When Time Blends *The Truands*

[MAXIMUS PETULENGRO]

There was this rule about a drug dealer should never take his own product. Well, lucky for Max, he didn't consider himself to be a drug dealer. He was a provider of many goods, and the fact that drugs were on occasion one of these goods was of little mind to him. Therefore, he had little qualms about occasionally wetting his finger, and coating it with that fine white gold, and rubbing it gently against his gums. Especially since he had a great deal of work ahead of him.

Now, as a general rule, Max detested work. Unless you counted playing music, or his occasional thriftiness. But if there was something he wanted, in this case there very much was, and hard work was the way to get it... well, Max would indulge if only for the promise of something wonderful in the end. And his current work was clearing the winding tunnels of their debris and cobwebs, which was a long and grueling process. Luckily, despite the early December air and the thin layer of snow outside, the tunnel's kept heat.

Or perhaps that was the cocaine...

Either way, Max was warm and comfortable enough to work shirtless down there. His face and torso soon became streaked with filth, but after a while the filth was cleared, and put in a neat pile in the center of the tunnel system, which was a massive and high ceiling room of sorts, with brick walls and moist earth below.

Taking a small break, which included a joint or two to calm his coke jangled nerves, he tried to put in order what it was exactly that he wanted to do. The day before he had made a point of running errands. Near one of the walls was an almost obscene amount of wood, a few scraps of this and that, and various tools stolen from a construction site. That was one of the great things about New York, there was no shortage of construction sites. Staring at them, guided by the light of his flashlight, Max decided a more permanent source of light would be his next point of focus.

In the center of the grand room, as he liked to call the base of the sewer, Max dug a deep fire pit, packing the earth til it was stiff. He filled it with wood, and started a fire, which provided both light and a bit more heat. This task was far to easy for Max, as he coated his gums once more.

He wished there was someone here with him, other than Prometheus. While he loved the little guy, the sudden boon in friends who could converse was rather pleasing to Max. He supposed Alex- Alex... Max rather liked him. Angel, he called him. And for good reason. His face was beautiful, and sweet, and gentle. His flax hair curled, his eyes were a truly curious shade of blue. And there was a certain... almost sadness in those curiously blue eyes. Like an adventurer who could not adventure. It was rather sad, really. He was probably at school or something, what day was it? What time was it? And Aisha, who was quite attractive but seem to hold a more platonic-sisterly affection to Max, she was probably dancing somewhere-

Dancing?

Stage?

He could build a stage!

With the light of the fire to aid him, Max began to build the skeleton of a stage, humming happily to himself. Mostly various songs by Queen, which always served to provide various anthems to Max's life. Sometimes his humming would be tuneless and whimsical. His eyes were oddly focused and serious, which was unseemly on Max, who was blessed and cursed with an intense stare. It darkened his entire person.

[AISHA]

She was glad that Max had found the tunnels. It provided a warm, safe place to hang out during the ridiculously cold days. She hadn't yet moved into the spot--her things still remained in the tent; due to Max having found the place, so technically--it was his until he invited someone else to share the space. Otherwise it was just a little hangout spot for the three misfits; and because she didn't sleep there--it was fair game during the day. And today was a very, very good day.

Most of the students had left their dorms, which ment Aisha was in. She was fresh, and clean, and managed to even straighten her hair. However that was slowly starting to come undone, and her waves were starting to take form again. She also managed to grab some cash from one of the girl's purses that was left behind, and used it to buy lunch, which consisted of three orders fried rice, two orders fried dumpling, sweet and sour chicken, and lo mein, which was tucked in a white bag slung across her shoulder.

In her other hand she clutched her boombox, which was temporarily set to the side, so she could hoist the cover of the sewer off. Picking up the boombox with one hand, she carefully edged her way down the ladder that had been put in place, sliding the cover back over the top. Once her feet hit the bottom of the sewers, she hit play on her boombbox, while pulling the bag of chinese food out of her stolen purse. She was almost immediately surrounded by the smell of the mouth watering food, and the pounding of her music came out of the speakers, while she made her way to the flickering of light in the base.

Aisha, in quite the mood, danced her way to the base while Missy Elliot blared out of her speakers. She set the boombox down at the entrance of the base, her voice singing along now with the sight of Max infront of her.

