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[DRYH] Pariah, pt. 02 (05)
Second day is a continuation of the first. Lots of folks shooting movies of you on their phones, some spillover mocking of Eileen, including shots of her in her car with you. Which means Todd probably did it. Amanda and Bud aren't around, or you don't see them at school. Eileen sits with you at lunch, makes snide jokes about the treatment you're getting. Doesn't seem to faze her, really.
You saw Bianca a couple times in the hall. She never interacted, just watched from afar. She's watching the people who're tormenting you as well. Intently.
Also, you caught the reflection of a girl in the bathroom mirror, watching you from the door. She looked like this:
When you turned around to look at her, she wasn't there.
At bio class, Darius is seated beside Cindy, one of the cheerleaders. He gave you the stink eye a few times, all the way until the bell rang. As you're packing up your books, he walks by, saying, "If you're down for those three hits, meet me out by the fieldhouse." Then he walks past to meet up with some teammates, probably heading there now.
You saw Bianca a couple times in the hall. She never interacted, just watched from afar. She's watching the people who're tormenting you as well. Intently.
Also, you caught the reflection of a girl in the bathroom mirror, watching you from the door. She looked like this:
When you turned around to look at her, she wasn't there.
At bio class, Darius is seated beside Cindy, one of the cheerleaders. He gave you the stink eye a few times, all the way until the bell rang. As you're packing up your books, he walks by, saying, "If you're down for those three hits, meet me out by the fieldhouse." Then he walks past to meet up with some teammates, probably heading there now.
Comments
I'll wait just a minute and head out behind the fieldhouse, wishing I'd "practiced" more with this speed thing that I seem to have picked up. I'll drop my backpack against the wall and walk to Darius and his buddies.
I keep walking.
Darius smiles when you come up, "I give you this much. You aint runnin this time. Now... c'mon and get ya whuppin."
So Benny, if you're hoping to suck it up here, that's a Pain 3.
First off, Discipline dominated last time, so Exhaustion's down to 2, at base.
Rolling.
Discipline: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 4, 5, 2. Total: 11)
Exhaustion: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 2, 5, 5. Total: 12)
Madness: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 1, 3, 5. Total: 9)
Tell us how it happened.
Hit one is a gut punch. I move along with Darius' fist, a little to the left, double over in a pretense at a response.
Hit two is an uppercut, now that I'm doubled over. I take it on the chin, make all the appropriate responses, fall down.
Hit three is the biggy. Darius clocks me. This is the only one that's really landed, and his beefy fist rings my bell pretty good, little birdies around my head and shit. (Bianca, at least, actually sees the little birdies.)
I hold out my hands after a second. "Okay. That's three... are we good?"
Jerry grunts once, then pushes himself off the wall. They leave. Leave you there with a slightly shocked Bianca.
"Can I... are you?" she seems unsure of how to react. "Benny, that looked painful."
Where are you headed? Practice? Home? Other?
"Wasn't as painful as it looked, Bianca. i have a few tricks up my sleeve..."
Shit, that acutally hurts.
Bianca's discomfort sends a shiver up my spine. Shit, if my nightmare's afraid, should i be afraid, too? Whatever, I'm not borrowing trouble. I put my gear on for practice and get to the field only a few minutes late, unaware of the huge shiner covering my right eye and a good chunk of my cheek.
Coach pulls you aside, asks about bullying. What do you tell him? You know he'll have to report it to the school, tells you as much.
Jason does footwork drills with you, spends his time drilling you for details, "Benny, man, what happened?"
Robert, who is behind you guys, working with a line of cones, cuts in with, "It was Darius, right? He jumped you? You know, we could all go hunt that asshole down."
Coach left you guys on your own while he went to document this stuff.
I was coming around behind the fieldhouse and saw some kid from another school with a can of spraypaint, getting ready to tag the wall. I confronted him and he clocked me, then ran away. White kid, maybe a few inches shorter than me, dressed up skatepunk-y.
No mention of Darius. Even if they stick toothpicks under my fingernails and light them on fire.
Coach comes back after writing down your details, checks to make sure you're okay, offers you an "out" to miss practice. But you don't, right?
Let's skip to the walk home. Eileen is in her car waiting when you cross the street away from the school. She pulls up, "Hey, little boy!" She starts. Then, even in the evening light, she sees your shiner. "Holyshit, Benny!" She stops the car. "Get in, man."
