Conscience of a Dove

Those two seemed to fit together perfectly well, she thought. The man liked Alice's attitude, which she certainly dished out without hesitance. He was more of a curiosity to her, though; she hadn't a clue what he was like; he seemed like a good-hearted man who liked taking orders. There was no problem to have with either of them, not now. She gave a slight nod, her face brandishing a rather childish grin. "Alright, I don't mind."
 
Kicking off a bit of scuff from his boot, Lance looked at the girl interestedly. He couldn't read her purpose at the moment, but she seemed to have some kind of plan behind this invitation. Hmmmm. He'd find out soon enough. "You hand out charity like a communist dictator hands out ration cards." Lance said pointedly to the girl. Pulling out a toothpick from his pocket, he popped it into his mouth, rolling it around like a cherry stem. "But I'll take it. Thanks. As for my name......It's Lance." Flourishing his hand and bowing like some English monarch, Lance greeted them properly. Quite literally. Also taking note of the compliment on his hygiene, he pulled out a can of Lysol disinfectant from his left jacket pocket. Spraying himself all over, coughing slightly at the fumes, Lance gestured at himself. "There. That should take care of the smell for the trip. It's fresh linen scent."
 
Wren's good mood made Alice strangely happy and she was glad to have met her. Like meeting someone she'd been waiting forever for who'd finally decided to show up. Without a second thought, Alice grabbed Wren's hand, looked left and right at the sea of people and then plunged in without hesitation. Lance would follow or loss his only meal. She dodged and weaved through the large crowd until she'd managed to push out of the throng into a wide alley that led to the nicer side of the city. "Still with us, old man?" She called back, walking up the alleyway, pulling Wren behind her. She kept her eyes ahead in case of any...unfortunate encounters with the city gang mutts.
 
Sitting atop a garbage can just ahead of the two, Lance pouted. "Hey, you act like I'm a paraplegic with an IQ of 48. I'm pretty sure I can keep up with a couple of bean sprouts such as yourselves." Hopping down and immediately going into a brisk walking pace beside the two, Lance kept silent, kind of like a dog walking beside its master. He was a terribly confused dog at that. Kind of like one who had been adopted from the pound by a strict librarian who was all bark and no bite after spending most of his life living with gang members who raised him in a fighting arena. Shaking his head, he was amused at the accuracy of his little analogy.
 
Alice tried her best to keep up--as though she had much of a choice, if she couldn't keep up she'd be dragged along either way. People either stopped or ran into them on their way through, and Wren felt slightly claustrophobic in the cluster of citizens. But at least it was on their way out. They all groaned and shouted in annoyance as they were bumped into, the people, but she tried not to pay any mind to them. It wouldn't be enough to really set them off anyways, she figured. As they reached the alley, she turned her head to look around. The area was gradually looking a bit more clean; less full of activity.
 
"Watch it, old man," Alice said, still holding Wren's hand with an iron grip, sort of firm, but gentle, "Insult me too much, and all you'll get for dinner is bean sprouts. Not that I have any." Alice walked slower now, only drawing a few curious glances as she led Wren and Lance out of the alley and into the much cleaner, quieter streets of the area. "Welcome to the Ebony district," She told them, severely lacking in the welcoming department, "The place for people who have the money, but don't like to waste it on worthless social gatherings. Here, everyone's got something of worth, but noone asks questions. We're almost there." Even if she hated the way the world worked, it didn't mean she wouldn't use it to her advantage. She had money, yeah, but she didn't waste it and she didn't like people who thought they could probe her with a thousand questions.
 
Curiosity controlled her then, she took in the surroundings, every detail of it. There were a couple houses that looked dusty in a way, but nevertheless, they weren't run-down in any way. Some had quite decorated porches and lawns. Somehow the little gnome ornaments in one of them were a little frightening in the dark, as silly as the notion is. She tried to pay no mind to them, looking off to the other side of the street. There was a brightly colored fire hydrant she hadn't seen anywhere else before. It must have been the brightest orange. Nearby she hear a strange, high pitch noise; it was a cat. Must have been a stray, too; it had scraggly fur and one of it's ears had a small tear. The brown tabby looked straight at her, its yellow eyes glowing in the dark. Her gaze remained on it as they walked, and it started to follow them. Slowly, nearly unnoticed, but it bounded after them, bit by bit.
 
