Time Skippy!! :D

Sky helped Leila leave the building, slightly frustrated with the fact the front door was wielded shut. It was good for keeping things out, but limited their options for leaving the building. After a bit of searching, they were able to find an emergency exit that hadn't been blocked off. Sky scanned the area for any monsters, but it didn't seem like any were nearby. She gave a sigh of relief.

"I haven't been in this area very long either. It seems dangerous though, as we can already tell. Too many encounters with beasts for my taste." She looked around. "Our safest bet would be to head somewhere that has better means of protection. Better places to hide."

Although there were still quite a few good sized buildings left to hide in, Sky didn't feel comfortable in the area any more. She knew that going a few blocks down wouldn't do much for the beast control. "Our only option is to keep moving." She pulled out an old coin she kept in her pocket, for luck. "Heads, we go west. Tails, we go east?" she asked. It wasn't a good system for deciding travel, but there wasn't exactly a forecast for monsters.

The woman gave both of the men a displeased look. They were fussing over her and she didn’t like it one bit. She was outnumbered though and there was no way she was going to win this argument. “You guys aren’t going to give me a choice are you,” she sighed. Masuyo gave in and let them wrap her injured leg. She gave Thistle a small smile. “Thank you, but you don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine, promise. It’s bad enough that those three are making such a fuss.” She pointed at Chumana, Ryker and Alpha.

The conversation quickly switched to a plan to get across the open area. Really she didn’t want to go into the open. As the group moved she stayed close to Ryker and Chumana. She was ready to morph if need be and those near her. When Ryker suggested they split up she looked at him. It made sense and they could cover more area to look for clues as to where Hibiki and the other two might be. Her gaze darted to Alpha when he whispered to Ryker. She gave him a slight glare. He wanted Ryker to get the girls out if things got too bad. Oh no, that wasn’t happening.

“I have to agree with Thistle. Plus we don’t need to be saved just because we’re girls. We can fight too.” She huffed at the much older male. His words had clearly rubbed her the wrong way. Taking a breath she calmed herself before looking at everyone again. Masuyo gave Thistle a nod. “Let’s go Ryker; there is much ground to cover.” It was a little strange for her to take charge. There was something she wanted to prove, not only to herself, but to the others as well. She moved quietly forward to the left just slightly ahead of Ryker.

Al hear the retort and argument from Thistle and Masuyo. What had he expected truthfully, they wouldn't be who they were if they didn't, he fought hard to keep back a smile. He knew what they would think, that he was some chauvinist, and didn't want the darling girls to get hurt, okay he thought to himself, they were right just a little. But he was at a point after so long of being in a state of survival, you no longer care what people thought. But he had spent so long not having people to care about, now that he did, he wasn't prepared to live with anyone being hurt. But since meeting Hibiki, he knew there was more to his words, but now wouldn't be the time to explain to Masuyo he would leave that to later, if there was a later! With Thistles words ringing true, they needed to find Hibiki and any others out there, and soon. He slunk on forwards.

Pushing far out to the right, himself and Thistle staggering their movement, each time trying to get to some cover, and Alpha would stare towards the abandoned streets for signs of life, while Thistle moved past, before rushing on past where She had stopped trusting in her eyes to do the same for him. It was a struggle to keep Cion and Ana in their sight, and several times they lost them. Eventually Alpha and Thistle reached slow metal railing that ran down a length of street running to their right towards piles of twisted wreckage and metal, some old warehouses, and left far off, bordering the waste ground they had just crossed, Al couldn't see any signs of his comrades. Across the Tarmac perpendicular was the start of an old main esplanade with ruined stores stretching into the distance. Alpha jumped over the railing and ran across the street, skidding hard with his back against the closest building, exposing himself as little as possible to any possible threats, he turned to Thistle and tried to mouth over to her four words that looked like 'do you see them?'

Cion watched the others decide, shaking his head, which was sort of his entire body, as he listened. Splitting up so not all of them would get killed? He really wanted to point out the flawed logic there in the grand scheme of things. He stayed silent though, floating not really with any of the groups. He was more interested in the signatures he was picking up. Four experiments now, one of them was Hibiki. Did that mean that all of them were now in one place? That was great! They could finally get down to discussing real business. From the looks of it, the four were close to being right on top of each other at this point. “Man, you guys really are slow, lets go already” with that, he moved ahead of the group.

Nothing launched out at him, or made a move. Everything was silent and still as he moved along deeper into the city. He paused, turning back to look at them. “See, harmless. Worrying about always getting attacked even in a world like this will get you nowhere” he crossed his arms, “you’re all a bunch of genetically modified human beings for crying out loud. Action is what you were made for so get your backsides in gear! The others are waiting for us, the sooner all are together, the sooner things can be explained and we can get down to business.” With that, he turned away again, moving along towards where Hibiki’s signature was coming from.

Belladonna's rash behavior in driving the plants onward was not so much for protection as it was for theirs. Having started the same life as they, she knew how helpless it was to be just a little pretty thing on the ground. You were there to be stepped on and though you would normally bounce back, it still hurt; you were there to be eaten and typically had no way to save yourself from such a fate. Belladonna wanted to change that; plants wanted to live and thrive, they wanted to be respected and now they could fight for themselves through her. That was part of the reason that when a large figure stepped in her way, fighting to unroot her, that she didn't take too kindly to the action.

Brows furrowing, the plants around her fought the intruder to allow the plant woman to stay where she was. By the time she was plucked from her spot, she tried to push against the much larger male, though his large arms easily held her and he probably didn't notice a thing. The plants around them reached out and wrapped around the male's legs, much weaker than before, as they tried to keep the woman as plants were also jealous and greedy things. They wanted Belladonna with them, they wanted her power and didn't like this man taking her.

There was a warmth that wrapped around the wounded woman, one that was much warmer than any other being she had been around, save one, and it reminded her of the sun. A small smile formed on her face as she finally calmed down knowing who had saved her. Her head lay against Tony's chest as she felt her body reacting to the higher altitude. She was not a plant made for being so high up, but the few plants that made their home at the tops of the mountain allowed the woman to borrow their power in order to allow herself to adapt to their breathing. The foliage that formed her clothing curled in delight to the closeness of the sun's rays; if it weren't so hard to breathe up there, all plants would love to live on the top of a mountain. And the cold, they didn't like that either.

