CIRCLING INTERESTS (Ch. 8)

Raven steps into his apartment to find a familiar female silhouette looming over his real body, (mom?)…

"Mom?", Turning towards him he sees his mom's confused face,

"Sorry wrong person, are you Raven's mother ma'am?"

Raven's mother tilts her head forehead scrunching up in question

"I am, who are you?"

"Oh i'm sorry, i'm a friend of Raven's, he must be tired from school" Raven replies

"Yes i can see that, my baby boy's so cute" she smiles getting to her feet while dusting herself off "he never mentioned you though?, And why are the living conditions here so poor"

Ravens eyes glimmer in contemplation momentarily before giving a swift reply, "it's a rather recent arrangement" Raven replies,

"Let's head out, I'd rather not disturb him" she states leading him out of the door and towards the nearest coffee shop.

Now seated across the table facing his mother while she watches him inquisitively, silence reigns for a few seconds before she deign's it necessary to speak.

"So You're saying you and Raven have been living together to save rent and he's even gotten a job?" She asked raven

"Yes ma'am" Raven replies shooting her a smile

"Although I'm proud of him.....If only he'd told me i could've sent more money "

"No!, He's always telling me how great of a mother you are, he might not be able to express himself clearly but he obviously loves you a lot ma'am" Raven states passionately,

"You're a good kid aren't you? Oh i never did ask your name?"

"It's also Raven ma'am"

"Ohhh? What a coincidence?!" She exclaims excitedly before pulling out a five thousand credit bill note handing it to him,

"Please continue to take care of my son, and protect him if you can" she states her eyes glimmering white under the reflecting light?, While thanking her, Raven's mother's expression shifts for a micro second but is quickly replaced by a smile.

(it's all about me for her, i really am undeserving)

Whike working his normal shift Konan pours in yet another coffee from the coffee maker, turning to face the counter his eyes catch the form of Raven voss walking into the shop with a good looking lady in jeans and a t-shirt,

(his sister?), he signals Yanick and the rest of the gang as he watches them talk.

Raven greets his mom farewell as she walks off, (should i mark this?, I really don't want to spend it)

"Hey asshole"

Turning Yanick's face comes into view, he watches as Yanick takes off his jacket "you seem relaxed" he states while pulling up his shirt's sleeve.

Yanick had watched from the other side of the shop as Raven spoke to the the lady, straining his ears he finds himself unable to penetrate the air around the two,

(It's almost as if there's some kind of barrier around them, force arts?.....no no how could that possibly be? Sure the kids strong and might even be a natural shifter but to be able to use force arts he'd need to have been specifically trained, the lady?, Nah doubt it)

Unable to listen in on the two he watches Raven take money from the lady as he smiled at her in thanks, standing up to go after the exiting duo he catches up finding the boy alone

"Hey wai…" Raven replies dogging Yanick's punch

(For someone who's strong and has worked so hard to become strong you waste that strength on fighting pointless battles and bullying kids)

Raven swerves left then right ducking under to avoid three hammer like punches rippling though the air, another grazes his cheek,

"Why are you attacking me?" Raven asks flustered

"Cause you're a bad guy" Yanick replies

"I'm not!" Raven replies swiftly swerving away from a body shot

"Fine then give over that five thousand credit not the lady gave you" Yanick states convinced he'd somehow ripped the woman off

"No!" Raven growls in reply, although he'd been used to having his things taken he couldn't let this one go

{He's holding back you know, underestimating you, though there isn't much to underestimate, your body is by far superior in every metric, catch him off guard before he uses experience to close the gap}

"That so?" Yanick states even more convinced of his conviction now

Taking a boxing stance raven squares ready for the fight,

(Boxing?, So he's a boxer?),

"People like you don't want your things taken but you're happy to take from others"

They both lash out throwing a punch each at the other Raven seeing that Yanick's fist would collide with his jaw abandons his attack at the last second showing inhumane control over his body before twisting his neck, and hip, despite Yanick's punch grazing his cheek, while using the momentum from his twisted hip to arch his punch into a back hand strike that collides swiftly against Yanicks Jaw, Raven heaves not from exhaustion but the slow reduction of his unusual spike in adrenaline while his eyes remain fixiated on Yanicks unconscious form.

