"Do not give me orders...." Kala replied stiffly a moment but her gaze softened as she saw his tiredness and her anger ceased. She glanced over the room, giving a final moment for anyone wishing to leave to do so before she would close the portal and leave not a trace. She bit her lip, briefly feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility she had undertaken. She glanced towards Micheal and the girl, wondering absently what was so important about the cell phone. It could not call out or send messages out nor be tracked with her shielding...... Kala was too naive to realize that messages in could be just as dangerous. Perhaps he did not know it would not work? Oh well...

"It'll take me a few minutes to get the spells done but you can follow me if you wish......" She finally said to Kiya, glancing at her familiar. The cat would obediently leap from her shoulder and stand near Syd and Micheal just in case things got violent as Kala had wordlessly asked. The winged creation then turned and started for the bathroom, those silver eyes again going over kiya to see if he would follow. Once there she would begin her simple work with the runes and mumbled incantations. It would be a closed system so as not to alert any unwanted attention by the city sewage system and rely heavily on magic but it would work well enough as long as she renewed it daily. Within ten minutes she would have a warm, soothing, faintly flower scented bath waiting for him. The scent would be very similar to her own. Such was always the case with any permanent magic she did unlike temporary things such as portals. It was faint enough most human noses would not detect it but it was still the one flaw with her spells. A way for her maker to track if she had done any on his things he had thought..

"Halverd Street I believe it is called. I can not read the signs so can not always be sure" She said with amusement, seeming to be mocking her own blindness. She said nothing to his apology, seeing as she saw no reason for him to give it. She had become content with her blindness long ago, or at least made peace with it anyway. She tilted her head to the side, the loose hair by her face that served as bangs falling over her features slightly. It was a gesture she commonly did when thinking or debating something. Her canine imitated the head tilt gesture but still did not take his eyes of the Android.

"Do you have somewhere you need to go? Atlas can take us. He always seems to know where to go." She said with another of her small, gentle smiles. How Atlas the black wolf could be so reliable no one really seemed to know and her answer to any question was always the same. Because he is Atlas. She would then chuckle softly and change the topic generally. Now, however, she simply waited for the droid's answer, still seeming to float somehow without really being off the ground. Perhaps it was the gentle breeze or the lightness of her hair despite it's length.. who knew.

Kala frowned as he said it was a 'suggestion'. Had she made a syntax related error? It was not uncommon for her to do so. But he had not accompanied it with please, or perhaps you should or any such thing. Was that not the difference between an order and a request? It puzzled her. It puzzled her enough she didn't notice as he stripped but simply focused on getting the spells on the toilet correct as they were the most complicated. She had stepped away and was washing her hands at the sink when she felt his arms and began to nuzzle her. At first she tensed as if expecting an attack but when none came she merely tilted her head to look at him over her shoulder with a very puzzled expression on her features.

"What is... What are you doing?" She asked quietly, appearing a little startled and very confused. She had never been hugged before. The only kind touch she knew was the occasional nuzzle of her familiar which was simply to help keep their power bond together, the familiar made no secret of that. To her touch was a way of gaining power or forcing another, so this puzzled her and did not make sense in her black and white world. She knew only that it was a weird, warm, tingly feeling it gave her that made it all the more confusing.

"I feel strange....." She muttered more to herself then him, thinking that it felt sorta like a big warm blanket being wrapped around her but different. His breath on her neck made her shiver and awoke apart of her she did not understand. As a cat her neck was a very significant place regarding contact and her instincts knew this even if her mind did not. She did not dislike the warm sensation she decided but she did dislike the confusion. Why had he done this? She had seen people huddle together for warmth before but the bath would surely be warmer than her, so that didn't make any sense.....

((poor Kala XD. When I say she had no positive/ordinary socialization I wasn't kidding XD))

Kala did nothing to stop the hug as he continued to embrace her, only leaning back into him thoughtfully as she tried to puzzle out what he said. She stared into the mirror then, looking at them both so she could watch his facial expression. so this was gratitude and affection..... this was affection. A positive emotion shared between two people who were connected to one another by blood, marriage, or friendship. She had no family, being a creation, and she had not married having had seen no point in a mate if one could not procreate.... did this mean they were friends?

