City Streets

Jammy strode through the streets of Grenoble.
Night had fallen over the busy French town, and the street lights cast orange pools of light on the dirty pavements. Lights flicked on in neerby windows as the last rays of sun light disappeared under the horizon of rectangular buildings, and Jammy smiled, breathing in the warm air on a Summer evening. He twiddled the scull shaped stud which peirced the skin between his thumb and index finger, thinking about the evening ahead.
He turned a corner, his pointed black shoes brushing past a stray plastic bag, and headed for 'The Octous', the bar he owned. As he passed through the shafts of light shead onto the pavement, he straightened the collar on his lether jacket, unzipping it to reveal the hot pink T-shirt underneath.
He passed several pezzerias, then came to a dark and lifeless pub. The punk pulled a bunch of keys out his pocket and inserted one into the door's lock. It swung open. He flicked a switch, turning on the inside then outside lights and neon words which formed the words "The Octopus" above the door. He then proceded to turn on the coloured lights behind the bottles behind the bar's counter which shone through them, dappling the room with a strange assortment of colours.
He headed back to the door, inserting a key into key hole which, after having been turned, caused the barriers infront of the windows to rise into the ceiling. He glanced outside and saw Alba Manticora. He beckonned her inside. She greated him with one of her wild grins and did the 'bise' ((not too sure what it's actually called in english, but you get the picture... hopefully))
"Right," said Jammy, clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "Let's get this party started, then."
Alba smiled, took off her jacket and hung it beside Jammy's on the coat stand, and positionned herself behind the bar, tying her waitress's black half-apron type of thing round her waist as Jammy turned on the music. "Dum Diddly" by the Black Eyed Peas started playing through the speakers on either side of the room, as the first customers of the evening appeared at the glass door.

A tall, dark figure appeared at the door. It pushed the door quietly, making it creak slightly. He posed one foot into the building, but a sort of echo was heard as he did so. He took another step.
Bunk.
He hit his head against the tall frame of the door. He fell onto the ground the other side of the building, and he rubbed his head, mouthing out a curse. He scooted into the bar, and the light blinded him. He put one hand to his face to stop the light, and he blinked multiple times. His brown hair flowed as he turned his head away, and his purple trenchcoat swayed slightly as he turned his head back. He took off the hand from his forehead, and you could see his blue eyes gleaming in the light. A tight black glove, that went a little higher than his elbow, was worn on his left arm, making his trenchcoat poof out at the extremity of the glove. An object glinted under his cloak as he stood up, using his left hand, the rings glinting in the light as he did so.
He tapped his cloak two times, and pulled it over his body, to hide the shining object. He traipsed his way to a seat near the platform, and as he sat onto the leathery cushion, he turned it to face Alba. He looked up at Alba, scanning her. He smiled slightly, then turned away, coughed, turned back to Alba. His voice was deep.
'One pint,' Vladimir said, quickly, 'Please.'

At first, the newcommer's fall made Alba jump and she wondered whether or not to help him up. But he seemed ok as he staggered across the room to the bar. Alba smiled back, slightly nervous, and poured the pint into a glass. Handing it to him, she said:
"Here you go. Well you look rough, if you don't mind me saying so."
Jammy stepped up to the strange man.
"Are you alright?" he asked, raising a pierced eye brow.

Vladimir smiled up at Jammy, his eyes closed.
'Yeah, I'm all right, I'm used to-'
Vladimir opened his eyes, and noticed the man. A small wave of nervosity swelled up inside Vladimir as he finished his sentence.
'...It.'
Vladimir was never used to piercings. Nor tatoos, for that matter. Vladimir shivered slightly, approaching his hand near the pint, coiling his long fingers around the mug. Vladimir smiled idiotically, his eyes wide, with small pupils.
'Eh... Hehehe.'

Alba frowned, as if the man infront of her was a fiction of her imagination, but smiled too.
Jammy had noticed the man eye his tattos and piercings. He was used to it, so made nothing of it. The song "Ooh" by the Scissor Sisters started playing through the speakers and the punk started humming to it, smiling to himself.
"You know what," he said, smiling at Alba, "I could do with a pint too."
Alba rolled her eyes but smiled back at him.
"Well, it's your bar," she replied, "You know where it all is, so on you go."
She laughed, loving her job.

(( God, random, but it's raining "comme vache qui piss" as they say in french. rather disgusting, i know, but that's french for you. lol))

--Hahahaha. It's only cloudy here. <.<;;--

Vladimir looked at the man again, and closed his eyes, taking the pint up to his mouth, and gulping it down. In one blow.
A fuse blew in his brain, and Vladimir quickly opened one squinting eye. He thudded the mug down onto the table, almost making it explode. He opened his mouth, letting out a dry screech.
'Ehhhhhkk.' he uttuered.
What an idiot. You know you're not resistant to alcohol!
Vladimir slumped onto the table, looking above.
'Ehhhh... Prty.' he said, one finger pointing out at a lamp above.

Alba blinked. What the fff....
"Are you alright?!" she cried, running round to the other side of the bar and trying to help the man into a sitting position.
Jammy, who didn't look surprised in the slightest, walked over and started pouring a glass of water. He handed it to the man, a look on his face as if he had known what was about to happen.
"Here, drink this," he said, "It'll slow the affect the alcohol has."

Vladimir babbled something, throwing his arm over his head as Alba pushed him correctly onto his seat. He slumped again on the table, his fingers flexed into an awkward position. He tried to grab at the small glass of water, missing it first. he then took his hand with his other hand, and grabbed the glass. He sniffed the liquid.
'Bleeeehh... Wtuh?' he babbled, trying to look at Jammy.

