|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:41 pm
The man was charging in towards Luke, a surefire knife wound since the alleyway was quite narrow and nearly impossible for Luke to avoid with Kaatje behind him. But it wasn't so sure-fire-- if one had registered it was Gunn, not Kaatje who stood behind him.
You could always rely on Gunn for her reliability.
Luke had geared himself for the hit, his arm stood out defensively before the bright orange flame flew forth towards the attacker. The ball of fire burned the front of the man's clothes, the flammable material burned quickly. It certainly had surprised Luke. He wasn't a man who was used to help.. at least, not in cases like these.
Luke and Gunn was left with the writing man in front of them, rolling frantically on the ground to try and prevent the succession of flames, face and posture contorted in pain. Signs of loud music blocked out his cries of pain, clutching his chest. If one took the time to look at Luke's expression as he stared down at the red-haired man, it would have been a slight hint of a smile. But only for a second as he grabbed Gunn's hand, leaving behind the smell of burning flesh.
"Henshin down and run! The fire's not going to last all day-- unless you want to stay here with a man who's not going to hesitate to shank your face?" He ran with her down the block, his motorcycle coming into view shortly. He didn't seem bothered by the ordeal, at least not expression-wise, as he turned his motorcycle on.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:42 pm
Her decision to defend Luke had been made in a split second, and was poorly thought-out. This much was clear, especially because she was now realizing that it had just been a human, not a Negaverser at all--she'd attacked a human, someone who couldn't stand a chance against her on her worst day. She looked up to say something to the man next to her, and was entranced with the look of--satisfaction!?
What the hell! He could die, and then she wouldn't just be an arsonist, she'd be a murderer, too!
But he was already pulling her away--which was good, because otherwise she would have stood there staring at the man who'd been about to knife Luke. Henshin down and run, the bartender had commanded, and so she did; the smell of burning flesh seemed to hang around her like a patina, at least to herself. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said as they skidded to a stop beside the motorcycle. Luckily she wasn't--and so the fastest getaway she'd ever participated in was made.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 9:02 pm
Kaatje really didn't look good. That much was to be expected. He slipped on his own helmet, handing the other to Kaatje, the same helmet as before. "Puke it out after the ride. You don't want him catching us here." Luke warned Kaatje, handing her a handkerchief as he spoke, kicking a pedal into gear. The motorcycle awoke with a soft humming, lights dimly lit.
Without waiting for much of an answer, he seated himself at the front of the motorcycle, waiting for Kaatje to get on. He was flipped out his phone, speed dialing and speaking casually. "He's by the bar. In the alleyway. Can you take care of this-- No, it's not as messy as you think. He's not dead--"
He stopped speaking in the middle, indicating the conversation had abruptly ended by closing his phone. He briefly spoke to Kaatje, turning his head slightly back to address her.
"I'll take you to the bridge by your house okay? A friend should be cleaning this up so you don't need to worry about the guy back there." He confirmed, his tone as casual as one taking a sunday stroll. Or similar to a situation in where a child accidentally broke a glass cup and couldn't explain it to their parents. (Except that this was a little bigger.) When they were at the bridge, she could ask her questions... Probably. Luke knew that this incident wasn't going to trivially go by like a misspoken sentence-- at least, not with Kaatje.
It'd be so much easier if she could just let it slip by like that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 2:56 pm
She was only too glad to take a seat behind Luke on the motorcycle; one hand fisted itself in his jacket, and the other twisted the handkerchief into a small ball. Most of what he said went directly over her head, so she just tucked her legs up out of the way of the ground. The man wasn't dead? but he was still burning when they left. He could be dead. And it was too much to hope--she remembered that look of satisfaction on Luke's face--too much to hope that the friend who was cleaning up would be actually helping the man she'd just wantonly attacked.
After a minute, she scrubbed her face beneath the helmet, swallowed back bile and said, "Okay, let's go, let's go."
Telling her not to worry about that guy was like telling her not to worry about the people whose homes she sometimes accidentally set alight. Like being told collateral damage was expected of a sailor soldier. She didn't want to hear it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:47 pm
Their ride was silent. Not the good kind of comfortable silence but it was the awkward bad kind of silence. The one that Luke didn't care to break. Apparently, Kaatje didn't want to either. Only the engine sounded as they drove off into the night, the minutes passing by like eternity before they reached the bridge.
Pulling to a slow stop, a pond shimmered below the bridge, the moon's light falling over the scenery. Instead of painting it in a romantic-- or even dreamy light, it was shadowed in a dismal way. Or that was just due to their most recent incident. He parked on the sidewalk, black boots meeting the ground.
Luke climbed off the motorcycle, his hair ruffled from pulling the helmet off. (Not that it looked different in the least since Luke's hair was always ruffled.) He sighed, tucking the keys into his pocket.
.. This was bothersome. Really bothersome.
