... 7th of September 2047 ... ( WIP, NOT FINISHED)
Maybe it was the dust or the sudden change in the sunny weather but Jaklo's head was starting to swim. The clouds blanketing the sun above had matured to be grey as the day went by, rain was ready to wet the dry gravel making up the roads of this settlement. Finally Jaklo proceeded to his destination, every drowsy step that carried him only made the raccoon feel more and more fatigued.
It was that glowing feeling of warmth in his chest, his medicine from earlier was starting to tug on his heartstrings a little. The welcome mat at his feet was perceived with nostalgia, it had been quite a few years since his last conversation with Ellis, it was a rough last talk.
His dazed daydream was cut short when the door bell to the hardware store rang his consciousness back to reality. The first detail he could make out was a set of antlers beyond the doorframe, it was followed by the rough face of a male Deer with shaded sunglasses concealing his partially wrinkled visage, the two momentarily made eye contact.
While face to face, the drug had rendered Jaklo awkward. The brainfog suggested he makes no conversation and step to the side to give way to the evenly sized man. The deer strides with confidence out onto the wooden porch, metal studs attached to boots rattling the freshly painted porch below as he came to a stop directly in front of Jaklo. The deer would deflate his posture with a crook in his neck, the icon of a pufferfish was present on the back of his custom made blazer; a nametag on the chest panel of his coat proceeded the man as 'Lorenzo Quint'
"I like your eyes, guy! It's a noble man who doesn't hide his extremities, you know. An honest man."
The best the deer got in response was a half-assed nod and derpy smile, in truth Jaklo felt dizzy. He'd lean back against the wooden guardrail and cross his arms, "These eyes ain't for sale." The raccoon had a lost look written all over his face, deeply uncomfortable and unable to think about anything other than Ellis. "They ain't for sale."
With almost mocking imitation, the deer slowly crossed his arms as well. Looking the smaller raccoon up and down with a smug look on his long Cervidae face. "You'd be wise to keep yourself and your parts more open, could always use a good soldier like you." He'd pick a bug off from his antlers, never once severing the assault of eye-contact with the raccoon. A streak of fresh white-paint vividly coated the back of the deer's bony fingers.
Jaklo was tickled pink almost, taking it as a compliment and smiling like a gullible child. Really, it had been quite some time since anyone had anything nice to say. "That's flattering... But- My parts aren't exactly in service right now. You'd do well to leave me be, I'll see you around, guy!" Quick intuition told the raccoon to not trust the White-Paint on the deer's hand. Deciding to stumble himself away and toward the entrance to the store, he didn't make it very far before a large black talon landed upon his shoulder. "Come here." A familiar voice hissed down at Jaklo from behind, it was enough to stop him dead in his tracks with eyes as wide as any owl.
For a second, the sound of what can only be described as popping candy was emanating from behind Jaklo. He wasted no time swivelling clumsily to face the source, but just as expected he laid eyes on Lorenzo, he had a shit-eating grin on his face as words of shock creep up the raccoon's throat. "K-Kro.. Kroover..?!--" The raccoon's heart was fluttering wildly in confusion, the deer's hands were perfectly normal and there was no large hairy talon in sight. Caution of the man's eyes was completely disregarded by the drugs assaulting Jaklo's neurons.
A smile was beaming in the deer's voice, speaking as though he had nothing but confidence in mind. An unbreakable stance. "Your brain is a very open book, Krover- Hmf.. Krover? As in Limelight?" The man deflated his posture, letting out a sigh of relief and returning his creepy grin to a humble smile. "You have enemies in high places, don't you?" From beyond the tinted shades of his sunglasses, his pupils glowed brighter than the darkness shielding them. "Yeah, you do. Yes. I've seen who you are. You'd better get the fuck out of this town. You'll drag the crescendo crew right back up on our case."
With all of this confusion, Jaklo felt overwhelmed as reality began to struggle to correspond correctly around him. It was panic like he hadn't felt in years, being recognised by a stranger. It felt like being on the verge of tripping balls. Or maybe, in his eyes he saw it as getting his balls back. His hand found solution on the grip of his handgun holstered down the back of his waistband. He had never intended to use it, but he was now aiming it directly at the deer's head, no thanks to his medicine. Lorenzo appeared shocked by the development. "You do realise you're aiming at someone with more responsibility than you could ever fathom?" The deer spoke as if deeply offended. "You're out of your league, Golden Boy."
