01 – Places Kevin Eats Off Of

Kayda was tired.

She had always been one for flamboyant – ness. There was nothing she would logically let sit between her and creating a good spectacle. Maybe it was her rearing. Years in the dueling underground left her with little choice but to put on a show. Maybe standing out was her key to survival. Since it was the only way she could guarantee a way out.

It was a shitty key – if that's what it was – and now, she couldn't even muster the energy to keep up the show.

The midnight was like any other. Dark and cloudy, with just a hint of ambiance to make it feel wrong. The streets were painted blue with bursts of yellow wandering under the light poles. Kayda tugged at the sleeves of her jacket. It was the perfect article for the imperfect weather. Not that it was comfortable, since no matter what time she wore it, she was either a bit too hot or a bit too cold. But at least the jacket felt familiar, even if it was the umpteenth time it's changed.

A woman walked by her side with steps as soft as a frozen breath. It was almost as if the world was silent, with no cars or voices, just gentle light that floated around them like a presence. Despite her brighter attire, the woman seemed to sink into the shadows better than Kayda did. Her stride was calculated like the twinkle in her eyes, bright and lighthearted if you liked danger enough to look.

"Kayda, do you want to stop for a drink?"

Kayda stopped and jammed her hands into her pockets. The movement stretched the straps on her cape. It seemed like she was outgrowing her Neo Neo Neo look and was in need for a change of pace. "We should really hurry," she murmured; her eyes dancing cautiously with the shadows that hid behind every corner. "It's not safe here anymore."

"It was never safe," Torch replied with a glance over her shoulder. "Not for people like us."

Kayda raised her eyebrows and allowed herself a wary smile. "So, you think that means throwing caution to the wind?"

Torch paused and looked back at her with an iron stare. "Always were the calculated one, weren't you?"

Kayda relaxed visibly and let out a cheerful half laugh. "You know nothing about me." There was a pause. "I suppose one drink couldn't hurt."

"That's my girl." A pair of warm hands grabbed her shoulders from behind and guided her forth along the sidewalk with a renewed sense of urgency.

Yeah, the twinkle in her eyes was beautiful – even more so that no one cared to look for it. No one even tried.

It's funny how things turn out. This time last year, Kayda would never have seen herself on the run for her life. Yet also this time last year she never would have known she'd be walking into the bar with probably one of her first sworn enemies. It was like something out of a bad fan fiction. It was crazy and time consumingly hard. Maybe there wasn't any time to do it, yet the whole thing was enough to make your head spin.

And Kayda's head was spinning like a top nowadays.

"Does a gay bar sound fine to you?" Torch asked as she messed around with the specs on her mobile device. "Less chance of us being bothered, I think."

"Sounds good to me."

"Google says there's one down the street," Torch replied a moment later. "That was convenient."

"Maybe the world wants to give us some time alone."

"Please." The eye roll that followed was visible even in the dark. "When has the world ever made this easy?"

Kayda didn't say anything in return. She just smiled and followed behind as Torch led the way. The night was a dangerous one, but every night was ta dangerous one. It was unorthodox for them to stop like this, especially when the mission was at stake, yet somehow, to both, this felt right. Kayda grimaced. That was never a good sign.

She wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but the bar was quiet when they got there. Any bar in a city as young as this should have been teaming with life, especially now the hour was past twelve, but there, it felt as quiet as a middle-aged couple with a box of toaster pizzas. Dull. Quiet. And business as usual. "Okay, this seems a bit shady. C'mon." Kayda placed a hand on Torch's shoulder. "Let's just keep going."

"I think we're the shadiest things to walk into this place tonight." Torch peered through the window. "There are people inside. A few at the tables and a couple playing pool, but the bar is open."

"Guys?"

"Yeah." Torch leaned back from the window. "What do you think? Is it worth the obvious suspicious territory?" She glanced up at the rooftop of the smoke shop across the street. A shadow ducked away quickly, but not so quick not to be seen.

More for the fact that it made her sound badass than really believing it, Kayda grinned and replied. "Why don't you put a few drinks in me and ask again?"

Torch held open the door and gestured with a smooth wave of her hand. "Then by all means, take the lead, m'lady."

