eunoias | Running Wild

Running Wild

Who: Varon and Resa/Esmerelda Vanuatu
What: Varon has gone rogue and Dartz has hired a hunter to find him.
Where: Barcelona, Spain
When: Present Day AU

With so many variables to sort out in his life, Varon had decided to break from Doma. He never liked to conform to the rules of megalomania yet he was trapped. The Stone of the Orichalcos acted like a beacon and he knew it. He never ran from anything in his life, though this is the first time that he felt he had to. Killing was wearing him down. He saw too many faces in his dreams to keep going with his present occupation, and he wanted out.

Confronting Dartz at his current state was out of the question. The cobblestone streets of the old Barcelona bull run streets offered some comfort. A cantina tucked in the shadowed alley offered a place to rest for a while. Dismounting the yellow Suzuki Intruder Super Sport, he looked down the street. It wouldn't be long before he would be tracked down, so he figured that a small breather would be better than none at all.

Entering the cantina, he eyed around the small bar, and he took a seat in the corner. His eyes watched the door. He knew someone was coming. He just didn't know when...

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People were utterly foolish to think if they could truly run away from the Orichalcos' influence, much less so Dartz himself. It was almost a shame that she had to capture the rogue variable in such a beautiful town like this without being able to enjoy it, but she supposed that was how things were in this cruel world.

Her heels clacked against the cobblestone as Resa was in hot pursuit of Varon, and she managed to track the iconic Suzuki Intruder Super Sport, withholding a chuckle.

Did you really think that you could outrun fate? How needlessly pointless, she said as she entered the bar, sliding off her sunglasses in the process. Her long hair moved behind her as she garnered a few catcalls, simply waving them off as she took a seat opposite to Varon.

"How long were you planning on running?" she asked in an airless tone, devoid of any emotion.

Varon didn't run. Seeing the hunter and knowing that she was there to bring him back to the stronghold made it clear that he wasn't going to get out of this easily. His eyes narrowed slightly, a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The feisty Australian leaned back in his seat knowing full well that he was being cocky.

"Long enough." He lifted his boots onto the top of the table and made himself comfortable. His arms raised to cradle the back of his head. "Why don't ya cop a squat an' stay a while?"

Perhaps Varon would soon learn that it was fruitless to run just like it was foolish to outrun destiny. However, Resa made sure to act as businesslike as possible. After all, Dartz trusted her well enough to execute this order on his behalf.

"When will you ever learn?" she asked, shaking her head as she crossed her legs over one another. "You can't outrun destiny, no matter what you do."

A laugh began to bubble from Varon. Regardless what she was there for, destiny wasn't in his vocabulary like it was with the others in Doma. He lowered his feet and leaned across the table. His forefinger pointed down at the table top with a focused expression. It was as if a switch changed his entire personality.

"Destiny isn't what brought me t' Doma. I made a choice. It was either I dueled an' lived or didn't an' die. Either way, there was no destiny."

Resa's hands folded and went under her chin as she glanced at Varon, noting the slight change of personality. After all, she was more than used to something like that.

"Even so, you should know - I don't want you to be harmed," she said, giving the Aussie a frown. "That's why I asked to take this mission by myself."

"Im not ready t' go back just yet." His voice was hushed. He was searching for something that lead him here. The last thing he wanted was for his best friend to get caught up in the drama of his past. He hoped he could find what he was looking for, and he didn't want Dartz to know.

"I'm sorry, but I have t' do this." His eyes lowered on to the tabletop momentarily before they raised to look back at Resa. "I know ya mean well."

"He's going to find you regardless, and when that happens, I don't want to think of what ramifications will come." Her voice was unusually serious for a girl that was broken beyond belief a couple of years ago. Any of her loved ones being harmed terrified her, and as much as she wanted to, that voice would crop up every now and again.

She gripped the edge of her skirt, shaking her head. Right, she couldn't come out now. She was doing terrific as far as keeping in control was concerned.

"Please... come back."

Varon reached across the table and lifted her chin gently. "I will when I'm done. I promise."

Having said that, he had to return whether he wanted to or not. It wasn't freedom, it was searching for his origins. "Come with me. I'll take full blame."

Resa looked up and a smile formed as she nodded. (Thankfully, she didn't have a mental breakdown here, which she greatly appreciated.)

"All right. You're going back, right?"

