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DBZ7

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In a different world of 1998, the Seekers are divided in different organizations, gangs, groups, or military factions. This is the story of the members of one such organization: NXM.

Trudging through Manhattan after hours of fruitless searching, the dark olive skinned woman snapped back at her male and female companions.
"Midget! Ain't you supposed be faster with your ironing board body?! So catch the fuck up!" $elena snapped at April, not addressing Scott as she knew there was no further need to make how pissed she was any more clear to them.

"Shit, where the hell is this 'Dancing Guy' supposed to even be!?" The latina cursed to herself.
@TheSpringwoodSlasher @Verite @york
 
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Scott Snyder
@TheSpringwoodSlasher @Verite @DBZ7

Oh dear... Looks like $elena wasn't exactly in the best of moods today... Even the less observant could easily catch onto this little detail really, and Scott wasn't exactly willing to find out just how bad things could go if she directed her irritation towards him in particular, something told him he'd be in for quite the chew-out to say the least... It wouldn't be the first time she'd be yelling at someone, but, it may just be the first time she'd yell at him... And not just any yelling either, yelling loud enough to make his head throb for the next few days. So, with that in mind, he quickened his pace ever so slightly, keeping it steady, his desire giving him a little extra speed, but, nothing too fancy; otherwise the repercussions are... Well... Unsavory if he slipped up, even the slightest.​
 
While Selena and Scott had been out looking for him, the 'Dancing Guy' had been dealing with some business of his own.

You didn't have skills like his and went unnoticed by certain types of people. The same kinds of people that would exploit the crap out of your talents for their own means and ends. Beat's superhuman ability to take dancing to a level that others could only hope to match earned him many fans when he performed at nightclubs and the like. More so because he always had his pet duckling tagging along behind him.

Some small-time gangsters wanting to make a name for themselves noticed Beat while he was performing and took him out back to discuss terms. Beat, being the naturally friendly guy that he is wasn't truly aware of what was being asked of him until much later. When he finally tracked down the warehouse that the gangsters had been using to store the profits they made off people paying to see the 'Dancing Machine.'

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Boxes of jewelry and other assorted goods were scattered all across the room. After Beat had become such a hit with fans due to his ability which most just chalked up to him having some kind of 'gift', the need for more room to hold all the things people were offering to see him grossly expanded. But, Beat was left in the dark. Because while Beat was the gang's money well, he'd naturally like a cut of the profit, right? Better to keep most of the spoils to themselves and satisfy him with checks every now and then. Not that Beat necessarily minded the treatment, he wasn't in this for the money.

No, he was in it for the fans. They were what kept motivating him to get up on stage every day and dance the night away. No amount of money could fill the spot they had in his heart. But, you couldn't keep someone in the dark, forever.

So, just as the gangsters were busy shuffling around boxes, a knocking could have been heard at the door. Reaching for a nearby crowbar, one of the gangsters moved to open it.

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"Heeeeeey! What's up my bros? I see you countin fat stacks! Betcha ten I know who got you that dough." Stepping inside and not particularly minding or even noting that he wasn't exactly invited in, Beat thumbed to himself and began spinning around on the heels of his feet.

"This guy! So, what's the big deal, huh? Thought we had a pretty sweet thing going here, fellas. You make yourselves seem big by raking in the dough due to my gift and I entertain the masses. But, I hear from a little birdie that you've been holding out on me." A slight chirping interrupted the proceedings as in behind Beat came in a small duckling who seemed to be sporting a similar hairstyle to Beat.

"Nah, not you little man. Tho, you helped out a lot by being by my side, ya know? Keeping things in perspective and all that. Speakin of perspective tho, I'm mainly here because I'd like to know if y'all still got that in mind. I do my job and you do yours. But, heh, then you have this little joint here and ol Beat's left in the dark!" Throwing his hands out to his side, Beat stepped back and smiled, waiting for a response.

The gangsters looked among themselves and the man who seemed to carry the most authority among those present, rose up from his seat and took a drag on his cigarette. Reaching over to tap some of it into the ashtray, he'd look at Beat through the thick lens of his sunglasses.

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"I understand, Beat. No, really I do! We came across you when we were just a small bunch of punks trying to carve out a niche for ourselves in this dog eat dog world. Clearly, you know that better than anyone. Which might give you the feeling that you're entitled to a good portion of the earnings. Let's cut the middleman out of this because I'm a busy man these days and so are you, Beat. We're not little league alley rats anymore. With the cash we've earned thanks to you, we're finally making a dent in this city and the only way we can keep what we've got going? Is if we play a little rough if you catch my meaning."

Holding a hand up to his ear, Beat leaned in with a quizzical look on his face. Whatever the leader of the gang had intended to get across, it seemed like it was either lost on Beat or he wasn't quite alright with the implications that his words carried with them.

"So, lemme see if I got you straight. You're using the money that by the way ought to be split fifty-fifty at the very least between us, to help hire backbone to keep people in line? I gotta say if that's the truth you're spitting, dun't think that's what I signed up for. I was born with a gift, man. I ain't never intended to hurt anybody with it. But if that's what you're using my skills for then I think it's time to strike out on our own again, little man." With his opinion firmly stated for all those present to hear, Beat turned on his heels and headed for the door only for one of the thugs wielding a baseball bat stepped in his path.

"What? You think after your little 'declaration' there, I could just let you go? Off the hook without any sort of negative repercussions? I won't lie, Beat. Whatever it is that allows you to dance like you do? It's definitely not human or at least not like any humans I've seen. But you're our sacred cow and you help keep the cash flowing nice and smoothly. You see what I'm getting at here? What we've got going is a nice cycle. You please your audience, get food for your little duckling, and we get the cash and we use it for our own means and ends. If that's not up to your standards? Then, I think we got a problem, don't we Beat?" The leader asked as he leaned forward and clasped his hands together as the baseball bat wearing thug stepped forward to lightly shove Beat.

