[IC] Streets on Fire

[Gwynbleidd]

Ryker noted the concern on Deserae's face. This was a tougher job to pull off, even if it was a simple robbery. The problem was, a lot of gangs and other factors had to be taken into consideration. Especially the Amaranth Wolves who happened to frequent the area quite often. He moved over to Deserae and folded his arms with a devilish smirk after she wanted to know what the distraction was. And, what she should wear. Ryker seemed to think this was a really humorous situation. His grin only growing before he started to chuckle.

"You see, Cotton over there is going to be our last resort if the situation gets real difficult. He'll be the safety net… For you." His eyes glanced back to her after looking at Jake.

"We don't need you to be dressed in barely anything, although I probably wouldn't mind that at all." Ryker laughed at her before getting serious again. "But, we need you to dress real sexy tonight. Not 'too' sexy. But, enough to seem like a real gambling girl and classy enough to garner the attention of the bookie. You'll need to bet. Don't worry, the money will be provided for you once you arrive. Someone we don't see too often because he's always under the radar. Terry will meet you at the door and slip about 350 dollars of cold hard cash to you. Don't bet it all at once. First thing's first. Flirt with the bookie, get him to like you. Keep him off guard and focused on your assets if you get my meaning. Play it out, watch how much gets put down. Where he holds it, and when you think the max amount of cash is down, steal it. He's bound to be distracted by you. If you can't manage to pickpocket the cash box, signal a member and have them do it. Whatever the cost, even if you have to kiss the guy. Try and make it quick and fast. In and out job."

Ryker finished speaking for a moment and turned to Jake, walking over to him to pat him on the chest. "IF anything goes wrong, Cotton here will get you out of it. Last line of defense. One pull of that trigger and the whole scene will be ducking or running. Easy to fit in and get out. That should cover it. You ready?"

Jake looked at the pistol in his hand. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

[YoshiSkittlez]

Deserae’s jaw clenched tightly the very moment Ryker opened his mouth. She should have figured that her own sexuality would be used for something like this; she just wasn’t expecting it to come off like that. Her hands dug into fists, getting tighter and tighter as Ryker went on, but her face remained completely placid, and just as soon as her hands became fists she let them go lose again. Words could not describe the rage she felt at that moment though, and she made a mental note to have a serious talk with Fitzy after all this was over with.

Fitzy was the only one in The Lost Ones that knew her whole back story; why she was there and what had happened to her. He was the very reason she ended up with The Lost Ones instead of jumping from foster home to foster home for the next four years of her life. Hell, if anything happened to him, she would more than likely be forced to live her last year as a minor in one of those trashy homes. To that, she owed him, but putting her in this particular situation…

Deserae exhaled sharply out her nose and nodded once simply.

“I’ll see what I can scrounge up.” She told him calmly. She looked to Cotton, and then the other Lost Ones behind her before walking away, scooping up her jean vest along the way and threw it over her shoulder as she left the body shop. Now all she needed was to head to a hotel, find a room that was open for house-keeping and get in a quick shower, but not before doing a little ‘shopping.’

---

It didn’t take Deserae long at all before she was standing at the entrance to the staircase that led to the underground cage fights. Never having been inside, she could only imagine what kind of hell awaited her from within. She didn’t have to wait long before Terry, from what she could assume, stopped by and made the quick drop of $350.00.

Deserae thumbed at it quickly, ensuring that she hadn’t been shorted. Despite him being a Lost One himself, she didn’t trust anyone to just pocket the cash blindly. Despite her paranoia, the cash was all there, and when she looked up to confirm this, Terry was already gone, leaving her alone to carry out her job. She looked down at the wad of cash in her hand once more, a pressing thought of just taking the cash and running seeming to get louder and louder. But where would she go? She could only get so far…

She quickly folded the cash up into a wallet, and then put the wallet inside of a pretty expensive looking purse, burying the thought away for a later time. She adjusted the lone strap on her shoulder and pulled down the bottom of the dress a bit, trying to maintain a small amount of modesty at least, but quickly realized that this dress just wouldn’t allow it. She sighed, running her fingers through her let down hair. It was a strange feeling; she almost always had her hair up in a ponytail or something.

Whatever you do…don’t choke…

With that thought coursing through her mind on repeat, Deserae waited until a rather large group entered the club, and relied on her feminine figure to slip into the crowd unnoticed and managed to get inside without being carded.

Now…to find the bookie…

[YoshiSkittlez]

The lights of the underground club went out; every last one. This sudden change caused a few people to gasp in surprise, but before anyone had time to panic, a new set of lights came on, though these ones were colored and moving from side to side, making the area look more like a light-show. For the people who came here on a normal basis, they knew exactly what this meant, and the gasps of surprise suddenly turned into anticipating cheers, and grew even louder when the music changed drastically.

The first song that played was a real oldie, but had a good enough beat to keep the awaiting crowd cheering on as the double doors of the restricted section swung open and a lean man standing at about 6’4” came out, putting in his mouth guard and giving the crowd a small show with a few warm-up punches as he jogged to the cage. Through the music and cheers, the announcer could barely be heard, introducing the man simply as ‘Spike.’ The crowd seemed to like him enough, since the rest of the announcer’s words were completely shut out by the growing roars and screams as Spike removed his shirt and handed it off to a much shorter man that had followed him to the cage, but stayed just outside the cage by the corner that Spike had gone to.

Spike’s music then abruptly cut off, and the crowd eased into quiet as the next song played; a song everyone would recognize to be Deon’s theme song he picked out personally every time he entered the arena, and the crowd went wild again.

Deon

Deon didn’t come out the double doors that Spike had, however. No, Deon was all about breaking the rules. The crowd began to split as Deon made his way from his hiding place in the back of the room, walking with arrogance in every step as he relished in the crowd’s cheers and women reaching out to touch him as he, in no particular hurry, made his way to the cage. Once he broke free from the crowd, he turned to face them and gave a couple air-pumps with his fist, getting a response from the crowd of deafening screams. He paused to chuckle to himself a bit and then made his way up and down the front row of the crowd, giving out high-fives and even stopped to hug a woman who nearly fell down from the shock.

He went up and down the line one more time, handing out more high-fives before ‘dancing’ himself into the ring to take up his corner of the cage. He didn’t even give Spike a second glance as Deon kept his eyes on the crowd and put his fingers between the buttons of his shirt, ripping it open so that the buttons popped off from the force. If at all possible, the screams grew louder, though this time it was more of a female audience. Deon wadded up the now ruined shirt and threw it out to a group of practically crying women through the bars, smirking as he watched them pull each other’s hair and flying their fists in an effort to get the shirt all to themselves.

