Vigilantes
 Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Aug 5, 2015 23:58:48 GMT -5
Normally, Levenin loved the rains but this evening it was an incredible hindrance. The rapidly setting sun was perhaps even more trouble than that, however, with the way it kept blinding him at every turn. Within the safety of his hood was his newest steal, wrapped in a pillowcase (also stolen). It wasn’t much but the value of this item was far greater than what it seemed. The police would be on him soon, if they weren't already in pursuit after hearing the news.
Just this morning, Levenin had begun his elaborate plan to strike the local hospital on behalf of Canaan. It was simple in execution, at least for him: fake an injury severe enough to require overnight observation (i.e. his own private room) and gain entry inside. Once the commotion died down, wander around innocently until the jackpot and then flee. What were a bunch of nurses and sick patients going to do? Ellie drilled him well since his last solo heist. He was more than ready now. Today, Levenin was now Nineveh once again.
It hadn’t been viable to leave his full outfit where someone could happen upon it, so Lev left his cloak nearby to snag on his way out and now here he was on the run. He had to admit that the wound he’d given himself was a bit much. First, there was the self-inflicted slash across the abdomen but the more unpleasant thing had been the slight overdose on Ice Magix. As someone who’d never used anything but Acid, the heat illness hadn’t been pretty. Not that it mattered. The hospital’s care was top notch. It was almost like nothing had ever been wrong in the first place. An IV or two later, and now he was fighting fit. Medical advancements continually amazed him, which is why he had to steal them for his own.
Levenin stopped to catch his breath. The rain refused to let up and he was soaked from head to toe in these flimsy hospital scrubs. If he managed to avoid a cold, it’d be a miracle. The droning of sirens in the distance only made him smirk. So they finally caught on? Took them long enough.
There was no need to worry. He still had a good hour left on his ID scrambler so he couldn’t be tracked as Levenin Refure. The nurses only knew him as some random man named Alex Lorenzen with mysterious stab wounds and was a probable Magix abuser. Plenty of time to lose the cops and duck into the slums like usual.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 6, 2015 19:37:45 GMT -5
Dante drummed his fingers against his leg as he stared out the passenger window, watching the streets and alleys they passed. He was a horrible mix of distracted and focused, or perhaps “mix” wasn’t the best word. One second, he stared hard down an alley, trying to see through the rain and darkness. The next second, he fidgeted, craving his headphones. Why couldn’t he listen to music on patrols? All he needed were his eyes, right? Officer Damon could shake him if he didn’t hear the radio or something.
Just then, when Dante looked back to an alley, a voice said, “Tell you what, kid, I’ll give you ten bucks if you actually manage to spot a criminal before the cameras do.”
“Huh?” asked Dante, looking back to see Officer Damon, who had one hand on the wheel and another on a cup of coffee. The bearded officer smirked and him and gestured with his cup.
“You’re Mr. Eagle Eyes over there. You think you can see anything out there tonight?”
“Well uh…” Dante’s eyes drifted to the window again. “Maybe? I mean, if you were serious about the ten bucks.”
Damon let out a laugh and patted the steering wheel. “You got a hot date or something, kid? Desperate for money?”
“No, not exactly. Extra cash is just how I get to have pizza. You ever had it?”
For a moment, Damon just stared at Dante, his brow knitted tight. “Of course I have,” he finally said, confused.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” Dante smiled wide, completely serious.
Damon simply stared out at the street, looking a little lost in space as he muttered, “Oh my god, you really were a slum dog.” Then, he perked up his head, and he asked, “Now wait a damn second, you can’t be that broke. How the hell can you not afford pi—”
The radio then buzzed, and a familiar voice spoke up. Dante and Damon both stared at the radio as if it had a face, listening as it said, “Calling all cars, calling all cars, we have a robber escaping on foot from the South Canaan Memorial Hospital. The suspect has stolen hospital equipment and is currently heading south on Winchester Avenue.”
Dante’s chest tightened. He turned back to the window so Damon wouldn’t see the shock on his face. It couldn’t be. Could it? It had to be someone else. There was no way, not after all of the Novi-gel Dante had brought him.
The cops formed a perimeter around the suspect’s location. They put cars along every street they could to box in the perp. Damon took the eastern side and parked half a block from a large alley, hoping the crook would run out to what he thought was safety, only to get run down. “This guy’s a real idiot,” said Damon, leaning back and drinking his coffee. “Trying to make it on foot after robbing a damned hospital. He’s like that moron from the pharmacy. Remember, kid?” His body then jerked when his passenger door slammed shut. He looked over, and Dante was gone. “Kid? Hey!”
