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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 6, 2013 20:30:52 GMT -8
{OOC} Because writing Vespyr/Open Felt like tempting fate XD {OOC}
Fullerton.
One of the last few 'Wild Frontiers' of California. Neutral Territory under no law but whatever one can enforce themselves. One would think this meant a chance to see the spirit of man unchained by the conventions of society. A sort of noble savagry as human nature is laid bare in all it's beauty. At least that was what all the books said. Unfortunatly the reality of the situation was far more ugly and brutal. Alone, a person becomes scared. So they band together with other scared people. Scared people tended to be paranoid, unreasonable, petty and violent and the Neutral territories were chock full of scared people.
Perched atop of a window sill of the First Lutheran Churches sole bell tower, Marcus Prasad looked about himself, sharp brown eyes peircing the quiet night as he pulled a knee up to his chest and sighed. Even a damn good run couldn't shake the feeling of restlessness that had him wound up tighter than a drum. He felt caged in, by what he did not know. Mabey it was wanderlust. Mabey he felt walled in by his responsibilities to the City of Anaheim?
Or was it just a bad case of gas?
Crickets chirp, rats scuttled, bats shared the airspace with owls and the world kept on turning. Pulling himself out of his temporary funk, the Man slowly but surely began to climb down from the tower and began walking along the churches rooftop. The night was still young. No point wasting it navel gazing. Time to see what the night had in store for him.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 4:13:34 GMT -8
I'm so excited to be here.
A young man stands in the street. His name is Tah Savage, but it might as well be anything, because no one will probably bother to ask him his name. What does this young man look like?
He's a lean, tall, but mostly average boy of about nineteen. He wears plain black clothes because everything else just seems to scream "I WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK AT ME." He keeps his straight blonde hair swept to one side because he can't be bothered to do anything else with it. His drab olive-green eyes seem to stare at everything with a glaze of dissatisfaction over them. The lack of an expression on his pale face says, "I don't have expectations about anything ever. I live in a basement with a bunch of stray dogs, some cages of cannibalistic rabbits, a handful of diseased raccoons, and a mountain lion missing one of its eyes. I don't have time for this shit."
He's a champion at passive-aggression, but not much else. He lives in a basement with a bunch of stray dogs, cannibalistic rabbits, diseased raccoons, and a sorry-looking one-eyed wildcat. Rogues call him the Puppykeeper, i.e. he's in charge of collecting and raising dogs for the sole purpose of sacrificing to Vespyr's morbid whims. She has a lot of morbid whims. Tah gets to hear them in action nearly every day because the torture room is right next to the basement where he lives with a bunch of dirty animals.
He doesn't get much sleep.
Night had fallen. Tah only noticed this because it got a little colder, and he wished he'd brought a jacket or something. But he didn't. Oh well.
A light shiver tensed the boy's shoulders every thirty seconds or so as he walked, a fistful of leashes in his fist. The dogs pulled him onward so he didn't even have to focus on his task anymore; he stared at the ground as he walked, deaf to the sound of their panting by now, not even sure where he was or if it mattered.
Something excited the dogs. There were three of them, all big and plenty excitable: a rottweiler, a great dane, a german shepard. Hot spit flicked from their lolling tongues and rolled from their sharp fangs, their maws agape, ravenously salivating at the scent of another animal. Their heavy paw-steps sped up in unison as they drew nearer to the source, muscled necks tugging at the leash. Tah glanced up at the dogs and then let his dim green gaze pan up to the shadowed street ahead. He couldn't see anything, but the dogs could evidently smell something, or they wouldn't be acting like such bastards. He tugged back on the reigns and unclipped them, releasing the three bounding beasts into the night. They thundered away and disappeared into a nearby alley, raising a storm of howls. Yelps.
The dogs came thundering back. In the large maw of the great dane, a smaller mutt hung trembling by the scruff of its neck. It bled a little, but nothing too serious, Tah gleaned as he reached down to handle the animal with cold scrutiny. He slid an extra collar and leash down from his arm and clipped it around the new dog's neck, then set the poor thing on the ground and began tying up his three hunting dogs again.
