Playing the Pieces (Open)

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    It was a cool night in Argi City. A young man by the name of Sparrow walked down a back street in the lower-class residential district. A few yards ahead, rushed and scrambling footsteps could be heard on the old cobblestone roads. As the moon shone in the boy's white hair, he raised his hand covered by finger-less gloves as he aimed his hand towards the running. Feeling the crisp air against his fingertips, he clenched his fist as he activated his strings. Pulling backward and adjusting his pink scarf on his black jacket, the Chaser boy pulled back on his target. A scream could be heard as a grown man wearing an old jacket and a shabby toque was dragged towards Sparrow, the man's clothes attached to the boy's psychic strings.

    Taking a step forward, the young boy smiled with his ruby red eyes glittering with a certain satisfaction. "Hello there! Now what would you be doing out here on a night like tonight?" Sparrow inquired.

    Hearing a mumble filled with terror, the boy sighed and motioned for his strings to lift the man up so he could be heard. His disheveled face and reddened eyes suggested less than honorable activities, and a certain scent on his breath revealed to be a whiskey commonly found at a bar on the north side of town. The high-school student gave a small laugh as he took another step, "Now this is strange," the boy began as he pulled a small paper out of his pocket, "It says here that you were arrested five months ago for possession and trafficking of illegal substances."

      The man said nothing as he looked away, a little drip of snot coming out of his nose. It was a rather piteous sight, indeed. Sparrow continued, "But I'm not really interested in all of that. Word is that you gave a hefty amount of gasoline to a certain company about two years ago. If I remember clearly, that was around the time that a certain famous family was wiped out in a series of mysterious fires."

    Beads of sweat began to form and freeze on the man's brow, his breathing becoming somewhat more shallow, but the common man wouldn't have paid the slightest glance. With a beckon from his fingers, the man lurched forward as his alcohol-ridden breath permeated Sparrow's air. Their eyes were locked, one filled with utmost confidence and certainty, the other to the brim with awe and terror. The young boy smiled pleasantly as the man was agape in shock.

    "Now maybe you can tell me something I don't already know; for whom would you have gone to the trouble of helping burn down an entire family?"

    The man begged for mercy. They always did, and Sparrow was willing to give it to them. However, something as precious and rare as mercy in this world would certainly come at a cost. As the man sniveled in fear and deep remorse, Sparrow did not see the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. He saw a sad, desperate man who had done what he was told for support of his vices. Then, there was a certain slip of detail - a specific name escaped the addict's lips before he froze in sudden horror. As the name traveled to Sparrow's ears, his eyes widened for a moment in pleasant surprise. "Why, thank you!" he began as he held the man up higher and higher, "My good man, you've given me just what I asked for!"

    There was a soft scream that grew louder and louder as the man rose higher and higher above the houses. From there, he could see the buildings of the larger part of the city, and the other places of night life. He begged to be let go, that he might be spared. Sparrow looked away for a moment, admiring the moon and the clouds around it. A beautiful silhouette appeared all around the celestial body, in the shape similar to a rabbit. Looking back, the boy smiled and said "But of course! I just wanted to ask you one last thing before I let you go..."

    A smile like that of a trickster crept up on Sparrow's face for only a moment; "How long do you think before you hit the ground?"

    Lowering his hand suddenly, the man screamed in deathly horror as he sped towards the pavement. The thought of his brains dashed upon the sidewalk for others to see left him paralyzed as air rushed into his ears, whispering laughter at his apparent demise. He closed his eyes and begged to be saved, to be spared from death for tonight. And just as he was about to hit the ground, he came to an abrupt halt. Sparrow held his hand two inches from the ground, as the man's nose dripped onto the cobblestone earth. In sheer shock of near death, the man began to hyperventilate and eventually passed out unconscious.

    The boy smiled as he lifted the man up and carried him through the air. Taking a notepad from his pocket, Sparrow wrote down the information he had gotten from this visit and flipped the page. Writing a note, he tore it out of the notepad and left it in the man's coat pocket, plainly visible to the common eye. A small laugh escaped from his lips as he placed the notepad back into his own coat pocket and gently lay the man down in front of the police station. Taking out a small spool of string Sparrow tied the man's hands and feet together, leaving the poor soul in a binding position. The stretching of his arms and legs would be a good warm-up exercise for when he gets back to prison.

