Wanderers : Open RP - Current Pace: Stopped/Sporadic

( First off, it's been a looooong time since I've role-played. So if this fails, I'm sorry. If any one wants to jump in, I'm hoping to make this my story of how I got into the Rain Dogs. And obviously sort of my application. I'm not sure if ya'll do shared RP on here, if not just let me know and I'll make up my own story! And if I can't apply through this way, let me know how I can. )

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The man stepped off the highway leading into San Paro and breathed in deeply. Having walked the highways for the last few weeks, this was his current end destination.

He was a wanderer, never settling in one place for too long and always on the look out for the next best place to be. He had caught the news one evening in another city depicting San Paro ( and it's new take on how to rid itself of its "criminal" population ), about half-way across the country and decided this was the place he needed to be. Chaos, lawlessness, something was bound to happen here and he wanted to be there when it all went down.

This was the next best place to be.

He breathed in again, this time catching more of the city smell. Shifting his shoulder he dropped his ragged duster off his shoulders and let it slide down his arm into his grip then flung it over his shoulder. The humid air being more than enough to make him uncomfortable with it on.

With the duster off, one could see his most prominent tattoo. A half-sleeve going from wrist to elbow of a phoenix in chains, breaking free of them. A dagger having shattered the chains and the words " Sever the chains that bind you " down the length of the blade.

Reaching into the pocket of his baggy grey ( once white ) pants, he pulled out a hair band and pulled back his long red hair, catching it up in the band. Licking the palms of his hands he slicked back the stray hairs from his forehead and grinned feeling more presentable.

Off in the distance behind him he could hear sirens, and they were getting closer quickly. Turning on a heel in the gravel on the side of the road he watched as the enforcer car approached him. Tensing slightly, ready to run, he sucked in a breath then relaxed as the cruiser zipped past him down the road. He followed the path of the cruiser and surprisingly saw the source of it's hurry. An all-out war between two forces, one a group of rag tagish looking people and the opposite side the cops. Raising an eyebrow slightly he decided to avoid that conflict, in case he got mistaken for being on the wrong side, and headed down an alley way to his right.

Obviously he needed to find a place to stay for the night.

He began checking the doors of the buildings lining the alley way and found what he was looking for. One of the windows were busted, and he could see the dust build-up on it. The lock on the door was of simple make. He grabbed inside his duster and pulled out a couple of tools and deftly worked at the mechanism until he heard the slight click. Green eyes scanned each side of the alleyway before he pushed on the door and groaned when he felt it jerk to a stop. Narrowing his eyes at the door he saw a chain connecting the door to the frame. Before the thought crossed his mind his hand had a spring assisted knife in it and the snap of the blade locking into place. He slipped it against the back of the door and nudged the chain off the track, ducking inside quietly and shutting the door behind him, sliding the chain back in place.

Turning his back to the door he looked to around the inside of the abandoned building. He was sure there were others in here, a place like this called to vagabonds and rarely were empty. As long as he stayed quiet and to himself he figured he could get half a nights sleep and head out into the city proper late at night when he was more likely to find some closed store to acquire something to pawn off.

For now he would bunk down here.

(Really enjoying it thusfar. We'd love to have you. I hope you don't mind, but I've modified the thread title a bit to reflect your want to make this a collaborative effort. As soon as I find time, I'll be writing something up to add to this. )

( Nowai, go ahead and modify away. I don't see a change yet, but if it'll get people interested I'm all for it. Was worried I was to be ignored. haha Ya, I'm comfortable with this first part. Is jagged, but it's been years since I've last wrote. The tattoo is a real tattoo of mine by the way. :O I look foreward to your contribution, and being in the Rain Dogs! Am excited! )

((( OOC: Origin of the beginning of this journey is found here )))
Earlier that day:

There was no one in the alley, but it was filled with junk. There was a ripped open trash bag and it looks like the dustbin had been kicked on the floor. The man then looked at his wound, luckily the ricochet was only a small piece of the bullet and it scraped past his leg. He then laughed and said:"Welcome indeed... So this will be my new city to live in." He smiled in a strange way and light up a cigarette. A few drops of water started to fall from the sky. And then without warning it started to pour. The man tilted his head in the sky and his face got wet. He exhaled re leaved and said:"This day is getting better by the minute."

The man was starting to get soaking wet. He lowered his head while he noticed sirens heading his way. He peered out of the alley he was in, and noticed that the gang he bumped into earlier had gotten them selves in more trouble. There was aa war going on with them and the Police. The bullets that where shot at him must have alarmed the Police forces.

"I guess it's time for me to vanish.." He mumbled. He turned around back in the alley and had a little look around. He noticed there was a ladder at the back heading up towards the second floor of an abandoned building. He threw his soaking wet cigarette on the floor and started climbing the ladder. The ladder was pretty old and with every step the man took a squeaky sound came from the ladder. "Great there goes the discreet approach." He said quietly. The ladder ended at a balcony with the windows smashed and broken glass every where. He put one step on the balcony and the glass underneath his foot made a crunching sound. He then placed his sore leg on the floor, it was really throbbing now.

