Village market

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Noah and Nora entered the marketplace and looked around, searching for the proper path to the castle to request sanctuary. They did get a bit distracted by all the sights around them as they went, not used to all the people and stalls and shops. Being raised in a church compound and trained to hunt non-human beings had led to them being rather sheltered.

The twins split up for a bit to look around, though they knew that they probably wouldn't be able to get anything since they didn't have any money or anything to trade. But they enjoyed getting to look around, finally allowing their minds to drift away from the thoughts of their mission for the first time since being sent out.

Nora ended up finding a merchant who was kind enough to offer her a few apples for free when she heard that the twins had nothing to their names and were here to request sanctuary. She thanked the merchant and walked through the market to find her brother, taking a bite of an apple along the way and smiling happily at the taste.

Noah wandered around and looked at a few interesting shops until he found his attention being drawn to the sound of laughter. His whole body seemed to ignite at that musical sound, and he quickly followed it to the source. He paused a few feet away from Ginger and Razor and the other bears, the wind blowing towards him and carrying a very pleasant scent of vanilla to him. He didn't know why, but he could instinctively tell that it was coming from Ginger, and that only seemed to drive his senses crazy even more. He was frozen in interest and confusion, and the logical part of his brain hoped that the bears wouldn't notice him staring or that they would simply think that it was due to the unexpected sight of bikers and not for any other reason.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Behind Ginger, the more mature Widow gave a smile that held a hint of sadness to it. They hadn't heard Ginger laugh in so long that she'd almost forgotten how magical it sounded. But it was a good thing to hear today.

Until everything was interrupted by a very deep growl. It was felt more than heard, but it still made everyone in the marketplace go silent and look for the cause.

The larger male escorting Ginger and Widow was looking very unhappy at a group of kids about early teens in age that were standing behind the women. He stood between them protectively and motioned the kids forward.

Razor was an intimidating sight most of the time anyway. But when he was upset, it took it to a different level. So it wasn't a surprise that the kids looked at their feet as they moved towards him.

"How would you feel if you overheard someone else making comments like that about your sister or your Alpha's Mate? How would you react if you heard that kind comment from your buddies about your mom or sister?" he demanded of them in a voice made a bit deeper by his slight growl.

There was a mumbled comment from one of the boys and Razor shook his head with his muscular arms crossed while making sure that Ginger was still behind him, "Nope. Didn't hear you. If I can't hear it, then no one else can hear it either," he rumbled to them, still clearly unhappy with the boys.

One of the boys finally raised his head with a shamed look on his face, "I wouldn't like it any more than you did. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it," he said where everyone could hear it.

Another woman walked over with a man following her holding a small baby. They were an interesting couple: she looked human and he was a demon by the reddish tone to his skin. The woman spoke up, "What did Richard say? she asked, apparently adding to the embarrassment of the boys to drive the lesson home to them all.

And Razor didn't disappoint, "He said my sister had a nice round a** that he'd like to grab sometime. Then he and his buddies decided to compare Ginger's to Widow's and discuss the intimate merits of both women," he announced, watching as all the boys looked at their feet while turning very red.

The woman's mouth dropped for a moment in shock then she glared at the boys, "They all know better than that. I give you my word that this will be dealt with appropriately. I think a visit to the castle for a lesson in manners is a good idea for all the kids in the village. They've all been requested to go to the castle anyway. Sebastet wants to see them all," she announced.

All the kids within earshot had a look of either excitement or worry about things they'd done like what had just happened.

Razor gave a nod, "I'll help with the escort. I'm sure Ginger and Widow would love to finally meet Sebastet after she invited us all here," he added, making the boys in front of him look back at their feet.

From behind him, Ginger stepped out but kept her hand on Razor's belt, "I'd like to see her garden. Her letters spoke about the garden and I've been wanting to see it," she said in her sweet soft voice that held a hint of a southern twang that was almost sultry to hear.

She paused and tilted her head away from her brother with a small frown, "Does anyone else smell blackberries?" she asked, her voice almost sounding hopeful.

The question made Razor laugh, "We'll find you some blackberries, sweetheart. I know they're your favorite," he teased her a bit and made her blush a little. The blush made her freckles stand out a bit more.

Widow put a hand on Ginger's shoulder, "I think there are some at one of the other stalls. We can look on the way to get our bags. The other boys can escort the cubs when they get here," she said, her voice carrying a true sultry growl to it.

The siblings left the kids to the other villagers and moved on, allowing the villagers to see the bears clearly as they moved off in search of blackberries for Ginger with Razor keeping a close protective eye on his sister.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Noah was a bit surprised to hear Razor's growl and saw him motioning a group of kids forward while standing protectively in front of Ginger and Widow. He hadn't heard what the kids said, but it was clear that Razor was quite pissed off about it. He wondered just what they could have said to make the large biker so angry.