"Don't worry," Alice reassured Wren, "That's old Watcher's cat. He won't bother us." They came upon a long black building with a few floors. The crowd had all but vanished, but Alice was still sure to look around before rapping softly on the door. A gruffy man opened the door, a lit cigarette hanging on his lip. "Oh, bring friends with you this time, did we?" He sneered, blocking the way in, "Planning on having some fun tonight, devil girl?" "Only if you're willing to take a knife to the back," Alice replied coldly, her dark eyes meeting the man's own green ones. With a huff, the man pulled back, leaving the door hanging open. There was a corridor of doors leading to a black, metal stairwell. Fortunately, the place looked well-care for, boasting a plush red carpet and beautiful black doors with silver, gleaming knobs. One door was slightly ajar, the smell of smoke and liquor hinting who lived there. The metal stairwell was carefully tended to, lacking any signs of dust or rust. Without a moments waste, Alice pulled Wren through the door and walked quickly towards the stairwell.
 
"Wooooow." Lance said in an exhasperated sigh, almost moaning as the sight of the all too familiar district filled his eyes. As they often do when someone see's something they recognize, some memories filled his mind. When Lance had come home from the Marine core, his wifes sister had a lovely little town home that they would visit here. She never particularly like Lance, but she had always tolerated him for Mindy's sake. Looking to Alice, his face unreadable, he said, "Man. I was a spot of red in a black and white movie back in slumland. I'm gonna be more like a bug on a linoleum floor in this yuppity upper class playground. I sure hope you have an alibi cooked up when the local police come running up to you, thinking you're being kidnapped."
 
Standing back aways, the soldier eyed this bile-voiced man coldly. He had the saggy and glazed eyes of a morning to evening drunkard, and smelt nearly as bad as Lance did. Clenching his fists at his remarks to Alice, Lance shifted with trained lethality. It seemed that he found the purpose for him being here.
 
( Sorry I editted.)

"Ch, like I said, noone asks questions," Alice said in a low voice, "Whether someone goes missing or.....is found. Let's go, now."
 
She didn't like the way that man spoke or acted.. one of the parasites of the city, it seemed. Precisely the kind of thing she didn't want to be around, and she was glad to have been pulled away so swiftly. She looked around a moment as she was taken through the second door and up the stairs, and decided to ask in a quiet voice, "So you live here then? Who else stays here?"
 
Alice sighed and gave her a small, sad smile. "I told you, " She said, coming to a stop, "No one asks questions." She looked back down the second corridors of doors, only two on each side. "Here," She said gently pulling Wren two the second door on the left side, "This one's mine, don't forget it." Alice pulled out a black key and inserted into the lock. "Come on, Lance," She called, "Or you won't get in."
 
Still a bit miffed by the kind of folk that seemed to permeate this black abode, Lance huffed. "I'm right behind ya, don't you worry. Your own personal room air freshener."
 
"A-Alright. I'll remember that." She nodded to Alice. She'd be able to remember the door for sure. The place wasn't.. -that- big, she thought.
 
Alice opened the door, revealing the black void that was her apartment without the lights on. Personally, she'd prefer to leave them off, but she didn't want to scare Wren or have Lance bumping into everything, so she flicked them on without further thought. It was a large area, with several different rooms and a full kitchen. The largest part included the living area, kitchen, and low table. The living area included a large, black leather couch and a massive entertainment center, complete with giant Tv and game systems. There was a low, dark stained wooden table in front of the couch. The kitchen was clean and gleaming, dark stained wood for all of the counters and a large fancy, steel stove to boot. All of the doors were of dark wood, though the floor held a lighter tone. The two bedroom doors were closed, but a nearby open door suggested a full bath that didn't spare it's luxuries either. Alice would admit that she didn't want for any of it to spare the luxuries either. It was comfortable to her, and she had worked for it, too. Last, but not least, a silver laptop lay on the low living room table, trailing a black cord into the wall. "Welcome to my home, I guess," Alice said uneasily.