    Walking away as he snapped his fingers, the psychic strings faded from the man's clothes with no signs of being pulled any longer. It felt good to do some work like this, especially since he could do it legally. Having to play around the legal system would be such a pain sometimes, and Sparrow felt it easiest to just have it wrapped around his little finger. A small sneeze escaped from the boy as he pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth. "Ah, I hope I'm not getting a cold," he complained as he continued to walk down the street, the winter night whistling a chilling tune...

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    The cold night air whipped at her face as she hurried down the street, there was an urgency in her step as she made her way down the sidewalk. Almost running, but not quite. Pushing people out of her way and taking shortcuts through alleys, she didn’t care how she did it, she just wanted to get home. It was later than she had thought it to be and she was going to be in a lot of trouble, if she made it home, that is. This seemed like a bad part of town and she felt uneasy everywhere. Her head was kept down, her gaze on the sidewalk, and her hands in her coat pockets. She wasn’t taking any chances. Especially at night. It’s always more dangerous then.

    She stops, looks both ways, and sprints across the crosswalk. A slightly intoxicated driver honks angrily and blasts through the stop sign. If she wasn’t so terrified, she would’ve been angry, but there was time for that later. Turning another corner, she takes another shortcut into an alley, gripping the pocket knife she now carried with her, tighter. A quick look around and everything seems normal, no one there. Then, a scream comes from the other end. Her eyes darting around she locates the source of the noise. A young boy, maybe a highschooler, is levitating an older man who seems to be terrified out of his mind. She moves a bit closer, looking for a hiding spot and finding one.

    The young girl wedges herself between the dumpsters and hugs herself tightly, praying to Luz that the older boy doesn’t notice her. She can hear them now and it sounds like they’re in the middle of an interrogation. Something about gasoline and burning families. The old man slips out a name and she cringes, that’s never good. Not in the movies at least, that means giving the other person what they want. Then, they kill you. Another scream, higher up. He’s floating higher and higher. What is going on here? What’ve I stumbled onto? Her breathing has become erratic and she closes her eyes as he drops, waiting for the sound of him hitting the ground.

    It doesn’t though and after a moment, her curiosity is stronger than her fear. The young girl peers around the edge of the dumpster and spies the older boy dragging the man away, a smirk on his face. She crawls out and stares after him, waiting till he becomes a blurry figure in the distance before realizing that she should follow him. What if he kills him? What if he’s a murderer? Should I report him to the police? Would they even believe that I saw a high school student levitating an old guy while interrogating him? Deciding it best to just follow him, the girl sets out, keeping a good distance and watches carefully as the boy ties up the man and leaves him by the Police Station. Even more confused than before, she looks back and forth between the man and the boy.

    Something strange is definitely going on here. This is the strangest thing i’ve ever witnessed. A small sigh escaped her lips as she followed the boy, fogging the air and momentarily blocking her view. This causes her to almost lose him and she jogs to catch up. Mumbling to herself and wrapping her scarf tighter around her face to block the cold.

“Who are you mystery boy? You are honestly one of the most interesting people i’ve ever seen.”

(Sorry if this isn’t that great. I’m a bit tired, as it’s almost 6 am and I haven’t slept yet. If you'll let me stay, my next post will be better, if the test this week at school don't fry my brain)

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    Looking up at the moon, the heavenly body's reflected light shone down on Argi city. It was a beautiful night outside. Wind was whistling, snow was falling...on nights like these, the world felt complete somehow. As Sparrow sighed in happiness, he turned at the sound of a girl's voice. Now how much would she have heard, he wondered as he saw a young girl clutching at her scarf in the brisk winter's wind. Waving in a friendly manner, the young man looked at the girl. She seemed harmless enough.

    "Hello. I am Sparrow, a Chaser of Darkness. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Pardon me, but did you say that I was interesting? I'm flattered, honestly. But what is a nice-looking girl like you doing in a less-than-reputable neighborhood like this?"

