Storm Chaser (Job)

[Lepa]

"Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Yolette's feet came to a stop. Her shoulders dipped with a sigh. Another voice called out to her.

"Yeah, yeah! After all of that sweet talkin', you're not just gonna leave us hangin' like that, are ya?!"

The woman turned back to face the small group of young men, smiling brightly.

"Sorry boys," She shrugged. "I'd love to play with the whole lot of ya, but..." She trailed off, pursed her lips into a playful pout. "I got things to do, yanno?" The woman coyly tapped an index finger to her lip. "Perhaps another time, hmm?"

"Aww, what?" One of them frowned in disappointment. "C'mooon!" He whined, his tone almost child-like. "You said you'd join us for karaoke! I'll pay for ya spot! Honest!"

For a group of guys just hanging about and goofing off around the city, they seemed like a nice bunch. Really, they did. Yolette had lucked out when she joined them earlier that day; it was always a gamble when it came to dealing with men, and she had her fair share of dealing with the more... unsavory types. But these guys? They were well behaved (comparatively, at least) and were more than happy to have a plucky little lady among them.

Yolette didn't quite share the same enthusiasm, however. It's not that she intended to deceive them, but.... She had received... some sort of anonymous threat in the morning, so her first reaction? Find safety in numbers. If someone was watching her every move, waiting to strike, then perhaps they wouldn't be so eager to kill with about half a dozen witnesses around.

At least, that's what she had hoped.

And It seemed to work. After being on guard all day, she hadn't noticed anyone strange or suspicious following them. It didn't hurt to be too careful, but after a day of humoring the herd, she felt that the threat subsided and it was safe enough to make her way home. The problem? She had tried to leave twice already, but they kept insisting she stay. They were nice, she had thought, but if this went on any longer, she feared they might get too unruly...

"I'm just a little tired, that's all..." Yolette yawned, clasping a hand over her mouth. "So I'd like to get some errands out of the way before the day's done..." She began to turn to leave, only to bump into one of the boys. The group had caught up to her.

"We'll go with ya!" It was the one who first caught her leaving. "...Whether ya like it or not."

Yolette forced another smile. Great, she thought. Just what she needed. She really didn't want to keep wasting her time, which meant it was time to plan her escape. Her eyes darted around casually, hoping to find an easy route, but alas - it seemed like the group had her surrounded. Whether they strategically planned this or not, the only free space behind her was a short, dead end alleyway with a tough brick wall. There was nothing there that she could use to help herself climb out of the mess, she noted, so... It looked like she was better off blinking away out of sight. Sure, who knows where she might end up if she went through the surrounding buildings, but it was nothing another quick teleport couldn't fix.

As she mentally ran through her little escape plan, another thought struck her - one of them had offered to pay for her admission into karaoke. Surely, that meant... they wouldn't mind if she stole a few bucks on the way out, right? Right. Okay, new plan; she'd just have to put on the innocent doe act just a bit longer. Then, when their guards were lowered... yoink! A wallet or two scored! Sure, Yolette had tried to curb her old thieving habits, but sometimes certain types of people deserved it. These were those certain types of people.

"Ah! You're a bit too close...!" Yolette squeaked, turning up the helplessness in her voice. "I just need to pick up a few things from the store, that's all!" She protested. "You've all been very nice, but...!" The woman began to back into the alleyway, and the group slowly followed. Perfect, she thought. Just a bit more, and she'd (hopefully) score some sweet dollaroonies!

[The Izzack]

Job had been spending most of his day bouncing along buildings in the city, and keeping an eye out for any trouble. He didn't owe these people anything, but...well, it was better to do a good deed here then have to deal with troublemakers coming to him. It was simple logic, even if Syl often mocked him for it.

speaking of the little devil, Syl flew up beside him, forming into the shape of a young woman as she neared. "There's so many people around this area, Job! They seem like they're having a lot of fun, too! We should join them!" the little apparition cooed.

"Maybe later, Syl."Job responded half-heartedly.

"Ugh! You always say later!" Syl protested, twirling melodramatically before laying down in the air, head propped up on her elbows, staring Job straight in the eyes. "Later this! Later that! But later never comes!"

