The Xavier Legion - Open - Need Players

[demoneyeszero]

Fai kept his eyes on the ground, not fully seeing Synn's displeasure at his submissive dedication. Instead he only caught a glimpse of the frown. The discontent on the wolf's face made him tense up. Synn was standing up for him and he was merely putting his head down and submitting. Then again, he really didn’t know what, if anything he could say to Eniba. She just seemed to have a power about her that sent shivers to his very soul.

When Eniba says she will be sending him on a mission, Fai's head instantly shoots up. He manages to mouth the words which Synn speaks before quieting up again. He had joined to work so it only made sense that she would make use of him as soon as possible. He looks to Synn as he speaks up for him again. The fox wanted to tell him that he really didn’t have to do it; that it was fine and he wasn’t worth the effort. Fai however, just couldn't do it. Whether it was that he was just too afraid to speak in front of Eniba or just liking someone stepping in on his behalf he couldn't tell.

When Eniba finally does leave Fai lets out a long held breath. He tries to crack a smile but only manages a weak smirk. He wasn’t to surprised Eniba was somehow the head. Haiti seemed like a woman that must be respected. Eniba seemed like one to be feared. When Synn motions to the door Fai follows behind albeit slowly. "Synn...why did you speak up for me? Not saying I’m ungrateful but... you don’t even know me...Why are you helping me out?"  

[Katakeome]

Zander's blush, as well as his all but sarcastic words either go unnoticed, or ignored by the fox as he brushes past him.

Outside, Kata waits for Zander, then Nico, who darted to her most comfortable position as soon as the tiger was ahead of the group. It was now that he started to seriously think about how bad the mouse's ordeal had been. Never in his life had he seen someone this traumatized, in person at least (not counting Gwen, who was more shy than traumatized). Not being a huge fan of sympathy, the fox does his best to assuage her with a small, friendly smile, one that probably looked pretty ridiculous under their current circumstances. Kata must have realized this, for it left as quick as it came. Clearing his throat, he spins around and follows behind Zander back to the range.

There was a waist high concrete barricade that separated all would-be shooters from their victims, (silently, the fox wondered if there were any executions by firing squad here. What a place to go).
A little over twenty yards in was a 24x24 bullseye target, clinging tightly to a wooden stake that angled into the ground slightly to the left of perfect.
"No problems if we use your target, Zander? Alrighty then." The fox answers for him, then motions offhandedly to Nico. "Lock 'n load, Nico, time to kick a**."

Kata suddenly felt an urge to chew on a few sticks of gum. Shame he was all out.


~~~~~~~~~~~~


She slept like a kitten, if only for a little bit. Brief, cryptic messages with meanings that hung just beyond her reach. Flashbacks and premonitions mixed around like miles of tangled, multicolored yarn in the biggest basket on earth.

And like most all dreams, she forgot every second of it as her eyes slowly opened to the dark ceiling.

Gwen sits up slowly, yawns, then spins around to the side of the bed.
Her internal clock read the time as late evening, maybe even midnight. The electronic clock on the nightstand argued differently however, insisting that it was no later than 5:23 PM. She blinks a few times, then rubs her eyes to make sure it wasn't a trick. The clock was persistent, and with another yawn, she accepts its' answer and hops off the bed.

She wobbles for a second as the blood rushes to her head. Regaining balance, she grabs a small box off the nightstand and shoves it into her front pocket. Looking back at the pillow, Gwen decides the taser is fine where it is.

She cracks the door open a bit, peeking out like an insect on the lookout for any creature bigger than itself. Once she determined that it was safe, the kitten steps out of her sanctuary and into the bathroom. Once finished, she follows the same procedure down the stairs. She couldn't hear anyone, did they all leave?

Her assumptions are correct as she descends the final steps. Not a soul in sight. Gwen looks around, wondering where everyone went, including her brother. Maybe they would be back soon? She slept little over an hour, it was pointless to go out looking for anyone. Even if it wasn't, she probably wouldn't have.

Gwen sighs and sits down on the nearest sofa. She places her hands in her lap and wonders what to do next. Go back to sleep? Scrounge around for food? Leaning back to make herself more comfortable, the kitten taps her claws boredly along the edge of the cushion.  

[Samiur]

"Is that so?" he puts his 'guns' away and moves his hands to his pockets. "Then how did i react?" Alma asks with a grimace. He pushes open the door to the bar before McKaela, turning around and walking backwards, arms outstretched, to taunt a little more. "Maybe you were too shocked to take note"

Three more steps backwards after finishing the thought and he trips over the sofa. Landing upside down in the seat next to the kitten. He almost wasn't surprised at this turn of events. It lucky he hadn't tumbled on the poor girl, or with enough force to land him on the coffee table. With a chuckle he addresses Gwen. "Ahh, Bonjour Madame."

✁---------------------------------

The mouse returns Kata's smile with a disapproving frown and a slightly confused look. She tags along behind him when he finally gets moving, Tiptoeing as if it would help her evade the tiger who already knew she was there.

When they arrive at the site in which they will be shooting she is sure to put a fox between her and Zander. After getting Kata's go ahead she produces the gun again and struggles with it, trying to get the clip out, before being told where the release was. The clip is loaded decently quickly. Small jerky movements. Like a bird that's not sure whether to stay, or abandon the feast due to the risk of prowling predators.

