money trees; kaplan

kousei ♚
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now and forever

money trees; kaplan Dec 12, 2021 16:22:26 GMT -5

Post by kousei ♚ on Dec 12, 2021 16:22:26 GMT -5

t e e .

"Money trees is the perfect place for shade"

Apathy was a mask he'd grown accustomed to wearing. His dead eyes betrayed nothing as he counted the money in his hands. Taylor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the silence was deafening and threatened to swallow him whole. Tee had two bodies notched on his belt, and if Taylor was short it meant the swiftest punishment. A year ago, Tee was sitting in that seat. Taylor managed to sling whatever Tee gave him, but he'd put in no work in the streets; he was only fourteen.

"It's all there man, I swear."

Tee lifted his hand to shut him up. "Don't make me lose count." He shifted two more bills and set it down in the space between them. "You took your cut?" Tee asked him. Taylor nodded. "Aight, you can go."

He was alone again.

He wrapped the stack in an elastic band and threw it in his rucksack with the rest of the money his guys had delivered to him throughout the day. He slung it over his bag as he stood up and stepped into the dark streets of District Six.

Apathy was a mask he'd perfected wearing, it hid the anxiety he refused to wear on his sleeves whenever he stepped onto the streets. He'd built walls of steel around himself a long time ago, so high that no one could scale - not even him. His eyes darted from side to side, careful that a rival wasn't lying in wait to shoot him and take the blood money sat in his bag.

He inhaled before he thrust his hand in his jacket pocket, the metal of his loaded handgun brought a wave of security that gripped his chest. He exhaled. "Yeah, we good."

Not that he had the power to make such a promise, but it was good to pretend.

elegant

Last Edit: Dec 12, 2021 16:23:39 GMT -5 by kousei ♚

djed carnelian . d8m [kap]
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money trees; kaplan Dec 19, 2021 15:12:27 GMT -5

Post by djed carnelian . d8m [kap] on Dec 19, 2021 15:12:27 GMT -5

a h m a n e t .

"what a time to be alive
what a waste of fucking time"

The streets were dark. That was how I liked it best, though. The night had crept in and taken over, and hardly anyone was usually out at night unless they were like me: homeless, a criminal or both.

I'd been people-watching that night. There was the occasional cautious person who was out later than they liked, scampering down the street with their guard up. I saw some guy get mugged. I saw a drug deal, too. I've learned over the years that, it's typically best not to stop other people's crimes from happening, or someone might try to stop yours in the future. It's like karma or some shit like that.

I mean, I probably should've gotten a lot of bad karma or whatever over the last year or so with the amount of stuff I've stolen from people, but it seems that whoever controls people getting what they deserve doesn't think I deserve anything bad for stealing, and that's fine by me. I wasn't planning on stopping anyway.

There was an exchange I kept an eye on from the alleyway I was in. Some guy counting the money someone else handed him, making sure it was all there. It was a decent sized bundle, and honestly, I'd liked to have had it for myself. So, I'd be trying to make that happen. He threw the cash into the bag he was carrying and I opened up my pocket knife. If I could slash the bag in the right spot as I walked past him, I could get the cash to fall out, and swipe it up before he noticed.

That was the tricky part: making sure he and no one else noticed what was going on.

I slipped out of the alleyway and walked a little closer to him than most would deem likely to be comfortable for a moment or two. My knife sliced into his bag. Problem? The cash didn't fall out.

Shit.

elegant

lyrics: "so called life" by three days grace

kousei ♚
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money trees; kaplan Dec 20, 2021 17:40:33 GMT -5

Post by kousei ♚ on Dec 20, 2021 17:40:33 GMT -5

t e e .

"Money trees is the perfect place for shade"

Danger clung to his heels, the weight of gang warfare was a curse that sat heavy on his shoulders. The ghost of the barrel of a gun was pressed to the back of his head, but Tee didn't know who would pull the trigger when his time came. Would it be an opp from another block? The brother of someone he or his friends had killed in the name of profit and vengeance? Or maybe it would be someone desperate enough to rob him. It was funny like that in the streets of District Six sometimes; he never knew what was going to happen.

That's why as he walked, he let his fingers rest against his gun and he listened. The safety was off and he was ready to tear it from the jacket of his pocket at a moment's notice. His trigger finger itched for someone to confront him. But the challenge never came, it was only him, his solitary shadow and ghosts clawing against his skin.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood tall, someone had invaded his personal space and he felt his rucksack shift against his back before he heard the sound of steel cutting into fabric. When he looked down, his shadow was no longer solitary but joined by a stranger.

Without so much as a second thought, he spun around on his heels and instinctively lashed out with his free hand before pulling the strap from his jacket pocket as he clumsily stumbled backward. He took aim at the faceless figure before him.

elegant

Last Edit: Dec 20, 2021 17:44:34 GMT -5 by kousei ♚

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money trees; kaplan Jan 6, 2022 18:51:11 GMT -5

Post by djed carnelian . d8m [kap] on Jan 6, 2022 18:51:11 GMT -5

a h m a n e t .

"what a time to be alive
what a waste of fucking time"

Before I knew it, there was a gun in my face. This was new. I wasn't used to people actually catching me when I did sketchy shit. When I was up to something I wasn't supposed to be doing, I usually just got away with it, no one noticed and I moved on with my day. Not today, though, apparently. This guy wasn't too happy about it, either. Well, that was obvious, I suppose.

