Life carried on.
Lucian and Maxie were on their way back to the abandoned apartment complex. They could have gone straight to the hospital where Brodie was watching over Adelaine, but as things stood, they were carrying too much stuff. Well, Lucian was — the bag that Inigo had handed over to him was so big that he couldn't carry it by the handles. Moreover, lugging it over his shoulder would likely spill the food at the top, so he had to carry it in front of him, completely blocking his own field of view if he didn't turn somewhat sideways.
As they walked, Maxie observed the veritable mountain of things that she was given. "I think Mr. Suarez gave away too much," she said. Her voice was laced with both tense hesitation, and reluctant amusement.
Lucian, meanwhile, stepped his way diagonally through the winding path that he had made to get to their building. Despite how awkward it was, he didn't slip at all. "No such thing as too much when it comes to him," he said in response, making sure to add some convincing strain to his voice. "I think there's enough clothes in here to last your family for a good while before needing to do laundry."
Walking up their building's stairs, Max stayed a step behind Lucian, one hand on his back, in case he tripped. He was strong, sure, but people weren't perfect, and he was people. In the end though, they both made it safely up to the third floor, despite the precarious angles that Lucian's body had tilted to at certain points. Maxie couldn't see it, but he had this shit-eating grin on his face the whole time. He was fucking with her.
Once inside the Steeles' apartment, Lucian set the Massive Bag of Stuff™️ down on the floor, beside the makeshift table that the siblings had made using cinder blocks and an uneven cut of plywood. He then went into his own apartment to grab some small plastic bags that he'd been keeping handy — a habit he picked up from his mother.
When he returned, Maxie had already taken out the boxes of still-warm food, and was looking through the clothes she had been given.
"There's so many," she said upon hearing his footsteps at the door. Most of the clothes were used, some worn, but they were all more than good enough. "There's enough for everyone in here, I think."
Lucian got to packing the free takeout into the bags. "There's some cans in there, too. At the bottom. Would've dug into my skin if Inigo didn't put the denim stuff under 'em."
Maxie started shuffling through the bag with renewed vigor. Indeed, as Lucian pointed out, there were dozens of assorted canned food down there. "Okay. Our boss seriously gave us too much..."
"He likes to give freely." Lucian was now done wrapping up everything they needed to bring. "Besides, I get the feeling he only handled the food — which is still a lot, but don't you think a lot of these could've been from the crew?"
Realization dawned on Maxie then. It... made sense.
A good number of clothes were just her size — likely Gracie's. A lot of items that fit her were definitely something that Gracie would've owned. One such example was worn shorts with a Pokéball patch stitched onto the back pocket. It was a bit of a loose fit, but nothing that a new garter couldn't handle. Maxie liked that one — it was cute, and it reminded her of Tammy, since it was one of the interests that brought them together in the first place. There was also a cap with the Deathly Hallows symbol emblazoned on the front, one of the two things that Maxie could immediately recognize.
As for Bailey, there was only one person in the diner that was her size — Don. In the package were a few plaid shirts that both of them would've liked to wear, along with tank tops, worn work jeans, things like that. There was also a pair of thick work gloves in there, probably from his gardening days.
Besides those were also an assortment of male-oriented clothing that weren't quite Bailey's size — obviously meant for Brodie. Many of them were long-sleeved shirts and thick, baggy pants, which made Saud the obvious donor. He liked to cover up even when it was warm, because his body just decided that he should always feel cold unless it was uncomfortably warm for everyone else.
The only firsthand items in the package, still wrapped in plastic, were underwear, all the proper sizes.
Maxie huffed, amused. "So that's why they Gracie kept asking for my family's sizes," she mumbled.
"Inigo probably had her ask you that," said Lucian. "He likely bought those himself. Definitely would've been weird if he asked you himself."
She smiled at that. Everyone pitched in, and there was so much that she couldn't help but feel guilty.
