dontlookmyway (dontlookmyway) wrote in 2145ic, @ 2018-04-22 21:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | rez, sonny |
Safehousing
Who: Rez and Sonny
Setting: Rez' place
The alert going off on the screen to his left pulled Rez out of the video he was editing. He’d done some scenes earlier, recording himself and now he was splicing together the better parts for the upload, but that was a special alert. One that didn’t really go off anymore.
It was probably weird to some, keeping the basis of his mother’s neural transmitter online, at least the part that could send and receive messages, but it had come in handy from time to time. It was a good base point for starting level encryption, tied to a dead woman, if for some reason someone could trace it back that far (they couldn’t), but more than that, there were still people that reached out to his mother. There were a lot less now that she’d been dead well over a year, but there were still some.
Like right now.
Rez accepted the request, frowning at the somewhat familiar name. He scratched his head, tapping at the enhancement that changed the color of his hair, flicking through a few options while he thought. After a moment he answered, directions for this long forgotten person to meet his mother at the usual spot. Then he shut down what he was working on and grabbed a jacket.
The clinic his mother and another nurse had run wasn’t open anymore. It was still there, weirdly enough, but part of that was Rez’ doing, another part out of respect. The community knew who’d died there, how, and they didn’t want to move into the sacred space. So it stayed as it was, a back alley entrance to what had been a deli or a butcher’s or something. Everything had been repurposed and while Rez had gotten rid of most of the useful things in the space, the stainless steel operating tables weren’t something someone wanted. And that was where he went, slipping through fake wall that had been put in years ago, sitting cross-legged on the table, hair a brilliant shade of pink, clothes what he’d worn in his video, loud, flashy, and a pair of glasses that were more purple tinted than glasses.
Sonny had come alone. Leaving Lia in a safe enough space, not willing to take her straight in. No matter what she thought. No matter how much he’d trusted his contact. He’d just set a bomb off under the city - he was going in alone.
They needed help. They needed a safe place they could lay low for a while and decide what the hell they were going to do next. There weren’t many people in this world that Sonny trusted, but she was one of them. The nurse that had helped him before. Turned his life around. She’d been the obvious contact to reach out to and he’d been so relieved when she’d given him a time and a place.
So, when he walked in and instead saw some little shit of a guy sitting there, he was immediately on guard. Posture defensive, but ready to go on the offence, his hand hovered by the hidden belt knife at his waist.
Rez canted his head to the side at the sight of the bigger man, fighting back a laugh. Well, look at that. Not dead, not the threat his mother had turned the man into ages ago. Still, same scowl, which just made sense didn’t it? “Hey there,” he greeted with a finger wave. “You don’t need that. I’m not armed.” Of course the place was wired, cameras that Rez had put in ages ago after his mother died, but before the clinic closed its doors. They were old, but the quality would be fine. They weren’t recording. Not yet. He didn’t quite feel threatened yet.
“Sonny, yeah?” he said, hopping off the table and heading for the man. He was taller, which sucked. Rez was usually the tallest in a room. “So, why’d you call?”
Sonny glared down, face a mask. “Who are you?” he asked, his tone wary, edging on aggressive. His hand didn’t move. He didn’t look round the room - he had no need to. He’d already checked everything when he entered. To do so now would simply be for show, and he’d have to take his eyes off a potential threat.
“Forgot already,” Rez said, hand to his chest. “I mean, it’s insulting enough that you don’t know who I am because you should know who I am, even a big guy like you. Then again, you kinda look like the ‘lives under a rock because it’s good for my skin and my scowl’ sort, so what do I know.” Rez, tapped his lower lip, like he was really taking all of Sonny in. “It does do wonders for that scowl.” He waved a hand. “No, I’m insulted, really, because you’ve already forgotten me. That I made no lasting impression, despite being an adorable child. That’s a damn shame is what that is.” He turned and went back to his table, hopping up to sit on it again. “So, since you’re in my space, how about we play this my way. Why did you call her?”
Sonny raised a brow and patiently waited for the thing in front of him to stop babbling whilst he eyed the pink hair, unimpressed. “She said if I ever needed her, I could call,” he said, tightly. “You’re not her - so why don’t you tell me why you’re here and not her.” He wanted to walk. He wanted to turn heel and get out of here, but their choices were limited right now. He didn’t have anywhere else to turn to. He had to see this through.
