Public tensions

”You really sure you want today off?” Eric asked with a small smirk, one leg crossed over his other and looking out the window of his limo. Time and legislation had been gone through, politicians proving annoying and people giving out slight protests. There were always people that would be against progress, and they would argue to no ends about that. The sound of gum popping could be heard from the other side, likely the female rolling her eyes at the question that came about. He could not help smirking as the female would finally respond.

”I planned this time off for weeks. Sorry boss, not gonna be there this time. Don’t you have anyone else to call up?” An expected question, because if anything he imagined Maddie would sugarcoat words to keep future paychecks.

”I probably have someone. If not I can always hire the standard bodyguard fare.”

”Also, not that I care or whatever but you should call your kids. Your son is like graduating high school tomorrow isn’t he?” Well, that was something that he had actually forgotten, causing an actual skip within his heartbeat.

”You’re right. Don’t...need him hating me like the others do.” Eric admitted, chewing on his lower lip as the sound of the phone hanging up could be heard. Looking down at the phone with lit up screen, brows furrowed in an almost pensive gesture. The vehicle would curve around a corner before a massive monolith of a building that had most recently been built up within the city. A triumph of human engineering with hidden defense systems as well as just something that would be able to staff a large amount of people.

Flicking through the touch screen he noted a few texts from his son, most of them asking if he would be there. His response was what he wanted it to be, which was a yes. Driving through the executive section of the building along with around the protesters, walking to his offices where he could prepare himself for the speech that came later. Always some speech to be made and always someone that needed to be placated if he wanted to make any progress. The fact there was word about dangerous vigilantes that targeted business types around here made things all the more dangerous.

Something a bitch like his ex wife was still kind enough to mention. Even with their nasty divorce, she had been one to worry if only because she knew her children would have been hurt by that. Sitting in his office and looking through the notes there, Eric heard the sound of a door opening and looked up to see an odd sight. Someone in a black mask, and swat gear with a gain trained upon him. Finger resting on the alert button under his desk, not something to set the alarms off but would have his security team scrambling rather quickly.

“Put your hands up and come quietly.” They said, voice filtered into a mechanical sound. Putting pressure upon the small button he slowly raised his hands above his head and then behind it, as the person rushed towards him and forced those limbs behind his back. Locking them with the clicking sound of handcuffs. Three more with similar get ups appeared, one of them holding what looked to be a detonater and Eric glaring at it.

”You’ve gotta be kidding me.” He groaned as the button was pressed and a large section of the building exploded.

Roan clanked around in his armor, talking to smaller men in security uniforms "It's no problem, really, I'm glad I can help!" the large man chuckled, towering over everyone by at least a foot. His eyes scanned the crowds of protesters for anyone suspicious, which to be fair, was everyone. A small voice chirped through the headphone in his ear 'Mr. Slattery is here, keep your guard up.' The viking shifted his weight onto his left foot, armor crunching as it moved. The air was calm for once in Los Angeles, though the heat was unbearable. A drop of sweat left Roan's forehead and plopped on the ground. If only the armor had some sort of magical air conditioning to keep him comfortable in these situations.

Roan began to make his way to the executive portion of the building, it was his job to make sure that today went with as few bumps as possible, after all, Mr. Slattery is the reason he hadn't been arrested at least a dozen times for the shit that he's pulled. Axes going through buildings, craters in the streets, and other mindless destruction that came through fighting low level villains. The viking held up a badge as he continued into the building, which he was only permitted to be on the first floor of. "So, are you sure I can't go u-...okay fine fine, I'll stay here." He grumbled, as the receptionist blew him off. While the people weren't much different from those outside, the air conditioning was a nice change of pace.

He stood there for a while, listening to the mindless chatter over the headset about people being arrested, and poking fun at protesters. One hand tapped on his thigh, quietly, or...attempting to be quiet at least. For being hired help by the security team, he sure got the shit end of the stick, sitting in a lobby, with a rude receptionist, and a bunch of suits staring him down because he's not some desk jockey. Roan finally got sick of standing around, and made his way to the restrooms, ducking through the door frame to make his way to the sink. Gently he tapped the faucet, splashing the water to his face, washing away the sweat.

