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Life in the Slums Chpater 1 (rough Draft): Trade with Ryoga
Here you go!
Life on the streets in a big city can be rough on a young man. None more so then those abandoned to the whims of fate. Such cold and cruel lives many a children lead because they never got to know the warm embrace of a mothers love, or a fathers concern. Yes, the poor unfortunate souls whose lives are nothing more then scavenging around in the dirt, grime, and mud, often fall prey to the lives of gansters, but in that life, they find meaning and purpose. There is also the inherent supply of food, shelter, and power that few other children in this live can take comfort in having. And so our story begins many years ago when Ryoga is born.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The doctor shouted. “It's a boy! Its a...oh no. Nurse Take him, we are losing the mother.” The sounds of beeps, boops, and other medical equipment whirred around Ryoga. As the doctors tried to stabilize her.
She weakly spoke as he was being pumped full of drugs, “Ryoga. My.....boy....Ryoga.” Her heart was beating so faintly by this point that she passed out under stress. Her blood now covering the blankets and floor as she slowly began to fade away. The doctor and his assistant doing all they could to save her. Alas, the two hours of diligent and studios efforts were all for naught. The mother died, leaving Ryoga in the hands of his father.
Soon after, life for Ryoga became hell, colic plagued him as an infant, making his father turn to drugs to get any sleep, and several times left him near the point of choking. On one occasion his father woke up to see Ryoga suffocating, and acted quick enough to save him. The toddler years began to tear at Ryoga's emotions as he watched his father destroy himself over the loss of his mother. Soon enough though, the day Ryoga turned 4, his father took him to the train station promising him to a better life then what he could give. Malnourishment, and restless nights due to constant violence around his 'home' caused Ryoga to wonder “could there be a better life then this?” Sadly, his father boarded the train and left Ryoga for dead in the train station.
Ryoga was a small boy, no taller then a german shepperd. Black, grey, dingy fur covered his body, and was blened around his back, hands, and eyes. His head had a scar over his right eye from when his father threw a bottle of whisky agains the wall. The glass had shattered violently and sliced the eye lids of ryoga wide open. His fur was thin and wiry from lack of nutrition, and as such reveals that he had several rashes and sores across his body. His skin was thin and his blood vessles from the lack of meat on his bones, and the low body fat made ryoge look fairly emaciated. Overall he had a sad demeanor, and today made this all the more clear. Eyes hollow as a rotted log, stance as limp as a doll, and a face so sad, it could make a puppy cry. Tears welled into his eyes as the realization of what had happened dawned on him, and crying flowed from his lips.
Lost and confused Ryoga ran for help from a near by cop, who shrugged off Ryoga telling him to “Man up.” From then on, his life was misery. The streets of the city were wet. Food was scarce and often rotting. If the food was not spoiled, or was still edible if cooked over a fire barrel, it was a commodity, and coveted by many. Ryoga could never get enough good or even decent food to build up any kind of muscle to fight back, though he was always able to sneak in enough food to get by. The continuous malnourishment racked him like the sores and blisters his hands and feet had from never really being able to get out of the rain, the glass, or even the bitter night air.
The cold grasp of the night was always on Ryoga's mind, if he could not find a dry spot, his sores would break and infection would set in over night, and if he could not get a warm spot, he would wake up exhausted and to weak to fight for even a basic scrap of food. Though there were warm and dry spots he could pay for, they were often out of accessibility due to his lack of ways to pay. Ryoga had, however, found one spot that was warm and dry that no one else could fit into, but always left him cornered and robbed every time he used it. This meant that he either gave up having food, or he gave up safe shelter. The space was a nook near a laundromat that he was thin enough to fit into, not because he was so under weight, but because he was flexible enough to get into there. Ryoga also tended to keep any spare food or money he found in there simply because he was the only one who could get at it.
The space was fairly large for what it was. The furnace for the laundromat had 1 of the metal side in the whole with a rather large gap in the brick roofing to one side. This mean that even if there was a gas or carbon monoxide leak, it would not get to be bad enough to hurt Ryoga. The ground was grassy in a couple of spots, but where Ryoga would sleep was made of concrete. Having built up a large stockpile or ruined clothes, Ryoga had made fro himself a bed, and with a few discarded boxes, and wooden storage racks, some furniture and storage containers. It was his home. Yes he had to pay 'rent' on it, but it was almost always worth it. Pictures of travel destinations lined the wall that he used to get into the area. Cans of pork-n-beans, boxes of cereal, and other non perishable foods were in the back corner away from sight. This meant that no matter what. Ryoga could always default to here to eat something. In here his life was 'good', and in this place he was 'safe'.
