Avogadro.
Avogadro.
The only thing he had when he came to this city. It was a pretty city, only something you'd really want to see from far away. Up close, you have to track through all the sin, and suckers. And there were plenty of both. Avogadro walked down the alley way, hands in his pockets. This was the city he was "born" in. Born in the figurative sense that he was passed out in a gutter, with nothing but the clothes on his back and his name in his head. He looked at his hand, and bent the space around it. This power, had it lead to his amnesia? Would he ever know? Heh, these answers weren't going to be found here, in the black city... the city of sin...
A soft breeze rustled the curtain that hung in the window of a hotel room. The room belonged to a woman. Kuri-iro no Hime. Kuri let out a sigh... She was trapped here now. Her friend left. At least she couldn't touch a cent of their combined earnings... Kuri kept that in a personal bank account.
The girl stood, looking out the window. Her own soft, green eyes staring back at her. Pursing her lips, she looked down over the city... This was going to be her new hunting ground... She was going to find another way to make money. Start a new life.
The breeze rustled her hair, blowing it in her eyes as she turned away from the window. Closing her eyes, she walked to the bed before sitting on it.
After sitting in silence for what seemed like eternity, Kuri headed out of the hotel room and down into the lobby. She figured that she should explore the city if she was going to move in. First, she'd have to find somewhere to live, of course...
There was a building. But when was there not? These damn skyscrapers, blotting out the light so the creatures of the night could propagate with out fear. Photosensitive bastards, this place could do without them. He came up to his current living area, but the doors were closed and he didn't feel like opening them. Space warped around him, eradicating the gap between him and the foyer of the hotel. He stopped right in front of a girl, he didn't bother to look at her reaction. People were always gawking at him for what he could do, and he wasn't about to become some woman's personal freak show. He walked past her, bumping into her shoulder by accident. Under normal circumstances, he would have apologized. But today wasn't a good day, not today, the day he was "born."
Kuri paused, looking at the man that bumped her. "Excuse you." She said, a slightly sarcastic tone to her voice. She usually didn't mind if people bumped here or whatnot, but he was strange. She could sense that... And he didn't apologize. That is really the main thing that got under her skin...
After snapping at the man, she continued on her way. She stepped outside and looked around, feeling smaller now that she wasn't looking at the city from above.
She stopped to pick up a newspaper that was sliding down the sidewalk, pushed along by the steady breeze. She raised an eyebrow, reading an article about some group called "The Felt". A stupid name, in her opinion... She tossed the paper aside after reading the short article, letting the paper continue on its pointless journey.
Avogadro sat in his hotel room. He couldn't sleep, his head was throbbing. Why was it like this? Why couldn't have a normal life, if not just something a bit nicer? He pulled out his gun, and just looked at it. "Huh, suicide? You know that doesn't work." He said out loud to no one in particular. True enough, he couldn't pull the trigger. He wasn't even considering it in the first place, perhaps just considering considering suicide. *sigh* He put the gun in it's holster, and got back up. "Damn, that girl." He remembered her, and felt a bit sorry about how crass he was. Oh well there was nothing for it.
Slowly Kuri proceeded down the street. She paused outside of a small coffee shop, biting her lip. She took a deep breath, opening the door and stepping inside. She quickly ordered a cup of coffee, paid for it, grabbed it and slipped back out of the store, trying to avoid the strange looks that she was earning.
She headed down the street, looking at the sky. It was a fairly nice day... A smile found its way onto her soft, pale lips as she listened to her heels click in a steady rythym on the sidewalk.
"Hard times, huh?" Droog said, his body concealed by the shadow of a building. He walked out and looked at the surprised girl, how she looked. Puffy eyes, tears all but spent. Somethings gone and upset this child, and he'd be damned if he didn't at least try to cheer her up. "I know you don't really know who I am, but let me at least introduce myself. They call me Diamonds Droog, and I'm part of the Midnight Crew."
"Midnight Crew?" She mused, letting the name roll off her tongue and see if it sparked any memories. A faint memory of the good days with her friend... "Do you know... uh... A Clubs Deuce?" She asked, faintly remembering the name of the male she met a while back.
After she got her answer, she might introduce herself... Still, this was unfamiliar territory and she just got approached by someone she didn't know. Sure, she knew his name... But that was all.