He tried to look through the broken window but it was pretty dark. "If some one was in there they are either scared shitless or are setting an ambush, surely they would have heard that racket." He thought. He grabbed another cigarette and light it, took one big drag and entered the building through the broken window. The room looked clear. He took a few steps walking over some more broken glass and making even more noise than he had done. Luckily a lot of the sounds where muffled by all the sirens that where going off outside. He gently sat himself on the ground against a wall and started to attend to his wound.

( Glad to see ya joined me in here! )

Eyes cracked open as he heard the crunching of the glass above him, having placed himself under the more likely of the entrances people would use while trying to get into the building... Not wanting any trouble at the moment he decided to make himself known instead of skulking around. No reason to scare whoever it later if they bumped into each other. Shifting his eyes to look out one of the other windows he had cleared off the dust from, he frowned. It had started raining while he was asleep and was now so clouded over he couldn't tell how long he had been asleep for.

" Oy, you up there. I'm trying to sleep down here. I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone, we have an agreement? " he shifting up to a sitting position, changing the duster from being bunched up between his arm and head to resting bunched up between the wall he leaned against and his head.

Sighing slightly he thought for a minute, realizing he had a dilemma on his hands. Either he could go back to sleep and trust the person above him to not brutally murder him in his sleep, or go and find out what this person was about. Of course, he could always just leave.. but seeing as this was the first sleep he'd got where it was enclosed, and the building was some what safe feeling -until now-. He'd really rather not give up the only decent sleeping place he'd come across in the last month or so.

" Actually, upon thinking about it more, I really can't say I can trust a complete stranger to leave me alone while I'm asleep. Especially in this town. You're obviously -not- trying to be sneaky, so what're you doing up there? "

(( Love Open RP =D ::Origin Story here:: Read it first xd ))

A few blocks away:

After I hopped into the Blood Roses' super-charged ride they asked me what they should call me. "Nyte, with a 'y'" I replyed. The Rose with the modified AK-47 laughed. "Well then Nyte with a y, my names Jax and this here is Page." He nodded at the driver who gave a quick twist of his wrist. "Welcome to the Blood Roses man, you got a piece?" Jax asked. I looked down and shrugged. "Don't sweat it" he voiced as he threw me a glock pistol. "That should last you till we get there." I wondered where they were taking me, but it was the last thing on my mind after the explosion. As if Page sensed my unspoken question he answered it. "Were taking you to big boss. We need to fill you in."

Page hit the handbrake and took a hard right. These tires were new, used to the stop and goes of criminal life. Criminal. The word stuck in my mind. Ever since I got here all I heard were sirens. Is that what I am now? A criminal?

Barreling down the street we came across a road block of Prentiss Tigers enforcers. As soon as they saw us turn the corner they unleashed a volley of lead screaming into our car. Page jerked the wheel and we crashed down an alleyway. "Get out" Page said, "They don't know you and your not wearing colors. When your ready come to 5th and Broadway. Now get out!" Exiting the car I noticed Jax was hurt pretty bad. I nodded and then they were gone. A few seconds later a Tigers car came rushing down the alley. "Which way did they go?" someone screamed. I pointed down the street. "Thanks" and then it was quiet.

That didn't last very long, however; and I heard someone yell from a nearby building. "Oy, you up there. I'm trying to sleep down here. I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone, we have an agreement?" Curious I went to check it out. Couldn't be worse then what I went through already. And it was still raining. Somewhere dry would be a warm welcome.

"Fuckin' rain."

Sephr crushed a pack of cigarettes that had become more like a sponge, the once clear water leaked out a dark sepia from in-between his fingers as he tightened his grip. Pulling up his mask, he set off walking down the street in a direction that just seemed to be the right choice for now. Maybe it was the sound of sirens, maybe the sound of gunfire, or it could of been the prospect of finally making a few dollars from some unsuspecting citizen. As he crossed the 4-lane street sirens grew along with the mechanical whine of a super-chargers' waste gate dumping as the gear box fell home into a new position like the slide of a precision rifle. The vagrant without smokes stopped dead in his tracks within jumping distance of the sidewalk and it's safety.

"Wha's this?" he muttered to himself as the vehicle barred down on him. In an instant the car had just missed him, the slip-stream of the finely tuned power-house coming a second later as it lifted his bandanna from his chest briefly almost trying to take it from Sephr. Craning his neck in the direction of the speed-demon he caught a flash of color from the car, an unmistakable hue of reds, grays, and blacks. "Heh... Ol' Rosies are playin' ou' t'night." The mutt mocked playing air-guitar with one hand raised up to his shoulder as he chuckled silently.

