Chapter 2: Meeting the Peoples

Casturo POV

There he was. A lanky, red headed guy with the most piercing green eyes I've ever seen peering at me as soon as the door was opened. "Heeeey, Burn. I brought the guy that saved my ass earlier." Check poked the side of my head as the red head looked me over like I was a pack of fresh steak ready for buying. He took rather swift steps towards me before stopping a mere few feet away, parting pale chapped lips to speak.

"Well, what do we've have here? He looks like your Average Joe if you ask me, Check." His voice was slightly chilling, as his gaze switched from me to Check beside me.

"He is, really. But, he's seriously awesome." He put an arm firmly around my shoulders with a large grin invading his features.

"Is he? Hm. He has to prove how awesome he is. Can you blade, kid?"

I could, a little. I hadn't in years, though. Why would he want me to rollerblade anyway? "A little bit, why?"

"Well, why not? If you wanna hang with a pack of Rudies, then ya gotta know how to blade." He scratched his mess of fire red hair as he looked over at Check, who looked rather uneasy at this point.

"Burn, don't bring him into our biz, he's not in any legal trouble and we shouldn't do that to him, man." Said Check rather timidly as he looked up at Burn. Burn shot back a look at him and then I saw him visibly straighten up. No one had to tell me that Burn was the leader of the gang Check was in, his aura and speech finally showed it.

I straightened up slowly, gaining my courage. "I'll give it a go. Do you have any extra skates?" That made Burn's lips curl into a wide grin. "Well, of course, man. Hold on a second." He turned and yelled out into the living room. "Viruz, get your happy techie ass in here with the extra skates! The ones on the table!" Then I heard a crash then a clatter. Out came a lime green haired dude wearing neon colors from a side room. He was holding a pair scratched up baby blue and ebony black skates with dull blue wheels. The metal was scratched and weather worn.

The goggle wearing techie handed me the skates with a small pause. "Here, dude. Careful, these are kinda wonky." I just nodded as I walked and sat my ass on the couch, pulling the skates upon my feet with ease. "These feel fine, comfy really." That little comment of mine made Burn give a small grin.

After a little encouragement from Check and one hell of pep talk, I rode out into the backyard and executed a few grind tricks on a nearby metal bench. Damn, I'm lucky that this sector of town is abandoned or I'd already be swamped with Silver Keepers ready to beat my ass. My tricks had Burn and Check staring at me all stunned and amazed that I could executed such sweet moves and combos with barely any practice in the past few years.

"Where did you learn to do shit like that?" Burn asked me once I skated back up to them. He sounded rather stunned at me. Apparently, from the look in his eye and the expression on his face, he wasn't expecting a whole lot outta me, which is perfectly fine considering I'm used to shit like that. I shrugged my shoulders then reach a hand out to rub the back of my neck.

"I used to blade here and there before it became illegal." He raised a brow at me very slowly then he gave a grin that would make any Cheshire cat green with envy. He put a thin, bony gloved hand out to me. It was random so I blinked at the action in a confused way. "What?"

"Casturo, right? I'd like you to join the Crimson Wave. You don't have to. But hey, give it some thought, right?" Check looked seriously surprised at his leader but I just kinda stood there for a second. Burn put his hand down at this side after a minute or two but kept that pleased as punch grin on his features.

"I'll let you sleep on it. Give me your answer soon, 'kay?" He sounded like he had a plan with me, needless to say. The look on his face spoke a thousand more words than he did.

After about an hour or two of hanging out with this strange gang of misfit teens, (primarily with Check and Burn, that Viruz kid stayed in a back room nearby and I guess there were more people, I didn't snoop or anything) I took the G bus line back down to my house. Right on my beat up oak door was a note taped to my door. Ugh, my mother again wanting me to return back to the house, move back in, blah, blah, blah...

I moved out about three years ago when good old dad decided he wanted to pick my career for me. My mom agreed with him, sad to say. All I wanted to do was pick my own fate, deal my own deck of cards, ya know? They wouldn't have it, so, I ran. They found me months later and got this box of an apartment for free. I guess a guy owed dad, dunno. Then I got a crummy job smelting old bits of metal into Sliver Keeper attire, again, thanks to dad. Pah. I bet my mom forced that old bastard to get this crap for me, he wouldn't do it for his own pleasure. I balled that stupid note and pitched it, walking into my dark house with barely audible footsteps.