experience… how else was he going to figure out ways to push her to the brink of darkness? Without a gun in her hand there was no way to make his plans to come to reality. So he needed to be sure that everything went perfectly, not to fast and not too slow. Pride was not the kindness of the groups but at the very least she did not choose wrath. Devin would just have to be a bit more careful about how he lead her towards them. If he sent her in the path of prides gang on one of their rampages built on the need for revenge or attention she could get scared away which would not do.
So, a little over a week later, Devin sent Ari a text.
“Heya!
Some friends are meeting at the penthouse of the Diamond Star Apartments in the northern district around 8pm. You want to cater for it? Should just be pouring drinks and carrying plates of food. Likely some interesting conversations there 
Black dress pants, white button up, and if you can, try to get some purple jewelry in there. Lucius likes purple. He hired a lot of help so one more won't be noticed, but if they ask, tell them that you worked for Lilly for a bit. Have fun storming the castle tonight!
XOXOXO Divine XOXOXO
PS- He likes flattery. It will save you from a lot of chaos if you suck up before trouble starts.”
Devin purposely did not give Ari more than six hours of heads up. Too much time gave people time to regret and second guess themselves, and since he knew she did not work tonight, he was more or less forcing her into action. Besides, it's not like he was throwing her into hell tonight. He was honest in his text, all she would probably be doing there if serving drinks and cleaning up, but if Devin knew Lucius, and he did, then someone was going to get hurt tonight one way or another. Hopefully it was not Ari and hopefully for her, she would find a way to get close to Lucius on her own. Innovation and drive were wonderful traits to see in humanity, especially ambitious ones like her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aristocracy of Gehenna, as prides gang liked to call themselves, were flashy. Everyone knew who was involved and what they were doing, and that included their leader. Lucius Fervent, the twenty three year old model who got a job in order to get his face on the cover of magazines and to have a fan base. For further renown, Lucius made himself into the heart of the gang and now is the main reason they committed crimes that always make the news. Without him the group would have nothing, they would not even exist, but with him they had everything. Money, influence, and most importantly, immunity from the law due to their many connections to lawyers and those in power. Half of the time these old money families had friends who would pull strings to get their ‘poor, sweet babies’ out of jail.
Lucius in particular had nothing to fear. The cops knew he was guilty, they knew that he was the Aristocracies leader, so they had arrested him and put him on trial countless times. He always got off not guilty though, no matter how much evidence they had and he has almost sued them for the constant ‘harassment’. So for the past few months Lucius, knowing that he a bit more of a buffer now when it came to avoiding arrests, began posing for the cops anytime he saw them tailing him. He mocked them, telling them to get pictures of his good side (which is all of his sides), and even a few times he took them into his penthouse for dinner. After all, what does he have to hide? Or more importantly, what does he want to hide?
That is why the night he was hosting a meeting with his gang members he did more than just not hide it, he flaunted it. He was hiring chefs, caterers, and a clean up crew to help him host the more than illegal gang meeting. He could pay them enough to keep their silence, and if he could not, then he would just push them out a window and onto the street where journalists and the media were watching expectantly thanks to him informing them personally that he was having a private party with all of the important youth in the city. He was putting on a show for the whole city in his own home.
Speaking of home, the gang leaders apartment was his own, paid for by his parents who were currently overseas, but clearly it belonged only to him. The two story penthouse was bright, mainly white with splashes of purple to give it color. On the balcony there was a hot tub, there were makeshift chandeliers inside, he turned the second bedroom into a full room closet, and easily the most unique thing about this house was that it was full of mirrors. Every room at least had one, large or small, and even the kitchen had a mirror attached to the fridge. This was not too surprising to anyone who knew Lucius though, not even the doctors who had studied the man in the past would be shocked. If they dared to be honest, they would say that this was just one of the many ways his narcissistic personality disorder showed itself, but no one was brave enough to say such things to the temperamental boy who took any level of insult personally. On the bright side to all of the mirrors, it make the room shine with light day or night.
And tonight was one of those days that the moon glowed perfectly into the penthouse, every wall sparkling. One could only hope that it would last until the guests arrived around nine. That gave the nights staff an hour to get the place ready. That meant cook, clean, and generally just prepare for any possible desire or misfortune. Thankfully, Lucius was not there to watch them get ready. He was in his room which was located on the second floor of the penthouse. Music was blasting and a hair dryer could be heard on occasion. He would be spending most, if not all, of the remaining hour preparing his appearance for the night. There were cameras outside! He had to look his best for them! But more importantly, he had to look his best for himself. He spent so many days surrounded by the hideous so at the very least when he walks past the many mirrors scattered around his house, he should see beauty then.
Most of the help had been hired before so they knew not to bother him while he was getting ready, but on occasion they needed him to taste test something or get his opinion on a matter, so they would have to knock on his door and pray that he would be able to hear them over the music. Half of the time they pulled straws, played rock paper scissors, or some other game so that the loser would be the one who had to go up there. The last time someone entered Lucius' room without knocking, ‘disrespecting his privacy’ as he had called it, they had been pushed down the stairs three times before Lucius forgave them. So unsurprisingly, no one wanted to go up there without great need.
That night Devin got to work. He had plenty of information to share up in his head, names and faces, addresses and connections, but he couldn't give all of that up at the start. He wanted Ari to get some hands on experience… how else was he going to figure out ways to push her to the brink of darkness? Without a gun in her hand there was no way to make his plans to come to reality. So he needed to be sure that everything went perfectly, not to fast and not too slow. Pride was not the kindness of the groups but at the very least she did not choose wrath. Devin would just have to be a bit more careful about how he lead her towards them. If he sent her in the path of prides gang on one of their rampages built on the need for revenge or attention she could get scared away which would not do.
So, a little over a week later, Devin sent Ari a text.
“Heya!
Some friends are meeting at the penthouse of the Diamond Star Apartments in the northern district around 8pm. You want to cater for it? Should just be pouring drinks and carrying plates of food. Likely some interesting conversations there Black dress pants, white button up, and if you can, try to get some purple jewelry in there. Lucius likes purple. He hired a lot of help so one more won't be noticed, but if they ask, tell them that you worked for Lilly for a bit. Have fun storming the castle tonight! XOXOXO Divine XOXOXO
PS- He likes flattery. It will save you from a lot of chaos if you suck up before trouble starts.”