Dropping his head back down he walked back in the direction that the car came from, still in the middle of the street; as if it were a challenge to anyone else who would want to cut so close to him. As he walked passed an alley-way he heard someone yelling as if they were talking to someone else, but he didn't hear a response. The streetlamps made alcoves of black within the elaborate architecture of the tightly packed buildings. Sephr silently stepped back into one that was within a quick distance of the voice he had over-heard; waiting to hear more, or make some quick cash.

( Yes! People to play with. Seems my other player got bored. I'll post something up soon! )

The man didn't answer him for a long time. He waited for a reply, but none came. Pondering taking a look up there, he decided against it. The man could have been any number of troubles. Drunken, shot up, doped, trippin', whatever. There's no way he was going to go up there and get his face clawed off by some one who could be any number of things.

Reaching up to his eyes with closed fists he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and frowned up there once more before going to leave out the back door. Obviously if he wasn't going up there, he wasn't going to stay here either.

" Aww hell, was pretty comfy there too. "

Slipping his duster jacket back on to protect against the rain, he reached out and pushed the latch off the door and turned the knob of the door handle, pushing out and stepping back outside. Hunkering down broad shoulders against the rain, he searches the alley-way and blinks. Walking into the entrance of the alley-way was another man. He shifted slightly and looked back inside the warehouse, up at the metal cat-walk the man was slouched over on and then back to this new stranger. People just crawling all over it seemed. Gunshots rang out from the distance and not so distant, and he heard another car scream passed earlier. Definitely a lively city.

" Hey there, you wouldn't be happening to be looking for a fellow would you? "

Keep it friendly for now, and see what he wanted before he picked started deciding on fight or flight if it came down to it. His right hand slipped into the side pocket of his duster and fingered the latch on his blade. Working it loose slightly so it'd pop into place with a slight flick of his wrist. Oblivious to the other man standing off behind him in a dark corner.

"Looking for a fellow? Me? Nah. I'm just looking for somewhere dry. Its been a long day." I replied to the man who exited the building. I slowly took another step closer to get a better look at the guy. He had disheveled red hair which was long enough to be hidden behind the collar of his duster jacket. He reached into his pocket with a tense movement.

Shit I glanced down at my appearance. No wonder this guy was looking at me like I'm some murderer. My once white tee was torn and covered with stains of dried blood. I didn't know if the blood was my brothers, Jaxs, or mine but I did know the smell was terrible, an awful mixture of blood, smokes, and gunpowder seemed to follow me like the rain clouds. The damp atmosphere made it worse. My blue deniems didn't fair much better. Ripped at the knees and shredded at front of my lower left leg. The whole showed a nasty gash which stopped bleeding a coulpe hours ago. Probably from when the enforcers' car flipped my brothers ol' Han Veo. I just scream trouble.

"Like I said, its been a long day."

I reached both hands in the air, "I'm not gonna hurt you dude." I took another cautious step forward while lowering one arm and opening my hand reached for a handshake. " The names Nyte, how 'bout yours?"

((OOC: Hullo! I have permission to use my cousin's character (he's not much of a writer, he says) so just know all my posts are co-written by myself and him. ALSO: my posts will generally be graphic or at least contain some language some might find offensive (you all seem like a mature sort, but I figured I would just be safe and say it).
The intro to this post can be found here ))

"So when da fuk are ya gonna say where yer takin' us, boyo? I'm gettin tired o' ridin' in dis poor shite excuse fer a cab.." Rain continued to pound against the windows of the speeding cab as the wiry man sneered at the stone-faced San Paro cab driver.

"Jus let da man do 'is job, Redd. I ain't much in da mood fer havin' ta walk da rest o' da way." Lupus crossed his thick arms over his chest and leaned heavily against the window; golden eyes watching the rain splatter against the glass.

Redd fell back in his seat with a huff but not before giving the back of the cab driver's head an evil look. "Fukdat. Da rest o' da way to where?! We've been sittin' in dis damn ting fer over an hour! Shoulda known Murphy was a thunderin' fuk..."

Lupus ignored the remark by keeping himself busy watching the city go by through the waterfall that was his window. Regardless of Redd's short attention span, Murphy was probably the most reliable person they knew. Once yer in da city, I'll make sure der's a car ta pick ya up. The high ranking IRA member had told them, even as they boarded their plane. They'll take ya ta a muck o' mines bar. Give 'em dis an they'll set ya up wit yer new life... Lupus slowly felt the piece of scribbled paper in his pocket, just to make sure it was still there. All it held was a word, a name he hoped, but it was all they had left in the world.
"An' fer da record, yer a thunderin' fuk too, Lupus." Redd muttered in agitated boredom.

Lupus couldn't help smiling to himself. All they had left besides each other, anyway.

"Baker Pool Hall's only a few streets over, now." It was the first set of words the cab driver had said to them since they spotted him holding a stupid sign with their names printed on it at the airport. The cab had banked off the highway into a rather shoddy looking neighborhood and they were soon passing through a maze of dark foreboding streets.

"Cheery." Redd grunted sarcastically as they passed several closed stores and a very obvious, and very busy, brothel. "Reminds me o' me mudders place."