"Always the charmer," Kayda chuckled.

Inside it was cold and dry like the third year of winter with no snow. Aside from the few others, they were the only ones there.

"Hiya Monty." Torch waved at the bartender and took a seat on the edge of a barstool.

Kayda blinked in confusion and raised her eyebrows. "Dangerous new territory, huh?"

"I mean the city's brutal enough," her friend replied with a shrug. "Doesn't mean I don't know a friendly face here and there."

"You must be Kayda." The bartender set down the glass he was wiping onto a wrack then turned around.

Kayda took the seat next to Torch and gave her a look.

The bartender crossed his arms. "Oh, she didn't tell you about me, did she?"

"It's not that –"

He leaned back against the wall without uncrossing his arms. He turned to Torch and gave her a look that she had never seen anyone give her before.

And it was up until that moment, Kayda realized how inhuman the world saw the shining duelist. Every time Torch entered a room, eyes widened. Maybe in fear, maybe in wonder. But just by existing she exceeded expectations. She was an amazing trailer to a movie people never saw.

But this guy saw the movie.

He knew her for who she was – human enough to be a disappointment.

"Look, it was for your own safety –" Torch slid from the stool clumsily and raised her hands palms out. "This chick makes dangerous enemies."

"Torch what have we talked about you hiding things. This is why you have no friends."

Torch was still backing up. "Maybe I choose it to be that way."

"Bullshit, love." Monty was a big guy, towering at least a head over Torch who was the taller of the two of them. Kayda somehow wouldn't doubt his ability to break the countertop beneath his fingers if you just got him angry enough. As things stood it, his mood wasn't looking all that peachy in the first place. His dark eyes softened as he glanced over at Kayda. "Thank you for stopping by young lady, but if you would excuse me."

She wasn't sure what to say to that.

All things presented, she didn't really have to, because suddenly he was moving. The floor shook as he leaped into the air with the agility of someone half his size. His thick leather dress shoes were planted on the bar before Kayda could blink, and just like that he was standing on the table before them with his head towering near the high hanging deck lights.

Torch took another couple steps backward as a drunk man sitting in the corner booth yelled out. "Hey! Don't stand there! I eat off that shit, man!"

"I'll clean it," Monty snapped.

"Look, Mont," Torch stammered with her hands up. "It's nothing personal --"

"No calls. No texts." He thundered. "Your phone number seems to change every time I find your new one and the news is telling me you're kidnapping kids and starting raids in the underground. All I get is a cryptic message sent two months ago tied to the collar of a damn raccoon. 'Hi. I'm bringing a girl over. Her name is Kayda. Save my spot.'" The veins in his neck were straining against the collar of his black button-down shirt. "What the hell have you been doing all this time?" A flash of metal caught Kayda's eye and she zoned in on a steel bar tucked into the loop pocket on the side of his black cargo pants. It was about the length of her arm and her head burned at the sight of it. There was plenty of history between her and pipes just like those.

"Torch, look out!" Kayda snapped and leapt to her feet. "He's armed from the Underground."

Her friend's gaze hardened as she zeroed in on the steel bar. "Old habits die hard, huh?"

"You're one to talk," he growled before hurling himself from the bar. If anyone had been standing in the way he would have cleared right over them. Kayda just had the time to watch Torch's eyes widen in surprise before she was thrown to the ground.

Kayda wasn't sure what to do about any of this. It was obvious that the two had some sort of history. On one hand, it was Torch's idea to come here in the first place—and she knew what she was doing a good 90% of the time – but on the other hand, she was about two steps from getting crushed to death – and maybe this was one of those rare 10% of instances. Torch was at a clear disadvantage any way you cut it. Monty was bigger. Stronger. And from the looks of it, trained. The two of them were wrestling on the floor, but there was nothing about it seemed like a fair fight. In addition, all of the aforementioned three customers proceeded with their evenings as if there were not two people throwing hands on the floor.

Suddenly Torch let out gargled snarl, som0ething like a caged eagle ready to snap at your fingers, and Monty hit the floor hard enough force to splinter the hardwood.

Kayda blinked hard, unsure how she had done that.

