Where's all my soul sistas?

Summer 2021, Week 4, Thursday evening

Briar Park, The Heights

Xander Knight

Since arriving in New Victoria, it felt like Xander just never got a break. Between his first American concert, Blood Bolt on the news bringing EVOs into the spotlight again, and shifting public perception, it seemed like he just couldn’t win. Luckily with his loft apartment came a park nearby, not often populated at night, which made it a great place for the rocker to escape to, sitting in the fresh air with his guitar and his thoughts.  

Lesris

The faint sound of an acoustic guitar can be heard nearby. Lesris sits in the secluded park, enjoying the fresh air as she plays her guitar. She needed this time away from home just a little bit, the fresh air soothes the soul. The song thats being played is slow and sad. She sings and plays to herself for a few minutes and then stops, placing her guitar to the side  

Xander Knight

Walking through the park, Xander’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of guitar, and not his own. He followed the music to the source, a woman in the park, observing and listening until she stopped her song. “You’re good,” he said, the hood of his white denim battle vest, tattered and patched, obscured his face so only a few locks of his stark white hair could be seen. His heavily tattooed, olive skinned arms motioned to the black guitar case slung across his back. “You’ve played long?” His accent stood out, a Brit in Virginia.  

Lesris

"Thanks, and I've been playing since I was a little girl." Her southern accent is pretty strong. it doesnt seem like she's from here either. her pale skin is covered in dust seeing as she got off work an hour or two ago. 'What's he doing here? he sounds foreign. British maybe?' "how's your night going? My name is Lesris, and yours?"  

Xander Knight

“Oh, Xander, pleasure. Nice spot eh? This park is… sort of the bad part of town, but it’s quiet, good for thinking. I’ve not met another musician here though.”  

Lesris

"oh, youre a musician too? I havent seen one here either yet, I guess we're a rare breed haha" i wonder what he plays. "yeah, it is a nice spot, despite te surroundings. its a good spot to practice a little more. maybe one day i can do concerts, but i dont know if im good enough yet. So hows your night been going?"  

Xander Knight

“Aye, guitarist myself. My nights okay, just… a lot on my mind, yeah? All this goin on in the city…” He hopped down beside her, a respectable distance but on her level now, positioning himself between her and the streetlamp, further shadowing his identifiable features. “I’ve found I meet the best strangers around here.”  

Lesris

"hmm it seems so. ive been meeting alot of cool strangers since i moved here. it must be something about the city" why is he hiding himself? must be trying to hide his face or something. now the question is why? "there is alot happening, ive been out of the loop for a while."  

Xander Knight

The man simply nodded, removing the case from his shoulder. “There’s a lot of news with EVOs lately, people can’t seem to make up their minds. Government teams and criminal organizations pull people in different directions.”  

Lesris

"yeah. I just want this place to be good for people like me." fuck i let it slip out, hope he's sympathetic "the news with the EVOs fighting each other is sad, but i guess conflict is a part of life, huh?"  

Xander Knight

“People will always fear the unknown. They hate anyone who’s different. That’s why I came here, to the city where people seemed the most accepting. Only now… who can say.”  

Lesris

"thats the same reason i came out here. this place is alot better than the place back home, for me and my family. I take it you're an EVO as well? im a manipulator by the way" here's hoping he is and im not reading into what he just said wrong  

Xander Knight

The hood turned towards her, Xander eyeing her up and down. “I am, though… I’ve not got a clue what manipulator means. And between you and me, you might not want to spread that around, especially round here late at night. Never quite know the type of person you’ll meet.” He turned away, scanning the horizon, only seeing the scattered late night characters throughout the park, none seeming intent on their conversation.  

Xander Knight

As the woman strummed and plucked, her slow, sad song filling the night air of Briar Park, the rockstar slipped away, feeling the brisk coolness of a gentle night breeze against his skin.  

Dockside Brewery, Port Victoria

Xander Knight

"Right, which of you soggy tossers is next?" Xander called across the bar over a chorus of cheers and boos as his fourth opponent fell from the barstool onto the floor of the brewery. Effortlessly downing the shot poured by the bartender as his next victim took the seat, slamming a crisp $100 bill on the counter, staring daggers to the rockstar. "Right, all I've got is the winnings, so... looks like 60 to 100. If you say so..." Xander shrugged and took the shot, hardly a flinch gracing his lips as he did so, smiling to the new opponent. He knew he would eventually either need to fake drunkness, pick a point to stop, or survive the inevitable bar room brawl that was to come when these men realized the alcohol had no effect on him.  

