When you're strange [Saul]

[Delilah A. Black]

An exciting, glorious day, to be sure. Three of the seven Tengu--Cain, Birch and Nigel-- were on their "shore-leave", or so they called it. One day of "required rest" and relaxation that they were all too eager to take up on.

Birch would be walking ahead of this comrades with a slight spring in his step as they traveled up through to Fullerton to take in some of the most contested and last remaining neutral territory left. The handsome blonde man would be singing as he walked, in a manner which many people thought was very, very strange.

"Faces come out in the raaaaiiin! When you're strange! Buh-bowdebowwowwww. No one remembers your name! BOW. When you're strange! When you're strange! When you're...." he grasped a bent over sop sign and swung him self around it in a circle. Nigel and Cain both frowned as he continued to seranade them with the Doors. "--STRAAAAAAAAAAANGE~."

"Why are you even doing that?" the punk looking man sighed in exasperation.

"Because the doors are awesome, that's why! GAW!"

And with that, the three would keep walking, looking left and right for something --anything of interest.

[Saul Kelly]

KeeprunningdonotstopcantstoptheyrebehindyoudontstopohGodohGodohGodohGodohGodohGodrunrunrunrunrunrun

Tearing through the streets, a skeletal boy with ash blond hair ran and ran and ran wearing a pair of teal cut off shorts and a much too large white T-shirt. Charcoal stained the boy's hands and the front of his long, messy hair from pushing it out of his face as he wrote and his bare feet pounded on the asphalt either unaware or disinterested in the damage the debris was causing his feet. As he ran, the manic child screeched and cried out about demons trailing him and for everyone in the area to keep running, though there was no one. The worthy had been saved, and He in His infinite wisdom had chosen to leave young Allen alone.

No one trailed the boy, but he was certain that something was coming after him. Through damaged eyes the boy perceived the sun beating down on the city as warped pavement, looming buildings, and twisted belongings of those who had been so lucky as to be taken into paradise. Allen had left Rogues territory rather conspicuously, though only one person in the territory gave much of a shit. Saul had tried to go after him, but the chase only increased the boy's screaming, and the man had figured the running would tire the child out enough to bring him home to rest.

But now the boy ran further, clutching the slightly-off pocket watch that no one could pry from his hands if they tried. Turning a corner, Allen ran screeching out into the street in near tears to skid to a stop. Before him were 3 devious creatures, clearly there to persuade him off the path of good. Not having that at all, the boy hissed and screeched louder, stumbling back a few feet while trying to look as intimidating as he could at five-and-a-half feet tall.

"Why are you here?! GET AWAY. GET."[/size] he cried, scared tears starting to fall as he continued to chitter and screech at the men.

[Delilah A. Black]

"Didn't there used to be some sort of start up bar around here somewhere?"

"The First burned it down, remember? When she made that bomb when Wolf-pack showed up to help us kill those Barker goons?"

"Oh yeah..."

Birch would stand a few hundred feet ahead with his head cocked to the side, as though listening intently. He was ignored.

"Welp, then I'm at a loss. Maybe we should just head back to the 'Nest and try that Skittles Vodka Heather's so hell bent on making us try."

Nigel snorted derisively. "So, you'll do anything your pair of tits tells you to, huh?"

The man scowled at the large black man, mild fury crossing his angular features. "Don't talk that way about your Sister Crow, BROTHER." he warned, a dangerous tone in his voice. "It's one thing when you talk that way about the First, she doesn't give two shits about what you say, but you don't talk about my girl like that. EVER."

Before Nigel could reply, they had caught up with Birch and could hear the sounds of high pitched, panicked screaming coming from up the street. They exchanged a unified look of worry and started in the direction of the shouting.

A smallish young man turned the corner and he skidded as he stopped, looking up at them as though horrified.

"Why are you here?! GET AWAY. GET."

The three Tengu blinked. And then Birch smiled.

