ASTRID V. KUO

Once Ren stepped forward, they invented enough of a story in their head to play off of it.  Either they would get through this with this stranger’s help or they’d run as soon as he was turned to stone.  In an effort to not out themselves and their ability, though, Ren hoped for the former even if they had to resort to the latter.  They draped an arm around Astrid’s waist, their voice filled with softness as they spoke to Astrid in a language  that Ren didn’t even think that they had still known but, as soon as they looked enough like a familial unit, they redirected their attention to the security guard.  “I’m sorry for the intrusion, my wife and I were hoping to cut through to any exit that leads to the back streets.  With everything going on, we’re worried about leaving out the front.”  They gestured in a hurried fashion.  Anything to move this along.

Their lacking explanation offered no concern and Astrid’s question only seemed to solidify that they were just a couple in the wrong place at the wrong time with a child in tow.  A sob story for the making if their knight in shining armor hadn’t saved them.  A few short sentences shared and they followed the security guard away from the bath section of the store and over to where, now, a door seemed to blend nearly into the wall a quarter of the store away from them.  The security guard still spoke back to them and due to the occasional glances back, Ren kept a polite but firm hold on Astrid.  If nothing else, it hid the fact that Ren wasn’t wearing a ring.

They mainly kept quiet, falling into the role of a solemn significant other in what would otherwise likely be seen as a traditional household.  Nothing to question if they remained as boring as possible at the surface level despite the circumstances.  Once through the breakroom and led outside, Ren broke away from Astrid to thank him.  They spoke for a few short seconds before Ren walked back over to her.  “We’re lucky it was a non-salaried worker.  Honestly, we probably could have robbed him and he wouldn’t have given a fuck as long as he lived.”  Now, Ren was a little upset they hadn’t went that route.  Still, better safe than sorry.  They didn’t exactly want to face the emperor tonight moreover than he did any other night.  Even so, Astrid wasn’t too bad of a liar.  

They chose not to compliment her though, didn’t want it go to her head.  “I’ll take the kid.  You should get going, find your way home.  I’ll see if I can find the parents.”  Fat chance.  The parents were either dead or long gone and happy to be child-free.  Still, they knew the back of their head would gnaw at them if they didn’t at least try to give a fuck about the kid.  They extended their arms as though to take the child away from Astrid, but chose to try to play into a more humane approach, “And, about your earlier statement that I was going to completely ignore, we can call her Lotus.  At least until we find her parents or, I don’t know, she’s old enough to pick her own name.”

Every moment that passed, it made Astrid want to die on the spot. She hated it, loathed it, seethed under her faux veneer of forced lamentation and dramatics. It took all her patience and self restraint to grit her teeth as they played along with the act, her gaze kept on the child as to avoid throwing daggers in their direction. Turned out being an actress was much harder than she had once thought. But at least feigning concern for the kid seemed to come more naturally than whatever shenanigans the two were waltzing through there and then. 

She was relieved that the guard had pushed for no questions and instead, was keen on escorting them through the area with little trouble. She felt as if she could breathe again, she made it - Astrid V Kuo had survived yet another tribulation. She was glad that at least Ren had taken the lead, played his part as she did hers, coddling the child and rocking them on as they snoozed comfortably against her shoulder. Sure the grime was still disgusting but she had grown a fondness for the child that now rested peacefully. 

By the time that they were freed from it all, Ren returned to speak. But Astrid found herself looking at him incredulously, “you’ll take the kid?” She didn’t want to hand the kid just over now. After all, by the looks of it - where did they have to go? While Astrid had her issues, at least she wasn’t looking fully homeless as they did. “I’m pretty sure the parents are gone,” before mouthing d-e-a-d with her lips as if to protect the child from hearing the word alone. “You settled on Lotus?” she was saying the name in her mouth, somewhat questioning her own suggestion at this point. 

"She’s fast asleep, I don’t want to jostle her awake and have her crying again.” Astrid muttered, it was a valid concern. They had just gotten out of one lion’s den, it wouldn’t be fun to draw the attention of another. “Where do you even want to take her? Will it be safe?” Astrid questioned, her chin jutted up as she eyed them again, judging their get up once more with a click of her tongue. 

“I’m trying to insinuate that you have potential parental issues.”  Mommy issues, daddy issues, whatever she might call them.  However, as soon as a burning remark had to be explained, it lost some of it’s painfulness.  They watched the kid as it tried to devour a banana, peel and all, and then grimaced at everything else that played out once Astrid stepped in to help.  “Sorry.  I had faith that it was smarter than that,” they quipped as their eyes started to scan the room.  If they had to figure out the exit, they might as well do it now.  The sooner they were out of there, the sooner that none of this was their problem anymore.

Their brown eyes made their way back to Astrid though as she posed a question that Ren hadn’t even thought of.  Flatly, they looked to the child, “What’s your name?”  No answer.  They sighed loudly and then tilted their head as they looked back to the only other adult in the room.  “Gonna take that as a ‘too young to know what I’m talking about’,” that or too hungry and tired to care to answer Ren, “But, we can’t seriously consider naming it.  This isn’t our kid.  This is someone else’s problem.  We just got to get out of here and we can, I don’t know, surrender it somewhere.”  That would be a tough one.  They were a wanted person and if they even breathed near any authority figure, they’d be arrested on sight.

Ren stood then and gestured for her to follow.  They went silent for a while after that, walked the store with a mapped out image in their head as they tried to locate the employee lounge.  They paused for a moment, though, and grabbed a pristinely folded hand towel and turned, then tossed it over to Astrid in an attempt to at least alleviate some of the grossness that came with a child that slobbered everywhere.  “Give it back to me if you’re that weak.”  They quipped back with an eyeroll and then extended their hands as though to take the child back.