He got his answer a moment later when Razor demanded to know how the kids would feel about someone making comments about their sister or Alpha's Mate. He felt strangely relieved when he heard Razor refer to Ginger and Widow that way, some instinct telling him that Ginger was the sister Razor was referring to. For some reason, part of him was relieved and excited to find out that Ginger was Razor's sister and not his Mate.

He shook his head a bit to try to dismiss those thoughts as he watched Razor chewing out the boys and talking to their parents. He frowned a bit when he heard what the boys had said about Ginger and Widow. He wondered why he suddenly felt so irritated about a group of boys making crude comments about a woman that he didn't know. He had never felt these sorts of weird feelings before, and he couldn't understand why he felt them now.

Nora heard the commotion from across the marketplace and made her way in that direction out of curiosity. She arrived a few moments after Razor offered to help with escorting the kids to the castle, just in time to hear Ginger ask if anyone else smelled blackberries. She shivered a bit at Razor's laugh, finding herself reacting in an unexpected way to the sound. Something about it was like a jolt to her senses.

She heard the comment about finding blackberries for the woman and decided to be helpful, finding it to be a good excuse to talk to the group. She approached them as they moved on in search of blackberries. "There's a stall across the way that's selling various fruits and berries," she said, gesturing in the direction that she had come from. "I saw blackberries for sale there, so that's where you'll want to go. And I'm no expert, but they definitely looked delicious."

She was calm and polite, but she felt slightly on edge as she looked over the group. She found her eye drawn to the patch on Ginger's vest that identified her as "Razor's Girl." The way that Razor was so visibly protective of her made it clear that he had been the one to give her the patch, and that thought frustrated her for some reason.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Razor heard the woman speak and shifted just enough to put himself between her and his sister. As he looked at the woman, he just felt that something was a bit off with her, he just couldn't peg it exactly. Still, he gave her a nod and looked in the direction of the stall she was talking about, "Thanks. Ginger doesn't ask for much these days and I like spoil her when I can," he said simply, his deep voice sounding like a mix of concerned, protective, and tender when speaking about the smaller redhead.

Ginger just rolled her green eyes at him, but still gave a small smile, "Razor... Stop it. Let's get some blackberries then our bags and see about going to the castle too. Please? I really want to see that garden," she begged him softly, her voice sweet and teasing at the same time.

He reached over and ruffled at her hair a bit then looked at the older woman, "Widow? Would you mind seeing about a couple of horses for us to ride? I've heard that the path to the castle is safe enough, but I'd still like the added protection and your best at picking out the right horses," he requested with a note of respect in his voice that was unmistakable.

Widow nodded and put a kiss to Ginger's forehead then simply moved off towards the forest edge.

Razor turned back to the woman, "Would you be willing to show us that stall?" he asked her, his voice showing politeness and a hint of caution. But he never let his guard down when Ginger was with him. He never apologized for that either. Especially after what happened to her.

When the woman gave a nod and simply started leading the way, Razor squared down and offered his back to Ginger, "Come in, Sis. Just like old times. I know that leg is bothering you. Hop.on," he said to her, unable to resist smiling when she simply got on his back with a soft laugh.

He got to his feet and shuffled her on his back better then started following the woman. He had to silently admit that it was a nice sight. But she was distracting him a bit and that part bothered him. Still... That was a very nice a**...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Nora noticed the way that Razor shifted to put himself between her and the other woman with him. Some part of her felt a tiny bit of jealousy at that. Part of her wished that she had someone willing to do something like that for her. She was far stronger than her brother, and he tended to fight from a distance anyway, so there really wasn't much likelihood that he would be in a position to do that.

She noted the tone of his deep voice, trying to ignore the way it made her feel and gave a simple nod. "Always nice to spoil someone special to you when you get the chance to," she said. She noticed the way that Ginger rolled her eyes at Razor's comment and actually gave a small smile when she heard her speaking. She may have been feeling a bit jealous for some reason, but she had to admit that the other woman seemed so sweet and adorable.

She looked around a bit to see if she could spot Noah while Razor was addressing Widow, wondering where her brother might have ended up. She returned her attention to Razor when he turned back to her and asked if she would be willing to show them the stall. She gave a quick nod and turned to lead the way. She waited patiently while Razor offered his back to Ginger, suppressing a slight grin when she heard him refer to Ginger as his sister.