"A day off, my good man, a bit of rambunctious fun for myself and my LUSTY crew! That's what we're doing here!" the handsome blonde man tilted his head to the opposite side, gazing at the young man, positively beaming in unsuppressed delight. Nigel cuffed him upside the head.

"Whoa, kid, take it easy, what are you running from?" the rough looking man with the fallen mohawk and plugs in his ears stepped forward, holding out a friendly hand to the scared young boy. "Let us help you,"

[Saul Kelly]

Allen recoiled, protecting his head as the other man's hand extended towards him, yelping as he backpedaled slightly. "Y-you're LYING," the young man shouted, uncoiling from his protective state. Flailing his free hand in front of him to make a (quite pathetic) attept as dissuading the beings from coming any closer to him. "you don't want to help me! I bet you're one of THEM. They'll be here soon and you KNOW it!" he hissed. To Allen, everything was perfectly clear. Three shadowbeasts stood in front of him, pulsing and swirling and closing in. The idea of them NOT being there to hurt him was a ludicrous one, and something he refused to consider.

But now, so far away from home, he had no one to protect him. The biggest one seemed to keep away the others, but he was not here now. Allen was on his own, with only his own abilities to save him. "What do you want from me?! I WON'T be bad like you. I WON'T."[/size] the little one hissed, though he would be intimidating to absolutely nobody.

[Delilah A. Black]

"Y-you're LYING,"

The three men watched him flail and recoil, continuing to exchange puzzled looks and look at the young man in utter confusion. Birch would raise an eyebrow and gaze at his compatriots, lift a finger to point at the side of his head, and make slow circles meaningfully. Cain and Nigel nodded solemnly.

The boy was insane.

"you don't want to help me! I bet you're one of THEM. They'll be here soon and you KNOW it!"

THAT alarmed them a little. Someone was coming for this boy? Sounded to them like a whole lot of somebodies, though the kid could just be insane. But it wasn't worth leaving anything to chance. Now big, towering Nigel, 230lbs of mahogany muscle stepped towards the young man, looming over him.

"What do you want from me?! I WON'T be bad like you. I WON'T."

"WHO is coming for you?" Nigel rumbled in his deep baritone. "Tell me. Now."

[Saul Kelly]

Allen screeched, toppling back onto his ass as he looked up at Nigel, awe-struck and terrified of the largest figure. Trying to stutter a reply it occurred to the child that even he didn't know who was after him. When he had ran from the Rogues territory, Saul trailing behind pleading with him, Allen had only assumed more shadows would follow. But shadows were fast, almost as fast as him, and none but the ones who loomed over him now had come. Maybe none followed in the first place. No, that was simply impossible.

"I-I don't know! Shadow beasts! You!"[/size] Crawling backwards some, the small boy found a rather pathetic stick, and stood up with authority while wielding it. The attempt was likely laughable to the other men, but Allen remained serious as he valiantly waved the stick in front of himself.

[Delilah A. Black]

"I-I don't know! Shadow beasts! You!"

The trio watched as the young man picked up a stick and attempted to flail it at them in a manner he thought was menacing. They didn't even need to exchange a glance. Nigel's deep brown eyes would continue to bore down into the smaller man's, advancing as Allen retreated to distance himself from the Shadow Beasts.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Birch would make a hissing sound through his teeth behind the brawny black man. "Oooooh SNAP!"

-WHAP-

"Ow."

"Nigel, man, I don't think he meant it like that, I think he REALLY believes--" he reached out to put a placating hand on his friends shoulder only to have it shrugged away.

Nigel advanced rapidly, batting the stick out of the skinny lad's hands if he chose to swing at him with it and hauling him up to eye level by the collar. Yelling in his face.

"YOU CALLIN' ME A 'SHADOW BEAST' CUZ I'M BLACK, SON?"

[Saul Kelly]

Screeching, Allen fell backwards as the demon approached, only to find himself at orb-level with the menace. Screaming louder, now enraged by this breach of his personal space, the child kicked furiously at the shadow, aiming to hit right in the thing's chest with his small, scabbed, and bloody feet.