A voice cracked through the headset as he began to dry his face 'UPSTAIRS, NOW!' Like a human battering ram, Roan ran through the bathroom door, causing a large hole in the wall. He began to run to Mr. Slattery's office, his long legs carrying him faster than anyone could imagine. That's when everything began to ring for a second, and Roan felt weightless. His body went through the wall adjacent to him, and down a few floors of the building. When he landed in the lobby, he could see Slattery being escorted by military geared individuals "STOP!" His voice boomed amidst the chaos. Roan stood up, regardless of having fell multiple stories, and began to charge towards the vehicle they were stepping into. Tires screeched as they hurried in, and Roan knew there was no way he would catch up. His right hand drifted to an axe, flinging it with such speed that a small crack of thunder emitted as the air split. The 250 pound hunk of metal found its target, ripping into the passenger side of the van and out of the front. He stood there, hand outstretched, calling the axe back to him, as the van began to spiral. With a thud, the handle returned to his hand, as he slowly walked towards Slattery's kidnappers.

Massive chunks of the building fell from the explosion, colliding with the street as Eric was hoisted from his seat and slung over a persons shoulder with minimal effort. He could tell one of them was a metahuman, which made him realize that he had no place trying to break out of things. One of them said something in a language he didn’t bother studying but sounded vaguely like Russian, gazing out the section of his office which had sloughed off much like other parts of the building. Looking up to the people, he arced a single brow as they quickly seemed to leap off the edge and Eric let out a cry that was lost within the roar of something.

Jetpacks.

”You have got to be kidding me. They have goddamn jetpacks on them.” The descent was just below a neck-breaking pace, landing within a vehicle that seemed to be a getaway and he was rapidly thrown into the back section of the van. The others settling into their getaway positions, which he was pushed up against a wall and had a gun settled against his head, the barrel painfully cold. A twitch of the finger could end his life, and that much made him fearful. Not that he would ever admit to his fear.

A foot slammed against the gas pedal as they began to take off, not even getting too far before the sound of metal shearing through metal could be heard. Wheels left thew ground, and he felt equilibrium go to hell, leaving the ground and then slamming back first against the side of the van. Wind releasing itself in a groat oof as he collided once again with something, but it felt human. One of the kidnappers ad positioned thrmselves to catch him as the remains of the vehicle had careened further and smashed a car. One of them left a bloodied, and bisected corpse.

One of them released a spray of bullets upon the metahuman that had rapidly foiled their escape plans, in the hope that simple bullets would do the job while the other kept their gun trained upon their captives head. A single trickle of blood coming down his forehead.

Roan let out a deep roar, beginning to dig his feet into the ground and run, leaving small cracks in the street below him. His arms covered his face, much like a boxer would, his armor bouncing the bullets away like BBs. His eyes darted to the one firing at him as he closed the distance between the two of them. With a quick flick of his wrist, the backside of his axe came swinging towards the man like a hammer, breaking his femurs with ease. The viking took the gun, and bent it like a toy, looking over at the fugitive with the gun against Mr. Slattery's head. "Put it down, or I swear upon the gods, I will make your life a living hell/" The six foot nine beast of a man beamed, before being utterly blind sighted by a fist. His head twisted, and he took a step to the side, regaining his balance. With a quick turn, his neck made a popping noise. "Now THIS, will be fun!" Roan threw down his axes, letting out a primal roar. He locked into a grapple with the man who had punched him, a meta no doubt. The man was much stronger than he expected, and honestly did put up a fight.

Roan let a few blows hit him in the face, jacking up his adrenaline and increasing his anger exponentially with each hit. This is the way he knew how to fight, bloodied, pissed off and ready to rip someone in half. His armored fist met with the man's face with a sickening crunch. They exchanged blows back and forth, the meta's face growing bloodier by the second, while Roan simply had a nose bleed.

