brutus
𝘪'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘯' 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵
GET FUNKY, NOW
[i animated this, if ur 4 some reason wanting 2 steal it pls don't]
❝Hello, I am Brutus, a starving artist extraordinaire. I'm striving to get back into writing, so here I am.❞ ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
About Me
♚ I can be reasonably active, although I suffer from varying chronic conditions and neurodivergence, so sometimes my activity may wane.
♚ I am queer, disabled, trans, and LGBTQIA+ inclusive. I am also a huge fan of representation of all forms. Bigotry is not accepted here.
♚ I'm located in the hell that is Texas, so I am Central time. However, I am a night owl.
♚ I ask all my partners to be 21+. I prefer to write with folks around my age range. To be upfront, I am 31!~
♚ Please don't bug me for replies! It is the surest way to run me off, as it causes me massive anxiety. I will always give back the patience given to me.
♚ I am casual OOC and formal IC.
♚ I suppose I am advanced, although that is most certainly subjective. Mostly, I work to put a lot of effort into what I produce. Writing is a passion and a craft for me. I am, at the least, detailed and multi-para. I am always game for some lazy-lit, however.
♚ I can easily create worlds, characters, and plots and am huge on collaboration.
♚ I am a lengthier writer. I stick to quality over quantity, though.
♚ Male muses are my preferred, but I'll happily write any identity, especially regarding sides, as I like a diverse cast. On that note, I don't generally double. Usually, I run one main and fill the world with intriguing and intricate side characters. I can double, but my muse isn't always very high to do so.
♚ I'm a sucker for romance. It's not required, but I do enjoy it. Be it more love-at-first-sight or slow-burn, I don't judge.
♚ I love darker, grittier themes with or without occasional fluff mixed in. Heavier topics are welcomed, and I love to include them, but they MUST be given the respect they are due and not be romanticized.
♚I am a slower and meticulous writer, and I suffer from depression, so while some days I can post multiple times, there may be days where I cannot. Regardless, I'll always give you something juicy.
♚ I have plots, pairings, and ideas. However, we'll get to that later!
♚ Some OOC is required. I like to have a rapport with my partner to spark that spark for roleplay, and I like to make new friends.
♚ Enough about me, yeah? How about some pairings and a nice little word bank?
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
PAIRINGS|SETTINGS/THEMES|PROMPTS|IDEAS| WORD-BANK| SONGS FOR INSPIRATION
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》Pairings:
♚Demon x Mortal
♚Demon x Cultist
♚Vampire x Mortal
♚Vampire x Werewolf
♚Vampire x Supernatural Hunter
♚Werewolf x Supernatural Hunter
♚Werewolf x Werewolf
♚Werewolf x Mortal
♚Mortal x Ghost
♚Drug Dealer x Drug Addict
♚Drug Dealer x Sober
♚Drug Addict x Drug addict
♚Open x Closeted
♚Reaper/Death Incarnate x Immortal
♚Reaper/Death Incarnate x Mortal
♚Ex x Ex
♚Seasoned Apocalypse Survivor x Clueless Apocalypse Survivor
♚Apocalypse Survivor x Apocalypse Survivor
♚Popular x Unpopular
♚Cultist x God [or any otherworldly creature]
♚Soulmate x Soulmate [preferably with darker twists]
♚Shifter x Hunter
♚Angel x Demon
♚Grumpy Detective x Rookie Detective
♚Rival x Rival
♚Gang member x Mafia member
♚High-rank gang member x Undercover officer
♚Monster x Mortal
♚Witch x Outcast
♚Witch x Regular human
♚Experiment x Scientist assigned to observe/study
♚Experiment x Experiment
♚Artist x Muse
♚Model x Photographer
♚Introverted x Extroverted
♚ Pessimistic personality x Sunshine personality
♚ Heartbreaker x Romantic
♚ Drug addict x Concerned Friend
♚ Android/AI x Human
♚ Siren x Human
♚ Mermaid x Human
♚ Amnesiac x Former friend
♚ Sun deity's descendant x Moon deity's descendant
♚ Cursed Human x Amateur Witch
♚ Rich celebrity x Struggling artist
♚ Band member x Opposing band member
♚ Ex, distanced best friends
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》word-bank:
post-apocalyptic/dystopic/false utopia vibes, heartbreak, bitter, unresolved feelings, fading friendships, rivalry, toxicity (not romanticized, please), addiction, neurodivergence, paranormal, supernatural, cryptids, tension, resolution, death, grief, road trip, two souls escaping together, adversity, survival/surviving, life after death, red string of fate, soulmates, crime, noire, slow-burn, gritty and dark, mystery, thriller, exploration of the human psyche, revenge, moralistic complexity, phobias, Stephen King-inspired, ancient beings beyond a mortal's grasping, cults, sexuality and coming to embrace it, mending, exes, ex-best friends, mountainous struggles, resolutions, immortality, a vast contrast in lifestyles, cyberpunk inspired themes, class/caste system division, curses/subtle magic vibes.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
settings/themes:
Modern
Low Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Post Apocalyptic
Dystopic
Western
Alternate History/Loosely historical
Sci-fi
Cyberpunk
Supernatural
Horror
Psychological
Noire
Thriller
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》prompts:
"Don't leave."
