Crossing paths | Brennan

[Nukapei]

Paradoxical.

That's what his attitude was. Some part of him felt indebted to the President for giving him a raison d'etre, a purpose to continue his existence. A deeper portion of him hated the man for it, though. It meant that he was tethered to the city, this beacon of everything he absolutely loathed. That seemed to be the underlying tinge to all he did, a cycle of love and hate. Currently adrenaline was pumping through his veins, giving him a heady high as he padded through the streets, barefoot. He had been on the trail of a renegade Dream, a known offender against the President's cause.

The creature had a head start on him however and that ultimately proved to be the downfall of his pursuit. Nukapei wasn't the best tracker by any means, he was better for gathering intelligence...But he couldn't exactly stand idly by when directly confronted. Unfortunately it all proved to be naught as he tailed his quarry into the Great City's entertainment district, nostrils flaring with unsteady breaths. Chasing the Dream into a crowd, he came to an abrupt halt. Squinting, his green gaze flitted to and fro, trying to catch sight of the critter he had been tracking.

It was no use, he had lost them.

The euphoria of the hunt faded as he stood, surrounded by people who were too busy tending to this or that bit of distraction to pay him any mind. They were happy. That made him want to hit something, but he squelched the urge. Instead he forced his face into an impassive mask, lips pressed together. He'd have to go back to HQ and report his failure. But not just yet. Worrying absently at the inside of his lower lip, he exhaled in a low sigh through his nose. No, he'd loiter here for a while. Perhaps he could pick up the trail again, or find something else of import.

word count: 323
total EXP: 323

[Brennan Casimir]

Brennan had discovered that the entertainment district was an incredibly reliable source for spare parts. Among the bustling and twittering and general carelessness, there was always one shady figure among the crowd, eyes bright and seeking. It was never the same creature twice, often making a spectacle of themselves with a tired old trench coat covering their feathers, scales, or tentacles. The trench coat seemed to be the only constant among them and the powerful weaponry they possessed. Which might have been illegal for a Dream or Nightmare to carry around so blatantly. Perhaps that was why they stored the weapons among the colorless cloth of their great coats, swishing around and whispering into whatever Human happened to pass by, selling their stolen and forbidden wares in the cloak of darkness.

Brennan was well aware that he was doing something illegal. That these Dreams and Nightmares were not supposed to have such startling weapons on their person (and, now, even Dreams were not allowed to linger outside so late), but these were criminals that were used to breaking laws. They seemed hardly bothered by Presidential decrees, anyway.

Brennan pushed aside his drunken peers and stepped up to the trench coat clad dragon, which swiveled it's long neck and stared at him with ruby red eyes. The dragon had brilliant blue scales, though the coat covered most of them. Brennan had rarely dealt with the dragon, but knew he was a quiet gentleman... and a Dream at that.

It was well past nine, but Brennan pressed his lips shut, blue eyes sparkling in the shining lights. Like the Dream, Brennan did not care about decrees either.

"So," Brennan mused, his eyes sliding away from a gaggle of girls that were smacking their lips and sloshing their drinks, drunk and stumbling away. "What do you have tonight?"

The dragon merely pulled out a pistol of unremarkable make. It glittered though and made Mr. Sparkles, which was strapped to Brennan's side loosely, look old and tattered.

"What? A pistol that shoots out..." He flipped open the gun with ease, his eyes scanning the wires and parts within with utter disappointment. "Shards of ice? Are you serious?"

The dragon shrugged uncomfortably, "Weapons are hard to come by... that damn President been shutting us down left an' right."

Brennan sighed and flipped the gun closed, handing it back.

"Nothing else?" He ventured hopelessly, that same tired look overcoming his soft features. The dragon went on about the make and model of the pistol, though Brennan was hardly listening, losing himself among the dizzying laughter of the crowd, wondering how his father was faring at home... if he would still be there smiling when he got back...

And then, Brennan's eyes locked with a strange, alluring man that looked oddly composed and out of place. Brennan stared openly, the dragon gushing on listlessly, and the blonde made eye contact, utterly oblivious to his mistake.

word count: 499
total EXP: 499

[Nukapei]

Ugh. It was disgusting. All the humans around him, lost in their mirth, it made his skin crawl. One of his hands curled into a fist by his side, bunching into the silk fabric that kept him decent. It was one of the only outward signs that he was uncomfortable, and easily enough explained away as absent-minded fidgeting. His face remained a blank mask, only the barest pursing of his lips indicating that he was thinking. He swept the area again, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in distaste. Great. Not only was he surrounded by everything he loathed, there was also nothing interesting going on.

What a turn his night was taking. Nukapei was about to declare the whole evening a loss and vacate the area. As calm and placid as his exterior was, maintaining it wore on him. He had to consistently remind himself that he did not care for what was going on around him. There was no reason to expend energy on envying those surrounding him. They were likely to lead short and painful lives (they were human, after all) and, with any luck, die alone. The latter almost made him feel a little better about himself.

With one more sweep, he had been ready to turn and leave. But then - then something caught his attention. A young male was staring at him shamelessly. His lips quirked slightly, the beginnings of an amused smirk, quickly squashed. Just what was his deal? He quirked a 'brow, his attention flitting between the blonde and his companion. From this distance he couldn't tell exactly what was going on, but he had enough wits about him to decide he didn't like it. He didn't want to spook either of them though - he had already lost one chase today. He would play it casual and safe with this one. A little easier, perhaps, since his appearance was so benign, nearly human minus for the speckle of scales here and there and the gills hidden by his clothing.

"Looks like you have something more interesting than the festivities, hm?" Lilted the Nightmare, feminine voice just loud enough to be heard over the surrounding din.

word count: 367
total EXP: 690