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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 15:32:11 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
Rick hauls himself out of the water, fully clothed, and flops down onto the sand next to his (broken) fishing pole. Damn fish. It was easily thirty, forty pounds-- it would have fed the Fighters for a week. Rick himself doesn’t have to eat much-- he can convert kinetic energy into food-type energy (but it still leaves that hollow feeling in his stomach). He opens his right hand and shoves it up into the air. A beam of red light shoots up, high into the atmosphere. He curses. Loudly.
The boy’s hand flops back down to his side. He draws his hands over his face and then pushes up to his feet, glancing up at the entrance to the Freedom Fighter caves above him. What’s he going to tell the Fighters? They were counting on him to bring back food, and now all he has is bad news and broken promises. Maybe Lin’ll know what to do.
He launches himself at the wall, scaling the fifty-some-odd feet in a matter of seconds. Rick stands there, dripping, as he looks around for his second-in-command and best (only, really) friend. There. At the edge of the caves.
“Lin!”
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 16:03:28 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Concentrate. Concentrate. Lin’s blue eyes, which had been staring out into the endless bounty of ocean before her, flickered close. Taking a deep shuddering breath, Lin raised her arms out in front of her—gently starting to move them with the waves, bending the water with a precise and desperate concentration.
Concentrate… this could save lives… Her arms pushed gently forward, as if against an invisible but strong wind. As the wave reached it’s maximum pullout, Lin’s arms swished backwards with the next wave—fingers spraying wide and up her cheeks—a breath of wind from their force caressing them before moving forward again. Again and again, the girl and the ocean moved together—Lin noting with sensitive feet that the waves gradually grew stronger at her command.
Her plan was simple. Create a big enough wave, and bring the fish from out far in with the tide. It would hurt, but with a pang in her hallow stomach—Lin gritted her teeth and pressed onwards remembering the meeting last night, and the carefully concealed ribs that jutted outwards from nearly everyone’s stomach. They had neither the money to buy food, nor the dishonor to steal it. So it came down to this.
One more now… Lin thought as the waves reached past her ankles this time around. One more and then you can rest. Her arms pushed forward, nearly bending under the weight of the vast ocean. She would’ve quit long ago if it hadn’t been for the solar eclipse last night, and the strength of the current that followed. Her feet tethered into the sand, staggering back a little—almost there—almost there—
“LIN!”
The wave dropped, seemingly to simply fall out of existence as Lin’s concentration shattered like glass. Panting slightly, Lin slowly turned around—quickly noticing her friend, and leader, standing not fifty feet away in the sand. Her irritation vanished quite quickly though as she noticed how wet he was, even from this distance—he was soaked, and it was October. The last thing they needed was hypothermia.
Quickly scampering over the large rocks that concealed the freedom-fighter caves, Lin slid to a halt in front of her friend—despairingly eyeing the broken rod and his soaked self. Within seconds, her arm had reached out—and she gently began to shift the water from his clothes and bend them back into the ocean staring at him with wide eyes. “What happened?”
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 16:24:48 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
“God, Lin.” he says with a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face, “There was this fish. I think it was a bass, and it was thirty pounds, at least. Could’a fed the ‘fighters for a week, maybe two. Anyway…” He holds up the half of the fishing pole that’s not attached to the monster bass. Lin’s smart. She’ll understand the rest. She’ll know how he fought with the fish for as long as he could, until the wooden rod snapped in half (frankly, he was surprised the line didn’t break first). She’ll know how he couldn’t let a catch like that get away, and how he leaped into the surf and wrestled with the fish, getting pulled out to sea, and finally lost.
Rick curses. ”What am I gonna do, Lin? We’ve got so many hungry mouths to feed, and now we don’t even have a damn fishing pole.” Disgusted with himself, he throws the half-pole away and drops down on the edge of the cliff, willing the Freedom Fighters to stay away. He drops his head into his hands, his words muffled when he speaks.
“It’s not like we can just go into the town and…” His head raises. A grin stretches across his face, a devious glint obvious in his turquoise eyes.