Just like that, the sun was vanishing again, but the dense moisture in the air told her that water was close and parts of her reached out towards where the moisture became more thick. She could feel the water rushing around her feet and feel its coolness rush through her as her body began drinking. Tony began howling as the sunlight slowly began peeking through the tree tops. Vines from her form stretched out and coiled around the male, using him to get closer to the warmth of the light. The wrapped around his biceps and coiled against his back, pulsating slightly as the sucked in the energy from around them so Tony was getting a bit of a massage. A vine continued upward yet, not happy with roosting on the male's shoulders. Once reaching the base of his neck, it reached up, caressing his long ear before creeping and slowly wrapping around the length of it.

Belladonna could feel the male shudder which caused her to open her eyes and look up at him. She knew he hated when she did things like that, though he had never told her why. Blinking a few times she could see that look in his eyes that said 'you know how I feel about this'. With a slight chuckle and tired smile, the vines that held the male so snugly recoiled back to the tiny flower lady as she lazily looked about the forest around her. She could feel a rumble in the distance as well as feel the worry in the plants as a giant tree-like monster was trying to make his way back to his mistress. The trees moaned and complained as they tried to move fast enough to make way for the beast, but trees move at their own pace, not at his. It didn't seem to take much longer for Drip to appear beside the two.

Looking up at Tony she thought, I can walk, I'll be fine, though she thought she had said it to him and was briefly surprised at his reluctance to let her leave his arms. Still trying to get out to see Drip, she pulled herself from his grasp only to stumble and fall to the ground. Drip was instantly over the woman, his face near hers as his forest-like sounds reverberated through the air. Though hurt, she would live and this pleased the creature. He rested his massive head beside the woman, allowing her to touch him. Once she had done that, her body quickly took to forming vines, flowers, and other foliage that spread across Drip's massive form. Once she had fully moved herself, the beast stood tall once again and walked away from the pond. She would be able to get moisture from him who got it from the Earth and with his size, she would be able to get more sun rays that if she were on the ground.

Le Skip

Drip had been wandering around quite a bit before coming back to the pond that Tony had been at. However, when he had returned, the feline-like male was nowhere to be seen. This puzzled the creature and though his mistress didn't seem all that concerned about the matter, he set out to see just where he had gone.

The trees and plants of the forest directed the massive guardian, they told him to go towards the city that hadn't fully been taken over yet. His chirps and whistles danced along the breeze as he left the forest and found himself walking across the pavement of the city. Each step he took left pools of grass and seeds waiting to sprout and spread across what were once roads and sidewalks.

With a single tracked mind, the tree beast kept moving until he spotted Tony off in the distance, as though he were watching something. He could feel an ebb in his mind that told him to see what Tony was going after and of course, obeyed.

As they approached the building that Tony had landed on and seemed to take the most interest in, Drip stopped as commanded. Belladonna soon materialized in a puddle of flowers and leaves before looking around the desolate area. Blinking a few times, she began walking towards Tony's building, the new found energy of the healed plant woman causing the grasses and seeds Drip was dropping to grow and creep across the path that they walked.

Just as the two were coming to the alleyway between the two buildings, Belladonna lost her footing as tripped. The plant woman hit the ground with a slight 'oof', Drip instantly over her once again. He lowered his head allowing her to grasp it and hoisted her back to her feet. After dusting herself off, the small woman looked down the alleyway to see two dark haired women that seemed to be leaving the building. They seemed to be of the same species as the ones they had just fought but these ones looked terrified. These ones didn't seem as interesting as the plant hedge that was growing in front of the building.

Belladonna blinked a couple times at the wary women before turning back to her path and continuing towards the drying shrubs. Drip followed behind, pausing to look at the strange furless beasts, his eyeless head tilting to the side like a confused puppy before he greeted them with his forest tune. After that, he too continued behind Belladonna who was now busy speaking to the hedge, offering some of her powers to let it grow strong once again.

Thistle walked with Alpha and seeing as Cion didn’t want them to separate they were there too. Watching Alpha sneak across the street and mouth things she walked across the normally saying “You know Cion is right we are genetically modified. We don’t have to hide if we stick together.” She turned and then followed Cion, though she didn’t really know where he was going. Instead she took to looking around them at the building that are in ruins.

Hearing Cion mention that once they once they were all together they would get down to business had got her thinking. Looking back at Cion she asked “What business is there to do? I mean did you not tell us everything already?” She was slightly curious about this now to say the least she thought that everything was explained already.

Well there goes the hope of Sky knowing the area, but it was quite alright since they are a group, and Leila isn't alone. "Better place? Hmm" Leila looked around some more but it was of no use, there wasn't any good hiding places in site, they'd have to get moving to find one' Inside the city or out of it.

Leila looked over to Sky when she mention their only option was to keep moving. "Agreed, flip that old coin and see where probability takes us. . . somewhere nice I hope." Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow but when she went to focus on it, it seemed to disappear.

A new day had come and new scents came with it. Nose to the air, Tony sniffed in the wondrous aromas all around him. Even with the impending doom of the earth on the horizon, Tony could find the light scent of lavender in the air. It was a reassurance that in darkness, there could be life. Only, as his nostrils flared at the scent, the more Tony realized it wasn't a flower he smelled, but rather perfume. Ears snapping forward, a look of adventure washed onto his face. Today was a new day with new adventures. He would seek out the owner of said scent and give them a might hug, unless, of course, it was the enemy.

Glancing over at the sleeping Bella, he lifted a finger to his lips to tell Drip to keep silent. He had no need to wake the sleeping beauty. With speed and grace, he took off. Zigzagging past boulders, rocks, and decrepit things, Tony refused to slow his speed. Then, out of nowhere, the scent smacked him right in the face. Eyes landing on two shifting shadows, he determined it was best to take an aerial approach to things. Onto the rooftops he went where with each leap and bound, he grew closer to the wearer of the perfume.

