IC ⏩ Headphone Jack: A Gang/Music RP

[Vars]

Links Out Recruit Thread / OOC Chat Rules Extended Information Player-Driven Wiki Character Profiles - Civilians - Clefs​ - Elecs - Nus

Currently... What Happened on Pgs. 1 - 4 Year: 101 After Mute Season: Summer Month: June​ Tobias (civilian) tries to deal music in an alleyway to Nathan (civi), which Lucius (Nu), Soren (clef), & Silas (clef) witnesses. Rachel & Aren (Elecs) meet in Mark (civi)'s bookstore to discuss gang history. Michael (clef) sees Rye (Nu) crash his bike outside the clock shop where Gareth (civi) works. ​

 

[Nim]

Alex|NuMetal Member​

Alex barely had time to register what was occurring around her. First Ryan told her it was fine, and he covered for her, which was cool of him to do. She flashed him a brief smile before noticing someone passing them, flipping them the bird. Someone she thought looked familiar, until she realized where she knew her from. Ex-Nau Nadia, the little bitch that followed Rachel and in Alex's opinion, they might've been one and the same person in regards of their behavior and attitude.

Ryan then left to help the teen who asked about something, and Alex briefly pondered on how she should retaliate for the little bird that flew past them. Glancing in Nadia's direction, she saw the Elec pretty much rip a book away from a child's grasp. How harsh can you get, she thought to herself as she watched Akira go and make sure the book went back to the kid who initially held the book.

Noticing the booklist that Nadia held, Alex reached and grabbed it, making sure to not fully take it out of the Elec's grasp, but hold it just enough to ensure that when she pulled, it would tear. And indeed it went in half, and she let the half in her grasp drop to the floor and then also 'accidently' step on it, leaving a nice big print from her shoe on it. Giving Nadia a sharp look, Alex turned around "Guess you shouldn't flail papers around like that." She said before beginning to leave, only noticing Rachel on her way to the door. Of course she would be there too. While keeping her arm low, she flipped the bird to Rachel, and then exited the library through the door.

Summary

Alex watches the events unfold and then takes action against Nadia, giving Rachel a little something as well before leaving the Library.

 

[Chatoyante]

Rachel | Electronica Leader​

As she hunted for Rye through aisles of books, a familiar female voice caught Rachel's attention. Her head turned, and she realized it originated in the same direction as the crying child she'd heard moments earlier. Storming out from between two shelves containing young adult fiction, she caught sight of Rye, his back toward her. He was at least 30 feet away, and nearing the children's section that was full of young kids. Looking beyond him, Rachel saw Nadia, already surrounded by Ki and Lexii.

"You're kidding me," she whispered under her breath. She started to wonder if the NuMetals had planned this all out. She'd heard through various sources that Rye's temper came with a short fuse after what he'd gone through five years ago, but she never thought he would risk his job by physically attacking her. Obviously she was wrong, so maybe he really had gone off his rocker enough to organize some sort of gang business while on the clock.

Regardless, there was no time to bother with backup now. She couldn't just leave Nadia alone to face the three of them, so she started walking at a brisk pace toward the children's section. Her body tensed when she saw Lexii taunt Nadia after ripping a piece of paper she had held, and she paused when it seemed like the girl was going to confront her next. Rachel kept her eyes icily glued to Lexii, uncertain on what she meant to do. Once she saw the girl stealthily flip her off as she passed on her way to the door, Rachel's eye narrowed, but she let her pass without immediate retaliation. This had been Rye's idea, and it was him who would pay.

As she finally approached the group, she flashed an encouraging smile to Nadia, before returning her face to its serious demeanor. "This page giving you trouble, Nadia? He must be confused. Just a few minutes ago he had me shoved up against the wall in front of a bunch of kids, acting like some deranged prison guard. Wonder where he learned that."

Summary

Rachel hears Nadia's voice. She finds Nadia, Rye, Ki, and Lexii over in the children's section. She starts to think Rye planned things out, and decides against calling for back-up. She sees Lexii flipping her off as she leaves, and decides since this was all Rye's fault he'd be the one to pay. She approaches the group of Nadia, Rye, and Ki, asking if "the library page" was giving Nadia trouble.

 

[Vars]

Ryan | Nu Leader​

Rye was making a beeline for the children's section to get at Nadia, but Ki got there first. The librarian had managed to come in right at the point Nadia was remarking about Ki's little shits, which only made the anger inside him steam all the hotter.

She moved to hand him a stack of books, waving around a piece of paper and talking to him like he was some dog. Before he could speak up for himselff, Akira intercepted and began to defuse the situation. Alex also appeared and grabbed the list, tearing it in half. Rye's brain was working overtime then, thinking of how he could get security to through the Elec out, and how sweet, sweet justice would be without him lifting a finger.

But Alex flipped up a bird in Rye's direction, causing him to turn around and see.... Rachel. The Elec leader he had never expected to follow him, considering she was usually all about business and being 'above' everything.

But here she was, insulting him, calling him a page, then comparing him to a prison guard. The words hit harder than a bullet ant's sting, and what little of his sanity he had left his green eyes instantly.