Devin purposely did not give Ari more than six hours of heads up. Too much time gave people time to regret and second guess themselves, and since he knew she did not work tonight, he was more or less forcing her into action. Besides, it's not like he was throwing her into hell tonight. He was honest in his text, all she would probably be doing there if serving drinks and cleaning up, but if Devin knew Lucius, and he did, then someone was going to get hurt tonight one way or another. Hopefully it was not Ari and hopefully for her, she would find a way to get close to Lucius on her own. Innovation and drive were wonderful traits to see in humanity, especially ambitious ones like her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aristocracy of Gehenna, as prides gang liked to call themselves, were flashy. Everyone knew who was involved and what they were doing, and that included their leader. Lucius Fervent, the twenty three year old model who got a job in order to get his face on the cover of magazines and to have a fan base. For further renown, Lucius made himself into the heart of the gang and now is the main reason they committed crimes that always make the news. Without him the group would have nothing, they would not even exist, but with him they had everything. Money, influence, and most importantly, immunity from the law due to their many connections to lawyers and those in power. Half of the time these old money families had friends who would pull strings to get their ‘poor, sweet babies’ out of jail.
Lucius in particular had nothing to fear. The cops knew he was guilty, they knew that he was the Aristocracies leader, so they had arrested him and put him on trial countless times. He always got off not guilty though, no matter how much evidence they had and he has almost sued them for the constant ‘harassment’. So for the past few months Lucius, knowing that he a bit more of a buffer now when it came to avoiding arrests, began posing for the cops anytime he saw them tailing him. He mocked them, telling them to get pictures of his good side (which is all of his sides), and even a few times he took them into his penthouse for dinner. After all, what does he have to hide? Or more importantly, what does he want to hide?
That is why the night he was hosting a meeting with his gang members he did more than just not hide it, he flaunted it. He was hiring chefs, caterers, and a clean up crew to help him host the more than illegal gang meeting. He could pay them enough to keep their silence, and if he could not, then he would just push them out a window and onto the street where journalists and the media were watching expectantly thanks to him informing them personally that he was having a private party with all of the important youth in the city. He was putting on a show for the whole city in his own home.
Speaking of home, the gang leaders apartment was his own, paid for by his parents who were currently overseas, but clearly it belonged only to him. The two story penthouse was bright, mainly white with splashes of purple to give it color. On the balcony there was a hot tub, there were makeshift chandeliers inside, he turned the second bedroom into a full room closet, and easily the most unique thing about this house was that it was full of mirrors. Every room at least had one, large or small, and even the kitchen had a mirror attached to the fridge. This was not too surprising to anyone who knew Lucius though, not even the doctors who had studied the man in the past would be shocked. If they dared to be honest, they would say that this was just one of the many ways his narcissistic personality disorder showed itself, but no one was brave enough to say such things to the temperamental boy who took any level of insult personally. On the bright side to all of the mirrors, it make the room shine with light day or night.
And tonight was one of those days that the moon glowed perfectly into the penthouse, every wall sparkling. One could only hope that it would last until the guests arrived around nine. That gave the nights staff an hour to get the place ready. That meant cook, clean, and generally just prepare for any possible desire or misfortune. Thankfully, Lucius was not there to watch them get ready. He was in his room which was located on the second floor of the penthouse. Music was blasting and a hair dryer could be heard on occasion. He would be spending most, if not all, of the remaining hour preparing his appearance for the night. There were cameras outside! He had to look his best for them! But more importantly, he had to look his best for himself. He spent so many days surrounded by the hideous so at the very least when he walks past the many mirrors scattered around his house, he should see beauty then.
Most of the help had been hired before so they knew not to bother him while he was getting ready, but on occasion they needed him to taste test something or get his opinion on a matter, so they would have to knock on his door and pray that he would be able to hear them over the music. Half of the time they pulled straws, played rock paper scissors, or some other game so that the loser would be the one who had to go up there. The last time someone entered Lucius' room without knocking, ‘disrespecting his privacy’ as he had called it, they had been pushed down the stairs three times before Lucius forgave them. So unsurprisingly, no one wanted to go up there without great need.
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
Arianna almost forgot about her encounter with Devin as the day went on. The life of a cop was no easy ride, especially in a place where the majority was overrun by corrupt law enforcers or politicians, or even straight up criminals. As she dealt with a breaking and entering, a stolen car, and a petty larceny case, she didn't have much time to consider the deal she'd made with Devin. She and Peterson were kept pretty busy throughout the day, and by the time the sun was setting, her eyes were drooping and she could feel her body getting weaker. She fixed the problem by downing another cup of coffee, wondering how she'd managed to get hooked on the stuff since she'd never drank it as a teen.
"Go home, Ari. You're exhausted." Peterson told her from his desk, where he sat with his feet propped up on another chair.
Swallowing the last of the steaming liquid, she shook her head. "We gotta get this guy." She told him fervently, tossing her empty cup and moving to sit at her desk across from her partners. "We can't let the vile filth spread to our part of the city. We've gotta send them a message that they can't mess with our district."
"That message is gonna be pretty worthless if you fall asleep while giving it." Peterson noted, to which the blonde detective scoffed.
Turning to her computer, she started running some diagnostics on the guy they were looking for. They had his description, now she was just searching through the computer for a criminal that matched his description, maybe someone who'd been released recently. He'd assaulted a woman in the park, robbing her possibly with the intent to do more. But luckily for her, another couple was walking by and heard the commotion, and when they went to check it out, he fled. So they had three witnesses, but no suspect as of now. It was frustrating to think he'd just disappeared.
Some twenty or so minutes later, Peterson stood from his desk, casting a worried look down at his partner. "I'm heading out for the night. I'm exhausted, and I know you are too. Please drive carefully when you leave."