( Gtg take a shower. I'll reply later if it's not too late)
 
Entering cautiously into the crisp and contemporary architectural masterpiece, Lance immediately took of his boots in order to keep the floor as clean as it was. The smell that emitted from his feet nearly knocked him flat, and he ended up wondering whether the move had been courteous or rude. Shrugging to himself, the poorly dressed hobo walked awkwardly into the living room. "It's quite the place you've got for yourself." He commented, scarcely able to hide his excitement. It had been over 4 years since he had stepped into a civilized home, and just shy of that since he had appreciated it. The feeling he had now was one of overwhelming gratitude and terror. Though he felt welcome, he also felt incredibly vulnerable. He was no longer his own master. While he was under this roof, he would have to obey the rules. As the smell of his feet once again delivered a haymaker of odor to his nostrils, Lance smiled...no....he practically beamed at Alice. "I know I've been fairly sarcastic up to this point...." Lance muttered softly, "but I just want you to know.....how truly thankful I am. Now. Can I go use your shower? I'm sure it in all of it's luxuriousness hasn't encountered a task like me in a while."
 
She practically bounded into the room. It was a nice and clean place, quite upscale compared to what she had seen.. or whatever she remembered had been seen by her. She didn't think too hard about it though, her overly-inquisitive nature caused her to go around examining everything from wall-to-wall in the room. It almost looked like she was searching for something, but she was just watching everything, taking details, making notes of things in her head. She took notice of a large vase sitting on a little table in a corner, and decided not to touch it if she could help it. Seemed like something that would be shattered instantly, and she wouldn't be confident enough for it to be in her own care. She peeked into the bathroom, and looked into the mirror on the wall above the sink, realizing that she, too looked a bit dirty. Her hair was in bunches- frizzy to no end, she thought. And her clothes had a couple small rips in the bottom. Where exactly had that happened? She'd have to change sometime soon, and she hoped that there was something she'd be able to fit into in the house. Finally resting from her examinations, she took a seat on the couch, and gave her host a grateful smile. "Thank's for letting me stay here, too, Alice. It's a nice place."
 
Alice shrugged at Wren's comment. It wasn't a big deal to her. Lance, on the other hand, needed to be dealt with quickly. Along with his shoes. "Use that bathroom right there," Alice instructed him, "There should already be soap and stuff in there, since I haven't really used it. I'll try and see if I can't find something else to replace that...wardrobe of yours either." Alice turned back to Wren. "You can use my bathroom if you want," She decided, "But I'd be careful if I were you. It makes the bathroom out here look like a port-a-potty. Use whatever stuff you want. Most of it came with the room, but I don't really care for that stuff. I'll see if I can find you something that will fit you as well." Alicia sighed and moved towards the kitchen. "I'll also start on dinner, too."
 
Grinning, Lance motioned towards his boots. "You can just toss those in the dumpster. After walking in those things for 4 years, I'm fairly certain that I'd rather walk bearfoot on hot coals than don those one more time." Starting towards the bathroom, a humorous twinkle in his eyes, Lance added, "On second thought, I'll toss them. You'll probably drop dead halfway out the door trying to dispose of those repugnant creatures." Stepping into the roomy and well-designed bathroom, Lance sut the door behind himself with a sigh of relief. Not so much at the fact that he was alone....seeing as he had been alone plenty....but more because of his newfound friends. Yes, they may have been much younger than himself, but they were the first to actually treat him like a fellow person. To show him kindness in this hostile world. Peeling off his worn denim jacket, Lance glanced in the mirror. What he saw surprised him. He saw himself, standing lopsidedly next to his daughter and wife, as if posed for a photo. Growling like a tiger, his daughter was scratching his leg like a scratching post and attempting to climb him. His wife stood with a smile that could fix all the problems of our dark age, giggling as he swung her up onto his shoulders, tickling her on the way up. Suddenly the image faded, making way for a sunken eyed beggar, staring at himself in a mirror.

Trying to shake off what he had seen, Lance pulled off his shirt, once again seeing something that made him stop. A knife wound scar that rested diagonally on his left trapazoid stared at him. He heard screams and felt a flash of pain. Wincing and hurriedly undressing completely, Lance stepped into the bliss of a warm shower. As the warm water ran down the length of his body, he didn't know whether he was trying to wash away his filth......or wash away his past.
 
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