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 8, 2013 20:00:12 GMT -8
The young white haired dog whisperer would aquire a shadow halfway through the night as Marcus caught sight of the boy, more the dogs fault than his own, and overcome with curiosity began to follow him at a respectable distance along the rooftops, leaping down from the single story buildings to cross parking lots and streets only to virtualy run back up the next one that stood in his path.
The dogs were beauts, well muscled and healthy which put a smile on the man's face before a small question popped up in his head.
'What's he feeding them then? Most dogs I see are scrawny as hell and covered in mange. Wonder where he gets the meat from.'
The Dogs seemed to catch a scent, sending a thrill up the mans spine as he watched them pull at the leash. Half expecting to see the young man be taken for a ride, instead his eyebrows touched his bangs as he watched the Dogs be released and sent off until they rounded a corner and out of sight.
'Ah. So they hunt then.'
He mused as he watched the most extrordinary thing happen. Without any signal or command, the Dogs returned with what looked like a 'kill' in the maw of the Geat Dane and to Marcus' surprise, the bundle of fur and flesh wiggled and squirmed! A Puppy? They caught themselves a puppy?!!!?!?!?
How Cute!
As the boy Pulled out a leash and brought the puppy into line, Marcus nodded his head and came to a decision. He was going to offer the boy a job! Since the great fall, Many family pets were made into strays and multiplied like crazy in the city. What Marcus needed was an Experianced Dog catcher, and there was plenty of land to give the pooches enough space to run and well......Be dogs!
Slipping down from the roof, Marcus would manouver around the city streets and get ahead of the small pack before rounding a corner and revealing himself, still maintaining a comfortable distance. Last thing he needed was to scare the boy off or provoke him into setting the dogs on him which would be a perfectly reasonable responce to being accosted by a large hairy man clad in a black bomber jacket in the middle of the night on a deserted street.
"Hallo there kiddo. If you don't mind me taking a moment of your time, I have something of a proposition for you."
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 8, 2013 20:33:09 GMT -8
Tah glanced up at the man's calling, and then glanced with meager hope to his left and right, and over his bony shoulder to see if there was anyone else the stranger could possibly be addressing. Of course there wasn't. The young man mustered up a slightly disdainful sigh and turned his disinterested gaze forward again.
"You can have a moment." he said in a flat, monotone voice that was laced with the most subtle twinge of impatience. Tah buckled the clip on that last hound's collar and straightened up, lifting a limp hand to flick the blonde bangs away from his stern green eyes. The three hunting dogs stood coldly quiet before him with their reigns trailing back to the young man's loosely clenched fist. Hot huffs of rancid breath clouded in front of their muzzles in the crisp evening air. |
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 8, 2013 23:28:45 GMT -8
'A moments all I need young man.'
Marcus thought to himself. Judging by the kids tone and facial expression, he was going to have to sell this one hard and fast. Most people wouldn't have noticed the boys complete and utter desire to be anywhere but here. The facial twitches, the tone of voice. Marcus on the other hand built his fighting career on being able to read people and for this boy, the direct approach would be needed.
"It's simple. Packs of Wild dogs have taken root in My city and after seeing how you handle your pack, I think you just might be the man I'm looking for. Are you interested in a job?"
He spoke amicably, putting on his best showman smile.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 9, 2013 1:25:22 GMT -8
The expressionless expression on Tah's face didn't change a bit as he listened to the stranger's proposition in utter silence. He lifted his leash-bearing hand a few inches higher so the man would clearly see it, even though it was already fairly obvious that he was holding the leashes; a gesture meant only to emphasize his point, which was:
"Clearly i have my hands full of dogs. Sir. A lot of dogs and not a lot of time."
Tah was the inherently tentative type, but he was also a very smart young man. He knew better than to let a deal be sold that quickly. Not without negotiation. Of course, the reward was already fairly obvious: more dogs. He always needed more dogs. But dogs he could get with or without this stranger's request; because the man had requested his help, it was going to take a little bit more to sway him.
"If you compensate my time somehow, we might have a deal." Tah said, his tone neutral. |
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Rina Vade
Adept
"In battle, saving lives is just as important as taking them."
