[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]He's got all the exuberance of a younger man. Rough around the edges, not yet worn smooth by the wear of time. Even a diamond needs polish to truly shine. Riding a cyclizar like this'll do all that and more.[break][break]

Just give it ten years. [break][break]

"Yeah. Fuck 'em."[break][break]

She offers an unseen, wry smile at his clunky agreement. He can hear it in her raspy whisper. Uttered low under the rush of the wind, practically right in his ear. Johnny bucks wildly beneath her, and she clutches one arm around his chest as she leans in closer, taking a corner onto the turnpike. [break][break]

"Nastasya. But call me Nastya if you like."[break][break]

Keep it casual. No last names. [break][break]

Not that she'd have any to give. [break][break]

Her name belongs to the streets. A moniker taken when she was almost still a girl. She'd always adored the characters from those overseas novels, discarded for pulp among the streets but filled with so much wisdom and hope -- those words washed into the gutter now, like all good things in this city. [break][break]

"You'll wanna hold on! Johnny gets a little rowdy!"[break][break]

But that was how a man should be.[break][break]

The drake beneath her runs faster than any other vehicle on the roadway, swerving wildly, tearing apart the asphalt, cutting through the wind, carting Navy away to places unknown. He seemed to go fast enough he was liable to take to the skies at any moment, with every bound defying gravity more than the last. [break][break]

--And the woman clutching the boy tight, hooting with excitement in his ear, laughing, finally content. All her malaise melted away. All her anger shed behind her. Only a memory now. [break][break]

For the first time since he met her, for the entire time he would know her, her voice rang out with joy only at this precise moment of a ride, when the steed she rode upon threatened to leave everyone and everything in this city behind, to grow wings and be rid of it for good. [break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]"We find a way. Don't we, Johnny?"[break][break]

The cyclizar lets out a snort of affirmation that shakes the earth and splits eardrums, sounding just like an engine. [break][break]

She laughs the question off. Kid's still green. Doesn't know yet, you don't go askin' questions you don't want an answer to. [break][break]

Best not tell him too soon. He'll figure it out, eventually.[break][break]

"He's a beaut, ain't he?"[break][break]

She grasps the handle bars around the dragon's collar, pressing against the kid from behind. Her laugh is in his ears as she reacts to his muted enthusiasm. Her breath on the back of his neck. He's trying to keep his cool.[break][break]

"Way I see it, Navy? Monroe can stop me if he can catch me. Til then, well... [break][break]

"Your law don't mean much if you can't enforce it, hmm?"[break][break]

A spur in the dragon's hide and he rears up on his back haunches in anger. The woman keeps Navy steady, holding herself and him on the drake. Finally, he shoots forward, wind and smog blowing through their hair. [break][break]

"Y'know, Navy... Noticed you never asked my name. Ain't that what good boys like you 're trained to do?"[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]She can't help but grin widely at that pronouncement.[break][break]

"What're you, some kid from Pallet Town?"[break][break]

She's not looking down at him. That kid became a champ in that movie. Maybe he thinks he's gonna one day as well. [break][break]

Who's she to argue that? It's good to have a dream.[break][break]

"It's good. Got a ring to it. [break][break]

"C'mon, then, Navy. I'll show you the place, so you've got the layout in mind before it gets dark."[break][break]

She guides him by the shoulder to the street. Drops a ball on the ground, and a gigantic lizard pops out - a Cyclizar. One of those pokemon that're a lot more trendy over in Paldea, but they're in vogue among the thugs in Slateport lately. Some crazy woman who swears by 'em paving the way, or something. [break][break]

"Yo, Johnny! Looks like we gotta new friend! No bitin' this one's fingers off, y'hear?" [break][break]

The alpha drake sizes the kid up. Get close enough he can practically taste him. A few sniffs, then a snort that blows the kid's hair back. A sign of approval. He backs up and lowers his front end, enough for the kid to get on.[break][break]

"Looks like he likes ya!"[break][break]

The woman prods him from behind, encouraging him to mount the dragon. There's an even wider smile on her face now, like the drake's approval assured her of something.[break][break]

