The Snake [18+] [Cazuki+Koe-Chan]

[Cazuki101]

The Snake

Loosely based upon the song by Al Wilson of the same name.

 

Before the time of technology, in the city of Portland, Oregon, there is a night club tucked away in one of its back-water alleys, called ‘The Reptile’. The club is famous for three things: The greatest booze, being the meeting place of the local Mafia and an act called the ‘Snake’s Serenade’.

The Snake’s Serenade is a special act that only occurs on late evenings on Fridays and stars a young man who can sing with the best of them. No-one knows his name, so he is simply referred to as ‘Snake’ by the club-goers.

This man, who sings with a voice of gold, leads a double life.

During the day he is Robert Garfield, a kind and lovable, if clumsy, maître d’ for a well-known café in the centre of Portland known as the ‘Cool Cat House’. By night however, he becomes Snake, an infamous gentleman thief who loves to steal anything valuable and sell it to both the Mafia and other benefactors. He also enjoys outwitting and teasing his pursuers. Including a new cop on the beat known as Colin Beckham.

To make things even more complicated, Colin frequents the same café that Robert works at and has possibly taken a liking to the shy boy.

 

What will happen? Will they stay in this fine balance of deception? Will Robert go out with Colin for a laugh? Will Colin outwit and finally capture the Snake? Who knows?

 

Characters

 

Name: Colin Beckham

Age: 24

Personality: Colin is generally a very quiet person, someone who minds his own business. When not working he is shy around strangers, but never the blushing kind of shy, more like a simple nervousness. He is not as open with his friends and family as he used to be, but he never completely closes anyone out unless he feels extremely vulnerable. He is introverted and thinks deeply about everything, often seen deep in thought or staring at nothing, but he is not spacing out, as there is always something on his mind. He is kind enough but not overly gentle or friendly. He is easy to get along with, unless you want to spend time with someone who will hold a long or nonsense conversation with you. He is very empathetic and willingly listens to any problems his friends with throw at him when they talk. He was much more outgoing when he was younger, but he can be sociable when he needs to be, and he does enjoy having company. When he is working he is much more professional and able to be as forward and aggressive as necessary.

Family: Colin’s parents live in Lewiston, Maine. His younger sister goes to university in Stanford, California.

History: Colin’s parents lived in England for most of their lives. They moved to the United States when they found out that they were having a son. Colin himself grew up in the state of Maine, where his parents currently live. He had a relatively normal life; he went to school, had average grades, and a few good friends. He and his best friend Michael decided their senior year of high-school that they were going to join the army. At first Colin’s parents were very upset with his choice, but eventually he managed to show them the good that he would be doing and they gave him their full support. Colin and Michael went to training camp a few months of finishing high-school, when they were eighteen. It was when they were twenty-two that they were deployed to Iraq. At the time they arrived, there was nothing important happening. However, small skirmishes between the army men and the locals eventually turned into sniper-attacks and bomb-traps. The little town Michael and Colin were staying in became a battlefield; not a total war-zone, as there were not many citizens who wanted to fight the Americans, but bad enough that reinforcements were called to end it. What Colin saw, though, would haunt him for life. He saw buildings explode and burn to the ground, women shot and killed in the streets, children ripped apart by bombs; he saw his best friend get shot in the head, felt his blood splatter onto his face. It was unfortunate for such things to happen in such a secluded town. Colin was in shock for the first three weeks after the end of the chaos. As time went on he learned to deal with the memories and get on with his life, but his time in the foreign country changed him. He still suffers from nightmares, and certain things can trigger flashbacks that have the possibility to become panic attacks. His family reached out to him, but for the most part he brushed them off, saying he was fine on his own. He blames himself, in part, for Michael’s death, and wanted to do something to save people even after he served his term in the army. So he became a police officer in Oregon, which is where he lives presently. It is only on holidays that he has any contact with his family.

Other: He speaks with a stutter, which was caused by the shock. His aim and hand-to-hand combat skills are enhanced because of his time spent in the army. He is not as strong as other men due to his rather lean and lithe build—he is smaller than most men his age—but he makes up for it by being fast and agile. He finds comfort in listening to music, his favorite genre being alternative rock.

