Sizing up [Kureha]

[Delilah A. Black]

Recon! An old past-time the raven haired mechanic shared a love-hate relationship with. This time, it was more by choice than by necessity; the territories had expanded and changed so much over the last year that Delilah had been struck by the curiosity of seeing how the once vast land between gang and Barker controlled lands had fared under new management. Most of the minor gangs that had roamed the streets in groups of ten to twenty had been assimilated or wiped out, but here and there were little pockets of free citizens; free and destitute.

The area wasn't much; about half a block of mostly destroyed infrastructure that couldn't be repurposed by any of the currently in control organizations. Here, people who refused to join any particular side hid, scavenging what they could off the land, hunting small game and living quiet, forgotten existences.

Delilah could relate. She sat nonchalantly under the cement awning of a crushed threshold, gray hoodie and concrete silt helping her to blend with her surroundings. If she caught anyone's attention, she wouldn't look much different than the other people who roamed this area. And she was just observing, at any rate. Nothing malicious to invite too much scrutiny.

Right?

[Syn]

The suspicious mind believes more than it doubts.
It believes in a formidable and ineradicable
evil lurking in every person."
--- Eric Hoffer

Inconspicuous was a good word to describe Miss Kureha Hells no? What was there to be suspicious about after all? Her long raven hair? Her current choice of attire? The crimson red eyes she adorned? What was so strange about all that? Taking into consideration the structure of her surroundings she was the image of a wanderer. Cause Vincent Valentine always looked like a wandering warrior of sorts to her anyways. Oh hell who was anyone kidding the woman stuck out like a poorly hidden wolf in a field of sheeps, but that's how Kureha liked it. She enjoyed the spotlight more than most; bathed herself in its glow. A rarity she tried to hide or blend with a crowd, there was usually motives that followed that sort of action. She was a bit too vain to do that often. The metal on her shins and feets clanked as she walked through the desolation without a single care.

No fucks given at all as she strolled standing mighty tall amongst the others. Nothing there bothered her. Nothing there phased her to cause her any real pause. She didn't seem to care about the scavengers so long as they didn't bother with her. The muffler hid the smirk as she caught the eyes of a few onlookers. There were many ways to interrupt their looks. They could range between intrigue to considering her a target. A friend or a foe. Not everyone was an easy read especially her. She adjusted the necklace around her neck and hopped on a downed pole. There she stood still drawing some attention with her appearance and right on cue a little gust of wind would blow into her cape.

< That couldn't have been anymore well timed. >

Proudly, pridefully she just remained there looking over the people that roamed about. Today was she looking for trouble? Who was to say yay or nay? Everyday Kureha looked for some form of entertainment. What would she find only time would tell? For now she started to walk casually on the beam until its end and hop back down just in front of a young girl drawing with a stick in the dirt. The girl would look up and just stare and Kureha would look down and stare back.

Staring contest for the win?!

[Delilah A. Black]

The raven haired mechanic cocked her head to the side as an irregularity came into view. A woman (by the look of it at least), dressed in flashy bright crimson, bright as a streak of fresh blood against the concrete. She was only able to confirm that the person, so casually walking down the road and inviting all sorts of stares, was female when her cape was blown slightly aside.

Delilah refrained from moving so much as to shake her head; while the cape was actually a good idea in this level of dust, the bright, flashy red was just so...obvious, at least to her. It was a good way to get noticed by the wrong people. The Barker sort of people.

They roamed the neutral territory often enough, looking for people to turn into Experiments. Not as often now that neutral territory was becoming more and more scarce...and perhaps by now, Barker had enough for his legion.

The woman had stopped by a girl drawing in the dirt with a stick, a girl who had turned her face upward to the strangely dressed woman. The two began staring at eachother.

Intrigued, Delilah continued watching from her position, hiding in plain sight.

[Syn]

Attracting attention of all kinds was something Kureha exiled at. If someone needed to have a distraction created Kureha probably would be a good choice in the matter. As vain as she could be the girl was much more than her looks, a pretty well kept secret from all. Well all except two personal individuals. Though from a past she cared not to discuss there was some reasons to hide but she just couldn't be all cooped up like that forever. A girls gotta express herself sometimes and well Kureha just happened to do things in a more flashy way. The staring constant ensued with the girls chocolate orbs staring into her crimson hues.

"Not blinking."

"Huh?"

The little girl blinked from her confusion and Kureha laughed in amusement reaching down with her right hand and ruffling the girls hair.

"You weren't going to win anyways kid."

"I- umm, wait!"