While pursuing the owner, Tony felt himself fall back on a question he had brought up earlier -- the enemy. The more the word rattled around his head, the more he wondered just what he was fighting for. The queen wanted to restore nature, but as Tony looked around, he couldn't see nature. No, he saw ghastly plants and wicked creatures. Mutations corrupted the wildlife, bringing forth a new wave of creatures, creatures Tony fell into.

Frown on his face, he slowed his pursuit. It was hard to really think. Just what was he in this war for. Why was he trying to kill these humans? Turning his head, Tony cast his gaze toward the open flatland between the mall and where the forest was. The scent of the humans was strong there -- they must be gathering, he assumed. Even with that intel on the mind, Tony just couldn't pull himself into the fight. Why fight them? What did they do to us? In his mind, these experimental humans were of the same breed as he, Bella, Malo, and the Beast Queen. Each a freak of nature and something the world didn't need.

Tony was no longer stalking his prey for now he rest lazily on the rooftop of the building before the two girls. His eyes recognized them immediately -- they were the two he saved the day before. Smile on his face, he wanted to wave down to them, but the proximity of Queen and Guard was too much to risk their lives, so instead he watched. And smelled. Ah, the familiar scent of blossoming flowers in a summer breeze.

Summer flowers. Blossoming. Breeze.

Ears forward and eyes darting toward a thud-noise, he gazed upon his partner, Bella. What in blue blazes was this buffoon of a woman doing? Why was she here? Of course, Drip. Drip must have woken her the moment he left. And Bella, oh that annoying Bella, just had to follow. She probably turned it into a game. Let's see how far I can chase Tony before I trip and reveal myself. He rolled his eyes at the thought of it all.

Sliding from the roof and falling into a patch of darkness, his tail emerged from the shadows. Reaching out, he rapped lightly on Bella's head. "Tony to Bella, come in. You are ruining everything, do you copy! Ruining everything!" With a cold glare, he gave the woman a good tug. Within seconds, her body was beside his as he growled down at her. "Just what in the queen's name do you think you're doing," he half-whispered. Only once did his eyes drift over to the hedge that she tried to use as cover. As soon as he did that, he felt himself face-palming internally. Why, oh why did he have to run around with the local lunatic?!

---------- Post added 04-22-2014 at 12:38 PM ----------

Offering Masuyo a wink, the redhead took a steady step forward. It was easy, really too easy for him to walk. His pace was fast, almost too fast for poor Masuyo was wobbling and rushing to keep up. A few times, Ryker dashed forward with Masuyo in his arms. He did this to put more space between he and the others. Of course, he didn't want to exhaust himself so he only did so every now and again for maybe 10-seconds at a time. These quick little bursts were enough to wake Ryker up and get him used to the speed he was granted. It was nice to have these powers, but they were also quite the curse.

With the thought of defeat still lingering on his mind, he turned to Masuyo during their actual walking sequences. He struggled to find the words, but he eventually fumbled into them. "I've been meaning to say this...' his cheeks were bright with a fresh shade of red, "you're quite beautiful." Eyes flickering away, he prayed that the blush wasn't as obvious as it felt. Having red hair sometimes cast a red hue onto your skin -- at least that was the angle he was taking. "Assuming we live and manage to save the world, would you..." here came the hard part. He gulped and tried to calm his nerves. God, why was it so hard to ask a woman on a date? "Would you like to go down on me?" Eyes wide, his hands moved to cover his mouth. Did he really just say that?! How the hell could he mess it up that much. "Date! I meant date!"

Well, this was awkward. Head turning away, he tried to hide his blush beneath his jacket-like covering. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he kept muttering to himself. There was no way Masuyo would ever go on a date with him now, especially if he was looking to bang on their first date. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Chumana was following Cion willingly as the group split up. Humming lightly to herself, she adjusted a strap of her backpack. Watching the area they were approaching, she gave a sigh and then moved over to the robot a bit more. Seeing Ryker turning red across the way, she figured he was finally telling Masuyo that he liked her. The native woman had seen his infactuation the moment they found the woman. It was cute to see that he was once again taking an interest in someone. Looking away to give them more privacy, her gaze drifted to Thistle and Alpha. They two were like a pair, Alpha seemed to be in the same position as Ryker, falling for the woman next to him. Looking down at her bare feet, the black haired woman let out a heavy sigh. It was something she was used to. Being alone. Raising her eyes up to the robot, her thoughts moved to when she was taken by the doctor.

No one had wanted to get near her, she was a freak, not normal in the world of white men. Her tattoos and language was also a barrier that turned others off. It also didn't help that she was extremely tall now that she was older. It was normal in her village for people to be so tall, but it seemed that no one in their company really compared. She was like a totem pole, towering over everyone. Chuckling at her thoughts, the woman smiled. She knew being alone was her fate, ever since she caused the death of her people, she knew that she would forever be punished by the gods to remain alone. She didn't deserve to find anyone like that, and she would accept that fate. Watching as Thistle and Alpha moved to join them, she looked at them, no smile coming to her lips. She still didn't trust them fully.

Coming to a place where there were crashed cars and rubble, the woman silently drew her bow. This was a place that a monster could easily be lurking. Hearing movement, she teleported the other side of the car, her bow at the ready. Appearing before Hibiki and the other male, she loosened her arrow, pinning the other male by his shirt to the car behind him. Drawing another arrow, Chumana stepped forward. "Hibiki, who is this?" she asked seriously, her eyes full of suspicion. "You shouldn't have left the group." she added, a bit of chiding in her voice. "At least not alone."

