Fantasy Code FERAL

[Flutterby]

Beth assumed they would go then, and leave her alone. It seemed like something they would do. Well, what Manjano would do, and what Falarion would do at his insistence. So when the maned wolf spoke again, she looked over with uncertainty, and no small amount of confusion. Her green eyes were glassy, and she ran a hand through the roots of her hair again, her face tightening into a look of deep upset.


The girl gave a shrug, and attempted to make the standard three-pitch 'I dont know' vocalization, but it came out as a strangled whine. It was followed by a heavy sigh.


"I just.. I don't like bears. Wild bears aren't so bad- no sentience, no thought behind their eyes.. Bonded bears.." Beth's eyes slid away, and then she squeezed them shut as she put her back against a post of the shelving units and slid down. Sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up, Beth stared down at her hands. "Animal companions reflect their humans' character. When some-... he was.. its not.." Another sigh. "Its just too much of a reminder, even now."


Then, as frustration took hold over the fear and sadness, she added more certainly, "Cerci just startled me. Its fine."


@Lioness075

 

[Lioness075]

Seeing Beth's initially confused look, Manjano blinked and then quickly dropped his hand before he somehow made things more awkward with his neck rubbing. Though, without anything to do now, Manjano felt the awkwardness creeping in again. From what he could tell though, it only seemed to be himself who was feeling awkward.


Hearing Beth's attempt at the cliché 'I don't know' shrug noise, the corner of Manjano's mouth twitched in amusement, though he did his best to hide it since she was clearly not in the mood for jokes or humor in general.


Hearing her explanation, Manjano soon was frowning, as he began to get a good idea of what Beth was hinting at. If bonded bears were a big fear of hers...then she knew someone in the past who had bonded with a bear, right?


Manjano could share the kind of fear Beth was feeling right now, as he knew if someone had shown up to the party with an eagle companion, Manjano probably would've turned around and returned to Australia. He wasn't sure if he could safely face a bonded eagle without having a complete mental breakdown.


When Beth slid down to a sitting position, Manjano began to feel awkward again, as he was standing in front of her and now immensely taller than her once she was no longer standing. He was already taller than her before this, but now it was worse. Worse or not, Manjano couldn't exactly bring himself to sit down with her, though Falarion silently complied and sat down so he wasn't that much taller than Beth and hopefully a bit of a comfort to her.


With comfort in mind, Falarion suddenly stood up once more and padded over to Beth's side before laying down beside her and resting his head on his forepaws while continuing to patiently listen to her explanation.


Once Beth mentioned a 'he' in addition to already mentioning bonded bears, Manjano's psychology side kicked in and he quickly put it all together to realize with a jolt, that Beth had been hurt by someone and their bonded companion. Just like Manjano and his twin sister had been.


Knowing better, in this moment, to ask who had done it, Manjano bit his lip and then anxiously thought to Falarion, 'Uh, can you say something comforting to her or...whatever?'


Pausing uncertainly, Falarion then asked, 'Can I tell her what happened to us?'


Instantly cringing at the thought alone, Manjano quickly shook his head and thought back, 'Definitely not. Well, no details anyways. Just hint at it or say that we've been hurt the same way before. I'm pretty sure relating is one of the best ways to comfort people though.'


Falarion blinked at the sudden care that Manjano was exhibiting for Beth. It was extremely unusual for him to ever think twice about someone other than himself or Falarion. Despite wanting to tease Manjano about it again, Falarion realized that if he wanted Manjano to ever open up again or even speak again, he was going to have to let him take it at his own pace.


With that in mind, Falarion lifted his head and then tilted it so he could look sideways at Beth before saying, "Y'know, we've been hurt by someone and their bonded animal before, too..."


Trailing off, Falarion paused before getting a nod of approval from Manjano.


"We, uh, got our scars over our eyes and the blindness from the person and the animal who hurt us."


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Beth looked up as Falarion approached, her expression growing more neutral as time slowly slid by. The turmoil was beginning to subside. She was getting a handle on the rush of emotion, by shoving the memories back into the sealed part of her mind they had burst out of. There was a long moment of silence; Beth realized the two were communicating mentally where she couldnt hear. There was a flash of worry, and then it was settled by Falarion speaking.


She listened silently, looking down at Falarion. When he finished, she reached down and stroked the top of his head gently. There was a smile on her face, but not a happy one. It was bitter and sad, a smile that said 'thanks for trying.' As she ran her hand over his soft fur, her eyes trailed up to Manjano. He was standing rather close, and towered over her while she was sitting, but she didnt shrink away.


"Im sorry that someone hurt you," Beth said simply. She felt the need to address their pain; Beth had a feeling she was the first ones they had admitted it to. She let her words hang in the air for a long moment, her eye contact steady. Of all people, she knew how important it was to have a hurt acknowledged when it was uncovered. But soon her eyes slid back down to Falarion, and her sad smile returned.


"Falarion, our hurts are-" Beth searched for the right words. "Well, they're different kinds of hurts. But I appreciate you sharing yours with me."


@Lioness075

 

[Hel]

Cerci looked up at Cedar and bobbed her head, "I am Cerci, You are Cedar right? I don't believe I have met Bael..." She said with a smile in her voice, though before Cedar could answer the bird from earlier came back.


"Oh, you don't owe me an explanation, but I'd love to have one if it's not too personal," Cerci told Totus, she looked quite curious, and while she would very much enjoy knowing what made the poor girl so frightened, it was clear she'd had some sort of traumatic experience with a cruel bear in her past.


@Sleipnir @Flutterby

 

[andujarprime]

Rin shook his head lightly and smiled. "Lady Zoe, thank you for allowing me the conversation. It has been an honor, I hope we will get the chance to speak more at another time." He said as he pushed the chair out a bit, enough so that he can turn and face the rest of the room. He recognized the withdrawal into formality. It was a tactic he often used when he first struck out on his own. He watched the rest of the group, there were others he should probably get to know better. But he felt the time for conversation was soon drawing to a close. For now he would digest what he had learned from Zoe. It was a surprise for sure, that they had even spoken. But he felt he somehow understood the emotions behind her actions earlier, surely it was an emotion he was familiar with.


