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Post by Nathalia on Jan 12, 2011 21:58:57 GMT -5
"Name's Gaurin." He grunted, nodding his head at the little group.
"Promise to th' lady t' explain anythin' she wants once we're inside an' outta the street." He agreed, dipping his head in a little bow while keeping his eyes on the road and his weapon at the ready.
Gaurin turned with a snarl at the Josiggy mix's protest.
His hackles rising as Mirek spoke he swung the pole around pointed it at the Canine's face.
"You even think of leavin', an' I'll take your head off right here, right now. Hear me?" He shoved them backward with a sweep, encouraging them into some form of shoppe.
"Think I'm gonna let you run off t' your Josiggy pals so they can finish the job? Do you!? Stupid piece of shit. You try to run, I kill yeh, you're a prisoner of war. Now get in a shoppe!"
He finished with a hiss and turned back to the street, nerves jarred tight as he shifted his grip on the pike.
~Nathalia
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Post by Vyn on Jan 13, 2011 14:01:21 GMT -5
Trix felt her hackles rise at Mireks' words. He and Raphael may have been good with people, but she was ultimately reminded why she loathed hanging out with these idiots.
Was he really stalling on going inside. Really?
Before she could say something snappy, Gaurin rounded on Pinky with the most delightful barrage of corrosive language Trix had heard in a long time. Now that was how it was done. No pussy footing around. Her tail gave a small half wag of amusement before she dragged herself back to the situation at hand.
"But really, get your tails inside. The whole lot of ya."
Once everyone was inside, Trix planted herself firmly between the door and the rest of the group, Gaurin included. She liked having the vantage of the shop window to keep look out and the strong position to ensure Pinky wouldn't be getting out without going through herself or Gaurin first.
"So." She turned to the bird-mix with an arched brow. "From the top, Guys - this is Gaurin. Gaurin, I'm Trix. My companions are Raphael and Mirek," she motioned to each in turn, "and we're on our way to meet up with the rest of our group -- also Lowlanders -- but we seem to have gotten turned around in the Outer Bazaar. Pinky there, just walked out of the boarded up building nearby and as suspicious as he looks, he seems pretty dumb and innocent." She glared at him momentarily before returning her attention to Gaurin. "What do you got for us? Why's this place a ghost town and were you suggesting earlier that that god awful smell is really from the Lowlanders murdered around here?" That just... was more awful than Trix really wanted to take in. How many people had to die to create a stench like that?! Not enough to knock you off your feet, but enough to be subtly permeable throughout an entire block?
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Post by Yuiven on Jan 25, 2011 16:45:24 GMT -5
Ignoring his colleagues, the charming medic continued to observe the Josiggy/Yarrow mix for any changes in his behaviour, for better or for worse, in relation to the evolving dynamics of the current situation. Seconds tick-tocked away as lifetime-honed gentleness prodded through the shock barrier. There came a small glimmer in the canine's azure eyes as some of the tension drained from his posture, with a marginal, almost perceptible relaxation, a hesitant acceptance. This told Raphael, during his evaluation, that the young man was beginning to understand these three Lowlanders weren't going to pounce on him all at once with raging, slathering fury. Claws ripping into flesh, fangs sinking into muscles and crunching bones and devouring organs, while they sought his soul. Under these peculiar, nerve-wracking circumstances that would have to be good enough for now.
He slowly released the breath he'd been holding. Raphael was glad he had chosen compassion over malice. Cocking his head to the side, he flashed another carefully non-challenging smile and wagged his tail in leisurely sweeping arcs. See, we're not so bad.
Barely a moment's silence passed before a loud thump sounded behind the gathered canines. It seemed as though a pike had struck in what little trust that had been built between medic and patient in such a short span of time. That essential bond of trust crumbled into grains of sand as a direct consequence of the impact, before being blown away and disappearing into the mist.