She started to walk back towards the stall with the two following her, looking back and addressing the siblings as she did so. "Sounds like you guys are headed in the same direction as my brother and I," she said, her tone polite and conversational. "Once I figure out where he ran off to in the market, we'll be heading up that way to see about requesting Sanctuary. Maybe we'll get a chance to see you guys around a bit more. It'll be nice to possibly know someone around here. Even if we haven't really had an introduction yet."

She was doing her best to be normal and have a nice conversation, but it was clear that she was a bit awkward when it came to being in groups. She hadn't really socialized much growing up. The Church had really only cared about training the twins to kill non-humans, so providing good social opportunities hadn't really been on the list of priorities. And the fact that their silver allergy meant that they had some sort of non-human in their family tree really hadn't helped with that either. None of the others their age had really wanted to be around them because of it, so they had never gotten to socialize much.

Nora briefly allowed herself to hope that they might be able to find nice people to be around here, before reality came crashing down on her again. Her face fell as she remembered why they had been sent here. They had to kill Sebastet or die trying. It had been made very clear to her what was in store for her and her brother if they failed. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves at that thought, her hands shaking a bit for a brief moment before she was able to get herself back under control.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ginger looked at the woman from over Razor's shoulder and gave her a shy smile, "I'm Ginger. He's Razor. We're here with the rest of our den looking for Sanctuary as well. There's another ship coming in with what's left of our group, mainly the other women and the cubs. The last attack hit us hard. A friend helped us out after and suggested that we come here. Even if we can't stay on this island, Sebastet might know of another place we can go," she suggested in her sweet voice.

She gave a soft sigh and laid her head on her brother's shoulder, "I hope she can help us. I'm tired of being afraid all the time," she added in a softer tone.

Razor gave a heavy sigh and pressed his head back against hers, "I won't let anything happen to you again, Ginger. I promised you that. It's why you ride with me and you know I keep my promises," he said to her in his deep rumble, "I just want to get somewhere that you'll feel safe enough to laugh again," he added.

Then he looked up and saw the woman looking at them and just shrugged one shoulder. He wasn't ashamed of caring about his sister. So many people didn't understand the culture they lived in anymore. In the past, claiming Ginger as he had was a sign of care and protection, a place of honor. A place he wouldn't give up to anyone but the male that would treat his sweet sister right, someone that would protect her and make her smile and laugh again.

He made no apologies about it and he protected her fiercely and bloodily.

But she deserved it.

But as he looked at the woman staring at him, he felt that he wanted a woman of his own. He hadn't felt like that in a very long time. He'd given up on the dream after the first attack.

He briefly caught a whiff of honey on the breeze and wondered if there was honeycomb on offer nearby. He wouldn't ask for it, but he might get some if they passed it.

He looked around again and adjusted Ginger on his back, "Let's find those blackberries. Okay?" he had to change the subject or he'd start remembering her getting hurt again...

Then something else occurred to him and he let out a short grumble, "By the way... If you meet a guy named Dix, just kick him where it counts. Don't ask why, just do it. Trust me, he'll deserve it," he offered.

But what was probably the strange part of that for Nora was that his comment made Ginger giggle and her green eyes glitter in humor from over his shoulder before she spoke again, "Dix is a bit of a flirt. There's honestly only two females he won't flirt with: me and Widow," she said simply, her voice dancing with humor.

The sound of her giggle made Razor smile and it took him from fierce to a gruff handsome that a few other females in the marketplace noticed. But Razor didn't 'see' any of them. His focus was on his sister and their guide to the stall.

Once there, he let Ginger down so that she could pick out her blackberries, rolling his eyes when she added some honeycomb because she knew he liked it. Instead, he simply doubled the purchase and bartered for it like a pro.

He passed Ginger the blackberries and gave one of the honeycombs to Nora before offering his back to his sister again.

She shook her head and started walking towards the inn. Razor followed, keeping an eye on her subtle limp as he fell in next to Nora, "Try it. The honey is fresh and not too sweet. The honeycomb is chewy but not everyone likes it," he suggested to Nora simply, showing that he wasn't really good with people either. Honestly, he really only spoke to Ginger most days.

As they walked, Ginger ate her blackberries and watched the people around them, marveling at so many races mixing together in peace and happiness. It was apparently not uncommon to see the kids playing in various animal forms and mixed couples holding hands as they walked around. For Ginger, it was beautiful to see.

She frowned as she caught a stronger scent of blackberries and turned around to find the source, pausing when a male approached them. At first, she simply reacted and backed up to Razor before she knew she was doing it. Then she paused again and finally noted his features, recognizing that he had to be the woman's brother that she'd mentioned.