"You've done good by us, pal. But if your gonna insist on rocking the boat, you gotta understand we're gonna rock back until you sit back down. We're trying to run a business here, after all." The thug admitted, proving to Beat that maybe not everyone in this room was a backstabbing dirtbag. Or at least less of one. As 'Little Man' chirped angrily at the thug who dared put his hands on his best friend, Beat didn't seem too bothered. At least on the outside as he kept up his same confident, friendly air.

"Nah man, you got a point. You gotta do what you gotta do, you even said it yourself! It's a dog eat dog world out there. The second you stop doing what works, you end up falling behind. Only problem with that though."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"When your sacred cow don't dig the way it's being used. Little Man?"

As the gangsters stared at Beat in confusion, the duckling seemed to understand what'd been said. Waddling as fast as it's little legs could take it, it'd began to gnaw at the thug's leg causing him to glance down in annoyance. Which left him in a prime spot for Beat's next move. Hopping back on his hands, Beat began to spin around in rapid succession.

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"Yahooo, baby! I call this one 'Around the World in Sixty Beats!"

Having been distracted by Little Man and far too slow to comprehend the speed of Beat's slick moves, the thug was taken completely aback as sneaker met face, again, and again and he was sent flying off his feet and the closest shelf, sending down boxes full of dollar bills and jewelry crashing to the ground.

Slamming his fist down on the table, the leader of the gangsters cursed loudly at Beat's move to the attack. He'd been expecting something like this given how much of a good man Beat had shown himself to be when he first met with the gangsters but he hadn't expected how handy his dancing skills were to him in an actual fight. Looking at the other two subordinates standing next to him, the leader threw his hands up.

"What are you two waiting for?! A goddamn invitation to the beatdown? Get in there and stop him before he wrecks this entire operation!"

Although it seemed like both grunts were going to tackle Beat on together, one of them who just so happened to be wielding a crowbar, held a hand out to stop the other from moving forward. It seemed he desired to take on the dancing man himself.

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"Seems you just can't help making a nuisance out of yourself, Beat. You know, I actually looked up to how you could glide along those dance floors. Like some kind of dancing ghost who'd come back to grace the living with your wicked talent. Shame, it's taken you kicking one of our number into a shelf of our earnings for us to finally get a chance to talk heart-to-heart and I gotta kick your ass."

Although the gangster seemed very implicit in his threat against his health, Beat didn't miss a step in his pacing as he hopped back and forth from foot to foot as he clenched his hands up into fists and smirked at the crowbar wielding thug.

"Ey, you do you! That's the motto I've always wanted to live by. I think I'mma have to take a whole pass on that ass-kicking part. Not really down for that.." It seemed Beat had finished his sentence right on time as he narrowly avoided getting clocked right in the side of the head by the crowbar as it soared right over his head as he ducked down.

"Damn you, stand still so I can hit ya!"

Having performed dozens of people at nightclubs where a good chunk of the denizens were either drunk off their asses or very close to reaching that point, Beat had made a note to sound out outside sounds when he wanted to focus on something. Closing his eyes tightly behind his shades, Beat began to think to himself which style of music would be appropriate here. The atmosphere seemed tense enough that pop and classical probably wouldn't work here. But, something like rock or metal?

Oh yeah.


"Times up, Beat!"

As the crowbar swung downwards to smash Beat over the head, Little Man chirped in concern as Beat didn't seem like he had enough time to take any sort of counter-measure. The little duckling's fears would have been alleviated however as Beat had gripped the other man's wrist and stopped the crowbar before it got close enough to hit his noggin.

But Beat was no longer focusing on the man standing in front of him. Or anyone else currently in the warehouse, not the sound of stray dollar bills fluttering to the ground, not the clanging of loose jewelry clattering to the ground in clumps, not even Little Man's panicked chirping. Everything else may as well have not even existed for how little it mattered to Beat at the moment.

Because while Beat danced better than any average joe could hope to, that was just one part of his power. The other part of it came from how he was able to incorporate different styles of music into his 'fighting style' as it were. Trying his best to put out any external noise, Beat thought of any particular song which he felt fit the current fight he'd found himself in. This one just felt like more of a rocking battle with limbs splaying all over the place and just a general sense of euphoria coursing through one's body as the music continues to get more and more intense as the pace picks up.

As the lyrics coursed through his mind like water running through a ravine, Beat pushed back on the wrist, causing the gangster to stumble back. Admittedly a bit frightened by how Beat seemed to so casually stop what had been intended as his killer blow, the thug had a moment of hesitance before he moved back in for another strike. This one however would end up being just as futile as the last as Beat finally moved on the offensive, keeping the same enthusiastic grin on his face all the while.

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Balancing on one foot, Beat leaned in and swung his arms from side to side in a manner that might have given the leader of the gang and what seemed to be his right hand man a glimpse into the movements of a mad man. The crowbar slowly began to slip from the thug's grasp until it finally fell to the ground with a sharp metallic *thud* and feeling he'd done enough, Beat leaned back and held his hands out.

"Ta-Da, baby!"

The gangster's face was a mess of blood and bruises as he stumbled towards Beat before falling to his knees and then after a moment's breath, he fell face first onto the floor. Reaching down to turn his head to the side, Beat smiled. The man had gotten his butt thoroughly kicked but not the point of serious bodily harm. Just needed a chance to wake up and get something for his bruises and he'd be easy-peasy.

But, that didn't mean the ringleader behind the people who had manipulated him for their own devious means and ends would get away so easily. Rising back up to his full height of 5'7, Beat pointed towards the leader and then ran a finger across his neck.

"The dance floor's open, baby! How's about you back up all that money you took by throwing some hands with me? Unless you ain't man enuff!"