His response was instinctual, his rage left his body in the form of a fist straight for Rachel's face. Aiming to break her nose and disrupt her beautiful, stupid, face. She would never look like a professional bureaucrat again if his fist had anything to say about it.

Rational thought left as swiftly as his fist flew.

tl;dr:
[spoili]Rye punches Rachel ( @Chatoyante ) in the face.[/spoili]

 

[Chatoyante]

Rachel | Electronica Leader​

Rachel had intended for her quips to nudge Rye into making another poor decision. She took some delight at how easy it was to get him to wind his fist back into the air. That delight was quickly replaced, however, by a nauseating and disorienting pain, as he struck her square in the face. This wasn't her first fight--it definitely wasn't Rye's--so she knew better than to go completely rigid. She let her head snap back with the momentum of his punch, and fell to the floor.

Dazed, she wondered why she could hear herself screaming without opening her mouth. It was like there was a chaotic chorus of her all around, crying. The nasty metallic taste of blood hit the back of her throat, and she rolled to her side to spit it out. As she did so, she felt more blood rush out of her nostrils, and she reached up to cover her nose with a hand, blood quickly pooling in her cupped palm. Blinking slowly, she realized that Rye had managed to break her nose, and that the terrified screams were those of the little children around them. A headache started to form at the front of Rachel's skull.

While not exactly to plan, she couldn't have hoped for a bigger hole to shove Rye into.

Summary

Rachel's nose is totally broken. Blood is everywhere, children are screaming and crying, and she's trying to take comfort in the fact that "punching a patron" is (probably) definitely against library code of ethics.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

It was easy to keep track of the woman, her confident posture making her stand out in the sea of rambunctious children and overly stressed adults, allowing Fritz to stalk her with little to no worry. He stayed a few steps behind her, not caring that he was obviously staring as he watched he strut through the crowd, it's not like she noticed him, no one ever did. He easily lipped behind a bookshelf when he noticed that he was approaching yet another scene, this time with more people. So this wasn't a lovers spat? Fritz's eyes bore into the back of the adults heads, trying to come up with a more accurate reason for why people would randomly fighting in the library, the children's section no less. None of them seemed to work together, could it be? No... impossible... they wouldn't make such a scene.

A startled, and rather loud, gasp left Fritz's mouth as the man once again lashed out at the woman. He should call the police shouldn't he? Tell them that a man was assaulting a woman and that he was obviously mentally unstable; but if they were who he thought they were, then that could lead him into deep shit. He didn't have enough compassion to help a woman if it meant putting himself at risk.

Summery: Fritz follow Rachel ( @Chatoyante and sees her fighting with a group of people. (@Vardoger @djinnamon @Shavynel ) He develops a theory that they might be gang members and gasps loudly when Ryan hits Rachel.)

 

[Shavynel]

Nadia | Elec

Nadia gave an exaggerated grunt as the pain exploded in her shin. It was more of a production value than actual injury, a show for the kids and other observers, and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact she ought to have seen it coming, ought to have been prepared for such an obvious attack, ought not to have read Ki so wrong.

She looked up from where she'd been hit, ready to give Ki what he deserved, except the gleam of victory in the brave buddy's eyes stopped her. A smile tweaked the corner of her lips even through her grimace. Ki had broken in front of his kids, and Nadia knew better than anyone that kids learned plenty from just the littlest bit of meanness. And this, well, here was an example of a role model stooping down to the level of kicking. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be around when the kid threw the excuse 'They deserved it' back in his face.

"Oh, your babysitter job not celebrated enough, is it?" she retorted when she was certain her voice wouldn't betray her. But before she could take back the books, Alex had ripped her list in half.

What the hell was this? How was it she had ever gotten along with these rotten traitors? How was it she had ever looked up to them? Trusted them? She had walked in and given her peace, dammit, and they had ripped her gift to shreds. All they had to do was keep their distance away, and none of this would have happened.

Her eyes burned after Alex. And you still keep wondering how Nus get caught when you spend all your time just throwing music everywhere. But they were dangerous words to utter. There was a good chance they'd land her in as much hot water if not more than they would have landed Alex. Instead, she tenderly accepted back the books, playing sufficiently cowed long enough to rest them on top of the child-height shelf with a possessive arm over them before methodically crumpling her remaining piece of the list and pegging Alex's retreating back. It didn't matter if Alex ignored her so long as she got the last word in. "You honestly thought I'd let you touch something important? That's cute."

Even with one book missing, the important thing was she had something to show for it. Not that she was going to let Ki know that he was right, but the partner would understand a pack of kids prowling the library and thieving a couple books off her share. And that in turn meant she didn't even need the list anymore. So the joke was on them.

Except for a couple well-placed stabs to her pride.

Seriously, that was the last time she'd pretend civility (she swore to herself for the ten billionth time). Sucker-punching people was a much cleaner solution that pretty much always had a predictable outcome.