Arianna met his gaze and nodded, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. Peterson left, leaving Arianna alone with a few other detectives loitering about. Leaning back in her chair, relaxing for the first time that day, Devin's face popped into her mind. She glanced around the department, as if her thoughts were on full display and someone else might see. But no one paid her any mind, so she reached into her drawer for her cell phone, her heart beginning to beat harder. When she saw that she had no new messages, she couldn't hide her disappointment. The other districts and their leaders were the most important case being worked right now-- not by her or her partner, however.
But now she had an inside person, and the thought that she could gather information that no one else could both excited and scared her.
Deciding to finally call it a night, she shut her computer and gathered her things, getting one of the other male detectives to escort her to her car. She drove home, managing to make it there without running into a tree. Dragging herself into her house, she collapsed onto her bed and was snoozing within just a few seconds time.
The days continued to drag on. They did eventually find their guy, she and Peterson. It was a great feeling. What wasn't a great feeling, however, was the stupidity she felt at believing a kid. It had been a week since she'd seen him, and though she'd started to text him multiple times, she always backed out. Thinking he played her for a fool, she couldn't hide her anger, setting things down with more force than necessary and having quite the short temper with her coworkers. People stayed clear of her, all except for Peterson, who refused to take her shit.
It was on the ninth day that she got a text.
The outfit was no problem, but the purple jewelry was a little more troublesome, considering she didn't wear any and she was on a time restraint. She finally found something that would work, buried in the bottom drawer where she kept old trinkets she'd saved from growing up, things that she kept to remind her of how good her life was now. The only purple item was a heart necklace that would be more of a choker now, but it would work. She got dressed super early, counting down the minutes until she could leave.
She took public transportation to that part of the city when it was time to go, not wanting her car to be traced back to her. Getting off the bus, she double checked the name of the apartments, and then double checked her GPS. Five minutes of walking led her right to the front door, and she stared up at the building almost in disbelief. She'd never been in this part of the city before; it was mesmerizing. Getting into the place wasn't hard, considering she was dressed the part, and no one was going to complain about another hand to help.
The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. The amount of mirrors took Arianna off guard, as everywhere she turned-- there she was. She was a little flushed from the walk, and she hoped that no one thought it was something else. It didn't seem that the party/meeting had started yet, although she knew something was up when the other workers in the kitchen started drawing straws. A fistful of them were held out to Ari, and she chose one at random, almost immediately noticing that it was quite short.
Yes, her straw was the shortest. She was given a tray of some sort of soup, and told that she needed to go get the host to taste test it. By the looks on everyone faces, it was quite the feat. As she was leaving the kitchen, someone yelled at her to knock. She glanced back, then headed for the stairs, ascending them slowly. The music pounded in her ears as she got closer to his door, and she prayed that he would hear her. With her own heart hammering along to the beat, she balanced the tray on one hand and reached out with the other to knock.
"Go home, Ari. You're exhausted." Peterson told her from his desk, where he sat with his feet propped up on another chair.
Swallowing the last of the steaming liquid, she shook her head. "We gotta get this guy." She told him fervently, tossing her empty cup and moving to sit at her desk across from her partners. "We can't let the vile filth spread to our part of the city. We've gotta send them a message that they can't mess with our district."
"That message is gonna be pretty worthless if you fall asleep while giving it." Peterson noted, to which the blonde detective scoffed.
Turning to her computer, she started running some diagnostics on the guy they were looking for. They had his description, now she was just searching through the computer for a criminal that matched his description, maybe someone who'd been released recently. He'd assaulted a woman in the park, robbing her possibly with the intent to do more. But luckily for her, another couple was walking by and heard the commotion, and when they went to check it out, he fled. So they had three witnesses, but no suspect as of now. It was frustrating to think he'd just disappeared.
Some twenty or so minutes later, Peterson stood from his desk, casting a worried look down at his partner. "I'm heading out for the night. I'm exhausted, and I know you are too. Please drive carefully when you leave."
Arianna met his gaze and nodded, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. Peterson left, leaving Arianna alone with a few other detectives loitering about. Leaning back in her chair, relaxing for the first time that day, Devin's face popped into her mind. She glanced around the department, as if her thoughts were on full display and someone else might see. But no one paid her any mind, so she reached into her drawer for her cell phone, her heart beginning to beat harder. When she saw that she had no new messages, she couldn't hide her disappointment. The other districts and their leaders were the most important case being worked right now-- not by her or her partner, however.
But now she had an inside person, and the thought that she could gather information that no one else could both excited and scared her.
Deciding to finally call it a night, she shut her computer and gathered her things, getting one of the other male detectives to escort her to her car. She drove home, managing to make it there without running into a tree. Dragging herself into her house, she collapsed onto her bed and was snoozing within just a few seconds time.
The days continued to drag on. They did eventually find their guy, she and Peterson. It was a great feeling. What wasn't a great feeling, however, was the stupidity she felt at believing a kid. It had been a week since she'd seen him, and though she'd started to text him multiple times, she always backed out. Thinking he played her for a fool, she couldn't hide her anger, setting things down with more force than necessary and having quite the short temper with her coworkers. People stayed clear of her, all except for Peterson, who refused to take her shit.
It was on the ninth day that she got a text.
The outfit was no problem, but the purple jewelry was a little more troublesome, considering she didn't wear any and she was on a time restraint. She finally found something that would work, buried in the bottom drawer where she kept old trinkets she'd saved from growing up, things that she kept to remind her of how good her life was now. The only purple item was a heart necklace that would be more of a choker now, but it would work. She got dressed super early, counting down the minutes until she could leave.
She took public transportation to that part of the city when it was time to go, not wanting her car to be traced back to her. Getting off the bus, she double checked the name of the apartments, and then double checked her GPS. Five minutes of walking led her right to the front door, and she stared up at the building almost in disbelief. She'd never been in this part of the city before; it was mesmerizing. Getting into the place wasn't hard, considering she was dressed the part, and no one was going to complain about another hand to help.
The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. The amount of mirrors took Arianna off guard, as everywhere she turned-- there she was. She was a little flushed from the walk, and she hoped that no one thought it was something else. It didn't seem that the party/meeting had started yet, although she knew something was up when the other workers in the kitchen started drawing straws. A fistful of them were held out to Ari, and she chose one at random, almost immediately noticing that it was quite short.
