The Corner of Crime and Ego {Kayne}

[harley]

There never were many people out at night, but especially not in the colder months. As darkness fell earlier each day, the chill of a winter night crept over the streets by late afternoon, and remained until the weak sun pressed it away for a few short hours the next morning.

James hated winter. As hard as it was to find shelter each night in the spring and summer, it became exponentially harder in the fall and winter. Even ignoring the threat of rain, which was also an issue in the spring, the colder temperatures made sleeping outside a death sentence, unless he managed to find one of the rare buildings whose doorways let out a small bit of heat. Bars were often a good bet, as were hospitals.

This night was no different that most, and he found himself wandering the streets at seven in the evening, searching for a place to sleep. His eyes strained to see in the dim glow from the streetlights, but he knew without looking that there would be no warm place to sleep.

The young man paused at a corner and peered across the street. The store was small, most likely a local thing, but the poster in the window promised camping supplies, and he knew a sleeping bag or a warm blanket would be included in such a display.

It was a simple matter for the thief, and hardly twenty minutes later he walked out of the back alley behind the store, a sleeping bag under one arm and a blanket draped around his shoulders. Local little stores were always nice, if only because of their lack of security guards. Cameras were so much cheaper, and they were never trained on the ceiling. It took only minutes for him to pull up his hood, fly in, drop down to retrieve the goods, and fly out.

Again, James paused at the corner. Armed with his supplies for the night, he needed to find an out-of-the-way place to sleep. That could be a dilemma.

[Kayne DeRemiro]

"You'd think there would be somewhere decent I could buy some clothes from." Kayne said with a grumble. "The options out here are absolutely horrible. It's like this is where all the poor people have to shop." The boy said as a scowl crossed his face. Humans. A young couple, probably only a few years older than Kayne himself, were walking down the same sidewalk as Kayne. "It'd be so easy to take them out right now." He said to himself as his fingers wrapped around the marble that was in his pocket. "They'd never be able to trace it to me either. It'd be so quick. Just like...that" Kayne said as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly the glass from a local store exploded into the street. A twisted smile crossed his face. The couple had dived down to the ground, the man covering the woman. The only thing bothering Kayne was that no one was hurt. He shook his head. "Pathetic humans." He growled as he turned the corner. "They're lucky I wasn't in a bad mood."

[harley]

The night was rapidly cooling, even more quickly now that the sun was down. With his eyes focused on the sidewalk in front of him, James hadn't a thought in his mind except to find a safe place to sleep for the night. That would have occupied him until the goal was accomplished, had he not heard the screams from around the corner.

Though James considered himself neutral in the war, he'd never been against helping whichever side would benefit him the most. If it was indeed a skirmish, he thought, then maybe he could bribe one side or the other to give him shelter by offering them some small help.

Before he could see any sort of conflict, however, James found himself face-to-face with a rather tall man who'd rounded the corner from the other side of the building. James dodged, moving quicker than the average human, as his light build allowed. However, his sleeping bag and blanket dropped to the ground, and it only took that split second when he bent to retrieve them for him to realize that something was wrong.

Leaving his newly-stolen possessions on the ground, James straightened up and surveyed the man in front of him. Just behind him, the streetlights shone on shattered glass, and yet the man looked almost unconcerned about the couple huddled amongst the disaster. "What's going on?"

[Kayne DeRemiro]

Kayne stared down on the person who nearly ran into him. "Watch where you're going dumbass." He snarled as he watched the items fall to the ground. "What's going on?" He mocked. "Nothing of your business street rat." He laughed. Kayne had no time for this kid. "Whatre you gunna do about it anyway? I'll do the same to you too if you are or help humans you're worthless." He said eyes narrowing.

The marble he had in his hand morphed itself, resembling a knife. "Because if you wanna make something of it I have no problem bleeding you in the streets. The boy couldn't handle people getting into his business. Kayne glared at the other boy. "So, are you going to get out of my way or do I have to make you?" He asked as he tightened the grip on the glass.

[harley]

Normally James would have stood his ground, but the sight of something moving out of the corner of his eye made him step back. He'd learned long ago to move out of the way before taking the time to identify anything that could be potentially harmful, and from the looks of this guy, anything in his general vicinity could become a weapon. A glance down at his hand showed James that his assumption was mostly correct.

For a moment, he wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. Then he realized the taller boy held a knife... a glass knife. Had he been the one who shattered the window?

James considered his options. He'd never been one to turn tail and run, but the only weapon he was proficient with was a bow, and he hadn't thought to steal one in some time. Lately things had calmed down in the area, at least on the streets, and he hadn't felt the need to carry such an obvious weapon. Stupid.

"I'm not a human," he said finally, his tone cold. "And I'm not for or against them. I have no reason to take sides in this fight."

[Kayne DeRemiro]

Kaynes eyes were locked on this kid. "Mutant huh?" Kayne said, tight grip still on the glass. "Well, you should learn to take sides or you might be lasting too long." He said with a malicious grin. "Humans are worthless as are you if you don't fight them. They're poisoning this world and we, as mutants, must destroy them." He then opened his hand letting the glass knife sit in his palm. "See we are better, we can do things they can't! We deserve to have this planet to ourselves." The boy said as the glass lifted out of his hand, floating in mid air. It then started circling the other. "You have to pick a side, human scum or mutant superior. Make your choice wisely, your life could rest on the correct answer." He said as the glass stopped infront of James' face. Kayne suddenly heard the distant sirens. "I was wondering how long they would take." Kayne said, taking his eyes off the boy as he turned his head to look for the police cars.

[harley]

James kept his eyes on the glass, far more concerned about the weapon than its wielder. At this point, it seemed like his power didn't even necessitate holding the knife to use it. It would be an idiotic idea to anger him now, especially after the comments the taller boy was making.

"I've made it this far without choosing a side," said James, his voice still soft. He seldom spoke to those he wasn't close to, let alone strangers, but the situation seemed to require a response. "I'm sure I can make it a little while longer. And with what's been happening, I doubt this war will-"

The end of his comment was cut off, however, by the wail of the sirens. The taller boy's gaze left him momentarily, and James took the opportunity to stoop down and grab his sleeping bag and blanket. With them in hand, he backed up a few steps.