It’s the perfect idea-- all he has to do is go back to when he was six, and perform for the crowds in the streets. Fire juggling. But this time, Lin can come with him, bend some water around. That’ll really impress the city folk. They’ll rake in hundreds of dollars, be able to afford to bring back the Freedom Fighters real food, not the burnt lumps of fish they’ve been eating lately. They can go to McDonalds and order a million Big Macs, and still have money left over. They can buy a new fishing pole, one that’s not even wooden. One of the fancy ones that deep-sea fishers use. They could even buy two, or three.
“Lin. We don’t need to live in poverty. We can earn money just like the people in the city. If a six-year-old-- an incredibly smart, talented six-year-old--- can live for a year in the city on his own, we can make a couple of bucks. Hell, we can make enough to buy food for the ‘fighters. We don’t need to live like this anymore. Don’t you see it?”
He stands, loops an arm over her shoulders, sweeps his free hand across the sky like he’s showing her the world. “Just imagine it, Lin. You and me, bringing back real food. Big Macs and milkshakes and fries, still hot from the fryer. We can get good fishing poles, nice ones, like they show on TV.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 17:01:43 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Listening silently, Lin grimaced as she continued to work—throwing the rest of the water she had gathered off of his now dry clothes into the ocean fifty feet below them. Bass, brilliantly tasting—and by Rick’s description—it sounded huge. When was the last time we had eaten bass? Then again, Lin stood up straight again, arms falling down to her sides as she added bitterly in her head, If I hadn’t lost concentration we would be eating tons of bass right now.
Listening quietly and patiently for Rick to finish his rant, slipping down onto the rocks beside him—feet dangling off the edge of the cliff—something that would normally bother her—and opened her mouth to say something as Rick abruptly cut himself off. Lin’s eyes narrowed however, at his mischievous grin (one she knew too well) and she shut her mouth without uttering a word as his eyes began to light up in a plan.
And for a moment, while Rick continues in the fantasy—smiling slightly as his flair for the dramatic picked up in his excitement—Lin let herself imagine too. There were kids as young as eight here in the freedom fighter camps—and Lin imagined little Grace’s face lighting up at the sight of a hamburger, which sounded utterly appealing right now. But then… the moment was gone—and Lin’s smile dropped from her face.
Slowly, trying to use her words carefully, Lin gave a little shake of her head—turning to glance at Rick head on, “You know what the government is doing now days. Bounty Hunters… arresting mutants for ‘public disruption’—we can’t just come out in broad daylight now and dance in front of their faces.” Hesitating, she added, “And the group needs you to be alive and well to lead them. They can’t loose their leader just so we can grab some food.”
But...
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 17:09:54 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
Lin’s doubt is not going to ruin this plan. He drops back down beside her. “Come one, Linny. We don’t have to use powers. I can juggle. You can… Do ventriloquism. There ain’t no law against street performing, is there?” He grins crookedly at her. “Besides, did you really think I would let myself get caught? Those” he says a word which I (your humble narrator) will not repeat, “don’t got nothing on me.”
“Can’t you smell the hamburger? The meat cooked perfectly, the bun slightly toasted, the lettuce fresh and crisp, the tomato bright and juicy… Lin, if you don’t take risks, we’re gonna be living like this forever.”
He stands up, stepping quickly over to the broken fishing pole, and hurls the wood into the air. A blast of Rick’s energy reduces the rod into cinders instantly, a wind blowing them out to sea before they hit the ground.
“You don’t even have to go out into the open. There’re plenty of small areas we can perform in. No snakes, no heights, no open areas. I’ll be there right beside you the whole time. Nothing bad’ll happen. Cub scout’s honor.” He raises two fingers in a salute.
Rick was never a cub scout-- and Lin knows it-- but Cub Scout’s Honor just seems like the right thing to say. It’s like, you can never break a promise you say with the little salute.
“This is the best way to get some food into the bellies of the youngsters and you know it. Everyone’s so sick of fish, and it’s not like it’s even that much food we can get from a day of fishing. A quarter fish per person is not a day’s nourishment-- it’s a meal. Maybe. Admit it, Linny. You’re as sick of burnt hunks o’ fish flesh as I am. Wouldn’t a big, juicy burger taste heavenly right about now?”
