The City in the Evening [Akira/Violet]

Any time Violet had one of these late nights, she came home frustrated and in need of a bath. She was late because she had to go through multiple new shipments of the next seasons clothing before getting them on the racks. Now, she was sweaty, starving, and in need of a good night’s sleep. She locked up shop and made her way down the quiet streets. In the City of Light, nothing ever truly went to sleep. There were always people out, but things did get calmer at this time.

This city was sort of a haven, a place where the petty danger of other places felt far away. When danger came to the City of Light, it was in the form of gods fighting over head. That was at least Violet's experience until now. So, when she walked around looking for a place to eat, she wasn't as alert as she should have been. She didn't notice the three cloaked figures that kept turning down the same streets she chose. She came to a late night cafe and decided to stop for food.

Though things were open inside, there were a few too many people for Violet's liking. She ordered a warm tea and a couple of pastries, one that she would eat for breakfast in the morning, and then sat down on one of the metal tables outside. There was less noise, and a cool, relaxing breeze to enjoy her food under.

The voice that sounded was too close to be directed toward another. Violet closed her eyes, resting them while enjoying a bite of food, and then had her attention pulled to from her thoughts to the man using a nearby table. His first impression was not impressive. Violet wasn’t one to easily react to the poetic shit some people threw out, and he seemed like one of those. Still, there was no need to be impolite. Violet sat up straight, gripped her purse a bit tighter and gave a friendly smile.

“I haven’t lived here too long, but I can give some sort of advice. What are you needin’ to know about?” she asked, coming off friendly, but distant. A quick chill went up her neck, causing a shiver, as if the cold breeze chilled her. In truth, it was likely a warning that they were still watching from some shadowy alley or nearby rooftop. Ignoring it, Violet invited the tourist to sit across from her.

Violet took note of the sword, but ignored it. Enough people walked around with weapons that it no longer bothered her. She would have assumed he was a member of the Vandenreich if he hadn’t made it clear he was a tourist. Violet was uncertain she could help him here, since her experience in this city was very different than most people. The first person she met bought her a house...

“Yeah, uh… Don’t pickpocket and don’t rile up the citizens,” Violet said in a slightly joking way. “It’s all pretty standard to any other city; only big difference is the presence of the Vandenreich. Makes things safer, but more strict… Even so, this city sprawling over a hundred miles gives you a lot to do. I definitely haven’t seen it all…” His next words surprised her, and not in a good way. "Excuse me, what the hell?" she asked, clearly on guard. He sounded like some serial killer.

The more he went on, the more disturbed Violet’s expression became. Even as he tried to save it, her expression did not change. Suddenly, sitting here and chatting with a stranger felt dangerous. He could have chosen yellow, blue, green, purple, or any other color under the rainbow, but he had to choose red! If he said green, she could have assumed yard work. Maybe he’d be a painter? No, red. He chose red.

“Y-Yeah, um…” Violet rapidly drank her tea and put her pastries away into her purse. “I’m gonna go. I suddenly don’t feel comfortable sitting around here. Even if there are cameras on every street in this city, no reason to risk getting my head chopped off in an alley.” Violet wasn’t sure whether that was true or not, but she bluffed it pretty well. She had no idea about the camera situation. The woman turned and left, glancing over her shoulder once before picking up her pace.

A moment later, the people that had been following Violet emerged from the shadows. One came from an alley across the street and followed her from that direction. Two came from an alley just beyond the cafe and followed her from there. An observant person would notice that they were each armed, one with a gun and two with knives of some sort. Violet, however, noticed nothing. She was too focused on trying to get away from her new "serial killer" acquaintance.

The unfortunate truth about Violet’s current location and heading home was that a dead-end street forced her down one of the many alleys in this massive city. She turned down that alley, one side a three story building and the other side the chain-link fence to a construction project. Usually, this way was safer, but the new construction had a bit too much blocked off for normal foot traffic. With very little lighting and a long way before the end of the alley, Violet kept looking over her shoulder. There was an itch that made her feel like she was being watched.

From another point of view, the moment Violet turned down the alley, the two figures darted down the alley before Violet's. They rushed around to the end and waited for her to get close enough to be blocked. The solo guy made his way across the street and walked behind Violet, waiting for a signal to make his move.

Once Violet reached an optimal point, the two now in front of her revealed themselves. She stopped walking, gripping her purse and glancing over her shoulder to see if it was safe to run. It wasn't. She was surrounded, but jumping the fence was the best idea she had. There was enough solid junk to give her a boost.

"Violet, right?" one of them spoke up. "Your family's been looking for you. It's been months. No call, no text, no letter. Your father has decided it's time for you to come home, since clearly you're wasting your time here." "Yeah, like that's happening. I suggest you all fuck off." "That's alright. Daddy gave us permission to use force if needed." The two with knives pulled out their weapons and began approaching.

"Of course he did..." Violet muttered.

Seeing an opening to run, she rushed toward a wooden crate sitting in the alley, likely from the construction zone. As she tried jumping up, a tight grip on the back of her shirt pulled her away from the fence. "Let me go, you fucking bastards!"