August Bentley

Corruption: 18,596

[august-bentley-blog]

August slowly limped towards the Black Dahlia, not quite healed up from the accident he had had the night the light shone from the mountain. This was taking longer than usual. All the cuts and even his ribs were pretty much back to normal, but his damn hip was killing him still. The impact must have temporarily dislocated it and something got pinched when it popped back in. Fixing that was going to suck.

Coming to rest against the side of one of the downtown buildings, he pulled a flask from his jacket pocket to administer some self-medication for the pain. Halfway through the drink however, he caught a pair of eyes staring at him from the corner of his vision. He swallowed the liquor and turned to get a better look at the passerby.

“What?” he asked, screwing the top back on his flask.

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

It was stupid, using her magic on him. She’d made it a habit not to reveal what she was, it was dangerous. She was afraid that someone would make the link between her  species and her name and realise who her mother was. She’d done so much harm to so many that it just wasn’t worth the risk. But she felt bad for what she did to August, so she’d risked it. “Anytime, old man.”

She watched him raise himself up, and was glad he was able to unlike the first try. In all honesty she was concerned that she had given him too much magic; but by the way he was acting so nonchalant about it, she figured he was a supernatural and just accounting it to some kind of healing factor.

“You’re a tough guy, all you needed was the pep talk,” she joked with a small chuckle. Grabbing his outstretched hand and pulling herself up, she smirked at him. “Lets.”

There were a few glances of surprise as people noticed August was up and walking again. Probably more than a few had expected him to need to be taken to a hospital. The old werewolf ignored all of them and focused solely on the fight which had started after he went down. IT was a pathetic display.  “Come on! Stop trying to hit him and just hit him!” 

“Haven’t learned a damn thing...” he said under his breath and shook his head in frustration. These kids were so soft. And who had thought these two currently fighting were a good matchup? Disgraceful. He turned back to Arlo with a wicked grin. “You all rested up kid? I think you need to show these amateurs how it’s done.”

[august-bentley-blog]

addisonstclair:

Both of her brows rose when the bartender called her sweety. If she weren’t buzzed on alcohol, she’d spit venom his way for the pet name, but she just did not want to care. “Yeah, I bet this place is depressing on weekdays,” she commented as she glanced around the bar. On holidays and weekends, it was expected of people to come to bars. Weekdays were another story. “Now you know, and you can start by overcharging to make up for all of the money you would have made in the past.” Once he offered his hand, Addison took it. “Addison. You’re actually not half bad to talk to.”

“Well I think that has to do more with the other options at hand than my actual demeanor, but I appreciate the compliment. It’s always refreshing to meet one of the youngins who won’t take any shit. Gives me a little hope for the next generation.” The sound of a glass smashing against the ground made August’s head snap in the direction it came from. He signed and seemed to deflate against the bar. “And then shit like that happens and that hope goes out the window.”

[august-bentley-blog]

You've got such interesting stories and opinions of the world. I could just listen to you talk for hours. XOXO your secret admirer

“Secret admirer? Sure... “

[august-bentley-blog]

addisonstclair:

“It’s a rare instance to not be on a budget.” Ever since her uncle had gone missing, Addison and Madeline had gone on one themselves and needed to focus a bit more on finances. But that wasn’t what Addison wanted to dwell on for the moment. “Well I see that’s certainly taken you quite the distance. Though I can’t say I blame you, college can be a drag.” The only reason she was really going was as a cover while she worked for the SSRA, but there were some classes she enjoyed. “Wow, that’s some great advice,” she remarked sarcastically. “You should add advice to your menu. Then you wouldn’t have to go on a budget.”

“Life’s a drag, sweety. But that’s why we all come to places like this,” he said with a small flourish to highlight the bar and maybe slightly over-rowdy crowd. At the sarcastic business advice, August face-palmed and laughed. “Now damn, why hadn’t I thought of that? So much wasted potential income.” The old werewolf held out a hand. “August. And who, might I ask, is my current verbal jousting opponent?”

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

“Or perhaps I’m a demon with the devils poison,” she joked back. She’d always thought of herself as more of a sinner than a saint, the road to hell was paved with good intentions and all that crap. She chuckled sightly at his assurance. “I know, I know.”

“Well I’m glad to be of service,” she shrugged. She loved fighting at the club, surprising people with her skills, and beating them senseless if they dared taunt her for being a woman. She knew that August didn’t underestimate her like others had a tendency to do, but she still took a little joy in kicking his arse; even if the method was less than honourable. 

