Post by Goya on Sept 10, 2017 1:23:27 GMT
The rush of rain as it washed the city was remorseless, entirely unrepentant as it drenched everyone and everything beneath the thick, unending clouds that now coated the black-tar sky. The constant tip-tapping splashed all around, rattling against the roofs of nearby parked cars and causing lake-like puddles to form across the sidewalk.
Goya Komorebi breathed a cloud of warm air that quickly evaporated into the cool of the night as an unwilling and unexpected chill snaked along the man's shoulders, causing him to involuntarily shiver. He was soaked from head to toe. Every step he took was accompanied by a thick squelch within his grey sneakers that rendered avoiding the ravenous pools of water underfoot utterly pointless.
His red and black varsity jacket, ill-equipped to protect the teen against the surprising volume of rain, had already given up trying to keep the young man warm let alone dry. His dark wet locks slick and seemingly now stapled to his scalp lifelessly, under the battery of constant spray, as watery lines slithered down his expression, dripping down from his brow over his cool blue gaze.
Most of those caught in the storm had already run for cover from the downpour, as a few scattered silhouettes gripped tightly to their umbrellas, doing their best to keep as dry as possible. Alongside the hybrid walked Lugs, his Namekian friend still managing to somehow chat earnestly and with enthusiasm even though by now his scratchy voice was completely lost to Goya, drowned out by the rumbling thunder of rain.
Not that it mattered, so lost in his own little world, Komorebi probably wouldn't have heard what his friend was saying even without the orchestra of noise that was now buzzing around them. His mind firmly affixed on the nothingness that seemed to cloud his existence much like the pillows of black that had formed overhead. Snaking their way through thread bare crowd, their pace quick enough to allow the two teens to overtake the stragglers and their brollies.
Coming to a pause at an intersection, it was only until a sharp jab at his ribs pulled the hybrid from the silence of his mind and back into the now, "Ah!" The young man frowned, his brown brow creasing atop his nose, "What?" His cold gaze peered up to the owner of the elbow that just stabbed at his middle, looking up the green skinned teen he was with who nodded quickly in the opposite direction, "Look."
A small vexed sigh sounded Goya's irritation at the sudden displeasure of being poked out from the emptiness of his contemplation, his sparkling orbs lingering along the street until his attention drew upon the flashing red and blue lights that Lugs had motioned towards. "What do you think happened?" In the dim light, Goya couldn't make much out at all. A handful of police vehicles were scattered around the dark apartment block, a small group of onlookers already crowded in the immediate area.
"I dunno," replied the teen, but his blunt answer was of little consequence as Lugs' curiosity piqued, sparking the Namekian into a frenzy of action. Swiftly altering his course the alien ignored the need to get out of the torrent of rain and promptly started off towards the flashing lights and its gathering audience. Goya sighed inwardly. Same old Lugs, he thought. Watching his companion zigzag towards the location, a small quirk lifted the corner of the hybrid's lips into a smirk before the teen soon gave pursuit.
Shifting the baseball bat he carried from his shoulder, holding the stick now halfway along and at his hip, Komorebi drew closer to the unravelling the scene. His own morbid curiosity slowly increasing with each step. The intense rain now a forgotten annoyance as the two teens scurried into the mass of bodies watching the police section the building off from the public. Pressing their way into the front of the group, it was only then that the hybrid noticed the lone ambulance sat amongst the squad cars that had assembled.
Yellow tape and fencing screens sealed much of the structure away from prying eyes as police officers dressed in dark blue ponchos spoke and directed, a handful preserving the uncrossable restrictive boundary that had now been temporarily marked out whilst another, a stockier man that appeared more important, stood guard at the doorway that beckoned into the high-rise block. Their faces serious and grim, talking in hushed tones that accompanied by the racket or rain made it hard for Goya to discern.
The young man lifted his gaze up, peering along the oblique angular unassuming apartment and joyless block that looked no different from any of the other hundreds of similarly erected buildings that lined the city's horizon. Many of the windows on the lower floors were either open, vacant or smashed, cracks had formed in the concrete, large enough to reveal the pattern of brickwork underneath. Debris and wreckage littered the floor all around before activity at the entrance pulled Komorebi's attention in once more.