    As he awaited the girl's response, he noticed a notification on his phone, checked it and placed the device back in his coat pocket. Everything was falling into place, and Sparrow smiled slightly at the thought of his plan coming together. Walking slightly closer, the boy extended his hand towards the girl for a handshake. He didn't know much about the girl, but she didn't seem to be threatening. If she had seen what he was doing, he'd just need to explain what he was doing. An event like that did not need to be spread across the entire city if he could help it....

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    As quietly as possible, she followed him, keeping a close eye on his movements. She tried to make as little noise as possible, but apparently she hadn’t been quiet enough. The boy turned around, waving at her. Surprised,she froze, unsure of how to react, unsure of how he would react. Instead of being rude or angry, he reacted quite pleasantly and introduced himself. Hesitantly, she walked forward, stopping a few feet away from him. If he was a Chaser then shouldn’t he be hunting Darkness, instead of harming old guys in an alleyway?

    “Hello Sparrow, I’d say the same,but after what I just saw, I’m a little on the fence about that. I was on my way home from an expedition to the Forest. This is the route I usually take and while it may not be the safest, it is the fastest.”

    She was unsure of how much she should reveal. If he thought she had seen too much, would he do something drastic? Even if he was a Chaser, that didn’t look like Chaser business. Chasers dealt with Darkness, not creepy old men who’ve supposedly been selling illegal products. He moved closer and she took a step back in alarm, only slightly relieved when she saw he just wanted to shake hands. Cautiously, she leaned forward and shook his hand, letting go almost immediately. Her hands shook slightly as she placed them back in her pockets and she tried her best not to let him know she was scared.

    “What are you doing out here? You don’t look too much older than me, so it’s dangerous for the both of us, now isn’t it?"

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    As the two shook hands, Sparrow could feel a slight tremble in the girl's hand. She was apparently frightened, and the young man took note. Fear was both a paralytic and a powerful catalyst for combat, and he didn't feel like engaging in more unsavory violence than what was necessary. Placing his hand back in his pocket, he listened to the girl's reply. Indeed the alleyways were often the most direct ways of travelling, but certainly not the safest.

    Looking at the girl's face, Sparrow studied her eyes. They were soft, yet on edge with uncertainty. She had most likely seen combat at least once or twice, judging by the outline of a weapon in her coat pocket. Based on the small form, it was likely a pocket knife. Casually, Sparrow raised his hand to scratch at his neck behind his scarf. While doing so, he extended one of his psychic threads to the knife. Just as insurance, he thought as he continued to listen to the conversation. The girl had been going on an expedition in the forest which intrigued Sparrow greatly. Was she fulfilling a mission perhaps, or was she taking care of her own business?

    When the girl asked Sparrow of his own purpose for being in the alleyways, he gave a small and genuine laugh. "I suppose that's true," he replied, "Although you seem to be a bit more prepared for danger with that knife in your pocket."

    The young man pointed at the girl's coat pocket to indicate which one, then continued with a smile, "As for what you may have seen, it was nothing more than an...interaction. I have no intention of dirtying my hands by taking someone's life, so you have no need to fear me harming you."

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    Sparrow’s intense calm was unnerving. He didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed that someone had witnessed the scene in the alleyway. This baffled her, as he seemed to want to keep it a secret, yet he didn’t have the slightest reaction when she mentioned it. He seemed thoughtful at the moment though, as if he was thinking about important plans he had made. She flinched when he moved, but he was only scratching his neck. She was too jumpy, she knew it, but she couldn’t help it. She was absolutely terrified and she didn’t want to take any chances. When at he finally cleared the silence between them, it was not a comment about why she had been in the Forest , like most people asked, or why she was out so late, but instead a comment on her weapon.

    Her eyes widened and she threw up a sort of barrier around herself with her telekinesis. This extra precaution might help block out any unwanted uses of power on her and this brought her a little comfort. Then again, something felt off and after searching for a moment she found it, a sort of “string” leading from the young Chaser. it felt like more of a mental thread though, like he was somehow reaching out with his mind to grasp something around her, but she couldn’t tell what. After pointing to the pocket where she was concealing her knife, he smiled and continued on.

