T - Nako, Xenon, Kitty, and Callypso - Complete

[Nathalia]

((Benjamin scowled, wishing he hadn't bothered to open his door.
"Whiner in f'he bat wings; shut up."
He grumbled, bracing the Feline's shoulder. "S'gonna hurt a moment, I got somefin' t'heal it up after, please stay still." He murmured, gripping her shoulder tightly and then ripping the razor out, as quickly as he could.
Blood fountained out of the wound, and Mr. Todd grabbed a cloth from his bench and pressed it to the wound, reaching into a vest pocket and pulling out some gauze.
After wrapping it tightly, he stood, giving her an apologetic look.
"M'...m'sorry, miss. T'weren't meant for you. Here." He murmured, handing her something small.
"Wit' my apologies."

Worry Stones: This small pouch ended up containing nothing more than a few incredibly smooth pebbles. Damn, you probably been hoping for something special, hadn't you?
They do tingle a little, but that could just be magic in the air...and since nothing seemed to happen...oh well.
A day later, however, the SD will realize that they now have the ability to, once a week, cause other Cards to go nearly mad with worry. For a full minute, they can cause one other Card to feel as though the one thing they care about most in the world is somewhere, about to be destroyed. There is no basis for the paranoia, just a mid-numbing, all consuming assertion in their brains that that one really important thing is about to either no longer exist, or no longer be theirs.
This ruins any and all concentration and will often cause the victim to forget what they were even here for!
By the time the spell wears off, you'll have had plenty of time to carry out your own actions.
Worry-free.

Turning his head slightly, he sneered over his shoulder at the bleeding Bull, and looked back to the Ace.
"Ace." He grunted. "You say he didn't do anyfin'?" If the Ace answered in the affirmative, he would roughly begin to fix the damn creature up.
Karrock suddenly bent over in terrible pain as something shot through his body...must have been those potions that fell all over him!
Oh no!



At least it's...nice?
Mr. Todd stares at the Bird creature, mouth hanging slightly open before shaking his head in a mixture of anger and amusement.
"Oughtta charge you, 500p, I should" He muttered, moving off to wash his hands before turning back to the Ace.
"You seem t'be f'he one in charge, an' I'm hopin' to everything that has ever existed g'at f'his is a damn bad dream. What'd you want me t'do?" The last few words are not uttered in annoyance, but with deadly seriousness.))



~Nathalia

[Kitty]

She stayed as still as was possible, but did turn her head even more to the side so she could stifle another cry of pain by biting the wall. She felt the blood run warm down her shoulder and couldn't repress a full body shudder at the feeling. and then there was the pain, not as bad as she'd expected it to be, but it was there... burning and throbbing deep in her shoulder. Her heart sunk a little just then as a thought struck her.... there was a good possibility she'd have a forever limp from this, wasn't there? It really all depended on what the blade did or did not touch on it's way through and.... damn. She wanted to cry more now.

But the barber had quite good timing in offering her a gift for her 'trouble'. It caught her so off guard that it caused her to simply stare at the bag for a moment or two before gently taking it from him. She looked up at him, catching the apologetic expression and returning it with one of her own that bordered sheepish. He really wasn't all that bad now, and she felt kind of awful for the whole pine cone incident.

I .... Thank you. I'm.... sorry about ... the pine cones. I just.... thought you were.... going to...

She flipped her ears back in an awkward angle and just gave up, not entirely certain what she was trying to say anymore and simply making a bigger fool of herself in the process.

[Callypso]

((Uh, sorry for the long post guys. Emery always seems to have a lot to say... ^_^;)

Hearts be thanked.

Emery’s shoulders drooped with relief as the barber’s voice raised to snap at the strange bird-like creature and then continued in a murmur toward the injured feline. He realized he was still holding the poker in a defensive stance and let it fall. Only the last couple inches were still hot. Oh well, at least he hadn’t needed to use it at all. He set the makeshift weapons to the side of the counter.

No, sir. He may be a bit… he paused, searching for the right words… strong in his convictions, but no, he didn’t hurt anybody.

Not that he wouldn’t have liked to try, the Ace thought bitterly. He really didn’t like the aggressive, over-eager bull. Orin had caused nothing but trouble and didn’t deserve the help. Still, he couldn’t leave him injured or alone on so strange a day. Emery had a feeling this wasn’t going to be the last of the Jossigy’s foolish acts. He at least hoped the bull was a smidge grateful that the wolf was even bothering to patch him up – though he was none too gentle – but he doubted it.