He picks up a couple of sticks, lighting them with a quick burst of energy, and begins to juggle. Up, down, up, down, up, down. The flames dance around his head as he closes his eyes, tossing and catching with complete faith.
“See, Lin? I still got it. We can do this!”
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 17:32:16 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
At his first suggestion, Lin clamped down—pursing her lips and shaking her head. No way was she going to risk both their lives for food. At the second enticement, she began to cave a little—I mean, who doesn’t like hamburgers? Especially when you’ve been living off of fish for the last two years—and there he goes. Lin started, the rolled her eyes when Rick voiced the exact thing she was thinking.
“Fine, fine, fine!” Lin finally caved, closing her eyes and laughing slightly—waving him off with her hands. “Just please stop juggling! Then when he closed his eyes and continued to juggle with the flames dancing around his head—Lin squeaked slightly and quickly summoned up a whip of water from below, throwing it at him lightly. “I’ll go, fine!” Calming down slightly, Lin crossed her legs and arms—staring at him in a mock serious face. “But only because we need food. Badly.”
Then, after giving a huge sigh, and closing her eyes for a moment—thinking— she added reluctantly but with a serious face, “But if we go—we go as ourselves. We shouldn’t have to hide who we are and what we can do.”
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 19:45:53 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He laughs and drops the juggling sticks, stamping out the last embers. He grins crookedly and drops down beside her. “I knew you’d give in, eventually. You see the sense in my plan. Or maybe it’s just because you’re hungry.” He pokes her belly, knowing she must feel the same hollowness inside that he does.
Rick raises his eyebrows as she says they should go as mutants, not hiding behind the façade of being street performers. “Does this mean I can’t juggle?” He’s not quite sure how to perform with his powers-- should he create a laser-light show, all in red? Or maybe burn up a few trees? That would get him in trouble with the cops as well as the MCA, if they ever found out about two renegade mutants showing off for the locals.
“Gimme two secs.” he says, and gets lazily to his feet and jogs back into the labyrinth of caves. He snags a couple of backpacks and tells one of the younger Freedom Fighters that he and Lin are going out, and not to worry. He shoulders one pack and jogs back to the Cliffside, tossing the second of the bags to Lin.
“You ready, girlie?”
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Post by Daze on Jul 8, 2011 20:05:41 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin returned the grin, and batted off his hands with her own when he poked her, defiantly sticking her tongue out at him, “Of course not! I knew that no matter what I would’ve said, you would’ve gone anyway. You need someone with sense to keep you out of trouble!” After a moments thought, she then added, in a quite obvious lie, “I’m not even hungry.”
“Of course you can juggle,” Lin responded as she stood up, huffing. “It’s just that we shouldn’t be afraid of hiding who we are. We’ve worked in secret for over two years now—it’s time we deserved some credit and stop being afraid of showing our true colors.” Though wearing a mask wouldn’t be a bad idea. Catching the backpack Rick then threw her, Lin opened a small latch in the side and filled it up with water (not even giving the ocean below her a second glance while doing so) with a flick of her wrist, and slid the pack onto her back.
”You ready girlie?”
Lin glanced up from adjusting the straps on the backpack, always the perfectionist, and gave him a brisk nod. “I’m always ready.”
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 20:17:25 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
“What? Me, trouble? Never.” he says, feigning innocence, “You never saved my sorry ass from anything, Linny. What’re you talking about?” His hurt look dissolves into a grin. “You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
Always ready. “Like those batteries, the everreadies? It’s something like that. That’s what you are, Lin. A battery.” Well, that was certainly an odd comparison. But Rick’s one odd bird, and, hey, if the shoe fits.
He sets off at a jog, calling back over his shoulder as he runs, “We really should get a car one of these days. It’d make carrying things so much easier. Maybe we can get a red convertible… Yeah, that’d be sweet. Top down, blasting the latest tunes from the stereo, cruising through the streets. What a time that’d be! Or maybe a motorcycle, one o’ them big ones with the little trunk in the back. We’d be the talk of the town! Not that we aren’t already, being mutants and all, but then we could really run from the MCA-ers. Can’t catch me now, suckas! Ya know?”