"Everybody here,
Get it outta control.
Get yo' backs off the wall,
'Cuz misdemeanor said so." She sang, her hands making a show of the delicious smelling, large bag in her hands. She wiggled her shoulders and hips in rhythm to the song, her blue eyes narrowing at Max,

"Well ma name is Aisha," Substituting her own name, very clever.
"For all you fly fellas, no one can do it betta...
She'll sing an acapella."

Aisha shimmied her way over to her friend, and dropped to the ground next to him, prying open the bag, and laying out the contents of the bag on a plank of wood. "Take a break, construction man. There's enough for you, me, and if Alex shows his pretty little face, him too." She said, popping the lid off a container of dumplings, plucking one up to take a bite. With her other hand, she pushed the hood of the "borrowed" hoodie down to her neck. She seemed to be a lot happier these days. Max and Alex were like family, even Simon who she'd visit with occasionally.

Max was her brother, figuratively, and Alex well...Alex somehow fit into the family, even though she gave him a hard time. He wasn't like the rest of them, but Max liked him, and Max did seem to be the little ringleader to the group. With them beign her family, things became precious to her. She put a little more care into her dance, and around her throat was still the necklace from the first encounter with Max.

"So, I came up with an idea." Cramming the rest of the dumpling in her mouth, she reached into her white purse, giving Max a glimpse of wads of fabric that were inside, "I was thinking maybe I'll really play up that...gypsy, idea. You know? People love flashy stuff, and may offer up a bit more if there's more than just a plain old looking street performer." She said thoughtfully, her blue eyes watcing Max's face for his reaction to her idea, before she tore her gaze away and nodded towards...the something he was building. "What are you making?"

Outfit:She's clean today!
Song she's boogieing to:Everybody here gettin' out of control...

[ALEXANDER FORTESCUE]

So as long as nobody told Julius Alex was skipping school, he was sure this would be fine. After all, he'd never been the healthiest kid; it wasn't too far-fetched of him to say that he'd gotten sick.

So, today, Alex was "sick."

Of course, once he was out of range of any teachers, guardians, or nosy students who might turn him in, he dropped the coughs and sniffles and groans and let the spark of adventure reach his eyes as he hurried to meet Max (and probably Aisha, he thought with a note of sourness). There was so much to do! There was so much to explore! He'd never gotten to do something this exciting; not even parties sized up to this.

Feeling rebellious today, he'd also downed about a can of beer before he left, because the distinct lack of alcohol in his life lately had been giving him headaches. (N-not that he was an alcoholic or anything. Right?)

He reached the entrance to the abandoned sewer system and made his way down the ladder, trying to stay quiet and not betray his excitement until Max was at least in sight. Max...he'd had a hard time lately trying not to think about him lately. A very hard time. Something about that smile, the way he talked...Alex found it incredibly attractive, more than he wanted to admit. But at the same time, he was a bit frightened of the way he felt; Alex didn't typically "like" people, he just had a good deal of sex for the hell of it. (Though he'd been doing that less lately, it had lost its merit.) So whatever this was that he felt about Max...it was a little intimidating.

Hearing the sound of singing up ahead, he advanced the last few steps until Max and Aisha came in sight. "Ah...bonjour," he greeted, trying to instill a bit more confidence in his voice. "What are you doing, Max?"

He wanted to think that it was his place to be here. Max, and even Aisha, for all her mocking and teasing, were the closest thing to a real family Alex had ever had. His brother loved him, but didn't understand him - and Alex used him anyway. His parents had died when he was a baby. His foster families had never counted to him as real family.

No, this was as good as it'd gotten, and like hell was he letting it go.

[MAXIMUS PETULENGRO]

The sound of Aisha's voice echoed down the cavern, as Max was measuring the legs of the stage. He'd make it 30x20 feet, yes. That sounded good. With swanky steps. He'd have to get wood finish at some point, to make it real classy, but he was certain she would love it. Something to call hers, but not take in her back pack for when she decided to, as she put it, doot doot doot away. In fact, Max didn't understand why she continued to leave almost every night. It wasn't like the tunnels were his. In fact, he rather disliked the loneliness he felt when her and Alex would go away.