With a jerk of his head, Roan ended the fight, slamming the top of his head into the nose of the meta. The viking's hands gripped his body, and threw him towards the individual holding Slattery hostage. The one with the gun was startled, jumping back for a quick second. Without second thought, Roan's axe split the man in two, sending the van forward a few more feet. "Stay right there sir, I'm going to go check if anyone was in the other car." He began to jog towards the second vehicle, just enough to check that it was indeed empty. Roan made his way back, wiping the other mans blood off of his face "Name is Roan, sir. I was hired by your crew to lend a hand in case of situations just like this." His massive hand moved to the restraints, and with a pinch, he broke the metal that binded Mr. Slattery

The scene that played out before Eric was brutal in the way that only metahumans going hand to hand could be considered brutal. Fists colliding with faces and noses likely finding themselves broken, Eric unable to look if only because he remembered that blood made him feel sick in some sense. Alcohol was something he wanted now, to deal with the stress of this whole situation. The fight lasted only a minute or so, eventually leading to them slamming to the ground with a loud, meaty thud. Followed by his captor, who was sliced in half when they realized their situation. Blood splattering across the concrete and the faint hint of brain matter that made him turn away from the sight, stomach threatening to rise within his throat.

All he did was nod as the male checked the other vehicle before returning to him, breaking his binds and allowing him to move his hands freely. Keeping eyes turned away from it, he removed the flask from his pants and downing the fowl tasting liquid, burning the back of his throat and even his stomach as he heard the male speak.  Letting a sight slip through his lips, brushing them with the back of his hand and turning to Roan, making sure he obscured the corpse. Realizing that the red haired male was pretty large as far as things were concerned. He had to look up at him, eyes widening slightly.

”Well, good thing I had you I guess.” Settling weight upon his left leg, Eric winced as he felt a lance of pain go through his back. ”Yupp, damn car threw something out. Come with me Roan, I need a drink and you’re my bodyguard right now. I’ll triple whatever they’re paying you right now.” He added, knowing that typically all he had to do was offer more money to get someone to go along with him, offering a slight wink despite pain. If anything, the more flirtatious side of him could not be suppressed.

Sending a text his personal limo would have been around. A spacious affair that many complained was a little too spacious for him, but now of all times it seemed auspicious. ”So, what go you on the kidnapping prevention detail?”

Roan lifted Mr. Slattery gingerly, setting him to sit upon his unarmored shoulder, and walking back to the building. "I do odd jobs around here, helping out those who need it...construction jobs, disaster clean up, being a bodyguard or any type of security honestly.." Roan reached out to his axe, bringing it to his free hand. He sheathed the axes and let out a sigh "So, first time being kidnapped? Or is this pretty common for you?" Roan snorted "Sorry, just trying to brighten up the mood a little bit" The viking began to grin, this was the first good fight in quite a while for him.

The two of them found their way to the back of the crowd of protesters. He cleared his throat before letting out a demanding shout, parting them quickly. "Keep back, yes I know,
i'm a piece of shit, whatever, yup, just cuz i'm a meta I suck." He answered back to the heckling. Roan stepped back inside the air conditioned building, only to have guns pointed at him by Mr. Slattery's security. "Okay, honestly, you guys hired me, and I did your job better than you, and now...you're pointing guns at me..." He set down Slattery into a chair, and chuckled quietly "Where the hell did you find these guys, honestly?" Roan kneeled down, still at eye height for a lot of the people in the lobby. He reached back to a small pouch, pulling out a rag, and wiped the rest of the blood off of his face.

"So why do people hate you so damn much?"

Being lifted normally would have been met with annoyance, but Eric was still shaken up by everything that happened. ”Well, you get around.” Eric said with a smirk, resting an elbow on the top of the males head to keep some balance with his current position. The male asking if this was the first time he was kidnapped, and he actually had to think about that for a moment. ”Seconds time. Usually have someone with the powers of the psychic variety helping out but she has her vacation.” Eric explained, taking another swig from his flask which was well appreciated.

