[ShadowStitches]

Jane

Aspen

It had beend raining all day. And now that the sun was slowly setting, the whole scenery got even more gloomy, if that was at all possible. Jane clung nervously to Aspen, something that she usually did not really do anymore. It was a sure sing that she was extremely uncomfortable. "It wont be long now..." Aspen promised, keeping looking around. "you said that like...a thousand times now." She groaned, wanting to sound whiney, but it came of as a bit too shaky. "Aspen...I...I really think this place is creepy" The tall man looked down, raising one eyebrow. "you? are creeped out? thats new." Jane pouted, and Aspen sighed. She was tired and cranky an scared, and he could not really blame her. The Slums where not exactly the place to be for a little girl. Then again, the whole situation the two of them where in since quite a while now was not what you would call normal either. Or good for a kid, for that matter. And it had to change soon.

The Man in the dark coat stopped and kneeled down next to her, bringing his eyes to level with hers.
Jane seemed a bit baffeled. he only did this when he was about to say or do something very important, usually he was kind of...grumpy and short bound with words. It did not mean that she liked him any less, it was just the way he was. And the slight sadness in his eyes unsetteled her more then any words could do. "Listen. I know you don't like it too much here. But I have a friend here who maybe is able to help us out. we would have a place to stay for once." "like...for the night?" Jane asked "no. for longer." Her face slowly showed signs of understanding. And for once, her eyes showed the pure hope of a child. Something he did not see for a long time in her eyes, and it gave him a sharp jab at the heart, thinking about what he would most likely have to do to her to truly grant her safety. "No more running? like...really?" She asked quietly. "No more running"
he agreed.  

He stood up again. "But first, we have to find her" Jane rose her eyebrows. "you dont know where she is?"
"ah...its been some time since I've visited" they rounded a corner. Aspen could feel that he was being watched.  
This of course made him alert, but he forced himself to keep calm. He was in Their territory, and he did not want to come of as unfriendly after all, should they run into someone who was not Clarabelle herself.
"I'm pretty sure we will meet her any minute now, tho.."

(I...hope this is okay :/ tell me if you want anything changed)

[Remedy]

Tessa, female Citrus Kuhna, role played in human form.

Rain or shine, it was always someone's duty to be on lookout.  Usually there wasn't much to see from the third floor of the crumbling apartment complex they called home, aside from the occasional fight, drug deal, or prostitute getting dropped off and picked up on the corner across the street.  As Tessa sat there recalling the usual scene, she considered the fact that the usual girl hadn't been seen across the street in a while.  Only logical to assume the worst, not that it really mattered; she wasn't one of them.

In this dismal weather, Tessa was hardly interested in the scene in front of her.  Even the rag-tag group of meth heads were staying somewhere dry, likely in some dumpster where they belonged.  The street was completely barren, as were all the other buildings; they all had boarded up or broken windows, much like their little set up here.  The only distinction this building had from the others was the branding above the door.  To any out-of-the-loop individual, they may not even notice it - but to those who understand its meaning, they know whether to approach or stay far away.  It was the symbol of their gang; a marking of their territory.  It was both a warning and an invitation, and it was Tessa's job at the moment to see if anyone took the hint.

(( Tessa's one of Clarabelle's kiddos, she's on lookout this particular evening.  However, Clarabelle will be the one to answer the door, should your characters come knocking. c; ))

[ShadowStitches]

It really only took them some more minutes, before they found the building. A shadow of a smile crept across
Aspens face when seeing the symbol above the door. Jane caught the hint and tilted her head curiously. "Thats the place?" she asked, scanning it with her eyes. "yep". Jane seemed to ponder it for a moment, then, to his surprise, grinned widely "okay then, lets go!"

Jane had the amazing gift of finding joy in things others might not be too hot about. He was pretty sure that any other kid would, at least at first, look at him sceptically if he told them that this could be their new home. but...then again, they slept places much worse. Some  better too, but when you where on the run for months you did not always to be picky. //it has been too long//. "Jane, hold up" he called the girl back, who skipped  a few steps ahead of him. His voice was a bit sharper then he intendet to, which he blamed on just being on edge. He potentially had not much to fear here. Clarabelle knew him, but he was not sure about who was on lookout. better not take any chances.