Prometheus darted up to Aisha as she entered the center cavern, weaving between her feet joyously. The little critter had taken quite the liking to the girl. Max watched in the corner of his eye as she spread out food, and he found that in his current state that he was not hungry. Not that his body did not crave sustenance. In fact, the smell of the dumplings made his stomach churn with desire. However, his mouth and throat wanted nothing to do with it. It was quite frustrating when ones body simply could not agree with itself. "Take a break, construction man. There's enough for you, me, and if Alex shows his pretty little face, him too." Max gave a small smile, that she had thought of Alex, but made no move to go and eat, instead checking if the legs were level.

He must be quite the sight, truth be told. Smeared with sweat and dirt, his pants worn and holy, his brown hair tufted in every which way. Pulling his jeans up over the peeking boxer shorts, he turned his ear to Aisha as she continued to speak. "So, I came up with an idea. I was thinking maybe I'll really play up that...gypsy, idea. You know? People love flashy stuff, and may offer up a bit more if there's more than just a plain old looking street performer." Max looked up at her and grinned widely at his own invention of Amara the Gypsy Princess. And all because he had wanted to go and introduce himself. In fact, Max was quite sure Aisha had wanted to strike him clear across the face when they had first met. Who had that prick thought he was? Coming up to her routine like he knows somebody? Bastard.

But alas, he had won her over.

"Sounds pretty legit." He answered, voice a little raspy. Perhaps he should drink something.... His dark eyes looked up to see Alex coming up to them. Ah, Alex. Sweet boy. Max did not hold his financial status over Alex's head, no Sir. Not that the kid seemed to have all that much money. True, he had nice cloths, a bed, a roof. But Max had never really coveted those things, and none of it really seemed to belong to Alex, but more allotted to him. And that, most certainly, could not be held over him.

Though it hardly stopped Aisha.

Both inquired as to what he was doing, And Max merely put his finger to his lips, in a shushing manner. Yes, it was a surprise. Grabbing a bottle of water, he took a deep drink, pouring the rest over his head. When had he felt warm? Seems he would have noticed that...

"You know, I've been thinkin..." Max said, looking around. "We could really do something awesome with this place. I mean, more than sleep. It sounds a little juvenile to call it a club house, but... I mean think about it.... I've always wanted a hammock..." Yes, here the police would not bother them. They could relax, and be calm, and enjoy themselves. "We could even make rooms of sorts..." Yes, he could see it. A skeleton of a square, with cloth drawn over it like walls. It would actually look pretty good. And it would be theirs.

His body ached for a break. Deciding the stage could wait a bit, as he did want her to be surprised, Max sat by the fire, lounging comfortable. His eyes went up to angel face, nodding at him to come and sit next to him. Max, who despised being possessed, was actually quite possessive himself. For lack of a better term, he had more or less claimed these two. Aisha as a sister, Alex as a lover. And Prometheus was the mascot that held them together.

"So, if your going all Princess Amara, Aisha, should I also make a little costume. I always thought I'd look quite dapper in a top hat." His crooked grin in place, he mocked tipping his hat at her, eyes twinkling despite their dilation.

[AISHA]

“Hey there, Promie!” Aisha greeted happily, before brushing her hands off on her pants. She picked a spoon from the back, and put a little bit of rice, lo mein and a bit of dumpling onto the spoon like a little plate, and set it on a piece of wood. “You’re welcome to eat too, ya little rascal.” Aisha murmured, reaching out to pet the soft creature, her nails gently scratching the back of his head before turning back to her meal.

There were a second set of footsteps coming down, and she quickly whipped around, only to relax and see that it was Alex. Her bottom lip stiffened, and she shrugged, “Hey Alex. Come get lunch, it’s fresh and not poisoned this time. I promise.” She mumbled, stuffing another dumpling into her mouth, while grabbing a fork for more of the lo mein.

“Top hat? If you want to look like a twisted carnie. How about something kinda…floppy?” She asked, leaning back and closing one eye, squinting the other one at Max. “We can always put you in tights. I bed you’d just look awesome in purple.” She teased, leaning backwards against the skeletal stage, and gestured to it with her thumb, “What are you makin?” She asked, before reaching into the white purse again, pulling out an old notebook and a pen, flipping the pages open, starting to sketch her idea for her outfit, scratching her cheek idly.

