A Mission for Bacon (Hiro, Shade)

by **Hiro** Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:39 am

Hiro sauntered home along the grimy streets of the East District. Dusk was falling, and he was exhausted from the day’s work. A fat wad of bills (small bills, mind you) was zipped safely away in one of the numerous pockets on his jacket, though, so it was all worth it.
What with his acid green jacket and generally citrus-colored clothing, Hiro tended to stand out in this part of the Substratum, but he didn’t really mind. He’d done jobs for probably half the people in this district, and therefore knew things about them that an ordinary guest would have never found out. Nobody ever looked twice at the handyman, though. What he lacked in money, Hiro made up for with a wealth of secrets. Blackmail would be an easy option if he was ever caught up in a sticky situation.
Most of his clients were not afraid of him for his knowledge, though. Hiro’s acid green eyes gave away his status as a Harbinger—no more than scum to most, but eyes like his could also inspire fear in the vast majority of the population. But that was irrelevant right now. Right now, Hiro was on a very important mission. A mission for bacon.
It was a little shabby stall set up in an alleyway between an abandoned book store and a pub. The word “Butcher” was scrawled across the tattered banner in black spray paint. As usual, a drunken bum was slumped against the stall door (there was always at least one), but Hiro ignored him and leaned against the counter, coming face-to-face with the butcher’s daughter.
“Oh, hi Hiro,” she said, a coy smile playing at her lips when she recognized him.
“Hiya Rose,” he said, throwing on his most charming smile.
“The usual?”
Hiro nodded. A few minutes later, he was walking away with a pound of fresh bacon and no less money than he had started with. It worked every time. Night was falling fast, though, so Hiro cut the self-praise for the moment and walked faster towards home sweet home.

by **Shade** Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:55 pm

Shade was yet again roaming around the city. With just under a year until she was officially an adult, she was more comfortable and confident with going out on her own than she had been in the past three. She had been meeting quite a few interesting people as well, something that still threw the barely socialized girl - not that that was really her fault. Being stuck in the same building for most of one's formative years with your only interactions being with the same couple of people would do that to anyone.

Hauling herself up a fence, she dropped down the other side, grunting in surprise when something caught at her hoodie and stopped her from landing normally. Struggling and cursing, she managed to slip from the large garment and hit the ground with a thud.

"Dammit," she sighed as she straightened, taking in how there was some barbed wire wove into the fence. How had she missed that when she was climbing? "At least it's dark out," she muttered, glancing around for something to stand on.

"Oh come on! Who the hell actually cleans an alley?!" she demanded when she saw there was nothing on her side of the fence. Grumbling under her breath, Shade took a moment to concentrate and gather her power before an oddly dark cube appeared in front of her. She hauled herself onto the platform and started to free her hoodie, not really noticing the stream of invective that flowed from her mouth.

by **Hiro** Mon Aug 13, 2012 11:26 pm

A muted muttering met with Hiro’s ears as he rounded a corner. He looked up and down the street… weird. Nobody else was on the street. Hiro did a three-sixty, trying to make out words from the mumbles. There was an alley to his left, but nobody seemed to be in there…

Wait, he thought. What the hell? A dark figure seemed to be hovering halfway up the corroded chain link fence, stretching up to tug on a dark mass that Hiro couldn’t quite make out. Curious, Hiro slunk into the alley to watch the figure.

The stream of profanities coming out of the figure’s mouth was quite impressive. Hiro noted that the dark mass was a black hoodie, caught on the fence. He also observed that the figure was a girl. Hiro looked a little closer, suddenly more interested. He decided it was time to speak up.

“You need a little help there?” He called up to the girl. She was balanced precariously on a—on a…. what the hell was she standing on?