"Only likes his own kind, y'know. Fierce. Dangerous. Unpredictable. Must've seen somethin' in ya to let you on his back. Doesn't normally do that."[break][break]

She waits til Navy mounts the drake before climbing on behind him. Unlike every other domestic Cyclizar past and present, this one doesn't have harness. Maybe he's too big for one. Maybe he's too wild to wear it. Or maybe, she just likes it au natural. [break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]A hearty laugh. A hand on her hip, and a sly smirk. She glances him over up and down once again, catching a glint of that dangerous look in his eye. Then, a quick flash of guilt. Doesn't take a genius at reading people's poker faces to know what the kid was thinkin'. [break][break]

"Right on. Shoot first, ask questions later. You've got the attitude down pat, that's for sure. Confidence, too. Just don't get in over your head. Take it easy."[break][break]

She takes a step closer. Reaches out, places her hand on his shoulder. It's bonier than at first glance, the way his jacket hangs off him making him look bigger than he is. Like rags hanging from a skeleton. [break][break]

Explains the hunger in his eyes. [break][break]

"I ain't about to tell ya how to live your life, kid. Bet you get enough o' that already. But...[break][break]

Just need a little muscle. That's all. No goin' overboard, y'hear?."[break][break]

She squeezes her hand, staring into his cold, steel eyes. Reflection of the fire in her own a spark, to ignite that fire and burn all his guilt away. She doesn't need a killer. Not yet. Kid doesn't gotta worry about bein' anyone other who he is.[break][break]

She gives him a wide, sharpedo smile.[break][break]

"So, killer. What d' they call ya?"[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]The woman lifts rose-tinted sunglasses to her forehead, looking over the kid with a wide smile. Gettin' a clear picture of him with a single glance. Call it a skill for reading people. Maybe it's all bullshit, but her intuition's never led her astray yet. [break][break]

No attempt at deception in the slightest. This kid's got confidence enough to back up his words, wears his heart on his sleeve. Rare sight in her usual circles. [break][break]

"I ain't no charity either. But hey, long as you're willin' to help me out, we both get paid. How's that for honest work?"[break][break]

Hand to her hip, she nods over the kid's shoulders to the docks. Warehouses sit empty on the outskirts, where most sensible people stay away. Leaves just the people like them, people without sense. People willing to do more than settle for a life under the heel of corporate Slateport. [break][break]

"Got a tip on some goods some 'friends' o' mine would pay a pretty penny for. Problem is, some unsavory types grabbed 'em first. [break][break]

"They're holdin' onto 'em. Gettin' their grubby little fingers all over 'em. Hate to see greed get the better of someone, y'know? Thinkin' I'd like to help 'em out. Problem is, said friends ain't of the same mind, and I can't do it alone.[break][break]

"That's where you come in. You good in a battle, kid?"[break][break]

Eyes go straight to his hip, eyeing the red and white orbs in a row. Everyone in this line of work takes on a pokemon or two. The heat's too much not to. But even so, the kid ain't the type. Not yet. [break][break]

In his world, carrying a bunch of pokemon like that means you're damn serious about fighting.[break][break]

Time to find out just how serious he is.[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]"Hah! I ain't such a goody two-shoes myself, y'know."[break][break]

The way the kid cared about taxes was cute. Showed how green he really was. Nobody gave a shit about that, no matter what kinda walk of life they came from.[break][break]

How thickheaded you gotta be to care about the rich stealing people's money when they're out there stealing people's lives? [break][break]

"Just don't like to see the rich and powerful punchin' down on the already-downtrodden. Puts a bad taste in my mouth."[break][break]

One more drag. A palate-cleanser. Then she flicks her cig away, getting up to look him over properly.[break][break]

"You look hungry, kid. Not for bread, but somethin' more. Turns out, it's your lucky fuckin' day, cause I got somethin' I need help with." [break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]She doesn't stifle a laugh at his clumsy attempt to be cool. Kid was still a kid, but he knew how he wanted to be seen. It was plain from how he corrected himself. [break][break]

There was charm in that.[break][break]