As the group converged together, Alpha knew Cion was right, together they were a force to be reckoned with, if they could learn to work together that was, they had already been on the receiving end of what could happen if they failed to do that. But nonetheless Alpha was Alpha and could be seen to agree with a piece of machinery
"Well that's easy for him to say Thistle, when something bites a piece of him of, we'll weld some old laptop on to him, and he'll probably be better than new, where with us? Well I can heal okay, but I don't think I could grow back an arm?" He did smile after that though.
They followed Cion through the eerily quiet streets, Ryker and Masuyo talking together, as they strode past though Chumana was staring at Alpha and Thistle, he gave her a quizzical look, but simply nodded his head towards her, feeling her eyes burning into him, she had always been imposing, with her outward confidence, tattoos and piercing, and her standoffishness with the newcomers to the group.
Shortly afterwards the streets opened up, and they came to some kind of allotment with freshly damaged cars, that's when they saw the figures, before Alpha had recognised them Chumana had teleported across the ruptured Tarmac, and appeared close by Hibiki and another, letting an arrow fly and thud into its target.
Alpha hadn't realised but he had already begun to run, and had placed himself beside Hibiki, just to catch Chumana say the word "alone"

Thistle just rolled her eyes a little a Alpha’s comment, looking at him she just said “Yeah but I can fuse things back together with my powers…” she trailed off a little thinking about what she had just said. Had she really just said that? It was one thing to accept the fact that there was a connection between them all now but saying it out loud was another. After a moment she shrugged her shoulders a little saying “We were all created for a reason right?”

When Chumana disappeared she paused for a moment then watched as Alpha took off towards a pile of cars. With that Thistle shifted her way through the cars and Three’s body just in time for the arrow to fly through her. She took a moment as Chumana spoke and looked down then around behind her. She smiled a little then held out her hand and shifted through Three’s shirt saying “I am so sorry, here let me get that” and pulled the arrow out of the car and held it in her hand. “We’re not extremely used to meeting other ‘humans’. Nice to meet ya though, I’m Thistle.”

Turning back to Chumana she held out the used arrow to her saying “Nice aim, but could you maybe lower your weapon? I mean if he has survived this far he must be mutated somehow, but he doesn’t look beasty like the other creatures we came across.” She smiled gently at Chumana. Seeing Hibiki she smiled even more saying “Hibiki, you’re safe.” She did realize that her personality had changed a little towards the others, but that made sense she felt more of a connection to them now anyways.

Hibiki blinked, jumping slightly as the woman appeared next to him. He saw the arrow fly, and soon after Alpha appear by his side as well. Chumana was speaking of who this man was, then chiding him for going off on his own. Before he could get a word in though, a second female was there. He knew her name as Thistle, which she was also currently introducing herself to Three as well.

He sighed slightly, "I am alright...I had to leave and I had to do it on my own...I'm sorry for the trouble.." Cion sped into the clearing, moving around him and immediately began chatting at him. "You're ok! That's good, no physical harm right?" he lifted Hibiki's arm, moving around him and scanning him to see if he was hurt. He actually smiled, "I am alright, nothing is wrong..." He looked over to Three, who was brushing off his shirt a bit, it was probably better if he introduced himself. Hibiki did not want to impose on him.

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The two of them were just off to a good start, when the woman appeared. She let loose an arrow, which he could have easily deflected, were it not for the added distraction of the second girl and man who entered soon after. He sighed slightly great..he recognized Alpha immediately. Where there was Alpha, Ryker could not be far behind. He was sure the two of them would pick up on who he was rather quickly, since they had met before. The three of them were not on the best of terms however, for a few reasons.

He dusted off his shirt a bit, as the female removed the arrow. She would have recieved a small shock that felt little more than static as she did this. His eyes moving to the female who had shot at him. "Quite the introduction miss" he smiled lightly, he then nodded at Thistle's comment about his survival, though it was unclear weather he should take it as an insult or a complement really. "My name is Bastien, or you may refer to me as Three if it suits you better....it's been awhile Alpha.." His electric icy blue eyes shifted to the older man, before he stepped past them to Hibiki once more. "Quite a group of misfits hmm.." he chuckled.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hibiki listened to the short and to the point introduction from the man, and slightly had to agree when he stated that they were a group of misfits. No one would have thought of their little band being together under any other circumstances. He watched Bastien stepp past him, looking past the piles of cars in the direction the others had come.

Hibiki could sense their coming minds as well...could Bastien sense them? He was really beginning to become curious of this mysterious number three. He had so many questions he wanted to ask him indeed. Cion flew over, tapping his faceplate for a moment, as he looked over Bastien. "You look really familiar....have we met before?" he tilted his body a bit as if a human might tilt their head. Bastien glanced in the bots direction, but only offered a smile.

Chumana's eyes narrowed as Thistle pulled the arrow from the other male, and held it out to her. Lowering her weapon, she took the arrow and returned it to her quiver as Hibiki spoke. "Just think about things before you go off on your own. Cion was worried." she said cooly, and to support her words, the robot whirled over and scanned the boy to make sure he was okay. A smile almost came to her lips seeing the robot fuss over the boy, until she heard the other male's words. "I tend to have that affect on first impressions." she said with a straight face. Putting her bow back in her quiver as well, she quirked a brow as the Bastiel spoke to Alpha. It seemed that the first three knew each other, which was interesting.

Not bothering to give this man her name, she strode forwards, gracefully walking up the smashed car and looked over the land. They still had a ways to go to reach the abandoned mall. Turning her head back to Ryker and Masuyo, they were close behind, they would catch up shortly. Adjusting her golden snake arm band on her upper arm, she then pulled her ribbon off of her backpack strap. Grabbing her black hair of braids, the woman pulled the large amount of small braids together and tied them up into a pony tail. Sighing, she pulled her extra knife from the backpack as well and stuck it neatly in her hair, making a bun of braids. It was merely a throwing knife, but it would do its damage in her hands. Looking up at the sky, her eyes narrowed. All had been too quiet ever since their run in with those beasts. Maybe it was because they were growing in number, but only time would tell. Hopefully the will of the gods was with them, for now.

She hated being around so many people, and without Ryker here to be her buff between her and all these people, she itched to distance herself from them, even if she could feel a bond growing with them. It was better to keep people away, so they couldn't hurt you, and you couldn't hurt them. Her mind flashing back to the screams and images of her people dying to those angered wild animals made her close her bright green eyes for a second. Her failure would forever haunt her, no matter how hard she tried she could never escape those memories. Frowning, she walked down the car and faced the others. "Introductions are fine, but we need to keep moving. Cion said that two others are in that mall. We should get them and make camp somewhere safe before we waste time on pleasantries." she said seriously. Chumana may have been young, but she had a mind of an elder. From all that she had experienced in her short life, she held a lot of wisdom.

