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Post by Demetrios on Oct 13, 2014 20:07:59 GMT
The scene that presented itself in the halls of the Thelotian mall looked to be right out of a history book. Hundreds of people walked down a narrow path, flanked by hundreds of soldiers and bearing gifts and hostages to their overlord. In the days of old, this scene was comparable to the defeated South paying homage to the El-Elron family.
But today it was very different – the mall, which might not have been a great place, had been cleared for the day for use of the Agency. The soldiers were Collectors, cold faced and armed to the teeth while the people marching to pay homage were the defeated gangs that picked the wrong side.
There were seemly hundreds of them, ranging from small street gangs to great old families that had run business on Thelotia's streets for centuries. They were defeated and they knew it.
The smaller gangs would come with a gift of money – several hundreds of thousands of thelos as an apology to the Agency. They'd walk into the food court of the mall (which had been cleared) and present their gift to a group of Collectors before bowing low to an older man in a chair (not the leader of the Agency but representing them). The older families were required to do a bit more, hostages would be given, money paid and additional charges could be made on the spot.
The Agency had been receiving people all morning but Demetrios had just arrived but thirty minutes ago.
He stood in a dressing room where a dozen young ladies were pulling Parker's clothes off. This might have been the greatest moment in Parker's life... except these women had no intentions of sleeping with him right now and were strictly getting him ready for the show he was going to put on.
Parker had become well known, the battle at the stadium was even refereed to as 'Parker's Charge' and the rockstar status he received was legit and crazy. The Collectors thought Parker to be some super general, it was astounding, even their enemies had heard of him.
Which was precisely why they planned to change Parker into the nice suit they had laid out (the softest wool money could buy, the price tag on that suit was... frightening). Demetrios had a smile on his face as he watched the girl work on him.
“Brave face, Parker. Brave face.” They intended to put him right beside the old man, just to truly frighten those coming to pay homage.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 13, 2014 22:13:13 GMT
"Yeah, but that was my lucky shirt..." Parker put up a very weak argument and his voice trailed off as he watched as one of the young women took off with his with his very off-white shirt that was forever stained under the arm pits. Most of the blood had even been cleaned out of it though the hole from where Hale had originally shot him still was present there. It felt weird being dolled up in something that was soft and different than the dirty, scraggly clothes he was used to wearing. There was a mirror nearby that he managed to get a glance at himself in while he was being put together and even he was shocked at what he was seeing. He looked foreign to himself.
Parker heard Demetrios speak and he turned an eye over to him as well. Since the night after the stadium fight Parker hadn't shed a single tear over the whole ordeal. He didn't ask questions, he didn't talk much at all really. In a way his demeanor changed a lot, still the very confused and uneducated man that he was but there was something else about him that showed an annoyance in his eyes, a bitterness he wouldn't share. It was easy to assume it was him just grieving yet, just getting through everything day by day but really it was just Parker trying to figure out what priorities he should have. What did he want in his life? It was always women and cars until now. Sex and racing, those were his hobbies, stealing cars to make extra money on top of that. He started thinking about maybe selling them instead, there had to be something for him to do.
It was all something to worry about after, he figured. Demetrios may have been smiling but Parker found no reason to. He didn't fidget, he didn't whine, he just watched as everyone worked and tried to take the whole scenario in. It didn't help that every time he looked at Demetrios he could still hear like a soft whisper in his ear Asteria's smoky voice nudging him with 'kill him and everything will be set right again'.
He opened his mouth, he wanted to respond to Demetrios but found no words.
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 14, 2014 3:02:28 GMT
A young Collector entered the tent and whispered something into Demetrios's ear, he nodded before the Collector took his leave from the group. "Five minutes. Look strong and intimidating, which I'm sure you'll have no problem at." With that Demetrios took his leave from the group, going up to the upper levels of the mall where he could watch the little event.
Demetrios put himself between two Collectors before leaning onto the rails, watching as a short curly red headed man walked in and carefully unloaded stacks of cash onto a nearby table. After unloading the money he walked up and bowed towards the older man, begging for forgiveness for 'betraying our commitment'. Demetrios wasn't entirely sure what group that was, some streets dealers under contract with the Agency no doubt.