Pushing her unwanted feelings aside, she took some time with Lucian to sort through the clothes piled up in the bag. They put them in three separate stacks, one for each Steele sibling. As for the canned goods, Lucian went out to get some cinder blocks and loose wood to serve as shelves. He even got a share of the canned food — Maxie reasoned that it was only fair.
Having settled things in the apartments, they locked up and headed back out into the city.
"We wanna go to Bailey's first," said Maxie. "Her lunch break usually comes later in the afternoon, and Brodie said he'd already eaten when I asked. Come on, I know where it is."
The construction site was up Finger River, so they took the leisurely route by the bank. Water streamed silently beside them, the murky current glistening in the hot sunlight. Their path shifted at random between dirt, concrete, mud, and makeshift wooden walkways.
During the occasional pass under a bridge, they would sometimes come across some homeless people taking shelter. Some of them slept only on blankets and discarded cardboard boxes, while others had tents or managed to construct tiny little hovels for themselves.
Maxie shuddered on the inside. Had it not been for the miraculous sequence of events in her life, her family might have ended up like this.
Most of the homeless that they saw elected to ignore the not-quite-a-couple as they passed, but Lucian gave readily to those brave enough to approach and ask for money. He carried a few hundred dollars in his wallet for this very purpose — not counting what Inigo had just given him earlier — every time he went out.
Little pings rang out in his head each time...
[ EXP has been granted... ]
[ EXP has been granted... ]
[ EXP has been granted... ]
All in all, his gains that morning totaled 320 EXP.
[ EXP to next level: 2,796 ]
Unfortunately, some people were just happened to be desperate or broken enough to try using force without thinking. Or maybe they had just been twisted to begin with...
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" In a panic, one of the people that Lucian and Maxie passed by scrambled, trying to hold back one of his own, who was brandishing a knife at them.
There was nobody else around under that particular bridge — just Luce, Max, and those two nameless men.
"Get the fuck off me!" Yelling furiously, the one with a knife shoved off the one trying to stop him. Undeterred, he stood his ground and attempted to make a show of intimidation.
"Hey. Listen to your friend." Lucian put on a flat expression. He set down the bags of food he was carrying, not wanting to risk them in case a fight actually happened. "If you come at us, I'll just lay you out."
As he tried to settle things verbally, he made sure to keep Maxie behind him. She had pulled out her own weapon — a pocket knife she had, ready to defend herself if needed. Luckily for her, she wouldn't have to use it. [Danger Sense] alerted him to nothing else around.
"C'mon, man! This isn't how we roll," said the first man. "Just let 'em pass, they wasn't bothering anyone."
"They. Have. Food," the armed one growled. "An' I'm not about to beg anyone anymore, or look through dumpsters or sneak shit out of stores! Besides, look at this bitch boy with the fancy jacket! I'm betting we can sell it and live easy for once. We need what they have."
"And they don't?!" his friend argued.
'Knife' shrugged him off again. "They need it less than we do," he reasoned.
Lucian noted the uncertainty in those words.
Seemingly getting over his hesitation, Knife lunged forward to attack. Sadly for him, a normal human, attacking Lucian was like charging at a bronze statue — he didn't realize that he was stopped until a second or two had passed. "T-the fuck...?!"
Before Knife could fully comprehend what happened, he had been slammed against one of the concrete pillars supporting the bridge above them. When he got over the pain in the back of his skull, he realized that ten fingers dug deeply — painfully — into his shoulders, and his feet no longer touched the muddy ground beneath him.
"You don't swing at me, let alone my people," Lucian growled in his face.
Sensing an opportunity, Knife swung upwards, as his arms were still free. The attack took effort considering the pain in his shoulders, but it would all have been worth it.
The attack should have been fatal — he was aiming for the soft spot under the jaw, just behind the chin. Instead, as opposed to the wet piercing feeling he expected, only plink or crack registered in his ears. One of his shoulders had been freed, and his little shank was snapped in half.