Deon let out his own scream, filling the air with even more testosterone in an effort to amp up the crowd once more before he finally faced his opponent. He looked Spike over and smirked, jerking his head and body forward mocking a cobra in its strike and then couldn’t help but to chuckle at his own arrogance. He raised both arms in the air, a symbol of victory, and took another look at the crowd, seeing if he could spot any of his fellow Wolves.

The crowd very well knew that Deon was a Wolf himself, since the red scar of a hand print on his right bicep wasn’t exactly hidden, but he didn’t care about keeping it hidden, nor did the audience seem to care that he was a bloodthirsty killer. No, in this environment, that kind of thing was only encouraged.

[Ispep]

Jill gave a slight nod to Victor as he left the table, then her attention returned to Angel as she ordered a drink. She always loved a free drink. Once the vodka arrived at the table, Jillian waited for Angel to pour her shot, before taking the glass, pouring a shot for herself, removing her lighter from a pouch strapped at her waist, and igniting the surface of her drink.

"Bottoms up!"

She shouted before pouring the flaming liquid down her throat, wincing a bit at the burn but grinning wickedly the whole time. As the burning subsided, Jillian contemplated placing a bet on Deon, deciding against it in the end.

"I don't wanna bet on him, or anyone. If I cared about money I woulda stayed in Haven with all those posh fucking assholes. Fuck that shit. Besides, who needs money when you can take whatever you damn well please, and destroy anyone who gets in the way? You know what I'm sayin'?"

The lights went out as she finished her ramblings, indicating the start of the fight. She watched as some man walked into the arena, someone she neither knew nor cared about, then as Deon came strutting through the crowd. He liked being in the limelight as much as her, and that bothered her to no end. She hated when people grabbed the attention away from her, despite her inclination against being too close to anyone. She poured another shot for herself and downed it, not bothering to ignite it this time, and slammed the glass back down upon the table hard enough to crack the side from the impact.

[HellHoundWoof]

Victor smiled as the lights dimmed and some music started playing, he looked around to see some tall dude walking into the cage. After that the music shifted, the crowd got much louder, the energy surged, he recognized the music and the vibe. He saw movement towards the back of the bar, he saw the crowd parting where his fellow Wolf made his way to the cage. He smiled seeing Deon walk through the clinging women and took a small sip of his drink, he looked around and spotted Logan next to him. He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement and turned back to the show that was Deon's entrance.

"Deon does love to show himself off doesnt he?" Victor said leaning against the bar a broad smile on his face. He let out a small laugh at the sheer vanity of Deon and then when Deon threw his shirt and Victor saw a bunch of chicks dive for it swinging and pulling hair. He couldnt help but look to Millie, she always seemed to like Deon so naturally one would assume she'd be watching intently.

"The crowd certainly praises him as much as he does himself." Victor said with a laugh. He looked at the other fighter for a second and remembered he might have been a member of the Lost Ones, then he recalled the two from earlier. He had lost them in the crowd but kept himself on guard, he wasnt about to let anyone of the lady Wolves get killed or hurt because of those fucks. He figured Jillian would handle herself well and defend Angel. He was worried about Millie and Logan, obviously they werent incapable of fighting but he didnt trust the Lost Ones not to take advantage of the guy on girl fight. The asian kid seemed like he could do some damage but not the younger looking kid, hell he didnt think that the stoner could do shit in a fight other than kiddy slap. Victor had deduced he was a stoner from his demeanor when he entered the bar and how he had talked to the asian kid, he was just noticable. Not that Victor had any problems with this, he had been stoned out of his mind plenty of times, he recalled one of those times fondly actually. He remembered this one chick who was trying to be one of the Wolves and the pair of them got stoned, neither of them were exactly level minded so naturally it went from flirting to something more scandelous. He never recalled what happened to that chick, or even who she was, but he certainly remembered it fondly.

His mind wandered and he thought about scoring some after beating that kid into the floor, maybe he should befriend the kid find out who he got his shit from and recruit him. His mind kind of soared and stared down into his drink just drifting into thought.

[Stephanie96]

Millie had been to The Spit a few times, so she knew what it meant when the lights changed. The dim atmosphere served to get people pumped for the fight and the light show was a death trap for anybody with epilepsy but Millie quite enjoyed it. Sometimes it could get a little unnerving for people to be in such a crowded space, but Millie relished in it. She enjoyed knowing that, even in a place where a young girl like her could be in a lot of danger, she simply wasn’t. She had her wolves around, plus she could handle herself.

She lifted herself up to sit on the bar as the first contender came out and walked to the cage. He was taller than Deon, but not quite as muscular. And anyhow, Millie had seen Deon use a man’s height against them a few times in the past, he knew how to use it to his advantage. ‘Spike’ wasn’t doing it for Millie. Then the music changed and she smiled a little bit, knowing Deon’s music when she heard it. She lifted the beer bottle to her lips by the neck, taking a swig. Her legs swung back and forth, hitting the bar in time to the music. Millie had a good view of everything going on from where she sat on the bar, able to see over the heads of the intoxicated guys, here to see a violent fight, and the squealing women, here to see some muscles and later throw themselves at the fighters.

"Deon does love to show himself off doesn’t he?" She heard Victor say from beside her. She couldn’t help but laugh, her laugh melodic and short. She nodded and set her now empty beer bottle down on the bar. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the show Deon was putting on for the audience, it was all so over the top but at the same time, it was all so very Deon that she was used to it by now. The girls never learned, though, and she watched as one woman almost fainted after Deon gave her a bear hug. She’d be talking about that for a month of fights. As she watched the girls swoon over him, and watched him bask in his supposed glory, a pang of jealousy shot through Millie’s stomach. She wasn’t jealous because he was sure to do several of those woman later, or because part of her even remotely wanted to be one of those women, she was jealous because they thought that made them special, and everybody else thought that made them special. It didn’t. Millie knew exactly how un-special they were. Special was being part of a gang that looked after you like family. Special was knowing that Deon felt more for you than what was happening in his pants at the time. Whether it was loyalty to the wolves, or loyalty to individuals, that was special. She shook her head, contemplating this over in her head, and ordered another beer, her second of the night. She had cut the queue, but the bartender brought it straight too her.

