By most accounts, the short-lived search hadn’t gone particularly well. While Belle/a’s perpetual freak-out about his swapped genitalia provided a great deal of entertainment, Kaden was too distracted to really make the most of it. While he appreciated the hybrid’s willingness to lend an ear, his closing hypothesis about the courier’s deficiencies didn’t really put his mind at ease. Finally, with a long sigh, Kaden brought his already slow pace to a complete halt. Bella, who had been following almost knocked the courier over, distracted by a mirror they had passed.
“You stopped,” she stated.
“We just went in a huge circle,” Kaden explained. Raising his hand, he pointed out the entrance to the water park. “Just as well. I don’t even know what I’d say if we found her.”
“So? Does it matter what you say as long as you say something?”
“Yes, actually it matters a lot.” Shaking his head, Kaden turned to Bella. “I can’t just start stammering like an idiot.”
“It wouldn’t matter to me,” the girl shrugged.
“Belle… there are so many things wrong with that statement, I don’t even know where to begin.”
In some ways, Kaden envied Belle’s complete disinterest in the opposite sex. Well… that wasn’t being entirely fair. While the courier would pass on the paralyzing fear, he wouldn’t mind a little detachment. Of course, by Bella’s previous logic, that was part of his problem to begin with. Being detached. The winding tracks of Kaden’s train of thought came to an abrupt end when a portal appeared behind Bella. Apparently their next events were beginning.
Curiously, Kaden reach to the PAGER on his belt. It made no noises, had no flashing lights, bore no message for its owner. For whatever reason, it seemed like Kaden would be starting his event later… or something. The machinations of a teenaged punk who had the funding to build a ridiculously elaborate video-game weren’t something the courier was really prepared to guess at. Bidding Belle farewell and good luck, Kaden simply watched as she stepped through the portal. As the portal closed behind the hybrid, though, a surprising sight lay in wait.
About a dozen yards in front of Kaden stood Sophia and… someone. The face looked familiar, but Kaden had an admittedly tough time placing it. They exchanged a few words and the black-haired man stepped into his event, a look of apology flashing across his face just before he vanished from sight. In the wake of his presence, Sophia shook her head.
“Hey!” Kaden called out as he made his way to the priestess. “Sophia!”
The blonde tensed at the sound of Kaden’s voice, but turned to face him nonetheless. Slowing as he approached, Kaden stopped a few away from the girl, unsure of what to say, or where to begin. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any real opener prepared, either. So what felt like hours, Kaden’s eyes darted from Sophia to… anything else, and then back again. Finally he let his head turn to the portal beside Sophia and his curiosity got the better of him.
“Who was your friend?” Kaden asked, nodding to where the black-haired man’s portal had been.
“You mean Juno?”
“Juno…” Running a hand through his hair, the courier crewed up his face in thought. “Oh! Yeah! We totally fought on a rooftop in Central City.”
“You… what?” Sophia cocked an eyebrow at Kaden. “Why were you fighting?”
“Ok, so, there I was… uh…” Cutting himself off, Kaden tilted his head to the side. “Y’know… I’m still not really sure how that all went down. One second I was in a truck with Piper, and the next I’m being carried off to some rooftop and challenged to a fight. It was… odd.”
“I see. Well, yeah, that was Juno. He was also in Friend or Foe.”
Once again silence fell between the two. Any small talk would fall flat, and Kaden had exhausted the least awkward avenue of conversation available to him. Really, the last thing he wanted was for things to continue being uncomfortable between himself and Sophia. There was no way that would end well for him. Sucking in a deep breath, Kaden began.
“Ok, Sophia, we need to talk. We both know it. I think… in some ways… I owe you an apology. You’ve been through… some shit. And… I dunno. I’m not saying I should have been, like, reading your mind or anything, but I could’ve been more... what? Supportive? Or at least sensitive. But yeah, so there’s that.” Taking a second, Kaden searched a segue, but was unable to find one. Taking another breath, he leapt right in. “More importantly – well, maybe it’s not more important… I dunno – you kind of left at a bad time. I mean… ok… I understand how you feel – I really do – but - -“
That was the last word Kaden said. His PAGER, as though saving up all its beeps and buzzes, let out a shrill ring and a portal appeared directly beneath the courier’s feet. As everything around him seemed to rise into the air, understanding dawned upon his face. In the split second before he was whisked into his event, he wasn’t sure whether he’d rather laugh or cry.
