Faith Blade's Story

It seemed odd to go into another bar, but Faith needed a drink and for some reason, she happened to be around this particular location. As long as it had alcohol, she really didn't care about the establishment itself. It also might keep her from being attacked for once, which would actually be pretty nice. So, with a deep sigh, Faith shoved through the door, her blonde hair blowing into her baby blue eyes for a brief moment. Once inside the bar, she glanced around silently before heading for a booth that was located where she could see the door. Her body was currently covered by a pair of blue jeans, a green wife-beater tank, and a pair of blue and white Nike shoes. Of course, the top of her clothing happened to be covered up by a blue hooded jacket, the hood up over her head.

"Whiskey, please!"

Taylor rose, slightly startled by the bar's most recent patron. He paused, wondering if he had remembered to turn the sign to 'closed'. As he gazed over and into the booth, he briefly considered turning the girl away. Though, maybe her presence would keep him from dwelling so heavily on the past.

He took a glass, filling it to the brim and walking it over to the barely occupied booth. He placed it beside here hand, smiling meekly before turning to walk back across the desolate bar.

couldn't help but notice just how empty the place happened to be. Maybe it was almost time for the bar to close? Did bars close? She was sure they did, but usually passed out long before that time. Then again, the only real bar she had hung out at was Gambit's and that place was almost always open. Crossing her arms against her chest, she counted under her breath, waiting for her drink. When it was brought to her, she stared first at the man who didn't necessarily appear to be a waiter before finally glancing at her glance.

"Thank you. Why's this place so empty? It feels like a ghost town or something."

If she was honest, it was a little off-putting to the blonde. Twirling the glass around in her fingers a moment or two, she finally picked it up and tossed down some the liquid. It had been a very long time since she had real whiskey and she hissed under her breath at the burning sensation. Once it was gone, she tossed down the rest of it and stretched a little.

"I guess I should have just told you to bring a bottle. I'm a pretty heavy drinker."

Faith Blade couldn't help but notice just how empty the place happened to be. Maybe it was almost time for the bar to close? Did bars close? She was sure they did, but usually passed out long before that time. Then again, the only real bar she had hung out at was Gambit's and that place was almost always open. Crossing her arms against her chest, she counted under her breath, waiting for her drink. When it was brought to her, she stared first at the man who didn't necessarily appear to be a waiter before finally glancing at her glance.

"Thank you. Why's this place so empty? It feels like a ghost town or something."

If she was honest, it was a little off-putting to the blonde. Twirling the glass around in her fingers a moment or two, she finally picked it up and tossed down some the liquid. It had been a very long time since she had real whiskey and she hissed under her breath at the burning sensation. Once it was gone, she tossed down the rest of it and stretched a little.

"I guess I should have just told you to bring a bottle. I'm a pretty heavy drinker."

Taylor smile, nodding slightly. The girl didn't seem to know who Taylor was, or at least she didnt recognize him if she did. I guess that comforted him a bit. He was able to shed all the history that trailed him all these years. It reminded him of his youth, when he'd sit atop of that stage drinking with the closest thing he ever had to a father. It reminded him of when he brought Liz here and he was nothing to her but a potential one night stand, it reminded him of when he realized she was much more than that. Most of all, it reminded him of simpler times.

"We're actually closed, but I guess I dont mind the company; Or if you dont mind mine, that is"

He walked to the bar, reaching over it and dragging back a large bottle and a second glass. He placed a glass before him, filling it to the brim before preceding to fill the women's.

"As long as you keep the booze coming, I don't mind much of anything. I'm not an alcoholic by any means, but I'd rather dull my memories a bit. Being back in Wing City hasn't exactly been pleasant for me thus far."

Shrugging a little, she once again wrapped her fingers around the glass that was thankfully full. Why had she come back? Mostly she was looking for the folks she used to spend time with, but all she had found thus far was a plethora of people that didn't remember those of the past. That hurt a lot, especially with all they had done for the city. Bringing the drink up to her lips, she smelled it a moment before tossing the entire thing down her throat with a slight grimace. It wasn't the best whiskey she had tasted, but it definitely wasn't the worst.