After a moment of staring at him, she blushes and offered her small basket to him, "Blackberry?" she offered softly, shocking her brother since she never shared that treat with anyone. Ever.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Nora returned Ginger's smile as she introduced herself and Razor, though her smile vanished when the woman mentioned that they were also there looking for Sanctuary after a recent attack had hit them hard. "That sounds awful," she stated softly, unable to figure out much else to say. "Was it Hunters?" Ginger hadn't specified what kind of attack, but it wasn't exactly a stretch to think that it had probably been Hunters. They had really been focused on wiping out whatever supernatural communities they could lately. That thought made her feel extremely guilty. She and her brother had never believed in the Church's mission, and they had gotten in trouble plenty of times because they couldn't bring themselves to kill harmless and defenseless people just because they weren't human. But they were still Hunters, so Nora still felt guilty about the impact the group was having on so many. Even if the twins had literally been forced into it.

She didn't even realize that she had zoned out a bit and was staring at Ginger and Razor until she saw him meet her gaze and shrug. She blinked and shook her head a few times, clearly in a bit of a daze for a few moments. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a bit lost in thought for a second there. I'm Nora."

She caught a rather pleasant scent from somewhere nearby, but she couldn't quite place it. She looked a bit confused when she heard Razor mention someone named Dix and then chuckled when he said to just kick him where it counts. "Not sure how he would handle a proper kick from me. I'm stronger than I look."

She smiled again at Ginger's giggle and then shrugged a bit. "Something tells me that saying he's a bit of a flirt is probably an understatement. I doubt your brother would be telling me to kick him like that if it was just a bit." She noticed the way Razor was smiling after hearing Ginger's giggle, but she did her best not to get distracted by that. "Not that his flirting would really get him anywhere. I think it's safe to say that I won't really be looking for anything like that for a while. I've got other things to focus on, so someone would have to really pop out at me and make a good and strong impression to change that."

She led the rest of the way to the stall and stood nearby as Ginger picked out her blackberries, laughing a bit at the way Razor rolled his eyes as she added some honeycomb that was clearly for him. She was a bit surprised when Razor passed one of the honeycombs to her.

She looked a bit awkward as they started towards the inn, noticing Ginger's subtle limp and starting to feel guilty again. She was relieved when Razor spoke again and distracted her from her thoughts by telling her to try the honeycomb he had given her. She decided she might as well try to enjoy herself as much as she could while possible and took a bite of the honeycomb. Her lips twisted into a pleased smile as she chewed it, showing a bit of genuine delight. "I think I have a new favorite," she said, offering Razor a surprisingly beautiful and happy smile. "I've never been one for super sweet things, so the honey is perfect. And I love how chewy it is." She blushed a bit as she realized how excited she had gotten and looked forward again to try to hide that. "Thank you for this. I don't have anything to barter with, so I wouldn't have been able to get it for myself."

Noah had gone back to wandering around a bit after the group had moved one and had eventually decided to see if he could find his sister over towards the inn. He was a bit surprised to see her with the siblings he had seen earlier, but he decided to just go on over since it seemed that they were getting along pretty well.

He caught the scent of vanilla again as he got closer, noticing a slight hint of something else to it as well. He hesitated when he noticed Ginger backing towards Razor upon seeing him, though he felt a bit of relief when she seemed to relax a bit after a moment. He did feel his heart speeding up a bit as she stared at him, and he couldn't hide his own blush as she blushed and offered him a blackberry. "Sure," he murmured, reaching out to take one of the berries that she had offered, somehow managing not to jump out of his skin as his hand briefly brushed against hers and sent a rather strong jolt through him at the contact.

He popped the berry into his mouth and gave a pleasant smile at the taste. "Thank you." He looked over to Razor and Nora for a moment and did his best to try to get his face to go back to its normal color so that he could try to avoid any issues with a very protective Razor. "I'm Noah. I see that you two have already met my sister."  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ginger felt a shiver move through her as Noah's fingers brushed hers, but it was a good shiver and made her smile at him when he thanked her. His eyes on her made her blush again and she looked down at the blackberries she was holding, trying to distract herself with the treat.

Her brother offered his hand around her, "I'm Razor. This is my sister Ginger. We met Nora on the way to find my sister's favorite treat. Apparently we're here for the same reason you guys are. I was about to offer for you to go to the castle with our group. Widow is seeing about some horses now. We just need to get our stuff from the inn and leave a note for the others in our group," he offered as he shook Noah's hand. His grip was firm but not a test. Razor was secure enough that he didn't have to prove himself anymore.