Protesters all gathered around them shouting their rhetoric and likely hating upon the massive metahuman. Being settled into a seat as his guards pointed their weapons at the male. ”Weapons down boys. he’s with me.” Eric said as he patted Roan on the torso, giving that usual charismatic smile.  Wiping a few droplets of blood from his face, looking around. ”Can’t tell you. I guess I give support for metahuman heroes and suddenly i’m Satan himself. Ridiculous if you ask me. Just doing something right for once.” Snapping a finger, he pointed at one of his guards with an intense expression.

”Hey you. Get my a bottle of scotch and this guy whatever he wants.” he jerked a thumb to Roan. ”So, have you been considering a full time position? I’ve been needing a bodyguard, and you...” Eyes scanned over the viking appreciatively. ”Definitely make the cut. Have the whole badass, strong vibe goin on.”

"Protein shake please.." Roan croaked at the assistant, not expecting for Mr. Slattery to tell them to get him something. "Well, full time depends on a few things...when it comes down to it, I gotta help people...everyone is equal in my eyes" The giant slid down to the ground carefully, sitting with one knee up. "Be it my enemy,
my best friend, my boss, or someone I've just met, they're all equal in my eyes.." Roan moved his arms, stretching out the front of his shoulders, and then the rear before twisting each way to pop his back, which sounded like firecrackers going off.

"What that means, is if anyone gets in my way of doing the right thing, for the wrong reasons..I'm not liable for what happens" His eyes drifted to a T.V, which showed the events that just took place between him and the meta. Damn that was a good headbutt. A smile began to form on his lips as he watched the gruesome scene, gods it was glorious. "Bad ass, strong vibe...yah I guess I do. Kinda always had a knack for picking things up, putting them down, and beating the everliving crap out of things." The sirens of an ambulance began to roar from outside, causing Roan to grunt to his feet again. "I believe this is where we part ways, Mr. Slattery." He motioned towards the vehicle. "I'll walk you out and make sure everything is good from there, and meet you at the hospital..you're gonna need to get that spine checked out." The friendly giant walked back out the doors to the hushed whispers of a crowd. He could pick out a few things, mainly on how terrible he had acted towards his enemies. He let out a sigh "Another PR nightmare I suppose."

”yeah, get him one of those too.” ric added in, making sure they understood he wanted the literally big hero to have what he wanted to. He did pay them afterall, they better find a way to conjure up some protein shakes. As for having a full time skull crusher, well that was something he could appreciate. Not like many metahumans had morals that included actually helping people when some rich guy was offering to throw money at them to work. ”Ya know, I can respect that. Need that kind operspective around, rather than just being viewed as a talking money dispenser. Eeeeven if I can’t help the fact money makes the world go round as the saying goes.” As he spoke the men came back with his scotch and what he assumed was the protein shake that Roan had asked for.

”Well what do ya know, they actually got one.” Eric smirked, accepting his drink and downing it. Taking it he refilled his flask and took another swig from that, seeming to enjoy the taste from the metallic container more. Listening to the male mention something about being good at picking things up and whatnot. Well, that sounded like something that he could take advantage of altogether. If he could get the guy to actually take the job offer.

”Ugh, this old thing? Is a little wonky already. Have to take things, it’s a real pain in the ass.” Eric muttered low enough that Roan could hear without letting the press go berserk like that. Standing up, he twisted his back and felt the vertebrae crackle a little but nothing terrible. ”Should come along with. Who knows, might have someone try to kidnap me again.” He smirked again, moving along with the male and offering a sly wink. ”Also, I probably should have someone with me so my son doesn’t go yelling at me for being irresponsible.”

Roan set Slattery onto a gurney, smiling "To answer your question honestly, sir. Money means nothing to me. It helps, sure to have a constant source of food..but as for a home? Who in their right mind would rent to me? Y'know?" He stood at the doors of the ambulance before they were shut "I can't ride in this, for the pure fact that me, plus my gear weighs about 1,000 pounds...but I'll be there soon..." As the doors closed, Roan began to slow jog behind the vehicle, arriving at the hospital not long after them, purely because it was only a few blocks away.

