Capital Square

[LoliKokoro]

Azumi paused mid-chew as Rayne proposed working for the wealthy. Somehow, that had never occurred to her! She had always thought that the best way was to do odd jobs around town, but maybe a more full time job would get her a bit more? Especially when her employer had more than enough cash to spare? "Rayne, you smart b*****d, why didn't I ever think of that?" she asked before finishing her apple. "That would be perfect! And all rich people are lazy, so they probably wouldn't care if I slacked off!" Well, she was a bit off the target, but no point in correcting herself. She could delude herself as long as she wanted, happily.  

[mintysprig]

After about.. five minutes of running, Conor had finally noticed that he wasn't being hounded after like he had thought. Then again, the only person who would have the time to chase him was Celestino and.. chase? Celestino? The only thing he chased was girls and sometimes men – he wasn't sure which he was more into, to be honest, but Conor didn't care enough to ask. The point was that he was relaxed again, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins had him much merrier than he was an hour or two ago. He had lost his fish, sure, he almost drowned, yeah, he was stuck in jail for half of the day, maybe, but he was out! It wasn't because of Celestino, either, he had done it on his own – he just ended up using the man to better get out! He would have done it either way! Hey, he was Conor, boy could do damn near everything~! He laughed excitedly and slid his hands into his pockets, grinning wide and toothily while he passed by a few of the usual street performers. Normally, he would have stopped to screw with the smaller of them, just because he could, but he was in too good of a mood to waste it like that.

Instead, he.. heard his stomach growl. ...Oh, right. No fish and the knight sure as hell hadn't given him something to eat, which meant no food. Damn it. He frowned and hurried to glance around the square, hoping to get something to eat before the hunger disrupted his mood.. Ah! Apples! He would have preferred something like shrimp, but those would do~ He looked over the pair who sat on either side of a slowly diminishing pile, assessing them briefly. Not that it mattered, because he could seriously take on anything, even a dragon~! ..It didn't seem like he would have the chance to prove the right to that pride, however, as all he saw was some girl and an average guy. Nothing he couldn't handle! Which was why he headed right on up to the pair at the bench and looked between them and the apples. His eyes landed on the girl's and said in the most articulate way possible, “Gimme one.” ..Articulate for a four-year-old on the playground, that is. He was just short of reaching his hand out and making a grabbing motion, but they were deep in his pockets – that paired with a threatening look could be taken worse than a fist. Who knew if he had a knife or something in there, eh?  

[OrbitalSquid]

Rayne laughed in response to Azumi's comment. It was just like her to say something like that. Well to him at least. He still hasn't known her for very long. But, he felt something between them... Like a worker's bond. The way that you can ask favors for and trade help to get a break. Although she was also fun to talk to as well.

But then, in the midst of Rayne chewing on his apple, a shadow came over their pile. He looked up to see a blond man, probably shorter then him, maybe the same height. Rayne was a pretty tall guy so most people looked smaller than him. The man seemed to be looking at the apples, his hands in his pockets. He looked... Angry? Or something, Rayne didn't know. He was quite confused when they guy told Rayne to give one to him. Where was his manners? So Rayne said something that the simple speech of the blond man deserved, "No."

 

[LoliKokoro]

Azumi had been enjoying their little chat, more than she thought she would, and was just thinking that it was a particularly good day, when another boy approached them. At first she was a little confused; she didn't recognize him, which didn't warrant his angry look, as she wasn't the reason. Maybe he got in a fight with Rayne? No, Rayne didn't seem to know him anyway. It wasn't until he demanded an apple did she understand. Oh, he was just an unpleasant person! She smiled brightly up at Conor as Rayne said no. It was nice to have friends! "Request denied," she added cheerfully. "Unless, of course, you have money?" she held out a hand, half expecting him to really give her some coins. If he wanted to buy an apple, he could always just buy it from the stand, right? That made sense, but Azumi wasn't always the most logical person. And in her head, she was just beautiful and mysterious enough to garner the attention of all the boys, and so it made perfect sense to her that he'd want to buy an apple from an enigmatic beauty instead of an old woman. She crossed her legs and looked up at him expectantly. He may have been grumpy, but he couldn't be that rude, could he?  

[mintysprig]

Did Conor honestly expect them to really just nod their heads and hand him an apple? No, he didn't, which was why he didn't really seem surprised at the denied request, as.. the girl had put it. He was a bit surprised that they both didn't seem to care one bit of his aggressive posture or even acknowledge him beyond his question, seeming as though they would just as easily look away from him and continue to blabber about the weather or whatever stupid junk they were going on about. But, they didn't know about him, apparently, and thus couldn't know how much of a threat he could be! That shock could be brushed off – what didn't fade away quickly was the surprise that came at the girl.. offering to sell him the apples instead. Now, he couldn't call himself the brightest, but even he could see how silly the notion he had money to spend on an apple was. He pulled his hand from his right pocket to grab the woman's outstretch hand by the wrist and force it back at her, leaning on it to further press it into her chest. Unnecessary? Maybe. But, eh, their fault for not knowing who they were dealing with! “If I had something to pay with, you think I'd be bugging you?” He spat and positioned his forearm to her chest, using her to lean on, grinning at the man as he kept the hold on the girl. Oh, so many people were weak to a woman in pain~ He pushed his arm further into her to punctuate that thought, “Now, gimme an apple.” Hey, at least he wasn't asking for all of the apples! He just wanted one~ ...Right, maybe one apple wasn't worth making such an a** of himself, but he was hungry, dammit.  

