(no subject)
Good night tonight, the words came freely...
****
Paren found him bruised and battered, sitting on the steps. "You're going to make me walk down these reddy stairs and all over the burning city?" Silver asked, not thinking.
Handing him a cold bottle, Paren answered, "Drink the beer. It'll take the edge off."
"You knew, didn't you? That he'd beat the hell out of me?"
"Oh, you haven't had one of his beatings yet, I promise you that," Paren smirked. "Give him a few weeks."
Silver took a long swig before pulling himself to his feet. The cool beer soothed his parched throat. By the time they left the Tail, his aching had faded a good deal.
The Guild of Information Recovery, or Hacker's Hall as it was commonly called, was located on the far side of the Haven. Silver was more careful in Warrior's Row now. After that first day with Paren, he hadn't been jumped or angered any Bludfists. And he was most wary of Paren. It was easy to forget that beneath the charismatic exterior lay an extremely dangerous man. Silver didn't have a problem with Paren's morals, one had to be dangerous to survive in the Haven, but he certainly watched him closely.
Every step he took caused him to pass by another vendor, each hawking something more illegal than the last. Drugs, sex, 'forn, guns, blackmarket hedware, blackmarket software, stolen merchandise, if you wanted it you could find it in the Haven.
"Hey there boy, why don't you give my cunny a try?"
He flashed "her" (you could never be sure) a smile, but kept walking.
"Do you not know what to do with your cock, or just not have one?" She called after him.
"The boy would find a better cunny than yours if he wanted one, old whore," Paren bantered back with her.
"And what would you know about cunny, Paren Quickdick?"
When they were out of earshot, Silvery asked, "Do you know that woman?"
"No, but they all know me," Paren laughed.
Silver had seen the Guildhall from the outside before, but actually going inside was more magical than even the Dragon's Tail Tower had been. Since before his parents were taken, Silver had dreamed of being a hacker. Some boys idolized the Bludfists, or the Corps. Men, but Silver's heroes had been men like Zero, Mick Crypto, Furan the Firewall's Bane, and even Paren Quickwit. To finally pass within the walls where they'd lived and worked, taking information back from those that would hide it, was like stepping into a fairy tale.
It was twilight when they reached the Hall's doors, the world remade in purples and greys. Shadows distorted the simple, whitewashed building. Images and faces appeared on its walls. Silver had to call up an image file to remind himself of what it looked like in daylight.
"Whose this starry-eyed fool trailing behind you like a bitch's pup?" A voice with a cruel sneer in it asked.
"A better man than you, Collin Head O' Rocks," Paren said as he pushed open the door.
That's Collin Head O' Crystals, Silver thought. The man had more hedgear than anyone alive did. Some said he'd actually removed unneeded parts of his brain in order to make more space for the crystals that allowed access to the Infonet. Whatever they said, he was a brilliant hacker. When Enlightenment Inc. had first released its original series of tutorials, Collin had them on the street within a day.
"Does the pup have a name?" Collin taunted. Paren didn't answer, just walked inside.
"I'm called Silver, Master Head O' Crystals," he stuttered.
"Head O' Crystals," Collin snorted. "They still call me that, eh? You can call me Collin. I'm no damned Master either. Paren and the other's can bugger their reddy titles. Them sai "masters" too. I'm a better hacker, and a better fighter than any of 'em."
Silver nodded, his stomach unsettled, and slipped in the door behind Paren. When I'm a Master, I'll make sure people address me that way, he vowed.
Inside the Hall it was dim and smoky. Graffiti littered the walls, and people milled about without order.
For a moment, he thought he'd walked into a dance hall. Music blared loud, and people talked louder. Some carried drinks, and puffed on rolled stimleaf and other, more intoxicating smokes.
Only the chairs, couches and beds covered with people in the open-eyed trance that could only signify intense hacking gave the lie to that. But Paren led him through the crowd, and away from them. After getting jostled a few times, and nearly separated from Paren in the waves of human bodies, he wanted to ask where they were going. Paren didn't like to be questioned though, and Silver was afraid he'd embarrass him here in front of all the people he'd worshipped so long.
A girl brushed by, flashing him a smile as her breasts rubbed against his shoulders. He smiled back, inhaling deeply to catch the scent of her long, blonde hair. Juiceberries, he thought, and took another breath.
"What's her name?" he thought to ask Paren when she'd gone.
"Who?" Paren shouted into his ear.
Silver pointed at her.
"That one?" Paren asked. "She's all tits and teeth. Don't worry about her. You wanna see a real woman?"
The girl he pointed to was bent over a table, arm wrestling with a man much larger than she, while yelling at another who stood beside her. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her short black hair stood up in spikes. She was lithe and lean, but from the way the wrestling match was going, apparently quite strong.
"Her names Kira, what do you think?" Paren demanded.
"Umm…" Silver hesitated. Kira certainly wasn't what he'd call beautiful. "She's cute, but I like a bit of 'tits and teeth' myself. That one looks like she isn't capable of smiling."
"Keep your smiles. Give me a girl with a dirty mind and a sharp tongue any day," Paren shrugged and kept walking toward their as-yet-unnamed destination.
