On the Run

[Diamond Dragon]

Ooc: Oooh, ok! *head desk* Sorry about missunderstanding... ^^;;

Bic:

-Nya-

Nya nodded and stood up. She was eager to get going and learn all she needed to know about the mission. She walked out of the restaurant into the street with Ralen...

Ooc2: Please forgive the short post..

[Oddood198]

OOC: Nah, it's fine, sorry about causing the misunderstanding.

BiC:


Ralen blinked a couple times, it was quite a bit brighter outside than in the closed resturaunt, and the seasonal heat of summer, even this early in the day, was significantly more than it was in the air-conditioned building. Ralen pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his bag and put them over his eyes, "All right, my place is just down this way." He turned left and began walking, it would take somewhere between seven and twelve minutes to get from here to his house, "Sorry I didn't bring my car, but I prefer to walk these short distances, you know how gas prices are nowadays." He said to Nya as they walked.

[Wolfsong]

-Titi-

"O...okay." Truth be told, she didn't want to anyway. She hated being alone. With a lot of emotional effort, she resumed visablity. She curled up near Tiger, tried her hardest to ignore the sudden rumble of her hungry stomach, and tried to sleep again.

-Carolina-

Her eyes were extremely wide, and it was only through some inner control that she wasn't screaming. She was, however, staring extremely hard at the small red fox that was looking about cautiously. Was it afraid someone had spotted it? Probably. Would it spot her, if not sniff out her scent? With an inner wince, she also thought probably and remained extremely still, hoping against hope that...person, thing, just wouldn't notice her after all, through some miracle.

[Banana Lobster]

In the woods, 9:34

Safiya let out a sigh of relief when she saw no one. Turning her attention back to finding the elusive town, she darted through the trees, her nose to the ground. She was starting to get truly frustrated when she caught a new scent. Having always eaten the bland, tasteless food at the lab, this new scent smelled heavenly to her. Without thinking, she ran as fast as she could, and before she knew it, she was out of the woods, and inside the outskirts of the town.

Safiya skidded to a stop when she heard a loud shot. A young woman was waving around a stick and yelling. "Hey! You! Get out of here!"

Safiya bolted for the safety of the woods, her heart pounding. She didn't stop running until she found Tiger and Titi. Her heart still racing, she didn't move out of sight before turning back. As she leaned back against a tree, gasping for breath, she managed to smile at the two.

"Hi guys, miss me much?"

Havenmore, outside of Ralen's home, 12:17

Doesn't look like much from the outside, does it? She shook her head and walked up to the front door. She knocked and leaned back against the wall next to the door. Lighting a match, she lit the cigarette and took a breath, carelessly waving the hand holding the lit match back and forth until the small flame went out. Breathing out slowly, she watched the smoke rise, listening for footsteps inside the house.

She glanced at the watch on her wrist, frowning. It shouldn't take so long to answer the door. Taking another drag, she rapped her knuckles against the door again, harder this time. If he doesn't answer soon, I'll have to assume he started without me. Letting her eyes close, she mentally reviewed the details of her mission. So, superpowered kids, huh? One eye opened, it's gaze locking onto the young woman across the street, working in her garden.

[Diamond Dragon]

-Tiger-

"What took ya? Did you find the town?" asked Tiger, looking down at Safiya. He oticed that she looked slightly spooked. "...You didn't see any Hunters, did you?" he said.

-Nya-

"Do I ever..." Nya replied. She didn't have a car of her own, because she felt it was too much money to keep it. Instead she took cabs, which were cheaper (at least she thought so). As she and Ralen turned a corner, she saw a woman standing at the doorstep of one of the houses. "Is that your house?" she asked. "And if so, who's that? another partner?"

-Julie-

Julie soon arrived back at home with her mom, and she went up to her room. She was still thinking about what Veronica said about the strange creature in the woods. It fired her curiosity. What if there really was something in there....was it friendly? Or not? What exactly did it look like? Julie wanted to find out. Opening her window, Julie stepped out onto the roof. Crawling carefully across the red tinted shingles, she reached a tall oak tree which grew conveniently close by, and dropped onto a branch. Then Julie climbed down the tree, and snuck behind the house towards the woods...

