Enzo began to leave and something...happened to Bas. All discomfort that Pyotr felt was replaced by worry. Pyotr had never seen Bas act like this before. His hands were shaking and vodka was spilling over his hands and on the ground. Bas looked around nervously and even gave him and Enzo strange glances.
Pyotr was worried, it looked like Enzo was going to leave, but Pyotr didn't want him to. The strange thing was, Pyotr didn't even know the guy, but he had no idea what was happening to his friend and had no idea what to do about it.
"Something is wrong - really wrong."
Pyotr said to Enzo, Pyotr said frowning.
"I've never seen him like this before"
Bas moved away and round the corner. Pyotr didn't see anything, but heard a loud explosion.
"I...I...something's wrong. I...I...don't know what to do."
Pyotr said again. He was seriously scared for Bas.
Pyotr ran around the corner and saw the firey wreckage of a car. Bas had fallen to his knees and Pyotr walked towards him. Bas had seemed - agitated - almost paranoid. His paranoia had even stretched towards Pyotr and he knew Pyotr wouldn't hurt. He couldn't if he wanted to.
Pyotr swallowed and looked towards the car that was completely ablaze. Nothing could be done for them. Pytor found himself going back to his Catholic roots. He crossed himself and said a prayer for them before going to his knees. He hoped Enzo had followed. To be honest he was scared of talking with Bas right now. He wasn't even sure if he should. It wasn't the cold that made his hands shake.
"Hey Bas...It's me..Pyotr. What's wrong. This isn't you man."
Edited by
Pyotr Grigory, Oct 26 2014, 11:44 AM.
Aurora had been walking the streets, it was late, she knew she was in a bad neighborhood. But who was going to be looking for her a presumably good girl in a bad neighborhood. She still hadn't called the man back that had called her. She hadn't even gotten his name, but his number was the only number on her wallet that she could decipher. Her memory was still shot, still gone, still no where to be seen. It was upsetting.
The books were no use, the drawing was even more useless but she stared at them all every night in the whole in the wall apartment she was staying at right now. It could have been days or even weeks since she'd been outside, seen anyone other than her landlord the night she took the peice of crap apartment in the red light district. The distinct red light was always there, the streets were almost always busy, but it was comforting for some strange reason to have all those strangers around living their lives. She envied them, they knew who they were, and in the red light district they weren't ashamed of it, they walked the streets in high heels and short skirts, or their custom made tailored suits.
Tonight she wanted to walk, it was still cold outside, the snow was still falling most of the time. She had never liked the cold. She knew that much, felt that much anyway.
No one bothered her, the men would watch her walk by, some would call after her, but she'd smile and keep walking. For some reason Aurora wasn't afraid, she knew she could defend herself. Across the street Aurora could have almost sworn she saw a man throw a fireball, but the car between them exploded. A trick of the eye. But something nagged at her, something she should know but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
The car burned, men rushed around corners, the man she thought that had thrown a fireball collapsed to the ground. Aurora quickly crossed the street as she dialed for emergency services to come. The driver of the car, or was it parked? Aurora couldn't remember, it all happened so fast. The thought made her question everything.
The emergency responder didn't seam overly eager to take her call from the red light district, but he assured her someone was on their way. Aurora didn't think they'd get here anytime soon.
One man was helping the fallen stranger, except he seemed to know the man. Aurora asked with a smile. "Everything alright here?"
Aurora knelt down next to the man on her knees. Aurora put her hands on the man's forehead and a strange feeling overwhelmed her, everything reached a new clarity.
Aurora didn't quite remember the exact instance but she saw a net form and pass through the fallen man. It was something she remembered doing before. But she didn't understand, it was instinct. Aurora didn't remember what it did, but maybe it would help, alleviate whatever he might be experiencing. She could feel something wrong with him, but she had no idea what, nor did she know what it was, but something was wrong.
Enzo breathed a sigh of relief. He'd escaped the awkward ambush with his skin in tact. This area made his skin crawl. It was enough that he was poised on the curb ready to hail a taxi when the commotion distracted him.
The drunkard was gone. Petyr ran around the corner. Then an explosion rocked his eardrums. Enzo gasped and ducked aside, the force of it physically sent him a step backward. He'd flung his face away from the direction it'd come, but searing fire never surged overhead. The explosion was not so large, but people were running none the less.
His throat went dry but he followed the direction Petyr had gone, hoping he was not about to walk onto a scene of charred skeletons. Rounding the corner, he skidded to a stop before a burning car. The heat of it slammed into his face. The flames reached four, five meters high.
The noise swallowed the sounds of a curse on his tongue. The backs of Petyr and Bas - the drunkard - were kneeling on the cement dangerously close to the curb. A blonde lady was near, likely trying to help.
The car, now engulfed, sunk his heart. If there had been people inside, they were incinerated now.
He threw his forearm across his face, hoping to block the heat of the flames. "Messieurs! Come away before the gas tank explodes!"