"Pfffffft, is that really the ONLY person who comes to mind when I mention the Midnight Crew?" Droogs was beside himself, he didn't really know how she would only DEUCE. He was basically the only one stupid enough to be their explosives expert. "Anyways, yeah Deuce is part of our group. How exactly do you know him?" The inquiry was not meant to offend, but she did seem a bit perturbed, as if remember something, or somebody she did not want to. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Hey do you have somewhere to be? If not there's this lovely coffee shop just a block away from here, though I see you already have the coffee part. We could just sit awhile and chat."
"Well, my friend and I met him a long time ago... Details are sorta fuzzy..." She murmured, not wanting to give away her former career. "You think I'd fit in better if I were with you?" She added, glancing back toward where she came from. She was just in a hurry to leave... Why would she come back to the shop? Just to get more strange looks?
"Well, I think you misunderstand WHICH coffee shop I mean. Certainly, it's no coffee shop you've ever been to before." Droogs breathed out, frosty air pushing from his lungs. The temperature had dropped again recently, and it was likely to snow later. A gentleman never speaks to a lady at night in the cold, and Droogs was almost certainly a gentleman. "It's a cozy little place, away from the rabble. I hear a certain group plays there every night, if you're intrested. Here's the address." He handed her a playing card, it was an ace of diamonds and on the left side of the diamond was a street address. "Show that to the bouncer, and you'll get in. And please at least consider it, we don't let too many people in." He took off his hat, placed it on his chest and bid her adieu.
After he left, the girl looked down at the paper in her hand. Kuri stared at the address for a moment, pondering over why someone would be so nice randomly... She sighed and pocketed the card, keeping it close to her. If she WAS going out, she'd have to look a little better... Not like some trash off the street... More like a proper lady.
Smiling softly, she took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee. She sat down on a bench, shivering slightly in her coat. The weather wasn't too pleasant, but she had a warm feeling inside and didn't notice how cold the air was around her... A bittersweet thought hit her. Her friend would be coming with her, if she didn't ditch...
Oh well. Her loss.
Kuri had the money and now, she was moving up in social status before she could even move in and make this city her official home.
Avo had made his way to a park, and found himself a suitable bench. He sat there, not knowing what to do.
This place is terrible, and not even worth the effort of salvation. Truly only oblivion could settle this town.
[I couldn't agree more.]
Startled, Avogadro looked up to see a man. No. This was not a man, it was some sort of globe-headed being. How could he possibly have guessed what I was thinking? There could be no...
[You should know that there is no room, in this life at least, for impossibility. Consider the following.]
The man was no longer in front of him. He was behind him, gripping his shoulder. The familiar feeling of space warping was around him, but this... this was far more powerful. A spark of bright light, and they were both gone.
They had appeared inside of a classy looking room. The whole thing was different shades of green, with spherical objects littering it. Bastard must love himself.[I'll try not to take offense to that.] Avo looked away, he had forgotten that his mind was an open book. [Now down to business. As I'm sure you've gathered by now, I have brought you here for a reason. Simply put, I need you to be my... shall we say assistant?] "Shove it! I don't need your patronage, and I don't need your condescension! He needed out of here, and he wasn't going to let this asshole stop him!
Elsewhere...
"Hey fellas! We're on tonight, and I think we've got someone new. So let's knock their socks off tonight!" Droogs was excited for this. He didn't want to give that girl anything less than their best performance. Spades, Hearts, and Clubs were all getting ready, and were tuning their instruments. The Midnight Crew was going on stage tonight...
Kuri headed back to her room, making sure that she cleaned up and then changed into a new dress. She stared into the mirror, sighing softly. She didn't feel dressed up ENOUGH... Still, she needed to hurry out soon. She didn't want to get lost in the dark and the cold...
Slipping her jacket on, she pulled the card out and read the address, frowning. She was going to get lost. No doubt about it.
Maybe she could get directions or get a map of the city... She walked into the lobby, looking for a map of the city. Finding one, she headed out, following the map while watching where she was walking... After a while of getting lost, she managed to find her way to the location given on the card. She smiled, pocketing the map. This place looked nice from the outside. Cozy looking... Probably warm inside. It sure wasn't warm OUTSIDE.
