Always Trouble

[Alec Privay]

Alec zipped up his jacket, shoving his hands in his jean pockets as he glanced around on either side of the street. This neighborhood was dark, derelict, and straight up dirty. His footsteps became muffled as he moved from the pavement to the little strips of grass that these people called yards.

His eyes shifted around, taking in every detail he could, looking for anything that stood out or looked familiar...

Just two hours ago, Alec had been walking Koski, his Finnish Spitz. The two had been going along their usual route through the middle and upper class neighborhoods, Allie taking the time to admire the nice houses and yards (with a touch of envy), but after heading back into the deeper part of the city, he'd been mugged.

Allie knew how to take care of himself, but it was broad daylight, with people nearby. Nobody would help him (ah, city life), but he couldn't just go and use whatever abilities he wished on his assailants. His father always told him to lie low, like that.

Well, they'd taken Koski, apparently to add insult to injury, and Alec was determined to get the dog back. He couldn't just let them have him-- not only was Koski his friend, he was a member of his family (and also something that his father would kill him for losing).

A noise awoke Alec to his surroundings, and he flattened himself against a wall of the nearest duplex, glancing warily around the corner to look. It was almost dark out, but Alec's heart rate increased as he recognized one of the thugs who had attacked him.

(For Nathaniel to reply to, but Mikki had to postpone)

[Nathaniel Kingston]

Nathaniel was following a rather iffy lead to a band of thugs that might have had something to do with his murder case, because they had been in the general vicinity when the last victim showed up. It was the sort of lead that normally would have been completely ignored for useless. Times weren't normal, though, and he had been instructed to follow up every single hint that came into the NHRA. It was a great way to waste an otherwise productive afternoon, but Nathaniel couldn't complain. It was one of the easier leads to check out, and he knew that it would get him no where.

He decided to approach the hide out from the sky, a direction most people didn't look. It was easy to hide in the clouds with his white wings and look down on the area. As he watched, he saw a dark speck walking toward the hangout, but whoever it was didn't carry themselves like a thug. Nathaniel let himself fall several feet, to hover at building level, and he waited for an updraft to bring the speck's scent to his nose. When he caught it, he smelled a mixture of fox, dog, and human scents. Figuring it strange, he dropped to the ground silently and hid his wings. He pulled on his shirt as he started to follow the person quietly.

As he neared the hoodied person, he realized it was just a kid, maybe seventeen or eighteen years of age. He definitely wasn't part of the gang, Nathaniel was certain. He was acting way too covert for that. Quietly, Nathaniel snuck up on the boy and tapped his shoulder very gently, trying not to scare him. He looked at the boy for another moment before asking very quietly, "What are you doing here? Don't you know that thugs hang out here? Do you want to get killed?"

With that, he peaked over the kid's shoulder to look at what the boy had seen. There were several burly men sitting there, smoking cigarettes and cussing about women. They were a disgusting bunch, that much was sure. Nathaniel shrank back against the building and looked, really looked, at the younger man. He seemed pretty roughed up and determined about something. The thugs must have mugged him or at least stolen from him.

"Did they attack you or something? Honestly, if it is about money, I wouldn't risk it. I don't suppose they took something else?" Nathaniel whispered. He wanted to help the kid, he really did, but if the boy was going to get himself killed over a bit of money, well... there was only so much stupidity Nathaniel could take.

[Alec Privay]

Alec had jumped, nearly having a heart attack when he felt the tap on his shoulder. He spun around, ready to throw a punch-- but he stopped himself, seeing the face of a stranger. Not recognizing it as one of his assailants, he merely shrank back with a defiant look on his face.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know that thugs hang out here? Do you want to get killed?"

"Who--" Allie started to ask, but saw the stranger's attention shift to over his shoulder, looking towards the gang of thugs. He let his sentence die out, glancing over as well, disgust evident on his face.

"Did they attack you or something? Honestly, if it is about money, I wouldn't risk it. I don't suppose they took something else?"

Alec tilted his head ever so slightly, looking the man up and down. He looked...slightly like he could have been a thug, but didn't seem as nasty as the men who had mugged him. Not to mention, thugs don't usually ask you questions that pertain to your well being.

"My dog," he answered simply, not sure if he could trust the man. He took a brief moment to covertly sniff the air, taking in a scent that he couldn't exactly identify. He'd smelled it before, but at the moment, it was beyond him...
What is that...? Alec wondered, eyes not leaving the stranger, "They took my dog and my money. But I want my dog."

