Location: The Gallery
Interacting With: Scout Presley @Liriia
Golden sunlight peered through broken window frames, dappling the concrete floor and painted walls of The Gallery. Despite the school day having ended, Scout found herself alone within the hallow building. It wasn't an unusual circumstance as she usually spent her time just sitting alone watching the others paint and chat, but the silence was a bit maddening. The small girl stepped delicately across the dusty floor, her eyes tracing the various tags and works of art that stained the walls. Her own pieces stood out rather dully among the brighter paints, and she smiled briefly at each spray-painted masterpiece, a wave of nostalgia swarming her for some of the older images. Eventually, she crossed through the entire bottom floor of the old building, ending up on the opposite side just beside the chipped, white-painted stairs. Scout wandered quietly up the metal steps, flinching slightly at each squeak that was produced from the rusty bolts before she finally reached the third floor.
Scout slipped into the room, eyes quickly scanning the shadowed area in an effort to pick out any suspicious shapes before she turned towards a rather large, almost empty white wall. Spray paint cans of various colors collided with her feet, tipping easily as they were all nearly empty, and a dusty cassette player gleamed in the half light just a few feet away, begging to be turned on. Scout took one last moment to take in her surroundings before letting out a heavy, tired sigh and collapsing down into a crouch.
god today sure is somethingSmirking slightly, Scout turned to the cassette player and moved it aside slightly. Behind the silver box was a hole, large enough to fit a raccoon or some other hefty rodent, and within the dark circle were many dark boxes. Cassettes. Most were unnamed, and many seemed to be broken beyond repair, but everyone who used them tried their best to keep them together and avaliable for others. She gazed at a few of them intently, seemingly having some kind of mental battle before she finally decided on an old Simon and Garfunkel mix. Pushing it into the player carefully, she sat back and listened to the scratchy opening of "The Only Living Boy in New York" before getting to work. Her hands drifted across many of the half-empty cans, finally resting on a pretty blue color. Shaking it a few times, Scout listened to the sloshing of paint within to get a feel for how much she could work with, and then with sudden purpose she rose and started to paint.
It only took a few moments before she stopped and stood back, assessing her own work with the eye of a hawk. The still wet paint dripped dangerously from the wall, infecting the past inscriptions with a new brightness, and a half-smile met her lips.
I AM HERE. Those three words had been written before on this very wall, countless times before even, in varying shades and styles. It was a piece Scout had started at the beginning of the summer, and at first she had thought of it as a cry for help, but now it was her favorite piece in the entire Gallery.
"Are you really here?", an alluring voice rang out through the empty and dust ridden gallery,
"Or perhaps this is simply an illusion we've convinced ourselves is real..." From out of the shadows, a slim-toned figure appeared. As the light of the sun touched him through the broken windows(as if scared to make contact with his flesh), the beautiful face of the teenaged male was now certainly visible to Scout. She knew this individual more than most, though it seemed no one knew of their unusual connection. A feeling of cold air(not literally) was usually an indication of his presence.
The boy stepped closer, a black turtle neck fitted over his frame, and a long wavy ponytail hung down his back and swung lightly as he gracefully traversed across the grubby floor. He was like a swan floating through murky water, as if the dust on the floor moved out of the way as he got closer to her. Often considered the most beautiful boy at school, this didn't stop others from hating his very existence. Noah was known for being just as beautiful as he was deadly--ruthless. He stood several feet away from her, hands elegantly clasped behind his back as a cold expression naturally rested on his face.
"Hello Silvia. Feeling well?""Don't call me Silvia." Scout responded instantly, curtly, barely turning her head as she spoke. Noah Santiago, great. Another nuisance to deal with. She eventually slid around to face him, blue eyes narrowed as they focused on his face before closing fully as she sighed. Throwing the now-empty can of spray paint away she straightened, arms crossing as she took up a much more relaxed posture,
"what brings you around these parts, Santiago? I would've thought all the grime would turn you away." Her lips peeled back into a wide, tense smile, which after a second glance would seem to be more of a grimace then a sign of friendliness.
Noah sighed, as if uninterested, sliding a single finger across the wall and looking at the filth that collected on the tip. He raised an eyebrow in disgust and then showed her his finger.
"This is you....", and then he raised his clean finger,
"And this is me". He stared at her for a brief moment before wiping the dirt on a handkerchief he kept in his pocket.
"Don't get cute. We both know I wouldn't have come here if the slum of the town hadn't. I have you to thank for bringing me to this atrocity". He looked around once more, obviously repulsed by the setting, though for a pig's pen, it had its uses for being convoluted and out of the public eye.
His eyes fell away from her and back to the
'I AM HERE'.
"Why you are here, Silvia?", he asked her metaphorically, blatantly ignoring her order for him to not call her that. He had a way of speaking in an ambiguous and cryptic-like manner.
As a response to his question Scout tilted her head, blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder in a mess of tangles. Noah often spoke in in a quizzical manner, and while it was mostly annoying sometimes she found herself thinking hard on his questions. Right now, however, she didn't even want to bother processing his words. He had already insulted her with the grime, no use doing something else to peg him on. Instead, she turned back to the painted wall, grabbing a half-full can of crimson paint before getting back to work, once againt writing I AM HERE. Again, the paint dripped messily, pooling where the wall and floor met in a color that closely resembled blood.
"Hey man, I didn't call for you," she finally said, smearing a bit of the paint with a calloused thumb,
"I'm here to paint, so I'll ask again. Why are you here, Santiago?"Noah shrugged uncaringly.