A vaguely cubical shape supported the girl, but Hiro couldn’t make out what it was made out of or how it was attached to the fence. Every time he tried to focus on it, it seemed to be too deep in the shadows for him to make it out. Hiro shook his head, deciding not to think too hard about it. Even the slightest headache would not be good news, especially at night in an alley with a mysterious stranger. Instead, his acid green eyes continued to observe the girl until she answered.

by **Shade** Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:28 am

"Fucking piece of shit. How the good god fuck did you get this twisted in?" she snarled, giving a good yank in her frustration. She might have just said screw it and left the damn thing there, but she actually rather liked this hoodie. It was plenty large enough for her to hide in and she had managed to wear it in to the perfect comfort level. There was no way she was leaving it, no matter how pissed she was getting. If she had to, she'd just remove part of the fence to get her shirt back.

Not having heard the approach of the older male due to her swearing, Shade was understandably startled when he spoke behind her. Spinning in surprise, she overbalanced and her foot slipped off the cube. Not that it mattered much in the long run since her concentration was broken as well and the box vanished.

She had a moment to think, This is going to hurt, as she fell, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to throw her power under her to help cushion her landing.

by **Hiro** Tue Aug 14, 2012 12:20 pm

Hiro’s eyes widened as the girl fell, not only because she was going to hit the pavement but because the box she had been standing on simply vanished. Don’t worry about that right now, you idiot! He had time to think before dodging towards the girl and catching her in his arms.

Hiro looked down to see if he recognized the girl. She was a bit taller than his sister Naomi, but much lighter, and she had short-ish, dark brown hair. What really jumped out at Hiro, though, was the fact that she was wearing tinted blue goggles, even though it was now night time and they were in a well-shadowed alley. Weird, he thought, but she’s still a girl!

For the second time that evening, Hiro threw on a charismatic smile and set the girl on her feet.

“Are you alright?” The look on the girl’s face wasn’t the expression he usually got from girls. Hm.

by **Shade** Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:43 pm

"Oof!"

That... hurt a lot less than it should have, even if Shade had managed to catch herself - which she hadn't. Her eyes slowly opened as she realized that she wasn't actually on the ground. What the hell?

Blinking, she stared up at the guy who had caught her. Where had he come from anyway? Oh, he was probably the guy who had made her fall in the first place. At least catching her and saving her another injury made up for it. She glanced at the ground then back up at him, having no idea what to do or say about this.

When he set her down, she tugged at her shirt to straighten it, but didn't think to move away, tossing an annoyed glance back at her hoodie.

“Are you alright?”

Blinking again, Shade nodded, turning back to look up at him. "Thanks," she said somewhat absently, studying him in mild interest. What was with that smile? And wow, did he have a lot of pockets. She wondered if he even used all of them. And, dark or not, she was happy her goggles were still on. That jacket was bright.

by **Hiro** Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:42 pm

Hiro let his smile fade into a friendly grin. Obviously this girl wasn’t the type to be won over simply by his heroic acts and his devilishly handsome face.

He stood there awkwardly for a moment, but then pointed to her goggles. “I like your goggles. Although yellow is more my color.” He grinned, fidgeting with his own tinted glasses. While he was working, they served as a great barrier to keep shrapnel and dust out of his eyes, but they also helped dull his eye color slightly so the civilians he met wouldn’t be so intimidated by the intensity of his Harbinger irises.

“So what’s a girl like yourself doing wandering around dark alleyways at night? You a vampire or something?” Hiro asked casually. The bacon weighed down one of his pockets, calling to him, but he wasn’t just going to leave this girl standing here in the alley with her jacket snagged on the fence. Besides, she was kind of pretty. It was too bad she wasn’t as easy as Rose, the butcher’s daughter. She also didn’t seem to have free bacon at hand.

by **Shade** Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:31 pm

Shade twitched when he suddenly lifted a hand to point at her goggles. Glancing from his finger to his face, she reached a hand up to absently fiddle with the edge of one lens. "Um, thanks, I guess," she said, sounding a little confused. No one had complimented them before. At least he hadn't tried to take off the goggles like a few people had. What she couldn't figure out was why someone would want to wear yellow lenses - it wasn't like they would block much light. Completely impractical. Though she did like the shape of them.

Her lips parted so she could respond - and what was with people saying "a girl like you" to her so often? It's not like she knew what the hell they were talking about and they didn't know her so there was no way they could know how she was anyway - but her voice died in her throat as he called her a vampire.

