» central city

@【 ᴄ 】chan b。 "I never knew that I'm the talk here in your shop. What kind of stuff have you been telling your volunteer behind my back, hm? Something pleasant I hope."

His attention turned from the shop owner to the volunteer who worked with him. There wasn't anything new to feel over someone talking about him, it only enthralled his perspective that people are finally giving him the credit. The spotlight that he yearns for ever since his public appearance as a hero, everything has settled in the present he stands now and he's drinking every second of this recognition, may it be good or bad intentions. The hesitation from the man's lips made him smile warmly, taking his hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure. I have an interest in animals, especially dogs. That reminds me, shall we have them test out the device first?" He didn't mind which one as long as he could leave it for testing.

"If you were to lift this, you must carry it with one arm secured at the bottom and the other hugging the middle to keep it steady." Joshua demonstrated it with his own, wrapping the device with care. "Once you're certain where to place it, set it down on a dry surface first before lifting it again on both sides of the device. Place it into a corner with the mouth of the device facing outwards where the animals could have easy access to their food supply." He gave another step for the man to try for himself, allowing him to be knowledgeable of how to handle it.

@【 ᴠ 】seonghwa p。 "Can we have hot cocoa?!"

Chris looks over at his younger brother with a flabbergasted look. "Hot chocolate? You want /hot chocolate/ at ten o'clock at night? You're supposed to be in /bed/!" He scolded. "What do I always say about children who don't listen?"

The younger boy juts his bottom lip out in a pout as he looks away, guilty as ever. "T-That... they don't get hot chocolate before bedtime?"

"Precisely," he reaches up and gently nudges Lucas' forehead with the tip of his finger. "Now come on, let's get you all tucked into-"

He never got to finish his sentence, because the wind got knocked out of him (actually, that felt more like an understatement). One second, he's halfway through the livingroom with Lucas in his arms and Hannah halfway up the steps and the next, Chris is laying on the ground in the kitchen - and /everything/ hurt. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. It hurt to even open his eyes. The pain was excruciating, feeling as if he was slammed by a semi truck going full speed down the highway. However, the echoing screams of his sister is what brings Chris to focus, brings him back to coherency. Chris forces himself to move and first sees Lucas laying not too far from him, unconscious and bleeding a deep crimson. His eyes widen at the sight, trying to figure out what was happening because... what... what the hell was he seeing right now?

There was a man in the middle of the house and he looked terrifying with the sand all around him like that. Menacing. Furious, looking for a reason to spill even more blood. Hannah was firmly wrapped up in the sand as it squeezed her threateningly. Chris' breath caught in his throat and his mind reeled. This is the type of stuff he sees in comics, in anime. Of course, Chris wasn't stupid - he knew there were beings on the earth that possessed incredible power, however he never crossed paths with one. Nor did he seem to live near any. Chris never saw the strength one could have, nor has he gotten to see the destruction another could create.

The man is here for a reason, though. That much is certain. If he wanted any of them dead, they would've been killed before they could even blink. Yet, Lucas was otherwise unharmed and Hannah seemed to be used as a bargaining chip. This man, whomever he is, wanted answers - and those answers seemed to be what Chris was for. A distant thought crossed his mind about his parents and their sketchy secrets and their sketchy lies and their sketchy behavior. Chris has zero clue what they do for a living, he's never been told and would get into heaps of trouble if he ever tried to dig where he wasn't allowed to. Alas... Chris didn't exactly have a choice. So he forces himself to move some more, crawling over towards the counter and using it as leverage to heave himself up. It takes a moment or so, but Chris has always handled pain better than he should. He's used to forcing himself up on his two feet despite the agony coursing through his veins.

"Let her go," comes a shaky response. Chris leans back against the counter, green-brown eyes gazing over at the unknown being still holding his sister hostage. He has no fear, not even now with the possibility of witness two murders before his own death occurs. Hannah stops struggling at the sound of his voice and looks over at him with wide, teary eyes. "Let her go... and I'll - I'll do whatever you need me to do... Just don't hurt them..."

@【 ᴄ 】chan b。 The deeper you dig, the darker it gets. Greed drives you to go further, further still, pushing the limits until the darkness bites back.

And Deimos would bite back. Eventually.

Maybe not now, not while his insides were exposed for the world to see, and maybe not later when his skin burned and festered under the white magic runes decorating his cell.

But soon.

•••

The neighbourhood was sweet. Houses in pops of pastels lined one side of the street, and gardens with dreamy white picket fences tended to perfection. Scholar trees provided cool shade for the sidewalk where families, dogs, couples strolled through their day. On the other side of the street, you'd find a quiet little reserve, just large enough to house a basketball court, a playground that could use some TLC and open space for picnicking.

It was delightful. It was idyllic.

It was fake.

In the pastel landscape, there was one inkblot, ruining the rather peaceful canvas of the suburbs of Central City. But, in that little park, with the court and the playground, underneath a Sycamore tree, stood a dark shape whose presence went largely unnoticed.

Deimos watched from afar, the moving shapes of a happy little family living their lives in a blue craftsman, utterly unaware of the horrors happening on the other side of the country. But Deimos knew who they were, or specifically, he knew who their parents were, and they had a debt to pay to him. Of course, he couldn't take their lives in the violence currently happening at a.r.m.o.r, but he'd looked into their memories, had seen the small group of children that had nothing to do with their parents' illicit doings. But somebody would have to take up their debt, and Deimos would make sure it would be paid.

