Cage Fight, Win Money

(OOC: Gonna get to this later tonight Drake! Gotta run out to eat! Great post by the way

((^.^'' Thanks, that made me smile. No problem, I can wait ))

The Black Angel was more then a little annoyed by Drake's continued rebuff of her attempts at being friendly. As well as not being among the friendliest people, she wasn't a patient person, and she most certainly had ways of getting the information she needed from Drake.... The only question was did he want to avoid anymore... Unnecessary violence.... Venting to herself, the Black Angel thought "That's what I get for trying to be nice to someone.... Try some humility they say... Fuck humility... If this kid wants to get his ass kicked twice in one night well....." as she saw Drake burn up the the money. More importantly the boy had shown some of his power.... "A fire starter.... Interesting... Guess I know what to look for in some of the crimes in Portland.... Arson.". With the answer Drakes display gave the Black Angel, she decided to back off of Drake, letting him go his own way. Not before saying "You know prides gotten in the way of many fighters progressing.... Don't let yourself be one of them.".

However, no sooner had she backed off, then some locals sought him out to even a score. Looking at the assembled thugs, the Black Angel thought "Clearly they were watching nothing in there....". She then hoped onto the side of a table, eager to get a look at what was to come. However, the Black Angel had to admit some rage coursed through her veins when the leader of the thugs said "I bet everything I had on you!!! You beat the king of the Pit so easily, and now you get beat by this...this woman!?". The Black Angel then slipped off the table, saying in her aristocratic sounding British accent "Hey.... Now I don't know if you were watching in there... But this would certainly wouldn't think twice about splitting you head..."....

Before she could finish speaking Drake's eyes glowed with fire, then he sprang into action, attacking first the cowards who tried to run. Defeating these weaklings with ease, then she turned towards the ones who attempted resistance. All the while the Black Angel reclined against the edge of the table, her arms crossed as she watched Drakes moves. She particularly liked when he used one of the thugs attacks to crush another thugs skull.... It was a move out of her own "Book" it seemed. This was enough to send the other thugs packing, leaving only the leader of the group facing Drake....

Maybe it was something about running a gang in Portland that attracted the cowards? No different then the Black Angels killing of mob boss Tony Fasano.... The leader of this low level gambling ring began shacking, back himself into a corner, barely able to cower and say "P-p-please, d-d-don't hurt m-me...". The Black Angel shook her head, thinking to herself "Pathetic.... Truly pathetic.... She was also pretty sure she could write a masters thesis on why the leaders of brutal dictatorships, mafia's, terrorist organizations, gangs, all types of groups like were ultimately cowards. Totally unwilling to do what they preached and sent people to do. Yes.... She found most of these types begged and would weep for their wretched lives.... She'd know since she'd killed enough to get a vast sample of their dying emotions, were were the true, inner emotions of a person. Rarely did they ever meet death with the same sort of courage as the people they hired to protect them.... Yes... She could see it in a mental health journal yet!

Then something happened the Black Angel didn't expect.... Drake's hand turned into a claw, which looked reptilian.... Basically scaley and gross... He raised it into the air, the moonlight catching the claw in just a way that made it reflect menacingly. The kid was clearly savoring the moment, which made him another potential candidate for the violence consuming Portland. The Black Angel thinking to herself "Add mauling's to arson...". Once the teen was about to strike, the Black Angel stepped in between the two, blocking Drake's attack, while dropping her stack of money on the cowering low life's lap.

She faced Drake down, starring deeply into his eyes which burned with fire with her own jade colored eyes. She then turned her head over her shoulder, looking down at the cowardly man, softly saying "That should cover your losses.... Get the fuck out of here...". The man grasped the money tightly and ran off. The Black Angel who was still holding on to Drake's hand dropped it, saying nothing to Drake as she turned to leave the bar. She didn't know why she'd saved the mans life.... Or why she'd given him her winnings... I guess she was keeping the balance... After all when the police failed to keep order that was where O.C.E.A.N came in.. Portland was the Black Angels beat... And she was walking it...