Shade's mouth snapped shut with an audible click and she drew back slightly, glaring at him. As tempted as she was to just yell at him, he had caught her when she fell so she just pursed her lips and spun on her heel to glower up at her hoodie. "I'm here because I can be," she answered stiffly.

by **Hiro** Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:26 pm

The girl noticeably stiffened as soon as the word “vampire” left Hiro’s mouth. Guess that word is off-limits, he thought, a little surprised by her sudden reaction. He decided to backpedal.

“Ahem… So, what’s your name?” he asked as he reached up to the fence to tug down her hoodie. It was snagged on a stray piece of wire. As he disentangled the hood, the wire poked the skin on his middle finger, puncturing it. To a normal person, this would’ve been a put-on-a-bandage-and-forget-about-it kind of injury. But for Hiro, a splitting pain shot straight from his finger to the rest of his body, making him feel like he was on fire.

Hiro doubled over, air hissing through his clenched teeth. “Shit shit shit shit… fuuuuckkkk!” he groaned, clutching his finger. Barely a drop of blood escaped his skin, but Hiro’s vision blurred and he swayed. Why did this have to happen now, of all times?

by **Shade** Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:03 pm

"Shouldn't you give your name first? I've been told that's the polite thing to do." See? She didn't forget all of that stuff. She just didn't care or see the point most of the time. She was starting to reach up as she spoke, not willing to use her power in front of him, when his arm extended over her.

Shade jumped in surprise that she hadn't noticed him moving closer. Though, it ended up being a good thing considering how he started swearing and swaying. Grabbing his arm so he didn't fall over, she huffed slightly. She might have been able to help Trevor walk that one time, but this guy was heavier. Deciding to say fuck it and deal with any fallout later, she gathered some energy and, with a quick mental twist, created a chair to gently push Hiro into.

"What happened?" she asked, frowning. She didn't think anything was on the fence, but then, she was wearing gloves. Kneeling in front of him, she tugged his hand toward her. Squinting slightly, she huffed and pushed up her goggles a little. It was dark enough that it wouldn't bother her too much and she needed to see what was wrong anyway.

by **Hiro** Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:25 pm

The pain was already beginning to subside. It had really only been one intense jab, but still enough to steal Hiro’s breath for a moment and make his vision fuzzy. And it really fucking hurt.

“It’s—nothing,” he said through gritted teeth. The wound had already sealed up, seeing as it had never been very deep at all. They had been talking about something. Names. Oh yeah.

Hiro handed the hoodie back to its owner, glaring at the thing that had caused him so much pain. He’d only used his mutation twice ever, and already the pain was this intense from a tiny puncture. Usually he was more careful. Thank God he hadn’t hammered himself while fixing a roof or something.

“My name’s Hiro,” he said, trying to change the subject. The girl ignored him, grabbing his hand to examine the wound. As she lifted up her goggles, Hiro gasped.

“Your eyes—” he exclaimed, jumping up. It was only then that he started to pay attention to his surroundings. What had he jumped up from? Behind him, a chair made of the same inky, mysterious material that he’d seen the girl standing on before sat on the pavement, not looking quite solid. Yet somehow it had supported his weight…

Hiro looked back at the girl. Her eyes were pure black, reflecting light back at him oddly. Those eyes weren’t normal.

“You’re a Harbinger,” he croaked, his voice depleted by the shock.

by **Shade** Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:28 am

When Hiro (yes, she had caught his name, she just hadn't responded) jumped up, gasping out something about her eyes, she jerked back and lost her balance. Blinking up at him in surprise, she had completely forgotten about having lifted her goggles. She was just so used to wearing them that she assumed she already was. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't - and it didn't help that it felt like they were still in the correct position.

“You’re a Harbinger.”

At his shocked statement, her eyes widened and the chair vanished, collapsing in on itself as that thread of her concentration was broken. Snagging her hoodie with one hand, she pushed to her feet with the other, slipping slightly as she turned to run away. Reaching up, she yanked her goggles back down again.

