So there...

It was always great when that damp chill sank into her old, worn clothes, chasing away effervescent childhood dreams with a dreary, ice cold shot of reality. Dull scarlet eyes lifted to a pitiless, thickly clouded winter sky as aching feet continued the harsh trek to find some semblance of shelter. A sigh brought forth a pale white puff of air, only for it to quickly dissipate. She'd be there soon enough. High pitched, chittering voices abrated her sensitive ears as a gaggle of women traipsed enthusiastically past her dolled up in expensive furs likely from questionable sources and glittering jewels decorating their skinny little necks. Keeping her head down, she tried to avoid notice in vain. It was always best to avoid the gossiping geese such as these. They only brought headaches and the overwhelmingly noxious floral scents that clearly had more substance than they did. One particularly vivacious blonde's striking green eyes caught sight of the beaten up redhead just trying to escape the cold, shrill voice rising in a mocking cackle. Quickly the rest followed suit. Plunging her hands into the pockets of her dirty hoodie she kept walking, agitation steadily rising to heat her from within as their overly energetic voices faded with distance. Fuck it, at least she wasn't cold anymore.

A nearly imperceptible shuffling sound at her right warned her to feint to the left to dodge the sudden grasping hand of some pudgy bastard trying to get a grip at her arm. Not bothering to slide her hands from her pockets, she effortlessly dropped her center of balance to her right foot and swept her assailant's legs out from under them with her left. The man gracelessly hit the concrete with an unpleasant thump and a rather whiny cry of pain. She returned to her relaxed, slightly slouched posture and cocked her head at the, sadly, familiar face. Bitter memories laced with the harsh chill of betrayal accompanied that face. With a narrowed gaze she spun away from the pathetic waste of oxygen and kept walking.

Idiots always came in sets of three.

With an irritated sigh she kicked a stray discarded can into the air and, with a second precise strike at it's aluminum exterior, launched it sharply into the nearest alleyway. The dull thump of metal colliding with flesh told her all she needed to know. Now the last one should be...

A pair of long gangly arms wrapped tightly around her middle from behind, pinning her arms firmly against her sides and keeping her hands rooted in her pockets. Ahhh, there it was.

The other two regained their footing, muffled curses resounding between the two of them. Part of her wanted to smirk slightly, but in all honesty she didn't have the energy to taunt these spineless scumbags right now. She didn't bother struggling against her captor's arms, instead choosing to hang limply against his chest and donning a bored expression. As they came into better light, she noticed her projectile technique can had managed to earn her a bloody nose. The first idiot limped closer until she could clearly see the scum on his yellowed teeth and smell the rank odor that escaped him with every breath. The idiot leaned in, grinning smugly at her as some fucked up cross between lust and condescension sparked in his beady, rat-like eyes. Clearly, he thought he'd won. Admittedly, her lean muscles weren't at all happy with how fast she was moving in the biting cold without any prior warmup, but worry eluded her. She might ache a little in the morning, but she wouldn't have any issues making it out of this situation. After all, this wasn't the first time they'd tried this shit. Irritation spiked in her. These fucks were keeping her from sleep.

They'd pay for that. In one swift move, her leg swept up to allow her heel to collide with the underside of his greasy chin. The audible, juicy sounding crunch told her all she needed to know about the state of at least two of his teeth as his head snapped back with a very swine-esque squeal. Using the leverage she gained from the jackass in front of her, she swung one, and then both legs up to hook her heels around the back of her captor's neck and used her ankles to squeeze tightly enough to ensure her release. One hand finally slipped from her pocket to brace her weight on it, just to bounce off of it and back to her feet. She'd managed to stun one of them, but the others dove for her clumsily as soon as they saw the opportunity to.

Idiots.

As they rushed to grab her, she took about three steps forward and bent halfway at the waist to duck under their arms. Ah yes, momentum. They both proceeded to crash face-first into a dumpster pressed up against the grey brick wall of the alleyway, their bodies ragdolling to the cold concrete.. Their adamant attempts at gaining the upper hand just pissed her off more. Gaze glowing with a subtle, eerie scarlet in the dim moonlight, she trained that unsettling, bloodthirsty stare on the fat idiot clutching at his jaw. No trace of anything but terror in those beady little eyes now. Sadistic glee rose from some deep, dark place in her gut at that. She couldn't help it. A malicious grin spread across her face and she took one
single
step
forward.

It was pretty funny watching him trip over trash and boxes as he fled.

One look at the dumpster revealed the other two goons had ditched the scene as well. Shame, she had just started enjoying it too. Shoving her free hand back in the warm shelter of her pocket, she sighed once more and continued on her way.

Man, her feet fucking hurt.

Eyes snapping wide open, Kari jerked up in bed in a cold sweat and threw her sheets off. It took a moment to get her heart to stop racing. After taking a moment to breathe, her scarlet gaze fell to her lap. For a moment she only sat there in silence, expression on her face cold and lethal and her eyes faraway, lost in another time. Another place.

She wasn't ever going to escape that part of her life, was she?