He'd shake the gun in Lorenzo's direction, demanding civility. ".. Golden boy?! .. Fine- If you know me so well- Then tell me this; I want the Musician dead as much as you people do, why are you hassling me?!" The raccoon's adrenaline powered movements were frantic and sudden, the frame of his handgun rattled nosily as he waved his arm loosely in the smirking deer's direction with ridicule.
Still, the presence of a gun wasn't enough to assert any points over Lorenzo. "I know you, guy. I can see all the horrible things you keep between those ears of yours," Lorenzo's eyes glowed a flash of bright green, it made the raccoon briefly flinch. "The Violinist is fond of you, he'll storm this town if he catches word that you've resurfaced. Dime can't have that, there's currently conflict between the two of them. You're effectively ruining our serenity by breathing here." He'd formerly fold his hands behind his back as he spoke with earnest, almost as if encasing his presence in gold, and his words in silver. "I'm sorry you had to look into my eyes just now, otherwise I wouldn't have figured you out. You'll have to come with me, I can't be a bystander, I pray you understand." The deer's tone sounded much more sincere now, eyeing the raccoon up with dead eyes full of challenge.
"An Outsider too, huh? Least I ain't the type to hide it with sunglasses, unlike you- Pussy." Jaklo met Lorenzo's challenging gaze with his own, the air thickens with contest, the comment was enough to change Lorenzo's merciful attitude immediately. "Well- Any fool or lesser can speak to you now after that bastard Krover dragged you down from your throne in Stardown, Golden boy." The deer advanced a single step, verbally tearing Jaklo's guard down. "You used to run a part of that town, didn't you? Now all of your friends know how he kicked the piss out of you. Those eyes make you feel tough? Big and strong? Some people may be afraid of you, the big bad Outsider; But I know who you really are, what you are. It's my talent to see things most cannot." The deer grins with malice, stepping forward yet again in best attempts to coax any reaction whatsoever from the stoic raccoon. "You're merely just an empty plastic bag floating through the wind."
Every single word the deer spoke was like moon runes, the more Jaklo tried to follow the blatant truth, the more he felt himself zoning out. It wasn't long before the urge to vomit was crawling up his throat, the glare of the sun hidden beneath the clouds was causing temporary migraine as the world spun like a carousel in tandem with the altercation unfolding. It was like the world was dancing with the tension. "... I'm just here to see Ellis." Jaklo uttered with a small break in his voice, running his paw down his exhausted face and doing his best to get a grip on reality while he could. "Fuck off with the wise remarks too, I'm the one with the gun here." His racing heartbeat was betraying his cool, panic was racing in like a lone coyote facing a wolf.
"Are you? I do also know that you're a pacifist. You didn't spill a drop of blood before the music hit the streets." Clouds above began to cloak the afternoon sun, Lorenzo's voice seemingly deepened. "That's what you were known for, right? Pacifism. Hah- All you are now is a little archangel waving a sword around that you don't intend to use. What a fool, holding onto ideals from a past life. It'll do you no good in a world of dogs." Almost like a flex, the deer stupidly tempted the trigger; taking a small step towards Jaklo and continuing to professionally hold the tension with his words. His fur was beginning to visibly darken and every instinct within Jaklo was telling him to fire, yet his hand quivered anytime he reached for the trigger.
The deer would remove his stylish shades to unveil his mystic green eyes, towering above the raccoon threateningly and encompassing him in his shadow. "And in a world of dogs, it pays to be the man commanding the leash--"
Something about Lorenzo's features began to warp amidst the dimming light, clouds shielded over the sickly humid sun above. Jaklo blinks as the temperature drops a hair, he'd open his eyes to see Lorenzo's face had been replaced with the visage of Krover Limelight, a brutal force. To describe such a visage in detail would be an affront to decency as we know it, he resembled a black crow with a grotesque skull structure; further equipped with a pointed black beak as long and sharp as a bayonet.
"--When the leash commands nothing but your absolute compliance." Bubbling flesh oozed beneath his feathers, they were clung in clumps to his skull as if clawed and prodded at. Each time he opened his foul beak to speak, a soft popping could be heard radiating from his thin and wrinkled tongue. To see this face again temporarily stunned Jaklo with his wide eyes and agape mouth.
