"Well, well well" You people know who I am , but you don't know why I'm here?"

"So this—-is where the big boys play?" Where's the "Nacho Man?" That guy couldn't even get in the building!"

"Me" I go where I want——when I want."

"Where's billionare Ted?" And where oh where is "Scheme Gene?" Cos boy do I have a scoop for him.."

"You want a war, you got a war?"

~The Bad Guy

How long he had stood there, he couldn't say. Truth be told, he had no idea how the hell he had even ended up where he had...All he knew, was that he recognized the place before him somehow.

The Blue..

"Hey yo' calm down big man...I normally don't much care for guys with longer hair than me, but I'm eyein" your necklace, bro. The scales and swords. it's Scathachian, right?"

"Don't bother to answer, I know it is. I don't care to understand how you got that fancy pendant, but I can tell you clearly, that I too am in the service of the Scathachians" and in more ways than one."

A cant of head took hold, as eyes of blue looked from the marquee sign, towards the door...The bouncer was steadily handling his business, as people came and went from the establishment. A small line went down the sidewalk, the crowd not really what he recalled. A mix of younger, rather 'college' types...Yes, a brow did in fact raise for a bit, as he pondered whether he was truly in front of the place, he recalled.

A quick glance along the wall of the business was all it took the convince him..

It was still there, hanging on the wall like some trophy of sorts. The folding chair, that he had once used on some jack@ss, back when...The imprint of the poor bastard's face was still as fresh as it was them. Looks like it was even autographed, as he could make out the letters with a nod, speaking to himself as he did so..

"NWO..."

"The names, Scorp?"

Yes, it came back a bit...But it was hard to tell at times, what was and more so what is" Was it now, or then" Here, or there" Himself, or another" Yes, the lines did blur somewhat....And even with the time passing as it had, and even with the distance as great as it seemed, the lines indeed remained, a great blur..

A blur, he needed to become more focused, and damned quickly no less.

So towards the entrance he walked, shoulders rolling back offering several 'cracks' as muscles slowly awakened more so, with each step. A swift crack of neck, as he eyed the line once more, given them the expression, that they did not belong here at all...That his agenda was far more important that some p*ssy and drinks, and more so....If they decided to make a point of speaking up, in regards to his cutting in front of them all, he would f*ck each and every one of them up with no thought what so ever..

That was the expression alright.

Luckily for him, he was a damned good bluff...Because he more than likely would not have been able to deliver on that last part, as much as he once would have been able to do so.

Suddenly, he stopped moving forward....Abruptly...A hand on his chest caught his attention, as did the words that followed the action.

"Sup bro' Little old for here, yeah?"

That brow raised once more, as fingers clenched and flexed a bit...Urges long since known, pushed back with such effort, as he replied.

"Old?"

"Yeah bro, old— as in this ain't all ages night, dig" This is college night, baby. You got to come back another night, dig" Sides, you can't handle what?s inside here, baby...You look too soft. All those silver streaks, an what not, dig?"

It took a moment to truly register...I mean really take it in, mind you...Old was one thing, and yes it had been a while since he had ever stepped foot in a place like this one, let alone this one....But soft— soft"! Oh, that did not sit well at all...Especially after his run in with the witch, and her armored friend in the dock side...Especially after what he had to do inside the 'church' , and more so, what?s he's had to do since his 'return' so to speak...There were answers he required, and they may very well be inside this very place and here he was being told to come back another day..

Cause he looked too old, and soft"

Perhaps, he could talk his way—- "I just need to see Dirt—-"

"What you need to do bro, is stand back and let these boys in, before I move you."

The hand upon his chest offering a pat or two to emphasis the words of the bouncer. So talking did not work, apparently..

He pondered another way, and before he knew it— the bouncer was laid the hell out...Flat on his back, looking up, in a rather dazed state...His jaw began to swell by the moment, as gasps and whispers took to the air, the lined up men backing up more so.

Looking between the line, and bouncer he wondered what the hell had happened...

"What did you do!"

"Huh?"

'What did you do!"

His eyes shifted to a girl that came scrambling out of the club, and was knelt next to the knocked the hell out bouncer, her hands checking the man for any other injuries as she asked again.

I said what did you—-

"I'll tell you what he did, he knocked him the f*ck out with a kick! That was sick man! Sick!"