Dante ran through the rain, his arms pumping hard as he sprinted down the alley. His muscles were tight, but his brow was curled up with worry. This couldn’t be him. It had to be someone else.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Aug 7, 2015 0:37:35 GMT -5
With each step, the sirens began to fade far behind him but Levenin knew it wouldn’t be this easy. He was a wanted man with similar targets. They had to know it was him, whether or not the nurses gave an accurate name. Question was how the police planned to get him this time around.
With the rain still coming down at a steady pace, Lev found himself in a small park, or what would be considered as such at the edge of the Lower District area. A few small trees and rundown playground equipment was all to be had here but it was enough. Taking a moment to firmly grasp the bark, he pulled himself up a tree to survey the area. In the distance flashed those familiar lights that so loved to try and chase him down. So, trying to cut me off, are they? Whoever was in charge this time knew their stuff, he had to admit. In the same area as the lights was his usual getaway.
That just meant he had to take a plan B.
Levenin hopped back down to his feet, knees buckling under the fall. Still not 100% it seemed. He had to make this quick before his stamina gave out. Turning to the north, he continued his sprint to eventual freedom. I’ll just take the sewers. It’ll take me out of the way but it’ll be worth it. I’m soaked already anyway.
That’s when he heard it through the rain shower. Fast footsteps roughly splashing every last puddle, closing in on him from somewhere. Even with his enhanced vision, Levenin couldn’t see any exact details but it was clearly a person heading right for him at an alarming speed. Lev stopped where he was, knowing better than to try and outrun them, especially at the risk of them following into his secret escape path.
”I’m surprised you managed to find me. You all can’t seem to do that in normal weather, let alone a storm,” he taunted, a cautious hand ready to retaliate if there was a fight. Even in a less-than-stellar physical state, he still had one or two tricks up his sleeve to protect his stolen claim.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 7, 2015 9:50:38 GMT -5
Dante's uniform was soaked in seconds. His shoes were heavy with rain water as he kept stepping in puddles, and he could feel his socks clinging to his cold feet. A hard wind blew and knocked off his hat, but he didn't care. He kept running, his breath short and hard, but not from exhaustion. Every time his right foot hit the ground, his heart thumped against his chest. Every time his left foot hit the ground, his head panged with another terrible thought.
A voice called out, a cocky, insulting tone that made Dante shiver. He slowed down, and soon he saw the figure of a hooded man up ahead, close to the edge of a small park. Dante's arms drooped, and his heart sank. That hood, it was so broad, so familiar. The voice sounded more cynical. Dante's imagination ran wild with it, making it sound so much more sinister than it really was. But no matter how different it sounded, he knew who it was.
"Nineveh!" he called out as he approached the hooded man. "Nineveh, what are you doing?" He sounded scared, but not for himself. "I thought you had stopped this." Dante remembered Nineveh's words, how he would have a hard time breaking the habit, but he hadn't heard about pharmacy robberies in weeks. He thought maybe Nineveh had changed.
Dante moved closer to Nineveh, hoping that maybe there was someone else under that hood, that it really wasn't him.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Aug 7, 2015 21:12:18 GMT -5
It was the voice that made him show a temporary weakness, a window into his soul, as Levenin’s face contorted into shock. Of all the people that could’ve been here. Levenin was sure he’d avoided Dante’s usual patrol routes in the Lower District. Did he underestimate how many officers had been sent out to cut him off? Even then, why him?
The hood clearly concealed his face but he couldn’t let Dante see him slip out of character, not even for a moment. Expression slipping back into a scowling composure, Lev kept the package out of sight, feet shifting ever so slightly to a defensive stance. ”Did you think you could trust a criminal? Isn’t that something your cop friends taught you when you joined?” he asked sternly. A shiver from the wind and rain began to fall on his skin. ”Then again, with all of the running around you do, it seems like they probably see you more as the errand boy instead.”
Nineveh was intent on destroying the kid with words, but Levenin wanted nothing more than to run. If not that, then to drop to his knees instead and beg for forgiveness. He didn’t want this, he never wanted to get wrapped up in Vigilante business to start with. Deceiving Dante was the last thing he wanted to happen in the middle of it all. There was always the nagging thought in the back of his mind that he could've quit, just go back to the way his life used to be. Now it was far too late.
