The Gambino Army

What god do you worship?

Gaia, Goddess of the Earth	46.2%	[ 18 ]
Nyx, God of the Night	53.8%	[ 21 ]
Total Votes:			[ 39 ]

[Kabuki-Kun]

Cainan peeked over his shoulder, smiled, and turned to his admirer with a fanning of his bright coat tails. He had peeled off his decorative mask, so as he pushed back his sweat-dampened hair, Neon got a look at what was doing on the performer's face. The entire right half of his once-handsome face had been so mauled, it was more scar tissue than soft skin. Jagged, pink, and puffy, the three large scars rent his skin and distorted his features. His right eye, previously hidden in his mask, was no longer green, but milky and cataract, and as he smiled, the happy expression was lopsided, his scars pulling at his lips.
No wonder he masked himself on stage.

"Met? No, but..." He cocked his head then, crossing his arms. "You don't see it, do you? You don't know who I am."

Demarco was the first to push out of the casino doors, into the salty island air. His breath left him on a stream of biting curses, both English and Italian, snarling out profanity until he could have given that ******** cat a run for his money. Something was going to be done about that half-rate performer!

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino - Gold Mountain Casino ]

"Whoa," Neon slapped his mouth shut, not looking to offend the man who just saved his life, but DUDE. It wasn't the sort of scarification you might mistake for makeup, this was the real, gnarly truth. If he wasn't mysterious enough behind the mask, all sorts of questions arose when he removed it. But it wasn't just the man's face that had Neon was seeing...

"Wait. I... I see something." The man was unfamiliar to Neon however long he looked, but something... was coming off of him. A thin aura that grew the longer he stared, till it 'came fully apparent; a demonstration of power that only Neon seemed to notice.
His eyes shot wide. "What's that energy coming off you...?" He asked, in a hushed whisper. It was at that point then he realized, the same aura was erking of him as well, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Neon wasn't new to power displays, but this was nothing like the energy that came off his Rakugaki.

"I thought the magic show was over?"

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[ Isle de Gambino - Outside Gold Mountain ]

"Demarco!" Akita hurried outside, close behind her cohorts, her fur coat billowing in the summer breeze. "Are you okay?"
She could see, and smell that he was perfectly fine, but his mood could use some help. "Aw. Relax, bucko. You want me to ice him for you?" She jokingly slugged the Don, which got a smile out of Pit.

"Well, that was nice. I mean, aside from Mufasa, we got a free show and you even won a little bit a money," She tried to cheer him up, showing a handful of un-cashed chips. "And you finally got to talk to Neon, too. Of course, he was practically a goldfish the whole way through," She said, stuffing her palms back into her pocket and surveying the area, regressing back to her guard dog persona.

[Kabuki-Kun]

Cainan slowly smiled as he watched it happen, his fan seeing that telltale aura. He'd had no idea the kid had never seen it before, but it explained his rather charming look of shock and aw. This bluenette must have left the islands early in life and not visited much, if he'd never run into another Moerae. Was he adopted, maybe? Did he even know the gift he had, the way fate was bending around him as they spoke? Color Cainan intrigued.

He scoffed, "No, the magician is on tomorrow. This is our calling card, how we find eachother. I'm Cainan Moerae." He raised his gold eyebrows, waiting for the recognition. Then, added, "Even the cats can see it. That's why the girls were all over you, and Lambert protected you."

"I'm fine!" Dem brought his voice down after that. He hadn't meant to shout at his girl, and he snagged her around the waist with a stray arm. "Since when does Leon have freakish backup? He wasn't even supposed to know we're on the islands."

"Maybe the cat really just didn't like you."

"Helpful, Hound."

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino - Gold Mountain Casino ]

Looking up at Cainan after what seemed like forever, the man's words clocked in seconds late. Cainan he'd never met, but that Neon had a long history with that surname. He gave the talented beastmaster the sourest of looks, his eyes sharpening out into daggers.

"So you're a relative of my mom's?" Neon's mother never went by the surname "Moerae", but he knew that to be the name of her family. The same people who came to pick him up from Durem after he was exiled from the city. The same people he ran away from ten years ago, to join the Gambino Army.

