[Center] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/25b9f4eb-a8b1-46ca-8ab3-88c168ed18b3.png[/img] Joel Beck [b]Location[/b]: The street [b]Tags[/b]: Paranormal Cracktivity[/center] Joel pushed the blanket off of him -had it been there when he dozed off?- and lumbered over to the kitchenette. He hadn't eaten all night, and with the exhaustion at bay, hunger was now begging for attention. The fridge didn't yield much. Water, beer, shelf stable soy milk. A poke around in the pantry revealed some cereal and protein bars. That would do. After he poured a bowl of cereal and soy milk -it tasted funny but he could tolerate it- Joel sat down at the small table and let his thoughts wander. How was he going to find Mindraker? This city was huge, and he got the feeling that Raker was probably good at disappearing. He had doubts that Mindraker consorted with the types that Joel sought for leads. Maybe the super villains that he knew of would have some ideas…although they wouldn't spill easily. When he was done, he washed his dishes and set them in the drying rack. Joel absent-mindedly rubbed his growing five o'clock shadow. He hadn't had a chance to shave yet, and his hair grew like crazy. Surely Grim wouldn't mind if he nicked a disposable razor. Joel felt a little strange rummaging around in someone else's bathroom, but seeing as he had just lost his home and everything in it, he got over it. Grim had a surprising assortment of feminine products, from a hair brush with a couple long strands tangled in it, hygiene stuff, and nail polish. Joel thought it was nice that he kept the place stocked for whomever his lady friend was. Honestly, it was none of his business, so Joel just took what he needed and left as much of it undisturbed as possible. He shaved carefully over the sink, sure not to make a mess. The strawberry scented shaving cream he'd found was…different. At least it smelled nice. Once all the stubble was washed out of the sink, Joel found himself longing for a shower. Hell, this place might even have hot water! The shower products he found were once again not something he would have picked out, but Joel was hardly in a position to be picky. After a quick wash, he smelled like a bouquet of fruit and perfumes. As he dried off on a clean towel he'd found in the linen closet, Joel figured he may be out of luck as far as his typical hair products went. A brief glance at the assortment in the vanity drawer confirmed this. What the hell was "anti humidity spray"? He settled on running a hand through his hair and hoping for the best before redressing in the clothes he came here in. After the adventure in the bathroom, there was absolutely no way he was going to go pawing through the dresser drawers in hopes of something to wear. It was clear that Grim had set this safehouse up with a female significant other in mind, and Joel already felt like he'd imposed on whoever that was enough. Joel meandered out of the bathroom and wandered over to the window with the booby trap. What the hell was this medieval shit? Might as well have installed a spring loaded shotgun. Joel wondered if it was the neighborhood that made Grim nervous enough to implement such a thing. Honestly, this place was steps above the slum he'd been living in. To think that the only security that Joel had was a deadbolt and a reputation. He dismantled the trap and climbed out the window onto the fire escape. The sun was turning the horizon a blaze of pink and orange. The wail of not so far off police sirens was anything but new. Joel barely even registered them as he climbed down into the alley and made his way onto the main street. Almost immediately, he noticed a man down the block that was acting erratically: twitching, spasming, tweaking out. He'd probably gotten into that new street drug or something. Joel was content to ignore him until the man locked onto him like a laser guided missile. He barreled towards Joel, snarling like a wild animal. He just barely had time to brace himself against the man before both of them were on the ground. The man's teeth snapped dangerously close to Joel's face. Okay, bath salts it was. "Get the hell off me!" Joel grunted as he gathered the strength to toss the man off. He only just had time to reach into his bag and let his suit slither into place before the man was trying to claw his eyes out. A solid punch to the jaw sent the crackhead spiraling to the ground, but he was back up in seconds. Whatever this guy took, it had turned off the self preservation part of his brain. A glint of metal caught Wraith's eyes before he was tangling with the rabid man again. He had a shiny ankle bracelet; a very familiar one. Oh shit. That changed things. Wraith fought the man back until they reached a nearby bike rack. A lock sat open, hung over the rail. Wraith snatched it and forcefully shoved the man down, then snapped the lock shut around his neck and the metal structure. The wild man howled and flailed against his restraints. "Sorry man, but you tried to eat my face," Wraith turned around and started to walk off. "Wait!" The man croaked. Oh, he talked. Wraith paused and turned back around. "There's more," The man's wild eyes locked onto him, "So many more. They drugged me up and let me loose on purpose." "Yeah, I can believe that. You're saying they set a bunch of you guys free? Why?" "Distraction. It's not my fault, I'm not like this!" "I know, trust me, I've been there." "So you'll let me go?" "No. You still tried to eat my face, and that's kinda' fucked up." A couple police cars flew by, sirens blaring. Okay, so maybe he should check out all this commotion after all.