As they started walking again, he didn't give his sister much choice about another ride on his back, "Come on, Ginger. I think you've walked on that leg enough today," he told her simply, ignoring her sigh of disappointment over it. He glanced at Nora and explained, "It was Hunters. They showed up in force for it. We beat them back but the den took a big hit. Ginger here was trying to get some of the cubs in the safehouse and got caught outside by a group of the bastards. She can usually hold her own but eight to one is bad odds for anyone. I couldn't get to her in time so she was hurt bad. She spent most of the trip here trying to heal up. If it hadn't been for Doc, she wouldn't have made it," he was understating the attack by a large margin but it wouldn't take much to figure that out.

Ginger offered her basket to Noah again to share the blackberries with him, "What he's not explaining is that he was in the main group taking on the Hunters and took his own injuries. Then he and Doc both saved me and the cubs," she had to mention her brother's bravery because she knew he wouldn't. She pressed a light kiss to his shoulder, "He's also an adorable bear," she added in a teasing tone as she openly winked at Nora.

Razor rolled his eyes over the teasing, clearly used to it but happy that she was relaxed enough to poke at him, "Get it straight, sis. You're adorable. I'm handsome at best. And your bear has that unusual honey color. So you're more curt than I am," he teased her back, making her blush again.

They had a great relationship as siblings and yet they looked nothing alike. She was obviously sweet and shy. He was a little intimidating and obviously protective.

"Anyway... They got my leg pretty bad and it's taking a bit longer to heal. Didn't help much that they came in with some new bullets. Liquid silver in a drilling shell. I think that made it worse," Ginger said softly, her spare hand rubbing at her thigh and hip absently. In truth, she'd nearly died. Only Doc's skills had kept her alive but it had been a close thing, "We still lost some of the cubs, but at least most of them made it," she added, her green eyes focusing on Noah as she finished just as they reached the inn and Razor let her down.

She looked at the twins then shrugged a shoulder, "Razor? Would you get the bags? I don't think I'm up for stairs," she requested softly.

He smiled and ruffled at her hair, "Sure thing. I'll handle it. You can sit down out here and finish your berries," he said in a tender tone as he gestured to the outdoor seating area in front of the inn. He knew she'd be safe there in public and he wouldn't be long. He looked at the twins again and hesitated but still did it anyway, "Would you two sit with her? I don't want her to be alone. I won't be long, but..." he couldn't help but be protective of his sister, especially after almost losing her.

He watched as Ginger limped over to a table, her limp a bit more obvious than it was before. So he knew that leg was bothering her more than she was saying.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Noah could tell that whatever he was feeling towards Ginger seemed to be mutual, so he did feel a bit less concerned about that. Though he was grateful for the distraction when Razor offered his hand around her. He reached out to shake the offered hand, noting that the grip was much firmer than his own. He had never been as physically strong as a lot of the men in the church, but he was exceptionally lethal from longer range when he wanted to be. He just really never wanted to be when it came to their missions.

"It's nice to meet you both," he said politely, finding it interesting that the bears were there for the same reason he was. He knew what their mission was supposed to be, but his request for Sanctuary was going to be genuine. He didn't want to harm any of the people here, so he had no intention of carrying out the ridiculous suicide mission that he and Nora had been given. He just hoped that Nora wouldn't be too upset with him for what he was planning to do.

"I appreciate the offer to join you guys for the trip. It'll be nice to have a few people we actually know around for it instead of having to make the trek on our own."

Nora frowned as Razor started to talk about the attack by the Hunters, clenching a shaking fist as she worked so hard to contain the disgust and rage she was feeling. She had never believed in the church's goal of exterminating non-humans. The twins had always believed that everyone deserved a chance to live and enjoy their lives as long as they weren't trying to harm others. The knowledge that Hunters had attacked the bears simply for existing tore her up inside.

Noah smiled at Ginger and took a few more of the offered blackberries, doing his best to shake his own anger over the description of what the Hunters had done. "Sounds like your brother is great to have around in a dangerous situation." He noticed Ginger's wink at Nora as she mentioned that Razor was an adorable bear and had to suppress a laugh.

Nora actually turned a deep red at Ginger's comment and wink, doing her best to make sure that Razor wouldn't notice. She froze for a moment when she heard Ginger mention that they had lost some of the cubs, feeling sick at the thought of Hunters murdering children. While the twins had never been okay with killing people simply for not being human, they both had a massive weakness when it came to children. They'd been beaten within inches of their lives plenty of times because they had actually been so against harming children that they would actually get in the way of other Hunters doing it every chance they got.

Noah took a shaky breath to recover from the discussion about the attack and gave a quick nod to Razor when he asked if they would sit with Ginger while he got the bags. "Of course," he said. "It's not like we really have anywhere else to be right now. And the two of you are the best conversation we've had in a while."

