"What kind of consolation fee is babysitting...?" Syn groaned as he walked down Purgatory with Rasazy at his side.

He swiftly evaded a jab at his side, looking over to see an annoyed Rasazy.

"I'm 14– don't call it that." She leered at him.

"Aye, aye." Syn sighed as he thought of what the two could do to past the time.

After Selever and Syn stopped fighting, they discovered that where they came from, and were previously bound to, was a place called the Nothing Void. A blank world where nothing exists.

Supposedly, Selever had the power to warp space and create portals to alternate worlds, but for some reason, couldn't go to the one world where he and Rasazy were "canon," he called it.

Syn was assuming that meant where he was born, since he explained it only happened in one timeline.

So basically, now that they didn't have a "home" to go back to, he would figure out what to do next while Syn watched over Rasazy.

Rasazy was hoping they'd stay, since, what other option was there.

Syn did care, but after hearing they could never feel the parental bond for so long, he kinda hoped they'd stick around too.

Syn stopped suddenly, making Rasazy confused.

"What's up? Super hearing catch something?" She wondered.

"How do you know about that...?" Syn asked as he looked around.

"As there are other timelines, you're easily the most... intriguing you we've ever seen. We kept watch far before you met our parents. You're like entertainment." Rasazy smiled.

"I'm glad my misery woos you so." Syn said with sarcasm, making Rasazy smirk.

"What the hell is that noise...?" Syn wondered, rubbing his temple in irritation.

"What's it sound like?" Rasazy asked.

"I don't know. It's deafening... it's so high pitched." Syn staggered on his feet, making Rasazy concerned. "It's almost like someone's trying to impair me."

"Should we get out of here?" Rasazy asked with concern.

"Yeah, I really don't need another hit on me this soon. Lets get out of here." Syn was about to ask for her hand, but she took initiative and tapped his shoulder, before the two disappeared.

•

Syn fell on his couch, face buried in his cushions, while Rasazy landed safely on her rear.

Alexa peeked out of the kitchen and saw the two, making her raise a brow.

"...I know you didn't leave unannounced to go pick up girls." Alexa squinted her eyes.

"I'm 14, ma'am." Rasazy answered as Syn sat up.

"Boy— does she have a story to tell you?" Syn laughed, getting up and walking to the bathroom.

"I'm a half demon from another timeline, and my brother, also a half demon, tried to kill your boyfriend because he destroyed our mother's church last week. The situation was diffused and now I'm hanging with him until my brother figures out what to do now that our old dimension is missing." Rasazy explained.

Alexa placed a hand on her chin, trying to take in all the wacky info, but just sighed.

"Short version, please." Alexa asked.

"I'm babysitting!" Syn shouted through the door.

Rasazy created a portal, before grabbing the remote on his couch and throwing it with a glare.

"OW! What the hell?!" Syn shouted, catching the remote after it smacked him in the head.

"Stop calling it that." Rasazy scolded as the portal closed.

"Oh. Well... Mi casa!" Alexa cheered.

"No. Mi Casa! She's a freeloader I tolerate!" Syn explained as he left the bathroom with controller in hand.

Rasazy looked between the two, and could tell by the exasperation in Syn's face it was more likely he payed the bills.

"Anyway. If you two are up for it, I want brunch. Kicking ass first thing in the morning really stirs the appetite." Syn had fixed his hair and lost the jacket in place of a much bigger burgundy parka.

"Anything for you, babe~!" Alexa quickly sung, running to his room— well, their room. He came to terms with it.

Rasazy glanced at his expression, and only found that was a lie...

"Blink twice if you need help." She smirked at him, only earning the roll of his eyes.

Suddenly, his apartment door was opened with Pico barging in, black parka over his usual outfit. "Yoooo." He spun a switchblade around his fingers with a grin before spotting Rasazy.

"Who's pasty?"

"Babys— GAH!" Rasazy slammed her fist into his gut. He staggered on his feet, but was able to squeak out his correction: "Hanging with me until a... friend gets something done."

His wheeze of pain made Pico respect the girl's attitude, evident by his smirk.