"I think.... hugs are pleasant then..." She said slowly as if weighing the matter very carefully in her mind. She was too busy staring into the mirror in thought to notice his nudity. Still, she did not leave the room, not really understanding cultural norms well enough to know she should leave. He was nude and that was just for people with close bonds to share she had read but he had called her a friend. Her ears twitched a moment as she puzzled over the word before she turned towards him. He could just be relying on her to protect him from micheal... she was use to being used so would understand that but he seemed genuinely concerned about her not understanding so perhaps...

"Does this mean we are...... friends?" She asked suddenly as she turned to face him as he stretched out in the tub. She tilted her head to the side and watched him a moment, curious at his response. She did not yet know she could trust anyone here but it seemed a silly thing to lie about. Why say they were friends when she had already agreed to protect him? He already had her power and her as an ally for the duration so she would trust this answer she decided.

"Good, I have always wanted a friend," She responded almost cheerfully and he would see a ghost of a smile on her lips which for her was the equal of most people grinning ear to ear. She was still not use to showing emotion, being at one time she was punished for it. She nodded then to herself and stepped out of the room to let him bath in peace. Her magic should make the bathwater have a slight healing effect, it did on her at least, but she was not sure it was the same for mortal creatures. She shrugged then and returned to glance around the room.

Seeing that the witch seemed mostly forgotten she laid out a bedroll for her then gently lifted her before placing her on it since she seemed half asleep. Humans were sensitive to cold and laying on the cold ground would be bad for her... or so Kala had read. With that done she moved to perch on one of the salvaged nightstands and simply watch the room, lost in her own thoughts. Mainly she was reviewing this concept of 'friendship' she had read about. It seemed rather idealistic and require time but it had also said friends did nice things for each other and she had done something nice apparently. She hadn't really thought of it as such, it simply seemed practical to prepare a healing and fragrant bath so there would not be a weak link among their members.

((I'm sorry there is SO much noise here, I hope this all makes sense.))

Michael merely stood there. He wasn't sure about this girl. She was a liar, that much he knew. Now she was protecting her phone as if he were going to eat it. "I need to check your phone for a tracking device," he said in his usual monotone voice. He held out his hand.

"Oh," Syd replied. She always assumed everyone was out to get her or trick her in some way, that's just how people were, so she was slightly surprised. She dug the phone from her pocket and placed it in Michael's hand, she second guessed it for a moment, but then let go of the device. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited as Michael pulled her phone apart.

He pulled a little black chip from the phone. "This is a tracking device," he held it up for everyone to see. Icy eyes met Syd's. She hadn't been surprised when he'd said he was looking for a tracking device. "Who is tracking you?" he asked.

"What? No one," Syd replied. Michael handed the woman her phone. "Clearly someone is," he said. Michael wasn't stupid. It was clear that even if Sydney didn't know who she was working for, it was for someone higher up in the chain than she, someone who could lead him to Gregori.

With this chip, he didn't need Syd or Kiya. He would let the Russian come to him. He turned towards the exit. "I'll be taking this with me," he said as he placed the chip in his pocket, making his way towards the door.

Syd moved to stand in front of him. "Wait a second! You can't just leave now!" she protested. "You've drug us all into your mess and now you're just going to leave, without even telling us what's going on!? We could all be killed because of you!" Syd was yelling and flapping her arms like an angry mom at parent teacher night.

Alek blinked, a soft hum escaping his throat. "Halverd Street?" he whispered, blinking. Halvard Street. West Side, edge of the city. He had never been to this side of town. Never had any reason to be down here as his apartment wasn't that far from the bar in which he worked. Or...used to. He doubted he would have a job considering the damages he had witnessed added to the fact he had just helped in the escape of the vandals. Oh well. He could find another job if it came down to it. "Well, I would very much like to return to my apartment, if you would be so kind. It is rather far, however...8376 Peony Drive, building C, apartment 304." He was smiling rather large now, casting a glance down at the wolf. The thing seemed oddly intelligent for what it was and it was awfully cautious around him. It was rather strange at how intelligent those eyes were, especially with the fact that it seemed to be mirroring her ever so slightly. Oh well. He wouldn't bring this up. The woman was being kind enough to help him find his apartment after all.