Kureha would continue walking past the young girl who would quickly get up, fluttering over and tug at the deep red cape. The raven loc female turned with a 'hm' glancing down at the youngster. She seemed about nine or ten years old with chocolate hair to match her eyes. This was certainly a rare interaction to watch. The little girl seemed so sweet in appearance and tone compared to Kureha. The Raven and the Butterfly.

"Hi, I'm Serah.. Who are you? And are those your real eyes? You look so cool."

"I'm always cool. You just go about giving your name to strangers huh?"

Kureha was one to talk considering her physical 'encounters'.

"Well if you tell me your name you won't be a stranger anymore. How can you meet new people if you don't ya know talk to strangers? Everyone is a stranger at first right? I mean-"

"Ok ok. Haha you made your point Serah."

< Smart girl. A chatterbox though. >

"So what's your name, so we won't be strangers."

"Raven."

"Raven? Hmm..like the bird?...Hey hey WAIT!"

Kureha had started to walk off from the young girl who only noticed once she was about a short run away. Serah caught up to Kureha from behind she realized this little butterfly was gonna continue to tag along that was for certain. As she turned momentarily she caught a glimpse of the hooded figure under the threshold, making a mental note she gazed back down.

"Can I walk with you?"

"I don't really need another shadow, why don't you-"

"I don't have anyone else to really hang with. My parents are gone and I barely get by. It gets cold at night and -"
"Don't you try giving me the sad sob story to appeal to what you believe is my better nature. Nah huh little butterfly not going to happen."

"But it's the truth and I - well I don't know you seem so cool and I just -"

"It was a good try."

"But, but"

Serah began to sniffle though it was acting. Kureha looked at the little butterfly and couldn't resist smiling. She was trying to play her at her own game. Maybe Kureha would keep her around. She spoke low only audible for Serah's ears.

"You need to work on that. How about you see if it works on the one under the threshold. No don't look. Go run off crying towards her and see if she'll bite. She if she has an apple or something to give you to eat. You can do that right Serah? You can walk with me if it works. Better start those water works."

Seemed like the little butterfly understood well as the water works started to come in. Kureha staring at the girl with a bored expression just to sweeten the deal. Serah with her tears turned and ran off heading in the direction of the woman in the gray hoodie though she would look as though she was just trying to get away after getting her feelings hurt. Serah would end up running right into the hooded individual sobbing about, babbling on somewhat coherently. It seemed so random yet so typical of an upset child.

"She didn't have to be so mean! I was-was ju-just trying to be frien-friendly! And she was so mean! And I'm just so hu-hungry and and I have no pa-parents and it gets cold! And I'm just hungry and and she won't give me anything.. And I just hate her."

Serah would just latch onto the individual crying into her still rambling. While Kureha just shrugged and turned her back to look around, scanning through the area of really nothingness.

[Delilah A. Black]

Delilah watched the scene play out intently from the corner of her eye. She couldn't hear anything, not from this distance...but the body language, she could read. The older woman was giving little away...save for a sense Delilah got of mirth, but that was only speculation.

The girl however, was less closed, as children are wont to be. Delilah had watched her own son long enough to understand certain positions and what they indicated. Her emotional output ranged from alert, to sorrow, to alarm, to sadness...to determination? Then sadness again.

--and then the child took off, running towards Delilah at a dead run.

Uuuuuhhhh--

"She didn't have to be so mean! I was-was ju-just trying to be frien-friendly! And she was so mean! And I'm just so hu-hungry and and I have no pa-parents and it gets cold! And I'm just hungry and and she won't give me anything.. And I just hate her."

Delilah found herself scowling in spite of herself at the girl's words. Her eyes drifted to the strangely dressed woman, and then back to the child. No parents. Hungry. Looking for friendship, maybe protection, only to have those hopes slapped away by the woman in the red cloak?

...not surprising. As a mother herself, she did feel her ire rise at the thought of someone mistreating a child. But the bottom line was that this was not her territory, and it was not her place to act from the standpoint as the leader of the Crows. Especially when she was trying to keep a low profile.

But now she was intrigued. It was a bit strange that the girl had made a bee-line to her...and that the red-cloaked woman was sticking around even after shooing the urchin away.

And yet, it was so convincing...

"The hell do I look like? The hurt feelings police?" she asked the kid point blank. "Here," in spite of her words, she pulled a roll out of her pocket and tossed it to the kid; it was freshly baked, something of a rarity for the people around here. Doubtless some of the other men and women in the area that were watching the exchange had noticed. "There's more of this in the South. Head to the beach, and you'll find good people to take care of you."

And now, she waited to see what would happen?