With every step back the raccoon took, more and more of the Deer's features were being replaced by that of Krover Limelight, it was some twisted kind of mind-fuck. His tail hung loosely between his legs, quivering in anticipation at the sight of the tall avian monstrosity. "Not possible, you're not here. You're not even alive, This isn't real.. Quit screwin' with me, who even are you?!-"
The aggressor closed the distance the raccoon's fear had created in the footsteps imprinted into the dry gravel below. His expertise made light work of the armed and staggering raccoon, hooking a haired and bony talon around his throat to force him to his knees. His handgun dropped to the floor, firing a single shot and alerting some nearby birds. "Me? Nothing more than an old face living in the back of your mind. I suppose" The desperate gunshot to the sky amused Lorenzo, his voice sounded exactly like Krover Limelight, a perfect re-imagining of the old crow's vocal cords.
Lorenzo took advantage of Jaklo's struggles and feeble strength like a shark to blood; his sharp talon raised him to the air by the neck, a whirl of dust kicked up from the rocky surface against the raccoon's floating boots, he kicked and kicked for dear life, small feet kicking up a storm of pebbles and earth. The two locked eyes amidst the choking, Jaklo immediately took note of the two Green eyes staring up at him through the gravel dust. "K-Krover.. Didn't have.. Green eyes- You think I'm falling for this shit? I lay out tricks like you're doing on a daily basis-"
The deer rattled the raccoon around in his grip, tightening the grip on his throat with the talon. His gravelly voice instilling as much fear as he could possibly muster for the struggling Jaklo.
"Then use them, mutt. Show me what they were so afraid of back in Stardown, Goooolden Boooy.." Something stirred inside Lorenzo, tilting his head in confusion before forcefully jutting the raccoon's jaw up to peer into his eyes. Two dilated green pupils were staring back into his own.
Lorenzo growled with complete and utter dissatisfaction, his high was completely killed. "You're high, aren't you? No wonder you're fighting this as easily as you are. You think you can trip your way out of this? Pathetic, can't even stand up for yourself.." For a moment, his real voice chimed in, the facade failing seemingly "Always letting the bottle do the talking, aren't we?"
He'd force Jaklo to his knees, striking him down with the backhand of his bony talon to the floor; just as the sun appears from behind the thick clouds once more, shining upon Lorenzo's vanishing talon. The deer sighed as the form of Krover vanishes with the shade, his hand returning to normal with the sunlight, as well as the rest of him. The deer stood triumphantly over Jaklo, dusting off his clothes and adjusting his glasses.
"Fear is pathetic. There is so much otherworldly things for you cretins to dread.. And of all times, each and every one of you happen to fear one singular person, always the ugly ones. Why can't any of you people fear something like a Freak-Accident or a Nuclear Bomb anymore? I haven't had a fun trip like that in years." A grin of potential appeared on his face, wiped the moment the sound of a shotgun from the front porch of the hardware store rang out all throughout town. Any and all birds remaining in town could be seen flocking in emergency from the rooftops of the neighboring wooden settlements to the cloudy sky.
Lorenzo was alive to watch the buckshot facelift one of the buildings opposite the store, a warning shot from Ellis standing proudly along the porch of his establishment. In his green scaled hands was a pump-action shotgun, the aforementioned Boomstick was now trained directly on The Deer's lean frowning face.
Ellis sounded apprehensive and fearful, full of concern."I-I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even know this thing was loaded, but under no circumstance will I stand by and watch you do this. He's a dear friend, I hope you understand." He sounded hopeful, gulping not long after the last word left his lips. The gila dragon's eyes were fixated on the White-Paint on the back of the deer's fist. Unfortunately the raccoon comrade's words landed on sadistic ears, he only saw Ellis as a roadblock from securing Jaklo, and such he was going to have as much fun as he could.
"This is an F.F meeting, sir. You shouldn't have stuck your nose in my business, nonetheless you'll be punished for brandishing that firearm on me. What are you afraid of, I wonder?"
The moment the deer's eyes focused in on the barrel of the shotgun Ellis held, he'd quickly remember the raccoon's pistol from earlier amidst the distraction. By now it was far too late, Jaklo had the barrel of the handgun pressed directly against the deer's abdomen. "Afraid of? He's afraid of shit- bravest motherfucker I know right there. Trained killer, too!" The raccoon grinned up at him like a crackhead "You play any more fucking mind games like that on him instead of me and I'll shoot you and pull your fucking lunch out of your stomach from here. Asshole, learn when to fuck off- Thought I made it obvious I'm not in the mood for small-talk."
