Fight and Flight of Serendipity [RP]

[Hatchet]

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There was something to be said for the cover of night, especially when one didn’t look quite human. Darkness was good for clandestine encounters and violence. Crouching atop roofs, trailing his target, Caleb found his attention torn with the effort to repress the beast in him. He didn’t need his natural instincts to follow this woman now, this bounty hunter, who his mad scientist had unintentionally referred to Caleb. Enough time as a human had made him almost as effective a hunter, he didn’t need the beast for this.


If she was good, she would know, sooner than later. Glancing about with bright blue eyes, Caleb’s lips curved, a reaction without emotion, at the convenient spire of a church. He would wonder now if this sin, the next sin, would be too much and he would be unable to enter or touch that sanctuary. He had seen it happen, it wasn’t common, but it wasn’t impossible. Arching his back, he stretched his wings and sprang lightly from his current perch, scooping through the warm spring air and gliding to the spire, hooking his arm and landing with a neat little crouch.


Although he tucked his wings against his back again, the feathers still rustled and twitched responsively to the part of Caleb he ignored, but worse was the shifting of his limbs, thickening, fingers lengthening to claws, and then back again. He needed to focus, he needed to be as inoffensive as possible when he approached this ‘Jace.’ Another minute. He’d give her another minute. He had too many things to do in the darkness when his stranger features could pass for tricks of the light, maybe a costume, maybe even just an exceptionally large bird. But she was important he reminded himself; or she could be. Bearing his teeth, Caleb tugged at his forelock and was pleased when he felt rough hair and not smooth feathers under his finger pads.


The Dragon would be next. He could let the beast show more with such a creature.

 

[CaterpilAli]

Jace tapped her fingers lightly on the barrel of her weapon, alert to the movements around her. The city was a dangerous enough place as it was without being completely incompetent to its inhabitants. She was one of the few that actually knew what creatures lurked in the shadows and nooks of this place. Her ears caught the slightest rustle of feathers and she spun around, her weapon in her hand instantly and pointed at the air behind her. There was nothing. She frowned, scanning the skies. She'd felt completely uneasy about setting out tonight to meet with her contact. But perhaps that was just her nerves. Still, she felt like someone was watching her. She scanned the area once more and was about to return to her current pursuit when her gaze fell upon a strange shape on the spire of the church. Who was that? Were they a danger? A threat? Instantly she fired a single shot. The silencer suppressed the sound to the barely audible parting of air as the bullet sped through it. It pinged off the top of the spire, barely three inches above the shadow's arm. She couldn't make out what it was from that distance, but she knew that she had to be cautious. The best way to find out if it was friend or foe was to let it know she knew it was there.


'Damn it, just what I need, more distractions. I'm on a deadline as it is.' She muttered, wondering how her 'message' would be received. One way or another, it wasn't like she was completely defenceless. She didn't have any paranormal abilities on her side, but she was a fairly good shot. She knew her mark had hit due to the faint pinging sound that resonated from the impact of the bullet. She smiled briefly at her weapon. Victor did good with his weapons, she thought to herself. It was handy having a slightly egotistical scientist as a contact sometimes. If she came up with the cash, he’d come up with the weapon. It was how they worked. They had many such arrangements in the past, and she felt that they would continue to do such. Not to mention the side jobs she did for him when she was feeling particularly charitable. She glanced back up to the spire.


‘Alright, who are you, what do you want and why the hell are you stalking me?’ She called so that the creature, whatever it was, could hearh er. She waited a beat and then continued. ‘If you don’t come down I can promise you my next shot won’t be nearly so kind. Why don’t you save yourself a bullet wound and come down here?’ Her voice echoed around the alleyway and she wished she hadn’t needed to make her location known. She had quite a fewe nemies and it didn’t bode well to announce her position like that. She hoped to god she wasn’t setting herself up for trouble. Jace’s brown eyes scanned the area around her nervously as she sized up the situation, counting possible escape routes, looking for possible danger. She could only hope that she was prepared for a possible ambush.

 

[Darktanion]

The warm spring night seemed hot against his cold pale skin. The wind moved his pure white hair from under his hard brown hood, as his seemingly blue eyes glistened at the moonlight. A glossy circle illuminated in his left eye, the moonlight reflected in it, a small portion of red hues glistening under the glossy contact. His hands tucked tightly in his small pockets, as his small form walked in the street. He dragged his feet lightly against the concrete, as the wind blew his hood slightly back. He gently lifted his hand pulling the hood back down over his face, as the sudden gust of wind passed. His attention that had been fixed on the concrete beneath his feet quickly faltered as the sound of a muffled gun shot came to his ears. His hearing was sensitive, even the muffled shot clang to his ear drums, his form clenching as the sharp sound hit him. A gun shot? perhaps some humans got in a fight, and one decided to end it? That didn't seem right. He lifted his head slightly, taking in a deep breath into his nostrils. The night spring air hit his nostrils. No blood? Perhaps they missed? He thought has he continued to walk forward, his stride now a bit faster.