Posts: 230
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Post by Rina Vade on Feb 9, 2013 14:00:07 GMT -8
OOC - *buts in* Hi guys~
This side of the city was overrun by animals. Humans lived alongside them in the filth, struggling to stay alive. Rina had seen enough and had decided to return to her home, but the sounds of barking dogs made her pause.
They were the barks of a hunt.
It had been a very long time since she'd heard such calls. Most of the mangy strays around here were scrawny and weak, scavenging for food.
Interested, she followed the sound. A caw overhead made her smile and look up. The raven she had mentally connected with swooped low as it followed her. She had named him Scyth, and the bird went with her wherever she went. She was using the roofs of buildings to get from place to place, and as she came to the area she had heard the dogs in, she stopped, surprised as she heard Marcus's voice.
Crouching at the edge of a building, she looked down to see the said man and someone else, a boy, standing in front of him. When they fell silent, she spoke, "Hey Marcus. Fancy meeting you here."
The raven fluttered to her shoulder.
CAW!
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 10, 2013 23:00:06 GMT -8
{OOC} Daaaaaaaamn! Sweet ass Pic yo!  {OOC} "If you compensate my time somehow, we might have a deal."And let the games begin! Scratching at his beard, Marcus pursed his lips and let out a thoughtful grunt. "Natch, huh. Hows this? Permanent housing for you and your pups, with enough real estate to let them run around some. You'll need supplies, that we can provide as well as security for you and yours. Guard dogs'll be in high demand as well so More like than not other people will be commin' to you to take your surplus, for a price I would assume. That means more income for ya kiddo Cause I'm looking at your pack right now and I have to admit they would even give a guy like me cause for concern." "Hey Marcus. Fancy meeting you here." Marcus immediatly blinked upon hearing the voice. He KNEW that voice! "Rina?" He asked looking up at the young girl. Sure enough, he recognized the face too! Unfortunatly she couldn't have come at a worse time. Marcus may not have been full blooded Indian, but he took business just as seriously as one. Reunion hugs were going to have to wait. Marcus raised a finger to the young raven haired girl. "Hold that thought darlin, I got something to take care of here and I'll be right with you." He then turned his head back to the boy, watching him, analyzing him. He had one hell of a poker face to be sure, but there were other ways to keep tabs over ones mental landscape and Marcus made his career on knowing them. |
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 10, 2013 23:22:09 GMT -8
Tah listened to the man's offer, and then slowly shook his head without hesitation.
"No deal. Current employer's got dibs on the dogs and i've already got a place to stay." he explained, shamelessly turning down the deal. Vespyr would never allow it, anyhow, and Tah knew better than to test her patience. The deep claw scars on his cheek were a reminder of that.
"If you'll excuse me, sir, i'll be on my way now." the young man politely insisted in a rather drab tone. He turned his disinterested green gaze over to the girl on the rooftop for a moment, regarding her emotionlessly, his attention caught more by the tamed bird on her shoulder. Huh.
Lightly shaking the handful of leashes, Tah urged the hounds onward in the direction he was already headed, which would mean approaching the stranger to pass him in the street. Tah would do so dauntlessly but with a humble glance at him to avoid seeming like an upstart or anything that might get his ass handed to him. He learned his lesson a long time ago in high school: keep your disdain to yourself and you might get away with just a few scratches. |
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 11, 2013 0:05:41 GMT -8
Marcus simply favored the boy with a respectful nod. There were plenty of ways Marcus could have turned it around, but the lad already made it clear that he wouldn't be paid in dogs, which told him that he was either an increadible bluff (Which he could easily believe) or business was good enough not to warrent new hunting grounds. It wouldn't be good to push then and look desperate, working under the same principle of never overextending your blows.
"Aight. That's cool."
Marcus then stepped aside, Allowing the boy and his pack to pass him by, resisting the urge to reach out and try and pet one of the dogs. Marcus knew damn well from thier body language that they weren't exactly the friendly type and the last thing he wanted to do was to put himself into a position where he would have to hurt a dog. Marcus LOVED dogs.