[Oddood198]

Ralen looked ahead, "Well, that's my house all right..." He said, then frowned slightly, "But I don't know her. I wasn't told about a third agent on the mission." He continued walking, and once they had gotten to his front yard he waved to the woman in front of his door. "Good morning, miss, can I help you with something?" He asked her.

[Banana Lobster]

In the woods, 9:39

"Yes I found the town, and no, I didn't see any Hunters. I was looking for the town as a fox, but I something smelled amazing, and ended up just inside the town by accident." Safiya said, pushing herself back onto her feet. She motioned for them to follow her, a wide grin already spreading across her face as she thought about the amazing-smelling food. "Come on, you won't believe how good the food smells until you've tried it yourself!" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and started walking at a brisk pace.

Ralen's house, 12: 25

Sheesh, how much attention can you give a bed of flowers before they finally die? Rolling her eyes, she started scanning the area. Again. Seeing a young man and a younger woman coming around the corner, her hand that wasn't holding a cigaret dropped to her hip bags. For a few moments, she wondered if the two were a couple, then discarded the idea. They didn't look in the least bit like a couple. They were probably her...associates finally showing their faces after making her wait. If they weren't regular people just coming home for some reason or another.

She studied the two of them, taking note of their appearance, and waiting until they were within speaking range. It wasn't until the man called out to her and she was forced to speak with him that she actually did anything besides watch. She figured that, if he wasn't the one she was looking for, she could at least get a better idea of where to look for this Ralen guy.

"I guess that depends," she replied, pushing herself away from the wall, and resettling her satchel in a more comfortable position in the same movement. "I'm looking for a man called Ralen Masonric, who I have some important business with. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you?"

[Oddood198]

"Looking for Ralen Masonric?" Ralen asked, "Well, look no further, you're speaking to him." He extended his hand out to the woman, "Pleasure to meet you. You say you have some important business with me? If you're trying to sell me something, I'll just save you the trouble, no thanks. He said. He couldn't think of any business he would have with anyone, his publisher wasn't supposed to come by for another two weeks, and his online shipment wasn't supposed to be here for a few more days, so unless this woman was tying to sell him something or tell him the good news, he couldn't think of what she wanted.

[Banana Lobster]

Outside Ralen's house, 12:27

Lifting up one foot, she stubbed out the cigarette using the sole of her boot. Slapping her hand firmly against his, she shook hands with him. A strong grip, well-toned muscles, a fighter's stance. Yes, this is Ralen Masonric the Hunter. I'll try and get his picture, to add to his profile. She looked at Nya, taking her in as well, not that she needed too. Nya Hinomi, the Hunter whose initiation I was in charge of two years ago. She did well enough, thought I wish I could have gotten a closer look at those two swords of her's. I may never use swords, but like Papa said, you can never know too much, especially when you're talking about weapons.

"My name's Evalina, I'm a researcher of rare animals. I heard a rumor that there was a new animal never before recorded in the woods nearby here. I also heard that you were the one to see the animal." Eva forced herself to smile convincingly at Nya, before turning back to Ralen, still wearing that blasted smile. "I don't suppose you could help me Hunt it down, Mr. Masonric? You know, so that I can study it in it's natural habitat. Maybe eventually attempt to catch it as well, so I can have a closer look at it. Or is that asking too much of you, Mr. Masonric?"

[Diamond Dragon]

-Tiger-

That was all Tiger needed to hear. "Alright, let's go!" He quickly stood up, and started walking in the direction Safiya had come in, completely forgetting he was still 15 foot tall.

-Nya-

Nya again confused for just a moment before catching on. She recognized Evalina as well, but left the conversation between her and Ralen.