"Our calling card?" He watched as the gentle aura died down, and he finally was giving Cainan his entire attention. "Sorry, maybe I got lost somewhere - are you trying to say everybody from my mom's family have this?" Not to mention Neon was still recovering from a close run-in with the mob, he didn't hold his mother's family in very high regard. The only family he knew growing up was his father's side; that, and the Maurizio Family. He didn't meet any of his mother's kin 'till he was 14, and that was only when everyone else was... gone. When he had no one else. In the end, he grew closer to complete strangers, when the ones he should be closest to became strangers themselves.

Whatever this power was that they shared amongst each other, whatever it was that was growing inside of him... it felt different from what 13 gave him.

Speaking of 13, Neon's mentor didn't trust this shirt-tailed joker as far as he could throw him, and right now he was a cat. But if there was anything the yakuza shown himself to be, it was chivalrous, and even if he didn't trust him he liked him a heck-ton more than he did Demarco, who was still very fresh in his mind.
'So that's Demarco, huh? And his lap-dame must've been Akiko. The kid always said he'd never see them again on account of his exile from Durem, but... who'd have thought they'd seek him out instead?' The cat's ears flickered in curiosity as he sat solitary upon Neon's shoulder, tail rapping ceaselessly in time with the conversation. 'What a tangled mess of events we've webbed ourselves into.'

[Kabuki-Kun]

"Mm, everyone. Well, unless they have..." Cain trailed, eyeing the man with a new appreciation as the pieces slowly clicked together in his mind. Not adopted, but had never seen the aura, his mother must have had "...the curse. You're Kathrine's son, aren't you?"

The man who danced with lions suddenly was fighting the urge to take a big step back from Neon. He'd done his time with the curse, and it had taken his best friend, half his sight, and his looks. Cain absently touched his lip where it was twisted with scar.
But that was ridiculous. This man had the aura, and even if not, it's not like the curse was contagious. When he'd been riddled with it, Fortuna had still come to his show, picked up the pieces in the aftermath. He shuddered.

"Oh, hey." A little of his jitters dissipated when he spied Neon's feline friend, and the trainer reached out to give 13 a good scratch behind his ear. In a statement that could win awards for it's sheer obviousness, he glibly said, "I love cats."

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino - Gold Mountain Casino ]

Neon laughed, but it was a weak one. Never in the past ten years had he heard his mother's name uttered so casually. Hardly ever, in fact. Anyone who knew her name was either gone, or he didn't associate with; and now it appeared the latter had finally caught up to him.
"Right on the money." He informed his supposed cousin, reluctantly. Originally, his mysterious other family was never important to him, and he never wanted them to be. But, in just a few short minutes and a light show, Cainan made it so.

13 at first seemed indifferent to Cainan, but eventually accepted his peace offerings, stirring a safe purr into the entertainer's hand. He really did have a thing with animals.

Neon was not impressed. 'Traitor.' He beamed at his cat, but he too eventually softened up to Cainan. In his short stint under the chaperonage of his family, he never felt at ease with them, protected, like a child should feel. Instead, he was cautious of them, as if they had some sort of ulterior motive for taking him in that wasn't based in blood. But with Cainan, he was actually having trouble not trusting him. Even that grotesque rake across his face didn't seem to invite any danger.
"... yeah." Still paranoid of the lions' den, he kept a key eye out for any rogue wildcats, while his own was busy getting pampered. "Me too..."

Actually attempting to open up, he asked, "So... did you know my mom?"

"Of course. What poor soul doesn't know their own aunt?"

Neon's attention was outright stolen, by a voice too familiar to ignore. Like a songbird, she spoke, and like a shadow, she entered, taking Neon by surprise.
"It's... you?!"

Fortuna smiled so genuinely that it almost made Neon forget she was commanding the local fleet of pirates (in Jesse's absence of course).
"Of course it's me, silly!" She invited Neon into a hug, only to instead pass him in favor of stumbling over the stealthiest goddamn behemoth of all time - Lambert the Liger. As if he were nothing more than your basic golden retriever, she coddled the beast that nearly tore Demarco's head off, mashing his gigantic face into her bosom, having to spread the entirety of her wingspan to get her arms around him.