Ilya Medvedev

No one noticed when the smaller man walked in; their eyes were focused too intently on the commotion surrounding Xander. Taking in the situation, he walked over to the bar first. "Four vodkas. Smoothest possible. Russian is preferred." The bartender gave him a quick once over. He'd noticed Ilya's worker boots, possibly steel toe, and dark jeans when he approached the bar. But that wasn't what made him second guess his next question. No, that would be the tank top with... the face of a frowning teddy bear on it. The top left his muscled arms bare and showed off the two bear paws on either shoulder.   'Well that's new. Not gonna judge.' "You willing to pay for it?"   Ilya's accent got thicker just for a moment as he gave the man a look. "Da. Four Russian vodkas. Please."   He lifted a hand as if to call for peace. "Comin right up." The man went into the back and came back out with a bottle of Beluga, clearly chilled as the condensation began to run down the sides. He lined up 4 shot classes and filled them to the brim. Ilya slid a card across the bar without prompt. "Keep it open." He pointed over his shoulder at Xander. "That one is on me too."   He picked up all 4 very skillfully and carried them over to his friend's table. Setting them down, he quickly slammed two of them back to back. "AHHH. Very good. What we doin here, friend? Ilya will catch up." He then downed the other 2 shots and gave his friend a big smile.   (Picture for reference, just imagine a frowning bear tank top over the chest tattoos.)  

Xander Knight

"Ilya! Good to see you, mate. I've got no less than four blokes here try to challenge me, think they can drink me under the table, eh? I've begun to bet on it," he said, motioning to the ever growing stack of money on the table as he downed his next shot as though it were water, his ever grumbling opponent following suit. The man sat across from Xander, however, did not look to be doing quite so well, swaying in his chair. "Shot number eight, mate. Can't right think you can last much longer, eh? Why not call it now, save yourself the headache."   The man grunted angrily, demanding the bartender pour them their ninth shots, slapping another 10$ bill on the bar.   Glancing to Ilya with a smirk, the punk rocker shrugged before tossing the shot back. As they did so, his adversary stood abruptly, jamming a very aggressive finger into Xander's face with a slurred, "You..." before promptly losing consciousness. The brit simply chuckled, sweeping up the pile of notes with a giddy chuckle. "Anything you fancy, mate? Next drink's on him."  

Ilya Medvedev

Ilya shook his head. "No, friend. Tonight, Ilya is buying. Keep your hard earned monies. Let's show them just what kind of damage we can do tonight, eh!? Round on Ilya for the bar! Would you like special Russian vodka? It will put hair on your young chest."  

Xander Knight

A smug grin spread across his face as Xander counted and folded the money he had won, a bit over $200 in all. "Sure, mate, I'll take a posh Russian shot, eh?" Tucking the money into the pocket of his white denim vest, he motioned for the bartender as he scanned the crowd. "All these men are afraid of some punk kid forty shots deep, can you believe it? Cowards."  

Ilya Medvedev

"Forty shots?! Is there Russian in you?!" He clapped Xander on the shoulder. "Don't die, friend. Ilya does not feel like crying. There has been too much pain lately. No need to add to it tonight. Yes? Yes." A waitress came and brought two more frosty shots of Beluga and placed them on the table. "Thank you, dear lady." He raised one of the shot glasses. "Give us toast, Xander! To something happy."  

Xander Knight

Xander laughed with his friend, shaking his head. "No need to worry mate, my eh... metabolism runs too high for it to be an issue." He winked as he took the glass of vodka, raising it to the sky. "In England, there's some good toasts. A man that buys land buys many stones. A man that buys flesh buys many bones, a man who buys eggs buys many shells, but a man who buys beer buys nothing else."  

Ilya Medvedev

Clinking glasses with Xander, Ilya shouted. "За дружбу! To friendship!" As he downed his shot, he slammed it back onto the table. "So, friend, tell Ilya. What's on your mind tonight?"  

Xander Knight

Downing the shot with ease, Xander's smile faded a bit. "I've not been in New Victoria for long, yeah? But I've heard of some... less than favourable things thought about... people like you and I." His eyes stared into some void between objects, momentarily lost in thought before snapping back to the table with his friend. "I dunno, it just... feels unsafe wherever I go. Even now, with control and focus, I slip up. And if I slip up in public...." He knocked back another shot, his expression changing as he shook his head, momentarily forgetting his immunity. This damned power, can't even let me have this...  

Ilya Medvedev

"Yes, friend. It is hard times. Heavy is head that wears crown. We are special and people do not understand special. It is scary. It is freak. It is "bad", the unknown. Especially now. Blood Bolt fucked it for everyone again. But we will be us, we will show New Victoria, we will show everyone, that we are not bad just because we have difference in us."  

Xander Knight

"I wish I had your optimism, friend. I've seen the way it goes down, the way people act, like rabid animals hunting any trance of strange or unknown. Either I hide myself, hide away while bad things happen to me and everyone like me, or I do something about it, and then I'm just as bad as they say I am. I've seen it before, its why I left England. People catch a scent of someone they deem dangerous and hunt them down, burn anything in their way, 'for the safety of the community'. Bollocks." Xander drew in a deep breath, steadying himself before continuing. "They'll never know. They'll never know the pain, the control it takes to keep myself from frying everyone I touch, the effort exerted to make sure the neighborhoods don't go black when I touch a lightswitch. They see a man who shoots lightning from his hands, and I don't get a second chance." His voice was low, quiet, but filled with emotion. Rage, sorrow, pity, all swirling within his words as he stared daggers into the table, lost in thought.  