    “An interaction? That looked more like an interrogation to me. I would expect a Chaser to have better things to do than harm strange old men in alleyways. Like for instance, fighting any Darkness that may have been lurking around town? Maybe check the assignment boards once in awhile?”

    Her fear seemed to dissipate, instead being replaced with foolish sarcastic bravery. The way he spoke so calmly, made her agitated. It was as if he was a robot or something like that, cold and unfeeling. The only hint of emotion was his smile, but even that wasn’t much. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and crossed her arms over her chest. She felt like she might be about to do something stupid, but it was hard to stop herself now that she had started.

    “I’m not afraid of being hurt. It would take a little more than some high school Chaser boy to take me down., I’m sure. I honestly don’t believe you though. We’ve just barely met and already you don’t seem very trustworthy.”

    She knew she was just rambling now, but she couldn’t help herself. She was frightened and she had no idea what this boy was capable of. Of course, taunting him really wasn’t going to help the situation. It was too late to take back what she’d said though. he waited quietly for a response, staring intensely into his dark red eye. She would not let him intimidate her, she would stand her ground and she wouldn’t be afraid.

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    It appeared that the girl was becoming more desperate now, engaging her ability. Sparrow was surprised to see it dealt with a psychic manipulation similar to his own. However it seemed more defensive in nature, acting as her guardian. Not wanting to risk any mental strain, the young man released his thread and reached his hands down into his pockets. While moving down, he attached several more threads and interwove them in the cobblestone bricks underneath and around the girl. While he didn't approve of violence, Sparrow was more than capable of defending himself in combat.

   Listening to the girl, he detected some bitterness at his explanation. Nodding to ensure that she knew he was listening, the tactician thought of several ways to diffuse the situation. First, collapse the earth to slow her down and run away. Second, lift her up into the air on the platform causing her to lose balance and having her at his mercy. Third, crying out for help as though she were mugging him. As the police arrived from the nearby station and she attempted to clear her name, he could slip away. And fourthly? A slightly bitter taste surfaced itself in the young man's mouth as he thought of telling her. It would risk a great deal of his plan, but losing reputation among the fellow Chasers would also hinder his progress. After a quick moment of thought, Sparrow made the little choice and set the scene...

    As the girl continued, he heard a small jab being made at his status of Chaser and his overall trustworthiness. Feigning pain, Sparrow calmly clutched his chest teasingly while holding up his other hand to his forehead, feigning weakness - "Oh, how you wound me with your words, young lady! Here I am, trying to learn more about a group that associates with Darkness, and you accuse me of fraud! Truly, I am beyond repair..."

    A small laugh escaped the boy's lips as he returned to a normal position as he stood in the cool alleyway. The wind had picked up and blew between the two Gifted, snow creating an opening curtain for the possible climax to this play. With the way he had just acted, there were two reasonable actions for her to take. Either she would inquire further about the group he had mentioned and then the girl could become an ally, or she would begin a conflict which would trigger a need for floating concrete bricks. I wonder what she will choose, Sparrow thought as he maintained his calm demeanor. As the girl's reaction hung in the balance, the snowy-haired strategist readied his hand within his coat pocket, prepared to play if and when necessary.

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    He was really getting on her nerves with his overly calm demeanor and thoughtful detachment. She felt like hitting him, but knew better. That might get her into some serious trouble, seeing as he was a Chaser and an experienced one at that. She wished she had telepathy, then she’d know exactly what he was thinking and could prepare herself for anything he would do. If she didn’t think he could be anymore irritating, then clearly she had set her standards pretty low. After she had finished her little rant, he stood there for a moment, thinking, then acting as if he were hurt, he spoke.

    "Oh, how you wound me with your words, young lady! Here I am, trying to learn more about a group that associates with Darkness, and you accuse me of fraud! Truly, I am beyond repair..."

    Then he laughed, laughed and pretended as if he would faint from the humility of her accusation. She resisted the urge to punch him in the stomach and instead rolled her eyes in annoyance. A strong wind blew between them, carrying a gift of snow to throw in their faces. Or well, hers at least, she was pretty small, so it wasn’t hard for something like that to happen. She was curious about the group he mentioned though, but perhaps it was only a ruse to distract her from the more important issues. It was difficult to tell and she thought for a moment, deciding what would be the best response.