[Partisan]

Oh, the boy apparently was a Lost One. “Ah, well that explains a lot. I think you got recognised somehow. Either way, I was thinking we could make some money for the Lost Ones' cause, by betting on our rival. You see, I heard he was a great ass fighter, and making money off of your rival seems pretty impressive.” Yeah, it did, and it'd probably net the both of them a good amount of respect with the others. Then the boy, clearly high, asked some questions about wanting to leave and stuff that Minato wasn't really paying attention to, much too curious about the things going on around him, trying to find out who Deon was. “Um, yeah, yeah. Well I don't know, we're not at a full blown war with them, or anything, so they probably won't do anything, but I got your back. Matter of fact, some of the people around us might be Lost, we just don't know it. We're not a tight knit group like the Wolves, so I don't really know many people, but a Wolf starting a fight with random people is bound to get some attention, and I doubt they'd attack without talking to us.. Wolves apparently like to play with their prey, or whatever bullshit. They'll say some cool, cliché stuff like ''wanna dance, punk?!'' and after that they'll attack you. Plenty of time to tell them you're Lost. Figuratively, ofcourse.”

Minato grabbed the boys arm again and pulled him with him again, appearing to be quite a hyperactive guy, in reality this was because there was a million things racing through his mind, as he was quite nervous about a few things. First of all he had to earn more respect with the Lost Ones, and he planned on pulling Knox up there with him, smith a bond between the two of them so they'd have their backs no matter what. He'd have his back, and vice versa.. even if they went against the Lost Ones themselves he'd help the boy. That is, if he worked along.

Second of all he had to earn some money, as he was short on his rent this week as he wasn't a moneymaker at all, and lived week by week. And third.. the Wolves made him uneasy, staring around and at him, thinking he wouldn't notice, but he did as it was quite obvious. Wolves like to think they are stealthy enough, but the flashy outfits and extravagant bullshit surrounding them made it clear they weren't normal people here for a good time, but to make money or whatever it is they did.

As he pulled the stoner boy through the crowd, he looked out for drunk patrons in the area, spotting a few clumped together with a bunch of beers and vodka, rum and what have ye, cheering for the first guy to enter the ring. The announcer introduced him as 'Spike' and that name could be roughly translated to ''I'm a douche.'' Minato batted no eye at the man, until a different song started playing. Some annoying electronic music with something about walking a road paved of gold. Minato didn't care, until he heard ''Deon'' fall from the announcers word. The crowd went mad, literally, as in a corner a group of supporters of Spike, dressed mostly in douchebag clothes, engaged in a small fight with Deon supporters, who were somewhat more appropiatly dressed, looking good, cool and didn't appear to be drunk off their ass. The fight was broken off quickly by guards of The Spit, not afraid to use violence themselves either, sending a few of them home with black eyes.

Minato looked at Deon as he ran around doing his little jiggy dance, hugging a woman and all kinds of shit, getting the crowd quite riled up. Somewhere deep within Minato he understood the excitement, but right now he was too focussed on Deon and the other three things he was nervous about. Wow, Deon looked impressive. He wouldn't be surprised if this was the to-be leader of the Wolves.. kind of like an heir, Minato guessed. As he passed the clump of riled up drunks, he pickpocketed a few of them. He thought he did a good job, but at the last moment one of them turned around and grabbed his arm, using his other hand to grab a bottle nearby from a table and lifting it up above his head, then afterwards sending it down to Minato's skull. At the last moment Minato was able to let go of Knox, and intercept the moving arm quickly enough to stop it BARELY above his head. He turned his wrist to the side of the man's thumb and escaped his grasp, then pulled the hand with the bottle down, destabilizing the man and pulling him towards him, sending the man falling onto his face. To make it more believable that he didn't do a thing, Minato yelled “Damn drunks!” loudly, but ofcourse nobody gave two shits, let alone a single shit, cause they were all cheering for Deon.

Minato grabbed Knox again and pushed roughly half the money into his hands. It wasn't a fortune, it wasn't much, it was barely average, maybe 30 dollars if they were lucky, and since the odds were very very much so in Deons favor betting on him would probably net them 35 dollars back. “I'm not sure if we should bet on him, we're not gonna win because the odds are like 10:1 on Spike, and barely 1,5:1 on Deon I think. You know, we could just relax and watch the Wolves a bit. It could be like an excursion to the Zoo!” Minato joked at the boy again, continueing shortly after a slight laugh and tilt of the head. “Remember to not tap the glass, wolves don't like that. Do you drink?” he asked the boy as he pulled him towards the bar area, where the Wolves were seated. As Minato would pull him up the stairs, he took a quick look at the crowd. The bar had filled up more with skanks, sluts, pimps, hoe's, whores and the like, as well as drug dealers, unofficial bookies, drunks, ''gangsters'' and the occasional man-whore. This was a crazy place, but that wasn't what Minato was checking for. He looked over the crowd near the Wolves, spotting Queen Slut, Gorilla-cyborg, some sort of crazy Steampunk-Victorian-parade monkey and a seemingly normal girl next to the Gorilla-cyborg. The somewhat rich looking girl was still there, as well.

Again, Minato suddenly pulled Knox in closer to his mouth and told him in his ear, “Remember: don't tap the glass or we'll get problems with the Zoo-keepers, Wolves are an endangered species and we cannot bother them too much. The North Star doesn't like it if we do, I guess.” He was telling the kid that he didn't want any trouble with the rest of the gang, as they were here on off-time, not to engage in gang activities. “Take this and get me two Jukusen beers, and.. well whatever you want for yourself. It's on me, I guess.” He threw the boy some more of the money he had just managed to pick-pocket from the drunks. It would probably be enough, but Minato wasn't sure. He didn't care. He'd push the boy towards the bar area, not too hard, then would turn around and walk past the majority of the Wolves, looking at them obviously, and then standing at the railing.

He rubbed his head a bit. The beerbottle had hit him softly, and it hurt like a bitch. “Ksu, ksu, ksu..”

[Irisity]

Logan jolted a bit in her seat when the crowd suddenly roared at the sound of Deon's theme. She let out a ragged breath and clenched her fist. The alcohol heightened the sound and the noise and the lights. All the different colors shined right into her eyes as the screaming blurred out of her senses. The music and the sounds sounded distant and soon faded away altogether.

"It should have been you," a voice said.

Logan opened her eyes and turned around. All motion in the club had stopped. The screaming women, the music, even Deon yelling out towards the crowd. George stood in front of her. He wore one of his fresh cleaned suits with gold cufflinks and a golden tie to match. He was younger. George had no wrinkles; he looked to be in his early 20s. His golden brown hair was slicked back; no grey at all. His eyes were dark and his mouth was in a sneer.