He tried to get the lady to come first, but she seemed distracted. Enzo raised his voice. "S'il te plait,"
he urged. "Please come away."
The heat from the fire made his face feel hotter that it already was. His limbs were like lead weights and he swayed on his knees, barely keeping upright. Screams and the crackle of the fire pounded in his head and he felt hands on his shoulder. A voice resolved itself out of the chaos and it was Pyotr.
The light of the fire made strange sharp shadows on his face. There was something wrong with the man's eyes. Bas wondered what had happened to his friend. Who was this impostor? He ground his teeth and began to pray for the power. He felt it in the distance, the cold heat of a far away star. He prayed and strained but nothing came to him. Cold sweat began form on his forehead from the concentration. This thing in the Pyotr suit was doing something to him!
Suddenly, the other man was there. It was both of them! They were doing something to him. He tried to stand up and his legs didn't respond. Another voice intruded into his mind, a girl. He looked up at her and she was haloed in firelight. Was this a vision? Was she the Holy Mother? He saw kindness and concern on her angelic face, could feel the heat radiating from her. His eyes locked on her as she knelt and put her hands on him. It gave him chills and he felt her holy power wash through him.
The fatigue and chills disappeared and his legs worked again. His mind still felt clouded though. He looked at the Pyotr mask and felt a chill. The other one was there too, along with onlookers. He looked away from the demon and back to her and took her hands. He whispered,
"Please, Mother, please make them go away!"
Edited by
Sebastian, Nov 3 2014, 11:17 AM.
The man was muttering to himself. Aurora could have thought he was praying, then he called her Mother. It was very odd, a third man tried to get them all away from the fire, Aurora stood and pulled at the man who clasped her hands. She looked at the one who appeared to be his friend?
Aurora turned to the one who beckoned them away and she smiled.
"We are coming. He's not here I don't think. He's not making any sense."
Aurora turned her attentions back to the fallen one.
"Come with me. I can help you."
Aurora could smell the alcohol on his breath, but he didn't act drunk, high maybe? A bad drug? Aurora could handle part of it, she could vaguely remember helping a man older than her through similar situations. Though it was different this time. Whatever she could do with that glowing net had helped, but not enough. Once he was on his feet she turned to the other two men.
"My place isn't far. I an help your friend, at least get him away from here."
She grinned.
"I don't think the authorities need to be involved here, he's done nothing wrong, and he isn't hurting anyone."
Though Aurora was almost positive she saw him throw fire from the palm of his hands. But that was for later, much later. It tugged at her memories, but she couldn't exactly place it.
Aurora took the man by the hands and lead him to her apartment. The others were free to follow, she looked back a few times to see if they'd stayed in view, she wasn't exactly taking a direct route. No point in making it easy. She wound through the alleys and streets on the way back to her apartment. Back tracked a few times even. She probably looked lost, she wasn't, but she could act that way anyway.
"Everything looks the same in the Red Light District."
She muttered to herself. But in reality she knew it was not the truth, she knew her way very well.
Aurora used her key to unlock the front door of the apartment building, the local drunk sat on the bottom step and Aurora kicked his hand away as he tried to grab her. She made sure the man in tow made it safely up the two flights of unsafe stairs to her third floor apartment. It wasn't much but it was more than the studio she'd had when she first got to Moscow. It was a one bedroom at least.
Aurora left the door open as she lead the man to the couch. She smiled at him and had him sit down. She looked over at his friend.
"What's his name?"
She grinned.
"Names all around would probably help. I'm Aurora."
(( bas modded with permission ))
Edited by
Aurora, Nov 3 2014, 03:41 PM.
Pyotr heard Enzo approach and say that they needed to leave. The gas tank would explode. Pyotr felt stupid, but he was worried about Bas. A girl arrived and helped out. Pyotr felt a chill in the air as she touched Bas's forehead.
Bas muttered and seem to look scared when he looked at Pyotr and Enzo. Something was wrong. Bas didn't recognize him. He looked back and called the woman "Mother" and Pyotr thought it was strange. The woman seemed to want to help and she began to lead Bas away. Bas seemed to be willing to be led by her, and event though it was a little painful that Bas wasn't trusting him, he still followed. He knew his friend wasn't himself.
Pyotr spoke to Enzo before following the girl.
"I understand what you mean. I'm not very comfortable in this district as well."
the thought of the suit made his cheeks flush again.
"Thanks for your help back there. I lost my sense back there. He helped me find some of my own strength not to long ago, and he's a close friend. I was very concerned - still am."
Pyotr began to follow, and his eyes remained on Bas as they arrived at what seemed to be their destination. They arrived at the room and the girl introduced herself. Her name was Aurora and Pytor thought it was a pretty name. He really liked it. He offered her his hand.
"His name is Bas. I'm Pyotr. I think if it's ok, I'm going to make us some coffee. I'll bring Bas a glass of water too."