    “A group that associates with Darkness? You honestly expect me to believe that? The Darkness are mindless killing machines who take orders from no one. How could anyone be associating with them? And they couldn’t be working with Oscura, as we all know she absolutely despises humans and would most likely kill them all.”

    As she spoke, she felt the “string” retract and multiple others appeared, attached to something, but with the range of her power currently limited to just surround her, she couldn’t detect what. She looked around, but saw nothing, further confirming her theory that this was probably one of his abilities. She made eye contact again and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. This was quite the interesting character and tonight definitely wasn’t going as she had expected it to.

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    It appeared that the conversation was about to reach its boiling point. Sparrow turned his head to look at the moon and took a breath. What the girl said was true - in most normal cases, humans simply could not work with Darkness, even if they wanted to. But the people he was looking for...he gritted his teeth as he thought of them. As the snow blew by he noticed some scattered onto the girls head, and he couldn't help but smile for a moment. Then, the boy's face became increasingly grave....

    Turning back to the girl, he responded, "It's quite true. Oscura despises humanity, in the same magnitude that Luz cares for it. They're complete polar opposites. But these people don't care about that. I actually doubt if they are truly human..."

    Sparrow held back his rage, but it came out perfectly clear in his voice. It was silent, vengeance-seeking rage that brewed in the deepest parts of his heart. Even so, he remained calm on the surface. He would not let those criminals get the better of his emotions. He choked slightly as his eyes watered bitterly, and he quickly brushed any tears away. "There are people in this world who simply wish to hurt others, because they were hurt themselves. These criminals...they've given up on this world, and they want to watch it burn in a chaotic end. They want nothing more than to end humanity, and any sense of order in existence."

    Pulling up his pink scarf over his mouth to shield himself from the wind and hide some of his anguish, Sparrow looked at the girl. He did not know her story, he did not know her plan. However, nothing would ever get in the young man's way of achieving his goal. He would end their sickening, nihilistic crusade with the swiftest justice he could offer. "I have my reasons for going after them, just as you have your reasons to explore," Sparrow continued, "But I will promise you right now, that I will not sink to their level of violence just so that I can achieve my ends. That, my dear, I can assure you."

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    The boy turned away from her for a moment, looking up to the sky and breathing deeply. Confusion overtook her and she tilted her head in question. Then he turned back and smiled at her before the expression faded and he sobered up. He was becoming serious now, no more playing around, no more sarcastic comebacks. She nodded as he spoke, her eyebrows scrunching in concern. Not human? That didn’t sound good. She was prepared to speak, to ask what he meant by not human, but instead he continued on. His words interrupted momentarily as his eyes began to water. He quickly brushed the tears away though, as if he was trying to maintain his seemingly expressionless nature. Taking a tentative step forward, she placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

    She looked up at him with compassion in her eyes and smiled a bit at him as he promised that he would never attempt to harm her. Sparrow covered his mouth with his scarf, like he was trying to hide his emotions, but she shook her head slightly. She didn’t like that he felt so angry and sad, even if they had just met. She hated when other people got upset, it made her feel angry because there was nothing she could do to help. She took a shaky breath, trying to keep her eyes from watering too and wrapped her arms gently around him. He probably found this awkward, but she just wanted to comfort him and this was all she could think to do.

    “I’m so sorry that you feel that way. You shouldn’t have to deal with them alone. It’s absolutely unfair and I want to help. If you’ll let me. My name’s Nicolette, and I would like to join you on your crusade to banish these criminals from the face of the Earth.”

    She stepped away and stared at him with determination. Hating how scared she got any time she tried to fight. These offenders would not go unpunished, she would make sure of it. They disgusted her, how could you hurt someone and feel no remorse? It seemed impossible, but she was young and still had much to learn about how harsh the world was. She stood there waiting for his response and rubbed her gloved hands against her eyes to wipe away any tears that had managed to form. Watching others cry always made her sad and she was having a bit of a hard time keeping it together, but she wanted to allow him to have this weak moment and not feel awkward about it.

