That night Paul dreamt of platinum blonde tresses though now streaked with black as the bright blue eyes he recalled from a memory he hadn't even registered materialized before him. He reached out to touch the phantom woman, surprised to find that her hair felt like silk as it slipped through his fingers. But just as she had appeared in his mind's eye- she was gone and he awoke with a sharp intake of breath and found Marko just waking up with a concerned look on his face.

"You cool?"

Paul nodded and let go of the beam he was holding on to to land upright on the cave's floor before running a hand through his hair to smooth it back. Oddly enough he couldn't remember what had made him wake up so abruptly, it was nothing but a haze. "Yeah, man. C'mon." He motioned for Marko to follow him out into the main part of the cave they called home, Dwayne and David already there in a deep discussion over Star.

"As big a pain she is in your ass, you won't let her go." The darker man smirked and shook his head, making his ebony colored hair sway from side to side gently. "You don't have to admit it to me because I know, but scaring her isn't going to make her want to stick around."

David nodded in agreement, although the movement was minute. "She needs to feed and still refuses. At this rate she's going to die on us before I follow through with any threat I may make." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with a leather tipped forefinger and thumb, thinking silently on a way to make this predicament swing in his favor. "Laddie's willing, Star just happens to be the one holding him by the collar."

Dwayne nodded in greeting to the other two that had just wandered in and straightened up from his perch along the edge of the fountain. "We'll see what happens." With that he hopped down and took a seat on the rundown couch off in the corner with a well placed sigh. The springs cried out in protest as the man shifted to get comfortable, his hands in his lap. Dark eyes studied Paul's smirk and the far away look in his eye. "You ok, dude?"

Marko elbowed Paul in the ribs to get his attention before nodding in Dwayne's direction, Paul all of a sudden lost. "Huh?"

"I said, Are. You. Ok. Dude."

Paul laughed and clapped his hands together. "I just need some reefer, bro. I'm running on 'e' right now and that's not good." He pushed Marko's shoulder lightly as he passed by, disappearing into the room he claimed as his own. The room was there for him to decorate as he pleased, which was with graffiti and flyers from concerts he had attended, and to serve as a shrine to himself. The bedposts were covered in tiny little notches, declaring his many conquests to the world... or at least to the three other boys. The sound of drawers slamming and things being pushed around the room carried out into the main room followed by a string of obscenities in not being able to find any of his stash hidden away somewhere.

When he reappeared amongst the other boys he was pulling on his jacket and twirling the keys to his bike around his middle finger. David threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh before his hands were clapped together sharply and he stood, a grin claiming his lips as he spoke. "Let's ride, boys."

---

The Boardwalk was as crowded as ever, showing the boys just how much the population had risen in the past year and a half and with the population boom came new stores and vendors looking to con and sell things on the sly. That also meant fresh meat. The bikes roared to a stop along their usual strip, eyes from the passersby casted away from them in either fear or shyness (that happened to be from the women that found themselves to be staring too hard) but the group paid no mind as they dismounted and went off in their separate ways, David letting Star and Laddie roam on their own. Dwayne disappeared with Marko by his die, David going off to mingle, and Paul went in search of his dealer.

It was through the throng of people that he saw the flash of blonde from the corner of his eye, making him turn quickly and shoulder check the person that was walking past at the time. "Sorry, dude." He put his hands up to let the man know he wasn't looking for trouble right then and cast a slow glance around, brows furrowed. He felt it was becoming a game and wasn't so sure he was tempted to rise to the bait just yet. Weed first and then her.

The dealer stood off in the shadows, making sure to keep himself hidden away from the prying eyes of the rent-a-cops wandering around "enforcing" the law. But the moment he looked up and found Paul standing before him, he grinned and high fived the man. "What's up, bro? Running low?" Of course he knew the answer to his question but the words were said to fill in the void of silence that always came with Paul, which freaked him out a little bit. A sandwich sized bag was pulled out from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it over, Paul returning the gesture by slipping money into his hand.

"Nice doin' business with you." He hid the bag inside his jacket and double checked to make sure he had everything necessary to roll up a few joints later and stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw her. When he really saw her. All other thoughts that had lingered in his mind left him standing stock still in the traffic of human bodies going on around him. Before he knew what he was doing he was sliding up next to her, the tip of his nose brushing against her hair as he took in the faint scent of cinnamon. There was something else there, underlying but he couldn't quite pick up on it... not that he would have wanted to right at that moment.

"Lost?" The sound that emitted past her lips surprised him. The tone of her voice was both even and smooth, mellow. Aged. When she turned her head to look back over her shoulder at him without having to turn around it was then he noticed the stud that adorned the skin just below her bottom lip and the small, diamond stud in her left nostril. Her hair could have rivaled David's if not for the jet black streaks. Night and day.

"Not anymore." Paul moved around her slowly, trailing the tips of his fingers down the exposed peaches and cream skin of her arms as his eyes raked over her. "You new?" She had to be for obvious fact that he would have remembered meeting her before or at least seeing her. He always remembered.

"Mm," The stranger nodded gently as her eyes never left his face. "You keeping touching me and I'm going to have to start charging you for it." It was the way in which she said it that made Paul laugh and back up a step with one hand raised in surrender.

"You got a name?"

"Of course. Do you?"

Paul stood there a moment, transfixed with how quick she was to get back at him. If it had been another woman they wouldn't have needed any more words after his first answer. But no, she was keeping him at a distance although she was inviting him in for more. Temptation was great. "Paul."

"Paul," The manner in which she said it made him imagine she was tasting his name against her tongue, relishing it in a silent ecstacy he couldn't bear to fathom at the moment. She straightened up slowly and brushed past him, lips close to his ear as she whispered her name as if in secret. "Manny." And as he turned around to follow after her she was gone.

"What the fuck?" He had to do a double take, eyes narrowing to slits as he looked every which way before he felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and found Marko standing next to him.

Marko's innocent face was lit up with glee as he brushed his thumb across his bottom lip slowly, giving him the mischeivious look he was known for. "Party going on over by the bluff. Chicks, half decent music, free booze..."

Paul's face lit up as well as he ran his tongue over his teeth before nodding and pulling at his coat to reveal the half ounce he was hiding. "I've got the party starter."