Drake growled in anger as Angel blocked his attack, preventing him from absolutely destroying the man. A wave of pure rage flowed through him, but it wasn't his own. At that moment, when Angel stared into his eyes, the fire behind them seemed to be more controlled, unlike his own, which was a wild blaze that could catch anything on fire and destroy it completely. The inner dragon's feelings, instincts, and power was overtaking his own at that moment. He felt the urge to continue the swipe, for he had the strength to do it, just pop that pretty little head off...no. No, he couldn't do it. When the man and Angel walked away, he looked down on his right hand, it wasn't a morphed hybrid that his half-dragon form used...it was scaly and black, the claw of the dragon.

How could he have been so blind?! He gasped in short surprise, the anger and consciousness receding back into his mind. The dragon claw morphed back into a human's, the fire behind his eyes went out, and his body stopped heating up. He needed to explain to the Black Angel, he had to tell...someone, anyone, about this. Maybe...maybe she could help him. He looked to where redhead had ran with his tail between his legs, clutching the money that Angel had given him. He eyed a particular trench coat that he had dropped... While he was putting it on, he heard sirens coming closer, 'Great...someone called the police.'

That was all the incentive Drake needed. He crouched down, his tail hovering in the air above him for balance, and jumped, hitting the wall of the building, then jumped again, hitting the next, then back, then again, until he had made it to the top of the building, looking down on Portland from above. When he looked down to where Angel was, he saw nothing but darkness, as if she naturally blended in with it. Taking a huge risk, he reached into the power of the dragon again, his eyes turning to slits, and the fire behind his eyes returning. There, he saw his prey...prey? No, he saw the Angel down below, leaving the scene. He started to run across rooftops, and when he found the opening, he jumped down, holding the wall to slow himself down, and landed to the right of Angel.

"Look, you might think you have me all figured out, but you don't even know the half of it. Please, just give me a chance to tell you, I need someone to know. I have nowhere else to turn, please!" Inside of him, the dragon swelled in anger, begging to a mere human? What was he doing? Yet, he needed serious help, it wouldn't do him any good trying to deal with it by himself.

OOC::

((OOC: I'm making this last post before you guys continue.))

Blood traveled along slim fingers, gathering in a bulb at the tips and falling into a drying puddle. A strip of torn cloth was pulled tight around her arm keep her arm from losing any more liquid. Cell panted heavily, irises dulling to their original pale grey, dominating gaze. As she assessed what her hands performed on these people, her eyes dulled in illness to a bleak ash. One limped body slumped against the trash can, neck bent at an odd angle. Another hung from the fire escape ladder, arm torn off and a gaping whole in his stomach. The next- oh. So that's where the arm had gone? Said appendage remained intact inside another criminal's mouth. The last guard probably had it the worse. Headless. But his death was quick.

These events took place in just the span of five minutes. All of the force and aggression Cage refused to use on that other meta, Drake, she let loose on these unsuspecting goons. Too bad. Some part of her wished she hadn't gone this far; shouldn't these have at least been given the chance to strike back? A more dominant portion of her snarled and disagreed; they knew what they were getting into. Useless dogs- all of them!

Celtic closed her eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. Fraiser is still left. Pull yourself together.

The teen stalked over the man attempting to crawl out of the alleyway. She snorted in annoyance, grabbing both of his twisted ankles and dragging him back. Fraiser's screams were muffled by the blood soaked rags she'd stuffed in his mouth. Cage took a vice grip of his shoulder length hair, pulling up his head in a position where she could properly view his face.

Tears formed at the brims of the broker's eyes. Cage snickered..chuckled..full out laughed at the display of raw emotion. This man continued to fall apart in her bare hands. "Understand something, love.~ What I want, I get. So the ext time I demand," suddenly she pulled his head back, causing his neck to go curve into a painful arch, "Something, it is wise to do as told. Are we clear?" Fraiser's muffled gurgles seemed to sound like twenty different 'yes' in various languages. Hmm.

"Now that I'm sated, I suppose that leaves you? My only loose end?" The broker wept now, sobs muffled gasps. Cage shrugged, merciless. "So sorry, Charlie..." Grinning, she lifted her other palm to his face, keeping her grip tight as the informant helplessly struggled. Her last words, "It's been a pleasure," struck absolute horror into the dying man.

