T - Kitty, Xenon, Nako, Bee

[Nathalia]

((Morpheus managed to make his way back to the Capital in an attempt to find his imprisoned Queen, Khizr.

Finistris caught wind of the string of Lowlander hatred and pulled his entire family out to the Wastes until it's blown over.
Morpheus just spent the last two weeks getting himself back for his abandoned Highland Queen. The poor thing had to be left behind before as Fin's spell only worked on people he truly loved...meaning there was no way to teleport the Highlander.
Poor Morpheus...hope his home's still standing.

As he's heading back in, he finds a pitifully miserable and swollen-looking creature wandering around.
A cute little Avington...says her name's Mirai?
He'd best not leave her alone...she feels important somehow...

The entire Capital feels off, an odd spice lingers on the air, along with a terrible smell...

Your goal is to have Mo and Mirai locate one another and make an attempt to get to Mo's house.
Hope it's all ok.))


~Nathalia

[Kitty]

Life had been hectic, being uprooted from not only his home, but everything that had always been familiar. Not that he disliked the Wastes, quite the opposite really, he just wished a visit could have been arranged in some other manner. But his family was safe, now he just needed to go and retrieve his prized pet. It was rare to own a Queen of Hearts and he'd grown fond of it in a way .... and he wanted it back. He'd left the deer quite a bit of food of water down in that basement, and made sure the door was locked and quite secure in case anything found it's way into the home... but he was still nervous.

Surely if the hunt for Lowlanders had gone to the extremes his father thought they would his home would have been a prime target. He and his mother weren't exactly cautious about who knew they were Lowlanders, Osias especially, and they'd been living there long enough for it to not be much of a secret. But he was back, and ready to face whatever might be lurking there.

But he wasn't stupid. Delicate looking fingers clenched around the smooth handle of his most prized possession, the wondrous glaive he'd spent a small fortune on. Not only that, but he stalked the streets in his human form, only the swirls on his cheeks giving his heritage away and he could, possibly, lie about those... he could be a mix... they wouldn't know.

An odd, prickly feeling of dread tingles down his spine making the little hairs along the back of his neck stand on end as he approached the capital, pausing momentarily to eye the first buildings. something was off, he could already tell, but what? He gripped his weapon even tighter, his knuckles turning white for a moment before he started walking again.

The voice in his head was oddly quiet at the moment, except for a low, rumbling growl. She'd been against coming back for the Highlander, and had voiced this the entire trip here, but even she seemed upset. Or was she just feeding off his tension? He couldn't be sure as she was ignoring his mental prods for an answer.

Well, here we go Maraisa. It's just me and you versus them. We can do it.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Where... Where was she? Mirai stared at the unfamiliar streets through bleary eyes, exhaustion sinking deep into her bones. She clearly wasn't in the Court of Clubs, anymore.

But that didn't help her, much.

The smell in the air was unlike anything she'd experienced before, and she'd been unable to find anyone who could answer her questions. That was particularly strange... By the number of buildings lining the streets, this was a major population center... And it was completely empty. She continued to walk, hoping that maybe she'd find someone as she made her very slow way down the streets. Her body protested every step, and she felt... Tight, somehow. Strained. Her belly felt oddly swollen, as well, and she had no memory of what she'd done for it to be that way.

She shook off the odd feeling and then paused, her sensitive ears standing on end. Footsteps. Where? There! Picking up her pace, the girl moved closer to the Human's location, pausing when she caught sight of him. Oh, thank the Suits... Someone who could help her! "Excuse me! Excuse me, wait! Do you know where I am? I have to get home!"

[Kitty]

He thought he heard a sound, a soft one.... but a sound nonetheless. A hoof, just one? That's what it sounded like.... but just one? That was certainly weird. He stopped and peered in the direction it was coming from until it's owner came into view and his attention went straight to her feet for a second. Huh, just one. What bizarre genetics.

And she was lost .... great. Well, he had an agenda, but he couldn't deny the fact that some company would make this place seem a little less creepy. This thought, of course, pulled a very indignant snort from the demon occupying his mind and he sent soothing, apologetic thoughts to her. Damn, he wished she didn't pick up on as many things as she did.

So you'd rather have the company of some weirdo Avington kid then me?! And a Two of all things!
Not what I meant, I meant it as another body. I'd still trust your opinion over her's m'dear.

She seemed .... accepting of that and wasn't quite so furious with him. women were so much .... work. Especially when you were with them every hour of every day. Oh, wait... yeah .... person.

You're in the capital miss. I take it you've never been before?

He bit back a snide tone on that because, really... the Capitol was the Capitol and if you were here and didn't know it.... well, maybe she bumped her head or something.

She's so close to being an Ace, what do you expect?
Please behave, she might end up being useful ... in one way or another.

I have urgent business to attend to, but if you help me I'll get you back home afterward.

[carcinoGeneticist]

There was always a little bit of fear when it came to approaching a Human, let alone calling out to one for help. Mirai understood her place in the world altogether too well, and it was not a place that really got to deal with the higher-ranking and more powerful parts of society. Usually, people with Human forms were a little bit of both, and she felt herself subconsciously shrink away when the man did turn to face her.

But there was no malice in his voice, nothing more than perhaps a bit of... something. Sarcasm, maybe? She ignored it in favor of the shock that accompanied his statement. The Capital?! "No, I... I live at the Court of Clubs, I don't know how I got here..." She could feel herself starting to shake. She felt awful... And could remember nothing. How was she going to get home?

The man's offer made her stop, and blink.

It was probably not a good idea, but it really didn't seem like she had any choice. Her ears drooped slightly and she chewed on her lip. "O-okay. I don't know how much help I'll be, but... Okay. My name is Mirai."