****
Paren found him bruised and battered, sitting on the steps. "You're going to make me walk down these reddy stairs and all over the burning city?" Silver asked, not thinking.
Handing him a cold bottle, Paren answered, "Drink the beer. It'll take the edge off."
"You knew, didn't you? That he'd beat the hell out of me?"
"Oh, you haven't had one of his beatings yet, I promise you that," Paren smirked. "Give him a few weeks."
Silver took a long swig before pulling himself to his feet. The cool beer soothed his parched throat. By the time they left the Tail, his aching had faded a good deal.
The Guild of Information Recovery, or Hacker's Hall as it was commonly called, was located on the far side of the Haven. Silver was more careful in Warrior's Row now. After that first day with Paren, he hadn't been jumped or angered any Bludfists. And he was most wary of Paren. It was easy to forget that beneath the charismatic exterior lay an extremely dangerous man. Silver didn't have a problem with Paren's morals, one had to be dangerous to survive in the Haven, but he certainly watched him closely.
Every step he took caused him to pass by another vendor, each hawking something more illegal than the last. Drugs, sex, 'forn, guns, blackmarket hedware, blackmarket software, stolen merchandise, if you wanted it you could find it in the Haven.
"Hey there boy, why don't you give my cunny a try?"
He flashed "her" (you could never be sure) a smile, but kept walking.
"Do you not know what to do with your cock, or just not have one?" She called after him.
"The boy would find a better cunny than yours if he wanted one, old whore," Paren bantered back with her.
"And what would you know about cunny, Paren Quickdick?"
When they were out of earshot, Silvery asked, "Do you know that woman?"
"No, but they all know me," Paren laughed.
Silver had seen the Guildhall from the outside before, but actually going inside was more magical than even the Dragon's Tail Tower had been. Since before his parents were taken, Silver had dreamed of being a hacker. Some boys idolized the Bludfists, or the Corps. Men, but Silver's heroes had been men like Zero, Mick Crypto, Furan the Firewall's Bane, and even Paren Quickwit. To finally pass within the walls where they'd lived and worked, taking information back from those that would hide it, was like stepping into a fairy tale.
It was twilight when they reached the Hall's doors, the world remade in purples and greys. Shadows distorted the simple, whitewashed building. Images and faces appeared on its walls. Silver had to call up an image file to remind himself of what it looked like in daylight.
"Whose this starry-eyed fool trailing behind you like a bitch's pup?" A voice with a cruel sneer in it asked.
"A better man than you, Collin Head O' Rocks," Paren said as he pushed open the door.
That's Collin Head O' Crystals, Silver thought. The man had more hedgear than anyone alive did. Some said he'd actually removed unneeded parts of his brain in order to make more space for the crystals that allowed access to the Infonet. Whatever they said, he was a brilliant hacker. When Enlightenment Inc. had first released its original series of tutorials, Collin had them on the street within a day.
"Does the pup have a name?" Collin taunted. Paren didn't answer, just walked inside.
"I'm called Silver, Master Head O' Crystals," he stuttered.
"Head O' Crystals," Collin snorted. "They still call me that, eh? You can call me Collin. I'm no damned Master either. Paren and the other's can bugger their reddy titles. Them sai "masters" too. I'm a better hacker, and a better fighter than any of 'em."
Silver nodded, his stomach unsettled, and slipped in the door behind Paren. When I'm a Master, I'll make sure people address me that way, he vowed.
Inside the Hall it was dim and smoky. Graffiti littered the walls, and people milled about without order.
For a moment, he thought he'd walked into a dance hall. Music blared loud, and people talked louder. Some carried drinks, and puffed on rolled stimleaf and other, more intoxicating smokes.
Only the chairs, couches and beds covered with people in the open-eyed trance that could only signify intense hacking gave the lie to that. But Paren led him through the crowd, and away from them. After getting jostled a few times, and nearly separated from Paren in the waves of human bodies, he wanted to ask where they were going. Paren didn't like to be questioned though, and Silver was afraid he'd embarrass him here in front of all the people he'd worshipped so long.
A girl brushed by, flashing him a smile as her breasts rubbed against his shoulders. He smiled back, inhaling deeply to catch the scent of her long, blonde hair. Juiceberries, he thought, and took another breath.
"What's her name?" he thought to ask Paren when she'd gone.
"Who?" Paren shouted into his ear.
Silver pointed at her.
"That one?" Paren asked. "She's all tits and teeth. Don't worry about her. You wanna see a real woman?"
The girl he pointed to was bent over a table, arm wrestling with a man much larger than she, while yelling at another who stood beside her. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her short black hair stood up in spikes. She was lithe and lean, but from the way the wrestling match was going, apparently quite strong.
"Her names Kira, what do you think?" Paren demanded.
"Umm…" Silver hesitated. Kira certainly wasn't what he'd call beautiful. "She's cute, but I like a bit of 'tits and teeth' myself. That one looks like she isn't capable of smiling."
"Keep your smiles. Give me a girl with a dirty mind and a sharp tongue any day," Paren shrugged and kept walking toward their as-yet-unnamed destination.