She followed August as he tried to look at the fight, and looked down as he sunk to the floor. Following him back down she grabbed his jaw and turned his head to inspect his eye. “You’ll be fine,” she said casually as she sent the slightest bit of magic into him to quicken his healing, she hoped he didn’t notice it, just pegging up to whatever species he was. 

The beer had just left his lips when Arlo suddenly grabbed his face. For any other person, August probably would have slapped their hand. He was not the most touchy-feely person. For Arlo though, he resisted the urge and just watched her curiously. And then he chuckled at her blunt insistence that he would be okay. “Thanks kid, appreciate the pep talk.”

August gently pulled himself out of Arlo’s hand and took another sip. The eye she hit suddenly itched, and he rubbed it. To his surprise, it was no longer hurting. Weird, normally it took at least a night’s rest before injuries like that went away. And with that no longer bothering him, August felt some other strength returning to him. “Alright, try number two.”

August tried his legs again and this time found enough strength to get all the way standing. “How about that... a beer, some encouragement, and voila, I’m on my feet again.” He held out a free hand to help Arlo to her feet as well. “Come on kid, let’s enjoy the rest of this.”

[calindaabarbosa-blog]

It’s The End Of The World As We Know It- Open Starter

[august-bentley-blog]

pennyxbacker:

“Oh god, no you definitely shouldn’t-” Penny stumbled over her words, trying to keep the man from standing up. “You were just hit by a car, you’re definitely not fine.” Penny squeaked, following the man as he tried to limp onward. She glanced up at the mountain that was still glowing unnaturally. “You looking for someone?” Penny asked, concerned for anyone who might have been near the mountains that night, despite the curfew. She knelt down next to him and gave him a soft smile. “Listen, I’m sure whoever you’re looking for will be okay. Let me help you get fixed up, then while you heal up I’ll go look around for them. Okay?” She nodded quickly, standing up. “Of course! I’m not just going to leave you here.”

The longer he sat there on the ground, the more stupid he felt about coming out here. The narrowest of pipe dreams had all but collapsed. And really he had no idea what that light was, could very well be getting hit by that car was the best thing that could have happened to him. “Don’t worry about it, she’s not going to be there.”

“Just a quick ride home will be fine. I live out in Aureum Woods, shouldn’t be too far from here.” August once again got to his feet, noticeably favoring his right leg. The process was already getting easier as he adjusted to the new set of pain his body had acquired. He took a trial step towards the car, but stopped halfway in. That leg really did not want any weight on it. He swore under his breath and then waved a hand at the girl, beckoning her closer. “Can you lend me a shoulder to lean on?”

[calindaabarbosa-blog]

It’s The End Of The World As We Know It- Open Starter

[august-bentley-blog]

pennyxbacker:

Penny sped along the road, her mouth hanging open in horror as she looked at the sky. “Why the fuck did I move to this crazy ass town?” She asked herself. As she zipped around the corner, she noticed a large mass lying in the middle of the road and slammed on her breaks. Her seatbelt slammed her back into the seat as the car lurched to a stop. Grabbing the first aid kit out of her glove compartment, Penny threw the car door open and jumped out, running over to the man lying on the pavement.

“Jesus, are you alright?” Penny asked frantically. “ That’s a stupid question, no one lies in the middle of the street for fun when the sky is gone and it’s probably the end of the world.” There weren’t any other cars around. Whatever asshole had run the poor man down was log gone, probably too preoccupied with the apocalypse.

“Can you hear me?” Penny asked, pulling out her phone to call an ambulance. “My name’s Penny. I’m gonna get help, okay?”

Just a quick nap. He would be all set to go after that. Just a quick nap. August closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again as he heard a distressed voice addressing him. How long had he been out? “No, no. I’m... I’m fine,” August said as he waved a hand at the stranger and tried to force himself to his feet. First attempt he managed to get to a knee before collapsing back to the ground with a sharp inhale. Cracked rib, definitely a cracked rib.

The second attempt he was ready for the pain and managed to get to his feet. “June... gotta... gotta get there.” August took few steps forward with a pronounced limp, his eyes glued to the light coming from the mountain. He got another step or two further, then his leg gave and he fell back to his knees. “Dammit!” he yelled, his fist slamming into the road in frustration. “Not now... not now...”

August sat back in defeat. He knew his body was too messed up right now to make the trip. He needed somewhere he could rest up, focus on healing. Then he remembered the other person. August turned and looked at her, noticing the phone in her hands and the car she had arrived in. “So you’re my good samaritan, huh? Don’t bother with the phone, you mind if I just hitch a ride?”