Looking up at Rina, the man would give a shrug as if saying 'Ya win some, you lose some' as the boy passed him by.
"One question though, If I may. Hypotheticaly, if I had asked you to make an initial offer, what would you have asked for? I find myself curious."
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Rina Vade
Adept
"In battle, saving lives is just as important as taking them."
Posts: 230
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Post by Rina Vade on Feb 12, 2013 4:43:25 GMT -8
Looking down on the two, Rina settled back into her crouch, complying with Marcus's terms. She didn't want to be rude, after all. The raven on her shoulder chuckled and clacked his beak, fluttering his wings a little.
"Hush, Niveus." Rina muttered, gently stroking the bird atop his black head. He calmed down and blinked his dark eyes. She continued to watch the exchange between Marcus and the boy with the dogs, blue eyes slightly curious, though she didn't say anything nor move. As they apparently finished speaking to one another and began to part ways, she jumped down to ground level and headed toward Marcus, but stopped as he asked the boy one last question.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Or did it?
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 12, 2013 4:44:46 GMT -8
Tah stopped, turning his attention back to the stranger. The dogs didn't notice and plodded along for a few moments until the collars tightened at their throats, giving the lanky boy a slight jerk. He only seemed to consider the question for a few seconds before he'd found his answer. A very definite answer.
"Chocolate." [/color] [/blockquote][/size] |
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Post by Marcus Prasad on Feb 15, 2013 19:37:47 GMT -8
The boys answer seemed to have struck Marcus dumb, who simply stared at him with a mixture of surprise and awe with mouth agape. Slowly but surely though, a single bark of laughter would erupt from his mouth, then another, and another before the barks joined together into a staccato stream of laughter.
Slapping his knee, Marcus doubled over, eyes closed tightly with Mirth.
After his little fit was done, he jabbed a finger in the young man's direction.
"Know what? I like you kiddo. Chocolate, fuck I would kill for some of the sweet stuff myself. Names Marcus, What's yo-"
It came out of nowhere, stealing from a darkened strip mall parking lot like ink against black paper. A Massive hairy shape that moved like a blur, catapulting itself into Marcus and slamming him through a long abandoned Burger shack with a sickening crunch.
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Rina Vade
Adept
"In battle, saving lives is just as important as taking them."
Posts: 230
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Post by Rina Vade on Feb 16, 2013 8:47:13 GMT -8
OOC - I'mma take a few liberties here. Dunno if that thing attacking you Marcus is actually trying to kill you or not, so correct me if I'm wrong.
The boy's answer to his question sent Marcus into a fit of laughter that had Rina grinning slightly. She shifted her back onto her heels and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched their exchange.
"Know what? I like you kiddo. Chocolate, fuck I would kill for some of the sweet stuff myself. Names Marcus, What's yo-"
Whatever it was that tackled Marcus into the storefront window behind him, Rina didn't care. If Marcus was injured, she was going to kill it. Sending Niveus ahead of her, Rina strode forward, listening for the caw of her bird. It's call came out, sharp and piercing. Rina paused as it returned and landed on her shoulder. The store was dark and she'd rather not go in blind...
"Marcus!" she called, then paused, listening.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 16, 2013 8:48:47 GMT -8
WHUMP.
CRASH. [/i][/b][/size] Tah didn't move. He didn't even blink. Completely unfazed, the young man simply sighed. Cardinal rule of the streets: never ever, ever, ever, (keep repeating 'ever' for twenty minutes) let your guard down. Not even for a second. Not even for chocolate. As his drab green gaze drifted after the streaking path of the man as he disappeared with a loud crash into a nearby building, Tah let the leashes loose from his right hand with hardly an effort, as his hounds had already lunged forth with their fangs bared at the monster. The three beasts took off after it, leashes trailing behind them like whips as they careened through the wreckage and poured themselves onto the mysterious beast and Marcus with their sharp claws and teeth. It was for the beast's throat they went to first, as trained, and no harm would come to Marcus or Rina except for perhaps the reckless stomping of their heavy paws as they shuffled back and forth trying to snap their jaws at their foe. [/blockquote][/size] |
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{OOC}