Jane fell back to his side as they aproached the door undisturbed. Jane scanned the windows and the facade, still with a somewhat childlike curiosity, while Aspen knocked. He was quite certain that someone was close to the door right now. "I need to see Clarabelle" he said, his voice clear but not unfriendly. almost as an afterthought, he added "Tell her Aspen wants to talk to her"

[Remedy]

It was an unusual pair walking through the overcast streets that caught Tessa's attention.  A man, it seemed, and a child.  They appeared to be looking for a specific location - a dead giveaway to their destination, as this building was the only one on this stretch of the road that hosted any residents.  Charlie had made sure of that when they moved in; it wouldn't do to have any peeping toms squatting in any of the nearby abandoned houses.  Not when it puts the family at risk.

In only a moment she had a cheap, no-contract flip phone up to her ear.  It was the most efficient way of communicating between floors: yelling, walkie talkies - both were subject to be overheard.  The phone only had to ring once before a voice answered on the other end.  --"Sup?"
"Adult male, one child - a girl?  Take care of it."
--"Don't tell me what to do, Tess."
Click, and the call was ended on the other end.  Tessa sighed; Wallace had always been so insufferable; he felt the need to backtalk at every given opportunity.  She'd already concluded that it was just his way of distancing himself from others, which was kind of sad.  Didn't change the fact it annoyed her, though.

Wallace, male Avia Kuhna, role played in human form.

On the first floor, Wallace was kicked back in a torn up wicker chair by the front door.  It was triple bolted; the windows all along the front of the floor were totally boarded with black-out curtains to boot.  It may look like a crumbling old building from the outside, but their security measures were top notch.  The knock on the door came almost immediately after he hung up on Tess, causing him to jump - something he would never admit.

Aspen, eh? Wallace didn't bother to give any indication that someone was home; instead, he sat back down and shot a quick text to the queen C herself - "Front."  None of the kids ever sent one unless it was something important; Clarabelle would know what he meant.  Meanwhile it was his duty to man his post, and be prepared should this "Aspen" guy try to kick down the door.

Clarabelle, female Lucain, role played in human form.

And here she came.  Wallace kept his mouth shut, nodding in her direction as she passed by.  It wasn't until she directed her gaze at him that he whispered, "Aspen."  Directing her gaze back toward the door, she stuck against the wall opposite from Wallace and motioned for him to move back.  He scattered to another room, ready to spring out should things go sour.  

Pistol in hand, Clarabelle called, "Aspen, eh?  Been a while since I saw you last - you wouldn't mind telling me how long it's been, yeah?  And a brief summary of how we met.  Protocol, you know."

[ShadowStitches]

Aspen waited patiently, all tho there was slowly a trail of water forming on his collar and trailing down unconfortably. Jane shifted her weight nervously. She had been present in enough deals or conversations with Aspens 'friends' to understand that this kind of precaution was absolutely normal and nescescarry. She got why Clarabelle was as careful as she was,  but that did nit change the fact that every time these 'greetings' took place she felt on edge. Aspen sensed her uneasiness, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "you could say that, yeah" he responded to the first statement, before continuing "actually almost 2 full years. And we met first met when I worked with Warden on that 'Cohen problem'...shortly after that." He waited for her response. He even pondered to offer leaving his equipment in front of the door should she be hesistant to let them in. He would almost certainly have surrender it anyway to set a friendly mood. knowing eachother did not nescesarily mean that they trusted eachother

(I hope this is okay. I thought that it would make more sense that Clarabelle first got to know Aspen after  his job with Warden. dont ask me why, it just seemed better in my book. but if you want to have them met before that or on an other occasion that is perfectly fine too, I'll change the post then I'll get to the second one this evening too, promise )

[Remedy]

Clarabelle waited calmly for the response.  When it came and she was satisfied with his reply, reached down and began unbolting each lock on the door.  There were quite a few, and the door itself was fortified from the inside of the house, despite having a decaying exterior from a normal individual's point of view.  Eventually she had it unlocked, and with a hefty pull, the door opened.  She kept herself behind it out of habit, but the invitation to enter was clear.