"YOU CALLIN' ME A 'SHADOW BEAST' CUZ I'M BLACK, SON?"

Allen scrunched his nose, narrowed his eyes, and stared at Nigel like he was utterly retarded. "Uh, yeah, you're ALL black, idiot." Struggling in the man's grasp, the boy wiggled, barely held in place by the oversized T-shirt. Maybe if he could- If he could just-

Dropping down from out of the dress-like shirt, the boy landed in a crouch now sans-shirt. Darting forward, Allen attempted to claw furiously at the beast's ankles before sprinting forward towards the other two men, who as far as the kid could tell were much more manageable. Shrieking all the while, the 90-pound Allen barreled towards Cain and Birch in a terrified rage.

[Delilah A. Black]

The frail little legs of the young man would barely contend to the fluttering of a bird's wings on the barrel like chest of Nigel. Still, he was able to slip his scrawny self out of the shirt and past Nigel before he could grab him again, yelping as sharp nails cut through the skin on his ankles.

Cain and Birch had just enough time to glance incredulously at each-other as the young man flailed towards them. Just as he came within three feet, Birch would lift his leg...and lightly kick the young man in the chest, away from him.

"Darling love, the monster is you~." he chortled wickedly. "The shadow's live inside you. They are a part of you.

We are your darkness, boy."

Cain would look at Birch with an almost concerned expression.

"Why. Do you have to sat shit like that."

He shrugged, grinning broadly, "I don't really think about these things, i just sort of...do."

Nigel, mean while, would round on the pair and stalk forward, glowering.

"Get back here, ya little RUNT."

[Saul Kelly]

Allen would continue running towards Birch and Cain before a swift boot connected with his chest and tossed the small boy onto the ground. Landing with an "ooof" directly on his ass, the boy brushed his hair out of his eyes to shoot Birch a disbelieving gawk. The myriad of imbeciles the boy had encountered over the last few weeks was almost impressive to Allen. How could this much stupid live in such concentration?

"Luckily for you, I'm pretty sure being stupid isn't technically a sin" the boy muttered, rising to his feet. "You will go to hell for everything else you've done though!"

Almost cheerfully, Allen charged the men again, this time directing his aggression towards Cain. The boy would throw a series of weak punches at the man, none of which would really harm the Crow if any hit at all. Before the small thing could even try to focus his 'strength' on the other man, Nigel came lumbering back towards him. Ducking behind Birch and Cain, Allen waited for Nigel's approach and for a moment to strike.

[Delilah A. Black]

Cain would appear bewildered and a little irritated as the boy began to barrage his upper body with weak little hands. He would push some away out of habit, as though telling a child "no" and he scarcely felt the ones that did hit him. "Hey. Knock it off."

Nigel stormed towards them and he angrily shoved Birch and Cain to the side, making a grab for the hair of the shirtless boy.

"HOLD STILL."

[Saul Kelly]

As Nigel's hand caught hold of the young boy's hair, a rather fresh scar in the shape of an inverted cross became visible to likely all of the men. And maybe, now that the boy was indeed holding still, they would begin to notice the similarly fresh scars that circled and went through his wrists. One hand would grab and pinch and claw at Nigel's large hand as he screeched and screamed, while it would seem that the other swollen wrist was not part of the fight.

Clearly embarrassed by the scar on his forehead showing, Allen's legs kicked out at Nigel as he damned all of the beasts and whoever they worked for.

[Delilah A. Black]

The screeching, squirming boy was listening to the opposite of what Nigel was saying, and was about to pay for it with a nasty hammer fist to the top of the boy's small head--when he noticed the scar.

Blinking in surprise, he dropped the boy as he began to kick, looking down at him in confusion.

"What the-- you part of some cult, kid?"

he was almost genuinely concerned. Maybe that would explain why the kid was so obviously racist (to no one else but Nigel)