[calindaabarbosa-blog]

It’s The End Of The World As We Know It- Open Starter

[august-bentley-blog]

pennyxbacker:

Penny had dozed off while watching a movie on her bed. She woke with a start, tangled in her blankets. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She walked slowly to her window, dreading whatever she would find. She didn’t realize what was wrong until she looked up. The sky was no longer starry. and the crescent moon that had been smiling down had disappeared entirely. They had fled the sky to escape whatever monstrosity had taken their place. There was a swirling void above the town now, and from what Penny could tell, its center was the mountain. She swore furiously, pulling on her jeans. She sent out a mass text to everyone in her contacts list as she ran to her coat closet to grab her weapon-filled dance bag.

Someone call me. What the hell is going on?

Penny grabbed her car keys and flew out her apartment door, storming down the stairs and out to her car. She threw herself down into the front seat of her car, and after firing the ignition, sped towards the outskirts of town.

Somehow August had known something was coming before the light appeared over the mountain. It was like the feeling where your ears wanted to pop, but the pressure was just unyielding. He walked outside the Black Dahlia, hoping some fresh air would relieve it. Then the night sky seemed to tear open in a bright light, and August was stopped in his tracks. He had seen some strange things in this town, but this took the cake. It was as if a hole to another world had opened up at the mountain. Where his daughter had gone missing. “June...”

The old wolf’s feet seemed to move on their own, towards the light and that tiniest spark of hope which he had thought dead and gone. His mind screamed that he was crazy, that this might all be a hallucination. The emotional strain, the head injuries, the drinking. Any could be attributed to why he was seeing these things and hoping for the impossible. He moved on regardless, not caring what might actually be there waiting.

What he should have been worried about however, was what was rapidly coming up behind him. By the time he noticed the car, it was too late to do anything other than give a quick leap and take the hit as he rolled over the top of it and make a hard landing on the road behind it. Gonna feel this in the morning was the first thought August had as he laid on the ground. “Asshole...” was the second thought, which he verbalized.

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

She didn’t react to the win, or to the people who whooped and cheered, despite the fact that they had been booing her moments before. Everything seemed quiet and out of focus, and she watched August being dragged away, feeling nothing. She simply turned, and grabbed her cash from her favourite bookie (she had a standing bet for whenever she fought that she would win), and went into the bathrooms, splashing water over her face and coming back to herself. It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine, she repeated internally like a mantra.

When she finally emerged from the bathrooms, she grabbed two beers and headed to where August was slumped. Sliding down the wall until she was sitting next to him, she offered him the beer. “How you feeling champ?” She asked, using her magic to see how bad his injuries were.

“Oh my god, the lord has sent me an angel with heaven’s nectar,” August said as he gratefully accepted the beer. Alcohol and concussions went together right? Well whatever, he had earned himself a damn beer. And he gave out a long sigh of enjoyment after the first gulp. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll live.”

“Haven’t gotten my ass handed to me like that in quite a while,” he remarked half to Arlo, half to himself. If he had still been human, and especially at his age, he might have needed to be taken to a hospital to make sure his brain was okay after taking that last hit. But he was not human, had not been for a while, so it was more of an annoyance than anything else. Especially since he had to sit here and let himself heal while the next fight started.

The sound of a solid hit connecting rang across the room and cheers rang out. August braced himself against the wall and tried to stand so he could see, but he quickly slid back to the floor. No strength left. Not yet anyway. “Shit, think I might have to call it an early night,” he said before taking another sip of the beer.

[august-bentley-blog]

griffin-xx-callahan:

The longer that Griffin has to piss around with this elderly man the further away his next meal is going to travel. He lowers his crossbow considerably even though a part of him wants to send an arrow through his thick skull for not moving out of his damn way. “Look dude, either get out of the fucking way or I’ll force my way through.” Griffin has no time for petty squabbles while his dinner is escaping from him. “Fuck if I care if law enforcement catches me. The stores are drying up with provisions and I need something to eat before I go fucking crazy, so either stand the fuck down or you can help me.”

Had things really gotten that desperate in town? Aside from a few necessities, August never really had to go back to any part of town that was not his bar. “So your plan was to take a crossbow into the woods, track a deer, somehow get close enough to kill it with said crossbow, and... what? You got the means to clean and dress it hidden on your person? Or was your plan to carry or drag a bleeding corpse which weighs maybe a hundred pounds all the way back to town and stuff it in the giant freezer you conveniently have waiting for it? All before any rot sets in of course. And without a cop spotting you. Sure, awesome plan.” 

