The City's at War [o]

[Dmitri Stark]

The blond walked about the city, uncaring of the dangerous that constantly surrounded the teen. Bandits, drunks, drug fiends, none of which bothered him for the most part. This city had really turned to shit, it was truly a shame, though it really didn't interest him for the most part. He had easily grown accustomed to the life of the city and found it to be less dangerous than when he had first started out his journey...somewhat.

Either way, he couldn't walk no more than twenty yards without being solicited by people his age for money, some offering up favors in return of a few zenni. It was funny how the weak always cling to the strong, asking for money, begging for it. At the same time, it was pitiful. He'd never become that...only over his dead body would he dare become weak.

The very word put a lump in his chest, unable to say it about himself. It made him sick to his stomach just to even think about being weak. Imagine if only he was weak, he'd be a very sickly boy, wouldn't he? He found his way to his destination after meandering down various side streets for quite a while. He opened the door to the small establishment, a bar or saloon of sorts.

It was bustling with life, people drinking happily and being merry. While at the same time there were a few female dancers on the small stage they had set up, but none of them interested him. Sitting down at the bar, he held his index finger up which motioned the bartender to his direction.

"The usual, Julio." He'd say rather somberly. A simple nod by the man had came next, followed by a tall glass milk sliding across the bar's surface which had stopped directly at his spot at the bar.

The man next to him raised an eyebrow, elbowing his other friend who was sitting on the opposite side of him. All the while, he ignored the two middle-aged drunks as they laughed at him.

[Rina (Xander)]

She wasn't even sure why she had bothered to come to Ginger City of all places. Of all the places in Zi, this city had gone done the most since the the arrival of the Dark Kaiser group. A once peaceful and pleasant place filled with happy memories and all that, had now been consumed in darkness. Even a Guardian Force captain like herself, dreaded coming here even when she had too on missions; especially when it came to hunting down her prey in this kind of place. But Rina wasn't the type to be intimidated easily. She was a strong woman who wasn't the type to run away in any situation even if it meant risking her life to do so. Now, many of her fellow and higher ranking officers would have called this stupidity, hell maybe even a weakness but Rina thought it more of a challenge.

You don't run away from things that threaten you, you face them head on and hope that luck was on your side. So that's what this brought Rina, to Ginger city, because of being a Guardian Force member it was her job to keep the peace around the planet, even if it meant going to a place that she dreaded most of all. So there she stood in the mists of the the most dreaded city in all of zi, standing out and watching the activity unfold around her. The smells, the sights, everything about the this city made Rina sick to her stomach but she forced herself to continue her observing of the area before releasing a small sigh and turning and walking off into the darkness. She wasn't sure where she was headed at that moment, but all she cared about was just blending in with the people of the area, with with the jeans and the black v-shaped top she wore, she knew that wouldn't be an easy thing to do.

She stuck out like a sore thumb and in this city she knew this was going to be a bad thing.

"Hey Girly, " A voice spoke from behind her, "You look lost..."

Rina turned instantly, and was immediately confronted with a very unpleasant looking man, not to mention a very unpleasant smelling one at that. Dressed in rags and reeking heavily of alochol, it was no surprise that Rina was able to catch the attention of someone like this, in this city. Hell she was cleaner than most people in this city.

"How about I show you a good time....?"

The man had the nerve to brush a hand against her chest and she fought the urge to punch the crap out of him and end it now, but it wouldn't be a good idea to make a scene right now at least. He hadn't done anything....yet. Giving a small smile, she shook her head and backed up from him slowly.

"No...thanks, I'm not lost at all...." She laughed softly, "Thanks but no thanks...."

Before he could say anymore, she turned and surried off into a nearby crowd. God, she needed to get the hell out of here, and fast.

[Dmitri Stark]

The young man sighed aloud, having his fill of milk. This city wasn't the way it used to be and sometimes that was actually a bad thing. There used to be so many fun activities planned out for each month, yet now the only thing to do was to get drunk, party and everything else that came with the two. It wasn't his kind of fun, that's for sure.

