Status: irregular
Gray Heart
Snow
Gray turned the corner, and slipped the steel gauntlet into his
pocket. He left the building, grabbing a beer in the way out.
He had only one sip, albeit a small one, and not finishing. Despite
his young age, he looked like a short fifteen or sixteen-year old,
with the guarded look in his eye, and the firm set of his jaw.
Sitting on top of one of his favorite half-demolished buildings, he
stared out into the dark night sky. This particular building was on
the opposite side of the red-light district, it's roof and part of the
second story blown to pieces, leaving the whole roof open to the sky.
There was a hiss and a slither.
"Hello, Snow." Gray murmured as the white, reticulated python
slithered over.
Snow tilted his head to the side.
"No..." Gray's scarf blew lightly in the wind, "Just a lot on my mind
lately."
Gray took another quick look at the snake.
"Just another new recruit and more assignments." he sighed, "I don't
know what's running through Yas's mind. He's sending everyone on
questionable missions, and they usually involve removing a person."
Snow stared at Gray with a snake's unblinking eyes. Then, he flicked
his gaze backwards, and slithered off.
"Hello, Suki." Gray said without turning, dangling his feet over the
twenty three story drop.
"Uncanny sensing, as always."
Gray just smiled wanly.
"Well, one of the watchers told Tristan that there were police in the
district. And while they were at it, they found a bandanna with a tiger
on it."
Gray knew what that meant. The group, the Nymphs, was being hunted by
the police now. And the Nymphs tended to pin everything on other
groups, usually Snake's Eyes.
Suki eyed the bottle hanging loosely from Gray's fingertips.
"I know what you're thinking. It was only a taste." he said, flicking
the bottle over the edge.
"Still. You know Yas doesn't like you and alcohol together."
"I know." Gray sighed, feeling the headache coming.
"You're being awfully expressive lately." Suki said.
"Have you seen the assignment list lately?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"There's been a lot of assassination missions there. Many more that
what it considered normal for us. Maru is usually responsible for the
killings, not SE." Gray said.
"but--" Suki started, but was cut off by a loud, booming voice.
"Suki Fré and Gray Ore!" Suki looked down to a mess of red, white, and
blue lights.
"What're you doing?" Gray hissed from the exit.
Suki took another glance at the police, and headed out after Gray.
The whole way down, Gray was about three meters ahead of her. Dodging
wreckage made it hard to move quickly.
She stared ahead at Gray, who was going along a path he obviously knew
well. Breathing hard, she kept going.
Then, at that[/t] moment, she tripped and fell, landing hard on her shoulder.
Gray looked back, and saw Suki slumped on the ground. He ran to her,
and swung her onto his back. Running up two flights of stairs was
easy, even with Suki. Just as he reached the second floor, a wisp of
smoke drifted in through a smashed window.
"Sleep gas." Suki mumbled into his back.
He gave her an 'I'm not stupid' look, and untied his scarf, tightly
wrapping it around her mouth.
Then, he jumped out of the second-story window.Suki's senses were muddled, frantically mixed with confusion. Here
she was, five foot-eight, 110 pounds, and little four-foot nine 90
pound Gray was jumping out of a second story window with her on his
back.
He landed lightly in the cloud of smoke, and hit the ground running.
He ran back to the base, where Tristan was waiting, sitting on top of
a rotting crate with a book in hand.
"Woah-what happened to Suki?" he asked, jumping up.
"We had to make a quick getaway." Gray said. "Take her to Pyre and
tell Yas the police are here."Tristan quickly took Suki, and skittered off. Gray heard someone running behind him, and take a running leap. They
landed hard on his back, knocking him to the floor.
"Hey Gray!"
"Pyre." Gray said, glaring.
"What's that for?" Pyre asked, still sitting on Gray's back.
"Oh." he said, quickly, standing up. Pyre was an unnamed child. His
parents had beat and abused him as a newborn, and Snake's Eyes had
rescued him. He had been under surveillance for about a week or so
before Yas gave the order to remove him.
"Well, I figured that if i mixed glycerin and ammonium perchlorate,
it'd make a big bang."
"good match-up." Gray said, pushing Pyre off.
"I know! It was awesome!" Pyre beamed.