He and Nora gave Razor a reassuring smile and then moved over to sit at the table with Ginger. Noah gave Ginger a sweet smile as he sat down across from her. "I hope you don't mind if we keep you company while he's grabbing your bags. Since we're all making the trip together, it only makes sense for us to stay close so we can move out when you're ready."  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ginger gave a small laugh at Noah's attempt and shook her head playfully, "No need to cover for him. I know he asked you to watch me. It's what he does. Honestly, all the guys do it. It's in their nature to protect us. In the Den, we're raised with it. I find it sweet. Some females have trouble with it and have to push the boundaries, but that's never been for me," she excused the behavior and explained it at the same time. She saw no reason to fight instinct. They were bears, after all.

She looked around at the people passing them by and had to smile, "This place is amazing to me... Look at them all... It doesn't matter where they came from or what they are. There's cats playing with bears and wolves, and foxes playing tag with deer... There's demons with shifters, elves with dwarves, dragons with vampires... It's absolutely amazing..." she couldn't help but be in awe of what Sebastet had created here for all these people, "And you have humans in with it all and everyone just sees a person instead of a monster..." she whispered that bit, a small flinch around her eyes that she hid unless you were looking at her. That last comment probably spoke the most, especially when you noticed her rubbing at her leg again.

But then her expression changed to a happier one as she waved at two large men headed their way wearing similar leather vests as her and Razor. One was very obviously larger than the other. In fact, he made Razor look small. The other one locked his eyes on Nora and grinned as he openly admired her as they moved towards the table.

"Well hello beautiful. Where'd sweet little Ginger find such a stunning specimen as you wandering around? And how can I reward her for it?" he was less than subtle as he moved to offer his hand to Nora. Of course, the flirting might have been better if he'd been looking at her face instead of her chest...

The larger man rolled his eyes and focused on Ginger, "Hey, Ginger. We're gonna be staying in the village. They tagged Cassius. Got his mates in the process. They were using those new bullets too. Doc says he'll recover but he needs constant babysitting. We'll tag team it. But Doc says it was a close thing," he said in a deep voice that fit his size.

Ginger gave a sad wince but nodded, "At least he'll recover. Razor is going to take me and Widow up to the castle to see Sebastet. We're following a couple of wagons up there. Apparently the village is sending some of the kids and vulnerable people up there. We'll follow to make sure they get there safely," she explained to him then gestured to the twins.

"This is Noah and Nora. They're asking for Sanctuary as well so they're going with us. Noah, Nora, these are Tiny and Dix," she made the introductions easily then raised an eyebrow at Nora, barely holding back a grin.

She did put her fingers lightly on Noah's forearm to keep him from reacting to Dix. There really was only one way to make sure he knew that the 'no' was stick. She knew. She'd done it once.

Tiny gave Ginger a small frown, "Your leg bothering you again? Do I need to get Doc to look at it?" he asked her politely. It was obvious that he was keeping his hands to himself out of long-time habit. It also showed a respect that was rare in most places.

Ginger smiled up at him, "I think I just walked too much on it today. We'll be riding up to the castle anyway and you know Razor won't let me do much," she offered simply.

Tiny frowned at her and gave a growling grumble that made her giggle, "I still think Doc should check you out. You took a lot of that liquid silver, kid. Six shots is nothing to mess with," he grumbled at her, inadvertently revealing just how bad Ginger had been injured. It was truly a miracle that she was still alive with that much liquid silver hitting her system at once...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Noah chuckled a bit at Ginger's words. "Who says I'm covering for him?" he asked with a slight grin. "Of course he asked us to watch you. I don't deny that. But I wasn't lying when I said that it makes sense for us to stay close. You guys really are the best conversation we've had in years. And even if he asked us to sit with you, I don't see anything wrong with making sure that you don't mind the company."

He looked around as she talked about how amazing the island was because of just how many different types of beings were living and playing together. He gave a happy nod. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Everyone is just living their life and being happy with the people around them. They don't care about who might be whatever kind of different race. It's just about living and being happy together."

He looked back over to her just in time to see her slight flinch as she mentioned the humans being around and everyone just seeing people instead of monsters. He reached out and patted her hand a bit in a clear show of support. "It's something that I wish we could see more everywhere. I could never understand why so many humans got caught up with who is something besides just human. I could never see why the hell it mattered to them. We're all just people trying to live our lives, and it's some ridiculous thing they're focusing on to divide everyone and try to act all superior. Pretty sure the monsters are the ones who attack and murder so many just because they're different than them."