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    Seeing the situation had diffused itself, Sparrow took a sigh of relief. He rarely opened up that freely to people he had just met, yet this girl seemed very trustworthy. Nicolette, he thought, that's a nice name...

    Moving on from the tears, Sparrow gently tapped at Nicolette's hand on his arm, appreciating her sympathy. Wiping away his sadness with his gloves, a smile reappeared on his face. "Thank you, Nicolette," he began as he looked her in the eye, "I'm surprised that you wish to help me, even when we have not met for very long. It's a nice feeling..."

    The cold air and the emotional moment had begun to make his nose run, and the young man sniveled slightly. Pulling out a tissue, he wiped away the residue from his nose and his eyes. With a light breath, he felt much better. Sometimes opening up to someone about this was a nice thing. He had worried getting others too involved may compromise too much of their safety, and yet here was a nice moment for him. Sparrow pulled out a notepad from his pocket and a blue pen. Opening to a new page, he began to write on it. "If you do want to help, there is something that you can do," he began as he scratched down his phone number, as well as some locations, "I wish to take steps against this group which has had a certain grip on this city, hence my less than amiable discussion with that man awhile ago..."

    Ripping out the page, he handed the information to Nicolette and spoke, "Normally I'd test someone to see if they were someone I could trust with this kind of information, but you seem to be reliable enough already. Of course, I will warn you that this business can get rather dicey if handled improperly...are you sure that you wish to help me with this? I wouldn't want a nice girl such as you hurt in a conflict that you have little investment in..."

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    Nicolette watched Sparrow compose himself and clasped her hands together in front of her. Despite their earlier issues, they seemed to be getting along quite well now and she was pleased with herself for keeping herself from an outburst. There was no physical violence either, which was an added bonus to the situation. He seemed happy to allow her to help him with his work and this excited her greatly. She would finally get to do something worthwhile with her life. Pulling out a notebook and pen, he scribbled down a few things and ripped the page to give to her. She raised an eyebrow in question, but took it anyways and look it over. On it was a phone number, that she assumed was Sparrow’s, and several locations. She nodded and folded it in half before slipping it into the inside pocket of her coat. She grimaced at the mention of his “talk” with the older man and stuck her thumb through the belt loop on her jeans.

    “Don’t worry, I’m as faithful as they come, I won’t tell a soul. I’m not worried, I know I can get scared pretty easily at times, but I’m working on that and who’s gonna expect a kid like me to try and infiltrate a group of criminals? They’ll never see me coming.”

    She laughed quietly and dug the toe of her boot into the dirt. She knew it would be dangerous to do this, but she could handle it. She may just be a kid, but if they were to underestimate her, then she would have a better chance of taking them out. All she needed to do now was get a better grip on her power. She seemed to be holding it quite well at the moment and then she gasped, smacking herself on the forehead lightly. She had even forgotten that her little shield was up, yet there it was, still up and protecting her. She dropped it and shook her head at herself. If he had actually attacked her, she would’ve been caught completely off guard and her weak mental shield would have done nothing to protect her. After all, her could lift grown men into the air, and she had trouble lifting a backpack. I’ll just have to practice more then. Practice hard and practice often.

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

    Sparrow smiled at the sheer amount of determination coming from Nicolette. The alliance had been made, and Sparrow had another valuable asset to his investigations. Releasing his threads from the ground, he drew them back and thought of what else there was to talk about at the moment. Giving a quick scratch to his head, he flipped his phone open and checked his messages. With nothing new, he flipped it closed again with a satisfying click. While there were touch phones these days, Sparrow had always enjoyed flip phones. They had a certain style to them, and let him practice faster typing without clouding up his screen.

    Counting off some items on his fingers, he finished and then spoke to Nicolette, "Thank you, Nicolette. As for the paper I just gave you, you could consider it a to-do list. The locations that I gave you are relaxed investigation spots. Due to them still trying to get a total grip on this city, they're connections are still developing. While it would be good to nip these issues in the bud, it would be better if you just investigated these places every so often so no one will remember your face clearly. If you want other places for information, try the bars on Fridays after all of the bikers have finished their street races, or certain corners in this district on Sunday nights,"

    Pointing to his phone, he continued, "If you have any need of my assistance or any new leads on the leaders of those locations, text me with the number I just gave you. In conclusion, I'll be available to help you wherever and whenever I can. If you ever do not feel safe when you do this, get out of the area and contact me so I can make sure you are alright. Any questions?"

