Indigo meandered quietly through the city's night, the dim lighting barely illuminating his path. Not that the poor lighting changed anything: he didn't have anywhere he needed to go to, and people were less likely to see his appearance underneath his cloak. Though he never understood why, people panicked when they saw his Grimm traits. It's probably better that no one knows about me, he mumbled to himself as he continued his slow strides. I'd probably get lonely if everyone started avoiding me... Hmm. A weird thought entered his head. But, like his thoughts on other people, he dismissed it as something unimportant.
Indigo decided to stop and rest on a rickety bench for the night, as he normally did. In the many months that he was in the city, he still didn't really have a home. Nonetheless, thinking about something other than the most efficient way to kill was notably more fulfilling. Not that he saw anything wrong with murdering others, though. Before he could drift off into sleep, however, a loud pounding rhythm started up in a building across the street, a glowing sign above the entry. The words merely confusing symbols to him, he asked the man in the front what was going on. Indigo first received an odd look, then the man responded, "Can't you tell from the music? It's a party."
"Music... parties?" Indigo repeated the unfamiliar words, staring in through a window. He didn't understand what was so interesting about music nor what the purpose of a party was. Neither of them seemed enjoyable, but he was oddly entranced by all of it and continued to stare into the club as the party grew. Eventually, a large truck pulled up to the building, where several of Torchwick's goons and a man with a repulsive aura stepped out. Indigo glanced towards their leader, who, to his surprise, also seemed to be part-Grimm. But instinctually, Indigo could tell that they weren't at all alike; it felt as if that gang would kill purely for pleasure. His suspicious were confirmed by their entrance, which clearly invoked fear in everyone but him.
Indigo walked away, unconcerned by the kidnapping, but a few people suddenly sprung into action. They're probably stronger than the average person, he thought as looked over his shoulder, sizing up the attacks exchanged. Despite this belief, which was fact, he doubted that they could beat that monster of a person before them. That man had much more firepower and resilience than the three, though his speed was nothing to laugh at. Furthermore, the reactions of the others would be slowed by the lack of vision. His conscious was urging him to go help, but he told himself that it wasn't his problem. But shortly after seeing that the truck was heading his direction, he gave in and sighed the words, "Screw it."
Indigo ran down the road, where a light was broken and took off his distinctive cloak. He hid well in the darkness without it, and he thought over his plan. The only threat is in the front of the vehicle. The truck was probably loud enough for him to jump on without being noticed by the other half-Grimm. Throw them off before they can make too much noise. If that went well, he'd grab the girl and jump off as well. He had no intention of being caught, so he'd run without her if it were too dangerous. Definitely. Then... murder them as violently as possible. While he couldn't care less if they ran, scum like them shouldn't live any longer than necessary. As soon as the truck passed, Indigo burst out of hiding and leapt onto the tailgate.
"Uhmm, yeah thanks. That would be nice Mags." Graham said. He then went to the owner and pulled around $25 out of his wallet. "It's uhh not much but could you hold my gear for me please." He asked politely. The owner slowly nodded, still a bit shook up. "I'll give you more tomorrow." He said before turning around and out the door. "I'll be outside, we need to leave soon though in case the police or worse turn up." He said, for once advising Magdeline instead of the other way around. He then looked up to Inari. "Whether you come or not, you might want to get out of here quick too." He said
Inside the truck, the men strapped in the girl near the front of the truck, looking behind themselves fearfully at the hunched over body that was the Butcher. Every now and then, it would twitch and spasm, causing the men to back away in fear, only to give a sigh of relief as when it calmed down. Grundai was a monster that all around him feared, and even worse was when he lost control of his more monstrous side, which is the reason why he always wore that visor. It injected a type of suppressant directly into his mind, dulling down his insatiable need to kill to as low as it could go. But it couldn't hold it back forever, and when he got excited in a fight, it became even harder for the drugs to take effect. Seeing Magdeline, hearing the rage in her voice, seeing the two new toys she had brought with her, it had gotten to him, made him hungry for their blood. He had very nearly lost himself back their, but it would've been too soon, too easy, to crush them all into a sweet red paste. He wanted his blood to be earned, and when he drank it after a glorious battle, it would taste just like the finest of wines, all of which are perfected with time.
However, it seemed that the universe was not wishing for him to calm down anytime soon. He didn't notice at first, too deep inside his own self-enforced hibernation, but after awhile it became apparent to him. A creature was on the truck, hanging from the back, radiating murderous intent, though it was no were near as potent as his own. Still, the Grimm inside of him was drawn to this foul emotion, it called to him, awakened him. He rose, scaring the shit out of his Boys as he turned to them with his trademarked grin.
"Tell Torchwick everything that happened. . . and that I'm taking care of a nasty little bug at the moment."
And with that, The Butcher turned and lashed out with a clawed hand, easily tearing through the metal of the truck door to grab the head of the stowaway. He tore himself a hole as he stepped out, and then he threw the man onto the empty street, following soon after him, cleaver in hand. Now that he could see the man, he could tell that he was similar to himself, a man gifted with the touch of darkness, buyt he could also see that he was not inline with his instincts. He was trying to be the thing that Grundai had left behind, human. To say that it sickened him was an understatement, as it fueled a sense of hatred in him that couldn't be cooled by merely killing this whelp. He was going to tear him apart, slowly and painfully, going to make him scream his throat out until it's raw and bloody. He would revert this thing back into the animal it was meant to be, into the animal that he himself was.