"It's water," said Jammy, trying to calm the man down, "I'm Jammy and this is Alba. What's your name?"

Vladimir raised one eyebrow at the man's question. His tongue went over the rim of his mouth. He then turned his head to the light, pointing in an awkward way.
'I'mmmmmm...' Vladimir began, spinning on his chair, 'I'ma Damascusssss!'

"He's delirious!" said Alba, not gothering to hide the smile on her face.
Jammy nodded, not understanding how such little alcohol could send someone round the bend.
Maybe he's ill or something, he though, Taking medecin that reacts badly to alcohol... who knows.

Vladimir put a finger up to his mouth, raising one eyebrow.
'I'm not-not Damascusss!' he stuttered, brushing his hair. He spinned once again on his chair.
'I'mm Vladeemeer!'

"Well, nice to meet you Vlad," said Alba with a smile, "You know, you shouldn't drink like that if you can't handle it. It could really be dangerous!"
She let go of Vlad's arm to which she had been gripping onto ever since he has collapsed. Jammy pucked up his own glass, taking a sip. At the back of his mind he wondered whether it was something in the beer that had caused Vlad to react so badly, but after having swished the liquid round his mouth once or twice and swallowed, the punk concluded that the alcohol was fine.

Vladimir spinned multiple times on his chair, saying 'Vweee' like a crazy person.
Well, there's not much difference, but let's continue.
He pointed at the lamp, and twirled his fingers one around the other. 'Prty...' he said, eyes mid-closed. His cloak drifted as he spinned around, showing the shining object. Seeing a glimpse of light, Vladimir turned his head. His gun.
Who put dat therrrre?

Alba jumped back, seeing the gun for the first time. With a haunted look in her green eyes, she turned to Jammy who was already on his feet, heading towards the phone that Steve, one of their friends, had painted bright pink with green spots.
"Jammy," said Alba, "Call the police!"
Jammy didn't seem to have heard her, but proceded to dial the number.

--This thing is getting fun xD--

Vladimir brushed his cloak, putting it back over the gun. At the sound of the word 'police' his eyes opened wide. "Wuzzat?!" he cried out, the alcohol certainly taking no effect no more in his body. "The police?! Where?!"
Vladimir looked around, looking through all the windows, one by one, trying to find a siren, a car, or something. nothing. He took a sigh of relief. "There's no police! Nothing to be scared-"
Vladimir noticed Jammy and the phone. "...Of."
Vladimir scooted towards Jammy, one finger on his chin. "Who are you calling?"

Jammy stared at him, not quite knowing what to say for once. Should he tell him he was calling the police, or should he reasure him by making something up and telling him he was phoning a friend?
Finally, Jammy put the brighly coloured phone back on it's stand. Alba shot him an anxious glance that asked What are you doing?!, but he just smiled at her and winked.
"So," he asked Vlad, "Where're you from?"

Vladimir sat down on a chair, not missing this time, because he wasn't drunk anymore. He stared at the lamp, which dangled slightly as he brushed his hair against it when he sat down onto the chair. "I come from New Zealand," he answered, then looking at Jammy, "But I don't know if I could tell you the rest."

Jammy raised an eyebrow, not wanting to have to pick a last resort and having to chuck Vladimir out the pub.
"Why did you come here?" he asked, ignoring Vlad's last words, "Grenoble's a long way from home, no?"

"I..." Vladimir began. he lowered his head, smiling slightly, "I don't have a home."
Vladimir lifted his head to look at Jammy. "I wander around, looking for something to do. Please don't ask why, as it would sound completely rediculous, and you wouldn't beleive me in the first place."

"Try us," said Alba, finally coming out of her shocked atmosphere, "You never know."
Alba knew that nothing could be wierder than her life at the moment. Demons, Vampires, Monkey Men (lol)... Nothing could surprise her now. Not after all those things she'd seen...

--Monkey Men... Woah, Alba met Neil Armstrong?--

"Well," Vladimir said, smiling slightly, looking into Alba's eyes, "I'll begin my story then. It begins like this,"
Vladimir leaned back, and noticed that there was no back to his seat, so he stood up instead, going off his chair.
"Very soon after my departure from my home," he began, putting his hand to his hip, to show the height he was when he was 'little', (which he's never been) "I've always had bad luck. When I turned 17, I was accused of multiple crimes."

Jammy raised an eyebrow, and openned his mouth, about to say something. He was soon stopped by a meaningfull look from Alba, who proceded in nodding to Vlad, indicating that he should procede and ignore Jammy.

"If I remember correctly," he continued, taking out an outstretched hand, "I've been accused of... A plane incident," He put up one finger (not the wrong one, if you really want to know <.<;; ), "The murder of a president," another finger popped up, "The flooding of a city," another finger slashed out, "The destruction of all crops of the year, leading to a great famine, that means two," two fingers went out, and Vladimir took out his other hand, "A civil war," one finger came out, "And... I can't remember the rest..." He looked at Jammy. "Of course, you don't beleive me, right?"

"Hmmm..." Jammy thought for a minute, "So all in all, you're wanted for nearly every crime imaginable"
He chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood, but was silenced by a secong look from Alba. She turned her gaze to Vlad, and said:
"Does this mean the police are after you? If so, i don't want anything to do with you if it's gonna lead to me spending the night in a cell... no offence."