“Are you kidding me?!” Kaden screamed at the ceiling. “Who ends a conversation like that?! Y’know what, Gamer? Fuck you! That’s right. Jackass…”
Growling more obscenities to himself, Kaden cast a glance at his surroundings. He was in a small… garage, maybe? There was an assortment of toolboxes and chests against the walls, the space was big enough for a car to fit in, and the only conceivable entrance or exit was blocked by a segmented door the likes of which you’d probably find on a garage.
The most interesting thing in the small space was positioned directly in the middle. Allowing his anger to abate for the time being, Kaden couldn’t help but let out a low whistle as he ran a finger along the bright red paint. He noticed, much to his enjoyment, that the paint matched the color of his jacket. There were even black and white trims to complete to the coordinated paint job. With a nod, Kaden slung a leg over “his” new motorcycle.
As he looked the bike up and down, the courier realized he had no idea what he would be doing with it. Reaching down to his PAGER, he scanned the small bits of information that were scrolling across the display. Each person had a vehicle and it looked like all they needed to do was get from point A to point B first. No fights to the death, no drowning by-standers, no lashing tongues from normally timid girls… Kaden found himself on the verge of thanking Gamer – despite his previous outburst – for something so incredibly straight-forward.
Reaching down, Kaden turned the key to the sports-bike, which had been conveniently left in the ignition. As the engine roared to life, the courier suddenly realized there was no helmet in sight. That was probably part of the game, though. What fun would it be to watch if someone couldn’t paint the street with their brains? Just as the courier was getting settled, the garage door slowly rose.
Stretching out before Kaden was a sprawling city, the size of which he had never seen. Sky scrapers littered the horizon and, though there was no sun in the sky, the entire landscape glowed with the hum of neon and fluorescent lights. If they were going to have an entire city as their race course, Kaden could only imagine what else might lay in store for them.
Positioned between Kaden’s garage and the cityscape was a traffic light of some kind. Presumably, it would let the courier know when he would be free to break his new ride free from the confines of the small garage. With the garage door all the way open, he could hear the growling of other engines nearby. The din of the engines became almost painful as the indicator light flashed from red to yellow. Gripping the handlebars tightly, the courier braced himself as the light turned green.
They were off.
“You stopped,” she stated.
“We just went in a huge circle,” Kaden explained. Raising his hand, he pointed out the entrance to the water park. “Just as well. I don’t even know what I’d say if we found her.”
“So? Does it matter what you say as long as you say something?”
“Yes, actually it matters a lot.” Shaking his head, Kaden turned to Bella. “I can’t just start stammering like an idiot.”
“It wouldn’t matter to me,” the girl shrugged.
“Belle… there are so many things wrong with that statement, I don’t even know where to begin.”
In some ways, Kaden envied Belle’s complete disinterest in the opposite sex. Well… that wasn’t being entirely fair. While the courier would pass on the paralyzing fear, he wouldn’t mind a little detachment. Of course, by Bella’s previous logic, that was part of his problem to begin with. Being detached. The winding tracks of Kaden’s train of thought came to an abrupt end when a portal appeared behind Bella. Apparently their next events were beginning.
Curiously, Kaden reach to the PAGER on his belt. It made no noises, had no flashing lights, bore no message for its owner. For whatever reason, it seemed like Kaden would be starting his event later… or something. The machinations of a teenaged punk who had the funding to build a ridiculously elaborate video-game weren’t something the courier was really prepared to guess at. Bidding Belle farewell and good luck, Kaden simply watched as she stepped through the portal. As the portal closed behind the hybrid, though, a surprising sight lay in wait.
About a dozen yards in front of Kaden stood Sophia and… someone. The face looked familiar, but Kaden had an admittedly tough time placing it. They exchanged a few words and the black-haired man stepped into his event, a look of apology flashing across his face just before he vanished from sight. In the wake of his presence, Sophia shook her head.
“Hey!” Kaden called out as he made his way to the priestess. “Sophia!”
The blonde tensed at the sound of Kaden’s voice, but turned to face him nonetheless. Slowing as he approached, Kaden stopped a few away from the girl, unsure of what to say, or where to begin. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any real opener prepared, either. So what felt like hours, Kaden’s eyes darted from Sophia to… anything else, and then back again. Finally he let his head turn to the portal beside Sophia and his curiosity got the better of him.