This was not a child. A poor excuse for one- if that. Before his thoughts could travel further, a high energy beam shot through his face.

---

Cell grumbled unhappily as she wiped the last brain matter off of her face. She lit the matches she found in the pocket of one of the goons and threw it in the dumpster. The teen scavenged the alleyway for every last bit of evidence; bodies, hairs, saliva, blood. Never before had she been so grateful for her enhanced senses. Fire hastily ate away at the flesh inside the large bin, greedily devouring any contents inside. Celtic threw the shirt in as well, then tied her mask back on.

Fraiser's phone, pack of cigarettes, and matches were snug against her abdomen. She'd made the decision to wear pants without pockets that night. Cage sighed, pulling a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and gently placed it between her scarred lips through the slit of the mask. Tobacco did not have a high ranking on her 'happy list', but she needed to drown the smell of blood with something. Couldn't risk attracting anymore dogs. The smell of burning caused her to double over and gag; no type of bodily substance would exit.

Okay. Note to self, no more bonfires.

The teen murmured a long forgotten melody as she strode towards the end of the alleyway. Just as she was about to exit the shadows, Vodka stomped right past. Her hand quivered with the need to release a blast- give this one the same treatment as Fraiser. Yet, the boy, Drake, landed next to her. He began this.. sort of pleading with her to understand?

Oh. So this had all been a fucking set up? Was Vodka a meta too? She certainly sensed it, but part of her was shattered- her core. Most called it a soul, but she didn't like taking it that far. Vodka's 'soul' was shattered, but it was repairing itself, and it was taking a toll on her body. 'Which she probably doesn't even know. Yeah, I can sense the growing strength there, but it might just swallow her hole. She's not like us others, her body is mainly human except for her mind. This power could just kill her,' she concluded.

And Cage could appreciate that. It would save her the trouble of having to do it herself. But with one answer, arose another question: Why was it that the day this woman and meta-freak arrive, shit escalates to total insanity?

She had her information, now though. Info that this female could not receive.

Cage turned, silently climbing the ladder to the fire escape, then using the window ledges to get to the top of the building. She realized that the fire in the dumpster would at some point attract their attention. The teen couldn't give a fuck.

Like the world needed more men that bought trafficked young girls? No, no. She did everyone a favor.

Celtic Rayflo exhaled a large cloud of smoke. Now she was sated and could return home to grab her armor and have J.J. heal this damn stab wound of hers. The girl thought back to the boy. Drake. He was strong- brute strength -but strong. Sanity said she would need him at some point. Insanity wanted to throttle his neck.

No matter. The time would come. Maybe not now, but at some point. Just wait...just wait. Clouds parted to reveal an ever-present moon. Like a guardian to the city; it seemed to shine on her with a motherly presence. Celtic swallowed the burn of depression and traveled the moonlight's path home.

Home.

The Black Angel swiftly turned her head to where Drake had just landed, ready to defend herself at a moments notice if necessary. Though..... She didn't feel in to much danger, as the fight earlier proved to both of them that the Black Angel had superior skill. Nevertheless she'd run into more then one guy who couldn't take "Losing to a girl", which made them do something very stupid, and usually the last thing they ever did.... Was Drake about to join that list? The Black Angels left hand was ready to deflect any blow that the meta would unleash, while her right hand was ready to quick draw one of her holstered Glock's.

However, it was evident that the boy wished to talk.... Drake saying "Look, you might think you have me all figured out, but you don't even know the half of it. Please, just give me a chance to tell you, I need someone to know. I have nowhere else to turn, please!". The Black Angel scoffed, she'd offered her help to Drake a few minutes earlier, he'd burned her peace offering, and dismissed her. The Black Angel shook her head, saying "To late for that.... You shouldn't have been an asshole back there... I don't give out a couple thousand dollars to everyone... And I certainly don't offer to help everyone!". With that the Black Angel pushed onward, her pretty, long black hair flowing in the cold night wind.