"Oooh, my baby's gotten so bi-ug! Leon, dear cousin, have you met Lambert? emotion_bigheart "

Not sure whether to be terrified or confused, Neon could only answer, "Y-yeah, it was kinda like "When Animals Attack". Just, what're you doing here? Have you been following me...?" And what was this she said about being "cousins"? "Leon"? "Aunt"??

Fortuna looked up briefly from Lambert's mane, her own mixing with his, to look into the eyes of her beloved relative. She could see eyes of shock opening wider, and could sense that he could see her aura. Her intuition was proven when she watched him stumble backwards into Cainan, in attempt to regain his equilibrium - the woman's great power tended to overwhelm upon first glance.
"I think you know, Leon."

A spot of deja vu hit Neon when he realized she'd answered his question, "How do you know my name?", before he could even ask it. As he struggled to regain his footing, he looked back again into those fiery stars that she called eyes. His mother told him never to stare directly into the sun.
"No..." Neon shook his head, refusing to believe it. "All this time, you... you're my cousin?".

"And Cainan," Fortuna gestured kindly to her colorful brethren. "As are all the Moerae Clan. <3"

[Neon Graffiti]

"The Moerae Clan." A group that stood out in Neon's memory, but for reasons he could not discern. The crimes committed by them - illegal gambling, money laundering, smuggling, theft, robberies - were largely reserved for Suit's department. While having gained a notorious reputation as a criminal collection incapable of capture due to their impregnable luck, Neon knew them only as eccentric nomads; he had long put his past in dealing with organized crime behind him.

But it had finally caught up to him. When it had all clicked together, Neon realized when he had moved here from Durem, he had merely traded one crime family for another.

"Why're you telling me all this?" Neon wondered, suddenly nervous, as if there were eyes everywhere. The sudden revelation that he was a blood-relative of a crime family didn't trouble him too greatly - more so, he was curious as to why they were coming out of the cracks now, to greet him. He had thought he'd done so well to evade them, then out of nowhere this Cainan guy picks him out of a crowd like a volunteer...? What're the odds??

[Kabuki-Kun]

Neon Graffiti

[ Isle de Gambino - Half an hour later ]

A switch of a match lit a series of incense burners, partially so Raku could pay his respects, but largely so he could air out an apartment long overdue for spring cleaning. Several spring cleanings, in fact.

"It's a wonder how much effort you put into not cleaning this place." Raku said, as he stood up from his knees. "... if I knew we'd be coming back here, I would've brought a six-pack." The wolf mourned, as if lost in nostalgia. He beguiled over a stunning ukiyo painting depicting a beautiful, dark skinned beauty of foreign origin. You'd think he'd lost his focus until he began to speak.

"We came here 'cause it's the closest location to your dad's place," Despite his allegiance to Lord Hotaru, Raku spent the majority of his time outside of the civilized kitsune's walls, as a the wild animal he was born to be. It was only here, on the isles where he regular took human form to blend in with the society around him.
"And you know, the quickest way to get back there just in case." He knew Chiharu was already fed up with him beating around the bush, so he went right to the point; "We think we know where you're dad is."

If Raku were any better a man, he would have not metaphysically committed a Mortal Kombat fatality on Chiharu's heartstrings like that, but Raku was not a man; he was a wolf.
"And I think you do too. It's the reason you became a Suit in the first place; it's linked to the series of disappearing peoples that've been going on the islands the past couple years. The ones you've never been able to get a lead on? Well, here's your lead --" Raku twisted around, his lupine eyes penetrative, warning. "But you're not gonna like it. Because it involves the Oni-gumi."

[ Isle de Gambino ]

Chiharu had endured the entire walk to her father's apartment in silence, casting only the occasional glance at Jiro. If something was being kept from her, he was undoubtedly behind it.

So now, kneeling on the floor, her nails dug into her palm. If Raku stalled for even another second, she wasn't sure she could keep from-
"Where is he than?!" The sting in her voice hurt her own ears as it echoed in the teeny box of an apartment.

