NAIVITIES (Ch. 12)

Raven stands behind his counter with practiced form while daydreaming about the girl that remains ever present in his mind, as luck world have it Ari steps into the store followed by an average heightened red haired man in sunglasses, on his open hands and arms are a plethora of tattoos ranging from his chest to his right elbow while in a black singlet and tracksuit trousers, the two converse while paying Raven no mind

(Who's this? Her brother? Yeah should be..th...they even look sorta similar, s... should be her brother!)

Raven looks towards the product dropped on the counter before doing a once over to allow the shock set in,

(a condom? doing that with family?) Raven looks up to Ari fixing his stare on her , she turns to him. Meeting his stare with a glare

"Why the hell are you starting at me like that?, this your first time seeing a condom?"

"I feel bad now, how bout we don't buy it?" Her 'brother' asks shooting Raven a mocking smile

"What the hell are you saying, buy it or you can take care of 'that' yourself " she replies turning motioning to his member while turning away with her face flushed

"Okay! okay! " he replies his arms up in defeat while his smile grows wider

(Is this really you Ari? Is she a look alike?)

"Eyes here dumbass, the hell are you staring at her for?"

"Hugh disgusting" Ari states her face scrunching in distaste

(It can't be Ari, it simply can't be!)

Raven swerves his body narrowly avoiding a slap, (ah i zoned out for a bit)

"This bastard!" Growling the red head throws a punch at him

"Wait!" Stopping short he turns towards the source of the call to find Jay at the door,

"who the hell are you bastard"

"He's in my class" Ari replies

"So he's just a first year"

Jay looks around analyzing the situation, (Ari?, Is that her boyfriend, was the kid getting beat up?) he assesses while looking towards Raven

"Look i don't know what's going on but can you leave the kid alone? i owe him one" Jay pleads

"Look at this kid, kids nowadays really don't have any respect for their elders… do you have any idea who i am?..."

Noticing the wallet in the red heads hand Jay turns towards Ari while snickering

"Hey Ari you have a lot of nerve, you really did all that shit when you already have a boyfriend?"

"What?" Ari questions feigning ignorance

"You really gave him the wallet you tried to give to Raven"

"What are you talking about!" Ari screams

"Shut up!" The red head growls interjecting her before turning to Jay, "you!. keep talking"

"There's a guy in my class your girls crazy about, she's always trying to give him gifts, even those pants off yours are something he refused, the kid's got puppy love syndrome, can't see straight"

"He's lying!, He likes me so he's talking shit!" Ari shouts

"You!. how do you know all this?" The red head asks inquires

"Simple, i seat next to him"

"You fucking bitch!" The red hair shouts

"I promised you i wouldn't do it again, he's lying, i only love you!" Ari desperately shouts, a punch sends her tumbling, her nose bloodied, the red head sends a kick into her mid section drawing a blood curling scream from her then another to her head, in quick succession, "you fucking bitch you deceived me twice!"

"Stop it you dumbass, are your really beating your girlfriend up?, To be honest your both trash"

"Trash?, You see what you've caused you dumb slut?, Now this little kid's looking at me like a little cock" the red head shouts before turning away from Ari's sobbing form, "just wait a moment you slut… you..... come here"

Simultaneously a strange middle aged man rubs himself off while watching his screen as Laura thanks him for the kites he'd sent, he massages his member with his left as he stares at her cleavage intensely,

(I only have forty thousand emergency credits left, i'll have to withdraw it and send Laura more kite's, i can live of one pack of noodles tomorrow, she's better than that dirty bitch Ari, i spent so much money on her and when i went to see her she was living with a gangstar

Laura is asking what i do?, Architecture, I'll say I'm an architect, it's not lying!… Just because i have a disabled father this society is discriminating against me!)

"Landlord thank's again for the kites, as per your request … i'll sing you a love song"

(It's not a waste, Laura likes me, i need money!, My dads savings, his disability care funds, if this continues i'm going to marry her anyway, when i marry her its going to be my money again!)

The red head throws a surprise punch but Jay catches it with ease while dodging the follow up, tilting his head away another flys by

"Hey Ari, are you close to Maya?"

"No not really" bruised and bloodied Ari replies

"Good, I'll drive him off and she will never here of this" Jay states getting into his boxing stance "guys who beat women are pussies"

Jays declares his fist smashes into the red heads glasses making him stagger, he quickly rushes Jay who throws who throws a jab in interception, the red head tumbles with a yell clutching his nose, looking up fiercely he's met with another punch,

(He's fast! I avoided that?) Raven watches analyzing jay's punches and footwork

"No matter what she did wrong hitting her isn't an option.....maybe with your dick" Jay states bursting into laughter as Raven stares at the condom in-between his fingers.

A man sporting an olden gray face cap bites his thumb into a bloody mess as he stares into his desktop screen

"Laura Laura Laura!, Why hasn't she mentioned me, just cause i don't have any money left, she's just like Ari!, they're all the same!, no no i can't accept this, why does this world keep oppressing me!!, i have to find her!" re-watching the stream he catches the faint outline of a postal code by the windows edge, pausing the stream replay he zooms in increasing the resolution as he searches all similar codes in the state starting with the visible numbers.