 

 

(Robert)

Name(s): Snake / Robert Garfield

Age: 25

Personality:

During the day, Robert is a light-hearted maître d’ who is known for both his good looks and clumsy nature, often dropping dishes from tripping on thin air. He has a good sense of humour and is honest, to the extent of which some find him annoying. Around new people, he is somewhat nervous, but its natural and once he gets used to someone being around, he’ll treat them like an old friend, whether they like it or not. For that reason he is likes by many and popular rumour says a new customer asks him out every week. He never accepts though, apparently because he feels it is unfair of him to get a girlfriend/boyfriend and so not work at the café as much. He is the type of guy everyone wants to have as a friend or lover because of his earnestness and overall friendly atmosphere.

During the night, he takes on the alias of Snake. Snake is known in the criminal world for his intelligence and his quick, dry wit. He has master-minded many heists before going solo and it shows in his meticulous planning. He has a somewhat deadly charm and uses it to great effect to gain information and occasionally to further his plans. It is also how he has managed to deal with his business partners so far. Many say he is fair, but extremely firm and manipulative to a fault. He still has his sense of humour though, but now he rather enjoys laughing at people and likes playing a game of the police trying to capture him. Despite not being the biggest man around, he is well-tuned to fighting physically and with weapons. He, however, states that he doesn’t like to go ‘under the belt’ and will never kill unless provoked, hence his status as a ‘gentleman’ thief.

Backstory: Robert was born in the state of California. His father was a semi-successful travelling salesman, but the nature of his job meant he was rarely at home, which left Robert with his mother, who was a waitress in a local café/bar. He was slightly above average in school and wasn’t particularly restricted as a child due to his lenient mother and barely-there father. He had a fair number of good friends and was told he could have gone to University, but decided not to and instead took a job at where his mother worked and stayed there for a while, learning the art of a waiter. He still keeps contact with most of his friends though from back then.

After a year, he decided that he needed to spread his wings and moved away from his hometown. He worked around for a while in many different places. He worked in several bistros, two restaurants, part-time as a school-assistant and even a stint as assistant marital arts tutor. At one point, he seemed to be off the map altogether with no employment before he was seen again in Portland, Oregon, applying to be maître d’ of a popular local café known as the ‘Cool Cat House’. He is quite popular there himself and has almost become an attraction in himself, leading to him being a favourite employee of his boss.

The gentleman thief known as Snake appeared about a year ago according to police files. He was so named because of his slippery nature and calling car left at the scene of every one of his robberies. Not much is known about the Snake besides a few very prominent things. It is unknown where he came from, but he seems to have clear links with some of the biggest names in the Mafia and other crime lords. He makes no secret of his planned captures, occasionally even spreading rumours or sending anonymous tips to the authorities. At every scene, after he has stolen something, he will leave behind a small business card with a snake’s eye on it with the word ‘Snake’ printed on it. There are no witness statements of his appearance and while every card has been checked for fingerprints, they all turn up empty, suggesting he wears gloves and that is very skilled in his trade.

(Snake)

(Imagine he wears green contact lenses)

[Cazuki101]

Portland is a peaceful city. While most would say that those two words don’t fit in the same sentence, those that live in Portland have praised it for combining some of the best qualities of sub-urban life with the easy access of urban areas. By day, the town is bright, bubbly ad beautiful, the water glistening and the sky light blue. The air is filled with many smells and voices and sensations, it’s impossible not to love it there. The people are nice and friendly, if sometimes a little annoying due to their earnestness, but overall, a perfect city.

However, by night it was far from it. Street-lamps cast a yellow glow on the main streets, but in the back-alleys the night was pitch and made it very easy for a certain thief to hide. The man smiled to himself as he listened to the scene playing out around him. The air was filled with police sirens and shouting voices. An aura of activity floated around the scene, every person was either running around, taking orders or giving orders. It was pandemonium. And Snake loved it.