"That's sort of the nature of 'later', isn't it?" Job chuckled despite himself. "Anyway, speaking of later, it's getting late. Perhaps w-"

"Where do you think you're going?"

the voice snapped Job out of his conversation near instantly. "Job, what was that?" Syl asked, but Job merely leaped down to a nearby rooftop in response.

Quietly, Job listened to the conversation taking place. This wasn't good. Not one bit. As the woman backed into the alley, he made his move. Without hesitation, he leaped from the rooftop onto the ground below, separating the woman from these thugs. He stood up straight steadily, and pointed his spear at the one closest to him "The woman asked to leave." he said simply, though he doubted these idiots would see reason so easily.

[Lepa]

The men stared for a moment, dumbfounded by this man, quite literally, dropping in.

The one closest to Job - the one staring at the other end of his spear - eventually broke the silence with a loud guffaw. The group soon followed suit.

"Check out this idiot!" He laughed, motioning to Job, though he did take a notable step back away from his spear. "Whas the matter?" He waved a hand to Job's weapon mockingly. "Compensating for something?" The others laughed again - well, maybe save for one who seemed ready to book it. "C'mon, what, you think you can play hero?" He snerked. "News flash, bucko - we outnumber ya."

...Well. This wasn't part of Yolette's plan.

Who's this bozo? she thought to herself, her forehead wrinkling ever so slightly. Just slightly. Even with the appearance of this unexpected guest, she couldn't risk cracking the little facade she had going. Though, maybe this was her fault for not thinking her plan through - after all, Aster City was known for its... unique population of of heroes, villains, and everything in between. She should have accounted for the possibility of some goodie two-shoes (literally) dropping in on them, no matter how unlikely it seemed, even in a ratty neighborhood like this.

Yolette was just thankful that she just happened to be playing the victim.

The woman took the opportunity to step back, tightly pressing her arms to her chest as the men began their uproarious laughter. Although she continued her innocent lamb among wolves act, she carefully eyed the newcomer before her. He was definitely taller than her, even in his readied position. He looked to be wearing... some kind of formal wear? Wait... was that... a uniform?

Ooh.

Looking closer, the material on his clothes even seemed to faintly outline what appeared to be a nice set of muscles.

Ooh.

So, let's review, Yolette thought to herself. I play up being in trouble, and a presumably strong, chivalrous, uniformed man drops from the sky to protect me from a couple of slime balls. It's not every day that that's happened to her.

Perhaps this bozo jumping in wasn't so bad after all.

That is, assuming he was capable enough...

[The Izzack]

For a brief moment, Job was taken aback by the complete lack of respect given to him. He was still getting used to this strange land, but he was pretty sure that a spear to the face would not provoke laughter, no matter the land. "Compensating? At least I don't think that more numbers means a higher chance of...success" he allowed himself a brief smirk at his joke before he cast his face once more into a stern mask. "If you want a demonstration as to how well I play hero, however, feel free to try me. There's a hell of a lot that I can do to you without drawing too much blood." he threatened, dropping into a battle ready stance.

"They don't outnumber you too badly, Job! After all, you got your plucky little side kick here to help you out!" Syl assured Job, though she remained hidden from the others.

"Not now, gotta focus, let me know what you see." Job muttered under his breath in response, hoping that nobody was listening too carefully. "What's the matter, lose your nerve when it isn't some poor woman you're hounding!?" he challenged the thugs passionately.

[Lepa]

Hot damn. The fact that this was all happening... well, it almost seemed too good to be true. For all the justice and bravado most heroes seemed to tout, it never seemed like one ever really came to Yolette's aid when she needed it before. Whoever this guy was almost seemed like one of those fantasy princes from fairy tales. At least, that's what it seemed at first glance... Maybe she was just projecting. She just hoped it didn't turn out that he had an ugly mug or something - she'd still yet to see his face, after all.

The closest young man quickly scrunched his face into a scowl. "What was that?" He sneered in response to Job's words. "Don't get too cocky, you stick wielding weirdo!" He glanced in the corner of his eye, holding his hand palm up. Without missing a beat, one of his friends quickly armed him with a metal pipe. The most of the others scrambled for other objects, though none were potentially as dangerous as the pipe.