He watched eagerly as Cion scanned over Hibiki, not showing any concern truly outwardly however. He turned along with Hibiki, and Cion to face this other figure. Alpha kept his unemotional poker face, but maybe a small tell in his eyes, may have shown a small grimace in his eyes. Alpha stood upright, clenching his hands into fists and placing them both on his hips.
He gave a ever so slight nod, almost as if he had just been pestered by an insect, and then very quietly and sharply he responded "Three..." After a long pause "Maybe so, but they're loyal misfits, loyal to each other" he spoke slowly and deliberately

As Cion questioned Bastien, Alpha almost spoke out to Cion to perhaps give him an answer, but instead rather lately, with little emotion asked Bastien if he needed any supplies, food or drink?

Alpha heard a voice somewhere in his ear, a young boys voice... 'ah he's back then'
He frowned and growled under his breath, knowing no one was there if he looked "grrr and so are you I'd gather"

At first the black and red haired woman had protested to Ryker picking her up and carrying in his arms even if it was just for short bursts. “Ryker really just let me walk. I’ll be just fine on my own,” she fussed at him just before stumbling and him catching her. Masuyo continued to protest, but after about the fourth time she gave up arguing with him. The man seemed to be just about as stubborn as she was. The times he carried her it did feel good to her leg which was aching due to her pushing herself.

She considered talking to him when they were actually walking, but she wasn’t sure what to talk about. He was the one to finally speak up. She felt herself flush slightly at his words. “Thank you,” she said with a smile adding, “You’re handsome yourself.” The woman let him continue, having no idea where this was really leading. If only she had known then maybe she could have stopped them from both being embarrassed.

When the phrase ‘would you like to go down on me’ came from his mouth she tilted her head giving the taller male a look of confusion. Seeing his eyes widen and him covering his mouth quickly made it finally click in her head what he just said meant. The young woman stopped dead in her tracks, her face turning a bright red. That couldn’t have been what he meant right? Ryker’s next words didn’t even register with her. Due to being so embarrassed by his words she unconsciously ended up fading, blending into their surroundings. Luckily she hadn’t morphed properly so if one watched closely they could see her movements.

Her mind raced with questions. Sure she had thought he was handsome and the thought of dating him in the future had crossed her mind. Assuming they had a future, but to actually think of it that way. She was somewhat beside herself. How was she supposed to answer him? Obviously he had meant date, but apparently he was picturing more than just a date. While the male was turned away muttering to himself the dark haired woman took a deep breath to collect her thoughts.

She moved forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. At this point she was half visible. “You’re not stupid. As for dating you…maybe I’ll consider it if we live and managed to save this messed up world. But I’ll tell you now we aren’t doing it on the first date.” To try to cheer him up she gave him a grin. “Though it’s good to know that you will let me take the lead sometimes,” she gave him a wink before laughing lightly. With herself now calmed down Masuyo was completely visible to him, but her cheeks were still red.

“We can discuss this more later. The others are probably waiting for us to catch up.” Right now she just wanted to drop the subject. It was one best left to when they were alone and no one else was anywhere near. Taking the man’s hand she moved forward heading towards the car lot where the others were waiting.

He could have been so much smoother. Should have been, in fact. Sadly, the whole idea of romance completely escaped him after that life-changing day so many years ago. It was hard to believe that after so many years he could finally feel again. It was nice to know that he was even capable of love. Of course, he kicked himself for being so upfront with her. He would need to explain it all later. The fact that he was engaged and the chance that somewhere there was a kid that shared his DNA. Dead or alive, Ryker had a feeling he should probably give the woman a peak into his past. He was ashamed of his recklessness that night, but he had lost everything. Protection and giving a damn weren't on his mind. He just wanted to be distracted.

As her words finally reached him, Ryker looked up at her with almost painful eyes. "If this is something we wish to consider, there's something I need to tell you." He cut himself short. He couldn't say it now. Not before meeting the entire group. Later, he would do it later. There was no point in having her get all worked up and potentially running away. Hibiki was bad enough, did they really need Masuyo doing it too?

"Yeah, good point." Scooping her up, he ignored her sigh of disapproval. Within seconds, the two were beside the others. Lightly placing her on the ground, Ryker awkwardly shifted from the woman's side and sought out his Ana. She was the safety he needed; she knew his past and she could probably anticipate his future.

Hands on Ana's shoulders, he looped them around her neck in a hug-like fashion. "Happy to see we all made it here without any issues." Cheek nuzzling hers, Ryker's green orbs finally feel on a familiar face, Bastien. What was he doing here. His body tensed, something Ana probably felt. His senses were on high alert now. If there was one person Ryker didn't trust, it was Bastien. he would rather face Malo than this punk.

Bastien's eyes moved over to Ryker, as the second experiment walked onto the scene. He had definetly called it. Sighing, he caught the look and the tense that came from him. Great...this was one of the reasons he prefered to work alone. Cion was still looking at him, giving him curious looks. "I swear I know you from somewhere..." he crossed his arms, floating around Bastien again. He looked over towards the mall a bit, the place the tall woman was so eager to go to get away. This could bode not well for them. They were running around like a bunch of kids, blind and naive.

He reached up to run a hand through his hair, leaning back against a nearby pile of cars. There were two who hated him basically, a female who did not trust him, two who did not seem to mind him and one he had yet to have any interaction with. This left the two he was picking up on at the mall, the two the lady was speaking of. But they seemed to be drifting this way. "No need to go running off, their heading this way anyways...stay put and you'll run into them easily" he steped away from the pile, "besides, here you have better cover and advantage...there...you're sitting ducks."

He knew this land well, he had been around for awhile. His eyes fell on Hibiki again, as he looked over him a bit. So, that was Nine...that was who his.....He shut the thought down immediately, he did not have time to be dragging up the past. He was sure in a matter of moments he would be getting an earfull from Ryker or Alpha with questions and assumptions anyways, so he would need to focus upon the task at hand.