He pursed his lips, his white fangs showing as his lips parted. A look of discontent struck his face as a strange smell flew in the wind. He carefully outstretched his hand as a feather flew by him. In a movement he snatched the feather from the air, his form almost seemed to skip time as his movement was so fast, like a dvd with a scratched disk. He looked down at be beautiful black feather, its form being blown about in his hand as he clenched it. The smell intensified as his form vanished, quickly hiding in a ally way that sat just across from him. His eyes slowly moved, his blue hues locking on a women. The women stood with a tense look, her weapon drawn, its barrel facing a dark figure that perched on the spire of a church. There was no doubt she was the one who had made the shot before. Valer stood un-moving as he heard the women call up to the creature. Valer's back leaned heavily against the ally wall as he closed his eyes, pulling his head from view. His eyes twitched slightly as he listened for movement, for a voice. Valer folded his arms patiently waiting, his long black eyelashes un-moving as he waited.


Valer tilted his head back, his head being stopped against the wall as the moonlight lite up his face. A long red tattoo stretched against his left eye, a long red line going down his eyelid to his cheek, several red slashes intercepted the line as it went down, each length different. The few people who had seen his face believed it to be a tattoo. And maybe it was, but it wasn't put there with ink or needles. No, for some unknown reason, in his riveting death, he was brought back with it. Born again in a new form, perhaps that was what the symbol meant. Rebirth. He glanced down as the ground as a small rat quickly ran down the ally, his small foot steps echoed in his ears. He couldn't help but smile at hearing such a small sound. He tilted his head slightly as he stood. Somewhere deep inside him, he hoped these people where like him. But he knew better, they didn't smell of the dead. No, there veins and heart still pumped blood. He clenched his chest as he stood. He wished his heart still beated, he missed so much the warmth of the sun.


Valer forced a gulp as his dry parched throat seemed to claw at his mind. He was hungry, and his body seemed keen on reminding his of that.

 

[Hatchet]

When Caleb peeled his lips back reactively to the warning shot his teeth were blunt against his thin lips. Good. Shoot first, ask later; good, good. Standing straight, Caleb flexed his wings outwards, stretching his back again and hearing the faint pop of bones that were incessantly shifting density outside of his control. He took a few moments to let the shadow of his fingers impress upon the woman below, and if there had been more of the beast at the fore her threat would have been amusing. As he was now, it was wasted words.


Stepping lightly off the narrow ledge he had perched on, Caleb let gravity do most of the work in pulling him down, curving his wings just enough to control the descent and when he touched down, he dropped to one knee without actually bracing against the sidewalk. There were several blocks of concrete between them but he was still near enough that a poor shot was likely to hit him and Jace did not seem to be a poor shot. Tucking his wings back against his body made him a slightly smaller target, and he remained crouched, bracing his arms on his knees and looking up at the bounty hunter. Without shifting fully to human there was nothing he could do to be more inoffensive.


“I have no interest in threat or harm to you,” Caleb stated by way of greeting, voice rough and soft and still thickened by an accent. Some creatures of the night concealed themselves in black clothes, in layers and played on gothic images. Caleb preferred a gray cotton shirt that stretched easily for minor changes and loose dark green slacks that he could easily slip for a full transformation. He had never fully reconciled himself to shoes and his furless, padded feet were bare now. “A mutual contact mentioned you and your profession. There’s a creature I need you to…” what words was he going to use? He had moved too far out of the state he had planned this meeting in, the details of it were vague and slipping from his thoughts. “To find,” he concluded calmly, but a shiver of tension rippled up his spine, rustling his feathers quietly.


[MENTION=4375]Aria Rising[/MENTION], [MENTION=4319]ninbinz[/MENTION], [MENTION=3943]HeartBrokenIceQueen[/MENTION], [MENTION=3672]Ixidor92[/MENTION]

 

[Ixidor92]

How? How could humans stand to live in places like this? Even in the depths of night, the acrid smell of concrete and chemicals pervaded his nostrils, while every small bang and clank of metal caused his ears to involuntarily twitch. He did not understand how humans could live in such a . . . busy place. The man walked along one of the streets of the city, away from the main street. He only wore a simple red vest and leather pants, with a cross tattoo clearly visible on his left shoulder. Something had called to him in this city, something that told him he should be here. Though now he was beginning to think he had been better off-- Gunfire. It was only a single shot . . . which actually caused him more worry than if he had heard a spree. Multiple, quick shots demonstrated a lack of ability to hit and/or kill a target without simply spraying in the general direction. A single shot showed significant experience with a weapon. The man's eyes narrowed as he entered a side alley, heading towards the direction of the shot.