♚"I know you still love me.
♚"Did you mean the things you said?"
♚"I'm scared of the future, but the past has wearied me."
♚"You could've died, you know."
♚"Thanks for nothing."
♚"I woke up, and you were gone."
♚"You are a monster."
♚"I don't have a choice- I never had."
♚"You need to believe me, please!"
♚"I don't need your misplaced concern. I need to get the job done."
♚"Hey, hey, hey. I've got you. I have got you."
♚"I'll do this if it kills me."
♚"I promise you: your head is the only thing spinning right now."
♚"I will not be the one to slow us down."
♚"I don't have the energy to waste arguing with you."
♚"There is no us. There never was."
♚"I never stood a chance, did I?" - "That's the one sad part you did once."
♚"Are you ever going to listen?"
♚"Is it worth it?"
♚"You can't blame me, can you?"
♚"You were just an experiment."
♚"I'm a monster." "No, you're not."
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》ideas
▬ Two characters find themselves on the last train out of the city. Neither one has a plan, a place to sleep, or a meal. Just something to run from and nowhere to go.
▬ Character A, due to a fit of insomnia, a bad dream, or just plain boredom, finally breaks down and calls character B, dialing a number they had been trying to dial for months now.
▬ Muse A is a hunter who’s gone to a small town that is being terrorized by a monster. Muse B is a supernatural creature, but they’re completely innocent and want the town to be rid of the out-of-control supernatural creature, too.
▬ Everyone has a guardian angel, but what if everyone, too, had a guardian demon? Or perhaps there never was such a thing as a guardian angel. Only a demon- a fallen angel- is selected to be a guardian.
▬ Muse A goes missing and cannot be found, then is declared dead after seven years. Years after that, Muse B visits the memorial for Muse A when Muse A shows up.
▬ A person afraid of dying falls in love with Death.
▬ In an apocalyptic world, Muse A has just been infected, and Muse B is desperate to find a cure before the person they know is lost forever
▬ A dystopian society where Muse A and Muse B fall in love, but romantic love is outlawed
▬ Muse A and Muse B are criminals, but Muse A wants out of that life.
▬ A small town somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Strange sounds in the night. Farm animals are found dead, and people have started to vanish. Someone needs to investigate what’s going on.
▬ On a lonely highway, on a sweltering hot day, Muse A picks up Muse B, a hitchhiker. They don't know that they're both criminals and are both wanted by the law for different crimes.
▬ Collateral damage. Both muses are in a dangerous situation caused by someone or something else.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
songs for inspiration:
Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant
Pet - APC
Passive - APC
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Skip Divided - Thom Yorke
Otherside of Paradise- Glass Animals
Heatwaves - Glass Animals
Dear Fellow Traveler - Sea Wolf
Prom Dress - mxmtoon
Feelings Are Fatal - mxmtoon
No Vacancy - RKS
First Class - RKS
I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski
Washing Machine Heart - Mitski
Agnes - Glass Animals
Death of a Bachelor - P!ATD
No Children - The Mountain Goats
This Year - The Mountain Goats
I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers
Run - Joji
Yeah Right - Joji
Demons - Joji
Modus - Joji
Mad World - Gary Jules
Drugdealer - Macklemore ft. Ariana DeBoo
Hungover in the City of Dust - Autoheart
Do You Feel It - Chaos Chaos
Hurt - Oliver Tree
No Below - Speedy Ortiz
Andy, You're a Star - The Killers
Have to Drive - Amanda Palmer
Ampersand - Amanda Palmer
Great White Bear - Dear Reader
Lover, I don't have to Love - Bright Eyes
Lua - Bright Eyes
Amen - Amber Run
I Found - Amber Run
Welcome To Castle Irwell - Crywank
Alone With The Sea - Hurt
Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youth
Mr. Loverman - Ricky Montgomery
Line Without A Hook - Ricky Montgomery
Russia - Ramona Falls
I Say Fever - Ramona Falls
Personal - Stars
Youth - Daughter
Saint Bernard - Lincoln
Downhill - Lincoln
Geyser - Mitski
Drunk Walk Home - Mitski
I Don't Smoke - Mitski
Hollow - Cloudeater
Creatures In Heaven - Glass Animals
Lover I don't Have To Love - Bright eyes
The Line - Twenty One Pilots
Alright - Pilot Speed
...and seriously, I had to stop myself. Just HMU in this arena, I've oodles of songs I/we can draw inspiration from.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
[i animated this, if ur 4 some reason wanting 2 steal it pls don't]
❝Hello, I am Brutus, a starving artist extraordinaire. I'm striving to get back into writing, so here I am.❞ ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
About Me
♚ I can be reasonably active, although I suffer from varying chronic conditions and neurodivergence, so sometimes my activity may wane.