Without a word of greeting, nor threat, The Butcher charged at the other half-grimm with a blast of energy to propel him, swing at him with the wide blade, then moving to lash out with a unyielding barrage of slashes with his Cleaver, randomly adding in powerful punches and kicks so as to keep his opponent from recognizing a pattern to the movements, and to keep him on his toes.
Indigo flinched slightly when a shadowy hand punched through the back of the truck and grabbed his head. At the same time, he felt an abnormally strong killing intent. Well, this is bad, he thought plainly as he was flung off the back, whipping out his Wind Needle in a split second. Twisting his body, he made a slashing motion at the ground with it to give himself the time to land on his feet. Mistaking the location of this guy was a critical error on his part. But Indigo had no time to think about what went wrong, as the man--more a monster--launched himself forward with incredible momentum and a crushing swing.
Indigo leaned backwards to avoid the huge blade, using one hand to punch it up and above his face, the other to create a cushion of air below him. Getting nicked by each strike during the assault, he realized that there wasn't really a pattern in the attacks. However, he laughed out loud when he realized something. It was like music to him: just an annoying, pounding rhythm. Every punch and kick was merely an additional beat between the swings. So it does have a use! he grinned as the dodging became less and less difficult. Indigo quickly turned to his regular modus operandi: take hits and hit them more. He redirected each swing of the weapon with a nudge while countering with two more clawed slashes, taking fists and feet to the face and gut, but at no point slowing down; rather, the speed of Indigo's attacks eventually increased into a blur from his bloody semblance absorbing every drop that fell from himself and whatever wounds he managed to inflict upon his opponent.
The girl, the truck was suddenly forgotten by Indigo as his mind began to empty. In contrast to his previous, hateful snarl, the instantaneous swap into almost pure tranquility, very slightly tainted by not-so-slight bloodthirst, was much more terrifying. The Butcher had successfully, albeit only temporarily, reverted him into mindlessness. But unlike the past, unlike the half-Grimm in front of him, Indigo had no fury and would have found no joy in shedding blood; it was more like an insatiable wonder for it, amazement mixed with cruel curiosity. "More..." he panted aloud, staring at the figure before him. "I want to see more blood."
Carver had to turn away, pinching his nose to stop the nosebleed that he felt coming on. Too cute, way too cute for wolf-boy, the lucky bastard After he settled himself down, he turned back to the faunus couple with a smile plastered o hus face. "Just ask and ye shall recieve, I'll even throw in a discount just because of how adorable you are."
Silme's ears lightly pressed against his head, a sign of slight annoyance and discomfort with the rubbing, a bit of a glare in his violet eyes. However, a ruffling behind him was a sign if his tail wagging though he quickly surpressed the urge as soon as it hit him. One thing he hated about being a wolf faunus, his tail had a habit of giving away what he was thinking. "Yeah, I guess that's true. You're a good friend Sapphire." He gave her a scratch behind her ear in the spot she liked, giving Carver a weird look when he offered a discount. Carver never offered discount to anyone.
Sapphire's face turns a little more red, and she purrs even more when she is scratched behind the ear, taking note that the wolf-boy's tail was wagging. "You're so sweet," She giggles. Her heart thumping, she leans up and gives him a single peck on the cheek, wrapping her arms even tighter around Silme. Turning her head to look at Carver, she tilts her head in slight shyness. She had only just met him, so she did not know how often he handed out discounts. She thanks him anyways.
"Thank you for your offer," Sapphire says to him, a shy smile on her face. "I'll be sure to take it up. S-Sometime." Once again, her head switches back to looking at the handsome man in her arms. She lets out a yawn, pressing her head to his chest. "Silme, do you wanna sleep in my bed tonight?" She asks, looking up at his face.
Silme gave her an incredulous look as she called him 'sweet', looking over the side at the guy who had driven him here. "I think that guy disagree with you on that front, Sapphire, wouldn't you say Carver. . . . Carver?" Turning his head back to Carver, he saw the man sulking at the corner of the truck, muttering something about how clueless idiots get all the luck. Weird
"As for your offer, I'm fine with it but were are you going to sleep? The couch is comfortable I guess, but wouldn't you prefer sleeping in your own room." He questioned before he noticed something about his current situation. Sapphire was pressed up very close to him, very close and he could feel her rather sizable chest pressing against his body. His ears immediately flattened themselves against his head, and despite all of his willpower, his tail began to wag furiously, making his already redding face turn a bright scarlet. Some of Carver's men started chuckling at his predicament, only to feel a chill run down their backs as he his head snapped to them, the amount of murderous intent in his Violet eyes sending them scurrying back to work unloading the cargo.
Turning back to Sapphire, the blush on his cheeks still rather prominent, Silme cleared his throat to get her attention. "Uh, Sapphire, I don't know how to tell you this but, um, they're kinda touching me. . . alot." He made a vague gesture to her chest as he spoke to clarify things, though it probably didn't need much clarification in the first place. Carver was both reveling in Silme's discomfort, and coursing the fool for not knowing what he had, a sexy cat girl who was begging him for it, literally, and all he could focus on was some intimate contact. It pissed Carver off a great deal it did, so he decided to poke some fun at the boy's embarrassment.