But a plan which the young man seemed desperate enough to try to pull off. Which if everything went perfectly, might work. Or more likely he would end up with tainted meat which would get him and anyone else he shared it with as sick as the plague victims. “So you could go do that. Or...” Damn, August was really growing soft in his old age. “I guess we could work out a deal where I split some of the venison I already have frozen back at my place with you.”

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

The hisses and boo’s didn’t bother her, she was never one to care about what people’s opinions of her. She didn’t care that it was a low blow, she’d learnt to fight through necessity, and was very much of the opinion that honour had no place in a fight, and that you always should fight like your life depended on it. 

She kept her eyes trained on August as he fell to the floor, unlike others here who would have turned away and celebrated, assuming a win. She watched as he brushed away people trying to help him, and got to his feet. Please don’t, please don’t, please don’t, she hoped internally. She liked the older wolf before her, and she didn’t particularly want to hurt him, but she also wouldn’t allow herself to lose because of that. 

At his words she allowed a calm to come over herself, the calm she used when she needed to be cruel, to harm, to kill. It was something modeled after her mother, a deathly calm, a disconnect to everything, only caring about the one thing, in this case, winning. She walked to him like a lion stalking its prey, no hint as to what she was going to do to him in her stride. Reaching him she lashed out, her fist going straight into his eye, hard. 

A loss was always hard to swallow, but August was going to take it with as much grace as his beaten body would allow. The most agonizing part was Arlo walking over to him, an inevitability which he could only watch coming in what seemed like slow motion. Aside from that, there were almost no thoughts in his battered head. This state was what he strived for, a point where the rest of the world finally ceased existing, only what he saw in front of him was real anymore.

Her fist connected, and August was down on the floor again. This time for the count, and he knew it. There was nothing left in the tank. Distantly he felt hands grab him and drag him off. He faded out for what felt like just a second, but had to have been longer as he was now sitting against a wall with an ice pack over the eye Arlo’s fist had smashed into. Felt like he might actually get a black eye which lasted more than a few hours from this. Oh yeah, he was going to feel this in the morning. 

“Good fight... good fight...” he said quietly to himself, a small smile appearing. He hoped Arlo knew he had no hard feelings about this. Exact opposite, in fact. It had been a while since someone had beaten him senseless, and it felt good. Enough that he did not think he would need a drink to fall asleep tonight. Maybe enough to not have the nightmares.

[august-bentley-blog]

griffin-xx-callahan:

LOCATION: Outskirts — Aurenum Woods — Afternoon

With rations in town dangerously low and going another day without a real meal is not a choice anymore, Griffin comes up with the brilliant idea to hunt for his food. He’s heard in some report that the wild game has reportedly been tainted or they too were starting to catch the disease, but since he already has it he does not care if his meat is spoiled since food is food in his eyes. He is not entirely sure what might be in the area but anything is better than nothing. After a little under an hour in the woods he thankfully caught the trail of a small deer that appears to be trying to locate moss or literally anything for sustenance. Griffin is about to take the shot that would bring the animal down when someone walks in front of him.  “What the hell are you doing, move out the damn way.”

“Fuck off, private property.” August said sleepily as he stopped in his tracks. He had gotten a late start today, and he was in no mood for any shit. Part of the joy of living out here was that he had plenty of time to not deal with people before getting into town. Wait... this was his property still, right? He had not wandered too far in this half-awake state, had he? August looked back and could still make out part of his cabin, so close enough for him to count it. “What the hell are you doing out here with that thing anyway? It’s not deer season. Law enforcement sees you, you’re gonna get more than a slap on the wrist.”

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

No, stop thinking about her, she scolded herself internally. It seemed that no matter what she did, her mother would somehow get to her, even when she wasn’t there, just the thought of Alessandra got to Arlo. Knowing her mother, she would be proud of that fact, she supposed, knowing what her mother was like, and the power she loved to hold over people. Mentally she shoved all thoughts of her mother aside, and returned to her normal teasing and cocky self, a slow smirk making its way upon her lips as August began talking about the fights. “I can’t tell if you’re wanting me there to fight, or to work so you can play Tyler Durden,” Arlo teased. “But I’ll be there either way,” she shrugged. She loved the fights at the club, they were the ultimate stress relief, and they were just fun. 

Har har. A Fight Club joke about his fight club. Like that was the first someone had made fun of it. August smiled anyway. Not because of the joke, but because he was looking forward to seeing Arlo in action again. A yawn surprised August, and he drained the rest of the coffee. He considered ordering another one, but he could feel the sleep nagging behind his eyes. An old man he was, no longer able to stay awake with only a little extra push. “Alright, well this coffee has pretty much done all it can for me, so I need to get home and get some beauty sleep.” He stood from his seat and gave a small wave to Arlo. “See you later kid.”