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 20:40:12 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
“I’m not a terrible liar!” Lin protested, crossing her arms deafly as they walked up the beach and onto the regular streets. The streets. Lin couldn’t help the chills she got as people of all sizes brushed by her—no one gave them a second glance though—so slowly the girl began to relax.
Then the batteries. So flattering. Lin sighed, rolling her eyes with a faint smile on her face. “Why thank you. I’ve always wanted to be described as a battery. I’ve been waiting for years, actually—for you, or someone, to mention it.” Then he started jogging? Why jogging?—walking was okay, too, ya’ know. Scowling, Lin started after him, pushing her way through the crowds of people and jogged after him—one hand lightly touching the watersack on her side.
First batteries, then a car? Yeah, the government was totally not going to notice mutants cruising around in cherry-red Ferrari—but hey, let him dream. Or not. “Yeah, right,” Lin scoffed, brushing her way in between two people after him. “They’d totally not be able to catch us on the road when they have thousands of patrol cars, and only one red-Ferrari with two mutes inside.”
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 20:52:25 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
“I’m sure there’s plenty or red Ferrari’s around here, and just by looking at us they can’t tell we’re not like the rest of them. We just look like really fit homeless people.” He shoots a grin back at Lin, then stops abruptly. “This look good to you?”
They’re in front of a fountain, in the town square. Restaurants surround them, and Rick pauses for a moment to watch the families eat and laugh, a pang of sadness jolting momentarily though him. That could have been him, had his parents not left him at the curb sixteen years ago. But, no matter. No sense in dwelling on the past.
He drops his bag and snaps four medium-sized branches off of a nearby tree, then pulls a black top hat out of his pack, setting it gently at his feet.
“Right, Lin. What’re you gonna do?”
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 21:52:45 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin nodded at his comment, though since he was looking away from her-- she knew he probably couldn't see it, unless he had developed eyes in the back of his head while she was adventuring in Tejas a few weeks ago. But moving on, the place looked fine. Fountain-- Lin shrugged when she realized she didn't need any of the water she had brought along-- lots of crowds, hat for money to go in... even a few trees and tables to make things interesting. Perfect.
Perfect for failure.
Inhaling and closing her eyes to try and calm her nerves, Lin shot a half-hearted grin over to her leader-- arms firmly down at her sides as she thought. "I'm just gonna' improvise," she called, fingers twitching in anticipation of the water. And if she froze up-- there was always one thing she could revert to-- a good old fashioned staged fight was always the answer.
Glancing at Rick out of the corner of her eyes-- and one last time at the crowds around her-- Lin lifted her hands and began to dance with the water.
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 8, 2011 22:14:03 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He smiles encouragingly at Lin before starting in on his banter, lighting each stick with a blast of energy as he does. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Prepare for the most amazing, spectacular display of street performance you’ve ever seen and will ever see!”
A few heads turn to look-- mostly younger kids. The adults are used to this kind of talk by now. Rick throws the first flaming stick in the air, following it quickly by the second, third, fourth, and then they’re all up, going in circles around his beaming face.
“Step up and see the girl make the water float and dance, just normal water from your fountain, no preservatives or additives, no coloring or flavoring! No strings attached!”
”Mommy, the water’s flying!” cries a little boy, tugging on his mother’s hand. The lady turns to look and gasps.
“That’s right, it’s really flying! Twirling through the air, nothing keeping it aloft but her skill!”
He nudges the hat with his foot.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 8, 2011 22:29:44 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin, who was trying to keep a straight face, snorted and almost dropped the water she was so carefully bending from arm to arm at Rick so phony circus voice. All they needed now was some music, and they'd-- oh great. Twisting her arm and allowing the water to spiral down from fingertip to finger tip-- Lin opened her eyes and craned her neck-- just being able to make out a kid with his stereo gaping at them. Great-- that made them ever more noticeable.
There was so much water, and it was light water too-- mostly air bubbles by Lin's judgment. Nice, clean city water perforated until crystal clear-- very easy to move. Without all the salt of the ocean, Lin could bend ten times more and she was definitely taking advantage of it-- allowing the water to soar upward like rain and catch in the dazzling light of Rick's flaming sticks.