"Oh, come now Wolf-boy, don't act like you're not enjoying this. Your tail's wagging so hard I'm half-expecting it to fall off." Turning to Sapphire, he placed a hand on his chest and tipped his head to her, leaning on his sword as he did so like a cane. "I truly feel sorry for you, he's such an oblivious idiot, isn't he, almost to the point where you'd think he's a prude. You have my condolences, Kitten." Raising his head back up, he fund himself staring into angry violet eyes and down the barrel of Scarlet Ravager. Carver merely pushed the weapon out of the way with his sword, giving Silme a look as if to say, 'Is that really necessary?'
"Kitten, you'd should probably keep your boy here on a collar, lest he rips someones throat for giving him a bad look. Why so sensitive, Silme, trying to over-compensate for something?" Carver grin grew very wide as he saw the boy's confusion as he tried to work out the hidden meaning of his sentence. It's just to easy to mess with this idiot, really, it's not a fair fight in the slightest.
"Well, I'll be sleeping... With you. In the same bed." Sapphire giggles, watching as his face turns scarlet. Awwww, that's so cute! The cat-girl thinks to herself, starting to purr, before her own face turns red because of his comment about her breasts touching him. It was a little embarrassing, but she didn't care as long as it was Silme that was with her. Sapphire turns and looks at Carver as he begins to speak.
After Carver finishes speaking, Sapphire turns back to Silme. She leans up, standing on her tiptoes, and gives Silme a kiss on the nose. Completely ignoring what Carver said (so she would not try to attack him for making fun of Silme), her face turns red. We've been friends for such a long time. If he's not going to ask it... I will. Sapphire closes her eyes, returning to standing flat on her feet. "S-Silme..." She says, her voice suddenly quiet. "D-Do you think... T-That there is any c-chance of us... Dating?" She asks shyly.
"Huh?" was Silme's eloquent reply, unsure if he had heard her right. "Wait, you mean, like, a Date-date, like, with hanging out, and holding hands and k-k-k-k-kissing?!?!?" Silme was a man of many skills, but they were all violent or criminal in nature, he was not good with dealing with his emotions, so he honestly didn't know how to feel about Sapphire's request. On one hand, he could openly say he didn't hate her(which for him, was almost as good as a declaration of love), but on the other. . . he was afraid. He hadn't ever let anyone in like he felt like Sapphire was asking him to let her in, not since his parent's had left him. Would she do the same, once he let her in, would she leave him all alone, out in the cold, alone again in the world with his heart ripped out and stomped.
He couldn't deal with this, he wouldn't deal with this. It was just, just too much, too soon. His heart was pounding, his pupils dialated, his ears back and tail between his legs, he disengaged himself from Sapphire, looking like a cornered wolf. Just as he was about to say something, however, a ominous howl tore through the night, and it was soon followed by many, many more, along with the clacking of claws against concrete, and the growls of hungry beast coming towards a meal. A pack of Beowolves burst from the darkness, descending on the group with a savage ferocity that only Grimm could possess.
Immediately, Silme's mind was cleared of all his worries, his woes, all of his senses turned towards fighting these monsters. He acivated Scarlet Ravager, shifting them into short sword mode as he ran forward jumping off the truck into the midst of the pack in a swirl of blades, an explosion soon following as he mixed Fire and Wind Dust together in the air, giving him some space and spreading the corrosive air across the pack, blinding them for a few moments at best. Carver's men began to fire on the Grimm that got to close to the shipment, but they were in no hurry to help Silme, as was the Loner way. It was every man for himself in the Loner zone, and you only looked out for others if they were your own.
Carver leaped down from the truck on to the ground, swinging his sword around as he called out to Silme. "I fucking told you that killing the guy would attract Grimm, Wolf-Boy, so please do the dirty work while me and my boy's get this cargo to safety. Thank you." As Carver was speaking, a Beowolf came up from behind him, about to strike him down, when he suddenly turned around and stabbed the beast in it's chest with his blade, before pressing a button that caused the blade to become heavily serrated. "I fucking hate it when dogs like you don't know your place. GET SHREDDED, YOU FUCKING FLEABAG!!!" Pressing a second button, the serrations on the blade began to spin around rapidly, turning the sword into a type of chainsaw as it tore the beast insides to piece, before he slashed upward with it, effectively bifurcating the Beowolf. Carver clicked his tongue before walking away from the Grimm's dissolving Carcass toward his men, yelling them to pick up the pace before he turned them into Grimm chow himself.
Silme, on the other hand, was in a litte bit of trouble. As he was slashing through the Grimm, his focus wasn't a 100% because he was still thinking about Sapphire's question, what it meant, what he should do about it. This caused him not to notice as the Bewolves surrounded him until it was too late, and then he was stuck trying to hold them off while he attempted. Every time he tried, a Grim would charge at him from all sides, looking for an opening,and getting a sword in their throat instead, but they still mangaed to keep him effectively trapped, and he was beginning to tire. He was used to using his aura, but he had been expecting to have another intense fight today, so he had used more of it in his first attack against the mech and when he fired at those goons as they exited the store, wanting to make sure the job got done.
