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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 12, 2018 2:11:56 GMT
Traffic on Highway 10 was awful. But lucky Shadow could cruise through to head back to Bellerouge. It was this time of year where the whole state of Louisiana became crowded. Crime was bound to get big, and already Shadow had to speed up to Angola to drop off people trying smuggle drugs in a Mardi Gras cake. A cake fo all places. He skirted the corner to walk into Tony's. He had been looking forward to this meetup all day. He was rested, much like Jane had suggested, but...peckish. The good news was he had actually had something other for breakfast besides coffee. But now, it was lunch break time. The owner of Tony's smiled, remembering the time he had come in with Sunshine and Yang. "The usual," he ordered, flipping a buck into the tip jar.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 13, 2018 0:26:23 GMT
Yang knew that she was just here with Aqua, but eating some tasty pizza might be the thing she needed to calm her nerves a bit. Mardi Gras was coming up, and with that, a reminder of what Thrax had done to her last year. She knew her friends were concerned about her, but she didn't want to ruin the holiday for them. Mardi Gras was Lousiana's specialty, after all. Bellerouge came close to New Orleans standards with how festive it got. Besides, she kept telling herself that she was well enough to deal with this on her own. Any nightmares or painful flashbacks she'd had recently had been manageable. They didn't happen nearly as often as they used to. Of course, that wasn't the only thing on her mind. There was the issue of Manolo, and how to deal with him. She felt like she couldn't arrest him with a clear conscious, not after feeling like she saw so much of her old self in him. But she felt guilty about it, and it reminded her too much of how she'd kept Vanitas's location a secret for Moses's sake. Granted, she hadn't spoken to Moses since that day, but she'd kept her word and hadn't said anything. She just wondered if all of this was going to bite her in the butt later down the road though. First Vanitas, now Manolo, would she end up keeping more secrets in the future? Was being this sympathetic a sign of weakness? She didn't know, and thinking about it gave her a headache. She pushed any gloomy thoughts about Manolo, and Mardi Gras, away as she entered Tony's Pizza. She was here to get rid of any anxiety, not dwell on it. "Pepperoni and a coke," she said, her voice a little lackluster. She hadn't even noticed that a friend of hers was in the pizzeria as well.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 13, 2018 5:30:38 GMT
Shadow readjusted the knobs on his skate. He'd have to go in for a tune up. The metal was starting to wear and tear. Now because they were literally attached to him, going to a shop would be a challenge. His reputation as the tough cop who gave no craps about fighting monsters was giving him a lot of looks. The other day he had been seen in his state of exhaustion. He had been pepped and was in much better spirits, but the fear of Disparion was still in his mind. It had literally been a year since Thrax was around, and much to Shadow's relief, the demon had no big ties...or so he assumed. Speaking of Thrax, the one that got away from him had entered and ordered. Shadow had seen Yang sad before, and every time it did, a bit of guilt tugged at him. "Hey! Yang, over here!" He held up a hand in greeting.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 14, 2018 0:48:55 GMT
Yang looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, and gave a little smile when she saw that it was Shadow. "Hey Shadow," she said in greeting as her pizza and soda was brought out for her. "Is this, like, a favorite place for the Others Unit? I just ran into Aqua here not too long ago." That visit had been a cheerful one. Yang had gushed about Adrien for a while, and Aqua had talked about her tentative start with Omar. Yang had been proud of the fairy. She and Omar made a good match. While her mood had been a bit gloomy when entering the pizzeria, seeing Shadow lifted her spirits a little. Maybe he could pep her up a bit. Some might find that ironic, considering Shadow's reputation as being the opposite of peppy. But Yang usually felt better after hanging out with him.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 14, 2018 7:36:42 GMT
"Well, we did have a good critic," Shadow's chest puffed with false pride. Sure, he and Sunshine held it in high regard, but the truth was it had been Yang that had gotten them hooked. He scooted the red pepper in her direction, aware of her preference for spice. How long had it been since he was here laughing with Yang and Sunshine? It was a good memory. If he had to give up his other ones, that was one he was determined to keep locked. It was far better than remembering the death of a child. But as he looked, something about Yang seemed...off. He'd let her talk on her own terms. Forcing her when she wasn't ready didn't seem right.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 15, 2018 0:41:41 GMT
Yang gave a little laugh. "It does have some nostalgia," she admitted. She couldn't help but remember the numerous times she and her kids had come here. It was a place they could afford most of the time, what with their money supply having an erratic schedule. Sometimes, Yang would get lucky and get lots of cash from looting or fighting. Other times, she had to stretch their money out to the last penny. It had been one of the more stressful things about living on the streets, other than getting caught by the police. As she seasoned her pizza, she was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "So...everyone seems just about ready for Mardi Gras," she commented. "Looks like they're gonna pull out all the stops this year." She paused, instantly feeling like that was a dumb thing to say. Of course the city was ready for Mardi Gras. It was obvious to everyone. But she couldn't think of a more tactful way to start the conversation.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 16, 2018 15:25:22 GMT
Well, Yang did have good reasons of coming here. Her little gang had been rewarded everytime some money had gotten in. Shadow could picture all of them enjoying the place with the boys competing in the arcade and the girls indifferently eating pizza. But in the silence, Shadow sensed a bit of...hesitation. Yang had something on her mind, but she would talk about it when she was ready. He nodded. Mardi Gras in Bellerouge wasn't as big as New Orleans' parades - Some people were even driving out of town just to go and make Bellerouge seem more abandoned - but it was still a big deal. "Tell me about it. If I see one more 'king's cake' inspired anything, I'm going to puke."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 17, 2018 20:18:12 GMT