Furious at Beat's childish insults, the leader knew full well that getting himself embroiled in a fight with Beat while he was angry and not thinking straight is simply what the dancer wanted. It'd make it all the more satisfying for Beat when he beat him down. Which is why the leader wouldn't be the one keeping Beat at bay. Grabbing briefcases which seemed to have nice little rows of dollar bills tucked away in them, the leader turned towards the other gangster who'd been watching Beat fight with an impressed look chiseled upon his features.

"Sorry Beat, but I got plans and I'm afraid they don't involve you. Take care of him for me would ya? Barring that, just hold the guy off until I can get out of here. Capiche?"

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Smashing his fist into the palm of his hand, the gangster pulled at the brim of his hat and flashed a fanged grin Beat's way as he spoke and he seemed to carry an Australian tone of voice.

"Dun't worry about a thing, guv. I'll settle the score here with our dancing colleague here and catch up with you soon enough. Took down two of our own, right? Was thinking I'd beat him twice as bad if just because it'd make things equal between us."

"Well, do whatever you have to! Just stop him from following me!"


His orders given and his subordinate seeming eager to follow them, the leader turned to make his way out through the back exit of the warehouse with briefcases in hand. As Beat turned to follow however, the Australian man stepped in his path.

"'Fraid I can't let you go any further, mate. Them's the orders I was given and we all gotta follow em. Least's that's the way I see things. So, I reckon you put up your dukes and show me what you got, Dancing Boy."

Beat was annoyed to see the man who'd been the cause of all this trouble in the first place, scuttle through the back exit like some kind of cockroach but after taking one look at this new guy, Beat could just tell that this wouldn't be as much of a cakewalk as the other two mooks had been. Spreading his feet apart, Beat smiled and called back to Little Man, who'd been watching Beat's fighting in silent awe.

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"I'm not digging the vibe I'm getting from this guy, Little Man! You might want to duck and cover until this all blows over! No pun intended of course!" The duckling of course idolized it's human friend and didn't desire to leave his side but after a stern nod of the head, Little Man glanced down in disappointment but quickly moved to one of the corners of the room so he'd hopefully be out of the way of this soon to be brawl.

"You care an awful lot about that little duckie. Back home in Oz? We eat buggers like that for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"Oh really, baby? I figured all you folks ate was shrimp on the barbie while dingos went and came snatching your babies up in the dead of night. But, that ain't why you're standing in my way. We could trade nationalistic barbs between each other until the Emus and Eagles sprint and fly home or we can get this show on the road. You digging what I'm layin down? What's your name tho, man from down under?"

The man's grin only seemed to spread at how Beat kept up his humorous nature but cut straight to the point all the same. Holding his right arm in front of him, it began to light up with what seemed to be black flames and he'd glance at Beat.

"You act the fool but you know how to get down to business when it suits ya. I can respect a man like that. But, before you go getting all friendly, I could also off a man like that. As for a name? Well, just call me Oz. Dependin on how this goes, that might be the last name you hear."

"Oz, eh? Short and simple! Just the way I like it! Now, come walk the walk with me now that we're finished with the talk-talk, baby!"

"My pleasure!" Lunging forward, Oz took a quick swipe at Beat's chest. The speed the newcomer had to him took Beat for a bit of a surprise. Most folks couldn't keep track of his moves on the floor, let alone get close enough to land a blow on him. But then again most guys Beat got in scuffles with were guys who didn't know what they were getting into. Not Australian guys with black fire running along their arms.

Picking up the rhythm of Oz's movements however, Beat managed to sway from side to side to just narrowly avoid getting pegged by the strikes. Still, this wasn't a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination. Getting someone with abilities on their payroll must have been what a large amount of the pilfered money went to.

But another thing that worked against Beat was the roaring of the flames. Fire when it got a chance to spread always seemed to let itself be known with a roar-of sorts as it continued to travel, to burn, to grow bigger and bigger. But while it'd all come to a stop if you got enough water to douse it with or just had a big enough towel, didn't seem like you could do that with this guy's flames which seemed to be on full blast 24/7 once he activated them and he didn't seem to have any desire to stop until either Beat had defeated him and they went off by themselves(or so he hoped!)or Beat..

Well, probably not best to think of the alternatives.

Still, that constant fire didn't do wonders for Beat's attempt to focus on what style of music he should use to influence his dancing this time around. Rock seemed to work well enough with the last guy. Maybe another 'dose' of it would carry the same effect on this guy. First thing was first though, he had to do something about those flames and quick! Leaping back as Oz took another swipe at him, Beat groaned as he noticed the black flames had seeped onto his jacket. Quickly pulling off the jacket, he'd toss it onto a pile of stray dollar bills which had fluttered off to the center of the room. Which garnered an interesting reaction from Oz.

"Oi! You American wanker, watch where you're throwing your unmentionables! That's my salary you're burning!"


Well, it seemed Beat's theory of this guy being paid to stick around with these chumps was on point. He also couldn't blame the guy for being peeved about his paycheck getting roasted to kingdom come, more so if it was his own flames doing the burning. It did give Beat an idea however. Bracing himself as Oz came in for another attack, Beat took great caution to side-step the attacks until he eventually placed himself right in front one of the shelves containing boxes of expensive jewelry that could have been pawned off for good prices.

"I got you now, wanker! Time to meet your..Maker?!"

"Nah."

Just as Oz's fist would have impaled Beat, the dancer maneuvered himself out of the way , leaving only the items that would help pay for Oz's future paychecks to take the blow. Not wanting to burn said items, the flames quickly dissipated leaving Oz with his usual black tattoos. "That was a close one.." He'd murmur to himself only to pause as he could hear Beat bouncing from foot to foot again and this time he had time, if only for a brief moment to focus on a rock song to help his dancing along.


Settling on one, Beat quickly made his move as he unleashed an assortment of kicks Oz's way, in the same pumped up and excited way that any given rock song seemed to carry itself.