“I can pick locks, we’ll be fine.”  Unless people were in there, but, she had a point.  Some fake tears and some mock panic, they’d be fine.  Especially with a toddler in tow.  They fell silent once more before they pointed in between aisles, “We go through there.  Either we’ll sneak through and get out the exit or I’ll need you to fake some tears depending on who is in there.”  If anyone was.  “You ready?”

“You just want to call it an it?” She murmured questionably. A part of her wondered what kind of parents would’ve been so heartless to abandon a child in a department store like this but another part of her wondered if this was their method of protecting the child. Perhaps they were dead. Well, that itself sucked and for moment Astrid did look pitifully upon the kid. They were such a small thing but they undoubtedly had a fighting spirit to conquer life. 

“I’ll hold, the kid’s asleep now,” Astrid had long thought herself to be the most incapable maternal thing there was. But when a child had been unwillingly shoved into her arms, the actual experience itself was a little different. She wondered if her own mother had held her like this at any point of her life. Who knew, she couldn’t remember. “God I need a fucking shower after this,” she mumbled, though roughly doing her best to ignore the mess that she felt both within herself and outside herself. 

He could pick locks, well she should’ve expected it. Hell, they looked like they did a lot of weird shit on the side. “It takes two to tango so you better also get on with the program,” she quipped back. She walked forward, praying that they would’ve been spared any attention. Yet of course, life liked to come with its own basket full of troubles. A security guard could be seen with a flashlight, walking in both of their directions. As if on cue, Astrid hurriedly walked forward, as quickly as she could without jostling the child awake. “Oh thank god, you have no idea how difficult it’s been to get out of this wreckage,” she spoke with as much forced conviction as she could muster. Her eyes were beginning to tear, just as she had practiced a thousand times for all her triumph speeches and victory. She could nail this. 

“Haven’t dropped it into a bin so suddenly I’m parent of the year?  Your bar for parenting is horrendously low.  It’s very telling.”  Despite the situation, both with the carnage outside and the way that reflected onto Ren currently; blood had dried on their clothes and a few injuries now marred their overall appearance, Ren would have found this situation a lot more amusing if they did locate the child’s parents.  So far, though, Ren was left to wonder if the parents just so happened to be in the path of the hunters, the Sentinels and the Monster like others had been.  Or, if they were still in the store.  They hoped for the latter but, they’d made enough children orphans to truly hold onto that dim light.

Ren rolled their eyes at her comeback, “Why would you clean it up?”  They hadn’t really thought about it.  Never had to, there was someone else for that job.  Or at least, there was when they were still in that line of duty.  But, they didn’t know this person so, it wasn’t likely that she was thinking of murder when they very much were.  It was hard not to. 

In comparison to both, of course, the child and the woman that they were with, Ren was very tall.  Enough so that they found it somewhat difficult to find an area to hide in that both was out of the camera’s view and away from the windows.  When that was finally found, they chose to remain there.  They weren’t going to follow Astrid regardless.  Now they just had to deal with a child that, now, had no choice but to play with Ren’s hair and they allowed it.  At least this way, it wasn’t screaming.  When she returned, though, they took a moment to place the child on the ground and then sat next to it in an effort to keep it calm.  “Just hand it food, I think it can feed itself.  I don’t know.”  They looked to the child and then back at Astrid.

“Anyways, there might be an employee only entrance and exit.  If we find the staff room, we could exit the side of the building and hopefully it’ll be more inconspicuous.”  They just had to find it. 

“Not a parent,” she pointed out. 

Astrid knew little to nothing about parenting but at the very least, she had experienced pets. Weren’t children similar? Tiny, helpless and needy ... or at least that’s how she saw it. She placed all the ingredients on the ground, watching to see if they were right about the child. It was quick to grab for the banana but to Astrid’s amusement, it attempted to stuff the unpeeled thing straight into its mouth. “Well would you look at that, it does need help.” She attempted to pry the banana from its grasps but the child looked like it was about to blubber again. Thankfully, she was speedy about it, shoving it into its mouth as if to plug its mouth hole from launching another avalanche of crying and screams. 

Reluctantly, Astrid found herself holding up the banana as the child chewed on it, drool and mush coating the mouth like a slob. The kid looked like the epitome of a baby monkey. She eyed Ren, “you think they have a name?” The child didn’t respond as it continued to chomp away. “I was thinking like Audi, Volvo, Buick, Lotus or something better than it, y’know,” she said with a sigh. Astrid was truly awful at naming things, and even the suggestions she made sounded absolutely ridiculous. 

“I found the food, you lead the rest of the way,” she said matter of factly. It wasn’t long before the child started to look sleepy, as if their entire energy had been exhausted from the previous fits and the eating. Even their grip on Ren’s hair had loosened. Instead, one of their other small hands had grabbed onto Astrid’s finger. Against her general policy of yeeting children away, she grabbed them into her arms, allowing their head to rest against her shoulder. She felt their drool run down over her shoulder as she visibly squirmed and frowned. God this was gross and again, how the hell did she land herself in the situation? “How the fuck did you carry this thing, they’re heavy,” she remarked. Despite the kid’s size, they sure had some thick bones. 

Jin takes a second to process the situation they had gravely misjudged. God, this is not the monster the sentinels are looking for since already half the country knew of her fall from grace and how she fucked up so royally in public. They had wondered what happened to her once the tabloids and even Xian’s pieces about the illustrious Astrid V. Kuo had ceased. Turns out she’s just living her best life—given the circumstances. 