 

[ErisianDialects]

Well, they'd do for now.


A spanner got tossed back into his toolbox as he kicked the base of what he'd just built, which then proceeded to hum softly. After so long relying on his little shop project, this was going to be a let down. But hey, Tesla was the man. Radiant Energy should last until he replaced the old perpetual motion machine. It was easier and quicker to build than a Cat Toast Generator, as well. Couldn't power as many of his machines at once, which meant beyond security, powering the house, he couldn't run most of his more interesting toys. It was a shame, really. He was really looking forward to trying out that tidal generator.


And reanimation was suspended for a while, but he was never entirely sure if that was the best idea. Well, meant he had spare parts for the discerning client.


He returned the toolbox to his workshop area. His lair had slowly grown out, it now covered the entirety of his property lines, and as far as he felt he could go into, well, under, neighboring properties. He was trying to get his hands on a decent copy of the sewer system so he could start invading the park across the road. His rooms weren't spacious, but apart from the larger living area, he didn't need much room to work most of the time. And when he did have to work on larger projects, well, there's a reason his tenants and neighbors thought he was nothing more than a scrap artist.


Caleb had gone after Jace. He wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or bad thing. Jace was almost as paranoid as he was at times. He hoped she wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later. It was always annoying to patch her up after one of her jobs, but he did it cheap for her, because she returned the favor on various little jobs that needed done for him, like getting materials on occasion body guarding him when he met a new client. Caleb was just enjoyable to do the odd job for. Either way, one or both would probably be returning, so he set up the first aid kit near the monitors of his various external cameras.


People called Victor paranoid. Paranoid implied people weren't out to get him. The government wanted him for his toys. The tabloids wanted him because he brought them photos of various preternats. Various institutes wanted him because of his toys and the way he broke rules.


He just wanted to stay one step ahead. Banking accounts in various cities, his changing of identities. Victor Tesla being the latest from reading. And an homage to the greatest fictional and real mad scientists. He never realized how obvious it was. His few blind spots could have him hit by a semitrailer.


He would tap a few keys on his keyboard. He needed to finish his citywide security net sometime soon as well. There were wide, gaping holes in his perimeter defenses from about six streets away.

 

[CaterpilAli]

Jace followed the creature’s path with the barrel of her weapon, taking a slight step back out of caution. ‘Don’t move another inch.’ She instructed, her eyes fixed on the man.. no.. not a man.. he had wings, so not a man at all. She didn’t know who or what he was, but before she could ask, he was crouched a few feet away, meeting her gaze evenly, that she could tell, even in the faltering darkness. The street light on the corner flickered, casting a flickering glow around that small section of the street. It lit up his face, if only briefly, but instead of making a sound of surprise she simplymet those vibrant blue eyes of his, keeping the gun pointed levelly at him. Then he spoke. ‘I have no interest in threat or harm to you.’ The words, while al ittle relieving, didn’t alter how tightly Jace held the weapon. Just because someone said they weren’t going to harm you didn’t mean that they weren’t lying. 'There's a creature i need you... to find.' The words surprised her, making her shift her stance a little. 'Well then, why didn't you say so? You could have just confronted me instead of stalking me this way.' She pointed out casually, eyeing him, not putting the weapon away but not exactly showing hostility. 'Let's talk details. Who, what and for how much?' She was a business woman after all. And a business woman always dealt with details first. Glancing about the seemingly deserted area she narrowed her eyes as realisation occurred. 'Wait.. How did you find me? I don't give out business cards you know.' She said, raising the weapon again. She was not stupid. Sure, forgetful when put on the spot, but never stupid.


How long had it been? Five years? More? He could still smell the sweet scent of her perfume. The last lingering scents that coated the pillows even while the crimson blossom bloomed over the white linen. He could still hear the cries of distress as he brought the lamp down over their skulls. it hadn't been his finest work, but he was an amateur back then. How much he had developed since then, He thought with some pride, examining the crime scene photos. Ahh, how beautiful his victims were now. No more messy kills. No, his work was so much better now, so much more refined. Still, she was his first. He would love her for that. Forever. She had provided him a valuable lesson. One that he would never forget and had taken everything he possibly could away from that valuable lesson. He had learned to be gentle and delicate, take his time, don't rush. It had been such a valuable lesson. He moved to his old turntable, selecting a record and putting the needle into the thread of the vinyl, smiling as a sweet soprano sang out in his workspace. Her voice set his nerves at ease and he felt instantly relieved. Lack of activity had been eating at him for a while now. It was good to be able to relax again. Soon now, he thought to himself. So very soon.