Yet when she then reached out to corral the books in her keeping, it was with a steady, stable hand and a respect she had not held for the kids or the Nus. Books were books. And sure, there had been her formative years when she was more likely to rip pages out and light them on fire than read them, but she had grown past that stage. (Someone, thankfully, had the foresight to train that instinct out of her before introducing her to sheet music. Someone, like... )

"Ah, Rae," Nadia hated how obvious the relief was in her voice, and busied herself with straightening her books. "Whatever the source, it must be popular since ... " Ki just kicked me in front of kids. Her words cut out as she saw Rae go down. Immediately, she made for her leader, intending to body check Rye into the nearby bookshelf with probably enough force to knock off her own stack of books and a couple more besides as she stepped by.

Oh. There was blood. And it wasn't even noon yet.

"You," Nadia pointed at the first person who wasn't a Nu, wasn't a screaming child, wasn't trying to comfort a screaming child (and therefore probably in Ki's pocket), and wasn't bleeding on the ground -- it was some teen just watching them. He looked about her age. Maybe they'd even gone to the same school. Not that it mattered. "Get ice or the fuck out of here," she demanded, and then, almost as an afterthought, though she directed it mostly toward Rye, she added, "Or a civilized librarian."

Battery. Disturbing the peace. Oh, she could easily slap him with the charges.

Oh.

Fuck.

Charges.

She hadn't even accomplished what she had actually come to the library for.

Summary: [spoili] Ki (@djinnamon) and Alex's (@Nim) actions get to Nadia, but she tries not to let it show by throwing around some more insults (and paper wads targeted at Alex). When she sees Rae (@Chatoyante) go down, instincts go into overdrive. She attempts to shove Rye (@Vardoger) into a bookshelf and pretty much commands Fritz (@Obsessive Compulsive) to be a decent human being. She also makes the realization she hasn't even accomplished her primary goal in coming to the library yet.[/spoili]

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Fritz cursed himself for being careless when the youngest of the group spotted him. Did he know her? He was sure he had see her face while he was stalking the halls. Her name was Nadia wasn't it? He hadn't really cared at the time but if she was involved in what he thought she was involved in then she just became a lot more interesting. He held his ground at her bitter words, feet not budging no matter how many of his instincts begged him to run away and do as he was told. He chanted in his mind that she was not in control of him or his actions as responded to her demand. "I'd rather wait and see how the rest of this unfolds." He stated this as he tilted his head to the side, eyes forever narrowed in suspicion. "If my suspicions are correct then someone very different from a librarian might need to be informed." If they were who he assumed then they would know who he was talking about.

Summery: Fritz doesn't listen to Nada ( @Shavynel ) and realizes that he knows her from school. He insinuates that he knows who they are but this is simply a rouse to confirm his suspicions.

 

[PrincessofHeart]

Amara - NuMetal Clef​

Most of her life felt like a façade. That was because it was. Amara was a woman who went back and forth between the constant state of fear and doubt and the excitement of doing something she knew was so wrong. It was as much work to maintain the lies as it was just to be afraid of them being found out all the time, though it had become second nature to her to live a fake life, to have the world look at her as something else completely.

Part of the façade was to maintain that she had a job as a nanny. So she left the stately row house where she actually just lived, and took the bag of books she collected every week with her, heading out for the library. It was where Rye worked, and as such, she considered it a good way to make contact, as well. Besides, it never hurt for one of them to see that she had children's books that she brought back and forth with her.

It was sad, how much she had made up for her lies. The child that did not exist, his name was Lewis, and she was his live-in nanny. He loved books about dinosaurs and hated fairy tales. She was always trying different books for him, though mostly, she picked ones she would kind of want to read, too, since if anyone asked what Lewis had thought of them, she needed to be able to mention that he liked certain aspects about one or another.

Book bag over her arm, Amara got into the sleek sedan, fitted with a car seat for a four year old, and headed for the library. Of course, the first time anyone had seen it, she said it belonged to her employers, and she got to drive the car as part of her perks. It was yet another lie, another puzzle piece in the façade, but it was accepted readily enough. In fact, most of her nice things could be written off as perks of her job. The designer bag, the nice clothes like the cashmere sweater she was currently wearing, the pretty flowered tie holding her hair from her face. They could all be explained away easily.

Parking in the library lot, she took her bag of books and headed inside, straight into cacophony. There was a brawl going on, and quickly, she realized that it was Rye and some of her other comrades in arms fighting it out with other gang members. Horrified, and truly feeling so, she shoved her books into the return slot, because the rules had to be followed, as she headed for the children's section where the brunt f the fighting happened. While she hated it, she was also certain that this could blow up into something even worse.

Rye had attacked the Elec leader, and Amara hesitated to approach the entire cavalcade of violence until she could get to him, her eyes wide with more than fear. Authorities would be called. It was not something that could just be written off or hidden. It was a brawl in a public place. Where children were present. She certainly was going to do her best to not throw any punches.

"Rye...this has to stop," she began, trying to be the voice of reason. "Witnesses. Everywhere."

Spoiler

Amara's life is a lie. Of course it is, she's a clef in NuMetal. She comes to the library to maintain the façade and tries to become the voice of reason to get Rye to stop.

 

[Vars]

Ryan | Nu Leader​

The 27 year old watched Rachel go down with a rage-filled persistence in his glare that only a bird of prey could replicate. The moment seemed to last forever, for him. Rachel went down in slow motion, blood spurting through the air in her downward arc. But the moment was ruined, and time returned to its quick impartial pace when Nadia shoved him into the shelves to get to her leader.