The girls meanwhile were putting the final touches in making Parker look decent. They smoothed down the jacket and brushed his hair. "He looks as a hero should!" One of the younger girls said, a seventeen year old with blonde hair and a great smile. "If that wound turns into a scar he'll have the mark of a true hero." Added a darker hair girl, two years older than the blonde. "Silence!" Spoke a eldest of the girls, twenty three with such light red hair it was almost orange. "We're finished here, Parker. You can go out and take position besides the representative. Good luck."
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 14, 2014 3:30:56 GMT
'Look strong and intimidating. How the hell do I do that?'
Parker watched as Demetrios left him there with the girls finishing prettying him up, feeling as though that might have been a missed opportunity to tell him the truth about Asteria. After this whole event thing perhaps. Maybe he wouldn't. Gods, he still had no idea what he was going to do about this.
Parker tried to offer up a gracious smile to the women who complimented him but ended up just being an awkward smirk. The last time he'd gotten this kind of attention was far over a couple of years ago, finishing a street race near the beach. He had girls everywhere following him the whole night afterward, it was great. Too bad the guy who'd lost the race didn't find it that impressive, Parker ended up followed and the guy's buddies had beaten him up pretty good over it, leaving him a bloody mess on Periot's doorstep. Periot had been so pissed he rounded up everyone they had and brought it back at them. It was all kind of a really awful set of circumstances but nevertheless Parker was touched at the lengths Periot went to to help him. He was an awesome friend, and where Parker would have gladly given whatever he could to have him back he was kind of glad that Periot hadn't been around for all the crap that had happened to him so far since his death.
"Uh...thanks," Parker said quietly as they instructed him on where he had to go. He felt really awkward being out here without Asteria, and by now even without Demetrios right there with him. Parker had no idea who this old fella was and quickly told himself that he didn't have to care either, which kind of helped with settling himself with what had to have been at least hundreds of pairs of eyes all around him.
'Look strong and intimidating' he reminded himself as he took his place as ordered, his 'intimidating' look being nothing much more than the naturally sour look he'd unknowingly adopted recently. He was going to stand here, shut up, and watch these people. Right. He could do that.
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 14, 2014 22:07:43 GMT
Parker stepped out to a roar of applause, his name being chanted so loudly that all the surrendering gangs seemed terribly frightened by it all. The roaring continued until Parker took his position where the older man raised his hand to silence the crowd. Demetrios had to give a little laugh at that, he wondered what was running through the boy's head right now...
More and more gangs filled into the area, presenting their gifts and swearing allegiance back to the Agency before leaving the area. It was when a larger, more known family entered the area the tension was raised. The Agatha family was nearly one hundred and twenty years old and relations between them and the Agency was always strained - why wouldn't it? The Agency forced them from their top spot and made them work under them.
They came in a larger group, a older man had the helm, his face stoic and cold while three younger children - his grandchildren - looked about ready to break into tears. It took a solid ten minutes until the men were finished stacking the many millions of thelos on the table. Afterward the older man stepped up and bowed to the Collectors, his knees shaking violently as he did so.
"I hope the Agency will forgive our actions..." he began, "And... and even though you have already taken two of my children's lives at the stadium, I offer up my grandchildren to the Agency to do as they see fit..." The pain in his voice was clear and the children broke out into tears, some of them grabbing a hold of their grandfather's leg in a desperate attempt to keep from going. Three Collectors took the children away kicking and screaming, the older Collector looked and simply shrugged away the entire thing.
"It is the fate you have chosen when you took up arms against us. Your grandchildren will be raised well within the Agency."
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 14, 2014 23:40:40 GMT
Parker had actually almost froze in his place when everyone erupted into applause, the cheering and the excitement from all of the people made it feel like the whole building was going to collapse the way the sounds rumbled. He just stood there though by the old man as told, feeling like he looked a lot less 'cool' if he left his hands at his sides because he liked to fidget and wiggle so he ended up folding them in front of him instead. The look he gave to his audience might have unintentionally come off as stoic and potentially awesome but really he was just supremely baffled by a crowd that seemed to actually give a damn that he was here at all. In fact, the very thoughts in his head could be summed up to only one sound and that was 'Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....'. Had he not been involved in criminal politics right now and weighing the lives of two people in his mind he might have offered up a smile or something but the young man didn't move an inch from his spot.
