Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Group, Open)

A single hug. That was the only goodbye Sabrina got. She had wanted to show a tough exterior for her sister and tell her, “We‘ll be alright. It‘ll just be a little awhile but we‘ll see each other again”. Instead, she had bawled her little emerald eyes out. Luckily the rubble and wreckage had hidden her display from anyone else. That was nice in itself though. No one except Sophia ever got to see her flashes of emotion, and she labored to keep it that way. Feelings were bad for business after all, and her line of work usually wasn’t good to begin with.

The irony of being comforted by her baby sister didn't escape the older redhead either, but it was something she’d grown used to being that the two had shared every bright moment and every dark time with no comfort other than the warmth of her sister. She lived with her little sister for all of her life. Taken care of her with an almost slavish devotion. After all, Sophia was all she had left. Their parents were long passed, and nothing could change that. Not that the bastards were ever worth anything to begin with. Sabrina had gone through more than her fair share of odd jobs for her sister, resorted to selling herself when there weren‘t any other opportunities, and just about anything else imaginable for their sake. Nothing truly gruesome or wrong. Didn’t have the heart for it. But if was for Sophia…she’d tear a man’s throat out if was for Sophia…well…maybe not that much. A good kick to the groin could put him down, and that was enough.

Sabrina stood for a moment, watching Sophia turn, the short ruby locks bouncing ever so slightly with every sway of her step. A numb sensation filled Sabrina's chest. Watching Riley leave had been easy. Gutless, spineless bastard who couldn’t tell you what right was even when you put a knife to his throat and asked him what he thought of stabbing a firefighter saving two kids. She’d never liked the boy, and probably never would. Too shifty, and having that come from someone who had been a spy, thief, whore, and every other shady vocation under the sun had to mean something. The redhead strode away, willing back the tears brimming just below the surface, replacing them with the casual scowl she wore. Feelings were bad for business. That mantra had stuck with her for the past fifteen years, and it would stay even now.

The redhead glanced down at the tattered scrap of parchment in her hands. Alpha had said that she was bunking with some dirt rats named Serina and Raquel. It was almost instinctive to dislike them. They weren’t Sophia. But today was the start of something different, and thus she threw a fresh coat of dirt on the embers of loathing, determined to pound out a new path for her pack mates. The scowl stayed however. Nothing was going to change that.

Sabrina slunk through the groups until she heard a quiet voice murmuring her name amongst the clamor. Sabrina’s head snapped in the direction and she traced it to find a slight, sandy haired girl with the most piercing blue eyes. They seemed to lie somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. Eyes that you fix yourself on and get lost in. There was also some rag-tag lavender haired woman nearby, but she seemed irrelevant. Sabrina didn’t let that gaze stop her, and she curtly introduced herself. “Yes. Sabrina. Absolutely enthralled to meet you,” her voice had a hint of sarcasm in it, though the redhead didn’t believe that any of the dirt rats here were slow enough to let such a thing go undetected. Live wisely or die as a fool. One of the key rules of the wasteland.



Sabrina always had this wishy-washy way about her. It was unsettling to Sophia. Why did she care so much? Why did anyone care? Those thoughts always drove her to have a smile on her face, ready to laugh at a moment’s notice. Stupidity was funny after all. Sabrina was special though. Her stupidity felt nice. It was warm and soothing. Being her sister might’ve had something to do with it too, but that didn’t really seem to matter. Everyone else though…everyone else could die. That made Sophia laugh too. People dying. They were stupid enough to let someone put a knife in their neck, and her reflection in the glistening liquid she adored so much was proof of such things. Made it easy to smile. She was smart after all. Still alive.

Sophia skipped away after comforting her sister. The tears…they were silly, but they invoked a certain maternal sense in the younger redhead. Made her want to hug her sister and hush away the bad emotions. These moments of her own stupidity were easy to hide though, and usually people weren’t around to see them. At least they weren’t around much longer if Sophia could help it. Sabrina had this misconception that Sophia needed protection from the “bad men” and the “strangers”. Stupid. Or maybe her sister realized that anyone foolish enough to try to chat Sophia up usually wasn’t alive for much longer, and that didn't sit well with the older redhead. And the rapists…the muggers…well she honestly couldn’t remember a time they had even gotten a hand on her. Sophia loved the way her own hair would bob as she turned to execute a perfect backhand slash with the knife hidden against her thigh, feeling as a ballerina when she completed the pirouette and saw a body drop to the ground. The metal was always warm to the touch, both before and after it was sheathed. A leather strap was hard to come by though, so she always ended up licking the blade clean. Sabrina didn’t approve, but then again she didn’t have much of a taste for blood. Her loss.

Bounding away, twirling through the rubble, Sophia happened upon the main group. They all looked stupid. Too trusting and too nice. That’s why Sophia had taken a shine to Riley before. He knew that being nice usually meant dying. They’d understood each other. Never truly connected, but at least understood at a fundamental level. Sophia could hear her name once or twice, and she continued her dance to the source of the noise. Though her graceful motions seemed erratic, every twist and turn was calculated to measure the distance and range of every person around her. If one lashed out, she could easily sway out of reach and turn back in to slice her attacker’s jugular.

Eventually, Sophia reached a group of people. Two looked like they would be exceptionally stupid. Not that it wouldn’t be fun. She could imagine every angle to cut their body and envision the blood pooling beneath them, and the plans made her giggle. One, though, who had blue hair and was tall, didn’t look all that stupid. He was a bit nervous. He might even be wary. All the more fun to play tricks on. With a seemingly limitless supply of energy, she hopped up onto one of the nearby cars and shouted “Hi! I’m Sophia! Hope you live long enough for us to be friends!”



Riley sighed as he departed. Sabrina and Sophia, while not the friendliest of girls, usually didn’t try to get in his face over anything. Sophia could actually be pleasant on occasion. Creepy, but pleasant. Regardless, neither of the sisters ever wanted anything to do with him, and that suited Riley just fine. He didn’t want anything to do with them. Or any of the pack members for that matter. Alpha was fine enough. Something about the guy just radiated this air of confidence and trust. It seemed almost condescending, like how a father would see his children. Or maybe his grandchildren. For that, Riley decided, he would like to have a word with Alpha, but for now, none of that made a difference. He was finding new pack mates, and that called for a new guise.

The young male paused for a moment, admiring his reflection in the shattered glass of a wrecked car. (I’m a pretty handsome guy, eh?). And he truly was. It was hard having a good con without a good face after all. And Riley was all firm jaw, dazzling smile, and golden eyes that looked like they had a fresh set of dew on them. Made him look more innocent in a way. Suckers. He practiced different ways of smiling. Finding something inviting, a different look that seemed kind, and still yet another expression that was friendly. Something that said “I won’t hurt you, honest”. Not that Riley would. He was all for peace. Being nice usually kept you in your own skin and out of the ground. But it was never genuine. Couldn’t afford to be genuinely nice out here, everyone knew that.

Riley waited for the dust to clear as other groups romped away. He could hear the voices of Sabrina and Sophia at some point over the clamor, his ears accustomed to the arrogant tone of one and the playful tone of the other, but otherwise he couldn’t make a thing out amidst the din. Finally, with seemingly no one else to turn to, he cautiously walked to meet a brunette male leaning against a car. Putting on the nicest look he could muster, he greeted the man. “Hello there. My name’s Riley. I presume you’re either…Mirage or Aaron,” Riley’s words were sweet honey to the senses, a talent he’d picked up from his years of road wisdom. Nice guys weren’t so easy to incriminate, especially the ones who knew exactly what to say to the law and how to say it.