Rye threw his hands out against the shelf to catch himself, a few books falling down among the few children who hadn't already run off. The library was loud, now, a dystopian atmosphere that shouldn't have been present in the Library.

Fritz mentioned "someone very different from a librarian," while Amara walked up, telling him to stop due to witnesses. It was at this point that the color drained from Rye's face completely. His blonde hair seemed to flatten against his had like the ears of a dog who knew he'd done wrong. He looked down to Rae and Nadia and the kids running around, surveying the damage he'd done.

Bringing his fist up, he noticed the knuckles bloodied, and qith a grimace, wiped them against the inside of his white t-shirt, the blood lightly seeping through the shirt's material.

"Handle this," he said, looking to both Amara and Ki, and then promptly walked off. "I'm calling security," he proclaimed loudly on his way back to the desk.

When he got back around the desk, he picked up the phone, and began dialing, simultaneously trying to come up with a story about how the Elecs had disturbed the peace.

tl;dr

Nadia (@Shavynel ) pushes Rye into the shelves. This combined with Fritz and Amara (@InnocentThorns ) words, force him back into reality. He wipes off his bloody knuckles on his shirt, tells Amara and Ki (@djinnamon ) "Handle this" and goes to call security for the library.

 

[CaribbeanGirl]

Leena | Intern Baker seeking NuMetal​

"Promise me you would not be controlled or manipulated by them. Promise me that you will find the truth and make your own decision based on what you find. But above everything, promise that you will never doubt my trust and love for you. I love you baby sister, my Little River."

Promise me Leena. Leena. LEENA!...

"Leena wake up from that daydream, it's time to close for the day. I know is early but I have business to attend today."

Standing up straight and a little shaken from the wake up call, Leena quickly set off to work and help Ms. Salvatore. "I'm sorry Ms. Salvatore, I'll be quick."

It hadn't been a busy day, so that made the cleaning and closing much easier. Yet, those were the days that Leena hated the most. All because, she would get bored and it gave her mind time to wonder off and remember things; things that hurt and made her sad.

Finishing her tasks, she bid farewell to Ms. Salvatore and taking her things she quickly exited the small bakery. It wasn't very early, more like after noon. Making her way through the streets, she let her thoughts wonder off to the information she received that morning. Taking out her phone, she reread the text message that someone sent her.

In the Library you will find the one you have been looking for. ;)
-Anonymous

"I hope this isn't a trick or some sick joke. Brother, wherever you are up there, dont stop watching over me." Looking up to the sky, she hoped for the best and started to make her way towards the library which wasn't that far; one or two blocks away, to be more precise.

After a couple of minutes, she was already at the entrance of the Musica Central Library. Going inside she bumped into someone leaving in hurry. "Oh. I'm sorry!" Leena yelled her apology, but she wasn't sure it reached the person. Walking in further, she started to hear some commotion near her, which to be honest in was not surprising since the closest area was the children's. However, it was more chaotic than usual; she could hear children screaming and crying. Frowning, she let curiosity take over and went to investigate.

Summary

Leena was sent early from her job and know she is making her way to Musica Central Library to investigate an anonymous tip about NuMetal; hoping that is an opportunity to get information on how to join. However, upon entering she bumps into Alex leaving the Library in a hurry and after apologizing, she makes her way towards the children's area. Her curiosity getting the best of her, upon hearing the children screaming and crying.

 

[PlainJoe]

Lawrence Faulkner | SFZ Clef Officer

Lawrence Faulkner was not a man with a particularly large number of free time, but he was, however, a man who spent it in the most mundane ways. Reading books was one such way to burn time. There were many libraries in O Town, but he had always found the Musica Central one to be the most fulfilling when it came to filling up that hole in his life. He enjoyed even just staring at the aisles of books for hours, just wishing that he would one day save enough green to cash in on a house that would accommodate half as many books.

Which was exactly how he spent his time on this off time for the Monday. He had been there the moment it opened, and had selected a good choice of books, most of them taken out of their shelves purely because he thought they looked interesting, and not for their actual value. But Kafka On The Shore would only sit on his lap for the next few hours as he stared away into oblivion, coat draped over the arm of his chair, and shades set aside in his breast pocket. None would pay much attention to him, and July, the nice lady, left him alone, much to his pleasure, as he meditated on the unknown.

It was perhaps a few, or perhaps some, moments after a group of children had found their way to the children's section that he heard the stir of a commotion. Purely out of curiosity, Lawrence rose from his seat, setting his book aside. Drawing his coat over his shoulders, he made his way towards the source of the noise: the children's section. He wasn't qualified to deal with squabbling kids, he realised, as an afterthought when he approached the scene. Squabbling adults, though, that, maybe, he could handle.

Thankfully, or perhaps not, it was the latter. Someone was bleeding, and another was recovering from a rather awful push that sent him reeling into a shelf. Lawrence moved quickly, catching some of the falling books, and kicking a number away from the remaining children. He placed a gloved finger over his lips, and ushered those who had not left out of the children's section. The man who had hit the shelf made a command to the two at his side, and threatened to call the security. That would quite hurt his reputation if they had known a Clef officer, much less one from SFZ, had been on the scene and did nothing to rectify the problem.

