It rains lightly as the the hot temperature of summer mixed in with the wetness and last remnants of fading spring causes the air to feel sticky. There is a thick musk in the air and the patter of raindrops seem to increase in the silence of the woods and the many obstacles it has to bounce off of.
54...66...79...
Garou counts as he pushes the three heavy rocks on his back-practically boulders-up and down with some struggle as he does push ups. Air steaming as heavy panted breaths meets it. His eyebrows furrow and his face stares at the ground, losing count for the third time today of how many pushups he did. It causes him to suck his teeth and and grit at them, unresolved irritation within him.
Now what? The words seamlessly haunts him ever since he first heard them, unable to shake the annoying voice that comes with them. After the fiasco with the Monster Association and that 'Caped Baldy', the hero hunter wasn't just utterly lost but defeated. As water and salt filled sweat mixed, Garou thought back to his final moments before his loss. He was the last one standing between fallen monsters and a horde of angry S-Class heroes who wanted him dead. He boasted and bragged about the uselessness of heroes. How they couldn't save anyone and how they were filled with empty meaning of what it meant to be one.
But all it took was one hero...one cursed self-proclaimed hero to unravel everything.
Garou hisses the name with distaste. Treating it as though it was salt on his tongue. "Caped Baldy..."
The "hero" who was but a B-Class, low in rank, and practically unmemorable and unknown in every way, was the only one who stood unphased by his self-proclaimed title and faux villainous attitude. He took head first all of his blows and hits. Beating the him to a pulp with his god-like speed and power but his final blow was no fist or great beat down but a simple question: What now?
120...200...227...
Garou moved up and down faster. Weight carefully balanced on two fingers only as his other arm wrapped around his back. That simple question unnerved him. He had gotten stronger, accomplished his goal, became the "monster" he wanted to be but as the "Caped Baldy" had pointed out, but failed at the very thing that overreached that, a villain. He killed no one, saved an ugly boy and went directly against the Monster Association for no particular reason other than the deep desire of despise against the very creatures he sworn he was apart of. He succeeded in being monster but only in name and appearance alone.
The hero had reached his own conclusion that he was a kid, acting out in a payback typical attitude. That he never wanted to be a villain but had no confidence in being a hero.
Having internalized the words of bullies and others since he was small, the hero hunter was completely taken aback. He expected a sure death sentence but the boy he saved who ran to his defense in front of those selfish heroes had reignited a spark in him. What exactly it was however, Garou couldn't answer.
A vein pops Garou's head. It was guys like that that pissed him off.
He comes to an abrupt stop and simply pants for a moment, stomach growls causing him to stumble. Annoyed with his lack of focus, he tilts, just enough so that the rocks fall with a loud crack and thud that scares off a few crows hidden in the trees. He stands up and wipes the sweat and water from his face using his arm. Eyes grazing over the mess he made in front of his home.
Various parts of monsters are scattered about before him all ranging from threat levels of tigers to a single dragon. Their parts litter the place as eyes and entrails hang from trees and blood dry blood stains the ground. They were nuisances, pests to Garou who dealt them their final breath as they came to him in swarms, attempting to take him down. They were upset at the demise of the Monster Association and their future goals and viewed Garou as one of the major causes in it's downfall.
Tracking down his location in teams. The alpha was tired of it as it seemed like every day he was met with some type of these unwanted mongrels. They ruined what little sleep he could get as he always had to stay up. Paranoid that a monster or even a hero was waiting for the perfect chance to attack him.
His stomach growls louder causing the alpha to feel a bit sick. He turns to his only home, a wooden shack stowed away in the woods that lies on the border of S and Z-Cities. It's old and falling apart with wood faded and cracking from years of neglect. Water seeps in through open holes, the door threatens to fall apart any moment at the hinges and his only source of light is through a tiny window that's cracked and is constantly inviting bugs and mosquitoes in.
It was once his hideout from the heroes that hunted him and served as a place to heal and plan his attacks but now it served only as a poorly built shelter for a prideful fugitive. His only source of security and shelter away from the warrants that bade for his arrest. Whereabouts still unknown to the general populace. Having no idea that the infamous hero hunter lived so close.
He walks over to the his sofa which served as his bed. It's colors faded and stuffing pooled out from it's open holes.
It was infested with lice and bed bugs but Garou had gotten so use to their presence that he was barely phased by them anymore. He gives a sigh and grabs the grey hoodie he found in an abandoned park one day and puts it on, hunger now eating at him. He could eat the monsters, something he had been doing since he returned to this place but it dealt him no benefit. He needed nutrition, vitamins, something that would vastly speed up his healing and only the city could grant him that.
