The Bloody Hooker [Literate Walk-In] Rebirth

[iBeloved Infidel]

if love's a fight

then I shall die

with my heart on the trigger

R A N

Don't pursue? Ran blinked. Maestro may as well have told him not to breathe. But he seemed sincere, and for all the irritating s**t the guy had done since arriving, that sincerity stilled whatever nasty thing had been about to erupt. No need to kick the dog already prostrate under the boot. Maestro had simply given up on his revenge.

But Ran wasn't ready yet.

"I don't think you understand," he said quietly, standing up. Coffee mug was left on the table, hand freed to withdraw a metal mask from the folds of his coat. "Why should I let go when I'm already so close?" He tugged the ward out from under his shirt to let it gleam in the barlight, thin strip of lacquered wood inscribed with an ancient word for raven.

It matched perfectly the one etched into his hip.

"It was people like you," he added, elaborating on his prior comment. "People the law couldn't touch. Who deserved to die, supposedly." Who knew the real reasons they'd paid a quartet of desperate, idiot men to kill as indiscriminately as they had. Politics were hardly his strength. He'd known why he'd done it, and that had been enough.

But now that reason was gone. And with his replacement rejected like a bad blood transfusion, Ran had only this small revenge to blow to proportions required to propel what remained of his life here in a world which wasn't his. It wasn't home. He was used to monsters cowed enough to hide inside human faces-- not these fiends bold enough to sully alleys in clear view of the morning commute.

Teeth grit.

"I'm heading out." Tone implied he intended to return, possibly. And perhaps for Maestro to expect it. Perhaps even to notice if he, you know. Didn't.

Door clanged behind him and the night was oddly warm. Coat flapped open to the ocean breeze and ward spun, held out before him like a lantern and black birds screeched above. If he kept walking long enough, he'd eventually find the one he was looking for. Alaskan way was an antfarm of hotels, sleazy and chic. Ran was one of the few figures walking straight down along it while most others darted busily in and out of gold-rimmed doors to peer from red-lit windows.

L O C A T I O N // Walking the city streets

S T A T U S // Shhh. I'm hunting wravens.

[Tindome]

Nadine hopped back into an alley when she heard the door to the Hooker open, watched behind the thick glass of her spectacles as Red left.

Hm. Safe?

It seemed like it was too late for Toda to be around – and if he was, she’d just leave. She had fewer concerns where he was involved in terms of pursuit. He could sic his bat on her, sure, but the bat hated that as much as she did.

I already paid for a goddamn room and booze. For the month, in fact. I got a week left before that deal runs out. ******** them, for making me avoid booze I already paid for.

She put her headphones on properly and shimmied into the bar, as if she belonged there, as if she didn’t completely despise half the regulars. That was the best part of headphones, after all: lalalala I can’t hear you. No sign of Toda, no sign of the bat, no sign of anyone that she would have punched if she weren’t a feeble human-type.

Hell yes.

She cracked open another Red Stripe and danced out of the kitchen, blowing smoke in every direction with no concern for other patrons. It wasn’t as if she could hear them anyway.

I really need to find a good nightclub around here.

[picklethighs]

Tindome

Maestro Unmasked

Maestro was going to respond to Ran, but Ran... Well ran off.
That was a terrible joke.
Maestro found that he couldn't see anyone currently in the bar, however, Nadine was in the kitchen at the time.
The conversation he had with Ran made him want to reflect a bit.
In doing so, Maestro pulled his hood back, pulled the golden head piece off and ripped his bandages off his face.
He breathed air directly this time, not through waves of bandages.
Standing up, bandages slithering into his outfit, leaving his jacket open to show his chest off.
He began to walk towards the kitchen.

He ran right into the eye site of Nadine.
He merely stared at her and, if she looked back, she'd see him unmasked.
His hazel eyes were slightly covered by his half-open lids that made him look a little sleepy.
His pale skin was contrasted with his olive skin, soft looking and it caught the light of the bar just right.
His fluffy hair was unkept, but in a way it wasn't ugly and more like he was cute.
A single beauty mark resigned underneath his left eye and a little scar on the upper left corner of his forehead.
Lips were full, but still shapely and with a nice hue to compliment himself.

Maestro was startled when he saw Nadine.
He just stood there awkwardly, kinda like a deer in headlights.
He would quickly slap his bandages back on if anyone else came in.