He turned his attention from the man who had recently left to those that remained. He cleared his throat, reached into his breast pocket, and pulled out a identification badge. "Hey, Clef Officer Lawrence Faulkner here," he spoke casually, before stuffing the badge back into his pocket, "if you don't mind, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps we could bring this outside and talk this over like grown adults?" At this, he gave a beaming smile, which did not go well with what he went with next. "Or perhaps we could do this in a single, cramped cell? The choice is still mostly yours at this point." He really, really hoped that they would take him up on his offer to bring it outside, because he had no plans to be doing any paperwork today, not if he had other things on his timetable later. As his eyes passed over the crowd, however, they lingered unsettlingly on brunette who had implored earlier for a ceasefire, but said nothing, and instead only waited for a response from the group.

Summary: His off time interrupted by an entertaining show of violence and drama in the library, Lawrence Faulkner decides to use his Clef badge and tries to at least shift the argument outside, and perhaps defuse it. He does not plan on doing any paperwork for this. He also seems to recognise an undercover agent.

 

[Chatoyante]

Rachel | Electronica Leader​

While the blinding pain had subsided after thirty seconds, the throbbing coming from Rachel's nose was still enough to slow her down considerably. It was why she remained silent as the kid from earlier made vague, possibly threatening, references to "other authorities." It was why, when another NuMetal groupie just inexplicably showed up in the library, that she didn't immediately lose her shit. It was why, when Rye stormed off grumbling about calling security, she had remained sitting on the floor. None of it sat right with her, but her rattled mind was elsewhere. Instead, she was busy with the story she'd spin to Grace. The intern--who was Rachel's one, uninvolved, trustworthy witness--would no doubt be suspicious, having witnessed Rye's first attack and then seeing the current state of Rachel's face. If she returned to her coworker now, she'd probably look like a pitiable woman, lying and making excuses for her abusive ex-boyfriend. That wasn't the story she wanted to play in her coworkers head...at least, not if she had a choice.

Rachel's rumination on how to handle her situation was cut short when the word 'clef' reached her ears. Her attention snapped to a man who had wandered over during the chaos, a faux geniality emanating from every pore of his person. Even with the skewed view from between her bloodied fingers, she knew the officer's smile was not a signal of friendliness. Any person with real human decency in them wouldn't be so quick to brandish a stick at the obviously wounded, she bitterly thought.

Seeing no use in trying to play up the 'wounded lamb' bit while surrounded by NuMetal members, a student that'd already refused to help, and a clef, Rachel decided it was time to leave. While not life-threatening, her broken nose was still a time-sensitive matter. She could already feel the swelling building around the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. Not to mention, it was getting difficult to contain the blood. As much as she'd love to leave an impossible mess for Rye to clean, she didn't want to sacrifice more of her dignity doing so.

Reaching out with her clean hand, Rachel gently placed it on Nadia's shoulder to balance herself as she got up. Trying to keep from moving her head unnecessarily, she tilted it back slightly and used her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose, keeping most of the carnage dripping from her face covered.

"Car," Rachel mumbled to Nadia, wincing. It wasn't a plea, nor really a command. As much of a handful as Nadia's temper made her, she could be trusted to act in the best interests of the gang when left to her own devices. No, it was a simple statement, meant to inform her of Rachel's intentions: get out of the library, limp to her car, and stuff as many discarded fast food napkins as she could find into her face. And she did just that, not waiting to see if the younger girl, or even the others, followed outside. The only one she did give her attention to was the student who had refused Nadia's request for help, then cryptically referred to "other" authorities getting involved. Him she stared down as she passed on her way out, not sure what to make of someone she'd originally written off so easily.

Summary

Rachel is just a ball of pain and angry right now. Her nose is broken, some student (@Obsessive Compulsive) is possibly making threats, Rye (@Vardoger) is storming off to get security involved after Amara (@InnocentThorns) shows up, and now some off-the-clock clef (@PlainJoe) is in the middle of everything. Rachel decides she just wants to take care of her nose, and go after who she needs to later. She doesn't require Nadia (@Shavynel) to follow, letting her ultimately choose what to do. Rachel does stare down the student/Fritz, though, wondering who he is or if he'll be a potential problem for them.

 

[Vars]

Ryan | Nu Leader​

In another case of increasingly coincidental timing, a clef appeared, announcing himself to the scene and asking everyone to outside. Leaving the dialing of the number for security unfinished, he hung dropped the phone on the reciever with a loud sigh.

It would be bad form to just sit down and pretend he wasn't a part of anything, and seeing Rachel head outside, he figured he'd better go do something to look a little less suspicious.

Gathering his wits about him, the Nu leader walked out from behind the desk and made his way back to the scene of the original disturbance.

"Thanks for coming, officer, but it seems to be over now." Rye threw his own fake courteous smile.
You're playing with fire now, he thought to himself.

tl;dr
Rye hangs up the phone, not calling security, walks back to officer Faulkner (@PlainJoe ) and makes a polite suggestion that he should leave everyone alone.

 

[PrincessofHeart]

Amara - NuMetal Clef
​

Handle it? Handle what?!