 

He was laid out flat on the ground, in a tiny alley with no lights and rubbish bins everywhere, almost invisible due to his black clothing and black mask which covered his skin and hair and left only holes for his mouth and eyes. His eyes were a vibrant green and shone in the half-light, looking almost as if they were really his own colour. That’s what he’d paid for. He didn’t move and nearly didn’t breathe and just listened. In a hidden pocket on the inside of his trousers, a small yet extremely valuable diamond lay in a padded box. His latest capture, courtesy of a visiting rich man whose ego was bigger than his smarts. In the end, Snake joked to himself, he was actually helping the poor man. Maybe next time he wouldn’t be so careless as to leave his most precious treasure in a safe.

 

The heist had gone off without a hitch, as usual and now he was on his way back. Of course, the police had turned up, just as he expected. They wouldn’t find anything, except his calling card. A snake’s eyes popped neatly into the safe where the diamond had once been. He smiled under his mask and almost chuckled, before stopping himself. He didn’t want to make this so easy for the cops, now did he?

No, his escape would come, he just had to wait. And listen.

[BlaqueCatt]

"Officer Wilson?"

 

The question was directed at a dark-skinned man who was leaning against the side of a police car with his arms folded across his chest. His muscular build combined with his outrageous height--six feet, three inches--made him appear quite menacing; it was no wonder why the voice that had spoken sounded so meek. He was dressed in a regular pair of jeans, sneakers, and a dark gray shirt that clung to him, showing off his physical strength. The only things that set him apart from a civilian were the badge that reflected the red and blue lights of the cruisers and the gun that was attached to his hip. His chocolate brown eyes, glinting with sharp focus, turned to the young red-haired women that was standing in front of him. "Yes?" he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle for someone of his size.

 

The woman, who was clearly shocked by the lack of a gruff response, lost her composure momentarily and wasted a few seconds by straightening out her blouse. "Um, the rest of the team is here. Are you ready to move in?" The plan was to scope out the mansion and check to see if the thief was still inside--which was doubtful, but protocol--and then search for any useable evidence. The man who had reported the missing diamond was also to be brought in for questioning. Officer Wilson gave the woman a small smile, rather amused by the obvious nervousness she expressed as she twirled a strand of curly hair around her finger.

 

"We'll be going in soon," he replied, turning his gaze away from her and glancing behind him. "As soon as my partner arrives. And you can call me Victor, Ann." The red-haired woman blushed slightly, flustered by his words; she was the newest member to the team, and Victor was the leader, so she had not expected this friendliness.

 

"Ah...o-okay." She was about to turn away when she noticed another car pull up to the scene. "Hey, is that your partner?" Victor turned around and sure enough, he broke out into a huge grin when he saw a flash of blonde hair. Out of the newest car came a smaller man with bright green eyes and pale skin. He was dressed a bit more professionally than Victor--he wore black slacks and a white dress shirt, though he had on black Converse sneakers--and he looked rather wary of his surroundings, as if afraid that someone would jump on him at any moment. Victor moved away from the car he had been leaning against and walked over, waving his hand as greeting. The blonde man noticed him and returned the grin with a small smile.

 

"Hey Colin," Victor said, patting the shorter man on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it, man. You ready?" Colin said nothing; he only nodded and looked towards the mansion, his green eyes narrowing as he prepared himself to face whoever may be lurking inside.

[Cazuki101]

As Snake focused his senses into hearing, he managed to pick out few voices in the crowd. One was of a women, probably quite young and nervous by her tone of voice. The other was a man’s. It was a voice he remembered well. Officer Wilson, one of the many police officers who had tried to capture him and probably one of the most persistent. From what Snake knew the man, in summary, was big, burly and bold. He was fun to tease, but the officer had an infuriating habit of trying to look tough, so it was rare when he shook him, if at all. Snake needed new material.

Then, as if God had heard his wish, Snake heard the sound of a car pulling up. Then he heard a door opening and shutting. He wouldn’t have been surprised, save for when he heard Officer Wilson call him.

Colin… Now where do I recognize that name?