Aurora gave her okay and Pyotr went to the kitchen. He pulled out some mugs and a glass, he filled the glass with water after setting the coffee to brew. When the coffee was done, he poured it and delivered the cups to everyone with a practiced hand. He returned to the kitchen and got some cream and sugar as well in case anyone wanted it.
Pyotr took a sip of his own coffee and sat down. He said a quick, whispered prayer that Bas would be okay and remained silent. He didn't know what to say.
Edited by
Pyotr Grigory, Nov 3 2014, 05:23 PM.
The fire sent beads of sweat down Enzo's temples. There was a surreal moment that followed where Enzo was suddenly aware of a cold wind wafting searing heat against his cheeks. The moment of slow-motion passed when Bas's mutterings broke the solemn spell. Having referred to the young lady as his mother, the man was clearly sick. Perhaps he was hallucinating. If Enzo's heart was not already broken, it might have fractured again by the hammers of fire, death and despair.
The woman that caught Bas's attention turned with a smile. Her serenity sent a chill through Enzo unrelated to the wind. Obviously it was impossible for someone so young to be Bas's mother, but her protectiveness of him was as one. Yet at the same time, she was also unsettlingly dismissive. Men not in their right mind were always dangerous. Enzo was more aware of the sense than he was five years ago. Men were often not what they appeared. His Atharim mind turned toward the darker fringes of humanity and compared them to Bas's behavior.
Enzo shook his head. He was too unprepared and too outnumbered to walk into a potential den of the devil. There were too many oddities to be coincidence. He knew the area he'd met the two men, Bas and Pyotr. He could investigate when it was safer.
While the others departed together, Enzo jogged across the street, safely putting distance between himself and the burning vehicle. A crowd was coming. He blended into the mob and soon disappeared from sight altogether.
The Blessed Mother's hands were cool and smooth to his coarse and earthy, but She smiled beatifically at him. A halo of orange glowed around Her. Her voice drifted through his haze and though he wasn't sure what She said, he felt peace pierce the dark. His fear subsided as he gazed into Her blessed countenance. But it still lapped at the edges of his mind when he took his eyes from Her.
She lifted him up with ease and pulled him along. He was aware of the demon following him but the Queen of Heaven was taking him to safety. Nothing could harm him as long as Sebastian stayed near Her.
He paid no attention to the route they took. It did not matter. Only She mattered, peace and tranquility. Each moment seemed to last forever as they walked, a lifetime lived in each step. He was getting tired though. He wanted to sleep, wanted to lay down and drift away.
And then they were ascending upwards and it was as if She had heard his prayers. Of course She had. She had looked back at him during the entire journey together and he knew She was listening to his prayers. Her reassuring smiles confirmed him, as he had been confirmed years ago.
Her bed was a cloud and he murmured his thanks and praise even as his eyes closed. Peace enveloped him, warmth and tranquility. He hadn't felt like this since...he could not remember ever feeling this way. The Eternal Mother held his hand and he drifted off.
Bas, an odd name, it had to be short for something. He settled into her couch and drifted off to sleep without any of the water his friend had brought him.
Aurora gratefully took the cup of coffee, he'd brought cream and sugar, but who needed that. Her father claimed if you were going to drink coffee then it had better be black. The memories of her past were fickle, showing up at weird times, and then when she needed them most they were nare to be seen.
"It seems he wants to sleep."
Aurora looked up to his friend, "He'll be safe here, if you give me your number, I'll call you if anything changes."
She smiled. "There is no need for both of us to watch over him."
Aurora went to her room and grabbed two blankets. Aurora covered the sleeping man with the thicker blanket, and pulled another into the chair and wrapped herself up with one of her books and her hot coffee. "I'm sure he won't give me any trouble, you needn't stay on my behalf. I'm pretty sure he's not going to hurt me in any state of mind."
Aurora laughed. "I think he thinks I'm the Holy Mother, his illusions of his religion I suppose, or something more. But I'm sure I'm safe."
Pyotr sipped at his coffee as Aurora told him she would watch over Bas. He was free to go. It just seemed to convenient though. Bas was his friend and wasn't doing well. This stranger he had never met before wanted him to leave - at least it seemed that way. It hadn't been in a good area of town either. It wasn't that Pyotr thought Aurora was dangerous - she didn't seem to be so - but Pyotr wasn't about to leave Bas alone with someone he didn't know.
He was too polite to say that though that he was being a tad bit paranoid at the moment. Instead he said, "He's a close friend and I'd rather be here when he wakes."
He had smelled the drugs on him, and wondered at that. Had Bas used some sort of hallucinogen, or was something else wrong? Either way, Bas seemed to not recognize him. It made him upset.
He was here though, and staying in silence would be weird, so he started talking to Aurora. "So what brings you to Moscow?"
He had noticed her accent wasn't Russian - sounded American to him.