Gangland [1x1 with Psychosis]

[Luxii]

As she took the paper from his outstretched hand, their fingers touched. It sent a shiver down her spine. She was clenching the paper so hard her knuckles were turning white. He was right, this was the symbol on the ground from last night. Maybe Martha was right...


"Martha said the city was beginning to smell of demons...." she mused - focusing hard on the symbol, trying to ignore how wonderful the Hound smelled to her. He smelled bitter and sweet at the same time.


She reminded herself that he was more than likely playing her, and that she needed to be careful. This was a fragile alliance that could shatter at any moment.
​

 

[Psychosis]

"You've seen her, too? I went to her with that pendant and she only spoke to me in riddles. The pendant, you still have it?"


He questioned her as she gazed her in the eyes. What was she trying to do? He could sense from a mile how inch by inch she approached him. Was she probably trying to seduce him? Whatever it was, he was ready not to give up so easily. To distract himself from her ever so attractive presence, he took a glance around. It was going to be dark soon. Hopefully, she was going to stick around some more.

 

[Luxii]

"She said she had seen this recently," Ari gestured to the chain clasped around her neck. "She also said the pendant didn't like you," she continued with a smile. The pendant hung over top the swell of her breasts that were exposed by the corset. "It's probably given me "the sight", whatever that means." The Hound's ice blue eyes were unnerving her - she cleared her throat. "Did you find anything else?"

​

 

[Psychosis]

"Well, not exactly anything else, but... well, i guess we should start looking for certain persons. I'm guessing they have to have a distinguishing sign, something like aaaaa... a tattoo, maybe?" He replied to her, trying to keep her there as much. He knew what he was doing was absolutely senseless and stupid but for whatever reason,he wished to keep her there so much, it actually was a supreme desire over all the others. Goddamn you, Ari, why can't i just leave?

 

[Luxii]

Something clicked in Ari's head. That man from the subway. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her cigarettes, the gold leaf from the business card Liam gave her twinkled in the dying light.


"When I left the subway, there was a man who said he'd lost a necklace near there," she extracted the card from the packet, turning it over in her hand. "He asked if I found it to call him."


She offered the card to Vincent. "Does his name ring a bell?"
​

 

[Psychosis]

Taking the card, he inspected it carefully. Liam O'Reily was the name engraved upon it. A lawyer? It was getting odd, much more. So, a lawyer wanted to wake up a maleficent demon... but why? It made no actual sense. However, he thought of it for a moment, before gazing back to Ari.


"Well, thanks for the information, was about time you told me all you knew." He threw her a genuine smile, feeling that the approach between them was indeed unavoidable. "I'm going to pay him a visit probably tonight, see if i can take anything out of him. But please, if that sight or whatever you say shows you something, i want to be the first to know. If we want this down for good, we need to work together."

 

[Luxii]

"O--okay." I'm going to be in such deep shit if anyone from the Saints finds out about this. But Ari needed someone who was on her side, had experienced some of the same weird things she had. But something else was bothering her. "Uhm... Why were you here last night? You never told me." She half wondered if he would lie to her, or if he would brush her off completely.

​

 

[Psychosis]

"Well, i urrr...." What was he going to tell her? That he woke up next to a corpse without having any idea what he's been doing for the last hours before that? Wouldn't that sound stupid at all? Or maybe it wouldn't, given the situation. He remembered his dream. If he could only have seen the face of whoever those guys were from his dream, it would've made it so much better. Somewhere, he still felt that horrid presence within himself.


"Guess it's no use hiding this away from you. While i had the pendant it... it took possesion of my body. I don't know what exactly happened, i woke up next to a mutilated corpse, which i guess is still there even now... but no blood on my hands. It wasn't me who killed him, but i can't exactly tell you more. I don't know more."

 

[Luxii]

"A-- a corpse?" How was he so certain it wasn't him that had killed that poor soul? "Have you blacked out since?" Her mind was suddenly spinning with fear - had she blacked out as well? None of the hours from the previous day seemed to be missing. Now a sense of uneasiness swept over her. What if Vincent turned on her!