Now he was paying the price, panting heavily as he fended off a seemingly never ending wave of Grimm, barely able to keep them back. The only reason he was able to keep them all from charging him at once was because he had surrounded an area with a corrosion field using special Dust cartridges he had on him just in case. It was very painful to go through, though essentially harmless, and helped stem the flow of Beowolves coming at him. But it would only last so long, and even if it did last a while, the Grimm were beginning to attack in higher and high numbers as they figured out that it wasn't going to kill them upon entering. Suddenly, Silme got bull rushed from the side by one of the Beowolves, and ad to use more Aura to keep it from tearing his arm of, which it had firmly in its grasp.
This is it he thought with grim finality, feeling himself get weaker and weaker as the struggle continued. I'll die the same way I cam into the world. . . alone
Sapphire felt a little bit like she was going to sob. "Y-Yes... T-That stuff..." She whispers, looking at Silme with an embarrassed look. Shouldn't have asked, shouldn't have asked, she thinks to herself sadly, her face entirely red. Like starving men fighting for food, her mind fought for what to do. Fragments fought for pushing in, deeper, and making Silme date her, others fought to begin convincing him he should, and a few fragments fought to drop everything she had said, and pretend like she never said a thing.
Her lips tremble as Silme parts from her, and tears well up in her eyes as he backs away. H-He... I... I didn't expect this to... Feel so bad. Sapphire opens her mouth, and sucks in half of a breath -which sounds like a sad wheeze- and opens her mouth to speak, however is interrupted by a howl so loud it makes her squeal. Grimm! She thinks, whipping out Zanishlash and turning it into it's separate shield and sword forms- Just in time, as a Beowolf leapt onto her, the shield protecting her from it's swipes.
Sapphire twists around, knocking it onto the ground and rolling out of the way to avoid a swipe from a second one. Rolling to her feet, she manages to clip the throat of the second Beowolf on the way, and spies a third behind her. As the first one gets onto it's feet, she drops her sword, twisting her hand around so that the bottom of the hilt was facing where the blade was meant to be, the blade it'self going along her arm now, so she was holding it backwards. Sapphire did this with great precision and skill, so she was ready when the first Beowolf attempts a swipe. She fires, and the cat-girl uses the blast from the gun to push her arm backwards, straight into the stomach of the third Beowolf that attempted to make sure she wouldn't get home.
Suddenly, the battle picked up. Aura helped a lot with avoiding the attacks of two Beowolves that had leapt onto her, looking like some pervert's twist of a girl and Grimm. She kicked her knee up, catching one in the crotch, but she fought with tooth and nail to keep their claws from hitting her head, as she had her shield protecting her chest. Her eyes darted around, looking for a way to escape. Through the blurs of stressful tears in her eyes, she spotted Silme fighting for his life. The sight killed her. Sapphire had just asked him if they wanted to date, she had asked him the question of all questions, and there he was. Fighting. She bursts out with tears at the sight, pushing hard against the Beowolves on top of her.
Pushing her shield up, hard, she shoved the Beowolves high before Sapphire turns, her eyes a dark red shade, as if she had just came for a cup of tea and a souvenir to bring back to hell with her. As the Beowolves fall back down behind her, she connects her sword and shield together, forming the strength-draining power that was her weapon's final form. She cries out loudly, charging straight to the Beowolves attacking Silme, causing a few of them to turn. She fires, taking one out immediately, before she slams into another, firing as she does. As she shreds the wolf, another attempts to pounce on her from behind. Sapphire turns, whacking it out of the air with her shield as if she was whipping a fly away. Now that she had a good shot, she fired at the Beowolf clinging to Silme.
The beast had let go of Silme to growl at Sapphire, only to get it's head blown off instead. Silme was quick to get back on his feat and was now back-to-back with Sapphire. There were just too many, ad even with Sapphire's Tearfuel, she couldn't hold them back forever. Switching Scarlet Ravager to SMG mode, he prepared himself what was likely going to be their end, when a golden flash appeared before them, revealing Carver standing there with a smile on his face.
"Well, lookie here, Wolf-boy, you seem to be in a spot of trouble, so let me help you out, okay. Consider this a favor, one that I expect you to payback in the future." Carver said, his smile turning from charming to devious within seconds, before he turned to face the Grimm that had appeared, tut-tutting at them while he wagged his finger. "Naughty, naughty beasties you all are, attacking my wolf boy like that, haven't you read the villain's hand book, you're supposed to be attacking one at a time, like the proper cannon fodder you filthy excuse for monster you mutts are."
Carver, what are you doing, their are too many." Silme began, only to find himself get pelted in the head by a pebble. The thing was, it had fucking hurt, and he reached up to feel the spot on his head, he found that it came away bloody. How had he done that?!?!
"Wolf-boy, didn't you know what I used to be before the breach happened, the man was," Carver stated, as a horde of Beowolves stormed through the Aura dorm towards him tied off waiting for their food to shut up. "I was a damn good hunter, so please don't patronize me." As the first Beowolf reached him, it suddenly found it's self split into, as did the one behind it, falling to Carver's side as he turned to face the monster's that surrounded him, his jacket beginning to take an intense glow, 3 colors of red, white and green.