“You’re lucky it’s me and not a sentinel. The district is crawling with them. You know they won’t differentiate which monsters they catch tonight, right? And don’t lie to me… I know you weren’t pissing.” Jin doesn’t bother explaining to her how they would know because that would make things awkward. Instead they turn around, allowing the celebrity has-been the space she needs to to exit the stall.

What do they do now? The other person occupying the room with them is definitely gifted, at least according to the gossip surrounding her sudden plummet from stardom. In any case, it would be wrong of them to just leave her here and not at least help her to safety in some way. But— “What?” So lost in their thoughts, they didn’t catch what Astrid had said but the sight of her holding up her phone to them is clue enough. There are no words to express just how…greatly surprised they are at their own rotten luck tonight that they go along with the racer if only to gain a moment’s respite. “Err…black.” 

There is little else they could do in the toilet. If anything, staying stationary increases the chances of being found out. “Look, hate to spoil your shopping spree but we should leave and find you somewhere safe.”

“I mean, I would’ve figured it would’ve been another human being, I highly doubt a sentinel would zoom into a bathroom all gung ho at a time like this,” Astrid responded with utmost nonchalance, checking her nails as she continued to scroll through her phone. At the comment of pissing, Astrid eyed them with a mixture of confusion and bemusement. “Are you a professional piss expert or something?” Sure the sass wasn’t useful but Astrid couldn’t help it, she was still far too used to saying things a certain way whether it was offensive or not. 

Black it was, she tapped the screen, watching as the stolen credit card she has used went through. She smiled, exposing her teeth as if she had won some delectable prize. Astrid was coping in some shape or form that worked for her, regardless of how ridiculous it all seemed to be. 

“What’s wrong with the bathroom? I was perfectly fine and alive thank you very much,” she said with a slight frown, eyeing them again. “Unless you know some other super secret area that’ll keep us hidden I’m decently content with the toilet stalls.” One eyebrow raised as she tapped her foot, awaiting for a better suggestion to come into play. 

HE WASN’T SURE WHAT HE EXPECTED but it most certainly wasn’t what he got, easily venturing closer at the sharpness of her words and the low timber of her growl, all feral and, well, insane. The night set itself up to be impassioned, to be filled with shifting energies and power struggles, the setting one of nightmares and movie screens. Ujin had his fill of chaos and then some, the body over his shoulder only one of many for his intended search, all villians, all possible monsters, monsters like him, meant to be destroyed. The others, those who are normal, those he carves into anyways – they’re nothing more than causalities, fodder caught in a war bigger than themselves. 

Then there was… whatever this was.

He prepared for blood, guts, and physical altercations, at the ready for fist fights and intimidation, but he didn’t mentally prepare to argue with a deranged woman over the ownership of a dumpster. There were a few easy solutions that came to mind, most of which involved more effort than they were worth, the idea of killing her less of a thrill and more of a duty – a feeling he tended not to cater toward. The other, he supposed was that he could do what he did best and simply scare the shit out of her. It was appealing, and she was surely crazy enough no one would believe her anyways, but once again – more effort than it’s worth. He laments this a moment as she cracks open with her raving, a possessive stance, his head tilting as he catches on her words.

At first he lets out a noise like a snort, half out of amusement and half out of annoyance because, really, what the fuck? He shifted his weight, the body getting heavier by the second, his eyes taking in the woman that was more trash than human, her arm pulled back with an empty can and fighting words. He had to admire the sheer will and stupidity that came with having the guts to threaten a man who’s wielding a dead body while soaked in blood. He sighs, thinking for a moment before making his decision.

“ Hold on. “ His hands first pat his own pockets before he pauses, hiking the body up his shoulder and digging in the man’s instead, the angle somewhat awkward. He comes up with a wallet, flipping through it and pulling out the cash held there, counting it quickly before he says, “ Alright, here’s the deal, I’ll give you fifty bucks for the dumpster. Shit, if you promise to keep your mouth shut I’ll throw the credit cards in too. I don’t know what his bank account looks like but it’ll probably at least get you a fuckin’ coffee. “ 

His tone is almost too casual, something close to patience even, before he shatters it by catching her eye, a shrug of his shoulders when he adds, “ That or I can tuck you in next to him, a cute little side by side situation, just two corpses chillin’ in a dumpster. Your call. “

It felt like forever - as she held her breath, somewhat regretting that she had chosen this dumpster out of all the ones that had to be available. She did her best to keep her composure in tact, commending herself on the back for being a wonderful actress if she could pull this stunt off. All she wanted to do was stay alive after all. And it’d be a complete lie to say that she wasn’t wary of the human looking body the guy had wielded. A pit in her stomach was starting to build - the longer she looked and the more she caught a whiff of the stench, the more sickly she felt. 

“Fifty bucks? That’s it?” She frowned at the wad. Even now as a faux homeless person, she couldn’t help but remain spoiled in her ways. She thought about it again, weighing her options “I need a fucking new house, that’s what I need,” she mumbled. She found herself climbing out of the dumpster with her two hands. 

“I’ll take the offer.” She didn’t plan on sharing a space with a corpse at the very least. She wasn’t entertained by the other proposition he suggested. She propped up the dumpster lid, waving her arm for him as if to signal ‘ta da, all yours’ as she scrunched her nose. 