Quiet for a minute. These rides with Eileen are really the only moments of non-fucked-up-ness I've had in days. I lean my head back against the headrest. "Thanks. Just... thanks."
She drives for a little bit, "What are you gonna tell your parents?"
She finally looks over, showing her annoyance at the memory of something else, "But the "not hot" couple thing, that's so bothersome. You know? I mean, really. We've been buddies for like, forever. Why would we even want to change that? Dumbasses."
The car takes the regular turn down your street. Eileen turns up the volume, sort of cutting off further discussion. She pulls the car up into your drive, but she's looking all around, for "hidden cameras". You see Bianca in your bedroom window.
"See you tomorrow?" she asks. Then, "Or, you know, during my smoke break, if you're still up."
You give them your story, right? They don't fight you on it's veracity. Your dad says, "Trying to stop a guy like that? Hunh... stupid punks. I hope you gave more than you got, son."
Your mom hops up from her seat to walk with you to the kitchen, mothering you with food. She baked some ham, made some veggies. "Benny, you'll need to stay away from the Andrews house, okay? Two of them came down with something. Sounds like mono. I got that in high school, killed a whole semester." She doesn't sit down with you, but more hovers over you as you eat. She gives you refills on the tea, asks how your day was, general mother-catch-up-on-your-day stuff.
I'll eat some ham, some heated-up BirdsEye succotash, put up with the mothering. When she mentions the Andrews situation, I make the required noises... I know Mom and Dad don't care for Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, so she's only concerned for me, but it calls Bianca's word into question.
Once it's acceptable, I'll head up to my room for "study time." Anxious to confront Bianca, anxious about what she'll say.
"Hello, Benny," she says absent-mindedly, not taking her eyes off the outside.
She glances over at you, then down to your chest, not suggestive, but maybe a little guilty? "I did say I didn't think it hurts them. It wasn't really part of our curriculum, Benny."
"Okay. I know you have to eat. But I don't want anyone, even Bud, to get hurt, okay?" A pause. "What was with the geisha girl today? You seemed freaked."
"Or maybe me. If she even knows I'm still alive."
I open my laptop, pull up Chrome. Open the tabs for my American History research, for my paper on Boston Corbett, the dude that shot John Wilkes Booth. After a minute, I'm bored, figure I've got all the time I need, pull up Dark City from the torrent I downloaded, and start watching. I'll make room for Bianca on the chair, if she wants to watch.
She looks back at you, "Who should I be for you tonight, Benny?"
I've thought about that question. Trying to be a good guy, I really want to say, "just be you," but there are so many possibilities... "Maybe... Stoya?" I'm a teenage boy with the Internet, after all.
She fixes those bedroom eyes on you, "She has a very trim body... a little like me." She bends down to make out with you a little, reaching out to touch your side (which hurts still). She also cups the un-bruised side of your face. "You should be careful around Eileen. If she tries to get you alone. Or seduce you. You should stay away. Run."
No longer interested in the movie, Bianca starts kissing your face, moving downwards, along your jaw, your neck. Do you stop her, just watch the movie, what?
"So Eileen probably is your friend, but then again, your friend might be a Lady in Hating." She puts a hand over yours, turning to kiss the inside of your palm softly.
Like you're a ripe cherry she can't resist, she leans forward to kiss your nose, then leans in, enjoying the closeness, the nearness, "I very much want you to live. I think you're why I still exist, too." Her hands trace over your arms, pulling them around her waist, "We should look for Awake in the City. I know where we can buy some information."
We find ways to occupy our time, and it's pretty amazing that no-one pounds on the door asking what's going on, maybe that's just that no-one's paying attention, maybe it's me, but we go at it like, well, a Stoya scene, but for, like, two hours. When we're finished, when Bianca reverts to Bianca again, I'm surprised I don't see the bruises and bite marks.
After a few minutes of panting recovery... "Alright, let's do some information gathering."
Straight into Heather. Your sister came out of her room right when you entered the hall. She's looking right at you, all dressed like you're going somewhere. What are you wearing?
"Ben, what the hell have you been doing in there?" she whisper-asks with irritation. "And where are you going?"
Great. Having already fucked with Mother When (and, literally, with one of her pupils), I can't help but ask, "Bianca? Is there any way I survive this? Like make it back to some sort of sane life again?"