The sound of her returning brought him out of his reverie. Instantly the photo album was slammed shut and he moved back over to the old grammarphone, removing the needle. 'Nathaniel? Nathaniel are you home?' Why did she have to come home so soon? He sighed, brushing a hand through his dark hair. 'Yes, yes i'm home.' Nathaniel said, walking up the stairs to see his partner standing in the hallway with bags in either hand. 'How was the market, dear?' He asked. She rolled her eyes. 'Ridiculous. The amount of people that visit the market at this hour is astonishing.' She exclaimed as he laughed softly. 'Late night shopping. It's useful everywhere.' Looking at her now, it was hard to imagine that he could even have thought he could suppress it for that long. 'You head to bed,' he instructed her. 'I'll put these away and join you.' She smiled at him, stretching up on her toes to kiss his cheek. 'Alright.' As she walked out, he stopped her. 'Marie, you know I love you, don't you?' He said, his expression unreadable. She smiled. 'Yes, I do.'


~


The beautiful and complex music played as he finished his work, putting the finishing touches on her young, pale flesh. She was beautiful, just like the others. 'I love you, Marie.' He murmured, pressing his lips to hers, seeing the tears glimmering in her eyes. She was immobile, paralyzed, completely unable to fight him off. The stage was set. He'd been scouting this area for weeks now, preparing for his debut. The world would know him once again. They would know penance for what they did. Her eyes followed him as he cleaned the blade of his scalpel. 'It's nothing personal, Marie. You should see this as an honour. You will finally be seen for your true beauty.' His smile was fond, even a little nostalgic. 'You are the first, and therefore the most important. Those that follow will be tribute to your beauty.' A soft whimper came from her in response as he lifted her from the gourney and placed her neatly and elegantly against the wall. He rested her hand on the bird cage, the raven in the cage fluttering and squarking. Leaning down, he placed the white orchard in her free hand, the mask in her lap and then stepped away. 'Goodbye Marie.' He turned away, walkign out of the room, and with it went the oxygen, causing her to gasp and splutter, efficiently drawing the life from her body. It had begun.

 

[Darktanion]

Valer's eye's widened, as their soft spoken words hit his ears. His seemingly blue eyes looked up, his eyes scaling the building as he calculated his jump carefully. This conversation made him curious. Perhaps this man was hiring a hit on someone? Valer pulled himself from the wall, his form turning towards it. He looked up the building side, as he slowly crouched down to the floor. He quickly lunged forward, his body being thrown up, straight to the sky. He tried to hold his force back as not to crack the concrete beneath his feet, but it seemed he held a little to much back. His leap was short, he quickly grabbed the side of the roof his body hitting hard against the side of the building as he danged from its exterior. He easily pulled himself up, as he jumped down to place his feet on the solid roof.


He walked forward and scaled the long building edge, his eyes watching carefully as he came closer to the two strangers. He swallowed the excess saliva in his mouth as he found himself at the end of the rooftop. He slowly kneeled down on his knees, his elbows resting on the elevated roof top wall. The women's stance was strong, her hands unshaken as he pointed her barrel to the bird like creature that stood before her. A gust of wind passed by pushing their scents towards Valer. Their scents smelt good, causing his hunger to claw at his conscious once more. Valer slowly raised his hand, his palm clenched over his left eye, as though to push back pain from a migraine that had suddenly hit him. He shouldn't feed on these people, he only feed on those who traveled alone. It was easier that way. Valer quickly shook the feeling from his mind as he watched them.


Valer waited patiently as he looked to a pole that sat near the winged man. On its rough wooden exterior, a paper clung to its form, several staples holding it in place. It's headline was easy to read, MISSING. Valer sighed slightly as he examined the poster, a young boy's face pasted brightly against it. Valer wouldn't help but wonder what happened to that boy? For his family to go threw the trouble of posting missing posters in the town, he must have been loved. Valer's mind wondered, depressing thoughts weighing on his mind. Valer wondered what it was like to be missed. When he was turned, and went missing, he never saw a poster like that for him. Perhaps it was because no one noticed his absence, or maybe more so that they didn't care.