Yes, her straw was the shortest. She was given a tray of some sort of soup, and told that she needed to go get the host to taste test it. By the looks on everyone faces, it was quite the feat. As she was leaving the kitchen, someone yelled at her to knock. She glanced back, then headed for the stairs, ascending them slowly. The music pounded in her ears as she got closer to his door, and she prayed that he would hear her. With her own heart hammering along to the beat, she balanced the tray on one hand and reached out with the other to knock.
Viper
One Thousand Club
The prince had a busy day ahead of him, not that he minded though because it was his choice to make everything a big scene. He was the one who decided to host his little meeting when it would have been far easier to just rent out a place, he was the one who had to tell his gang lackeys when to arrive, and he was the one who sent out the invitations to the news stations, inviting each of them to send one person to come interview him after the meeting was over. A little extra press never hurt anyone… well that was not true but for Lucius, any and all press was worth the trouble of talking to peasants that always seemed to have the same questions. What are you planning next? What do your parents think about what you are doing? When are you going to let us go home? Blah, blah blah. They were not original interviewers but they were the best this filthy town had to offer so it would have to do.
As much as it annoyed him, he had orders to follow, and since he had no choice in the matter he may as well try to beat the others when it came to finding a mortal worthy enough to work with them. That is why Lucius was taking extra time to get ready that night. It was not hard to look good, he was naturally perfect, but it was always fun to make the ugly hags he had to work with feel even more inferior than they normally were. The look on their faces! Lucius chucked at the thought, running long fingers through his dyed purple hair that was purposefully messy. In fact, that seemed to be the style of the day, fashionably rebellious. His jeans were ripped, but the kind of bought ripped that so many modern teenagers were fond of. He wore a darker shirt that hung loosely over his frame, showing more skin than necessary and he had a locket hanging from his neck that was about the diameter of the palm of a hand. This one accessory was something that never left his person even if it did not match his outfit, and it normally did not because the silver and purple locket was clearly very old.
With one hand he played with his hair, with the other he messed with the heavy locket around his neck. Turning it back and forth, twisting it into a knot and letting it spin itself out naturally. He sung a song to himself in time with the music, the pounding of the bass reminding him of gongs. Those wonderful gongs that only rung with the help of a higher power. Lucius could remember the first time he had heard them… Lucius’ trance of ancient honoring was broken by the sound of knocking that could only just be heard over the music.
Letting out a large groan, Lucius started to walk towards the door with his hand tightly gripped around his locket. “What is it now!? Can’t you fools do anything yourself!?” He shouted as he threw open the door, revealing his beautiful yet furious expression as well as the room behind him that reflected the same sight over and over again.
The bedroom was worse than the outside when it came to the number of mirrors. One of the walls of his bedroom was an entire mirror and on the other side was vanity wardrobe with a mirror that also almost took up the whole wall. Above the bed was his very first model poster, the one that made him popular among the fans and modeling community, and scattered around the room were magazines of himself. Everywhere you looked, Lucius could be seen reflected or depicted back at you. The room was a shrine he dedicated to himself, plain and simple. Doctors would call this an extreme case of narcissistic personality disorder that extended far out from his own mind and into the physical world around him.
Lucius stood before Ari with a hand around his locket and a hand on his hip. His head was high and his chin pointed upward, making it so that he had no choice but to look down his nose to stare at the random serving girl who interrupted his personal time. The music still pounded behind him and even as he continued to speak, he did not turn it off. Looking at Ari head to toe, Lucius eventually settled upon the tray of soup she was holding. “Seriously?” He questioned, “I hire professional chefs and you peons still cannot make a decent soup for my guests without me checking it first. Fine, fine, come in and set it on the wardrobe. Don’t spill anything.”
Lucius took a step back at this point, rolling his eyes as he let Ari in. This criminal moved the same way he spoke, confident and with a dramatic flare. “Well, this looks revolting.” Was Lucius’ first comment when he took a glance at the bowl Ari had brought him. Delicately he took the spoon and tasted the liquid. Half a second later Lucius unceremoniously spitted it back out into the bowl, acting like he had tasted the worst thing in the world. “Not enough salt.” Was all he said however, the problem not at all equal to how he responded to it.
“But more importantly, since you interrupted me you may as well do some good while you are here. Tell me, how do I look? This is a very important meeting and I need to look the best that I can for the cameras.” There was no way that anyone would say he did not look good, that Lucius knew, however what he was challenging was his servants ability to say it with enough enthusiasm to satisfy his ego. He had nothing to gain from this woman's death or life, so no matter how she responded he was either getting a well deserved compliment or he was going to get to start the night with a bang. It was win win either way.
In order to give her a better looks at him, Lucius threw out his arms and slowly spun in place a few times. It was as he did this that you could see something poking out from the back of his jeans. A handgun, lazily shoved into his belt that he was not trying to hide in the least bit. He was okay with people knowing he was armed and if anyone told him not to be, he would be more than happy to show them that this handgun did not even have the safety off. Lucius was ready for anything
As much as it annoyed him, he had orders to follow, and since he had no choice in the matter he may as well try to beat the others when it came to finding a mortal worthy enough to work with them. That is why Lucius was taking extra time to get ready that night. It was not hard to look good, he was naturally perfect, but it was always fun to make the ugly hags he had to work with feel even more inferior than they normally were. The look on their faces! Lucius chucked at the thought, running long fingers through his dyed purple hair that was purposefully messy. In fact, that seemed to be the style of the day, fashionably rebellious. His jeans were ripped, but the kind of bought ripped that so many modern teenagers were fond of. He wore a darker shirt that hung loosely over his frame, showing more skin than necessary and he had a locket hanging from his neck that was about the diameter of the palm of a hand. This one accessory was something that never left his person even if it did not match his outfit, and it normally did not because the silver and purple locket was clearly very old.