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Hibiki looked at Ryker as the other entered the area. Seeing him tense as his eyes fell on three made a few questions arise within his mind. Was there something between them? And Alpha to... He looked over to Bastien, who happened to be looking at him to. He offered a smile, from what he gathered, Bastien seemed like a good guy. They had almost beat eachother up a bit before, but things had gotten settled...partially. He looked at Chumana for a moment, she looked really uncomfortable with all of this. Bastien spoke of the final two heading their way, so he could sense them. He tilted his head, curious even more now.

"How do you know that?" he asked, frankly, he did not know anything about three. Usually, Cion would have done his little scan thing to allert them to the new experiment...but right now....the robot seemed conflicted with the presence of Bastian. Why was that? Was there something between Cion and Bastien now as well? There was so much he did not know about all of them, frankly so much he did not know about himself either. What he did know though, is that they needed to stick together, and they needed to stay safe. Cion turned to the area, giving it a quick scan.

"It's secure, and he's right...these hunks of junk provide ample covering..besides the last two are headed in this direction indeed" Cion agreed with Three, before he floated over to Hibiki once more. "What were you doing out here anyways?" he asked. Hibiki looked down a bit, no point in lying right? "I wanted to get some work done on my own...I am no use to anyone if I have no idea what I am doing right? So, getting some training in was the best course of action. I was perfectly safe and capable of handling it...I may not seem like much but I can handle this" he looked up, not looking down any more, he looked at each in their eyes now.

It was clear that even in a short amout of time, he had grown and the small spark of a fire within him was beginning to grow. As he did this, the bond they were beginning to feel gave a light tug, and a silence of harmony fell over the lot for a moment. Cion nodded, clapping his plate like hands together "in all honesty, if you had not have come this way, we would not be meeting the others..so it is a win win" he nodded. Hibiki smiled, Cion was in his own way attempting to make him feel better and it was nice. The little AI was the closest thing to a friend he had at the moment. He was not sure even if any of the others liked him in the least. He could not blame them, but he would do his best to get better and not be a burden upon them anymore.

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Hibiki asked how he had known about the others, but Bastien did not say before Cion floated over and began talking to the boy. Truth was, he was picking up on minute traces of change within the electrical balances in the air and the energy around him. Explaining that was more of a pain to those who did not know what he was talking about. When Hibiki began talking again, he looked at the male. He was so young, being stuck in a mess like this...the others only seemed to see him as a kid at the moment.

He was in a sense, but..there was something more about him, that Bastien couldn't put his finger on for the moment. There was something there that wasn't present in the others. He smiled a bit warmly. As the silence fell, he felt a slight tug within his own heart, a hand lightly moving to his chest. Impossible...in such a short time...was he already forming a bond with this Nine? He looked at Hibiki again, he certainly was a curious one indeed. Bastien had a feeling he could expect great things from this kid in the future, and that, made this a little more exciting.

Chumana watched as Ryker approached holding Masuyo. The other woman really needed to rest her leg and was really going to need a splint if she kept walking on it. Sighing as she watched her father like figure approach, she accepted his arms around her neck in a hug. Smiling slightly, she put her hands on his arms. That's when he noticed Bastien, and she quirked a brow again. Seems like Alpha and Ryker didn't really like number three. "Well of course, though I nearly shot Three. I thought he had kidnapped Hibiki." the native woman said, mostly to the man hugging her. Smiling a bit wider as he nuzzled her neck, she turned and gave him a hug. His warmth was something she needed right now. The woman despised being by new and different people, his familiarity helped. "She likes you. But don't go and be a silly boy. Keep your head on your shoulders, and don't over do it." she advised, knowing that his mind was on Masuyo and the new member of their group. Sighing she looked over the male, making sure he was still doing okay after being poisoned. He was looking good for someone who nearly died some hours ago. Turning her gaze back to three she then glanced to Ryker. "Should I have killed him?" she asked softly and then stepped away. She didn't want Masuyo to think that she was going to take her man, he was a father to her, but she was no longer a child. She shouldn't cling.

Hearing the words of the others, the woman sighed. So they wait. Sitting down on the top of the car once again she pulled out her hunting knife from her thigh and the piece of wood she had been working on for some time. Two years ago she had found it, and Ryker had pretended it was a flute, now she was almost complete with making it just that. She just needed to add a few more details and it would be finished. Running her hands over the instrument lovingly, she sighed softly. Her hands moved and worked the wood with a knowing and talent. Her body stayed on alert, and she looked up every few minutes, to make sure they were not in danger. Finishing the last hole, she smiled lightly and then began carving vines into the flute more, giving the thing something more beautiful to match the music it would soon play.

Seeing the almost pained look in the man’s eyes she wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have made the joke or she had said something wrong. For some reason when Ryker said there was something he needed to tell her if they considered their possible future she felt a knot in her stomach. She didn’t care about the past. It didn’t really matter much anymore, what was important was the present. Masuyo gave him a simple nod as a reply.

Of course when he picked her up again she sighed in disapproval which was ignored once again. When he sat her down she was happy to be on the ground again. She frowned slightly when the male left her side, but it was probably for the best. The woman didn’t move from the spot Ryker had placed her. For now she wanted to keep her distances from everyone. Her hazel eyes moved to Hibiki and some strange guy. Something about the stranger didn’t set well with her. She didn’t know what it was, but he was going to have to prove to her that he could be trusted. “I’m glad to see that you’re alright Hibiki,” she said giving the boy a smile.

Listening to the others she had no problem with waiting. The rest would do her leg good. She moved away from the others a little, taking a seat on the rusted hood of a nearby car. Not paying attention to those around her she rubbed her hands together before holding them barely above the injured area of her leg. It was a little trick that her best friend taught her to relieve pain and heal wounds. Unfortunately it wouldn’t help much, but it was worth trying at least. While sitting there she stared at her injured leg wondering why she was with these people. Right now she was nothing more than a burden they didn’t need. She had made a foolish mistake and now it could cost more than just her. With a sigh she pushed her negative thoughts away.

