Soldiers Look Different Without Their Uniforms On (Closed)

[Sunday, Week 11]

Spencer walks down the sidewalk on an unusually sunny, and warm, day for the current time of year. It should still be a high of approximately mid-sixties but instead it is closing in on 80. After finishing the meager amount of the current day's scheduled business, he decided to take a day on the town. He needed it. Any normal person would need it after nearly getting assassinated by a little girl...
The day is well underway and there is a healthy supply of pedestrians accompanying the boy of crimson on the street along the river between Vale's Commercial and Residential districts, mostly favoring the commercial side due to the nature of the atmosphere.
Spencer's casual visitations so far have been a cafe, a local park, and a half pipe to watch all of the boys Raven could wreck in skating. Now he walks down the river side of the sidewalk, looking for things to do.
Until something catches his ear...a familiar song to him..

Cynthia had woken up that morning sad. But she wasn't sad about something normal people are sad about. She had recently missed an assassination job and wanted a distraction from her failure. It was bothering her so much that she couldn't even sleep at night. So when she woke up, she grabbed her violin, Lullaby, and set out to create her own distraction.
She was walking down the street, Lullaby's case slung over her shoulder. She came across a corner overlooking a small lake. The bright sun was gleaming off of the water's surface, causing it to sparkle. She smiled as she set down the case and brought out the green violin. Then she caressed the instrument against her shoulder and brought the bow to the strings. Then she started playing a slow, soft song that she had learned to love over the years.

"Hm."
The boy walks up to the small gathering of three spectators watching the small girl perform. He recognizes the cover. It is by a musician who wrote a few songs that Spencer happens to like quite well. As a fellow performer and singer, he knows the lyrics to a few of the musician's songs but just knows the chorus and instrumental part to it.
Spencer stands, watching and humming along to the tune as the piece continues on. When the chorus comes around again, his voice picks up a little as the lyrics flow out.
"They take all~ they may Music: (D Eb F~ Eb G)
An' they laugh~ all of the way (D Eb F~ G F Eb C)
But who could~ make 'em pay? (D Eb F~ F Eb G)
You know~~ (C D~~)

Give 'em Hell_give 'em pain (F Eb F_F Bb G) [<-higher octave Bb]
Like they ain'~ gon' see agayn (F Eb F~ G F Eb C)
Put a bu~llet in their brain (Eb Eb F~ F G Eb)
An' it's o~~ver~" (Bb D~~C~) [<-lower octave Bb]

Spencer's voice is low and soft while also having a slight bite to it. A very masculine voice while, unlike the usual blues artist's voice, still keeping a melodic tone.

Cynthia was happy that some people had come to hear her music. It wasn't a large crowd but she had just started her first song. By the end of her time here, she planned to play 5 more. As she pulled the bow around for the chorus, she heard someone singing. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she spotted the vocalist. It was a young man, about 16 or 17 by his look. He looked tough but one thing stood out among all his features; his crimson eyes. They looked almost exactly like Cynthia's eyes. She began to smile as his warm voice sang the lyrics properly and clearly, no error to be heard in his tone. Cynthia herself wasn't big on singing but some people had told her that she had a lovely voice. But she held off for a moment to let the man finish the song with her. A man of the arts is hard to come by these days. She told herself, the same smile on her lips.

When the song finishes Spencer claps for the little lady with her violin. One of the spectators voicing his opinion says, "That was good." Another smiles and says, "I liked it."
But now, Spencer is in a musical mood and really would like to act upon it. Damn, I should of thought to get my guitar on a day like this. Even if it meant lugging it around the rest of the day.
So, he suggests a song, he knows well, by the same person. "Hey, d'ya know 'My Little Love?'"

Cynthia bowed a little as the crows applauded her. Her bow was warmed up now so she prepped for a personal favorite, but then the boy who was singing requested a familiar tune. "Hey, d'ya know 'My Little Love?" He had asked.
Cynthia smiled and nodded as the put the bow to the strings and pulled it across, creating the tune and playing it thoroughly and carefully.

The song has a quicker pace to it. It has a country blues flavor to the melody.