"Do not forget your promise." Jiro chided. He could see she was riled, and he wouldn't put it past her to dart out the door, sword swinging, to find the Oni-gumi. Jiro sighed; he had a feeling before the day was up, the three of them would be doing just that.
"He is in the hands of the Oni-gumi, and an inugami named Zero." Jiro watched Chiharu's nostrils flare, her jaw tick. He went on smoothly. "They've been abducting yokai for many years. While trying to track them myself, I have been going quite far out of my way to keep you from finding them, because..." and here he spoke slowly, clearly, "...you would not succeed against them, Chiharu."
He'd half expected the fist she launched at him, and he caught it with an ease that drew a growl from her. She'd harbored anger at him for years, but the hatred he found in her face now plucked at his chest. He swallowed back a pang, still holding her shaking fist.

Chiharu couldn't think straight, couldn't see straight.Years..years she'd been searching Gaia up and down, not even sure Kyros was still living, and she hadn't expected help from Jiro, but to undermine her....She wrenched her hand away from him.

"Chiharu, take a slow breath. We will help you as much as we-" But his daughter was gone, nothing but a chilled mist pouring out the apartment window.
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[ Isle de Gambino - Elsewhere]

Street lamps flickered away the spreading darkness, and Frostbite twirled in Chiharu's fingers, no longer quivering. She paced down the island street, looking it up and down as first a chill blew in towards her, then a full-blown blizzard whooshed between the houses. Wintry mix took that poor neighborhood in an icy fist and choked the warmth out of it. Snow and hail caught in her hair and slicked under her boots, and Chiharu give a shrill whistle.
"Zero! Oh where oh where has my little dog gone....I got a treat for you, boy~"

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino ]

The difference between the yakuza and other organized crime outfits was that, while other organizations made subtlety and secrecy their utmost priority, the yakuza hang banners with the name of their group emblazoned for any onlooker to partake in looking at. The Oni Gang were not frightened by the authorities, because they are the authority; investing their time and money in more legal businesses such as finance, they've made themselves out to be a semi-legitimate organization, even going as far as to help the needy during times of disaster.

But this also made them incredibly easy to find. And while Chiharu Wind didn't have any crime to pin them on, it wouldn't stop the raccoon girl when it came to matters concerning the location of her father.

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"Damn it, Jiro!" The wolf cursed his own employer. "Do you realize what you've just done??" Unlike Jiro, who rarely saw or heard from his daughter, Raku had been observing her from the shadows for many a year, and could gauge her power and strength over the years. It was not something to be trifled with.

Damn it!" Wishing then, that he did not open the window, Raku peered outside it, taking in a deep breath into his nostrils, intent on whittling down the location of that stupid, stupid girl. His tooth fastened into his lip, nearly drawing blood. "Who'm I kidding. I know exactly where she went."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Oni Gang, Chiharu was on her way for a visit. Even if they had long forgotten what she had looked like, the sudden random appearance of fresh spring snow had every hood looking outside the windows of the Onigawa Spa, a well-crafted bribing scheme and prostitution ring designed to uncover the dirtiest scandals about the their local socialite patrons under the guise of "confidentiality".

Situated on the outskirts of the city, getting their would take little effort thanks to Chiharu's signature misty fast-travel.

From the innards of the spa, a hot stream of smoke blew out of the Oni King's nostrils, observing the sudden change in weather. "Somebody's angry." She simmered, biting into her pipe.

"Irasshaimaseeee!" That poor greeting girl. Only recently employed by the onsen, she was prepared in full regalia of a hot springs waitress. She was not prepared for Chiharu. "How may I...? Chiharu!"

Almost instantly, the other patrons put down what they were doing to look at the red menace a the door.

[Kabuki-Kun]

Chiharu blew open that door - literally. A gust rattled the spa's door open before her, whirling into the building and chilling a whole lot of bathers' nipples. Her eyes did a rapid scan of the front room; of course Shuten and her dog would be hiding out somewhere...
Her glare landed on the new girl, shoving a finger at her chest. "You're going to bring me to Shuten Doji, or Zero, or better yet, show me to Kaze Kyros!"

Back in the belly of the spa, a bodyguard of the Oni tossed his head out of the steaming water and took a long, drawn breath into his nose. He tasted a chill on the air and stood, dripping. There was a familiarity in that chill, that scent, a voice that said his name.