If it was one thing that really impressed and worried Parker it was the vast amount of people, rich and not so much, some of the gangs even just looked like ordinary people but the amount of them that were tied in to the Agency in some way or another was astounding, frightening really. Really what was on Parker's mind then was how Morgan seriously figured he could compete with something like this. Even the gentleman before them at that time throwing down what had to have been a mansion and a half's worth of money wasn't immune to them. The screaming kids was a little off-putting but Parker couldn't be bothered to feel too much about it, oddly enough. It was hard to empathize with someone who was leaving a loving family and being pulled into the Agency, he kind of came from shit into this. As far as he knew, there wasn't an issue here but the crying still made him give a bit of a cringe. They sounded heartbroken, truly, and even though he felt bad for reasons he didn't fully understand there was nothing he could do.
'I wonder what kind of shit they'd have Morgan do if he ended up here. Caused so much of a stink I wonder if they'd have a whole event just to kill him and then repeat the video all day.'
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 15, 2014 1:49:05 GMT
Demetrios was unmoved by the children crying, honestly he thought that was a merciful fate - he might have strung up the entire family for their betrayal. But they needed soldiers right now and mercy seemed like a fine decision to make. They moved the family out and the show went on for another half hour. By the time the end was approaching eight tables had been piled high with cash and twenty hostages were given... this was what victory tasted like.
Yet victory might have been a word muttered too soon, three families did not present themselves - the Jericho Family, Luarus Family and the Ludo Family. They would still back the falling 'New Dust Collection Agency' it seemed. Those he would string up when the time came. It was the final man that brought a... interesting sort of news. He was a meek looking man, gaunt, his skin was pale and oily while his hair was a messy mop of black.
"Eh..." He muttered under his breath, shouldering the small bag he held, "I don't have the tribute cash..." This brought a stir from the Collectors, "Can't afford to pay all that..." the meek man added quickly. The glare from the older Collector was brought down on him, what type of fool would do such a thing?
"You do us a great insult..." The old man growled, "Collectors, kill this man!"
Four Collectors quickly pounced the meek man, forcing him down to the ground with such force that a cracking sound followed when his head hit the floor, presumably breaking off a great deal of his teeth. Three Collectors held him to the ground as the fourth slipped a thin knife from his belt, intending to stab it straight into the man's neck.
Yet they didn't at first notice that the bag the man was carrying held something... interesting. The soft brown bag's contents were foul smelling and in fact contained a rotting head that rolled right onto the floor. It would take a moment to recognize whose rotting head it belonged to, but it was indeed the head of the very man Dust was looking for: Hale. The leader of the New Dust Collection Agency's head laid right before the group.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 15, 2014 2:19:25 GMT
Parker honestly had no idea how long he was expected to stand here for, this whole ceremony seemed to go on forever and not that Parker was complaining but he wasn't really used to this kind of thing. Maybe it was the comfy, very clean suit he was wearing that was making him feel really awkward. It wasn't nearly as awkward as the guy who showed up with what first looked like a giant bagged lunch and then said he didn't have money. Parker felt himself tense up watching as the Collectors threw the man down to end him, the whole thing looked and sounded so sickening and brutal - that was something he had more empathy for than crying children!
But as the scene unfolded and the bag revealed what it had hidden only moments ago Parker couldn't help but follow the stink as it made itself present in the open air. His eyes narrowed at the head, stomach turning at the sight but more than that a panic gripped him as he realized he knew that ugly face. Or at least he did kind of. He remembered the bastard who shot him at least, it was no mystery to Parker. But that was him, or what may have very well been left of him. He had no idea what that meant for everyone around him but to him he couldn't help but feel a brush of worry, his heart rate accelerated again and he couldn't help but wonder if somehow she was watching. Perhaps she was. What was he to do about it, then? Parker had no idea how else that head would have shown up here, unless somehow this guy actually managed to get to him himself. Maybe it was all a stupid theory, Parker didn't know how anything like this worked, it all involved being smarter than he was to do this.