Yeah, she could handle herself just fine most times, but that didn't mean she wanted to every time. And who knew what he could do or what he carried. Being in such close quarters didn't help things either. Her only choice would be to use her mutation if she stayed.

by **Hiro** Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:09 am

Once the initial shock had worn off, Hiro realized what he had done. “Shit,” he mumbled. He’d scared her off. The girl was sprinting out of the alley. Hiro took a deep breath and ran after her, trying to ignore the pounding in his head that was left over from the pain of his puncture wound. Knowing it would be futile to call after her, Hiro decided he had to catch up to her. She had seemed friendly. Well, not unfriendly.

Damn, she was fast. Faster than him, at least.

The bacon bounced up and down in Hiro’s pocket, neglected, and he realized Naomi would be worried by now. What if she went out to try to find him? And it was already night time. Hiro had lived in the East District all his life. He knew what went on after dark in this city…
Hiro poured on the speed. He had to catch her, and fast. Never mind that he didn’t want to be wandering out after dark; he had to get home and make sure Naomi wasn’t. And this girl shouldn’t be, either.

by **Shade** Wed Aug 15, 2012 1:49 am

Hearing Hiro give chase, Shade bit back a curse. She needed the air for running a bit more than she needed to vent. It just figured that he was one of those people who feared Harbingers. She was so damned sick of being looked at like that! Like she was suddenly going go insane and start slaughtering people who happened to pass her awareness.

Biting the inside of her cheek as she ran, Shade determined that she probably should have started interacting with people other than the guys sooner. Maybe then she wouldn't be so all over the place with all these new people she had been meeting.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate that no one was really out on the street now. There wasn't anyone for her to dodge around so she was able to keep moving quickly, but that also meant that there was no one to slow him down.

Feet pounding against the concrete, Shade threw herself around a corner, sliding on some glass shards she hadn't seen. Unable to suppress a cry, she hit the ground, hard, and rolled. She pushed to her feet again, huffing for breath.

Dammit! No!

by **Hiro** Thu Aug 16, 2012 2:55 pm

In front of him, the girl slipped and fell on some shattered glass. In the time it took her to scramble to her feet again, Hiro had almost caught up. He was now right on her tail.

“Hold up!” he huffed as loudly as he could, his breath almost gone. “I—I’m a—”

Wait, Hiro thought to himself. Is it really wise to be sprinting through the abandoned streets of the East District at night, following a strange Harbinger and shouting that you’re a Harbinger too?

Hiro gritted his teeth. Dammit, what was he even going to do when he caught her? Hold her down and tell her that he was a Harbinger? That would be wrong on too many levels.

Deciding he would have to improvise, Hiro whipped off his glasses and tucked them away in a pocket. Maybe if he actually caught up to her, she would notice his eyes. They were acid green, which was sort of hard to miss. Then again, Hiro hadn’t even noticed what he was sitting on before, when he’d been distracted… and being chased by a guy who’d just accused you of being a Harbinger definitely counted as distracting.

by **Shade** Thu Aug 16, 2012 3:55 pm

This time, she couldn't hold back the swearing. "Fuck! Oh fuck! Shit!" He was a lot closer than she had hoped he would get. That fall really didn't help. It was just a pity that he didn't fall either.

She wasn't willing to attempt looking back to see just how close he was - it would slow her down and if Hiro was as close as Shade thought he was then he'd be able to catch her. As it was, she was surprised he hadn't tackled her yet. She had to do something, and soon, or he was going to have her.

The beams of a pair of headlights swept over them but the driver didn't slow. That was no surprise really since no one ever wanted to get involved in anything after dark, much less when anyone was being chased by someone else and both people in question looked suspicious (not that they weren't suspicious just for being out now).

Taking a chance, Shade darted out into the street and in front of the car. She was hoping that she had timed things right to where Hiro would have to stop or get hit by the vehicle and she'd have the chance to get away.

She hadn't.

The bumper of the sedan clipped the back of her leg and sent Shade to the ground again. The horn blared, covering the sound of her striking the asphalt, and the car sped away. She lay there for a couple of seconds, gasping for air, before forcing herself to her feet again, staggering once she was upright. It was taking everything she had just to stay standing.

I can't do this any longer.

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