As the Black Angel continued to walk down the vacant street, she began to think about how she'd had trouble coming to terms with her powers... Not to mention the fact that she still was. She remembered being a young orphaned girl, chosen to become a Jade.... A process which made her not even feel truly human anymore.... A fact which made the Black Angel feel so truly alone back then, while still making her feel quite lonely on nights like tonight. The Black Angel stopped walking down the sidewalk, then she rotated her expensive, black, Italian leather boots and faced Drake who still was standing where he'd landed.

The Black Angel looked at the sidewalk, thinking "What the fuck are you doing Kimberly? For all you know he's the enemy... Leading you into a trap.".. The Black Angel shook that thought off, then headed towards Drake who still looked quite despondent. When she reached him, she sighed heavily, saying "Well I guess I'm a believer in second chances today... I passed a coffee shop that looked like it was 24 hours on my way over here... We can talk there if you want?". The Black Angel certainly didn't trust Drake enough to show him where she slept yet... But who knows... Maybe the boy did just need someone to talk to? Not to mention a dragon could be a powerful ally.... But that was putting the cart before the horse.

"Too late for that.... You shouldn't have been an asshole back there... I don't give out a couple thousand dollars to everyone... And I certainly don't offer to help everyone!"

Fuck...well, that was it, then. Drake's one and probably last chance of ever relieving himself was walking away now. He watched as the Black Angel turned to leave, and bowed his head in shame. Not only had he just begged for someone's help, something he'd never done in his life, but he hadn't been given the chance, either. He was about to turn and walk away when- Was she turning around? He looked up in surprise as she reached him and said, "Well I guess I'm a believer in second chances today... I passed a coffee shop that looked like it was 24 hours on my way over here... We can talk there if you want?"

"Y-yeah...that'd be great." Awesome, he had gotten her attention, now to see how much she would listen to without pegging him as someone to avoid. Drake stood up straight and covered his internal emotions with a grin, "Well? What're we waiting for? Lead the way, ma'am."

((OOC: Sorry about the short post, I wasn't in the mood to post but I figured I shouldn't delay it.))

(OOC: No worries! I get in that mood as well sometimes.)

Drake said "Well? What're we waiting for? Lead the way, ma'am." as his mood seemed to be dramatically lifted from the despondent mood he seemed to be in only moments before. The Black Angel began walking, moving her head to indicate that Drake should follow. As they were walking, the Black Angel said "I'm the Black Angel.... You can call me that or Angel. You call me ma'am again and you'll get another beat down!" with a laugh. After she spoke, the Black Angel was silent, figuring Drake had begged her for a reason and would tell her what he needed to. She wasn't big on small talk, nor was she big on getting extracting information that was of no consequence to her. Drake needed her help and she wasn't going to spill his guts for him.

The Black Angel walked down the dark, desolate, cold streets, her expensive leather shoes clicking and clacking the whole way. She had a certain dark, ravishing quality about her, as her curves and natural beauty could attract any mans attention, as they just did as some bum nearly broke his neck as she walked by. Use to such a reaction, the Black Angel hardly noticed. She simply reached into the pocket of her ten leather jacket, producing a pack of Camel Lights. Opening the box, the Black Angel reached in, taking a cigarette with her well manicured fingers. Placing the cigarettes back into her jacket pocket, she produced an opulent looking silver and gold lighter, with fabulous designs on it. Cupping her hands, the Black Angel lit up, inhaling the smoke deeply, then exhaling.

After making there way down a handful of streets, while walking a few miles, they came to a small cafe, the sign reading "Caffè Latte". It was an interesting looking independent shop, which had a sort of Bohemian quality that did well in the American Northwest. Painted vibrant colors, it certainly stood out from the surrounding eateries and shops, and grabbed the attention of the naked eye. The Black Angel opened the glass door, holding it open for Drake to enter. The interior of was no different then the outside of "Caffè Latte", with an eclectic selection of decorations from around the world. A statue of the smiling Buddha next to a hanging Beatles album, with a vast array of other interesting decorations filling nearly every conceivable space on the walls.

Seeing as it was rather late, the Black Angel and Drake didn't have to worry about much of a crowd. There was only a middle aged hipster sitting on his apple laptop in the far corner of the room, with a young couple holding hands near the window. Then there was a pretty looking college student working. The Black Angel turned to Drake and said "You want anything? I'll buy...".