The whole thing paranoid him, though. He looked back out to everyone watching, more intent on keeping an eye on what was going on around him than anything. What were they to make of this?
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 15, 2014 15:52:15 GMT
"Hold!" The old man called as everybody's focus turned towards the Hale, "Collectors, release the man." The three Collectors quickly pulled the man up from the ground and onto his feet, the man's mouth was pouring with blood, he was crying and a puddle on the floor was forming from when he pissed himself. The older man made one small glance towards Demetrios, who gave an approving nod, "Take this man into the back, clean him up and get him something new to wear."
Demetrios took his leave from the crowd to head back and a young Collector walked up to tell Parker the same. In the back, Collectors did their best to clean up the meek looking guy but his wailing wouldn't seem to stop. Demetrios, who stood in the corner of the small boxed room where they had put him, had half the mind to end his wailing now.
Upon the young Collector bringing Parker into the room Demetrios immediately moved away from the wall and grabbed Parker, "This way," he said, moving the younger man into the next room where they had put Hale's head, "I've only seen pictures of the man, you've known him for a little bit though, right? Can you confirm it's him?" Demetrios asked as a Collector pulled a bag from over the head. It was absolutely gruesome looking, the skin had an unnatural color about it, sagging and spotted with blood while his neck looked to have been sawed off, nothing clean at all, it would have been a brutal death. No doubt though, it was indeed Hale.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 15, 2014 16:17:16 GMT
Parker really, really didn't want to get anywhere closer to that head than he had to but here he was, staring at it again. Seeing it up close with even more of the sickening details to tack onto it Parker almost vomited right there and as he made to take a step back he ended up walking right into Demetrios. Somehow Parker found his own hand climbing up and grabbing at Demetrios's arm as well, his eyes fixed intensely on the severed head and immediately he answered, "O-oh yeah. That's him alright!"
He didn't think anymore on it then, giving Demetrios's arm a squeeze he turned his stare to him and blurted out right after, "Dude, we need to talk. Like now."
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 15, 2014 16:50:05 GMT
Parker gave the answer to what Demetrios expected. Of course this WASN'T what he was expecting, in fact he expected they would spend another week or so trying to flush out Hale... Demetrios wanted to hear what the man had to say.
"Eh...?" Demetrios was a bit surprised by Parker's request but he complied without question, "Alright..." He took a couple of steps out into the empty hall and opened the door to another empty room - a pantry actually, stocked high with dry food of all different sorts. "What's do you need to talk about?" Demetrios asked, leaning himself against a shelf stacked high with bagged chips.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 15, 2014 17:03:03 GMT
Shit.
Shit.
What was he doing?!
'Oh fuck. me.' Parker could not believe what he'd just done. It wasn't like it was entirely his fault or anything, he was just...scared. He panicked quite a bit seeing that head, that's what happened.
'T-there you go! Just another reason why you should have told me what you were doing!' Parker's mind raced, and in a time where he would had himself a pity party and said 'woe is me' and blamed everything on himself he found an odd, guilty satisfaction in taking out his anger and blame it all on his lovely Asteria. Maybe there was a way to remedy this, some way to get out of having to...well, anything. He followed Demetrios into the tightly-packed pantry but as soon as they were alone and the walls closed in on him, looking into Demetrios's eyes he found nothing that came to his mind that didn't sound outright suspicious. Parker paled again suddenly, just like he'd been when he was first found again in the hospital and he clenched his fists tightly by his sides.
"Shit..." Parker whimpered, that brave front entirely gone, "d-dude, that is some messed up shit, man. All of this is messed up and I really wish I could tell you everything but I really can't 'cause even I don't know everything and where it was kind of okay before it's really not now and it's really pissing me off and and...and...fuck."
Parker looked like he was confessing to a major crime as he lowered his voice to barely a whisper and said, "Demetrios, Asteria is alive. A-and she wants you dead."