"Ohhh, this is not looking good..." Yolette gulped, though she couldn't help but smile nervously. Maybe it was because of how quick they were to violence? Maybe it was because she underestimated them. Sure, she could probably have escaped even if she was alone, but... Maybe it was just a bit startling considering how nice they had been to her earlier throughout the day. Boy, she sure hoped this spear guy knew what he was doing.

"You think you're so tough with that dumb twig of yours?" The pipe wielder growled. "Let's see how smug you'll be once I bash your brains in!" He snarled, charging straight for Job.

[The Izzack]

"Well, at least he isn't all talk." Job thought to himself shortly before the man charged at him. He waited for the man to swing the pipe, then as soon as he had extended himself too much to take back the strike, Job flung himself to one side, and struck his spear right at the improvised weapon, sending it, and the arm holding it, wide, leaving the thug defenseless. With a loud battle shout, he pulled his spear back and brought the blunt end smashing down towards his foe's head, only to bring it back again and thrust it hard to the man's side, seeking to drive the wind from him. These idiots may be dangerous, but they didn't seem to be worthy of killing. At least, not yet. "Anybody else want to take on the 'Stick wielding weirdo'? Because I'm done playing." he growled, leveling the blade of his spear once more towards the others. He didn't feel like killing anybody, but there was a hell of a lot you could do to someone without killing them.

[Lepa]

"What the-" was all the guy could manage to say before he was bashed in the head. As he began to swear out in pain, a harsh, strangled wheeze exited his mouth when Job struck at his side. The man stumbled away from him and fell over, clutching at himself. He was definitely not expecting that, though he was hardly in any condition to realize that.

Yolette couldn't help but get chills.

She didn't quite understand why.

No, that was a lie - she knew damn well why. Rather... She wasn't sure why her mind kept playing this out like she was in some Damsel in Distress being saved by Prince Whatshisface. After all, she'd been forced to fend for herself for all of her life. Sure, people have helped her out or did a few favors here and there, but... no one had ever really... physically defended her like this before.

Yolette shook her head. Geez, was she really this starved? She had to snap out of it. She had to keep herself grounded. No matter how nice his clothes were or how strong he looked, nothing in the world was free. There was no way this "hero" was just... doing this out of the goodness of his own heart. Surely he'd ask for some sort of favor afterwards. She might even have to make a break for it... without even getting to loot these guys. Sigh.

"Anybody else want to take on the 'Stick wielding weirdo'? Because I'm done playing."

(...Chills again.) Yolette internally cursed. (That needs to stop!)

The group had meanwhile fallen silent at the swift, minimal beating that Job administered. Though they stood their ground, judging from how taut their their faces were in an effort to stay poker-faced, they definitely seemed to be having second thoughts. One of them (who hadn't even picked up a makeshift weapon) went and immediately cheesed it out of the ally. And yet, no matter how much the others wanted to follow, the betrayal of their comrade only seemed to steel their resolve. They still outnumbered Job, after all.

That was a fact they wordlessly agreed to take advantage of. With angry shouts, the group charged forward at once, hoping to overpower the man who took down one of their own.

[The Izzack]

Again, Job waited for the men to close in before he sprung into action. Once the time was right, he began a dangerous dance, swinging and deflecting in a controlled chaos difficult at best to comprehend. With Syl whispering warnings to him, he seemed almost supernaturally gifted in combat as he swung and stabbed at those who closed in from behind him. Even now, he refrained from aiming for anything vital, even these idiots didn't deserve to die in such a filthy place. That didn't stop him from using the blade of his spear, however. He was much more liberal with that aspect when one of the men got too close to the woman, as it was.

Sadly, he couldn't find a good opportunity to put away any of these men in such a decisive way as the first one. The others were too good at keeping him alone for too long. Even so, he didn't feel too concerned about the outcome of this fight. "Like fighting a bunch of children." he taunted, hoping to goad one of his opponents into foolhardy action.