In another flash of gold, he was in the thick of it, spinning his blade in a compete circle faster than one could blink, soon followed by the spray of blood as the Grimm's faded away, falling to the ground in a smoking hip. from their on, it was a massacre, completely one-sided as Carver tore through Grimm after Grim, again and again. either flashing from one place to another, or moving his blade at a nearly untraceable speed. For times when the blade wasn't enough, however, he'd use the dust in his clothes to launch either a devastating blade or gust of wind at the beast, or completely incinerate them in columns of intense white flame. He was like a god of war, and soon, the few Grimm left alive fled for the hills,fleeing back into the interior. Carver turned backed to the two with a smirk, knowing that they were probably dumbstruck by mind-numbingly cool he was. I'm a fucking boss, and now they fucking know it, so they better respect me or else I'll be kicking some serious ass!
"And that, Silme, is why I never flinched once when ever you pointed any kind of weapon at me, because my Sembalance is Instant Acceleration," Carver explained, enjoying the way he saw the boy flinch when he actually used his real name,"allowing me for a single instant, wither increase the speed of my blade swings, and thus their power, or move near instanteously from one point to the next. So basically, as you are now, you'd be no match for me. So then, you'll be coming with me and my boys now, I assume, not safe for you and Kitten to wonder the upper levels. I doubt that was the whole pack, and neither of you are in any shape tto face off against any Grimm on your way back." Pointing with his blood-stained blade, he showed them the entrance/exit he and his men were using to transport the goods. "Come on now, don't be shy. . . and also be quick about it, we don't have all night." Watching what Carver did, Sapphire was awestruck by his pure power. However, she also took him as a bit of a bragger because of his power. As he killed most of the Grimm, she still took out her aggression on those that were near her. She took heavy breaths, and obliterated those near her. A final Beowolf managed to climb onto her, however a strong punch to the side of it's head threw it off of her before she activated the blade of her weapon and drug it straight into the stomach, doing a pirouette and cutting all the way up to the creatures neck. She pulled Zanislash out and looked around as the final of the Grimm retreated.
Wiping stray tears away from her eyes, tears of struggle and sadness, Sapphire looks to Silme as she turns her weapons back to their small, portable form. He's alright... He's alright... The cat-girl, recovering from what had just happened, looks to Carver as he picks on Silme again. She tried to say something, but now that she no longer had Tearfuel, she felt tired, so very tired. She stumbles her way over, attempting to follow Carver and his men to where they were moving to, when she just tilted and fell over sideways. Now that her Tearfuel was over, it's additional strength had perished with her, and her normal strength had been used in the fight, combined with the drain of Zanislash's combined form, she had stressed herself way too far and was weak. Sapphire's eyelids drooped halfway closed, and she whispered the word, "Help," laying down on the ground.
Silme, who had been walking with Sapphire towards the tunnel, went to catch her before she completely hit the ground. He then decided to carry her on his back, coaxing her on before he followed Carver and his men down the tunnels. Carver was walking next to him, looking at Silme with an expectant gleam in his eye.
"I'm not saying thanks, because I know you didn't do that out of the kindness of your heart, Carver, you want something." Silme glared at the older man, but it quickly turned into a look of suspicion and confusion as he thought back to Carver's earlier words. "Tell me, Carver, if you were such a good Hunter, then why didn't you try and put an end to Torchwick, or at least try and fight him like the others did?"
"Simple kid, I wanted to live more than I ever wanted to protect the people. Being a hunter wasn't working out for me as well as I thought around the time the breach happened, so when the Grimm began to overrun the city, I took the opprotunity to have myself a little accident, then I changed my name and badda-bing, badda-boom, Carver's in business by creating safe travel routes for anyone who wants to start a smuggling business. Then I took over the business and have become a very wealthy man."
"You're a smart guy, but what happened to your team?"
"I don't know, and for the sake of my conscious, I'd like to believe they all are alive and kept their heads low."
Silme nodded, before he began to recognize the tunnels they were in. He gave Carver a nod, then went down a branching tunnel which would lead to Faunus Plaza, a makeshift underground settlement that is populated mostly by Faunus, though it was more of a patrol station and outpost than anything else. While these Tunnels were great at keeping people safe, Grimm still came in, and Faunus were elected to be the best watchmen due to most having excellent night vision. He navigated through the empty streets until he made it to Sapphire's home, usin his key to open the door.
Walking upstairs, he laid her down on her bed, where she curled up unconsciously, since she had fallen asleep along the way. For a second, Silme remembered her offer, but he shook his head of it and walked out of the room. He did't want to give her false hope that he would reciprocate her feelings, he didn't even now if he wouldn't. He needed time to think about this, but it would have to wait until tomorrow, he was much too tired to deal with that tonight. So he walked down the stairs, into the living room and crashed onto the couch, letting the sweet release of sleep wash over him like a river.