The sky darkened from non-existent clouds as Deimos stalked across the green and over the road, black sand rushing past him like a tsunami, blasting through the entrance to the house. It was as easy as tearing through wet paper. His first blow knocked a pair of siblings to the ground, one a young boy and the other maybe a bit younger than Deimos. From the background came the pitter-patter of footsteps, Deimos instinctively gesturing for his sand to take hold of the individuals around him, pinning them against either a wall or on the floor.

The girl's cries were piercing as he brought her round, her little body trying to escape the death grip his sand had on her. In contrast, the boy was unconscious, head slumped and nose bleeding from his head smacking against the wall. He wasn't in any danger, neither of them was; Deimos was careful. As long as they looked like they were, he was OK to let them live; Deimos knew that they would know nothing. He wanted the older brother, who was still getting his bearings after being tackled by probably what felt like a car.

"Funny little predicament we have here," Deimos said, callousness seeping from his being like poison. "What do you think would be more fun? I crush their itty bitty skulls... Or, you take their place and give me the answers that I want. What'll it be?"

@【 ᴠ 】joshua h。 chris shuddered, teeth chattering as he moved through the threshold, hearing the tiny bell above the door ring with the announcement of his arrival. it was a mighty cold one out today. the winter storm was starting to hit as the snow was coming down heavily. but chris didn't really seem to mind, always happy to be here and help no matter what the weather brings. he shuffles through the corridors, greeting every employee who actually worked at the shelter with a smile. chris was only a volunteer, he never got paid for his work here and came whenever he could - which wasn't as often as he'd like. if his parents found out that he was here, they wouldn't let him leave his apartment at all...

after taking off his coat and changing from his boots to regular shoes, chris was ready to be put to work. he approaches the current supervisor on duty and asks where the most help is needed, to which he is appointed to help the boss with a special client. apparently, since chris has been here without fail and is a great help, the boss seems to trust him with more complex things around the shelter. it's gotten to the point where chris thinks he might be asked to work here for real, to which he'd accept in a heartbeat. he's always loved working with animals.

chris walks into the boss' office to see him greeting some man in a really expensive looking suit carrying something that also looks /really/ expensive. his boss immediately halts whatever he was talking about and hurriedly, yet happily, urges chris over with a wave of his hand.

"this is my volunteer that i was telling you about," he says as chris approaches them. "here, my boy, introduce yourself. remember the client i told you about? the one with the invention?"

chris blinks slowly before the memory surfaces and his expression flicks to realization. he extends a hand out, lips curling into a friendly, dimpled smile. as he speaks, there was a thick and potent australian accent clinging to the slightly hesitant korean. "yes, i remember - thank you for taking interest in our shelter, it really means a lot that you're helping us out with the invention. it's a pleasure to meet you! i was tasked to help you install it, so i'll just follow your lead, yeah?"

@【 ᴠ 】seonghwa p。 chris took a deep breath, counted to three, and opened his eyes. there wasn't a car in the driveway, and the revelation makes him exhale in relief. no one was at the house except for his siblings, which was ideal. he really didn't feel like enduring another day with them. chris makes his way up the steps as he fishes his keys out, finding the right one to unlock the door with and stepping inside. it was much warmer here than in his tiny, tiny apartment back in the outskirts of the city - the slums, as people seemed to call it. he just couldn't afford the electric bill anymore so he opted out of it. it made him forget what it felt like to go to sleep warm.

the sound of approaching footsteps snaps chris out of his reverie and he looks up, half way done with tying his shoes off to place them at the mat by the door when his two younger siblings come racing towards him with glee. chris grins, just as happy to see them without the presence of their parents around. he accepted their squeezing hugs and listens to their excited rambling; hannah talking about her science project from school and lucas stammering over himself while telling chris all about the new word he learned today during his first day in 2nd grade (the word was cinnamon and how eerie close it was to synonym). as he takes off his coat and shoes, chris bends down to pick lucas up in his arms, walking down the entrance hall towards the living-room.

they were completely oblivious, yet happy. reminiscing in their reunion with his siblings oh so happy to see their beloved older brother and chris just content seeing genuine smiles on their faces. yet they were oblivious. oblivious to the nightmares unfolding at the very second at the a.r.m.o.r headquarters - to their parents, who work there. they don't know about the attack, the breakout from prisoners there, half the building being engulfed in flames while people ran about screaming. chris had no idea of what was coming for them - for /him/ - and just how much fury it contained.

@【 ᴄ 】chan b。 Driving through the bustling streets of central city gave him a fresh impression of how the world was in the present. Many things have changed and the devices he created each day grew into advanced appliances that the people use and order from his company. One of his employees insisted on taking the job themselves, but Joshua politely refused, wanting to explore the vast area of the world he grew up in. This time, he done it alone. A little company never bothered him in the slightest. In fact, he never required any and he was firm in this decision.

He took his car parked in an available space near the shop before boarding down to take the small device from the back of his car's trunk. "It's really different without you here with me. But, thank you for handing me the crown of the company, dear brother." A small yet sinister smile formed on the corners of his lips, the death of his twin proved to be the joy that fueled his gears. Adjusting the cuffs of his white dress shirt, he cleared his throat before taking the device, steady in his arms, making his appearance in the shop. "Excuse me, I believe I received a request from the owner about a certain machine for feeding pets?"