”I appreciate your effort but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. You’ve seen how well the clinic’s been doing recently. Did you think that was all your doing?”
Lev laughed before being interrupted by a fit of coughing. What luck he had to get tangled up in this weather. ”The only reason anything’s been okay over there is because of me. No, I couldn’t stop, even though I said I would. Where would they have been without me? Where would you have been?”
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 8, 2015 9:11:51 GMT -5
The first question felt like a punch to the chest. Dante winced at it, and he shivered in the cold rain, but his body felt hotter and hotter with every word Nineveh said. The jabs kept coming—the insulting questions that made Dante feel like an idiot. He could hear the other officers now, telling him what a fool he was to trust a criminal, to believe that one could change. He could see Isaac shaking his head in disappointment. Each image made Dante sniff and shake with anger and fear.
When Nineveh asked his final question, Dante broke through the shakes and said, “I… How is that fair? I can’t be everywhere. I can’t help people I didn’t know about. I’ve been doing what I can ever since I heard about you guys. You think… you think I don’t care?” His voice cracked. He couldn’t yell and scream like his brother. All of his anger came out more like whining. “I came from the slums, too, Nineveh. All I want is for people to be safe. Everybody. I help as many people as I can, and I know I can’t do it behind bars.”
Dante moved closer to Nineveh. His gun and his night stick remained on the back of his belt, and he kept his hands in clear view for Nineveh as he said, “You can’t keep this up. Even if I stay quiet, one day you’ll get caught. The cops will find out who you are, and they’ll take back everything you’ve ever stolen. The clinic won’t survive without you. If you get caught, think about what’ll happen to your patients, your friends. You have to stop this, Nineveh.” Dante kept moving closer, hoping that he could talk some sense into Nineveh.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Aug 8, 2015 16:20:25 GMT -5
He could see it. His words hurt Dante. Levenin wasn’t sure if the boy’s shivering was from the cold rain, his attempt to hide how much it stung to hear him speak, or from a building rage within. No matter what, it was clear Lev’s act was working just as he’d rehearsed it in his mind over and over again. It was strange, to say the least- the name people knew him by, normally associated with him as a healer, was now the name everyone would begin to whisper in a different tone. Nineveh was no medic pining around in the slums any longer. He was an entity to be reckoned with.
And even as these thoughts came pouring in, Levenin couldn’t help but be distracted by how numb his entire body felt. The temperatures were seeping into his skin and he knew running would feel sluggish. I really hope this doesn’t get physical…
”You come from the slums so you should know what people have to do to survive, even just day by day.” To be honest, his heart hung heavy as well having to do this. Of course Dante couldn’t be everywhere. He was but one person. ”I can’t do it alone either, but the difference is I’m the only one who’s willing to. I don’t put anyone in danger but myself. I only take from those who already have more than they need anyway.”
Lev gripped at the edges of his cloak, water wringing through his fingers. ”If by some small chance I get caught, it’s not like the clinic would function any less without me…" Even after all this time, he still lagged behind the other nurses in skill. All he was was a glorified intern compared to them. "But there’s the thing: I can’t get caught so I won’t. What do you even have to worry about? If you're doing everything legally, you're perfectly okay.”
Levenin grew increasingly uncomfortable with Dante edging closer near him, but he couldn’t very well yell at him to go away. Instead, he faced the young man, stepping backwards cautiously. Close quarters were a huge disadvantage. ”Just think of it like this… In this way, the clinic benefits twice as much. If you don’t want to be part of that, fine, but you can’t stop me either way. If you try, I'll kill you.”
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 9, 2015 8:17:11 GMT -5
The rain picked up, the heavy drops pattering so loudly that Dante and Nineveh almost had to shout to be heard. Dante’s shivering grew worse and worse as his anger died down, replaced with sadness and worry. He just knew he would catch a cold from this. He’d be coughing for weeks and bedridden in a day or two, but that didn’t matter.
"You’re wrong, Nineveh,” he said, his voice shaking. “The clinic will suffer. When you get caught, they’ll lose everything you’ve stolen for them. They might get shut down, or they might be accused of helping you. This isn’t about you or me. It’s about them. If you’re going to help them, you have to do it the right way, or you won’t be able to help them at all.” He ignored Nineveh’s threat, and he stepped closer again. No matter how much Nineveh stepped back, Dante kept moving in.