He didn't seem demonic.
He was actually an attractive man, early 20s in age it seemed.
Its aura was somewhat sexual with his mask off as to any other time.

"Um... Heeeey."

[Tindome]

Maestro_MAD

The ********]

Nadine pulled her headphones down to her neck, K-Pop still blaring from the tiny speakers. Her eyebrow was raised and her head cocked to one side as she looked the mystery man up and down; she rather wished she’d been able to hear him speak a moment ago. She held up one finger, as if asking him to put himself on hold for a moment as she put her bottle to her lips and turned it upside down for a long moment. She gasped for air when she stopped drinking, used the hand that had been telling him to wait to adjust her glasses before looking back at him.

Yes, it seemed he was still there.

But nothing that cute came without a catch, especially in this shithole, so Nadine took a long drag from her cigarette and exhaled smoke through her nose.

“The ********]

[picklethighs]

Tindome

Maestro Unmasked

Maestro blinked for a bit, watching her chug that bottle without little recovery time.
The K-Pop music. Aw, those Asians made the greatest of music.
Then she spoke. She was obviously stunned for a second.
This was Nadine, not a lot of people seemed to mess with her. She was always out and about.
So he that this would be a great time to mess with her.

Stepping forward towards her ran his fingers through his hand, bandages on his hands.
That was the first clue, but this was no time to find blue paw prints.
He just came out and said it, "Its me. What was it that you called me?"
He tapped his foot in place, stroking his pointed fine chin; strong yet not over-the-top and gave him strength in his face as well as appearing handsome.
Snapping his fingers he remembered.
Pointing at himself he leaned in a little and whispered.
"Invisibo, was it?"

[Tindome]

Maestro_MAD

“Ahahaha holy s**t are you serious.”

Both hands went to Nadine’s hair as if to contain her mind being blown – insofar as they could, with a bottle in one hand and a cigarette between two fingers. She had an open-mouthed not-quite-grin on her face that would have allowed a nice view of her tonsils if the tip of her tongue hadn’t been touching the roof of her mouth, leaning back as if to get a better look at him.

“Invisibo? Where’d your bandages go, bro? Weren’t you made of bugs or some s**t last time I saw you? I mean maybe that was just the tinification leading to a bizarre perception of reality, since I’m pretty sure I also saw some flying pugs, but goddamn.”

She was still grinning as she took another drag of her cigarette, the arm with her beer propping her up against the wall so she could lean like a cool kid with her ankles crossed. It stayed in her mouth a moment as she looked him over again, as if to keep it distracted while her brain worked.

“A’ight, so,” she began, as she pulled the cig from her mouth and briefly turned her head to blow smoke in another direction. “I got two questions before I start trying to hit that: one, will I wake up with a literal bug in my a**; and, two, how do you feel about smashing the patriarchy?”

Nadine’s litmus test for bedroom suitability was short and to the point. Much like Nadine.

[picklethighs]

Maestro Unmasked

"Yeap. Serious as a heart attack."

Maestro just watched her reaction. It was rather funny actually, see her mind burst from the information that she was receiving about Maestro. He made his way to the ashtray near the piano.
The cigarette was burned out and he replaced it, puffing that cherry smoke down his lungs.
Turning to Nadine, moving in closer he stared into her eyes and opened his mouth, letting the smoke slowly drag it's way out. Breathing in with his nostrils the smoke flew up and he breathed out of his mouth finally.
Even smoking was more attractive with his wraps gone.
She remarked about the wraps themselves. He shrugged and replied, "Well, I can take them off. And well, sort. Their not real bugs, just pieces in me given a form. So... Maybe?" He coughed up some seductive laughs, replying with, "No no no. This is what I should look like, height, weight, chest hair and all."
His chest hair pattern was close to Jim Morrison's with his reasonable chest brush not too big and not to small. Just there.

"Oh, you tease me with your words all this time and now you want more? Thats no fun." He wagged his finger, smoke zip and zapped with the motion. He moved towards the stairs, giving her one last look before he replied, "Your answers are no and I don't mind. I love women with power in fact. However, I'll have to think about this. Catch you in the sack later maybe... Just maybe."

Maestro began to move up the stairs.
God it was kind of a rush being seen after so long.
Chibi was one things, but this.
This was different.