All 8 bullets are tucked safely into the clip, and the clip safely into the gun. A slight nod is given to Kata, and an even slighter one to Zander, before attempting to fire the gun. She then goes on to make a series of mistakes that would may need to be corrected.

Without loading a round into the chamber she takes aim, holding the gun in her right hand, and only her right hand. (Due to the lack of a right eye it could make aiming rather difficult) She then holds the pistol much to close to her face, leaving little room for kickback. If she hadn't made mistake 1 she would likely have a bloody gash in her forehead from the recoil.

When a pull of the trigger is met by nothing but silence, And perhaps the giggles of her bystanders, she lets a few words fly. "Well god dammit. what the hell did you do this time you stupid b***h?" This ramble was aimed at herself. Since until only recently she rarely had anyone to speak with, the quirk of talking to herself was pretty well engraved into her daily habits.  

[McKaela Kiama]

[Sorry for the EXTREME delay in posting. Since my last post, I've gotten a job, had everything bad that could possibly happen... happen, and other crap. *Excuses excuses.* Kata and Sammi already know the schpiel, just figured I'd let you know. I'll... TRY. Very hard. To keep from delaying so damn much again. I DO want to continue this.]

Synn was quiet as he led Fai out of the stadium, perhaps feeling as if saying anything more there would be a bad omen. As they neared the elevator, though, Synn sighed, then smiled back at Fai. "Somethin' about you reminds me of me," he said simply. But unless Fai asked, he wouldn't elaborate. "Besides, Eniba has no right to treat you--or anybody--like dirt. She's a witch anyway." A witch? The b-word may have been better suited, but perhaps he had reason to call her that specifically.

Entering the elevator, Synn presses a button, and they again descend into the Earth. This time, the trip isn't long. The door opens to a massive hall, rooms on each side. Another hallway extended to the left and right just outside the door, and at the end of the centre hall. Who knew how far they actually went, or how many rooms were packed into the somewhat dark underground barracks.

The wolf quietly led Fai to a reception counter nearby the elevator, where a young woman sat, boredly filing her claws and chewing on bubble gum. She was an obvious half-breed, human and perhaps some sort of domesticated feline. She wore a-little-too-sexy business attire.

"Queenie, need a room key."

Pampered diva only raised her eyes to Synn after he spoke, and with a short, exasperated sigh, she stands, digs around in a file cabinet for something, and returns with a folder. "Here's ya papers." Perhaps a Boston accent? Hard to tell, as she cracked her gum.

Synn also sighed. "Fill 'em out and sign your name. Can't get a key until you do." A key? To a room?! There must have been some catch. However, it all seemed pretty legit. Pledge your allegiance to the anti-Legion, and you get a room, supplies, free food, and a paycheck. The only noticable downside was that he'd have to share a room with someone. It obviously wasn't Synn, as he was a high ranking officer and would have had a key if the room belonged to him. But perhaps Fai's roommate would be friendly.

[Oh ho ho.]

***

[I actually got that reference, Kata. I feel speshul.]

Zander stays rather quiet as he follows Kata to the range. He only gave a nod to the fox as he asked the question, knowing full well that his answer didn't matter. He'd been Kata's roommate long enough to know that much. To what the fox says next, Zander's first reaction is to pat his pockets. He was all out of gum too.

He watches Nico prepare silently. She seemed to load the clip well enough, but then proceeded to forget to load a round into the chamber. Nobody tried to correct her though, perhaps after noticing the way she held the gun. That mistake was more important. Before anybody could mention it, though, Nico pulled the trigger. Thankfully, the first mistake had been made.

However, the tiger hesitates. Nico didn't like him, so she probably wouldn't take advice from him when it came to shooting. He glances to Kata, knowing he was fully capable of helping Nico, and that she'd at least listen to him. Nothing is said. But he does grin slightly to Nico's talking to herself.

***

McKaela had been bested. She closes her mouth and bites her bottom lip, trying to think of a proper response, but nothing came. "Bah," she finally mumbles, following Alma in and watching him trip over the couch. Served him right. He almost landed on Gwen though, so McKaela glares at him.

With a sigh, and without another word, McKaela hops behind the bar and digs around for something. All the way at the back of the shelves, McKaela finally finds what she's looking for, and drags out a large clear bottle full of a black liquid that resembled molasses. She then grabs a shot glass, and promptly fills it only half-way.

She stares at it for only a moment, perhaps hesitating, before lifting the glass to her lips and pouring the liquid into her mouth. Cringing, McKaela holds her breath, and drops her head, letting her hair hang over her face. After a few moments, McKaela begins to breathe again, almost panting, then slowly lifts her head to stare toward Alma and Gwen with that evil cheshire smile, her left eye immediately changing colour from blue to gold. This is followed by a sound much like purring, and McKaela lazily laying her head on the bar. What the hell was that stuff?

But something caught Gwen's eye just outside the door, surely more important than McKaela drinking herself stupid like usual. Only she seemed to see it, a ball of yarn, glittery and rainbow-coloured, rolling up the hill toward the stadium. There was something... vaguely familiar about it, like a memory from a dream. A recent dream at that.