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 15, 2014 17:16:09 GMT
Demetrios was barely listening as Parker stumbled over words, instead his mind was entirely focused on what the meek man would say... until, that is, Parker finally said what he had been trying to say and that seemed to bring Demetrios back to focus. "W-What?" He merely muttered out, taking a step closer to Parker. "She's dead Parker... we saw her die..."
Did they? Parker had seemed convinced and Demetrios was as well... of course they saw what they believed they did. Having a person who was dead running the Dust Collection Agency was utterly genius. That explained it all, Demetrios had just the other night questioned why Hale would rise against Asteria, he wouldn't, he couldn't - the man followed orders. He would only turn against Asteria because she told him to.
Demetrios seemed to change a little, his eyes narrowed and he took a quick couple of steps towards Parker, backing the man into the corner. "Where is she, Parker? Where is Asteria?" He wasn't yelling, but his voice was cold. He wanted to know everything.
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Post by Morgan Flynn on Oct 15, 2014 17:48:42 GMT
As Demetrios insisted that Asteria was dead Parker merely shook his head frantically 'no'. No, she's not dead. He held his breath though as Demetrios closed in on him and holy crap, Parker could actually see the colour of his eyes up nice and close like this. It was really rather startling and Parker swallowed hard. Of course Demetrios had to ask where she was. He could tell him everything else BUT that.
"I don't know," he squeaked, "s-she was at the hospital the other night, she came to see me because she heard I was injured. I thought she was dead, you saw that! She came to me, told me the whole revolt was her and all she needed was for you to die and that was it. Said she and I could be back together if I...if I did it."
Parker looked genuinely ashamed now. He had no idea what it was he was doing but something about it felt right, as terrifying as it may have been he felt that weight he'd been carrying on his shoulders peeling off in bits and pieces as he mumbled further, "I was so happy to see her so of course I told her I would but I can't. I wasn't thinking right then, I had to think about it and I'm glad I did 'cause...it's not right, D. What she's doing is wrong. None of this had to be like this, and I got hurt and lots of people died who didn't have to, and you're probably a busy guy already so it's not fair you have to deal with it. I don't know where she is, she wouldn't tell me anything about that but when I see that guy's head show up I got worried because clearly she knows where to find me, maybe she knows where we all are then."
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Post by Demetrios on Oct 15, 2014 18:10:52 GMT
Demetrios looked ready to explode in a rage of anger, more angry at himself for not seeing this all sooner and annoyed that he had to learn this from Parker. Of course it brought a great deal of confusion, he thought Parker loved that woman? It was a good bet for her to ask Parker to kill him... but she bet wrong, to be fair it was a bet even Demetrios was willing to take. A false gamble though, she had made a move and lost.
He suddenly smiled again, reached out and patted Parker on the cheek, "You did good, Parker. I'm really proud of you. It was right to tell me... now if you would please excuse me..."
Demetrios stepped away from Parker and walked right towards the room where the man who brought the head was being questioned. He had been nicely cleaned up, placed in clean clothes and mouth cleared of blood. He was a lot calmer as well. "Now that Hale is dead a man known as Rzat is taking his place. He wishes to-" the door suddenly slammed opened and Demetrios walked right in, grabbing the man from his chair and hoisting him up.
"Enough bullshit, where is Asteria!?" He demanded from the wide eyed man.
"I-I don't understand what-"
"I know she's alive. WHERE IS ASTERIA!?" Demetrios didn't wait for the man to answer him, he took him by the head and slammed him directly into the wall, another great crunching sound was heard as the man's nose was broken across the wall. Demetrios grabbed him by his hair and threw him against the floor. The man was squirming on the ground, crying out again as Demetrios pressed his knee into his back and put a revolver against his head. "One last time. Tell me where she is?"
"Ah- she's.... she's..." the man said as he nose seemed to pour blood. "She's occupying a mansion within this district." Grabbing a paper from the nearby desk Demetrios tossed it down to him with a pen.
"Write down the address..."
A moment later Demetrios stepped out of the room, glancing down the hall to where Parker was. "...It's done. I'm going to go bring her back now, Parker."
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