@DawnAntalios

 

[SilverFlight]

'I believe in your capabilities.' The words caught him off guard. He wasn't used to people just believing in him, he didn't quite know how to react. The analogy she gave next made him pause.


"So I'm like a mug of hot chocolate?" He asked playfully, then he gave her a happy look. "I'll try to be worthy of that faith Xiao."


As he watched her interaction with the tiger he could tell they were as close and he and Duik. It was a good thing to see.


When she told him that she wanted to learn from him he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. The thought of it brought a spark of excitement.


"Well, I..I never said I was a great teacher but..." His face fell for a moment as he recalled something. This scene was familiar. The last time someone had taken an interest in him like this...they had been working for his father. But there was no way his father knew where they were, Alec had been meticulous, borderline obsessive with covering their tracks. They were safe...they had to be.


Duik, who had been lying beside him with his head resting contentedly on the carpet suddenly looked up at him. It was uncanny how he seemed to know exactly what was going through Alec's mind.


Just then Leandra came over to rescue him. "Nono, please take a seat. Did you get your hot chocolate yet?" He said quickly, perhaps a little too grateful for the distraction.


@crucialstar @Lioness075


Calista had settled up on a table and was tinkering with some sort of large device. Satisfied with her work for now she slid down the leg of the table and made her way over to a drawer, pulling it open and sliding a small bag of golf-ball sized spheres out onto the floor. One rolled out as she pulled the bag across the floor and came to a rest at Duik's paws. His first instinct was to sniff it.


"Don't play with that." Calista said unemotionally. "It a bomb."


Duik recoiled, "a bomb?!"


The civet herded it back into the bag and clambered back up onto the table.


"Its not a big bomb. I just like my surveillance drone to have a little backup installed, in case you need it."


Duik could see it now, what she had been working on was about her size, a large, caged propeller pointing up on each corner.


"I won't be going into the field, I'd just slow you down, but with this I'll give you a bird's eye view of everything that's going on."


"And we're going in five. Everyone get geared up." Strong walked briskly into their midst, already holding her coat.


"One of our recon teams spotted the targets, they're 20k away, down in the valley on the West side. If we go now we can probably catch them before dawn. Cali, is everything ready?"


"Ready steady Amber, the bird's updated with my latest firing algorithms and good to go."


"Excellent. Ok everyone, keep your wits about you and your eyes open. Move out!"


@everyone


Alec gave the girls a raised eyebrow look and got to his feet. "Ok, see you both out there." As he moved toward the coat rack Duik came to his side.


"What the heck was that?" He asked, referring to how Alec had pretty much just blown Xiao off.


"I...I don't know D, Its just...even when I'm completely detached from him he still manages to affect my life!" Duik could feel the anger building up inside his partner and nudged him comfortingly. "Hey, let's keep focused, we still have a wild pig to hunt down."


"Ah, thanks for reminding me." The sarcasm in Alec's voice was apparent.

 

[DawnAntalios]

Zoe bowed respectfully before she left Rin to himself. It was really strange to interact with someone, frankly it was quite embarrassing at the same time as well... but it had to be done. She had to at leas know the fraction of their power if she was to create an effective strategy to cooperate with them during fights. They were soon to depart it seemed so she had to make preparations.


She finally arrived back next to Eos and sat down, sighing heavily.


" It seemed to be quite pleasant. " the stag smiled.


" It was horrid but a necessity. " Zoe lied. She did not want to let her companion know about her true feelings - but it appeared that the elder stag was not to be so easily deceived.


" Is that so? So that is why I saw you blushing when he sat next to you? When he... started to talk about honor your eyes lit up in excitement. "


Zoe's head turned red.


" It was nothing like that! " she retorted " The hot chocolate he brought us was hot and thus I felt hot there, that is all! "


" 'Us'? Oh I did not know it was that serious already... "


" Stop mocking me! " Zoe yelled, her face turning as red as a lobster. It was not a false statement that she enjoyed the time wit Rin... but what Eos claimed was preposterous!


Fortunately for her Agent Strong and her companion came to save her from further humiliation. When the two of them entered the room and alerted the team that they should be ready to depart soon she got up and immediately got dressed, equipping all her equipment. Walking up close to the Agent she listened to every word she said, drinking them in as commands. When the briefing was done she nodded and prepared to head out... but then saw Alec being in a bit of a turmoil. She knew not exactly what ailed him but she had her ideas. Though she did not interact with everyone for most of the time she did hear when he was talking about disliking pigs... and seeing that they were about to hunt one she knew that he needed reassuring words.


" Alec. " she walked up to him finally " May I have a word with you? "


She looked around, nodding to Eos that he should head out and that she would follow him soon enough. Turning her attention to Alec again she spoke up.


" Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation causes your deepest fears to come true. The cycle is vicious... you must break it yourself. " she was not really good at pep talk but this one time she had to make sure that everyone was up to the task - the hesitation of but one member could be dangerous.


" Think not about what he is - but rather WHO he is. He is not a dirty animal you need to capture - he is an agent and thus, by extension, our ally. It is our common goal for him to survive and aid our cause so we might unveil the mystery surrounding the death of his partner - and the miraculous state of his mind which allowed him to remain sentient. "


She hesitated for a bit but then reached out for him and put her hand on his shoulder.


" I might be cold and I might be hostile - but I will be damned before I let any of you fall. I shall be there, so vanquish your terror and show them what you are made of. "


@andujarprime @SilverFlight

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his playful tease dealing with the metaphor she gave him. Shaking her head, she just tongue her tongue out at him slightly. She never was this relaxed back at home nor would she ever be caught dead doing such a gesture. But in either case, Xiao Hui smiled, genuinely, "I hope I didn't give you too much of an expectation to live up to." She ended up managing to say to Alec's response, however, as soon as she asked him to teach her. The atmosphere turned a 360, as she watched Alec's expression and Duirk's interest when he was silent for a while. "Had she said something she wasn't suppose to?" She thought to herself trying to think back exactly what was going on, until Laohu lifted up his head and comforted her, chuffing at her. "He seemed to freak out slightly when I said that, Laohu." She observed, not sure how she felt about it. Already she was making someone feel uncomfortable and she didn't know how she felt about it, especially when they were having such a good conversation.


