[Closed] @eidxiety ††

[winterbolt]

u get the small baby bird icon this time

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[eidxiety]

I like little markets like this, [he explains, casual as the breeze,] we don't have too many of them where I'm from, and I've heard this one is good. What I didn't hear was that you had a problem with pickpockets here, haha.

[They don't have many of them because everyone is more concerned with having bougie grocery stores and churches the size of an entire city block and those fancy Catholic private schools that in 10-15 years everyone is going to figure out were the breeding grounds for the gays.]

...I'm Ain. It's nice to meet you, mister. [Haha you thought he'd stop calling you mister just because he knows your name, that's cute.] I got everything, but I'm not sure how edible half of it is. I'm sure the bruised parts can be cut off, though.

[lupusxylem]

[...

Wolfwood sighs. Then, as he shifts his weight to his other foot, he reaches into his blazer pocket to pull out his wallet, pulling out a few bills.]

Here. Don't worry about paying me back, or how much it is. Just replace what got messed up, and get the rest of what you came here for.

[It's. Well.

Wolfwood definitely just handed him like double what he brought here, oops-]

[eidxiety]

Um.

[Um!!]

Mister, that's too much money. This is way more than what I came with — did you even count this? Here— [Ain unfurls some of the bills and tries to hand some back. Dude, a fucking orange is like fifty cents, please do not do this.] I don't want to steal half of your livelihood...

[lupusxylem]

It's Wolfwood. And look, it's fine, okay?

[Gently holding up his hand, palm forward, as Ain tries to hand the money back to him.]

You're not stealing. I'm giving it to you. You got robbed when you didn't know any better, and that ain't your fault. But let this be a lesson, I ain't gonna be here to bail you out a second time. Got it?

[The wording may sound stern, but it is actually coming from a place of concern. Ain WILL get robbed again if he isn't careful.]

A cute, lost guy like you is going to be a target no matter what. You gotta be more careful.

[eidxiety]

[C. Cute?!

Ain's face goes red. Cute? He's not cute! Like, he's not super buff or masculine like this guy and his chest hair is (Ain has never grown a body hair in his life), and he's got tons of freckles, but he's not cute! He's not! Where is the cute. What are you. Ain knows what you are.]

I know I have a babyface, but I can stand up for myself. [Huffs. He might be pouting. Does this lend to the cute?] ...thank you, though. It means a lot to me. I'll take your words into account...

[...............he's just gonna. Turn around. And he's gonna go, if Wolfwood lets him. He's not cute don't call him cute >:( ]

[lupusxylem]

Haah?

[Hooold up there. Wolfwood isn't going to like...grab at him again or anything, but he does sort of speedwalk so he can slide in front of him before he can manage to slip away into the crowd.]

Can you? Cause I gotta say, I'm a bit worried.

[eidxiety]

[And Ain stops dead, clutching his bruised-ass produce against his chest and pouting more, huffing again like a puppy who isn't getting what it wants. Hello, sir, why are you cutting him off at every turn?]

Why? I'm an adult! You're an adult. [Fiddles with his groceries.] I'll have you know I'm quite capable! I know self-defense and I'm a doctor.

[...Ain this has nothing to do with street smarts. Which, yeah, he has, but he's used to the safety of his own cloistered neck of the woods where no one touches him because he's usually dressed as a man of rank. People will stop him to ask for a prayer, or pull him into their houses to treat their sick family members, but they certainly don't try to rob him. Ain doesn't fight in any of the turf wars unless he has to; he knows how to use a gun, he knows not to walk down dark alleyways, he knows not to stick his neck into places he doesn't belong, but he is...

Well. Pampered northside rich boy. That's what he is. Ishmael would not have one of her sons directly participating in actual battles unless it's an emergency; that's what the little guys are for. Right now, Ain is almost definitely giving off the vibes of a spoiled, cloistered upbringing.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood, in contrast, is Ain's polar opposite. Born and raised by the Catholic church, yes, but there's...a distinct difference about him and, in turn, about the teachings he was brought up by. Granted, that does not mean the Eye is any less of a group of religious zealots, they just go about their business a different way, and Wolfwood was most certainly not spoiled growing up. Rich, perhaps, since being in the mafia you're simply going to be dealing with huge amounts of cash...but the thing is, most of that cash isn't his. It goes to "the family". You exist to serve the family and, by extension, your faith.

