~ NO SPOILERS ~

(this is the setting for "Blue Paint")

Hiedra's outward appearance was that of a regular, however stunning and appealing, teenager. With both her hands shoved into the wide pockets of an oversized and damaged khaki green jacket, she was confidently striding down the ominous streets of the Lanes, heading for Vander's house. Her friends had agreed that is where they would meet. Her luscious brown curls were pulled back in a high ponytail, a hairstyle she favored from a young age. The afternoon sun shone only barely through the thick wafts of polluted smog that drifted above the rooftops.

Of course, the relatively young immortal had outgrown this stage of life - teenhood - at least a millennium ago. If her body seemed so new, it was thanks to her sisters' help. They possessed knowledge about enchantments to do just about anything. Roughly six years back, the temptress had sought a manner to revert back to the physical enveloppe she displayed when she looked approximately nine years old. If she had done this, it was to grow up at Vander and Silco's sides. They had the potential to change Zaun's fate forever, and the future prostitute intended to be part of whatever events they were bound to trigger. The only way to rule the Undercity would be to slither to the top of the food chain from the inside.

Sheltered and watched over, trapped inside laboratories and a royal palace for the duration of her real teenage centuries, Hiedra was fully embracing this second chance at a childhood. After all, it seemed fast-paced and exciting to a near-endless being like herself.

She deftly hopped off the elevated platform she had been walking upon, landing onto her folded legs. Straightening back up, she sped up until she reached a fork in the road. Turning right, the female caught sight of Vander's crooked home, squeezed between two other buildings that were equally as run-down and filth-ridden.

The teenage boy who lived there was standing outside, his impressive frame leaning casually against a streetlight that never had a lightbulb atop it in the past years. She wished to jog up to him, but restrained her surge of giddy happiness and strolled calmly to join her friend. He was busy speaking with Silco, and the two were laughing together at something the latter had said when she arrived. Silco was lean, concurrently also shorter and less muscular than Vander. Then again, pretty much every kid in the Underground was shorter or less muscular than Vander. He was naturally buff and had an advantageous height difference with most. Despite this, Silco was agile and a skilled fighter, even if he could never have beaten his best friend. The immortal admired them both, she was aware that their alliance was powerful and that, soon, they would lead every trencher on the vicinity thanks to their combined strengths. At their youthful age, they already inspired the respect of slightly older adolescents and of any younger child.

The slimmest of the two turned to Hiedra, greeting her:

   "Hello, Hiedra. How are you today?"

He was playful, apparently eager to get down to business and self-assured that things would go over smoothly.

   "Hey, Hiedra." Vander's voice was somewhat pleased, and he slowly pivoted his head to glance at her.

The newcomer's stomach lurched violently. She ordered herself to get a hold of her desires, distractedly replying:

   "Hey, guys." She added, naughtily, "I'm ready to paint the biggest c0ck you've ever seen on a Piltie's storefront."

Silco laughed maliciously, while Vander limited himself to an appreciative chuckle. Her smirk was formidably mischievous, and she gently slapped Silco's right shoulder with the back of her hand to inquire, "What about you?"

   "I hope I get to break a window or two, but I guess I can always hold your paint bucket."

His tone was slightly nervous, however, her enthusiastic giggle reassured him.

   "If Benzo is late again, I'll make him carry it, don't worry," she remarked.

The tallest retorted, "Well, he's bringing all our stuff today, so he's got a reason."

   "Did you tell her to bring any weapons?" Silco asked his friend.

   "Of course, I did."

Their brawny companion's voice was aggressive, and Hiedra relished the peak of unaltered anger she perceived in him.

The shorter one shrugged. "I was just making sure."

   "Come on, Silco, when have I ever showed up for a job unprepared?"

The young woman set her hands on either sides of her hips, showing off the navy skin-tight tank top she wore underneath her jacket, tucked inside her pants.

   "I get it, you're always up for anything, Hiedra. You're the best and we're just your loyal followers."