Amara sighed softly, wishing her fearless leader could be, possibly, a leader. Taking a slow breath, she turned to try and calm down the brawlers that were left, to try and get them to leave before security arrived. Not knowing who threw the first punch, she could imagine Rye taking the fall for this, especially since the only one bleeding was not him. While she was trying to figure out a way to approach Rachel, all of them were approached by someone flashing a badge at them. She had trained herself to react to all Clefs as a civilian would, and she smiled slightly, nodding.

"Of course, officer. Thank you for intervening."

His eyes stayed on her for too long, a look of recognition, and Amara wondered exactly how close to the chest she was going to have to play her own cards. Heading outside, she dug into her bag, and came up with a very nanny-ish assortment of Kleenex and baby wipes. Approaching Rachel, she offered them to her, first the Kleenex in their little pack, already having them open. She also had a plastic baggy for Rachel to put them in when she was done.

"I'm sorry," Amara said softly. "I don't know what happened, but he shouldn't have hit you."

Granted, they were factions at war, but she did not think violence was the answer. Amara offered her a baby wipe or two as well to clean the blood that was undoubtedly on her face. She had no idea what had ever happened between the two of them, but she thought it was probably best for all involved to have as little authorities involved as possible.

"Please, it might be best if you left before the officer comes outside," she suggested.

Spoiler

Amara heads outside, aware that Faulkner probably recognized her. She offers Rachel Kleenex and baby wipes for her nose, and then suggests that Rachel take off before the good officer heads outside. She also apologized to Rachel for Rye, knowing her boss would never do so. But can't we all just get along?

 

[CaribbeanGirl]

Leena | Intern Baker seeking NuMetal​

Leena made her way towards the ruckus went all of a sudden everything went quiet. "Huh? It's quiet. I wonder what happened?" Not even a few feet from the area, she quickly spotted two women exiting the place. One was holding her nose as if it was injured and the other was helping her. 'Oh my God, she is bleeding.' Upon realizing that the woman was indeed covering her bleeding nose, Leena couldn't help but try to help. "Hey, are you ok? Of course not, what a stupid question of me, you are bleeding."

Averting her eyes towards her bag, she rapidly dug through it for her small, blue box with first aid supplies. "Here you can use this. It has band aids, alcohol swabs and other things you could use for that." Leena said this while pointing towards the woman's nose. She had learned to be prepared for anything and everything, she was a bit clumsy herself and would sometimes get injured doing the smallest things.

Leena waited for the woman to finish with her things, when suddenly another woman appeared and gave the bleeding female a napkin. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened, but he shouldn't have hit you." The woman said soflty. "Please, it might be best if you left before the officer comes outside," she suggested.

'Must have been a pretty nasty hit, more so if a Clef got involved. Maybe it was a couples fight, maybe an ex-boyfriend or something... So much for finding what I was looking for.' With that in Leena's mind, she kept silent waiting for her things while pondering on how if it wasn't for that text, she wouldn't have been there right now. She wanted to fulfill her promise to her brother but it was so difficult. She doesn't even know where to start and when she thinks she is close to something, it would always end up to be useless. Yet, she was curious as to whom is the one sending her anonymous texts.

Summary

Leena stumbled upon Rachel ( @Chatoyante ) and Nadia ( @Shavynel ) exiting the children's area. She offered her first aid kit to Rachel to help her injury. Waiting for her things, she sees Amara ( @InnocentThorns ) coming closer and apologizing for what happened. Also, Leena thinks that taking the text message serious was stupid, however she is curious as to whom send it to her.

 

[Shavynel]

Nadia | Electronica

The random teen refused to help, and instead seemed to threaten them.

What.

Nu's purple-eyed killjoy (there were few non-Nausicaa Nus Nadia had bothered to learn the names of, and fewer yet she'd willingly refer to by name) cowed Rye.

The.

An Clef officer announced himself.

Hell.

(He kicked the books? It was bad enough she had caused them to fall, but that level of disrespect. Still...)

Nadia's demeanor took a 180. Gone was her will to chew out the teen (whose appearance was a little too easy to memorize to chalk off as a stranger), and the Nus had effectively neutralized themselves, which meant she could shrug on her law-abiding face for this wonderful new addition to their party in the library. The tension in her shoulders went from ready to spring to assisting Rae as she got back up.

"Shit," she muttered in response to Rae. Now that the immediate threat of violence had subsided, that she was actually supporting some of her leader's balance, Nadia had finally taken into account the damage and just how much blood there was. It stained her blazer, though relatively minorly given Rae's nose. Not that it mattered. Clothing, however expensive, was nothing compared to an Elec. "Yeah." She let Rae step out first, watching to make sure no one else pulled anything once Rae had turned her back, and so it was very obvious when Rae's eyes lingered just a little longer on the teen. A name finally swam to the forefront of her mind. Fritz. Whatever he thought he was weaseling his way out of, Nadia would make sure it came to bite him.