His wet feet squeaked on the tiles as he grabbed up a wadded heap of cloths and strode out of the bath. Down the hall, his hand darted out and snatched his spear.
-------------------------------

"We both know." Came the Hotaru lord's voice behind Raku. But it was a black fox that darted past the wolf, out the window, and landed on the street at a run.

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino ]

Jiro had picked up such a wind in his speed that it had nearly blown Raku away. He almost considered calling a cab but Jiro was much more affirmative in his action, and his lupine retainer soon followed suite, chasing behind his lord on all fours at such blinding speeds that their canid forms were masked with white and black blurs.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Kaze... who??" The poor girl begged, plainly, her body frozen in place, and this all without Chiharu's magic. She'd never met the redhead but she'd known her from a list of unsavory patrons the Onigawa Spa had outlined for the newly employed. Now she was starting to see why Chiharu was at the top of the list.

"Wa-- wakarimasen! Miss Ibuki isn't in right n--"

"Don't pee on my freshly mopped floors, Hanako! The wood'll swell right up." Shuten Doji didn't make appearances for just anyone. Mostly, it'd only be well-paying customers and political associates, but she'd make an exception of Chiharu.
"Well, well, well... look what the fox dragged in." The demonic crime lord bore an impressive array of teeth. "I knew you'd be back. Finally wised up to join my cause, eh?" Backed on either side by her suited cohorts, the Oni King was less than intimidated, and her fire brick-skin, as hot as the geothermal heat this hot springs was built on, showed no intention of sweating Chiharu's shakedown. "Or... is it somethin' else?"

When Hanako stumbled away, in entered one of Shuten's other company. Dressed a masseur, Chiharu could see the truth in his facade from the exposed tattoos immersed beneath his sleeve as he got a handful of her shoulder, in attempt to persuade any further antics.

[Kabuki-Kun]

Chiharu, having gained nothing of her step-father's negotiation skills nor his patience, swung Frostbite until its gleaming tip pointed the Oni King in her face. Her teeth visibly grinding in her jaw, she was all tensed power and threat. Each droplet of floating steam, as it approached her, chilled and condensed to the hardwood floors in a small ring of dribbling rain.
"Give me Kaze Kyros, so I can leave your shop standing, Shuten." Raked the yokai, shrugging her shoulder out of the henchman's grip.

If she had waited, maybe slept on the information Jiro had given her, she might have come up with a more subtle plan. Maybe she would have borrowed a few Suits and staked the place out. But the red princess was seeing...well, red.

'squeak squeak, squeak squeak'
Wet feet traipsed over those freshly cleaned floors, and on them walked the Oni's most prized guard. Truly he was a catch. Before he'd been inducted, he'd personally guarded Lord Hotaru's own wife, and done an exceptional job as it seemed, given he and the princess shared many traits, not the least of which was their cherry-hued hair. He'd also given her the red mask that streaked over his eyes, leaving them both looking like victims of a loaded paintbrush.

Her diminutive height though, that was her mother's. This man stood as tall as any yokai as he placed himself to Shuten's side, his face impassive. In one hand, he carried a flexible wushu spear over his shoulder, the tip decorated with horsehair as red as his own. With his other, he jacked up his baggy pants which were a long-ago loan from the same monks who had gifted him the spear.

His eyes scanned Chiharu, and saw nothing but another rowdy patron. "Want me to ditch her?"

Chiharu, however, saw her dad, and that was when two things happened at once. First, she launched herself at the dad she hadn't seen in a decade, ready to throw her arms around him sword and all. She had her hand out when the second thing occurred.

Something grabbed her by the back of her shirt and wrenched her back until she slid on her heels. There was a hand on her mouth before she could catch her breath, and an arm locked around her waist like an iron bar, catching her own arms with it. The grip was so tight she dropped Frostbite, and as she smelled fox on her inhale, she gave a muffled scream on the exhale, wrenching and wriggling to get another glance at Kyros. From this angle, she could see nothing but the wet floor, and her chest screamed with the frustration of it even as her lips did the same.

Lord Hotaru held his daughter not for his life, but for hers, so he held her until his knuckles turned white. He pressed her scull into his sternum as he bowed, making them both execute the gesture. Shuten was not one deserving of his respect, but given their situation, she would get it now.

