shing luen . d9 . fin

Having grown up always surrounded by gang life, Shing has never known anything different. He has lived in the dark, suspicious looking parts of the District that everyone speeds by as quickly as possible for his entire life. To him, though, it's never been a place to speed by, but rather the only place he felt safe.

Shing has always found a sense of safety when he's surrounded by the other members of the Dark Rose. His family has been a part of the Dark Rose for generations, so naturally, Shing was welcomed in and seen as one of the higher-ups right away. From a young age, he was committing crimes and getting away with them, even if it meant that other members of the Dark Rose took the fall instead. He knew what to do to keep himself out of trouble, all the while causing trouble.

At the age of sixteen, Shing did something that he'd always tried to avoid: killing to cover his tracks. He'd done something he shouldn't have, and crossed the wrong guy from another gang. Now, he was threatening to rat him out to the Peacekeepers. The only way that Shing could keep himself and the Dark Rose from seeing the light of day and getting the punishments that they likely all deserved, was to silence the guy who threatened their well-being and currently somewhat comfortable way of living.

So, Shing and two other members of the Dark Rose (who were admittedly much more disposable in the gang's eyes than himself), headed off to take care of the problem. All three of them were inexperienced in regards to killing, but had been trained enough about what to do if they had to that they were pretty certain they knew how to do it. Although, that didn't ease Shing's nerves.

The three of them managed to silence the opposing man by ending his life, and Shing didn't feel good about it, despite it being necessary. He would never admit that to anyone else, though. He needed to keep up his tough façade. There was no good reason for him to show weakness. That'd only make things worse.

Shing has lived the last two years trying not to think about what he had done that night, and dearly hopes that a situation like that will never arise again. He just had to remain careful and not slip up again, and all should remain well for him.

Despite Shing's family having a lot of money from gang-related activity, they don't spend it on their home. They still live in the slums of Nine, as if to cover up the fact that they have as much money as they do. If people knew how much money they had, questions as to where it all came from would begin to surface, and lies would have to be fabricated. This did happen from time to time, when people noticed that one of them might be donning something a bit more expensive, but a quick bluff usually got them to lay off. The family just had to make sure that their bluffs were consistent and didn't conflict with one another, or there would start to be questions asked.

Shing's father is the kingpin of the Dark Rose. He makes the biggest chunk of the money, and makes sure that everything is carried out as planned. He decides what the gang is to be prioritizing, and they all report to him. Shing's mother is more of a figurehead, not involved in as much of the gang work, but still very much respected in the gang-ridden parts of Nine, like Mr. Luen is.

There are two children in the Luen family: Shing and his sister Hop. Hop is four years younger than Shing, and seemingly unafraid of just about everything. She's ruthless when it comes to doing what she must for the Dark Rose, despite being only fourteen years old. Shing has an immense amount of respect for his sister.

Growing up, Shing was always courageous, but Hop was one step ahead of him. He would take any dare, but Hop would take any dare and make it twice as intimidating or embarrassing. She really had no shame. Shing had always hated embarrassing himself. To this day, Shing does whatever he can to remain respectable in both the gang and in the public eye, although these two things are done in very different ways.

In public, outside of the gang territory, Shing tries his best to use his manners to the fullest and be respectful of those he encounters around the District. Of course, that doesn't stop him from being a successful pickpocket as he goes about. It does, however, make people trust him, which admittedly, makes the pickpocketing all that much easier.

When he's asked questions, rather than responding sarcastically like he would around his friends, he'd respectfully give an answer. Whether or not it was a truthful answer, it would always sound polite if he was speaking with the average citizen.

In the gang areas of the District, however, Shing's false soft exterior vanishes almost completely. He's sarcastic, tough and somewhat bitter towards people to gain their respect. He does what he has to to be respected, because if people don't respect someone in the Dark Rose, they don't survive.

At home, Shing is somewhere in between. Of course, he has to be respectful to his parents, but they know how he truly is, and allow for his bitterness and sarcasm to an extent. Of course, too much disrespect could land him in quite the dangerous waters with his parents. They're not abusive by any means, but their punishments can feel quite harsh nevertheless.

When it comes to things outside of gang activities, Shing spends a lot of time with his friends. Most of his friends are part of the Dark Rose, but there are still plenty who aren't, so when they're all spending time together, he's sure to keep the topics at hand elsewhere. He doesn't want things that shouldn't be known about to be brought to the surface.

Shing and his friends spend a lot of time playing sports, going out for lunch, going to parties and simply just talking about life. Being with his friends is the easiest and most blissful part of life for Shing, even if he can't say everything he wants to. There never really is a time he can completely be himself, though.

In reality, he's always hiding something.

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1,068 words