Nevertheless, Laohu couldn't say anything but, give a glance rowards Duirk, giving him a questioning gaze. He wasn't mad but he was a tad annoyed at how the male was standoffish to such a question. "You didn't do any harm, Hui. It was an innocent answer. Whatever made him set off was something that he is dealing with himself, perhaps. Try not to take it to heart, Hui." He said, trying to comfort her though he didn't know what else to say beyond that. Xiao Hui couldn't help but feel as if she messed up, maybe her social skills really weren't up to par. Thankfully, a young woman came by and stopped Hui's musings. Looking up, Xiao Hui's expression didn't show how she felt at that moment prior, but instead, she gave the woman a soft gaze and smile. "You're not interrupting, as Alec said. Please come join us. Yes, I'm Xiao Hui. It's nice to meet you officially, Leandra." Xiao Hui said sincerely, grateful for the distraction. Laohu turned his head towards Leandra, greeting her as well. "I'm glad we can interest you." She said teasing slightly until she heard Agent Strong's voice. It was time for them head out since the target they were searching for was en route. Laohu had heard the conversation Calista had with Duirk, especially with her bomb and technology advances she had made to help them have eyes above them while they were on their mission. He was quite impressed with their system and the works they had at the Watch. It was definitely beyond the weapons they had at home, then again, the weapons were made prior to this day and age. Soon, Alec spoke again, announcing that he would see them out there. Xiao Hui nodded as Laohu couldn't help but merely give a piercing stare at the male's back. Taking his words as an indication, she decided to give him whatever space he needed, and just focused on Leandra. "It seems it's time. Good luck out there." She said sincerely, as Xiao Hui stood up gracefully, looking at Leandra seeing if she needed help with anything. "Are you ready?" She tilted her head slightly, smiling as she started heading out towards the door, fixing her suit. She didn't walk to fast but close enough to the group the be near them, especially if she wanted to walk side-by-side with Leandra if she still wanted to chat with her. It would be good for her to get to know her other teammate's, especially since Leandra's companion intrigued a lot, plus it took her mind off of. . things. But, before she could fully pay attention to the mission, she mumbled under her breathe, "Definitely a mug of hot chocolate," she uttered, as she felt the mug turned cold after awhile, "radiating warmth one minute and cold the next." All Xiao Hui could hope for now was that everyone made it back safe.

@SilverFlight @Lioness075
​

 

[Lioness075]

Falarion wagged his tail slightly when Beth pet his head and smiled slightly.


Manjano continued to awkwardly stand nearby, but subconsciously took a step back until his back was touching the wall when Beth glanced up at him. 'Did I get too close to her?' It probably was awkward for him to be towering over her like an idiot...


Yet, seeing Beth's sad smile made Manjano suddenly feel bittersweet about what he'd just told Falarion to say. The words hadn't really comforted her, had they?


Falarion was about to respond to essentially tell Manjano to stop overthinking things, but then Beth spoke up.


Sure enough, she was sorry for their pain, kind of a given response when things like this were mentioned, but then she explained that their pain wasn't the same.


While Falarion was slightly irritated by the lack of similarities since he thought being hurt by someone and their bonded animal was similar enough, Manjano almost immediately understood what Beth was insinuating. While he couldn't know 100% for sure which other kind of hurt it was...there was only two other kinds that had gone unmentioned thus far. Emotional...or sexual.


Feeling his heart skip a beat at the idea of someone as quiet and kind-hearted as Beth having to go through such kind of pain, Manjano instantly scowled, though he of course didn't verbally explain his expression.


Meanwhile, Falarion quickly spoke up in case Beth noticed Manjano's scowling, "We understand what you mean. Well, Manjano does anyways. I'm just kinda tagging along here."


Chuckling nervously, Falarion then perked his ears towards the pantry door before suddenly standing up.


"It's Agent Strong. She's gathering everyone and we're leaving in five minutes, but it sounds like everyone's already getting ready to go now."


Sighing and letting his face become neutral again, Manjano nodded at this and gave Beth a fleeting understanding expression before he exited the pantry, not a word escaping his lips throughout the whole scene between the trio.


Pausing uncertainly before exiting the pantry, Falarion then glanced back at Beth and said softly, "Just so you know...Manjano blames himself for what happened to us. There's a reason why he doesn't speak anymore..."


Trailing off, Falarion quickly swiped a tear away from his face before adding, "I miss hearing his voice, y'know. At least you're strong enough to continue speaking after whatever happened to you."


@Flutterby


Seeing Alec's relieved expression and hearing it in his tone, Leandra raised an eyebrow at the thought of what Xiao had said to possibly bring out this overly weary side of Alec. Had it been a past memory perhaps? Or just a fear Alec has always had?


Thinking of Alec's fears, Leandra then found herself grinning at the thought of his fear of pigs.


With Luness sleeping in her arms, Leandra sat down near the pair and then smiled at Alec's mention of the hot chocolate before saying, "Yes, it was brilliant, too. Thank you again for it, Alec."


Hearing the mention of a bomb nearby, Leandra listened to the conversation, smiling at Calista's usefulness. Hey, if one can't go into the field, then find somewhere else to excel. Makes sense.


At the mention of them leaving already, Leandra quickly and carefully shook Luness to wake the phoenix up once more.


Letting out a low yawn, Luness then blinked a few times before moving aside so Leandra could pull her heavy coat back on. Once the coat was on, Luness fluttered up to her shoulder and began taking in the scene, curious to know what she'd missed out on.


Hearing the targets had been spotted, Leandra felt her heart skip a beat, as adrenaline began to kick in already. Considering this was her first time being on a team for anything remotely important, Leandra found herself grinning.


As Alec brushed off Xiao and Leandra, Leandra found her grin fading slightly. What was wrong with him?


Wanting to ask him, but not wanting to abandon Xiao after Alec had essentially done just that to him, Leandra decided to hang back and join the girl's side.


Hearing Xiao's question, Leandra smiled at her and nodded before saying, "Definitely. Albeit, I might be a little too excited."


Overhearing Xiao's muttering, Leandra cocked her head slightly in amusement before asking, "What kind of analogy is the mug of hot chocolate supposed to be?"


