CherriBang is here!!! Wooo!

And here, chapter one of my contribution with lovely art from @forbiddentaako <3

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The rain poured down in sheets, hard enough even the streetlights seemed reluctant to reach beyond their glass. The darkness seemed to consume all. Passing cars dwindled to none; nobody wanted to be out in the deluge.

Well, almost nobody.

Rosie found nights like this the best sort of night to do her shopping. She hummed quietly to herself, the pounding rain washing out the sound just as it washed away the blood oozing onto the cobblestone. Her own raincoat was cinched tight and the butcher was far enough from home to excuse any inescapable moisture when she got home - not that she expected Franklin to notice.

She carefully carved away another steak and wrapped it in the waxy cloth she’d brought before tucking it into her already bulging bag. She would have to work on cleaning up soon - after she took the liver. Franklin had asked her for liver and onions this week.

“I do hope you’re not planning to waste that.”

Rosie whipped around and flung her knife at the voice, who twisted to the side. The knife clattered harmlessly to the ground behind him.

She bristled as she stared at the man now standing at the mouth of the alley. How long had he been there? She relied on the element of surprise in her work, and clearly this interloper had some skill if he was able to dodge her attack.

A dark cloth obscured most of his face and the darkness the rest, but Rosie saw something move and thought he must have raised a brow. “Good aim,” he said, turning and picking up the knife. Rosie tensed as he approached, prepared to fight for her life, but he merely offered her the weapon handle first. “My question still stands.”