Pyre was thirteen, and a huge pyromaniac. In addition, he was probably
one of the most well-educated people in the SE, apart from Gray and
Yas, and was the only one to own a library card.
He was always wearing a pair of goggles around his neck, and his hands
and numerous parts of his body were either heavily bandaged, or
missing. Fortunately, the only body part that had been blown off (so
far) was his arm. Since then, he had created an artificial arm rigged
with wires that allowed him to use both hands.
"You should've tried something with less bang. The police that are
here are here because of you, no doubt."Gray said.
"the bigger the bang, an better the fireworks." Pyre grinned.
"Fine. But next time, use nitrobenzene." Gray stuck his hands in his
pockets and trudged down the hall.
There was no doubt in his mind that if Pyre didn't already have
nitrobenzene, he'd know exactly where to find it.
He opened the door to his own room, and slumped down on his bed.
Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling.
Everyone here has one huge distinguishing feature. Yas is a great
leader. Zephyr is swords master. Suki is Miss Sharp Shoot. Pyre is an
explosives expert. I'm just sitting here with a set of steel claws in
my pocket.
If you think that way, it's no wonder your self-esteem is so low.
the voice in the back of his head said.
Gray closed his eyes, and slipped into a rare sleep.
That place.
Broken glass.
Scarlet waves.
Screaming.
The day the world turned red. For him, that was the end of the world.
"Mother...Father..." a young Gray was on his hands and knees in snow
over a dead body. The bloody tears dropped down, iridescent scarlet
liquid falling soundlessly onto the white snow.
"I...this didn't happen...this couldn't've happened..." his six-year
old eyes huge orbs.
He felt the horror and dizziness begin to dominate his senses.
He felt the cold biting at his ears. His senses were foggy with the
haze of confusion, and the numbness that was slowly spreading to his
whole body.
"Life is a grim thing. It is full of pain and suffering. I do not
cherish or revere it." his father had said.
And now his wish had been fulfilled. But mother. She...never wanted to
die. And yet, she got caught up in the crossfire.
Gray had never meant to kill them.
He screamed.
Gray's violet eyes flew open. He quickly sat up, covering his face
with his hand.
that again...
"What the hell was that?" a contemptuous voice asked.
Gray glared at Zephyr through his fingers.
"You just started screaming." Zephyr said, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me, then." Gray's gaze became poisonous.
“Whatever,” Zephyr left.
Gray groaned, and face-planted his pillow. He lay like that for a
while, thoughts flickering in his head.
He closed his eyes again, but thankfully did not fall asleep again.
"G-Gray?" a small voice said warily.
He opened one eye, and stared at the tiny kid in the doorway.
"I just heard a yell, and..." Deadfoot said timidly, breaking off.
"I'm fine."
"O-okay, then." Deadfoot slunk off silently.
Gray shook his head. SE might be full of thieves and prostitutes, but
everyone was more closely knit than most families.
He brushed open the dark curtains, and was greeted by a red and purple
streaked sunrise.
"Hey Gray." he heard Suki.
He raised a hand in greeting.
"Back to your usual silence, huh?"
"I guess."
"Well, learn to talk more."
"Why?"
"Because then people wouldn't be so freaked out by you."
"Why?"
"Because people trust people that trust them."
"How is that relevant?"
Suki gave him an 'oh, please' look.
"I know you wayyy too well to not know that something's wrong." she
said.
The edge of Gray's lips turned up in a shadow of a smirk.
"Well, I think you may need to take a reality check. Because I'm
perfectly fine." he said.
"Ehh? Why don't you take a gravity check?" Suki smirked sarcastically,
pointing out of the window to the ground twelve stories below.
"nah. Not in the mood to." Gray's sober eyes brightened slightly.
"Well, since everyone was in their rooms, 'cept Zephyr, everyone heard
you screaming bloody murder."
"Joy." Gray mumbled.
“I didn't want to bug you-" Suki said hesitantly.
Gray stared at her.
"Quit acting so benevolent. It doesn't suit you." Gray's smirk deepened.
"Whatever! I didn't come here to comfort you, anyway!" Suki spat.
Gray just stared out of the window.
Suki's smile quickly turned into anger. She stormed out, slamming the
door.