"Fair enough...", he relinquished. He took out his phone and began intently searching for something, his eyes tracing up and down the glowing screen as if he were in a trance. All that could be heard was the smearing of paint and the beeping of his device. It was the only thing that convoluted the silence. His face was still planted into his phone when he gracefully waltzed over to her, ignoring the fact that she began spray painting again and practically held his phone up against her nose.
"Do you know what this is?""Wha- Oi, move." Without taking her eyes off of the wall she rose her free hand and shoved Noah's phone away. Scout passed him a side glance, eyes gleaming deviously, and then she slipped away from him to grab another color. Her nose was upturned, eyes narrowed definitely, the usual expression seen when Scout had decided to ignore someone, but the slightest shadow of a sly smile could be seen on her lips. She loved getting on Noah's nerves, and ignoring him usually gets the job done quickly.
The pretty long-haired boy glared at her when she swatted his phone away from her face like a mosquito. He didn't appreciate being ignored, especially not when it came to important matters that needed to be discussed. He glared at her like an icy pick and slowly, keeping a close eye on her, backed away and moved out of her peripheral vision. Without making a sound, he knelt down and quietly gripped an empty spray paint can in his hand. He looked at the can and an evil grin plastered upon his countenance.
"You know...", he reeled his arm back,
"I really hate being ignored...", and then he launched it straight towards the back of her head. Scout felt her body react before her mind, reeling around quickly once Noah let out his complaint. Her free hand rose to shield her face, and once again a burning sensation shocked through her palms, funneling outwards to her fingers. The light blue field followed the movement of her hand, gleaming brightly within the shadows of The Gallery walls, and Scout watched it form with curiosity burning in her eyes. The can collided with the wall, ricocheting off it slightly before falling noisily at Scout's feet. She blinked once, staring at the can for a few brief moments before raising her gaze up to meet Noah's.
"Whoops." She said sheepishly, the shield fading as her hand fell to her side and a slight frown took up her face.
His face remained serene, and his body stood elegantly poised, but internally, he was taken aback. Never had he suspected of
'Sewer Rat Silvia' to possesses an ability. He was amazed by the site of the translucent blue energy that formed itself in front of her face and effectively negated his attack. His eyebrows furrowed--it was safe to assume Noah found her little parlor trick infuriating.
"You little wench. So you have a power too huh?", he asked rhetorically with a scowl.
He huffed and not bothering to get close to her again, he held his phone up from where he was and displayed it to her,
"You're not the only one who can do things--but lets get to the point". An image of a two piece jewelry set appeared, a massive diamond adorned ring and a matching necklace that resembled an hourglass emanated brightly from his screen.
"The Diamond Hourglass...", he explained,
"is a newly manufactured two piece jewelry set that just went on the market two days ago". He paused for a brief moment and smirked faintly.
"Of course, someone such as yourself would have no knowledge of such an exquisite masterpiece, but I'm sure even you can appreciate the money that backs these beautiful luxury items more than anyone. After all, a starving animal will do anything for its next meal".
Noah turned off his phone and stuck it back into the pocket of his dress pants and from here on out, he was giving Scout his full and undivided attention. An old-fashion key dangled around his neck--he rubbed it softly as if in deep thought.
"You do you understand what I'm getting at here don't you.....amor?", he asked her in a belittling manner.
"Uh, yeah, sure... Puto." Scout responded slowly, words slurred slightly as she allowed the horrid headache the field produced to pass. She had many questions to ask, but Noah, with his probable one-track mind, wasn't going to answer any until he got what he wanted. Scout allowed the red spray-paint can to drop from her fingers, clattering by her feet as she took a few steps towards Noah. Her eyes connected with the screen, tracing the beautiful angles of the jewelry with her pupils. Well, it was obvious what Noah wanted from her, but Scout felt a small tugging at her conscience. The angel on her shoulder, of course, was telling her not to steal. Scout felt her eyebrow twitch, and she took a step back to stare at Noah's face, a hardened, unreadable expression clear in her eyes.
"You need some help getting this, then?" She questioned, pressing her knuckles gently against her lip in thought, "where... Are they selling it? In that old store downtown?" Scout, obviously, wasn't interested in the jewels themselves but the money. She was a bit short due to her father blowing up on her the other day, but still that angel tugged at her mind, telling her 'no'.
"That old store is Pomferi's Jewelry", he corrected her immediately, taking out his phone and texting her the address in a manner of haste. Abruptly, Noah sneezed, covering his nose and mouth with the back of his hand like an embarrassed geisha.
Stupid dust. Taking out his handkerchief, he patted his nose lightly and then brought his eyes to meet hers.
"Meet me in the alley two blocks down from the address, tomorrow, at noon. If you come, you get half. If not, well....you remain a sewer rat. Prove your worth". He quickly put the handkerchief away as it was very unsightly for him to be seen wiping his nose in public, even if by 'public', only meant Scout.
Without giving her another glance he proceeded towards the exit,
"We all do what we must mi amor. Even kill if necessary. Everyone has their reasons...". Whether he was trying to play mind games with her or not, his voice was cryptic, emotionless--unnerving. For a brief moment, Scout could surely hear a gentle humming coming from his lips, and then, he was gone, as if he had disappeared back into the shadows from which he came.
"Kill, huh?" She muttered, leaning back and watching as Noah made his exit. Scout refused to let her eyes wander until she was sure he was gone, and then slowly she turned back to her painting. The crimson paint had since dried, but still the drippings below it resembled that of gore, gleaming with a sinister shine. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she took a few steps toward the wall, her hand pressing against the artwork gently before she turned to shut the cassette player off, allowing silence to once again swallow the building. Once her items were gathered and she was sure she was alone, Scout laughed coldly and pulled the gray hood up over her head.
"What a freak."