Torch looked surprised as if she was also unsure how she had done that.

"Watch the floor!" The same drunk guy from before yelled. "I eat off that too!"

"You can clean it yourself then!" Torch yelled back; her eyes ablaze as she rose to her feet.

"Watch the pipe," Kayda called as Monty reached for the bar hanging from his right leg.

"Got it," she replied with a wink before whirling into motion. Her sudden movement seemed to catch the guy by surprise. Kayda caught the flash of a blade slicing through the air. Monty didn't even have time to collect his wits; his hand instantly flew to the loop where the pipe was sitting.

But he didn't have the time.

"Checkmate," Torch hissed. Her hand disappeared inside her jacket for a split second and quicker than the eye could see there was automatic pistol centered at Monty's forehead. The pipe clattered to the ground as he tried to stand, the loop holding it now sliced wide open.

"Your safety's on," Monty stated calmly, and she lowered the gun.

"Beside the point." Torch tucked the gun back into her chest pocket and offered the bartender a hand. "I win."

He pointedly rose to his feet without her help.

There was second clatter as the metal buckle to his belt fell to the floor. His eyes widened and he grabbed madly at the waistline of his cargo pants before they could fall too. His belt hung loose from the loops, severed neatly with what looked like one slice. Torch grinned widely and proudly held up her pocketknife between two fingers. "Still as sharp as the day I got it." She beamed and flipped the blade into her palm.

"You're some kind of bitch, you know that?"

"Ohhoho. What's with all this newfound hostility?" Torch shrugged easily and sauntered back to lean against the bar next to Kayda. "It's like you haven't got it in recently?" Her smile widened at the sight of his entire body tightening. "Have you?"

"OHHH SHE GOT YOU THERE, YOU UNFUCKABLE BASTARD!" Drunk guy howled with laughter.

"You know what, Kevin?" Monty whirled around to face the red-faced dude in the back. He kicked up the pipe with the back of his foot and waved it at him menacingly. "I hear another peep out of you tonight and you can go back to living with your mom, you understand that?"

"My mom is a great lady!" Kevin replied with just a hint of slur. "But yes sir! I understand sir! You run a great establishment and I'll shut up now, sir!"

"Bottoms," Monty grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

Torch snickered and sat back down.

Monty's eyes flashed to her. "You know something, Rhea? You're too much for this place." He stepped behind the bar, still holding up his pants.

Torch froze as Kayda turned to look at her curiously. "Rhea?"

"You didn't hear that," Torch muttered at her hands.

"What she didn't tell you?" Monty cooed and leaned forward so that his head was right next to Kayda's in looking at Torch. "That little moniker of hers is just a title, something she took when she left us for the big city." Kayda pushed him a few inches back.

"Please don't call me that," Torch grumbled, her gaze not rising from her hands.

"You could never leave us all behind you, could you Rhea? It was never that easy, huh?"

"Shut up."

"You're the one who came back here," he said gently.

Torch – Rhea – didn't meet their gaze, her eyes trained downward as she massaged her left hand through the glove. Underneath it, her bones cracked and popped audibly. She shook her head and looked up with a gentle smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You are an unfuckable bastard."

"My fuckability is not something up for debate here."

"Whatever."

"Well with that on the table," Monty swiped a glass from the edge of the bar that Kevin had sneaked up to leave. "Did you just come in here just to fight me or was there something I could help you with today?"

"Aww don't be like that Monty. I hate when you make me feel like one of the family," Torch laughed and reached over the bar to grab a bourbon glass from beneath the counter.

"Yeah, well fuck you. How's that make you feel?"

She laughed but slumped forward. "Yup, definitely one of the family."

His shirt grew visibly tighter as he crossed his arms. Kayda noticed a man by the pool table look up curiously like he was enjoying what he saw. "I should just charge you for my time and put you back where you came from, you pesky little runt."

Torch slammed the glass onto the countertop. Kevin jumped a few inches from his booth in the back. "That would take me right back to your sorry ass and you know it, piece of shit..."

"Look, my 'piece of shit' personality doesn't show up until at least the third date, so try again."