The three of them laughed, and Benzo's silhouette appeared in the far, greenish, smoky distance. He had a rotund shape and a wide build that, meshed with his determined personality, made him a fierce adversary. Regardless, Vander was the strongest of the three boys.

Benzo heaved five small cans of paint and a sack in his arms, he dropped them at his friend's feet.

   "Heya, there. Good to see you, would any of you folks be interested in a paint bucket?"

His grin was broad, and his joke amused Hiedra who audibly chuckled. He showed them the contents of the burlap sack: paintbrushes, screwdrivers, rope, hooks, a box of matches and two long-fused sticks of dynamite. The alien looked up into Vander's ocean blue eyes, a roguish smile splitting her beautiful face.

   "Wait... Are we going to..?" She whipped around to stare at Silco, "You should have told me!" Her voice was half-concerned, half-thrilled.

They had not trusted her with their plan... But she was too enthralled by this development to truthfully care.

   "We're gonna show topside what it means to mess with us," Vander stated.

He sounded so deeply threatening that Hiedra could not help but gawk admiringly at him.

   "They'll get a taste of what we're capable of, that's for sure," added Benzo, spiritedly.

Silco taunted her: "Are you still sure you want to be a part of this, Hiedra?"

   "You mean, do I want to make more trouble than just paint on a wall? You bet!"

~

Their excursion had been covert and successful. Once they had disfigured enough buildings to empty out three paint cans, they had broken into two shops, to set the two remaining paint buckets at their center. Then, they had placed dynamite sticks inside and lit them. They had heard the two sploshy explosions while they were sneaking away from their masterpieces, weaving expertly through alleyways and using roofs as pathways.

Currently, they were standing inside a lift which, thudding and creaking, was transporting them back down among the fissures. Dried out blue paint was smeared all over Hiedra's left palm, and a matching stain of paint was splattered against the front of Vander's shirt. Less consistent marks of the sapphire tinted substance decorated Benzo and Silco's tops. Clearly, the young female had fun improving their clothes with paint, blissfully unaware of how difficult it was to acquire new ones in Zaun. Luckily, her charm and playfully mischievous attitude allowed her to act to her heart's content at all times without reproach from her friends.

   "I promise I'll get the paint out, Silco. It's only a few drops, anyway..."

Her smile persuaded him to change the subject, even if he did mind that she had soiled his shirt.

   "Tonight was the beginning of something great, the start of something greater than any of us."

   "Yeah. Paint won't be enough to free the Lanes, but this was a good start." Vander's tone was as serious as his friend's. Except, his was smoldering with repressed anger, while Silco's was furthermore awed.

Benzo comically intervened: "We're movin' up in the world, fellas. And Hiedra."

   "Were you about to forget me, Benzo?" she questioned him, jokingly offended.

   "Should I answer that?"

   "I dunno, you wanna get your @ss kicked tonight?"

They all laughed, with the exception of Silco, who was deeply lost in his thoughts of independence and revenge.

   "Be careful, Benzo, she's a resourceful little one," stated the strongest of the three boys.

   "Little?!" Hiedra scoffed. "I'm taller than you, big guy!"

The elfin creature snickered, crossing her arms.

   "Oh, really?"

Within two steps, he stood in all his astonishing glory, towering above his traveller friend. She had been leaning against a side of the elevator, effortlessly attractive as always, and she pushed herself off the metallic surface with the sole of her left boot. Their eyes locked, and their two companions momentarily ceased to exist. Straightening her spine, the young inventor drawled:

   "Oh, really."

She was obviously - and factually - shorter than him, yet he went along with her joke.

   "Well, if you say so." He turned his head away from her. "I guess you're in even more trouble than I thought, then, Benzo."

Vander's amused expression was effectively melting her fragile heart, which she had kept guarded for so ridiculously long. Her friend skimmed her wholly with his gaze, before moving away from her and towards the doors. They screeched open shakily, letting in a gust of thick oily air. The four teenagers inconspicuously exited the unsteady container, reviewing their surroundings warily.