[Oddood198]

After shaking Evalina's hand, Ralen let his own drop back to his side. His brow furrowed in confusion, but his smile didn't fade, he was a bit if a smiled. "A rare animal huh? Well, can't refuse an offer like that, why don't we step inside and discuss some details?" He said, So, she is a Hunter. he thought, I wasn't informed there would be a third... Perhaps she was called in last-minute?
Walking to his door and unlocking it, then pushing it open. He reached in and flipped on a light switch, then stepped back, "After you, ladies." He said, gesturing toward the open forest.

The immediate interior was nice but plain, the walls were whiteand the floor was hardwood, to the right was the living room, there was a couch and two chairs to sit on, ands flat screen TV mounted to the wall. To the left was a small dining area with nice wooden chairs and a table, and straight ahead was a hallway, the end of which was still dark.

[Banana Lobster]

In the woods, 9:47

"Come on guys, we're almost there!" Safiya called over her shoulder. She had been so excited, she had ended up running most of the way, instead of walking like she meant to. Looking ahead, she could see the trees thinning out, the way becoming brighter as more sunlight was let through the branches of the smaller trees that grew at the edge of the woods.

But before she could see the houses, she saw something else that made her dig in her heels. Skidding to a stop, she stared in shock at the dark-haired girl in front of her. Even as her eyes widened, her lips curved upwards in a nervous smile, and Safiya unconsciously braced herself to run as fast and far as she could. Oh crud.

Inside Ralen's house, 12:31

Eva walked into the living room and looked around, scanning for any kind of listening device or camera. Yes, Ralen was another Hunter, but one could never be too careful. All pretense of being a cheerful, normal person vanished, along with her smile. She didn't bother sitting down, just took a few steps in, turned to face them, and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Alright, I was called in last-minute, and I have some new information for you two. There are three kids, a boy and two girls. The boy's power is he can change his size, and the girls' powers are that one of them can turn invisible, and the other can change into animals. They haven't been seen in Havenmore, so they must still be somewhere in the nearby woods. And the kids must be returned alive." Eva uncrossed her arms, pushing herself away from the wall and pointing a finger at the two of them.

"And before we get started looking for these kids, let's get a few things straight. I," she jerked a thumb at herself, "am not a team player. I'd rather be searching for these kids on my own, or not at all. If you get in front of my guns when I'm shooting, I won't hesitate. We're expendable, every one of us, so don't go thinking I'm not gonna shoot because you're irreplaceable. Got it?"

[Wolfsong]

-Tit-

She struggled to keep up with them, constantly tripping over the stray root or hole or whatever else. And then Safiya suddenly stopped still so she crashed into her. She looked past her quickly to see what made her stop, and her heart was suddenly in her throat.
Who was that?! A Hunter?!
She clung to Safiya, hoping against hope they could get away.

-Carolina-

How grateful she was that...person hadn't seen her. She carefully picked the roots she had gone to get in the first place and returned to her new stockpile. With a bit of effort, she had already crafted a makeshift container out of bark. Now, with some extreme care, she was trying for a fire to make it a little more appitizing.
She suddenly heard loud crashing in the bushes behind her and whirled around, fists clenched for a fight. Into view came two girls and a boy, who also stopped dead at the sight of her. With a stab of fright, she recognized that girl she had seen change into a fox. An instinct born from living in the wild kept her face completely clear, though inside her thoughts were a little wild. She took a closer look at them. They seemed like a bunch of runaways, or maybe even outcasts or orphans, like herself. Outcasts more likely, considering what that one girl could do. They didn't look like siblings. They looked tired and hungry, considering the pinched-in cheeks. Slowly, she straightened, forcing herself to seem nonchalant.
"Well hello. Who the heck are you?"

[Oddood198]

Ralen took the new information on their targets into account, shapeshifting, shapechanging, and invisibility... He thought. This could make them very hard to find, if one could shrink himself, one could turn invisible, and one could turn into any given animal... Oh yeah, I am SO writing a book about this!