[II Karasu II]

The door of the bar creaked open to reveal a very chilled, mostly naked, eight foot tall man. No longer and chibi and now far less adorable in his birthday suit, he stepped inside with a clearly displeased expression, sheet tied around hips and goosebumps coating limbs. It was cold at night so close to the ocean, especially when you had nothing to protect you. Clawed feet clicked as he moved across the floor to drop moodily into a chair, fingers shifting through hair. A leaf was plucked free and inspected. "It's a shame you're all so tiny, else I'd ask to borrow a set of clothing." Or he'd steal them. Possibly strip and violate someone, then steal them.

Violets lifted to dance between Nadine and Maestro. Had he interrupted something? Could he join in, possibly? A dark brow rose, curious. "Has anyone seen my mask?"

[Tindome]

“Uuuugh, you cocktease! Cunttease! Whatever.” She threw her hands up in disgust, and splashed a little beer on the floor in the process, as she twirled to turn her back on his retreating form. “You could at least give me a definite answer!” she called over her shoulder. “Otherwise I’m just going to assume you ain’t down!”

Of course, then a familiar voice came in and Nadine stumbled and set her beer on the counter. Because she was drunk. Obviously. Nothing to do with the guy who, if she understood what he just said, was probably naked, probably didn’t have his mask. She took a deep breath while the air was clear, as a precautionary measure.

“You’d have to ask Red,” she suggested casually, though she didn’t turn back around to look, dropping her cigarette to stub it out before something blew the ******** up. One hand dipped into her jacket to flip her knife open – not that she’d be able to do anything useful with it, but it was good to be prepared. For… whatever. She didn’t take it out of her pocket, nonetheless. The K-pop seemed extremely inappropriate, suddenly, but she didn't care to turn it off.

[picklethighs]

II Karasu II

Tindome

Maestro Remasked

He laughed, about to turn around and give her the full answer when he heard a voice.
That one voice...

In a moment Maestro's bandages reached up and covered him against with the hood and golden head dress once again.
Racing downstairs he caught site of Karasu sitting and Nadine in a defensive position, holding her knife for whatever.
Maestro walked in front of Nadine, turning back to her and said.
"Go up to my room. Someone will be there to make sure nothing happens. Its locked so know three times." Maestro asked Nadine, much less demanding tone as more of a pleading tone.
He didn't want anything to happen to her. He didn't want to be responsible for her getting hurt.
Still, if she stayed down here Maestro was between her and Karasu.

Maestro shrugged his arms, moving closer to Karasu stating.
"Ran. He left. Looking for you. Now why would you be here when hes pursuing you? Wanting you."
Maestro tried to use a bit of reasoning to tame the situation, however the K-Pop wasn't helping.
Wasn't helping indeed.
Maestro then pointed at the door, "Look. Nows not the time for this. Theo should be waking soon or something. Couldn't you just lick up along his body. Just God, there are so many other suitable others in this city and you go to the one place where it wouldn't seem like a challenge.
You must like it easy if you stay."

Maestro just wanted him gone now.
Outta here.
Hands on his guns, ready.

[Leonardo -S- Virunas]

(T)he (L)ethargic (P)oetic (E)nigma
"Kindness is the beginning of Cruelty"
~}:Leonardo S. Tensatsu:{~

"WHO THE ********]

Sitting bolt up right from his slumbering off on the left wall, appearing just another drunk still clad in his black Led Zeppelin T-shirt, and tattered dark blue jeans woken from some lament from which he'd up holster not one but BOTH unique hand cannon's, dubbed 'Chaos' and 'Disorder' which sounded like some anime cliche. Squeezing off a couple semi auto shots randomly out across the bar, from which the sound would seem to bring him fully awake with a sinister glisten dancing from one scarlet iris to the other punctuated by the devilish grin spread across his sensual lips as he holsters both fire arms and languidly stands to brush himself off.

"Now... Where the ******** am I..."

Shrugging the thought off, as if the retorical question was aimed at himself rather then insinuating an actual reply from anyone littered about that didn't get riddled with holes. Stretching a moment during his stroll back to one of the bar stools, tilting his head left, then right with audible pops before kicking both booted feet up onto the bar counter once more to recline back at a near impossible angle aided by the two devilish spade tipped appendages swaying lazily behind him. Content with his new relocation, he'd begin patting his jean pockets down for the half blunt he'd rolled from yesterday.