"I guess just kick me out whenever you've tired of my company."

Taylor smiled, laughing to himself at a joke that only he seemed to get. He hid his face, callus laughter muffled by his hand. He finally peered up at her, gathering himself swiftly. "You know you ain't in wing city anymore, darlin. This is Eden. You went and crossed a border without even knowing it." Taylor should of been concerned for the apparent lack of security around his borders, yet it didnt seem to concern him too much at the moment. He sipped at his drink.

"Eh, I've got nothing better to do. Names-" He paused for a moment, staring down at the table. He nodded to himself, smiling lightly. "Name's Gabriel."

Her brow arched at his obvious delight at some joke that appeared to pass over her head. Sure, she could have worried about it and maybe even been offended by it, but Faith had other things to worry about than some strange barkeep laughing at her or not laughing at her. She slid the glass towards him and was about to ask for more to drink when she completely froze at his words. She wasn't in Wing city? What the hell was Eden? When had she passed from one place to another? She hadn't been drinking, so blaming the booze wasn't going to work this time. Well, maybe she was just far too occupied with thoughts of the past.

"What the hell is Eden, Gabriel? When the... ...arg. The name's Faith Bl... Blade. Could ya' fill my glass up again? I uuhh... I should have paid a bit more attention, I guess when walking around. See, I lived in Wing City a long time ago for a very long time and I've been looking for my old uhh... friends."

Taylor shook his head, getting out the remnants of his laughter. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Wing City's about an hour from here. There's a thing stretch of land and a bridge that you can follow to get here, but its ussually not that easy crossing the border. You musta just...slipped by. They didnt notice yah." Taylor chuckled.

He rose the bottle and filled her glass once more. "Faith. That's a nice name, never heard it before." He took another sip of his drink, having now worn it down to about half way. "Old friends?"

"I just assumed the bridge was part of the City. Remodeling or something, y'know?"

Shrugging, she prodded at the glass as it was filled. It was strange to find someone that didn't recognize her name, or at least she thought it would be strange. But, the more she wandered around, the more she came to realize that no one remembered her anymore. That hurt a lot more than she wanted to admit because back in the day, she was a very formidable warrior. That just didn't seem to be the case anymore. Sure, she was still a very skilled fighter, but so was everyone else or almost everyone else. Returning her attention back towards Gabriel, she ran a few fingers through her hair and sighed softly.

"Yeah, people I used to fight alongside and hang out with back in the day."

"Well, did you end up finding them or what? The way you're talking, it seems like it didnt turn out too well."

Taylor eyed her drink, emptying rather quickly. He decided to follow suit, downing his own drink. His lips contorted into a scowl, the alchohol burned against his throat. "Man, Whiskey's as harsh as ever."

"It appears that no one knows where any of them are. I'm not really surprised though, since it was quite a while ago that we were all together."

Picking back up the glass, she downed it in a matter of seconds, nearly slamming the empty glass down onto the table. Grinning at his scowl, she slid her glass towards him, leaning back in the booth seat a little bit in order to feel more comfortable. She had already gotten use to the burning sensation of the whiskey and wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Eh, I'm already used to the harshness."

"Well, that's too bad. I know what it's like to lose friends, or worse, have them lose themselves." His lips began into a frown, yet he managed to keep them back. He wouldnt spend this encounter sobbing over the past, he'd done far too much of that already. "But at least you might be able to find them some day. They're still out there, somewhere."

"Unless they're killed already. I hung out with a ton of hardcore fighters. We were what kept Wing City from being decimated time and time again, but now no one cares. It's just tough to be forgotten so easily. Have you heard of an individual named Master? He's one of the guys I'm searching for." Since he didn't fill her cup up again, she took it upon herself to pour more whiskey into her glass, immediately tossing it back the moment it was filled. Why wasn't the booze washing away the hurt this time?

