Gods be damned if I have to sit on this cursed train any longer. Griffin projected silently as he cast his gaze out beyond the painfully restricting confines of the locomotive as it chugged along the tracks that grazed the hillsides, cutting into the landscape like a knife to flesh. He rested his weary head against the window, the side of his face pressed to the frosted glass as he watched the distant cities shrink in the presence of the horizon, obscured by the beads of condensation that clung to it's chilled surface. Anything to be seen from within the terribly claustrophobic convey was dreadfully dull. Cities from afar certainly weren't as exciting as they had a tendency to be up-close. With a quick glance back at the uninspiring old-fashioned interior of the train and a brief search for the clock that hung above the door into the car, he determined the current time. A quarter past noon and still not a sign of Xastristan. It had been hours since Griffin had boarded en route to the infamous and universally dreaded capital of Xastristan and yet it still managed to feel like days. He sighed halfheartedly.
How he despised transportation. He'd much rather use his own two feet to get where he needed to go. However, he was needed urgently in other places, so it wasn't as if he had much of a choice; he was to deliver an artifact. He peered down longingly at the glimmering piece of finely designed gold, crafted with the care and attention of a master craftsman to take the shape of a bejeweled dragon. The great serpent snaked and coiled around itself many times over, forever imprisoned in it's own impermeable pride. It's imposing ruby eyes stared back at him with his own, distorted reflection, capturing Griffin in it's solemn crimson gaze. He could have sworn it spoke to him, as if it had an otherworldly element to it's being. Of course, it could have just been the lust he had for anything shiny or particularly captivating.
Griffin's trance was interrupted unexpectedly as the sliding door leading into train car was abruptly forced open, alerting him to the sudden presence of a very sharply dressed woman. Her startlingly cynical glare burrowed ruthlessly into Griffin's chest, clawing at him from the inside out. Everything about her was bad news; from the subtle but noticeable way she reached toward her neatly pressed black dress as if to draw a firearm at any given moment, to the wonderfully mischievous way she bit her lip. But what was oddly peculiar about her, Griffin remarked, was the vaguely familiar emblem exhibited by the buckle that adorned the belt hugging her curvaceous waist.
Griffin hastily hid the golden dragon in the cloak that veiled his body like a shadow, returning the woman's disgruntled glower in hopes that she'd just continue on her way. Instead, she moved with the agility and roguish grace of a fox to plop down beside him, drawing a leg upwards to ghost just beside his. So it was one of these people.. Griffin paid no attention to the woman, diverting his face from hers. Hopefully she'd just get bored and go pester someone else. Visibly annoyed with his reaction, the woman placed a hand in his lap and leaned forward, leaving little consideration for 'personal space'.
"Mind telling little ol' me what you're hiding in there?" She hummed melodically, grinning at him faintly.
There was no reply as Griffin continued to casually block out her existence. The woman fumed. Pressing on even farther, she slipped a seductive chuckle and reached forward, tugging at his cloak toyingly. "Come now. Don't be shy-"
Without thinking twice, Griffin slapped her away sharply, causing her to flinch violently, holding the back of her hand which now stung from the sudden contact. She grunted in surprised, opening her mouth to protest, yet no words escaped. It wasn't what Griffin intended, but it worked. Although, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he saw her shocked expression. Perhaps now she would decide that he wasn't worth the trouble.
To his interest, the woman remained resilient. Her devilish smirk once again plastered to her lips as she came closer to murmur something out of the earshot of others. "Your little trinket is worth more than you could imagine. I'm certain your employer has kept such things from you. So what do you say? Five million." She hissed under her breath, admitting to her true objective. It was true; they likely were giving him an unfair reward for his find. Unfortunately for her, Griffin appreciated his contacts and was not one to dismiss them for a bit more pocket money. After all, when it came to having allies, trust was the most valuable of rewards. Once one proved unreliable, one proved unworthy. To loose credibility would be a devastating blow to his reputation.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer, as tempting as it may be.." He replied as he arose from his seat in the booth. The shady lackey wouldn't take no for an answer and swiftly slid into his way, blocking him from leaving her company. She grazed her bottom lip with her teeth, pulling at the lipstick caked flesh with her pearly white incisors. Her hand stalked up his chest exposed behind his cloak before dancing under his chin. She seemed to dismiss the fact that he was a synthetic and wasn't 'affected' by her attempts to seduce him nor did she appear at all phased by his undoubtedly inhuman appearance. What a strange creature.. , Griffin observed, intent to find out her affiliation. Who was she with? He had his suspicions but none of them quite fit the bill with her, especially considering none of them carried the emblem that she bore. "There will be consequences..." She purred pleasantly, masking her frustration with a calm composure and well-played facade.