That’s when she caught what he said. She glances upwards, and looks around, “Well this is kinda the chamber, the center piece, right? But there’s other tunnels that spur off in different directions. We can make like one set of hallways like private rooms for people to hang out and stuff. And the other one, you, Alex, and me can take rooms in there.” Her arms pointed in the directions she was mentioning, before looking back at Max with a raised brow.

She glanced occasionally at Alex, inviting him into the conversation, but not really addressing him specifically. He didn’t say much more than hi to her, so why should she get all chatty? She crossed her legs, and continued to eat, her stomach growling for more as she watched the other two. “And I swear, if any of this food goes to waste because ya’ll are too nit-picky to eat, there’s going to be a huge fiasco.”

[/center]

[KIDDO]

It was a school day, but that almost never stopped Kiddo from being at the park. Because, quite honestly, there was nothing P.S. 118 could offer little Kiddo, that the glorious Central Park couldn't. Well, in her opinion. And one must keep in mind, this was the opinion of a ten year old.

Zooming down the walkway of Central Park, the world looked green to Kiddo from behind her goggles. On her head was a helmet that was strapped snugly around her chin, trimmed with her escaping and tightly wound hair on the edges. Her face was dirty from a day of rough housing, though one could not see it, as most of said dirt face was covered by a pink and black striped bandanna. Her cloths were rather boyish in appearance, from her green striped tee shirt, to her blue-yellow-red vest, and her tatty worn jeans. Her sneakers were dirty and abused from a years worth of play. Her hands bore blue, fingerless, riding gloves, and on her back was a green pack, in the event she found anything of interest. All and all, Kiddo though she looked pretty cool.

As she made her way down the strip, Kiddo's hazely blue eyes caught sight of a teenager, with thick curly blond hair. He was nicely dressed, considering he was worming his way down into a ditch... how interesting. A few yards away, Kiddo watched him carefully, folding up her scooter and putting it in her bag. Getting in for a closer look, she watched as the curious young man went into a little cave, vanishing from sight completely.

Now, some kids might decide it's better not to look into it. After all, he could be hanging out with some gang member, as New York had no shortage of those. But Kiddo, who was quite the little investigator, wanted... NAY, NEEDED, to know where he was going.

So, she wriggled down the ditch, just as he had, her jeans receiving some grass stains in the process, and entered the cave. The point of which he disappeared was most obviously the man hole in the floor of the tiny cave. And from within it, she could hear the faint sounds of people talking. Frowning, she lifted her goggles to sit on top of her helmet, and looked around. No one seemed to be watching. She could just sneak in for a peek and then be on her way. No one would be the wiser.

Deciding this to be sound logic, as sound as a ten year old with a danger streaks logic could be of course, Kiddo climbed down the manhole, and folled to the sounds of the voices.

The scene she came upon was rather dull to be honest. The blond boy she had followed was there, along with a pretty girl, a shirtless and dirty man, and a ferret. OH THAT WAS CUTE! They were discussing, oddly, setting up rooms in this place. How odd... they must be squatters. Though two of the three looked quite nicely dressed to be squatters... Of course, one must never judge a book by it's cover, right? If a rich man (or woman) could look poor, than it could be the opposite, right? Yes, that sounded logical.

Keeping out of sight, Kiddo watched the three with a new interest, wondering if they were actually going to live down here. That sounded rather exciting, really! Like living in a clubhouse or a fort!

[ALEXANDER FORTESCUE]

His reception was considerably better than he had hoped, and it brought a smile to Alex's previously-nervous face. Max was there being Max - he didn't get much of a greeting from him, but that was fine, he seemed occupied - and an actual acknowledgment from Aisha, which was a small victory in itself. He met Max's eyes and offered him a small smile before returning his attention to Aisha as she spoke to him.

“Hey Alex. Come get lunch, it’s fresh and not poisoned this time. I promise.”

"Zis time?" he asked with a laugh in his usual French accent. "Well, I will trust your judgment. I'm quite 'ungry after all--" He was about to say he skipped breakfast, but decided that might not be the best thing to say. Instead, he wandered over to the food and tuned into the conversation.

"A top'at? I 'ave to agree with Aisha, Max, it would look a bit silly." Alex picked up a dumpling and ate it thoughtfully. "Besides, if Aisha is going for zis gypsy princess look, do you not think zat per'aps you should match 'er some'ow?" He took a seat on the ground.