The longer she caught a sniff of herself and the more her eyes kept going to the dead body, the more sickly she felt. Astrid was a hard ass for most things but even she had her limits. She wasn’t planning to help him and found her hands resting on her knees as she looked at the ground for a minute as her stomach started making ocean waves. She couldn’t stop it before she felt the insides turn upward. 

how boring, she nearly blurts. she’s not here to judge, but finding this kind of information is child’s play. it’s almost an insult to her abilities to take this on, but she will because she assumes astrid is well-connected even for a fallen star and gig economies are so unstable even with certain frequent clients. and there are also only so many cheating spouse cases she can handle for her own sanity.  

‘ it should be easy with the bank account. i’ll need a legal name and birthday, ’  she lists like clockwork,  ‘ and the name of the bank she uses. ’  it’s pretty simple information she’s asking for and it makes xo wonder if a location is truly all she wants.  ‘ this is probably none of my business, ’  she starts,  ‘ but is there anything else you want me to look for ? like if she has a whole other kid she’s been hiding or if she’s ever changed her name ? are you going to hunt her down and demand retribution ? like what’s your goal here ? ’

Astrid sighed, “all I can provide you is legal name and birthday. I already checked the bank account and since her disappearance, it was closed shortly.” The woman proceeded to scribble the info on a sheet of paper. “This is all I really have to give you.” She had no clue what happened, it was as if her mother had evaporated into thin air. 

At the follow up question, Astrid paused. There were certainly a multitude of things she would love to have, hell, she would have demanded for it. “I want to know where she funneled the rest of the cash she has,” she clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I know she’s wired a hefty amount from my name to herself before she up and went. Other than the money, I don’t really care that much for her condition.” She muttered, crossing her ankles as she self reflected on the thought again. If she thought about it again and again, no matter what her heart said, her head overpowered. She just needed the money and the rest of it didn’t matter. 

-

The screams made Ren wonder how anyone could go through with having a child.  Even regular crying was too much for them but, this was hell.  “Why the fuck would this be mine?”  They inquired, as though this person would suddenly know the ins and outs of Aizawa Ren, the ex-assassin that currently hid in places as strange as the Black Sun church.  Of course she didn’t.  The kid looked like it could be anyone’s when it’s face was red and tear-stained, eyes squeezed shut as they tried to simultaneously gain her attention as well as theirs.

“Why is it so gross?”  They had trouble imagining themselves like this as a child.  Instinctively, though, they moved away as the child tried to grab at their hair that seemed to have found it’s way out of the hair tie that they had borrowed.  They assumed it had snapped somewhere between the running, the scaling walls and now, entertaining a toddler in a fucking furniture store.  “If this thing shits it’s pants, I’m dropping it,” they warned as though somehow that would effect the very person who had shoved the child into their arms, “Maybe it’s hungry?”

In the most uncomfortable fashion, Ren tried to rub the child’s back but the rhythm was so awkward that they were almost completely sure that they were just making it worse.  They took a few steps forward to grab a random piece of clothing to wipe off the child’s face to at least stop themselves from physically gagging when they looked at it.  “Fuck me, I think we just have to feed it.”  As though the child was some sort of gremlin creature, they assumed food would be an instant fix.  Since she didn’t just exit when the lights dimmed, they realized that her situation might be a little closer to theirs than previously thought, “Is there food anywhere?  You know what, fuck that, we need to find somewhere to hide.  Stock room.  Fitting room.  Staff room, it doesn’t matter but we need to get away from the windows now.”  They adjusted the child on their hip, doing their best to not allow the child to touch their hair in the process.  “Stock room would be somewhere on the edges, we just have to find it.”

“Well you took it, you aren’t exactly dropping it in a bin. So naturally, it’s now yours,” Astrid said, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. At least she wouldn’t be burdened with the hassle of carrying it seeing as it already had made it clear who of the two were preferred. As someone who had long lived for the spotlight of attention, this was one that Astrid was willing to back down for. 

“Wouldn’t know,” she shrugged. It certainly wasn’t her problem and a part of her couldn’t help but be amused by the antics. It was an odd picture really. They looked like they were a dump and the jarring image of them carrying a weeping child only painted something almost unbelievably comedic. “If you drop it, you’re just going to make it worse. I don’t want to do any clean up in case the head cracks,” she said clicking her tongue. She wasn’t so much concerned with the act of what they were suggesting, but more so the aftermath. She could already picture herself sighing. She tilted her head, maybe they were right, the child did seem like it was looking for something or at the very least - wanting. 

If Astrid was capable of finding an exit on her own, she would’ve. But it seemed like the two of these people had become an unwanted package deal. Mentally, she was already groaning. She wanted to leap out of the window and wave goodbye but there were too many outlying risks. So she was stuck with them. Another groan. At the very least if things came to the worst, perhaps she could use the other two as props to fake an identity. “You hold on it while I look.” It wasn’t long before she banged through a door, her eyes quick to check the area in case they needed to evade imminent danger. Shortly they came up to an area that looked like a food court. There were still trays of food resting on counter tops untouched and abandoned since the chaos. Astrid attempted to yank the door open to one of the fridges but it seemed to heavy to pull. Before the stranger could cut in with anything, she used the force of her leg to kick up the handle, breaking whatever lock that had kept it in place. At least the alarms hadn’t gone off. She grabbed whatever she could find, from drinks to pie slices to fruit, her arms were filled with food. It was then that the child finally reached toward her, as if to beckon Astrid that they were indeed, hungry. “I have no idea how to do this,” she admitted. “You wanna do the feeding?”