[Lepa]

Yolette couldn't believe how stupid good this spear guy was at fighting. Guess he was legit after all... Maybe a bit too legit. She had silently hoped that one of the guys would slip past him, allowing her to do some work of her own and yoink a wallet, but alas - the fighter refused to let anyone through. At least that wasn't necessarily a bad thing... She had to admit that watching him was a bit mesmerizing, too. It was like watching a fight scene out of an action movie, except... real. The petty thief even managed to catch a few glimpses of his face, though it was difficult to clearly make it out with all of the movement he was doing, along with all of the other bodies in the way. She was just glad that he was on her side.

...Especially when it was painfully clear that none of these people were trained in fighting like Job was. Despite their numbers advantage, the group was already starting to falter from the spearman's expertly placed strikes and stabs. Had Job faced them all one on one, this would've been over as quickly as the first "fight." Yet, the group knew that this was their weakness, and so they relied on ganging up.

But as soon as Job taunted them? One of them - the one who had equipped his fallen comrade with the lead pipe - immediately forgot this unwritten rule. He fell for the bait, angrily yelling something in response. It sounded like gibberish, but perhaps it was a command to his friends, judging from how they all seemed to pause. Or maybe the sudden shout startled them into hesitation. Either way, he charged past them, wielding an old, splintery 2x4 plank of wood. How this could stand up to an actual weapon one on one, he had no idea, but anger didn't really make a person rational. All he knew was that a blunt object to the face was sure to do something.

If it could even hit.

[The Izzack]

Finally.

Job wanted to be done with this foolishness, and it seemed that he had finally gotten his chance to end this little fight. Once again, he waited for the thug to close in on him, and he waited for the strike to pass that point of no return, and then he struck. Like a viper's bite, he stabbed his spear at the offending weapon, knocking it away without too much trouble. Then, he released his grip on the spear just long enough to move his left hand back to the end of the haft, and then immediately thrust it into his opponent's right foot. While his foe leaned forward in pain, Job swung his right fist into his face as hard as he could, letting the unfortunate fool's momentum help him as much as it could.

Job didn't wait to see the full results of his attack. With the punch landed, he violently pulled the spear from the man's foot, and thrust it towards the others, letting them take in the gleaming blade coated in their friend's fresh blood. "I'm done with the non-lethal approach. Run while you still can." he said, eerily calmly to hide his bluff.

[Lepa]

"GYAAAAAHHHH!!!"

That was what the man screeched out shortly before Job clocked him in the face and knocked him on his back. He howled an innumerable amount of swears as he clenched at his foot, his face scrunched up in pain. The initial anger and shock in his voice had quickly vanished over the span of 3 seconds, lowering into a series of whimpering sobs. His eyes were tightly shut, blindly hoping he could just will the pain away.

"I'm done with the non-lethal approach. Run while you still can."

The group remained still, dumbfounded, almost as if they forgot how to move at all. It only took one of them to run away for the others to quickly regain their senses and immediately follow his lead. Two or three of them stayed behind to drag away their fallen comrades, glancing up every so often at Job in fear of him attacking again while they were fleeing. It wasn't worth dying for some broad.

The last of them vanished around the corner, their footsteps on concrete growing softer in the distance. The alleyway was now emptied, save for the two people who remained.

Yolette herself was taken aback by the spearman's action. She had wasted no time in backing away the second he drew blood. Even with the threat gone, she instinctively kept some distance between them, pressing her back against the dead end brick wall. If he turned on her, there was no way she could afford for him to attack her from behind. All she could do was put on a brave face and wait for his next move.

[The Izzack]

"...Well. I suppose those cretins won't be bother you anym-." Job stopped mid sentence as he looked back towards the lady he had just fought to protect. She...certainly didn't seem like a lady that had just been defended. At least, she didn't look grateful in the slightest.

"I think you scared her, Job. What with the whole 'stabby stabby' bit." Syl offered, seeming unconcerned with whether or not she was right.

"I guess that'd do it..." Job mumbled under his breath in response to the invisible girl's suggestion. With a small sigh, he turned his attention back on Yolette. He ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair, and tried his best to seem casual, which was, to be honest, a terrible attempt. "Like I was saying. You should be safe now...Name's Job...what's yours?" he asked, letting his hair fall back down to hide the scars on his forehead. He winced when he thought of that. This girl was terrified, and in an attempt to make him seem safer, he might have just made it worse, showing old battle wounds. Whatever. Live and learn.