"And all zis talk of rooms...it would be fun, non? I could 'elp, if you need me to..." Somehow, imagining Alexander participating in construction seemed humorous, what with his angelic features, delicate hands, and somewhat sheltered upbringing. It seemed like an activity that would end up being his death in some way or another, but it was a definite sign of personal growth that the lazy teenager was willing to help at all.

He laughed a bit at Aisha's final statement and folded his legs. "Just because I'm French doesn't mean I am picky about food," he joked, grinning.

[MAXIMUS PETULENGRO]

Max lounged relaxingly, as his two exchanged banter and discussed a top hat being out of the question for Max. Haters. His dark eyes would go from one to the other, a fondness within the near black eyes that was not common. In fact, this was the first time Max had ever felt the warmth of family around him. And nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to jeopardize his family. Not without Max taking some serious offense, and thus causing a serious ruckus. Perhaps it was the cocaine currently in his system, but he felt fiercely protective of these to at this very moment.

As Alex spoke to him about possibly assisting with the construction of these room like things, Max could feel Aisha's mother henning eyes burrowing into his flesh. Damn, he had better eat. Giving her a 'Fine, I'm doing it, watch' look, he went over to his Alex, crouching down near him and stealing some of a dumpling from his Styrofoam bowl. Not in the deft way Max could steal, but quite blatantly. "It shouldn't be too hard." Max considered, looking around. "But probably a two man job..." Chewing thoughtfully, he felt his body relax near Alex. Deciding he quite liked this, he sat down next to him, laying back in the cool ground, chewing the dumpling, and continuing his lounging.

Honestly, could life be any better?

"Achoo!"

Snapping up instantly, Max was like a hound that heard a rabbit. That wasn't Aisha, or Alex, after all. Finding the source of the sneeze, he saw a scraggly little... girl/boy... standing in the opening from the tunnel.

Son of a bitch.

He met the kid's eyes, and in a strange moment happened. He wasn't sure if he had started to chase, and she had started to run, OR, if she had started to run, and he had started to chase. But it hardly seemed to be the point. He had to figure out how it got down here! She gave a good chase, running down the corridor, before he scooped her up and had her pinned to the wall. Not that he was hurting her. He just didn't want her to get any ideas on bolting.

Eyes hard, with the threat of his family in danger, Max's voice came out prickled. "How the fuck did you get down here, Kid?" Okay, so he probably shouldn't have cursed in front of her or whatever, but he didn't go to where she lived to tell her how to talk. So double fuck watching his mouth. The kid was either a very pretty boy, or a very tomboyish girl. The helmet and androgynous cloths made it difficult to tell. The pink scarf could indicate female though. Keeping his gaze hard, he stared at her expectantly, keeping his hands gripped on her shoulders tightly.

[AISHA]

"Yeah, me and you could build up the rooms. Alex wouldn't want to get his hands dirty with work," Aisha retorted, pushing a dumpling past her lips, and raising her brows while looking at the blonde haired boy. Her teasing towards him had become less cruel--but still a bit rough. Max liked Alex, and that meant she had to as well. Didn't mean she completely accepted him just yet.

"Ooh, but that is a good idea. I think the costumes will be good, because if we get a crowd or something, we're still gonna wanna remain unknown. I mean...if we still go about living how we have to, and people know our faces from here--they'll be able to find us, and ID us quicker. So maybe masks, or makeups will help disguise it, you think?" Aisha questioned, giving Alex a point when she complimented his idea.

Her head shot up when she heard the little sound, only to see Max tear off like a hunting dog. Aisha jumped to her feet, and ran after him, "What the hell is going on, Max?!" She called out, her voice echoing through the tunnels, before she came to a halt.

"Max, stop! That's a little kid!" Aisha scolded, seeing Max pinning the little thing to the wall. Aisha gave Max's shoulder a tug, trying to get him to release the child. "You're going to hurt her, if you haven't already scared her to death!" Aisha continued in that tone, her side pressed against Max, trying to push him aside, and get under his arm to break the grip.

"Alex! Come and get your pitbull here before I have to yank out all his hair!" Aisha yelled, her head turning to the tunnel she came from, before turning back to Max, her vivid eyes narrowing at him. "You're lucky she's got a helmet on, Max. You could've hurt her head!" She jerked her elbow in, attempting to bump Max further, "Seriously, let go so I can make sure she's okay."