TL;DR: Silme and Sapphire now have awkward romantic tension, due to Sapphire kinda confessing(she asked for a date) and Silme not responding. Grim attack happened, Carver revealed himself to be a hunter of great skill
The men finally returned with the truck in the airlift. Roman noticed a... sizeable hole in the back. "Um... What is that?" Pointing at the hole, Roman asks the van's driver. "Sir. The Butcher did so after saying to tell you what happened and that he was going to take care of a bug." After a few seconds of silence, the dictator facepalmed and finally asks: "Well, what happened!?" "Oh, right! We were ambushed at the club. The DJ, Magdeline, and some masked bitch came in and interrupted the extraction, sir. Several men died, but we got the girl." "... You mean her?" Roman asked, pointing the hook of his cane at a tied up female hopping away. "Yes sir. Her. ... OH! I'll get her, sir!" The soldier took a while to realize his mistake, but Roman lifted his hand to stop him. "I can do that. Thanks for the offer, though. Dolt." With that, he launched the hook at the escapee, catching her by the rope that bound her hands. Roman then dragged her back, apologizing to the miss that he was so rough. Helping her up and undoing her leg bindings, Roman explained how she wouldn't be leaving until her father paid his taxes plus the debt he owes. "Well, at the earliest. There may be a 5-7 business day shipping time, but we'll make sure you aren't harmed. Needlessly." Now guiding the young lady by the small of her back, Roman explains her position. "I now own you. You are now collateral for the money your father owes. Until the debt is paid, you get to stay here with me. We'll have fun." Looking her over, he repeats "Lots of fun. Heh."
Magdeline
Magdline takes the company she has with her back to her place, taking back roads and underground tunnels. Once home, she opens the door, takes a few steps in, turns and welcomes her company. "Well, home sweet home. The couch in the living room has a pull out bed, I have a... um... guest room." Calling her son's old room a guest room was hard. It was the first time she'd thought about the room in a long time. Refocusing on getting her company settled in, she continued, a little less enthused. "Um... You can sleep wherever you'd like. Feel free to get some food or drinks. The kitchen is right through the archway in the living room there." Magdeline points through the living room to the kitchen. "If you need clothes, I have some, both for guys and girls. Whichever you prefer..." After a deep breath, she continued. "So yeah, make yourself at home. I'm gonna head to bed though. I'm tired from all the fighting... And thanks for sticking with me, even when I asked to fight him alone. I probably couldn't have done much but buy a few dozen seconds. I really appreciate your help." With a bow of respect. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head on to bed." With that, Magdeline heads up the stairs, unzipping her jacket once at the top and, once in her room, removing the jacket. Now that she was in her PJs as before: tank top and fuzzy pants, neither of which she'd taken off or changed out of when she'd left the house, she slid back into bed.
Graham followed Mags to her house. After her very kind offer, she went off to bed in the PJs he didn't notice she was wearing the entire time. "Thanks Magdeline." He then called out "I've got the couch." Graham then helped himself to a glass of soda he poured out. He set the glass on the table and sat on the couch. He stared to ceiling and rubbed his hands on his face. "Ughh, what a shit night." He murmured to himself. Graham was going to train, train in fighting and then set out to find the managers daughter. A bit of a heroic and ironic quest for Graham but if he was going to pay the manager back somehow, it would be this way. Graham cancelled all bookings through his phone, he needed as much time as possible.
"That's more like it, boy," The Butcher smiled as he heard the boy asking for blood. "Ask and ye shall recieve, let's see what happens when you really let loose." The Bucther hadn't suffered much from the boy's attacks, a few scratches of vary severity, but nothing that would be a hinderance to him. He lifted his blade to, which he shifted into it's hand-cannon form aiming it at one of the nesrby houses, where people were looking outside to see what was going on.
A pull of the trigger, a streak of black, a cry in the night, then a split-second of desthly silence followed immediately by a loud boom as part of the house exploded, the corner, which brought the rest of the house down as well. The Butcher walked over to the mangled mess, sniffing the air before he found whag he was looking for. Reaching into the rubble he pulled out a man that was barely clinging to life, with several stakes in his body, taking a second to make sure he was conscious before tossing him at the feet other half-grimm. "There is your blood, take it and show me who you truly are, or else you'll find yourself in the very unpleasant condition of being my new toy. Funny thing about toys, they are always the most fun to play with right before they break."
[@Sagitarius] Be free to tell me how much I suck for taking so long.
The Butcher's fight with the half-Grimm ended when Indigo took a hit purposefully, stealing the momentum to catapult away. The Butcher was inclined to follow to finish what he started, but he was paged by Torchwick, so he went back to the ex-Academy. At some point before sunrise, Inari had headed off to complete her own agenda. Magdeline slept well into the day, which wasn't too bad since her legitimate job was closed for the day.
Graham stayed at Mags house until she woke up. He had a very important question to ask. The event at the night club kept him up all night. He had failed his job to protect innocents, and he hadn't done anything useful. He needed to get her back. Torchwick needs to know he will have a hard job now. His time as a dictator is over. Graham gave Mags time to wake up fully before asking her is question. "Hey Mags?" He began. "You're a much better fighter than me and last night... well, what I want to ask is, will you train me?" He asked. "I want to become a better fighter." He stated, determined to show his resolve towards his goal.