A while latter Konan with the crew walking in tow arrive at Yanick's position to see the unusual sight of their leader bruised by the jaw and unconscious,

A while later Yanick is seated in a zen position while reminiscing, ( a spin move?, That bastard's not a boxer)

"Konan" Yanick calls out

"What's up" Konan replies from beside him

"I lost"

"I know"

"Should have i....nevermind"

"Yes you should've, i don't know what promise you made with your teacher, but if you don't start using muai thai you'll keep loosing"

"..."

Konan stands while watching Yanick intently, (More importantly definitely can't afford for word of this to get out, 'RELENTLESS' must never lose!).

"Jimmyy!, Your late for schoo!" His mother beckoned

"I have nothing to wear!" jimmy replies in haste, (i'm nothing special, if i speak of myself as a game character, i probably have an average game starter kit at best, left with no way of leveling up, I've lived with these bad game generated set up all my life)

Wearing a pair of designer canvases he'd gotten off his uncle he admires them while before the full body mirror before him,

(although they've been professionally rejuvenated they're still half a decade old sneakers). He though to himself as he turned to exit the room before making haste out the door

"Bye mom!" He called still in a dash bearly picking up her call in reply. Walkind down the side walk he takes several turns before a short fifteen minute walk leads him pass the school gates, his brows furrow as he takes note of the intent stares on his sneakers

"Look at his shoes"

"Woah! Are those limited edition retro's?" jimmy turned to see two girls attending his school eyeing his sneakers while the other inquires excitedly

"Y..yeah" he replies much to their delight,

"W... where? Where'd you get em!" The brown haired girl who was obviously a sneaker junkie inquired with ample fevrence,

"An uncle p..passed it..d.. down"

"Man your so lucky!"

The hustle of those finding their way draw the three away, not before Jimmy acquires their contacts though

(I've lived my life without being able to level up, i think i just found out how).

Jimmy takes view before his room mirror trying out his freshly bought designer sneakers, glasses

And ring,

(this should be enough, at least with these accessories i wouldn't be a treated like a fucking ghost).

Jimmy watches Raven walk into class in the designer clothing James had handed him,

(handsome, rich and smart?, Always knew God had favorites),

Raven walks up towards James giving him a light wave, as James smirks quietly towards himself while taking a long look at the boy

A few days prior

James is lying down within a pile of crumpled and half bent papers, most sporting some form of congratulatory message for a classmate, Raven Voss on his birthday, time ticks by untill a fleeting notion clicks and he rises packing bag after bag of unsused designer clothes and accessories. Packing up clothes worth fifteen bags and hundreds of thousands of credits in cost, he exits his homes estate before driving towards Raven voss's place, far enough tor it to be coincidence but close enough for him to intercept his route, stopping his car before Raven wo watches on alert, James steps out the tinted sports car and hands him the first bag with a birthday card on it,

"James?" Raven calls out unsure

"…" James holds out the bag and Raven takes a hold of it looking to the simple birthday card sporting only a greeting, he crouches to unzip the bag before gasping in pleasant suprise at the sight of the clothes,

"James tha..." Speechless he looks up towards the other fourteen bags, "this..."

Clearing his throat James points to the bags and his car,

"You'll help me get them home?" Raven asks

James nods, packing the bags back into the car he watches Raven analysing him with hidden intent, (Raven Voss, son and only child of Madlyn Voss, recently overweight and quite a few feet shorter, happens to live with a friend, nothing particularly out of tge ordnary, everything about them can be defined as average, despite their apparent attractiveness, but that's what buggs me, it's too average, to perfect, my intuition tells ne theirs something off, I've been unable to uncover more even with my families influence, very few could accomplish that), Raven gets in after him as the car speeds off into the main road right by the ally way, James turns giving one more glance towards the beaten engineering students he'd left sprawled and unconscious, and with a ambiguous smirk he steps on the accelerator blazing into the distance.