It wasn't until they turned another corner a little too quickly that Lupus heard the sirens in the distance. "Hold up..." The car sped on even as the sirens grew louder, their wail mixed with the intermittent rat-a-tat-tat of automatic gunfire. A few people could be seen running in the opposite direction with nothing but the quickest terrified glance over their shoulder but the driver was indifferent as if such a thing happened every single day. "I said hold up." Quick looks down adjacent streets revealed the all out war that was unfolding; ragged gangs of red and black swarming shattered storefronts and alleyways against a tide of flashing blue-red lights.

"I said STOP ya fukin' shit!" Lupus grabbed the driver by the shoulder but it was too late as the cab turned into the heart of the conflict. The cab driver's blank expression suddenly flashed into shock as if he had not expected the battle to extend so many streets. "Get us da fuk outta here!" Redd was yelling even as the man shifted them into reverse but just as they started moving a stray shot caused the driver's head to explode in a red mist. His body slumped forward onto the steering wheel as his foot came down hard on the accelerator.

The Blarney Brother's yells were drowned out by the horn as the out-of-control cab flew straight into the large glass front of a corner liqueur store.

The cab sat in a smoking heap for a moment before one of the back doors was practically kicked off its hinges. Lupus slid out of the backseat with an animal-like growl and inspected the damage. It was lucky the store had been recently abandoned seeing as the wreckage filled the entire space. "Well fuk..." Redd coughed as he climbed out the adjacent window. "At least dey had da decency ta throw us a welcome party. Look, dey even brought a few bevvies." Grabbing an already broken whiskey bottle from a nearby shelf, he took a long swig before tossing the empty bottle to the ground.

The back of the cab was smashed beyond belief but the trunk still opened with a little bit of encouragement. Tearing off the tattered remains of his plain white t-shirt, Lupus pulled a thick bulletproof jacket out of his duffel bag and slipped it on. They couldn't get any weapons through the airport, but it seemed the jacket wasn't really a violation. After tightening the straps, he quickly produced a small baggy of large black pen-like objects. Pressing one against the bare skin of his inner arm, he pushed the opposite end with his thumb and inhaled sharply as the substance shot into his bloodstream. He felt its effects almost instantly, his senses hightened and muscled relaxed, and his golden eyes seemed to shine as the steroid coursed through him. Dropping the empty pen to the ground, Lupus stuffed the baggy back into the bag.

"Ya really should quit usin' dem tings, cousin. They'll be da death o' ya." Redd smirked as he stuffed a few dozen packs of cigarettes and a handful of bottles into his own duffel bag. Ignoring him, Lupus pulled an Irish flag colored hockey mask out of his bag and slipped it onto his face before slinging the bag it onto his back.

Gunfire still raged in the street as the fighting escalated, but no one seemed to care about the car accident.
"Best we go out da back before da welcome party comes ta check on us." Without waiting for an answer, Lupus kicked open the store's back door.

"Suppose yer right... especially when we don't got no shootin' party gifts ta show our appreciation." Redd muttered as he lit up a cigarette, grabbed his own bag, and followed Lupus out into the alleyway.

((Oh man, I love these Open RP things! Origin story here.))

Delinquent licked the grease from his fingers as he finished the last of the fried chicken. Briefly he thought back to the man that had showed such kindness in giving Delinquent the means to purchase the meal, "The people of this city are certainly kind, no? Well, time to see what's on..."

Delinquent worked the zipper and reached into a black canvas bag from which he pulls the steel body of a rifle and various accessories designed for the weapon. He worked quietly as he assembled the weapon in the small room at the crest of the stairs. On the other side of the door the sound of the pouring rain could be heard, though it did not faze Delinquent as he assembled his weapon.

With a twist and a click the long range scope, designed to give the user a zoom of up to twelve times normal eye site, was ready. A gray tarp would serve as cover as he wrapped it around himself and the weapon. Cautiously he opened the door and crept onto the roof, his feat sloshed in the standing water that had begun to form, "Certainly don't build em' like they used to..."

Several blocks away the bright lights of police sirens could be seen along with the echo of gun fire. The battle had begun sometime ago and it was the inspiration for his climb to the top of the building. He rested himself along the edge, his body pressed against the roof as Delinquent laid prone and peered through the scope. With care he swept the scope over the gathering of criminals, their insignia and tattoo's indicating they were of the Blood Rose variety. Sliding the site over to the other side of the battle Delinquent took in the site of the enforcers, their colors indicating their affiliation with the Praetorians. By this time the ratio of innocent civilians to not-so innocent civilians had drastically reduced and Delinquent smiled.

"I did always enjoy a good ol' action movie, but the storyline sucks," Delinquent muttered to himself as he pulled back the bolt on the rifle and lined up his shot.

From the alley behind the building where Delinquent lay the echo of voices rang out, "I'm not gonna hurt you dude." This was cause for a brief pause in Delinquent. More noise outside of the norm added to the scene as a taxi reversed through the face of a liquor store. Delinquent reached to his hip and pulled a pistol from his holster just in case and chuckled to himself and he looked at the liquor store, "Gives new meaning to drive-thru liquor stores."