Kayda was a lot of things and confused was definitely one of those.

Torch caught the look on her face and smiled viciously. "What's on your mind, Miss Kayda?"

She reached over carefully and grabbed a glass for herself. "I can't tell if you guys are related or exes."

"Oh yeah, no, he left me." Torch replied easily. "And it was for a man too – several of them in fact – go figure, huh. No wonder I'm so broken."

Kayda raised her eyebrows. They had spoken about Monty previously to arriving, but trust be told they discuss in too much depth.

"Oh, quit your whining." He smacked her lightly upside the head. "You know you'll always be the only woman for me."

"Okay, I have no idea what is going on," Kayda sang under her breath.

"Yes." Torch ignored her and sent a frying glare at the bartender. "Say that again as you lead another man by a leash into that back room of yours. The pain I bare is worse than theirs." She glowered with her chin tucked as if she were staring over a pair of sunglasses. "Unfortunately."

"You little –" He raised his hands as if to prompt a fight, but they quickly fell as his pants slid down an inch.

Kayda wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation and the more she listened, the less sense it made. Was this what it was like to drink too much? – because if so, she was glad that she hadn't even started because it was already too much.

Torch chuckled into her hand and shook her head. "Hey, chill man. I've missed you."

Monty turned around to inspect his display of taps and liquors. He paused before selecting a bottle and sliding it down the counter at Torch. She caught it instinctively and squinted at the label. "I can't even read this."

"Good." He replied short endedly. "Maybe it will stop you from downing the thing. You know I can't sell that stuff if you drink straight from the bottle."

"Never stopped you before."

"Y'all nasty," Kayda decided.

He pointedly ignored Torch and turned to Kayda. "I'm sorry that you have to put up with her.

What do you drink?"

"Spiced rum, neat."

"Do you have preference of which?"

"Look pretend I understand what I'm doing, I don't exactly make enough to drink very often."

Monty nodded and picked up a bottle of golden liquid from behind him. He poured a bit into her glass then hooked a thumb over at Torch. "So how did you meet this loose cannon over here?"

"Watch your tongue, Monty." Torch replied without lifting her head. "I know plenty of people who would pay good money for it."

"Torch." Kayda spun on the stool and gave her friend a bewildering look. "Even to me that sounded weak."

She looked insulted. "What? I'm not a loose cannon! Gotta lay down the law."

"Yeah well that remains to be seen," Kayda tsked and turned back to the bar keeper. "Get this. She attacked me after I refused to give her this kid that ran to me for help. Then she tried to attack the biker gang that runs the North West sector. She was trying to eliminate legacy characters. "

Torch huffed but otherwise kept herself busy with her drink.

Kayda continued with her eyebrows raised. "She tried to kill anyone who had a pre Neo life. Then she tried to kill me because I carry a legacy dragon." She noted Monty's jaw setting at that fact. "After a bit of some shit with the bike people, I realized we might be cut from the same cloth."

"You just described a homicidal maniac and you relate to that?"

"A bit. Yeah..."

"And you!" Monty turned to Torch with his arms crossed. "Did the Underground teach you nothing. You can't throw your weight around like that. It won't matter if you get rid of –"

"Okay, shut your face for just one second, mkay?" Torch snapped both in tone and posture as her eyes were suddenly unavoidable. "People are waking up now, more and more of them are starting to remember."

"Remember," Monty echoed skeptically.

"Yeah," Kayda confirmed and took another sip of her drink. It hurt going down and once again she was wondering why she drank it. "It's not really some big secret anymore. The Underground won't be able to keep this contained like you all have been doing. Your timelord ass bosses or whatever they are; they don't have control of this anymore – nor us." It was her turn to scoff. "And not her, especially."

Monty cocked an eyebrow at Torch. "But all you ever wanted was the Underground. You wanted to be one of them more than you wanted anything else. You wanted everyone to have the right to live their current life without having to deal with any previous life circumstances. That was all you wanted."

"Yeah, well." She coughed. "Things change."

He seemed to notice the steel in her voice. The mood grew even more somber as the seriousness of the situation settled over the owner. "Can you at least tell me what did?"

"Huh?"

"What changed?"