​

 

[Psychosis]

"This is why i've been warning you, i... i don't want you to get hurt, not now. You're my only reliable ally for the moment." He sighed slightly, feeling more than frustrated by the current situation. How could he prove her now that he was innocent? Should he tell her about his dream? "Last night had a dream, which i presume is a repression of my memories. There were two hooded men and i was only there, chanting... something. My own hand drew a magical circle upon the ground. But in the dream, i didn't touch the knife...."

 

[Luxii]

He was being truthful, a hint of pleading in his tone. His dream sounded like the same ritual Ari had seen in her own vision There was no way he could've climbed inside her head and managed to mimic what she had seen. Her stance shifting to being more open, not so closed off and defensive. "Have you told any of the Hounds about all this?"

​

 

[Psychosis]

"I tried telling Jason and Rick, but they wouldn't listen. Rick trusts me, but he is nowhere near the man who would believe about this if he didn't see it himself. As for the others, well, the lower guys are only listening to what Rick and Jason say."


He was speaking the utter truth and he hoped that if there was a god, that god would make her eyes open and see that he meant no lie. The weight of being in this situation was quite heavy on his shoulders. He wasn't one to succumb to hardships so easily, but this one was giving him a lot of trouble. However, the sound of an incoming motorcycle made Vincent fall silent. Who would the person who came there be? A Saint looking for Ariana? Why on Earth would they look for her right there, out of all the places in the town? No. The bike sound wasn't the typical Saint, rather a Hellhound.


Before Vincent could tell Ariana to dissapear and hide, a shadow appeared and approached, and a voice from the darkness spoke to Vincent in a more than accusing tone.


"So, Jason was right, while we are struggling with important matters you hang around the town getting head from the Saint bitch. Wait until he hears that, you're out, rat boy."


Zeke. Out of all the fucking Hounds existent, Zeke had to be coming. Fucking Zeke. Not only once did Vincent break his cocky bastard nose, and this time was going to be no exception. But as soon as he turned around, Vince realized a gun was held out directly towards Ari.


"But first, i'm going to kill your little slut, as a retribution for Scar. I hope at least you came, 'cause you ain't gettin' head from her any other time. Unless you like fucking dead chicks." Zeke spoke out, all while Vincent, angered, moved inbetween him and Ari, thus exposing himself to a most likely lethal shot from his own gang mate.


"Zeke, cut the bullshit, we all know your aim is shittier than a blind man's. Put that thing down before you shoot yourself somehow, you fuckin' idiot, and listen to what i've got to say. Or better..." Vincent left the phrase unfinished only so he could all of a sudden charge at Zeke, and in a matter of moments, immobilize him to the ground. It was way too easy, Zeke being probably just a notch taller than Ari and quite thin. His gun was now laying on the floor while Vincent threatened him as he held pressure on his body.


"Now, listen to me, you little bitch. For so many years i wanted to break your fucking neck, but you always slithered away. You keep your gob shut about this or i'll bury you here, in this concrete, you hear me? As for Ari..." He grabbed Zeke by his hair and slammed his face against the concrete, breaking his nose on spot. "She's no slut, so you better beg her for some apologies. She's not the kind of chick i'd fuck around with."

 

[Luxii]

Before Ari could even move, the Hellhound - Zeke - had a gun pointed in her face. He was screaming at Vincent, spewing nasty, graphic images of what he thought Ari and Vincent had been doing. It felt like her blood had frozen inside her body and it was hard to breathe.


But Vincent had stepped between her and this other Hound. He was protecting her? Quick as a flash, Vincent had pinned Zeke to the ground and had bashed his skull into the concrete. Blood bloomed under Zeke's nose like a morbid flower - surely that sickening crack had broken his nose.


Like she was coming out of a trance, Ari found her voice. "Vincent, stop!" she pleaded, putting both hands on the taller Hound's shoulders as if to pry him off. "He's not worth it!" She was so confused, that Vince would attack one of his own to protect her.... What the hell was happening? She didn't want him to kill Zeke, her conscience couldn't bear that responsibility.
​

 

[Psychosis]

Breathing heavily in anger, Vince felt as if something within him was going to explode. He despised Zeke with a passion, for all the countless times the latter caused him troubles. Beside the fact he was a useless leech, he was also a snitch and an absolute vomit of a person. A sexually frustrated perverted pedophile who had no shame to admit he's jerking off to photos with kids or even worse. Vincent had no idea what this bastard was looking for in the Hellhounds, but the thing was his theatricals always made him look like a totally innocent victim in every conflict.