Luness continued to looked around before unconventionally sneezing, a small flare of fire coming out of her mouth from the sneeze. Blinking, Luness then quickly said, "Excuse me."


Giggling at Luness' fire sneeze, Leandra then said, "Don't mind her sneezing. You get used to it after a while."


@SilverFlight @crucialstar

 

[Flutterby]

Totus shifted closer to the bear, to keep his words from being overheard by others if possible. "My Beth has not had the best luck with people. I wish.. Well, I wish she would look after herself instead of others, but she is selfless to a fault. There was a person, once, who knew this about her and used it against her." Totus hesitated, trying to say without saying and to be delicate about the matter. "The animal companion was quite complicit in this. Sometimes, even the cause of it. He was a black bear. Beth.. She has had a hard time with bears ever since, especially bonded ones. It was nothing personal, really, but you startled her and triggered a lot of very intense emotions." His explanation was so glossed over, but it was the best he could do.


"And my deepest apologies for my reaction to Beth's distress. As you can imagine, I was extremely worried. I only wanted to protect her from further distress, but it was rather tactless."


He stopped speaking there, as Agent Strong began gathering the team, and flitted up to the counter at the corner of the kitchenette to wait for his Beth.


@Hel


Beth kept looking between the two. Falarion, the picture of innocent comfort. Manjano, more or less a tree. That is, until understanding hit him and he scowled. His scowl made her duck her head in shame, but luckily Falarion spoke.


"Well.. If Manjano thinks it would be okay to tell you, then he will," She said, glancing at his human with a tiny smile brought from Falarion's 'tagging along' comment. She could hear the rustling of movement herself, so she wasnt surprised when Falarion stood and it was time to go.


Beth watched Manjano leave from her sitting position, thinking deeply about what had just happened. At least now she had a little insight, even though it came at a much higher price than she had hoped.


Her thoughts broken by Falarion's subdued voice, Beth stood and brushed her pants off. She crouched momentarily to be at eye level with the maned wolf. "To be completely honest, Falarion, everyone blames themselves for the things that happen to them. I certainly do. But dont begrudge his silence. After what happened to me, and I bonded with Totus, I spent two years in the woods. I hid from any people that came near. Manjano might not speak anymore, but its his way of dealing with what happened. He will talk again when hes ready, as long as you stay with him." Beth's gaze was soft, filled with understanding. She patted the tops of her things, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Alright, duty calls." Her tone was confident, even though she felt anything but. The girl legt the little room with Falarion, and when she appeared, Totus flew to her shoulder. They began getting ready silently, trying to blend back in with everyone bustling about.


@Lioness075

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon raised an eyebrow to Beals concerns as he began to go on about his fears of the mission. He took a long draft from the warm liquid and drained the mug before sighing with a smile as Beal finished. Simon set the empty mug down and smiled at the young man.


"You know, I said the same thing once. Different situation, but my pops was in my place right where I am now, and I was where you were. He looked down at me, old man sucking on his cigars like he did and said to me, "Simon, how do you destroy a mountain." I just shrugged and he he looked me dead in the eye and said, "One stone at a time." I've carried that with me every day sense. We will take this mountain one stone at a time, and with the help of all our new friends here, I know we can do it."


Simon smiled at Beal hopping he had given the boy a bit of confidence in his worries. Simon patted the boy on the back, possibly a bit harder than he had intended, as Strong called out to the group that it was time to get a move on.


Jimbo could tell from the others movements that the time had come, so he pulled his ear buds out of his ears and stuffed the iPod into his jacket pocket after pulling it back on. He began to walk towards Simon, when he noticed Calista was loading up his little flying drone on the table. Jimbo raised an eyebrow and wanted to inquire about the bombs themselves, but he figured he would just see them in action.


Simon looked down at his bag and unzipped the top zipper and began to dig through the contents a bit. After a moment Jimbo joined him and cocked his head to the side, as Simon produced two wrapped objects and stuffed them into his coats pockets. Jimbo sighed.


"Simon, what is that?"


Simon just shrugged as he zipped up the coat and began walking towards the door with the others.


"No idea what your talking about Jim. Come on, lets get a move on."


@Sleipnir

 

[Lioness075]

Hearing Beth's words made Falarion's heart speed up in excitement, though he knew he was probably still far from hearing Manjano's voice again.


Yet, before he got too excited, Beth told Falarion about her hiding away from people for two years after what had happened to her.


When Beth finished speaking, Falarion couldn't resist licking her on the cheek before saying with a grin, "Thanks, Beth! You're like the opposite of Manjano. You're kind and understanding and he's, well, colder and still understanding. It's weird how that works."


Blinking, Falarion then suddenly bounded out of the room when he heard Manjano mentally calling Falarion to him.


With Falarion at his side once more, Manjano donned his heavy coat again before helping Falarion into his own. Perhaps now was when they'd get to learn how to drive those fancy snowmobiles outside.


After he was done helping Falarion into his coat, Manjano stood up and shrugged on his hiking-style backpack filled to the brim with survival gear and even an extra dagger here and there.


Glancing around the room once he was done, Manjano soon caught sight of Beth in the back of the group while Manjano remained in his shadowy corner of the room.


Sighing at the odd interaction they'd just had, especially at how awkward he'd no doubt made it with his lack of verbal response, Manjano looked away from Beth before deciding that maybe he should go back to keeping his distance from everyone here.


Whining at Manjano's thoughts, Falarion looked up at him with a pouting face before thinking, 'Come on, it was a minor problem in the moment. There's no need to ignore her now.'


Looking down at Falarion with a look that showed a deep and unexplained sadness, Manjano didn't even respond in thought before looking out a nearby window, leaving Falarion worrying about his human companion.


