Reverse Perception

Vaas The Boss

Vaasy,  a singsong voice says. I open my eyes blinking rapidly the first thing I see is two large fingers snapping in front of my face.  I recognize the voice as Kaadar. 

"What happened?"  I say in a raspy voice.  I look around at my surroundings and find that I am in a meat factory of sorts. I find my eyes attracted to a meat hook holding a Janger.  What are we doing in a Janger farm? I sit up and the pain in my head hits me immediately  I fall back down. I must've  inhaled more of that Tracer than I thought I did. Shit. Diivara.

I take another shot and open my eyes again watching Kaadar walk away from answering a voice at the door of the small room we're in.

"What happened K?" 

"What actually happened is you tripped and sucked up almost a whole 2 Evots of White Tracer, as far as the Reveneers know you were a naughty boy and took the rag off as the bomb hit" He says smiling. " Can't have my new second in command getting a bad spot on his rep, don't worry Bydel was cool with moving to third"

"Second? who said I was even going to stay?" I say groggily that Tracer definitely hitting me now.

"Well you certainly enjoyed getting your hands dirty out there and as much as I hate to admit it you saved our asses out there, you saved everyones ass, the whole town, and I'd like to have my friend back in the business with me, It'd make the whole town safer." Kaadar said lying down next to me. 

"How do I know that things will change? I won't come back until I know that this is a good place."

"This has always been a good place you were just to blind to see that. We are the good guys. There are people much that we are. Everyone back there could have died but we used our skill set to save them. This is our town and we will kill everyone who wants to take it."

There is a moment of silence. 

"Alright I'm in, but under one condition, nothing big gets done without my say."

"You do realize that's what second in command means don't you, or did that tracer mess you up more than I thought".

"Fuck you" I say with a slight chuckle.  

"Only in your wildest dreams Vaasy" We both burst into laughter.

"Kadaar",  says Bydell as he walks in." I must leave, I just got word that some new recruits will be coming in soon, I have to be there to greet them". 

"Be on your way then, and bring Riika back here, we were in the middle of some business before everything went to hell"

"I'd like to come with" I say. I want to see our new recruits for myself, I am going got be running the gang again with Kaadar after all. A fact Diivara might kill me for.

Bydel turns and smiles his signature cynical smile, "Look who's back after all this time, after you then Boss". 

********

"So where are these new recruits?" I say as we are walking down a side road leading further south in town.

"Rythe is bringing them to the old cemetery where they stored the dead bodies from the war." Bydel says nonchalantly.

"Why there?"

"Its quiet and has plenty of room for large amounts of recruits. Not to mention it gives good motivation. All those unmarked graves, gets people thinking that those deaths shouldn't happen again, at least not within our gang, kind of an inspiration to look at those around you as more than competition."

"I can see why we chose you to recruit."

"You mean why you chose me to recruit, if you don't recall Kadaar was more than satisfied to make his toy, Riika, to be our initiation recruiter" He says, a look of disgust at the mere possibility of it.

"Well I'm glad I didn't let him jeopardize the crew by doing so then" I say smiling over at him.

"You mean like you did when you ditched the crew after that town center bloodbath you let Kadaar walk us into" He says quietly his eyes going flat in an instant

"Listen i'm sorry, I was wrong to leave you under the guidance of Kadaar alone, he's a great friend but not the best strategist and I was thinking selfishly as far as the gang" I say stopping our walk to apologize  

"You have a lot of rebuilding to do and alot of scratch to be made before I consider accepting that apology Vaasvan" He says, continuing the walk without me 

Soon we arrive at the mausoleum building used to house Jazaath's dead soldiers before they were buried and I notice the gang flag sitting on top of the large iron door to the entrance, must mean new recruits are in. We enter and Rythe, my old Wonderland dealer, is standing amongst a small group of about 4 or 5 recruits. Most of them looked at me  with reverence because of my recent heroism with the gang. 

The first three were average recruits bringing back the memories of when we first started the gang. The fourth one has a crazed look in his eyes, he most likely had a violent past, I have a knack for telling when someone came from a violent childhood. The last was a girl  that looks barely 18 she is thin, and has eyes that had glisten from earlier tears. She is covered in filth. You can see blood under her nails and her hair is covered in dirt. 

"What's with this one" I say as I point her out to Bydel.

"Rhythe picked her up somewhere near Faarka, he said that she had gotten in some trouble, figured Riika could use her for the brothel. We don't have much room for her since she isn't very useful with a blade or as a thief."

"No" I interrupt, "she can stay with me."

"Are you su..."

"Yeah, take the rest to Vlakaya, she could use some more dealers. Besides Riika has more street girls than she has customers these days if I've seen correctly."

"Alright your the boss. Rythe get her all cleaned up for the top dog."

Rythe smiles at me mischievously "Right back to the old days huh boss" 

"It's not like that guys, I see some potential  in her."

"Yeah, potential." Rythe says chuckling. 

I approach her.

 "I'm Vaas, what' s your name newbie?"

She clears her throat and says,

" Um,  Xandria."