But Vince felt the slightest ease when Ari placed her hands on him. Though, he was enjoying tormenting the sucker who now was all but trying to squirm out of Vincent's heavy steel grip, that was known to have broken arms and legs.


"This guy's the worst you could get, Ari. I always wanted to stick a fiery iron bar up his ass and watch him die out of pain. He's a maggot, a parasite, a purulent infection. I'd so love to clean him... but i'd mess my own hands." He finally sighed as he stood up, letting Zeke stand wobbly and clean the dust off himself. However, Vince grabbed him once more, lifting him in the air and giving him the death stare as he grumbled. "Remember, you didn't see anything, you didn't hear anything, you don't know shit. Don't make me break down your door tonight or on the morrow, okay?"


Letting the rat off, Vince watched as the beaten up Hound scurried away almost running, dissapearing somewhere in the shadows from which he initially appeared. Vince searched his pockets for a cigarette, and once finding one, he lit it up and took a few long drags, his hands still trembling out of the rageful adrenaline.

 

[Luxii]

A huge sigh of relief whooshed from Ari's lungs after Vincent released the slimy Hound. Her hands shook from how scared she had been; she tucked them into her jacket pockets to hide their trembling. "Thank you," she murmured as Vincent lit up a cigarette and sucked the sweet smoke into his lungs. "I get the feeling he won't stay quiet for long about us...." Embarrassment flushed her cheeks pink. "I mean that he saw us together.... I mean-- ugh, why would he say such nasty things. Do you make a habit of getting head from girls in industrial parks?" Her question was half-joking, half-serious.

​

 

[Psychosis]

The question came as a hit,shocking him. He didn't expect that, well, not in that particular moment.


"Well, can't say i haven't done it, but not on a regular basis, just little things to add thrill to life. Zeke's always like this. Fucking parasite. Let him speak to the others. One more reason to bury him alive. Anyhow, i'm not letting the others do something to you, i'll rather get myself kicked out of the Hounds if they listen to the words of that stinky rotten maggot."


Being so close to her made him calm down pretty quickly, oddly enough. What exactly was she doing to him? He felt all of the sudden blissful and felt as if he was a teen on his first date. The night was now laying over the sky and stars began to shine. It was one of those few nice nights. He wished he could keep her even more there, but she'd probably leave right off. Probably.

 

[Luxii]

Of course Vincent had been with other women, but Ari felt a surge of... Jealousy? Her flushed cheeks still burned with embarrassment, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly as Vincent continued to speak. His last words caused the pleasant tingle in her stomach to happen again. "Don't say things like that," she replied, a small smile flitting across her features. "Three days ago you threatened to kill me, and now you're jumping in front of a gun for me?" She reached forward and plucked the Hound's cigarrette from between his lips and place it between her own, drawing a huge breath and letting the smoke fill her lungs. Slowly, she let it escape from her lungs through her nostrils, a playful smile on her lips.


How far could she push and tease him before he snapped at her, she wondered. It was a dangerous game they played, but it was addicting. The stars twinkled above them, and for a moment Ari thought that from afar they looked like any normal man and woman, sharing a moment beneath the night sky.
​

 

[Psychosis]

"Oh, the Saint girl becomes a devil all of a sudden, eh?" He returned her joking tone even with more joy. Actually, he now looked like a Vincent probably no one saw. A Vincent that wasn't afraid to make a joke and even smile whole heartedly as he glanced at her. In the weak light, her features were ten times sharper to his eye and he found her to be no short of beautiful. However, he wanted to push the limits against hers and see where it could go. He watched her enjoy his cigarette, then, as if attracted by her teasing smile, he took a step forth, gazing her straight in the eyes.


"So, tell me, how come there's no guy keeping on your tail? You seem to be a rarity among the Saints, i bet they're pretty much fighting over you." And it would be a shame if a Hellhound took you. His mind finished the phrase.