[KIDDO]

They all seemed so... what was the word? Cohesive. There was a flow about them. They knew each others movements, before the person actually did them. The shirtless one, he was obviously the Alpha. The other two seemed to be getting their direction from him. He was the current to their stream. The girl was obviously the matron. And the blond, he was testing himself. He was new. The omega, though the Alpha seemed to have a fondness for him.

Now, as Kiddo inspected the strange happenings before her, with the same dedication that she watched ants with (and she LOVED watching ants), a stupid thing happened. The dust, that these three were obviously accustomed to, filled her nose, and a little sneeze escaped her. Rubbing her nose for a moment, she locked eyes with the Alpha, whose gaze was that of a junkyard dog who had spotted an intruding cat. And, go figure, she was the cat.

She stood still for half a second, but seeing him make the slightest move sent her running down the tunnel. Ohgodohgodohgodohgod! Run faster, run faster, don't look back, run faster. But she did look back, in time for the Alpha to catch her by the shoulders and pin her to the wall. Ow. Not nice.

Glaring defiantly, Kiddo clamped her jaw shut as he barked at her. "How the fuck did you get down here, Kid?"

The Momma of the group came to her defense, chirping at the Alpha to release. But he did not let go, and instead glared with his freaky dark eyes, waiting for a response. Before she could give one, though, she felt the little ferret climb up on top of her helmet, giving a low hiss at the Alpha. Feeling his hands loosen, Kiddo shoved past him and behind her defender, glaring. "It's not my fault! I followed him!" Her small, grubby, fingers pointed accusingly at the blond, who she totally blamed for leading her to this trouble.

Butthead.

Playing the cute card, she looked up at her defender. "Don't let him get me!" This was cake.

[ALEXANDER FORTESCUE]

"Yeah, me and you could build up the rooms. Alex wouldn't want to get his hands dirty with work."

Alex stifled a whine and shrugged. Complaining about Aisha's teasing wouldn't get him any closer to being accepted by her. He might as well grin and bear it, something he did very well. So he did grin, and replied, "Don't be silly, a bit of dirt is good for the complexion."

He had been about to respond to Aisha's inquiry about the make-up when Max suddenly jumped up and bolted after...something. With a shout of surprise, Alex put down the food he'd been holding and raced after Max with Aisha, coming to a stop as he watched Max pin the much-smaller, androgynous child up against the wall.

"Mon Dieu, what is going on here?" he snapped somewhat impatiently, a bit of his inner brat showing through.

His eyes widened as the girl(?) seemed to accuse him of leading her into this trouble.

"It's not my fault! I followed him!"

"Excusez-moi, peu d'intrus," Alex snapped in French, immediately on the defensive, "but I didn't exactly ask you to follow me 'ere, did I? And I especially didn't ask you to spy!" He felt a little stupid for not noticing. He had been checking all this time to make sure he wasn't being followed! He had to, to make sure no-one knew he was actually skipping school...was he that bad at keeping his wits about him? And here he thought he was good at sneaking around!

This was a serious blow to his ego. (Not that he didn't have plenty of that to spare.) Who did this little brat think she was?! Alex huffed and crossed his arms.

"Aisha, don't fall for her charm, she's obviously a seasoned trickster. Un peu con-artiste."

[MAXIMUS PETULENGRO]

Max disliked kids. Well, not exactly. Wait. Yes, exactly. They were sticky, and loud, and you had to censor yourself around them. No respect, can't keep their damn noses out of things they don't belong. Mind you, other than the sticky bit (most days) that description pretty much summed up Max himself.

At any rate, Max wasn't pleased by this little... persons... presence. Or the fact that Aisha was grinding her damn elbow into Max's ribs trying to protect the little cretin. He was stronger than Aisha, and sure footed, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. But annoying. Why the hell was she taking this... WAS IT A DAMN GIRL OR BOY-'s side? Prometheus climbed from his pocket, over his arm, and on top of the helmet of the kid. Long and narrow back arching, Prometheus gave a protective hiss, making Max take a half a step back in surprise.

The fuck?