Gangs were at war constantly, which is why his hiding hole was so risky. The laundromat was a contested territory of 4 different gangs, and as such, the gang that caught him in there first each morning charged rent for use of the nook, despite Ryoga being the only person able to use it at all. Further more, the clothing that Ryoga wore, was torn and discarded garments that got ruined in the laundromat, and this always meant that Ryoga had to watch for glass and rough edges. Many times gangs would ask Ryoga to do labor for them in exchange for a bed to sleep in for a night. It was usually washing down the 'apartments' the gangster lived in, hauling large loads of junk around, or even stealing from local stores. The worst cases had Ryoga running drugs, but this had a silver lining. The drug dealers who had him run the goods, often gave him small fifity dollar tips for his work because of the sizes of the drop offs. This is what Ryoga used to buy the antibiotics and other medicines, a warm dry bed to sleep in, and food. Fresh food was the only reason that Ryoga even did the runs. Being able to get a good meal into his stomach that no one could take away, was worth all the risks. That was until he was arrested and sent to juvinile hall at age five and sentence to 5 years in jail.
The day of Ryoga's arrest started off like the usual days where he slept in the hiding hole. The sun had risen, and a fallen brick let Ryoga know when it was around 6-8 am because of the hole it left in the wall. He stirred awake, and soon realized he had woken up before anyone was at the laundromat. Grabbing his can opener and some pork-n-beans, he decided to take a short break to eat before leaving his 'home'. The can was maple and brown sugar, and this was ryoga's favorite food. Slowly eating them, he took a moment to gaze out from the hole in the wall, and saw that the cops were all around the area. This meant that Ryoga had a couple of hours before any of the gangs could show up safely.
The door of one of the cop cars opened and the officer started walking towards the wall, and Ryoga darted under the pile of discarded clothes he slep in. Keeping one eye on the hole in the wall, the officer looked in, hoping to find something of interest, but all the officer could see was, a discarded can opener, empty food containers, and raggedy clothes. Soon after the departure of the cop, Ryoga crawled out of his home wearing his nicest clothes. Looking around, the only person in sight was a worker in the laundromat. Skipping down the road happily, this was the first day where ryoga had actually been able to eat breakfast in over a month. Because of this, he decided to go around to the local 'work houses' to see if he could earn a few bucks to try and get a meal at a local McDonalds or Burger King.
One by one, each of the 'work houses' turned him away, and soon enough Ryoga was getting discouraged. “How could a day that started off so well go so down hill so fast?” he thought to himself. “No matter, there are still a few jobs around I could do!” Ryoga was determined to keep his good luck streak running, and soon enough he got a job.
“Hey Ryoga! Come here you little bitch!” shouted a rather large Orca.
Ryoga knew that voice very well, and lept into the air uppon hearing it. He was the drug lord of the area, and even the biggest gangs did not talk to him. Turning around slowly, now gratefull he decided to wear the clothes without holes in them today, responded, “Yes sir?”
“I need you to run a package for me.” The Orka did not ask many people to do jobs for him, as he prefered to have a very small group of people work for him rather then random hoboes.
“M...m...me? Why...me?” asked Ryoga. He was scared out of his whits, and beads of terror induced sweat began to from on his bow.
“Because you are flexible, maneuverable, and quick whitted. I was the one who sent to cops to the laundromat, I am the one who had them leave when they did. I am why you did not get a job sooner. I am setting this up so you can run one thing for me. Get this done right, and there is a special reward in it for you! Me getting you into the foster care system!”
“Ye...yes sir! Who and where did you need me to go?” Ryoga asked overwhelmed with horror, fear, joy, and hope. If ryoga pulled this off, he would have a loving family.
“The information in on the package. Now come with me!” The Orca lead Ryoga to his car and handed him a box. For ryoga it was heavy, and it was made of box wood, wrapped in a rubber lining, with brown twine tied around it. “I want you to go to the address on the box. Do not stop anywhere, do not talk to anyone, do not slow down. If you do, you can kiss your reward good bye! GOT IT!!”
“Ye...ye...yes sir!” With that ryoga took off as fast as he could. “A Home!” he thought over and over again, as he raced with all his might down the streets to his destination.