"Yeah." It wasn't something that he wanted to do, but necessary. He didn't know how long he was going to be gone. His search could take days or even weeks, though he couldn't let Dartz know. He had his suspicions that he already did.

He slowly removed his hand and leaned back in his seat in his customary relaxed pose. Varon used his charm a bit too much at times.

"Why don't ya enjoy yourself while ya got th' time? Somehow, I think you could use it."

Mentally, Resa did a little cheer in her head as she gave Varon a quick little hug and then went back to her place. "Thank you. Um, I can offer any help that's necessary for you to find this thing you wanted."

Then, at his suggestion, she just merely tilted her head.

"...Has it really been that long? I swear I've been trying to take it easy!"

With a smile, he returned the hug. Being the closest thing he had to family, he wanted to protect Resa and keep her from having a break-down. Luckily, he diverted this one.

"Long enough." Varon lazily turned his head to watch a man playing a game at the other side of the cantina with a deep breath. "Don't think I recall the last time we had a vacation. Got nice beaches here. Been a while since I surfed, though playtime'll come later. I gotta find my name."

He wanted to tell her more. He wanted to explain everything to Resa about his life and how he lived, but he found it difficult to bring himself to talk bout them.

Resa listened to Varon explain what he came here for, nodding occasionally before she swallowed a bit and offered her best smile to him.

"You know... you don't have to hide stuff from me. I-I mean, I know I'm loony bin material--" That last part she kept hushed. The less people knew about that part of her past, the better. "--but I've been told I'm an extraordinarily good listener. So... if you want to tell me about your past, feel free."

His head turned toward Resa and remembered the day they met. He recalled that he was just as messed up in the head when he first arrived in Doma though the circumstances were very different between them. Varon made it his duty to protect her.

He leaned forward again to lazily draw circles on the table top. "I remember. It was somethin' I said that I'll never do, I mean, the hidin' part. Looks like I broke it, huh."

His chin was propped up by his hand. "I grew up not knowin' my family name. All the nun's had was a tiny slip of paper with my given name. Talk about tightenin' the screws on the vice."

A soft chuckle escaped him. "It's not really the nun's fault. It's not really the fault of anyone in Doma. It's just that closure, ya know?" He scowls slightly before he continues. "I know what we do isn't easy work. We're mercenaries...assassins. People like us are expendable. I wanna take what I can get now before the inevitable happens an' we die." It was a grim fate that they all faced.

He...never knew his family name...?

Family was just as touchy of a subject for her as it was for Varon. She grew to hate her family and wanted nothing more to be separated from them, especially when they didn't listen to her pleas to get her away from her then fiance, and so, she had to take matters into her own hands and kill him to make the hurting -- to make any sort of pain and misery stopped.

And that's what led her to the safety of being restrained in a straitjacket and what developed Esmerelda in the first place. She always had a fear of her second side cropping up and harming those she cared about, all as a way to protect the weaker half. It was only when she was freed and subsequently introduced into Doma was when she was able to heal and be a functioning member of society.

"You...could take my name i-if you wanted," she offered, her voice shaking a bit. "I-I know it'd be silly to call you Varon Vanuatu, but... it's something, right?"

However, what she wasn't expecting to hear was that they were to die.

Dying?

Dartz never mentioned that. Dartz didn't mention anything but good things to make the hurting stop-- Why would they die? Wasn't just doing the Orichalcos' bidding enough? Why did they have to die?! Her hands moved to her head, squeezing at it a tad to try to suppress her desires away.

"...p-please... please tell me you're lying. You've... you've gotta be lying, right?"

Teeth clinched, his jaw tight, he was beginning to hate Dartz even more for lying to her the way he had. Varon knew the facts. He saw it happen right in front of him when Gurimo was taken. To lie and wash it aside as if nothing happened and laugh as if it were some sick joke or dismiss it as a folly of some young man's foolish assumptions, either one was bad.

Instead, he nods, "I would take that name for now." His hand reached across the table once again to get Resa's attention. "Hey, look at me. I'm not gonna let anything happen to ya, a'right?"

Even if death comes, he would take it for her.

Mask, they're looking. They're watching~, Esmerelda chided as Resa did indeed notice that some people were staring at her, thinking that she was hearing whispers of her actions.

However, she did snap to attention as she dropped her hands to her sides. Right, okay. She was okay. She was better now. She wouldn't break down.