Either way, he paid his tab and casually walked out. Of course, eyes were on him with each step he took until he was finally outside once more. They were judging him, deciding whether or not he was a good enough target for a mugging. It was funny, how people sized him up, it put a smile on his face.

Hell, he even wore the fake glasses to seem even more unassuming. It worked so well. He had lured many zoid pilots into battle that way and they underestimated him. They paid for their misjudgment of his abilities with their belongings and sometimes their health as well. It was all business with Dmitri, it always was.

The boy walked down the street with no expression at all, catching a glance of the situation happening down the street with the rather...busty young woman. As he passed by her, he'd say something sarcastic.

"You stick out like a sore thumb, asking to get robbed or worse." The blond said rather casually, not skipping a beat. It was true though, she really did look like an out-of-towner. She was either really stupid to walk around alone or really bold. Either way, it wasn't all too good of a choice.

[Rina (Xander)]

"You stick out like a sore thumb, asking to get robbed or worse."

Rina hadn't gotten that far until these words had echoed throughout her ears. She had stopped in her tracks almost instantly and had even turned in the boy's direction as he walked off in the other direction. She couldn't help but frown at his words, despite how sarcastic they were, he was right after all. She stood out quite easily in this type of town, which wasn't surprising in the least. When it came to a place like Ginger City, there was no way in hell you were going to make it unless you either dressed like you belonged or acted like you did.

Unfortunately none of those choices really seemed of interest to Rina. For one, she was a Guardian Force member and that meant that dressing so inappropriately and then having to act like it as well, was certainly that she wasn't up to doing in the least. As long as she had her weapons with her and her badge she was the only thing keeping this city from falling apart. But that didn't explain why a boy of his age was out and about around this type of place.

Okay, he was more of a teen than an actual boy but he was still, younger than her and in such a dangerous place as well. There was no way, an officer like herself was going to allow a child to walk these city's streets, whether he liked it or not.

"Hey wait!" She called out after him and immediately began to follow him as he stalked off through the small crowds around them. Even for such a depressing city it still didn't help the fact that it attracted a lot of crowds, and it wasn't surprising by the time she had managed to completely catch up to the young male, she was all but out of breath.

"Please, I said wait.."

Huffing softly she reached out and took a small hold of his arm and looked up at him from her bent over position. Quickly regaining her posture she dropped her hand from his arm and looked at him with a small frown on her lips.

"Why are you of all places?" Her voice was the barest of whispers, "You're too young to be traveling these streets by yourself..."

Even if the kid didn't want her help she was still going to get him out of this city even if she had to drag him out it herself. She was a Guardian Force member and that meant she had to protect the public and right now this kid needed all of the protecting from the other people on the streets.

"I'm sorry but I can't allow you to be here by yourself, its too dangerous..." She closed the short distance between them and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. " I'm taking you back home...."

[Dmitri Stark]

The blond kept walking casually, going about his business for the most part. However, he didn't get very far until that same woman called out to him from behind. Now, what would someone like herself want with him? Wasn't his warning to her enough for to leave? Apparently she didn't mind making a scene in a very dangerous place, something he honestly didn't want to be apart of.

With a hand in his pocket, Dmitri coolly turned around, focusing on the older woman. "Hm?" Although apprehensive to turn back around, he was generally intrigued as to what she wanted. Though, he already knew it couldn't have been all that important.

Why was he here? That was a stupid question. This was a large city where money could easily be made and his services were always of use. If anything, this was the perfect place to make money. At least, that's a good thing about this place.

"I'm here because this is an easy place to make money. I like how concerned you are, but I'm handling myself quite well. You're the one who needs a chaperone." The blond used his index finger to point behind her, pointing directly to the various people staring at her, plotting on her at that very moment. No one was even worried about him. Young people were hardly good targets these days, everyone in the city knew that, therefore he flew under the radar.

He brushed her hand off of his shoulder. "I hope you mean your home, because my house is a couple blocks away. Though, I guess I wouldn't mind taking you home with me. You look like you need the protection." It was subtle jest, though still quite obvious. Young in body, yet he had the mind of a sharp, old man. There were just some bad habits the city imparted on those who lived in it. Either way, she wasn't bad looking.