Allie was a bit scuffed up, his expression clearly trying to display determined ferocity, but he was quite obviously nervous. His hands kept twitching and he kept readjusting his footing, gritting his teeth every time his sneakers scraped against the loose gravel at their feet. He knew that the muggers couldn't hear the barely existent sound, but to him, it was quite evident.

[Nathaniel Kingston]

Ah, that's why the boy smelled of dog. So the fox scent must mean that he's a shifter. It wasn't hard to figure out, when there weren't any foxes naturally in the city of St. Luthor. Well, Nathaniel wouldn't say for sure that the boy was a shifter, but it was likely. Besides, he had that uncanny smell that all shifters had. It was just a whiff of something that wasn't quite the same, but very hard to smell. Ah well, that didn't really matter too much. What mattered was that the boy wanted his dog back.

"What sort of dog is it?" Nathaniel asked softly, backing up just a bit so that the thugs wouldn't see him. He glanced behind him as well, but it was still all clear. He focused on the boy again. "I'm a sleuth for the NHRA. I have to go get a look inside that building anyways, so if you want to come and get your dog back, you are free to follow me. One rule is that you have to get out of there if I tell you to. I promise that I'll get your dog back, even if we run into trouble."

"Also, my name is Nathaniel," he added with a small smile. He looked around him again, acutely aware that they were actually quite visible. He searched his memory for a moment. When he was in the air, he plotted his way into the hide-out. His chosen entrance happened to be on the opposite side that they were on. Of course. He turned back to the kid with a bright look in his eye. "Okay, we have to get around the back of this building without the thugs noticing us. What do you think the best way to do that would be?"

Sure, he knew the best route to take. It was around the duplex they were leaning against, to a line of houses which would shield them from view as they walked, and then around the last house and voila, the best entrance would be in front of them, unguarded and unprotected. Still, he knew this, but he wanted the kid to call the shots. It was his dog, after all.

[Alec Privay]

"What sort of dog is it?"

Alec didn't hesitate, "Finnish Spitz. He's still kind of a puppy," he gestured with his hands, showing a dog that was about the size of a large house cat, "His name is Koski..." he added as an afterthought, suddenly looking a little embarrassed.

Listening to the man's explanation, his expression changed to confusion, "NHRA..." His eyes jumped from one object in the area to another, trying to work out the situation without coming out looking like an ignorant fool, "Alright... I'm Alec," he managed.

Upon being asked which way they should go, he promptly pointed to around the back of the duplex, just as Nathaniel had already planned out, "Wouldn't it just be stupid to go right out in front of them...?" He still looked a little unsure. Alec was cocky, but not during dangerous situations like this. He was willing to let Nathaniel take over; handing the responsibility over to an older adult always seemed like a good idea. Allie was nineteen, but didn't have the confidence to command someone who carried themselves so well.

"I'm pretty sure they've got Koski in there with them. He makes it obvious that he can't be trusted if he's left alone on his leash..."

His eyes had gone back to Nathaniel once more. NHRA. Sleuth. Did that make this man...a detective? It kind of sounded like that... but that didn't explain the mysterious scent. Allie took another whiff, specifically noticing the downy smell of feathers.

[Nathaniel Kingston]

"Koski, cute name. And that's the way I was thinking too. Let's go. The faster we do this, the faster we can get out of here." Nathaniel smiled again and led the way around the duplex. When they got to the houses and the small spaces in between the houses, he checked the alley before darting to the next house. Within a few minutes, they had worked their way around the building. The side entrance was completely unoccupied, but Nathaniel wasn't positive about inside. He slipped down the small pathway leading to it and gentle tried the handle to see if it would open. They were in luck. The thugs inside were very stupid and the door was left open.

Nathaniel eased his way in, and held it very slightly open for Alec to follow. The building was poorly lit, with a low roof and narrow passages. The closest door off of the hallway they were in was open, and Nathaniel quickly headed for it, before any patrolling thugs saw him. It was a closet, stuffed full of stuff, except for a space where a vacuum cleaner would be. Great, a thug was going to come back sooner or later. Hopefully, it wouldn't be sooner.

"Okay, you ready for this? I'm going to guess that they'll be upstairs, where they can get a good look around at everything. Also, it seems like this is more of the grunt part of the building. The stairs should be ahead and to our left, if the blueprints I was given earlier are correct." Nathaniel eased out of the door and looked both ways again before proceeding down the hallway. They got to a T, and he took the left turn cautiously. The stairs were worn and dingy, but they didn't squeak when he put his weight down, thank god. He also mentally thanked the computer techie who had taken the time to find him the blue prints.