[Kitty]

He had to admit to himself that his demon friend was right, she didn't look like she'd be much help .... but the company would be nice at least. It'd be nice to have a little distraction when everything just felt wrong.

Wait ... she didn't know how she got here? How was that possible? He blinked several times in rapid succession while staring at her. Strange indeed. Nevertheless ... he did need to hurry. Who knows what could be going on in his home right this very moment.

But, eh, might as well make sure she felt like coming with him. Putting on a little Diamond charm he lifted his free hand and gave her a half bow in greeting, returning to his normal posture once his name was uttered.

Morpheus. And I don't mean to hurry you, but we must leave at once.

And with that he stepped passed the little mostly-canine and headed down the street, he definitely had an all consuming purpose. He wanted his damn Highland Queen and he wanted him now. And if he'd been touched, or killed, there would be hell to pay for it.

___________

He hadn't really checked behind him to see if the young Avington was following until they'd reached the last corner before his home. He felt himself tremble ever so slightly as the same mix of nerves and anticipation he'd felt since the beginning of this outing had intensified.

And, damn ... he didn't think he'd even seen a rat in the streets much less another card. That was beyond strange, and it made him almost want to turn around and go back, almost.

Mirai, are you there still?

It wasn't that far of a journey, he certainly hoped she hadn't wandered off ... he might just have to go back and get her if that was the case.

[carcinoGeneticist]

At once? This was all very, very odd. The girl knew she should have been frightened, at this point, but it really seemed like there just wasn't time for her to be. She nodded dumbly and followed after the Human, eager to accept some form of leadership. When it came to making her own decisions... The girl had a hard time. Following someone else's instructions was so very much easier, and the man had an amazing air of command about him.

The girl walked in silence (all but the clopping of a single hoof) behind Morpheus, struggling at times to keep up with his long-legged strides but always keeping him in her view. By the time he finally stopped, she had lost track of how long they'd been walking. Not too long, but long enough that she was in an entirely new location. She looked up at him, her ears folding back slightly with a strange combination of suspicion and worry.

"I'm here," she replied, then paused. Would it be out of bounds for her to ask what, exactly, they were doing here? "What is... going on, exactly?"

[Nathalia]

((A shuffling sound around the corner alerts the pair to someone lying in the street.
A Chicken Mo will recognize as belonging to his Hisstor half-sister, flails about, stuck in a bucket a few feet from his home...oh, well, at least he can tell her that he found Charlie.
Something else though...is that a Yarrow Skunk lying in the road?

Poor Nephy, he was trying to buy a little something "special" for his mum for this coming Mother's day...now he's waking up outside of a deserted shoppe with a bucket-headed Ace sqwaking its head off.
What the hell, really....

As they introduce themselves, keep on the lookout, something seems to be skulking around the edges of the streets...or at least, that awkward shuffling sound has to be coming from somewhere...am I right?))



((Nako will jump in when she gets time, until then, just assume Charlie's being Charlie.))



~Nathalia

[Kitty]

There's something terrible happening in the city aimed at my realm and, although my family is now safe elsewhere, I had to return to get something that got left behind.

He crouched down for a moment so he could be more at level with the Avington girl.

He's a rare, exotic pet and I can't allow him to remain alone. I left food an water when we left, but.... I'm not sure how long it will last him. I can, however, guarantee you'll never see anyone else with a pet like mine in your lifetime.

He rose quickly when the shuffling noise came to his ears, gripping his weapon tightly again as he jumped around the corner, ready to initiate a fight with whatever was there. Except.... well, what first came to his eyes made him release an exasperated sigh. Charlie.

Well, Charlie.... if you want that bucket off, just come over here when you're ready.

He peered back at the Avington girl and shook his head.

Don't worry, that's not mine and he's not what we're looking for. Although I think I'll have to take him home for my sister after this, I'm sure she misses the little.... thing.

He turned back around, feeling far more confident about matters, until a ball of brightly colored fluff caught his attention. He stepped over toward the fluff, slow and cautious until he reached out with the blunt end of his polearm to poke at the skunk.

Are you alive?

And then he caught the sound of shuffling again and turned his attention to the shadows, trying to see if there was anything to see there. This.... this wasn't good. They needed to get inside where there were far less hiding places.

[Bee]

Nephy woke to being rather rudely prodded, which at first made him leap to the most logical conclusion: his mother had finally forgotten that he was her son and was beginning experiments on the strangely-familiar pink orphan she had found roaming the palace. A moment's consideration rendered that conclusion both false and ridiculous. He shifted instinctively away from the prodding, curling up into a ball that was mostly fluffy tail. He pushed up his glasses and rubbed his bleary eyes. When the lenses settled, he got full view of a rather unexpected sight.

A tall dandy of a human with a very big weapon; a bizarrely puffy little girl near him who looked vaguely worried about something and probably rightly so; and a chicken with a bucket on its head squawking like it didn't realize the ease with which a bucket could be removed from one's cranium. There was a strange scent in the air, though Nephy was tempted to dismiss it as some type of awful cologne the human man might be wearing. Egads, he must have marinated in it.

Honestly, he was extremely confused and more than a little anxious--he had just been out shopping, after all, because didn't his mother deserve the best? But he didn't want these innocuous-looking strangers to see any weaknesses, lest they abruptly turn out to be not-so-innocuous. He stood, shook some of the grime off his bright fur, and adjusted his specs, trying to look like he had meant to be here.

"Perfectly," he said, politely. The human man seemed distracted by something now, and Nephy heard it too. Shuffling feet.

Actually, the scent was probably not cologne at all.

Actually, the streets seemed rather unnervingly deserted, present company excluded. They had been quite active the last time Nephy remembered being conscious.

Carefully, he said, "There is foulness afoot, isn't there."