He eyed her carefully as she spoke, raising a brow as he took in her tale. The similarities between their lives astounded him. "We're a lot alike i guess. Eden used to be under my guard, I was kinda a celebrity round here. But then I went off to the war, and apparently people thought I died. Came back and there wasnt much here waiting for me, cept a girl I'm madly inlove with who im not sure returns the sentiment and a group of guys who except me to pick up a gun the first day I was back."

Despite never finding those she had been looking for, Faith never left Wing City. Like usual, she stayed in the shadows, doing what needed to be done to keep those that needed protection safe, and punishing those that needed to be punished. She made sure that no one ever truly saw her and the blonde had done fairly well in helping the innocent from being mercilessly slaughtered. Wanting to do more during the day, she found herself wandering around the Town Square, peering at the architecture with little interest. It definitely looked different during the day, that was for sure. It wasn’t long before she spotted a group of people standing around what looked like a booth of some kind. Figuring she had nothing to lose, the lithe female moved closer, her fingers twitching a little as she shifted her baby blue eyes around cautiously.

As she moved closer, she noticed what the booth was and couldn’t help but grin inwardly. Neighborhood Watch? Yeah, that was definitely right up her alley. As she tried to figure out who was actually running the booth, Faith slipped in close enough to snatch up information and scooted off to the side to read it. She would let whoever was in charge speak to her first. Her body was currently covered by a pair of blue jeans, a green wife-beater tank, and a pair of blue and white Nike shoes. Of course, the top of her clothing happened to be covered up by a blue hooded jacket, the hood up over her head.

“Hmm… Neighborhood Watch… sounds mighty interesting…”

"That's great!" said Delta, smiling at Roxxy. "I don't think there's a single good person here that disagrees. With all the crime, the rogue vamps, the crooks, serial killers, and gang activity, along with a billion other things, we need the community to start helping out. We'll be holding meetings every now and again, in every district. We highly encourage anyone to report anything suspicious that they see, and that they do their best not to get involved for their own safety. You think you could take part? It's backed by Giles Fabron and Julian Harris. You can expect to see a lot more of this kinda stuff from them in the future."

"Hey there," Leon, a WCPD officer, spoke up as he approached Faith.

The crowd was beginning to grow and people were lining up to sign up and ask questions, and a few other police officers mingled among them to help out. Leon was among the volunteers for the afternoon, and the first to reach Faith as she was reading over an information pamphlet.

"I'm Leon, with the WCPD. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help."

Faith peered around a little, silently listeing to all of the different conversations without actually actually hearing them. She slid her fingers through her blonde hair, pushing it out of her eyes before glancing around once again. Feeling something nearing her location, she took note of a WCPD officer nearing her location. That wasn't what caught her attention though. No, it was what the individual was. She could tell immediately that he wasn't all human, but she really didn't care about that. Sighing, she looked back down to the pamphlet before shrugging a little.

"Eh... well, I guess what's the point of this? I mean, like, what exactly are you wanting the civilians to do for this Neighborhood watch deal?"

"Well, it's to help get more eyes out there on the streets to help make the city a safer place," Leon explained. "The program is primarily about spreading awareness and helping you, the citizens of Wing City, to learn what to keep an eye out for, and when to call the police. There will be seminars, group meetings and community support. And the more crimes being reported, the tighter the law can come down on the criminals."

"So, we're just to call the cops? Not anything else? Hmm... sounds kind of weak." Faith shrugged a little before glancing down at the brochure once again. Well, it wasn't like she had anything better to do and it didn't necessarily mean she was going to stop doing her other activities.

"Alright, color me interested. What do I do first?"

Leon chuckled. "This is a neighborhood watch, not a police force. If you're interested in a badge, we're looking for some new cadets down at the WCPD," he said with a wink before guiding her towards the booth where there were clipboards with signup sheets. "You can signup here. The first meeting will be next Tuesday. We're going to have some volunteers from the police department offering some basic self-defense courses as well, for anyone who wants to participate."