Like Ryker had said they were all part of a family now. This meant they would stick together, fighting and protecting each other. She would do what she could. First thing she needed to do was show the others that they didn’t need to worry so much about her. She was strong and capable even in this condition. Trying to push Ryker away would be hard, but if she wasn’t able to then she would know that he really did have feelings for her. Looking up her eyes moved from one person to the next until they finally fell onto Bastien. The man looked slightly familiar now that she thought about it. No, it was probably a mistake she hadn’t met any of the other experiments before now. At least not that she could remember anyway.

Sky flipped the coin that would decide their course of action. Sadly, she was out of practice, and the coin went flying a few feet to the side. She sighed, and walked over to it, picking it up. "Tails. So, we head east. You set to go?" She asked.

As she turned back towards Leila, something caught her eye. "Do you see...movement? Over there, in that car lot?" She pointed towards where she thought she may have seen the signs of life. "It could be beasts, maybe that one named Tony. Or, it could be people. You never know." The smart thing would have been to probably leave it alone. The odds of it being dangerous were through the roof.

But Sky wasn't really one to make smart choices in the past. "I'm gonna check it out! You coming? Or staying here?" She gave an adventurous grin.

A loud hiss echoed throughout the forest not far beyond the sight of the now collapsed cave. An angry rumbled shook the nearby trees and scattered the local wildlife as they fled in fear. Sharp yellow eyes landed on the massive form of the white tiger and narrowed dangerously. "This is your fault," she hissed at him as she ran her tail against her wings, loose feathers falling, the friction also aiding to the peeling the had started across the Queen's entire form.

"Had you not have let them surprise you, we would have wiped them out already," her fangs were exposed as her body lifted higher than the male to allow her to look down on him. She tucked her wings in, expanding them rapidly several times as her lower half coiled around all the roughage it could find. She growled again before slithering away from the male.

That fight had irritated her enough and banged her up enough to force her to molt and shed. It was a situation she never liked, for those it was much quicker than what it would be for the usual beasts, her mutations caused her to gain more human features every time it happened. If she got hurt, her body would automatically do it in order to heal itself, it wasn't something she had control over.

Quetzal was gone for only a few moments until she heard the sound of something flying towards them and quickly. Holding a wing out, the black bird beast landed and frantically began chattering to her. As she began to move back towards Malo, the bird creature moved to the Queen's shoulder. "Perhaps you have a chance to redeem yourself," the snake beast hissed, her voice a bit more clear than it had been before, her facial features softer, her hair a bit longer. "The experiments have been spotted and he's going to lead you to them." She would wait for Malo to make whatever response he desired before she would direct the small bird to take flight and lead the male to his targets.

---------- Post added 04-24-2014 at 09:46 PM ----------

Bella had taken to sitting on the edge of the concrete that housed the poor shrub. Lifting a hand, she pet the thing, talking to it as though it were a dog or patient house cat. "City, no place," she replied to the plant, only knowing what a 'city' was based on the stories that it had told her. The humans were once very kind to the shrub; they made sure it stayed watered, pretty and healthy. From time to time, they would even decorate it. Now though, now was different. With the humans gone, the shrub was not in a place to take care of itself.

The shrub continued to speak to the woman until she felt a tap on her head. She turned, a small smile on her face as she greeted the dark skinned creature known as Tony. Even as he reprimanded her, the smile remained. When he tugged her closer to her, she let out a slight yelp in surprise, though Drip didn't seem concerned as he managed to somehow lay down partly on the sidewalk and road to continue the conversation with the shrub.

As he questioned her, she blinked up at him slowly before turning her head to look back at the shrub, pointing as she did. I was just walking and fell. He saw me and asked if I was alright. We talked for a bit, he's very "Sad," was all that the woman actually said allowed in response.

She did not understand what the problem was. She hadn't alerted anyone to his presence, nor did she attack anyone without the Queen's command. All she did was strike up a conversation with a poor plant that needed help.

"I'm surrounded by lunatics!" Tony murmured to himself. What what was this woman thinking. She was going to blow their cover. If the experiments didn't notice him, the Queen would. He was trying so far to avoid her. Tony knew that she wasn't overly found of the big-eared beast-man. If anything, she would probably be pissed as he saved Bella over saving his Queen. Oops! Oh well, Bella was more important than a snake-queen.

Wait. Did he really just say Bella was more important than the scary lady who ruled him.

Moaning, he whacked himself in the head. Tony, don't you dare start having feelings for this idiot woman. She's not your type, literally. She's also stupid. I mean, who talks to plants! Such a freak. Might be wise to ditc- oh god, she's being cute again.

"Staaap," he pushed her head aside. "You need to stop being so reckless. You can't just talk to plants in public, not with the boss lady in the area." He could smell her toxic breath from a mile away. With a shudder, he prodded Bella's breast. "Any of this getting through to you? We need to stay hidden so we don't end up dead. Got it?"

---------- Post added 04-25-2014 at 08:55 AM ----------

Ignoring Bastien for now, Ryker looked from Hibiki to Cion. So two more would be joining them? How interesting. Perhaps these two would be less of a hassle than Bastien. Truthfully, he was hoping they would be better than Hikibi too. The kid had wandered off at least twice now. Masuyo, who left due to feeling like the oddball, was excused for she was shaping up nicely. She started to recognize that they were a family. Thinking of her, his eyes slid over to her and he gave her a smile.

"So once we get the entire crew rounded up, then what?" It was nice to have a plan and a direction. They spent too many days just doing things aimlessly -- and look how it got them. Ryker was still laced with burns and Masuyo had an injured leg. The rest seemed to fair well, despite being viciously attacked by a group of mutated beasts. Must be a perk of being made later on, he mused. It made sense. By then the scientist was smart enough to include genes and powers that would aid in the healing process. Alpha, Ryker, Bastien -- they were probably the least lucky of the crew.

With an uneasy shuffle, he moved so that he was close to both Ana and Masuyo. He didn't like just standing there. They were still in the open, at least to him. And it didn't help that his nerves were fraying. Monsters lurked this area and for all he knew, they were just a click away from them.