He knew it was just an act.
pocket. He left the building, grabbing a beer in the way out.
He had only one sip, albeit a small one, and not finishing. Despite
his young age, he looked like a short fifteen or sixteen-year old,
with the guarded look in his eye, and the firm set of his jaw.
Sitting on top of one of his favorite half-demolished buildings, he
stared out into the dark night sky. This particular building was on
the opposite side of the red-light district, it's roof and part of the
second story blown to pieces, leaving the whole roof open to the sky.
There was a hiss and a slither.
"Hello, Snow." Gray murmured as the white, reticulated python
slithered over.
Snow tilted his head to the side.
"No..." Gray's scarf blew lightly in the wind, "Just a lot on my mind
lately."
Gray took another quick look at the snake.
"Just another new recruit and more assignments." he sighed, "I don't
know what's running through Yas's mind. He's sending everyone on
questionable missions, and they usually involve removing a person."
Snow stared at Gray with a snake's unblinking eyes. Then, he flicked
his gaze backwards, and slithered off.
"Hello, Suki." Gray said without turning, dangling his feet over the
twenty three story drop.
"Uncanny sensing, as always."
Gray just smiled wanly.
"Well, one of the watchers told Tristan that there were police in the
district. And while they were at it, they found a bandanna with a tiger
on it."
Gray knew what that meant. The group, the Nymphs, was being hunted by
the police now. And the Nymphs tended to pin everything on other
groups, usually Snake's Eyes.
Suki eyed the bottle hanging loosely from Gray's fingertips.
"I know what you're thinking. It was only a taste." he said, flicking
the bottle over the edge.
"Still. You know Yas doesn't like you and alcohol together."
"I know." Gray sighed, feeling the headache coming.
"You're being awfully expressive lately." Suki said.
"Have you seen the assignment list lately?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"There's been a lot of assassination missions there. Many more that
what it considered normal for us. Maru is usually responsible for the
killings, not SE." Gray said.
"but--" Suki started, but was cut off by a loud, booming voice.
"Suki Fré and Gray Ore!" Suki looked down to a mess of red, white, and
blue lights.
"What're you doing?" Gray hissed from the exit.
Suki took another glance at the police, and headed out after Gray.
The whole way down, Gray was about three meters ahead of her. Dodging
wreckage made it hard to move quickly.
She stared ahead at Gray, who was going along a path he obviously knew
well. Breathing hard, she kept going.
Then, at that[/t] moment, she tripped and fell, landing hard on her shoulder.
Gray looked back, and saw Suki slumped on the ground. He ran to her,
and swung her onto his back. Running up two flights of stairs was
easy, even with Suki. Just as he reached the second floor, a wisp of
smoke drifted in through a smashed window.
"Sleep gas." Suki mumbled into his back.
He gave her an 'I'm not stupid' look, and untied his scarf, tightly
wrapping it around her mouth.
Then, he jumped out of the second-story window.Suki's senses were muddled, frantically mixed with confusion. Here
she was, five foot-eight, 110 pounds, and little four-foot nine 90
pound Gray was jumping out of a second story window with her on his
back.
He landed lightly in the cloud of smoke, and hit the ground running.
He ran back to the base, where Tristan was waiting, sitting on top of
a rotting crate with a book in hand.
"Woah-what happened to Suki?" he asked, jumping up.
"We had to make a quick getaway." Gray said. "Take her to Pyre and
tell Yas the police are here."Tristan quickly took Suki, and skittered off. Gray heard someone running behind him, and take a running leap. They
landed hard on his back, knocking him to the floor.
"Hey Gray!"
"Pyre." Gray said, glaring.
"What's that for?" Pyre asked, still sitting on Gray's back.
"Oh." he said, quickly, standing up. Pyre was an unnamed child. His
parents had beat and abused him as a newborn, and Snake's Eyes had
rescued him. He had been under surveillance for about a week or so
before Yas gave the order to remove him.
"Well, I figured that if i mixed glycerin and ammonium perchlorate,
it'd make a big bang."
"good match-up." Gray said, pushing Pyre off.
"I know! It was awesome!" Pyre beamed.