[OrbitalSquid]

Rayne had enjoyed his companions notion. It was fun to watch her put on that salesmen demeanor of hers. Though the pleasant time soon shattered. Chivalry was not something Rayne practiced but he never liked seeing people who are nice to him be harassed. So, the decision was made, he would confront the annoying man who was ruining his afternoon.

It never really took much to get a boy like Rayne riled up. But, he tried to control himself in town. In one motion he lifted himself up and removed the mans hand off Azumi, pushing it slightly back to the blond fellow. He took the apple he had been eating in his other hand and raised it. "If you want it so badly I shouldn't deny you of it" He commented with a bright smile, holding the apple over the man's head. Now, Rayne's aptitude for strength was the reason he was a ranch hand. But, for the most part it came in handy for various other reasons. Clenching the fist with the apple in it he began to crush it, letting the juice drop onto the man, all while keeping his smile of course.

 

[LoliKokoro]

Things were moving quickly. From what Azumi could tell, this boy was nothing more than some hotheaded kid (Even though they looked to be around the same age, she had no qualms about referring to him as such) and she had had her experience with hotheaded kids. Once upon a time she had been one herself! So even though she knew he probably wouldn't take up her offer, as they never did, she had expected him to be like the rude rich woman from earlier that morning, and get so angry that he just stomp away. That's why she was so startled when, all of a sudden, he grabbed her wrist. There had been so little time between the moment of her offer and his rough action that she didn't know what to do, and she just sat there in mild shock as her arm was pushed painfully into her chest. Next thing she knew, Rayne had stepped in, separating the two. Was he angry? Azumi would be lying if she hadn't been a little flattered by the whole situation. Well, of COURSE they were fighting over her! She would have smirked if she had the brainpower left over to fully comprehend what was going on. And then Rayne crushed the apple, and the gears began to move again.

...Remind her to never get on his bad side. Sure, she could hold her own, probably, but he had crushed a ******** apple. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Standing up, Azumi rubbed her wrist as she looked at the two. "...Ow... Well, that was rude! And I would have let you haggle, too," she frowned at Conor. Azumi, digging herself into holes for nineteen years.  

[mintysprig]

Conor scowled as he was shoved off of the girl so easily and was ready to snap some insult or another at the man, but then Rayne spoke first and he shut up. Ah, finally! He should have given him an apple in the first place! He grinned at the man as he spoke, cocky and pleased that he would actually get something to eat. Really, his stomach was already starting to scratch and beg for some sort of morsel and he was feeling pretty tired out from all the running around he did that day. Hey, avoiding arrest, being fished out of the sea, getting tossed into a cell, and then finally having to escape through lots and lots of running kinda took the energy out of someone! He would say it was a full day and, after he took a few apples to fill his stomach with, he would probably head 'home' and get some sleep~ ..Well, that was the plan, until he heard a crunch above his head and felt something warm and sticky drip into his hair. He didn't know what to say or do, to be honest, stuck staring at the man's face dumbly until some of the juice started to slide onto his forehead and wake him from the daze.

“HEY!” He immediately snapped as he swiped the juice from his head as best as he could, but the result just ended in some parts of his hair sticking up stiffly and his hands covered in the sweet smelling substance. He rubbed his forehead to try to get rid of it, but he only spread it further.. into his eyes. ********, now he was sticky, hungry, tired, angry, and his eyes burned! He gave up on cleaning up and finally had the idea to force the guy's arm away from over him. ..Yeah, that probably would have been smarter to do first. “What the hell is your problem?! You're not supposed to waste your damned food!” He spat, honestly a little mad at the waste. It shouldn't be fair that the guy got to play with his food when Conor was hungry! ..Of course, he probably had a whole cupboard of food if he just went home, but that was besides the point! He leaned over and snatched up one of the unguarded apples while the girl was busy whining over her arm. Then, he threw the apple up at the guy's head as hard as he could manage just before barreling into the guy's torso to try and knock him over. Oh, probably a bad move, but, well, Conor was fueled once again by the idea that someone was trying to pick on him. It wouldn't be manly if he just walked off or some s**t!  