So when Ain tells him that he's capable, Wolfwood...does not believe him for a god damn second. Sure, he seems smart, and he's probably incredibly intelligent in a lot of areas, but this town is going to chew him up and spit him out if he stays here for much longer. Even the normal townsfolk are of a type that are likely unlike anything Ain is used to, if the way he keeps trying to cover his bare wrists is any indication.

Oi.

Wolfwood slips his hands into his pockets, shaking his head in mock defeat.]

Oh, I'm sure. And what are you gonna do if somebody pulls a gun on you and tries to take the money I just gave you? Can you defend yourself against that?

[eidxiety]

Yes! I can! That's part of the self-defense!

[Ain it's a GUN]

I know how to disarm someone. Everyone owns a gun these days. I also don't walk into dark alleyways at night, though, so I'll be fine. Maybe you should think before carrying this much cash around, haha.

[...yeah this side of town is about to bully this twink.]

[lupusxylem]

[......]

If you say so...

[Yeah, uh.

Wolfwood is going to tail him. He doesn't usually bother- let stupid be stupid, and all- but...Ain is like. Innocently incompetent. He genuinely doesn't seem to get how bad it can get in these parts, and he could seriously get hurt out here. He's already been robbed once, and there's little doubt in Wolfwood's mind that it will happen again. There's a 70% chance someone else saw it happen and will try for themselves.

But since Ain is pushing back against it, he's going to just let him think he's going along with it. In reality, he's going to be keeping a very close eye on him for the remainder of his time in the market. Part of Wolfwood's job here is to keep things in order, after all.]

Just don't say I didn't warn you if something happens. Maybe next time you oughta consider bringin' a friend along.

[eidxiety]

The joke's on you, mister! I don't have friends to bring with me!

[Ain, that is... so fucking sad. What the hell.

The reality is that one of his brothers would probably have been more than willing to come with him, but not this far out. This is not their turf. This is where the sinners are. This is why Ishmael wanted them to stay north, where it's safe, where everyone dresses properly and money flows and none of Chapel's dangerous, sinful civilians are roaming around with guns.

Like, seriously, where are the priests out here. You're all going to Hell.

So, Wolfwood has "let Ain go", and Ain is going back to the other market stalls to re-buy the same produce, which doubles what he's carrying but that's alright, he has extra of those tote bags on him because it's cheaper than paying for paper or plastic here and less wasteful in the end. It means he doesn't exactly have his hands free half the time, resulting in some clumsy fumbling with his cash at times... and this is what clues people into the fact Ain's got way too much money on him. Do you know how much $100 is going to pay for, for the average family? On this side of town, a rich boy is a target.

Ain makes it out of the market in one piece, at least, holding his tote bags of fruits and veggies and spices around his wrists, looking happier... and then he gets fucking accosted immediately, the second he leaves the sunny park and gets a bit down the street. His hands are full, and it makes defending himself against three much larger guys difficult. To be fair to him, when he said he knew self-defense, he wasn't lying — but it's old-school and not great, nothing against three guys who aren't going to play fair while they slam Ain into the brick wall and try to reach into his pockets.]

[lupusxylem]

[Okay yeah, it is a good thing he decided to follow Ain after all. Damn it.

He'd kept a close eye on him as he did his shopping, remaining in the fringes and easily keeping out of Ain's peripheral so he wouldn't notice he's being followed. That's...another red flag, that Ain never once realized Wolfwood was following him, because it means someone else could very easily be doing the exact same thing the moment they realize how much money Ain is flashing at these stalls. And...maybe he feels just a touch responsible now, since he was the one who gave him all that cash in the first place.

Here he is, inventing problems for himself because this guy made doe-eyes at him and he couldn't say no. Ugh.

Somehow, Wolfwood manages to keep the ruffians in line and watch Ain at the same time, at least until he briefly gets out of his line of sight as he exits the market proper. Wolfwood isn't going to be able to follow him too far outside of his own turf, but he will walk just long enough until he thinks Ain will be safe going back to the ritzy side of town. And, well...that ends up not happening as he manages to get himself jumped near immediately. Like, that's got to be a record.

To give Ain some credit...he does wait, watching as the men approach him. Waiting to see how he employs that "self-defense" he was touting, and...unsurprisingly, it does jack and shit to stop these thugs. They overpower him easily, and that's when Wolfwood has had enough.