Pyre was thirteen, and a huge pyromaniac. In addition, he was probably
one of the most well-educated people in the SE, apart from Gray and
Yas, and was the only one to own a library card.
He was always wearing a pair of goggles around his neck, and his hands
and numerous parts of his body were either heavily bandaged, or
missing. Fortunately, the only body part that had been blown off (so
far) was his arm. Since then, he had created an artificial arm rigged
with wires that allowed him to use both hands.
"You should've tried something with less bang. The police that are
here are here because of you, no doubt."Gray said.
"the bigger the bang, an better the fireworks." Pyre grinned.
"Fine. But next time, use nitrobenzene." Gray stuck his hands in his
pockets and trudged down the hall.
There was no doubt in his mind that if Pyre didn't already have
nitrobenzene, he'd know exactly where to find it.
He opened the door to his own room, and slumped down on his bed.
Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling.
Everyone here has one huge distinguishing feature. Yas is a great
leader. Zephyr is swords master. Suki is Miss Sharp Shoot. Pyre is an
explosives expert. I'm just sitting here with a set of steel claws in
my pocket.
If you think that way, it's no wonder your self-esteem is so low.
the voice in the back of his head said.
Gray closed his eyes, and slipped into a rare sleep.
That place.
Broken glass.
Scarlet waves.
Screaming.
The day the world turned red. For him, that was the end of the world.
"Mother...Father..." a young Gray was on his hands and knees in snow
over a dead body. The bloody tears dropped down, iridescent scarlet
liquid falling soundlessly onto the white snow.
"I...this didn't happen...this couldn't've happened..." his six-year
old eyes huge orbs.
He felt the horror and dizziness begin to dominate his senses.
He felt the cold biting at his ears. His senses were foggy with the
haze of confusion, and the numbness that was slowly spreading to his
whole body.
"Life is a grim thing. It is full of pain and suffering. I do not
cherish or revere it." his father had said.
And now his wish had been fulfilled. But mother. She...never wanted to
die. And yet, she got caught up in the crossfire.
Gray had never meant to kill them.
He screamed.
Gray's violet eyes flew open. He quickly sat up, covering his face
with his hand.
that again...
"What the hell was that?" a contemptuous voice asked.
Gray glared at Zephyr through his fingers.
"You just started screaming." Zephyr said, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me, then." Gray's gaze became poisonous.
“Whatever,” Zephyr left.
Gray groaned, and face-planted his pillow. He lay like that for a
while, thoughts flickering in his head.
He closed his eyes again, but thankfully did not fall asleep again.
"G-Gray?" a small voice said warily.
He opened one eye, and stared at the tiny kid in the doorway.
"I just heard a yell, and..." Deadfoot said timidly, breaking off.
"I'm fine."
"O-okay, then." Deadfoot slunk off silently.
Gray shook his head. SE might be full of thieves and prostitutes, but
everyone was more closely knit than most families.
He brushed open the dark curtains, and was greeted by a red and purple
streaked sunrise.
"Hey Gray." he heard Suki.
He raised a hand in greeting.
"Back to your usual silence, huh?"
"I guess."
"Well, learn to talk more."
"Why?"
"Because then people wouldn't be so freaked out by you."
"Why?"
"Because people trust people that trust them."
"How is that relevant?"
Suki gave him an 'oh, please' look.
"I know you wayyy too well to not know that something's wrong." she
said.
The edge of Gray's lips turned up in a shadow of a smirk.
"Well, I think you may need to take a reality check. Because I'm
perfectly fine." he said.
"Ehh? Why don't you take a gravity check?" Suki smirked sarcastically,
pointing out of the window to the ground twelve stories below.
"nah. Not in the mood to." Gray's sober eyes brightened slightly.
"Well, since everyone was in their rooms, 'cept Zephyr, everyone heard
you screaming bloody murder."
"Joy." Gray mumbled.
“I didn't want to bug you-" Suki said hesitantly.
Gray stared at her.
"Quit acting so benevolent. It doesn't suit you." Gray's smirk deepened.
"Whatever! I didn't come here to comfort you, anyway!" Suki spat.
Gray just stared out of the window.
Suki's smile quickly turned into anger. She stormed out, slamming the
door.
He knew it was just an act.