Brilliant, Lin smiled, her face deluded by the seeming sheet of glass that flowed effortlessly in front of her face-- and she wasn't being sarcastic that time either. People were either turning away in fear or disgust by now-- or clapping and smiling, throwing money in the hat by the bucketfuls. Granted, most of the buckets happened to be ones and spare change-- but hey-- beggars can't be choosers.
Silently wondering how long the two of them could keep this up and hold the audience's attention-- Lin attempted to catch Rick's eye without turning; continuing to move the water around her head and body while occasionally turning the water to steam.
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 9, 2011 6:13:07 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
“Watch the water, how it’s so effortless! And look-- her clothes aren’t even wet? Bone dry, the water’s just in the air!”
Rick watches as a man in a suit places a bill (a large one, from the quick glance Rick was able to get) in the hat. Hmm… Now, that’s an idea. He closes his eyes.
“And the best part yet, all the proceeds, if there are any from our little show, will go to feeding the hungry! I don’t mean the two of us, I mean real starving children!” That’s a but of an over exaggeration-- Rick would never let the Freedom Fighters starve!-- but if it works, all the better!
His gaze meets hers and he nods almost imperceptivity, then hurls the juggling sticks into the air, incinerating them completely with a blast of red energy. Rick stands still for a second, pulling energy in, and then opens his palms and unleashes two beams of energy, one on either side of Lin, just barely missing her.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 9, 2011 10:38:00 GMT -5
(Notice how as we post money count is increasing? xD) Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin jumped into the air (needlessly), water under her feet propelling her slightly higher than needed. Great, a fight! Lin was actually going to enjoy herself here-- but she kept her face as still as stone (trying to keep the mood). Just before her feet hit the ground however, Lin jerked her arms backward and drew the water that was slowing her decent up back to her hands.
The crowd suddenly seemed very quiet.
Lin slowly moved her arms in a very overly excessive and needless motion before drawing them back to form a long sting of water--which she whipped toward her partner at a average speed: the length of the water growing, but never leaving her locked hands as it thinned. To the crowds, it might look like an extremely fast attack that couldn't be dodged-- which was a total exaggeration-- but would seem to any of the freedom fighters to be at a crawling pace, due to all the fights they'd been in. Still, water was heavy-- so Lin's finger tips curled, preparing to turn the water into harmless steam in case for some reason Rick refused to dodge.
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 9, 2011 17:26:27 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He grins. Oooh, yeah. This is going to be fun. Fighting with Lin always is-- they practice together quite a bit, as the other Freedom Fighters don’t quite meet their level of expertise. Normally, he would begin his taunts about now, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for this staged fight.
Rick glances down at the hat (stuffed full of money by now) and decides to empty it. He dodges Lin’s water whip matrix-style and slides over to the hat, dumping the contents into his open backpack. Setting the hat back upright on the steps, he launches a quick volley of energy blasts toward Lin, then steps toward her and aims a succession of punches toward her stomach, looking quick and powerful to the onlooker’s perspective, but they would land harmlessly on her if they actually connect.
He bounds away from her, the movements reminding him of a dance.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 9, 2011 19:57:46 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin quickly draws the water still attached to her hands up in front of her face-- spreading the water thin and into a frail ice-- and the beams of energy from Rick's hands reflected off of the surface. By the time the third one landed-- the ice had cracked beyond repair and her and Rick was suddenly there as if in slow motion through the shards of ice.
Rick's punches are fast, granted, and one manages to nail her in the shoulder-- setting her slightly off balance, and she tumbles sideways as Rick bounds away. Smiling, and murmuring something unintelligible under her breath-- Lin rolled to her feet and raised up a new source of water from the fountain behind her and separated it into small spheres of water which glistened in the sunlight. Arms suspended dramatically in the air in front of her face-- the girl could almost hear the money laving the rich folks pockets and froze in their hands as the fight paused.
Then, with a smile, Lin released the water and they all flew at her friend in frozen shards of ice-- like knives. quickly perhaps, but Lin's face was sewn in concentration at the preparation to turn the ice shards to harmless water again at her command.