“The million dollar question, isn’t it sunshine,” Rez said, crossing his feet at the ankles and kicking them in the air. “If you remembered me, you’d know why I answered.” Though maybe not all of why. “What do you need?” he asked instead, curious what this man was after. “You hurt?” He didn’t look hurt, well if someone ignored the stick shoved so far up his ass it had to be impacting brain functionality.
Sonny’s scowl deepened and he looked past the hair to his face. There was something about the jawline, the shape of his eyes. Less a lot of puppy fat and… “You’re her son,” he said, his expression clearing, though his stance was no less wary. “Where is she?”
“There is more to you than hair,” Rez said with a smirk before shrugging. “Dead. Heaven, the wires, whatever you subscribe to. I’m still on the fence about all of that. Which is why I’m asking again, for the last time, what do you want?” His voice went from flirty and flamboyant to serious, his look matching Sonny’s scowl with just as much distaste.
Sonny couldn’t hide the look of upset and distress at the news. “...She said if I ever needed her, I could call,” he repeated, falling back on old habits. Everyone expected the dumb brute and he tended to give it to them. “My friend and I… we need somewhere to lay low for a while. I hoped she could help. I can pay. Real credits, if you can use them, or I have a stash. Things that’ll trade well.”
The look of distress hit Rez a little harder than he would have liked. He liked being the tough guy when it came to things, but honestly, his mom’s death had almost broken him. He nodded though, figuring that was the truth. His mother said that to a lot of people. Especially the walking miracles like Sonny here. “Only people in Harlem that want your credits are the slum lords,” he said with disdain. Still...His mother would have helped the guy. And in a way Rez did feel like he should do something.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked instead. “And how low? Off the CCTV radar or just away from your friend’s abusive husband or whatever?” he asked, because those were different things. There was hiding and there was hiding.
“The slum lords aren't getting shit from me,” Sonny growled. They'd taken too much from him already. Sonny would go begging to the addicts in Central Park before he'd bend a knee to a slum lord.
He considered the other question, but came to the conclusion he had little choice but to trust this guy. “Magnolia Starling. One of the Highers took offence to her business. Sent a private army to take her down. Let's call it a draw. She's out of business for now, but they're down an army. So can you help us, or not?”
“I feel the same way. Usually I prefer to take from them,” Rez said with a smirk. He’d helped strip more than one building when no one was looking, yanking out anything that had a trade value on the street. And he’d helped hide the whole thing from the cameras.
At the name he arched his brow. “Shit, no. You? With the,” Rez made his face as scowly as Sonny’s, “and her? Magnolia Starling. The Madam of the city? Shit. Go you.” He looked at least reasonably impressed. “Of course I can help you. I just wanted to know what the situation was. Can’t go giving you antibiotics if you need stitches,” he said with a wave of his hand. “You wanna stay in Harlem? Or go elsewhere?”
Sonny wasn’t amused at all at Rez’ reaction to Lia - even if he did settle on appearing impressed, that kind of thing didn’t impress Sonny. “Harlem for now,” he said. He knew Harlem, knew the people, knew the back alleys and where to go and where to stay away from. “Long term… not sure yet,” he admitted.
Rez tapped the side of his head, thinking that over. “Alright, Harlem for now. Long term though, you don’t want to be here. Can’t get anything done here. And I imagine neither of you just wants to lay lower for long.” He smiled for a moment, then set things right. He knew a few things, people owed him a few favors. “Alright. I think I might know something. “Not pretty, but it’s safe. It’s out of the view of the landlords, which is a good idea, because you’re probably still wanted man if someone finds out you aren’t dead.”
“Don’t need pretty,” Sonny said, scowling at the correct presumption. Everyone round here thought he was dead. Had been dead for a decade or more now. He’d hope that they wouldn’t recognise him any longer, but Sonny wasn’t exactly a guy who blended. He tended to be pretty damn memorable. “What’s it gonna cost?” he asked. He wasn’t idiot enough to think that things came for free. If he wasn’t paying then someone would be and he’d prefer to be holding those strings firmly.
Rez copied Sonny’s scowl, mockingly before rolling his eyes. “Not sure yet. Might be nothing. I haven’t decided how I feel about you or what you’re worth. I need to see if my mom was right about you.” He smiled, then clearly ignored Sonny for a moment as a new alert came in. “Got it. I’ll send you the address,” he suggested.
