[u] 4:50 PM December 4th Hub City[/u] [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn had found himself wandering from the area of reconstruction, instead exploring the area surrounding it. The area wasn't particularily a place he would deem a "Good Neighborhood," evident by the half gram of Boy he had been given as a "sample" by someone he had walked path. Lately he had found that his ability to create "links" had been growing exponentially, and they now created themselves regardless of his focus, simply springing forward from his chest and gut to connect themselves to everyone within a few hundred feet. He however, was not one to be caught complaining about free smack, and made his way into a gas-station bathroom,a slight gleam in his eye as he held the bag of tan powder in his palm. Once he closed and locked the bathroom door, he dipped a finger into the baggie and covered it in the powder, than rubbed it on his gums. Savoring the taste and sensation for only a moment, he sat on the toilet backwards, and poured the bag onto the ceramic surface. Producing an expired License and a "straw," he seperated the powder into two lines. Then, in quick succesion, he railed them both. With a smile, he walked out of the 7/11 and began to wander again as the Heroin flooded his system, his eyes fluttering as the waves of warmth hit him hard. Too hard, apparently, as he soon found himself nodding in an alley, a cigarette in his mouth. [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] "So...you'll probably recognize him before I do," Lady Arcana pointed out to her new happy tree-friend. "It's a bit difficult to find somebody just with a description like that." Still, she was doing her best. She had already made a quick sweep over the [i]The Wedge[/i], but there was no sign of anyone clearly matching Harris' description. Furthermore, many people notably screamed in a mixture of shock and horror upon sighting the horrible bug monster flying with her. It was, admittedly, kind of funny. Just as she was about to circle about and give it another go, she caught sight of someone leaving a 7/11 that - tangentially, at least - resembled the man Harris was looking for. Settling into a relaxed hover, she quickly glanced to former biologist. "Hey, doesn't that kind of look like him? That's...[i]not[/i] him is it?" [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris had flown beside this woman for quite some time, looking over the city in an attempt to find where Shawn had run off to, but he was continually distracted by the screams of terror by those who he passed over. It hurt. It really hurt. Harris had thought himself ready to re-enter society, and he had found two people who had accepted him for who he was, but humanity had a way of having its way with your confidence. Eventually it had worn him down to the point where he wasn't even paying attention to the ground beneath him, he simply flew forth, attempting to watch for any change in direction from the woman leading him and follow behind her. Eventually she stopped and said something that he barely heard. Confused, Harris looked at the ground beneath her and saw what looked like Shawn, though he was a little high, and his vision wasn't the best even when his eyes weren't made of plant fiber. "I think that's him, I'm going down." Harris said weakly, his posture defensive and his voice deep, not out of confidence, but out of an almost bored-sounding sadness. Harris smashed into the ground loudly, wings weren't exactly conductive to a gentle landing, especially when you were little versed in their use. Harris limply lifted his head, looking over at what was positively Shawn. He noticed Shawn's increased breathing rate and pin-prick pupils and sighed. "He's high again," he informed the woman with another sigh. "Shawn!" he yelled out to the man, hoping he wasn't too far gone to be unable to hear him. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] A soft smile played on Shawn's lips as he felt the familiar touch of Harris lifting his head, and his eyes opened slowly. He was too doped up to see without a fair amount of blurring, but Shawn could recognize Harris's face if he was blind. Shawn could hear Harris, but it sounded almost as if he was on the other side of a long tunnel, though he could tell when Harris shouted. "No need to yell love." He murmured softly, grunting contently as he lifted his hand to cusp Harris's face. "I can hear you just fine." He continued, however unsure of who Harris was speaking to. [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] "Well, no shit," Karen muttered, "I could tell that much from a hundred feet above." Landing gently - a testament to her gradually improving control over her flight - on the pavement behind Harris, she folded her arms and quietly watched their interaction with one another. They seemed to be quite close, given that 'Shawn' was cupping his face. Clarissa would [i]love[/i] this... Well, maybe not, since one was a giant bug. Eying Shawn up and down with a frown, Lady Arcana sighed. She was happy they'd been reunited, at least, but the last thing she needed in [i]The Wedge[/i] was more drugs. Especially the hard shit. 420 was one thing, if you felt like you needed it, but she had been working hard to run out the drug dealers these past few weeks. Clearly, she'd missed some, unless he brought in from outside. "Alright, who sold that to you? Or did you bring it with you?" Arcana tilted her head to the side. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything...I prefer to go to the source of the problem." [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris rolled his eyes and backed away as Shawn murmured and barely held his eyes open. He didn't care most times, but he was in a poor mood now, so he felt a little nettled by Shawn's addictions. His eyes widened as the woman began questioning him, clearly not pleased by this. "It's okay, it doesn't matter, we're just passing through anyway, it doesn't matter," he said, frantically waving his hands in front of his face. He'd rather just get them out of there without any legal troubles. He turned to Shawn with a scowl. "We're going to need to talk once we're out of here." He growled under his breath. Then he turned back to the woman and continued his hand-waving. "It's fine, we're leaving, we're going, so long, bye bye, later, peace!" Harris stated with a false look of reassurance on his face, placing a hand on Shawn's chest and beginning to pull him out of the alley, avoiding eye contact with either person. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn's eyes narrowed and focused as the women before him began "questioning" him, a sense of tension evident in the air around them, which wasn't too great for his high. With a slight glint in his eyes, he focused. The hundreds of "links" sprouting from him condensed into two; the one perpetually connected to Harris, and the one he focused on to the Women before him. "Why would you care about that , we've all got a right to make our own choices, don't we?" He said with a soft smile, standing up to take a drag from his cigarette and blowing it downwind from their trio. As Harris pulled on Shawn, Shawn remained planted, his eyes focusing on the Women's, the link between them connecting to her chest and fastening itself there. "And I don't see reason for us to go anywhere, there's no problem here, right?" He asked, the later half of his question aimed at the un-named person before them. [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] "I don't care what you do with your life, but if it keeps the people dragging this community down in business, then I don't want you here," Arcana explained to him tersely. She always became a lot more verbose when she was in her transformed state. Too bad she couldn't keep it when she turned back into regular ol' Karen. Wait. Something felt off. Did she know him from somewhere? No, he looked pretty distinct, so she would have remembered...but she was definitely getting a feeling of familiarity with him. Maybe she was being a too harsh with him. "Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but I've been working [i]really[/i] hard to help make this place better. The last thing we need is [i]more[/i] drugs," she explained, seeming a bit less hostile than before, though she had never really intended to attack him to begin with. [h3]Harris[/h3] [hr] Harris watched in horror as Shawn flippantly dismissed the woman despite her continued insistance that they leave. And then something clicked in his mind. She calmed immediately, just like when Harris had first met, that feeling of familiarity, she felt it too, didn't she? Harris had felt a connection much like the one he felt with plant life, and now he saw it, it wasn't just him was it? This was something completely different. He heard something whisper in his head. [i]You protect us, he aided us in that, but now, he has no purpose, you see now.[/i] Suddenly Harris felt that familiarity weaken, not to a breaking point, but still weakened, Shawn was something special, but not as special, something was wrong. He'd been manipulated all this time, an anger, not of his own volition, filled his mind, and the voices screamed at him to leave. Harris grasped his head and stumbled. "Shawn!" he yelled, struggling to stand. "You... what did you do to me!?" Shawn's face made him angry. Harris' pupils began to fade once more, and his mouth began to deform as fangs began to appear. [i]No[/i] Harris yelled internally. [i]Shawn is not just a face to me! You don't control me! This isn't how this ends![/i] Harris' pupils returned, but he still stood unsteadily. With tears in his eyes, wings sprouted from his back and he took off into the skies. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn watched Harris as an internal battle raged within him, and beneath his beard, his jaw clenched in slight irritation. [i]Always one for Theatrics[/i] he heard himself think, before he turned back to the women before him. He knew that, thanks to the display created by Harris, she would begin to think something was off. Narrowing his eyes, he began to focus on the link between them, and as such, it began strengthening. Shawn had learned early on that his abilities didn't stop aggression completely, only that directed at him. When he had been in the Forests, testing his ability, he had found that his capabilities included far greater feats than just making animals fond of him. He had found that he could make them kill, or be killed, at his command. He had influenced a doe to stand between himself and bear, and had influenced flocks of crows to pick a mountain lion to it's bones. So, if needed, he could have every creature in a three block radias stand between this woman and himself, or sick them on her like crows. However, doing either would likely ruin his high. "Then force me out." He said tauntingly, a soft smirk playing on his lips as his influence grew. "Doll, there's more heroin per square block in the uptown corporate part of town than any city in this State, Including "The Wedge." So trust me when I say that the highs people chase to forget are the least of this area's problems." [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] Lady Arcana watched in silence as Harris screamed, his face shifting into the monstrous form it had taken during their battle in the forest. For a brief moment she thought he might attack Shawn, but instead he took the sky and fled. She could still hear the pain in his voice, however, and certainly saw the tears in his eyes. He had accused him of doing [i]something[/i] to him, and had then became seeming hostile for a moment. That feeling of familiarity she felt from him, this man named Shawn...it had come so suddenly and seemingly without reason. She wanted to trust him. Wanted to be his friend. But why? She never met him, and he didn't make the best first impression. The actions of Harris had certainly not painted him in the best light, either. Yet she could feel that feeling growing within her, even as he taunted her. "I...I don't know [i]what[/i] you're doing, but cut it out," Arcana demanded firmly. "I don't know you, and you've certainly not shown yourself to be my friend." She knew he was doing something now, even if she wasn't sure what or how. That meant she couldn't trust her feelings or instincts about this guy. He was sketch incarnate, she had to keep that in mind. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] A soft grin played on his face as he shook his head, his demeanor seeming to change almost instantly. He took a slow pull from his smoke before he nodded his head. "I apologize, but it's not as if you started this talk wonderfully. However, I didn't do much to help, so again, I'm sorry." Taking a breath, his vision blurred a bit as his eyes fluttered a bit and his head nodded back down, his body following. Stumbling a bit, he sat down and propped his back against a wall, resting his head on it as well. "I hope you don't mind if I sit." He said warmly in his charming southern drawl. "I'm not in too much of a state to stand, though you know that already." [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] Karen still thought this guy looked pretty sketch, but at least she didn't want to slap him anymore. Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused on recounting the events of the day: she'd set out to help people rebuild. She had made some good progress, but when she went to get lumber, she was attacked by a bug-man named Harris and then helped him find his heroin-addicted boyfriend who then tried to influence her with his weird love beam powers and oh God that sounded ridiculous when she said it like that. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, she exhaled. "Why again were you and Harris here? I think he said you wanted to help." Maybe Harris was just referring to himself, though. [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] "To be honest, we came here because I've got a pretty serious case of Wanderlust, and we didn't want to be away from each other. At first, we just watched, we didn't do much of anything. Harris, bless his heart, is still terrified of how people view him." He murmered softly, closing his eyes as he spoke. "I got a bit of cabin fever, so we split up for a bit. I helped with some of the damage about a block down from you and Trench-Coat, and I guess you found Harris." He continued, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Doesn't seem like we're all that different from each other." [h3] Lady Arcana [/h3] [hr] "More like Harris found [i]me[/i]," Karen clarified. "He attacked me while I was gathering lumber for repairs around town. Apparently me cutting down the trees caused him a lot of pain and anger, though I only found that out [i]after[/i] our fight was over." It was really unfortunate that it had come to that, especially with the day Harris appeared to be having. She was sorely tempted to go track him down and comfort him, but she didn't really know him all that well yet. He might prefer to be alone right now, anyhow. Pursing her lips for a moment, she folded her arms. "Well, I guess its all 'no harm, no foul'...you're an old guy so I can't really tell you what to do. Just don't sell any drugs to the kids here, alright? It [i]does[/i] matter. The drug trade is how the gangs here make money." [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] "I don't touch first timers, and I'd never sell, so no complaints here." He responded with an airy chuckle, smiling at [i]'Old Guy'[/i]. Uknown to her, he hadn't paid for anything in weeks, but that was pointless information as far as Shawn was concerned. He knew that gangs would get money regardless of narcotics, but bringing that up wouldn't help their situation, so he kept it to himself. "So," he began "What brings you to the Wedge? I figured if you've been around long you'd have been identified by now." He asked,curiously. Perhaps she wasn't the "Miss Order" he had thought, she seemed much more concerned about the communities well-being than with the rules and laws set in place. This was something he could relate to and understand, as well as respect. He could see them getting along, while he was less doped up than his current state. [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] "I, erm," She paused for a moment, "I grew up here as a kid. I lost a family member to a war between two of the largest gangs here, so I've decided that the first thing I'll do is try and help better my old hometown by taking them down." None of what she had said was a lie, technically. The fact that she was [i]still[/i] growing up here was a detail she felt free to omit from the discussion. "And well, I know how to stay off the radar when I have to, y'know?" She was sorely tempted to ask about his relationship with Harris, now that things had calmed down a bit, but she felt that would be kind of rude. It was just surprising to think this guy who - despite having some kind of power - was more or less a normal human would be attracted to Harris, nice as he was. "I'm Lady Arcana, by the way," she finally got around to properly introducing herself. "Sorry if I came across harshly at first. It's been a long day." [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] Shawn sighed and shook his head, before making suprisingly steady eye-contact for someone in his current state, he then opened his mouth and began to speak. "No, you [i]didn't[/i] grow up here. If you grew up here, then there's plenty of family and long-time friends with targets painted on their backs. So, trust me, you aren't from here." "And it's no problem, it happens. I'd introduce myself, but it seems my boy... friend...Well, my partner has already briefed you where that's concerned." [h3]Lady Arcana[/h3] [hr] Karen closed her eyes, understanding what he was saying to her. She needed to be a bit more careful about tying herself to this place. Probably not just in terms of saying such things, but also when it came to always focusing all of her efforts on [i]The Wedge[/i]. She should branch out more, at least to other parts of the city, to make herself more difficult to pin down. "I hope everything turns out alright on that front, by the way," she reached up to scratch at the back of her hood. "He seemed pretty upset." [h3]The Wanderer[/h3] [hr] He nodded softly as a pang rang through his core, and realized this was the first time in weeks he hadn't been at Harris's side. Even with the short time,he had become familiar with his prescence and without it,he simply felt a bit off. "So do I, but having Plants screaming at you eternally can have that 'upset' effect." He said dryly, looking at Harris's link with a touch of longing in his eyes.