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 9, 2011 22:17:50 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He frowns at his friend-- those were stage punches. They shouldn’t have felt like more than a light brush to her. But maybe she’s acting too? Rick hesitates for just a moment before looking up-- straight into the needle-sharp pricks of ice.
With one hand, he creates a sort of umbrella from energy above his head, while using the other to send bullets of red light toward Lin. (All this time, the shots had been harmless, simply his own energy transformed into radiant energy. It looks the same as the blasts that had incinerated the sticks, but it’s not harmful in the least.)
Rick turns a quick somersault to dodge the last few ice crystals, then leaps up onto the top of the fountain’s statue. He balances on the balls of his feet, sending bolts of energy toward Lin every few seconds.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 9, 2011 22:45:05 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin had been acting… sorta. The punches hadn’t hurt at all, only setting her off balance slightly in her instinct to avoid them. Plus, someone has to win eventually—otherwise someone might call the cops, or the audience might get bored. So, at Rick’s frown—Lin shot him a half-grin behind her watery smile behind the watery sphere she created to reflect the shards of ice that reflected back towards her off his own shield.
A few of them broke through her makeshift shields, those red bullets of him—after all, it was made of water (she’d have to circulate the water to make it reflect stuff—and she felt nothing more than a few sparks of energy, like a shock your friend might give you after rubbing their socked feet on a carpet. Then her friend jumped up onto the fountain—and Lin couldn’t help but then release a mischievous grin.
Perfect.
Lin instantly dropped her arms, letting the water fall seemingly lifeless onto the concrete. Then, refocusing her energy—Lin raised her arms, focusing on every molecule of water in the fountain—and willed them to move up in tidal-wave force.
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 10, 2011 8:22:19 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He relaxes just a tad as she smiles at him, still shooting beams of light, when the fountain begins to look... Different. Less water, more concrete… He swears under his breath.
Rick launches himself off of the fountain, hitting the ground and rolling into a somersault to keep his balance. He glances around quickly-- the normal crowds, and six policemen heading straight this way. They don’t look like they’re just here for the show. He pulls out of the roll and takes two steps toward Lin, his face right near hers, and whispers, “We gotta get outta here. Cops at four o’clock.”
He turns back to the crowd, grinning wildly. “Thank you, people of the city! We are so glad you enjoyed our show, but we really should be going. Places to be, people to see and all!” Rick turns back to the fountain, dumps the hat into his pack (as well as the spilled coins and bills that didn’t quite make it in). He shoulders the bag and turns back to Lin, loving the weighted feel of the cash and coins, when a hand lands on his shoulder.
He turns around to face three of the cops, knowing without having to look that the others are behind Lin. “Is there a problem, officers?” he says, feigning innocence with a smile. The boy’s breath catches in his throat as he sees a bounty hunter and someone who’s obviously from the MCA farther back in the crowd.
Rick calls out as he turns and runs, knowing that the two of them can’t make it out of this by going calmly. “Lin!” he yells, already across the square, ducking into a back alley. He hopes she’ll follow him-- they simply cannot get separated in the city.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 10, 2011 11:13:42 GMT -5
Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin’s grin turned of one of satisfaction to disappointment. Rick dodged in the nick of time, and slightly breathless—Lin let the tsunami wall of water drop lifeless back into the fountain—not a hair (or in this case droplet) out of place. I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face, Lin sighed in her head, before letting her hands fall to her side—before smirking after getting the picture. Ah, well. One of these days—why is he frozen?
Lin, turned around slowly—to find three cops jeering down at her. One of Lin’s hands jerked upwards, spazzing as Lin forced it downward again: there was no need to attack unless they had guns. Which, Lin’s eyes warily gave them a glance over as she took one or two instinctive steps back, they did. The inquisitive look dropped from Lin’s face, and was replaced by a cool glare. “Is there a problem?” The girl asked snarkily—hand subtlety moving from her side to the water pouch on her side. “I see street performers all the time here in the city.” A lie, Lin hadn’t been to the city in weeks—but did the cops know that?
One of them opened their mouths, still keeping the sneer, and—
“LIN!”