[Lepa]

Yolette kept her back pressed against the wall. She couldn't quite get a good look at his face when he faced her, and she couldn't help but raise a brow when he looked aside and muttered to himself. Was he thinking out loud? Or... Oh no, was he crazy? She had to remain alert. She couldn't let this guy get the one up on-

"Like I was saying. You should be safe now... Name's Job... what's yours?"

The odd grimace that followed puzzled Yolette - she didn't quite catch the scars - but it only took a second before she visibly relaxed. Now that she could properly see the stranger that saved her, she pressed a hand to her chest, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't attack her. The woman had spent her whole life learning to read people, after all, and from Job's awkward, forced tone and his uncertain mannerisms, Yolette learned something very important:

This guy had the social skills of a brick.

Perfect.

She'd tease him a little.

Yolette pushed away from the wall, brushing herself off. "Aherherm!" The woman cleared her throat into her fist, her posture much more confident and upright. "So... Job, eh?" She smiled, also keeping her tone casual; much more genuinely so. "That's a name, that's a name..." She put a hand to her chin and nodded in assessment. "Mine's... Yolette," she answered almost shyly, folding her hands behind her back.

"Boy, that was some fancy pole work, huh?" The woman tilted her head, tapping a finger to her chin. Her demeanor was now surprisingly playful for someone who just had their back against the wall. "I much appreciate it, mister Job," she thanked him, slowly walking towards him. "In fact..." Yolette stopped short in front him. Her arms were folded behind her back as she looked up at him rather coyly. "I'll be more than happy to pay you back," she purred. The woman leaned forward, placing her almost face to face with Job. Turns out... he wasn't half bad looking. Yolette was just hoping to fluster him, but... maybe she wouldn't mind a quick peck...

[The Izzack]

"P-pay...? Th-that's!" Job stammered, stumbling backwards. It appeared that the man who had no fears going toe to toe with a group of violent thugs wasn't completely fearless

"Wow, ladies here are a whole lot more forward than they are back home, huh?" Syl mused idly, "So...are you gonna take her up on her offer?"

"No way!" Job immediately reacted, barely keeping the response below a whisper. "Uh...I mean, there is no need for...payment, ma'am. I make due without the money of those I help." he said, trying to appear naive as to what this woman's 'payment' would entail. After all, if...such things were left out of it, it would be easier to...focus. "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Yolette. Do you need assistance in getting back to your home?" he offered, inwardly hoping that she would refuse him.

[Lepa]

"Pfft...!" Yolette couldn't help but snerk, covering her mouth to hide her obvious giggles. He had just the sort of reaction she was hoping for! Seeing him fight so fiercely and precisely, only for him to stumble when she offered a standard hero's reward... it was cute to see him vulnerable, even if for a moment. And as much as she enjoyed toying around, it did genuinely help dispel any remaining fears she had of him.

"Uh...I mean, there is no need for...payment, ma'am. I make due without the money of those I help."

"Aww, how humble," Yolette cooed, though her tone of endearment almost sounded mocking. It was difficult to tell, though. _{"Too bad money wasn't exactly what I was talkin' about..."} She added under her breath, looking aside with a small smile of disappointment.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you, Yolette. Do you need assistance in getting back to your home?"

Gasp!

"Would you?!" The woman rather excitedly clasped her hands around one of Job's, looking to him with a twinkle in her eyes. Normally, Yolette wouldn't present herself as so eager, but the spearman's demeanor practically begged for the act. Though, she wasn't entirely pretending, either - she was, admittedly, still a little bit excited by the whole... "protection" thing he had going on. And if he insisted on keeping it up longer? "Oh, that would be great!" She smiled. She then dropped her shoulders with a sigh, glancing aside. "I actually got-" she lowered her voice briefly, _{"some kind of threat earlier in the morning..."} she cleared her throat again. "and while I'm pretty sure that danger's passed, it doesn't hurt to have a little... protection, yanno?" Yolette shrugged with a wink, rubbing Job's hand. There was no innuendo or suggestion behind it, but she figured it'd fluster him all the same.