 

[demoneyeszero]

Fai followed after Synn without hesitation, his head dropping after not getting an immediate answer. At Synn's sigh however, Fai looked up and was surprised to see a smile. He began to grin once more. "I'm tempted to ask what...but i suppose it could wait for another time." He laughed some as Synn mentioned Eniba's treatment of him. "Perhaps...but i'm used to it..." Fai barely noticed Synn's substitution of witch. For him the two were about the same.

The fox's eyes seemed to constantly be wondering as the walked down the rather large hallways. He was quite amazed there was so much there and yet so few people on site. When they approached the receptionist Fai gave a wave and smile, though he doubted the woman saw.

"I'm getting a room now?" The question was rather childlike but he had only expected really a cot or ruined couch to sleep on in a corner. As he took the papers his ears flattened against his head. Fai starred at the paper for a moment, seeming to struggle before hesitantly filling it out. Schooling was not a luxury he had gotten much of. "There...so who am I rooming with?"  

[Katakeome]

Nico's semi confident nod is returned with a half-assed shrug, but the fox had to purse his lips to halt the smile trying to break through as the mouse was almost scratching her nose with the hammer of the Makarov. Making no attempts to correct her yet, he tries in vain to hide a slight snicker at Nico's harsh words of self-criticism.

Kata tilts his head back at Zander, who donned a small grin, obviously thinking the same thing. Turning back, the fox rubs the back of his neck. "Ho boy, where do we begin?" He scratches his chin, then waves an arm at Nico. "First of all, don't hold it so close to your face like that. If you were lucky enough to have it go off, you'd probably have another scar to add to your collection. Second-" Kata withdraws his glock with a quick flick of the wrist. "-hold it professionally, two hands, arms out. Like this." He demonstrates the position, holding his gun out with one hand clutching the handle, while the other wraps around the bottom, cupping it comfortably. "As for body stance, whatever hand you have on the trigger, keep that leg back as a brace, and twist your body like so. It feels more natural this way."

He looks over his shoulder at the mouse to see if she was even paying attention. Then the glock is tucked back into its' nest. He smiles softly. "Heh. Then you're good. let'er rip. But before we do any of that, pull back on the slide and load a round into the chamber." The fox holds his hands up to his chest and makes the motion of loading an automatic pistol. "And please try not to shoot anyone." He adds smugly.

As Nico fumbles around with whatever she decided to do, the fox wrinkles his nose at a single, frosty snowflake that landed on the tip of his snout. Looking up into a sky of light grey clouds, he saw that it was beginning to snow again. It drifted towards the Earth in the most menacing way snow could, which wasn't much. But a little snow wasn't going to stop him, and he figured Nico felt the same. With arms crossed, Kata returns his focus to his new little mouse protégé.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The room faded softly into black as Gwen started to doze off, but before she could drop over to purr and drool on the side of the couch, Alma enters the room, followed by McKaela.
Gwen blinks herself out of sleep, then yawns, short of words before Alma bumbles over the couch to look at her with a smile and a chuckle.
"Bonjour." She replies with a grin, then tilts her head at McKaela, who decided to drown herself in devilish-looking black liquid instead of converse.

Back to Alma, the kitten peers down as she wrings her hands together. "Uhm... Where did everyone go?" She inquires timidly, then spins her head around to eye a flash of something at the door. She squints at a ball softly emitting a rainbow-like glow. It peers back at her with unseen eyes, and the kitten tilts her head slightly, almost lost in its' glow. "Huh? What's that?"
Should anyone else look, the visage would already have disappeared. Gwen rubs her eyes once more to make sure she wasn't still dreaming, then gives Alma a dumbfounded glare. She had a unexplainable urge to give chase after whatever it was she saw, even if it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. The kitten stands up, turns to Alma, and bows slightly. "Er, I mean. I need to ask Kata something. He's probably at the shooting range isn't he? I-I should go. Bye!"
Gwen smiles nervously, then waves at Alma, spinning around towards the door. She stops at McKaela, staring, but keeping her distance. Gwen shakes her head and nods towards the High Commander before leaving.

Stopping just outside the door, Gwen presses the side of her hand against her forehead, scanning the immediate area carefully for her mystery friend.
In the distance, the same ball of light darts suspiciously behind a building. Gwen huffs, then adjusts her sweater before running in pursuit.
Every time the kitten thought it was lying just around the next bend, the familiar glow would appear in the corner of her vision, taunting her as it glides effortlessly among different obstacles. Whatever it was, it wanted her to follow.
"Hey!" She calls to it, receiving only the soft howl of the wind as it runs its fingers through the hair below her beanie.

Her curiosity grows stronger as she follows. Hopefully, she thought, it wouldn't kill this cat.
With a sigh, the girl was about to give up until she caught sight of it once more. Before she knew it, the orb had led her into a cemetery, then disappeared without a trace. Graves both big and small decorated the ground, the grass was cut to a low, smooth perfection and cobbled stone paths wired around crumbling tombstones. Gwen sighs, slumping down next to a particularly large tombstone. What was she doing anyway? Chasing hallucinations? Kata told her to be carefull of the mysterious happenings around the fortress. Ears folded back, Gwen tucks her legs closer to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. Should have just stayed at the mansion. Graveyards were creepy places to begin with, but the cold silence only added to the nervous urge to get away as soon as possible.

A snowflake fell beside her, then another, and another, until the gentle rain of show speckled white dots across the top of her beanie.
Gwen looks up at a grey sky, then lifts herself off the ground with a quiet sigh.