There was one matter to deal with before him, though. Nadia approached the officer. Afterall, law was her dream job. She wasn't afraid of the Clef. She played them. "Officer," she started, careful to place the right amount of deference and horror in her voice, and even more careful to remember who he was. Lawrence Faulkner. Book kicker. Ready to flash his badge for the needy. Probably thought a lot of himself. Like he was important or something. And so even though he'd already been thanked (twice), she figured inflating his ego further wouldn't hurt. "Thanks for stepping in. I'm going to go help my friend, she's, you know," an obvious gesture to the nose, "And I know it wasn't my place to try to, uh, fix things, so, sorry about that, but, thanks. Again. I can...I can talk you through what happened... if that's useful ... after, after I see to my friend. Excuse me. I'll be back as soon as she's okay," she promised. Because, well, she still had to handle her business at the library. Her eyes slid to Rye. Unfortunately.

And on her way out, she made sure to pass close to the kid. Student. Teen. Whatever. "Seems your wish came true," she murmured, keeping her voice low and on the sweet side of dangerous, volatility temporarily tempered by the presence of the officer, by her facade as a legal intern, and by her desire to see to Rae. The question still remained, though: what did he want? He was bold enough to harbor suspicions openly, but he still stuck around. Didn't seem to be the hero type -- he never jumped in. Didn't seem to be the stay home safe type -- he hovered at the edge. Seemed to be the type who stood around waiting for shit to go down so that they could brag about how close they danced to danger. In other words, the useless type. Also likely the type to tattle, the kind of person who would sneak around and gossip indiscriminately so long as they didn't have to stick their neck out themselves. Which is why she added one more word. "Fritz." It was a half growl, a full threat. It stated she knew who he was, and therefore whatever he thought he knew, she'd have a way of dealing with it. It declared she would remember his inaction and given the chance to extend a helping hand, she'd withhold, that she dared him to act on any of what he'd seen because she didn't think he was capable. Useless nitwit.

With that, Nadia actually left to where she knew she'd find Rae, only to find her surrounded by two people already, which might have been fine except for one of them was the purple-eyed killjoy who was obviously up to something because Nus didn't get that close without starting something. (Was the children's section not enough evidence of that?) Nadia could really kick herself for leaving Rae alone for so long after taking a hit like that.

"Alright," Nadia interjected, taking any of the goods that Rae hadn't because the kleenex and the wipes and the kit were useful even if she didn't appreciate the game they were playing. She rutted around the first aid kit, pulling out more than was immediately useful -- because, hey, it'd been offered and it might come in useful -- before shoving the blue box back toward the interlopers. "No one wants your advice," Nadia sneered, "so you can both scram now." She didn't even bother to put on a fake, sweet smile.

From the pile of supplies, she picked out the one thing she'd been asking for -- one of those disposable ice packs -- squeezed it, and handed it to Rae. Her theory? So long as you didn't totally bleed out, blood was fine. It would get everywhere anyway. Everyone always seemed to ignore the bruising and the swelling, though. "Those shitheads," Nadia vented to Rae, referring obviously to the Nus (not caring at all if this last one could overhear her) and maybe also the Clef and definitely the useless bystander, "in a library for fuck's sake." And then sort of as an afterthought, like she was embarrassed it even mattered to her, she added, "You're okay, right?"

Summary: [spoili] Nadia kisses up to Officer Faulkner (@PlainJoe), offering to explain what happened after she sees to Rae. She mildly threatens Fritz (@Obsessive Compulsive) on the way out, and really, I mean mildly. She goes outside to meet up with Rae (@Chatoyante) and is very displeased to see Amara (@InnocentThorns) and Leena (@CaribbeanGirl) already there, and also mildly threatens them.[/spoili]

 

[Nim]

Alex|NuMetal Member​

Without taking another look behind her, Alex went through the library doors and out. She passed by a few other people who went inside, but no one really caught her eye so she didn't bother paying attention to them.

It took her half an hour before she arrived back home. Entering it, she went and allowed herself to crash on her bed, fully clothed. Usually she would not do that, but she decided it is for the best as she had no idea what to do next with her entirely free day. Moving her head so it leans on the right, she looked around her room briefly. Alex felt like she should fill her room, as it the most spacious room in the space she called home, and it wasn't filled enough to her liking. But every time she went to buy something, she found herself deciding against buying it, thinking her room was fine as it is. She wished she could bring her instruments here, as they would fill the space perfectly.

Thinking about her instruments, her gaze moved to a decent sized backpack that laid in the corner of the room. Getting up, she grabbed it and decided to head out to HQ, making sure to take every careful step she needed to ensure no one followed her or knew where her destination laid at. She might surprise the few morning lurkers that are possibly there, but she didn't mind. She needed to let her mind loose, and playing some tunes was the perfect solution for it.

Summary

Alex leaves the library area, gets back home, thinks about her empty appearing bedroom and then decides to head to NuMetal HQ to let her mind loose by playing some tunes, while taking proper caution on the way there.

 

[Giltine13]

Aren Heftig | Electronica Clef
​

Aren woke up before his crappy alarm went off. As he rolled out of bed he could only think about how much he hated this place and how horribly uncomfortable the bed was. The male went around the still unfamiliar apartment carrying out his daily morning routine. Only after he took the first sip of his awfully sweet coffee did his brain started to work. He looked out the window of his tiny kitchen, his eyes sharp even if there wasn't much to look at. His flat was on the fifth floor, so he got a nice view of the streets that were so busy, everyone rushing to work.