A frown swept over Valer's face, his blue eyes slightly faded by the dark thoughts that pushed their way in to his mind. His father was cruel, abusive and hateful. Though Valer never really blamed him, the truth still weighed heavily down on him. It's hard to life with a person who knowingly killed the love of their life. Valer always felt that this life was punishment for killing his mother, a curse from god. So when he went missing, it was no surprise that no one came looking for him. A single tear swept down Valer's right eye as he kneeled, his elbows slowly being moved away from the roofs edge. Hunger beckoned at his mind once more as his conscious found itself back to the people on the streets. He was so hungry, but was it wise to feed on these two? Especially when one wasn't human. Valer grinded his teeth against each other as he weighed the options in his head. His mind still curious about the creature before him.. But, Hungry... His mind wavered.

 

[Esme]

She felt the panicked conviction long before even the human itself knew what it was thinking, or what it would do to itself. From the small spot in the back of the mind, she uncurled, letting inky tendrils seep out of the mind she had taken residence in. There was fear in a constant source now, so perfect and ripe for the taking. But it wouldn't last long, now would it? Oh, no, no, no, the human had ungodly plans for itself, sh knew, she could see the plans forming. It didn't know the word for it yet, but it would soon enough, they all did.


A spike of fear rose through the tendrils, and she breathed in deep. This had been a wonderful host, so full of paranoid fear that a small whisper in the ear sent them off the edge. She dug the extensions of herself in deeper, knowing she wouldn't have much time left. The human was headed for the kitchen now, as it stood. One last pulse, one last little word to ensure the conviction stuck until it was too late to go back.


And then she was peeling herself up and out, sliding through cells, tissues, organs, bones, and flesh and out into the open air. Resuming it's natural form, a mixed feminine mass of translucent ink-swirled-in-water clouds, it leaned forward, looking over the human's shoulder. They had the metal tool out now. Stroking their back gently, she watched them turn, eyes bugging before the mouth started forming words too fast to understand. The blade was pointed at her and she idly thought that if she could, she would have smiled. She touched the cool metal, turning it inward and nodding.


"It's the only way to make it stop." A soft mix of Russian and the Old Country forming the words, soothing the shaken human who would never speak a word of the thing in front of it. As the blade was hidden in it's new fleshy sheath again and again, she waited. Strangled words, gargled towards the end. Blood bubbled, pooled, and smeared with the movements. The scent of iron grew heavy in the air, and she knew it was time to go. But they still had light in their eyes, and no one needed to die alone. So, Meido waited as one clear word came forth. Suicide.

 

[Hatchet]

Aria Rising, Riddle78, ninbinz. Carl: if you do not post by the next time I do, your character is up for death.


Ixidor92: this is not a fast paced RP. If you’re having trouble coming up with a plot, contact me. If you’re not interested, let me know so I can take out your character. If you do not by the next time I post, your character is up for death.


Sometimes humans were so amusing. Perhaps it was the words that did not mean the same thing to them. Caleb did not smile this time, though, not because he feared her weaponry, but he preferred her calm and wiling. Needed it that way. What he did ask was, “Which is more important to know? How I came here or why?”


Wasting time. What a human thing to do. Something tickled at his senses, something threshold and preternatural and very important to surviving. Do you feel that? Half twisting away from his bounty hunter, Caleb straightened suddenly, peering out into the night to try and perceive what his instincts were trying to tell him. Turning to the beast would muddy his intentions, but it would give him the heightened senses he needed to be sure, and it would repress this foreign sense of disgust sickening his gut.


“Do you feel that?” he snapped again, but now his back was fully to Jace and he took a half step towards her with his seemingly vulnerable side exposed. He could shift in the time it took another to draw breath but if he did he would lose control of his purpose for the woman. “What is it?” Already his thoughts were fracturing. Damn this contention, Magnus.

 

[Darktanion]

A warm gust of wind hit against Valer, the fresh scent of flowers swept over him. He couldn't help but falter from his dark thoughts as the fresh smell of a spring night hit him. The flowers always seemed to calm him, a small grin coming to his face as he looked up at the night sky. It's clear beauty twinkling in each star. Valer slowly slid down to his knees, his head lightly resting against the raised part of the roof. Valer listened carefully as Caleb seemed to be distracted by a presence. Perhaps it was his presence!? Was that possible?


Valer kept still as he could feel Caleb's eyes scan the area. He looked down slowly, the black feather clenched in his palm. He slowly moved his small fingers against the rough feather, it's black nature causing his skin to look paler then the moon. The scent of flowers caused his hunger to settle as he sat on the floor, his hand slowly traced the gravel beneath him. His eyes watched as his hand slowly made swirls, the black feather still lightly gripped in his opposite hand.