With a breath he returned to his task and focused the scope on a target. The wind picked up and Delinquent adjusted, moving the sight up and to the right. To the untrained eye it appeared that Delinquent was three feet behind the enforcer who crouched behind his cruiser, but Delinquent new better. The enforcer was unaware of the sniper watching him and focused on reloading his weapon. Delinquent blinked away a moment of doubt and muttered a quick prayer for forgiveness from his wife and with the final word the shot was off. The weapon screamed out with a distinct sound, as do most Barrett .50 cal rifles. In the chaos below Delinquent watched through the scope as two enforcers raced to check on the target. They searched for a pulse and it was clear from the way the limp hand fell to the ground that the shot was true and target was dead.

“Well, maybe I was wrong. Looks like the plot is starting to pick up,” Delinquent slid back the bolt and lined his sites on his next victim.

As the two men finished shaking hands the redhead in the jacket voiced his name but was cut off by the loud ringing of a car horn. Nyte turned his head bringing his hands to his ear screaming "The hell is that." Again the forces that be didn't allow the cloaked figure to answer as the ground shook around their feet. The sound of fiberglass smashing into concrete and shattered glass came from the other side of the buildings. A third figure who was standing in the darkness between two street lamps stumbled into view. "How long was he there?" the redhead asked. "Like hell I'm sticking 'round to find out." Nyte said as he bolted into the abandoned building. "Come with me if you want to live." Nyte called back and showed the semi automatic pistol Jax had given him. "This here is Joker."

The gunshots from the firefight outside echoed in the empty building as the two men ran upstairs. High ground is good ground. The unmistakable earshattering bang of a .50 caliber shot rang from a nearby rooftop. Nyte grabed the 'Joker that was tucked under his shirt and started taking the steps three at a time.

"Watch out!" the redhead warned.

Nyte turned to look at his unnamed comrade still sprinting forward. A man with dark hair and a suit that looked expensive was passed out on the floor of the warehouse. By the time Nyte saw the body it was too late. Moving too fast Nyte tripped over the body. The momentum caused Nyte to be flung into the air. He crashed through a nearby window and fell into the gunfight below. As if guided by the spirit of his brother Nyte landed on a pile of empty cardboard boxes set up behind the warehouse.

With a cloud of dust Nyte stumbled to get back on his feet and fell to one knee. His head spun for what seemed like an eternity. The familiar alleyway now stared back at the kneeling man, lucky to still be breathing. Again. Nyte said a small prayer as two figures knocked a door open and glanced over at him as he stood up. "I never liked this shirt anyway" Nyte said as he took what was left of the stained shirt off and threw it in the pile of broken cardboard.

"The names Nyte" he nodded at the imposing men with duffle bags and bulky bulletproof vests. "Wouldn't happen to have a beer in those bags would ya?" he grined shaking off the dust and kicking a box out of his way.

((OOC: Edited this post so it contained more than OOC content.))

The sound of a .50 caliber rifle echoed down the alley like the sound of an explosion as the two Irishmen ran out of the liqueur store. Before the two could react, a man crashed through the window of a nearby warehouse and landed in a pile of crates with a loud crash.

"Seems dis ting is turnin' into a right good Irish shindig." Redd chuckled as he adjusted the duffel bag slung over his red short-sleeved button down which he left open in the front. As if in response, the stranger crawled out of the splintered wood and tore off his own shirt. Lupus tensed as got ready to dive aside should the man decide to fire on them; his golden eyes staring out of the green-white-orange hockey mask with cold calculation. The problem was that there was little cover in the alley and the brothers were unarmed.

"The names Nyte" he nodded at the imposing men with duffle bags and bulky bulletproof vests. "Wouldn't happen to have a beer in those bags would ya?" he grined shaking off the dust and kicking a box out of his way.

"Sure do, but not fer you, boyo." Redd laughed, letting out a puff from his cigarette before lifting his now rain-spattered aviators onto his shaved head. His dark eyes glanced over the stranger and his machine-pistol, but the wiry man maintained his relaxed pose slightly behind his cousin. "I'm Redd, he's Lupus. Now, don't suppose yer one o' the 'bad guys' who wouldn't mind handin' over an extra piece ta some friendly, and defenseless, neighborhood Irishmen?" He nodded at the gun in the strangers hand, hoping he had extras for handout (and wasn't preparing to shoot them). "We don't much like da look o' dem 'boys-in-blue' an' der apparent hatred fer da law-breakin' type, i. e. us"

The smoke clouded the ceiling fan's weak attempts to ventilate the room.

The table which hosted this sloppy game of poker was riddled with ash and marks of use.