The visage of the deer leered down at Jaklo, stress clearly building in his face as he struggles with decision, those two guns trained on him didn't make it easy. "What? You hungry?" was the best he could mutter to the pair, dusting his custom made blazer off.
Lorenzo knew when he was beat, it was almost as if his party tricks had a one person at a time policy. Raising his hands defensively towards Jaklo and smirking as he backtracks from the raccoon in a careful manner. Talking away to the tense pair with that same sly tone.
"I'll be coming back here with a buffet of guts that you can claw lunches out of. I bet the whole town will come running once they hear we're housing an accomplice of the Music Man."
"Oh piss off you lanky fucker." It wasn't long before blood ran down off his lip, droplets would fall and sink beneath the molars of stone. A beetle would scurry under the pebbles as Jaklo came to a wobbled stance to bask in the presence of the green Gila Dragon stood atop the porch; like a holdout that never left their post years after the war subsided. With the shotgun clenched tight between his worn fingers, he watched Jaklo dust himself off and felt his expression tightening, emotion flooding through his body as tears well up beneath his snake eyes. "--..I can't believe it- You actually came?"
"Got your letter.. How many boots did you have to lick to stay good looking around here? I feel like a Pinata, anywhere I go some green-eyed creep is beating the shit out of me. But, fuck man- How've ya been? Why you are you holding up in Fuckface central? I knew you'd go far in life but a hardware establishment is a huge leap from your previous line of work."
He'd stop talking for a moment, using his thumb to would swipe further blood from his busted lip, that backhand from earlier hit him right where it hurt. He attempted to gauge a reaction from his awestruck friend, but it looked as if he was still processing what exactly to say. A hint of fear was ruminating around inside that smile of his too, his anxiousness confirmed by his shivering hands clutched upon the lowered shotgun. "- I..- Apologise for firing- I've been good, just.. making plans- But... Jaklo.. What the hell?! I mentioned in the letter that it'd be best if you entered discretely. I knew this was going to happen. We can't even stay here anymore, we're made.-"
Before the Lizard could continue, Jaklo strolled right up close to Ellis and stared directly into his deep blue eyes. It was a funny feeling to see a familiar face after so much had gone to shit.
"Shit, it's really you- huh? Heh.. Same old paranoid Ellis. Don't worry- I did exercise lots of caution last night, I didn't use any sleep medication when I first strolled into town. My mind was awake and ready to sense if needed be." The situation from before melted away from Jaklo's mind entirely, he'd look Ellis up and down with utter disregard for the odd stares his old friend was giving him, he missed this lizard.
"But you're medicated now, aren't you? You're talking funny like you used to. God fucking damn it- I said be careful. I'm.. a deadman if I stay put any longer. I thought it'd be safe to invite you here because there's no Blessed here besides the F.F, how did someone recognize you?!"
The raccoon narrowed his eyes, he truthfully didn't know, unless Lorenzo was one of the Blessed; a word of slang for an affiliate of the Musician's Trance. A powerful Outsider ability that causes a chain reaction in the form of song, only the worst kind of people were hooked by it. The more the wicked heard, the stronger they got. Until eventually, everyone heard his song, the wicked obeyed his lyrics; and the people with good in their hearts were triumphed upon by the remaining filth in places like Turner Town.
"... I don't know- He was some angel-eyed wizard freak like me." A self conscious feeling washed over Jaklo's drug-cuddled mind, his old friend now probably thought of him as a junkie, he thought. "I just had one since I didn't have any coming into town yesterday, It'll help me for when I need to sleep later- wherever that'll be.. Look- I'm fine. I'm still able to control myself- I did just fine against that last fucker."
The lizard's friendly demeanor was starting to thicken into hostility, severely upset with how oblivious Jaklo was to the fact the entire town will probably want him hanged by nightfall once word gets out. "I tender to that man quite often, you know. Do you realize who you just fucked with? He's the right Knuckle of the goddamn F.F. We can't stay here, high or not I- need.. w-we need to fucking pack- I- I- We- All that research for you to come waltzing in and picking a fight with one of the top dog's most valuable assets. Of all the people, Jaklo."
Almost like a theatre play, Jaklo swapped from happy to angry, like going from stoned to an angry drunk. The bell to the hardware store rang out in panic as Ellis crashed through the door, desperately reaching the storage room in the back and droning out the sounds of Jaklo's rambles, he needed to pack fast and worry about Jaklo's yelling later.