The ground begins to shake a little. Then it vibrates harder and you hear the sounds of subway cars moving. Just like before, the train comes rumbling down the alleyway and stops at your hedges.
Excited to head in, Bianca leads you, pushing at the doors when they crack open. Inside are several... people. Three "men" in rumpled brown and gray suits wearing fedoras. They're holding onto straps, not sitting on benches, and talking among themselves. They don't have faces. Actually, their heads are push-pins.
Bianca heads in to drop into a seat and smiles at you. She didn't flinch or bat an eye at the men. One of them has a card in his fedora that reads "PRESS".
Bianca answers simply, "Pin-heads." She lays her head on your shoulder, and starts to relax as the doors close.
That's when a bone white hand stabs into the gap between the closing doors. They bump together, then open back up. The geisha girl steps into the car. Bianca sits up, cursing under her breath.
Geisha looks right at you, Benny. She is wearing the same schoolgirl outfit that Bianca wears. She's much shorter, with an athletic build, like a gymnast. Her lips curl into a cruel grin and she starts walking towards you as the subway begins moving again.
The Pin heads start buzzing and watch, one of them pulling out a small notebook and scribbling into it excitedly.
She smiles widely, speaking with a thickly accented English,"I would like to invite you to the Finishing School, Benjamin. Mother When was disappointed that she didn't have you for dinner." She doesn't have a weapon to match your knife, but she doesn't seem to care. She glances over at Bianca, and yes, it seems she's well aware who Bianca is.
"You can destroy her, Benny."
Geisha swings back to land just inside the door again. She grins, looks to Bianca and says, "You are slower. What did he do to you?"
Bianca turns her back on Geisha and looks at you, checking on you, ignoring the threat.
I cover the short distance between us and land a kick solidly in her belly, committing fully to the kick.
Behind you, the Pin Heads are narrating the fight, like some boxing announcers, but they're arguing about your fighting skills, whether it is a martial art or brute force.
Benny, Geisha is a Pain 3 creature to defeat. Since it is on, let's see how this fight goes.
Exhaustion: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 6, 2, 4. Total: 12)
Madness: (Rolled: 2d6. Rolls: 2, 5. Total: 7)
Pain dominates, so please take that into account. I get one coin of despair for my coffer. Woohoo.
Bianca looks down and gasps in surprise. Dark black blood is oozing out of the wound. She grips the knife, but she's not able to pull it free, just can't get the leverage. "Can you... pull it out?"
Bianca is laughing a little, surprised, "Is this... pain, Benny? This hurts, right? I've seen it before. Never... felt it."
"Hey there. Ah, Benny, right?" The gray suited Pin Head asks, "Are you a New Arrival? And this is a Lady in Hating here, right?"
The Pin Head ignores your warning, "Why are you trying to save one, but killed the other?" The other two are taking notice of this interview taking place.
"Bianca? Are you going to be okay? I don't know how you... work. Should I take you somewhere?"
"I need sustenance. But, it's never. " Bianca grimaces when she tries to move on her own, "Never hurt before.... pain sucks, Benny." She stands up, holding the sock to her side.
The Pin Head is near to you now, right in your face, scribbling on its notebook. "How did this one befriend you? We've never heard of this. This is FRONT PAGE NEWS!"
I look the Pin Head right in the... well in the Pin, I suppose. Both hands free now, standing up myself. I've still got the adrenaline going, and I'm not in the mood. "No. Comment."
"I wish the Paper Boys were here..." Bianca mumbles with pain as she holds her side. "Go away, or I'll tell Mother When!"
The leader reaches up to adjust his fedora. "We're going to need an interview with this man, Lady. Sorry." One of the brown suits grabs her arm, starts trying to pull Bianca away from you.
Discipline: 3
Exhaustion: 4
Madness: 0
(I was thinking I had 1 permanent Madness, but I haven't Snapped yet, so don't know why I thought that...)
The trio comes up to you, peppering you with questions.
"Benny, what's that short for?"
"Where are you from?"
"You're Awake, right? What can you do?"
"When did you sleep last?"
"How many times have to been to the Mad City?"
"Have you read the Tattler? What did you think?"
"What's your read on the Olde Absinthe?"
"The Wax King, are you two friends?"