Tessa, still on one of the upper floors, had been watching the exchange from above.  Though she had no sound, she could tell the visitors meant no harm; their stature and body language indicated no aggression whatsoever.  Nevertheless, she was as hesitant to trust as any of the other kids who lived here.  She tensed a bit when the two were let in, but then relaxed.  If Clarabelle was okay with them, then surely - (hopefully) - they were good people.

Wallace, meanwhile, had been listening in from the adjacent room.  He was surprised that Clarabelle didn't verbally reply to the man outside, and instead just opened the door.  Usually such interrogations took much longer for her to conduct before she trusted anyone... she must be very certain the man was who he claimed to be.  This, of course, begged the question: Who is this guy?
A vibration in his pocket, too soft to be heard but just strong enough to be felt, alerted him of a new text message.  He pulled it out quickly and checked the screen.
--New recruit?
It was from Tess.  He snapped the phone shut without replying and put it back in his pocket with a huff.  She was so nosey, it pissed him off to no end.  Returning his attention to the entering party, he aimed to learn the answer to that question himself.

((That works totally fine with me!  I like it. c:))

[ShadowStitches]

When the door opened, Aspen went in first, with Jane trailing shortly behind him. The girl looked around fascinated and a little unsure about the whole situation. Still, the whole building really kind of fascinated her. She saw her share of buildings in various stages of disrepair, but never one that seemed so rugged on the outside, yet obviously secured on the inside. to her, so far, it was either old and almost useless, or very new and top notch. there was little in between. She turned around her own achsis and looked even at the ceiling, only vaguely overhearing what Aspen said. He meanwhile looked at the gang leader, a slight smirk on his face.
"Hello Clarabelle. Sorry for showing up without any warning" He touched Jane on her shoulder to direct her attention towards them."this is Jane" the girl spun around, and even blushed slightly embarrassed. "oh..oh sorry. Hello Ma'am" she said, smiling a shy smile at the Woman. Aspen did not want to press too hard, but their whole situation was bad enough as it was.Jane and Clarabelle (and the others) would have plenty of time to get to know each other...if all went well here. He calmly stated "I think we need your help"

[Remedy]

Clarabelle had to difficulty understanding the layout to some bad news.  She smiled supportively before replying, "No worries, anything for an old friend.  If you wouldn't mind following me..." Motioning for them to follow her down the hall, she momentarily directed her attention to Wallace, who was peeking out from behind the corner of his room like a child.  As she passed, she called to him, "Wallace, get the door."

He scattered from his hiding place immediately, slightly blushing as he squeezed past the visitors.  As he began to re-bolt the door, Clarabelle continued down the hall.  They came upon a living room area, complete with couches and seats, an old style television, a radio set, and a desk scattered with papers against the wall.  Seated at the desk was a young woman dressed in pale, torn jeans and a florally patterned t-shirt.  She was somewhat pale and freckled, had light brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, and her eyes - a very pale blue - stared attentively at the approaching group.

Penelope, female Flutter Kuhna, role played in human form.

She stood as they entered the room, smiling nervously and holding her hands behind her back.  Her stance loosely resembled a military "at ease" position, though she'd had interaction with such lifestyles.  Upon entering, Clarabelle made quick introductions.  "Aspen and Jane, this is Penelope, one of the family around here.  Penelope, this is Aspen and Jane.  Aspen is an old friend of mine.  Would you mind showing Jane around the building while Aspen and I catch up?" She hoped to have an opportunity to discuss whatever grave news Aspen brought without any of the kids around.  Penelope was always very patient and kind, so Clarabelle had no doubt she'd get along fine with Jane.

[ShadowStitches]

One of the things that can be said about most gangs and their acquaintances is that they have eachothers back. All tho Aspen had been slightly nervous when he entered, a look at Clarbelles smile assured him of that.
If she was willing or rather, able to help him would be seen later. After all, the thing he was rewuesting could potentially be dangerous to her and her group, and he knew how fierecly protcective she was about her kids.
But for now, he could not help to feel a little less on edge then usual.

Jane shily smiled at Wallace, looking after him quite curiously while trailing closely behind the two adults.
This all made...not much sense so far. Aspen had been very quiet about why exactly they where here, except for...well today where he stated that they maybe could stay here? She was sure that she would find out soon enough. She warmed up a little tho, and even gave a small wave at Penelope.