"Well what's he doing in your store in the first place? I wouldn't have fuckin' run into him. What fucking research? You in bed with them, Ellis? Talk to me. Cuz some hobo out back said you're known to be a fucking suck-up in this town. That's the kind of reputation you're building here?"
Part of Jaklo's heart skipped a beat, saying that out loud made him think back to the past for just a moment. It was a noticeable stun that the panicking lizard glanced at while packing various necessities and personal belongings. He appeared to be baffled by the raccoon's defamatory claims, staring wide-eyed in surprise and disbelief.
"Me? Sell out? I held out for you.. For us, I'm not just going to lie down after what he did to Rosco, are you? No. See unlike you, none of our enemies recognize me instantly. I don't have any reputation like you do, I took it upon myself to settle here, this town is one of Dime's greatest assets and he frequents this whistle-stop often; I am here to find an opportunity to kill Dime, and I need your help. We both know that Dime is a dear friend of the Musician."
The raccoon lounged against the wooden counter, trying to find the correct words in his head; analyzing the various shelves of hardware tools and construction supplies like nails, bolts and even some paint-cans too. "Our Enemies?-" Along the wall was a picture frame containing the polaroid of a lady, she was a honey badger to be specific. Ellis quickly swiped the portrait and stuffed it into his bag alongside several boxes of useful supplies, he was ransacking the place. From the looks of it though, he had been doing business in this store for quite a while.
Jaklo sighed, rubbing his temples with an exhaustion he couldn't quench. "It's been years, man. Fuck happened to you? You're taking what happened to that kid harder than I am, if I remember right you hated his fucking guts anyway, never gave the poor boy a chance." Anger boiled as tension brewed beneath the raccoon's skin, knuckles flexing against the flower decorated surface coaster. "... It's just weird, Ellis. Never knew you as the type to spill blood, even if it is a real bastard like Dime. Surprised me is all, you really changed that much?"
The gila dragon was still hurrying around the store with a sense of urgency that Jaklo clearly lacked; the raccoon was appreciating the 'long time no see' vibes all the while chaos was unraveling outside with the counting seconds. Ellis picked up a music box from one of the shelves, holding it's delicate frame up to catch the sunlight in one of the ceiling windows above the packed shelves. He'd shove it into his bag alongside the rest of what he deemed necessary to bring.
"Haven't changed Jaklo, and yes I was hard on him-" His scaled fingers zipped the bag harshly "I was hard on everyone. Consigliere is not a particularly social role, my job is be hard on who was under our fucking wing. But I care enough and I've had enough. So yes, I think I want to kill Dime. He and The Musician of all people deserve to die for everything they've done. I want the family we had in the past to have meant something other than ruin. I'm done living like this.. alone. It's between that or the rope."
Most of the equipment and supplies in the three small aisles was things that was definitely found or bought and is now being sold second-hand. Can't have anything first hand in a world like this, after all. "How about you drop the insurrectionist attitude and both me and you head back to Morisville where it's safe. You're torturing yourself even choosing to live in this cesspit. For what? To give them a flesh wound?!"
It was amusing to Ellis to hear that Jaklo thought of Morisville, letting out a short lived chuckle and throwing the strap of the duffel bag over his shoulder, the jean jacket he wore didn't fit his style at all. "Do you even know why Morisville is untouched? It's obvious. Musician will only strum his guitar for his fans, evil bastards just like him who will blindly follow the music. That town you want to go back to is full of do-gooders like the people living here, the Musician has no interest for it and in due time the Dime will round up dozens of his men and run through it; like they did to every other 'sanctuary' in the past fourteen years. He's not risking any inkling of authority to anyone. Just him and his never-ending concert."
Ellis ended his quiet tantrum with a hard thud, slamming his bag atop the counter with a dirty look in his eye; waddling off into the back of the shop again in silence. Jaklo was left with an empty feeling in his stomach, he believed his consigliere had a good point. Casting a stoic gaze upon the shotgun settled across the counter, it's been half-way cocked since earlier.
"Alright maybe you're right about Morisville. Every guard is some pigheaded fuck brimming with ego, honestly entirely surprised it's still been standing on two legs for this long. What sort of plan did you have in mind anyway?"