I was running down to my last dollar. Bluffing was the only path to survival I had left. The folks I was playing with were none too forgiving in the least:

First we have Jimmy "Tooth" Jones, shorter than most, he is always conniving and plotting away like that of a mad scientist from an old cartoon. His curly red hair drooped down to his unsightly face. He wore a suspicious grin that spoke of wicked things in a shrill voice. (Many believed his nickname was derived from his golden tooth. When in fact it was actually from his nasty habit of ripping a tooth out of every one of his victims, alive or dead. The crazy bastard made a necklace of his collections that he always wears.) I didn't like the guy.

Second was Frank. That was the only name I knew him by at least. He didn't say too much either and he never will. I heard things from ol' Jimmy that he was only a small-time crook, though hell of a poker player. Lets get on to the next one.

Last was Mr. Williams. He was one of those big time players, you know, the ones that have the time and money to invest into it often. He wears nice suits. Why he was playing with some lowly people like us was beyond me. What was he really trying?.....ol' Jimmy was the one who usually pulled the tricks.

That is when Williams threw a suitcase atop the table, he unlocked the handcuffs attached to the case and his right wrist.

"What the hell is this?", I questioned.

Mr. Williams gave a devilish grin and began explaining, "The winner of this next hand will as usual collect the pot, only this time the pot includes the contents of this suitcase, which will only be revealed when the hand is over as I have the only key." Williams snaps his fingers as a goon walks through the door into our newly interesting game of poker. "Now don't try anything funny or Lars here will have to put an end to the fun."

Frank was just eyeing the suitcase up and down. Jimmy had a toothy-smile on while he envied the case. I had no idea what to think but how much harm could it bring, I didn't want to overthink it either.

Just as we began the next hand, there was a loud crash in the abandoned store next door, preceded and followed by gunfire.

At that instant, Ol' Jimmy draws a gun shoots Williams, grabs the suitcase, and darts out the door. Frank pulls out a firearm as well but is blasted by Williams' goon.

I kicked up the table and a gunfight with the goon at the other end of the room ensues. What a pleasant night of poker.

(At Nyte. Nah is ok. I been out of the loop last couple of days. I have massive sleeping issues and I haven't been sleeping much or good at all last few days so haven't been on. Am back now though and reading to catch up. I'll get back in there. And by the way Ele, maybe we should think about changing the name? Seeing as it's kind of grown into more of just a character introduction of mine and is now encompassing a large chunk of us falling in together?

I'll get back in here tomorrow and make a post. I'm hoping to go watch a movie and drift off.)

((Continued from here))

Dice walked down the street from the bar, briefcase in-hand and noticed the faint sound of gunfire and police sirens.

"Sounds like the party has just begun." He mumbled to himself. The only thing on his mind being what kind of job this corporate fatcat needed done, and how much he would get payed.

Soon enough his curiosity got the best of him, and finding the nearest alleyway, he set the briefcase down on an old trashcan and popped the latches. The contents were very lacking. Inside the briefcase was a piece of paper with a number, undoubtedly Mr.Roes, a picture of some enforcer which he assumed was the target, and an Obeya pistol.

"The man really is a coward." Dice thought out loud, grabbing the pistol and sliding it into his belt. "And his choice in hardware, is really lacking for such a wealthy man." Taking the picture and the scrap of paper with the phone number on it he stuffed them both into his back pocket. Throwing the briefcase into the trashcan, he stepped back out onto the sidewalk and made his way toward the ensuing firefight some distance away.

As he got closer to the firefight he heard a rather loud crash and some yelling a block or so away. Being in a curious mood he set out to find the scene of said crash, and was preparing to walk down an alleyway when the distinct CRACK! of a high-powered rifle echoed through the area. "Looks like someone brought party favors." Dice smirked and grinned to himself as he turned to the right and made his way down the alleyway.

Three figures stood at the end, and being as ever careful as he was, Dice decided to play it more safe then sorry. Pulling his Act 44 from his coat, he thumbed the safety off and continued down the alley.

He took a step up to the broken through window and looked down into the alleyway, seeing several figures down there. Leaning against the sill, he looked around and took stock of the view. One building busted through, doors broken down and people all over the place. Just a few minutes ago he was comfortably asleep and now all this. Seems the city was eager to get him into the action.

" Hey, why don't you all get inside here. Before some one decides you're in the wrong place and puts a new hole in ya. " he raised an eyebrow in question at the group of people. Maybe he could find something more out about this town from one of them, in the least hopefully some news about a job needing to be done.. or the right people to talk to.

He walked passed the man that was knocked out, ignoring him for the time being. He was no threat at the moment, where as the group outside was a whole other story. One thing was for certain, he didn't feel like going out into the alley to talk to them with the constant gun fire going off from the war going on nearby and the sound of high caliber rifles pecking people off. Until he figured out where he needed to go to next he was staying here until it quieted down out there.

One thing was for sure, he'd definitely found the place to be. Whether or not it was the right place to be was to be seen. He needed to start finding people to surround himself with. In a place like this, being by yourself was a bad idea.

