"Where I'm from, you always have to think outside the box. When you tag walls that you don't own, rob people that you believe are scum, or expressing yourself to be a true monster... that's what makes us different. That's what makes us who we are!"
...
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Before the gangster could even yell, the imposter – initially believed to be the Loyalist interrogator, Dela Cruz – sets off an explosive charge that instantly blows up, propelling everyone (including Denegrade) away in a huge shockwave. The blast was instant. It launched criminals off the ground, shook the nearby scaffoldings to an alarming degree, it even forced the merc to brace its strong wind as her boots screech and grind across the concrete floor. David, on the other hand, remains where he's pinned, wrapping his arms around his head to avoid the debris coming his way. With such a loud BOOM, the whole neighborhood should have heard it across the street; afraid to even look out their window.
but due to the Mute Spell's placement at the time, it only came out as a muffle.
As her boot's screeching comes to a complete halt, Denegrade lets out a short huff from her breath and quickly looks up. Her eyes, hidden behind her dark lenses, form into daggers. Her growl emits into a low muffle. Her mind... is tensed up to the core.
"Grrr!" the mercenary tilts her head to the right and slowly stands straight, wiggling her arms with one swoosh to brush off any accumulated dust. "Why don't things go in my fav-"
But before she could finish what she had to say, her trigger hand somehow lacks the presence of her Python, sending the merc into a brief panic as she shifts her head in every direction.
At the same time, David – who's still lying face-first on the floor – hears an audible thud to his left and takes a brief peek to see what was dropped. Beside him close is the merc's missing revolver; still chambered in six rounds and not muddled by construction dust... yet. Seeing it at arm's reach, he extends his left hand to the gun and grips it tight, performing a quick spin to get back up and face her.
"Don't move!" he shouts with seriousness as his opponent stops, pointing the revolver at her with the intent of de-escalation.
Instead of complying, however, the merc makes a mutter and beelines toward him, clenching her fists into combat – targeting him in a sprint. With a look of hesitance over her approachment, David fires out a round and lands a hit on her shoulder, slowing her down... but not stopping her completely.
"Shoot!" he tensely yells, backing away from her and continuously fires off rounds.
Although he manages to land a few hits against her, she still shows no sign of stopping and continues to close in the distance. As she readies her right hand to commit a hook, David glances behind him and sees a column not far from him. With this, his head thinks of a scenario: If she punches that concrete, she'll injure herself. This, in turn, will allow him to swing a punch and hopefully knock her out.
A solid idea, he thought. All he has to do is to play his cards right.
Once Denegrade gets into distance and locks her fist tight, David prepares her attack with anticipation and steps closer behind the column, ready to make the dodge. In just a second, she swings a fast one towards him, prompting him to quickly shift his head to the right and avoid the punch by an inch. After it makes the pass, her fist heads straight to the concrete and makes a shattering impact.
