The Concrete Jungle

[Locutus Ferox]

The deity chuckled softly before he raised his shades back up and slipped them back into place. The woman appeared to finally have snapped 'back to Earth' half way through his last statement. He then crossed his arms and waited for her to speak before answering her.

"Do I know where he's at? Not currently, however, I could seek him out if I chose to. Presently I have no reason to, so his location will stay a secret for the moment. Though if you're concerned I mean either of you harm, then you can relax. You just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Sol and his friend had to be dealt with. It is unfortunate that it ended the way that it did."

"Though perhaps we should find ourselves away from here? This disaster will only preoccupy them for so long. Once they come to their senses and get things under control, there will be questions. Questions, as I'm sure you'll agree, are best left unanswered. But then that itself will bring other questions... suspicions.... doubts. It would just be easier if we... disappeared... so to speak?"

Locutus looked towards Beklea for a few moments, as if waiting. Then, regardless of her answer, he would shrug, turn, and wander down the street towards a back alley, away from prying eyes. He kept his pace deliberately slow, hinting that she should follow him. He of course didn't order her to. If she followed, they might continue their conversation. If not, he would finish up with overseeing the result of this recent event, and then depart. It was all as simple as that.

"This is not the first time a demon has let their inner desires out. Though, perhaps he is the luckiest. The others weren't let off so easily... though generally the demons keep themselves in check. It is within their own interest to see that their existence remains in secrecy. Demons are more prevalent in society than most realize. Some hold quite a considerable amount of power, but... they do it behind the scenes. They pull strings and make others do their work for them. They prosper on economic control, not through sheer power and brute force. So most, believe it or not, will actually appear friendly... or at least, non-threatening."

[Beklea Baudry]

He chuckled briefly at her, his lips pulling up in the corners with humor. The action made her feel angry and comforted at the same time. Anger, because someone was laughing at her. It didn't matter for what reason, because her own mind would wander to the possibilities that could had caused the response. He was making fun of her, wasn't he? She must have looked like a terrible mess, and her helplessness must have made her look comical. Or maybe it was her scars. Maybe he was laughing at her appearance. Those thoughts, many times before, had plagued her in past events. Comfort, she also felt, because of the normalcy of it. Such a powerful creature, with enough strength to break her in two, was partaking in a simple, very human gesture.

Despite her inner turmoil, her face was expressionless. It was hard to display any sort of feeling at the moment, as numb as her body and mind felt. Wait... scratch that. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that her body was anything but numb. Ouch.

"Do I know where he's at? Not currently, however, I could seek him out if I chose to. Presently I have no reason to, so his location will stay a secret for the moment. Though if you're concerned I mean either of you harm, then you can relax. You just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Sol and his friend had to be dealt with. It is unfortunate that it ended the way that it did."

Beklea, after hearing his answer to her question and his added reassurances, slowly nodded her head. It was an automatic reaction, the same gesture most do when they aren't paying attention to someone speaking to them, but still didn't want to be rude. However, she did genuinly believe him, and she voiced as much after he paused.

"I... believe you," she whispered, lifting a hand to brush some hair out of her eyes. She briefly considered her hair and what it must look like, but the thought quickly past. It wasn't exactly that important at the moment.

"Though perhaps we should find ourselves away from here? This disaster will only preoccupy them for so long. Once they come to their senses and get things under control, there will be questions. Questions, as I'm sure you'll agree, are best left unanswered. But then that itself will bring other questions... suspicions.... doubts. It would just be easier if we... disappeared... so to speak?"

Beklea nodded automatically again, the gesture happening far before she had even considered her answer. After a few seconds of thought however, she did agree with him. She probably should have left sooner, in fact.

She wasn't always known for her intellect, though.

He turned without another word, not even waiting for her following answer, and began to walk away toward a dark, damp alleyway. Beklea blinked, her brain taking a few moments to actually catalogue what was happening, and then scrambled to her feet, letting out a grunt when she forced herself upright.

Fucking bitch, that hurt!

"W-wait." she said. She had intended to yell the request, but the action of standing had left her momentarily breathless. She hobbled off behind him, following the god into the darkness of the alley. It probably wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but he pretty much saved her life. The least she could do was trust him.

He began to speak as she followed, knowing that she was giving chase behind him. Who wouldn't, as loud as she was being currently? Her stumbling footsteps and loud breathing was anything but subtle or stealthy. An old, deafening man would probably have been able to hear her.

She ran her hand along the side of the alley wall as she walked, using the concrete as a support while she moved. Her slow pace, even slower than the one he was currently moving at, caused her to fall behind frequently. Sometimes, small bursts of energy allowed her to quicken slightly and she was able to shorten the distance between them. But, eventually, she had to stop all together.

She leaned heavily against a wall, completely ignorant of how filthy the cement must have been, and attempted to catch her breath. She pressed her forehead against the hard surface, still wet from the earlier rain, and closed her eyes. The cold felt good against her skin, and it gave her something to concentrate on besides the throbbing pain that painted her body in the form of cuts and bruises.

She had been listening to what Locutus said, of course; she was coherent enough to be able to follow his words. She even had a few comments and replies that swam around her head. She didn't speak her thoughts, though. Breathing, at the moment, was far more important.

[Nathaniel S. Landis]

After watching their encounter unfold Nathaniel thought it best to pick his battles wisely and left the woman where she stood. As he walked down the slick walkway, his gears whirring and ticking, he thought of what the man had said, analyzing every word, sentence, and paragraph along with his slight changes in tone. He can tell that he had some compassion for her, and therefore would not leave her behind for long. He had wanted to assist her but knew that he neither had the time nor the resources.

As a car passed by he noticed from a store front window adjacent from him the reflection of some figure following him, though he had noticed it before he had become used to if over the course of time. He remembered how he, at one time, used to stalk enemies of his once powerful nation in the late hours of the night much like his follower and could sense his feelings. He was an amateur.

Crossing the street he had also noticed that a slight fear had risen inside of his hull, he was unsure why…He readied his side arm, and charged his Tesla devices just for security.