"Hah! I don't do police officers. Not my cup of tea. Ya'll have to follow far too many rules. No, thanks." she snorted, rolling her eyes before following him over to the booth. Peering at the clipboard, she once again mulled over whether or not this was something she absolutely wanted to do.

"I don't believe I need self-defense. I come from a pretty uhh... anyways, my family taught me all I will probably need to know. Where's the meeting going to be at...?" Faith grabbed a pen and signed her name, Faith Blade, onto the signup sheets, hoping that no one would come hunting her down. Maybe she should have used an alias instead... that way her past wouldn't be able to hunt her back down. Oh well, what was done, was done.

"Well, glad to have you on board," Leon replied as he offered a hand to Faith. "You're welcome to attend the classes even if you just want to volunteer as an assistant instructor," he offered.

Musing a moment or seven, Faith finally took his hand and shook it, flashing him what she hoped would be taken as a harmless grin. She wasn't used to all this people stuff, but surely it wasn't that difficult, right? She couldn't help but snicker at the idea of being an assistant instructor and decided that would bring far too much scrutiny down on her and right now, she still needed to remain incognito.

"I'll pass on helping out as an assistant instructor, Leon, but thanks for the offer. I look forward to the first meeting."

After briefly speaking to another person, who was quickly on their way with a wave, the politician focused his attention on the Montesquieu brothers. He gave a big smile in their direction and faced them. "If it's questions you have, I can answer them. I am Giles Fabron, oen of the backers for the neighborhood watch. It's nothing that will hinder you, and it'll certainly look excellent on a college transcript. Your main concern is to report anything you see going on in Wing City. See some muggers? Call the cops. Gang activity? Let us know. We encourage you not to get involved, but letting the authorities know can make you just as much a hero."

Edmund listened diligently for a moment. Great for a college transcript?? Well yes that kind of thinking was very self interested but at the same time his time was so limited at times. Almario was also interested “Wait, Giles Farbon? Isn’t your name everywhere currently?” That Giles Farbon?

Edmund himself was more intrigued on other matters though one particular point vexed him. “Don’t I call the police anyhow when I see something illegal or dangerous occurring? What is the difference of that and a community watch?” Neighborhood Watch but he felt it was the same thing.

The older gentleman chuckled. "Yes, I would hope all the advertisement would pay off. I am currently running for the central Aslund parliament position against Gabriel Ereb," he explained patiently.

He shifted his attention to the other twin. "They're one and the same. Just by a different name. Also, you aren't just reporting suspicious activity: by signing up you'll be part of group meetings that will discuss how we can better the community we're in. There'll be one for every district, at different periods during the month."

Almario listened and a twig of recognition came to his face at the uttering of Ereb. “Oh yeah! The crazy guy tha-“ He stopped midway as if to realize he was about to say something really inappropriate. VOTER PARTICIPATION at its finest. Don’t know who any of these candidates are unless they shoot up a crowd full of people. In which their body guards shoot up a crowd.

Edmund seemed to trail off what the other had said “What my Brother means is that it’s a very obvious choice who to vote for…” And left it at that. Edmund remained quiet registering what was said. “As soon as are citizenship is approved of course.” He expressed.

“Seminars throughout the month? What exactly will we be learning? What was the last meeting on?” Just a sample of what they or possibly just Edmund might experience at a meeting.

"We haven't had the first meetin yet. We've got to get everyone's interest so there'll be people, first!" laughed Fabron.g "However, the first few will undoubtedly be on how to safely report something if you're in the midst of the action, who to call for what incidents, things that you might need to recognize if you're not sure if what you're seeing is a crime or not. Some things aren't as obvious."

Edmund nodded his head, remembering something he did attend between classes. It itched at him and the environment felt sort of free to express it.

“What about a racial sensitivity and profiling seminar?” He just asked for a moment, a suggestion. “Or maybe a conflict resolution?”

"Any suggestions you may have can certainly take into consideration. And those are good!"