Life on the streets in a big city can be rough on a young man. None more so then those abandoned to the whims of fate. Such cold and cruel lives many a children lead because they never got to know the warm embrace of a mothers love, or a fathers concern. Yes, the poor unfortunate souls whose lives are nothing more then scavenging around in the dirt, grime, and mud, often fall prey to the lives of gansters, but in that life, they find meaning and purpose. There is also the inherent supply of food, shelter, and power that few other children in this live can take comfort in having. And so our story begins many years ago when Ryoga is born.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The doctor shouted. “It's a boy! Its a...oh no. Nurse Take him, we are losing the mother.” The sounds of beeps, boops, and other medical equipment whirred around Ryoga. As the doctors tried to stabilize her.
She weakly spoke as he was being pumped full of drugs, “Ryoga. My.....boy....Ryoga.” Her heart was beating so faintly by this point that she passed out under stress. Her blood now covering the blankets and floor as she slowly began to fade away. The doctor and his assistant doing all they could to save her. Alas, the two hours of diligent and studios efforts were all for naught. The mother died, leaving Ryoga in the hands of his father.
Soon after, life for Ryoga became hell, colic plagued him as an infant, making his father turn to drugs to get any sleep, and several times left him near the point of choking. On one occasion his father woke up to see Ryoga suffocating, and acted quick enough to save him. The toddler years began to tear at Ryoga's emotions as he watched his father destroy himself over the loss of his mother. Soon enough though, the day Ryoga turned 4, his father took him to the train station promising him to a better life then what he could give. Malnourishment, and restless nights due to constant violence around his 'home' caused Ryoga to wonder “could there be a better life then this?” Sadly, his father boarded the train and left Ryoga for dead in the train station.
Ryoga was a small boy, no taller then a german shepperd. Black, grey, dingy fur covered his body, and was blened around his back, hands, and eyes. His head had a scar over his right eye from when his father threw a bottle of whisky agains the wall. The glass had shattered violently and sliced the eye lids of ryoga wide open. His fur was thin and wiry from lack of nutrition, and as such reveals that he had several rashes and sores across his body. His skin was thin and his blood vessles from the lack of meat on his bones, and the low body fat made ryoge look fairly emaciated. Overall he had a sad demeanor, and today made this all the more clear. Eyes hollow as a rotted log, stance as limp as a doll, and a face so sad, it could make a puppy cry. Tears welled into his eyes as the realization of what had happened dawned on him, and crying flowed from his lips.
Lost and confused Ryoga ran for help from a near by cop, who shrugged off Ryoga telling him to “Man up.” From then on, his life was misery. The streets of the city were wet. Food was scarce and often rotting. If the food was not spoiled, or was still edible if cooked over a fire barrel, it was a commodity, and coveted by many. Ryoga could never get enough good or even decent food to build up any kind of muscle to fight back, though he was always able to sneak in enough food to get by. The continuous malnourishment racked him like the sores and blisters his hands and feet had from never really being able to get out of the rain, the glass, or even the bitter night air.
The cold grasp of the night was always on Ryoga's mind, if he could not find a dry spot, his sores would break and infection would set in over night, and if he could not get a warm spot, he would wake up exhausted and to weak to fight for even a basic scrap of food. Though there were warm and dry spots he could pay for, they were often out of accessibility due to his lack of ways to pay. Ryoga had, however, found one spot that was warm and dry that no one else could fit into, but always left him cornered and robbed every time he used it. This meant that he either gave up having food, or he gave up safe shelter. The space was a nook near a laundromat that he was thin enough to fit into, not because he was so under weight, but because he was flexible enough to get into there. Ryoga also tended to keep any spare food or money he found in there simply because he was the only one who could get at it.
The space was fairly large for what it was. The furnace for the laundromat had 1 of the metal side in the whole with a rather large gap in the brick roofing to one side. This mean that even if there was a gas or carbon monoxide leak, it would not get to be bad enough to hurt Ryoga. The ground was grassy in a couple of spots, but where Ryoga would sleep was made of concrete. Having built up a large stockpile or ruined clothes, Ryoga had made fro himself a bed, and with a few discarded boxes, and wooden storage racks, some furniture and storage containers. It was his home. Yes he had to pay 'rent' on it, but it was almost always worth it. Pictures of travel destinations lined the wall that he used to get into the area. Cans of pork-n-beans, boxes of cereal, and other non perishable foods were in the back corner away from sight. This meant that no matter what. Ryoga could always default to here to eat something. In here his life was 'good', and in this place he was 'safe'.