Finally, Lucian let go. He shoved the attacker against the support pillar to knock the wind out of him, and pushed a handful of bills to his chest. "There," he hissed. "Use that to buy yourself some fucking dignity."
Then, he moved to the other homeless man, the one who tried to hold back his friend. He handed over a similar amount of money. "Use this to tide yourself over for the day, and for fuck's sake, cut ties with this cunt."
Conflicted, the man looked between Knife and Lucian, unsure.
"If you're really that pressed for cash, go find this food place called Inigo's," said Lucian. "Even if they don't give you a spot there, you at least won't have to worry about your next meal for a while. A bunch of bleeding hearts, those people."
Without waiting for a response, he turned away and picked the food back up, thankfully unsoiled through the commotion. He returned to Maxie's side and pulled her close. "Come on. Let's get outta here."
She didn't need to be told twice. She speed-walked beside him, veins drumming in her ears. Chancing a glance back, she saw the two figures under the bridge. One was already leaving, while the violent one seemed to be throwing a hissy fit, yelling profanities into the open air. To help her nerves settle, she pulled her wrist free from Lucian's loose grip and placed her hand in it instead. When she entwined their fingers, he squeezed softly.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Y-yeah," she replied. "What about you?"
"Fingers sting a little, but I'll be fine," he said. Snapping that knife didn't really need much effort. The soft metal would have likely bent or snapped after piercing his skin and meeting his muscle, but he had to make a show of being 'relatively normal.' At least, until he could be sure that he wanted Maxie to know about the truth.
For now... this would have to do.
[ Conflict diffused. Earned 40 EXP. ]
[ Currency has been given away. Earned 80 EXP. ]
[ Currency has been given away. Earned 80 EXP. ]
[ Total EXP: 200 ]
[ EXP to next level: 2,596. ]
◎ ◉ ◎
'So... the guy who wants me is some corporate brat. Just my luck...'
Drury resisted the urge to break out of his restraints and just book it. Sure, he was irritated that the 'man' he was supposed to be negotiating with was some fat cat's snot-nosed brat, but whatever... If he could get the resources he wanted, then he'd gladly put up with a babysitting job.
"So... Mister Donovan. What do you offer in exchange for my services?" His rough tone didn't quite fit with corpo-speak and etiquette, but that was fine. As long as he didn't let any real hostility slip out and masked his words with polite jargon, he could even mock the kid to his face and he couldn't be called out for it.
After staring for a little too long, the brat answered. "There is much that I can offer you," he said.
Drury really didn't like that kid's entire vibe. 'What a tryhard...' Still, he kept silent and listened on like a good little prospective henchman.
"The very first thing I can provide beyond any reasonable amount of money, is access to my laboratories and workshops to use their equipment. I will not allow you to boss around my employees, so you will have to use your own two hands to make things. Within those limitations, you are free to create whatever you wish. Just don't do anything that will violate our privacy, or cause undue destruction."
'Well, that's a sweet first offer,' thought Drury. It was always a pain to cover up his tracks when breaking out and having to reacquire or otherwise recreate his equipment. This discussion was off to a good start.
"That's acceptable," he said. "But that won't quite cut it, especially depending on what you want from me."
"Of course, Mr. Walker. Let's go over this in detail..."
Killer Moth's conversation with the Donovan kid lasted quite a bit of time, almost an hour. More than half of it was spent entirely on detailing intricacies, rules, and guidelines.
For the most part, Drury would have to stick with this whole thing for a month, maybe two if the goings got rough. At least the kid acknowledged what a pain that was and offered fair compensation in exchange.
During his temporary tying to the Donovans, Drury's primary job would be assisting in operations that couldn't risk failure — escorting important resource caravans, key figures, safeguarding goods, or even protecting goons during fire-fights. That, he could do easily enough. Playing a supporting role was his specialty, after all, even if he always had fun being on the front lines on occasion.