He frowned, looking at her like she was speaking atlantian. “What do you mean it’s not a person? It’s a stick figure. I didn’t exactly have the time to make it look like Leonardo da Vinci. But, it still has feelings.” He placed the hand over the Stick-y, though there was a hint of amusement sparking up his dark gaze ( oh, he was loving this. of course that Stick-y didn’t have feelings, strictly speaking. it was made of paper and ink - and it was something people might describe as a dummy; it didn’t have its own thoughts or emotions, lacking the spiritual essence that made people people - but, if Xian wanted it to cry or howl to prove a point, it could perform it to perfection. granted, for that he’d have to doodle a throat and a mouth, but… at this point it was just little details he failed to mention - just as he failed to mention its greatest weakness. ).

“That is hardly the full extent of it.” He deigned to look offended, but he was happy to see that she wasn’t going to kick him in the shin for ordering Stick-y to climb up her arm. “Look, I tried just telling you - and showing you the tattoo, but you insisted to see what I can do.” He reasoned, but he understood why she wanted - or better said needed - the proof. Xian couldn’t help, but to chuckle at her words. “Don’t worry, I know you well enough to know you’ll never warm up to me enough to call me a friend, and that’s alright.” He didn’t really mind them being acquaintances - for obvious reasons he shied away from having too many friends, and she wasn’t exactly the safest person to befriend.

He frowned, returning to the present and rounding their surrounding with a quick, but thorough, gaze. “You’re right.” Xian agreed and returned his gaze to hers; “My office is nearby. It’s the last place anyone would look and the building is empty at this hour. you might be safe there and you can always… uh… ghost out the window if we hear someone coming to the door.” He offered.

Astrid’s face was scrunched between a look of bewilderment and irritation, as if she couldn’t piece together the so called logic he spouted. “You’ve officially lost your mind,” eyeing the thing that he was talking about with skepticism and semi aversion. She didn’t want to see whatever he could do with it, Astrid V Kuo didn’t have the time for it. 

“Well you can shove your tattooed hand somewhere else because I’ve seen enough for today,” she said with a quick clap of her hands, dismissing the creature yet again. And she was content that he got the memo from her tone of voice. Perhaps she trusted him just an inch more but it still didn’t make up for everything that had occurred in the past. She still held some rather bitter grudges against him, especially with the headlines and the columns written in her name that had been infuriating at the time. 

“Of course I’m right,” she said with a sigh, looking around again to check if there were any sentinels. She would’ve flown away at this point but it’d be dangerous if she went in the wrong direction and was accidentally scanned or noticed. It would have been better if she strictly proceeded by foot. At his suggestion she threw him another look, “your office? Why would that place be safe?” She never really liked it in the first place and it didn’t sound like the most logical solution. “Like hell I can just zippity zap like that, who knows what kind of cameras are installed in your area. If anything, I think I’ll be heading to the scrap yard. Most people don’t like the trash bin.” But she had become an exception to it. 

present : @ghcstmcth​​, 13th november 2180, somewhere in sinner’s district, near what looks like a, surprisingly clean, public restroom in the park. outside, small bulbs of red guttering on strings from pole to pole in the area, save for a section where the wires look to have snapped and a pole bent at an angle.

Under the cover of darkness, Jin is the image of a Madhouse Renegade on the hunt for blood. But the truth is far from the devious portrait of dangerous rebel. In Jin’s eyes, they were doing good for the people, fighting for what’s right and for the amendments to the state that the government must implement. And one of those things on the top of their list of ameliorations to the human condition is the right to live, both humans and night monsters. 

It is with that thought that Jin stalks even the laneways of Sinner’s District using their keen sense of hearing to lead them on or hide when necessary. They look at the time and see that hours have passed and sunrise is just that much closer. They cannot—will not relent, especially not now as they catch sight of a broken light pole. An indication that the stray night monster is close, they hope against all hope.

But there is no other trail they can follow at the feet of the pole. Still, just as they decide to move on, they hear a dissonant sound coming from the restrooms nearby, a brassy noise like someone hitting a door. Jin’s eyes light at the thought of finally finding them, finally calling the race as they enter the small structure. “Hello?” they call out, hastily opening each stall until they hit one with a woman squatting over a toilet scrolling through her phone. “What the actual fuck?!”

Astrid had victoriously thought she scored by her selection of hiding places. She had wholly believed that nobody would ever bother checking the toilets at a time like this. She had double checked that nobody else was present before deciding to settle down in the space. She knew there was also a small window, a perfect alternative route to escaping if necessary. But for now, she was content keeping her head low where she did. 

Who knew squatting in a toilet stall could get so boring? At first she had twiddled her thumbs, telling herself it would be better not to check the news. But it wasn’t long before the silence of her own mind was starting to drive her insane and so she caved. She was in the midst of scrolling, admiring the newest racing suit - hell, it was discounted too. Just as she was about to press the purchase button, the stall was rudely open. 

Her eyes met the stranger and rather than being embarrassed, all that she returned was a scowl. “What do you mean ‘what the actual fuck?’ Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock. If you were here a moment sooner I would’ve been pissing and that would have been awkward,” a smooth lie that fell from her tongue. This wasn’t the first time Astrid had to pull a stint like this. Rather, this reminded her of the time when she was being chased by a gaggle of fans and had no choice but to hide within the bathroom until her manager showed up to the rescue. 

when: november 13, 2180; the streets grow emptier still – a man walks them, unbothered, while cleaning blood from his hands where: yet another alleyway because my characters a fucking freak who: @ghcstmcth

SO LITTLE TIME has passed since the sirens hit the air, shrill and echoing through the cities streets, and yet Ujin had accomplished so much. He had devoured the questionables, had reaped the suspects – he reigned down fury tooth and nail, less for the sake of the Emperors commands and more for his own taste for insanity, for slaughter, a knack for fear mongering. He had torn holes in the safe havens throughout the little world they all found themselves living in, his orders clear; search and destroy.