Jonathon never was one for the publicity his title received, and instead chose to live as conversative of a life as possible. He detested the papparazi, as well as the flair that adorned his appearances in public. They wouldn't happen if it weren't for his advisor, a mustached man that had one served his father before him. He had insisted on such things to withold his appearance to the public. The truth was; He hated. He hated the money, hated the hoity-toity attitude of his 'collegues' and hated the attention. He had never wanted to follow suit in his father's endeavors, but it was all willed to him and, in turn, forced down his throat. Yet, he was still ever the philanthropist, only anonymously. He enjoyed donating large sums to causes that actually stood to better things. He just chose to remain unnamed as a benefactor. On this particular early afternoon, he was informed of a type of 'commotion' in the Town Square of Wing City. He chose to scope it out, however, on his own, to maintain subtlety. He wasn't going to be able to covertly get any information if he had pulled up in a flashy limo.

No. Instead, here he was on foot, wearing a suit much cheaper than any of his actual ones, and a cigarette hanging loosely out of the corner of his mouth. He wore sunglasses to both better conceal his face and keep the sun above him out of his eyes. The heat was far from sweltering, but he still found himself reaching up and loosening his tie considerably as he approaced the booth he had be told about. It was more populated that he had initially imagined it to be, much to his chagrin. Just more introductions that he would have to suffer through. Still, the purpose of the booth, a founding of a neighborhood watch, interested him and it might prove to be something that would siphon more money out of his pockets. He threw his cigarette to the pavement below him and snubbed it with his heel before plunging himself into the crowd, eyes scanning for whomever might be heading the booth.

The one person who wasn't any kind of busy at the booth was dressed in a white shirt and a grey pencil skirt, like a proper office woman, though the red bowtie was a bit old fashioned. Her hair was short, slicked back, and she was wearing a thin pair of glasses, golden rimmed. Her nametag said Ariel Moore.

What most people didn't realize was that this was a gettup, and that Ariel was one of Giles' bodyguards. Though Delta wasn't wearing any sort of armor, Moore's was cleverly hidden with the chameleon setting on her skin suit and visor. She scanned rooftops for any sign of life, or rather, any sign of a potential sniper.

It was she who approached Jonathon, holding out a flyer to him. "Hello, my name is Ariel Moore. Might you be interested in the Wing City neighborhood watch? Supported by Giles Fabron and Julian Harris."

Jonathon cast a glance up and down the woman that had approached him once before sighing and running a hand through his disheveled hair. He then lowered the hand to grab the flyer from the woman's outstretched hand and held it at a distance in front of his face to read idly. "I suppose I might be, Ms.?" he responded, using his free hand to take off his sunglasses, fold in the temple, and place them in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

"Moore," the woman repeated. "Ariel Moore. You are?"

Jonathon blinked, only once, before turning his eyes to the nametag pinned to her front as his mind processed that she had already verbally introduced herself to him as well. This was the effect being in public had on him, even when he wasn't being recognized. He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his head before letting his hand flop lazily to his side.

"Riiiiiiight. Ms. Moore. Right. I'm Jonathon Lectre."

Ariel popped an eyebrow. "It's good to meet you, as well. Well, if you're interested, that'll be just great. Have you been part of a Watch before?"

He paused a moment after hearing her question to watch her, waiting for any spark of recognition to light up her face. He saw none, and for this, he was grateful. He visibly relaxed at the lack of indication and held out his hand for her to shake. "Right, nice to meet you. And no, I haven't. My father was, once upon a time, but that was when I still just a kid."

She slipped her hand into his, grip firm, but not crushing, as she shook. "I see. Well, you've got a chance here to give to the community with nothing but honest participation. Wing City is littered with crime. I'm sure you've realized. Most of that crime goes unreported. There have been murders in broad daylight that took a crowd hours to take action against. By that time, it's far too late. In an effort to stop this, we are initiating this watch to stimulate awareness and action. How does that sound to you?"