"Sellin' drugs, or worse. Usually worse. You shouldn't, but I don't blame ya for wantin' to be someone. Everyone in this town wants to be someone."[break][break]

Another drag before she nods up at the skyscrapers. [break][break]

Upside-down like this they reached down toward hell. That's all it was. A trick of perspective, and they made everyone think they were on top. But life up there, suckin' the life outta everyone else, wasn't life at all. [break][break]

"Cops like coverin' the beat down here, beatin' down the people tryin' to make it day to day. Those fuckers up there, they're hurtin' people every day, but the cops don't give a shit. Wanna know why?"[break][break]

Another drag. [break][break]

She burns away all her indignant anger, lets it all out with another sigh. Rage without focus never got anyone anywhere.[break][break]

"Cause they own 'em. A dog ain't gonna bite the hand that feeds 'em. Law ain't out to right the wrongs in this world, they're out to keep people like you 'n' me hungry."[break][break]

Kept 'em sharp, like a whet stone. [break][break]

"That's why it don't matter what you 'should' be doing."[break][break]

Let their guard down a single day and the streets would come for 'em. That day was just around the corner. Had been for centuries at this point.[break][break]

Give 'em one good day, a day they weren't worrying about rent, hunger, the safety of the people they loved, their comforts, and they'd turn the tide. One day in a few hundred years was all they needed. [break][break]

Just give 'em one fuckin' good day, damn it.[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]A long drag. Her head fills with smoke, burns out everything that doesn't matter anymore. She exhales it all on a breath. With that she turns her head back to the kid and smiles. [break][break]

A toothy grin that speaks of confidence, or maybe she just doesn't give a fuck about anything anymore.[break][break]

"You lookin' for work, huh?"[break][break]

A moment as she sizes him up. [break][break]

He's young, but he's not a twig. Determination in his eyes, the kinda hunger you see in a stray dog. [break][break]

"Overheard you shoutin' at your phone. Kid like you shouldn't be sellin' drugs, you're too young."[break][break]

But what's he, fifteen or something? She was doing the same at that age. She's got no room to talk.[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]The answer's rough and immediate, true to that harsh reality permeating his life of late.[break][break]

"... Man, tough SHIT. Everyone wants to make money, bro. What matters is what you can offer US, you feel me bro?"[break][break]

A man's voice comes through on the other end, unsympathetic and outright hostile. Clearly some wanna-be gangbanger, clearly on something. The ringing of the phone having taken him aback, his anger only grows as he speaks with the realization that he's just talking to some kid, an outlet for his pent up aggression.[break][break]

"So what the FUCK you can do, HUH!?"[break][break]

The right number at the wrong time, that's all it is.[break][break]

A ways away, a woman silently reclines on a bench. She leans her head back as she idly listens to the kid talking on the phone.[break][break]

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠

[attr="class","star1-nastya"]

[attr="class","star2-nastya"]Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam malesuada interdum risus non accumsan. Integer faucibus lectus et semper tincidunt. Nulla blandit odio nulla, facilisis rutrum purus fringilla vitae. Nulla dolor ex, tempor et magna eget, consequat tempor ante. Maecenas imperdiet augue enim, nec feugiat dolor tincidunt at. "Ut at ante faucibus, porta nunc eu, interdum diam. Fusce tristique et nisi at consequat."
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam malesuada interdum risus non accumsan. Integer faucibus lectus et semper tincidunt. Nulla blandit odio nulla, facilisis rutrum purus fringilla vitae. Nulla dolor ex, tempor et magna eget, consequat tempor ante. Maecenas imperdiet augue enim, nec feugiat dolor tincidunt at. "Ut at ante faucibus, porta nunc eu, interdum diam. Fusce tristique et nisi at consequat."
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Nulla dolor ex, tempor et magna eget, consequat tempor ante. Maecenas imperdiet augue enim, nec feugiat dolor tincidunt at. "Ut at ante faucibus, porta nunc eu, interdum diam. Fusce tristique et nisi at consequat."

[attr="class","star3-nastya"][attr="class","rouxcredit-nastya"]♠