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Cody sighed as the lock refused to budge. It wasn’t the easiest thing to pick either, but it could at LEAST show some movement, right? “Hey, boss man. There’s a chick-uh, wait, no... That’s a-Yes I know it’s a guy, shut up!-Yeah, there’s a guy coming your way. Abort or remain on the lookout? Looks-Cr-Ssshhck!” Cody sighed, realizing the guy speaking must have dropped the radio into some form of water for it to static out. “Remain where you are. Inform SOMEHOW the other look-out squadrons to remain unless some sort of police show up. Then we go to the escape plan, got it?” he instructed to all the other channels before returning to the lock.

It didn’t even occur to him that the person they saw could be Edes. Nah, Noel wouldn’t let the boy out past midnight, he was sure of it. Was probably some cross-dresser or drag queen on their way home or to some sort of strip joint. Either way, they wouldn’t bother him unless they saw him in which case they would have to journey to the back of the store to find him and nobody did that with his group around and robberies not uncommon on the news.

Cody nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. What the hell?! Blue-green eyes flashed up out of the darkness, glaring angrily at Edes. This was mostly because he was still sore over their last... ah, encounter. One for stealing his notebook and two for kicking him in a place another man shouldn't kick.

"Code Blue, I repeat, Code Blue," he whispered into the radio before suddenly switching it off and standing, the lock-picking tools sliding silently into his pocket. Best face the boy before he tripped over him or... something. "Bad time to be out alone, Edes," he said quietly, eyes narrowed darkly. Thankfully, after Edes had taken his notebook, the group had come up with another scenario in case the boy DID try and crash one of their heists.

In which case patrol team Alpha would attempt to jump the two and Cody would pretend he was tailing Edes and making sure the boy was alright. But, they had to wait for his signal which was generally a phrase or hand gesture. They were smart enough to figure it out, right? And if the fuzz appeared... Well, they'd just scatter to the winds and never be found again.

"I knew you would come out here, deep into gang territory to see if I'd be here and I wasn't about to let you do such a thing alone. Imagine if someone found you alone and decided to jump you... What would happen then?" Cody asked, voice still quiet and cold. He knew Edes probably wouldn't believe him, not in a million years but whatever. He had a back-up for that. And another one as well as several others but generally, he figured if one didn't work he might as well run for it.

He could still quite clearly recall the horror and pain that day when Edes nailed him... Well, yeah. Not the most pleasant thing to endure from one you loved. Loved might be a stretch now, though...

Cody just laughed that dark laugh of his with that slight hint of insanity. "Edes, you haven't gotten out much, have you? What you learn in Ary's little class won't help you out here. I can escape trouble but you can't," he replied, gaze tearing itself away from Edes and to the rustling leaves, completely on edge. Things were about to go into motion...

"I thought we told you not to come to this section of town pinky," a voice growled, several people dropping out of the bushes all around them. Circling the two, Cody instinctively backed up. Damn it, those stupid-Why the hell were they here. "You know this is our territory now back off," he growled, noticing his group watching from the shadows. "Before we have to start something."

"Looks like you already started something with your girlfriend," one snorted, snickers erupting around the ring. Cody scowled, glancing over at Edes. "You should go home," he muttered to the sloth spawn, cracking his knuckles and glaring at the opposing gang.

"If you loved me, you'd come home with me~" one of the guys mocked, laughing. "Oh jeeze, you're such a little girl pinky. Although I didn't think you were into pathetic cross-dressers but whatever floats your boat I guess," he continued, snickers echoing through the back lot.

"Oh shut up and run back to your mama like the good little boy you are. I'd watch what you say in my territory so get back to your own before this gets bloody," Cody snapped, pulling a dagger out of who knew where. As the moonlight touched the blade, it seemed to shift from a bright white to a blood-red color. As it changed, several dark forms dropped to the ground and snuck back as if they were nothing more than shadows. Stealth was their game, violence just happened to be second nature to most of them.

"You'll regret saying that," another person growled, launching himself at Edes and tackling him. Before Cody could react, the fight suddenly ensued as his gang melted out of the shadows and the opposing leader tackled him into the wall. "Give it up, pinky. You'll never win," he hissed, snarling softly.

The other boy hissed at the blade, recognizing it from their last encounter. It was a rather dangerous blade, causing rather deep gashes in whatever surface it happened to come into contact with. However, it never caused any sort of death. "Surprising what you can live with, eh?" Cody snapped, shocking the male out of his thoughts as the boy swung and punched him in the face at the same time Edes went crashing through the window.

Wrath child or not, the rage that flowed through the teen was real and powerful. No one harmed Edes! No one. Within minutes they were locked in a huge fist fight, both bleeding from minor gashes along their arms. Neither wished to engage the blade full-on, but it seemed as if such an event was bound to happen as moments later Cody was knocked back into the shop door.

That's when it happened. A flash of the moonlight and a short cry of pain later and the opposing gang leader lay on the ground, clutching his bleeding arm. "I told you not to come here," Cody hissed, kicking him violently in the side but not hard enough to break anything. Leave a bruise? Yes. Fracture ribs? Maybe. Break bones? No. But before any more fighting could ensue, the distant sound of police sirens graced their ears.

"s**t! It's the fuzz!" one shouted, identity unknown in the darkness of the night. But it meant little as those that were still conscious and able to move took off down varying side streets or into random buildings. "Edes! C'mon, let's get out of here before they arrive and start shooting," Cody called out, rushing over to the boy and offering him a hand that was holding onto the strange blade.

Cody shook his head frantically. No! The cops would probe the poor boy for information endlessly. There was no way he could survive THAT without giving up something. Edes wasn't a patience spawn or conniving enough to lie his way out of everything. He'd rather go in and be stuck in jail forever than Edes go through that! Already the boy was bleeding and bruised because of him and there was nobody he could blame but himself.

"Come on! Leave him! He ain't worth it!" a voice hissed, wrapping a heavily muscular arm around Cody's waist and hefted the teen over a dark-skinned shoulder. "No! Grab him! I order you to grab him!" Cody snarled, struggling to break free as his body guard took off after the others that scampered into the various areas they had found to be "safe" in case an event like this happened.