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Luckily for Beat and unlucky for Oz, every kick struck it's mark. The first one stumbled Oz, the second one swept him off his feet-literally!-, the third likely would have shattered a rib or two if Beat had really been angry at the Aussie. The last one simply served to retain a good amount of distance between the two when Oz got back up and hopefully allow Beat enough time to retrieve Little Man and go after the leader. It also might have had a bit more force than necessary. Maybe Oz's earlier comment of eating duck had annoyed Beat more than he thought.

In this case, retaining distance meant to smash Oz right up against one of the shelves and have it crash down on top of him. Wasn't Beat's first choice but given how dangerous this guy's ability had proven to be given that it kept burning until his jacket was nothing but a pile of cinders, and even when he wasn't being attacked it proved to be a real thorn in his side.

As Oz was buried under the boxes of money and jewelry, Beat wiped a trail of sweat from his brow and whistled for Little Man to approach him once more now that the coast seemed to be clear. But having gotten the feeling that Oz seemed to be far more capable than just your typical hired muscle, a bunch of plundered money wasn't going to keep him down for long.

Lowering his hand so Little Man could leap onto it, Beat quickly started towards the back exit. To be stopped as a ball of black flame quickly whizzed past his head and smashed through a part of the wall. Glancing over, Beat and Little Man would see that Oz had burned the boxes into nothing more than piles of ash and his shirt and hat had been laid off to the side as the black flames ran up and down his arms.

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"Clever little move there, mate. Forcing me to attack my own moolah so I'd turn off my flames. Too bad for you, I'll do anything to irk out a win. Even destroy what's mine if it means I get up quick enough to prevent my enemy from bailing like a bloody coward. So, how's about you and that ducklin of yours step away from the door before I roast ya?" Oz threatened, as his outstretched palm showed that he was very serious about his threat.

Knowing that the same trick wouldn't work twice on Oz, Beat's eyes quickly scanned about the room trying to think of what to do next. Getting close enough to unleash another series of blows seemed like the king of bad ideas with those flames active again and the kicks had only seemed to temporarily disable Oz. Not enough to keep him down long enough to where it'd count.

"A'ight Oz, you got a point. I can only think of one thing to do right now."

"Heh, glad you see it my way mater. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be pretty exciting. At least for a while. Then it'll go all..HEY!"


Right in the middle of Oz's speech, Beat bolted for the exit. Capturing the leader of the gang would have to hold up for another time. The main priority now was getting himself and Little Man away before Oz killed both of them.

"Peace out!"

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@Verite @DBZ7 @york
 
"Oh, blow it out your ass, bitch! Everyone knows a normal person can't keep up with someone who outruns fuckin' Border Patrol!" April would shout in response to Selena as the three of them would run around Manhattan for the Dancing Man. Just another day on the job, huh? God, she could really use a drink right about now. Before long, she would glance at the more "innocent" Scott somewhat sheepishly, as though the company of someone else around her made her more self-conscious about her mannerisms when around Selena.

"Don't... ah, worry about anything. This is how the two of us usually are. Ehehe..."

Awkward.

With that, she changed expressions when Selena would talk again.

"Bitch, weren't you the one who had him at first?!"

Fun times.

@DBZ7 @york @TheSpringwoodSlasher
 
Glaring back at her best friend, $elena roared back at the smaller Italian girl.
"And you gonna be running your flat ass for the border if I don't find this goofy looking mu'fuck! And we had a list of his 'Most Sighted Locations', but it looks like the old man was fucking high!"

With a growling sigh and rub to her temple, the woman and her companions were finally reaching their destination: an abandoned factory coated with tags and graffiti, right in one of the less attractive parts of downtown Manhattan.

"If he ain't here, I'm gonna roll up this list..."
$elena growled as her hand crushed the paper in its grasp, turning to her companions.
"And stick it RIGHT in the old man's-"

It was this point that Beat and Little Man could be seen fleeing the building by April and Scott.

@Verite @TheSpringwoodSlasher @york
 
Scott Snyder
@TheSpringwoodSlasher @Verite @DBZ7

It didn't seem to take very long, if even any time at all for Scott to deduce what the exchange between Selena and April was about, and by the time he met gazes with April, he settled with a simple nod... His expression changing briefly, reflecting that he understood what was going on. Though, all the same, he couldn't help but watch them do their thing for a while, as he kept the "flow" of his pace going, he couldn't afford to make a single mistake... So he had to tread carefully, though, he abruptly stopped, catching himself as he broke his "flow" briefly, though he wobbled a bit on his feet, the snapback wasn't nearly as strong as it would have been if he had been moving too much faster. Seeing Beat and Little Man fleeing from the building, his eyes flicked to and from the scene, to his companions and back again a few times. "... He's here." He said, just as he saw the... Interesting, but, familiar duo of Beat, and Little Man fleeing the building nearby, and by the looks of the situation, from the "wise" words of an notorious Star Wars character, it looks like someone was in "Big Doodoo" this time...
 
"A-Alright, I think we lost him, Little Man! Let's stop for a moment and catch our breath, you know what I'm sayin?" Placing his hands on his knees, Beat nearly tumbled over as he tried to take a moment to recollect himself. Because when you were facing someone 'gifted' as Beat saw it, you didn't slow down if you could help it. More so when their gift was to control swathes of black flames which didn't seem like they'd go out anytime soon and Beat unfortunately didn't have any close-by buckets of water to douse this guy with. If that would even slow him down.

Having been put through the paces just as much as his human friend, the little duckling that accompanied Beat fell on his rear and flailed his wings from side to side. Noticing the wild gestures, Beat quickly glanced around to see if Oz had caught up to them yet. Only to see Selena and the gang.

Looking the bodacious Latina woman up, Beat smirked and began to sway from side to side as Little Man shook his head from side to side. Even the duckling knew that now wasn't exactly the time for Beat to pretend to be a smooth operator, when they still weren't one hundred percent sure if they had lost Oz.

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"Hey, baby! You looking for me? Given the hottie you got tagging along with you, I gotta assume that two lovely ladies like you want a piece of the Beat man." Noticing Scott out of the corner of his eye, Beat gave a casual wave in his direction.