"I- uhhh-" For once in my life, I genuinely didn't know what to say. Usually, I was full of quick-witted comebacks and stupid jokes that made people forget they were pissed off at me, but this time, I was just drawing a total blank.

I wasn't one to apologize frantically, so that ruled out that option. I also wasn't one to just retreat, but I wasn't dumb enough to try to fight a guy with a gun. So, I had to come up with another option. and I had to come up with it quickly.

"Not looking for problems here, dude. Looks like I just picked the wrong guy to fuck with, my bad." I said, hands up showing I wasn't looking for a fight, despite still holding onto my knife. I wasn't going to drop it as long as this guy had a gun.

-----

216 words

elegant

lyrics: "so called life" by three days grace

kousei ♚
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money trees; kaplan Jan 19, 2022 16:55:22 GMT -5

Post by kousei ♚ on Jan 19, 2022 16:55:22 GMT -5

t e e .

"Money trees is the perfect place for shade"

A wave of grim unease flooded his chest when he heard a woman's voice sound in the space between them. When he focused he saw her. Female features, dark hair, and a slender frame. There was no one else with her, just the two of them in an empty alleyway and a gun between them.

Shit.

His mind retrograded to the streets. He'd seen too many women on street corners with black eyes, cut lips, and bruises. Or he'd seen his momma's friends staying the night because their husband had drank too much that night. It disgusted him every time he saw it so he swore that he'd never hit a woman. He'd never be like the men that left them on the street corners like that.

Yet there he was, gun in hand and finger on the trigger. She tried to steal from him. And she was almost successful too. If she was, Prince would have his head - she could've killed him. He knew what Red would say to do, he knew what Prince would say to do; he knew what anyone in the set would do. Red's voice reverberated in the back of his skull. Don't let them be disrespecting you like that.

His mind was a battlefield, a banner of rage clashed with his moral compass.

"I just picked the wrong guy to fuck with, my bad."

His lips pulled into a scowl. He held the gun tighter. "Yeah, you did," he told her. "Now put your fucking hands up and give me one reason why I shouldn't smoke you right now."

Please.

elegant

Last Edit: Jan 19, 2022 17:10:43 GMT -5 by kousei ♚

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money trees; kaplan Jan 23, 2022 10:38:09 GMT -5

Post by djed carnelian . d8m [kap] on Jan 23, 2022 10:38:09 GMT -5

a h m a n e t .

"what a time to be alive
what a waste of fucking time"

The gun was still pointed aggressively in my face. I wasn't terrified, but I wasn't at ease, either, that's for sure. There was some fear present, but not enough for me to end up panicking. No, I had to be better than that. I had to stay calm if I didn't want to get shot. That, and I had to come up with a good reason for him not to shoot me, since that's what he wanted.

"Yeah, you did," he told me. "Now put your fucking hands up and give me one reason why I shouldn't smoke you right now."

I complied, putting my hands up in the air and dropping my knife to the ground. I paused for a moment, trying to think quickly as to what to tell him. I needed something good. Something that would make it so he wouldn't want to kill me. Then, I thought of something.

"I can be useful," were the first words out of my mouth in response to him. "Whatever you need. Put me to work."

Usefulness was something that helped you in the streets. You wouldn't have anyone on your side if you were useless. If you weren't capable of getting shit done, you wouldn't get anywhere on your own, either. You needed to be good at the things you did, and I was confident that I was. This time was just a fluke. I needed a way out, though, so I was willing to do what I had to.

I just hoped he'd take me offer rather than shoot me. I couldn't afford to be dying today.

Not that anyone would really miss me.

-----

270 words

elegant

lyrics: "so called life" by three days grace

kousei ♚
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Pronouns: He/Him/His
last seen May 7, 2022 17:23:18 GMT -5

now and forever

money trees; kaplan Jan 26, 2022 19:09:02 GMT -5

Post by kousei ♚ on Jan 26, 2022 19:09:02 GMT -5

t e e .

"Money trees is the perfect place for shade"

He tilted his head at the words that sounded in the space between them. The gears in the back of his head turned as he chewed on the side of his mouth. Useful, such a word with a thousand meanings. Especially on the streets of District Six where everyone needed something from someone. Especially people like Tee.

She had tried to rob without hesitation or a second thought, and the lack of fear in her eyes told him this wasn't her first time staring death in the eye. She was from the streets, with a mind fashioned from the brutality and crime that came from a district that was an epicentre of drug addiction and despair. No one has to die.

He lowered his gun, just slightly. Yeah, I'll make you useful. He didn't let her drift from his line of sight for so much as a second, caution was a rope binding them together. "Aight, I see what you mean," his eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. "But don't be trying that shit again. You're lucky it was me you tried that on, anyone else from the set would've blasted you in the face for trying to steal from us. Lucky for you, that ain't me."

Lucky for you, I don't hit no girls.

He lowered his gun to his side, satisfied she wouldn't try anything stupid, but his finger rested gently on the trigger. His guard was as high as the factories in the concrete jungle he called home. "Who are you anyway?" He asked carefully, figuring he should at least know her name.