When Clarabelle suggested that Jane should go with the young woman, Jane looked at Aspen with a mix of surprise and slight horror. Aspen however returned her look calmly and said "It's okay Jane. Go with her. it wont take too long." He was not sure about that, but anything to comfort her...
Jane felt dumbstruck. in all the time she had been with Aspen he never left her out of sight,( expect for one incident, but that dad not really been by choice). Going away and being seperated from him scared her, but on the other hand...She knew Aspen rarely trusted anyone at all. If he was okay with her leaving with Penelope, he really had to be convinced that nothing would happen to her. "oh, okay...see you later then" she chirped, trying to sound brave. She turned her attention to Penelope. "so...you have been around here some time? is there more kids? because...I saw that one boy locking the door.." she started to ask right away, but in a seriously interested way

Aspen waited untill the two where out of earshot, and then smiled sadly.He was fully aware that he looked tired and that Clarabelle would want to know what happened, especially after them showing up without a warning. But first... "its good to see you." he said calmly. "how have you been? seems that things worked out quite good?" . Of course, he did not want to push the possible bombshell right of the bat on her. but mostly, he really wanted to catch up with her. it had been 2 years after all, and in their business 2 years could change everything dramatically. He was living proof of that...

[Remedy]

Penelope smiled sweetly at Jane, who appeared to be quite a few years younger than her.  She found humor in Jane's question, and replied as she began to lead the way, "Ah, yes, there are quite a few kids around here, though I'm sure they wouldn't be to happy about being called that.  That was Wallace at the door, he's... a grump, but I wouldn't worry too much about that.  You'll probably get to know him a little better later." She prattled on as they approached a staircase leading to the second floor of the large building.  "This place is pretty nice, 'cause we all get our own rooms.  Since Clarabelle claimed it, I think we've done a pretty good job cleaning the place up.  I think you'll like it."

On the second floor, they exited the staircase and entered a hall with many connecting doors.  They all looked fairly similar, though each door had a plaque to demonstrate the particular room number.  "I stay in 203," Penelope continued, "Gabrielle's room is 204, right across the hall, and Tessa's is 206, which connects to Gabrielle's since they're right next to each other.  They're, like, super best friends or something."  She did her best giving Jane a rundown of the way they organized the place.  

"Clarabelle stays in 201, right next to the stairs, and the boys stay up on the third floor.  Um, let's see, I don't know how long y'all are going to stay, but I assume Clarabelle will let you have your own room if you spend the night.  Just make sure that you don't go into anyone else's room without knocking or asking first, 'cause they're kind of like 'safe zones,' where we can go to be alone if we need to.  We're usually pretty cool about sharing, but sometimes - especially with Tess - people don't like to be bothered."

---

Meanwhile, on the floor below, Clarabelle was continuing her conversation with Aspen.  "Good to see you too," she remarked, green eyes scanning the face of the man before her.  "You don't look so good.  Can I get you something to eat or drink?" She was slightly concerned about the ragged appearance of her friend; he'd clearly been traveling quite a bit.

"Things have been going well around here, for the most part.  It can get pretty hectic with a building full of blossoming teenagers, but it's nothin' I can't handle.  Since we relocated, we're still in a bad part of town, but in a way it's a lot safer.  The kids have gotten used to our system, for the most part.  Charlie keeps insinuating that I might get more coming in, though... new recruits always have a way of jostling things up before they get settled in."  She stopped talking for a moment, then turned to face Aspen directly once again.  Her tone of voice changed to a more serious one, and her face clearly showed concern.  "What's going on with you and the kid?  And don't spare me the details."  She never really enjoyed small talk or beating around the bush.  Best to get what needs to be said out in the open.

(( Sorry it took so long to get a reply typed up!  Finals week has been kind of wild. P: ))

[ShadowStitches]

(no worries sorry, post is kind of eh :/ next one will be better)

Jane seemed unfazed about Penelope telling her about the grumpiness of the boy downstairs, she was quite certain that he could not be much worse then Aspen when she first met him, and thus was sure she could get him to open up. If her optimism was misplaced would show later. This all was very exiting indeed. Jane never had much contact to others around her age, and spending time with them, even if it was just for a short while, made her mood rise considerably. "It is pretty nice!" she agreed, looking down the hallway and trying to take in everything her 'tourguide' was saying.