"Not to say that I forget the homies who tag along as well! Nice to meet you too, my brother!"

Not looking forward to being turned into fried duck or seeing Beat get hurt, Little Man waddled over to Beat and tugged on his pantleg. Glancing down, Beat frowned and wagged a finger in his duckling/friend's direction.

"Hey! Watch the threads, Little Man! You know this attire ain't just some average joe's clothes! This was all custom made!"

Giving an annoyed quack in response, Little Man pointed a wing across at the building that the two of them had just fled. In the midst of doing so however, the poor bird began to shiver uncontrollably and Beat couldn't help but be just a tad bit confused.

"The heck's bothering you, Little Man? If it's that toadie from Ozzie-Land, then we ditched him! You don't got anything to worry about in regards to that grey haired, limp noodle, Aussie punk!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah-Oh..Oh damn."

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"You and your little ducky their gave me quite the run. But, here you are all winded and I'm still rearin, eager to rip you a new one! I might have smoked my cash but I'm pretty sure I'll still fetch a pretty penny if I bring my boss your goofy lookin head. What do you have to say about that, mate?"

Stepping forward, the black flames lashed out from around Oz's arms and Beat took a step back. He had really wished that he had escaped from Oz. Not just out of fear, but due to a lingering worry that even with his own desire, he doubted it'd be enough to take this guy down a peg. With that Latina honey and her pals on his side, maybe. But this wasn't a fight he wished to drag them into. Wasn't any of their business and they didn't exactly have a horse to bet on yet.

Besides, if any of them were to get hurt, while Beat didn't exactly scoff at the idea of coming across as a hero, he didn't want it to be at the expense of someone else's life. So as his other options began closing off, it gradually became clear to the dancer that fighting Oz himself was going to be the only option he had.

Gulping down his pride, Beat leaned back on one foot and turned his back to Oz, while dramatically pointing a finger in his direction.

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"Alright, alright, okay! If this is how it's gonna be, then let's draw the line right here, Ozzy boy! I'll take you on man to man, mano a mano, face to face. In return, you don't lay a finger on Little Man or any of those three folks over there. They ain't got nothing to do with this and well, I ain't letting you hurt Little Man anyway. So, what do you say? We got an agreement?"

As Beat seemed to finally accept that Oz wasn't going to let him just run away from his problems, the flames seemed to grow even more wild as Oz slammed his fists together. "Yeah! This is how real men settle business, mate! Shame I gotta pound you into the concrete. Any other time, I would have suggested grabbing a pint."

Now that the talking was out of the way, the time for fighting quickly approached and Beat was the one to make the first move. Back-flipping and judging his distance, so he'd land right in front of Oz once he touched down, the dancing machine quickly spun around to try and smash his foot into the side of Oz's head. Only for the Australian to simply lift up his right arm and grin as the black flames began to quickly spread from his arm and onto Beat's sneaker. Propping his other foot on Oz's chest, Beat quickly pressed off him to regain some distance between the two as he kicked his burning shoe off and to the side.

"That could have gone a whole lot smoother, baby.."

Sparing the briefest of glances in the direction of the burning shoe, Oz couldn't help but throw his head back and let out a storm of rancorous laughter.

"Back in the warehouse, I knew there was something special about you. You act like the biggest twat in the world. But you have a good head on you shoulders and know your way around a fight or two. So, why attack me head on when you know that ain't gonna roll, mate? Unless you're thinking I can't keep up with that fancy footwork of yours." Nodding towards the shoe, Oz's grin expanded.

"I think the smell of burning shoe is more than enough proof that I can. Now, do you wish to try that again or you gonna actually play it smart, eh?"

Seemingly ignoring Oz's taunting, Beat rushed towards him once more and unleashed another flurry of kicks. Only this time they were delivered with his other foot. Just as he had before, Oz easily blocked all of the incoming blows and Beat flung his remaining shoe to the side. But, Oz wouldn't be letting him get away this time. Lunging forward with a hand outstretched, he'd lower the flames on his right arm as he gripped Beat by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him off his feet.

"Oh no, oh nah! This wasn't how it was supposed to go down!"


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"I'll admit one thing to ya, mate. If had any other desire than the one I got here? You might have had a chance against me. But with Black Sabbath in my possession, you getting close was wanton as signing your own death warrant. Got any last words?"

Oz asked as he reared back his left arm to engulf Beat completely in black flames and leave him to burn to death. This is where most of Oz's victims would have begged for mercy only to be granted none but Beat wasn't like any of them. In fact, it sounded to those nearby like he was laughing.

"Oi! What's so damn funny? Or has you coming so close to death shaken you senseless?"

"H-Heh, sorry. You've been a pretty fun guy to fight so I shouldn't laugh at ya. But, the thing is I know that getting in close with a guy like you is bad news, that was made clear very quickly. But, have you heard of the saying that help comes in all shapes and sizes?"

"What the bleedin hell does that have to do with anything?!"

"Turn your head to the side and find out, amigo.~"

Truthfully, Oz was a bit curious at what exactly Beat was getting at and it wasn't like the dancer would be escaping anytime soon. But, who had he meant by help? Those three blokes on the side didn't seem like they'd jump in anytime soon. So, who could Beat have meant? Just as Oz was about to ask that very question, he'd glance down and saw an angry looking duck staring his way.

"That's your cavalry, the ugly ducklin? Hahahahaha! You might as well have just spit on me for all the good it'd do ya!"

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Clearly affronted by how little Oz thought of them, Little Man spread their feet apart and opened their bill. Smirking at his little friend, Beat smashed his knee into Oz's stomach while he was distracted laughing at Little Man. The blow didn't do any lasting damage but it did shock Oz enough into releasing Beat who then jumped a fair distance away from the other.

"Sometimes, big things come in small packages! Hit it Little Man!"