Then he quickly grew bored of the mission, after horrifying and terrorizing the innocents with little return or leads for the sought after monster he climbed to the top of a building. There he stood, fingertips raw, his nails cracked and peeling, and shrugged before tearing down into the streets once more, this time with a thirst for blood that could be sated by any passerby or unfortunate soul. 

And reap he did.

Not even a half hour later he pauses to kick stray gore from his shoe, hands rubbing against his black pants to get rid of some of the excess blood, fingers stained red as he shifts his weight. He sighs slightly before kneeling over and grabbing the arms of the corpse to his left, picking it up and throwing it over his shoulder, at first wandering around with it on his person, a playful tune whistling past his lips, before hanging a sharp turn into the closest alleyway. He peers around a moment more, looking for a pile of debris or heap of trash to dispose of the deadweight when his eyes settle on a dumpster. He takes a few steps towards it, his eyes trailing in the dark, watching his feet when he hears a loud bang.

Then another clatter followed by a sharp clang, his eyes divert, his steps pausing as his gaze catches on the dumpster he was bounding towards, the lid flipped open, propped against the brick of the wall behind it. He steps slightly closer, neck craning, eyes squinted as he catches the figure of a head popped out of the lip of the dumpster, a body ( still living, he notes ) barely visible among the trash. Ujin pauses, a confused expression contorting on his face, eyebrows drawn together, a sort of morbid curiosity when he unpauses the wringing of his hands, blood spattered on his arms and face, he shifts the weight of the body over his shoulder and says, “ Fucking… hello? ”

Fuck dignity and screw reputation. If Astrid had learned anything since her fall from grace, it was the fact that she lost the patience to give a damn. What she did for herself was now entrenched one school of thought: survival. And so, when things came to their worst - that was how Astrid Kuo found herself dumpster diving. It wasn’t like many people would bother her in the garbage unless they were homeless themselves. It was almost comedic seeing the woman throw herself in given that she spent a couple minutes surveying which one would suit her best. The three requisites that came into play with choosing the right dumpster was the size, shape and smell. 

The dumpster was surprisingly more comfortable than she had expected. It was the padding from all the bags that made it cushier then she had thought possible. She had almost dozed off until she heard the sound of footsteps outside. While her original intention had been to be slick, it only resulted in the bang of her foot slipping against the large container. 

At this point she felt herself sinking into the trash and she too forgot about her powers in that moment, grabbing onto what she could, cussing at the sounds that were surely going to attract attention. After all, it wasn’t normally this loud in a typically abandoned alley way. By the time she had managed to lift herself through it all, with her head bumping against the top - she was greeted with an unfamiliar image of a stranger. But her eyes were quick to access the blood splatters that were decorated on him like badges. By the look of his demeanor and face, it wasn’t his. Ah, so she was dealing with someone potentially dangerous. 

Well, if she had learned anything from her years of dealing with famous people and the likes. Danger’s natural enemy was crazy. So if it meant keeping her neck attached, Astrid would play the role as brilliantly as she could. She wouldn’t dare show off her powers or gloat, no, with the dirt and everything else on her face - she was the spitting image of a trash raccoon. 

Sukja found the woman’s questions peculiar and intriguing; costs and food.  She didn’t sense the same fear that ran through the veins of the rest of the city. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind: Was this the monster the sentinels were seeking? Attempting to blend in with the rest of the citizens scrambling for cover. “Yes. If we don’t have enough for all, I’ll provide you something personally. It seems you need it.” At the very least, it’d be an excuse to probe her behavior a bit more. She chose her next words carefully, thickening the tone of secrecy as they crawled closer to the church’s doors. “We have been left alone thus far, I can only hope that remains the same for the next few hours; but I believe the chances are good. However should you feel safer with extra precautions, I can arrange that too.”

“Wow,” she liked the sound of that. “Who are you?” She asked, her facial expressions mixed with both awe and dramatic flair. The woman surely had to be somewhat of important rank to be able to willy nilly give out food and promises like that. Either that or she was a shitty liar. Astrid was prayer for the former given that she really was hungry. Her mind was already summoning a variety of images, her daydreaming could already draw the drool from her lips. But it wasn’t until the sound of her voice again that cut through Astrid’s wild imagination. “...Left alone?” She looked at the woman with confusion. “Extra precautions?” Her eyes widened. 

It wasn’t everyday that he saw that look on Astrid’s face - in fact, as far as his memory serves him, he was certain he’d never seen it before; and he didn’t doubt he’d never see it again. If the sirens weren’t still blaring around them, he would’ve found the situation comical - especially once she waved her hand in the air above the Stick-y and its perfectly circular head. His lips twitched, threatening a light smile to bloom on his face, but he managed to rein it in just in time as she dropped his creation to the floor and started pacing around like a caged animal.

He was always mindful of his creations - his children, so to speak, and so he quickly bent over, extending his palm for the paper-man to hop on. Xian placed it in the small pocket on the front of his shirt, close to his heart - standing up just in time to hear her kick the bin. Another smile threatened to bloom on his lips and glancing down at the restless figurine in his pocket, he offered it a small chuckle. “Do you think we shocked her, hm?” He cooed, his index finger gently tapping the Stick-y’s head.

Now what? Well… he didn’t really think it through that far. He was convinced she wouldn’t believe him - or listen to him in the first place. “Now what? Nothing, I guess. Just wanted to let you know my apology’s sincere· and that I’m not making this into any story, for obvious reasons. And maybe I wanted to let you know you’re not… all alone in this.”