From beyond the doorway a few moments in; Ellis popped his head in opportunity to lay out the whole deal for his friend. "... Well- We kill Dime and liquify the structure of the F.F, and then we should have a better shot at getting rid of the Musician. My only issue is that I haven't exactly deciphered how to go about it.. Even in all the time I've been here every single play seems too risky. Except one- Of which I'll need you for-"
The raccoon grinned at the proposition, the sight of which sent a tickling feeling of dread down Ellis' spine. "Sounds good to me, the fuck am I gonna miss out on if it doesn't go to plan anyway. Lay it on me." Anticipation was brimming all throughout the raccoon's core, it was immediately severed via buzzkill as the bell above the front door rings out with unexpected welcome. The raccoon draws his pistol almost as fast as the door could open, his paranoia outwitting rational thinking and thankfully he found himself aiming at two incredibly dangerous looking men, a dozen more waiting outside behind them. "Who in the- You'd do best to backtrack your mutant fucking faces back out onto that street or I'll blow a hole in your dust covered HANDS!"
Ellis didn't return the same level of confidence, audibly gulping and slowly raising his hands with automatic yield. His voice broke as he tried to communicate compliance to his friend "Jaklo.. Don't- Tch- Fuck.. Fuck- We're..-"
It was getting hard to think clearly for the raccoon, he still felt hazed despite the fresh energy rush. It was like all the adrenaline pumped to the raccoon's arm to accommodate for the fright of having two gangsters training their guns on him. Jaklo was aiming right back, staring down a horse and a cheetah, the horse was eager to assert his reason for visit.
"The Police! That's who!, down doggie- drop the piece."
The soldier would coo sarcastically to the raccoon, the horse's weird perverted tone confused Jaklo into a head tilt, eager to correct the armed stallion. "Raccoon, it's raccoon. What are you fucking twelve?"
Ellis was eye-fucking his shotgun from earlier, he felt like running out through the back-door and taking his chances getting shot. Pressure was mounting on him unlike the raccoon waving the handgun dangerously in their direction. The contesting led to more people flocking to the doorway, many more began to enter and slowly it was growing to be too overbearing for the two.
"Lorenzo wasn't lying, he's tripping balls. If this genie could do anything special he would have done it by now." One man at the front of the growing crowd exchanged comments with a fella alongside him. "Remember that time they found that Outsider Julian Grey in Rowan Outlook? The bastard that burned down one of Dime's clubs, High as balls, couldn't fight back. Caught the fucker with his pants down, just like this idiot."
A rhino stepped between the two men in the growing audience of gangsters, cocking a shotgun with a large hand as he makes his own quip in a deep, obnoxious voice, engaging in conversation with his fellow soldiers. "Everyone's all a little softer on drugs, even Outsiders. I think it's the whole reason we still readily peddle drugs, easy to deal with plankton like those two."
The crowd each hissed their thoughts and feelings as pressure in the room rises to press against the ceiling, the F.F threatened to extinguish the two completely but Jaklo wasn't going to let up. The rumors they had heard were true and he was about to give credibility to the tale, the golden boy of Stardown. Ellis may have been terrified but Jaklo was casting a dopey grin at the crowd of armed dogs. That ache in his busted lip from earlier was completely gone. "if I walk out that door with you fuckers then I'm a dead man on a noose regardless. I'm not going anywhere unless it's with a bullet in-between my goddamn eyebrows, okay? I have business to attend to- I'd appreciate it if you all just went back to your jobs.. and duties-"
A panda from the back of the small crowd would chortle, his laugh echoing up the walls of the claustrophobic building. "Went back?! Buddy- You're It. Fuck- Man, he really IS Half-Cut. This wizard is on fucking Acid or something.. Okay-Okay- You two lazy-eyed rejects do realise that you took a shot at the head of the re-education council, right? Sorry but- you shoulda both high-tailed it into Ash-Valley by now. Hell, why do you think we came here with a fucking search party. You two idiots."
Some more of the crowd underestimated their target, their laughs hammering more fear into Ellis as he slowly reaches over to tug on Jaklo's shoulder with a defeated look on his face, part of him wanted to surrender solely because he wished to at least speak to his friend on a fond level once again, rather than shot dead like a cheap problem. Jaklo looked zoned out in the face of their cruel amusement, deciding to correct them again instead.
"It's Zopiclone, actually. It might not be space dust but it's still one hell of a drug."
Just as Lorenzo pushed past the gathering in bow to fit both his tall frame and those pesky antlers through the doorway, he'd lock a glare onto Jaklo and Ellis with a cruel smile forming on his dried lips. His presence only seemed to rile the crowd up more, some of them were trying to take swipes at the raccoon's gun as more and more commotion piled up from the chaotic outdoors.