He headed out the door, not sparing a glance at the broken shelter.
The rain comes down harder as Garou makes his way through the streets of Z-City. He keeps his hands in his pockets and his head down trying to keep a low profile. He hated crowds and the loud bustling of city life but today seemed reserved due to the rain and it being so late into the night. His senses are heightened as he listens out for every word, scent, step and person. Watching out for any possible chance of an enemy. He continues like this until a sweet aroma hits his nose. Wafting pass it the scent of food that is unrecognizable to his knowledge.
He closes his eyes for a moment and enjoys it, trying to make out the cuisine but nothing comes to mine except for the familiar smell of meat and fried grease. He follows the scent which leads him straight through a group of three young men who are gambling on the street. Blocking the sidewalk for incoming pedestrians and steps on their thrown down playing cards.
He pays no mind and continues walking, not even realizing what he had done.
"Hey! Hey you!" one of the young men grabs him and Garou stops, not bothering to turn around as a pale hand is placed on his shoulder. The man approaches him in the front, stretching his neck out at him with hands in back pockets as the white haired alpha says not a word. His breath reeks of alcohol causing Garou to frown in displeasure. "Ya not gonna say 'excuse me'?" He mean mugs. Garou doesn't respond and keeps his eyes to the pavement. Hoodie casting a very dark shadow over his face. The man, agitated, grabs the alpha by the hem of his jacket in a fist. "Hey! We're talking to ya!" The man states. growing even more frustrated when Garou's response is still a deafening silence.
"Looks like we got ourselves a mute eh?" One of the men comments. "Maybe he a foreigner." He grins. "Probably doesn't know any Japanese."
The man turns back to Garou. Eyebrow raised against a face of cocky attitude. "Oh yeah? Well..." he clenches his other hand into a tight fist. "Let's teach him some of our culture then!" He hurls his fist towards Garou who catches it in the palm of his hand causing the man to sweat and his two other allies to step back in shock. "W-what the-!?" He attempts to hit him again with his left hand gripping the hoodie but is stopped by a sudden immense pain in his right hand.
Garou tightens his grip around it to the point that his bones begin to crack and the muscles twist with pain.
"P-P-Please stop! I'm begging ya! Please-Ah!" The man bends at the knees falling onto the ground, having let loose of the hold on Garou's stained and dirtied hoodie. He looks up and from his position can see Garou's face. Eyes aglow with gold and narrowed at him in a death like glare. Mouth pinched in seriousness as a deathly aura escapes him causing the man to wet himself. Garou still keeps his grip on his hand. Squeezing even tighter, threatening to break the bones. The other men wobble in their knees, expressions filled with fear as they watch.
"Please, allow me..." He squeezes even tighter now, earning a yelp from the man. "To show you some of my own culture."
"Gaaah!" The man falls back as his fingers are bent forward in an inhuman way. He holds the wrist of his hand as he curls fetal position on the ground. Groaning and yelling in pain as his appendages flop up and down without support.
One of the man's allies come charging at him with his umbrella. Pointing the long tip at Garou like a sword."Ya think you can just scare us just because your an alpha? You got another thing coming if you think that's gonna-!" Before he can finish he's grabbed by the hair and kicked in the stomach. Successfully knocking the wind out of his lungs. He curls over and drops the umbrella. Dropping to his knees and spitting up as he holds his abdomen.
Garou grows irritated as people glance and notice the scene playing before them. The last thing he needs, is to attract attention. Especially with a bunch of beta punks. Thankfully most write them off as a group of delinquents participating in a petty squabble.
"Y-you bastard!" the last of the group of thugs charges forth. Brandishing a long and sharp pocket knife that was hidden away in his pocket. But his attempt to do any damage is foiled before it could even begin as Garou grabs it in full momentum and breaks it in half. He points it at the eye of the young beta male who stops immediately in his tracks. Eye too close to the sharp tip for comfort.
"Piss off."
The men is too frightened to move and only does so once he is shoved out of the way by Garou. Leaving behind his fallen and groaning comrades. As he walks pass them, he stops and sniffs. Catching the smell of delicious food. The smell of grease, vegtables and sweetness assualts his nostrils. He follows the scent not far from the thugs and is taken to a gorgeous looking restaurant whose outside is covered in flowers. Roses, tulips and daffodils decorating the front and an American flag displayed out. Through the window is displayed an array of western styled desserts such as cakes and pies.