Little Man then proceeded to fire a stream of water at Oz who was sent flying back due to the force behind said stream. Quickly overcoming his initial bewilderment at the fact that the duck had some kind of gift, Oz rose up his feet once the stream had died off. His clothes were soaked and his hair drooped over his eyes. But the flames on his left arm remained and all Little Man's attack had done was make Oz angrier.

Did Oz take another step forward, however? The answer to that question was a resounding: No. Black Sabbath may not have been able to be extinguished by water but coming into contact with it removed control of the flames from Oz and while the effect only lasted for a couple of seconds or so, re-engaging battle with Beat without the aid of his fire didn't seem like a winning recipe. So, placing his hat back atop his head, Oz stared down Beat and Little Man.

"Well, you sure did take me by surprise. Wasn't expecting your pet to have a gift. Hell, I didn't even think that was possible! But shows what I know, right? But, I've seen all I needed to see. You and your ducky are free to keep doing as you please. At least for the moment. But rest assured, this ain't gonna be the last time we meet, Beat. I might be under a different employer doing different work, but I'm sure we'll still have a debt to settle. Til then? See ya around."

With that Oz made his way off and although Little Man quacked up a storm towards the leaving Australian, Beat knelt down and pet the duck gently on the head.

"I dunno what it was but when you blasted him with that water stream? It's almost as if it made him realize that if he wants to take me on in a brawl, he can't forget about my main pal, Little Man. Can't help but shake the feeling there's something more to it though. But, for now? We'll let him go. I ain't the kind of guy to pursue a grudge and you know that, Little Man. Sure, sucks about my shoes though! I'mma have to drop some dough to get new ones.." He murmured and just before he stepped out of ear-range, Oz subtly waved his hand to the side as he rounded the corner and the black flames on the shoes faded away once he regained control of them.

The shoes were still pretty charred but still wearable at the very least. Gleefully slipping them back on, Beat turned towards Selena and the others.

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"Yo, yo, yo! What's up with y'all? Sorry about all that, was just tying up some loose bidness. What can Beat and Little Man do for you? Speakin of which, why don't you show em the real you Little Man? Helps to make a better impression."

"Quack.."

Walking up to stand alongside Beat, a cloud of smoke engulfed the duckling and wafting it away, there stood a small girl, probably around 5'7 who seemed about 16-17.

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"Name's Little Man when I'm on the roll, can call me Heather when bein casual. How you doin?"

@DBZ7 @york @Verite
 
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For most other people, time felt like it stopped for people when they were close to death. Some described this phenomena as their "life flashing before their eyes" in which they experience a bunch of memories in a flash. To emphasize, several years of things that they recalled in the second before they would meet their untimely end. On the other hand, April often found that, instead of one's entire life, every now and then the situation before her would flash before her eyes. As in, though it would look like she was quick to react to things, it felt to April like an eternity as she comprehended everything that happened.

Because to be fair, in this situation, it seemed like a lot happened that needed to be comprehended.

First and most promptly, being called a lovely lady.

Hmm. She wasn't complimented often, so it almost gave April pause when Beat called her that, but she quickly snapped out of the pause upon realizing that she was being grouped along with Selena. Ew. Never mind. If Selena was considered "lovely," April better be considered "majestic" at the very minimum in that case.

And then before any of them knew it, some other weird guy came out of nowhere and got into some skirmish with Beat, and a lot of things led to another, and before she knew it, the duck was now a girl or something and then... and then... Ugh. She felt like she was going to get a headache any second now. Fun times.

"...Huh. Well, ain't that something?" She murmured to herself, stepping in front of Scott and behind Selena, giving a small, awkward wave at Heather.

"I'm good, thanks," April would reply, before giving Selena a soft tap on the bottom from behind. "Well? Get on with it."

@DBZ7 @TheSpringwoodSlasher @york
 
At the signal of her teammates, $elena swiftly turned to face Beat in time to hear his introductions.
She felt herself develop a headache- or a worsening one- as her eyes tried to follow the bouncing man's movements, her ears already having a hard enough time to register his words.

"Hottie"? What, did he mean little Scott? Because he couldn't possibly mean ironing board behind her! Was he g-
No he just said "lovely ladies". God he must be lonely. And if Beat was going to associate $elena with April, he should at least pick something more appropriate like "Beauty and Beast", $elena obviously being the former.


The next thought going through $elena's mind was how badly Beat wanted to get it. One look at his mannerisms and haircut declared otherwise, however. Well the dude had a body at the very least.

$elena continued to watch the scene in silence, lips sucked in as her face switched between varying confused and observing expressions. When the white boy with the weird accent finally dipped, she was still silent, her look of confusion only increasing when the fucking duck turned into a girl.

Awestruck at the bizarre string of occurrences that just transpired, $elena just out a whimpering hum of desperate confusion with a hand against her temple, mentally praying to God to explain how anyone could have a Desire that made them turn into a duck.

Suddenly with a gasp, $elena was snapped back to reality as she felt her ass get felt up. Patting her behind while glaring back at April, $elena's angry pout quickly changed to a smug smirk, patting her own behind again.

"Look, just because your literal flat ass ain't got this 'oomph' don't mean you can just feel up other asses that do!"

Turning back to Beat and Little Man, or rather Heather, $elena felt that she had enough bullshit for the day and cut to the chase.
"Listen here, guys. We just from one of them Seeker groups, ours being NXM. Dunno if you heard about us or not but that don't matter."

Clearly not one for manners.

"All we wanna say is that our crew's boss heard about y'all and wanted to see if you wanted in. You'd get a place to stay, food, some money, all that shit. You'd just gotta do missions and stuff since the crew's with the police too."

After spewing that bit of exposition, $elena let out a heavy sigh, pulling out a piece of gum and popping it into her mouth.

"So y'all in or we can go home?" She asked, shifting her weight and hand to her left hip.