@Flutterby

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui smiled, hearing the cheerful girl by her side, it had been awhile since she had someone this excited or rather showed happiness and excitement around her. Nodding, Xiao Hui agreed teasing, "Maybe a little too, too, excited, Leandra. But, perhaps that's a good thing? Do you often get excited about things?" She asked her curiously, wondering, and yet for some reason, her mind drifted to maybe she would like going to an amusement park or a place to make her adrenaline rush quite a bit. However, she hadn't expect her to hear her reference to hot chocolate, laughing lightly, Xiao Hui spoke, "It references people. How, at first, they will seem warm to you, comfortable, but the more you get to know them, perhaps the colder they'll get after a while. Will they let you in or will they not? As for the hot chocolate, it reminded me of someone, he was warm. . comforting. . but as time went on, people change and they grow. . distant and cold. Why? For many reasons." Xiao Hui ended up explaining to Leandra, liking that she decided to stay and hang back with her. It definitely brought her mood up, even though she wouldn't let it be known, she was grateful for her. Soon, Luness ended up sneezing as a slight flame came out. Xiao Hui blinked and giggled lightly, "That's quite a fiery sneeze you have there, Luness." She teased as Laohu looked up at the majestic pheonix.


"It's an honor to meet you, Luness." Laohu said, lightly bowing his head before greeting her. He never saw another Phoenix before, and usually they're rare creatures to walk on earth. So to him, he felt a little connected towards Luness, as he was the last of his kind. He just wondered if she was too, or ever felt that way.

@Lioness075
​

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra giggled at Xiao's mention of her possibly being too excited.


At the question of whether she often got this excited about things in general, Leandra laughed and then said, "Well, I can't possibly match Falarion's excitement for the little things in life, but I think I'm on overly optimistic person. It tends to keep me in a good mood 99% of the time unless someone who's pessimistic or realistic ruins the mood with their words."


Hearing Xiao's explanation of the hot chocolate analogy, Leandra smiled and said, "That's a fair point. Though, I'm pretty sure my brother is the complete opposite. He starts off cold and it's basically near impossible to find the warmth inside of him."


Sighing at the thoughts of her brother, Leandra then glanced over at Xiao and asked her a bit solemnly, "Have you ever met someone who was initially cold and then warmed up to you eventually?"


Hearing Xiao's teasing of her sneeze, Luness bobbed her head up and down a few times before responding, "It certainly helps wake one up though."


Hearing Laohu's greeting, Luness curiously peered down at the white tiger and nodded at his greeting.


"A pleasure to meet you as well, dear. Laohu, was it?"


Having never seen a tiger that was white before, Luness found herself looking at his fur pattern out of curiosity. It was as if someone had taken a black and white picture of a tiger and then made it Laohu's new fur color.


@crucialstar

 

[andujarprime]

Rin stood then, finishing his hot chocolate. I guess it's about that time Haku. He said with a smile to her. He scooped her from her pile on the table and put her into his jacket. He stood himself by the door, his hand on his sword, and his hood up. He watched as the rest gathered and prepared to leave.

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael listened carefully to what Simon had to say and gave him a grateful nod. "Thanks," he said with a tone to match. "I needed that." He looked up as the others began leaving and, with a quick glance at Cedar the bear left his attempt at getting Wednesday's attention and came to his friend's side.


Bael stood up to follow, pulling his coat back on and looking around the group. He glanced between the different people. He only knew the names of a few of them — just Cerci, Wednesday, Simon, Eos and Zoe. He figured he'd learn their names in time, and after stealing a very quick glance at the white stag — whos disposition Bael knew he'd like — then Simon, who seemed wiling to support Bael when he needed it, then Wednesday, who he wasn't sure about at all, he decided it was best to just follow and not walk with anyone in particular.

 

[SilverFlight]

Alec was getting Duik into his coat when a familiar, frosty voice called his name. He couldn't help but feel a chill, expecting to be berated again for his inadequacies.


"Look, I know you don't think I'm worth the clothes I wear bu-"


She silenced him when she began speaking of fear. Alec stood silent as she spoke, his eye followed her hand as she rested it on his shoulder, then he looked back at her and his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! I get it, you're being nice to me." When she had first spoken, back at the hotel he was sure that Zoe had not made any friends, but watching her try hard now, and hearing the admission that she would go out of her way to protect them made him nod in approval.


"Don't worry about me. I'll get the job done...someone else can question him though. Let's do baby steps."


He gave her a wink and moved to the door.


@DawnAntalios


Agent Strong pulled her coat more tightly about herself. The chill in the night air had matured and her breath rose in clouds against the black silhouettes of the trees. Above them the moon shone brightly, glinting off the snow and casting everything in a bright, silvery light.


Alec emerged from the chalet, Duik fully-dressed at his heels complaining about not getting to finish his hot chocolate.


The snow mobiles were sitting, still and silent as they had been when the team arrived, painted white and orange which now looked faded in the moonlight. Amber had made sure to provide one more than they needed, so Jimbo wouldn't have to sit in a sled.


The two henchmen that had flown with them in the chopper were loading the last of the gear. Special sleds set with their own controls sat at the back of each vehicle, some were piled with gear, others left open for the larger animals. Alec approached on to find the keys already in the ignition.


"You know, you should try talking to her again." Duik looked up at his partner as Alec climbed into the seat, which was bitterly cold.


"I don't think that's a good idea. Didn't I tell you to drop it?"


"So, what? You're just going to avoid her for the rest of, I dunno, our careers? She's not working for your dad, that's you being paranoid."


"How do you know?" Alec turned his attention to the control panels on the machine's dash. He didn't sound very sure of himself. "D, that whole mess two years ago nearly had me make the biggest mistake of my life, it nearly got you killed, how am I supposed to just...trust again?"


Duik was silent for a long time, "I don't know." He said finally, "But if it'll get you out of...this. I'd be willing to risk my life."


They shared a smile, "get in that sled you. We've got a boar to catch." Alec noticed there was a pair of goggles dangling from one of the handle bars and he put them on while Duik nestled himself behind the gear on the sled.


Bill and Bam galloped from the chalet, kicking up snow in their excitement. They ran to the front of the vehicle line.


"Are you sure you guys can keep up with the snow mobiles?" Alec called to them.


"Pshaw!" Bam scoffed,


"Yeah, we can run these things right outta fuel!" Bill finished.


It was then a soft hum began to sound from the door as Calista's drone lifted lazily out of the firelight. The little civet's voice sounded crackly over the speaker.


"Best behaviour newbies! Lets be in and out, I don't want to have to come dig your frozen butts out of a glacier."