"What's the move? Whatever it is, I'm game." Pico flipped the switchblade away and pocketed it.

"Tacos..." Syn groaned, trying to recover from the floor.

Yanking him to his feet, Alexa perked up at the idea. "Sounds good to me. Got a place in mind?"

"Truck... Got a truck in mind." Syn took a deep breath and glared at Rasazy, who continued to avoid his gaze.

~•~

Standing a few feet away from a Mexican food truck named "Quesos for Pesos," the four munched on a variety of tacos.

Syn and Alexa were sharing between breakfast chicken tacos and birria tacos, while Rasazy ate regular beef tacos with sour cream, and Pico decided upon a Carne Asada quesadilla.

In the comfortable silence and easygoing air of lunch with friends, Syn's senses relaxed. After his fight this morning, he was rather on edge since it seemed trouble spelled no end.

A knife suddenly cut through the taco he was feeding Alexa, cutting his palm and making him wince.

"Dude, my fucking taco!" He shouted turning to see some random nutcase in a pink overall minidress sprinting at him with a knife in her mouth. "What the fuck?!"

Hopping over a sudden slash, Syn snapped his fingers, which shoved his friends away from their vicinity. He leaned away from another slash, before seeing a bottle of spray paint soaring at him with a small trail of fire.

Pico spun out his pistol and shot the makeshift grenade down, causing fire to litter the sidewalk.

Citizens shouted in fear and quickly shuffled away from the fire, but were relieved when Syn took the time to dispel it with a snap.

Unfortunately, that left him open to the strange woman leaping on his back and aiming to stab her knife in his collarbone.

"Gotcha—" "NOT!" Syn slammed her back first to the ground with a DDT. He jumped back with a pant, standing beside Pico in confusion.

"Ugh... these clowns. Thought they'd be over this." Pico muttered.

Syn gave him an incredulous look, already over the situation. "Dude, you've got to be kidding me! No way you know these goons!"

"These goons are literally my goons. Friends of mine, but I guess they didn't take to kindly to throwing the bounty money away." Pico shrugged his shoulders and tossed Syn the rest of his quesadilla.

Syn perked up and scarfed it down, ignorant to Pico's smirk as he finished it. He quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glared at him.

"You're not off the hook..."

"And neither are you~." The woman with the knives recovered from the slam and twirled the bladed tip on her finger with impressive ease.

"I don't like that look in her eye." Alexa whispered to Rasazy. "Is it cause it's the same as yours when he got home?"

Alexa flinched, "you're a smart kid."

Syn finally caught a look at his adversaries. "That's Nene," Pico pointed to a young, light-skinned woman with shoulder-length, bluish black hair wearing a pink overall minidress with heart-adorned straps, a pinkish-white shirt, pinkish-white leggings, a pink headband and pink shoes with medium-light red hearts adorning the sides.

Strutting up beside her was "And Darnell," a young, dark-skinned man with a tall, sloped purple flattop that swipes up in a sharp arc in the front and curves up and outward slightly in the back. He wore a purple and yellow hoodie with yellow drawstrings, dark gray trousers and white sneakers with yellow shoelaces, purple midsoles, blue outsoles, and pair of bluish-gray headphones rest around his neck.

"Ah, so this is the crowd you hang around. Neat characters we've got here." Syn immediately gained his mischievous grin after seeing what he was working with. "So, what's the deal, huh? How many dabloons the top dog got out for little ol' me?"

"Couple mil. Gets higher by the day honestly." Darnell seemed rather laid-back for a hired hit, so it made Syn even more alert.

"And oh, what a girl can do with that kinda money..." Nene swooned, caressing her knife as she daydreamed about the possibilities.

"Damn. Can't even blame ya'? Chasing paper, gotta respect it." Syn shrugged his shoulders, before glancing back at Alexa.

"You mind taking over? Gotta something to handle, ya dig?"

Alexa's lashes fluttered seeing her favorite grin from her favorite person. Her heart skipped a beat as she nodded, making Rasazy cross her arms in amusement.

"Alright, without further ado, let's handle business." Syn could hear the knife whistle through the air this time, turning his body to deflect it with a snap.