[Write marks: |*notes*| equals one measure. _ equals a beat rest - inside of lines equal a half-beat of rest. - after and before lines mean lyrics start right after previous line.]
(142 BPM)
"Come, yonder, come with your lit-tle lies_ [|C C-Bb-C C-Bb-|Eb-D C_|]
Show me all you know about your lover ties- [|C-Bb-C-Bb-C-Bb-C-Bb-|Eb-D C-]
-How could you_do it-is it just for the high?- [-Bb-Bb-Bb|_C-Bb-C-Bb-C| C-Eb F-]
0000]-My lit-tle_lo~~o~ove [-Bb-C-Bb|_Eb~~F-|C~~|]

_ _ _ _

My pretty babe-how could you shoot so low?_ [|Bb-C-Bb-C-C-C-C-|Bb-C Eb_|]
My funny honey_I know where you go- [|Bb-C-Bb-C-C|_C-Eb-D-C-C-]
-Who coulda_known you'd bring me so much woe- [-G-A-C|_C-Bb-C C C-D-G-]
-My lovely_do~~ove [Bb-Bb-C|_F~~~C~~~|]

_ _ _ _

[Chorus]
Little love little lo~o~ove [F-Eb-D C-Bb-|C-Bb-G|]
Don't you know-oh you know-what you do to me? [|Bb-A-G G-F-|C-Bb-G|]
Little love little lo~o~ove [|F-Eb-D C-Bb-|C-Bb-G|]
In my heart-in my head-oh-you will never be [|Bb-A-G-Bb-A-G-F-|G-F-G-Bb-G]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Come, yonder, come with your shameless grin_ [|C C-Bb-C C-Bb-|Eb-D C_|]
You got a heart that's made_out of tin- [|C-Bb-C-Bb-C-Bb_|Eb-D C-]
-You got a_careless feelin' as long as you win- [-Bb-Bb-Bb|_C-Bb-C-Bb-C| C-D-Eb F-]
-When you_when you play my game [-Bb-G|_Eb Eb-D|C~|]

_ _ _ _

Now you need me-o~oh-now you see_ [C-Bb-C-C-C-Bb-|C-Eb F_|]
There is no 'we' and there wont ever be_ [Bb-C-Bb-C-C C-|Eb-D-C|]
Now I flee baby-now I'm free_ [C-Bb-C C-C-|C-Eb F_|]
From misery_From mis-er-ay~~[/color] [Bb-C-Bb-G_|Eb Eb-D-C~~|]

_ _ _ _

[Chorus]
Little love little lo~o~ove [F-Eb-D C-Bb-|C-Bb-G|]
Don't you know-oh you know-what you do to me? [|Bb-A-G G-F-|C-Bb-G|]
Little love little lo~o~ove [|F-Eb-D C-Bb-|C-Bb-G|]
In my heart-in my head-oh-you will never be" [|Bb-A-G-Bb-A-G-F-|G-F-G-Bb-G]

Spencer seems to enjoy the song. Up until it's end.
Man, that song must of taken a long time on someone's butt to write! [Teehee]

Cynthia was amazed that this guy knew the song that well, even though he did suggest it. As she pulled the bow across the string for the last time, she bowed for the crowd's applause. More people had showed up and a sizable group had shown up to see her perform. As she finished the songs, people dropped money into the open violin case resting on the ground. It was mainly spare change and a few singles, but a couple people dropped 5's into the case. She smiled as she brought the bow back to the strings. Then she proceeded to play a really fast, really upbeat song. It sounded like something medieval but with a modern twist on it; almost like river dance. She even got into the song and started dancing in place. Nothing extravagant but she was having fun so she didn't care. Occasionally she would glance at the boy to see how he'd react to a song without lyrics.

As the songs go on, Spencer drops in a 10, sings the chorus to one song, sings another full song, and hums parts of one more. The others he does not know.
Spencer stands there, watching the street musician with curiosity and support. When she plays a really quick song, he just watches with a grin on his face. He does not recognize this tune either so he stays quiet but he definitely enjoys the piece and taps his foot against the ground.

