It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood [OPEN}

"Shit," James muttered to himself as he wiped off his brow. Tucking his handkerchief back into the breast pocket of his tattered and faded black suit, he turned his eyes back to what passed for a road in the Center City marketplace. He had people for this sort of thing, so what the fuck was he doing driving the Coalition Car through the middle of town in a busted old hearse that doubled as a sweatbox?

The loudspeaker droned.
"Are you Concerned? If you are not, then perhaps you should be..."

The Coalition Car was a fun little toy, used generally to announce the Coalition presence in whatever burb, berg, town or village that he happened to be passing through. Donated to the cause ages ago by one of his wealthier constituents, the old hearse had been painted an uneven matte red and equipped with a loudspeaker and a faulty tape recorder that broadcast his messages on loop.

"... a sense of community, a sense of pride, a sense of self and prosperity...."

The truth of the matter was that the hearse was equipped with air conditioning and in perfect running condition, and there wasn't a damn thing wrong with the tape recorder- it actually took a fair bit of work to make the sound resolution as grainy as it was, and the 'faults' in the looped recording were intentional. Hell, he even had several top quality suits in excellent condition, but he had learned a valuable lesson a long time ago-

"... by communicating in a way that everyone understands, by weighing and prioritizing..."

If you look like you're doing well, people aren't inclined to help you. People don't trust you. You've got to look the part of someone who needs support in order to get said support. James smiled to himself- just last week out in Houm, a local family brought him in for the finest dinner anyone in town could afford just because he mentioned that he hadn't eaten in a few days. That was, of course, a complete fabrication. The mayor had bought him lunch just hours before then.

"... there is no reason for it, and if we can all help each other..."

James again addressed the question at hand- why the fuck was he doing this himself?

"... a sense of unity that should be granted to all of mankind..."

Because Center City needed an enema. The populace lived shoulder to shoulder with Differents every day and were relatively tolerant of them. They had grown comfortable and complacent with the taint of the fucking animals, and James felt it was time to show the good folks here just how deeply they were wallowing in their own shit by letting those little weasels keep on living like there was nothing to really be afraid of.

"... tonight! Do not bring your money, do not bring food. Bring only your concerns..."

The people felt it, they knew it, they were ready to do something about it. All one needed to do was give a little push to get the ball rolling on it. There would be blood, of course, but within the blood, one would find a huge payday a higher sense of things and the urge to improve life.

"...the Coalition of Concerned Citizens thanks you in advance for your attendance."

James snapped out of his thoughts long enough to realize that the loop was about to start again. He hardly heard the damn thing anymore. A few more laps around a few more blocks and he would hand over the Coalition Car to an eager subordinate. He was starting to get a feel for this town. It smelled like blood and money- two of his most very favorite things.

Crunch-crunch-crunch - Theo chewed on possibly the best sandwich he'd managed to make to date, wrapped in a paper bag. Why was it so great? Well, he'd haggled for hours and had to hand over a broken but very nice wristwatch for it, but he'd gotten lettuce! Real fricken lettuce! Not brown stuff either. The bread was just starting to go stale, the mustard was sort of old, and he wasn't a fan of roast beef - but beggars couldn't be choosers. The pickles were payment for a book sale and were so delicious it made him smile. The little tangy garlic miracles were bliss, so much so that Theo made sure each bite contained a portion of pickle. It was shaping up to be a nice day. The weather; warm and comfy. The sandwich; amazingly delicious. He'd even sold some books on top of that, so he had some income rustling in his pocket.

A crackling murmur was dancing through the air, like a recording or something but Theo couldn't hear what it was saying nor could he figure out where it was coming from. He tried to dismiss it and not succumb to paranoia. Theo still wound up chewing slower to try and hear. Nah, still nothing coming through. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. Yes, that's right. Orange juice, Theo was a fan. He took a swig and listened again... still a crackling murmur, maybe a bit louder but no clearer.

The store coming up on his left, just before an alley, sold various knick knacks, clothes, and other things. More importantly, the patron was a customer of Theo's and a very dedicated one to boot. Jerry was his name, a kindly old Diffie that loved a good book. The old man was particularly interested in survival-based wildnerness stories. Theo wasn't much for writing the things but he did purely for old Jerry. He practically skipped up the steps and knocked a chipper rhythm on the door before letting himself in and... wait, the bell had been taken down. "Jerry? Jerry ol' man - Where are ya? It's Theo, I've got the latest installment of the Wilderness series for you."

