Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 136: Leo

As they exited the last cavern before going into the tunnel that lead to the well, Laz turned around to put the rock back in place. Although they had wiped out the larger problems in the cave, that didn't mean that if the other spiders escaped that they wouldn't cause problems. Laz didn't feel like taking risks.

When they had originally come into the cavern, it took both of them and a huge effort to move the rock forward a few feet, just so they had enough room to get in. Of course, pushing out of the way was going to be much easier than trying to put it back. With Vivi staring at him while he stared at the rock, Laz just finally decided to give it a go. Amazingly, as Laz's hand latched onto the rock, the area where he grabbed crumbled away, as though he just grabbed on to a baked cracker as opposed to a one ton boulder. Watching the rock fragments crumble in his hand, he couldn't help but look a little wide-eyed at Vivi who was also staring at his hand.

"Uhh..."

*I would advise you to get used to your new strength first before you do something stupid... such as gripping too hard when you masturbate....*

"That's where you go with this?" Laz asked, a bit embarrassed that this little sister of his was talking like this. Of course her only response was,

*Am I wrong?*

'That's not the point,' Laz thought, but he didn't think it. Instead, he jammed his hand into the new opening and dragged the boulder back using just his one arm. Although the act had caused his hand and muscles to be sore, it could only be expected considering how much he just moved.

In truth, Vivi wasn't trying to be mean, she was just a little flustered still due to Laz's actions and therefore was being a bit short with him. In her opinion, until she understood why she felt like this, she wanted to keep him a bit further away. After all, Vivi knew what effects his blood had on other humans and although it had never been a problem for her in the past, she didn't want to risk it.

As the human and she wolf made their way back down the mountain, Laz took every opportunity to familiarize himself with his new found strength while Vivi was lost in thought. Although it would have been a good idea for her to do the same, she felt like she would just do it later by herself.

Laz was hitting trees and trying not to break them while also trying his best to lift rocks gently without crushing them. He would also occasionally do a quick punch and kick routine so that he could figure out his body's balance again. It would be very embarrassing to accidentally launch himself forward while trying to fight someone in the future. As such, by the time they made it down the hill, it was already morning, two days later as they discovered when they got back to the house.

As it turned out, they had actually spent almost twenty four hours in the pool, tempering their bodies. Up until now, that would have been the longest they spent doing anything of the sort. When Laz asked Vivi about it, she simply said that the stronger you get, the more your sense of time distorts. Although Laz didn't understand, he nodded all the same before going in to take a shower.

Just as he was about to pull open the door when he saw a sticky note plastered on the door. They had left after the normal nightly training with Leona, Reggie and Dee. But since he didn't say he wouldn't be home the next day, they had shown up here and waited for him before finally going for a quick run lead by Leona. The note was simply saying they had been there and asking if he was ok. Due to this, Laz couldn't help feeling a little warmer as he went to the small bathroom while Vivi got comfortable on the couch and started watching TV, while their equipment was just piled into the corner. It would be Laz's job to take care of it later.

After spending a relaxing day doing nothing, it was once again time for their meet up and exercise session. Laz just gave an excuse about something coming up last minute and telling them good job on sticking to the program. He also told them he would take them on a special adventure soon, a declaration that caused Dee to be excited, Reggie to be curious and Leona to frown and wonder if he was going to do something he shouldn't considering Dee and Reggie's age. In her mind, Laz was older than her so having them do what she did was a big no no. Of course she also had to deal with the occasional encouraging looks and gestures from Reggie and Dee, who had been told by Reggie, that she wanted to ask Laz out. She could only shake her head and ignore them.

After the training session, Leona told Laz she had tests to study for and wouldn't be available for their late night training so Laz ended up having extra free time. As such, while putting away the equipment from the expedition and playing a bit more with the unusual pouch, Laz once again had to face the ongoing issue of lack of money. He needed a job, but he knew that it wasn't going to be easy. He had been paying attention to things that had developed in New York and knew that a few agencies were on the look out for him, although mostly it was in response to the fact that his guardian/grandpa had been taken away. As such, the police, in cooperation with child services, were basically on the look out for him. Fortunately, the fact that he had grown considerably and his skin had become rather pale caused him to look completely different than any of the photo's that had existed up until that point. He was also using a fake identity which would normally be ok, but might raise alarm if there was a background check run on him. Due to all of these things combined, his choices were limited.

After mulling it over for a good portion of the night, Laz finally took out a business card that he had gotten from Tony before he left. The only thing Tony said to him about it was that he had to use a certain app when scanning the QR code. Once he did that, it would use a GPS ping to locate some potential employers in his area. Specifically, people related to the family that Tony was a part of, the Hearn family. According to him, the Hearn family had business contacts all over the US and as Laz seemed to be trustworthy in his dealings with Kennedy, he would be allowed to work for the family under provisional contracts as long as he stayed clear of the law and remained loyal while he was employed. Other than that, he just needed to let his employer know that he was leaving before doing so, so that they could put him up as a free agent again. Apparently, there was always a need for capable and loyal labor in there line of work.

After weighing the pros and cons, Laz finally used the app and found a contact point in the area. From what he could tell, it was a night club on the outskirts of the nearby city called Waves. From the small town Laz was living in, it would be a 25 minute drive to get there. Laz was glad he had planned ahead for this since he wasn't about to drive the camper there and back and it didn't seem like buses ran through this town. After making sure he knew where the place was, he sat down for a bit with Vivi who was watching some model show and proceeded to brush her fur like normal, not noticing her reluctance at first that disappeared as she lost herself in the comfortable feeling of his skilled hands.