With one hand he played with his hair, with the other he messed with the heavy locket around his neck. Turning it back and forth, twisting it into a knot and letting it spin itself out naturally. He sung a song to himself in time with the music, the pounding of the bass reminding him of gongs. Those wonderful gongs that only rung with the help of a higher power. Lucius could remember the first time he had heard them… Lucius’ trance of ancient honoring was broken by the sound of knocking that could only just be heard over the music.
Letting out a large groan, Lucius started to walk towards the door with his hand tightly gripped around his locket. “What is it now!? Can’t you fools do anything yourself!?” He shouted as he threw open the door, revealing his beautiful yet furious expression as well as the room behind him that reflected the same sight over and over again.
The bedroom was worse than the outside when it came to the number of mirrors. One of the walls of his bedroom was an entire mirror and on the other side was vanity wardrobe with a mirror that also almost took up the whole wall. Above the bed was his very first model poster, the one that made him popular among the fans and modeling community, and scattered around the room were magazines of himself. Everywhere you looked, Lucius could be seen reflected or depicted back at you. The room was a shrine he dedicated to himself, plain and simple. Doctors would call this an extreme case of narcissistic personality disorder that extended far out from his own mind and into the physical world around him.
Lucius stood before Ari with a hand around his locket and a hand on his hip. His head was high and his chin pointed upward, making it so that he had no choice but to look down his nose to stare at the random serving girl who interrupted his personal time. The music still pounded behind him and even as he continued to speak, he did not turn it off. Looking at Ari head to toe, Lucius eventually settled upon the tray of soup she was holding. “Seriously?” He questioned, “I hire professional chefs and you peons still cannot make a decent soup for my guests without me checking it first. Fine, fine, come in and set it on the wardrobe. Don’t spill anything.”
Lucius took a step back at this point, rolling his eyes as he let Ari in. This criminal moved the same way he spoke, confident and with a dramatic flare. “Well, this looks revolting.” Was Lucius’ first comment when he took a glance at the bowl Ari had brought him. Delicately he took the spoon and tasted the liquid. Half a second later Lucius unceremoniously spitted it back out into the bowl, acting like he had tasted the worst thing in the world. “Not enough salt.” Was all he said however, the problem not at all equal to how he responded to it.
“But more importantly, since you interrupted me you may as well do some good while you are here. Tell me, how do I look? This is a very important meeting and I need to look the best that I can for the cameras.” There was no way that anyone would say he did not look good, that Lucius knew, however what he was challenging was his servants ability to say it with enough enthusiasm to satisfy his ego. He had nothing to gain from this woman's death or life, so no matter how she responded he was either getting a well deserved compliment or he was going to get to start the night with a bang. It was win win either way.
In order to give her a better looks at him, Lucius threw out his arms and slowly spun in place a few times. It was as he did this that you could see something poking out from the back of his jeans. A handgun, lazily shoved into his belt that he was not trying to hide in the least bit. He was okay with people knowing he was armed and if anyone told him not to be, he would be more than happy to show them that this handgun did not even have the safety off. Lucius was ready for anything
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
As Arianna waited for Lucius to answer the door, she wondered at her luck. Drawing the short straw had seemed to be the unlucky one, but then again, no one else here was an undercover cop trying to infiltrate the gangs that had overrun the city. She balanced the tray carefully on her hands, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, listening to the pounding music coming from inside. If she looked around, she could see herself from many different angles; but she kept her face forward, wanting to be looking at him when he opened the door. She hoped he'd take that as a sign of respect if nothing else; everyone here seemed to be terrified of him.
“What is it now!? Can’t you fools do anything yourself!?”
Arianna blinked in surprise as the door was thrown open, revealing a beautiful yet angry man behind it. She realized immediately why Devin told her to wear something purple, and she had to stop herself from touching the heart pendant on the chain around her neck. Her eyes were drawn to the purple streaks in his hair, to his torn jeans and flashy shirt. The locket drew her attention as well, held between his fingers as he stood before her. It was just as flashy as the rest of him, which didn't surprise her much at all. She wondered what was inside. Knowing better than to ask, she lifted her gaze to meet his.
His other hand rested on his hip, and he stared down at her, obviously irritated at being interrupted. He held his head high with confidence, looking down his nose at her. She blinked back up at him, momentarily forgetting what she'd come up here for. The bright lights and mirrors had distracted her; she didn't know how he stood being able to see himself from all angles at all times. It was quite unnerving. She had to strain to hear him over the music, and it probably showed on her face. Luckily-- hopefully-- he turned around and didn't comment on it, moving further in the room, instructing her to set the tray on the wardrobe.
She stepped into the room behind him, resisting the urge to turn right around and walk out. Not wanting to blow her cover, she just took a deep breath and glanced at him as he commented on the soup, saying that it looked revolting. She had to resist the urge to smirk, keeping her face blank instead. She'd thought the same, but luckily, it wasn't being served to her. She set the tray carefully on the wardrobe, taking a step back and locking her hands together in front of her, playing the part of the dutiful waitress. She'd done it quite a few times in her day, before becoming a cop, so she knew how to act.
He tasted the 'revolting' soup, and she had to fight hard to keep the look of surprise off of her face when he spit it back out into the bowl. "Not enough salt." She noted, wondering if he could even hear her over the music. She prepared to take the tray again, ready to cart it downstairs with his judgement, when he started talking again. She paused, her hands outstretched towards the tray, turning her head to look in his direction. "Hm?" She straightened, dropping her hands back to her sides.
At his question, she froze. She was normally pretty good at not doing that, but she'd never been in quite this predicament before. She knew very little about the gangs and all. Despite being a cop, alot of information on them was classified, and if she got caught snooping it could be her badge. So she knew about the same as what the public did; maybe a little more. "How do you look?" She repeated, her eyes studying him as he held out his hands and spun. Her eyes caught sight of the gun almost immediately and she gasped, but the sound was drowned out by the music.
It shouldn't have surprised her, that he was carrying. She'd debated long and hard on carrying, and finally decided that it wasn't worth her life to do so. She knew plenty of self defense and practiced almost every day; she felt confident in her abilities if something should go wrong. But she had nowhere to hide the gun, so it was safely tucked at home. After a split second too long, she cleared her throat and smiled at him, trying to be bright and charming about it. "You look flashy." It was an honest opinion, about as honest as she'd give him. "You like making a scene?"