Both twins shifted their attention a bit when they noticed Ginger waving and looked over to the two large men heading their way. Nora immediately got a bit annoyed when the one started to hit on her while staring at her chest. Even before introductions, she had no trouble at all identifying him as the Dix that Razor had warned her about.

The twins stayed silent for a moment as the bears talked about their plans. Noah shivered a bit as he felt Ginger's fingers on his forearm and gave a slight grin. He didn't have to react to Dix. He already knew exactly what was about to happen.

Nora took the hand Dix offered and stood up, looking as if she were so thrilled by his antics. One hand moved up to caress his face, and she had to suppress a wicked giggle as she really played it up for him. Just as he started to think that she was so into him, she brought her knee straight up into his groin. She held back just enough to make sure that there wouldn't be any permanent damage, but she made sure to let him know that she truly was far stronger than she looked.

She allowed him to crumple to the ground and then knelt down and forced him to look up at her as she gave him a wicked smile. "I think that's a suitable reward," she stated simply. "Next time, do us both a favor and remember how easily I put your balls in your throat. And know that if I have to do it again, they'll go straight past your throat and come flying out of your mouth."

She moved back over to the table and sat down while Noah laughed at his sister's actions. The twins looked back over to Tiny and Ginger as the bears discussed the issue with Ginger's leg. Noah coughed a few times when Tiny mentioned the bit about her taking six shots of the liquid silver bullets. "Holy s**t. You took six of those shots and survived? From what little I've heard about those, a single shot is enough to kill pretty much anything with a silver allergy. Maybe two if someone is super durable. Hell, even me and Nora would probably go down to just one of them. But you survived six of them?"  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ginger outright laughed when Nora took Dix down, "We call it sending his brains back up," she told her without any fear or hesitation, showing that it was a common occurrence for Dix to get dropped.

Tiny ignored him and stepped over him to sit on Ginger's other side as he nodded to Noah, "She did. We still don't know how she survived it. Gift from the Goddess, maybe," he said simply as Ginger blushed over the fuss.

She shrugged over it and looked down at the basket of blackberries in front of her, "I don't know how either. I'm healing slower than normal and I ache from time to time, but I don't know how I survived it. I try not to think about it, to be honest," she said honestly in a softer tone.

Meanwhile, Dix was still trying to breathe again so he simply nodded to Nora as he cupped his abused favorite body part while trying not to move. A few of the villagers passing by gave a laugh over it and some even applauded her for the knee-action.

Razor didn't hide his footsteps as he moved up behind Nora and leaned down to her ear, "Good girl," he whispered to her then straightened up, silently pleased at her blush over his praise, and nodded to Tiny and Noah as he set the collected bags down by Ginger's chair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "What Tiny failed to add is that Ginger also managed to take down three of the eight idiots shooting at her before the silver hit her. Then they started beating her. She still managed to cover four of the cubs and saved their lives until we could get to her," he explained, not bothering to brag about his sister.

He winked at Noah and Nora, "She may be tiny, but she's not defenseless. I'm proud of my sister and her skills and she deserves it," he added then tilted his head as he remembered another part of that fight, "Of course, on that note I should probably mention that it would be a bad idea to piss off Widow... She's our Alpha's Mate. They're both grizzlies," he thought it best to mention that one...

Ginger shook her head but knew her face was going to be glowing for a while. Still, things had to be said, "The guys are staying here. Apparently they caught Cassius. Doc got to him in time but they took out his Mates. So they're going to babysit him for a bit," she brought him up to speed and wasn't surprised when he nodded to her and looked at Tiny.

"Put the idiot in bed then check out what else needs done to help Doc. I know you want him to check on Ginger but I found out inside that there's an actual Healer up at the castle that check her out. She'll be riding, so there won't be any strain on her leg. If Doc asks, we'll catch Pops on the way. When the cubs get here, the wagons should be ready. If you want to follow them up, fine. If you think it's safe to send Dix unsupervised, I'll trust you on it. But I don't think Doc should be here alone," he instructed the larger male easily and gained a simple nod as Tiny got to his feet.

"All good. I'll get him to bed and check in with Doc first," he rumbled as he easily lifted Dix over his shoulder and secured his legs to carry him inside.

Razor collected the bags in one hand and offered his back to Ginger again, "Come on, kid. Let's show our new friends what we brought to the island," he teased his sister with a wink then smiled at the twins.

Ginger was still blushing as she stood up and shook her head at her brother, "I can walk, you know. It's not that far to the horses. Besides, you have the bags," she said in a slightly sharp tone, apparently tired of being babied. As evidenced when she started limping in the direction of the paddock set aside for the horses by the Path.