[OrbitalSquid]

Rayne had felt pretty proud at his actions. The moments were few when he could make a scene in public. But, what the guy said to him certainly resonated with him. His master would have struck him dead if he saw what had just happened. Not to mention starting a fight. But before he was able to react, Rayne felt an object hit his forehead and a force press against his chest. It took him a second to realize what had just happened, and for him to know what had just hit him in the head. He planted his left foot in back of him so that he wouldn't fall, bearing the man's weight with some difficulty.

He pushed forward on him and brushed his clothes off off. The idea of getting apple juice on him worried Rayne. But, the actions the man took surprised Rayne to an extent. There were few who witnessed his shows of strength and still challenged him. If it wasn't for the fact that he was in broad daylight he probably would have started a fight. But, he decided against it. Rayne turned back and grabbed two apples from Azumi's lap, holding them out to the man. "Next time ask nicely" He told him with a triumphant smirk, "I wouldn't want to start a fight over a little ol' apple."

 

[LoliKokoro]

Azumi stumbled back a little as Conor tackled Rayne. This was getting kind of serious, wasn't it? The back of her leg hit the bench on which they had just been sitting, causing her knees to buckle and she sat down, hard. "Oof!" she let out a small cry, which then transformed into an "...Aww... DAMN it!" as she noticed that she had knocked a few apples off the bench and onto the ground. Leaning over, she picked them off, cleaned them off on her shirt, and placed them back on the bench just in time to catch Rayne stealing two to give to Conor. "Heyyy!!" she cried shrilly as she leapt to her feet."Why are you just giving those to him?! Idiots will never learn if you just let them get away with it!" she yelled angrily at Rayne. Placing her hands on her hips, she focused her glare at Conor next. "I'll sue for damages!" She normally wouldn't care about some hotheaded retard, but food had been wasted. Food! That she had earned herself! Through hardwork and heinous lies!  

[mintysprig]

It surprised Conor a great deal to feel the man actually remain standing after Conor decided to tackle him – ********, he knew grown men who fell! Although, that wasn't due to Conor having a great deal of strength and more so him just managing to either take them all by surprise or picking men of obviously lower strength than him. This all should indicate that Conor hated to lose and, when he found himself stumbling backwards and trying his best to maintain balance by flailing his arms this way and that around him, a look of anger came across his face, much stronger than it was before that. It was the same look he gave the knights that had dragged him into his cell just earlier that day – who knew he could get so fired up twice in one day? It was enough to make him want to spit on the other, but his broad stepped in first. He raised a brow as he watched the girl start to bark out at both of them – yeah, whine, whine, whine, whine.. This was why Conor didn't like sticking with chicks. They were all such.. hassles.

He looked between the man and the girl for a second before flipping his hands upward in mild defeat – really, really mild. He wouldn't give the guy a break from his woman, especially when she was so obviously uptight about something and, besides, he had a pair of apples in his hand~ “Yeah, and I'll sue you too.” Conor stuck his tongue out at the woman, if only because he couldn't take anything a female would say seriously. ..Plus, what the hell did sue mean? He'd have to ask someone later – probably having to do with pleasuring him or something. Ah, that was a nice thought. She was flirting with him! Ha! He thought he looked damned good showing up her boyfriend like that~ He gave her a smirk and a cocky wink before running out on them and straight to home~ Like he would spend too much time dealing with them. Please. He had better things to do! Like eat.

~Exit Conor!~

 

[OrbitalSquid]

Rayne just laughed off Azumi's yell. "It's fine this way" He told her as he tried to turn her attention away from the man who just left. "I mean we avoided any major conflict with only a minor fall in the process" He told her as he began to pick up the rest of the apples that fell. It was partially his fault, and he felt pretty bad about it. Plus he didn't want to be on Azumi's bad side at the moment.

 

[LoliKokoro]

It took just about all Azumi had not to stomp off after Conor and club him to death with apples. He winked at her. Ew, she'd have to bathe extra hard later to get that off of her. She made her disgust quite clear on her face, as Rayne picked up the apples. Yes, he was reasonable. He was always reasonable. "Yeah, yeah," she sighed, reaching back to rub her back absentmindedly. What a waste. All of those apples... Some of them had probably bruised when they fell. They were all so ripe, afterall... "You should take those back with you. Feed them to the horses or something. There's no way I'm eating those, they'd probably make me sick." She was disappointed, but Rayne had stood up for her, and she did owe him at least that much. She couldn't call herself a lady if she didn't acknowledge it somehow.  

[OrbitalSquid]

"Why? They don't look too bad..." Rayne responded to Azumi taking one of the apples and cleaning it off his shirt. He took a bite and wasn't disgusted by it. He was used to eating more... Robust foods. Plus he was always taught not to waste food. If his master found out he did... No, it was better just to suck it up and eat whatever he was given. Besides it was like a reward. He did something to be proud of, and now the apples tasted even better than before. A victorious taste. Besides, "They were a gift from you and that nice lady. A man just can't throw away something like that."