Gangs were at war constantly, which is why his hiding hole was so risky. The laundromat was a contested territory of 4 different gangs, and as such, the gang that caught him in there first each morning charged rent for use of the nook, despite Ryoga being the only person able to use it at all. Further more, the clothing that Ryoga wore, was torn and discarded garments that got ruined in the laundromat, and this always meant that Ryoga had to watch for glass and rough edges. Many times gangs would ask Ryoga to do labor for them in exchange for a bed to sleep in for a night. It was usually washing down the 'apartments' the gangster lived in, hauling large loads of junk around, or even stealing from local stores. The worst cases had Ryoga running drugs, but this had a silver lining. The drug dealers who had him run the goods, often gave him small fifity dollar tips for his work because of the sizes of the drop offs. This is what Ryoga used to buy the antibiotics and other medicines, a warm dry bed to sleep in, and food. Fresh food was the only reason that Ryoga even did the runs. Being able to get a good meal into his stomach that no one could take away, was worth all the risks. That was until he was arrested and sent to juvinile hall at age five and sentence to 5 years in jail.
The day of Ryoga's arrest started off like the usual days where he slept in the hiding hole. The sun had risen, and a fallen brick let Ryoga know when it was around 6-8 am because of the hole it left in the wall. He stirred awake, and soon realized he had woken up before anyone was at the laundromat. Grabbing his can opener and some pork-n-beans, he decided to take a short break to eat before leaving his 'home'. The can was maple and brown sugar, and this was ryoga's favorite food. Slowly eating them, he took a moment to gaze out from the hole in the wall, and saw that the cops were all around the area. This meant that Ryoga had a couple of hours before any of the gangs could show up safely.
The door of one of the cop cars opened and the officer started walking towards the wall, and Ryoga darted under the pile of discarded clothes he slep in. Keeping one eye on the hole in the wall, the officer looked in, hoping to find something of interest, but all the officer could see was, a discarded can opener, empty food containers, and raggedy clothes. Soon after the departure of the cop, Ryoga crawled out of his home wearing his nicest clothes. Looking around, the only person in sight was a worker in the laundromat. Skipping down the road happily, this was the first day where ryoga had actually been able to eat breakfast in over a month. Because of this, he decided to go around to the local 'work houses' to see if he could earn a few bucks to try and get a meal at a local McDonalds or Burger King.
One by one, each of the 'work houses' turned him away, and soon enough Ryoga was getting discouraged. “How could a day that started off so well go so down hill so fast?” he thought to himself. “No matter, there are still a few jobs around I could do!” Ryoga was determined to keep his good luck streak running, and soon enough he got a job.
“Hey Ryoga! Come here you little bitch!” shouted a rather large Orca.
Ryoga knew that voice very well, and lept into the air uppon hearing it. He was the drug lord of the area, and even the biggest gangs did not talk to him. Turning around slowly, now gratefull he decided to wear the clothes without holes in them today, responded, “Yes sir?”
“I need you to run a package for me.” The Orka did not ask many people to do jobs for him, as he prefered to have a very small group of people work for him rather then random hoboes.
“M...m...me? Why...me?” asked Ryoga. He was scared out of his whits, and beads of terror induced sweat began to from on his bow.
“Because you are flexible, maneuverable, and quick whitted. I was the one who sent to cops to the laundromat, I am the one who had them leave when they did. I am why you did not get a job sooner. I am setting this up so you can run one thing for me. Get this done right, and there is a special reward in it for you! Me getting you into the foster care system!”
“Ye...yes sir! Who and where did you need me to go?” Ryoga asked overwhelmed with horror, fear, joy, and hope. If ryoga pulled this off, he would have a loving family.
“The information in on the package. Now come with me!” The Orca lead Ryoga to his car and handed him a box. For ryoga it was heavy, and it was made of box wood, wrapped in a rubber lining, with brown twine tied around it. “I want you to go to the address on the box. Do not stop anywhere, do not talk to anyone, do not slow down. If you do, you can kiss your reward good bye! GOT IT!!”
“Ye...ye...yes sir!” With that ryoga took off as fast as he could. “A Home!” he thought over and over again, as he raced with all his might down the streets to his destination.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
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File Size 18.2 kB
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