She nodded understandably "yeah I get that...I wouldnt want anyone to just go into my room either." truth was she did not even have her own room for quite some time now. That made it all the more exiting to her when
Penelope mentioned that she maybe would get one of her own. "your really think I'll get my own room? that would be so great!" she said excitedly, almost bouncing. "I mean I dont really know how long we will stay here, if I'm honest" she added, furrowing her forehead slightly. She shrugged "ah well, I'm cool with anything as long as we can stay here a little. Its much better then the last place we stayed at" she confessed.
-------------

"No thanks, I'm good" he said. He was aware that he looked quite bad, but he decidet that this right now was more important. Besides, he did not want to usher her around on top of it all.

Before they could go any further on her side of things, she already asked him about Jane. "Right." he said, before sighing slightly "A few months after we last met, Janes mother basically crashed into my door, with the kid in tow and badly injured. Since I knew her quite well from...certain jobs in the past, I agreed to take care of the kid, at least for a short while, while she tried to lure her pursuers away. It did not turn out well for her . And it left me with Jane. to make things worse, it turned out that she was married to Raphael Fjodorov"
Fjodorovs gang was not overly big, but they where quite influental, having their fingers in all sorts of businesses and a big network all across the country. And they, or rather Fjodorov himself, where well known and feared for their extreme and sadistic actions, should something not go the way he liked.
"So. I ended up as the 'kidnapper' of Fjodorows only child on their black list. Jane herself is absolutely terrified to go back to her father. She says he used to try to make her do ...things, as a part of his training. He wanted her to take over the family business at one point. and he would punish her failures by..." he stopped, shaking his head slightly "anyway. Thats basically how I ended up traveling  across the country for the last few months, trying to keep her safe" he looked into Clarabelle's eyes "now, just to calm your nerves: I was able to shake them of for now, and the hoax I organized should keep them busy for a while. But it just cant go on this way."
He stopped, before adding in a quiet voice "and that is why I came here. You and your establishment are the only place where she is safe." He stopped, before adding "Because I need to finally put this sadist down".
He was not sure how she would react, but he felt that it was best to just get it out, clear and without any more chatter. He would not be angry if she decidet to just kick them out at this point tho...

[Remedy]

Penelope smiled sweetly as she listened to Jane talk.  No one had ever been this excited to come here before, and it was a rather nice change in attitude.  "Yeah, I'm sure you will.  This place is pretty big, and we have a lot of extra rooms - don't worry, we still clean even the empty rooms when it's cleaning day, since we don't want them collecting dust or anything.  Gotta have them ready for any situation, y'know?"  

Her smile changed to one of slight sadness as she listened to Jane talk about their traveling difficulties.  Everyone here had rough pasts, though some were more willing to open up than others.  She had some idea of each of theirs, though Wallace and herself both had been residents here since they could remember.  "I hope you'll get to stay for a while, too," Penelope added, "We're like a big family here, and it's always nice to see our family grow."

---

Clarabelle listened silently to Aspen's words.  It was a big favor he was asking of her, though not one she couldn't provide.  It would just... be somewhat of an inconvenience.  "Raphael Fjodorov.  You've 'kidnapped' Raphael Fjodorov's kid."  She laughed, actually humored by the ballsiness of the man in front of her.  "You haven't changed a bit, huh?"

She thought for a moment and considered the security of the building, training of their residents, and her connections with Charlie.  Hypothetically, they could certainly support this child, though... she would have to get it approved.  Secrets do not bode well within the gang.  "I'll need to make a few phone calls," Clarabelle warned him before offering assurance, "...but I think it can be done."