 

[Luxii]

Her laugh was a nervous one. Vincent's sudden closeness was deliciously suffocating. "Oh... no," she murmured. "Trust me, I'm nothing special." She took another deep inhale of the cigarette, the cherry end looming closer to the filter. The smoke curled from the corners of her mouth, spiraling up into the sky. "Well, Daryl made passes often enough... but he wasn't my type." Thinking of Daryl sent a pang of sadness through her, but she shook her head as if to clear away those thoughts. "I was just a pawn to AJ--" another drag of the cigarette, mostly to calm her nerves "--James despises me, and I'm 90% sure Demetri and Nikki have something going on; I don't really know any of the other members well enough. They all live in separate compounds from us." She dropped the finished cig to the ground, grinding it out with the heel of her boot. "How about you? You must have all the girls drooling over you." She laced a bit of teasiness into her last statements, seeking to lighten the intensity of the moment.

​

 

[Psychosis]

"And how would you know that?" He questioned her, trying ever so slightly to trap her in a corner. He liked where it all went and wanted to push it over the edge. Little did he care about anything else as of now, he only wanted what he set his mind for the moment. "But truth is, life as me can get pretty boring sometimes. Aside carrying stuff from here there and bashing faces in i'm not really doing something else, mostly just... laying lazy about and drinking. Well, and now, standing here, with you, under nothing but stars..." He spoke as he gaze her in the eyes, the temptation of approaching her growing even bigger within him. "You really don't deserve this life..."

 

[Luxii]

Ari edged back slightly, keeping a bit of distance between herself and Vincent. This was one of the most intense games of chicken she had ever played - and she was slowly losing. The sharpness of a low wall pressed into the small of her back and her breath caught in her throat. She should've known better to antagonize the icy-eyed Hound. Her mouth felt like the Sahara desert, and surely the redness of her cheeks could've been seen from a mile away. "Th--that does sound pretty boring. Bashing in faces must get old after awhile." Damn, why was he staring so intently at her? Her nervous smile evolved into Ari drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she didn't know if it was from excitement or fear - maybe a bit of both?

​

 

[Psychosis]

"For a cold blooded girl like i know you, you're pretty nervous. I wonder what would happen if i came in any closer. Somewhere about... here?" He teased her even more, now pushing against the last frontier as he placed a foot very near to her and pulled himself closer, close enough for her to lean against him if she felt the need. Gazing down upon her, he let a hand gently run atop her head and down her waves of hair in a caress. "Don't even ask why i'm doing this. I just am."

 

[Luxii]

His touch sent a pleasant tingle down her spine but now it was really hard to breathe. Dammit, she cursed inwardly. This was too much too soon, and she side stepped the Hound, forfeiting their little game. "Shit, you don't even buy a girl a drink first?" She quipped, masking how overwhelmed Vincent had just made her feel. "Plus, don't you have lawyer to interrogate?" Perhaps the change in subject would make her heart stop feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest.

​

 

[Psychosis]

Her side step caused his lips to curve into a grin. So, she wasn't going down that easy, was she? A challenge. Dismissing the whole process for the moment, he returned to his place before taking out yet another cigarette and lighting it. He was a smoke addict, so that was pretty normal to him.


"Yes, i should get to start kicking doors. But you still might wanna put that pendant away. The last thing i want is having you run around without your body, or rather, your body without you"

 

[Luxii]

"I don't know," she replied, stroking the silver chain at her throat. "I think it likes me more than it did you." Her heart rate was slowing returning to normal, but the butterflies in her stomach hadn't flown off yet. "I should get back before we have any more unwelcome visitors." As she spoke, she crossed the short distance to her bike, swinging one leather-clad leg over the seat, easily stradding the belly of the motorcycle. "And go easy on him, okay? We'll need him all in one piece, my knight in shining armor." She bound her hair up before slipping her helmet on and kick starting her bike with a roar. Her gaze was set in the mirror, watching Vincent's form fade into the darkness. Once he had disappeared, the breath she didn't know she was holding whooshed out of her lungs and she laughed. "What the fuck is wrong with you...." she whispered to herself as she tore through the city streets.

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