"It should have been you," he repeated. "You should have died. Not India."

"Dad," Logan gasped out. "Dad I know, I know."

"If she was still here, everything would be fine," he snarled. Logan stayed frozen on her spot, her eyes starting to water. George parted his lips then gave a wry smile. "Don't ever come to visit me again. Not until I am with India again." The image of her father suddenly swirled away, fading into the corners of her vision.

Logan blinked and she was back in her stool at the bar and the noise flowed back into her senses. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She quickly whipped them away. She couldn't show weakness around the gang.

"I think I'm drugged," she said aloud to no one in particular, hoping Millie or Victor would hear. She hoped she was still there and not in an alleyway being forced upon while unconscious. She rubbed her temples while breathing heavily. The edges of her vision focused in and out.

[HellHoundWoof]

Victor looked around the bar, he looked back at Millie who was intently watching Deon. Victor scoffed and sipped his drink, she was into him. It was clear, no matter what she said she was into him, Victor let out a small laugh and looked over to Logan. She was talking to someone, no not someone just nothing. Victor didn't know what to do so he just watched her until she snapped back to it, she said something Victor couldn't hear but she looked troubled. Victor reached behind the counter and grabbed a bottle of Vodka and pulled the top off and threw it aside. He took a fairly sized swig and then held it in front of Logan, he remembered something he had been through and remembered the great philosophy. Alcohol doesn't solve anything but milk doesn't get you drunk. He leaned in and spoke loudly enough for her to hear.

"Drink," he said encouragingly "It helps to keep you occupied."

He pushed the bottle into her hands and continued.

"I don't much care what you're going through but we are Wolves, we look out for one another and if one of us is weak they hinder the pack. If you need to talk we can talk but while there are Lost Ones about we are fucking stones, understood?

Victor left her with the bottle at the bar and pushed his way through the crowd trying to find his way to the restroom but he ended up getting caught in he mob, some chick started dancing in front of him. He easily pushed her aside and found a sign that pointed him in the right direction .

[Irisity]

Logan looked back at Victor as he walked away. She looked down at the bottle of vodka, a bit confused. It was warm and had palm sweat all over the bottle.

"Why not?" A little voice in her head said. The voice was more than persuasive with just one little sentence.

The young Wolf unscrewed the cap and tipped her head back, the liquid fire settling nicely down in her belly. Her mind buzzed with a sudden burst of happiness. She smiled to herself, downing more, not even wincing at the burn. She turned to look at the crowd and the ring. Deon hugged a few women as the others screamed for his attention, all wanting the same treatment. She giggled a bit the herself and drank some more. The lights went from annoying to beautiful and wonderful, maximizing her experience. Logan didnt know it, but she'd have one hell of a hangover the next morning. And boy, would she regret it.

[Gwynbleidd]

Ryker grinned at Deserae's response, knowing she would give in to the request. Albeit reluctantly. He trotted off toward the exit with that trademark smirk and chuckled as if he knew something no one else did. This was an important mission. One he'd be aware of, but there were other matters he had to take care of for the gang. So, he disappeared into the darkness of the night. Off to take care of whatever task Fitzy had for him. He was sure to hear back on the results from Terry and the other members. Fitzy made it clear to him that diagnosing their effectiveness with or without Jake was important. But with the new guy, it made everything a little more intriguing.

Jake waited for Deserae to get a change of clothes. He wasn't sure how things would turn out. This was the first time in a while he had ever gone on a mission. A much different kind of mission, but a mission all the same. All Cotton knew was that he had the gun, and he had no intention on using it to kill anyone. He was confident enough with his marksmanship that he felt no one would suffer serious harm. If everything went right, he wouldn't even have to pull the trigger. Cotton simply tucked it away on the back of his jeans and pulled his shirt down.

On the way to the cage fights, Jake didn't say much of anything to Deserae. His cold blue eyes only looked forward, seemingly devoid of emotion on the surface. But if someone looked close, they could see the fragments moving and trying to put themselves back together. Looking for something he had lost, but would never find; at least not yet. For most of the walk, he wasn't even very close to her. He didn't want anyone to suspect they were together, and avoiding suspicion was vital especially because this area was frequented by the Wolves often. And, he had no idea whether any of them recognized her as a Lost One. Low profile was ideal.

Even when he did walk side by side with Deserae, Cotton was as silent as the stillness of a dark and windless night deep in the woods of abandoned country. His eyes traveled up and down her body, taking in her womanly figure in that less than modest dress. While he recognized the curves of her feminine figure, his gaze wasn't much of primal attraction. He studied her with curiosity. As though he could figure out who she was, or why she was there with only a look. What was her story? He slipped into his bad habit of smoking every so often. But, it helped is nerves, or that's what he told himself. The gray vapor seeped into his body and relaxed him, he felt he couldn't stop his sudden outbursts of alertness without them. Loud crashing noises made him jump sometimes. Tonight he needed to be focused and collected. Eventually getting to the cage fights without having said a single word to Deserae. He waited for her to walk in, then caught up before following in.

Inside, he knew she had acquired the cash. He wanted her to count it faster and in a less public fashion. Cotton figured he'd do that later. The crowd was deafening, and he noticed this 'Deon'. Tough, tattooed and muscular. Jake wondered if he was a gang member. If he was, he would be trouble and he knew he'd need to watch him in the cage and analyze all of his fighting techniques. Find the strengths and be aware of them, discover the weaknesses to take advantage. And, he found a shorter man with black jeans and a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt. His hair was jet black and shaved almost to the point of being bald. A toothpick sticking out of his teeth as he had a box underneath his feet and a hat in his hand with some cash in it.

The bookie…

Cotton moved up to Deserae as she was adjusting her dress. He laid a soft, re-assuring hand onto her shoulder and spoke his first words to her the entire time they'd known each other.

"You look good, stop worrying about it. The bookie is to your left, the cash box is under his feet. Watch out for the knife that may or may not be in the right side of his jacket. But definitely be aware of the gun he has on the left…" Jake stated, having looked at him thoroughly the entire time. "I'll be close, but not too close. By the way, do you know anyone else here who is a L-… who is one of us? I'd like to know so I can find them and keep them in the loop. My eyes will be on you the entire time so don't feel unsafe."