Crack! Another shot rang out from the rifle and yet another enforcer fell to the ground. Delinquent enjoyed the kick of the rifle and the distinct sound that could defy thunder. As Delinquent pulled his head away from the scope to ready himself for yet another shot an explosion of bullets ripped into the lip of the building where he lay.

"Shit!" he belted as he shuffled back away from the ledge, "Just one more, Del, it's always just one more... Isn't that what got you into trouble in the first place?"

Delinquent grabbed the rifle and shoved his pistol into the waist of his pants. Canvas bags were a dime a dozen in this town and he was not too concerned about leaving the refuse of fast food fried chicken. Delinquent’s gaze swept the area as he crouched on the roof, Escape… I need an esca… Wait a tick, he thought, Wasn’t there someone back there shouting about hiding out before it puts people in the wrong place at the wrong time. I certainly hope that joining them doesn't do just that for me.

Footsteps echoed up the stairwell and through the open door as Delinquent eyed the gap between the buildings, No time for second thoughts. Taking a step back he rushed toward the ledge and leapt across the gap as he aimed for the other roof top. Delinquent was never known as a high flier when he wrestled and so it came as no surprise to him when his foot slipped on the rain soaked rooftop and he managed to miss his target completely, crashing through the window into what appeared to be an old and abandoned building. Rolling with the landing Delinquent caught the railing of the catwalk which prevented the fall from quickly aggravation the damage to himself.

He scrambled to his feet and flattened himself against the wall next to the window. With a sheepish grin Delinquent looked at the man who was standing no more than ten feet away looking through another broken window into the alleyway behind the building. This must have been the guy that was shouting out about a safe place to hide a moment ago, What a lucky day for me! Delinquent brushed the glass from the faded T-shirt he was wearing, an old WWE shirt with a picture of Del's grimacing face on the front, his name written in an angry scrawl across the top and the catch phrase he had used across the bottom, "Rules are for the weak!"

"Hello there! Hope I am not intruding but I heard your invitation to get out of site and figured I would drop in," Del lifted the .50 cal rifle and slid the bolt back, loading another round into the chamber, "Hope you know how to use of these. Oh, and don't kill me." Delinquent tossed the man the high powered rifle and drew the pistol from his waist band. Slowly Delinquent peeked his head around the windows edge, looking toward the other rooftop for those that were in pursuit of him.

OOC whew glad it worked out Lucent

"Guess that beer will have to wait" Nyte smirked as he sent another one of the boxes flying. Placing a hand on another crate he leaped out of the pile and into the dim light of the street lamp. The man was 6' and fairly tanned. Tribal tattoos edged around his shoulders all the way down to his left elbow. Sharp curving designs seemed to outline his musculature. Sweat and rain made his torso shine slightly and revealed the mans six-pack. His black hair was a mess but he didn't seem to mind.

"Those pigs killed my brother. So an enemy of my enemy is a friend to me" Nyte voiced with anger and a tint of pain. "This is all I got" He moved the pistol in his hand.

The redhaired man peaked out of the window.

" Hey, why don't you all get inside here. Before some one decides you're in the wrong place and puts a new hole in ya. "

"Yinz coming?" Nyte motioned to the Irishmen. The pittsburghese sent another wave of memories through his head for a brief second before another crash of broken glass sounded from 'round the corner.

"Hello there! Hope I am not intruding"

With that Nyte rushed back into the warehouse where he had just fallen from.

The murky air was filling with the smoke of firing guns.

Vicarius made the mistake of using all his ammunition, this table he was taking cover behind was being reduced to nothing with each return fire. This henchmen was putting up a fight and Vicarius didn't really want to waste time here while that bastard Jimmy Jones got away with that briefcase. So he tried to end the fight sooner.

"Hey there man how about we call a truce?, I didn't kill your man and we both need to get after your boss's belongings." Vicarius pleaded from behind the table.

The henchmen gave a grunt then replied, "You do have a good point, I can't trust you so throw me your firearm."

Vicarius tosses his empty gun to the henchmen, "Okay I'm coming out from behind this damn table, don't shoot me."

As Vicarius gets up he snags a shard of glass and hides it down his sleeve. He walks towards the henchmen.

"Woah, woah not too close now!" The goon raises his gun and panics a little.

Vicarius smirks, "Hey I'm the unarmed hostage right now." The henchmen then bends down trying to pick up Vic's empty gun, his hand finally reaches it. Vicarius then unveils the shard of glass in his sleeve and jams it into the neck of the henchmen. The goon growls in pain and as he falls to the floor he fires a few last shots. One grazes Vicarius in the arm.

Vicarius sighs in relief and then picks up the the two pistols and leaves the shot up poker game into the sounds of the night. He hears someone call out about getting inside nearby.

"Yinz coming?" Nyte motioned to the Irishmen.

"Guess it beats stickin' 'round 'ere." Redd offered a shrug as Lupus glanced at him with golden eyes narrowed. The beast of a man was not as easygoing as his wiry cousin; trust did not come easily to him. "Well what else we gonna do, cousin... Enter da fukin' war wit'out guns ta shoot an' mucks ta watch out backs?"