@Verite @TheSpringwoodSlasher @york
 
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Scott Snyder
@DB7 @Verite @TheSpingwoodSlasher

And so... The infamous villain known as Oz, was defeated by... A waterstream, fired by a duck... That was actually a girl... Scott rubbed his chin; this definitely was a unique experience, he looked towards Beat inquiringly, seeming to be waiting for his "verdict" on the proposal of sorts Selena gave him, Beat would definitely be a rather usefull, but, yet, enigmatic... Then again, it couldn't be THAT bad, right? And plus, maybe Duck's "hydro beam" could come in handy in later endeavors; maybe the next adversary can be the first to come face to face with duck's dreaded water blast or something... Who knows, it all depends on if Beat would even join them really, which, honestly, Scott was uncertain about; he would certainly not mind. Though, he noticed Selena was having quite the "time of her life" wrapping her mind around what had happened herself, personally, he didn't blame her... One didn't exactly see a duck turning into a girl every day, but... Maybe it was some crazy desire? Who knows really... Possibly only Beat truly knew...​
 
Turning back to Beat and Little Man, or rather Heather, $elena felt that she had enough bullshit for the day and cut to the chase.
"Listen here, guys. We just from one of them Seeker groups, ours being NXM. Dunno if you heard about us or not but that don't matter."

Clearly not one for manners.

"All we wanna say is that our crew's boss heard about y'all and wanted to see if you wanted in. You'd get a place to stay, food, some money, all that shit. You'd just gotta do missions and stuff since the crew's with the police too."

After spewing that bit of exposition, $elena let out a heavy sigh, pulling out a piece of gum and popping it into her mouth.

"So y'all in or we can go home?" She asked, shifting her weight and hand to her left hip.

@Verite @TheSpringwoodSlasher @york
Beat didn't need to hear anything else. Just the sheer mention of some money was all that he needed.

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"Aw, hell yeah! I'd be down for joining up with you folks! Dat guy you saw Heather and I throwing hands with? Worked for a gang as muscle and let's just say the gang and I didn't see eye to eye on a couple of things. So, doing some good work for a change with good people sounds like the best thing in the world now! What do you say, Heather?"

The girl whose desire allowed her to turn into a water-shooting duckling shrugged.

"I say whatever's good for you is good for me, Beat. We've been sticking together for this long, I don't think the two of us finally getting a decent place to crash and getting some dough in our pockets is gonna change that."

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"Damn straight! You's got yourself a deal! Ain't gotta worry about a thing in regards to missions or nothin. That stuff'll flow just as smooth as my moves and it'll get done in no time flat!"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just see the place where we're gonna be staying first, Beat."

"Oh..Uh, yeah. Dang Heather you gotta be a buzz."

@DBZ7 @Verite @york
 
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"Oho, you gettin' cocky at a time like this? How 'bout you blow it out your oversized balloon ass and--" She began to retort back to Selena, before suddenly directing her attention over to Beat and Heater, "Yeah, it'll be tons of fun. Whaddya say?" April asked, supporting her... associate's statements. For a small minute, April wondered if any of these people had life insurance that she could possibly get around to collecting...

April listened to what Beat had to say... or at least tried her best. April was no monkey; most of the time she could hardly understand what ghetto people had to say, so she left most of that work to someone who was a monkey herself. That monkey being Selena of course. See, April was like the diplomatic negotiator and Selena was the interpreter who translated chimp-speak for her.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Either way, Beat seemed to be zealous as ever, and from the bits and pieces that April could understand Beat saying, it seemed that he was glad to accept their offer. Alright. That was easy enough... Right?

Though, one more thing...

April would scoot in and whisper in Selena's ear. "Uhh... You did make arrangements for where they're staying already, right? 'Cause sharing a place with you is hell enough."

@DBZ7 @york @TheSpringwoodSlasher
 
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Able to keep up with Beat's and Heather's conversation considering that their vocabulary was pretty tame, $elena switched her hand and shifted her weight to her other hip, nodding.
"A'ight so we all good then? Great. Now-"

Interrupted by April's whisper, $elena's face turned into a glare before regaining her composure. Giving April's thigh a quick smack for her remark, $elena clapped her hands as she faced the duo again.

"S-so about where you'll be staying, uhh...fuck..."
The woman stammered, thinking on the fly before turning to Scott.

"Oi, Scott! You're good with Mohawk staying with you right? Of course you are!" She said quickly as she turned to face Heather.

"And that just leaves you to stay with the two of us, pobrecita! Don't worry, I'll keep you nice and protected from the flat monkey here!" She smirked, glancing at Beat to explain.

"No mixed rooms unless you're a couple 'cause we don't need that kind of shit. Also even if you are a couple, if I get woken up from my beauty sleep, then I'll come into your room and show you what prison is like."
$elena threatened casually, as if she had issued that threat numerous times in the past.

Which she has.

"So we all good and set?" The Latina finally asked, aching to go home.

@Verite @york @TheSpringwoodSlasher
 
What.

"What."

Her thoughts reflected her words well.

"Flat monkey... Get over yourself, baboon!" April retorted in response to Selena's remark, crossing her arms, "If there's anything Scott needs to be protected from, it's from your oversized melons that'll threaten to suffocate him to death!" She would exclaim. Despite Scott being well older than a teenager, April almost liked to make a hobby out of babying him at times, poking fun at his introverted personality, which she tended to look at as "shy" in a cute way.

With that being said, April would suddenly take Scott into her arms and pull him into a playful hug, holding him like an oversized teddy bear as she looked at Selena. "Another thing, I'm not sure if I wanna expose him to the ghettos, even if it means he might be more sociable! He's very impressionable, you know!" She said somewhat teasingly about the young man, before continuing, "So... How about they move into Scott's place, and you trade places with Scott? I could do without a roommate that gets me in trouble with the boss because someone don't know what headphones are!!"