His thoughts were interrupted when a painful squawk issued from Karrock and Orin’s corner – his head whipped around to find the Highlander doubled over, his body warping before their eyes. His eyebrows kneaded together as the bird stood up and he was- mutated? He blinked. That wasn’t the right word… he looked… nice? How?

Mr. Todd answered his unspoken question. Ah, the broken bottles. They must have been some of the barber’s enhancement potions. Well, at least Karrock was benefitting a bit from the odd goings-on.

Emery’s eyebrows shot up in brief surprise at the barber's next words, then resumed their normal positions within the blink of an eye. In charge? Him? It was the last thing he had ever expected to hear. Sure, they were probably in grave danger, and there were bodies everywhere, and suits knew what else, but he hadn’t expected anyone’s prejudice to ebb enough to acknowledge his worth. Especially not as a leader.

The Ace cleared his throat and ran a claw through his mane. Several thoughts ran through his mind as he considered everything he hadn’t had time to adequately process before. The little things he had noticed, the unexplored options, trying to string together what had happened. He closed his eyes briefly. One thing at a time. Right.

Well, Mr. Todd, if you would, I’d like you to come with us, whatever it is we decide to do. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to split up out here. We have a few options: There’s a telling set of tracks leading out the door over there – we could follow them and try to figure out who did this. My thought, though, is that a job like the one outside needed to be done by more than one person. Who knows how many of those lunatics are out there? We could also check out the inner city, alert the cops. Though, honestly, it seems strange that no one’s reported this...

He paused.

What we really need is information. Unless there’s anyone hiding out around here, our best bet is probably the Bazaar. Oh, and we have an unconscious friend downstairs in a cupboard. Something knocked him out. I don’t suppose you could carry him or know of a safe place to keep him?

Emery rubbed his forehead tiredly with a claw, then looked around at the others for any input they might have.

And, Mr. Todd? Thank you. I - we- really appreciate it.

[Nathalia]

((The Barber gave the little group a cursory overlook, starting with, and coming back to, the Ace.
Finally, he shrugged.
"Whatever, can't be 's bad 's I'm thinkin', s'probably all a dream, righ'?" He asked no one, a twitch going off in his left eye as the nonchalance in his voice failed to live up to the manic grin that quickly arrived on and departed his features.

He gingerly ran a hand over the Feline's cheek, the gesture more loving than it ought to have been, before the Wolf seemed to cathc himself and jerked quickly up and away, muttering. "S'arigh', y'got a good defense. I've 'ad worse'n f'his, n' I'll be fine. Fank you."
He proceeded to his table and dug through the wreckage, grabbing various items and pocketing them about his person.
"Righ', Ace. I'm sure your friend'll be fine in f'he basement. No one'll be down f'here iffin' f'he place looks like f'his. Not, less fh'ey're mad as you." He snorted, looked the Ace over, and went back to searching. "Not likely."

After arming himself, most of the items slipped oddly out of sight. He turns toward the door.
Nodding, he strides over to it and out.
Waiting no longer.))



~Nathalia

[Kitty]

Crazy was definitely the best word you could pick to describe the little group, especially since they seemed to be listening to an Ace and trusting a crazy barber to help them. But it wasn't exactly a normal day, so normal things just wouldn't do .... would they? Nope, they'd seem far too out of place at this point.

When the wolf brushed her cheek in the manner that he did, well.... she cursed herself for having white fur cause it definitely didn't hide the bit of a flush her cheeks got from the gesture. It caught her off guard, but she offered up a smile to the wolf and watched him as he went and armed himself for whatever might come next.

She shot a glance at Karrock and the bull before looking over at Emery for a moment, keeping quiet for the time being. She tested her foot on the ground, trying out a little pressure before decided that three legs wouldn't be such a bad option for a little bit.

When Mr. Todd left she cast one more glance at Emery before following the odd man out with as much grace as she could muster, head and stubby little tail held high.

[Callypso]

Emery kept his face neutral as the wolf gave himself a moment to take in their motley crew. He seemed to be sizing them up and Emery didn’t want to give the biped any reason to renege on his agreement to help.