Aren scrunched his nose thinking about his own current job at that disgusting club. He found the name very fitting as he has yet to see a normal human being and not a scum entering the place in his working hours. Sadly, today didn't seem to be the day as he once again got the late shift when everyone went to the club to blow some steam off and relax, when it was the busiest time of the day. However, there was something to look forward to.. He had finally caught wind of a gang member, he wasn't sure how good his chances were of getting in, he had no idea how high on the food chain the female could be. But hopefully, he'll find out soon enough.

She was supposed to approach him after her own shift was done at the club he was working. Aren didn't know the exact time, she didn't seem to be one for giving out details easily, but it had to be while he was at work. And then, well, then they were supposed to chat? She would try to figure out if he was member material? Personally, he had no idea how that would go down. One thing was for sure, though, failure was not an option.

Aren spent the first part of the day preparing for work, for the secret meeting and cleaning up the place. In case the female wanted to know more about him, see his apartment he had to make sure there wouldn't be any clues scattered around. So he ether hid anything of use for the future in the most secretive places he could find, or threw out anything he couldn't burn in the sink.

Summary: [spoili]Aren was up unhappy with his new life-style and ponders about today's events. One of them includes meeting a female gang member, through whom Aren hopes to join the group.[/spoili]​

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Fritz, civilian.

The world always moved too fast for Fritz. Pushing itself forward before Fritz even had a chance to say something or do what he needed to do. He had been about to bargain his silence for a new violin until the very thing he had been using as leverage, informing the clefs, had been snatched away from him. He turned his head away from Nadia as she spoke, not liking the smell or the warmth of her breath. "You'll be seeing more of me, Nadia." He replied smoothly. What was wrong with her? It was if she thought she was better then the rest of the world; expecting everyone to bow down to her and kiss the very ground she walked on. Another deep breath in, another deep breath out. She made his skin crawl and caused his body to grow cold with intimidation.

Stepping farther into the background, Fritz watched with little interest as the Clef officer put an end to the carnage; the gang members either fleeing or trying to play nice. His plans would be ruined if they got arrested for disturbing the peace, damnit! He wouldn't converse with them again though; he was done being adventurous for the day. What little fuel he had now burned down to the wick. If Nadia was in school tomorrow he would corner her and then confront her... If she didn't beat the shit out of him. Terrifying.

Summery: Everything goes too fast for Fritz and before he can get another word in, a clef arrives. He worries that if the people get arrested he will not be able to get the new instrument he wanted; but he does nothing to stop the clef. Nadia's ( @Shavynel ) threat and Nadia in general terrifies Fritz's but he is not ready to give up yet. He will confront Nadia in school. He warns Nadia that she will see him again.

 

[CaribbeanGirl]

Leena | Inter Baker seeking NuMetal​

"No one wants your advice, so you can both scram now."

The rude words were accompanied by her aid kit being extended close to her face in a dismissive manner. 'Well, that is the last time I try being nice to strangers.' A frown quickly appeared on her face but was rapidly replaced by a stoic expression. With a cold glare directed to the woman responsible for the rude words, she quickly took her things and put them back in her bag. "You welcome, I guess…"

Muttering those last words, she quickly made her way inside the library. She could at least take some cooking books out now that she was there. Also, if she was lucky she might find some on gang behaviors and traditions. If she did that, it would not have been a complete waste of her time going there. 'I could have been home by now. Stupid text messages…' Still cursing the person responsible for the message in her mind, she silently walked by the Clef officer who was talking with the librarian hearing a bit of their conversation. "Thanks for coming officer, but it seems to be over now."

Taking a quick glance towards the two men, Leena came to a sudden stop a few steps away from them. With a raised eyebrow, Leena smirked at the words that left the man's mouth. 'Is he serious? Does he thinks that the officer won't notice the blood on his shirt?' It was just a speck but it clearly showed that he was involved in some type of fight; and if Leena remembers correctly, no one else that she met outside had any blood on them, except of course, the bleeding woman.

Shaking her head, she turned around and kept walking towards the shelves full of books. It took her a few minutes to find what she was looking for, even the one on gang behaviors and once they were in her hands, she went back towards the two talking males since it was the checkout point.

After seeing that they were still discussing some things, she decided to intervene. She did not want to keep losing more time. "Excuse me? Um... can I get help checking these books out? I know this conversation might be important, but I really have other things to do elsewhere." She finished her words with a quick smile and waited. Her words might have a been a bit of a lie, but she already wasted enough time in a place, she wasn't even planning on visiting.

Summary

Leena became a bit upset with Nadia's words but quickly hid behind a stoic expression.Yet, her eyes told a different story. Without another word, she decided to make use of her presence in the library and look for books on cooking and also on information about gangs. (Because you know, she plans on joining one. XD) Anyways, while walking over to the shelves full with books, she overhears Ryan's words directed to the officer and couldn't help but be a bit amused with his act. Letting him be, she quickly looked for the books and came back. However, Ryan and Lawrence were not finished so she decided to interrupt. (Because, why not?)