(Source: swifgrons, via prettyoddpanda)
O’Quinn Rails Hooded Henley Off White/Red
For some reason all the wind went out of my sails right after I drew this last week. I never really came up with a color scheme that I liked, but a good friend of mine is doing some guest colors on it, which I’ll post soon!
I figured that I’d just post the black and white version for now and I’ll be drawing some other comics soon—sorry for the comics slow-down lately, I’m not really sure what happened there…
“…well, it wasn’t the happiest meeting. I’ll tell you, I was on a mission. It was a long one, so I had to take a pit stop in this town for the night. It was a small town, but the effects of the years were obvious. I had heard a lot about the place. Plague and disease had overrun it, causing most, if not all of its residence to be poor. I remember my disgust as I entered. Now, mind you, I wasn’t the same person before I met your mother. I was a prick, to put it simply.” Kazimir took a breath, sighing. This was going to be a long story.
“I walked through the town, snarling and hissing up a storm. At last, I entered the inn. It was a wooden house, very small. Only about three or four rooms in the whole building. There were rats, and from what I could see, the beds weren’t nice either. I threw some money at the person there and went to sleep. Boring day, but the next morning would change my life forever.”
Kazimir awoke, immediately smelling the disturbing odor that the building carried. He chose to ignore it, gathering his things together; food, weapons, items, average things that a man would bring on a mission. He put them all in a brown satchel, holding it in his right arm. Kazimir wasn’t one to bring things on a mission of this type, but it was requested of by his boss, so he had to do what he was told.
Regardless, he walked toward the door to exit the inn. Unbeknownst to him, he would not be leaving the inn without first meeting the girl he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. As soon as he opened the door, a girl, not much younger than him, walked in. They bumped into each other, knocking both of their bags to the ground. Without warning or pause, they both darted a glare at the other, staring hatefully. “Watch where you’re going,” they both said in union, much to a surprise. “Who do you think you are?” Yet again, their words matched perfectly, which caused silence to wash over them.
She was a pale white girl, her eyes a dull green. Her hair, much like the rest of her, was dirty and unkempt; however it had distinctness to it. Unlike most of the girls in her town, the young lady’s hair was short, only about down to her neck. Not even caring about her features, nor did she of his, they both dropped to the floor, gathering their goods. Kazimir, still curious, shot looks at her, not out of malice. She did the same, but their eyes never meet. Without even asking her name or saying anything else, Kazimir left the inn.
”That’s how we met. I told you it wasn’t too nice.” He closed his eyes and nodded, proud. In all honesty, he didn’t like the second part of the story. At least, telling his son about it wasn’t the best moment he had planned. But, knowing that his son wouldn’t accept half the story, Kazimir sighed, opening his eyes.
”Alright, that isn’t really everything. After I finished my mission… which wasn’t really interesting in the slightly. But, anyway, I returned to the village, sighing. I had to sleep there a night before I could return to my home, much to my dismay. It wasn’t the nicest thing, but a part of me wanted to see her again. Yet, the left over parts hated her more than anything else… Does that make sense? No?”
Arriving at the inn, Kazimir gulped. He opened it, slightly disappointed that everything was the same as he had left it in the morning. The old lady was still sitting in the chair up against the wall, and the three doors to the rooms were still as broken down and disgusting as ever. Rats ran across the flimsy wooden floors, and water dripped from the ceiling. It wasn’t a place where you would like to live. Ignoring these factors, Kazimir walked up to the old lady, staring her down.
“I assume that I will be returning to the room I had yesterday?” He said, coldly. “Well… Sire…. Someone has taken up residence in the room you held previously. The other two rooms are still free, though.” She said, trying not to anger him. She didn’t do a very good job, as he immediately burst out in anger. “What? You dare give someone inferior my room?” He turned, looking at the middle room, furiously. As Kazimir stomped toward the room, the old innkeep followed him and tried to change his course through her words. “Now, please, don’t get mad. She’s a very sick girl, and I’m letting her stay here for the night. She has no family, and no where to go, she’s the last of her kin.” She said, pointlessly.