He couldn't let it escalate any further, the terrified expression of his friend Ellis in a shattered mirror in the corner brought willpower to Jaklo's dulled head, for a moment. The room encased with a green glow that permeated for at least a few milliseconds like a laser.
The energy shifted in the room and the crowd's attention was caught completely by the flash of green. Jaklo went pale in the face, blood tears running down across his cheeks.
"Think.. I overdid that particular.. party trick--.. Shit I- really gotta stop going heavy on the sauce." he'd state in an almost proud tone of voice, proceeded immediately by him vomiting all over the floor in front of them. Heaving and choking up his toast and listening as the crowd dismisses his sneaky display of power altogether.
"Like.. Really overdid it.. Sorry Ellis, don't think I got it in me anymore-"
Despite the admission of defeat, a reaction began to blossom like a pretty flower. One of the faces in the crowd began to talk, his tone a low and monotonous rumble; the lifeless voice vastly outshining all the other loud and obnoxious men. "What's the point of this? Why are we doing any of this?"
His voice broke, some sunlight revealed his face completely ribboned with damp tears, posture deflated and head ultimately drooped with little to no concern for his surroundings any longer.
Another man quietly spoke into his ear with deep concern despite the situation, it looked to be a friend of his. Trying to reason with the suddenly depressed man while Lorenzo and the crowd push forward and begin apprehending both men responsible. "What the fuck is up with you-- you crying? Never fucking seen you crying. What's wrong man? Why now? He do something? Was it him? He in your head?"
Most men within the room were beginning to relish their synthetic dopamine provided by a petty victory. Others were taking concerning notice of the crying man, they knew he wasn't the type to start crying ever. "No man- It's all wrong. Everything is- Becky.. I'd do anything to hold that hand of hers again.. I would."
A man would bonk the depressed soldier in the back of the head with his fist, not exactly appreciating the sentimentality. "Pull yourself together you fucking pussy, what the fuck is with you?"
Along the floor and on his stomach, the raccoon got a mouthful of dust from the mud-printed floorboards. Tired lotor eyes still staring through the many limbs in the crowd to catch a view of the sobbing man, never once averting his eyes even as more vomit threatened to creep up his throat. He did it, he showed them all exactly what his powers could do. Even if it wasn't exactly to plan, this could work.
".. Looks like morale is a little low, people tend to forget they have feelings sometimes." He was of course referring to Lorenzo, mocking him even whilst he was below him and on the floor.
Yet, the priorly obedient crowd had only become rowdier and rowdier around the Deer, he was losing control of the opportunity to beat the cocky raccoon shithead beneath his hoof. "S-Shit.. if only you got Dime to.. invest in a therapist around these parts, these people wouldn't be so.. full of .. steam!" Jaklo cackled in deep relish of Lorenzo losing control of his hunting posse, people began to stumble and trip like dominos. It wasn't Lorenzo's Ideal shift today, evident by his grimace and quiet growl of sheer hatred.
A lion and a cougar were pushing and shoving behind, unearthing issues from their pasts like dogs digging for scraps. "Maybe if you actually wore the fucking pants in that relationship you woulda had the brains to realise letting her go off with Sam of all people was a bad idea."
It was like an ocean of emotions between the crowd, some were feeling entirely sentimental and unable to even bare the heavy weight of the firearm assigned to them by duty, guns could be heard clattering to the floor as optimism tumbles like a landslide. "You gonna do something? No? Just gonna fucking stand there like you always do?! Dime put you on shotgun duty for a reason and you can't even hold the fucking thing? See this is why your brother offed himself." Others not so much, luckily rather than placing their anger in Jaklo they found infighting to be a far more anger relieving source, tearing into someone you know is far more nourishing than the mental guts of a stranger. Gotta love drama, Lorenzo sure doesn't; he was serving glances at every individual declining mental state in the room, completely and utterly baffled with an agape mouth.
A horse raises his firearm to the air in between the violent crowd, it was the gunshot that began a very bloody race of blurred fists being thrown. Hurdles of clumsy and heavy punches were being passed around like secret Santa on a shitty Christmas eve.
Lorenzo's full attention of course turned to his flock, it was as if each and every one of them received a years worth of either Fentanyl or Methamphetamine, Depression and Rage mixed into one armed and dangerous basket.