The Ace flashed a crooked grin at the man’s next comment. How could he not? It was amazing they were all trooping along as they had. If you stopped to really think about everything that had happened, it seemed like a horrible, waking dream. More like a nightmare, really, without an end in sight. He had wondered if he was crazy, but no, he hadn’t imagined all these people, these horrors… But if it had turned out to be some unbidden drug trip, Emery was definitely going to render it into a novel. Hell, he might write one anyway. If he survived, that is.

The tender gesture toward the Selkie caught the Ace off guard and he ducked his head, out of habit, to hide the emotions his face may have betrayed. Emery didn’t know love personally, at least, not in the romantic sense, but he knew it when he saw it from others. That touch hadn’t been meant for the Selkie – it had been for Mrs. Lovett. A face the barber would never be able to touch again.

Once more, the reality of their situation pressed upon him. How many of those murdered outside had lovers? Surely they had friends, family, neighbors who cared about them? And some psychopath had deigned they all be snuffed out like they were nothing...

As if realizing his error, the wolf stood and briskly began pocketing a variety of useful tools and weapons - the motion shaking Emery out of his mournful thoughts. The man may have been a touch off, but the Villa/Highlander couldn’t help but like Mr. Todd's style.

As long as you’re confident he won’t be bothered, I suppose we can leave him here for the time being.

His left lip curled up in a wry smile – he must have been a little mad to embark on this mission - as he hopped down from the counter.

He braced the cookie sheet against the counter and used the poker, who’s end was still a tad hot, to puncture two holes on either end. After briefly poking around he found some twine and looped it through the holes in the sheet pan, then threw the makeshift shield over his back for later use. He was sure it looked ridiculous, but better ridiculous than dead.

Another brief search behind the counter wielded a large butcher’s knife. Perfect. He wrapped that in some butcher paper and secured it safely between his feathered wings and the shield. Poker still in hand, he nodded to the barber and the Selkie, who kept eyeballing him for some reason. Did she think they were crazy, too, for trusting the thoughts of a lowly Ace?

Now, let’s see…

With that, the barber strode briskly out the door. Emery balked and rolled his eyes in exasperation before gesturing for Karrock and Orin to exit before he did. Did no one understand the concept of “stealth”?

[Nathalia]

(Ooc: Stealth? What is this "stealth"? You wish the mad Barber to have stealth? You would not like it, Snake. <3)

((The Wolf barged his way outside and froze.
The door hit him in the ass and he stumbled forward, eyes on one thing.
"Emily..." He whispered, dragging his feet as he slowly moved over to the pole with the Feline's head rammed onto it, staring at it.

The eyes were closed.

He whipped around, lips curled into an outrageous snarl as his fingers closed on and whipped out a razor.
"Who's f'here!? Show yerselves, 'fore I find you!"
He growled, turning slowly on the spot.

From his hiding spot, Gaurin gave Trix an uneasy look, unsure of what to do...certainly seemed unsafe.



He'd wait for any signal from her before trying to come out.))



~Nathalia

[Nako]

Oh Suits. SUITS. He was going to die. Karrock whimpered pathetically as he crumpled to the ground, his body filled with pain and then most bizarre sensation of his life. Something was spilling over his eyes, and his hearing changed and sharpened just slightly. He felt… Fuzzy.

Literally. Fuzzy. He groaned and stood back up, something between his eyes catching his attention before disappearing as his eyes adjusted to seeing around it. What… what was that? A wing reached up and touched it. A horn?

The formerly angry barber muttered something about he should charge him. Charge him?? For what? To have icy hot paindeath shoot down his body? "What on earth…" He looked around for something reflective, and stopped when he saw something completely foreign. Who was that???

It was him. And he had fur. And a mane. And a horn and… No. That couldn't be him at all. He tilted his head to the side, seeing the image mimic him in the reflective baking sheet propped up on a counter. No way. Then again… Todd was a barber.

--
"Hey. Looks like you don't look like shit any more." Orin laughed roughly, but winced at the rough hands of the barber. The man was officially on his shit list for sure.. but now wasn't the time to start fights. And it certainly wasn't the time to start a Jossigy vs. Lowlander argument.

"A dream… we could all hope." Orin muttered bitterly, pulling himself up off the floor with a grimace. His shoulders hurt. Hurt all the way down to his hooves. But he could ignore it; it didn't take being a heart to be a badass at ignoring bodily injuries. (Ignoring the fact that if this had happened back home in different circumstances he might have ran crying to his auntie).

Oh great. They'd enlisted crazy slicey stabby man. Wait… that was actually a great idea. Assuming they ran into OTHER crazy slicey stabby men. And these men realized half of the folk around them were Lowlander lovers. Augh.