Whether Ain sees it before it's too late or not, the mafiaoso slides in behind the man currently groping for the cash in Ain's pockets, swiftly slamming a knee up between his legs. That effectively puts him completely out of commission as he drops like a rock to the ground, which gets the attention of his buddies a second too late. The second man gets slugged in the jaw, and as the third comes at him with a knife, Wolfwood wheels around with his pistol in his other hand, the barrel jammed up underneath his chin.]

Unless you wanna see your brains on this wall before you die, you'll all get the fuck off my turf. Now.

[eidxiety]

[Ain maintains he did not make any doe eyes at anybody, it's definitely the fact that he's so soft in the face. He doesn't make doe-eyes! He's manly as hell!

...

Which is why he squeaks when Wolfwood comes around the corner with a gun, please don't rob him too he's trying his best to get these people off of him— oh. Oh, everyone in this neck of the woods is armed. Lovely. Why are you all like this? This is not good Jesus-loving behaviour! ...like Lady Ishmael had Ain take lives before too but still! That's what has to be done in the name of peace!

(No, he will not see the hypocrisy in this.)

The guy who Wolfwood pulled a gun on scampers off immediately, though, and his friends follow after, albeit slower because one of them just got his dick kicked off. Ain is still pressed against the wall, looking alarmed, and he readjusts his groceries...

...]

I had that under control.

[NO, YOU DIDN'T]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood is breathing a little heavy by the time the men run away, lowering his gun with a slight rattle of the chamber before he reholsters it in the holster near his shoulder underneath his blazer.]

Yeah. Sure you did.

[He, at the very least, wouldn't have shot that guy in front of Ain. They just knew better than to call his bluff. The only smart thing they've done in their lives, he's sure.

After saying that, Wolfwood turns to face Ain as he readjusts his jacket.]

Did they touch you?

[He needs to know how many fingers to break once he finds them again.]

[eidxiety]

[...]

Well, yes, they had their hands in my back pockets, but I'm alright. It doesn't seem like they ran off with anything. [Who is this guy... this guy with his whole chest out, carrying a gun, being really over-protective. Who the fuck are you, for real.] Is it always like this here?

[Ain, you didn't notice that Wolfwood has been stalking you. You didn't fucking realise at all that people were watching your pampered rich boy ass for a solid half hour waiting to mug you. He literally told you it was like this. Are you good—]

[lupusxylem]

It's not. It's like this because you painted a target on your own back.

[This area can be dangerous, yes. People will mug you, take advantage of you if they sense that they can get away with it. But most self respecting con-artists know better than to go after "normal" people. They seek easy prey, easy pickings. And Ain...unfortunately had been just that. Too easy, in fact.

Wolfwood scowls, pointing a finger at Ain now that he can relax a little with those goons no longer breathing down Ain's neck.]

You can't just flash your money around like that. Those guys saw how much you had and thought they were gonna get away with mugging you.

[eidxiety]

You—

[Ain's cheeks turn red. Oh boy, he is pouting now.]

You gave me that! In public! In front of everybody! [This is a setup! You set him up! You wanted him to get mugged!] I already got my wallet stolen, why did you give me enough money to paint that target there in the first place?!

[lupusxylem]

Wh- hey, don't pin this on me! This ain't my fault!

[It kindof is lol

And Wolfwood realizes that a liiiiittle too late-]

And it wasn't just that anyway! You were acting like you didn't know where you were half the time. Obviously a tourist.

[eidxiety]

It is your fault! And what if I am a tourist! You must not see many of those because this side of town is so messed up! It's too— [Ain flips his wrist around, his grocery bags comically sliding down his arm and into the crook of his elbow as he does so,] —lawless over here for anyone to feel safe!

[Everyone is so very safe with Ishmael, but the problem is if you even Look at someone in a way that could be considered "deviant behaviour", you Will be sent out of town or "mysteriously disappear". The government can't even stop her, and that's mostly due to the fact that she is, admittedly, keeping all the wealthy people safe. God is good, blah blah blah, don't commit adultery or murder or gay or God will smite you.]

[lupusxylem]

[Don't commit gay? Yeah sorry Wolfwood already failed step one.]

It ain't lawless. You just don't know how things work around here.