The moment Raphael heard the thump he yelped, jumping nearly three feet into the air, and scrambled back, trying to get to the dubious safety of the other Hellhounds, while at the same time tangling up his limbs and landing on his rear end. Almost before he knew what he was doing, the greyhound immediately gathered his legs underneath him, then launched himself up to onto all four feet. From where he stood, Raphael peered around Bellatrix and Mirek, looking beyond them with eyes widened and lips parted open slightly to see another of his kind come up and stop behind them. A tall avian hybrid with scruffy feathers and patchy fur, wrapped in bandages tie-dyed in a myriad of colours: dried blood from wounds that would never fully heal, pus from the infection that had set in, deepening into gangrene, and the original shade of the bandages themselves.
Raphael neither moved nor spoke, only staring wordlessly, while the other Lowlander brandished his weapon like an enraged warrior, snarling as he revealed that a rogue group of Josiggies were running amuck causing murder and mayhem. Horrified, Raphael gasped at the revelation. So that was the source of this putrid stench; it wasn't an outbreak of a deadly pathogen, as he'd first thought, but murderous Jossigies targeting any man, woman and child!
Oh no! This meant they were all in grave danger! They had to get out of here, find someplace safe to hide and figure out what to do next, before they became the infidels' next victims!
Raphael stood by watching as Bellatrix made her way to the nearest shop, and prised the door handle, nimbly with her bone claws. By some miracle, it swung open with a quiet, hasty creak, as if beckoning the pack to come inside.
Oh for crying out loud! With a low groan, he dropped his head into a paw. Not even the long-suffering medic could suppress the exasperation he felt, which was not unlike a bad hit, at Squeaky's stalling.
His hackles rose when he heard Mirek entrap the aqua-and-fuchsia canine with the sinister truth, and his ears burned almost physically from flowing stream of corrosive language that had burst forth out of the avian hybrid. Raphael could tell both men were intent on getting the theatrics done and over with in the fastest way possible. He wouldn't have said it that way, Squeaky was a sensitive creature, easily bruised and had been especially so since walking out of an abandoned, board-up building. Not that he was going to call them out on it though; at least they let him try doing it his way first. Either way, Squeaky was coming with them.
For a moment, the greyhound hesitated before complying. Well, he was a medic after all; he had to be the one to prove to everybody that the building was safe to occupy. He shifted, a little uncertain, and then his whole body itself in determination. He stepped a pace forward, stopped, with one front foot still raised. What did Mirek just call me? Raphael suddenly jolted to. Doc?! He turned, very slowly, and looked at Mirek; a flash of... something lit his eyes from within, like a fire on which a dry log had just been tossed. He looked like he was going to speak, only to fall silent again when he deemed words too inappropriate for the situation. There was no point in arguing right now, enough time had been wasted already; and besides, the dark glare on Bellatrix's face was very telling-- the husky was going grab him by his testicles and twist him into submission if he didn't get a move on. Turning away from his fellow Hellhound, he shuffled through the entrance.
Once the rest of the small procession filed into the shop, and the door closed behind them, Raphael stopped, turned around, and honed his gaze on the stranger. Upon Belltrix's announcement of his name as she was making the next round of introductions, he bowed his head, giving Gaurin a polite smile. He said nothing, waiting patiently for the answers given to the questions on the Lowlands canine's minds; ones they'd been hoping and dreading to hear.
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Post by Bee on Jan 27, 2011 0:51:21 GMT -5
Vishne was shooed into the shop with very little difficulty after the outrageous and terrifying display of venom and potential violence. Some of the mad Lowlander's words began really sinking into his head as he went inside, which only made the fear worse. He was part Josiggy, two plus two, and this lunatic was convinced--and may have been right in believing, who knew?--that a bunch of Josiggys were on the loose murdering groups of their kind. He felt a little ill, both at the fact that people were dying and the fact that he could imagine one particular Lowland face he would happily see smashed to gelatin.
And, of course, at the fact that any moment, this Gaurin fellow could lose complete control over himself and Vishne was a terribly convenient part-Josiggy target. Prisoner of war was serious fucking talk. Serious crazy talk. He could quite likely get a spear to the guts and the rest of them would probably cheer. Except maybe the gentler Lowlander, the one he had almost believed for a moment--he might be the best one to hide behind. Had the smug one called him the leader? That seemed wrong somehow--the woman seemed more in charge, and, well, she was a woman, so the qualifications probably went without saying, Lowlander or no. He inched toward Raphael a little regardless, feeling that tiny bit better the farther he was from Gaurin. He did NOT like the fact that the woman was standing in front of the door.