[Blitz]

Knox barely had any time to react to the boy’s hyperactivity. He’d say or ask something to him, and before he’d have the time to respond, the boy would grab his arm and drag him off somewhere else in the bar for no reason, at least not any reason that made sense to Knox. Maybe he was trying to avoid the stern eye of the Wolves or something, but all it did was just confuse Knox further. Fortunately for Knox, however, Minato’s constant motion kept him too occupied and somewhat dazed that he hadn’t the time to continue thinking anxious thoughts about leaving the bar that was now quite packed.

Knox possessed enough common sense to know that when the normal lights turned off and the colored, strobe lights shot on, the fights were nearly ready to start. The MC started by introducing a taller fighter by the name of Spike, which to Knox, sounded more like a dog’s name. Though he supposed it did have a cool ring to it. Then, when a second song came on, the MC introduced the crowd to Deon. It took Knox a second to register that this was the Wolf that Minato had brought up earlier. Looking toward the stage, no second person appeared. Though as the crowd broke into roars of screaming women, Knox turned to see Deon running up and down the sea of parted people to the cage. He was definitely milking the limelight, though Knox supposed he would do exactly the same thing if he was in that position and had that many fangirls literally screaming with lust.

During all the chaos, Minato had dragged him near a group of drunk ruffians who were riled up for a fight of their own. Knox watched curiously as he successfully pickpocketed a few of them. He was about to start doing the same himself, but out of nowhere, he was busted. The man gripped Minato’s arm and was about to Hulk-smash a beer bottle over his head. Knox winced, but the boy apparently knew how to defend himself. He pulled some mad Kung Fu like maneuvers and sent the man sprawling face-down the ground.

“Damn son,” Knox laughed, though what he said was inaudible between the loud music and the cheering fans.

After Minato dragged him away from the more violent patrons, he gave Knox fifteen dollars, asking him if he drank.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about getting one,” he answered as he looked down at the cash.

After that, Minato dragged him to the bar area and gave him a little more money. He told him to buy him two Jukusen beers and to buy anything else he wanted for himself. Well at least Knox wouldn’t have to pay with his own money. Then he pushed him toward the bar and Knox was alone again.

“Jeez,” he mumbled to himself. “What just happened that that span of like, ten minutes?”

He shook his head, walked up to the bar, and found a stool that someone had just hopped off of. He tapped on the waxy wood a couple times until the bartender came over to him, not even bothering to continue his age restriction policy any more, as long as he was getting money.

“What do you want now, punk?” the bartender asked, recognizing him.

“Uhh, can you bring me two of those… Oh shit, what were they called again? Jakuten?”

“…You mean Jukusen?” he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, two of those. And bring me… A Natty light too.” He slipped some money over the wood which he hoped would cover the expenses. The bartender picked it up, counted it, and walked off. A few seconds later, he plopped three beer cans in front of him without a word and went off to cater to the other patrons.
______________________________________

Angel was now two shots in, and had been enjoying the light show and Deon’s arrogant but entertaining pre-fight performance, so much so that she wasn’t very much aware of what was going on around her. She didn’t remember his ego being this extremely inflated when she first recruited him, but maybe he had gotten even better at fighting since then.

As the light show continued, Angel’s blue eyes drifted over to the bar area and locked onto one of the supposed Lost Ones Victor had indicated to her earlier. He seemed to be alone now, and an idea came to her that made her smile devilishly. She wasn’t going to start a fight or anything, but maybe she could get some intel from this nub.

“Be right back guys,” she shouted over the blaring music. “Gonna do some quick reconnaissance.”

She stood up from her seat, excused herself quietly, and began to make her way toward the Lost One, passing through the drunken throngs of people. She came up behind him just as the bartender placed three beer cans of two different varieties in front of him. He looked like he was right about to get up, assumedly to return to his friend, but Angel rushed forward and placed her hands softly on his shoulders to keep him exactly where he was. He responded to her touch by freezing and turning his head slightly to see who was behind him.

Angel leaned forward and kept her lips inches away from his ear.

“Hey there, cutie.”

Knox, from his angle, still couldn’t see who it was, but her voice was incredibly sexy.

“Uhh, hi there,” Knox replied with a grin playing on his lips.

Angel giggled and slithered her hands from his shoulders to wrapping her arms loosely around his neck and torso. Her hands glided softly over his chest and collarbone, enough to give him goosebumps, and her chest was pressed against his back.

Knox had no idea what he was getting into. To him, some sexy bar slut was just being flirty with him. Probably because she saw him take out money and was planning to con him into buying her cocaine or something.

“Are you going to show me your pretty face?” he asked.

Immediately, Angel brought a finger up to his lips in a silent gesture to tell him to hush.

“First,” she replied. “Tell me your name. I want to see if it’s as cute as you are.”

He laughed stupidly, that kind of idiotic laugh you make when you’re high and being caressed by beautiful stranger.

“It’s Knox,” he said between chuckles.

“Mmm, Knox,” Angel repeated slowly and seductively. “Exotic. I like it…”

“What’s yours?” Knox asked, as he gingerly reached forward for his Natty and opened it. He had already accepted that this sexy stranger would not yet be showing her face, so he took a few sips while keeping his gaze forward.

“An—“ She faltered. Should she use her real name? No, that might not be a good idea. “Angelica.” Close enough, but not the same.

“Angelica… That’s a sexy name.” He took another couple of sips from his beer.

Angel paused for a moment to think. Maybe he’d be more comfortable and willing to talk if she could get him alone… She grabbed his wrist and came to his side, tugging at it slightly. She kept her face away from him still, so he couldn’t see her clearly.

“What are you—?”

Angel hushed him. “Let’s go to sit down at a table and talk a bit,” she told him. She had to speak up louder since she wasn’t facing him directly.

Knox, too high to even remember about Minato, got up without thinking from the bar and left the two Jukusen beers where they were. He stayed behind Angel and sipped at his beer casually as she pulled him through the crowd toward a less packed corner where there was a table with two chairs.

Angel decided to finally show her face to him. She stopped in front of the table and turned around to face Knox after releasing him from her grip.

“Is this a good spot?” she asked nicely.

Knox didn’t respond right away because he was studying her face closely. This girl was definitely as sexy as her voice was, though she looked a little older than he. Not that it mattered to him, of course.

Then it hit him. That blonde hair, that sexy body… This was that girl Minato had pointed out earlier, the one who was apparently a… a Wolf! Oh God, oh shit, what was she going to do to him? Instinctively, he took he shaky step backwards, without answering her previous question.

Angel saw the panic creep into his eyes. She didn’t want him to feel threatened… At least, not yet. She came forward and quickly, softly, grabbed his hand and pulled him a little closer.