The anklebiter fled from Max, in his moment of surprise, making Prometheus hop silkily to the ground, slithering between Alex's feet. Hiding behind Aisha, she pointed an accusatory finger at Angel, who instantly snapped back. Godammit, Alex. He needed to be careful! If word got out about this place, the city would almost certainly shut it down. Maybe even fill it with cement or something. Flashing an irritated glance around the group, Max knew he needed to restore order. "Alright, everyone, just chill the fuck out." He snapped. Max dared Aisha to scold him on his Goddamn, motherfucking, son-of-a-bitchin language, he really did.

Time to go down the list. First he pointed at Aisha. "You. I wasn't gonna hurt the... kid. I was stopping her, before she went and told whoever the fuck we were down here. I wasn't gonna hurt her, so just try to tame the momma bear, alright?" Next, Alex. "And you. You need to try and be more careful. This is a really good fucking deal we got here." Max's eyes went next to Prometheus, who hid partially behind Alex's leg, peaking his head out. "Annnd you. I have no fucking words. You just lost your god damn mind."

Finally he reached the kid, hiding behind Aisha like a scamp about to yell olleyolleyoxinfree. More for Aisha's benefit, and the benefit of his eardrums later, his voice softened. "What the hell are you doin down here, Kid? Don't you know it's dangerous? The fuck aren't you in school for?" Deep down, Max appreciated a rebel, no matter the size, gender (still quite the mystery to him), age, race, etc. Still, he had a valid point. This kid couldn't be more than... ten maybe. It hadn't been safe for him to be running around New York a decade ago, and it sure as hell wasn't safe for this kid now.

Seriously. When the hell did he get all protective?

[AISHA]

Aisha stared wide-eyed when Promie hopped onto the little kid's helmet, and actually hissed at Max. That was new. Also absolutely freaking hilarious. Aisha covered her mouth with her hand, snorting slighly, and choking down a laugh. She wobbled slightly when the child ran to her for cover. Her arm instinctively wrapping around her shoulder, hand gently on her shoulder.

It was a little girl, it had to be. The structure of the elbow under her hand, and the pitch of the voice sounded feminine to her. "You didn't have to slam her against the wall, Max. That was harsh." She mumbled under her breath, then peeked down at her. She crouched down to her height, peeking into her face, "You alright, honey?" Aisha asked, checking the little one over to make sure an arm wasn't hanging strange, or that she was standing awkwardly on a leg.

Aisha's face tightened, and looked at Alex. "Hey, Blondie, I don't know if you realized, but she's a little kid. Just because you were a dumbass and managed to get followed by a kid doesn't mean she's a trickster or a con-artist." Her brows knit tightly over her eyes, and she looked down at the little girl she was crouching infront of, "Don't mind Blondie, over there. He's a doodoo head." She murmured, and grinned, putting her finger to her lips, telling the girl to keep it their secret, though she had whispered it loud enough for Alex to hear. Her expression softened when Max's tone changed also.

He had a point. Alex was at least old enough that most people wouldn't mess with him. And Max and Aisha were use to the streets, and scraps. She, herself, at least knew that she was particularly good at escaping sticky situations. But this one was a kid, and was easily caught by Max. So she was putting herself in an extremely dangerous situation.

"He's got a point." Aisha murmured, and put her elbow on her knee, chin in her hand, and lifted her brows, before sliding her eyes back to Alex. She got that sly expression; the one where just the corners of her lips curled, and her eyes closed slightly, like she was satisfied. "Yeah, the hell aren't you in school for?" She tossed with a casual air at Alex.

Notes:Dammit Denny. The whole '"Annnd you. I have no fucking words. You just lost your god damn mind."' gets me every. Fucking. Time.

[KIDDO]

Hiding behind her only ally, Kiddo scowled at the boys. Why were they being so mean? She wasn't doing anything! All she was doing was lookin, and if they could be down here, so could she! "What the hell are you doin down here, Kid? Don't you know it's dangerous? The fuck aren't you in school for?" She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue, as it seemed he was already quite annoyed with her. But, oh, how she wanted too. Her hazel-green eyes just watched him, lip stiffened. He wasn't the boss of her! She didn't need to answer to him!