♚ I am queer, disabled, trans, and LGBTQIA+ inclusive. I am also a huge fan of representation of all forms. Bigotry is not accepted here.
♚ I'm located in the hell that is Texas, so I am Central time. However, I am a night owl.
♚ I ask all my partners to be 21+. I prefer to write with folks around my age range. To be upfront, I am 31!~
♚ Please don't bug me for replies! It is the surest way to run me off, as it causes me massive anxiety. I will always give back the patience given to me.
♚ I am casual OOC and formal IC.
♚ I suppose I am advanced, although that is most certainly subjective. Mostly, I work to put a lot of effort into what I produce. Writing is a passion and a craft for me. I am, at the least, detailed and multi-para. I am always game for some lazy-lit, however.
♚ I can easily create worlds, characters, and plots and am huge on collaboration.
♚ I am a lengthier writer. I stick to quality over quantity, though.
♚ Male muses are my preferred, but I'll happily write any identity, especially regarding sides, as I like a diverse cast. On that note, I don't generally double. Usually, I run one main and fill the world with intriguing and intricate side characters. I can double, but my muse isn't always very high to do so.
♚ I'm a sucker for romance. It's not required, but I do enjoy it. Be it more love-at-first-sight or slow-burn, I don't judge.
♚ I love darker, grittier themes with or without occasional fluff mixed in. Heavier topics are welcomed, and I love to include them, but they MUST be given the respect they are due and not be romanticized.
♚I am a slower and meticulous writer, and I suffer from depression, so while some days I can post multiple times, there may be days where I cannot. Regardless, I'll always give you something juicy.
♚ I have plots, pairings, and ideas. However, we'll get to that later!
♚ Some OOC is required. I like to have a rapport with my partner to spark that spark for roleplay, and I like to make new friends.
♚ Enough about me, yeah? How about some pairings and a nice little word bank?
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
PAIRINGS|SETTINGS/THEMES|PROMPTS|IDEAS| WORD-BANK| SONGS FOR INSPIRATION
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》Pairings:
♚Demon x Mortal
♚Demon x Cultist
♚Vampire x Mortal
♚Vampire x Werewolf
♚Vampire x Supernatural Hunter
♚Werewolf x Supernatural Hunter
♚Werewolf x Werewolf
♚Werewolf x Mortal
♚Mortal x Ghost
♚Drug Dealer x Drug Addict
♚Drug Dealer x Sober
♚Drug Addict x Drug addict
♚Open x Closeted
♚Reaper/Death Incarnate x Immortal
♚Reaper/Death Incarnate x Mortal
♚Ex x Ex
♚Seasoned Apocalypse Survivor x Clueless Apocalypse Survivor
♚Apocalypse Survivor x Apocalypse Survivor
♚Popular x Unpopular
♚Cultist x God [or any otherworldly creature]
♚Soulmate x Soulmate [preferably with darker twists]
♚Shifter x Hunter
♚Angel x Demon
♚Grumpy Detective x Rookie Detective
♚Rival x Rival
♚Gang member x Mafia member
♚High-rank gang member x Undercover officer
♚Monster x Mortal
♚Witch x Outcast
♚Witch x Regular human
♚Experiment x Scientist assigned to observe/study
♚Experiment x Experiment
♚Artist x Muse
♚Model x Photographer
♚Introverted x Extroverted
♚ Pessimistic personality x Sunshine personality
♚ Heartbreaker x Romantic
♚ Drug addict x Concerned Friend
♚ Android/AI x Human
♚ Siren x Human
♚ Mermaid x Human
♚ Amnesiac x Former friend
♚ Sun deity's descendant x Moon deity's descendant
♚ Cursed Human x Amateur Witch
♚ Rich celebrity x Struggling artist
♚ Band member x Opposing band member
♚ Ex, distanced best friends
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》word-bank:
post-apocalyptic/dystopic/false utopia vibes, heartbreak, bitter, unresolved feelings, fading friendships, rivalry, toxicity (not romanticized, please), addiction, neurodivergence, paranormal, supernatural, cryptids, tension, resolution, death, grief, road trip, two souls escaping together, adversity, survival/surviving, life after death, red string of fate, soulmates, crime, noire, slow-burn, gritty and dark, mystery, thriller, exploration of the human psyche, revenge, moralistic complexity, phobias, Stephen King-inspired, ancient beings beyond a mortal's grasping, cults, sexuality and coming to embrace it, mending, exes, ex-best friends, mountainous struggles, resolutions, immortality, a vast contrast in lifestyles, cyberpunk inspired themes, class/caste system division, curses/subtle magic vibes.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
settings/themes:
Modern
Low Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Post Apocalyptic
Dystopic
Western
Alternate History/Loosely historical
Sci-fi
Cyberpunk
Supernatural
Horror
Psychological
Noire
Thriller
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》prompts:
"Don't leave."
♚"I know you still love me.
♚"Did you mean the things you said?"
♚"I'm scared of the future, but the past has wearied me."
♚"You could've died, you know."
♚"Thanks for nothing."
♚"I woke up, and you were gone."
♚"You are a monster."
♚"I don't have a choice- I never had."
♚"You need to believe me, please!"
♚"I don't need your misplaced concern. I need to get the job done."
♚"Hey, hey, hey. I've got you. I have got you."
♚"I'll do this if it kills me."
♚"I promise you: your head is the only thing spinning right now."
♚"I will not be the one to slow us down."
♚"I don't have the energy to waste arguing with you."
♚"There is no us. There never was."
♚"I never stood a chance, did I?" - "That's the one sad part you did once."
♚"Are you ever going to listen?"
♚"Is it worth it?"
♚"You can't blame me, can you?"
♚"You were just an experiment."
♚"I'm a monster." "No, you're not."
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
》ideas
▬ Two characters find themselves on the last train out of the city. Neither one has a plan, a place to sleep, or a meal. Just something to run from and nowhere to go.
▬ Character A, due to a fit of insomnia, a bad dream, or just plain boredom, finally breaks down and calls character B, dialing a number they had been trying to dial for months now.
▬ Muse A is a hunter who’s gone to a small town that is being terrorized by a monster. Muse B is a supernatural creature, but they’re completely innocent and want the town to be rid of the out-of-control supernatural creature, too.
▬ Everyone has a guardian angel, but what if everyone, too, had a guardian demon? Or perhaps there never was such a thing as a guardian angel. Only a demon- a fallen angel- is selected to be a guardian.
▬ Muse A goes missing and cannot be found, then is declared dead after seven years. Years after that, Muse B visits the memorial for Muse A when Muse A shows up.
▬ A person afraid of dying falls in love with Death.
▬ In an apocalyptic world, Muse A has just been infected, and Muse B is desperate to find a cure before the person they know is lost forever
▬ A dystopian society where Muse A and Muse B fall in love, but romantic love is outlawed
▬ Muse A and Muse B are criminals, but Muse A wants out of that life.
▬ A small town somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Strange sounds in the night. Farm animals are found dead, and people have started to vanish. Someone needs to investigate what’s going on.
▬ On a lonely highway, on a sweltering hot day, Muse A picks up Muse B, a hitchhiker. They don't know that they're both criminals and are both wanted by the law for different crimes.