She turns to the grave that she decided to use as a rest, then kneels down, reading the letters carved into its' face.
The words leave her mouth slowly, carefully, then the kitten stands up. She continues to eye the grave as she determines her next action.  

[Samiur]

"Well we went down to the..." She cuts him off with the next question. "What was what?" Alma attempts to trace where her eyes had landed but he was still upside down on the sofa. "Yeah i think Nico asked him to teach her to-" again he gets cut off as the kitten bolts out the door. "Hey it's kinda late, don't you think that you...Bah never mind...You kids never listen anyways."

He folds his arms and pretends to pout like an old man while inverted. The mouse watches Mckaela down the thick liquid. "That looks like it's a few centurys past it's prime." Carefully as not to break anything, he turns himself the right way up. "They say you should never drink on an empty stomach. Perhaps i could prepare something? I am not the best at cooking but i am decent, And you've been more than hospitable since i got here. To my sister and I both actually."

✁---------------------------------

Nico sets her gaze on the fox. Taking in the information that he offers. When he mentions adding more scars to her collection her head droops slightly, and almost immediately she turns up her collar to hide even more of her face. "I know how to shoot a gun" She remarks with an almost snobbish tone. But then slowly looks to Kata for a nod of approval as she followed the steps he had given.

After a few moments she had expended the whole clip, Vastly missing every last shot. Now flustered she begins cursing again. "It's no Damn good, I-I can't see a ******** thing." Nearly ready to hurl the gun as hard as possible at the nearest target possible she drives her fist into the concrete divider instead, Tearing open yet another wound on her fist. Her face shows a glint of pain in the act but she doesn't acknowledge it whatsoever.

The mouse didn't want to be pitied or preached to. She didn't want to hear any smart a** comments, nor did she want to be laughed at. But she had an irking that it was going to happen anyways.

But as Alma had said. Nico was like a firecracker. after a few more seconds of her temper tantrum she was back in control of herself. She waited for suggestions from either of the two. As long as the tiger stayed where he was she didn't mind if he gave input...a little input...She had taken precautions so her face wasn't too visible to him anyways.  

[McKaela Kiama]

Synn smiled lightly to Fai. He was right, this talk could wait for later. "Being used to it doesn't make it right. I need you to realize, also... you're a member of the Rebellion now. You are a powerful warrior to be respected. Nobody should ever disrespect you now, especially not civilians, or any of those petty Legion soldiers." At mention of the Legion, he lightly dusted off his sleeve. "Feel free to knock them down a notch if they even look at you funny." Synn gave Fai a serious frown, which faded as the elevator doors opened.

"Yes, you are," Synn replied to Fai's question, watching him fill out the paperwork but making certain not to crowd him or rush him. He didn't mind if Fai took his time, he didn't need to rush to his death. Synn shook his head at the thought. Fai was tough, sure, but usually new recruits were given training before being sent to their doom. Eniba must have had some sort of unspoken problem with him... or she was just being a b***h. As Fai finishes, Synn scoops up the papers, looks them over really quick, and then hands them to Queenie. He doesn't answer Fai's other question right away, he'd know shortly.

Queenie doesn't even glance at the papers, shoving them into the folder, and back into the file cabinet before turning to a very large plastic panel with a lock and sliding it open. Inside, hundreds of keys waited. Queenie snatches one up, slaps it onto the countertop, and types something into her computer. "Room three-twenny-nine. Roommate's Alma Abdoe."

Synn's ears perked. The name was only somewhat familiar. "I haven't seen that guy around since he came. But I think he's in special ops right?"

"Right," Queenie replied, returning to the pressing matter of her claws.

"Looks like you'll have a room pretty much to yourself. It'll be really nice." Synn smiles, grabbing the key and handing it to Fai. "C'mon, it's over here." Synn motions to Fai to follow, and leads him down the hall some distance before they reach the room. "Go ahead, open 'er up!" He grins.

The room was plain and simple, if much more glamourous than anything that Fai had ever had. Brick walls were painted white. Two twin-sized beds sat on opposite sides of the room, pushed all the way into a corner. They were actually pretty comfortable, not hard military beds. They had simple light blue bedding. Each bed had a night stand, a lamp, and an alarm clock next to them. Between the two night stands is a small fridge with a microwave on top of it. Near the foot of each bed is a dresser with plenty of room for Fai to put his things. On the end of the room near the entrance are also two desks, which could be used for computers or whatever. It seemed Alma had claimed the right side of the room, though the only hint of this was the unmade bed he'd left behind after sleeping in it just one night. None of his other things seemed to be here except for a black cat plush, old and 'well loved' with a slightly charred left ear, sitting on a pillow near the headboard.

***

Zander listens quietly to Kata's gun lesson, nodding to each point, but keeping his mouth shut. He frowned as Nico reacted to Kata's mention of adding another scar to the collection. The poor girl had obviously been through a lot in her life, couldn't Kata be a little more sympathetic? He gave him a looking over with a bit of a glare, but his face softens as he realizes just who this was. This was Kata, S-Y-M-P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C is just another word he never learned to pronounce. [Song reference. Cool points to whoever gets it.]