The bouncer was coming to slowly, as the woman sighed in relief. The line of young men, still rather stunned, now began to get more excited.

"Bro, that was sick!

"Do it again, bro! Chin music!"

He however, was still stunned...He hardly recalled kicking anyone anywhere— But his position had changed, he noted that much, but kicking the man to sleep" No, not a clue. Bending over, he went to check on the man, as well.

"Sorry, miss I have no idea, what they are taking about, really."

And from the line of men, "Dude, that was awesome! You like stepped back, and laid him the f*ck out! That was like some cage sh*t there! He never saw it coming, and damn!"

"I didn—"

"Wait," said the girl, as she reached out...Her fingers took hold of a charm, that slid from our boy's shirt...Nodding, she released it and then helped the dazed bouncer to his feet.

As she did that, he too stood upright once more, tucking the charm back into his shirt, as she spoke to him once more, "Alright, go on in...Table to the back, Wolfpac an all. Bossman's out, but he'll be back soon. And no more kicking! I'll take care of Dudley here, you just order a drink and stay still.."

"Wolf—-"

"Just get in there, before you draw any more attention, got it?"

He moved inside, as she ordered...Much to the dislike of the rather excitable line of men, and what not. Eyes of blue narrowed, adjusting to the change in light, as the expanse of the club was taken...Hardly a change at all, save the crowd...A turn of head, and he found what she has spoken of...Cordoned off was a booth, and attached to the rope itself, was a single sign..

"N.W.O."

Slowly some things came, and went...But what remained more so, was the feeling—- that something he needed, was in fact here..

But what?

He normally didn't do this.

His province was for those who could not defend themselves...the downtrodden, the weak and helpless. There were those in the city who gathered for its defense, who pitted themselves against the larger enemy, the greater threat.

It was a noble enough cause, of course...but while they focused on that, who was there to ensure the individuals were looked after?

The answer was simple enough - he was.

He had encountered the one they called Raven, one night, in the marketplace, conversing with the Betrayer, some weeks ago. He, like so many others, had thought the man to be Ravenlock, the man he had encountered some years ago, had grown to respect, admire and, yes, even trust...things that did not come easily to the old demon, when they came at all.

But there was something...wrong. Something off about the man.

It wasn't his actions. Indeed, he found those to be understandable, to a point. It wasn't the things the man said or the way he acted, either. Admittedly, he had not known the man well enough to be able to judge such things anyway, save that he was an honorable man, though - like Lupinius himself - he had a darker side as well.

It had taken him weeks to figure out what it was.

The scent.

The scent was wrong.

Not obviously wrong. He hadn't even noticed the difference until he really sat and thought about it, it was such a subtle thing. But the difference was there, to someone with senses as acute and experienced as his own. He didn't know what the difference was, but it was there.

Around the same time he had come to his realization, he began hearing whispers. The talk of hunters, seeking a man they called Brian. He listened closely to the talk, and as he listened he began to put the pieces together, the murmured words making sense as the picture emerged into view.

He wouldn't have gone looking, normally. Among the things he knew about Ravenlock was that the man was capable of taking care of himself. But there was more to it than that.

Mostly, it was the fact that the man was among the very few - perhaps three in all - that he might have considered a friend in Rhy'din, one he would give his loyalty to. The demon had walked in countless lands on just as many planes of existence for more than two millenia. He knew well the value of a friend.

It took him weeks to find the trail, and then it was cold and broken, difficult to follow at best. Hints of the man, here and there, the scent more familiar to him. It was just last night that he had come across a fresher trail to follow.

It had led him here. To this dingy hovel of a night club. He had arrived just in time to see the bouncer laid out in violent fashion by the very one he had been seeking.

The grin that spread over his features was one of satisfaction. The scent, and that kick, was all the confirmation he needed.

As the man was hustled inside, the demon stood watch outside, staying in the shadows, the cowled cloak pulled up over his head. And he waited.

It was some hours before the man emerged again, looking as though he were walking with a purpose. What that purpose was didn't matter to the demon. He knew that the man before him was Ravenlock, not...the other, the one they called Raven.

But he had to know what was going on here.

He gave the man a little distance before he slipped from the shadows to follow, the cloak wrapped around him and the cowl over his features.