He had not offered his own name when that terrible Trix woman had given all of theirs. He didn't want them having one more way to potentially track him, should he manage to get loose.
Mirek, for his own part, pulled a terribly sour face at the spew of bile and walked as nonchalantly as he could into the building, stewing over apprehension and resentment. He might have told that Gaurin fellow to go piss up a rope if he weren't so very frightened of him. And he had missed the chance to make a good impression. Cursed hindsight. Now they probably thought him little better than that squeaking baby toy. He would have to correct this somehow.
He made a very Brave Face when Trix got the ball rolling on what the hell was going on around here, and waited for Gaurin to elucidate.
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Post by Nathalia on Jan 28, 2011 19:37:13 GMT -5
((Gaurin followed the others in, holding the pike out as though waiting for someone to leap off the roof and tear into him,
Once all were in, he slammed the door shut and faced the group.
"Righ' what're y'all doin' out 'ere, anyway?"
He asked, scratching at the loose flap of rotted flesh hanging from his exposed skull.
"Though all of our kind was supposed t'be evacuated by now. S'what Cale says, but, I guess 'snot too hard t'miss a few. This place is bigger n'I thought."
He tilts his head to Trix's introductions and nods to the others.
"Iff'n you say so." He remarks, letting his pole-arm relax toward the Josiggy mix for now. "I wouldn't trust 'im though, m'lady. S'true, there's been a massacre, loads of 'em. S'a war, complete and total, they're all over us, dunno how many are dead, at least 30 we've found so far here, another 50 or so in the Range...countless in th' Lowlands."
His expression finally relaxed a bit and he looked exhausted and strained.
"'M sorry, sirs, didn't mean tae give yeh a bad 'pression, streets ain't safe, there's Josiggies 'n worse out there...I dunno why th' place is a ghost-town, it was like that when we turned up.
Rescue party, from our own Realm, see? We're guessin' it's th' Josiggies"
He holds his hands out, letting the pikestaff rest against a wall.
"I'm happy tae get you all out of here, iffin' y'like.Cale's got the portal open down a few blocks an' we kin get you all to the blockades back in our own Realm. S'safer there 'n here, less access to weird magic an' Corvies."
He shivers a little and throws the Josiggy mix an ugly look.
"Yer pals out doin' this, boy? They the ones killin' everyone?"
His hackles rose again and he looks torn.
"You know 'ow many I seen so far? Missin their heads, kids in pieces, pinned to th' wall like some sorta leftover Corvie-owned Ace? What'a you lot got against us anyhow, eh? Never been able t' get a good answer outta any of yeh...no matter how many I ask."))
~Nathalia
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Post by Vyn on Feb 3, 2011 0:32:00 GMT -5
Trix couldn't help but feel the cold tingle of dread beginning to run down her spine. It wasn't a sensation she usually fell prey to, but Zeus was out there and if there was a war going on... Suits. But... really, he was a big boy and a Queen. He'd be fine. Unless he did something dumb trying to keep Trot out of danger, that was always a blasted possibility.
Her ears flattened back.
"We were supposed to be meeting up with our Boss but we took a wrong turn and wound up out here." Between the look of utter exhaustion the man wore and his tales of horror even a seasoned hit woman like Trix had to feel a little sympathy for the man, and their region for that matter. To kill kids without digression was wrong even by her standards.
When he was done ranting at Pinky, Trix gently steered the conversation back to the Lowlands. "You say you're evacuating back to the Lowlands? Would you know of The Hellhounds then? Or at least a Doberman Queen of Hearts, Zeus, got a bit of rot that gives 'im a permanent scowl?" She'd take up the mangy man's offer if Zeus was out, but if there was any chance that he was still about, even a slight one, and blindly walking into a war zone... Well Trix just wouldn't have that.
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Post by Nathalia on Feb 8, 2011 20:56:34 GMT -5
((Gaurin sat down heavily in an abandoned chair, leaning the pikestaff against his leg and not letting it go, eyes still flicking to the Josiggy mix every few seconds, to make sure he didn't try anything.