He walked with Slattery to his room, and sat next to the bed on guard duty. "So your son, how old is he? If you don't mind me asking.." Roan looked down at the man. He never noticed how fragile other humans looked. He was so used to villains who could take a few whacks before even going down..the scar on his face throbbed at the thought of the one who gave it to him. It was his first real fight, and he got his ass utterly handed to him on a silver platter. "And what of your wife? Assuming you had one, of course.. I mean to have a son, unless...you adopted.." The viking coughed awkwardly as he sat there, twiddling his thumbs, watching over some CEO of a multi-billion dollar company..or was it trillion? Some stupid number like that. Things were sort of slowing down for Roan for once...kinda nice.

The smell of bleach was almost sickening in the hospital as time passed, and five helpings of food later, the slop they were serving was almost as bad. "Got any plans? Besides being here..?"

Not many people would want to hire the rather scary monster of a metahuman with massive rippling muscles. Not that he cared, in some sense enjoying the sight but then again that was personal tastes. Nodding when the male said something about not being able to ride in due to his sheer weight. Okay that made sense, so he just let himself get driven off and from there he would get wheeled to a room, mostly one for observation after they determined he wasn’t in too much danger. Granted the doctor did confiscate his liqour, drawing a look of sheer annoyance from the male. A glare that could kill really, though once he was alone he just withdrew the flask tied around his ankle. Tossing the clear liquid within back, and sighing.

Roan eventually materialized, settling down into some kind of sitting position and asked about his son. ”Eighteen. Just became an adult like a few weeks ago, graduating from high school tomorrow actually. Probably gonna go to some big college, if I have my way anyhow.” Eric said, realizing he was going into more detail than he should be doing. His expression did show a slight amount of annoyance when his wife was brought up, eyes rolling and a slight belch issuing from him. ”I had one, thought our marriage was going great and then...well find her fucking the pool boy. I don’t even know why we had one of those. It’s like so rich people cliché.” Eric began ranting a little, adjusting his laying positon.

”Failed marriage and subtsance abuse aside, probably gonna hit up a food place soon. Know any good places t grab a bite? I know almost nothing about LA and I would prefer to have someone who knows what they’re doing show me around.”

Roan nodded slowly as Slattery talked about his family "So you're going to his graduation..right?" his eyes locked with Slattery's, with a look of Bitch, you had better go to your son's graduation. Seeing as Roan graduated both highschool and got his 4 year degree without so much as a congratulations from his father. "Can't miss out on those moments for stupid shit like a company, no offense sir." The viking snorted, but cooled down his sass when the man talked about his wife "Cheaters always get what they deserve..but I do have to agree...a pool boy? Coulda just got the little scooper and done it yourself, mate." Roan let out a bellowing laugh, about to clasp Slattery on the shoulder, stopping himself. Remember Roan, normal people get hurt when you do that shit. "I just go to all you can eat buffets or out towards my campsite to hunt..." Roan stood up, holding out a hand to pull Slattery to his feet without gripping him.

"With the powers came this insane metabolism...easily over 15,000 calories a day just to keep this thing going." He thumped himself on the chest as he walked down the hallway "Kinda stopped caring about the taste, to be honest...so my opinion is useless on food." As Roan made his way outside, the crowd of protesters stood before him once again, screaming out that he's a monster, a murderer, a criminal. "Well, I guess i'm kind of infamous now..guess i'm sorta stuck working with you. No one wants the help of a murder." He mocked, looking back at Slattery "There's a place a few blocks away..owner loves me"

Eric could feel the stare, only offering a smile in return. ”Well duh, I have actual shame.” He said with a sigh,  knowing that he couldn’t afford to ruin it this time around. He couldn’t let these things be missed, it just wouldn’t have been healthy for any relationships that were currently existing. ”None taken. I appreciate a little real take, straight forwardness. ” The male seemed to move to clap him on his shoulder, but pause with likely the restraint that came with dealing with those that were less than durable. Imagining his wife getting what she deserved was also cathartic, which made him smile more than it should, accepting the hand that would pull him up.