▬ Collateral damage. Both muses are in a dangerous situation caused by someone or something else.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
songs for inspiration:
Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant
Pet - APC
Passive - APC
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Skip Divided - Thom Yorke
Otherside of Paradise- Glass Animals
Heatwaves - Glass Animals
Dear Fellow Traveler - Sea Wolf
Prom Dress - mxmtoon
Feelings Are Fatal - mxmtoon
No Vacancy - RKS
First Class - RKS
I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski
Washing Machine Heart - Mitski
Agnes - Glass Animals
Death of a Bachelor - P!ATD
No Children - The Mountain Goats
This Year - The Mountain Goats
I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers
Run - Joji
Yeah Right - Joji
Demons - Joji
Modus - Joji
Mad World - Gary Jules
Drugdealer - Macklemore ft. Ariana DeBoo
Hungover in the City of Dust - Autoheart
Do You Feel It - Chaos Chaos
Hurt - Oliver Tree
No Below - Speedy Ortiz
Andy, You're a Star - The Killers
Have to Drive - Amanda Palmer
Ampersand - Amanda Palmer
Great White Bear - Dear Reader
Lover, I don't have to Love - Bright Eyes
Lua - Bright Eyes
Amen - Amber Run
I Found - Amber Run
Welcome To Castle Irwell - Crywank
Alone With The Sea - Hurt
Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youth
Mr. Loverman - Ricky Montgomery
Line Without A Hook - Ricky Montgomery
Russia - Ramona Falls
I Say Fever - Ramona Falls
Personal - Stars
Youth - Daughter
Saint Bernard - Lincoln
Downhill - Lincoln
Geyser - Mitski
Drunk Walk Home - Mitski
I Don't Smoke - Mitski
Hollow - Cloudeater
Creatures In Heaven - Glass Animals
Lover I don't Have To Love - Bright eyes
The Line - Twenty One Pilots
Alright - Pilot Speed
...and seriously, I had to stop myself. Just HMU in this arena, I've oodles of songs I/we can draw inspiration from.
ִׄ˚ • 𖥔 ࣪˖ ⭑ ₊ ⭒ *ೃ༄
Writing Sample
CW; language, themes of gangs/crime
"Going on that gig, then?"
A voice, twisted by a dripping melancholy, came from behind Elias, giving him a startle.
Damn it, he had designs to slink out of the bar without too much of a stir, and if there were to be any, Clay would be at the root of it. No doubt about it. Altogether, Elias had fancied circumventing Clay. So much for that.
It was not a candid approach, of course. Such was Eli's and Clay's winding relationship.
A trainwreck, what with intricacy upon intricacy, spiced with some interwoven bitterness over how things had fizzled out, was an apt descriptor for it. At the least, Clay was still someone Elias Dawn trusted. No matter how things had panned out. That was the constant.
Amidst the turbulent currents of his life, Eli needed the stability withheld there.
So, when he turned to look at Clay, it was with a softened gaze of warm empathy. Meanwhile, the freckled fellow before him looked whey-faced and wearied.
Self-condemnation seeded itself in Eli's chest, pricking like thorns in supple flesh.
"Uh, yeah, I guess I am."
Riddled with consternation, Eli cleared his throat, shuffled his feet, and glanced downward.
The concern Clay shouldered was not easy to disregard. There was a pragmatic legitimacy for his disconcertion. It made things more arduous, more burdensome. If the path of his life had not been so serpentine, Elias would not have taken the gig at all.
"You're that tired of living? Is that it?"
Spat from Clay with a modicum of venom, Elias found himself taken back, if only for a moment. Soon, vexation coursed through him, causing Elias to grit his teeth before he flicked a pointed glare at Clay. Hackles raised, Elias barked back.
"No, not quite. I've got to get back on my feet-"
"By falling into another hole?"
"By climbing out of one."
Instead of elaborating, Elias took to getting a cigarette out of a carton from his front pocket alongside a lighter, which showed its age: chipped paint and rust.
A quivering sigh slipped from Elias as he kissed a flame born from the lighter to the end of the cig. There was little to no worth in bickering with Clay. Cyclic as it would be, Clay could not discern all the stakes at play.
Without skin in the game, how could he?
Regardless, Elias forced a crooked smile.
"Don't worry so much about me all the time. I'm not liable to budge, you know that. My eyes are set on this, so-"
"Nothing will stop you."
At that moment, Clay's voice had a sliver of levity- an overt sign of Clay's resignation in the matter.
Nothing would alter the trajectory; Eli knew his debts and had juggled his options.
An intricate tango with the 99's gang was necessary, or so had deemed Eli's client. If Clay had any trepidation now, Eli could not fathom what perturbation would overcome the man if he knew that Eli's quarry was Talon. The circumstances were precarious, and a methodical touch was crucial.