Without quietness or kindness, Kazimir grabbed the knob and violently opened the door, shocked to find the girl from the morning laying there. She was shivering, curled up into a ball, with only one blanket to cover her. Her clothing was less than adequate for the situation, it had holes and large rips and tears everywhere. Everything made him feel worse and worse: her skin was paler than it had been, her eyes were duller, and her hair less colorful… it was as if he was staring at a corpse. Filled with sympathy and remorse, and he walked over to her and knelt next to her bed. Her eyes were not looking anywhere in particular, even though they were open. They did not look to see who entered, and they did not acknowledge the sound. Not even by instinct. But when he knelt down beside the bed…
Tears shook his body like a storm.
Kazimir was only a teenager, and never before had he seen something – someone in so much pain. In that night, at that second, Kazimir grew up. Looking into this girl’s eyes, he could no longer feel hatred. He could no longer justify injustice for a greater cause. Everything he had done and trained his life for, the ideals he had taken up and the arguments he had with people who disagreed… seemed pointless. He realized that the world was much bigger than just him, than his town.
Lifting her up, he left the inn.
”The day after, I took your mother to my town, and then to the hospital. Within a month, she was feeling much better, and they let her stay with me in my house. About a month after that, we got married… I should say eloped, but you get the picture.” Kazimir said, rubbing his face with his hands. ”…that’s that. I didn’t leave out a detail, not one. You now understand why I love your mother, right?” He didn’t wait for a response, and simply explained it himself. ”Because of your mother I became someone much better than what I once was. Without her, I would still be that rotten punk that I once was. She was the most amazing person I have ever met in my entire life, and nothing will change that… she was the person that made me realize how the beauty of living.”
Walking home from a wonderful day at his new school, Razi Halona held the straps of his book bag proudly as he strolled through the bustling city. He was a young lad, only about 14, and surprisingly short at 5’4, the people that passed him by towered over poor Razi. Not faltered by this, the boy was just too happy today. He had made a new friend, the teachers already liked him, and he aced the pop quiz that was given today with an A+.
However, as he went by an alley, Razi spotted several of people who went to the school. They seemed… silly, laughing a lot and moving around sluggishly. He stopped, right outside the alleyway they were in, watching them intently. The young boy felt threatened when all of them looked at him, with bloodshot eyes. Unbeknownst to him, they were in a sticky situation. How were they going to explain this? Was the kid going to call the cops? Their thoughts were suddenly stopped, however, was stopped by an older man, who started walking toward Razi. Coincidentally, this was the teacher who had given him the pop quiz.
“Hey, I remember you, Raisin Hanlow or something like that, right?” He said, stopping directly in front of the boy. He was a middle aged man, not looking too old or too young. He had a flat-cap on, and a long, black overcoat. Oddly enough, he had worn neither to school today. “Yes sir. That’s me!” Razi responded, not having the heart to correct him.
“Why don’t you come down the alley for a minute, I wanna show you something…” Thinking, Razi came down to the conclusion that since he wasn’t a stranger, he could trust him. “Oh, by the way, kid. Don’t call me Mr. B here, it’s not cool. Dave is just fine.” Simply shrugging, Razi had nothing to add or object to as he made his way down the long alley. It had a horrid smell to it, and was just disgusting. Darkness, mice and garbage thrived in it. Was it even possible for garbage to thrive? In this environment, it sure seemed like it.
Mr. B’s pack of wolves hid in the corner, going back to their normal routine. “Charlie, get over here. Bring a nickel, too.” One of the boys, a slim, red headed sophomore with freckles walked over. He appeared to be the more sophisticated one of the group, Dave’s trust in him apparent. He came up to Dave, and held out his hand, which contained some powder. What it was, however, Razi didn’t know.
“This stuff is easy, all you gotta do it snort it. I’m sure you’ve heard of crack, right? This is the stuff.” Holding it up to Razi’s face, he winced, slightly shaken. “My parents told me not to take this… They said it would ruin my life, Mr. Berko… I mean, Dave.” He replied, quietly. “Oh, come on. They were over exaggerating. How could something that makes you feel good be bad?”
Several seconds past, and Dave noticed that Razi was hesitating. “Kid, listen. I know you’re smart, I could tell from the test. Remember what I gave you? It was one of the most intelligent tests I have ever graded in my whole career. I would never try and trick you, because I know I can’t.” Unfortunately, Dave was a devious and charming individual. His antics prevailed, and Razi slowly inhaled the drugs.