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

She was far more competitive than she would like to admit, and though she had a thick skin and rarely paid any mind to what people thought of her, his words got to her more than she would have liked. Her height, weight (or lack thereof), and the fact that she was female; these were all things she used to her advantage when people assumed that she would be an easy opponent. But August was someone who knew she was better, and yet he was mocking her lack of strength. 

Fuck it, she thought, deciding that winning was better than winning with honour. She moved back slightly to lessen the force of his punches, but she still felt them, and was glad she could heal herself. She exagurated how much he had hurt her, though his attack hadn’t exactly tickled, and hunched over slightly, holding at her stomach and stumbling a few steps forward. 

Quickly she sprung up once she was within striking distance and kicked out into his groin, a well placed shot that ever a wolf couldn’t comfortably walk away from. “Hard enough?” She teased with a devilish look in her eyes. 

Come on Arlo, you can do better than this. August felt the joy in the fight starting to slip as his hits kept partly connecting and pushing her back. She was not tired out was she? They had barely started and he had already been fighting well before this. Even with his werewolf physiology, he should be tiring out far sooner than her. Oh well, maybe she was not the fighter he had thought he had seen in all those previous matches. Time to end this.

Then the kick flew out, and August saw stars dance in his vision. This was swiftly followed by a nice view of the floor as he collapsed to a fetal position, his hands holding himself. He heard a mix of shocked reaction, boos, and a few cheers from the crowd. And through the pain, he felt a strong sense of pride in his opponent. “That’s more like it...”

A few of the club members moved forward to help August off, figuring this fight was over. Before they could get too close though, his hand shot out, telling them to stop. He then shakily got to his knees and finally back on his feet. They were probably right that this fight was over, but August did not want Arlo to win with a cheap shot. He grinned at her and signaled her to come at him. “Come on, finish this.”

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

“Well lets see what you’ve got,” she teased with a smirk, cheekily beckoning him.

Arlo always made sure to never show all her moves when she fought at the club, afraid of something like this. With all the people who came in and out of town, which had considerably lessened since the quarantine, it was easy to fight people who would underestimate her. It was different with someone like August, he saw almost every single one of her fights, generally knew how she moved, but he didn’t know everything, or so she hoped. 

She was ready for him when he jumped, ducking low to land a solid punch to his gut, before she moved forward and past him so she was behind him. Before he turned, she unleashed a roundhouse kick into the middle of his back. 

Arlo was even faster than August thought she would be. That was good, she needed an advantage of some kind. Because the first hit she gave, while solid, only stunned him for a brief second. “Gonna have to hit harder than tha-” then the kick connected with his back and August stumbled forward, nearly falling to the floor. 

“That was better! Actually felt that,” the old wolf yelled as he finally got the time to turn around. Immediately he closed the distance, his fists flying forward in quick jabs at her. If power was too slow, maybe he could use his longer reach to turn this in his favor.

[august-bentley-blog]

We Don’t Talk About Fight Club

[august-bentley-blog]

arlo-fuentes:

Fight nights were her favourite nights at the club. They held something different about them, something in the air that she had never felt anywhere else. She could just sum it up to the adrenaline and excitement of the fights, but she’d been around human fights like this and they were different. It was the fact that they could be themselves, she thought, that they could fight and use their strength, not having to hold anything back. 

She was standing behind some younger guys, wolves, she thought, there was just something about them. It amazed her that they had even been allowed in, but she wasn’t in the mood to do anything about it. Rather, she coolly watched August take down his opponent with the ease, from against the wall with her arms crossed, whilst the boys in front of her whooped and hollered. 

Their excitement died down as soon as August tried to pick his next opponent, scattering before he could see that he’d picked one of them, leaving her as his fingers target. “You sure about that, old man?” Arlo asked coolly, lightly pushing herself off her perch and slowly slipping out of her jacket as she prowled towards the ring, the picture of calm, hiding a lethal sureness in her walk. 

In the ‘ring’ she stood, cocking her head slightly at August, her coolness never faltering.

Lady luck had dealt him an interesting hand tonight. The old wolf had had plenty of opportunities to see Arlo in action before, but never had the pleasure of being in the ring with her. Despite just wrapping up a fight, he felt a spike in energy. This was going to be fun. “More than sure, little girl.”

August reached up to crack his neck, then swung his arms around to warm them up. A smart fighter would be going over the previous fights his upcoming opponent had done, thinking of patterns in their style which could be exploited. But where was the fun in that? 

“Let’s begin!” He yelled as he jumped forward, aiming the first punch of the fight right at Arlo’s face.