Razor growled at it but knew there wasn't anything he could do to change her mind. So he simply nodded and gestured for the twins to follow her then took up the rear to trail behind them. He hated her putting herself in pain like that but knew better than to argue when she had her mind set.

She was a redhead, after all....

Then again... As they started walking, he had to admit that he had a nice view as Nora walked in front of him. He had no problem with openly admiring her sexy sway and gave a pleased rumble over the sight.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Nora snorted a bit at Ginger's words. "Pretty sure that would require him to have some brains to send back up," she stated, taking a fair amount of glee from the way Dix simply nodded to her as he laid on the ground.

Noah quietly thought about the situation with Ginger as Tiny spoke about how they didn't know how she had survived so many shots either and mentioned that it could maybe be a gift from the Goddess. He gave a simple nod when Ginger spoke and detailed that she didn't know how she had survived it and that she tried not to think about it. "That's understandable," he said softly. "I get not wanting to think too much about really painful moments like that."

He zoned out briefly as he had a few flashes of a moment in the woods. He saw a young face that he saw in his nightmares fairly often, remembering the sound of a shot that he'd taken in order to try to warn her and the ones she was with that they needed to run. He remembered the beating he'd suffered for that. Truthfully, the only reason the other Hunters hadn't beaten him to death that day was because Nora had stepped in to force them back and had taken a pretty good beating as well. He still felt pain in a few of the bones they'd broken that day, and he knew that Nora had a few scars from it as well.

Nora was completely unable to hide a very obvious shiver as Razor leaned down to whisper into her ear, her entire body going rigid as her face burned a bright red. She took a few deep breaths to try to calm down and get her face back to a normal color as he described what Ginger had been through on the day of the attack.

Noah frowned as Razor mentioned that the Hunters had started beating Ginger once the silver had hit her. He always hated how happy so many Hunters were to ruthlessly beat injured and dying victims. He was grateful when Razor shifted the conversation with the mention of Widow and warning that it would be a bad idea for them to piss her off. "Thanks for the tip."

The twins got up and followed along when Ginger insisted that she could walk and started to limp in the direction of the paddock. Noah was clearly focused on Ginger and the slight worry he felt as he watched her moving, but Nora found her focus pulled to Razor. She could feel his eyes on her, and that only made her feel strangely excited. Especially when she heard his pleased rumble.

She took a deep breath to try to force herself to focus and was a bit surprised when she caught that scent again. She took a moment to focus on it and quickly figured out that it was coming from Razor. She slowed down just a bit so that she could talk to him without any trouble. "So I've got to ask. Every now and then, the wind shifts just a bit and I get this overpowering smell coming from you." She paused for a moment to try to identify it and then continued. "Do you wear something that smells like whiskey? Or am I just imagining things? I mean, I do really like it. But I can't tell if that's real or if I'm just losing it today." She seemed genuinely confused about what she was asking. The church definitely didn't teach anything about non-humans besides what was needed to kill them, so she didn't understand that her question could be important in any way.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ginger led the way to the paddock where Widow was waiting with five horses already saddled and waiting for them. There was a wagon outside the paddock with some kids and a few older people, as well as a few parents in the back. Widow simply nodded to the horses pulling the wagon and they simply started pulling it down the Path.

Ginger gave Widow a hug then introduced the twins, "Widow, these are Nora and Noah. They're heading up to ask for Sanctuary as well. We said they could come with us," she said simply then moved over to a lovely roan mare to stroke her nose and speak to her softly.

Widow nodded to the twins, "I figured as much. I'm pleased to meet you. Everyone calls me Widow. I have Misty and Cocoa for you two to ride. They're easy enough to ride, so you should have no problems. Justp your seat and let the mares do what they do," she advised them then motioned to the saddles.

Razor secured Ginger's bag to her horse's saddle, did the same for Widow, then himself before he moved up behind Nora and simply put his hands around her waist and lifted her into her saddle, "We'll talk about that whole scent thing during the ride. But I'll tell you now that you smell like fresh honey to me," he told her simply then openly winked at her, "My favorite snack," he added with a hint of a growl to his voice before he settled her feet in the stirrups, patted her thigh, then moved to help Ginger into her saddle.

Ginger waited for Noah to get into his saddle, giving a soft giggle when he noticed that no one had reins, "The horses don't need bridles for this. They were trained for it. They'll stick to the Path unless a more experienced rider directs them elsewhere. Don't worry about it," she told him simply then let Magic follow Widow's mare through the gate before settling in next to Cocoa so that Noah could ride next to her.

As Razor and Nora fell in at the rear, he simply grinned at her and waited for them to get a little bit of distance before he explained.