Welcome to Scelus City | Dream SMP Crime AU

Chapter 6 - Diamond in the Rough

Though it was the afternoon and the sun was shining bright, one part of the city was dark nearly every hour of the day, shadowed by the towering skyscraper buildings of the other end of the city. They call it, "The Badlands." It's not the nicest place to be. The people there were never usually the friendly type. Turning each corner was just asking to be jumped by some random gang, or walk into a crime scene; not to mention the old subway systems that ran underground. It had been shut down years ago, and now just made for easy hiding places and hang outs for sketchy groups. If you weren't familiar with the area, you'd easily find yourself either robbed or dead by the end of the day, so most that roamed the area either lived there, or had proven themselves tough enough to stay up with the big dogs.

Walking down the filthy sidewalk, littered with garbage and stained with blood, a young man, who may as well be a teen, trotted along carelessly. He hopped over the cracks in the sidewalk playfully, and sometimes liked to kick around little pebbles with his feet.

He'd often get various judgmental looks from other passerbys, all armed with their knives, drinking some kind of booze, or just overall looking sketchy as hell. That's how most of the people around the Badlands seem to act, like something out of a movie. He, on the other hand, didn't look like he belonged at all. He wore bright colors, an oversized baby blue sweater with a pixel face sticking its tongue out. He had a matching colored beanie, black, ripped leggings, long socks that he wore over his leggings like a little rebel, and casual white sneakers with a cartoon diamond stitched onto the heel. Though perhaps his most peculiar feature was that his skin and flesh were both made completely of the most beautiful, blue, translucent crystal; practically diamond. People like him were rare, their crystal even more precious, but beautiful at that.

Though despite his beauty and value, not a soul would dare come near him. No matter how vulnerable he may seem, no matter how precious his crystal may be, it was well known the kid was off limits as long as he was with the monster that protected him.

Perhaps just as rare as the crystal boy, a massive creature of darkness followed behind him practically everywhere, a demon. He wore a dark hood with a crimson red trim, always keeping the hood up. His skin was jet black and cold to the touch. He had white soulless eyes, clawed hands that pierced like knives, and pointed horns atop his head. Tattered wings dragged behind him eerily like a cape, when opened, only making him look even more threatening. But the kid didn't seem to mind him in the slightest.

The two walked along together, the kid trotting along carelessly as the demon treaded behind him. They continued on down the block towards a rather well known bar called, "The Crimson Cup."

A group of people left from the doors of the bar, laughing and joking with each other excitedly and letting out a particular stench that you'd only find at this bar specifically. The two passed them by, entering as they left.

Inside, the bar seemed more like a club or other kind of hang out, just without all the inappropriately dressed people and supposed-to-be mood music. There were several tall tables littered around where people would sit with each other and their drinks to chat. A large statue centered the room, a red-stained, glass egg, surrounded by a wide arrangement of plants; mostly vines and other leafy plants, not so much flowers or other traditional plant decor. The entire arrangement was placed under a red lamp that glowed erriely in the overall darkness of the rest or the room. Other red-egg and vine designs decorated the rest of the location, keeping the theme, even having sculpted vines that climbed up the supports of the bar stool seating.

The peculiar duo sat down together at the counter. The bartender immediately notices them since there were no others sitting at the counter at the moment, so he comes on over to the two.

"I take it the usual?" he asked.

"Yup," the crystal boy replied.

The bartender nodded, then went off to go grab drinks for the two. They had come often, so practically everyone who worked there recognized them, and knew exactly the order they'd make. It was quite a peculiar one at that, and one specially made for them and them alone after a bit of "negotiation" with the owner of the bar.