After a night of sleep, Laz got up pretty early and began his normal morning exercise routine before cleaning himself up. He dressed himself up in jeans, a tee, a hoodie and a leather jacket, one of the few things that had been brought over from his former apartment. He had considered bringing the mask that he still had, but decided that it probably wouldn't be needed for today. After a quick chat with Vivi about where he was going and when he might be back, Laz went outside to the back of the camper where an old motorcycle was parked. He had bought it when he first got here since he wanted something to ride around town if he needed it. As it turned out, he barely ever went farther than a small grocery store that was a ten minute walk from the trailer park so the bike ended up just getting covered up with boxes. Although it started up when he first tried it, even the person he bought it from said it could be hit or miss and that it would require fixing. Laz had big dreams about doing something like fixing it up, but it didn't end up happening. Today seemed to be a good day for the old, small bike and it started on the first try. Letting it idle for a while, he went in and got his helmet and took off, headed for the Waves night club.

Although he almost got lost, Laz found the place pretty easily since it was pretty big and flashy compared to the surrounding buildings. He had debated calling beforehand, but had no idea what he would say. As such, he decided to check the place out first and get a feel for it before he committed to anything.

Pulling his bike into the parking lot, he couldn't help but take a look around. The large white, somewhat poorly decorated outside was covered in lights and mirrors, showing that the building probably came alive at night. Over the entryway was a golden sign that spelled out Waves in a manner that seemed like it belonged on the entrance to a casino in Vegas and not a dive night club in Virginia. He noticed a few search lights chained up to the side of the building along with line spacers to handle the incoming crowd. Other than these few signs that the building was even in use, he didn't notice any cars in the front parking lot at all, which caused him a bit of confusion. When he visited the website of the place, he noticed they opened at noon which is why he was here at this time. What he didn't know was that it was only the bar that opened then and there would hardly be anyone looking for a drink at noon on a weekday.

Opening the door, Laz was greeted by the smell of polished wood and alcohol, all carried along by the overly cold blast of an air conditioner. The dimly lit club was a stark contrast to the sunny weather outside but it only took Laz a moment to adjust to it. Looking around, he noticed a raised stage, several hanging cages that looked just big enough for a person to fit inside of along with a rather huge dance floor. The bar was situated towards the front of the building with bar stools lining it's length. Several tables were spread out behind the stools, allowing for someone to either pass by the bar area entirely or to access it directly from the dance floor as well. As far as Laz could tell, the inside was rather flashy, but not gaudy. It looked like it would be a fun place to go and didn't seem cheap or dingy in the least. He was rather surprised.

Looking around, Laz noticed a middle age man tending the empty bar with three rough looking guys huddled around a table, talking and drinking as though they owned the place. Knowing that he stood out a bit, Laz quickly made his way to the bar. Just as he was about to sit down, the bar tender who didn't even look up from his paper, said,.

"We don't serve minors."

Not the least bit put off, Laz grabbed out his ID and set it on the bar near where the man was reading. Reaching his hand over, he took a look at it and then looked at Laz.

"Lazzo, 22 eh? Why the hell do you look like you're already dead?"

"I have a skin condition. Give me a Jack and Coke on ice," Laz calmly replied as he sat down, collecting his ID. In truth, the picture on the ID was him, it was just aged slightly and actually looked exactly like him, minus his now pale skin. Not saying a word, the bar tender got to mixing his drink before handing it to him.

"$5," The middle aged man said, holding out his hand. Laz calmly paid the man before taking the drink and trying it a bit. It was light on the Jack and heavy on the coke, something he kind of expected. Before the bar tender could turn away and ignore him, Laz calmly took out the business card Tony gave him and set it on the bar next to the middle aged man.

"I'm looking for some work and heard this was the place to find it," Laz said, neither rushed nor hurried. If Laz was being honest with himself, he actually found these types of things to be rather thrilling. He felt like he was acting out a role and couldn't wait to see what came next. He didn't feel the least bit of pressure despite knowing that it could be said he had walked into a lion's den.

The middle aged man glanced at the card but didn't say anything. Instead he just coughed twice and proceeded to disappear behind a door leading to the area behind the bar. Hearing the man cough though caused the three rough looking guys at the table to stop talking and stand up. All three of them seemed to have a complete change in attitude as they now looked like solders standing at attention as opposed to thugs hanging out and drinking. All three of them were staring at Laz, as though he had just insulted their mothers after sleeping with their girlfriends. It caused the atmosphere to become rather tense. But none of this affected Laz who just sat at the bar while sipping on his slightly alcoholic soda and watching the news on a TV behind the bar.

It didn't take long for the middle aged man to return, following closely behind a rather dashing young man who had dyed his hair blue. He had several facial piercings, was wearing designer clothes and even looked like he had gotten a manicure lately. His skin was even just slightly darker than Laz's, making him seem more and more like a guy who lived the night life and didn't see the sun much. Laz could in no way picture this youth as someone in charge as he looked more like a wanna be musician.

He walked over in front of the bar and waved his hand, causing the tense, rough looking individuals to sit down. They didn't go back to drinking however and just watched the two figures sitting at the bar. The young man finally reached over and took the card, turning it over in his hand. He grabbed out his phone and scanned a tiny QR code that was on the back of the card, something that Laz couldn't get to scan no matter what he tried. Looking at his phone, the blue haired youth finally took a breath and reached his hand out.

"Name's Leo. Heard your called Lazzo?" The blue haired man had a rather musical voice, one in which seemed to resonate as though he were giving a performance as opposed to an introduction. Laz shook the offered hand and then retrieved his card that was offered back to him before responding.

"Just call me Laz," Laz replied. 'Seems I've come to the right place.'