"Zeus? I heard of 'im, yeah...never actually seen 'im, though? You're wit' 'im? S'impressive, I had no idea." He muttered, reaching into his pocket and producing a small pouch of cigarettes, and some matches. Lighting one, he inhaled deeply, and let the smoke billow out of his nares.
"Ain't seen 'im an' Cale never said nothin' about 'im, so I don't know." He shrugged.
"Iffin' y'want t'look fer 'im, I won't stop you lot, but be careful...s'all kinds of dangerous out there."
He watched the woman, a look of genuine respect on his face now that he'd learned she was a part of such a dynamic and imposing figure as the legendary Zeus.
If she wanted to search out her leader, he'd leave them to it, he had other things to do.))
~Nathalia
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Post by Vyn on Feb 10, 2011 11:53:55 GMT -5
Trix's grin turned a little smug upon seeing how impressed Gaurin was by their leader. Of course he would be, Zeus was a model Lowlander and a brilliant leader. "That's our boss." Her tail gave a smooth wag before her attention drifted to the cigarettes Gaurin had produced. "Mind tossing me one?" Whether or not he was willing to wouldn't bother her any and, with or without it, she'd lean back against the door in thought.
The question right now was what Zeus was up to and, considering a wide spread war was in motion, whether or not he was helping out or whether he too had been forced through a detour but, ultimately, he'd end up back home. That's how Zeus was, she never had to worry about him.
Trix's steely blue eyes found Gaurin again and this time her grin was a little stronger. "My figuring is that Boss will help out our own given the chance... So, before I go searching for him like a lost puppy, I'll do the same: if you need a hand in this, my teeth and claws are yours." Her gaze shot to the other two Hellhounds accompanying her. "What about you two?"
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Post by Nathalia on Feb 14, 2011 21:54:45 GMT -5
((Gaurin seemed to gauge the group, eying "pinky" with a death-glare before retuning to Trix.
Damn, attractive bitch...he thought, appreciatively.
Well, if the others wanted to look for their boss?
He'd let them.
"Righ' you two stay 'ere wit' the traitor. Keep an eye peeled for yer boss an' go wit' 'im iffiin' y'like. Ms. Trix." He gave her a small bow. "If you would like t'help th' war efforts, I can take y'to Cale. If your leader's anywhere, 'e might be there."
He gave the other two Lowlanders a look.
"Follow if y'like, boys, I'd be glad tae 'ave yeh."
He handed her a cigarette and grinned, lighting it when she leaned in.
"Teeth and claws like yers are a blessin' any day, madam. Iffin' yeh please, then. Follow me."
He stretches, grabs his pikestaff and, after giving the streets a long, hard stare, slips out and into the shadows.
"If yeh got any questions, 'm happy t'answer, my lady...jus' keep it quiet an' keep yer wits about yeh, iffin' y'please."
He muttered, warily giving everything about him the hairy eye, before vanishing down the alley from which comes that God-awful smell.))
~Nathalia
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Post by Vyn on Feb 14, 2011 23:52:39 GMT -5
What fondness she already had for Gaurin was multiplied tenfold by a compliment and a smoke. Her smile curled wide as she leaned in for a light. Today was turning out to be unexpectedly interesting and, for all the unfortunate events accompanying it, Trix was looking forward to knocking some Josiggy's down a peg.
"Take care, boys. Don't let the Josiggies bite." She inclined her head to the boys, flashed them a toothy smile, and slipped outside with Gaurin.
She bobbed her head to his request she stay quiet, scorning her claws ever so slightly with each step. With time and experience she had taught herself to minimize the stiletto click of her bone claws but it wasn't entirely concealable. As they traveled on, however, something more pressing than the faint click of her nails drew her attention. The smell. It was getting worse by the minute and her sensitive canine nose was beginning to protest more and more. Urg.
"So what exactly is the 'Mission'? We just getting the Lowlanders out of The Capital or we waging a counter against the Josiggy bastards? And, is this Cale fellow the Leader?"
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