2003 (WIP)

Dinner Date

Copper had promised to be at Nicodemus's tonight.

Crystal rolled around and squealed in enthusiasm every time she thought about it, hugging her pillow as if it were Copper himself. She defenitly was acting like a teenage girl.
"Do I look..okay?" Crystal adjusted herself in the cracked mirror on the wall.
"You look fine, want us to come with you? Ya know, make sure you don't get mugged?" Deacon looked up from what he was doing.
"Well it'd be nice to have company" Crystal smiled at her friends, rubbing her paws together.
"Let's go then" Inola hopped out of the window and down the ladder for the millionth time today.
Shadow, Deacon, and Crystal followed, Crystal walking delicately as if she had an entire makeover or something.
"So..how do you think it's going to go?" Inola started conversation, feeling happy for Crystal's unique opportunity.
"I think Caramel will like him" Crystal nodded confidentiality.
"Pfft, yeah, Nicodemus not so much" Deacon humored himself.
"I wonder why" Inola pondered half-heartedly.
"Cause he's a fuckin twat" Shadow murmured.
"Shadow!" Crystal snapped.
Deacon laughed loudly at Shadow's words.
"What?! I'm being honest" the avian chortled.
"Shut up" Inola elbowed Shadow in the ribs.
"Oh look, Nicodemus's" Crystal walked ahead, momentarily glaring daggers at Shadow and Deacon.

Inola jogged up and stood behind her as Crystal knocked on the door.
Nicodemus answered it, dressed without his trenchcoat and smiling warmly as Crystal shot their mentor an excited grin.
"I'll be back soon!" Crystal called to her friends before heading inside.
Past Nicodemus, Inola noticed Copper sitting anxiously on the couch, smiling as Crystal came inside.
The tabby gave the three of them an unsure look before gently closing the door.
"And that's why I know this will go terribly wrong" Deacon chuckled as the light from inside the apartment left them.
The three of them went home together, simply chatting their lives away until they all fell asleep. The next morning of course, Crystal had returned home.
"So how did it go?" Inola greeted the she-bat with excitement as she noticed her climbing the ladder.
Crystal had a somewhat disappointed face on, her blue eyes avoiding eye contact as she came up.
"What?" Inola backed up, watching her as Crystal walked past her.
Crystal went inside and sat down, the same flat expression on her face.
"What?!" Inola asked again, sitting down next to her.
"It went..okay" Crystal murmured.

"What do you mean?" Shadow piped in, sitting down on the opposite side of her.
"Caramel liked him like I thought she would, but Nicodemus.." Crystal trailed off.
"What? Did he yell at him or somethin?" Deacon chuckled.
"I- I dunno" Crystal sighed.
"He just took him outside to have "a talk" or something after we had dinner last night" she rested her muzzle on her knees.
"I didn't get the chance for me n' Copper to talk alone because after that talk Nicodemus made him leave.." Crystal sulked.
"Are you gonna go see him today again?" Shadow asked.
"I want to" Crystal admitted, scratching her neck.
"Well then why don't we?" Inola suggested.
"Do y'all really wanna come?" Crystal looked sheepishly at the three of them.
"I like goin' into town sometimes" Shadow shrugged.
"Shadow you bitch ever time we talk about it" Inola raised an eyebrow.
"No I don't!" The avian protested with a roll of his eyes.
"Whatever" Inola stuck her tongue out.
"Well..could we go then? Me and him might go off and do our own stuff..I don't want Nicodemus stalking us all the time" Crystal stood up, seeming eager to leave the apartment.
"It's not like we're doing anything" Deacon shrugged.
"Deacon's right" Inola shrugged carelessly.
The four of them rewalked the path they had taken yesterday, familiar smells and noises still annoying and frankly disgusting Inola. Probably only Inola, unless Shadow wasn't making shuddering noises for no reason. Deacon barely made a complaint, occasionally blowing a cloud of smoke from his cigarette.
She noticed how Crystal treaded lightly, and Inola was beginning to notice how physically delicate she was. Her fur always seemed to be groomed to its finest despite (usual) lack of an actual shower (Nicodemus let them use his shower sometimes). She reminded her of Caramel a little bit. Maybe all that nurse training from her was starting to rub off or something.
Again, the smell of cigarettes and weed abruptly hit her in the face. Her nose would never get used to it.
It's almost like yesterday repeated itself, she saw practically the same people she saw before, all crowded against the wall.
And again Crystal darted ahead of them, forcing Shadow, Deacon, and Inola to find her in the midst of the other gangmembers.

"God are we gonna have to put a leash on you?" Deacon grumbled.
"Copper!" Crystal shouted, hugging him dramatically.
"Hey Crys" the bat grinned, hugging her back.
"What was that whole thing with Nicodemus last night?" She asked, glancing behind her.
Copper seemed embarrassed as he sheepishly looked at Inola.
"He uh -- it's guy stuff, I don't think you ladies would understand" Copper mumbled.
"Tell Shadow and Deacon then!" Inola stuck her tongue out.
Copper sighed dramatically "he just told me to behave and take good care of you" he shrugged.
"Well that's not bad, that's pretty normal!" Inola tipped her head in confusion.
"And then he told me if anything even remotely happened to you he'd hold me accountable while threatening me at knifepoint" Copper said flatly.

"Oh" everyone murmured.

"Anyways..wanna come over?" Copper looked at Crystal with a smile.
"Sure!" The she-bat bounced.
"I'll be back later!" Crystal waved a paw at her friends before her and Copper dashed off.
"Hmph.." Shadow and Deacon grumbled collectively crossing their arms or shooting Copper a look.
"Mhm" Inola grunted.

"--..all pieces of shit!" Alpha's voice yowled across the room.

"What the hell is that?" Inola widened her eyes at the voice away from them.
Deacon ane Shadow edged closer to her, looking confused.
"Let's get closer" Inola opted, weaving through the growing crowd of people.
Shadow and Deacon appeared next to her, both looking wary.
"What the hell are all of you doing?!" Alpha screamed, throwing his paws out.
He sounds like a protestor.. Inola thought to herself.

"I ask for you to get me money! Not to get me charity!" The intimidating canine snarled.
Inola felt anger quickly bubble inside her. She's been on quite a few heists now, she knew the danger of getting him the money! They got arrested just to get him money!
Mixtures of quiet murmurs and muttering under breaths began surrounding her.
"All of your work is pathetic! I could name the reasons but we'd be here all day" he smiled a toothy grin, a single golden tooth glistening in the flickering lights around them.
Inola felt her paw ball into a fist as her breaths picked up. Everything Alpha was saying was bullshit. She suddenly felt Shadow's claw on her shoulder. Inola looked up at the sudden touch. The avian shook his head, his lavender eyes filled with a big warning.
"So step it up! Or else you'll end up on my fucking shit list and.." Alpha's expression turned cynical.

"I don't think most of you want that to happen" he smiled before walking off into the shadows ahead.

The small crowd quickly dissipated, leaving Inola's anger to fizzle out.