"Excusez-moi, peu d'intrus," Kiddo's eyebrow raised, wondering if he said something in another language or just talked stupid. "but I didn't exactly ask you to follow me 'ere, did I? And I especially didn't ask you to spy!" Hrm, it seems he spoke funny cause he spoke another language. Like Jorge at school! But he didn't sound like Jorge. In fact, he sounded like a big, stupid, monster, jerk. "Aisha, don't fall for her charm, she's obviously a seasoned trickster. Un peu con-artiste."

Instantly, the ten year old was incensed at being called... whatever it was that he just called her. It didn't sound nice, that was for sure. "Yeah, well, you talk like you got a buncha cotton in your mouth and you have girly hair, Pepe LePew!" Kiddo shot back, hiding behind Aisha for a bit more protection.

Luckily, Aisha was on the same page as her. "Hey, Blondie, I don't know if you realized, but she's a little kid. Just because you were a dumbass and managed to get followed by a kid doesn't mean she's a trickster or a con-artist." This time, Kiddo did not hold back, sticking her tongue out at the blond in a haughty manner. Ha! Served him right, picking on her, acting like she did something wrong. She was a kid! She had natural curiosity. "Don't mind Blondie, over there. He's a doodoo head." Kiddo couldn't help but grin, instantly softened. Hehe. Doodoo head. She offered the blond a white flagged smile, hoping maybe she could manage to wrangle another alley. The Alpha didn't seem to be thrilled with her being here. "He's got a point." Uh-oh. But wait, her protector's eyes were on the blond. "Yeah, the hell aren't you in school for?"

Feeling a little brave, Kiddo decided to hand over the proverbial olive branch, and bolted over to the blond's side. "School is totally for squares, right Pepe?" Kiddo looked up at him, giving an encouraging nod. Use the blond to get the guy on her side, and her protector would lighten up on the Alpha's boy. Symbiotic relationships. "'Sides, I learned everything I wanna know there. Bet he did too. And this place is way cooler... What is it?" Kiddo inquired, her eyes looking around with interest.

[ALEXANDER FORTESCUE]

This was totally 100% not fair. He could have SWORN that nobody was following him, and he was pretty good at checking for those things; he'd spent the last three years of his life sneaking out of wherever-he-was-staying in the middle of the night to go to parties. It was pretty important not to get caught when you were sneaking out, hence the sneaking. So, as non-thieves went, Alex was pretty good at sneaking.

So who did this little...little...agh! He couldn't bring himself to call a little kid a bad name, even if she was a fucking con artist to the core. (He could totally tell that. She was totally a con.) Who did she think she was, following him and then getting him in trouble for something that totally wasn't his fault at all?!

Merde. This was fucking stupid.

Max was talking, but he was too distracted and pissed off to care until he was addressed.

"And you. You need to try and be more careful. This is a really good fucking deal we got here."

"Ce n'était pas ma faute! Je suis un maître de se faufiler autour de vous! C'était juste un faux-pas. Ce n'est pas comme je vais prendre l'habitude de menacer notre sécurité!" Alex grumbled under his breath, not really responding to Max directly, almost talking to himself. He was frustrated. This kid had framed him, and now HE was stuck looking like an idiot.

"Hey, Blondie, I don't know if you realized, but she's a little kid. Just because you were a dumbass and managed to get followed by a kid doesn't mean she's a trickster or a con-artist."

"Look, Aisha, I might not be you, but I 'ave 'ad a fair share of my sneak-outs in ze middle of ze night and I should think zat I know 'ow to sneak around!" he protested, crossing his arms. Aisha was always just so eager to make fun of him...of course, it wasn't as bad as it used to be. At least she actually talked to him now. That was an added bonus.

"Don't mind Blondie, over there. He's a doodoo head."

"I 'eard zat," Alex grumbled, looking a bit sulky. To himself, he added, "Vous êtes à la tête caca ici..."

The question made him wince a little bit, and he turned his face away from Aisha, irritated. "None of your business. Ze point is zat I am 'ere and not zere. Zat is all you need to know."

"Yeah, well, you talk like you got a buncha cotton in your mouth and you have girly hair, Pepe LePew!"

Alex rolled his eyes at the little girl's insults. (He also actually didn't know who Pepe LePew was.) "Oh, oui, oui, keep talking about my 'air and my accent and we'll see 'ow far that gets you," he muttered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

But the little girl did seem to be backing him up about school, and that was something Alex could commend her on. "Yeah...school is for squares..."