“What is it now!? Can’t you fools do anything yourself!?”
Arianna blinked in surprise as the door was thrown open, revealing a beautiful yet angry man behind it. She realized immediately why Devin told her to wear something purple, and she had to stop herself from touching the heart pendant on the chain around her neck. Her eyes were drawn to the purple streaks in his hair, to his torn jeans and flashy shirt. The locket drew her attention as well, held between his fingers as he stood before her. It was just as flashy as the rest of him, which didn't surprise her much at all. She wondered what was inside. Knowing better than to ask, she lifted her gaze to meet his.
His other hand rested on his hip, and he stared down at her, obviously irritated at being interrupted. He held his head high with confidence, looking down his nose at her. She blinked back up at him, momentarily forgetting what she'd come up here for. The bright lights and mirrors had distracted her; she didn't know how he stood being able to see himself from all angles at all times. It was quite unnerving. She had to strain to hear him over the music, and it probably showed on her face. Luckily-- hopefully-- he turned around and didn't comment on it, moving further in the room, instructing her to set the tray on the wardrobe.
She stepped into the room behind him, resisting the urge to turn right around and walk out. Not wanting to blow her cover, she just took a deep breath and glanced at him as he commented on the soup, saying that it looked revolting. She had to resist the urge to smirk, keeping her face blank instead. She'd thought the same, but luckily, it wasn't being served to her. She set the tray carefully on the wardrobe, taking a step back and locking her hands together in front of her, playing the part of the dutiful waitress. She'd done it quite a few times in her day, before becoming a cop, so she knew how to act.
He tasted the 'revolting' soup, and she had to fight hard to keep the look of surprise off of her face when he spit it back out into the bowl. "Not enough salt." She noted, wondering if he could even hear her over the music. She prepared to take the tray again, ready to cart it downstairs with his judgement, when he started talking again. She paused, her hands outstretched towards the tray, turning her head to look in his direction. "Hm?" She straightened, dropping her hands back to her sides.
At his question, she froze. She was normally pretty good at not doing that, but she'd never been in quite this predicament before. She knew very little about the gangs and all. Despite being a cop, alot of information on them was classified, and if she got caught snooping it could be her badge. So she knew about the same as what the public did; maybe a little more. "How do you look?" She repeated, her eyes studying him as he held out his hands and spun. Her eyes caught sight of the gun almost immediately and she gasped, but the sound was drowned out by the music.
It shouldn't have surprised her, that he was carrying. She'd debated long and hard on carrying, and finally decided that it wasn't worth her life to do so. She knew plenty of self defense and practiced almost every day; she felt confident in her abilities if something should go wrong. But she had nowhere to hide the gun, so it was safely tucked at home. After a split second too long, she cleared her throat and smiled at him, trying to be bright and charming about it. "You look flashy." It was an honest opinion, about as honest as she'd give him. "You like making a scene?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
When Lucius got his answer, he stopped mid spin and raised an eyebrow over his shoulder. “Flashy?” He repeated incredulously before letting out a harsh ‘ha’ and scoffing. He returned his hand to his waist, thankfully not his gun, and turned towards Ari as he continued. “Is that really the best you could do? I’ve gotten better compliments from fortune cookies! But…. I suppose flashy is not far from what I am going for so I’ll accept it. You're welcome for that.” In Lucius’ mind, he was doing her a favor by accepting the less than remarkable compliment. He deserved a thank you after granting mercy when he did not have to.
As Arianna asked a question, Lucius’ first impulse was to loudly laugh at the woman. “Wow. Are you stupid or are you trying to be coy? If you live in this city, you must know who I am, and considering your appearance, you know more than just my name.” The fact that she had to ask was actually insulting, of course he liked to make a scene. He had been raising hell for a long time now, setting things on fire, bombing places, and once or twice he had a hand in kidnapping people just for the sake of getting some news time. If someone did not know him, they were either living under a rock or 100% new to town... and frankly Lucius would still be upset if they did not know his m.o. even in those cases. He wanted to be known world wide, not just city wide. But Lucius refused to think that this girl did not know him or what he did for fun, and for whatever reason she was being subtle. Was she a fan of his who was trying to get close to him? It was not the first time nor was it fully unwelcome. Fans were fun and submissive most of the time, and so Lucius planned on figuring out this girls angle.
It only took a few steps for Lucius to close the distance between them, and despite the fact that there was barely a foot in between them now, Lucius continued to keep his chin in the air which made him look down his nose to see her face. Reaching out, Lucius took a hold of Ari’s necklace, pulling it towards him with enough force that the chain would break if Ari resisted but if she did not, then the distance between the pair would be even smaller. Lucius kept his eyes on Ari but the hand that was not on his waist was playing with her necklace now, flipping it in his fingertips as he spoke. “I mean, you must know more about my exploits if you came here wearing my favorite color. Why else would you be wearing this necklace despite my orders that said that none of the servers were to wear any jewelry tonight?”
Since Ari did not respond to the ad through normal means, she did not get the memo that jewelry or anything besides a white shirt and black pants were forbidden. In fact, Devin had left that out entirely and directly told her to do the opposite. Knowing Lucius, he did not respond well to people disobeying him, and for a moment, it looked like Devin’s oversight was going to get Ari in a lot of trouble. However, instead of reacting violently, Lucius suddenly let go of Ari’s necklace and took a step back. The moment of tension was gone the moment Lucius returned his attention to his own reflection and hair.
“Well, sorry for you toots. If you were hoping to get on my good side and join my group by wearing that, it’s not going to happen. I don’t accept plebeians into my gang, and since I have no clue who you are, you clearly are not worthy of joining.” Lucius flicked his eyes towards Ari through the mirror, freezing mid action as if he saw something surprising. A smirk stretched onto his face as he stared for a moment, seemingly for the first time actually looking at Arianna rather than through or above her.
