Peace and Quiet for the Restless

[Esme "Shorts" Hale]

It was safe to say that the past few weeks had been relentless.

Shorts reached the top of the clock tower and looked out at the city, the way it hummed, it calmed her down.

She was the type of girl who was always on the run, from one job to the next. Her position was something that turned her crazy, not that she didn't like that, but it was tiring. She scratched and clawed her way though allies and enemies alike to reach the top, and reach it she did. She was responsible for an entire side of the Runners Movement. She dealt the cards, handed out the missions and took care of her family. She dealt with the burns and the breaks, the unloyals and traitors, all with a calm, deadly smile on her face.

She hated to think of what others thought of her. The Woman In Green, Leader of the Greens. Fearsome. Cold. Deadly. She loved it.

Shorts cracked her fingers and listened to the quiet hum of the city, glad to be alone, without the burden of being who she was.

[Chandler "Soul" Henson]

It had been about year now, since he was disbanded from the police force, but that didn't bother Soul any more. By now, he'd realized who he should have been fighting beside all along. Sometimes though, he felt like he wanted to take a gun and kill everyone in the precinct, and just let loose all the anger he held inside. Though, he knew if he tried that, he’d either die or lose his reason for not giving up. Proving to himself and to the precinct that he could beat them at their own political game was almost everything to him.

He climbed up from the inside of the clock tower, trying to find a place to be alone and think. He could hear the gears of the tower mashing together, working hard to make the hands of the clock spin. Crank! Crank! Crank!

He sighed, wanting to get to the outer platform on the side of the tower to escape the mechanical sounds of the clock. He quickly found a window and opened it, pulling himself outside and onto a ledge that over looked the city. With legs hanging over the edge, he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the surrounding city. It was like a symphony, designed for only the people who cared enough to stop and listen.

[Esme "Shorts" Hale]

Shorts wasn't hiding at the time that the kid walked in on his own into the clock tower. He seemed to be incredibly entranced by the sound of the outside, as he came in and sat just at the window without even so much as noticing her.

How careless of him though. Shorts didn't know if this kid was a runner, or if he was just an innocent kid who stumbled into the tower, but he just sat there, his eyes closed. Totally at peace, listening to the sounds of the city. That was a mistake, especially in this part of the city, where runners, and thieves ran. But not to mix the two, the idea dawned on her to remind this kid.

Shorts smiled at the opportunity.

She walk soundlessly behind him and grabbed the back of his shirt, taking him back and onto the ground behind her. She bent down, putting her hands on her knees and letting her hair fall over her shoulder. "Hey there kid. You ought to be careful in these parts."

[Chandler "Soul" Henson]

Soul was caught off guard by a quick tug on the back of his shirt and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground with a girl in green standing above him. As fast as he could manage, he ripped his switchblade from his pocket and held the leather grippings tightly in his grasp.

"I am careful..." He murmured to her, eyes growing mildly annoyed. He stood back up and continued with what he was saying, never breaking eye contact with the girl. "But, as of now, you're not my enemy... Don't make it so..."

He retracted the blade and slipped it back into his pocket. He then cracked his knuckles and popped his neck, leaning back against the side of the tower. "You don't need to worry about me... I can handle my own... I have always, even before I abandoned the police force..."