The member Latissa had sent to attend to him was relatively normal in comparison to the others he'd seen. While Shingle wore the same blacks as the rest of his fellow members, he had made a name for himself by eschewing all the usual vices the others favoured. There was nothing on him spiked, never once touched their drugs and had kept himself from forming any kind of relations, even one-off flings, with any other member. He did concede to an occasional drink if he felt it appropriate, but never to excess.
He had however ended up in several fights whenever someone suggested he was too afraid of them, resulting in his usual response to threats to come from his fists – fists which, he noticed, he'd judiciously covered in a black glove that was actually a flexible metal with padding inside as a shock absorber. Many people had found to their detriment that one of Shingle's fists hurt a great deal more than expected.
Naturally the first thing he'd asked of the tall, dark-haired boy was to recount Roxas's tale. That had been the whole reason he'd come here in the first place, finding out what Roxas had done.
"You're not serious," Sora said in disbelief. "How did he get in?"
"Remember those ID cards I told you he stole?" Shingle reminded him. "The Sea Metropolis goes all over the world, slowly but eventually. Police ID cards there work in any registered Union city, including their HQ – all stations get their data direct from there, so cutting all the power cables..."
"Crippled the rest of them," Sora finished. "And the Oracle must have taken full advantage of that."
"Oh, he did," Shingle agreed, chuckling. "It's just as well he's gone back to you, you know – they found his fingerprints at the scene, and that tied the crime to him. The old Inspector's been on his case ever since, but she doesn't know he wasn't from around here."
"Hopefully I don't have the same prints," Sora said. "I'd hate to have her on my case too."
"You know she already is, right? Word is Akira wants to see you, and the chances are if he wants you, you don't wanna be found."
"Yeah, I've been told already. It's a bit of a problem for me. He's probably the one who has my ship and friends, so I'd go with him, but... I know the situation, I've seen and heard it. From what I hear, the moment he had what he wanted, I'd just be bumped off so I couldn't stop him."
"Probably, yeah," Shingle nodded. "Bit brutal, but kinda true. You also got the Code to keep to. You did take it, didn't you?"
"You think I'd be here if I hadn't? I didn't exactly have much choice you know. Just like I don't have any choice in what I do now, not really. I've gotta find something I want to do, people who'll do it with me and at the same time, and try to get everything back safely... I'm kinda wondering if there's even anything out there I can do."
"Well staying safe would be a good bet," Shingle suggested, glancing down into the club below once again as he paced around the room. "In theory, as long as Akira doesn't have you, he can't learn anything, at least as quick as he could otherwise. Keep your head down, stay out of sight, don't let anyone or anything connect Sora to Shade or Samael."
"I gotta have something to do, Shingle. I get restless if there's nothing to do."
"Well sit tight. Let the boss do her thing. We got chapters all over this city and other Union cities as well. One of the few gangs who do, I might add. She won't just get you one possibility, she'll get you more than you ever thought possible. Until then... well, you're welcome to try being one of us."
Sora thought it over, like Shingle glancing back down at the scene below. Through the various lights and low fog it was hard to make out anything specific, but Shingle had easily explained the kinds of things that happened down there no matter which one of the Black Guard's establishments anyone went to.
"I think I'd end up being a lot like you," he said eventually. "Maybe Roxas had the right idea. Keeping himself as he was. I don't think I'd like to get involved in some of those things."
"Sensible. Drink and drugs dull your mind, the rest is just a distraction. You'll get called into question though, same as me. Most of them don't share my views, and those that do will still indulge themselves once in a while to prove they're not like me."
"Let them," he shrugged. "Roxas wouldn't do it, and neither will I. And don't tell me I'll end up in a fight – I know that already. You did, so I probably will too. But by the sounds of it I'm already up to my ears in one fight. What's one more?"