[Nicolette Van-Houseton]

    Smiling brightly, Nicolette patted the pocket she had placed the paper in, already planning how she would be able to keep this information from Isidore. Though, her brother would probably be too busy hitting on every girl within a ten mile radius to notice her sneaking off. He was always too busy flirting to pay attention to what was going on around him and it always made her laugh. Then, she watched as Sparrow checked his phone yet again, wondering what exactly he was doing. Though she kept her thoughts to herself, it was none of her business. They both seemed happy about this new arrangement and it meant that Nicky might get to practice her powers on a somewhat larger scale, but she was getting ahead of herself. Her breath warmed the lower part of her face as it hit her scarf and she listened carefully as Sparrow explained that they were still broadening their reach.     His advice on seeking out information was a bit odd though and she made a mental note to bring it up when he was done speaking.

    After assuring her if she needed aid that he would be a phone call or text away, he asked if she had any questions. Thinking for a moment, she nodded and pulled her scarf away from her mouth to make sure it wouldn’t muffle her speech.

    “Actually yeah, I do have a couple of questions. How exactly could I make inquiries at the bar? I’m not old enough to get in, so unless they hang out outside it might be a bit of a problem. Another thing, if you don’t mind my asking, what exactly does this group do? Smuggling, assassination, black market dealing? What exactly is their end goal?”

    She hoped she wouldn’t trigger another violent emotional response, Nicky had never been good at dealing with other people’s feelings despite being a very emotional person herself. She waited patiently and readjusted her scarf to cover her mouth. The cold night air drifted through the alley, whistling through the various items littered around them. Trash cans, old bottles, and other assorted pieces of trash. The sounds of cars driving by and people conversing as they passed filled any gaps in conversation and made it easier to hide it from others.


(I am so very sorry I took so long to reply. I’ve had really bad writer’s block and homework and tests are getting ridiculous for some reason. I tried to make it longer to compensate for the time it took to respond, but it didn’t end up going as well as I wanted it too. Hopefully I can do better next time. Have a great day/night! c:)

[Sparrow Wrightworth]

(Don't worry about it. Happens to all of us. Take as much time as you need.)

    Hearing Nicolette's questions, Sparrow nodded. What she had asked was fair, and so he intended to give a fair answer;

    "I suppose I got ahead of myself when I said for you to look in a bar. I have a certain advantage there due to some legal connections," the boy gestured to his phone once again, "due to the favors I do for the police, they are willing to let information slip on topics that will help my investigations."

    Sparrow shook his head, "It might be a little bit risky, but listening in on alleyway conversations is also a decent method for acquiring tips and clues. Aside from that, hospitals are good places to find victims and accomplices to events created by these people."

    After hearing Nicolette's inquiry about the organization, a small sigh escaped the young man's lips. The warm air from his body formed a small cloud of moisture that quickly dissipated into the night's atmosphere. Taking a step forward in a pace, and then back again, he turned to the girl and shrugged as he tried to find a suitable answer, "There are some people in this world who simply wish to see chaos in the world. I suppose if you were to translate that to an end goal, it would be to destroy humanity. From what I've been able to gather, they are willing to do as they please in order to create that chaos and suffering. In my personal experience, assassination seemed to be a forte for these people. Arson, extortion, murder, manipulation, bribery...they can and will do whatever it takes to send a message. There have also been some 'interesting' cases of manipulating Darkness to do their bidding."

    Gripping his phone tightly, Sparrow continued, "It doesn't seem like the police could arrest these people either. Their methods are so indirect but so precise, hardly any evidence could be brought against them. That's how I am certain humans are behind this. It would take an extraordinary amount of intelligence for a Darkness to form a sentence, much less concoct detailed plans for murder. In any case, I suppose that gives you a better idea of what they're capable of... are you certain that you still wish to do this?"