"Shuten, forgive my daughter. She doesn't understand the nature of our relationship. I will take her home and teach her, so she will not bother your customers again."
Not a lie, but close enough to groveling to make bile sting in his throat. Chiharu must have concurred, as at that moment the lord's bicep twitched with the effort of holding her, and his captive moaned furiously.

[Neon Graffiti]

[ Isle de Gambino ]

"You should've stuck to your bath, knave. I'm handling it," Shuten Doji hissed back at her pointy speared champion, as if embarrassed by his presence or something. Should her skin return to its normal human hue, it would expose heavy clots of pink in her otherwise smooth cheeks.

"I think that'd be in your best interest, heretic fox! Next time I get a disturbance like that again, I'll throw her on a spit and cook her!" And she had no fear in saying this among her patrons. "Now get out!" She ordered, and her gang of charlatans asserted themselves before the envoy of Hotaru, scrubs etched up to expose their hardware, as well as their elaborate tattoos.

But the way Shuten Doji spoke, it was almost as if she wanted them to leave. This was unlike her - the Oni King rarely would stand for such a brash insult to her honor. And here she was running a legitimate business! But her hurry was accentuated when another pair of feet touched down the stairs of the spa. For the first time ever, Chiharu would see the Oni King sweat.

The man who descended the stairs was tall. Hair still awash with cleansing suds, he appeared around the height over her father. His skin was flavored like freshly brewed coffee, and in his hand he puffed an expensive cigar. Draped in nothing but his towel, the keen-eyed individual smiled down upon the scene, speaking not a word. If seeing her beloved father wearing not a hint of familiarity in his eye, what she'd see now would doubly break her icy heart - the man standing before her was identical to a certain black cat she knew very, very well.

Raku arrived just in time, his official presence and protective growl warning the yakuza not to step any closer.
"I secured a car. Let's beat feat before these vagabonds eat us alive. I can never tell who or what's human in this place any more." The wolf asserted, and quickly escorted his lord and lord's daughter off the premises, be it kicking or screaming. But even he noticed the surprisingly composed nature of Shuten Doji. Bur was it composure... or fear?

Raku didn't have time to think about it. His pistol shined true, again urging the surrounding gangsters to keep distance of their getaway car. "Steer clear of the wheels or you're dead!" He screamed, aimed pistols. Once there was enough room to squeeze into the driver's seat, he barreled off without a moment's hesitation.

[Kabuki-Kun]

Jiro straightened, giving a subtle sigh of relief as he began to back them out the door. The normally composed samurai lord made a pretty awkward sight, dragging his flailing daughter by her face, and as they were almost clear of the door jamb, his little princess hooked the toe of her boot around it and hung on.
He tugged her once, twice, and then he, Chiharu, and a small chunk of Shuten's door went sailing into the back of the getaway car.

"Stop for a moment! Listen to me!"
Raku would be greeted with an unsteady vehicle and the sounds of a brawl in the backseat. Jiro had clearly lost all control of the situation, and Chiharu snarled as she got her head roughly slammed into the back window. She returned by jabbing her boot into Jiro's chin and making a getaway for the door handle! She scrambled over his lap, unhatched the door, and had half her body out of the vehicle and dangling over the street when she felt, for the second time that night, Jiro reeling her back in.
It was the second blow to back of her head that put her lights out.

"Gods!" Cried a haggard daimyo from the backseat. Pieces of his long and elegant hair were sticking out from their tie, and he had a smudge of dirt on his chin. "I have never seen a girl so desperate to find her own death!" With a careful push, he slumped his daughter into the seat next to him. "Raku...I am not sure how to handle this."
Sighed the lord, sounding more than a little defeated.
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Kyros raised his brows, leaning away from the King a touch. He turned and took a last glance at that girl as she was hauled out the door...she reminded him of someone.
"Has she been here before?" She didn't seem like the type you'd forget meeting.

[Mel Reynolds]

Mel's fist slamed into the floor on last time as the sword went through her upper body shacking the building just enough to finally bring it down on top of everyone inside burring all who were left in the building
Takeing one last deep breath she coverd her head with what strangth she had left to move as the rubble fell ontop of her. She clenched her fists tightly.

((Bullet wound hurts right now going back to bed.))