Strong waited for each recruit to choose a snow mobile and get their companions settled in for the trip.


When they were ready she took a deep breath and addressed them all:


"I know there may be a lot of doubt in your mind right now, but each of you was chosen for a reason! Believe in your own abilities as the Watch has chosen to believe in you and the things you can accomplish will surprise you. Vigilate, discere et mutatio!" The last phrase was latin, the motto of the Watch: 'Observe, learn and change'. If felt a little strange to be the one saying it. So many times it had been her on the receiving end of that speech, the words had become something of a mantra to Amber Strong. It reminded her why she was doing this.


@everyone

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui looked between Leandra and her brother, definitely sensing the difference between the two just by looking at their expressions and how they hold themselves. She was taught to take one glance at a person and figure out what type of person they were, however, the people she was with now wasn't one of "those" people she had to always keep her guard around. No one here knew of her past of knew of her and that's the way she liked it. She wasn't "Lady" or "Milady", she wasn't even "boss", to the people here, just plain Xiao Hui and she liked it that way. Xiao Hui didn't need to size them up if she could trust them or not, instead, she'll gradually get to know the people that are with her now since well, she didn't know how long they'll be together, but hoped for a while. Smiling, Xiao Hui enjoyed Leandra's comapany, especially seeing how cheerful she was, it started to rub off on her as she continued walking with her, "It's better to be optimistic, especially when others may not see the same views or sides that you have. We'll always need a voice of reason and hope in our darkest hours. So, it's definitely going to be a pleasure working with you, Leandra." She said honestly, giving the girl a genuine smile as she looked towards Falarion, the wolf-dog she had seen here and there, quite energetic. They definitely were opposites, but sometimes, those who are totally opposite usually have a way of balancing each other out. Laughing lightly, Xiao Hui nodded, "Of course, it can be that way too, starting out cold and you'll either warm up to someone depending on the person, perhaps? But, at least you know opposites can attract. Plus . . you and your brother are twins, if I'm not mistaken? That's an even greater bond than any normal siblings may have." She said, quite in awe at the two. Xiao Hui wondered if the bond between twins were the same as the bonds between their spiritual companion. Would the four of them share a greater bond together than most of them wouldn't know?


Soon, Leandra's voice got her out of her thoughts, as she gazed up at look up at Leandraas she heard her question. Biting her lips slightly, as she nodded, "Yes, I have had that happen to me before. . but things didn't turn out too well." She said, giving her the look that spoke to not question any further about it, as she spoke solemnly to her,"It will take awhile, days, months, weeks, years, even, but, if you care for them enough and treasure them, the time doesn't matter. Because there's still hope that. . eventually, one day, some day, it'll happen, right?" Xiao Hui grinned slightly, gently patting Leandra's arm before removing it. Laohu had listened intently to their conversation as his ears perked at Luness' voice, "Yes, I'm Laohu, you got it right, Luness. Where are you from? If you don't mind me asking." He said, as he felt the cold breeze on his fur once more as the group made it outdoors. Xiao Hui shivered slightly, wrapping her arm around her frame as she was greeted with different snow mobiles, covered in black and orange, though the color didn't show due to the night. Looking up, Xiao Hui stared at the moon, finding some sort of peace from just seeing it. It was just the same moon back at home. A few moments later,a drone flew out of the cabins, making her look down at her surroundings. Xiao Hui heard Calista's voice through the drone. Giggling slightly, she turned towards Leandra, "It seems we have to part ways now, let's catch up again after this mission, later, perhaps?" She suggested before she watched the others getting into a vehicle, picking and choosing them. Xiao Hui waved towards Leandra and Luness, wishing them luck again once more before heading off towards one of the mobiles.


Laohu climbed into the seat, adjusting himself comfortably, before Xiao Hui had gotten in and placed herself in the seat. However, before she got comfortable, she looked up and noticed her mobile was behind the one Alec's was in and a slight whimper escaped Laohu's mouth. Turning her attention towards her white tiger, Xiao Hui gently petted his head, "Don't worry, Laohu. I'm alright, you should know me by now." Laohu nodded, growling slightly at the vehicle ahead of him. Shaking her head, she teased, "Overprotective, feline." Laohu swished his tail side by side as she seat belted him, before herself. Hearing Agent's Strong voice, the agent reminded them they were all chosen for a reason which caused herto she grinned slightly. But, for the first time in awhile, she felt the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. However, in the back of her mind. . she wondered just how much they knew about her to think of her as a great asset to the team. "I was wondering the same thing too, Hui. How much do they know? And if they know too much . . that'll endanger all of them. And if that happens we have to--" "No, Lao. Don't speak of it. Let's focus on the task at hand first and think about that later." Harshly interrupting Laohu from speaking any further as she sternly said those words. Laohu sighed and just nodded. She understand the words Agent Strong had said, as she spoke the phrase in latin fluently, under her breathe, "Vigilate, discrere mutatio, Laohu". Nodding, he grinned a toothy grin, waiting for the action to begin.

@SilverFlight @Lioness075 @ everyone
​

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon pulled his coat close as he and Jimbo stepped out into the night air. Their breaths created clouds of smoke that whisped away with the wind, and for a split second the night seemed almost frozen until they breathed again and the cloud returned. The pair trudged onward towards the snowmobiles and watched the men finishing loading up. Simon grabbed hold of one of the snowmobiles handle bars, only to have his hand slapped like a child by the gorilla.


"Hey, you know the rule. Your not allowed to drive ANYTHING. You fix. I drive."


Simon had thought about sticking hi tongue out at the gorilla, but reconsidered with thoughts of his tongue instantly freezing in the night time air. Instead he took a few steps back before letting Jimbo climb aboard and placed the goggles over his eyes.


Simon however, had pulled the wrapped items out of his pockets and looked down at the cylindrical figures with a smile. He began unwrapping and inside each wrapping was a what looked like a gauntlet. The platting on them covered the outside of the wrist and each finger, with raised smooth domes covering each knuckle. The inside of the gauntlets with leather and allowed the wearer flexibility in the fingers in wrist. At the base of each gauntlet was a small round dial that was currently set to 0. Simon slid the gauntlets over his hands, and gave the fingers a quick flex to make sure they were still snug.