From back in the store, Jerry emerged from behind the counter looking timid. "Ah, it's you young boy. Hah, I thought the Coalition had come for me for a moment... c'mon in, lets see what you've got." He walked over and put on a smile while he handed his old friend the book. Jerry flipped through it and smiled a kindly old smile and nodded, "Fine work, fine work. Here's what I've got to pay you with..." Jerry dug behind the counter and emerged with some nifty trinkets. One appeared to be a lighter, so Theo was intrigued immediately. There was also a bracelette made of heavy metal - steel maybe? Theo didn't know. A switchblade sat there too as well as what appeared to be some nuts and washers on an old string. "Take it all, m'boy. This old place is closing up, it's just too dangerous to be open with the Coalition back in town. Take this too." He took out a necklace made of a string of braided - or something - leather with a ring sort of thing on it, weaved into it.

"Jer, I can't take that." Theo knew it to be an important little thing to Jerry. Jerry forced it on him, pushed all the items on the table into Theo's satchel and told him to skiddadle. "You go on home and lock your door and windows. I don't want to hear of anything bad happening to you, hear?" Theo nodded and let himself be pushed out the door with a pat on the shoulder.

" mmmrmmmrmr - Concerned Citizens thanks you in advance for you attendance..." Holy fuck. Theo didn't think he'd be in the same area. At the very least Theo expected to not be out so long... He'd moved around pretty fast but he supposed that his luck would run out sooner or later.

The recording started up again as Theo bolted into the alley and ducked behind a big rusty dumpster, "Are you Concerned? If you are not, then perhaps you should be..." Oh dear god. Theo shut his eyes and hoped that Jerry had locked his doors behind him. If he just didn't move, Theo should be just fine. He'd just stay back here until the recording died off and then he'd immediately bolt home.

One could usually hope to find Asher at the Marketplace if his more upper crust clients weren't around, or didn't want him. For a hooker Asher was a right snob and there was something about the crowded old streets, the dirt, the shouting and that damned annoying red hearse that made the young man want to claw someone's eyes out. He leaned against the edge of a weather beaten stone fountain and flipped a coin over his knuckles like he'd seen in a movie the night before. His date had enjoyed the trick in the movie so Asher had resolved to learn it, as well as a few card tricks. He was the type of person who felt compelled to better everyone, even fictional characters in movies.

Today he was dressed in more casual gear. Back when he'd first started Asher had worn flashy clothes all the time, but he'd soon figured out that people weren't as dumb as he'd thought them to be. At least, not so dumb when they wanted something, like say Asher. The type of people Asher was advertising to in the Market weren't the ones who needed flashy signs and 'great deals' to be enticed. Now he just wore a pair of faded jeans, a sleeveless black shirt and a sweater that was probably meant for a 12 year old. The sleeves ended at the elbows and it ended at Asher's belly button, but luckily Asher had tiny shoulders so he could easily fit into children's clothing. Being imaginative with ones apparel is something differents had to learn, especially if they were as dirt poor as Asher.


"Hey you, kid!" A loud and rough voice called and Asher raised his head, slightly annoyed. He could tell from the voice that it was one of the stall owners by how damn loud it was. These people didn't seem to distinguish between a sales man voice and an inside voice. Still, Asher walked over to the back of a dirty van where a extremely short old woman sat behind a row of knick knacks, mostly watches and cheap looking jewellery.

"Yes ma'm? What can I do for you?" Asher put on his best voice, if only because the woman had a large cane with a steel tip at her side.

"Do a favour for a poor crippled woman and take a package to a friend of mine across the square please?" She pulled out a package about as large as a book wrapped in newspaper and twine. The way it thunked on the table Asher guessed it must have been much heavier then your average book.

"I'm not really an errand boy-"
"I can pay you, here's two apples. Take it to the green stall just beside the alley..."

The proffered fruits were a little soft looking but even from where Asher stood they smelt sweet. And there was something just a little desparate in the woman's voice that Asher couldn't say no to. He sighed and took the apples and the package, surprised at how damn heavy the thing was. Mumbling to himself he walked across the road, nearly being barrelled over by the red hearse

"... a sense of community, a sense of pride, a sense of self and prosperity...."

The monstrosity continued hurtling through the square, verbal guns blazing and though Asher glared after it his stomach tightened, because you don't need to have mental powers to sense trouble.

Theo was busy swearing to himself when a familiar sounding muttering reached his ears. It was Asher and he had just narrowly dodged the red deathmobile. The selfish side of Theo's good sense said ' do not pass go, do not help him. Stay here and keep your ass in one piece.' The other half told him not to be such a bastard and help his friend remain unscathed. Theo cursed aloud and ducked his head out from behind the dumpster.

"Pst. Asher - Asher you dumbass, get out of the street! It's the damn Coalition!" He made frantic 'get over here' gestures.


(ooc: in class, post better later. I fail.)