The hurried exit of a handful of figures accompanied a stretcher carrying the morbid sight of a body bag strapped to the bed. Gasps came from those that stood nearby Goya as the teen watched, his blue eyes narrowing under the heavy brow that now sank upon his expression. Pops of light flashed and flickered nearby, photographers hurriedly capturing their story as journalists and cameramen began forcing their way into the thicket of men and women now witnessing the grim scene.
Goya remained silent. His head filling with unanswered questions that he daren't voice as the teen stared hard at the long bag, watching in stunned curiosity as the dead body was lifted and sealed into the waiting ambulance. "Hey," came a voice, though it fell on deaf ears as Komorebi continued to stare at the sombre sight until an assertive tone poked his senses once more. "Hey," Lugs repeated. Goya blinked, "Huh?" pulled back once more from the edge of oblivion as he peered back to the Namekian.
"We should go," the green skinned alien suggested, appearing stiff and pale. Confusion tripped the hybrid as Goya blinked once more, his brow furrowing across the top of his nose, "What's wrong?" Lugs said nothing in reply, bringing his hand up to pat upon Goya's shoulder before once again motioning with his chin and brow with a curt nod toward the building the two teens had been observing.
The youngster twisted and arched his neck back casting his gaze upon the building, his cool stare this time drawn to a pencil thin woman, her angular chin sharp and taut. Staring down her nose, eyes hidden by the sheen of a pair of glasses, she stood unmoved by everything around whilst staring directly upon Komorebi. Dressed in a simple trouser suit her hair tied back in a militaristic bun, a police ID badge dangled from her neck at her cleavage.
A tremble of alarm slithered along the young man's spine, immediately rueing his decision to look at what Lugs had noticed. His shoulders sunk inward, physically wanting to crawl into himself to disappear from the woman's scowling stare as the teen took a tentative step back. "Yeah we should go," he agreed, unable to break the lock the woman had on his gaze until he had begun to disappear into the crowd.
Hurriedly the hybrid quickened his pace, frantically pushing through the masses that had congealed around the crime scene, wanting to put as much space between him and any possible scrutinous stares directed his way by any of the dozens of police officers, but none more so than that woman. Taking the lead, Goya marched swiftly ahead of Lugs, his gaze seeking out an escape from the busy road and equally busy sidewalk.
Spying a thin alley way that cut through the wall of closed shop fronts, the hybrid marched towards the backstreet pathway, unable to resist casting a last second glance back over his shoulder toward the crime scene and the studious woman that had taken a sudden interest in him. "We clear?" Lugs asked, quickly peering behind himself until the two teens had disappeared into the thin corridor. "Can't see her," Goya replied.
Lugs gratefully exhaled, relief allowing the colour to come back to his face though the teen continued his swift pace alongside his friend. "Dude, that chick? Was like she knew..." The hybrid said nothing in reply, barely acknowledging the statement. Nervously casting a handful of glances behind him the further the two teens journeyed. Komorebi's heart enthusiastically pounded in swift frenetic rhythm under his chest, gripped with adrenaline much like the teen gripped the bat in his hand. The knuckles of his limb as white as snow.
Who was that and why was she even staring at us? He was certain he didn't recognise the studious woman, he would've recalled that cool stare anywhere. Staring at me... He corrected. Whilst the teen had not openly broken any major laws in his short lifetime, since the day his father was arrested, and Goya had escaped holding, the youngster had developed a strong distrust of authority. Especially those in a position to abuse their power.
Damn, I wasn't even hiding... Goya blinked with concern. Anxiety staining his flurry of silent thoughts and queries. His mom always insisted that no matter what, her son make it a habit of hiding his Ki. Since coming to the city, most of the time the teen enacted his late mother's demand. He rarely ever allowed himself to be open to reading, suppressing who he was to the world, always trying to maintain a status quo of being nothing out of the ordinary. Only tonight, after baseball practice and the rain... You were sloppy. Can't afford to be sloppy, just in case, he warned himself.
