The Between Places are a good spot to hide out for a few days but I need more action than this little corner of the world can offer. Before I go, the head of the gypsy troupe offers to lay out some cards and look into her crystal ball. Who am I to refuse? The clock's ticking for me in this world. I'll take any shot in the dark at extending my stay.
She says my card is The Fool: capricious, whimsical but not that well versed in the ways of the world. I could have told her that. She tells me to watch out for a leopard with red fur, like that's much help. Then she says something about swords and she has my attention. There's a sword out there with my sigil, sort of a fragment of my true name. If I can find it, I can bind myself that much tighter to this work. She doesn't have much more to go on but if its in this world I should be able to find it. Instead of being cryptic she gives me some practical advice: start at the library.
I climb over the table to give her a proper thank you and goodbye. Its brief and almost chaste by my standards. After that its off to the hot rod to navigate my way back to the world.
By the time i find the boardwalk the fog has almost lifted. Once I'm across the bridge its back to the bustle of traffic and the pulse of humanity.
Meanwhile. . .
He's drunk and she's under dressed. She took a short cut and he's not taking "no" for an answer. I swear I don't have a problem with men as half the human race. I just seem to keep running into the ones who give the rest a bad rep.
Alone in a dark alley he thinks he's got all the time in the world. I can scent them on the tip of my tongue before I can even see them. The hot rod's swerving off the street before I've even consciously processed what's going on. He's too busy to notice. She's too scared to. Don't get me wrong, sex is great. Humans are great. Taking away someone's free will like this, it triggers something primal in this devil girl.
I'm on the move and he still hasn't turned. Too wrapped up in his sick fun to notice what's right behind him. Its only when my heels hit the ground that he realizes he's no longer alone. He turns and sees just another girl smaller than him, weaker than him, in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It never occurs to him to wonder why I'm dead calm as he tosses his prey aside and turns his attention to me. He's big but he's not entirely sober. He's fast but when you grow up with brothers like mine you learn a few things.
Rule #1 - Meet momentum with momentum.
Rule #2 - Don't fuck around. Aim for where you can do the most damage.
Rule #3 - End it fast.
Eventually, somewhere in his addled skull, he must realize he's out of his league and this night is not going to go as planned. By then I'm already long gone.
What I couldn't foresee is that the girl would have the composure to call the cops and lead a redheaded leopard right back to my handiwork.
Editor's Note: Special thanks to Jacc and Aelva. Its worth noting that Jacc is actually a great guy. He just plays a rapist in the comic.
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