He looks up at the sign whose words are written in elegant cursive.
Charlotte's Bakery.
Garou frowns. He wasn't here for desserts but real food. He sniffs again, taking note of the aroma that was certainly coming from the cafe. He peaks inside and sees people with full plates of food. He shrugs his shoulders and walks in figuring he'll give it a try but upon doing so, immediately feels out of place at the small cafe whose warmth was almost melting to his cold body. Everyone inside looked so...fancy. There were men in suits and women in dresses with the average family and a few kids scattered about in the seats here and there. Compared to his faded out hooded he found lying abandoned at a park, he was misplaced.
The small restaurant gave off a homely type feel, like he was in a small Victorian like cottage. The walls were painted tan with white clean borders lining the doors and the corners of the walls and gold lamps hung from the ceiling giving off a warm, brownish gold hue. Wooden furniture sat by clear, glass tables that were lined with red and white plaid table cloths while some of them had ones with floral prints.
Paintings showing key events and people of American history such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, all whom Garou didn't recognize, decorated the walls of the cafe. He sniffed the air and took note of the smell of gravy and meat.
He walked over to the farthest corner of the cafe and sat down alone at one of the booths. His eyes darted around the place searching for any sign of suspicion but calmed when he saw that people were too focused on themselves and their plates to notice him.
He rested an elbow on the table and sat his chin on the palm of his hand, gazing out the window. The vibrant, family setting of the small cafe stood as a dark contrast to the weather outside. Rain pouring down from darkened grey clouds.
He taps his finger against the table as flashes of his hero hunting days stirs up in him. Metal Bat...That hero still clogged his memory. It's been three weeks since their fight but no matter how hard he tried couldn't shake the cursed thoughts from his head. What did he think about him? What did his mark look like?
Garou sucked his teeth. The increasing noise of the people pulling him away from his thoughts. "Too noisy." he mumbles.
"That's because you came at rush hour."
Garou spun his head around and lays eyes upon a young alpha male smiling at him. He had a curly black updo and was dressed in butler like attire with a plaid apron wrapped around his torso and a menu tucked under his right arm. A beauty mark lies under his left eye and is accentuated with by a gorgeous smile and pretty face. He looked like a young bachelor, ready to set the model world on blaze.
Garou frowns. He wasn't knowledgeable in societal hours, but he knew rush hour stopped around this time.
When he realized the discontent on the alpha's face at the comment the man corrected himself. "By rush hour I meant our rush hour. We're near a train station and around this hour, a lot of business employees get off of work and come to our cafe to relax a bit before going home." The man narrowed his eyes at Garou. "You don't look like a business employee..."
"And what if I'm not?"
The man pulls his hands out of his pockets and waves, giving a nervous laugh. "I'm just playing with ya. No need to be so defensive. Not every day we get young folks that come into our cafe. Little to expensive for their tastes."
Garou raises an eyebrow. "Mhm..." He takes note of the presence he gives off. Sensing an aura off of the alpha that he can't tell is one of aggression or genuine welcome.
The young man takes the menu from under his arm and places it before him. "I saw you sitting in the corner and was told no one seated you. You didn't even have a menu unless you were simply seeking shelter from the rain that is." He notices the wet hoodie and his eyebrows raise in concern. "Are you alright wearing that? It's soaked and if you want we can hang it up for you."
"No."
"A-are you sure?"
"Yes. Quite." Garou groans.
The man sighs. He's gonna be a tough one ain't he? "If you say so."
"I'm here to order."
"Ah, good, that's good." He pulls out a pen and notepad from his pockets. "What can I get you? My name is Reiji by the way."
Garou glares at the menu options. Not bothering to read further into it. "All I see is desserts. You guys don't offer anything else?"
"Well of course we do!" The man smiles. "We offer an entire selection of not only home baked goods but also soul food."
Garou picks at his ears. "Soul...food?"
"It's food popular in the American south. Chicken wings, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, collard greens, biscuits-"
Garou cuts the man off, waving his hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but do you have any meat?"
The man blinks. "Uh...yes." He reaches over in front of Garou and flips his menu over to the back. Showing off an entire selection of meats and sides. "We have country fried steak, fried chicken, and tender steak. We also offer a variety of sides that I named along with soups and steamed vegetables."
Garou simply stares unblinking causing an awkward silence to come over them both.