By now, Jimbo had listened to Amber's motivational speech and was just about to crank up the machine when he looked back to see what Simon was doing.


"Simon, what the hell are..........are you serious?! What the hell did you bring those for??"


Simon gave the dials on the gloves a small nudge to 3 and the sound of electricity whirring to life rang in their ears. Simon balled up his fists and quickly slammed them together, a decent POP as the metal on the knuckles sparked, causing Simon to smile and turn back to Jimbo flexing his fingers.


"Can't fix a problem without the right tools Jim."


Jimbo sighed and shook his head before turning the engine on, and whirring the snowmobile to life.


"If those things touch me, I'm going to kill you."


@everyone

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael grinned when he saw the snowmobiles. "Oh, now, this I can do," he announced, leaping onto his own over the back, Cedar sitting in the sled behind him. "Can you stay on?" Bael looked over his shoulder at the bear, who just scoffed.


"Oh, please!" Cedar exclaimed. "You couldn't knock me offa here if you tried! Remember Hiawatha?"


"There weren't mountains in Hiawatha," Bael insisted. "Hold on tight, Cedar bear."


Bael fired the machine up and drove it several yards before pulling the snowmobile into a pinhead-tight turn to face the others. "I'm ready when you are," he called over the hum, quietly looking over the others for some form of approval.


@Everyone also

 

[Lioness075]

Manjano and Falarion soon exited with the group and Manjano immediately headed for the nearest snowmobile he saw. This one had less gear piled on it so Falarion could fit in the sled instead of trying to sit on the snowmobile with Manjano, which no doubt would've ended up with Falarion falling off after they hit the first bump.


Helping Falarion get settled in the sled part amongst the gear, Manjano then moved to the front and got settled.


Overhearing Calista's voice overhead, Manjano and Falarion both glanced up to see her drone that looked ready to follow the team.


Still feeling guilty for thwacking her in the face with his tail, Falarion subconsciously slunk down a bit in his sled, hoping she wouldn't see him and berate him for his mistake.


When Agent Strong began addressing everyone, Manjano turned to listen to her, temporarily distracted when he noted that he could see his breath in the air. As if it wasn't cold enough already.


Hearing some Latin phrase from Agent Strong, Manjano cocked his head at her, but figured it'd be best that he ask about it through Falarion later.


Now ready to go, Manjano turned around so he was facing forward again before pausing uncertainly. Who was supposed to be leading this trail of snowmobiles again?


Falarion got excited again though when he saw the rams joining the group. Amused by their comments, Falarion excitedly barked at them before looking around and beginning to wonder when they'd leave.


@SilverFlight


Leandra was quickly warming up to Xiao, liking the girl's company and how alike the pair seemed to think.


Smiling at Xiao's compliment and agreement about Leandra's optimistic view on life, Leandra quickly responded, "Exactly! Best to be open-minded than close-minded and rude...kinda like that Zoe woman."


Hearing Xiao's laugh, Leandra blinked before grinning at her, Leandra's face slightly flushed as she had a thought of how much she liked Xiao's laugh. Now was most likely not the time for such thoughts though and it was a rarity for Leandra to find anyone who shared such interests with her anyways.


Liking Xiao's analogy talk, Leandra smiled and was about to agree again when she was stopped cold at Xiao's mention of the bonds shared with twins. Blinking and feeling slightly lighthearted, Leandra didn't have it in her at the moment to tell Xiao how far apart she and Manjano had grown since that incident when they were 15 years old.


Sighing, Leandra was relieved when Xiao changed the subject to herself instead. Now Leandra didn't have to explain herself.


Cocking her head at Xiao's slight uncertainty and discomfort at the mention of her seemingly failed endeavors at reaching out to someone who was initially cold, Leandra bit her lip in frustration.


'Would it be the same for me if I tried to connect with Manjano again?'


Hearing how long it could take, Leandra let out a sad sigh before saying softly in a solemn tone, "Six years later and he still won't talk to me. Heh, one day..."


Hearing the sad tone in Leandra's voice, Luness nuzzled up against her cheek to comfort her before whispering, "Don't fret, my dear. Xiao's right, it'll happen in time."


Feeling Xiao's comforting touch, Leandra smiled at her before hearing Laohu speaking up.


Luness shifted her attention from Leandra to Laohu and bobbed her in slight excitement at being asked where she was from.


"Well, dear, all four of us are from Australia. Albeit, I'm not originally from that country. I grew up in a very cold place compared to Australia's warmer weather. I believe the humans call it 'Kamchatka'. I'm not entirely sure where it would be on a map since I've never bothered to look it up, but..."


Trailing off, Luness let out a small sigh before adding, "Well, it was a very cold and desolate kind of place. I'm beyond happy that I moved to Australia and found Leandra."


As Calista made her appearance with her drone and called everyone out as newbies, Leandra found herself sticking her tongue out at the drone before she'd even realized what she was doing.


Hearing Xiao giggling, Leandra couldn't help but do the same before listening to Xiao saying goodbye for now.


Nodding at her, Leandra responded, "Sounds good, Xiao. It was nice meeting you, same to you, Laohu!"


Waving at the pair, Leandra then walked over to the snowmobile behind Xiao since they had already been walking in the same direction.


Settling down in her seat of the snowmobile, which was packed with a lot of gear, Leandra then looked sideways at the unusually quiet Luness before asking her, "Hey, Lune, you okay? You know you didn't have to talk about that if it made you uncomfortable, right?"


Letting out a small sigh, Luness looked back at Leandra before saying, "It's fine, really. It felt kinda nice to tell someone else about it, y'know?"


Nodding Leandra grinned before responding, "I completely understand that. So, are you flying or riding with me?"


Chortling, Luness shook her head in amusement before saying, "You're joking, right? I always fly, my dear."


Seeing the sudden appearance of the rams nearby, Leandra grinned at their remarks, kind of curious to watch them run alongside the snowmobiles now.


As Agent Strong made her announcement, though it was sounded more like a motivational speech, Leandra continued to grin, feeling her heart speed up at the mention of being chosen by the Watch for her abilities and no doubt for Luness' abilities as well.