"We have an agreement.....I promised to help you and to kill Gregori after your business is done. I can not do that if you leave with no way to communicate or reach one another." Said Kala quietly, standing and half seeming to appear in front of the door rather then head there. She tilted her head to the side, as if he had puzzled her again. They had made an agreement and to her it was that simple. Things were black and white, and a promise was a promise. He would not purposely make her break one would he? When the promise was to him anyway.

"You're actions from moment to moment...... are greatly contradictory from one to another." She added then, as if she had just concluded it herself and did not understand. First he would kidnap and then he would leave? It did not make sense...well not to her anyway. A person did not change quite so quickly, at least she did not think so. She frowned at him then, wordlessly seeming to demand he explain it to her.


The woman nodded and then seemed to almost giggle as she turned towards the creature at her side. She bent down to whisper in the wolf's ear, speaking in a strange and lyrical language similar to elven but not quite the same. She seemed to be rather enjoying how odd they must have looked, the three standing there. Then again Dinnea always seemed easily amused and gentle, like laughter on the wind if embodied in one soul. She then stood and turned to link her arm with alek's, a smile on those rosy lips. It was cold, almost as if she'd recently come in from the snow. Such was how things always were.

"He knows that area of the city well enough we should be there quickly." She said cheerfully as the wolf began to lead the two. It did indeed seem to know the most efficient route. The wolf's connection to the earth, to gaia ensured it as much as Dinnea innately knew when it would rain or snow. She didn't say another word, simply letting the droid choose if he wished to speak or to fall into silence.

Alek smiled widely and began to follow, keeping a steady pace behind her as they made their way down streets empty save for a few people out on a stroll. "I must thank you again!" he said, watching her and her dog for a moment before lifting his eyes to the sky above. "Even with my software running as it should, I wouldn't be able to find my way out of here. I've never mapped this placed and I can't exactly update my software nowadays." He chuckled at that last bit, looking about the street. His smile faded somewhat as he eyed the buildings and the few people they passed on the way. He was getting uncomfortable, unsure of his surroundings and concerned by the fact that his positioning systems still haven't rebooted.

Reseda stirred at last, shifting with a small groan. The young woman opened her eyes and stared about her groggily and rubbed her eye. For a moment she'd completely forgotten what had happened, and where she was for that matter. It all came back when she saw the people scattered about the room. The witch frowned but said nothing as she listened to the conversation going on between the winged neko and the redhead. She was rather lost, and didn't dare interrupt. Instead, Reseda leaned against the wall with a thoughtful expression. Surely there was something to be done, or at least something she could do, to improve everyone's situation.

"I saw when you attacked the true nekojin as I came into the room. You are emotional, undisciplined. I do not knwo if it is lack of sleep or simply your nature but you do not know what you are doing and you are not ready for this fight. If you go now and he is at all prepared you will fail. I advise you stay here and sleep, trackers do not work within the spells i have placed here. We should rest for the evening and then go after gregori tomorrow night when our numbers are strong....." She said bluntly, almost robotically. It was as if she had ran calculations of the battle, simulations in her head, and had come up with too high a failure rate. No, rest was needed first, as was planing and preparation for wherever they decided to lay their trap. She would gladly help him yes.... but not help him commit suicide.

"I care not for your reasons for destroying him and do not know enough of you to care for your life but I do wish to see this gregori dead as he seeks to make slaves of all within this city. I can smell the fear at his mere name.... and so I desire the success of this. Also if you do not wish to kill him right away a capture room must be prepared, to simply run out the door right now would be impractical." She added then, again showing her lack of socialization or understanding others. She was very single minded nature also was showing itself in her focus on one good attack rather then something sloppy. Of course, she had more conscious then she desired anyone to see, it made you weak.