“Nineveh, this is the last chance I can give you. I’ll already be in trouble for letting you go once if anyone finds out. But if you go to jail, then the clinic suffers, and so many people will die. You have to listen to me: Take what you stole back to the hospital and run away. Start doing things right and keep the clinic safe.” Dante wasn’t sure if any of what he said made sense or if Nineveh would listen to him. So far, every time he had gone out on patrol, criminals had lectured him. Each and every time they had made him feel like an idiot, and maybe he was. But whether his way was truly right or not, he knew their way was wrong. He only hoped that Nineveh would see that, and he prayed this wouldn’t get violent.
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Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
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Post by Levenin on Aug 9, 2015 19:04:12 GMT -5
Levenin was beginning to grow tired of this stand off. He was cold, still a little weakened from his earlier intentional overdose, and his wound was beginning to ache despite the Novigel treatment. There would be no scarring there but he knew he’d be feeling it for days to come. Clutching at his side, he grew indignant. ”I won’t get caught if you don’t say anything!” He stamped his foot in a puddle childishly. Maybe stooping down to this kid’s level would get through to him. ”Is that what you want?! To turn me in and mess it up for everyone?! Do you want to be the one responsible for shutting down the clinic?! For putting everyone out of a job and for letting the sick and injured suffer?”
He hadn’t been ready for this. The steal had been successful, his identity protected for a little while longer, but mentally, no. Levenin could feel himself slipping out of his persona the longer this dragged on. Everything was fine until he… The sadness that flooded him slowly boiled into anger. That was right. Everything had gone according to plan until Dante had shown up here, just to ruin it for him.
”Don’t you think I wanted to do it the “right way?” It’s impossible… I don’t see how you don’t understand. Moving up in this city from next to nothing… Unless everyone becomes a slave like you. But the very people you work for and the ones above them are the ones keeping us like this: under their feet and never allowed to know what a better life is like. It doesn’t matter how hard they try, they always…”
Levenin sunk to the ground, hunched down with his knees held to his chest as the package fell into the mud without a care. The act was broken. How could anyone depend on a person who was so weak? He pulled at his hair in frustration, strands clumping together into wet locks.
”I’ve been doing my best but… I-I screwed up. This is the only thing I'm capable of doing anymore.”
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 9, 2015 22:42:09 GMT -5
By the time Nineveh was done talking, Dante felt heavy and weak. He couldn’t even see Nineveh sinking to the ground, as his own head hung straight down. Tears streaked down his face, and he felt the pressure build up in his shoulders and crush his head with fear. He sniffled—barely audible in the rain—and he shivered. Isaac, he cried in his mind. What do I do? What would Mom and Dad do? What do I…
A faint light then swept through the air, and Dante could hear splashes in the distance. He gasped and looked around, spotting clouded beams of light a few blocks away. All of the color washed out of Dante’s face. His cheeks were slick with rain, tears, and sweat as he realized what was happening. Nineveh hadn’t come out of the perimeter, so cops were coming in. Dante looked back to the thief, to the fallen package lying in a puddle. The splashing grew louder, and Dante could start to hear garbled voices shouting over the rain. He bit his lip and sniffled again, a couple more tears rushing across his cheeks.
“I’m sorry…”
Dante reached his hand back behind him, and his fingers curled tight around a hard steel grip. He drew his pistol, and he continued, “I’m sorry, Nineveh. I know it’s tough. I know this system is messed up, and I know what you’re going through. I’ve always been a failure. I’ve always been an idiot. I can’t focus, and when I do I’m blind. I haven’t done one thing right since I became a cop, but I hope this will be the first.
“Nineveh, you need to stop stealing. You need to try doing things the right way again, even if it’s hard, because one day, you will get caught.” Dante then pressed his gun against his own stomach, tilting the barrel along his Kevlar vest. “… But not by me.”
A shot rang out, a thunderclap in the storm. Dante fell backwards, gasping for air. His breath flew out of his lungs with the glancing gunshot. Even at an angle, the bullet had felt like a sledge to the gut, and Dante curled up on the ground, holding his stomach with one arm while shakily holding his pistol with the other. Dante tossed the gun between himself and Nineveh, and as he scrunched up tighter, he whimpered, “R-run.”
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