It doesn't take Nico long to unload several bullets into everything but the target. Zander reached up to put his paw on his face, peeking through with only one eye. Perhaps he ought to get involved after all. "Nico, uh," he started to trail off, having been barely loud enough to hear in the first place. But then he lowers his paw, takes a deep breath, and continues, "When I first learned to shoot a gun, my dad taught me to take a deep breath just before I shot, in order to stop shaking so badly. It improved my aim a lot." He gulped, hoping Nico wouldn't ream him for chiming in.

***

McKaela hardly seemed interested in the small conversation between the cat and the mouse, contentedly staring into space. However, her ears perk as Gwen asks about... something. She raises her head for a moment, and looks in the general direction that the kitten had looked in, but shrugged. "D'in't see anythin'." Neither had Alma, apparently, so she figured they were both correct.

But then Gwen starts toward the door, giving McKaela a pause and a stare, then a nod, before running out. "Er, bye?" McKaela sighs, glancing to Alma. "N'worries, she'll be safe in th'fortress."

Now she was stuck all alone with the killer prey in pink! But he didn't seem to be on the attack, so McKaela sat calmly behind the bar. At his mention of the stuff she was drinking, she shrugs. "It's ah pretty new batch, actually. Been agin' fer ah good three er four years o'course." She wasn't sure what to say about him cooking. She considered that the mouse might try to poison her, but her primary concern was the fact that she wasn't really hungry. Still, she shrugs. "If ya wanna make somethin', be mah guest. I might try it... if ya eat it first." She eyes him accusingly, but with a smirk. Maybe she was playing. She motions to the kitchen door behind her. "Cookie's definitely got everythin' ye'll need in there, ingredients, pots an' pans, an' wha'ever else."

***

The strange yarn ball seemed to have a mind of its own for sure, and it led Gwen between buildings, through forest paths, across streams of water, and into a dark, foggy graveyard. The kind you see in horror films.

With the ball of yarn nowhere to be found, Gwen was forced to realize just where she was. And also forced to realize that she had no idea how to get back. She'd flopped down to hug her knees directly in front of a large statue of the gods Megami and Joutei. The goddess was on the right, looking beautiful, with her right paw out in front of her and cupped as though to offer something to someone. The god was on the left, fiercly glaring, with his left paw at the same height as Megami's right, but palm down, fingers spread and claws extended and cast downard. The statue was very well made, and large enough that a full grown man could lie in Megami's paw. But it was cold and grey, lifeless, like the rest of the graveyard's inhabitants.

Gwen chose to get up after a while, when snowflakes began to fall, and wander over to a nearby headstone. She read the word, "Unidentifyable." Apparently, this poor person had been torn or blown to bits and nobody knew who he or she actually was. Sadly, there were several of them in the surrounding area.

As Gwen finally turned to leave, she would catch sight of the ball of yarn again. This time, it was very close to her, rolling around her feet in a circle a few times before bouncing toward the statue. From the fog, a dark figure appears, and catches the ball of yarn as it flies upward. The grey fox with evil golden eyes stares down at Gwen, neither smiling or frowning. "Were you looking for this?" he said in a somewhat proper tone, with a deep, seductive voice. "A graveyard is a dangerous place to go chasing things..."

 

[demoneyeszero]

Fai returned the smile as he thought over Synn's words. He had never demanded anyones respect, just did whatever he had to survive. Then again, he could at least try... if not for himself then Synn. The wolf had stood up for him, and despite where he was told to hold his allegience it would first go to Synn and Stormie. "I shall remember that..."

The fox's glazed eyes stared off into space and then the ground. No more takeing things from civilians or the Legion. The thought brought a slightly bigger grin to his face. When Synn spoke again Sai snapped from his previouse thoughts. The wolf confirmed that he would have a roomate and Queenie confirmed who, thought it ment little to the fox.

Fai tilted his head quizically at Alma's position. Special Ops sounded rather important. Why would Eniba, who seemed to hate him, stick him with someone important like a special ops guy? Synn, however, soon confirmed why, as Alma had not been around lately.

"Well ok...never really had a room" Fai grinned broadly as he unlocked and flung open the door. The room though plain left Fai looking astounished. Once again acting like a child, the fox rushed forward and jumped onto the bed, feeling himself sink into the comfortable mattress. He let out a long sigh before sitting up and grinning toward Synn. "This is quite an impressive room." Fai's eyes scanned the entire room takeing in everything, even the lightly charred ear on the cat plush.  

[Katakeome]

Although she missed every shot of the eight round magazine, the determination on her face was as clear as day, poor Nico was trying as hard as she could, and the fact that it didn't pay off was frustrating her. Kata noticed how she held the gun as if trying to aim with her right eye. He figured common sense would tell her to use the one eye that actually worked to look down the barrel, but he couldn't blame her. She did exactly what he told her to, down to the braced leg and outstretched arm.

Kata scratches the back of his head as Nico's fit begins. He sits down on the barricade only seconds after Nico slams into it with all the fury of an angry rodent, pulling one leg up with him to rest an arm over.
When the coast is clear and the mouse is once again looking to Kata for instruction, he speaks calmly, ignoring the fact that there was blood on the poor girl's hand after the impact with the solid concrete. "Well I imagine it ain't easy aiming with your right eye. Try reversing the position, hold the gun left handed, aim with the other eye."
The serious advice was trailed by another one of Kata's sarcastic sneers. "Y'know, Nico. If the whole gun thing doesn't work out, you'd make a great celebrity. Then people love it when you get pissed."