Cynthia finished the song and watched the crowd react. They clapped and dropped more money into the case. Cynthia was actually happy. She didn't need the money but she couldn't always ask her parent's for a loan, so she would perform occasionally to collect extra pocket money. Plus she had fun doing it and she wasn't asking people to put money in the case; they just did it. Cynthia rested for a moment, taking a drink of some water she had nearby before picking up her bow again to play another song.

Spencer leans up against the stone railing, just watching.
"Hm~hm~hm~hm~
Y'know you'll make it in time
Raise your glass
You gonna take it jus' fi~~ine. Jus' fi~~ne..."

Cynthia's about the start her 5th song but out of no where, someone rushes past and grabs the case with all her money in it! He closes the case and takes off down the sidewalk. Cynthia's first reaction is to whip out Figure 8 and drop the guy where he stood. But she realized that it could be suspicious for her to take out a big ass Magnum and kill someone. So instead, she played the damsel. "Help! He stole my case!" She shouts, using her natural childish voice. She sounded 3 years younger with her real voice. She saw a few big guys in the crowd and she hoped that someone would be of assistance. She honestly didn't care about the money inside, she just wanted to case back.

It is someone without a bounty on his head (that or it is a meager one, too small for Spencer to memorize) so Spencer does not pay any mind to the person with a suspicious look on his face. He was too interested in the girl playing to notice something like a facial expression of someone in his peripheral vision.
When the man grabs the case, it really surprises Spencer. It is not until the man is almost out of the crowd that the bounty hunter starts to give chase. To avoid the crowd, he hops up on the stone railing and quickly moves to give him a position to jump from so he ends up behind the small wall of people that accumulated during the high-speed performance earlier.
The man is fast, very fast. He runs across the street, onto the sidewalk on the other side, and into an alley. Not far behind, because of the stunt from earlier, Spencer is able to follow the man. The man jumps onto a fence and quickly scurries over, confident that his apparent skill at climbing fences really quickly will be the last shake needed to get the heavily-built boy off of his tail. But Spencer likes doing this. In fact, he is smirking a happy grin as he runs up a flight of steps to the right building's side door and leaps off the brick siding to get his foot on the top of the fence and use it to jump up high, over the thief. Like a bird of prey on a rodent; like an angel straight from heaven pouncing on a demon below; like a thief picked the wrong place to work in.
Spencer comes down on the man and pushes him to the ground, rolling forward and turning halfway around left, as he draws Candy and points it down at the man. He does not even need to say it. His body language and the situation itself just screams it. 'You lose', it says.
"Nah-I don' speak for tha' li'l girl ya jacked but I think y'damn-well owe her an apology, man." Spencer kicks the case aside and leans down over the defeated thief as he takes out a pair of handcuffs.
When Spencer calmly says to himself, "Man, an' this was s'posed to be a day of relaxing..." the man quickly looks up and sees the handcuffs.
"REALLY?! Awe-come on-!"
"Aye-shuddup down there."

As the boy pursued the thief, Cynthia wasn't as surprised as she should have been. He was a big guy but he seemed quick enough and had a sort of finesse to his moments as he pursued the thief over the wall and out of Cynthia's view.
A few minutes later, there he was; the boy was dragging the former robber back towards the group of people, his hands cuffed and mumbling a spray of colorful language. As they approached Cynthia, the boy placed her case down in front of her and held up the thief. Quickly, he blurted out, "I'm sorry." Then the boy set him to the side, ready to throw him to the cops if or once they arrive. Cynthia continued the damsel act. "Oh thank you! I was so worried about my case that I didn't know what to do! Thank you ever so much!" she said in her natural voice.

Spencer warmly smiles at the girl, seeming to not be paying attention to the thief as he smoothly slides along with a passing group of people, hoping to get away unnoticed. "Nah, it's just reflex for me when something like that happens." Spencer, once again, brushes off a thank you with an excuse as he nonchalantly lets his leg stick out behind him and trip the thief without breaking his attention from the girl.
"WHOA!" with his hands behind his back, the man quickly hits the pavement face-first. "Ugh~~..."
"So, where did you learn to play like that? That was amazing!"