The man swallows, a bead of nervous sweat coming down his head. What's with this guy?
Garou takes a deep breath and closes the menu shut. "Very well then." He hands over the laminated piece of tri-fold paper over to his waiter. "I'll take everything."
The man blinks his eyes in disbelief. "E-Everything?"
"Yeah. Everything. And don't forget the salads too as well as a large jug of water. Not glass, jug. No desserts or soups either, just all the sides and meats and veggies. I'll take the platter fruit tray as well."
"That's a party platter, it serves twelve people alone."
"I know what I'm about."
"A-Are you sure you want-"
Garou glares at him earning a yelp. "Did I stutter?"
The man bows. "I'm so sorry! Do forgive me! I'll have your order out at once!"
The man takes the menu from Garou watches as he teeters off into the back of the kitchen. Listening as he hears a collective scream come from the cooks. The clashing of pots and pans louder than before and the noise only serving to agitate him. He made eye contact with one of the two security guards who gives him a serious look. They seemed to be mumbling together about something, glancing his way every now and then. Garou turns his eyes away and resumes looking out the window like a lost puppy, not wishing to attract any attention. His stomach growls growing more and more with the knowledge of anticipated food and the sweet aroma of the cooking.
He waits to what felt like hours before his food finally comes out. Needing three whole waiters to carry everything to him, the entire cafe is now distracted by the sight before them as they turn their heads to face in his direction. "Probably should have ordered light..." he mumbles to himself, regretting the attention he's done attracted. The three waiters settle everything on the table before him. Barely having enough space for his pitcher of water.
They gave a collective bow. "Thank you for your service."
Garou scratched at his ear with the fork. "Yeah, sure."
The waiters gave each other a nervous look before turning around and leaving. Whispering among themselves on how absurd the scene was too them.
"Thanks for the poop!" Garou snicker to himself before diving in with a ferocity never before seen. Garou grabs hold of his food devouring it with such speed as to make the others in the cafe wonder.
Not bad...He thinks to himself as he smashes an entire steak in his mouth enjoying the crunchy, salty batter that it was fried in. Upon finishing the meats and the sides, he moves on to the fruits and veggies. Snatching up each one at a single time, stuffing it into his mouth like some type of pelican monster. The cafe couldn't help but marvel at the spectacle.
"Is he...okay?"
"That guy is ridiculous!"
"Is he even bothering to chew?"
"M-monster..."
"Where does he put it all?"
Garou was too focused on filling his stomach to notice the comments about him being made. Centering his attention on finishing what was in front of him.
Reiji stared at him with a stoic look as he leans up against the entrance wall to the kitchen. Arms crossed around his chest with a serious gleam in his eye as he watches the other alpha attentively. He sniffs taking note of how his pheromones had a weird scent to them and the stench of dried blood.
He eats just like them...but that smell...
Garou jugs down the entire pitcher of water and wipes his mouth of the escaped liquid. He slams the pitcher upon the table and breathes out a sigh of relief. "That felt good."
Reiji walks into the kitchen and grabs a tray before approaching the table filled with empty dishes. Taking note of how not even a scrap of food was left. He gave him a bow. "Please, allow me to take your plates." Garou flops back on his seat and looks out the window as the waiter takes up his plates and places them upon on the tray. His arms pulled up behind his head exposing the bandages that he has wrapped around his wrists that is stained with blood.
Reiji can't help but notice it and takes a mental note of what he just saw. "Now if you'll excuse me. I'll be back shortly with your bill." He turns and makes his way back through the kitchen. Garou watching until he is out of sight before conjuring up a daring escape plan. He knows full well that it would take some time to immediately dispose of his plates, make sure the bill was correct and print it out. He looks over the cafe one last time seeing how Reiji who had returned was now unexpectedly busy with another table.
He looked to the security guards who was eyeballing him earlier and watched as one of them slipped into the bathroom. The other pulls out his phone, checking a quick text.
It was now or never.
He makes a beeline for the door and within the blink of the eye completely disappears from view. The cafe erupting into shouting. "A dine and dasher!"
"He slipped past our security!"
"Go after him!"
Reiji immediately looks up from the table he was serving and watches as the security guards scramble to get to him. Nearly knocking each other over running out the door in desperation. Garou was fast and much too quick for the security guards to catch up too him before he was lost from their sights.
He rubs the back of his head and breathes out a sigh. "I don't get paid enough for this." Reiji could only simply watch knowing this was not going to go down well with the boss.
