[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7aOrET3.png[/img]
[color=254f28][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/color]
💀 7-Eleven Store.
💀 East Flank.

[color=254f28][u][b]Time[/b][/u][/color]
💀 Evening.

[color=254f28][u][b]Interactions[/b][/u][/color]
💀 None.
[/center][hr]

Obsidian claws traced their shape across a row of aluminum bottles, black eyes carefully deducing what had been printed onto their cold, chilled surface. Monster Energy, Pipeline Punch, Java Monster. It was at the third option where those claws halted their advance, gently clicking against the metallic surface before a bottle was pulled from its confines. [i]’They told him don't you ever come around here, don’t wanna’ see your face, you better disappear..,’[/i] Azhar slowly bobbed his head in response to the music trickling into his pointed ears. It was, in fact, quite uncommon to see him without his earbuds firmly planted into place. On those days off, one could not blame the boy for enjoying life’s more casual pursuits, which in itself indicated his current presence at a 7-Eleven during the golden embrace of a setting sun. It was when comfort replaced annoyance, when that massive sphere of radiance dove beneath the horizon as time dictated. 

Indeed, Radiance, an ironic word, considering Azhar’s name which translated into just that. He had often asked his parents about this peculiar decision, naming a boy with an aversion to the sun, whose powers dipped into death and decay Radiance. The response he had been afforded was generally along the line of a grin, often accompanied by laughter. [i]’La’an enta dao hayati.’[/i] Because you are the light of my life, an answer which bridged a tender smile across Azhar’s pale lips. His mother had always been a warm presence for the boy, an embrace he missed, and one he oftentimes recalled. 

One could not blame a teenager for the universal desire to witness life, to experience the world, something which was locked away from Azhar during his time in Lebanon. A dead-end, as he called it. However, the bird’s longing for their ancestral home would always be present, long after they spread their wings. For Azhar, it was no different. America afforded him an experience incomparable by the rest of the world, which also strung along the small pleasantries in life. Indeed, the dark mutant was thankful for his inability to gain weight or the countless flavors his shark-like teeth had bit into would undoubtedly have netted him an [i]un-hero like[/i] weight, by now. Granted, the scrawny and underweight body he did, in fact, posses wasn’t much better. However, that was one aspect of himself the boy couldn’t change. He had often been told that he possessed fearsome powers, but they came at a cost. 

Raising a clawed hand towards the creature perched upon his shoulder, Azhar, or rather Zee as he was so often called in the States, tenderly combed those sharp digits through Dracula’s fur. A curious cat that had found itself in the boy’s care following its rescue. A dark creature with wings, razor teeth, and quite notably, four glowing, green eyes. As if made for each other, the two were a troupe. A duo clearly fitting a theme, something Azhar was well aware of. [i]’Own your shit,[/i] a statement often uttered by the goth-life entity that was Zee. 

[color=254f28]"Just one left, huh?"[/color] Came a sigh, Azhar’s attention lingering on that empty space which had only moments prior been confiscated by the Monster Energy drink in his hand. At the very least, the downside to his powers allowed him to eat whatever junk food he wanted without an effect. It wouldn’t make him feel any better, and it certainly wouldn’t make him feel any worse. Closing the fridge, Zee turned towards the cash register where a clerk sat toying with their cellphone, something which would likely be unacceptable by any customer who cared just a tad more than this particular mutant. 

It was when Azhar had reached the snack aisle that the boy stopped, his stride halting but not because those raven eyes fixed themselves on a Pringles can, but rather because he heard the door open, followed by a click. A sound he was aware of, and one he often heard when he [i]wasn’t[/i] off. [color=254f28]"Please, not now..,"[/color] the boy cringed, before he peeked around a shelf. 

“You know what to do,” came a voice belonging to a hooded individual with gun in hand. A Glock, if Azhar had paid any attention during class, or simply watched enough movies. 

“I..,” the store clerk tried, a trembling teenager no older than seventeen, working a part-time job, likely because her parents forced her into the notion of responsibility. 

Turning his attention towards Dracula who had leaped down from Azhar’s shoulder, the mutant eyed his friend’s many, glowing emeralds. An air of frustration washed over him, before the Hero finally revealed himself. It was with a simple, nearly nonchalant swipe of his hand that Azhar conjured forth a spectral presence that engulfed the criminal who had singlehandedly put an end to Azhar’s calm, relaxing evening. Ghostly energy circled the man, licking over him as if a spell that had been cast, before he fell limply to the ground. A keen eye would have been able to spot the bracelet clasped around Azhar’s thin forearm, a futuristic trinket which afforded a dim, blue glow in response to his power, a glow which vanished in echo with the energy conjured forth. 

[color=254f28]"He’ll wake up in a few hou-..,"[/color] Azhar began, before hearing a loud gunshot ringing out across the small store. It was through mere instinct that the boy stumbled back behind the shelves, and tripped on Dracula where the cat had been standing. Plummeting to the floor, a frustrated groan left the teen Hero, something which would develop into a whine once he noticed just where the bullet had struck.

Any normal individual with their senses intact would have considered themselves lucky. A single bullet was enough to end a life, but for Azhar, total misery replaced relief as he felt the cold, creamy substance previously contained with the Monster Energy drink flow down his hand, and onto the floor. 

With widened eyes, the mutant slowly turned the can around. Less than an inch down and his hand would have been shot, but even so, Azhar’s sense of loss had reached its peak. [color=254f28]"Oh no..,"[/color] the boy uttered, his eyes nearly watering in response to his lost prize. 

Clenching his teeth, the mutant rose to his feet. He had made a fatal mistake this evening, by not analyzing the area before acting. There had been two robbers, not just one. The other had been waiting outside, keeping an eye out for passersby. A lookout who had now drawn their gun and aimed it into the store. “What did you do to him, you freak!?” A loud shout rang through, followed by careful footsteps. 

[color=254f28]"That was the last one..,"[/color] Azhar clenched his fist, those claws nearly digging into his palm as he looked down towards the now empty Java Monster Energy drink. Raising his eyes towards the clerk, Azhar noticed how she had hidden, and it brought the boy back to his senses. At least one of them had their wits undisturbed. [color=254f28]"Do you fucking know.., what you’ve just done?"[/color] Zee seethed, listening for the robber as they were slowly approaching their fallen friend with gun still raised. 

“Fuck you, dude!” Came a response as fingers desperately moved towards the fallen robber’s throat, to feel a pulse that remained undamaged. 

[color=254f28]"I came to this country..,"[/color] Azhar began, spectral energy now brimming from him, [color=254f28]"to beat the shit out of bad guys, and enjoy your unhealthy fucking drinks,"[/color] the Middle Easterner explained, that ghastly force now concentrating around his right hand. [color=254f28]"You just took away one of those things."[/color] There was no response, but rather a terrified expression that met the mutant once he finally revealed himself. It was a quick motion, one birthed from knowing that his enemy held a firearm. However, it mattered little once a burst of Necrotic Energy slammed into the robber, knocking them out with that dim, blue glow emanating from Azhar’s bracelet. [color=254f28]"And now I have neither.., I hope you’re fucking happy."[/color]