Four sets of eyes turned to see Rick darting across the street into an alley—another three set of cops staring mutely after them, quickly exchanging glances before starting a pathetic pace after him. The other three in front of Lin looked as if they were going to follow—but turned around to the female freedom fighter first.
Unfortunately for them, by the time they turned around—Lin was already gone.
Lin’s heart was beating so fast, that by the time she stopped on the roof-top of a nearby store—she actually plopped down on the roof-tiles for a moment to catch her breath. “Geez… haven’t run like that in ages…” she whispered to herself, leaning against the large concert room that led to the building below. Three seconds rest and she was up again, ignoring the painful side-stitch in her side. Hobbling over to the edge of the roof, in the light of the quickly fading dusk—Lin peered over the edge and back up again, judging the distance between here and the next rooftop. Hopefully Rick wouldn’t be too far away by now; she had gone in the general direction that she had seen him sprint, so the odds were she could catch up.
Giving a glance down at her water satchel, Lin huffed once—wearily eying the water she would no doubt have to bend to stay away from those cops.
Five minutes later, Lin leapt down from the newest roof she had been standing on—water droplets clinging to her leather jacket as they slowed her quick accent. Her legs hit with a muffled thump on the dirt in the alley—and as the impact rippled up her legs, Lin stood up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Straightening her jacket and using her powers to move the water from her jacket into her water pocket, Lin said briskly to the person standing in front of her, “I hope you weren’t waiting for me too long.”
Note: You can decide if that person was you or not. I can't powerplay-- xD, and it'd be interesting either way. |
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 10, 2011 19:52:23 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
Rick doesn’t stop to see if Lin’s near. Distance is the most valuable asset right now. Instead, he keeps his ears perked for any footsteps, but so far, nothing. He turns a corner into a smaller alley, still running at a break-neck pace.
Five, six minutes later, he stops as a wall looms up in front of him. Great. Just great. He swears loudly, bringing a pair of eyes out of the darkness. He stiffens, then relaxes as he sees it’s only a cat. He reaches out to the mangy feline, who sniffs his fingers (which still smell like salt with a hint of fish) and starts purring. He scoops it into his arms, and then turns around as footsteps approach quickly.
He grins as Lin speaks. “Nah, not too long. I even made a friend.” Rick scratches the cat’s ears, which rewards him with another purr. For a tiny, half-starved thing, it’s surprisingly loud.
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Post by Lin Heiwa on Jul 10, 2011 20:25:26 GMT -5
(Notice how as we post money count is increasing? xD) Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.
Lin arched an eyebrow, readjusting her pack with a roll of her shoulders. "Then you make friends very fast," she replied, giving a half-smile at the cat that rested in Rick's arms. "Very cute friends," she added a few seconds later, giving into temptation and walking up to stroke the feline's head with a free hand. She stayed like this for a moment longer, gently patting the cat's head-- before the cat's ears pricked up and its muscles tensed up under her hand.
Glancing over her shoulder, could could just make out the sound of foot-steps not too far behind-- something she probably wouldn't have noticed by herself. Looking up to meet Rick in the eyes, Lin's half smile dropped and she asked tersely, "Do you think we could go get those hamburgers now and get home? I'm not too keen to stick around and find out how much those cops get paid."
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Post by Rick Freedom on Jul 10, 2011 21:01:52 GMT -5
Rick Freedom
don’t you wish it were simple?
He nods, smiling. “Friends are good, Linny. They get’cha out of sticky situations. Or, in come cases, stick with you in the worst of times.” His grin wavers. “Did’ja see the bounty hunter? And the MCA-er? If it was just the cops, we would’a been A-OK, but they’re bad news.”
Rick feels the kitty tense, and gives it a last ear-scratch before setting it back down. “Bye, Kitty McKitterson.” He waves to the cat, and then turns back to Lin. “Let’s go. McDonalds is just around the corner.” He launches himself at a ladder on the side of the building, twenty feet from the ground. His fingers scrabble for a moment, and then he pulls himself up onto the ladder and links his knees over the bottom rung. As far as Lin might be able to leap, it might be a bit hard for her to jump three, four times her height. Even being a good foot taller than her, Rick hardly made it himself. He leans back and holds out both hands for her.
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