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Summary: Kaji, running from a rampant Hound, rests for a bit. Then Rashmi finds him. They yell, then chat, then he gets some help.
Date: August 8, 2020
Licking the Wound
Rating: PG-13
The Future - NYC - Mutant Town
The air has a permanent stench of burning rubble and death about it. Most of the buildings have been reduced to nothing, as Mutant Town was where a large battle between mutants and sentinels took place, with the sentinels winning. Many mutants lost their lives the day the sentinels destroyed the area. The neighbor hood has become a burned shell. The Homeless people tend to find small areas to hide and sleep amongst the rubble of Mutant Town but nowadays, not many people find reason to travel here. Occasionally you can find graffiti on the wreckage spouting messages to loved ones who died here.
With Ahab's control released on the Hounds, and the ones who wanted to revert back to normal did; Kaji got the hell out of the holding cell where Tony had held him. Thankfully his old… ex? friend let him free and the mutant has been spending most of his time lately hiding from people. The ex-Hound isn't wearing the leather clothing. But anyone who's seen him fight would recognize the black armor with the Stark logo over his chest as the mutant leans against a wall, panting a bit. Apparently just getting finished running from something.
Mutant Town is a terrific place for a message drop; most of the residents stay indoors and out of sight, Sentinel sweeps occasionally notably thin, and the sheer number of those captured and murdered when the war scythed through this section of the city create an almost tangible pall that steers casual visitors away. However, sometimes the odd unpleasant discovery is made; for example, a lone Hound resting against a wall like it was his, catching a breather as perhaps his latest quarry got away. Some opportunities are simply too good to pass up.
And so, from across the street and atop the rubble of a burned-out husk of a building, the coughing bark of fully-automatic gunfire thunders through the terrified hush of the night, stitching an uneven row of pockmarks into the concrete in front of Kaji's feet.
The pockmarks into the concrete in front of him cause Kaji to leap up and backwards; landing in a crouch on a toppled wall as he pants out of fright and surprise. He looks around for whomever shot it, even if he can't see them. Out of the sheer surprise, he had shifted into his anthro form as he slinks back down towards the ground. In a slow movement, he moves to unlatch his swords; leaving them in the sheath as he sets them on the ground. His amber eyes looking about as he moves away from them.
"I *thought* so," comes Rashmi's voice from atop the building across the street, both sub-machine guns in hand, the barrel of the right emitting faint wisps of smoke. How odd… if she hadn't called attention to herself, very probably she would have passed unnoticed. The left weapon falls to hang at her hip, glowing spheres summoned and used as stepping-stones, the now-famous Internet Terrorist eventually alighting on the ground and walking slowly toward Kaji, barrel never once wavering. "You don't look happy to be here, all of a sudden. I'd advise you not to call for backup, though."
Kaji's eyes flick up towards her. "Back up? I have no back up." He shakes his head, putting a hand over an eye as one keeps an eye on her. "How would you feel if you feel like you've just woken up from a ten year nightmare where you were able to watch, feel, and bask in the horrors that you've committed. Huh?" That last word is lightly barked out before he leans back against a high part of that broken wall. "I feel like hell."
"How would I feel? *How would I feel?!*" As she approaches, the light of fury in her eyes, her free hand clenches… not a fist, though, but as though she were flexing claws that weren't there. "You have no *idea* what Hell feels like, damn you! You never watched your best friend take your baby with a smile, and leave her to *die* in the nothing he goes to when he leaves! You never watched the man you love become a monster almost as bad as the ones you spend *every day* putting *bullets into!* You've never betrayed every last hope you ever held dear because five hundred men and women *need you to* just so they can wake up alive in the morning!! Frankly, *I THINK YOU'RE DUE SOME HELL!*"
…And for all she seems to desperately want to pull the trigger… something keeps holding her back. There's a war going on, inside the woman's head, and that it's only just now making itself apparent, a frightening concept.
Kaji snarls loudly, growling out as he slams a hand against the wall; away from the girl. "You've had your personal hell, this may be true. But you haven't had the misfortune of being turned into someone's lap dog because he drove you so far into the ground that his way out was the only way. I was put through hell as I watched a dark shadow of myself rip through countless mutants before /he/ told me to!" He looks down at his hands and clenches them before he looks back at Rashmi. "I've an idea of what a different Hell feels like."