This was a short moment before Lucius returned to his loud persona as if nothing had happened. He turned back around and pressed his back against the full length mirror he had just been looking into, the gun in his waistband making a sharp clicking noise when it hit the glass.“On second thought, I’ll indulge your not so subtle attempt to get in my good graces. Despite your humble origins, you are pretty enough and have good taste in jewelry, so although you will never be able to actually be a member of my gang, I could be charitable and give you a job or two. That is of course assuming that you are not completely worthless like every other servant I hire... but I have hopes for you. So don’t disappoint me tonight, okay, whatever-your-name-is?”
“But I didn't directly answer your question did I? Do I like making a scene?” Lucius changed topics as his mind shifted away from Ari and back to himself, as it always eventually did. During this flip of the switch it was clear how differently he spoke about others versus himself. When talking about another person he was more off-hand and casual, but when he spoke of himself he was dramatic and excitable. “Of course I like to make a scene, the bigger the better! I deserve attention, so I seek it and get it. Besides, everyone likes to be recognized for what they are good at, and I am very, very good at making this city bow down to me.” Lucius let out a giggle as he pushed off the glass, having an inside joke with himself but not feeling the need to share what was so funny about his comment.
As Lucius finished, a clock somewhere in the house struck the hour, meaning that any minute now the other gang members would be arriving if they had not already and the meeting would be starting. Lucius grinned when he somehow heard the chime over his music. “Speaking of making the city bow down to me… It’s show time!” He announced, almost pushing Ari out of his way as he attempted to leave the room. Before he was past the doorway he turned around and addressed Ari again, “Turn off that music and get the soup before you go, got it? But you are going to want to hurry. I’ve got big plans to announce tonight and you are going to want to see just how much of a ‘flashy’ scene I can make. Tonight is going to be fun."
As Arianna asked a question, Lucius’ first impulse was to loudly laugh at the woman. “Wow. Are you stupid or are you trying to be coy? If you live in this city, you must know who I am, and considering your appearance, you know more than just my name.” The fact that she had to ask was actually insulting, of course he liked to make a scene. He had been raising hell for a long time now, setting things on fire, bombing places, and once or twice he had a hand in kidnapping people just for the sake of getting some news time. If someone did not know him, they were either living under a rock or 100% new to town... and frankly Lucius would still be upset if they did not know his m.o. even in those cases. He wanted to be known world wide, not just city wide. But Lucius refused to think that this girl did not know him or what he did for fun, and for whatever reason she was being subtle. Was she a fan of his who was trying to get close to him? It was not the first time nor was it fully unwelcome. Fans were fun and submissive most of the time, and so Lucius planned on figuring out this girls angle.
It only took a few steps for Lucius to close the distance between them, and despite the fact that there was barely a foot in between them now, Lucius continued to keep his chin in the air which made him look down his nose to see her face. Reaching out, Lucius took a hold of Ari’s necklace, pulling it towards him with enough force that the chain would break if Ari resisted but if she did not, then the distance between the pair would be even smaller. Lucius kept his eyes on Ari but the hand that was not on his waist was playing with her necklace now, flipping it in his fingertips as he spoke. “I mean, you must know more about my exploits if you came here wearing my favorite color. Why else would you be wearing this necklace despite my orders that said that none of the servers were to wear any jewelry tonight?”
Since Ari did not respond to the ad through normal means, she did not get the memo that jewelry or anything besides a white shirt and black pants were forbidden. In fact, Devin had left that out entirely and directly told her to do the opposite. Knowing Lucius, he did not respond well to people disobeying him, and for a moment, it looked like Devin’s oversight was going to get Ari in a lot of trouble. However, instead of reacting violently, Lucius suddenly let go of Ari’s necklace and took a step back. The moment of tension was gone the moment Lucius returned his attention to his own reflection and hair.
“Well, sorry for you toots. If you were hoping to get on my good side and join my group by wearing that, it’s not going to happen. I don’t accept plebeians into my gang, and since I have no clue who you are, you clearly are not worthy of joining.” Lucius flicked his eyes towards Ari through the mirror, freezing mid action as if he saw something surprising. A smirk stretched onto his face as he stared for a moment, seemingly for the first time actually looking at Arianna rather than through or above her.
This was a short moment before Lucius returned to his loud persona as if nothing had happened. He turned back around and pressed his back against the full length mirror he had just been looking into, the gun in his waistband making a sharp clicking noise when it hit the glass.“On second thought, I’ll indulge your not so subtle attempt to get in my good graces. Despite your humble origins, you are pretty enough and have good taste in jewelry, so although you will never be able to actually be a member of my gang, I could be charitable and give you a job or two. That is of course assuming that you are not completely worthless like every other servant I hire... but I have hopes for you. So don’t disappoint me tonight, okay, whatever-your-name-is?”
“But I didn't directly answer your question did I? Do I like making a scene?” Lucius changed topics as his mind shifted away from Ari and back to himself, as it always eventually did. During this flip of the switch it was clear how differently he spoke about others versus himself. When talking about another person he was more off-hand and casual, but when he spoke of himself he was dramatic and excitable. “Of course I like to make a scene, the bigger the better! I deserve attention, so I seek it and get it. Besides, everyone likes to be recognized for what they are good at, and I am very, very good at making this city bow down to me.” Lucius let out a giggle as he pushed off the glass, having an inside joke with himself but not feeling the need to share what was so funny about his comment.
As Lucius finished, a clock somewhere in the house struck the hour, meaning that any minute now the other gang members would be arriving if they had not already and the meeting would be starting. Lucius grinned when he somehow heard the chime over his music. “Speaking of making the city bow down to me… It’s show time!” He announced, almost pushing Ari out of his way as he attempted to leave the room. Before he was past the doorway he turned around and addressed Ari again, “Turn off that music and get the soup before you go, got it? But you are going to want to hurry. I’ve got big plans to announce tonight and you are going to want to see just how much of a ‘flashy’ scene I can make. Tonight is going to be fun."
apolla
❛ it's only love, nobody dies ❜
For a moment, Arianna thought she'd seriously fucked up. He stopped mid-spin, and quirked an eyebrow at her over his shoulder. She held her breath as he repeated her word, letting out a sharp 'ha!' and scoff. He placed a hand on his waist-- not his gun, she noticed-- and turned to face her, telling her he'd gotten better compliments from fortune cookies. She was starting to see how to play this game with him, so she let out a laugh and nodded. "Thank you." She told him in response to his you're welcome, figuring that was what he wanted to hear. She could play her part no problem, and hopefully walk out of here alive.