By the end of the deal, he would be walking out with a fat paycheck, all the equipment he created, and a good helping of this strain of the Venom serum being developed by the kid's eggheads. He was even offered 'former employee discount' if he ever wanted to purchase more of the 'miraculous concoction' in the future.
Despite the product being talked up a bunch... Drury wasn't sure if he wanted it. After all, Batman had only used Venom during his career for a very short time. It couldn't have been all that, even with a new-and-improved blend.
Speaking of the bat, that was quite a sweetener for the negotiation. The Donovan kid was sure that Batman was on his tail, so he specifically went after Killer Moth because of their background and history with each other.
He had to admit: this kid might deserve more credit than he thought. Drury was planning to go after the Batman again in the future, anyway. Why not speed things up, shake up the cave with an uproarious return?
If there was anything to watch out for though, it was that Alex — which was probably the kid's name — was under Black Mask's thumb. He was pretty open about it. Though, this fact was to be kept secret, as only those in his inner circle knew the truth. That circle could be counted on one hand alone. To the employees working for Alex, he was a co-conspirator rather than some lapdog, though he did claim that he would overtake Black Mask before long.
Drury had to suppress a sneer when those words came out of the boy's mouth. Additionally, the only reason Alex told him what was going on was because of his notoriety for getting into places he wasn't supposed to.
"You were going to find out eventually," the kid said when asked, verbatim.
The most interesting part of the deal was one job that Walker may or may not have to do: kidnap someone. Some kid, around Alex' age, that could potentially be some underground fight club's rising star.
The "Phantom Brawler," he was called. Always showed up with a mask on his face, and full clothes that completely covered any potential identifying features on his body. Never lost once, though he hasn't been fighting for too long. His biggest achievement was winning five matches in succession during one night, the final round being fought against someone doped up on a full dose of Venom.
Last time Drury heard from the grapevine, he used to be called the "Phantom of the Arena." In a bit of a tangent, he thought that the new name was better. The kid probably didn't choose either name himself, though. He reportedly hated his first moniker, and the second one came after he disappeared, which happened right after Alex' men came after him.
And what a shitshow that part was. Walker was told the whole thing because Alex seemed to think that venting to him was a good idea. That chase incident was also what put the Donovan kid's operations in Batman's radar — at least, that's what he was told, from Alex' own perspective.
Drury didn't count on it, though. If anything, he was sure that Batman had had this entire thing in his sights for a while yet. Lengthy setups, small stings, creating microfractures in a criminal ecosystem. It was a no-nonsense, no-detection type of long-con work that Killer Moth respected the hell out of, and often partook in himself — only, from the other side of 'moral alignment.'
In the end, Drury Walker had three items on his to-do list for work:
First, investigate a young man called Lucian Albrecht. If he's the same person as the Phantom Brawler, approach him and cut a deal. Otherwise, capture with impunity.
Second, help out wherever he is assigned, whenever it happens. The easiest part of the job.
Lastly... protect Alex Donovan from the Batman. The most enjoyable part of their little give-and-take.
Before any of that though, is the opening page of this new chapter in Killer Moth's life: prep time.
"Take me to the labs, friend-o," he said to the office staff accompanying him, assigned by the kid as a guide through the building's underground levels. "Killer Moth needs his wings to fly."
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
[A/N]: Hi, hello... more domestic life things today, a hint of action to tide over our cravings for violence, and more conflict buildup.
Not much to say after this chapter, just that I'll keep on escalating and escalating as we move forward.
Also, I had to delay the chapter around a day or so from when I wanted to post it. Insomnia hit me hard, and life was not gucci. Couldn't sleep for two or three days this week, and I was a fuqin wreck.
I also have things planned for when Luce hits levels 25, 50, and 75, before a massive thing at lvl 100 when he gets his new Matrix! We'll also get a lot more of Lucian's past after this current conflict resolves, so look forward to that.
Also, pls stones? Helps a mans keep writing :3