Valer slowly pulled his feet out from under him, his jeans smearing the swirls in the gravel. His shoes were faded black, it's base torn from the fabric, riddled with holes. The laces were a faded grayish black, the Braid torn and stretched from top to bottom. His white bangs hung in his eyes, his breath purposely trying to blow the strands out of the way. But just as he blew them away they fell back into place. A look of irritation covered his face as he pulled his bangs back with his hands, yet again the bangs fell. He released a heavy sigh as he listened carefully, his curiosity consuming him.

 

[CaterpilAli]

Jace narrowed her eyes at him, holding the weapon firmly, still pointed at him. 'It matters to me how you found me. Someone in my line of work has many enemies as I'm sure you can imagine. Can you blame me for trying to look out for myself?' She said, keeping her voice level and calm, as if they were talking about the weather and not having a potentially dangerous conversation in the middle of the street. before she could say anymore on the matter he was on his feet again, seeming to be trying to sense something else. Of course, Jace, being human, couldn't feel a thing, other than the strange prickling sensation she got when she felt like she was being watched. She dismissed it as the after effects of being followed by this unknown man. Well, half man. He wasn't quite in his human form, she was certain of that. Suddenly he snapped out of no where. 'Do you feel that?' A pause as he continued to scan the area. 'Do you feel that?!' The words were harsher, more animalistic. It very nearly made her jump. 'Feel what?' She asked, just as he asked, 'What is it?'.


She stepped forward a little, holding the weapon before her. 'I don't feel anything. Whatever it is, I don't feel it.' She was certain that if he didn't calm down then she may have someone dangerous on her hands. Well, most of them were, she thought to herself. Maybe she should take advantage of his distraction to escape? No, she had seen his descent when he first confronted her. She had no doubt he could catch her again before she'd even made it as far as the corner. So she could try to calm him, divert his attention from whatever was aggrivating him. 'You mentioned that you needed me to find something. Mind telling me why it is you've got me cornered here?' Physically, they were in the open, but she knew that it was obvious who would be the quicker one out of the two of them.

 

[Riddle78]

A rat skittered along the street's gutter. It was a small one,with a dark gray coat,and black eyes. It moved with a purpose,and didn't stop to forage the piles of junk,like most rats do. It just didn't seem quite natural. But,it was a rat on the street. Easily ignored. And that's just what it wanted. What it needed. The rat was in the act of tracking. There was a secret to be kept. If the secret got out,it would spell disaster. It would spell Armageddon. However,it didn't know exactly who would betray the secret. That's what it intended to find out. To stalk. To watch. And,if the quarry is guilty,to strike.


The rat spied an alleyway,and heard hushed whispers coming from it. So,the rat chose to investigate. One would never think twice about a rat in an alley. It skirted into the alleyway,hugging the corner as rats often do,and beheld an odd sight. A winged beastman,and a woman armed with a suppressed handgun. Already. Fortune smiles upon us. As the rat rummaged through the rubbish and junk in the alleyway,the beastman straightened from it's squat and looked skyward,barking questions of suspicion. First the human. Then the traitor.


Obviously,this was no mere rat. It was a changeling of a rare breed: An Absolute. Known as Aenor,it could assume the shape of any living thing,fact or fiction. Aenor was patient. It will wait for it's opening.

 

[The Empress of Ice]

Taking one last glance at the burning apartment before turning around to enjoy the evening, her lips graced with a smile. The beautiful night sky was hidden by the tall skyscrapers as the streets were filled with mostly humans, a few supernatural beings sauntering around. Her long hair flowed with the cold wind as it travelled through the narrow alleys into the open street. Ellemeas eyes reflecting the moon, scared whispers following through the crowds. A group of drunken men stared at her with laughter in their eyes. "Lady with the fake red eyes! Isn´t it to early for a dress!" One of them shouted. Feeling her mood slightly drop with his comment; remembering her forgotten contact-lenses in the burning apartment.


Ellemea felt out of place, not being able to see the stars or feel the fur of a lion. She felt alert with all the eyes, people around her. Brushing past her or that one coincidental eye-contact with a stranger. It wasn´t like a jungle were a war could break out or like the sea; the bigger the stronger. The human world was worse. The animal hierarchy had order, positions and places which were filled to the brim, unless a certain species became extinct because of the foolish creatures we call mankind.


As Ellemea neared the assigned destination; a restaurant called Ricchet near the outskirts of the city of Praesul. It was a small but luxurious place with the most calm music Ellemea ever heard. And it had private booths. The main reason she had chosen it as her meeting with Mr. Zeke. Atleast that is what her contact calls himself. She couldn´t blame him though, if it came as a false name, since she herself had given a false name.