"I... All right. A-And neither will I," she said, offering him a smile. As Dartz's pet project (to some extent), she was always willing to do what was necessary to protect those who were below her.

Feeling those eyes upon them, he glared at the people quickly. He found them annoying at best but nothing worth taking out just yet. If she had her break-down, that would be a completely separate matter, and he would retaliate.

"Let's scram before these jerks decide that we're the next best thing on the gossip chain." He rose from his seat.

Resa knew the people who were staring was nothing more than table scraps on the food chain in the grand scheme of things. People like Varon and her were the top of the food chain and that was that.

"Okay. Maybe we can go to the beach?" she said, rising from her own as she straightened her skirt out as well as the rest of her clothes.

The smile he gave to her seemed a lot more personal than the one that he would give to anyone else. "I was thinkin' the same thing."

Since his time in Doma, he enjoyed the little things a lot more than he used to before. It was the little things that mattered most. His hand reached for the door and as if he was shielding her from the glares of others, his intense stare was evident that anyone that came near would get hurt...or worse.

The streets of Barcelona shown an old world beauty that he internally would miss should Doma succeed in their mission. Places like this would fade into oblivion, become nothing more than an obscure memory, yet he wanted to remember this place in particular. The reasons why he chose this place became clear. Australia will always be his home, though Barcelona will have his heart. He loved it here.

"I wish you coulda been here when they had the runnin' of the bulls." Even though he found the sport brutal and cruel, he still enjoyed seeing the bulls free.

"I've brought a swimsuit just in case," Resa commented, her own smile being one of those that she only gave to her true friends - the ones who would never hurt her or abuse her trust in the process.

She went for the door, looking over her shoulder once before nodding and walking out to where the bike was. It was a shame that this place would be naught much but a memory if their plans fell right in to place, but she was told that Atlantis was much more beautiful. But, she never really had a home - not even after the incident that caused her to snap. Ever since then, her home has always been with Dartz and his warriors.

"Do they run them regularly?" she asked. While violence was something she shied away from, she did like to see creatures, even small ones, be as free as she was.

"Once a year." He shook his head slowly in response. "It's a tradition here."

Never once had he hidden the fact that he found animals appealing in their own way. The treatment of them by humans got under his skin more than society itself. With the promise of a better life for them did help him carry out his missions.

He took the keys to his bike from his belt clip. Mounting the bike first, he flipped down the highway bars for Resa before he started the bike. With a firm motion of his foot, he kicked the stand. He motioned with his head that he was ready for Resa to get on, then lowered his goggles. Spain didn't have a helmet law which was good for him. It was one less thing to carry around.

"Ah... Well, I'm sure it was exciting either way." She offered a little solemn smile in return.

She knew of Varon's thoughts on animals, what with him taking care of a few strays when they were out on a double mission. As she teased him about it, she couldn't help but join in on the fun.

There really was no modest way to sit on a bike, so she straddled the seat and wrapped her arms around Varon's waist, nodding back that she was ready when he was. "No helmet to speak of? You're quite the rebel."

He laughed at the remark. He still followed the laws when it was necessary. The U.S. had varying laws which often made him roll his eyes most of the time and one hardly matched the other from their neighboring states. "Guess that's a good way t' put it."

He shifted the gears and with the coordination of hands and feet, the bike moved at his command. The cobblestone roads of the older parts of the city were often uncomfortable with rides, but it didn't seem to faze him all that much.

Traffic was navigable for the amount of tourism this city often received in any given part of the year. Naval personnel from different parts of the world littered the piers and hot spots. It was a scene that he was familiar with. Often he chose to be anonymous whenever he dealt with anyone unless he wanted them to know his name before he took their souls. This wasn't one of those times.

He was here for something else completely different. None of these people were his targets. He would assume they didn't exist than deal with them.

The only laws she knew of were of the British sort, and even then she tended to disregard them, especially when she was her other self. But, that was neither here nor there.

When the motorcycle moved, Resa instinctively squeezed a bit tighter and closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them. She looked around at the sights Barcelona had, admiring it from afar. The way that the sun glistened on the water and the windows was truly remarkable.

The people here were ones who she simply regarded as nothing but maggots, but she decided to be as nice as possible. If Dartz wanted her to get their souls, then so be it. But, for now, she didn't.

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