“I—I gotta go,” Knox stammered, looking away from her.

“Aww, c’mon Knox, baby…” she crooned. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk…”

“You’re a Wolf!” he blurted out, though he knew he shouldn’t have.

Angel frowned. How on earth did he know that? It must’ve been his friend who told him.

“No, I’m not—“ She sighed. “Look, I am, but I’m not very involved in the gang or anything.”

Knox was still in shambles.

“You and your friends were staring at me. Oh my god, you’re gonna skin me alive!”

Angel furrowed her brow at him. Gross, she wouldn’t do that normally anyway.

She pulled him in even closer and came dangerously close to his lips.

“I was staring at you because I thought you were attractive.” Her lips curved into a coquettish smile. She traced her finger up the arm she was holding with her other hand. “And while I think it’s super cute that you’re afraid of me, there’s no need to fear.”

It was like she had a magic touch, or maybe it was her voice, but Knox calmed down a little bit.

“You think I’m cute?” he asked, with that terribly goofy smile still plastered on his face.

“Super cute. Why don’t you sit down now?” She walked over to the table and gestured to the open chair, which Knox sat down on with his beer. Angel sat herself down across from him, and she leaned herself forward on the table, as if very interested. Her smile was mostly pride, as this boy was way too out of it to use his common sense. It always made Angel happy when everything went according to plan.

“So tell me a little bit about yourself, Knox,” Angel said, to continue the conversation. Where they were sitting, there was less people and the music and lights weren’t quite as distracting. “What are you doing in a stinkhole like this?”

Knox laughed. “My, uh, friend told me to come check them out tonight.”

“Your friend? Is that the boy I saw you with earlier?”

Knox tilted his head to the side for a moment, confused. Then he remembered.

“Oh, not him! That’s uh…” He couldn’t remember his name. Wait, he had never even told him. So much for getting to know the other members of the gang. “That’s another friend.”

“Why are you here?” he shot back.

“Oh, you know,” Angel said as she played with her hair a bit. “I decided to come here with some of my friends… They say this Deon fighter is super good, so it’d certainly be quite the match, don’t you think?”

Knox glanced back at Deon, then back to her.

“Yeah, he looks pretty damn scary.” He laughed nervously.

“Are you from around here?” Angel asked. “Like, where do you live?”

“…Why?” Knox replied suspiciously.

“In case we’re heading back to your place…” Angel’s flirt game was on point.

Knox laughed.

“I don’t really have a home,” Knox answered honestly. “But I do have a couple places where I could crash.”

This is what Angel had been looking for: Lost One hideouts and their locations. She leaned in closer to him unknowingly.

“Yeah?” she said. “Where are they?”

[Stephanie96]

Millie gave Victor a look when he handed the drink to Logan, but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn’t the girl’s guardian, and she was only a few years older than her, if that. Technically, Millie shouldn’t even be drinking yet, but she’d been drinking long enough to hold her liquor. Some of the Wolves joked that Hayden must have laced her baby milk with rum, her blood was 50% alcohol. Logan, though, well she was a newbie and Millie was willing to bet that she hadn’t been raised the way Millie had; she’d had a richy-rich upbringing, she wouldn’t be used to the effect alcohol had on an individual and something in the back of Millie’s head said she should keep an eye on the girl, make sure the increased alcohol levels in her system didn’t loosen her tongue.

“You’re going to want to take it easy with that,” She warned, gently, “It’s strong stuff, you might wanna cut it with something. Coke, lemonade?”

Millie glanced over at the table where Angel was with the others, noting the glasses in front of her friend. Clearly, the other wolves were more eager to let go than she was tonight, but looking at the Lost Ones Victor had pointed out earlier, Millie didn’t feel like letting loose, she felt she’d much rather keep her guard up. They weren’t against playing dirty, no matter how peaceful the hippies claimed to be. Sure they weren’t the fire starters that many of the Wolves were, but nor were they saints. Millie saw Angel say something to the others at the table and get up, moving towards a couple of Lost Ones. She watched, remembering Angel’s rule of no trouble tonight and wondering what her next move was going to be.

The flirting didn’t surprise Millie, it was a classic girl move she had used plenty of times in the past, herself, when she didn’t feel like scaring people into doing what she wanted. In truth, it was a rare occasion that Millie was pushed to such extremes, but it wasn’t completely unheard of. Millie didn’t have to worry about Angel, for two reasons. One, it was Angels job, as the leader, to worry about everyone else. And two, Angel could more than take care of herself. Still, Millie couldn’t help but keep an eye on the girl she’d grown up with, knowing all of the other Wolves would more than likely be doing the same, in case Angel’s interaction didn’t go the way their Alpha was intending it too. Deon’s fight was still in play, but Millie only cast an occasional glance that way, just to confirm that Deon was still on his feet and winning.

[HellHoundWoof]

Victor walked into the bathroom and saw a couple dudes lighting up, he smiled walked over and grabbed a joint from one of the four dudes. He smiled, it'd been a while since he got stoned. He took a fairly sized hit and let out a few coughs smoke billowing from his mouth, he felt the buzz take him and handed the joint back to the guy. He left the bathroom and found himself back in the strobe lighty bar, he saw Angel rubbing up against that runt of a Lost One. Victor tensed but shut his anger down, he walked back to the bar where he had been sitting and looked at Millie and at Logan. Logan had done her drinking, and Millie was still sitting on the bar, looking fine as hell. Victor smiled a bit and grabbed the bottle from Logan then chugged it for about 4 seconds, he knew the taste and loved the feel of fire running down his throat. He smiled and watched the crowd, he was carefully watching Angel out of the corner of his eye. He wasnt careful with the crowd, he saw several chicks who looked very good, some who looked like crippled elk. He was watching this one chick, she was fairly tan, but she had these gorgeous blue eyes, he could see them from the bar, they stuck out like fucking stars. Victor just kept watching her, he couldnt help it. She had fantastic curves too, but her eyes were the most amazing part, crystal blue. She looked to be his age, maybe a year or two older, which wasnt a problem for him at all. She was watching him too, she curled her finger at him in a come here motion. He smiled and looked away towards Angel to make sure she was okay, she was still talking to the runt. Victor couldnt exactly take this chick home, if he left his gang alone he'd be the bad guy here, leaving the gang to go screw around with some chick was not good. So he sat there and drank, she kept looking at him, waiting.

"Damn," Victor said aloud as the girl started grinding on some girl next to her, "I cant be the only one seeing this chick, you girls are seeing this right?"

