Rebel Grrl [Katalina and Cosmic]

[Cosmic]

Nothing compared to the smell of the rotting gutters, cheap perfume, and the burning crack that swirled in the autumn air of Soho. In a way, it was a little disappointing that she had to leave the bar to get home this early. After all it wasn't even midnight yet, and the guys were probably still at the bar on their second or third beer of the night. She gave a little smile at the thought of not having a hangover for once, but it quickly turned to a frown as her hands entered the pockets of her jeans and she realized she forgot both her wallet and the handful of change she usually grabbed for bus fare.

A sigh passed through her lips as her eyes closed in a mild frustration. she shifted the bright cherry red guitar on her shoulder as she mentally prepared her walk home. It wasn't that it was too far or anything just that walking alone at night with a bright red target on her back. Not to mention the whole being female thing.

Kendra "Caliko" Degalia however was a force to be reckoned with. She was a good 5' 11", without her combat boots on, and had a toned frame from three years of hard work and dancing. She was a bit broad shouldered but had a narrow waist and thighs that despite their subtle curves held much more strength than someone would think. Her hazel eyes came with a certain determined gleam that most people her age had now. It was the sign of disillusionment. She licked her lips and shivered under her black cut-off tshirt as a breeze sliced through her side. The bra-less nineteen year old in drainpipe jeans and hair that looked like a dangerous weapon did not seem like the type of person who would have given two shits about some kid on the road. And truth be told, until very recently she didn't. However as she rounded the corner something in her gut trembled as she caught sight and sound of some little girl sitting on a bench.

This was hardly a new phenomenon. The war on drugs was picking up intensity everyday. But for some reason this image unsettled her. A girl, what fourteen? Fifteen? Sitting all alone bathed in flickering streetlight and her own sobs was not something she could stand to see. Maybe it was just being sober for once...or maybe it was just the fact that it reminded her of herself oh so many years ago....

Watching the late-night traffic like an old lion tamer watches an old lion, she crossed the street with some speed getting a closer look at the girl. It wasn't until she was about three feet away that she realized she wasn't a kid at all. She was a woman...hell, probably no younger than herself. She felt her gut tug again. With a fluid motion she swung the guitar around to her front and sat on the other side of the bench with an odd kind of smile.

"And I thought I was the only one who found the traffic to be ungodly depressing." She spoke out loud, her voice soft in the small waves of urban life that penetrated the muffled sounds of the other woman's crying. "Bench doesn't help much either. Art be damned, graffiti is really annoying to sit on. Particularly when it's fucking carved..." She dug her cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one before taking a long drag. "You must be pretty far away from home kid. You ain't dirty enough to be a crack addict and you are much too soft to be my kind. So I'm guessing you ran away due to some misogynistic fucker, or you are one of them idealists who aren't aware that life here comes with equal amounts of bullshit to all the joy."

 

[Katalina]

Elizabeth Anne Fortebracci trembled as she look up to look at the talking stranger. Her green eyes were red and puffy after sobbing for so many hours. She no longer felt the breeze or even cared about the cold anymore since she had lost everything. Her hands went to her plaid skirt, which she tried to tug down her knees. She wore a flimsy button up white shirt that barely kept her warm. Her long dark hair was mussed, but it was kept almost neat with a dark headband. She had around her neck a gold rosary that barely hid the bruises around her neck. She sniffle as she silently study deciding whether to talk or not to this stranger.

She was nineteen, but she look younger and with her dress wear, that helped for others to judge her from afar as a small girl. She was lithe, although her breasts were round and a bit big for her small frame. Her eyes took in that boyish face, that was still beautiful. Then her eyes went to the spiky hair and the clothes, the red guitar and the combat boots. She gulped as she gave the girl a watery smile that didn't last long. A hint of recognition in her gaze.

"I know you..." she said softly. Her voice had a lilting tone that made it sweet to the hearing. "Saint Catherine's." she murmured as a pink blush appeared on her cheekbones. She never had talked to the girl, but she had seen her various times. She had heard the rumors of her leaving the school, but none of them seem to be true. Well, most of them. She straighten, sitting up on the bench as she look at the passing cars. "As to inform you, it was because of a misogynistic...man. As for the other, I already know that life isn't as happy as people tried to say it is." she cough lightly, covering her lips as the smoke got to her. Her hands went to grab the edges of the bench as she look back at the traffic, wondering where she would stay tonight.

From the corner of her eye she look at the smoking girl, it was the first time she met a lesbian. It was also the first time she met a feminist and one of those 'punk' people. In her opinion she didn't look as the 'devil' or any demon. In fact she look interesting. Elizabeth sniffle again, the girl was taller than her five feet and seven inches. She crossed her ankles to keep her legs shut tight as another shiver went up her body, at her feet a small bag lay on the floor. For the very first time in the whole day she felt relax and calm. A moment afterward, her stomach growl in hunger loudly and she blushed a beet red.

"I-I'm sorry..." she heard a some type of scream, then followed by laughter. That made her edge closer to the female as she look around. "This place is not what I had in mind. In the books I read about Soho, made it seem more like a cosmopolitan place. In real life it looks and sounds like a place for lost souls." A soft snort, escaped her before she bit the soft noise that made her want to cry again. "I guess I'm one of those now..." she murmured to herself.

 

[Cosmic]

Kendra chuckled softly at the other girl's fears. Soho being nice? Was she nuts? It wasn't too bad when the sun was up, certainly. No worse than say the village. But when the sun went down and her kind cam a-knockin' it was a different thing entirely. To be honest however, it wasn't just the city that drew laughter from her lungs--it was the mention of her personal hell that nabbed her.

Saint Catherine's...try as she might, Kendra never had the luxury of ignoring the crimes that particular establishment inflicted on her. After everything she had been through, how could she? To forgive those responsible wasn't a step she was willing to take (not to mention didn't want to take) and there were too many scars on her body to forget it either. Instead she eyed the girl as though she were made out of spun glass and raised an eyebrow.

"I take it Saint Catty is still talking about Kendra the Harlot? That's pretty rad. I'm glad to know there is at least one place that remembers me. Kinda comforting, most people nowadays don't give two shits, or care too much and have to get their jaw broken." She shook her head before taking another drag, thinking. The girl was familiar--though time had certainly done it's work on her. The bruises around her neck worried her. The possibilities were endless. Brother, Father, Boyfriend, Ex....
Either way it must have been someone she loved once upon a time, why else would she be here?

A car alarm went of in the distance and Kendra gave a small shrug. "Anyway, it's not as bad as Brooklyn. It's pretty tame actually. But like people, cities can't generally hold in the ugly at night." She took another long drag from her cigarette before she put it out carefully on the bench and put it back in her pack. "We had math together. I sat two rows behind you, three chairs to the left. Perfect place to cheat off of every test." She gave a small sarcastic smile putting her cigarettes back in her pocket. "For the life of me though, I can't remember your name Kitten. I just remember you were not one of those blonde soulless monkeys who cawed insults from the safety of the bleachers."