Day's go by and Raven finally has his first lead on getting the 'substances' needed to become a shifter, Raven glances towards the passerby who held a transparent pouch filled with a white substance close to his chest, Raven had come in his school body for the sake of protection, steeling himself for the unexpected he steps into the void like darkness enshrouding the alley, while walking his sharp senses pick up the faint sounds of a heartbeat slowly but surely approaching with skulking steps,

"Wait" Raven calls out, "i just want some psychedelic's, i didn't know where else to get them" he calls, deciding to go with the truth, a flash of light bursts the surroundings into view, Raven stares at the incongruently dressed man in comparison to his surroundings,

"What do you need?" The man's seemingly toneless voice inquires

"M...molly?"

"Here" he replies pulling a plastic wrap with ten pills inside, "a hundred", Raven answers with a sharp intake of breath before inquiring from Silver about the appropriate dosage,

{Just but the all, i'm unaware of how the measurements work, is a hundred credit bill really worth you and your mother's life}, Raven concede's with an exasperated sigh, handing over the cash he quickly makes his way out if the alley which is quickly plunged back into darkness, the man watches Raven go while a voice alls out from the earbud on his left,

"Was that one of the regulars?"

"No"

"Did you give him one of a higher dosage?"

"Yes"

"And the tracker?"

"He'd have noticed"

"Very well, the boss is quite eager to sed how his guinea pig is fairing".

Laura walks beneath the setting dusk arriving at her home unaware of the man watching from a distance away binoculars in hand,

"Mom where's my laundry?" (Lately my underwear's have been going missing), seated on a bench beneath the setting sun. A street light illuminates the visage of a weird looking middle aged man pushing his face into a pair of pink underwear

Getting to his feet he pockets the panties as he walks into a nearby store

Raven watches the creepy looking man that had been frequenting their store for the past three days, catching a glimpse of the man's screen he exclaims, (Laura? She just left the store), the weird man stares Raven down, Raven turns his eyes away as the man searches his pockets for money, Raven turns his head to the mans purchase...this... watching the man walk away catching a glimpse of his small pockets, (Laura lives close by too... I'm sure i'm just overacting but...)

His instincts implore him to at least check up on her, after several minutes of contemplation, a simple question gives answer to his contemplation, ('what would Silver do?'), Rushing out he locks the store doors before he huffs to find the man again.

Laura walks under the starless night unawares to the person tailing her, speaking on the phone to a friend who'd been watching her streams

"Those pushovers just keep giving me their money to see a little bit of cleavage, I keep wondering, isn't just outright watching adult content a better option for them?"

"I think i get why they spend so much on streamers, it's the interaction, no matter how minimal it's something for people that can't even talk to real human beings, apparently they spend even more on cam girls, it's a different kind of appeal"

"It's not that i'm complaining but.....i really don't think this is for me, i think i'm going to quit soon"

"Excuse me" startled Laura turns abruptly, a short strange looking man in an olden gray shirt, track trousers and face cap with incredibly unhealthy skin, walks towards her (this... he's suspicious...i should leave, why did i come out late at night on a secluded road like this)

Raven huffs trying desperately to find Laura having checked her place, he calls her....(Fuck! she's not picking up!).... Retracing his step's he takes another route qnd see's the weird man approaching her

Laura looks at the man sceptically,

"I don't know the way" she curtly replies

The weird man's slow steps forward slowly grow larger

"LAURA!" Raven growls huffing as he arrives in front of her

(Who's this? How does he know my name? A fan?, Great!, I should leave now)

"he bought a knife!" Raven shouts as the man lunges screaming "pushover?!… How dare you do this to your husband!"

(I'm scared, i want to run, but if i dodge Laura's going to get hit) Raven recalling jay's jab copies him hitting the man's wrist with surprising precision, knocking the man's knife out of the man's thin hands, Raven growls pushing away the burn from the cut left by the knife as blood drips down his right fist, spinning he sends another punch to the man's plexus....but comes up short, the man pushes Raven down before running over to grab his knife, lifting to stab Raven he stumbles with a cry as a dumbbell crashes into his rib cage likely breaking it, Yanick huffs as he watches the man writhing on the ground

"I .....ha...ha..ha..came..ha...in time" he says huffing, "I'm going to kick your ass" Yanick states picking the man by his neck....clench your teeth" he states in command pulling his hand back he swings with ample ferocity,

"Please wait!...please forgive my son" turning the three see a disabled old man with no legs on a wheelchair being pushed forward by a middle aged man "i don't know what my son did this time but please forgive him" the man says giving a makeshift bow

"What! Dad you peaked at my computer and followed me!? So embarrassing, what if Laura see's you then hates me, nothing goes right because of you!"

Raven stands...watching the man rave,

(If i never got the other body, if I don't change.....is this what i'll become?)

"Get lost!… Get lost dad!..what have you done for me?, They ignore me because of you, why did i have to grow up poor!?, Why do i look like this!?, they're prejudiced!, the government, the women..only care about money!..and looks! dirty dogs of capitalism!..."

""I've heard enough, just shut up" Yanick interrupts,

"have you actually ever tried doing something yourself?"

"Shutup! People like you don't know, the dogs like me can't escape our fate.." the man screams hysterically

"You can" Yanick states in a soft tone, a short while after the police make their way to the scene, taking the man into custody, while Yanick looks towards Raven with a proud expression,

"i like you kid, your a good person and you did a good job, i don't know where you got my number but keep it. Call anytime you're in trouble"

Laura embraces him tightly, before the police escort her towards the vehicle while another ushers he and Yanick towards the store to lockup before heading to the station.