Snake knew most of the names of everyone in the police force. Colin, however, was a new name to him. He smiled, maybe he was liked after all. He moved slowly, achingly slowly, staying silent as he shifted along the ground. He had to see what this newbie looked like, considering he couldn’t see much of anything from his position. He knew he could leave right about now, seeing as the cops were most likely about to enter the building, leaving him the space to slip away. But, he was curious and sure of himself. He propped himself near a window and fumbled around in his trousers until he found what he was looking for. A flat plane mirror. He held it up slightly and used it to look into the window, so that he could catch a glimpse of this new mystery man. The mirror was small and it’s top was held just above the bottom of the window, meaning it would be very hard to see.

[BlaqueCatt]

Colin stayed silent as his partner and best friend led him over to the rest of the team. The blonde man was not new to the job, and he had known Victor and his team for a while, but this was his first assignment with them, as he had been transferred the week before. He was greeted by warm welcomes, and while he returned the kind words and pleasant smiles, he made no move to shake hands or hug anyone, and no one went near him either; there was a mutual understanding in the group that the second youngest member of the team did not like to be touched. The only person who did not know this was Ann, the newest member after Colin and the youngest; she was only twenty-two years old.

 

"H-hi," she said timidly, extending a hand to the blonde man. Colin tilted his head slightly, not recognizing her. "It's nice to meet you, Officer Beckham. I'm Ann Summers." Unable to bring himself to reject her innocent gesture, Colin shook hands with her.

 

"She's new to the team," Victor supplied right before his friend could ask. Colin looked at him gratefully and smiled at Ann, this time a bit more gently and less forced; he liked her already, how quiet she was, and easy to get along with.

 

"It's nice to meet you too, Officer Summers," he responded in a soft voice. Ann nodded, a light pink blush on her face, and she watched as the two men went over to one of the police cars to get their equipment.

[Cazuki101]

By moving the mirror, Snake could just barely see the cops near the mansion. He could only see the top halves of their bodies, sue to the mirror’s position, but that was enough to catch the new man’s face. His hair was bright blond, though it was hard to tell because of the bright lights swirling around everywhere. His eyes were jade green and as Snake examined them from the mirror he couldn’t help but feel a tingle run up his spine.

Interesting… he thought. Continuing his observation, he noted down the man’s slim figure and relatively pale skin.

He seemed to be being greeted by the young female cop and looked extremely awkward. It made Snake almost chuckle to himself. It was even harder to stay quiet when he heard the last part of the man’s name. Beckham. Colin Beckham. He had a name now, a full name. Somehow, he felt like he had heard that name before. He ignored the feeling. He could look it up later. For now, he needed to remain focused or he could get caught. It seemed the greeting had ended now and the cop known as Colin walked away with Officer Wilson, most likely to get their equipment to search the house. He took away the mirror and slipped in back in his trouser pocket. He was satisfied, for now anyway.

 

It was in good time too, as he heard the sound of an engine approaching. It was quiet, barely audible. It was his escape route. He quickly slipped along the ground and came to the other side of the alley, the opposite side from where the police were congregating. There, was a black car with its headlights turned off and windows black, making it as invisible as Snake in the pitch night.

“About time.” He said, as he slipped into the back.

“Do you have it?”

“No, I completely failed. Of course I have it, what do you pay me for?”

“Certainly not for making smart-ass remarks.”

Snake smiled, it was good to find a mafioso with a sense of humour.

“Ah, that comes free.”

“Shut up.” The Mafioso said as they drove away quietly into the night.

Colin Beckham… interesting.

 

((I apologize for this beginning being so terrible. It’ll get better, sorry.))

[BlaqueCatt]

{It's good ^^}

 

Colin stood a few feet away as he watched Victor open the car door and pull out two black bullet-proof vests with yellow print on the front. He caught the one that was thrown at him and slipped it on, turning around to allow his partner to tighten the straps on the back of the vest and clasp them together. He returned the gesture to the taller man, having to stand on his toes to reach them, and was then offered a heavy-looking handgun. He shook his head, gesturing to the one at his belt that he had brought with him. "It's from my old job," he said in his quiet voice, refusing to meet the other man's eyes. Victor nodded in understanding; the gun had been the one that Colin had used in the war, and it held one of the only good memories from that time: Michael. He never went to work without it.