Entering the small building with a sharp eye looking for any supernatural being. Failing to find anything her eyes strolled over to the waiter which were waiting on her with a small smile. Ellemea could feel his slight annoyance and with a mental eye-roll she approached the petty human. "I´ve ordered a booth for two, Janette Monroe." She said before he even had the chance to welcome her. Upon hearing her name, he turned with a frighten grimace to a small door which led to the main kitchen. She heard murmurs before ,who she assumed was, the head chef came out with a broad, nervous smile. "Miss Janette! Follow me, please."


She had already achieved the satisfactions of control. The head chef lead her to a small room with a door sign. V.I.P. It read clearly with small golden letters. Instantly she knew it was fake by just a glance. And upon invading the small room that had been reserved two weeks ago, she felt the sweet aroma of roses set on the table. Her feet carrying her over before she sat with grace. "Thank you, you can leave now. And if someone asks of me, a man, lead him here would you?" Her voice soft, almost like a melody. The head chef simply nodded before leaving her alone, waiting for her new friend.

 

[Coro]

Sitting in a nice restaurant called Ricchet, on the outskirts of town, Ventus the Sylph had his first experience with human cuisine.


This meat, and this drink, it was strange to him. The flesh of an animal, the fermented remains of a couple plants mixed together in some interesting fashion, these were such elaborately prepared dishes for a spirit of the air, who'd eaten nothing but plants and fruit and drank nothing but water up until this point in his life.


DAMN these humans knew how to eat! He felt amazing, warm and confident. This wine, the waiter had called it, tasted horrible at first but the more he drank, the better and better it tasted! And the meat, Vent would rave about this to the sylph elders. It was juicy and tender and oh so sinfully good.


As he polished off the steak, he poured himself another glass from the bottle of wine the waiter had brought him. Oh, better go to the bathroom, he thought to himself. Those humans had made some ingenious contraptions to remove their own waste from the homes they stayed in, so the poop didn't pile up. Quite intelligent. Standing up, Vent realized that walking was slightly more difficult. He was in a room full of humans, so he couldn't exactly fly to 'the crapper' as he'd heard the porcelain bowl called, but why was his balance suddenly awful? This was a mystery... Perhaps the human food had poisoned him somehow? Panic arose in his expression, as he glanced about the restaurant quickly looking for help. The waiter had said if he needed anything, he simply had to ask him. What he needed was an antidote!

 

[Esme]

When the body had finally stilled, the life liquid staining the white tiles, Meido moved. No more breath remained in their lungs, no more faint flutter to their heart. With a gentle guiding hand, she did as she always did with these cases, and crossed the arms across their chest. Breaking off a small branch from a plant they had kept inside, she tucked it between their fingers and slid their eyes closed. She stayed a moment more, watching the scene carefully.


Funny, the blood had pooled a bit to the left of them, indicating the floor had a dip in it. They had walked over it hundreds of times, and she had never noticed. Shaking her head, she turned, her substance seeping out under the door frame before reforming on the other side. A simple dark shape among the many shadows. Out here, on the edges where this human had liked to live, not may others were out at this time, so she decided on something she rarely did. She chose to walk, sticking closer to the more shaded areas, but not flickering under pannels, or through mouse holes.


Idly, she started calculating how much energy she had stored. Enough to last for about three months, at best. But that wasn't very long, and if she needed to run again? It could drop drastically. Times these days were nothing like they had been when she was young, when one could keep and feed in a host for years and not have to worry. But the humans were getting smarter. Or cockier, was it? Either way, they had stopped fearing as they had, and that was bad for her.

 

[Coro]

In a panic, Vent darted outside, scaring the other customers with his flustered behaviour and sharp movements. The night air helped to clear his head, but Vent still felt strange compared to normal. The waiter came running out after him, demanding payment. Blinking innocently, Vent pulled a few coins from his pocket, asking if that was what the waiter meant. The waiter snatched the coins, slinking back inside, grumbling about stupid drunks.


I still, I need to find an antidote! Vent's one-track thought process continued, glancing about looking for people to ask.


The wind blew coolly across the street, speaking to Vent as it always did. The wind told Vent of blood, close by. He blinked, finding that strange. A fellow preternatural being, something strong, was nearby. Had it caused the injury? The wind could tell him no more. His one-track mind newly focused on finding the cause of this disturbance, fuelled with the courage of the wine, Vent walked through the streets, quite shakily.


The wind told him something was close by. Sticking to the shadows, however, Vent could see very little. His world seemed to move before him, even when he stood still.


OH RIGHT I NEED AN ANTIDOTE! He immediately thought once more, grasping his ruby red face in his palms, making a scene on the street at night.


"I NEED AN ANTIDOTE! I'M POISONED!" He screamed into the dark air, hoping someone would help him.