“Who was your friend?” Kaden asked, nodding to where the black-haired man’s portal had been.
“You mean Juno?”
“Juno…” Running a hand through his hair, the courier crewed up his face in thought. “Oh! Yeah! We totally fought on a rooftop in Central City.”
“You… what?” Sophia cocked an eyebrow at Kaden. “Why were you fighting?”
“Ok, so, there I was… uh…” Cutting himself off, Kaden tilted his head to the side. “Y’know… I’m still not really sure how that all went down. One second I was in a truck with Piper, and the next I’m being carried off to some rooftop and challenged to a fight. It was… odd.”
“I see. Well, yeah, that was Juno. He was also in Friend or Foe.”
Once again silence fell between the two. Any small talk would fall flat, and Kaden had exhausted the least awkward avenue of conversation available to him. Really, the last thing he wanted was for things to continue being uncomfortable between himself and Sophia. There was no way that would end well for him. Sucking in a deep breath, Kaden began.
“Ok, Sophia, we need to talk. We both know it. I think… in some ways… I owe you an apology. You’ve been through… some shit. And… I dunno. I’m not saying I should have been, like, reading your mind or anything, but I could’ve been more... what? Supportive? Or at least sensitive. But yeah, so there’s that.” Taking a second, Kaden searched a segue, but was unable to find one. Taking another breath, he leapt right in. “More importantly – well, maybe it’s not more important… I dunno – you kind of left at a bad time. I mean… ok… I understand how you feel – I really do – but - -“
That was the last word Kaden said. His PAGER, as though saving up all its beeps and buzzes, let out a shrill ring and a portal appeared directly beneath the courier’s feet. As everything around him seemed to rise into the air, understanding dawned upon his face. In the split second before he was whisked into his event, he wasn’t sure whether he’d rather laugh or cry.
~~*~~
“Are you kidding me?!” Kaden screamed at the ceiling. “Who ends a conversation like that?! Y’know what, Gamer? Fuck you! That’s right. Jackass…”
Growling more obscenities to himself, Kaden cast a glance at his surroundings. He was in a small… garage, maybe? There was an assortment of toolboxes and chests against the walls, the space was big enough for a car to fit in, and the only conceivable entrance or exit was blocked by a segmented door the likes of which you’d probably find on a garage.
The most interesting thing in the small space was positioned directly in the middle. Allowing his anger to abate for the time being, Kaden couldn’t help but let out a low whistle as he ran a finger along the bright red paint. He noticed, much to his enjoyment, that the paint matched the color of his jacket. There were even black and white trims to complete to the coordinated paint job. With a nod, Kaden slung a leg over “his” new motorcycle.
As he looked the bike up and down, the courier realized he had no idea what he would be doing with it. Reaching down to his PAGER, he scanned the small bits of information that were scrolling across the display. Each person had a vehicle and it looked like all they needed to do was get from point A to point B first. No fights to the death, no drowning by-standers, no lashing tongues from normally timid girls… Kaden found himself on the verge of thanking Gamer – despite his previous outburst – for something so incredibly straight-forward.
Reaching down, Kaden turned the key to the sports-bike, which had been conveniently left in the ignition. As the engine roared to life, the courier suddenly realized there was no helmet in sight. That was probably part of the game, though. What fun would it be to watch if someone couldn’t paint the street with their brains? Just as the courier was getting settled, the garage door slowly rose.
Stretching out before Kaden was a sprawling city, the size of which he had never seen. Sky scrapers littered the horizon and, though there was no sun in the sky, the entire landscape glowed with the hum of neon and fluorescent lights. If they were going to have an entire city as their race course, Kaden could only imagine what else might lay in store for them.
Positioned between Kaden’s garage and the cityscape was a traffic light of some kind. Presumably, it would let the courier know when he would be free to break his new ride free from the confines of the small garage. With the garage door all the way open, he could hear the growling of other engines nearby. The din of the engines became almost painful as the indicator light flashed from red to yellow. Gripping the handlebars tightly, the courier braced himself as the light turned green.
They were off.
![[Image: Kaden2.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Nezumi16/Sigs/Kaden2.jpg)
"It's on my brain, driving me insane. It's on my mind, all of
the time, and if it left... I would be fine."