Without so much a grunt, Lupus turned and followed Nyte, ignoring his cousin's raised eyebrow and devilish smirk.

Another .50cal shot thundered through the alley causing the two Irishmen to tense just before there was another rattle of gunfire and a man jumped from a roof overhead through an adjacent window with a loud crash. Glass rained down upon the two just a shotgun-totting enforcer came around a corner mere feet in front of them. "Freeze, criminal scum!" He was an obvious police veteran, sporting several layers of body armor and riot gear, and just like any police veteran in San Paro he'd much rather shoot a criminal than arrest one. Lupus's arm shot forward towards the weapon just as the officer cocked another shell into the chamber.

The shotgun blast lit up the alley like a flash of lightning.

A large chunk of mortar exploded off the nearby alley wall and the officer stared in disbelief at the Irishman's large hand clamped over the end of the barrel, easily forcing the weapon away from himself and his cousin. Ripping the shotgun right out of the enforcer's grip, Lupus's free hand came forward like a striking cobra and clamped around the unfortunate officer's throat. The man gurgled in protest as the large Irishman easily lifted him a foot of the ground with one hand; golden eyes shining with cold indifference from behind the chipped and battered green-white-orange mask.

With a final gasp, the enforcer's neck broke with a loud snap. The encounter was over in an instant.

Dropping the still twitching body to the ground, Lupus pulled off the enforcer's bandoleer of shotgun shells before unbuckling his waist belt and sidearm, which he tossed to Redd who had just finished lighting another cigarette. "Cigs, beer, guns, and even a few flashbangs 'here, I tell ya cousin... what more could a man ask fer?"

"A brasser ((cheap whore)) and some more enforcers ta kill..." The massive man growled back as he cocked the shotgun.

Nyte rounded the top of the warehouse steps and saw the man who called them inside catch a rifle. Another man turned slowly to look back out of a newly shattered window. Nyte shook his head, looks like he made a much smoother entrance then me.

The stranger wore an old tee that had Delinquent written across it with the WWE tag. Standing with his pistol drawn he was focusing on the rooftop adjacent. Nyte readied his own firearm and took cover near some old equipment in the warehouse. A loud blast came from below. Nyte saw a flash of light outside and realized the two Irishmen didn't follow him "Damnit!" he cursed.

"Wait, did you hear that?" A voice came from the roof. "There, it came from down there. Check it out." Two enforcers peered down from the rooftop into the abandoned warehouse. Nyte looked around, it was his fault they found us so he was determined to make up for it and go back to check on the two he left unarmed outside. Nyte saw a few of the same crates next to where he was kneeling and slid next to them.

"Cover me" one of the officers said. Nyte grabbed one of the wooden crates, this time however; they weren't empty. Using both hands he lifted the crate and threw it out the window as the enforcer jumped down. The box hit the cop in mid air and ricocheteed down to the street shattering into pieces. The officer's body recoiled as he slammed into the wall of the warehouse inches below the window with a thump. Falling to the street a second later the officer finally came to a crashing end. For an added flair Nyte grabbed another crate and threw it outside. Judging from the sound it made Nyte was sure the crate landed on the officer. Walking over to the window where WWE was taking cover he took a peek outside. Bullets whizzed past Nyte's head as the remaining officers from the unit shot at him from the roof. The shirtless man twisted and dove back to take cover from a nearby pillar.

"Theres three more" He said "At least"

It rained and then it poured.

Vicarius walked with a heightened pace down the street. He held his left hand over the wound on his right arm which held a pistol with a few bullets. The second pistol was tucked into his belt, empty. His sight was focused forward until he came across an alleyway with a lot going on. There stood a beastly man with an Irish flag painted upon his masked face, he was standing over the corpse of what looked to be a cop of some kind. Behind there was a smaller, wiry man. Both were armed and dangerous-looking. Further down the alleyway was the rubble of some wooden crates and another unlucky enforcer.

Not sure what to make of the situation, Vic steps back and enters the door into the building adjacent the alleyway. Perhaps it would be best to not get involved and wait 'til things cool down. It wouldn't be wise to run in guns blazing, not this time at least. Vicarius then went to look for some first aid/bandages in the building, unaware of the remaining squad of enforcers atop the roof.

Dice came to a dead standstill as the enforcer came around the corner, raised his pistol and prepared to fire. However the larger man at the end of the alley reacted first and quickly dispatched the enforcer. Continuing down the alleyway toward the two men Dice heard someone above.

"Wait, did you hear that?" A voice came from the roof. "There, it came from down there. Check it out."

Looks like the enforcer had friends. Walking up to the two men he commented "Nice work with the cop there." He moved the hair from his eyes. "Now you two don't look like the sort who happen to be on their side, and enforcers don't play fair, so it would be beneficial to get your ass inside the building before his friends get down here."

With that he did not wait for their response and moved into the building then mumbled to himself "Looks like we're going to have fun after all."