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...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

Pulling up to the parking area, the bike's engine whined on the downshift. As if it was gliding on its own merit alone, Varon's body moved along with the turns as if the machine and him were one being. It was the sort of action that took time to embrace. He didn't have to fight gravity.

Easing the machine to a stop, he lowered the kickstand and turned the bars at an angle before he removed the key. He enjoyed the world with the things that it provided. The beach was one place he could never grow tired of.

"Hope I didn't jar ya too much." He said with a slightly cocky grin with a look over his shoulder at Resa.

"If you can get past the rotten Navy people, you'll come t' like it here." He chuckled softly.

Militant groups were Amelda's biggest hatred and that sort of thinking rubbed off a little on the younger member of the Soldier's group. Raphael's contempt with society in general was bad enough and he listened to the larger man during training drone on and on about how people were greedy and needed to be wiped out. Varon never saw it that way.

Yes, he thought that society was messed up as an orphan raised on the streets and he spent time in prison listening to men talk about how they were wronged for the crimes they committed. Varon stayed quiet about his views while the two older members complained about this and that. Capitalism was Amelda's biggest hitch. Varon often felt like an outsider in these views. He didn't like drawing in unnecessary attention to himself in such ways which often made him awkward to talk to in most cases.

He waited for Resa to dismount first before he could otherwise he would accidentally kick her in the face, and that wouldn't do well for either of them when this was a trip just for fun.

Honestly, the sensation of riding on a motorcycle was something that was incomparable. There really was nothing quite like to feeling the wind go through your hair, going as fast as one could on the open road - nothing. It almost made her consider getting one herself, but she knew that her Koenigsegg CCX was more than enough for her.

She took a moment to admire the sun itself, sitting back when the bike stopped. There really were some gorgeous places here in the world still and she wanted to explore it all.

"Nah. You didn't," she replied, grinning at him. "And, that right? Well, eh - what could it hurt?"

As much as she hated any kinds of authority over the mistreatment they gave her, she knew when to shut up, look pretty, and deal with what she had in front of her. She stayed quiet as Amelda and Raphael prattled on and on about their views of people and really never displayed her own views quite that much.

But, she did know that society was fucked up. Society is what made the monster that she was today, and that's why she wanted to make them all pay - as long as she had enough hate to fuel the Orichalcos, that was all the power needed.

However, she got off of the bike and took off her tank top and her skirt, revealing a modest tankini underneath. However, it was clearly evident that there were a few scars resembling the past on her - all from forced injections or her own self-harm.

"Think you're ready for a swim?"

"Gimme a sec." Thankfully, he wasn't wearing his gear that he normally wore for Doma. The scars were their own and Varon had his to bear from fights and from social abuse. He kept his shirt on and only removed his goggles, jeans, and boots. Taking the keys from the pocket, he unlocked the storage bin under the passenger seat. His plain blue swim trunks weren't fancy in any way and he had planned on going to the beach whenever he could.

Being the smallest male of the Soldiers, it didn't bother him that he probably wouldn't get much taller. He didn't mind the jokes or being picked on for it like he once did as a youth. He was stronger now despite the scars, and he could take on anyone that questioned his strength to render them silent forever, if necessary. They served as reminders. Resa's were scars caught his attention. He glanced at them, but now wasn't the time to talk about it.

"Ready when you are." He ran toward the beach.

"All right, but the last one there is a rotten egg!" Somehow, spending time with her "family" was what helped her get rid of all her previous fears and hesitations. She knelt down and unzipped her thigh-high boots and placed them near the bike.

As far as height was concerned, she was the tallest one of the female soldiers, but definitely not the strongest in terms of physical strength. Malnourishment, on top of not loving herself was her downfall, but she definitely came a long way from the scared little girl she used to be who would flinch from the slightest touch.

Though, one thing she had to her was her speed when it came to running as she easily caught up to Varon, tapping him on the shoulder, before she passed him.

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