The temptation to be a smartass was likely going to earn another punch or slap from Nico, but before she could, Zander cuts in with a bit of his own advice.

Kata cocks his head inquisitively at Zander's words. "Breath, huh? No-no, you're supposed to breathe out before shooting. The air is just filling space, keeping yourself compact helps keep you steady, or so I was told. It helps me anyway."
The snow was picking up a bit, given another ten minutes or so the whole field would be white again, only to melt into more muddy slush.
"Well?" The fox asks her, half smiling. "Give it another shot."



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



UNIDENTIFYABLE
One word, but just as chilling, if not moreso than the rest of the graveyard. Looking around, she noticed that several more graves read the same thing.
Gwen takes a step backwards, looking up in awe of the great statue that overlooked the area. She started to wonder who the two depicted were, but realized how dark it was starting to get.
Turning around, Gwen froze as another thought occured to her: she had no idea how to get back.
She almost forgot about the ball of light she trailed to get where she was, so caught up in chasing it that she didn't pay attention to where she was until she was among crumbling tombstones. Her hand clenches into a fist as she struggles to remember where she went, but the only thing popping up was that ball, so shiny, so glowy, so-
Gwen jumps back, barely covering a shriek as the ball was once again at her feet. It stood there for a moment, as if finally taking the time to examine her. "Uhm... Y-You're..."

As the kitten reaches out slowly towards the orb, it jumps back, then twirls around. "Hey, wait! I didn't-"
Did she startle it? Gwen tilts her head as her gaze follows the orb. It makes a course around her legs before bumbling off. A figure emerges from the fog, silently, and carrying an air of evil, like a demon fresh from the lips of hell. It glared down at her with uncanny golden eyes.
The orb jumps up into his waiting hand like a faithfull lapdog returning to its' owner.

"Were you looking for this? A graveyard is a dangerous place to go chasing things..."
Gwen swallows, then lowers her head sheepishly. "I'm... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to, well..." She bites her lip as she thinks of an excuse. "Intrude..."
The figure kept staring at her, and she wondered what else to say. She wondered if following a ball of light into an empty graveyard counted as 'intruding'.
"What... what is that thing anyway?" She asks, the only question on her mind besides 'Who are you and what do you want with me?'  

[Samiur]

A thought poped into Alma's head. "On second thought i may head home. Nico is going to need a place to sleep." He nods "I'll make it up to you sometime. Make you breakfast or something." He stands and pulls his sweater over his head while pushing the door open. "Oy' but don't go drinkin too much lass" the words are drenched in a stereotypical Irish accent. "Or ye may wake with a wee headache, and then who'll be keep'n ye lucky charms safe?" With that he hops out the door and slams it.

Hurrying rather quickly around the next corner he looked to the sky. He had at least an hour and a half of daylight left, possibly more. The cold air nipped at him again. The flakes that were falling were a testament to it.

After a few minutes he arrived on his own doorstep and entered into the still strange house. After a moment of thought he figured that his sister could probably use the bedroom more than he. Alma didn't mind so much sleeping on the sofa.

He tried to tidy his room as best he could. Putting a few boxes in the closet to get them out of sight. and making the bed a bit more presentable. But despite all his efforts he knew something was missing. Emiru was gone, but he couldn't remember where he had it last. Nico loved that doll and she had had it forever.

Pausing a moment from his mad search for the doll. He remembered it was the only thing he took out of the boxes the night he slept in the bunker. It was 6:36 according to his cellphone. Alma figured he could probably make it there and back by nightfall. So the mouse ventured into the cold evening once again.

Alma smirks when reaching the alleyway. This damnable alleyway had caused him quite a bit of misfortune. Passing through the slick alley he notices the box he had left the night before was now gone. He never really expected to get it back anyways.

pushing his way through the brush he managed to find the small path. The mouse stepped lightly but confidently, as if he had traveled this path hundreds of times. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw the sturdy wall and gate. The small forest was rather eerie at this time of day.

He makes his way to the building unopposed, though he was sure he had at least 4 people watching him. After stepping into the and pressing the button he desired he propped himself against the handrail. Alma hated elevators, crammed into a metal box that is supported by nothing but a wire.

The doors opened onto his floor and Alma stepped out, But not before pressing every other button on the thing and snickering. He ignored the girl at the desk just as she ignored him and found his room rather easily. Producing his keyring he glared at it with a slight head tilt.

The only key that he owned was the one to his home. Musta' left the room key with the receptionist on his way out last time. It seemed that the door wasn't locked though. He pushed the door open lightly. Scanning the room for his lost dolly.

✁---------------------------------

Nico looks to Kata as he gave his advice again. "Left hand huh?" She gives a slight nod. He cracks his little joke just as she is about to tend to the gun. Her eyes lock with his and she simply stares at him for a few moments.

A smile shines through and she begins having a giggle fit, a moderate french accent effecting her words. "He he he...And if i waz do you sink that i could drive 65 in a school zhone or strike paramedics and get away with it like The Miztress?"

She glares at the fox again. Her smile faded and the accent with it. "Do you have no sense of self preservation?" A slender scarred hand had seizes Kata by the collar. Holding him as firmly as it could. "I'm Holding a gun for god sakes. Think before you speak boy!" She pulls him closer with trembling arms to deliver the last bit, then casts him off with a not so gentle shove.