"That's a reckless way of looking at things, Shade," Shingle observed. "If you do decide to do this, I'll guide you – we'll be able to cover some of it as learning from my example that way. It still has to be you who makes the choice though. Even if you choose to go with another gang..."
"Let me think about it a bit," Sora decided. "At least if I'm gonna stick around I'll have to look like one of you, right? We'll see how that turns out and take it from there." he paused. "I gotta feeling I'm gonna regret saying this, but we'll do something with my hair too, otherwise everyone is gonna recognise me."
"You know, no one's ever going to believe you said that. Latissa and Roxas had one loud argument over his hair. He was very protective of it."
"Well, I am too, but I can't go letting it give me away now, can I?" Sora replied. "Where do we go about getting me some clothes like yours?"
Shingle opened a wardrobe in one corner that seemed filled with threads matching the gangs typical appearance in various sizes and variations on the standard design. Not all of them had the iconic if simple logo on them, but due to their sheer size there was no need – the chances were if they looked like a Black Guard member, they probably were.
"You can leave those threads here," Shingle told him. "Pick 'em up if and when you leave, keep them with you. Strictly speaking no matter who else you go with you're still one of Tommy's boys, but without them to prove it people have only your word for it. Not that we'd doubt your word, but we've had people before who've tried to use that to get out of trouble, so we kinda have to have something or someone to back us up."
"Yeah, fair enough," Sora replied, pulling off the shirt to change.
"I'll be back in a few – gotta find some stuff for your hair. Any preferences, by the way?"
"Just don't make me look like the result of a stoned punk and a parrot," Sora answered, thinking of some of the multicoloured mohawks he'd seen. "Something simpler, I think."
He kept to that for much of what he picked out – simple. The only concession he had to make were the boots, as the only ones that fit him were of the spiked variety and had metal toecaps too. These boots were clearly made for fighting with.
One he'd finished changing he caught another disapproving feeling.
"It's not as if it's permanent, you know," he muttered in case it was Roxas. "I'll find someone else to go with if it's just them bothering you, we just have to give Latissa time to find me somewhere."
"Knock your head while in there?" Shingle asked from the doorway. "Turn round, lemme see how you look before we give you a new hairstyle." Sora did as he asked, standing in the middle of the room right beneath the main lights. "You're still missing something," he said thoughtfully. "You need to hold yourself differently. Cross your arms and lean back slightly. Try to look as if you're having a really bad day and have every intention of spreading it around."
Sora put on his best impression of it, causing Shingle to try not to laugh.
"Alright, maybe we'll forget that last, it just doesn't look right for you," he decided. "Just remember you're part of the most feared gang. You don't take anything from anyone, except another one of us."
"And even then I settle it within the gang, right?"
"Ideally without bloodshed but as long as you don't go too far a few blows aren't going to cause any trouble. Now leave your shirt and jacket here while we do something about your hair. Think we'll lighten the shade and cut it back. Skinhead won't look too good on you, so it'll just be enough to make it look more like a local style."
"I've had one idea about that, Shingle. The way it looks now is kinda distinctive, right?"
"Pretty much. I doubt you'll find anyone anywhere who has it the same way."
"So why not start a new trend? If the Inspector's counting on it to give me away, lets give her sightings of it throughout the city? Change mine so it's not distinctive any more and she's got one big wild goose chase."
Shingle thought about it, leading him back down the corridor outside Latissa's room.
"It's got possibilities," he said finally, thumping hard on one door. "Rat, get up! I've got work for you!"
"Not my business," a voice came back. "I got stuff up in here."
"I don't care who you've got in there, boss is outta town and she's left me in control here! Get your pants back on and get out here before I come in there and make you do it butt naked!"
"Nice touch," Sora murmured. "I guess I gotta get used to that too."
"It's fairly common, yeah," Shingle agreed as Rat made sounds of getting up at last. Shingle passed on Sora's idea to him and set him – and his girlfriend – to work spreading it throughout the city before he steered Sora into a bathroom to finish his own transformation.