”Here’s hoping I guess. Just have to wait and see what that comeuppance takes the form of.” Letting weight settle upon his ankles, his back seemed to protest, though all he did was remove a few pills from his satchel and pop them into hisa mouth. Near immediately casing the pain to fade once being taken. Any agitation that would have followed was gone as quickly too. ”A campsite? No, that will not do. My bodyguards aren’t going to be homeless. I’ll have to hook you up with a home like...immidiatly.” Whipping out his cellphone, which was oddly in fine condition he dialed something and called someone.

”Hey, I need a home set up. Durable, doesn’t break easy and...with a view.” A few nods between each condition, before hanging up. ”So, let’s get us some food now. I’m hungry and you need those calories. Just pick wherever, i’ll fork over the money. What’s the point of being rich if I can flaunt my wealth a little, right?” Eric offered, motioning for him to come along as he walked himself out of the hospital. ”As for a murderer. My other bodyguard has imploded a few people, you’re fine big guy. Don't think too bad about yourself.” He smirked, letting him lead the way to said place.

Roan stared at Slattery, as he yanked out his phone and made such demands of someone. "So...I have...a home now?" Roan stood there, confused...he had a home, an actual shower instead of some random stream that seemed relatively clean. The two men made their way to the endless buffet of barbecue meats amidst Roan's thoughts. He slid through the front door carefully before locking eyes with the man across the room. "JONATHAN MY MAN, HAVE YOU RECOVERED FROM LAST TIME!?" the man looked shocked to see Roan back again. 'You've become a celebrity, my large friend!' Jonathan called back. Roan took a plate, dumping chicken onto his plate in vast amounts, sitting down, shoveling it down, and repeating with each kind of meat he could find. Roan looked up at Mr. Slattery while he ate and coughed slightly "Sorry for my manners, I was raised by a different culture..." He sat up straight, beginning to eat slowly again, downing water by the gallon.

"So what got you started with your company? Family already had money? Or already had the business? Self made man?" The viking belched, as another gallon of slid onto the table. Roan took a break for a second, beginning to slip off his armor down to a weightlifting uniform. For his height, and weight, he wasn't as massive as most people would suspect. Arms bigger than most people's thighs, shoulders that seemed almost like basketballs, and a thick trunk of a core that supported the weights he lifted. "And the hell did you do to your back?" He said between bites "Is that why you got a pool boy?"

”Yupp. I should probably show you the place sometime.” Eric nodded with an affirmation, looking at his phone which had an address settled into it. ”All bodyguards get personal places. It’s not a penthouse but I typically don’t hear any complaints from quality.” As they entered the place, someone seemed to call out to the larger male and mention something about him being a celebrity, likely mentioning the debacle on television earlier. Well, it was nice to know that not everyone was so judgmental of metahumans, even if they were likely to turn to the violent solution.

”Self made. Addmitedy got the idea from a friend, but I guess you could say my own business sense got me this far. Played the stock game, and here I am.” He had settled down with a considerably less massive pile compared to the viking, slowly shoveling the food into his mouth and giving time to swallow. Seeing the male remove the massive section of armor revealed the body which was not as large as he would have guessed. Still muscular, but not quite as excessive as he would have thought. Eric became painfully aware of how small he looked compared to him, likely only thicker than his thighs are the thickest point.

”Bad accident. Metahumans were in the middle of one of their city wrecking battles, car got thrown off a bridge and smashed into the ground below. It was told I was lucky it only injured my back like it did. Was told not to do anything like football. Apparently getting tackled by big, burly men is a no go.” A joke that was followed by a laugh, shoving more food into his mouth. ”Pool boy was the ex-wifes idea. Hated cleaning the pool, so she thought we needed some help. Saw how well that went.” Wiping away a bit of the sauce around his lips, he looked up to the male.

”Not as fragile as you would think. I take care of myself, eat healthily...mostly and I work out. Can’t say i’m as brawny as you but I got some muscle definition.” He gave a small flex, mostly making his point.