Her eyes cast to the floor as if she is lost in thought for a good time. Eventually she looks around with the same shyness she had earlier. "Uhmm....Left hand you said? Because i can't see out of my right eye?" She taps the eye patch rather sadly as if to confirm it.  

[McKaela Kiama]

[Since I didn't manage to finish it over the weekend, I took an opportunity to do it at work to get it done. Yay!]

Synn smiled lightly at Fai as he flopped down on the bed and looked around. The room was far from grand, but Synn had to realize that Fai had never had something that nice before. "I'm just glad you like it." Synn also took note of the doll with the charred ear. Cute, but strange for a grown man to have a plush on his bed. Still, none of his concern. He was special ops. He was expected to be at least a little bit crazy.

"I'm going to go handle a few things really fast. I'll be back in a little while, and then we can have a tour of the place before you get dragged to Eniba." He sneers, shaking his head. "Get comfy, make yourself at home, and welcome to the Rebellion." He bows his head and steps out of the room, closing the door lightly behind him. Alma must have arrived not five minutes after Synn left...

***

Zander watched silently as Nico beat up the concrete with her little temper tantrum. Seemed the concrete won in the end, with how her paws were suddenly cut up. He only listens quietly as Kata calmly explains to Nico that she should switch hands. This was true, and it was the advice he'd initially thought to give Nico, but he didn't exactly want her to beat HIM up. After all, he wasn't as hard as concrete, she might have caused him some damage.

Nico, a celebrity. Zander took a moment to consider this possability. He could only imagine her in roles such as Scarface. He frowned to keep from snickering to himself; even he couldn't get over the way she looked, but at least he didn't tease her about it the way Kata did. Heartless b*****d. Zander shakes his head.

Eyes widen to Nico's sudden change in personality, randomly giggling, and an accent that seemed to come out of nowhere. Zander eyed Kata for some confirmation of how to react. But then Nico had Kata held by the collar of his shirt, bloody paws staining the white material slightly brownish red. Strange, did Nico's personality just change twice in a row? He pondered whether or not Nico had some sort of mental disorder, and whether or not she should even be HOLDING a gun.

But just as quickly as her personality changed the first two times, she'd reverted back, and confirmed with Kata that it was because of her patched up eye that she needed to aim with the other. Zander only managed a nod to let her know that was correct, but she probably wasn't looking at him anyhow.

The tiger's ears perked to Kata's advice following his own. Breathe out? "Is that so?" Maybe he was taking some sort of mental note. Come to think of it, had Kata actually seen him shoot anything? Sure, he'd heard the gunshot, and seen him carrying the weapon, but Zander had yet to shoot it around him; he could have easily sucked at it. Who really knew? Of course, Zander DID seem more like the hands-on type, he was probably better in a fist fight, or maybe a drunken bar fight.

***

The dark figure stares down at Gwen silently as she apologizes for intruding. "This is Legion property, and as long as you have permission to be in the fortress, you aren't intruding." He quirks an eyebrow. "You DO have permission, don't you?" As if he really cared.

To Gwen's question, Setne raises his paw, the yarn ball floating just above it, twirling and glowing prettily. "It's anything you want it to be, my dear. Your deepest desire. The question is, why did it lead you here?" He pretends to be pondering. "A little boring in my mother's mansion, am I right?"

His head is then shaken, and he steps closer to Gwen, offering her the ball, which would hop into her paws if she went to take it. It didn't try to run away again. "My name is Setne," the answer to her unasked question, "I'm McKaela's son. And you're Gwen, a little orphan girl that was arrested for stealing and brought to the stadium to be made into an example." His eyes narrow, and a grin appears on his face. "But you wouldn't remember THAT part, now would you?"

Setne could see the confusion, or perhaps realization as he says this, like a buried memory starting to return to her, but just out of reach. Blurry faces, broken words. McKaela's cheshire grin was the only clear thing she could remember, as she held her up off the floor after... after something. Something important. Something horrible. More importantly, he seemed to know what it was, he seemed to know more about her just from a glance than anybody knew after knowing her for some time.

***

McKaela only managed a confused stare toward Alma as he started out the door. "Er, alright." She wasn't hungry anyway. Or was she? She couldn't remember. Large fennec satellites perked as Alma started in on an Irish accent, well done, but the stereotypical accent rather than the real one. At first, she was surprised he didn't go on about pohTAYtohs for an hour. Still, she sneers at Alma. "Me lucky charms'll be jus' fine tanks, got th' luck o'th' Oirish yanno." She adopted the same fake Irish accent as he did for her reply, but glared at him the whole while. He ended the conversation as quick as he could, though, running out the door and slamming it. McKaela just grunted, and took another swig of her drink. She didn't care to go chasing after him right now. He was lucky she was drunk or she'd have punched him for that s**t.

The High Commander busied herself the rest of the night with liquor and later some bedroom antics with Ashley when she finally showed herself, followed by passing out and being completely unreachable the rest of the evening unless someone dared to venture into the room and wake her from her slumber.

 

[demoneyeszero]

The bright grin which lit up Fai's face almost seemed to light the room itself. He quickly got a hold of himself though when Synn said he had to handle some things. He nodded in response to Synn and bowed back as he left the room.