Magdeline woke up in a haze. Last night's events had started to eat her away in her dreams. It just kept replaying. The carnage. The brutality. The screaming. The blood... Finally shaking herself mentally once she was in the kitchen, she noticed Graham who was probably about to leave, asking to help him train. "Well, I can try, sweetie. I don't know how to fight with your weapon, but I can help you read opponents better and help you learn Grundai better, if you're really worried about him. He's gonna be tough. He's gotten a lot better at blocking out psychological warfare than I remember, but he's gotta have a weakness..." After staring off into space for a few seconds, she turned to the fridge to grab some eggs and bacon she'd bought the other day. Magdeline placed her hand on Graham's head and smiled at him. "Don't worry so much about last night. I know we can get his daughter back. And not with a fundraiser. Now, would you like some food? And if you want to start training today, I can help you after work. Which I'll have to leave for in about half an hour. You're welcome to stay here if you like. The spare key's under the brick with the 'X' on it under the back door mat if you need to go out and come back. Just remember that you're already a great fighter. You just need to know how to fight this enemy. Alright?" And with that, Magdeline returned to her ingredients to start cooking up some food.
The young girl held ransom lay in the fetal position on the ratty old bed she was put in. It had been one day, and the club owner's daughter had been dragged through hell. She was unable to do much more than cry and remember all the shit that had hit the fan in the past few hours. She was a virgin before tonight...
After being kidnapped from the club, Melanie had been brought to Torchwick's palace and told she is now just a... a possession of Torchwick's. The guards had barely taken her into the room they called hers, 231, before nobody in the room had clothes on. Torchwick had put a special chastity belt on Melanie, to prevent unwarranted... 'use of his property'. But it only covered her frontal opening, and the guards who brought her in, and a few White Fang guards, and a few other guys who happened to wander by, all took every inch they could get out of her. After almost two hours of repeated... 'use', Torchwick finally arrived. Maybe he planned for it to be the way it was, but he was nicer than his guards. Yeah, he still pulled her hair a bit, forced her head movement during... 'oral presentations', and was rough from the moment he was aroused, but it wasn't as bad as the men before him. Maybe Melanie had just become numb to it, after dozens of men before Torchwick in the past hour or two.
After this last memory round and a few minutes of crying, Melanie finally fell asleep. She didn't know why. Maybe it was just out of pure exhaustion. Melanie had horrible dreams, but slept soundly well into the day. The sun hitting her face finally woke her up. She looked around the room. She saw a dresser, and in it were a few outfits. Maid's outfit, "nurse's" outfit, and a nice sun dress. It looked pretty. She decided to at least be hopeful that things wouldn't get worse than they were and put on the sun dress. Only to notice how opaque it was. You could almost see completely through it. With a little ingenuity, Melanie put together an outfit that used items from each of the provided ones that was as modest as possible and looked cute. Well, I can at least look decent. Deciding to face her fear head on, Melanie walked out of the room to the entry room Torchwick had a throne in. She met no guards on the way. The throne room had a few guards. A few she knew a little too personally. Deciding to throw everyone off, Melanie smiled and greeted Torchwick cheerfully. Torchwick looked confused to see her, and more so that she seems happy. "Hello there, Mr. Torchwick. Is there anything I can do for you? I couldn't find too decent of a dress, so I kinda improvised. I hope you like it." Melanie winked at Torchwick and bowed once she finished. Torchwick and his guards were speechless. The ruling dictator finally reigned in his mind and responded. "Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting this. I usually leave some sexy dresses for the... 'collateral' I have. Your positive attitude and willingness to serve are refreshing. If you would make some food for the two of us, that would be splendid. I'll be back shortly to dine with you. Can't wait to see you." Torchwick called Melanie's playful bluff. With no cards left to pull out of her sleeves, Melanie nodded and made her way to the kitchen.
"Thanks Maggie," Graham said. "Umm, I'm not hungry but thanks anyway for the offer." Graham added. He really appreciated this from Magdeline, she didn't have to help him but he's glad she agreed. He had to get her back. He felt... responsible, for what happened, and it's the least he could do. Graham was about to exit when Mags mentioned the key. "Then I guess you won't mind if I let myself in." He said jokingly. "Thanks again Mags." He said again, hoping to show his gratitude. With that, Graham left the house. He searched for a way to the roof, and after doing that he looked out across Vale. "Time for a new look." He said to himself before setting of to his house to grab his wallet.
After a sleep that she hoped would last forever (though it did last quite a while), Sapphire awoke, eyes lifting halfway. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around to find she was alone in the room, guessing that Silme had crashed on the couch again. In this time of solitude, Sapphire derobed, showered and then put on a fresh set of clothes before heading downstairs. Sapphire felt slightly weak from the overuse of her strength the previous time she was awake, however she was determined to get her strength back by going through a nice meal and relaxing a bit. So, she dumped her robes to get washed (She had a spare set somewhere), making herself a simple meal of milk and toast. I could do with a break, she thinks to herself, sitting down and eating.
Silme was still asleep on the couch, though Sapphire's arrival downstairs woke him up, signified by an annoyed flip of his left ear. With a groan, he ross up from the bed, strething slight before his body painfully reminded him that last night had been rather stressful. Scratching his head, he lookec around in a daze before he saw Sapphire, who he gave a quick wave of greeting before he walked over to a nearby closet, pulled out some clothes to change into after his shower, than finally deemed it appropriate to speak.
"Hey Sapphire, um, regarding what you asked me . . . last night. . . .I'm not against the idea, so whenever you want to go, just tell me." Silme muttered under his breath(totally wasn't blushing or anything) as he passed by, but with Sapphire level of hearing, she'd probably hear it just fine. After that, he went upstairs to shower, which he really needed if his nose was anything to go by.