At her question, he laughed loudly. "Wow. Are you stupid or are you trying to be coy?" His words struck a chord within her; the part of her that hated to be called out, or called names in general. She bristled, but thankfully smoothed over her facial expression before he could look at her again. She felt as though she were missing something, and she wished she'd done a little more research before coming here tonight. She'd let her nervousness and anxiety win out, and she'd paced more than anything. Taking a second to clear her mind, she racked her brain to try and remember anything she could on him.
Kidnappings, bombings. Flashy crimes were his forte, she remembered. And if his outfit were any giveaway, he wanted to be noticed. Fine, she could cater to that.
Just as she figured all that out, he closed the distance between them and she stiffened. His hand shot out, grabbing the charm on the necklace she'd wore, pulling it towards him, giving her no choice but to either allow the thin chain to break, or for her to be pulled towards him. Out of instinct of not wanting it to break, she found herself just a few inches away from him as he studied the purple heart charm, flipping it over in his hands. The tension in the air was palpable, and she wondered how he didn't hear her heart hammering away at her ribs.
No jewelry? She gaped at him, her lips parted as she realized what Devin had done. But had he done it on purpose? He cop brain immediately said yes, but the human side of her wasn't sure. "It was my mother's." The lie came easily from her lips, and yet, she wasn't sure he would buy it. He let go of the necklace suddenly, stepping away from her and turning back to his own reflection. The tension, just like that, was gone-- but Ari could still feel her heart pounding.
He confused her when he started talking about joining his group, though she had the grace to look downtrodden. Perhaps even a little pouty. She looked at his reflection through her lashes, her breathing catching in her throat as his gaze shifted when he looked back at her. Something had changed in that gaze, but she couldn't quite place what it was. His smirk worried her, and though for a moment she had the thought of fleeing, she planted her feet firmly on his floor and kept quiet.
When he turned, she straightened, trying not to wince at the sharp click of the gun hitting the mirror. Though she was unsure whether he was actually being open enough to trust her or was simply testing her, she nodded anyway. "Arianna." She told him, though he was already moving past her name. Feeling a small seed of dread beginning to plant in her belly, she heard the clock chime and looked over her shoulder towards the door, looking back just in time to see him heading her way. He almost pushed her out of the way to get to the door, looking back and instructing her to turn off the music and get the soup, but to hurry.
She nodded, and as she went to the stereo to flip it off, she realized what an opportunity he'd given her. Hardly daring to believe it, she looked over her shoulder to ensure he was gone before moving to his dresser, pulling open one of the drawers. She repeated the process with the rest of them, finding at least two hidden weapons in there. Careful to put everything back the way she'd found it, she turned around. Not wanting to get caught snooping, she grabbed the soup on her way out, shutting the door behind her with her foot as she made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. "More salt." She instructed the first person she came across, before snatching up a tray of tall champagne filled flutes to carry back out into the living room.
At her question, he laughed loudly. "Wow. Are you stupid or are you trying to be coy?" His words struck a chord within her; the part of her that hated to be called out, or called names in general. She bristled, but thankfully smoothed over her facial expression before he could look at her again. She felt as though she were missing something, and she wished she'd done a little more research before coming here tonight. She'd let her nervousness and anxiety win out, and she'd paced more than anything. Taking a second to clear her mind, she racked her brain to try and remember anything she could on him.
Kidnappings, bombings. Flashy crimes were his forte, she remembered. And if his outfit were any giveaway, he wanted to be noticed. Fine, she could cater to that.
Just as she figured all that out, he closed the distance between them and she stiffened. His hand shot out, grabbing the charm on the necklace she'd wore, pulling it towards him, giving her no choice but to either allow the thin chain to break, or for her to be pulled towards him. Out of instinct of not wanting it to break, she found herself just a few inches away from him as he studied the purple heart charm, flipping it over in his hands. The tension in the air was palpable, and she wondered how he didn't hear her heart hammering away at her ribs.
No jewelry? She gaped at him, her lips parted as she realized what Devin had done. But had he done it on purpose? He cop brain immediately said yes, but the human side of her wasn't sure. "It was my mother's." The lie came easily from her lips, and yet, she wasn't sure he would buy it. He let go of the necklace suddenly, stepping away from her and turning back to his own reflection. The tension, just like that, was gone-- but Ari could still feel her heart pounding.
He confused her when he started talking about joining his group, though she had the grace to look downtrodden. Perhaps even a little pouty. She looked at his reflection through her lashes, her breathing catching in her throat as his gaze shifted when he looked back at her. Something had changed in that gaze, but she couldn't quite place what it was. His smirk worried her, and though for a moment she had the thought of fleeing, she planted her feet firmly on his floor and kept quiet.
When he turned, she straightened, trying not to wince at the sharp click of the gun hitting the mirror. Though she was unsure whether he was actually being open enough to trust her or was simply testing her, she nodded anyway. "Arianna." She told him, though he was already moving past her name. Feeling a small seed of dread beginning to plant in her belly, she heard the clock chime and looked over her shoulder towards the door, looking back just in time to see him heading her way. He almost pushed her out of the way to get to the door, looking back and instructing her to turn off the music and get the soup, but to hurry.
She nodded, and as she went to the stereo to flip it off, she realized what an opportunity he'd given her. Hardly daring to believe it, she looked over her shoulder to ensure he was gone before moving to his dresser, pulling open one of the drawers. She repeated the process with the rest of them, finding at least two hidden weapons in there. Careful to put everything back the way she'd found it, she turned around. Not wanting to get caught snooping, she grabbed the soup on her way out, shutting the door behind her with her foot as she made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. "More salt." She instructed the first person she came across, before snatching up a tray of tall champagne filled flutes to carry back out into the living room.
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