As Elias took a drag from the cigarette balanced between his fingers, he clasped Clay on the shoulder and gave him a puckish shake.
"Don't be surprised if you don't see me for a while. Gotta play this incognito, you know how it goes."
With a scoff, Clay rolled his eyes before waving Elias away.
"Well, if you find yourself in trouble, you can hide away here; just don't bring that trouble to my bar's doorstep."
With a kittenish smirk, Elias shrugged, exhaling billows of twirling smoke from his lips.
"Please, you're not speaking to an amateur, Clay."
The fluidity of the exchange contained a bittersweet nostalgia, and when he denoted it, Elias reckoned he best get going. As much as he could bathe in the sentimentalities amidst the familiarity of the little bar—The Ninth Life—it would only make things difficult.
They parted without another utterance exchanged, and it suited Elias.
As such, he turned away, and that was it.
Once outside The Ninth Life, winter's frigid grasp coiled around him. An icy gale quelled the flickering embers of his almost-spent cigarette, and he snuffed it out in completion by swiveling his boot upon it after it hit the frosted pavement. Awful habit- smoking- but it had assuaged any potential fraying of the nerves, something he relished.
It took time and an ounce of sheer tenacity, but Elias had attained this job through his prominence alone. Known as a lone wolf with a pragmatic yet dour disposition, garnering such stature had come with its price.
Keen, Elias took on perilous assignments others dared not. Some found his proclivity alluring, as did his current client, an enigmatic woman named Evelyn. Many bizarre rumors surrounded her person, and he had yet to meet her face to face.
Regardless, as Eli got into his battered red Ford Pinto, he shook away a badgering trepidation. It was time to forge onward, perhaps into the maw of death itself.
The Half Moon bar. A far cry from Clay's joint.
However, that did not deter Elias; an alternative entryway into the 99's had not manifested for him. There was no point fretting over it or how he would be received. If he wanted Talon, this was his way through.
So, he revved the Pinto's engine and began the drive to an adjacent part of a slumbering city.
It did not take long to arrive at the Half Moon, and even from outside, Elias could tell it pulsed with life, a contrast to the neighborhoods he had passed on his way here.
Unable to say he had ever had the pleasure of visiting Talon's haunt, Eli proceeded with a wariness. While Elias was packing heat, he hoped it would not be needed; for it to come to that was not his aim. Besides, he needed Talon alive.
Everything would be fruitless otherwise. As Elias neared the entrance to the Half Moon, he denoted two bouncers manning the doors—a baleful lot, too. Talon seemed not to skimp.
However, despite the intensity that permeated from their presence, they did not card him nor halt him as he had strode cocksure and hell-bent past them and into the building itself.
The scene sprawled out before Elias was illuminated by the intermingling of purple and pink incandescence, the reverb of heavy bass, and bodies swaying in motion to the rhythm.
It had the charm Elias savored in a dive.
There was no time to soak it in, and Elias weaseled through the clusterfuck of the stifling masses, heading with unwavering intent toward a lavish bar.
All the while, he felt eyes upon him: many, at that. Yet, he could not narrow down any source nor pick them out amongst the waves of people. It made sense, but it had left him a bit rattled.
The barkeep looked inquisitive as Elias sauntered toward the bar, pulling a stool out and taking a seat, lackadaisical.
"'Aven't seen you before."
The fellow was polishing a glass as if idling before another surge of those craving to escape sobriety hit in droves.
"Yep. It's the first time, virgin as can be. I've been missing out."
With a humored snort, the bartender indicated toward a neon-lit menu, the tracings of an amiable smile on his face.
There was a subtlety to his countenance that Elias did not trust.
"Best place in the city, man. Let me know whatcha thirsty for, 'and I'll get you set."
Playing this sort of hand—his next move—was jeopardous at best. That was half the fun in a life-or-death assignment.
"I'm after Talon. I need to speak with him."
Now frozen, the bartender's brows furrowed, incredulous.
"Not on the menu, bud. I suggest you leave it."
Not phased, Elias shrugged.
One step at a time.
"I'm not moving until I see him."
Incensed, the bartender placed the glass on the table with a slam. The man's patience had run thin, Elias had surmised.
"You want to go down this route? That's fine. Prod a hornet's nest."
As the man turned to walk away— to where he could only ruminate upon—Eli called after him.
"Hey, maybe that's up my alley."
Under his breath, he chortled. After all, he had sought a scene, and a scene was what he got.
Now, it was a mere waiting game.
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