"Ha." Griffin scoffed dismissively. "I doubt I'll have much to worry about." It was then that the monotone voice of the announcer sliced through the intercom.
"Now arriving at Xastristan Central Metro Station."
Finally! His mood suddenly lifted, he slammed a hand into the woman's chest, shoving her aside brutishly before hurrying off without another word. He was far too eager to get off the damned train and step out into the light of day. The woman yelped, stumbling backwards and eventually meeting with the floor. That was the last Griffin saw of the mysterious woman... at least for a while.
His troubled mind was immediately washed away of his worries once he stepped out onto the platform, the rays of sun that peeked out from behind the giant metal leviathans towering above filtering onto his back. Although it was midday, lights still illuminated the darkened windows of many buildings. A sense of life rushed at him like a gust of wind. So many humans in one place... Griffin could never seem to get over how lively Oak Hollow was.
Bodies collided with his backside one after another, pushing past him rudely, often leaving rubbing their now sore shoulders. Of course. He'd been sightseeing for long enough that he'd forgotten he'd been idling. "Oops! Sorry. My bad." Apologies left him babbling wildly as he cut through a crowd of pedestrians. It was only after he'd made it to the other side did he realize that manners were more or less worthless here as people never seemed to acknowledge your presence, regardless of whether or not you made yourself apparent. Maybe that was for the better. He wasn't sure how people would react if they saw a synthetic roaming their streets like it owned the place. Not positively, he was sure.
Griffin threw himself down onto a bench, relieved to finally be out of the chaos and turmoil of rush hour. As he watched civilians pass in and out of the train, he couldn't help but wonder if the woman had followed him out. Although with all the different faces in moving around in such a small proximity, it was rather pointless to try and spot her out. Consequences, huh? He chuckled to himself. Yeah, right.
How he despised transportation. He'd much rather use his own two feet to get where he needed to go. However, he was needed urgently in other places, so it wasn't as if he had much of a choice; he was to deliver an artifact. He peered down longingly at the glimmering piece of finely designed gold, crafted with the care and attention of a master craftsman to take the shape of a bejeweled dragon. The great serpent snaked and coiled around itself many times over, forever imprisoned in it's own impermeable pride. It's imposing ruby eyes stared back at him with his own, distorted reflection, capturing Griffin in it's solemn crimson gaze. He could have sworn it spoke to him, as if it had an otherworldly element to it's being. Of course, it could have just been the lust he had for anything shiny or particularly captivating.
Griffin's trance was interrupted unexpectedly as the sliding door leading into train car was abruptly forced open, alerting him to the sudden presence of a very sharply dressed woman. Her startlingly cynical glare burrowed ruthlessly into Griffin's chest, clawing at him from the inside out. Everything about her was bad news; from the subtle but noticeable way she reached toward her neatly pressed black dress as if to draw a firearm at any given moment, to the wonderfully mischievous way she bit her lip. But what was oddly peculiar about her, Griffin remarked, was the vaguely familiar emblem exhibited by the buckle that adorned the belt hugging her curvaceous waist.
Griffin hastily hid the golden dragon in the cloak that veiled his body like a shadow, returning the woman's disgruntled glower in hopes that she'd just continue on her way. Instead, she moved with the agility and roguish grace of a fox to plop down beside him, drawing a leg upwards to ghost just beside his. So it was one of these people.. Griffin paid no attention to the woman, diverting his face from hers. Hopefully she'd just get bored and go pester someone else. Visibly annoyed with his reaction, the woman placed a hand in his lap and leaned forward, leaving little consideration for 'personal space'.