Noticing the worried stare of his normally talkative friend alongside, Goya took stock, not just of his own situation but of the Namekians as well. Feeling the need to say something, eventually, the quiet teen found his voice once more, "Let's just get out of here."
Goya Komorebi breathed a cloud of warm air that quickly evaporated into the cool of the night as an unwilling and unexpected chill snaked along the man's shoulders, causing him to involuntarily shiver. He was soaked from head to toe. Every step he took was accompanied by a thick squelch within his grey sneakers that rendered avoiding the ravenous pools of water underfoot utterly pointless.
His red and black varsity jacket, ill-equipped to protect the teen against the surprising volume of rain, had already given up trying to keep the young man warm let alone dry. His dark wet locks slick and seemingly now stapled to his scalp lifelessly, under the battery of constant spray, as watery lines slithered down his expression, dripping down from his brow over his cool blue gaze.
Most of those caught in the storm had already run for cover from the downpour, as a few scattered silhouettes gripped tightly to their umbrellas, doing their best to keep as dry as possible. Alongside the hybrid walked Lugs, his Namekian friend still managing to somehow chat earnestly and with enthusiasm even though by now his scratchy voice was completely lost to Goya, drowned out by the rumbling thunder of rain.
Not that it mattered, so lost in his own little world, Komorebi probably wouldn't have heard what his friend was saying even without the orchestra of noise that was now buzzing around them. His mind firmly affixed on the nothingness that seemed to cloud his existence much like the pillows of black that had formed overhead. Snaking their way through thread bare crowd, their pace quick enough to allow the two teens to overtake the stragglers and their brollies.
Coming to a pause at an intersection, it was only until a sharp jab at his ribs pulled the hybrid from the silence of his mind and back into the now, "Ah!" The young man frowned, his brown brow creasing atop his nose, "What?" His cold gaze peered up to the owner of the elbow that just stabbed at his middle, looking up the green skinned teen he was with who nodded quickly in the opposite direction, "Look."
A small vexed sigh sounded Goya's irritation at the sudden displeasure of being poked out from the emptiness of his contemplation, his sparkling orbs lingering along the street until his attention drew upon the flashing red and blue lights that Lugs had motioned towards. "What do you think happened?" In the dim light, Goya couldn't make much out at all. A handful of police vehicles were scattered around the dark apartment block, a small group of onlookers already crowded in the immediate area.
"I dunno," replied the teen, but his blunt answer was of little consequence as Lugs' curiosity piqued, sparking the Namekian into a frenzy of action. Swiftly altering his course the alien ignored the need to get out of the torrent of rain and promptly started off towards the flashing lights and its gathering audience. Goya sighed inwardly. Same old Lugs, he thought. Watching his companion zigzag towards the location, a small quirk lifted the corner of the hybrid's lips into a smirk before the teen soon gave pursuit.
Shifting the baseball bat he carried from his shoulder, holding the stick now halfway along and at his hip, Komorebi drew closer to the unravelling the scene. His own morbid curiosity slowly increasing with each step. The intense rain now a forgotten annoyance as the two teens scurried into the mass of bodies watching the police section the building off from the public. Pressing their way into the front of the group, it was only then that the hybrid noticed the lone ambulance sat amongst the squad cars that had assembled.
Yellow tape and fencing screens sealed much of the structure away from prying eyes as police officers dressed in dark blue ponchos spoke and directed, a handful preserving the uncrossable restrictive boundary that had now been temporarily marked out whilst another, a stockier man that appeared more important, stood guard at the doorway that beckoned into the high-rise block. Their faces serious and grim, talking in hushed tones that accompanied by the racket or rain made it hard for Goya to discern.
The young man lifted his gaze up, peering along the oblique angular unassuming apartment and joyless block that looked no different from any of the other hundreds of similarly erected buildings that lined the city's horizon. Many of the windows on the lower floors were either open, vacant or smashed, cracks had formed in the concrete, large enough to reveal the pattern of brickwork underneath. Debris and wreckage littered the floor all around before activity at the entrance pulled Komorebi's attention in once more.