"You've got to be kidding~"

Pausing a moment, he'd chuckle ominously before producing his favored narcotic from behind his left ear. How it had not fallen was anyone's guess, though it didn't concern him now as a silver zippo, which had seen better days is flicked open to ignite the fatal substance with a long savored drag from which he'd hold a solid ten seconds before exhaling what little smoke didn't coat it's self to his lungs. His appearance much as it was yesterday, some two bit mercenary locked and loaded with some cliche over sized hand guns holstered at either side of his sensual hips. Rocking back on the stool, previously oblivious to his surroundings he'd tilt his head back upside down to sweep them across the room to assess any casualties or points of interest.

"Suppose I should be happy without strippers, given the look of those whore's yesterday."

[II Karasu II]

For most creatures with any sense of instinct, having your back to someone meant you could trust them. Who put their back to a potential threat? It was this that puzzled him, elbow propped on the arm of the chair and sharp curve of his chin resting against the butt of palm. A talon clicked against the floor, much like nails might on a table top. "Red? He's far too small." Smile curved lips, brows lifted as Bagface approached. "Looking for me? Why? To kill me, I suppose? He's very passionate when he wants to be." He shrugged, leaning back in the chair and toying with the knot that held the sheet together.

"I don't really care if they're easy or not." Violets lifted, examining that covering. He recalled somewhat that the face beneath-- at least when miniaturized-- wasn't something to hide. "Love doesn't depend on such things. It depends on nothing more than affection. Adoration. Need. I don't require anything from anyone in order to love them, now do I?"

[Tindome]

Up to your room? Yes, I will just walk away from you, that will surely end well for everyone! He’ll just let me go right on up, especially now that he knows you want to protect me! He won’t, like, jump straight up or something so I fall through the floor like a jackass! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE KEEP DOING THIS LIKE YOU’RE HELPING WHAT EVEN. Overprotective stupid dudes are very literally going to be the death of me.

Nadine did not say any of these things, but some of this frustration might have shown on her face as she turned around to scowl at the back of Maestro’s head. She flinched at the sudden and inexplicable gunshots, but those seemed to be unrelated to the situation at hand, and so she dismissed them. Green eyes flicked over to Karasu, but only briefly; she could barely see past the bugmummy anyway. At least he wasn’t completely naked. Not that it made seeing any of his skin more palatable, but she could push those thoughts to the back of her head to be ignored. Mostly she was going to hold her breath, hand still on the useless little knife in her pocket, and inch towards the stairs. Running would only activate the puma’s instinct to chase.

[picklethighs]

Leonardo S. Tensatsu

II Karasu II

Tindome

Maestro

Maestro saw Nadine moving towards the stairs and Maestro in turn did the same, ever so slowly moving his feet to move back.
Fighting wasn't a problem. But more or less he just didn't want to do it and wanted to see how far he could persuade Karasu.

Two gun shots happened out of no where. Looking at the drugged up fiend at the bar counter he just shook his head.
They were kinda in the middle of something.
Someone could obvious not read the atmosphere.
Thats when it hit him.

"Look. Karasu. I'm not really in the mood for this. And I'm smaller than Ran in body.
I'm not feeling the vibes you're laying down right now.
But that guy looks like a fighter."
He pointed at the man sitting on the stool, guns and such.
Maestro was still moving back towards the stairs slowly.

"Look. Lets me be real with you for a moment... I almost killed you last time, and it wasn't my intent. Either leave me and the girl alone or come back another time.
Its a little inconvenient."

Maestro then just fully turned around, ready for anything that would come up from behind.
He placed his hand on Nadine's shoulder, protecting her with his body as he said, "Move woman, up the ********' stairs."

He tried to get him and her up the stairs.

When they got to his room, it wouldn't be a problem.
There was an emergency plan up there.

[II Karasu II]

Nadine had that annoyed look she always seemed to have. He couldn't deny how much it made him want to give chase, but he'd already had her once and wasn't in the mood to fight with someone over whatever remained. Though he hadn't given her the full deal, of course. This was debated over, one talon tapping his lower lip as gaze drifted between the two-- pausing to glance over at the newest entrant for a moment.

"Mm."

A smile flashed to Bagface, thick clouds of poison seeping from between lips, as if a symbol of his excitement. "Can I have your skin? It's such a nice shade. I'd like to have it." He stood, stretching with arms crossed over his head, all eight feet of that form exposed.
Except the part hidden beneath the sheet, of course. He had some sense of modesty.

"I promise I'll leave her alone if you let me do whatever I wish with you for one day." A brow rose. "Well?"