 

"That's fine, man. You ready?" The smaller blonde man nodded, and Victor raised his voice, sending out the order. "We're going in, people!" Colin winced; sometime he wished that his friend was a bit less loud.

 

Two people went around to the back, and another two stayed out front. Colin, Victor, and Ann went into the building, making sure to be careful and avoid touching anything that might hold clues; the forensics team would take care of that later. With their weapons out, they split up and covered the basement, upper floor and main floor. It was Colin who found the safe in the back office, along with the small card with the snake eye on it. He bent down to pick it up, and his eyes narrowed when he held it up to his flashlight and studied it. I recognize this from a case file Victor showed me a few months ago... That night the team returned to the police station with no criminal and only a card to go on.

[Cazuki101]

-The Next Day-

Robert yawned loudly as he woke up, stretching himself to try and warm up his muscles. As usual, he had been up late the night before and he wasn’t a morning person, meaning it took him awhile to blink the sleep dust out his eyes and adjust to his surroundings. He was in the bedroom of his flat, as usual. He had probably passed out here the night before, after returning home.

Wow, I really need to get better hours. He thought, chuckling slightly at the thought. Now more awake, he turned his head to his alarm clock to check the time. It read, in digital numbers: ‘8:15 AM’.

8:15? 8:15!

Robert’s eyes widened as he realized the significance of that number. He was late. His shift started at eight o’clock and now he was fifteen minutes late, fast approaching twenty. He jumped up to find he was wearing barely anything at all save a pair of black boxers. He had gotten rid of the suit yesterday.

“I don’t have time for this!” he shouted to himself as he jumped out of bed, almost tripping before saving himself and continuing over to the single dresser in his room. He threw clothes to and fro until he found a spare uniform for the café; a clean white shirt, black jacket and black formal trousers. He put them on as he ran through his house, almost tripping several times before he reached his door, fully dressed.

Gotta run! Gotta run!

He grabbed his keys and wallet and ran out the door, locking it behind him before bounding off down the stairs and out his apartment block. He reached the café about ten minutes later and crashed through the door at 8:30.

He was panting as he apologized.

“I’m *pant* sorry *pant* for being *cough* late! *wheeze*” With that he walked in and started towards the kitchen. Suddenly, he felt himself trip on something and this time he didn’t save himself, tumbling to the floor with a thud.

[BlaqueCatt]

In the back corner of the cafe, Colin and Victor sat across from each other at one of the tables. They were both dressed casually today; Victor in his usual faded jeans and gray t-shirt while Colin wore black skinny jeans and a red hooded sweat-shirt that was much too big for him, the sleeves going far past his hands--it was Micheal's, and the blonde man put it on whenever he could. While the atmosphere of the cafe was calm and quiet, there was tension in the air around the officers' table. On top of the table in front of Victor was a case file with information on the thief known to the police as 'Snake'. His foot tapped against the floor as he read, occasionally making irritated sounds when certain pieces of the puzzle didn't fit together; he was obviously stressed. Meanwhile his companion had his eyes closed and a cup of hot tea between his hands; he was listening to the dull chatter of the people around them, deep in thought about the case as well, but keeping to himself. He shivered, as he was easily chilled even in the warm building, and gripped his cup a bit tighter, his eyes fluttering.

[Cazuki101]

Robert sighed as he got up off the floor. A few people were staring at him, most snickering and smiling while others looked just plain confused. They must have been new customers. To anyone who had been going to the ‘Cool Cat House’ for a while, they knew extensively about it’s cute and clumsy waiter, Robert Garfield. In a way, he was an attraction in his own right, which is why his boss favours him.

Thinking about his boss though, Robert ran into the back of the café, running to the place where his boss normally resided during the day.

“I’m sorry I’m late sir.” He apologized.

“Where were you Robert?”