He pauses for a bit and then sighs. "Honestly, when I saw your video. I'm glad that you did it. Someone needed to." He rubs his forehead, and then taps at his stomach; the armor making a soft click. "If you want to shoot me, go ahead. God knows that most of you in that Underground have tried to."
"Yeah…. But I had to *choose* mine," Rashmi answers softly, the strength seeming to run out of her arm, the gun falling to her side. "…And I almost want to hate you for that… Because one day, you'll be able to really *get* that it was never really you. Just something riding you like a mascot suit." A hand reaches up, raking through stringy, dirty hair, the face that looks back at Kaji seeming far, far older than it should. "…So it's really true, is it? Hounds are turning left and right all over the place?"
Kaji lets out a soft laugh. "And yet, I still know the feeling. I've seen many people die by my hands. Even if it wasn't me. I still can't shake the feeling." He looks down at her, a soft smirk curling up one corner of his muzzle as he nods. "Yeah, Ahab's done for. Hounds are reverting, some are staying. I… was running from one of them when you found me here. Think I lost him actually." He looks about, his ears perked as he takes a smell of a light breeze rolling by. "I don' smell him around, so he must've left. With no master, some of them are running even more rampant."
"Well… that's good, then." Whatever fury that gripped Rashmi for those moments, gone now… and by the looks of it, taking with it a great deal of her energy. "That's not everything, but… It's a start. Now I guess, pretty soon it'll be time for the Avengers to do their work. After that… who knows."
Kaji quirks a brow, and in the same motion; the same side ear perks up. "So, it's true. The Avengers are being reformed." He lets out a grumble as he rubs at his forehead. "I'm going to guess that my membership is revoked." He shakes his head with another sigh before he says. "I really doubt anyone else will only fire warning shots."
"Yeah… they are." There's a crooked smile, the humor behind it nearly that of the gallows. "…They even found someone who could step up and pick up Captain America's shield. Heard Thor running around now and again, and most of the rest, came from the tunnels. It's going to be a hell of a fight, Kaji… And maybe if you're up for it, there'll be a spot for you. I can't promise you everyone'll be happy at seeing you… but they got used to Kalindi. Just… not now, I think. Right now… I'm too busy trying not to shoot you, looking at you."
Kaji's eyes move up to the spheres around the girl and he says, "I offered for you to take a shot. Just, not the head." He hms a bit before he says, "I doubt Tony'd be happy to see that." He sighs heavily and gives a weak shrug. "I guess I'll survive around here for a while. I figure you'll have some way of finding me once more." He looks down at the swords at the girl's feet. "Mind handing me those?"
The swords, prodded with the toe of a boot, flipped up in Kaji's direction. "Bleeker Street. There's an old arcade. Hasn't had power since Thor took out the stadium, but, there's a lot of basement. I used to hide refugees there, back when there were a lot of them on the way to the Underground. Should take you a couple hours to get there… in three hours, I'll make a food drop there." Her eyes rise, finally, locking on to Kaji's, an eyebrow rising. "I hope you understand… I don't really intend to repeat myself."
Kaji quickly catches the swords in both hands before he holds them in one and nods. "Bleeker street. Arcade. Basement. Food drop in three hours." He smirks a bit as he says, "Just call for Fenrir." He laughs a bit, the name he used to use as an Avenger. He lets his eyes lock down onto Rashmi's and then says, "Thanks." With that he turns to start to walk away, then he stops and looks back. "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about me. I know that some of the ones in the Underground want more than just a chat."
Rashmi shrugs a bit, turning her back. "They'll have to know eventually. *Tony* will have to know. If the Hounds have slipped the leash… It's not going to stay quiet. It'll need to get verified. Then, after it is? We take you to our telepath."
Kaji smirks a bit before he says, "Joy, another one in my head. At least tell Tony. For now." With that, the anthro shifts into his more mobile form and takes off running down the street. Veering off into an alley way as he heads for that arcade.