@DBZ7 @york @TheSpringwoodSlasher
 
Scott Snyder
@DBZ7 @Verite @TheSpringwoodSlasher

Scott offered a slight nod to Selena's comment, though, well, frankly, she seemed to just gloss over his response, probably aware that he well... Wasn't too picky about having roommates... Most of the time anyways. Though, well, her poking fun seemed to get to him a little, or, uh, more accurately, get him a bit embarassed, it was about the time when she pulled him into a rather playfull hug that he really began to fight to keep his composure, a distinct red hue creeping up his cheeks, though this had become a habbit of hers, this didn't stop him from feeling somewhat er... Shy about it. He tried his best not to think too much about that ocmment about the "Melons", it was an er... Awkward thing to suddenly crop up after all, but, he'd come to expect that sort of thing from April, not that it made things any less embarassing! Though he did raise a brow at the idea of suddenly, of switching places with Selena that is; it maaay be for the best, though Beat seemed like fun to hang around, the more introversive part of his personality may well, protest a little if living with Beat were to become a permanent thing... Though, well, it wasn't like he couldn't deal with it if he had to... He looked from Selena, to Beat, to Heather, wondering what their thoughts on the matter was; he had yet to properly speak up about the matter yet himself though.​
 
Clicking her teeth fiercely, the Latina turned around completely to face April who had Scott in her grip.
Pinching the introverted young man's nose, $elena scolded April.


"Escuchame, puta. You gotta stop babying him unless you're gonna bounce. You just making the tiny thing weaker! And just cause your fuckin' flat-ass don't know good music ain't my shit to deal with!" The woman hissed, her natural Queens-Latin accent seeping out.

"We gonna do what the old man said about Mohawk here. I dunno about the girl 'cause we didn't know shit about her, so she'll either be with us or some other chick!"

Finally $elena stood upright completely, arms folded underneath her chest as she grinned.
"But if you really want me to switch out, how does $1000 sound? Nah for you, I'll make it $950!" The greedy woman offered, acting like it was fabulous deal she was making.


@Verite @york @TheSpringwoodSlasher
 
"We gonna do what the old man said about Mohawk here. I dunno about the girl 'cause we didn't know shit about her, so she'll either be with us or some other chick!"

Finally $elena stood upright completely, arms folded underneath her chest as she grinned.
"But if you really want me to switch out, how does $1000 sound? Nah for you, I'll make it $950!" The greedy woman offered, acting like it was fabulous deal she was making.
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Beat seemed to mull over the idea for a moment or two until he held his hand up as if indicating for attention.

"S'long as we got a place to crash and it's comfy? I don't care where we call home!Living in hotels gets ya used to a life of not being too picky with where you put your head down and close your eyes, ya feel? Ain't that right Heather?" Beat asked as he turned to his partner who shrugged her shoulders. She usually left most of the talking up to Beat. Unless he said somethin stupid that got the two of them in hot water.

Thankfully, Beat managed to stay on top of that as he spun around before pointing towards Scott.

"Soo, anything else we gotta sort out? Cause I dunno about you ladies and my man? We ain't doin much standing around spitting words in the air. Show me the digs and Heather and I will do what we gotta do for ya."

@DBZ7 @Verite @york @sorrythistookmesolong ;-;
 
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April only hugged Scott tighter, before flashing Selena a dirty look and a rather childish gesture of sticking her tongue out briefly at the Latina. "Whatever! We'll discuss more about this in a civil manner over drinks! Which you're buyin', by the way!" She exclaimed, before taking a breath, deciding to let the withdrawn young man go for now.

...

"Yeah, Selena. Show him the digs."

April left the business of showing Beat and Heather their new home all to Selena. What a great friend.

@DBZ7 @Kakarot! @york
 
Growing quite tired with April's bull, $elena pinched April by the ear like she was a child, yanking her further away from the introverted Scott before glancing back at the duo that they were now tasked with escorting.
"A'ight then, just follow. We gotta take the subway to Queens before we get picked up. The place is at some big house in Long Island. White hood so boring but nice."
She grinned, leading the crew to a one of the numerous, dirty, smelly, and nostalgic stairwells leading to a subway station.
...
After a needed transfer, the crew found themselves within a barely occupied car on a Jamaica-bound F Train. With everyone seated on the hard train seats, they awaited the stop to Continental Ave., Forest Hills.


$elena, completely comfortable in a subway car, despite the smell of a sleeping homeless man at the end of the car, had her legs crossed and eyes closed as she sat next to April.

It seemed to be a normal ride.

Until the lights in the subway car next to theirs could be seen flickering, with someone on the other side, seemingly watching the group with their hand pressed against the glass window of the car door.

A menacing aura was nearby...

@Verite @Kakarot! @york
 
Scott Snyder
@DBZ7 @Kakarot! @Verite

Scott seemed to almost freeze up, even after he was released for a few moments... Before he seemed to regain his composure, rubbing the back of his neck a little as he eyes Selena a little, stealing a side-glance towards April; he could never completely get used to the way she babied him... But, at the same time, as embarassing as it was... Deep down, it actually felt a little... Well, reassuring to know that he wasn't a complete weirdo to everyone... Or, at least he would hope so. Looks like Selena was taking charge now though, considering that she had sort of yanked April by the ear and started to escort her further away from him... Oh well, not a big deal hopefully; it wasn't like they were going to keep this sort of distance for very long, considering that they've always had a tendency to stick together, one way or another. By this time, he was already used to the rather... Pungent smell of the subway stairwells, but, nonetheless, it still caused him to wrinkle his nose slightly; old habbits really do die hard... He found himself casually leaning against one of the seats on the subway train, not quite sitting, but, not quite standing either... For some reason, he felt almost... Peacefull like this, despite the odor an homeless man appeared to be emitting anyways... And then the flickering of the lights in their "neighboring" subway car sort of broke Scott's otherwise tranquil state... His posture didn't change much, and he didn't make any visible movements... But, he was suddenly alot more alert than he was before, senseing a rather menacing aura nearby... Looks like he was prepared for whatever encounter that might just be coming their way soon...​
 
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