The boss was a middle-aged portly man who had a slight height issue. Despite this, he didn’t fit the stereotype of an always jolly man. In fact, he was quite emotional on the occasion and was a right time-bomb. I was why Robert had to be careful around him sometimes.

“I woke up late sir, sorry Mr. Anders.”

Mr. Anders, full name George Anders, sighed and wiped his brow.

“You seem to be having a trouble with sleep lately, Robert. Are you sure you should be working such long shifts?”

“I’ll be fine, sir.” Robert said, as he walked out of the room again and got straight to his job. Honestly, he didn’t want shorter hours, mostly because he would be extremely bored if he did have them, seeing as he had nothing else other than his day job and his night job.

 

About five minute late, he walked out of the back with a pot of tea on a tray, which he had seen an order for in the kitchen. As he walk to the table where the pot of tea was to be served, he was met with an extraordinary sight. Right there, sitting in the back of the café, were two men. The atmosphere around them seemed tense and they looked like they were reading some sort of file. He looked at their faces and recognized them in moments. They were two of the police officers from the night before. Robert’s eyes widened and then he smiled. Well, this would certainly be interesting.

 

He took the long route to the table which the tea had been ordered for and as he walked past the cops table, he smiled at them. Especially at the smaller boy, who was wearing an oversized sweater that made him look rather cute.

“Is the tea alright for you gentleman?”

[BlaqueCatt]

Colin jumped when the voice suddenly appeared next to him, and his eyes flew open; he nearly dropped the cup and fumbled with his sleeves for a moment, trying to compose himself. Victor didn't make a sound--not a laugh, snicker, or sigh--and simply smiled at his companion before turning to the waiter. "It's fine, thanks," he replied in that naturally rough tone of his, making sure to subtly close the file as he did so. Once the blonde across from him had sorted himself out--the cup firmly placed on the table and his hands in his lap--he looked up at Robert with his bright green eyes; however the color and shine were thrown off by the dark lines underneath him, starkly showing out against his pale skin. He gave a small smile but said nothing, turning away mere moments after looking at him, and as soon as his gaze was fixed on the table the smile faded.

[Cazuki101]

Robert couldn’t help but smile as he saw the smaller man’s reaction. He was glad he hadn’t dropped the tea though, because if he had, Robert would have had to clean it up, and he was already in enough trouble for one day. His attention was drawn away from Colin as the taller man spoke. His tone was rough, but Robert had observed him enough in his night job to know it was a natural thing, though it served him well in keeping his authority. Robert saw him close the file out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t look directly at it as to not draw suspicion to himself. He had a pretty good idea as to what it was anyway.

After making sure his partner was okay, he looked up at Robert again. He looked tired, which didn’t surprise Robert at all. Heck, he was the one keeping him awake at night. Not like he’d apologize for that though. He turned back to the table and instantly the small smile he had been showing faded into nothingness, as if it had never been there. Robert, deciding he shouldn’t stay there anymore, walked away, giving a final glance back at the smaller cop before going to the table he was meant to be serving.

Colin, in a single word, seemed interesting. He didn’t look as hard or as gritty as the other man, but even though he didn’t look like it, Robert could sense a sort of heavy aura around the man.

[BlaqueCatt]

As soon as Robert had left the two officers alone, Victor returned his gaze to Colin, his expression now clearly showing worry. "You okay, man?" he asked softly, his tone gentle for once; a tone no one but Colin had ever heard. The blonde blinked a few times, surprised by the question but not as shocked as he had been when the server had suddenly materialized next to him. He lifted his head and focused his eyes on his partner, giving the much larger man the same tiny smile he had given Robert, hoping that it was sufficient. It wasn't, however, and Victor saw right through it. His brown eyes darkened and he pushed the file to the side, leaning forward and tapping on his friend's arm. "There's no use lying to me, I know you better than that." He watched as Colin's face fell and he felt a pang in his chest. "Tell me what's wrong?" Colin hesitated, then let out a sigh and took a sip of his tea.

 

"Anniversary," he said quietly, and Victor mentally hit himself for having forgot. Today, only a few years ago, was the day that Michael had died.