"What in the name of all things mighty got into all of you?! ARE YOU ALL CHILDREN?! CAN YOU ALL- Please! Stop FIGHTING! LISTEN TO ME! HE IS FUCKING WITH YOUR HEADS IT'S AN OUTSIDER!" Lorenzo's attempts to wrangle attention back failed miserably. "You're all pathetic, the Dime will fucking kill all of you."
The deer was flocked by those seemingly unaffected by the flash of hysteria, a small few gathered by his side and even they were just as confused as him on how to go about calming the tense crowd. It gave Ellis a window to lurch the mentalist raccoon responsible from the floor; with finesse he escaped with Jaklo through the back-door of the hardware store amidst the distraction, Into the maze of alleyways in search of somewhere to recuperate.
Pretty soon, the cacophony and very definition of gunfire was spiraling out from his job, he knew for sure that he was fired. Emotions within escalated to such a high degree they had all turned to lethal methods of quenching their intensities.
In desperate flee on stumbling legs, Ellis maintained the low profile while struggling to keep Jaklo upright through the tight squeezes and passages, the smell of damp stone was fogging the tense air around the two and pressure finally cracked the lizard as soon as he came to a stop in a clearing neighbored by a crumbling stone building. Distant sounds of machinery in the distance told him the town was getting busy, paranoia swiveling around his head like it was a light bulb to a moth.
Despite the aid of Ellis; he could barely keep his dull eyes open, having been propped against the wall and heaving through mucus infested lungs. Forcing his talent like that not only hurts but it can take it out of him, especially if not used particularly often in dramatic ways. "You need to be careful, going over the line with that psychic crap might just end up with you dead and them spiting on your body one day. You made it this far, why are you throwing yourself in front of a train now? ... I mean- Aren't you glad to see me?"
A bottle of water would be pressed to his lips, it was unwelcome at first but as soon as the first drop wet his tongue he immediately took the bottle into his hands to gulp more down, it helped with the taste of vomit. "... Every barracks might as well be a mental institution, soldiers are more prone than anybody to hold things in. It was an easy move, that's all- You think I give a shit about my health?" The comment was followed by a rasped chuckle "I'm on drugs half the time."
Upon trying to stand he was helped to his feet by Ellis and his warm smile, it was hard not to return at least a small smirk back to such a trustworthy face like Ellis' "And yeah, I'm glad to see you, fucking idiot. Ever since I've known you my right hand has never had so much personality, Good to see your hearts still intact, coulda left me to die in there if you really wanted to."
From the moment he was stood upright, he lost his balance as Ellis stepped away, having relied too heavily on him for balance this time around. "I suppose I would be a sight, you look like you've been through hell old friend. I'm not fond of how the years have treated you. I never really lost my smile like everyone else did, I guess. You always liked the cheerfulness about me, didn't you? especially when everyone else in that crew of ours was mopey; you included." A chuckle escaped the Lizard's lips, patting Jaklo along the shoulder and gesturing him to walk and talk through the discreet alleyways, he didn't want to be sitting still for too long, tension was still dancing upon the pair's shoulders as Jaklo spoke.
"You have always been fucking capable of accepting the cards you've been handed, that's for damn sure. You're a reliable son of a gun, wish I got to link back sooner- It's just-." His eyebrow twitched, the raccoon's friendly smile teetering into a hesitant frown. "... Easier to run away and rot somewhere, sometimes- Can't face.. what happened to the kid, never could. Damn good kid he was- Rosco. Damn fucking shame. I mean, what the hell else you expect me to do except accept the fact I've been dealt a budgeted hand of cards.. Never learned to take it on the chin like you, don't know if I can."
Ellis' face was difficult to read, it was stoic but sad all over. "You don't rot and cry, you do the only thing you can do about it. The gravity of the situation regarding the Musician has obviously evolved far beyond the old drama between him and our Crew, forget about all of that, you can't stay in your head forever, man. Musician practically runs this country now. It's fitting we're the one putting a stop to him, for us and for Rosco. In a.. strange- sadistic and very fucked up way, this is my way of helping you out of the hole you're clearly in."
They'd approach a crossroads between two small buildings, some residents behind fogged windows spotted the pair strutting along; not bothering to serve any second glances and closing over their curtains, some were slamming shut windows and clicking locks into place.
The raccoon enthusiastically pointed toward his own head while Ellis listened intently. "Being emotional is kind of my whole deal. after all. Feeling how all these miserable people feel on the daily, fucking with their heads; surely it's got to fuck with my own feelings in some way. I care too much, Ellis- that's my problem."
END OF WIP