There was a door at the top of the steps, and this one was also unlocked. Okay, three times is not the charm. Nathaniel looked behind him, expecting to see a gang of thugs blocking him in the stairs or something. No one was this stupid. He definitely didn't like where things were headed, and he got that bad feeling again. Still, he couldn't turn back. He slid the door open and slipped through, waiting for Alec to follow him. They ended up in another hall, but this one only had one big door on the left wall. Nathaniel groaned inwardly as he saw it. There was no way around this sucker.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll bet that your dog is in there, in that big room. What I want you to do is as soon as you see Koski, you grab him and run out the way we just came. Don't let anyone find you. I'm going to act as a decoy and buy you time. Wait about ten seconds to come in after me, okay? We'll meet at the deli three blocks north if all goes to plan, okay? And if you get caught, I'll come find you, I promise." Nathaniel looked into Alec's eyes seriously, hoping the boy understood all that he wanted him to do. This plan was risky, and he would never try it if it weren't for getting the dog back, but he understood how much pets meant. He had a dog of his own.

[Alec Privay]

Alec had followed obediently, thankful for his natural stealth as a fox shifter. He contained his nerves by digging his fingernails into his palms; foxes were stealthy, yes, but if one panics, they're all over the place until they regain their cool.
Deciding to trust Nathaniel, Alec had obeyed the man's orders, sticking close as they explored the building, his ears constantly alert for trouble.

He didn't question Nathaniel's use of blueprints (the situation was becoming strange enough as it was), so he could only nod at the mention of them.

When Nathaniel explained the plan, Alec looked a bit disgruntled, "Are you sure? I, uh... I'm not all that weak...would it be worth it to fight? You know, like...revenge? It's just...the rotten bastards beat me up and stole my dog, y'know?" He didn't know 'what' Nathaniel was, although he could definitely sense that he wasn't a human being, and knew it was probably obvious that he wasn't human, either.

(OOC: augh, so short, SORRY BRAH.)

[Nathaniel Kingston]

"Oh, my, definitely not. That's why there is this stupid war going on, because of revenge. Listen, revenge is definitely not the way. Hurting others isn't how I work. They hurt you, but the wounds will heal. I know that it is hard not to take revenge, but it is honestly not the answer. Also, it'll screw my plan all up. Now, if you're ready, let's go." Nathaniel grinned before he walked up to the door and pushed it open, letting it bang on the wall. He was, after all, a distraction. He walked into the room, his posture straight, and looked around. It was much too quiet in this room as well.

At least one thing was right, the room was huge, and it took up the whole floor. There was a dog, probably Koski, chained up in a cage. In the middle of the room, there was an empty seat. Along the sides, there were boxes and other storage things. Nathaniel walked in and looked around, curious as to why he wasn't being jumped right now. Suddenly, the door slammed closed behind him, and he spun around, eyes wide. The door didn't properly shut, though, but bounced back open. He was tackled to the floor and pinned down. He struggled and made some headway, as a Fallen, but there were too many and he was pinned down again.

Shit! One of the thugs hit him on the back of the head and it dazed him. He didn't exactly black out, but for a few moments he was disoriented because of the pain. He fought it back and started to struggle again, but they had him against a wall. Four were holding his arms pinned, and one was taking shots at his stomach and face. After the third punch, he spit up blood, not a good sign. He gradually got weaker and stopped fighting their grip. His lip was cut and he was spitting out blood.

The thugs let him slide down to the floor and kicked him in the side while he curled up in a ball. When they were sure he wasn't moving any longer, they stood back, and the leader riftled through his pockets. They found his badge and for a moment, the thugs went stiff. Then the leader started to laugh. "This is the sort of sleuths at the NHRA? Please!"

The leader threw Nathaniel's badge on him and walked away. "Two of you watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything funny. If he gets up, kick him back down. Other than that, just leave him be. He's boring, but it'll be interesting to see how long he lasts."

"Wait... are you the leader?" Nathaniel asked, coughing up a bit more blood. He stayed laying down, but he looked at the man with a fierce glare.

"Yeah, what of it, punk?" the man sneered.

"Oh, good." Nathaniel managed a smile, before he received a blow to the gut. He coughed again and looked behind the leader. I hope that boy Alec got his dog and got out of here. I can't take much more of this.