She smiled as the thief hit the pavement, but she kept her focus on the boy. "I've been playing since I was 7. I liked to entertain people at my parent's frequent parties." She grinned as she collected the money out of her case and put it in her pocket. Then she set it back on the ground. "What about you huh? You can sing pretty well you know that?" Then she laughed to herself, realizing something. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? The name's Cynthia. You?"

"M'name's Spencer."
Spencer bows his head and slightly with his upper body. His right arm loosely comes across his abdomen and his hand cups up a little. A very laid back gesture. "A pleasu'e." His hand flicks out and then the boy stands back up straight.
"I know what you mean. I've always been given a host's job at my own parents' parties. As for my music, I casually sing an' cas'ally play acoustic guitar on my porch'r 'round Beacon's campus."

Cynthia's eyes sparkled. "You go to Beacon? That means you're a hunter right?" She was actually impressed. Hunters were the top of their class and were trained to kill some of the most dangerous things alive. Cynthia once dreamed of becoming one but then she began her training as an Assassin, and the dream died. But she still admired them and respected a good hunter.

"In trainin'. I hope t' become a legitimate warrio'." Spencer reads the girl's mood and can tell she had heavy interests in it beyond being a sort of fan-girl.
"Y'family not present the opportunity to ya early enough in life for it?"

Cynthia sighed. "We were never fighters and my family was too wealthy to learn how. My family mines dust out in remote areas where there are untapped veins and no competition. It's a very profitable business." Then Cynthia got an idea. "Maybe we could talk about it over lunch? I'm buying." She grinned as she tapped her hand against her pocket, the money inside making a crinkling noise as she did so.

"That ain't how knights thought of it. In my opinion, it only can make y'stronger." Spencer smirks as he uses his scroll to type a message to his uncle about the thief and sets up for him to be picked up.
When the girl offers to buy, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. "My family may no' be tha' well-off, but... Spencer opens the wallet and shows a hundred lien from his wallet, left over from a bounty he turned in a couple days ago. "I have a par'time job too an' y'can say it pays a'igh'." The money is supposed to be for Beacon tuition but his parents pay for his living expenses. All he has to do is replace today's expenses with whatever food money he gets later.
"He can come too." Spencer gestures at the ground. "Oh~ great. I get to come on your little fricken date.-" Spencer thrusts his leg back and kicks the man in the stomach. "-Phha~!-sonuvuh..." "He can si' nex'to me 'til it's time for him t'leave." Spencer's smirk seems to lean a little toward his trademark, threatening one and then return to that of someone looking at a baby rabbit. "Ih'll be li'e hes my little bro or something!" The man is clearly a few years older than Raven...

Cynthia smiled. She was glad to have a gentleman who payed for the lady. She grinned and held her violin case close to her chest and laughed. "Sounds like a plan!" Then she took his hand and lead him towards a diner that overlooked the ocean. "Come on! I know the perfect place." she giggled.

Spencer turns to the thief and bends over to stand him up. Then he follows the girl to the planned place.

Cynthia lead Spencer and the thief to the train station. After a minute of waiting, they boarded the first train to the edge of the high class district. As they sped towards Cynthia's home town, she sent a message to her parents from her scroll telling them that she'd be visiting, and that she was bringing a friend. Then she turned her attention to Spencer. "So, tell me a little about yourself. What do you do for a living, besides being a student at Beacon I mean."

"I'm a~.." Spencer thinks a moment. Of the late, he's done a couple other jobs not involving bounty hunting and even did a few shooting competitions, simply because they paid. Is that considered bounty hunting? Sure but is it hunting bounties put on men by the VPD? Not necessarily.
"...You could call me a handy man o' some sorts, I suppose. If somethin' pays enough, I could track a Creature o' Grimm an' do a little bit of boun'y hun'in' as well."
Spencer pulls out his own scroll and types a message to his uncle about where they are going to keep him updated on where the thief will need to be picked up.
"An, what abou' you? You've got to be doin' something other than music if yeh paren's are intuh the dus' minin' business."