"Oh," Torch paused to take a long sip of her drink. Everyone and their mother could tell she was trying to buy a bit of time to figure out what to say. "Well...sorry Kayda, as much as I like you. I didn't just bring you in for a drink."

"I'll choose to ignore that fact, thanks."

Torch allowed herself a weak smile. "Came here to warn you, Monty. The Underground doesn't like me anymore. I've become one of the people they're trying to get rid of."

The look on his face was one of slow disappointment. "Rhea...What – What happened?"

Torch dismissed it with a wave. "Long story. I met this one." She motioned at Kayda. "Almost got ran over by a herd of motorcycles. Crazy timey wimey bullshit" Her eyes were wide with dialated pupils. She had discovered to much of herself in that timey wimey bullshit. " – look the point is they might be coming for you next. Pardon the lateness of the warning though. It's been hard shaking the groundhogs off our tails –"

"Groundhogs...?"

"Um...like the Underground's field agents."

"Now you're calling their field agents 'groundhogs'?" He asked in tired disbelief.

"Better than calling them field agents. Too royal." Torch shook her head. "Besides the point, though. The Underground has been looking for us, so it's been kinda difficult getting here. They have this place surrounded like a bank vault -- I'm really sorry if this is hurting your business by the way. I know you let some groundhogs drink here if they promise not to get offended by the gay people –" With every word the volume of her voice seemed to grow quieter. "But they either haven't been coming in very much lately or are scaring away your regular customers."

"Yeah they're not exactly being discreet." Kayda rolled her eyes. "There was a guy with an AR sitting on the roof of the smoke shop across the street."

"...Well... that would explain some things actually."

"And just FYI, yes she did tell me who you are." Kayda sipped her drink and looked down. "Torch has been adamant about warning you, but we haven't been able to really get a clean break here until tonight. For some reason the groundhogs retreated about an hour ago. –"

"Sounds like a trap."

"— Could be a trap for all we know, but she wanted to take the chance coming here. They're trying to tie up all the loose ends." Her voice grew somber. "Anything that has to do with me or Torch." Kayda frowned. Monty wasn't their first loose end so to speak. She had to throw her best friend Luke into hiding less than a week before. He was the card maker for the dueling underground, a usually indispensable person by trade and suddenly now his silence was more important than his skills. Skills he had cultivated back when he was still a child looking for scraps and she was a fighter in the card rings. They'd grown up together. Hell, they even shared an apartment now. But he was gone and she wasn't sure when she would ever see him again.

But they needed to do it. They needed to give him a head start.

Just like they were giving Monty.

"The Underground is coming for you." Torch turned her gaze up. "It's my understanding that they will be especially vicious to an ex-groundhog like you. And I'm really sorry for this, but you're a traitor to them now. Woops. What you decide is up to you, fight or leave. I just wanted to give you a better chance. After all, I think I owe you as much."

"You owe me a lot more to be honest." He closed his eyes before turning to Kayda. "And you. How about you, why are you here?"

"Well," she chuckled as she downed the last of her glass. "Me and the Underground have never seen eye to eye. It's always been me against them – "

That seemed to poke at his curiosity. "And why is that?"

"Well..." She chuckled nervously. "I'm not sure if you remember me – it's been some years since my time down there, but my name is Kayda Kurosaki."

"Oh wait, you're..." He uncrossed his arms in realization.

"Yeah. You got it." Kayda confirmed with a stiff nod. "Kayda Kurosaki, known better as the Word that Kills from the dueling Underground. I ran Wight Writers before I left."

"I wouldn't call setting the arena on fire just leaving."

"They left me alone, didn't they?" Kayda bit back. "And as if I needed another reason to hate you people; the Underground wants me back now, so it doesn't really matter if I set a few groundhogs on fire. It's not like they want me for death matches in the betting rings anymore."

He leveled his gaze at her and opened his mouth to speak before pausing. He reached under the counter and pressed a button behind the sink. It was a subtle movement but Kayda noticed the locks on the doors and windows switching to the locked position. The other three in the tavern didn't seem to be paying any attention.

"Okay. That should at least give us half an hour. Tell me everything."