The ace was ordering them out. Bah. laughable… but somehow added a levity to the situation which Orin approved of. He watched the barber storm out and shot a grin at Emery before walking (Or perhaps more like limped) toward the door. "What's wrong? Gotta send me out as the meat shield? Fan-farking-tastic. Come on, pretty boy. Oi! You, Karrock! Come on"

--

Karrock looked up. Him? Pretty boy? The bull had to say his name to actually get him to answer, not having known the bull was talking to him. "Where are we going?"

"Solving an exter-" Woah wait, extermination was NOT the politically correct term. "Extremely grievous homicide, I guess."

He stopped though, when he saw how the barber had reacted to the head on the pike. Pain. Loss.

As much as he hated Lowlanders.... he understood that pain to some degree. He'd never seen his father's head on a pike. But then.. he'd never come home. To his son.

Orin looked away, casting his gaze off to the side so that he didn't have to see the loss on the man's face. He was screaming out his rage to seemingly nobody. How would he even know if anyone was still here? Still, Orin glanced around as well. Better safe than sorry.

(12 For Orin to see anything)

Karrock gave a soft sniffle. He hadn't realized that the man -knew- who that woman had been. What a horrible thing to see. If it had been someone he loved on that pike... But now he was screaming out into the darkness. Could.. someone be out here? His hair stood on end (What a new sensation!), glancing around worriedly

(Karrock rolled 8. Lol. Don't see sheeyight)


((Edited and added moar DX))

[Vyn]

Bloody hell. Trix had seen a lot of death in her short years. Hell, she'd caused a lot of death... but this was something else. It was her own region in pieces. She bowed her head slightly and heaved a sigh. Just wasn't right.

She dropped her own cigarette, stomped it beneath a bony claw, and met Guarin's grin with one of her own as mentioned the board's plan. "Damn good to hear." Her tail wagged before her blue gaze fell back on the corpses. So unfortunate. She may have been a bitch in the best of times but she at least had standards against chopping down innocents like this.

But this was war. It changed everything.

Gaurin closed the pie lady's wide eyes just in time for a creak to tear through the almost dead-still evening. Trix didn't need to be told to hide to follow his hasty retreat to the shadows. It could have been the very person who left this carnage behind... Or not. The Barber emerged with a ragtag group and she watched with a small frown as he made his way to the pie lady's head. How unfortunate... but it was potentially a helpful sign for them.

She honestly didn't doubt the man's grief-driven threat of finding them and, if he was a sympathizer, then he'd be more willing to help instead of attack. Hopefully.

She grimaced slightly in response to Gaurin's uneasy look but nodded. If they hid they'd only look guilty. With that she stepped out into the clear and inclined her head to the barber and put a little diamond charm behind her words, just in case. "Mr. Todd, 's it? We don't mean any harm, just got out of the way in case..." She inclined her head to the mess around her, face falling into a frown before meeting his eyes. "I'm sure you can understand our wariness?"

Basic Magical Ability: She can act charismatic and persuasive at times, whether or not she actually has the natural charm and grace to pull it off.

[Kitty]

She limped out of the shop behind the barber, only to pause for a moment when the sight she'd put to the back of her mind was staring at her face again, literally in the case of a corpse or two. Her stomach turned again as she rocked on her paws. When the barber whispered a name it pulled her attention up and over to him instead of the carnage, watching as he went straight for the head on the pike. The emotion there.... that was what they had all been trying to get Orin to grasp, that.... despite being rotten, gross and falling apart..... they were people who had thoughts, feelings and loved ones just like the rest of them.

She glanced over at the bull, her eyes narrowed at him just in case he decided to say something stupid, but her gaze softened when she saw something different in his eyes as he watched the scene. Maybe there was a glimmer of intelligence in there after all?

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the wolf snarled and started to threaten the seemingly empty alley. She didn't put too much thought about it, but she limped her way as quickly as she could out to where Todd was and stood by his side, only in the opposite direction so he could stop spinning.... she'd watch his back so he could... focus a bit. Possibly not the best plan as he could be out of it enough not to realize who she was and attack, but she hadn't though that far ahead.

She looked around, trying to see something [10], but only managed to see the canine once she spoke. She kept her stubby tail high, but she relaxed her muscles a bit..... a Lowlander. That couldn't be a bad thing... could it?