"I don't get why we didn't move to the mall. More shelter in there than standing by a pile of broken cars," he muttered to no one. With Ana and Masuyo being so close, they probably heard him. The rest? They would have missed it, unless they had super-hearing as Cion and Hikibi were chatting.

Hibiki felt the shift in Ryker's mind, looking over at the male. He felt like the other's opinion of him was slipping even more. That hurt a bit, causing him to look away from the other. So, he was still nothing more than a burden really. Cion poked him a bit, "you ok?" he asked, seeming to pick up on his lowered emotional vibes. Hibiki nodded. "We're fine here" Bastien said, "nothing can sneak up on us with two of use being more...alert" he glanced at Hibiki with a slight smile. The action did help to cause Hibiki to smile a bit as well. "If you want to be useful" Bastien continued, "find something to brace her leg with."

At this point, he had picked up on the wounded female Masuyo. He stepped over to her, ignoring possible looks or resistance from Ryker. "You should sit.." he says, gently leading her to a car to sit down and lessen the strain on her leg. He kneeled, gently examining the damage done. Cion floated over, explaining what his scans had picked up. Bastien nodded, looking to the female. "This might sting a bit at first...but it will help with the pain and the healing" he gave her a warm smile. He cared little if the others were watching, gently placing his right hand upon the back of her calf. At first, it would have possibly felt like a pin had pricked her, than another and another, as a heat began to rise within the wounded area.

He moved his hand slowly along her leg, carefully adjusting and aligning it as he went. Over time however, the pain ebbed away to a numb almost plesant feeling, which would cause the pressure and the tension to lesson. On a microscopic and scientific level, Bastien was currently sending tiny pulses of electricity through her leg. This was stimulating the cells of muscle and even bone. It would speed up the healing prosses immensely. "With a few more treatments...it should be perfectly healed within another day or two" he said, looking up at her. Hibiki watched, curious and impressed. Bastien seemed to have his own medical knowledge, and dispite apparent quarrels with Ryker and Alpha, he put Masuyo's health first. That was not the makings of a bad guy. He paused then, looking towards the direction of the mall. The presences he felt in that direction were shifting. They were heading this way now. Should he speak up? Ryker's thoughts popped back into his head, causing him to stay silent.


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Malo flinched slightly at the Queen's anger. His tail gave a twitch, as his ears lowered. His fault? He let out a low growl but said nothing, the Queen was angry and needed someone to lash out on. If it had been anyone else, he would have ripped them appart by now piece by piece. He looked at her. "There are few places the foolish humans can go" he said, "and they are far no match for us..they have only prolongued the enevitable." The bird entered the area, and Malo watched it approach the queen. He knew the bird, it was one who hung around that creepy sky witch Rava. His fur bristled, that witch...he did not like her indeed. He said nothing though, waiting for the Queen to speak. When she did, his ear gave a twitch. To redeem himself? He had done nothing wrong, though saying that out loud would only waste time and most likely anger the woman even more.

He nodded slightly, watching as the bird took off once more. He stood, rising to his own full and massive height. "I will not let them harm this world any more...." he turned, taking off as a massive roar escaped from him in the process. His skills as a cat made getting down the mountain and following the bird easy. He was fast and agile, dispite his size. He could cover large distances in a short time with the power coursing through his body. His anger also fueled him. Even now, he was thinking of the Queen. He would make those sacks of meat pay for upsetting her and angering her with him. He had let the small one get him off guard a bit, but this time, he would be the first Malo would sink his claws into. He roared once more, picking up his speed.

With Chumana and Ryker nearby she felt a little better. The woman still held her hands just above the injured part of her leg, focusing her energy just like her friend had taught her to do. The wounded area was starting to heat up which was a good sign that this trick was working. She looked up at Ryker. “Maybe there is something lurking over there that Cion is picking up on his scanner. Even with there being more shelter at the mall this place doesn’t seem too bad. There are quite a few hiding spots even with it being in the open.” Masuyo gave the male a weak smile, feeling red returning her cheeks momentarily as what he had asked her earlier popped back into her mind.

The raven and crimson haired woman shifted uneasily in a failed attempt to pull away and ended up dropping her spear when Bastien came over and started to lead her away. “I can do this myself,” she half hissed at him. Stop fussing over me damn it. I’m tired of this. Oh how she wanted to just shout those words at them. Being hurt didn’t mean she was helpless. “Fine….if you’re like the others you won’t listen to me anyway,” she huffed at him. The woman was clearly in a feisty mood despite her condition. She flinched slight at first as he started doing whatever he was doing.

The pain faded which surprised her. This was working much better than the trick she was trying. It was easy to tell she was feeling frustrated. Looking down at Bastien she mumbled, “thank you.” Really she wasn’t sure what to make of this new man. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that told her to use caution around him.

Her hazel eyes moved to Hibiki and she smiled, but really she wanted to smack the boy for being foolish. Then again maybe she felt that way because of her annoyance with the situation she had let herself get into. “You had us worried. I know that wandering off to get training in and to just be alone seemed like a good idea, but next time at least let someone know you’re going. Don’t follow my example from the other night.” She reached out to ruffle Hibiki’s hair. She found herself looking over to Chumana and Ryker as if to ask if she was being too soft on the kid.

Leila couldn't help but crack a smile as the coin went flying a few feet tot he side. She herself never could get the coin to straight back down from where it was flipped from. In fact in was amazing she could the coin at all. And tails it was. "I'm all set, and ready to rock!" She said it abit too cheerful, probably due to the fact she was reminicsing about her own coin tosses and flips.

One of Leila's brows raised as she noticed the look on Skys' face. Movement int he car lot? she thought as she turned behind her to go see. "Hmm..ye... maybe. Just maybe." Leila replied and took a step back mentally when sky mention beast or people. "More people, but what are the chan--" she couldn't finish as Sky was already on the move. But Sky had stopped and turned around to ask if she was coming or was she going to stay here. Leila looked around one last time before following after Sky. "So what do you think will greet us when we get to the lot? I say, if it's monsters I hope we catch wind of them first before they do."