No she did not truly wish anyone to die. If she could prevent it she would. If worst came to worst she could always track his shadow and aura to pull his ass out of the fire if he got in trouble, but she did not desire the risk that would make for both herself and the others. It seemed silly to her, walking in with no recon and unplanned.


"I do not know much of software and programing, just enough to enchant an ai's personality onto an object much like others can a soul.... but i do have a friend who may be able to help..." She suggested in response, half smiling in thought. She had met the cyborg woman at a dance, but it had blossomed into a strange friendship. The other woman was quirky, but then again so was Dinnea. Perhaps that was why they got along so well?

She tilted her head towards the a.i. a moment as if to listen to him. The electric pulses of his kind were fairly regular but his seemed...interrupted now and then somehow. Had he been damaged in the fall? He seemed well enough... and Atlas gave her no indication that the a.i. was not what he seemed. Then again reading people was generally Dinnea's job and reading the earth was Atlas's.

Alek blinked at her words, tilting his head curiously. "Enchant a personality?" he mumbled, blinking. "Like transferring the data into a better storage unit? How would on go about..." He stopped mid sentence, staring down the street the wolf had decided to turn them down. It took him a moment to register the fact that his legs had stopped alongside his thoughts, simply staring down the street. "Could we...perhaps take a different route?" he asked, turning to the canine with a shaky smile. "This street...doesn't really feel right..." There was some sort of signal, something repelling him and forcing him to choose a different route. He was physically capable of moving down the street, he could feel that much. But it was more of a mental block that he wished to not discover the origin of. It was unsettling and unwelcome.

(Sorry for my disappearance. I've been sick for the last few days and I haven't been able to think straight in the slightest.)

Michael's last words forced Reseda to stand with anger flashing within her brown eyes. "You're wrong about that! You plan on leaving us to die, or at least be chased, because of what you asked us to help you with. The least you can do is guide us towards safety away from the city." For she would leave if need be. Reseda shifted lightly upon her feet as she glanced at the others within the room. She felt completely out of her depth with all this talk of killing and ending lives, and no matter how much she wanted to run, Reseda didn't know where she might have gone to escape the situation wholly.

They are angry because you are making many foolish mistakes. Gregori thinks like his kind always do, he will assume you mean to kill him and simply shoot you down on sight. He assumes we have helped you so will do the same. If the Kit will take you in the morning and you will allow me to prepare we can prevent unnecessary death. Otherwise your lack of understanding will kill many.... so I suggest you listen and sleep but of course the choice is yours." She said quietly, her ears tilted downward. She had been listening to them and gathered now so many fears. It mattered to her very little what micheal wanted with gregori, through their fear she was seeing enough to know he offended her sensibilities and so she would kill the little man that held the city enslaved. She would give micheal time to find what he wanted, but only so much time. Killing, after all, she understood. With a nod to indicate she had said what she meant to say she moved to perch in a corner where her own bedroll lay. She watched the others passively and would likely wait for the last to sleep before she did.


"Much like that yes, just using my own spiritual power instead of a computer. And if you wish, of course we can." She said with a nod of her head. She whispered to the pup once more and the canine would give the A.I. another suspicious look but would start on a route that skirted the area. Dinnea being herself would smile but inwardly wonder at it. Perhaps she would have to ask her cyber friend to scan the area later. She had a feeling there was more to the area, and more to the A.I. then there seemed to be... and Dinnea's instincts were rarely wrong.

((lame post is lame >.< but I tried waiting until I felt better but I'm not sooo yeah)

Alek's body visibly relaxed, the tension leaking out as they skirted around that strange signal. This was better. Walking away from it, staying away from an area where he felt so....wrong. As they moved away the signal weakened and his smile became genuine. As genuine as it could get, anyway. "Ah...thank you," he said, turning to the woman. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what came over me back there. That street just...didn't feel right."

(D'aw, I hope you feel better soon. I"m sorry you're not feeling well.)