"Mind telling little ol' me what you're hiding in there?" She hummed melodically, grinning at him faintly.
There was no reply as Griffin continued to casually block out her existence. The woman fumed. Pressing on even farther, she slipped a seductive chuckle and reached forward, tugging at his cloak toyingly. "Come now. Don't be shy-"
Without thinking twice, Griffin slapped her away sharply, causing her to flinch violently, holding the back of her hand which now stung from the sudden contact. She grunted in surprised, opening her mouth to protest, yet no words escaped. It wasn't what Griffin intended, but it worked. Although, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he saw her shocked expression. Perhaps now she would decide that he wasn't worth the trouble.
To his interest, the woman remained resilient. Her devilish smirk once again plastered to her lips as she came closer to murmur something out of the earshot of others. "Your little trinket is worth more than you could imagine. I'm certain your employer has kept such things from you. So what do you say? Five million." She hissed under her breath, admitting to her true objective. It was true; they likely were giving him an unfair reward for his find. Unfortunately for her, Griffin appreciated his contacts and was not one to dismiss them for a bit more pocket money. After all, when it came to having allies, trust was the most valuable of rewards. Once one proved unreliable, one proved unworthy. To loose credibility would be a devastating blow to his reputation.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer, as tempting as it may be.." He replied as he arose from his seat in the booth. The shady lackey wouldn't take no for an answer and swiftly slid into his way, blocking him from leaving her company. She grazed her bottom lip with her teeth, pulling at the lipstick caked flesh with her pearly white incisors. Her hand stalked up his chest exposed behind his cloak before dancing under his chin. She seemed to dismiss the fact that he was a synthetic and wasn't 'affected' by her attempts to seduce him nor did she appear at all phased by his undoubtedly inhuman appearance. What a strange creature.. , Griffin observed, intent to find out her affiliation. Who was she with? He had his suspicions but none of them quite fit the bill with her, especially considering none of them carried the emblem that she bore. "There will be consequences..." She purred pleasantly, masking her frustration with a calm composure and well-played facade.
"Ha." Griffin scoffed dismissively. "I doubt I'll have much to worry about." It was then that the monotone voice of the announcer sliced through the intercom.
"Now arriving at Xastristan Central Metro Station."
Finally! His mood suddenly lifted, he slammed a hand into the woman's chest, shoving her aside brutishly before hurrying off without another word. He was far too eager to get off the damned train and step out into the light of day. The woman yelped, stumbling backwards and eventually meeting with the floor. That was the last Griffin saw of the mysterious woman... at least for a while.
His troubled mind was immediately washed away of his worries once he stepped out onto the platform, the rays of sun that peeked out from behind the giant metal leviathans towering above filtering onto his back. Although it was midday, lights still illuminated the darkened windows of many buildings. A sense of life rushed at him like a gust of wind. So many humans in one place... Griffin could never seem to get over how lively Oak Hollow was.
Bodies collided with his backside one after another, pushing past him rudely, often leaving rubbing their now sore shoulders. Of course. He'd been sightseeing for long enough that he'd forgotten he'd been idling. "Oops! Sorry. My bad." Apologies left him babbling wildly as he cut through a crowd of pedestrians. It was only after he'd made it to the other side did he realize that manners were more or less worthless here as people never seemed to acknowledge your presence, regardless of whether or not you made yourself apparent. Maybe that was for the better. He wasn't sure how people would react if they saw a synthetic roaming their streets like it owned the place. Not positively, he was sure.
Griffin threw himself down onto a bench, relieved to finally be out of the chaos and turmoil of rush hour. As he watched civilians pass in and out of the train, he couldn't help but wonder if the woman had followed him out. Although with all the different faces in moving around in such a small proximity, it was rather pointless to try and spot her out. Consequences, huh? He chuckled to himself. Yeah, right.
