Post by Redshift on Jan 21, 2014 12:05:11 GMT -6
A black cat came rushing through the entrance, his fur fluffed up in panic and his eyes wide in horror. It took him a moment to catch his breath and inspect the church. It was then he noticed the changes. Lush fabric covered the benches and draped from the altar. A lot of the debris was now gone and holes patched up with loose wood and other materials shoved in. It seemed more open and grand than the time a few months ago the cat had snuck into the place, naturally looking for ghosts. Now, it seemed as though all traces of spectral possibility were smothered by the new residents.
"Ah Ajax, there you are. Surprised to see you alive," a raspy voice sounded from the front of the sanctuary.
The feline rolled his eyes and muttered, "It seems I surprise everyone with my ability to just live."
An old Finnish herder walked down the aisle to greet him, her walk poised and regal, "Hm?"
"Nothing," he meowed. "I delivered your fucked up message to Frankie. Now give me my payment."
"Hold on. Did he accept?"
"Yeah, he did. Only because you kidnapped his daughter! What the hell is your problem, Rua?" Ajax yowled, his voice echoing around the building.
"Shhh," the herder replied calmly. This only angered the cat further. "We did not kidnap her. She ran away from home and she was stealing from one of our members."
"Oh yeah, so it's perfectly reasonable to take her prisoner. Totally worth whatever she took," he growled sarcastically.
Rua snorted, getting slightly annoyed, "We have not hurt her. And trust me, she would have been killed by someone on the streets sooner or later. We're doing her a service."
"Service, huh?" Ajax snarled. He just about pounced on the old dog, but figured it was not worth it. This was not his battle. But, he was sure as hell going to be watching the drama closely. He was not about to let a young cat die or get injured because a gang deemed it necessary to their cause. Instead, he meowed complacently, "Whatever, where's my shit?"
Rua grinned slightly, and then went to the back to retrieve a small bag of tuna. "There. Now not a word to anyone."
"Sure, whatev," Ajax grabbed his payment and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the old herder grabbed his tail and pulled him back to face her. Her golden eyes were serious and threatening. "Not. A. Word."
The young cat nodded fervently, understanding the message. Like a flash, he was out of the church, hoping to never return there again.
---
Twenty-four hours later, Rua stood on the curb of an empty intersection. Sure, it was supposed to be where cars drove, but even humans knew it was dangerous to be in the System after dark. A large street lamp provided rather dramatic lighting, highlighting her gaunt facial features. It was the perfect meeting place: open but intimidating. It seemed like you had a lot of escape options, but the daunting, broken buildings and noxious air gave it the atmosphere of a cage.
Now, Rua sat patiently, waiting for both a white bulldog and grey cat. One friend and one enemy. Crowley said he would be here soon, having to take care of some other local business. Right now, she was just a placeholder, just in case Frankie arrived at the scene before Crowley did. Once her boss arrived, she would let him do the talking. This was her first confrontation with the competition ever since she met the bulldog on Mancini territory. Even though it would just be a cat, the old herder had butterflies in her stomach, unsure of how she felt about the situation at present. Her paws shifted slightly, ready to get this started.
"Ah Ajax, there you are. Surprised to see you alive," a raspy voice sounded from the front of the sanctuary.
The feline rolled his eyes and muttered, "It seems I surprise everyone with my ability to just live."
An old Finnish herder walked down the aisle to greet him, her walk poised and regal, "Hm?"
"Nothing," he meowed. "I delivered your fucked up message to Frankie. Now give me my payment."
"Hold on. Did he accept?"
"Yeah, he did. Only because you kidnapped his daughter! What the hell is your problem, Rua?" Ajax yowled, his voice echoing around the building.
"Shhh," the herder replied calmly. This only angered the cat further. "We did not kidnap her. She ran away from home and she was stealing from one of our members."
"Oh yeah, so it's perfectly reasonable to take her prisoner. Totally worth whatever she took," he growled sarcastically.
Rua snorted, getting slightly annoyed, "We have not hurt her. And trust me, she would have been killed by someone on the streets sooner or later. We're doing her a service."
"Service, huh?" Ajax snarled. He just about pounced on the old dog, but figured it was not worth it. This was not his battle. But, he was sure as hell going to be watching the drama closely. He was not about to let a young cat die or get injured because a gang deemed it necessary to their cause. Instead, he meowed complacently, "Whatever, where's my shit?"
Rua grinned slightly, and then went to the back to retrieve a small bag of tuna. "There. Now not a word to anyone."
"Sure, whatev," Ajax grabbed his payment and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the old herder grabbed his tail and pulled him back to face her. Her golden eyes were serious and threatening. "Not. A. Word."
The young cat nodded fervently, understanding the message. Like a flash, he was out of the church, hoping to never return there again.
---
Twenty-four hours later, Rua stood on the curb of an empty intersection. Sure, it was supposed to be where cars drove, but even humans knew it was dangerous to be in the System after dark. A large street lamp provided rather dramatic lighting, highlighting her gaunt facial features. It was the perfect meeting place: open but intimidating. It seemed like you had a lot of escape options, but the daunting, broken buildings and noxious air gave it the atmosphere of a cage.
Now, Rua sat patiently, waiting for both a white bulldog and grey cat. One friend and one enemy. Crowley said he would be here soon, having to take care of some other local business. Right now, she was just a placeholder, just in case Frankie arrived at the scene before Crowley did. Once her boss arrived, she would let him do the talking. This was her first confrontation with the competition ever since she met the bulldog on Mancini territory. Even though it would just be a cat, the old herder had butterflies in her stomach, unsure of how she felt about the situation at present. Her paws shifted slightly, ready to get this started.