The fox layed back on the bed, letting out a long sigh and looking around once more. The only real misplaced thing in the room was the charred plush sitting on his roomates bed. Fai tilts his head quizically at it. Did it really belong to a special ops guy? And why was it slightly burnt? He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and went to pick up the thing. Keeping his hands off others property really wasnt something he was all to good at as a theif.

Not more then ten seconds later, Alma opened the door. Fai looks at the mouse and smiles, hopefully assuming that the mouse before him was is roomate. "Hi, I'm Fai. I suppose your Alma and this is yours?" He holds up the doll, offering it toward Alma.  

[Katakeome]

Kata expected a somewhat more painful reaction than what Nico gave. He chuckles lightly at her French flavored mockery of McKaela, which fades into a dull smirk as Nico pulls him forward, holding him forcefully by the collar of his shirt.

He could feel the warmth of her breath riding on the chill of her words as she coldly delivered her threat. Before she pushes him back, the fox raises the box of nine millimeters and quirks a brow. "Maybe. But I'm holding the ammo." he taunts as Nico throws him away.

Kata chuckles again as he caught his balance and tossed the box to Nico. "'Sides, could you even hit me from there?"
He instantly wished he didn't ask, even jokingly, because knowing Nico, he might just find out.
He stares down at the soft red smears wiped across his collar, grimacing and wiping at it as if it were only dust.

Zander mutters something, and Kata glances at him for only a moment before returning to Nico.

At her next inquiry, the fox nods. "Yeah, that's right."
Looking down, Kata fiddles with the pair of tattered earmuffs hanging loosely around his neck, silently questioning whether or not he should actually put them on.


➨


"Oh, I mean, of course I do!" Gwen blurts as the figure asks if she had permission.

Her eyes lazily focus on the ball while Setne describes it. "Ah... kinda, I guess" She answers nervously, taking a step back and bumping into the statue as Setne comes closer.
The ball is offered to her like a bad drug from a shady dealer, a drug she thirsted for.
Temptation was too much to resist, and Gwen eyes Setne for a moment before holding out her hands.

The ball bounced into her hands, and the feeling made her fur stand. It was hovering just under an inch above her hands, but emitted a tingly, pricking sensation not much unlike a swarm of insects crawling over her.

"McKaela's son..." She mutters absently as she stares into the orb. Despite the tingle, it was warm, it was comforting...

As Setne goes on to describe her, Gwen peels her eyes away from the ball and focuses on him. "An... example?"
The kitten purses her lips, she remembered the cell they had her in, the chains of light that bound her, but everything else blurred between memory and dream.
Setne grins most deviously at her, and in order to avoid looking at him any more, her eyes become magnetized to the light glow of the orb in her paws. With soft pulses, the orb comforts her with words unspoken, caressing her mind into gentle numbness.

Here you kneel before an army...

Sobbing, she was raised from the floor, still sticky with the blood of the one before her.
The orb shimmers softly under her touch. Her pupils begin to dilate. The voice carried a kind and friendly tone she just couldn't quite place at the moment.

Your mouth dry and your hands numb...

There was a grin, a murmur, and the feeling of a tender and gentle hand as it wipes a tear from her cheek almost apologetically.
The tingling grew stronger, almost painful. The insects digging frantically through her fur and flesh

Your heart is beating...
Are you afraid?

Her breaths became more and more shallow, her eyes wide with the frozen fear of a long lost moment. She bites her lip harder and harder until finally her canine pierces it.

Gwen almost shrieks as the pain snaps her out of her daze.
Like a breaking dam, all the memories of the moment left her and were quickly replaced with reality.
In Gwen's shock, she drops the orb. It rolls around her legs in disappointment before returning to Setne's side.

The coppery taste of blood dripped onto her tongue as she turns her back to Setne, still trying to collect herself.
"I.. I.. Sorry, I should be going back now... they... they might be worried about me." She barely manages to choke, already at over a walking pace back to the direction she assumed was the mansion.  

[Samiur]

Alma quickly swipes the doll from his hands. Looking over it to see if there was any additional damage to the doll. "Yes I'm Alma, Yes this is mine." How Alma wanted to end the conversation then and there, but this kid diden't look a day over 17. The mouse gently places the doll on the headboard of his bed before taking a seat with a sigh. "What's your name kid? What's your story?"

✁---------------------------------

Kata had effectively diffused her warning with a few words. then tossed the the box of ammo. He actually had the guts to toss an insult at her. Nico tried to brush it off, act like it was all okay. But it wasn't. They were taunting her. Makeing jokes and jestures when she wasen't looking, she knew it.

The gun and box of ammo and gun slip from her hands. The gun thumping to the dirt and the box crushed under her foot. She tore the earmuffs from her neck and hurled them across the shooting range. Ironically landing them closer to the target than any of the shots had. Her eyes lock with Kata's.

"I should have never even asked a ********' fox for help." She brings the back of her hand across Kata's face with brutal force. Leaving a blood stain on his cheek now instead of his collar. "vous bâtard" The words are nearly spat at him. Pushing her way past Zander she storms off the field.

Her fervor takes her about halfway down the block, and well out of the sight range of the two, before she collapses into a sobbing heap. She slumps into the wall of the nearest building and slides down to the ground curling up into a ball. A flurry of snow flecks plummet from the sky. finding resting places amongst the already soggy streets of Kahikite.