"Okay boys, hit it from the top." Slick said, in a cool and smooth tone. Inside of the coffee shop was dark, tendrils of smoke were wrapping themselves around the lights up above. Not too much smoke, enough for the cigar smell to be pleasant. A deep bass was playing, a cello being strummed strongly, yet lovingly. As if each pull of the string was being caressed by the players fingers. The saxophone started in subtly, barely heard at first, but it's volume and tempo increased until the sharp notes could make the air bleed. But the piano brung it all together, directing the whole thing, orchestrating the song into one deadly medley.
Oh and that little guy with the triangle... You guess he's doing an alright job...
Kuri slowly walked inside after showing the card to the bouncer. Immediately, the sound of music met her ears. She smiled widely, heading to a small table and sitting down. Kuri glanced at the group that was playing. If she didn't doubt her view of the band from her seat, she'd go out on a limb and guess that Diamonds was the man playing the sax.
She ordered food and a drink, her eyes currently on the band that was playing.
Droogs saw here come in, wearing a pretty new dress. Hmph all dolled up to see the midnight crew I guess. Droogs made a hand motion, and the rest of the crew stopped playing. "Alright boys, I'll be takin' it from here. Hope you don't mind Slick." Slick indeed minded, but in a pissing match Droogs was sure to win. So Slick consceded, and allowed Droogs to steal the show.
It started out smooth, with sharp tones mixed in. Each note distinct with a melody unfolding. Like each piece was in itself a whole, but they all came together to make something else entirely. His tie swayed with the beat layed down. It told a story of loss, betrayal, and despair. But it also spoke of trying again, and learning from your mistakes. Empathy over Entropy, a perfect rendition of the creed of the Midnight Crew.
Kuri watched Diamonds and the others, nearly forgetting to breathe at one point. She looked down at her food, beginning to eat after a few minutes. She stayed quiet, glancing around at the place. It was not crowded at all... It was a nice place though... Surprisingly, it wasn't too expensive either. She sipped her coffee, letting out a soft sigh. It was times like this... She hated being alone. Not just romantically speaking... It was saddening to know that she didn't have her friend to share a good time with...
Slick stood up from his piano and bowed. "Thanks for listenin' in on the Midnight Crew, we'll be here every night!" Droogs watched as his fellow crew members absconded with their respective instruments. He gave a look at the girl, grabbed his instrument, and followed suit.
He put it away and immediately went to check on her. There she was, all pretty and proper, sipping on some more coffee. "What did ya think of tha show? Glad you decided to take a chance, stroll along to the Midnight Cafe?" He gave a sneer, yet it held a warmth that sneers lack. Almost like laughing at you because you did something stupid, but at the same time making you blush. It was a signature technique Droogs had developed for getting someone to simultaneously try to punch him and try to kiss him. A relationship he'd be ALL too happy to oblige in, if only more people could understand the love/hate thing more.
Kuri looked at Diamonds before returning to her meal. "I enjoyed the show quiet a bit. It's nice to see that real music isn't completely lost." She said, trying to make conversation and sound happy. She didn't need anyone prying into her personal feelings. That was something she was completely uncomfortable with.
"If you'd like to join me for a meal, I wouldn't mind." She added, before the question could even be brought up. She took another sip of her coffee, growing quiet.
"Heh heh, thanks for that. It's nice to see that real perspective isn't completely lost either. And I think I'll take you up on that offer." Droogs looked around for the waitron. He gestured for him, and told him what he wanted. " Alright then I'm all set for food and drink, why don't we chat awhile? " Droogs was trying to wheedle info out of her, it was true. But for some reason, it seemed like it was because he cared. There she was, looking chipper and happy, but there was a dulled down overtone to it all. A melancholy, that overlay speech, speaking of betrayal. A tune Droogs knew all to well, especially in this life.
"Alright." Kuri said, taking him up on his offer. "Conversation sounds very civil and reasonable." She replied, not used to talking freely about herself. But maybe there was a first time for everything. And she might be able to get some information from him about himself in exchange for information about her...
"What do you have in mind?" She started, finishing her food and pushing the plate aside.
And then they spent the late hours talking. Friendly conversation that honestly didn't amount to much, but had meaning all the same. A girl would have her heart, bittered by betrayal, thawed, just a little, by the warmth of a promising friend. And a Derse man would have a little spark to encourage the fire of his heart left smoldering from a stagnant life.
But what of Avogadro?