[His voice dips a bit lower, almost dangerous. He may not have as much love for the system as some seem to, but he does take pride in where he lives and hails from. It's a rough place, he knows that, but there's a certain freedom here that you aren't going to find up north. People can just...be. They can express themselves without fear of being outcast. That sort of thing just couldn't happen on Lady Ishmael's turf, even if he knows that it isn't entirely sunshine and rainbows over here.

It's a Hell of a different breed. And the Eye, being a church of its own, disapproves of people like Wolfwood just as much as Lady Ishmael's does. It's just that Wolfwood keeps that part of himself buried deep. That way, he can't get in trouble.

It's fine.]

Look, I've been tryin' to keep your ass out of hot water ever since you got here. Don't bend over backwards thanking me or nothin'.

[eidxiety]

[Pouts pouts pouts—]

Have you? I don't think you have! And I won't bend over for you! [Ain????] It was very nice of you to give me money after my wallet got stolen, but a fraction of that would have saved me some trouble. Thank you for the money, and thank you for your assistance, but I'm going back to my car now.

[He's parallel parked up the block, where most people who stop at this market are parked. Ain spins on his heel to walk to his car, gets close to it...

...breaks into a sprint when he sees something wrong and the fucking driver's side window has been smashed open. Someone was clearly rooting around in here for stuff because he has a fucking Ferrari, an expensive one mind, not that they're not normally expensive but it still is not your average man's car. Ain doesn't keep anything important in his car, he's not that dumb, but uh. He was dumb enough to bring the thing out here, so.

...

He just. Sadly opens his back door, puts his groceries in the back seat, walks around to the front passenger's side, looks at the glass in the driver's seat... bonks his head into the top of the car. Screams.

Why.]

[lupusxylem]

[......well. There's your problem.

Look like a rich boy, walk like a rich boy, talk like a rich boy, and bring all your rich boy toys to the poor side of town? Yeah. You're GOING to get robbed, mugged, and your car broken into. This is honestly less that the town itself is bad, and more that Ain's common sense is on the floor, here. And Wolfwood can't even blame him for that much, really...he wouldn't know if he's never been here. Like yes, Wolfwood takes offense to the idea that this town is completely unsafe to live in and is just full of crime all the time. If it were, the Eye wouldn't be here. No, the Eye's existence is what keeps these streets cleaner than they would have been, Wolfwood is confident of that much.

But he thinks Ain wouldn't be too happy to bandy about a moral quandry like that right now, not when his car has been broken into.

He'll wait for him to have his moment (because of course he followed him, who do you take him for) before he approaches with his hands in his pockets. Anyone else might have gloated, and honestly Wolfwood kindof feels like it, but instead...]

Let me take a look. I can tell you if they tried to hotwire it or not, and if you need to take it somewhere to get that fixed.

[eidxiety]

[His sweater is probably cashmere, let's be real here.]

I feel bad... you keep helping me for some reason. I could use the help, haha...

[A weak little laugh. A sad one, if anything. All he wanted to do was come to the cute little outdoor market! Why is this day going so poorly!

Ain... sits his ass on the sidewalk. Mopes. Now the rich boy is sad :(]

...alright. Thank you. I'm sorry for yelling at you so much, mister.

[lupusxylem]

If you really wanna apologize, stop calling me mister. It's Wolfwood.

[Wolfwood mutters as he pulls open the driver's side door, careful of the broken glass as he sweeps enough of it off the seat so he can climb in and take a look. Let's see, now...what's the damage, did someone actually manage a hotwire here or did they just try to see what valuables they could steal from the console?]

...and I'm helping you because it's the right thing to do. Anyone else would.

[eidxiety]

[But using his name implies that they're friends :(

Ain has a strange way of thinking about the world.

Anyway, considering that to hotwire a car you need to knock out the bit that the key goes into? No, it hasn't been hotwired at all, and if it had a car this bougie would've been completely stolen and wrecked up the road. His glove box was raided, obviously, and so was the center console, but there's really nothing in here. The thieves left dissatisfied.

Good, the spiteful part of Ain thinks, fuck y'all.

He's gonna mope on the sidewalk with his chin on his knees like he's not 23 and wealthy until Wolfwood gives the okay.]

I know that much. I help people all the time... [Remember how he's a doctor? He is also a priest. And he will go out of his way to help the common folk.] ...you have a cross necklace, so you get it. It's Godly and just to help people in need.

...but I was being prickly because I was... am upset. I don't deserve it, but thank you anyway.