Nene was quick to catch the knife in midair with a lunge, throwing it right back at his torso while simultaneously bringing out another.

Instead of deflecting this one, Syn lightly kicked it up and caught himself, bringing it up to block a stab. Nene pushed him into the wall and licked her lips as their blades locked, but Pico quickly kicked her off of him.

"We gotta take this elsewhere!" Pico quickly grabbed Syn's hood and slung him into the alley a few meters away, spinning on his heel mid lunge to intercept another spray can.

Alexa and Rasazy teleported to Syn seeing Nene shove Pico aside and dart after him. Releasing their wings, they flew overhead and began to spectate the chase.

Syn vaulted over a dumpster, landing on a trashcan and jumping off, making it fly back and toward Nene. She reeled her foot back mid-stride and kicked it backwards, forcing Pico to shove it aside and into Darnell.

"Watch it up there! I'm running too, dickhead!"

"Maybe run faster then, prick, they're YOUR goons!" Syn swiftly leapt over a fence blocking off a residential blocks alley, continuing his stride with ease. He turned to stick out his tongue at Nene, but saw her crave through the fence and literally kick a massive square of it out.

Staggering on his feet in sheer shock, Syn was tackled away with a knife nearly lodged into his shoulder.

Rolling against the pavement, Syn heard a car's horn, making him slammed his foot down and send the two spiraling above it and into a mailbox across the street.

Syn winced feeling that the tussle made the blade pierce his shoulder. Nene chuckled, correcting her grip on the blade and squeezing his neck with a grin.

"Listen, I'm in the talking stage with a tall glass of milk in a fine ass red dress. You're gonna have to get in line!" Syn thrust the knife out of his shoulder, shoving his knee into her chin and slamming his head into her own.

Nene winced, but ended up giggling as Syn shoved her off. To his surprise, all she sustained was a quick bruise to her forehead.

"I'll be sure to take the ticket right behind her then, bad boy~. Til' then, let's dance."

Drawing the knife he had acquired from before, Syn's eyes glowed blue as he analyzed Nene's mannerisms.

Alexa and Rasazy sat down on a fire escape with the older of the two swooning over Syn's words. "He has a such a way with words...!"

Rasazy looked at her, and then down at Syn.

"You fucking crazy whore, quit aiming for my fucking nuts! Off limits, Skrat!"

"If I can't have em' no one can!"

Rasazy nodded. "Poetry even..."

Pico sniped 3 more can grenades, unable to catch the one slid under his feet. He rolled over a parked car, but the explosion sent him skidding across the now dead street and into a lamppost. Clicking his tongue, Pico quickly spun around it, kicking Darnell back into the same wrecked car.

"Man, they're really going at it... It's different seeing this up close."

"This is nothing..." Alexa mused.

Syn warped around Nene, confusing her extremely seeing him disappear and reappear like a magician over and over.

"We're supposed to be killing a rapper— not Houdini!" Nene shouted in annoyance, swinging around wildly as Syn watched from the fire escape Alexa and Rasazy were on.

Snickering to himself, Syn glanced at Alexa who sighed dreamily at him.

"That Houdini bastard is supposed to be helping me!" Pico snapped, firing a bullet at Syn and then a can grenade.

Darnell rolled out from behind the car and held out a spray can with a lighter under it. There was a trigger mechanism he pressed down that released a stream of fire towards Pico.

Appearing at Pico's side, he snapped in the direction of the fire, cutting a rift in it and dispelling the flame.

"Have you two not learned your lesson yet? You really aren't getting anywhere here. I declare summer school!" Syn shouted dramatically

Nene pouted and Darnell scoffed, both realizing that Syn clearly was more than meets the eye. Or rather, more than words described?

"Could we really have killed him anyway?" Nene asked Darnell.

"Maybe last week." Syn shrugged.

"I came close." Pico agreed.

The two didn't really believe him after seeing him 'manipulate space,' so they slacked up and put their weapons away. "Yeah, we're good."

Alexa and Rasazy flew down seeing things were resolved one way or another and pat Syn on the back.

"So. Tacos?" Syn asked with a grin.