Of Ravens and Murder: OM&N Volume 2

2008 - London

Reyna Wildes, now only 17, wandered the streets of London, England with no clear destination. At least she appeared to be wandering aimlessly, but in reality she was picking marks, following them for a while, and lifting their wallets and as many valuables as she could without being noticed. She was a very well-practiced pickpocket at this point because really, who would give a 17 year old with her history a job. She made due though, fencing anything she stole that wasn't hard cash just like she had to fund her trip here. She paused momentarily as the sky began to grow darker than it already was before suddenly weaving through the crowd with a sense of purpose to her step. Soon, Reyna found herself in a "shady" part of town, but still she walked with confidence, unafraid to meet the gaze of those who passed; most of them quickly looked away. Without hesitation, she ducked inside an old abandoned factory through a narrow, barely noticeable gap in the wall facing the alley. Inside, the place was full of kids of all ages huddled in blankets around small fires while off to one side along the wall "Chef" was making dinner for them from what the older kids had managed to cobble together. Reyna hesitated a moment, if she left now, she might be able to find a house to rob where she could grab some more cans, but on the other hand she herself was hungry and not in the same way the kids were. She shook herself, trying to push away the memory of what she'd done to one of the doctors in the institution four years ago. It felt like a lifetime to her. She hurried on her way to another part of the hollowed factory in search of their fence.

#

Reyna had made a small fortune off her latest take, most of which she turned over to Chef for fresh fruit and vegetables just like she always did, but some she hung on to so that she could go to a pub down the street where she'd spent most of her nights after Alix left. She'd made a deal with the owner, so long as she kept to herself and paid her share, he allowed her to drink; the fact she kept away trouble didn't hurt at all either. She let herself into the dimly lit pub only made darker by the fact there was enough cigarette smoke in the air to make anyone who entered an involuntary smoker, not that she had a problem with that. Reyna stepped up to the bar ignoring all of the stares she got from other patrons, she'd gotten used to the looks by now, and ordered her usual, a glass of Scotch with the bottle on the counter. She hadn't really liked the taste of alcohol the first time she'd tried it, but she'd liked the way it made the whole world look as fucked up as she was in the head so she'd kept drinking it and eventually the taste grew on her. Reyna downed the glass, taking in the pub's other patrons from the corner of her eye, looking for someone she might eat, but no one really caught her eye. At least not until she picked up the familiar scent of a demon, although it wasn't anywhere near as strong as a full demon which narrowed it down to a half-demon or possession. She poured herself another glass as she mulled over the scent; it carried a human scent with it, like nutmeg and tea. She sipped from her second glass as she glanced around the room in curiosity, trying to figure out whose scent she'd picked up. The front door opened and the scent grew stronger so she turned to watch as two young men dragged a third, wearing a backpack like he'd been on the way home from uni when they'd commandeered him, through the door behind them. Reyna hid her smirk at the group behind another sip of Scotch, listening as they argued between them.

"Come on Jackaboy, it's your birthday, we've gotta celebrate!"

"I really don't—" "Jackaboy" tried to get out of his friends' grip but neither of them was letting go anytime soon and they didn't let him get more than a few words in.

"Yeah, with drinking and partying and maybe getting a leg over." The look on Jackaboy's face when his other friend spoke those words was something between disbelief and a strong desire to hit him, it was enough to make Reyna nearly choke on her Scotch as she tried to stifle her laugh.

"I have a girlfriend. Her name's Clare, remember her? She's your sister after all." The young man with the backpack looked angry, but the look didn't touch his eyes or his scent. Reyna cocked her head to one side, studying his dull amber gaze; he looked tired. His friend and Clare's brother must have missed his outburst altogether because one was soon at the bar ordering them just about the strongest drinks he could get his hands on while the other dragged the young man into a corner booth across the pub, sitting on the outside so that he couldn't leave that way. Jackaboy tried to make his way around to the other side, but his friend with the drinks sat down and trapped him there. Short of climbing under or over the table, he was stuck. While his friend passed the drinks around, Jackaboy's gaze began to search the room, like he could feel someone watching him, and when he found Reyna sitting alone at the bar with her back to the wall, a small, exhausted smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Reyna, of course, didn't smile back, instead trying to continue listening to their conversation over everything else going on in the pub; her hearing was good, but she hadn't quite yet learned how to focus it on one person or group. She frowned her disappointment before turning her gaze back to the now empty glass before her. She poured herself another and went to take a sip when she felt a sudden presence beside her. Impulse made her deftly lift his wallet.