He really didn't like long explanations. Listening to them was bad enough but being the one who provided them was the worst.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:09 pm
She didn't need to throw up by the time they pulled to a stop; still, she was glad to be able to pull off the helmet, to lean against the railing on the bridge and take deep breaths of night air that smelled like freshwater. The redheaded girl was convinced she could still smell the acrid tang of burning flesh, and when she closed her eyes there was a vision of the man's screaming face.
"s**t," she said, her face in her hands; she raked her fingers through her hair. And when that didn't help her, she did it again, taking deeper breaths. She'd been told to never set fires again, and now she'd set fire to a person. Officer Smith was going to see that report and know it was her, she was going to get arrested and then she'd just-- what would even happen?
When she was calm enough to speak, she said, "What the <********> was that about?" And in case he thought he could get out of it: "I set someone on fire for you. You can't tell me you weren't going to get hurt, or even killed. You owe me an explanation!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:43 pm
Here it came. The unspoken question that had been there the entire ride.
You can't tell me you weren't going to get hurt, or even killed. You owe me an explanation!
Personally, Luke didn't feel like he "owed" her anything. She was the one who decided to set someone on fire. It wasn't as if he told her to-- he could have handled it. With a knife wound here and there. Although the fact she did do it for him meant something. Fair was fair. He'd give her explanations.. on his own good time.
"Tone down the volume, why don't you?" He leaned against the railing, back faced towards the water and front faced towards the street. He pondered on the topic of why the man had attacked him exactly-- an answer that Kaatje wasn't quite looking for. "Hm. A past grudge, perhaps? It could have been for anything really, considering how long the list is." He didn't look at Kaatje as he lit his cigarette, a hand cupped the flame to prevent the breeze from blowing the flicker out.
His manner was calm and unruffled as he spoke, pulling the constricting bow from his neck. "Let me ask you this first, Kaatje. A sort of.. 'before and after' opinion if you'd please." He grinned, green eyes tilted to stare towards Kaatje in a carefree smile.
"So here's the 'before' part. Would you have preferred it be me or him on that ground right now?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:44 pm
She gritted her teeth, tapped her fingers on the cool metal in her usual pattern: pinky twice, forefinger once, middle finger ring finger, and repeat. And repeat. It was monotonous and calming and something she'd only really started up after she became a sailor soldier; it kept her clear-headed and cool, and she definitely needed to be clear-headed and cool since she now might be a murderer.
"Just answer me," she said, but her tone was obligingly much quieter than before. How could he be so calm? How could he just brush off the dead man in the alley? It seemed impossible and detestable and well, sure, it fit what she knew of his character but what was she supposed to say? Oh, you're just acting like you always do, you're forgiven for almost getting yourself killed except I might have killed your ex-boyfriend or whatever? Human beings weren't animals, you couldn't exclude things because of their basic nature, but-- but--
She'd almost killed someone!
She let him take his time, her fingers tapping in that same pattern, nails on wood. "Him," she said, "Not because I like you--" and now her face was an odd mixture of red and white "--but because. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't. Okay. Just I would prefer him dead. Okay?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 1:16 am
It was a heavy silence that followed Kaatje's answer to Luke's question. But they both knew it was as Kaatje answered-- the red haired man laid on the ground at this very moment.
"... There you have it. Think about it. If you hadn't stepped in, it would have been me lying there in that alley. Not quite dead-- but not quite in one piece either." He shrugged, leaning further against the railing, head tipping back dangerously, back arched to look up at the night sky. He didn't doubt he would have had some serious knife wounds but he wouldn't have left his opponent without some life-threatening injuries as well.
Ah. Thinking of explanations really was troublesome.
"How to put this nicely.. " Luke was reluctant to talk. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his past actions. That wasn't the issue at all. He would have simply preferred to have spent a bit more time with Kaatje without her knowing this. Or knowing at all. Best to be straight though. It had always worked for Luke in the past, why not now?
"... You see, I like my fun where I can get it. Not the harmless kind but the kind that can get you into reeeeeeaaalllly deep s**t." He grinned, chuckling at some past memory. "Of course, that's the best kind of fun. Although some people probably won't agree with it." He inhaled his cigarette, breathing out smoke. He needed several more smokes before this night was through. He straightened his posture to turn slightly and address Kaatje.
"Hey Kaatje. What kind of of personality does a guy have if he leaves his opponent nearly dead on the street? What kind of friends does he have that'll clean up that kind of mess? What kind of guy must he be, to sleep peacefully at night even on a night like this?" He snapped his cigarette between his thumb and finger, green eyes narrowed to Kaatje in a strangely amused look. Strange, even for Luke.
"... Tell me, what kind of guy do you think I am?" He pointed to himself, all the questions referring to tonight's situation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:44 pm
What was there to think about? Kaatje wanted to scream and kick something, probably him, and then tell him to leave her alone and never talk to her again. The urge was almost overwhelming, but she felt too shaky and unsteady to act on it; she might fall over, and if she embarrassed herself that way she might cry. Her shoulders were shaking, the rhythm of tapping fingernails disrupted because of this. She didn't want Luke to die, no matter what she might say; she would much prefer most everyone to live. But all the same...
But all the same...