This wasn’t a situation that Astrid enjoyed, nevertheless she didn’t enjoy it when she wasn’t the one gloating. To make it even more infuriating was the fact that he hadn’t technically done anything just yet to incite her usual physical ire. One hand rested on her waist as the other was balled up like a fest, resting against her forehead as she attempted to make sense of everything. Sure it gave her more assurance than before but did she like it? Not particularly. 

She had never considered Xian anything more than a necessity to her career, and even now she was too stubborn to change her mind. When her eyes shot toward him, she caught the ghost of a smile dancing across his visage and her nose scrunched upward in irritation. She didn’t like giving anyone any sense of satisfaction or triumph over her and definitely not him. “Don’t talk to it like it’s a person, that’s fucking weird,” she said aloud, looking at him as if he were out of his mind. 

The furrow of his brow indicated he did not recognize the term ‘mall cop,’ however, Luca was not interested enough to ask. Not about something coming from her. Unless the topic revolved around the speeding machines she obsessed about, her one track mind did not usually have much else to offer. And so, ignoring her question, and her attitude as most people ought to do, he took the spare part she handed him. With clear disinterest his hand rotated the object in his hand, assessing if he’d much rather drop it. 

“Who would have thought, that first time we met, that you would rummage around for scraps like a rat,” he said, allowing an amused smile to touch the corner of his lips, “I don’t want a neighbor as much as you don’t want my life.” 

He leaned on the wall. His eyes never leaving her, hungry as they were to watch every crumb of misery she so stubbornly hid under bravado and spite. For someone raised in the softness of the city, she had a spark he was curious to observe. Spectator to her fall, seeking not to miss the moment where she either broke or was forced to rise. 

Luca was not one to add difficulty upon others, at least it was not usually his intention to, given the struggles he saw people face every day, yet something about Astrid always pushed him past that unwritten rule of his. The spare part clattered on the concrete floor with a sound that clearly meant it would at least have a dent. 

“Oops. It slipped.”

Astrid couldn’t help but laugh, her head quick to snap in his direction as she cocked a brow, “you didn’t know me well enough then. This is nothing,” she scoffed. While she had been living life extravagantly wealthy, she was always keen to go looking for car parts in the ugliest wrecks. It just so happened to be easier now that her schedules were left open and free. “Didn’t you ever learn to share?” She rummaged through more stuff, tossing the ones that she deemed useless to another part of the rubble. 

While most would have been uncomfortable with the gaze, Astrid was used to eyes watching her every move and thus she happily carried on. She was surrounded by things that brought her comfort. While she was a celebrity, Astrid had never been one to play princess. She was more than just a pretty thing to put on a pedestal, and given her athleticism, the proof was in the record itself. 

At the sound of the clang, Astrid’s attention was brought back to him again. He always had a way of unnerving her one way or another. And yet, he had the emotional capability of rubber itself. She got up, grabbing the part again, dusting it off. While it had hit, the damage wasn’t enough to be unusable. 

“You have one job, c’mon L, I thought you were better than this,” she tsked - keeping her cool. She knew she couldn’t get to him like she did others. But there was a part of her that was itching to see him feel, to budge. 

She returned to the rummaging, chucking one thing after another haphazardly behind her. But one particular spare part had a set target, it flew from her hand swiveling and spinning directly at the Zombie Rat right at the groin. Astrid covered her mouth with faux concern on impact, stifling the urge to burst out laughing.  

Closed starter for @ghcstmcth​

Timestamp: moments after the sirens began

Location: A bar in Millions Square

The night had been young when Kaz emerged from her apartment, decked out in her finest clothes. In truth, they weren’t hers. Everything she was wearing had been generously donated by the previous owner of her home, but it fit, and she knew she looked good in them. The kind of person who belonged in the casinos of Millions Square, with more money than sense and happy to show it off. It was perfect for her intentions, to create a false sense of who she was to lull any potential competitors into a false sense of security, before emptying their pockets with a cheerful smile on her face. 

Now they were essentially locked down, however, she couldn’t help but wish she had chosen something else, anything else, to wear. When the sirens started, she had dashed into the nearest bar. It was a dingy place, not like her usual haunts, and not at all equipped for making money. That made her itch. She had to find her thrills somewhere, and if not on the roulette wheel, then she would make them herself. 

Light fingers dipped into the nearest pocket, closing around the wallet there and lifting it expertly. It had been a long time since she had resorted to petty thefts like pickpocketing, but needs must. It was small potatoes compared to her usual money-making tactics, but the little flutter of excitement was still there as she made off with her prize. She ducked behind a pillar, making sure the owner couldn’t see her, before opening it, looking in to examine the insides. Once she had opened it, though, her excitement quickly faded. The leather was poorly made, and clearly cheap, and there wasn’t a single note to be found inside. Her lucky charms were clearly firing on the wrong cylinders tonight. 

“Excuse me,” she called out, moving from her hidey hole and approaching her victim. With a touch of impatience, she tossed the wallet on the table in front of the other woman. “You need this more than I do, you know. What’s the point of even bringing a wallet out with you if you’ve got nothing to put in it?” 

Astrid had did her best to blend in through the chaos, keeping her head low and praying that she went unnoticed. And by some odd turn of events she had found herself in a dingy bar. The dilapidated walls and worn out furniture really screamed garbage dump. But it was perfect at a time like this given that it wasn’t the sort of place that would draw unnecessary attention. 

She had thought she had done a brilliant chance hiding. It wasn’t until the voice of another woman entered her ears did she tsk. But it wasn’t the words that fell from her lips that left her agape - no, it was the clothes. She recognized the top, the pants, even the accessories. A part of her was irritated but another part was nevertheless impressed. Whoever she was, she had skills. Though it should have been the wallet itself that signaled her abilities. The speed racer hadn’t even felt the thing being pulled from her pant pocket until now. 