Sonny leveled him a look. “We can pay,” he said, seriously. “Don’t want you to decide that we’re not worth it and you can get better elsewhere.” Afterall, he had no reason to trust this punk.
Rez arched a brow at Sonny. “You really think that low of me? Of her son? Jesus, you are a dick.” He shook his head. “She nursed you back to health. Everyone was sure you were dead, but she thought you deserved a second chance. All I’m saying is that I’m gonna see if you’ve done well with her gift or not and then we’ll figure out price. Because if you are the man she thought you were, that woman would haunt my ass for not helping you, no questions asked.” Rez hopped off the table then sent over the address with a blink of his eyes. “But if it turns out your back to your old ways, then you don’t deserve what she gave you.”
“She nursed me back to health. You were just a kid. You don’t owe me anything and I don’t know you.” Sonny scowled as he received the address, but nodded. He knew where that was and it’d be fine. Anything would be fine. “I’m not the man I used to be. That kid was an idiot. In too deep before he even what was happening. That kid died when I was meant to and I have no regrets about that. You don’t need to worry about me sullying your mother’s memory.”
“Yeah, and she raised me.” And Rez was determined to live up to her memory as well. “I would hope not. She had a soft spot for you.” He smiled, unable to help himself before shaking his head. “I’ll have some stuff sent over. Just keep low until I figure out what to do with you.” He leaned back against the table. “They say why they raided you? Or well, you have any idea? Like what tipped them off or whatever?”
Sonny smiled a little in response, before he scowled again. “Spoiled rich kid who didn’t like the idea that we have rules and consent is right up there at number one. I banned him and his friends and they came back with an army.” He paused and shrugged. “Some of them will have lived to regret it.”
Rez scowled for real this time. That didn’t sit right with him either. “He’s lucky you didn’t castrate him.” He tapped his chin, then grinned, something full of mischief. “Get me a name,” he added. “I might know a guy.”
Sonny really did smile then. “I blew up his army. Who knows - he might have been with them.” Sonny doubted it though. Cowards that raped women to feel strong got other people to do their fighting for them. He brought up the files and transferred them across. “In case you know a guy.”
See? That part Rez could get behind. He was already encrypting the name and files, making notes to send them over to Lore when he had a spare moment. “Just in case.” He winked at Sonny. “So, go on, get out of here. And stay low. You don’t blend in, even with the new hair.”
Sonny rolled his eyes. “Guys like me aren’t designed to blend in.” He looked Rez up and down. “Apparently neither are guys like you,” he deadpanned, zeroing in on the hair.
“Like that huh?” Rez said, laughing a little and tapping the trigger to change it from the pink to an electric blue. “M’still pissed you don’t know who I am beyond knowing who my mom is. You live under a rock.” He shook his head. “But see, you stand out, because you are all,” he waved his hand at Sonny. “This. I stand out because I want to.”
“I lived in an abandoned subway station, so yeah - that’s kinda under a whole lot of rocks,” Sonny pointed out. Watching the change was kinda fascinating though, and he quirked a little, entertained smile at that. “I keep my people safe - I don’t have a whole lot of time or reason for anything else out there.” He didn’t follow the social fashions. He had a business to run - though it was never put in those terms. And, hell, he didn’t even have that any more. They both stood out because image was an important part of them and the way they wanted the world to view them. Which Sonny didn’t say, because that was another important part of the way he wanted the world to view him. As a guy who never had deeper thoughts.
“Oh, so he’s got jokes now? Cute,” Rez said with a roll of his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.” He did smile though, unable to help himself. “But alright, alright, you do your thing. Then I say, go do it. Take care of the madam and I’ll see what I can do to make you comfortable, yeah?”
Sonny levelled a look at Rez. “She has a name,” he said, his tone suddenly tight, serious and more than a little threatening. He hated when people reduced Lia to a role, like she wasn’t actually a person and if he had to crash and burn this entire deal with make the point then, well, he hadn’t actually hesitated before making it.
Rez arched a brow at that. Oh man, this guy had it bad didn’t he? “She’s also got a reputation and a formidable presence, which I’m imagining is what you’ve been hired to guard,” he said, though he doubted the words after he said them. He actually had a feeling it might run a lot deeper than that for Sonny. What an idiot. “And tell Miss Magnolia I send my love,” he added.
Sonny levelled a look, though it wasn’t clear what statement it was toward. “Thanks for the address,” he said, before turning and heading for the door.