 

[Esme]

A man, followed by another man, burst out down the street. She paused, for a moment, merely watching. When the one disappeared, the other began walking again, towards her. She pressed further back into the shadows, her eyes on him as she moved as she had before. He seemed drunk, so it wasn't like he would notice her easily, or at all, really, but nerves always got to her.


As the man got too close for her to feel safe, she stopped, and moved back as far as she could into the dark. Watching him from a mere yard away, she mentally screamed at him to move, to walk, to fall over, to do something. And then, he screamed.


Her body shot up straight, condensing in tighter to allow her mass to stay together properly. As her form went tighter, the swirling blackness that she was grew darker, making her form jut out from what had once concealed her perfectly. "What is wrong with you." She hissed, accent contorting words into something that seemed no where near English.

 

[Coro]

Vent glanced over at the strange shadow. Ah, there was the preternatural the wind had told him about.


"I've been poisoned! I feel warm and I can't stand up straight and the world is moving before my eyes!" He shouted at the shadow, his sylph wings slipping out. Shining ethereal wings of green light folding out of his back, as he floated off the ground and began to twirl and shake in the air, as if he couldn't even float still. He obviously had absolutely no worldly knowledge, and did not know he was simply a little drunk.

 

[Esme]

Cocking her head to the side, her form returns to it's "natural" size, the shadows offering cover once more. Or they did, until the strange man across from her started glowing. Another preternatural. Her head turned back towards the place he had come from, humans may be slow, but they weren't ones to miss light shows. But this one, he was a class act he was, reeked on that alcohol thing humans liked to drink, and didn't even realize he was drunk.


"You're not poisoned, but if you keep up this little affair, I can promise you, you'll wish you had been." She held a great distaste the lack of coverage he was currently providing them both, almost sure a human would emerge soon enough."Would you quit doing....whatever it is your doing?" The urge to smack him was strong.

 

[Coro]

Vent's wings retracted, and he fell to the ground in a slump, a look of relief on his face.


"I'm not poisoned? Oh thank the winds." He said, throughly content now. But, soon a look of confusion crept over his features as he rested on the sidewalk. "If I'm not poisoned..... Then what's going on with my body?" He asked of the shadow thing.

 

[Esme]

If she had a more corporeal body, Meido was almost certain she would have been digging her nails into flesh from the naive nature of this youth. Surely, he was but under short time span of his birthing? Drawing in a deep breath, she set her hands on her hips.


"You're drunk, you fleshie toad. Drunk, shit-faced, off your rocker." If she had eyes, she would have rolled them. Children... "Do you have a family? A home? A squabble? Can't very well have you roaming around if all you're going to do is attract attention."

 

[Coro]

Vent chuckled to himself, moving his head side to side. He'd heard about the phenomenon of being drunk before, but he hadn't realized it was something like this. He'd heard it made humans into unbearable beings of stupidity! Surely he wasn't that bad.


"Nope! I'm a sylph, no more of those for miles. I was sent by the elder sylphs to experience the human world and see for myself what was going on here in the city. I'm like a... Representative!" He explained, obviously proud of his appointed position. He could go into more sylph culture, but he didn't entirely feel like it. He wanted to know more about this sassy shadow.


"So, who are you, helping me in the streets at apparently my lowest point?" Vent asked, smiling for the shadow, his green eyes twinkling in the dim light.

 

[Esme]

"I see..." Meido shook her head. A sylph? She'd had one of those for a host once, insufferable simple minded brat that one had been, and this one didn't look any better. Looking back at him, she searched him hard before holding out a hand. In it a small field mouse, lay fast asleep. Rapidly, it started to grow a rusty color, making a wretched noise, it started to turn to a solid dust before she tipped her hand, letting it disappear into the wind.


"I am not a friend, and not something to think is helping you. That is who I am."

 

[Hatchet]

Unsettled, Caleb let the woman’s words wash into his ear but kept his attention turned outward more as the sense of predation receded. Mockery, a thing familiar to beast and human; this city was rife with preternatural creatures, few would have interest in him. Now he thought on the words, the retort and the almost calm reaction to his behavior. Unintentionally he had hit upon the mind he had been in when he decided to track this woman and he turned to her with an inhumanly quick movement, arms folding across his chest and wings settling tight to his back. If his face could be perceived it was now crested with sleek black feathers.


“My mad scientist did not mean to mention you,” he told her, tone smoother, the accent thicker. “But sometimes I am clever.” His physical senses were clearer, sharper and told him the rising threat from moments ago had passed, but he didn’t trust the reprieve. “Would you hunt a sylph?”


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