 She turned to look at the stranger again, examining her. Astrid was quick to crinkle her nose as she squinted at the outfit. Damn, of all the clothes that she picked - she chose the ones that were from last season. “You know, if you were going to steal clothes, there are better ones than that,” her finger pointing at the getup. “I would know,” she said with an egotistical smile, bringing an index finger to her lips as if to say hush hush, “because those are mine. I was a pretty big deal,” she sighed, glancing over at the item the woman slid to her. 

She took the wallet into her hands, laughing a bit. “I thought it looked cool, I mean the snake texture feels real? So I took it. I lost my actual wallet sadly, I have no idea where that thing went,” she shrugged. It was an understatement to say that she was a mess. But a part of Astrid had already long given up giving a fuck. 

When she looked at him, as if trying to piece together each part to create a fragmented whole, Charles nearly forgot who he was pretending to be. Once crowned king, now, he was someone faceless: regarded by a former celebrity as though he was nothing. It was, to say the least, humbling. You look familiar. The hesitation made him sigh— he knew for a fact that he’d introduced himself to Astrid twice, thrice if he counted the time that he’d arrived at the races drunk and congratulated her messily when she stepped out of her car— but he had clearly made no impression. “Charles Rivas,” he supplied. Had she of stayed in the limelight, he’d of sponsored her races, using his newfound love of racing as an excuse to catapult himself into familiarity with the other members of the elite who similarly enjoyed the sport.

But instead, she’d of fallen from grace, cast out of favour as a result of the mark that made her more alike to him than she realized. He’d meant to keep an eye on her, but she had done a good job at staying out of sight. “Take me with you.” He eyed the bike, wondering now if he simply wanted a turn on a fast ride. It would have been the easiest way to outrun the sentinels, but also to get close to the monster. “I know where we can go. Somewhere safe.” A crash and a shout from a few streets over indicated the proximity of his target, punctuating his poorly formed plan. His face formed in the same way that he’d seen the other elite look as they ran out of the casino. “Come on, let’s go.”

Charles Rivas. It sounded familiar. She repeated his name again and again, as if she was attempting to jog her memory. By some miracle, the name set off a lightbulb in her head. Rivas, wasn’t he some new kind of money guy? The thought of cash dollars made Astrid’s eyes glitter. She was getting tired of living her life in a semi shit hole. Maybe if she played her cards right, she could get something shiny out of it. And thus, Astrid composed herself. She’d play nice. She always did whenever she wanted something. 

His proposition was good enough for her. While she wasn’t used to being easily agreeable, she had multiple thoughts in her head that were encouraging her to take the chance. “Alright, just don’t do anything stupid,” she said nonchalantly. Well, he could if he wanted but she wouldn’t bat an eye on throwing him off the damn ride. Though something told her that he wouldn’t be the type to get in her way. “Hop on and make your directions clear,” she paused, “please.” Throwing in the word in hopes that it would make her sound less like a prick. 

She gripped the handles, foot strategically placed on the pedal ready whenever he got on. “Left, right? Where we going?” If they were truly screwed, at the very least she could fly off when push came to shove. The gamble seemed worth it. 

-

Ren had thought they were thinking logically when they entered the store.  Their thought process had been to stay where the store was more crowded, where they could get lost within the aisles and not be noticed.  They would have a short window, though, especially given their current budget which was nothing.  They couldn’t make any purchases even if they wanted to.  Which, by the look of what the store had to offer, they would probably pass even if they had the amount of money that they had tragically left behind.

They had also miscalculated how many people would be in the store.  So far, they saw one vaguely familiar person and as Ren stepped forward to ask her for the time, they felt something grip their leg.  They didn’t exactly look themselves, they weren’t even a little bit put together, not to mention the injury their leg had sustained.  But, when they glanced down at what pulled gently at their leg, Ren stared at the child.  Puzzled, they looked up to see her move away.

“No.  No, come get your kid.”  They mouthed a ‘what the fuck’ as they tried to move their leg away from the child which only caused it’s shrieks to worsen, to a point that even Ren flinched a little bit.  “Just turn it off.  Or, whatever.  Make it stop.”

Everything happened so quickly that Astrid was short circuiting in her responses. She threw them a dirty look, taking offense that they would think she would spawn such an annoying looking creature. “Not my kid, you sure it isn’t yours?” Even though she said spat out her rebuttal with finesse and ease, the crying little shit still wasn’t shutting up. At this rate the two would be caught by the patrol force. Against all that she stood for, Astrid attempted to pluck the child up. 

“Wish this came with an instruction manual,” she held the child by the armpits as its snot began to drip down from its nose. Her apparent disgust was shown immediately. But to her surprise, the child pulled away from her, instead showing preference for their hair instead. A part of her couldn’t help but gloat, “looks like they like your hair.” She gladly shoved the thing into their arms. They child was still sniffling and sobbing. She needed to find something to shut it up and she looked around the department store to see if there was something she could use. 

And that’s when she found a toy car. She remembered her own childhood when she loved it. She gave it to the kid but to her dismay, the brat threw it onto the ground throwing her the stankiest eye she had ever seen. “If it wasn’t a child,” she seethed, imagining the numerous ways she would have dealt with it. The lights were starting to dim and it was a sign that the building would eventually be locked down soon. Shit, if they were locked in, there would be no time to escape the next day and at that point, she’d be caught and thrown into jail. Their time was limited. Just as she was accessing the situation, the child proceeded to shriek louder. “Do something!” she hissed at them.