Danny woke up still tired as hell because it was hard to sleep last night because of all the noise that went on through the night. He slowly got up and showered hanging his head backwards when he was in there. After showering Danny got dressed and then grabbed his weapons first his gun which he holstered and second his gloves which he then put on. "Another day of madness..." Danny said with a sigh.
The young lad strolled down the street without a care in the world. He passed several nice ladies, many genlement on their way to work, but most of all, he passed children. Hm... Even in the face of dictatorship and possible annihilation, they still procreate prominantly? Intriguing. Master Torchwick will be pleased with this informaton. Now, I must go see this club manager about his dues... Though he does owe our Master quite a large sum of money, he will still pay the owner for the damage that Beast caused. Stupid animal can't think past the next five seconds unless he's in battle. No matter, at least I might be able to get the poor fellow on our side. Once he arrives at the destroyed club, the late teenager approaches, looking for the owner of the establishment. Once located and engaged, he lays out exactly how much the owner owes, how long he has until interest hits, how much the interest will be, and a suggested payment plan. After seeing the worry on the man's face, he assures the owner that his club will be repaired of all damages caused by the previous night's interruption due to the Butcher and his fight with the Uprisers. Bullet holes, craters, the wall, and blood stains will all be fixed up, good as new, at no charge to the owner. "See, I personally apologize that the Butcher took your daughter as collateral, but we weren't very specific. Master Torchwick jsut said 'something of value to the owner', and she's the something he picked. But still, our Master is tryiing to be reasonable with his demands, since he knows what it's like to own a business by yourself. And he's in general a pretty nice person. Just please remember to return your loans on time. I'm sorry it came to this, but we're doing all we can from our side. Have a nice day, sir." Once he's said his spiel, the boy left with a confident grin and a friendly tone. Once he was about a block from the club, he radioed in. "Hey. We're in business with the guy. I think we can turn him to our favor. Yeah. Alrught. See ya soon, Master."
Sapphire begin to drink her milk, smiling at the words that Silme said. "Then, I want to go as soon as possible." She says, giggling to herself like a maniac, laying on her back on the couch and playing with her tail cutely. She was going crazy with the idea of dating Silme. "I want to go anywhere with you!" She says, giggling her head off as she rolls around.
Graham stood atop a building with his new garments on, a gas mask to hid his face and he wore long, hooded, black leather jacket over his black t-shirt with some sort of rock band logo on it and black cargo pants to give him some movement when running. Graham then took off his mask with a sigh. "This shit is stuffy as hell, but if I'm going to get in there and protect my identity from that night..." He said to himself, looking at the gas mask before reluctantly putting it back on. "It will have to do." Graham then set off running to the club to see if anything changed from the night prior. About a block away Graham noticed a particular man on a phone, secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city. Graham got closer and listened in. "Business with the guy... Master." He heard, this "master" had to be Torchwick, and this was his accomplice. Graham nimbly crept down the building before reaching ground level and creeping low on the ground. The man was unaware and near an ally, hopefully Graham could do this. He bursted out of the crowd and ducked behind him before covering his mouth with his hand and putting an arm around his neck, slowly dragging him into the alley. Graham pulled out a cinderhulk in gun form and pointed it to his head. "Shout, scream, do anything to get attention and I will shoot, got it?" Graham warned before letting go of his mouth. "Now, you're gonna tell me what I need to know. Where's the girl? Exactly. And what is Torchwick hiring to guard her?" He interrogated.
The man struggled against Graham, before giving up fairly quickly. "All right, I'll talk. Can you just be a little more calm? And put the gun away?" He requested. Graham quickly patted the man down before putting cinderhulk in its holster, however, unrelenting, Graham pushed him to the wall and grabbed him by the shirt. "You gonna tell me?" He asked threatingly. "I will. Just calm down. I'm in no hurry." The man implored. Graham stayed silent. "I work for Torchwick, to an extent. I'm just a numbers guy whom he hired." The guy explained. "Like an accountant." He summarised. Graham took it all in. "You got five minutes, keep going." Graham ordered. "The butcher was told to get something 'of value', and that the owner was behind on payment, Torchwick wanted a collateral." He continued. "We didn't expect a person! Not that Torchwick was displeased, but we were imagining a watch, gem, or television, not his daughter. I don't know anything else." He said. Graham looked down at the ground then back to the "accountant." "Look, kid. I know it sucks, but I'm just doing business. He's still getting his place fixed for free. It should be done by tomorrow night, so he can resume business as soon as possible. We just want the loans paid off. This isn't a 'kidnap the daughter and hold her forever' type of thing, she's just collateral for the loan money and she'll be returned when the debt is paid. Based on the schedule, it should be in the next 3-4 months. Unless he's late or short on payments. Is that enough of my business to get you off my back?" The numbers guy looks at Graham expectantly as he awaits an answer from his assailant.
Something didn't add up in Graham's head. "Wait... what is he paying you for?" Graham asked, all this for some lousy payment? Can't be right. can it?. The accountant-gone-rogue rolled his eyes. "I'm getting paid to make all the calculations for loan payment, contacting the contractors and talk to them about their payment, and get Master Roman kept up with all of it. The most devious thing I'm doing, from your perspective, is showing the club owner that our Master isn't a horrible guy like the Uprisers think. He's just another guy. Except with a lot of power."