[Irisity]

Logan snatched the bottle back from Victor, taking a swig. She ignored Millie's advice. Logan could take care of herself, she didn't need these untrustworthy Wolves to help her make choices.

"You're not going insane, I see them," Logan said in response. She wasn't sure which girls he was talking about, but Logan figured it'd be intertwining to play along. "They are rather attractive, I must admit," she said with a low whistle. The drunk Wolf figured he was probably looking at her funny because she wasn't into girls or guys or anyone for that matter, sexually or romantically. Just because she didn't like fucking or loving didn't mean she couldn't recognize a nice looking human.

[YoshiSkittlez]

As soon as Deserae stepped inside, she knew she was in the right place. Not that it was up for debate beforehand, but the lights immediately shutting down only to be brought back up with the colored strobe-light effect combined with the screams and cheers of the audience...it wasn't hard to guess what kind of place this was.

Trying to adjust her eyes to the new lighting, Deserae pushed herself past the throng of people who, for some unknown reason, liked to gather by the entrance. Maybe they just liked everyone muttering 'assholes' under their breaths as they passed by, or perhaps they really were just moronic. Either way, Deserae finally pushed through and got her first good look around the bar.

There was a voice behind her, however it wasn't until Cotton was practically done speaking that she had realized that he was talking to her. She felt like a moron, turning to face him and just blinking while she looked at his face with her mouth slightly agape, trying to process what she had been hearing before she realized he was talking to her. Something about a gun? Was he talking about the gun that Ryker gave him? She had no idea, but to keep from looking like even more of an idiot than she felt in her ridiculous outfit, she simply nodded.

"Right, um..."

"I'll be close, but not too close. By the way, do you know anyone else here who is a L-… who is one of us? I'd like to know so I can find them and keep them in the loop. My eyes will be on you the entire time so don't feel unsafe."

Oh thank God, he didn't refer back to what he had been saying beforehand. This time, she made sure to pay attention, practically hanging on every word he spoke as if trying to compensate for last time.

Another Lost One? Deserae took the moment to quickly glance around, but the darkness of the area and the ever-changing lights made it almost impossible to see anything here, however she did spot a young man practically impersonating the Flash as he zig-zagged through the crowd, dragging around another young guy. Deserae closed her eyes and sighed, gesturing vaguely towards the pair.

"Minato. I met him this morning, he's new and kind of...all over the place. Be gentle with him, I don't think even half of what I said to him this morning stuck."

Deserae inwardly bit her lower lip, realizing the irony of her own statement since she hadn't caught all of what Cotton had said to her. But that was different...right?

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Before you, in this very ring, stand two of our toughest competitors; Spike and Darth D!"

Deserae clapped her hands to her ears, because the very second the announcer finished the warm introductions, the crowd burst out into deafening levels, but even then she could hear the announcer booming over the crowd. They must have turned up the mic volume.

"There's still time to place your bets, just see the tiny little man in the corner!"

That's what Deserae needed to hear. Putting her hands back down, she looked back over to Cotton and nodded, indicating that their plan was in action and headed over to the man in the leather jacket where a few last-minute betters were heading, unable to help herself in trying to adjust the dress as she went. God she missed her jeans.

It took a few minutes, since there were some people in front of her, but she eventually got to the bookie, inwardly cursing Ryker for setting her up for this.

"Hey there..." She said softly to him, a lot softer than she had expected even and took a split second to clear her throat. "So, I'm new in town, looking for a good time..." She paused to bite her lower lip in a fashion that she hoped looked somewhat seductive; either that, or she had already ruined this entire thing by looking like she was constipated. "...perhaps, perhaps you can help me out? I've, uh, I've got cash, more of it than I know what to do with, any tips on who I should put it on?"

[Gwynbleidd]

Cotton wondered if Deserae understood a single word he said. Looking at her when she had that blank look on her face. But, once she pointed out two other Lost Ones moving through the crowd, he figured she could handle herself. That didn't mean he wouldn't keep an alert eye out. As she walked away, all he could hope for was that she'd be careful and had heard at least something that might save her if things got heated.

Jake turned around once she made her way to the bookie and began talking to him. He lost Minato and Knox in the crowd just as quickly as they were pointed out. Cursing under his breath, he waded through the crowd. Being low profile in this crowd was somewhat like his experiences in Europe during Operation Titanfall. Just, a lot less people. Instead of keeping alert of enemies within this crowd, it was foggy woodlands praying not to get killed by a sniper's bullet or blown to pieces by some land mine. This situation was much more preferable.

A few girls eyed him, made a pass at him but he brushed them all off. His gaze fell onto one of the two guys he was looking for. Knox at a table, with a blonde chatting next to him. Smiling and laughing. He moved closer and then made out the face of the girl. He didn't know her name, but he knew her face. A smooth talking gangster the way he looked at it. That kid stood no chance and he needed an out immediately before he did something stupid and got himself or someone else killed. However, he needed to do it in a way not to come off as a Lost One. He already told her he wouldn't join a gang, so why would that kid's life matter to him regardless? Quickly scanning the area he found Minato standing by the railing.

Cotton got into his line of sight and made a quick gesture over to the table, indicating Knox was with Angel and in need of a lot of help. Jake trotted casually up to the bar and sat, casting a look over his shoulder to Knox. He placed down some cash onto the counter.

"A Jack on the rocks." He said to the bartender who went to work quick. Jake wanted to reach for his cigarettes but resisted the urge for the moment.

When the bartender slid the drink over to him, he took hold and walked to that table.

"What are you doing with our friend here, blondie?" Loud enough for both of them to here, then looking over to Knox. "This one is real cunning. You should probably be careful. Always wants something from the men she talks to." Cotton forced himself to chuckle and give a bit of a smile to seem friendly and not like he was here on purpose. He hoped Minato would take the signal he gave and get here real quick.

If both of them were this stupid it was going to be a long night. Cotton took a quick gulp, letting that liquid slither down his throat and sink into his veins like venom. "Can I get you a drink?" He asked Angel.

[Partisan]

Minato was enjoying the sight of the coming fight in that bloodied cage when he started looking around, bored of waiting for the fight to start. He saw a man, that suddenly started motioning towards some table. What the fuck? Who was this guy? He motioned back to the guy that he should buzz off, but he was already gone by that time. Minato followed the motion he gave him, and noticed Knox sitting at a table. With a lady. Yeahh, go Knox! Wait, his beer. “Damnit Knox, get me my beer first and THEN flirt with sluts.” he mumbled to himself.