"Mother When sent Ladies for you. Why?"
They keep asking the questions over and over, on top of each other, in other languages, rapid fire. It's too much, Benny. When you open your mouth to answer one, another asks. You lose sense of time, sense of place.
To fend them off, it'll be a Pain 5. Otherwise, they're going to "pin you down", and write some stories about you.
Exhaustion: (Rolled: 4d6. Rolls: 1, 1, 1, 3. Total: 6)
Madness: (Rolled: 3d6. Rolls: 5, 2, 4. Total: 11)
I'll spend a Coin of Despair to stick a 6 in your Madness Pool.
Check off a box, I will narrate how this comes out.
You're holding a giant red push pin in your hand. There are headless bodies strewn about the floor by your feet. You've got dark black stains on your hands. They spatter like blood, but they're actually ink.
Geisha's body is by the door, completely still. I assume you head off with Bianca, right? Out into the station, which is concrete and gaslight. You're back in the City. There are waiting benches with eight folks covered in wax. None of them are familiar. They're waiting to get on the subway, but there's no way they'll make it in time.
The doors close behind you. Bianca is holding the socks to her side with one hand, holding your black-bloody hand with the other. "C'mon. Let's head up, check the time. Officer Tock will have a warrant out for those murders, Benny. We need to be careful."
I throw the push pin to the floor as we leave the car... "Wait. How can someone have a warrant already?" I follow Bianca, I have to... no idea what to do, otherwise. I'm still buzzing on adrenaline, don't remember what happened with the Pin Heads, for sure.
"Bianca? What do we do?"
"If we see any of his clockwork lieutenants, or worst of all, him... run like hell." She gives you a tight grin. Her skin is a light gray now, her hair is silver. Your socks are slick with her dark blood.
"Extree! Extree! Read all about it!" you hear a small boy call. Just ahead on the street corner is a young boy by a gaslight, one foot on a stack of newspapers that he's hawking. "Newly Awake kills the Wax King! Benny Marks the Murderer! Read all about it!"
"Shit! Paper Boys from the Nightly Revealer" Bianca says with alarm.
"We can either run for the warrens and look for the Wax King, explain that it's just a misunderstanding. Or we can try to hide until the Bizarre Bazaar. There are other Awake around, you can find out about them there, as long as you're willing to pay for it."
BENNY MARKS KILLS THE WAX KINGIt shows a picture of you in black and white, holding that kitchen knife over the dead body of an old man with a candle on top of his head. The candle is extinguished.
Bianca leads you through some alleys out of the District, "We need to move fast, Benny." She is moving with a bit of pain, but not complaining. At one alley, you see a pair of brass-colored men walking down the opposite street. As they pass, you see huge keys sticking out of their backs. She stops near a rickety fire escape. "C'mon, let's take the rooftops." she whispers. You're not sure she'll make it.
She speaks quickly, moving close and talking low, "Head up to the roofs, you can move out of the district easier. The Roof Rats are pretty cool, most of the time. If they give you trouble, ask for Ray. He knows me, and he'll help you." She smirks a little, "He kinda has a thing for me. You want to head out, then DOWN to the warrens. The direction doesn't mean as much as the intention. If you run into a man like we saw in the subway, they're cool. They are the Blind Knights. They work for the Wax King. They'll take you to him."
After her little impromptu speech, she leans up to kiss your cheek, "Please be careful, Benny. I like having you, uhm, around." She bites her bottom lip, "I'm glad we're friends. And stuff."
You see aircraft that have somehow embedded themselves into the rooftops themselves.
It's like the Flying Cadillac Ranch of the mundane world. It looks, simply, like God decided He’d raise Himself a fine crop of cockpits and fuselages and tail sections, covering the entire history of man in flight.
Under the shadow of a giant Boeing's wing are five young boys, actual living flesh boys, aged between ten and twelve, dressed in several period costumes, ranging from ripped jeans and t-shirts to corduroy pants and a vest on one of them. There's a Paper Boy, looks quite a bit like the one down on the corner, who is cowering against the wing, looking up at them, frightened of them all.
One of the young boys has a pipe, others have bottles and bricks. They look like they mean business. The tallest of them says to the cowering Paper Boy, "You no account punk you. you and your Paper Boys, just a bunch o' wimps. Now... where's my LUNCH MONEY?"