Ilya Medvedev

Ilya reached out across the table towards his friend, but was careful not to actually grab his hand. He placed it nearby though and answered with his voice lowered as well. "But that's why we have to educate them, friend. We have to show them that we are not all bad people. There are spoiled bananas. Bad apple Evos. We don't want them in our barrels either! We can help to keep them safe. But for now, they are scared. Scared of what they do not understand. Ilya believes in New Victoria, though. It is trying where so many others have not. They will do better. They have to. We will make them see." And even with as positive as Ilya usually was, he was also trying to convince himself on some level too.  

Xander Knight

His friend’s words registered with him, reminding him of a conversation he had with his mother as a young boy, mere weeks after his abilities manifested themselves, causing a blackout at his primary school. “Hands outstretched are dangers before the gifts are presented…” Xander muttered to himself, echoing the words his mother had used to console her crying child. “What we’ve got, what we are, is a gift, even if it can be used to harm. But they’ll never see it like that, I’ll always be dangerous.”  

Ilya Medvedev

"Ilya does not accept this. You are not dangerous to me." The man shifts in his seat so that he's leaning forward in the direction of his companion. His face is stern and there's a fierceness in his eyes. "Look at me, friend. Are you looking? Cause I am saying important things. Xander, my friend? He is good person. He cares of others. He shows compassion. He is no danger unless danger is presented to him first. People know this. They love you as Xander, without knowing your power. They love Ilya as bear man AND as bear man." He gives a low growl and swipe of his hand. "But they love Ilya because Ilya shows them, he is here to help them. He protects. Why don't you come with Ilya? We go patrol together some time. Maybe later, after city has calmed, but they will see. You will be hero, friend. Loved. Not dangerous. You will see."  

Xander Knight

Xander chuckled a bit as his friend pantomimed the bear within, shaking his head. “I’m no hero, mate. I’m just some poor double immigrant turned rockstar. No one has ever accused me of being a good person. I write music because it’s what I can do, I never meant to get famous, I wanted to spread ideals, to fight, to… to do something!” As his emotions bubbled up, a few brief flashes of brilliant white lightning arc between his fingers, immediately clenching his fist tightly both to hide his abilities from whatever other eyes in the bar might find them, and to steady himself, inhaling a deep, shaking breath. “You are a beacon of hope, mate. I wish I were half the man you are, I wish I had your optimism. But I don’t. I’m just… angry. Tired of hiding, tired of running, tired of having to be better than my oppressors. But mostly… I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what they’ll do to us, afraid of what I’ll do to them.”  

Ilya Medvedev

He nods along as Xander vents his fears and frustrations. "Fear is powerful, but fear is not good for long time. We must find what makes Xander come out of shell. You say you want to do something, then let us find what that something is. Ilya is man of action, happy to act with my friend. What does Xander feel in here?" Ilya puts his hand on his own chest and motions for Xander to do it too. "Come on, hand, chest, feel. Breathe. Ignore drunken bar people. Connect yourself to force of nature that is world. Think on it. If you know now, say. If not, tell me later. But Ilya will help friend find place here. Promises."  

Xander Knight

Doing as his friend instructs, Xander places a hand over his chest, taking a deep breath. "I feel... static, like the pressure on your hand when you push towards a balloon. I feel the lightning coursing through my body, I feel my heart beating, carrying this... this vitriol. I've always been afraid that this fucking lightning won't let me die, the charge will just keep my heart going and there's not a goddamn thing I can do about it. No peace, no end, stuck with this rage...." He shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts as best he could, taking the moment to breath deeply, simply existing in the presence of one of the few friends he had made in this new land, one of the few people in his life who knew and accepted him. "Look, mate, I... I've not meant to spout this shite on you... I've been working on control, keeping command of everything. It's good to sit with you, just have a beer as mates. Even if it doesn't work the same for me."  

Ilya Medvedev

"It'll come to you, friend. Then you will call Ilya. He will be there. For now, more vodka! And maybe... karaoke?" Ilya had a devilish grin come over his face. "You can see Ilya growl to music."  

Xander Knight

He chuckled a bit, downing another shot, just for the spirit of it. "Karaoke with the two of us would be quite the show, eh? Why not, let's get to it. I could do with a distraction from current events."  

Storyteller

Ilya paid their collective tabs, tipped heavily, and the two went out in search of a bar hosting karaoke night. They soon found one in Downtown and the two became fan favorites as they belted out all manner of songs. Ilya even joined a bachelorette party on stage to sing "Lady Marmalade". They made Xander and Ilya honorary members after that. They closed down the bar and then went for greasy diner food after, as ya do. Ubers were called for everyone as sloppy goodbyes were said. Some of them even slipped their numbers into their pockets before giving them kisses on the cheek and calling it a night. Definitely a bestie night out to remember!