[ShadowStitches]

Jane was quite thrilled about the idea of actually staying for a while "A family would be nice..." she mumbled under her breath. Not that she did not consider Aspen as family by now, he clearly was some sort of weird mix up of big brother and father figure to her. But a real, big family was something she always dreamt about.
"Well, Aspen said something about us maybe staying here." she smiled "So I guess I'll at least get to know you guys a little better" a shadow swished over her face. If only she knew what exactly her guardian was up to...
pushing away her worries, she tilted her head to one side slighlty. "What...exactly are you guys doing here anyways?" she was quite curious, after all. "i mean...If you can talk about it, of course"

-----------------

Aspen smirked at her Remark. "not really, no" he said drily.
A big weight seemed to lift of his shoulders. Tho he knew that Clarabelle was right in making calls and not
taking the descision on her own, he was quite sure that the hardest part was over. At least in terms of Janes well-being. The rest...well... "I understand. but...Thank you so much" there was true relief in his voice. "I owe you big time. If there is anything I can do for you now, I'm your man". He'd rather help out with anything he could now. Because if he was completely honest, he was quite aware that the mission to take out Fjodorov was a very dangerous one, even for him. He'd rather be able to be able to stick to his offer, and he was not sure how the next few days would end up for him...

[Remedy]

She'd sort of been expecting the younger girl to ask questions, but the straightforwardness of her inquiry caught Penelope by surprise a bit. "Well," she began, "We all ended up here one way or another, I guess. Most of us have lived with Clarabelle since we were younger - I've been here for as long as I can remember. Tessa showed up about six years ago, she was about eleven then. She doesn't like talking about her past much at all, though, so I wouldn't bring it up to her. Gabrielle, too, she showed up just two years ago when she was twelve. She's a little... off, you'll understand when you meet her. She usually won't talk to anyone except for Tessa. Wallace - the kid who was by the front door - he's been here since he was a baby, too. He tries to act rough and tough, but he's never actually been out on the streets."

She paused now, thinking, and decided to give a more general response as to what they actually did here. "We all kind of work around here," she explained, "Packing, sorting, and shipping off a lot of material that our boss sends this way. We're kind of like middle-men for some trades and business stuff. The main rule there is just don't ask questions about what we're shipping off. Clarabelle gets a sum of the profit in return, and splits it up for our allowance and food and stuff."

It was still vague, but Penelope knew that Jane would come to understand the longer she stayed.

---

"Well, she can stay here, at least for a few days until I get confirmation from Charlie. Like I said, I can't make any promises, but I will do the best I can," Clarabelle assured Aspen. "In the meanwhile, you're welcome to stay too until I get a definitive answer. Actually, I'd much prefer that you stay until then, so I can make sure you won't just ditch her with me," she concluded with a bit of a half-hearted laugh. The next week would be a mess of stress, that much she could already tell.

[ShadowStitches]

Jane listened intently at Penelopes words, and furrowed her forehead slightly. Since she and Aspen where on the run, she had very little contact to other children. Before that not at all, actually, her father would not allow her to waste her time with trivialities like playing and being a child.
Now, she was not only surrounded by people who where closer to her age, but who also had presumably a very rough past, just like her. This was both comforting and slightly scary to the girl.
To the 'we don't ask questions' part of their packages, Jane only smirked and said lightheartedly.
"oh, I see". there was a short pause, in which her smile faded away into a more sorrowful look.
fidgeting with the bottom of her hoodie, she finally said what was kind of on her mind for a bit of time now. "do you think I will fit in?" she blurted out, a bit surprised by the straight forwardness of her question too. Which was why she quickly elaborated "I mean…I've never been around people of my age much. At all. And…well…" she trailed of, looking a bit lost. Aspen always told her to not show that she was at a loss or scared when around strangers, but this was just too new for the little girl.
What little contact she had with children her age had been very brief, and she always felt like she did not belong, like they where far to…well…childish. She sensed that she was around people she could potentially connect with, but now she was incredibly afraid to botch that chance.

He was kind of glad she offered him to stay. That way, he could plan a little better, and more importantly, spend some more time with Jane.
Aspen nodded slowly "I'd gladly take that offer" he said, and a small smile formed on his lips too "can't say I don't understand. To be honest, in the first few weeks with her I was kind of tempted to
do something along those lines but…" he sighed slightly "I guess they tend to grow on you"
It was weird saying this out loud, and he cleared his throat slightly irritated with himself. He was well aware that Jane and him where stirring up a ton of dust. "thanks again. like I said, I'm glad to help with whatever I can do around here". He tilted his head slightly. There was much to talk about and disks, but one particular thing had to get of his chest first "so…how is everyone else?
I haven't heard of Warden and the others for quite some time now"