Yang gave a little laugh. "People do seem to enjoy the 'in your face' advertising for that sort of stuff," she said. It was kind of hard to ignore Mardi Gras-related things when the prime colors were green, yellow, and purple. They stood out like a sore thumb when put together. "It's funny. All the bad stuff that happened last year...doesn't seem to have put a damper on people's spirits," she said, hesitating a little bit with her words. She knew she should take that as a good sign, that people were moving on and Thrax's jail break wouldn't stop them from celebrating and having a good time with their friends and family. Then again, not many people had been directly impacted by it like she had. Her left hand absentmindedly ran over her right, the cool metal contrasting with the warm temperature of her fingers.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 17, 2018 21:38:42 GMT
"The people won't show it or say it out loud, but there's subtle things. For example, security's gotten tighter at big expensive venues." Okay, maybe not the lightest thing to bring up. Yang had been personally attacked by Thrax, and the way she looked at her arm made Shadow's guilt rise up. He could have protected her, but in the end, the past was in the past. "Sorry," he shook his head, realizing it was going to go south if they didn't change to a lighter subject. "How have you been? It seems our shifts always miss each other."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 17, 2018 22:53:17 GMT
Yang just gave a little nod. That was to be expected. Just because people were determined to celebrate didn't mean that they were going into this blindly. Bigger security forces would probably be around for a while. She just hoped it didn't kill the festive mood. Shadow asked how she was doing and she figured she might as well say what was on her mind instead of dancing around the subject. It was what she'd been learning to do ever since she started recovering from the loss of her arm. She had to be honest about things, even if she didn't want to be. "Okay, I guess. I'm just hoping I don't put a damper on anyone's celebrations," she said. Really, that was what she was worried about the most. She didn't want to ruin anyone's good time by being moody about the loss of her arm.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 18, 2018 0:14:10 GMT
Shadow's face became sympathetic. Once again, he understood why she was kicking herself. He had been doing that earlier this week, blaming himself for something out of his control. Thinking about it only made it worse, and he was choosing to distract himself by following Sunshine, and unknowingly, Jane's exmaple. Not just the eating and sleeping, but by doing what he had seen her do; surrounding himself with people that he cared about. "Yang, you're not putting a damper on anyone's celebrations. You think I would have called you over here if I didn't want to talk to you?"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 18, 2018 1:10:57 GMT
"No, I guess not," Yang said. "I guess I just...I see all the parades and big parties being planned and I'm just like...ech." She made a face and stuck out her tongue. It was a comical way of describing how she felt, but it was the truth. The idea of being in the middle of a big crowd during one of the huge parades made her nervous. All the noise and bright flashing lights would remind her a little too much of the jail break and all the chaos it caused. It almost reminded her of how she was after she'd first lost her arm. She'd been paranoid about being in crowds and had preferred the safety and solitude of her own home. "I feel like I might just spend the whole night at home," she said while picking at her pizza. "It's probably the most boring way anyone could spend the holiday." Part of her felt like she should be living it up with everyone else and join in on the fun. But she felt like she couldn't do that, not right now.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 19, 2018 8:13:01 GMT
Shadow nodded. A small chuckle came out at Yang making a face. "I was never a fan of them, either." Crowds were something that kept him in the silent hovel. Maybe it was being in seclusion for almost all of his life, maybe it was the colors and lights and music that made him feel confused and dizzy. "If you'd like, we could mope together. Laugh at everyone realizing it was a bad mistake going out in one of the most states while we're safe in our homes. No one should spend a holiday alone. Even just having someone there makes it less a burden." He had spent so many Christmases, many Thanksgivings...many of the big holidays on his own. He would never admit it out loud, but the crushing loneliness was getting to him. He had only started the Colts and Seddons holiday things five years ago after the Black War.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Feb 19, 2018 22:03:02 GMT
Yang thought about that for a moment. Maybe spending Mardi Gras with Shadow wasn't a bad idea. He seemed to get the nervousness she was feeling about the whole holiday. And Adrien would probably be glad that she would be with someone who cared about her. Maybe she could get Namine or Weiss to spend Mardi Gras with him. At least that way, he wouldn't be alone. Then again, they tended to avoid big gatherings too, albeit for different reasons. Namine was just shy in general, and Weiss was still trying to go to parties without worrying about her blowing up again. She'd have to think about that. "That sounds like a good idea," she said, giving a little smile.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 19, 2018 22:06:33 GMT
Shadow gave a smile of his own. "Normally I'd ask Sunshine, but she's up to her neck in wedding plans." That and baking king cakes for all the Mardi Gras festivals. The line to Nevermore was so big that he had to go to the kiosk to get his coffee. Lucky for him, Thomas had been there and knew his usual order, handing it with a breeze. "You can bring any other people if you want. You know what they say, the more the merrier. Besides, you saw how comfortable I was at Adrien's gathering."
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