He pushed himself off of the railing and walked over towards the table, keeping an eye out for Wolf eyes piercing his back as he walked, because despite his calm appearance he noticed something was off here. The mood had tensed up a tiny bit, enough for Minato to want to get back down to the cage-level of the place. Minato approached the table and put his hand on Knox' shoulder, squeezing it a little bit. “Baka, where is my beer?” he said to Knox, smiling and tilting his head. He turned his head to Angel and stopped smiling suddenly, his face turning serious all of a sudden. “Uhh, lady, I have a question for you. Utmost importance going on here. Wolves hunt in packs don't they.” While he said that his eyes turned over to the large group of supposed Wolves in the background. He noticed a few of them were watching the slut.

His head turned to Cotton, his face curled into an expression that said ''what the fuck?'' Who was this fucker and why was he trying to get Knox and Minato into shit with Slutty Wolf? Wait, wait. Maybe Knox was stupid enough to go talk to a Wolf. He shouldn't blame this guy ahead of time for something he hadn't done, as Knox didn't seem to be a smart guy. Where the fuck was his beer anyway? He'd scan the area for his Jukusen beers, trying to find them. “Knox! My beer please?” He raised his voice as the music was starting to get annoying now, and he had to try and get over it to be somewhat audible. An added advantage to this place - you learned to lip read in a few days. He looked over at Angel again, making sure to try and look a bit more badass by sticking out his chest a bit and lightly flexing his arms, but alas, he was very average in build and it didn't look that impressive. Maybe the posture would look more impressive, but if you have to try to look badass it mostly fails anyway. “Maybe you should go have a drink with this other guy,” he said as he gestured at Cotton, “and leave me and my friend here to drink.” He slapped Knox' shoulder two times. “I prefer to drink alone.” He smiled at her and tilted his head.

[HellHoundWoof]

Victor noticed the other Lost One approaching the runt and Angel. Victor ran his hand through his hair and turned towards the girls as he left, he looked at each.

"I'll be back in a bit," Victor said calmly, "Just gonna go check on Angel."

With that he turned to face to two Lost Ones and approached from behind them, he flexed his right arm and brought it up to the scrawny ones shoulder and grabbed him with a fair amount of pressure, he put his other hand on the Asian one and gripped similarly, not enough to inflinct pain just enough to show he wasnt messing around.

"I think I see two lost little boys," Victor said rotating them and himself so that he was near Angel and they opposite him, "Now if you wanna keep that skull intact you take a few steps back then walk away, if you want me to stomp you till I start pounding shards of bone into the floor then keep talking shit."

[Blitz]

Right as Knox was about to open his mouth to answer the beautiful blonde's question (rather stupidly, of course), a voice rang out through the loud music, drawing both of their attention away from the conversation momentarily. Angel was not happy about this interruption, but she even more irked to see a familiar figure approaching their table. It was that depressing little Golden Boy from earlier who rejected a spot in the gang. He was the one with such a good shot. The memory of him making all of his marks at the festival caused Angel to tense up slightly as he joined them.

"What are you doing with our friend here, blondie?" he asked Knox, giving Angel herself little attention. "This one is real cunning. You should probably be careful. Always wants something from the men she talks to."

Angel rolled her eyes.

Knox began to answer, "We were just—"

"Talking," Angel cut in before Knox would get her in trouble. "Making friendly conversation, Golden Boy, not that it's any of your business."

Finally he acknowledged her with a question: "Can I get you a drink?"

"Flattered, thanks," Angel replied, "but no. I've already got my own bottle back at the table." Not only that, but she did not want to get any more drunk, since she was beginning to feel a small, though enjoyable buzz from her earlier shots. However, she did want something near her to sip on just so this entire situation wouldn't be as awkward. And as far as the situation was concerned, Angel was a little confused. She was pretty sure Mr. Knox was a Lost One, but Golden Boy was neutral at best. How did the two know each other?

Angel was about to ask that very question when there was another unwelcome interruption. Enter: the other Lost One. Great. Angel wasn't starting to feel very good about this situation now. Knox and the other Lost One didn't seem very threatening, but Cotton's presence made her uncomfortable. The newcomer approached Knox.

“Baka, where is my beer? he asked playfully, but before Knox could respond his smile dropped and he turned to scowl in Angel's direction.

“Uhh, lady, I have a question for you," he said. "Utmost importance going on here. Wolves hunt in packs don't they.”

Angel rolled her eyes again. Oh for God's sake. Thank you for clarifying to everyone that she was a Wolf. Even Knox knew that. There wasn't any new information being put out here.

"I suppose they do," replied Angel apathetically, resisting the urge to sigh loudly.

Angel watched the Asian one closely. He gave a somewhat confused and agitated look to Golden Boy, which piqued her interest. Did he not know him? Or was he irritated for some other reason? The boy proceeded to scan his surrounding and then address Knox again, inquiring where his beers were.

"I—uh..." Knox thought out loud for a moment. "I left them on the bar. I forgot them. They're probably still there...?" He didn't exactly want to get up and miss out on talking to this beautiful blonde.

Minato continued talking to Angel. “Maybe you should go have a drink with this other guy,"—he gestured toward Golden Boy—“and leave me and my friend here to drink.” He added the last part with two playful claps on Knox's shoulder. “I prefer to drink alone.”

Angel raised an eyebrow at him, annoyed.

"If you prefer to drink alone," she said calmly. "Then go and drink alone, without Knox."

At that moment, there was a third interruption, though this time Angel somewhat appreciated Victor coming up behind Knox and Minato and exerting some fair pressure on each of their shoulders. Under normal circumstances, she would've told Victor to give them a break, but she was already beginning to worry about her own safety, so this came as a slight relief.

"Jeez, ow!" Knox said, writing slightly underneath Victor's grip. "What the shit?!"

"I think I see two lost little boys," he said.

Angel almost groaned out loud. Enough with the hinting, please. We're aware of the tension already.

""Now if you wanna keep that skull intact you take a few steps back then walk away, if you want me to stomp you till I start pounding shards of bone into the floor then keep talking shit," Victor growled.

"Oh for—let them go Victor," Angel said at last. "They can't hurt us." She paused and her eyes focused on Golden Boy. "Him... on the other hand," she added. "might be a problem." She cleared her throat and played with her hair a bit, continuing to stare him down.

"So Golden Boy..." she began slowly. "I'm very curious to know what you're doing hanging around Lost Ones." There was no point in hinting at it anymore. "I thought Mr. Soldier didn't roll with gangs."