The hurried exit of a handful of figures accompanied a stretcher carrying the morbid sight of a body bag strapped to the bed. Gasps came from those that stood nearby Goya as the teen watched, his blue eyes narrowing under the heavy brow that now sank upon his expression. Pops of light flashed and flickered nearby, photographers hurriedly capturing their story as journalists and cameramen began forcing their way into the thicket of men and women now witnessing the grim scene.
Goya remained silent. His head filling with unanswered questions that he daren't voice as the teen stared hard at the long bag, watching in stunned curiosity as the dead body was lifted and sealed into the waiting ambulance. "Hey," came a voice, though it fell on deaf ears as Komorebi continued to stare at the sombre sight until an assertive tone poked his senses once more. "Hey," Lugs repeated. Goya blinked, "Huh?" pulled back once more from the edge of oblivion as he peered back to the Namekian.
"We should go," the green skinned alien suggested, appearing stiff and pale. Confusion tripped the hybrid as Goya blinked once more, his brow furrowing across the top of his nose, "What's wrong?" Lugs said nothing in reply, bringing his hand up to pat upon Goya's shoulder before once again motioning with his chin and brow with a curt nod toward the building the two teens had been observing.
The youngster twisted and arched his neck back casting his gaze upon the building, his cool stare this time drawn to a pencil thin woman, her angular chin sharp and taut. Staring down her nose, eyes hidden by the sheen of a pair of glasses, she stood unmoved by everything around whilst staring directly upon Komorebi. Dressed in a simple trouser suit her hair tied back in a militaristic bun, a police ID badge dangled from her neck at her cleavage.
A tremble of alarm slithered along the young man's spine, immediately rueing his decision to look at what Lugs had noticed. His shoulders sunk inward, physically wanting to crawl into himself to disappear from the woman's scowling stare as the teen took a tentative step back. "Yeah we should go," he agreed, unable to break the lock the woman had on his gaze until he had begun to disappear into the crowd.
Hurriedly the hybrid quickened his pace, frantically pushing through the masses that had congealed around the crime scene, wanting to put as much space between him and any possible scrutinous stares directed his way by any of the dozens of police officers, but none more so than that woman. Taking the lead, Goya marched swiftly ahead of Lugs, his gaze seeking out an escape from the busy road and equally busy sidewalk.
Spying a thin alley way that cut through the wall of closed shop fronts, the hybrid marched towards the backstreet pathway, unable to resist casting a last second glance back over his shoulder toward the crime scene and the studious woman that had taken a sudden interest in him. "We clear?" Lugs asked, quickly peering behind himself until the two teens had disappeared into the thin corridor. "Can't see her," Goya replied.
Lugs gratefully exhaled, relief allowing the colour to come back to his face though the teen continued his swift pace alongside his friend. "Dude, that chick? Was like she knew..." The hybrid said nothing in reply, barely acknowledging the statement. Nervously casting a handful of glances behind him the further the two teens journeyed. Komorebi's heart enthusiastically pounded in swift frenetic rhythm under his chest, gripped with adrenaline much like the teen gripped the bat in his hand. The knuckles of his limb as white as snow.
Who was that and why was she even staring at us? He was certain he didn't recognise the studious woman, he would've recalled that cool stare anywhere. Staring at me... He corrected. Whilst the teen had not openly broken any major laws in his short lifetime, since the day his father was arrested, and Goya had escaped holding, the youngster had developed a strong distrust of authority. Especially those in a position to abuse their power.
Damn, I wasn't even hiding... Goya blinked with concern. Anxiety staining his flurry of silent thoughts and queries. His mom always insisted that no matter what, her son make it a habit of hiding his Ki. Since coming to the city, most of the time the teen enacted his late mother's demand. He rarely ever allowed himself to be open to reading, suppressing who he was to the world, always trying to maintain a status quo of being nothing out of the ordinary. Only tonight, after baseball practice and the rain... You were sloppy. Can't afford to be sloppy, just in case, he warned himself.
Noticing the worried stare of his normally talkative friend alongside, Goya took stock, not just of his own situation but of the Namekians as well. Feeling the need to say something, eventually, the quiet teen found his voice once more, "Let's just get out of here."