@crucialstar @SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

Beth took a moment to french braid her hair, keeping it neatly out of the way. She outfitted herself and Totus quickly and grabbed her gloves, extra climbing rope, and a bag of jerky, but left the rest. Her eyes ran over the group as they got ready, lingering on Manjano. But his eyes were turned away from her, and his expression was hard to read. It could be sadness, but it could always be.. What? Disappointment? Disgust?


Totus rubbed his beak on Beth's ear. "The silent twin knows?"


She gave a nod. "I hinted, I think he guessed." There was a pause, then she added with a hissing sigh. "Bet you a bag of jerky, he and the bear never approach us again." Her voice was fiercely bitter. It seemed that people thought she had some kind of contagious disease; everyone who had ever been informed of her past became distant and eventually dropped out of her life completely.


"Beth.." Her bitterness made Totus sad, but he couldnt deny the trend. She gave a shake of her head, giving her confidant a final glance before heading outside. She slid the extra supplied into her hiking bag on the sled and then mpunted her snowmobile. Totus perched just in front of her, on a ridge at the front of the seat. It would be too tiring for him to keep up in the air.


They listened to Strong attentively, then started their engine. Now it was time for the mission, the rest could wait until later. Or never.


@Lioness075 @everyone

 

[SilverFlight]

Amber gave a nod to the Rams, taking her own vehicle just behind them to head up the team.


"We'll travel single file, it's easier on the engines." She called as the rams started down the hill. She cast one look back at her old friends, grinning as she saw Jimbo at the controls. Probably better that way.


Catching sight of Beth she waved the other girl over. "When we near the point where our targets were last seen we'll be counting on you tracking skills to find them. Think you can do that? Totus and Luness can run recon with Cali's drone when you pick up a trail."


@zCrookedz @Flutterby


The night air was crisp and clear and as the wind picked up when Alec put the machine into gear he could truly appreciate the natural beauty they were surrounded with: The air though cold was thick with the scent of pine and the snow glittered like a sea of stars while in the night sky above the real stars seemed to stretch endlessly into the inky blue expanse. The two rams had stopped exchanging friendly banter for the moment and were focused on running. Their pelts were flecked with sparkling snow and their breath rose in great clouds and they loped in long strides through the fresh powder. It seemed they knew exactly where to go to keep the vehicles from getting stuck in deep drifts. Alec appreciated the talent as it was not like you could actually see the depth of the snow until you were in it.


The mufflers on each snow mobile made them run much more quiet than he expected, he guessed that was a feature to reduce the risk of an avalanche.


The drone hummed above them, hanging just behind the last of the sleds.


Duik took in a deep breath of the chilled mountain air. He had noticed that Xiao had taken the vehicle beside them and waved to her and Laohu with a cold paw.


"This is amazing isn't it?!" He shouted as they sped along the silvery track. Alec has clearly noticed them too, but tried his best to pretend to focus on the trail ahead.


The wind played the hyena's short mane and the snow kicked up by the vehicle runners felt cool on his muzzle. He loved it.


@crucialstar


As they continued down onto the valley the trees grew taller and more dense around them, but the rams kept guiding them to the most open paths and as long as they kept in a line there was little risk of a crash.


Duik saw an opportunity to cause a little trouble. At the speed they were going he found that putting a paw at a certain angle in the snow by his sled he could create a spout and angle it at someone. He chose Leandra and sent a small shoot of fresh snow at her lower body (he was smart enough not to truly distract her from driving).


@Lioness075

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael took off after them, a touch disappointed that his antics hadn't been impressive. He considered himself talented with a snowmobile, but pushed that out of his mind. It'd come in time. He followed the others closely, watching the scenery admiringly.


He looked around, looking over his shoulder at the others for a moment. With the moon and snow, it was bright as night could be, even casting shadows against them.


(Lame post /shot)

 

[Lioness075]

As the group began moving through the wintery scenery, Manjano gunned his engine and soon was right behind Leandra.


Surprised that he'd ended up behind her of all people, Manjano blinked before refocusing on the task at hand. He'd never driven a snowmobile before and so it required all of his focus.


In the sled behind him, Falarion eagerly looked all around himself, taking in the scene. It was beautiful around here, despite the terrible cold, and it almost felt like eternal Christmas.


Peering up at the shining moon above the group, Falarion couldn't resist the urge to howl, though it was kind of hard to do on a moving object and in the sharp cold, so his howl ended up getting cut off halfway through. Gasping in the cold air, Falarion humphed before curling up on the sled once more.


Manjano heard the failed attempt at a howl from Falarion and rolled his eyes while continuing to pay attention to the route they were taking.


Leandra followed after Xiao and Laohu, smiling only for a second before the cold wind made her regret that decision instantly.


Resolving to keep her happiness in her head for now, Leandra felt a sudden urge to stand up on her snowmobile and make some jumps, though she decided against it since this was an important mission and everyone needed to stay together. Plus, this was her first time driving a snowmobile and crashing it probably wouldn't help anything.


Above the group and off to the side, Luness flew threw the air, seemingly gliding with ease despite the cold and almost harsh winds. Considering where she'd originally grown up and her icy features, Luness appeared to be naturally designed to fly in weather such as this.


With her natural body heat being very strong, Luness didn't even feel the cold sting of the wind.


Back down below, Leandra overheard Duik shouting out how amazing this was and she fought back the urge to respond or smile. Cold meant that doing anything unnecessary in the moment would only make it worse for Leandra, who was already feeling her face beginning to freeze up a bit despite the goggles she had on. This was just brutal.


Suddenly, Leandra looked ahead when Xiao's snowmobile moved out of the way temporarily and let out a surprised scream when a sudden and short torrent of snow hit her in the abdomen and then became a cold and wet layer on her lap.


Squinting to see who was ahead of her, Leandra saw Duik and shouted in a teasing tone at him, despite realizing that he most likely wouldn't hear her, "Duik! I'll get you back for that!"


Quickly using one of her hands to swipe the snow off her lap, Leandra sent a mock glare Duik's way, knowing that he probably couldn't see her expressions either.


Overhead, Luness had witnessed the scene unfold and chortled to herself, wholly amused and not overly concerned for the safety of Leandra.


@SilverFlight