And now he was talking about "fun". Fun that could get you into a lot of trouble, and she started to seriously wonder what kind of 's**t' he'd gotten into--and if she'd get into trouble because of it--she could not afford trouble. She couldn't. They'd send him to look after her and she was having so much fun without a parental figure around. Kaatje took a deep breath, set her face in her hands.
She didn't know how to answer his question; she didn't look over at the blonde-haired man she'd rode here with, she just stared down at the water. "An a*****e," she said finally, dropping her hands. "Someone who's been around this particular block before so many times he just doesn't care. About... about anything."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:25 pm
Luke made a gun shooting motion with his hands, aiming at some unknown object in front of him.
"Bingo!" He declared, nodding his head. Kaatje hit it on the mark.
.. Mostly.
"Although as a reasonable human being, I've got argue, there are some things I care about. Don't take me for a heartless soul." He chuckled sheepishly. Luke wasn't a monster. Just a man. A very.. flawed man.
"This whole power ranger of justice has been really entertaining. But it's not like the cat knew she was picking up a bad apple though. Why the moon kingdom chose me-- well, that's a really good question I'd like to ask." He looked up towards the full moon, twirling around his henshin pen, staring down at the blue music note that adorned the top. "Who knows? Maybe I'll reform." He chuckled, his casual tone and mockingly hopeful note implied that he had no plans to reform. At least for the moment.
He walked back to his motorcycle at this point, signalling that the discussion was rapidly ending.
"Don't worry about it the incident though. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be like nothing ever happened. It's just a few loose ends I've got to tie up.. Well, if I can tie them up." Luke said doubtfully. Luke liked pacifism. He liked being free of stabbing wounds. But it was likely Mr. Tattoo wanted to do more than talk. Or perhaps, skip the talking stage at all.
"Either way, I'll settle this. Just go home and avoid the bar for awhile, okay, Kaatje?" He spoke to her as if it was merely a small incident. Of course.. to Luke, it was a small incident. Everything was small to him. The day the man regarded something as a "major crisis" had yet to arrive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:51 pm
She looked towards him, turning around and narrowing her eyes. The metal of the railing was cool against her mid-back, her loose hair caught between navy fabric and rust-proof metal. "Yeah? And what would those things be?"
Why did it matter to her so much? He was just a stupid guy she'd saved five times now--five, five whole times she'd gone and risked getting caught by the police or her relatives or someone, something over her head--and you know, she did stupid s**t sometimes, but she wasn't this bad. She didn't go around making enemies out of guys who didn't need to transform into evil monsters to carry around butterfly knives and try to kill her.
Kaatje doubted Luke wanted to reform--she really did. "Sure. And when assault with a deadly weapon gets added to the warrant for my arrest, what then," she demanded. Because it wasn't for Luke--it wasn't for him at all. Right?! Right...
"Hey--" Her face went red, she looked down at her feet. "Hey, if you need help, I'll give it, okay? N-not because I care, I'm just protecting an investment. You know?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:21 pm
What was important to him? "Well.. Myself, I guess. The rest isn't for you to know." Luke turned slightly to give her a enigmatic smile. He could see tonight's actions had thrown her thoughts in turmoil-- her agitated posture and the uneasy air between them.
As she spoke, a stem of exasperation ran through Luke as she spoke about her arrest. (God, Gunn, you were popular with the police.) Man. How long did it take for girls to get the message?
"I told you--" Mistaking her reddened gaze as an angry expression or a flushed one from recent events, his arm extended out to hold her to his chest ever so gently, one hand holding her in a slight embrace. "I told you. I'll take care of it. Just cause this time you weren't caught doesn't mean next time you wont be. I might not be able to cover you for if it happens again."
At her offer of help, he patted her red hair in an affectionate manner. "... Thanks. But this blue power ranger's gonna handle everything just fine." Luke whispered softly, the friendly gesture meant to calm Kaatje down. He did expect a much bigger fuss from Kaatje about the incident really-- it was surprising how she handled it. (If she had caused a bigger fuss, it was likely Luke would have ditched her on his motorcycle. Of course, it would have been an even BIGGER fuss if he had done that.)
"Go home. I don't care if you sleep or not but try to anyways. Thanks for the jacket."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:43 pm
Wasn't--wasn't for her to know? Like she had some kind of messiah complex thing or was being overly nosy or something, what the hell, this wasn't even fair. She was getting ready to shout, or scream, but he was talking again and then oh god he was touching her and she was pretty sure a blood vessel in her face had burst because she felt so warm. With her head bowed, he couldn't see the bright flush on her cheeks. His words reassured her, despite having heard just moments ago that he cared only about himself--if he was going to take care of it, she didn't have to.
What the hell are you doing, she asked herself. Don't be such an idiot!
Ugh! Finally, she got herself to move; she shoved Luke away. "What the hell," she said, all furious, injured dignity. "Fine! Just go away already! I'm sick of looking at you!" She stomped one foot, still glaring, and turned on her heel to go home. Her reddened face, though, persisted the rest of the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
