[i][color=darkorange]"C'mon, Kid. One more time."[/color] Jack ordered, leaning forward slightly on his milk-crate as he did so and at least [b]trying[/b] to look a little authoritative as he directed his boy. [color=darkorange]"Ya almost had it."[/color] The giddy excitement gleaming in the back of his hazel eyes told an entirely different story. Something the object of these commands might have noticed had he not been trying his level best not to avoid his haze while sat on his upturned bucket, hunched over slightly and clutching his dad's guitar in a deathgrip as his face grew redder and redder. [color=orangered]"I, uhh... I dunno, Da-..."[/color] His sputtering did him no favours either, eliciting yet another disorderly chorus of snorts and giggles from the other alley kids that both silenced, and made him shrink even further. Hell, the way he was going, he may well have shrank directly into the cracked concrete below had his dad's hands not abruptly landed on his shoulders to catch him with a gentle squeeze. Jack spoke again. Voice soothingly warm, despite his abruptness. [color=darkorange]"Malcolm. [b]One more time."[/b][/color] A helluva feat for a near-giant with half a Chelsea grin. Looking up at his old man, Mal could only comply. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krtm_gUAadI]And started playing again.[/url] [/i] [b]WHAP![/b] [hr] [img]https://i.imgur.com/KGoyuCq.jpg[/img] [indent][b][u]January 1st, 4:15 PM Lower Caernarvon Street, Bludhaven, NJ.[/u][/b][/indent] [color=orangered]"GAH!"[/color] Mal cried out and shot upright in response to whatever the hell that was that just slapped him in the face. [color=darkorchid]"Oh, so you [i]are[/i] alive."[/color] Instantly, Mal's eyes locked on the familiar figure standing over him in her signature red trenchcoat, scarf and beanie 'modified' (read: haphazardly attacked with scissors) to make room for her horns. [color=orangered]"What the [i]hell,[/i] Mog?"[/color] The succubus' eyes narrowed dangerously. That was clearly the [i]wrong[/i] response. [color=darkorchid]"I could ask you the same thing, Dumbass."[/color] She all but snarled in response, grabbing him by the collar, hauling him to his feet and aggressively brushing him off [color=darkorchid]"Yesterday, Eddie gets hauled off by a med-coven, thrashing about and foaming at the mouth he's so fucked on red dust, so of course you just fucking [i]run off[/i] without a word and now I find you a day later [i]here[/i], with a split lip and a big damned shiner, smelling like shit and passed out in a fucking [i]bus shelter[/i] in the middle of a snowstorm!"[/color] At that, Mal blinked the last bits of sleep out of his eyes and took a look around. Finding that, aside from him and irate demon, the only thing surrounding them were four and a half glass panes and a whole fucking lot of blowing snow outside. Shit, wasn't doing that outside when he stopped for a nap on his way home. Bludhaven, go figure. The boy grimaced slightly at that and pushed himself away the worried/angry chaos-realmer so he could lean against the railing and get the rest of his bearings. Even as the succubus in question automatically closed the gap to brush the last bits of ice off of his jacket. [color=orangered]"Alright, [i]alright![/i] I [i]get it, [b]I'm sorry!"[/b][/i][/color] The boy finally exclaimed as he lightly pushed the currently aggressively angry-mom-moded demon away and rubbing at the growing welt on his cheek [color=orangered]"Just lemme [i]breathe,[/i] dammit!"[/color] The red clad woman acquiesced to this, taking a step back. Though she still found it in her to cross her arms and fix the teen with an absolutely withering glare, still clearly mad. To his credit, Mal had the decency to actually look away at that. ...Well, for a good fifteen seconds, anyway. [color=orangered]"...Did you hit me with your [i]tail?"[/i][/color] [color=darkorchid]"Worked, didn't it?"[/color] Mogarra responded with a slight, dismissive shake of her head as she stepped out into the blowing snow. [color=darkorchid]"Now come on, we're going to the shelter."[/color] Mal cocked a brow at that, but picked up his duffel and followed anyway. [color=orangered]"Dare I ask [i]why?"[/i][/color] [color=darkorchid]"Mostly because you [i]really need a fucking shower."[/i][/color] Mog replied with a deadpan, and just a tinge of sass. [color=darkorchid]"And also because your [i]Sweetheart[/i] is playing in New York tonight and her charity's paying for a free broadcast of it and a fried chicken dinner. You get to be my plus-one."[/color] Mal's eyes narrowed at that as he trudged along behind the demon. [color=orangered][i]"Sweetheart?"[/i][/color] [color=darkorchid]"Oh, [i]don't give me that."[/i][/color] Mog dismissed with a wave of her hand. [color=darkorchid]"I [i]know[/i] you boy."[/color] [color=orangered]"I do [i]not[/i] have a crush on [i]Karen Friggin' Hernandez[/i] if that's what you're getting at."[/color] [color=darkorchid][i][b]"Oh?"[/b][/i][/color] The demon paused for a second, before continuing forward again, a [i]perilous[/i] amount of smug working it's way into her voice. [color=darkorchid][i]"That's[/i] funny, because I [i]distinctly[/i] remember sneaking you into the last concert she had here. On your [i]birthday,[/i] no less."[/color] [color=orangered]"I-"[/color] [color=darkorchid]"You were [i]so fucking cute,[/i] bundled up and just [i]bouncing[/i] where you stood."[/color] [color=orangered]"Mog-"[/color] [color=darkorchid]"And then she signed that playing card for you, I swear you were smiling for a [i]week."[/i][/color] [color=orangered][b]"I WAS [I]TWELVE!"[/I][/B][/COLOR] [hr] [url=https://i.postimg.cc/MGrjYTSg/qtpatch.png]Officer Sasha Jericho[/url] of the Bludhaven Police was having a bad day. Though, to be fair, not nearly as bad as the trio of men now laying bloody and mostly-toothless at the mountain-of-a-woman's feet. Though, in all honesty, they could've had it [i]much[/i] worse at that moment. They were still [i]alive,[/i] after all. Though, if the way the woman was wiping her bloodied hands off on her shirt and unholstering her gun was any indication, that luck was probably not going last much longer. [color=darkslateblue]"I gonna ask you boys [i]one[/i] last time..."[/color] The brunette all but spat as she racked her sidearm with purpose. [color=darkslateblue][b]"Where. Is. My. [i]Son?"[/i][/b][/color]