Once his thoughts were processed, he turned his attention back to Evanila, "So... You'll kill us if we get in your line of fire... So you're trying to capture these kids using deadly force... Never mind." He shook his head briefly, "In any case, since you don't seem to be much of a team player or people person in general, I doubt we'll see much of each other. And the last thing I need is some trigger-crazy gun nut thinking they're so awesome just because they have a secret government job getting in my way. So, if you've said all you wanted to, I would kindly ask you to remove yourself from my home." His tone, while still friendly, had taken on a positively frosty tone to it. He was usually easygoing and laid back, but stuck-up people who didn't care about any life -human or otherwise- always rubbed him the wrong way, and he could tell just from listening to her for one minute, that was exactly what she was.

[Diamond Dragon]

-Tiger-

Tiger stopped dead when he also saw the younger girl. However, she didn't seem worried a the sight of him, even though he had forgotten to shrink. By the look of her, she didn't look much better than he, Titi, or Safiya were...

-Julie-

Julie peeked out at the foursome with wide eyes. That huge boy! he must've been the one that Rina caught a glimpse of! But who were the other four, and why were they all back here in the woods? They didn't look like they had eaten well for awhile... Julie kept watching and listening.

-Nya-

Oh yeah, Eva was just as uncaring and unpleasant as Nya remembered... but at least she gave them new info. Nya couldn't help but think having powers like those would make her life so much more interesting. Too bad she couldn't get in on that. But she had one question. "What do the kids look like?"

[Banana Lobster]

In the woods, 9:50

Fight or flight? was the question running through Safiya's mind. On the one hand, if they chose to attack, this girl could easily be a Hunter in disguise, and then there was no telling what would happen to them. But on the other hand, if they ran, they would have to search for food elsewhere, and this girl already had enough for all three of them from the looks of it. But on the first hand, they only knew that if they were caught by a Hunter, they would be either killed like that poor boy-Samuel was his name, could move things around with his mind-or they would be dragged back, which was easily just as bad. But on the second hand, there was food, and really good-looking food, that would likely taste amazing.

Go with the choice that could get them killed-or go with the choice that they knew was safe? Her thoughts went back and forth, her stomach arguing with her mind. But before she could make up her mind, her stomach decided to call for help-letting out a loud grumble that she was sure the other girl could hear. Before anyone else could respond, she hissed to the other two so the girl wouldn't hear her;

"Guys-if she makes a move towards us, run for it. I'll hold her off." She already had an animal in mind in case she needed to defend herself. She only hoped she would have the time to transform.

Ralen's house, 12:35

Eva shrugged. "No clue-they refused to give me any more information aside from what I just told you. And you're wrong, by the way." She looked back at Ralen, "We all have to check in with each other at regular intervals, and whenever we find something that could help us track them down." Walking out the door, she hurled the word "Orders," over her shoulder.

Walking outside again, she stopped to light another cigarette. Well, that went rather well. Slowly letting out the smoke, she watched it rise before continuing along the street. Might as well start where they were last sighted. She let out an annoyed sigh. Great-back into the woods. Just lovely.

[Wolfsong]

-Titi-

She nodded slowly, then whispered, "But what if she is a Hunter? You could be..."

-Carolina-

She waited. The girl in front seemed to whisper something to the two behind her. She tried again.
"I won't bite or anything. Heck, we both look to be the same, street kids who no one gives a darn about, and unlike some street punks looking for trouble, I won't hurt you or anything. So c'mon, what are your names?" deciding a more friendlier approach might be better, she tried another tack.
"I'm...Caro. Now, surely you'd trust someone who's given you their name?"
It wasn't her full name, but it was a good enough nickname. Close enough so what she said wouldn't make her seem like a hypocrite.

[Banana Lobster]

In the Woods, 9:53

Safiya's eyes darted to the food, (which was enough for a single meal for all three of them) and back to the girl--Caro. Her name was Caro. Well, she gave us her name, so she can't be too bad. Can she? Her tongue darted out, moistening her lips. On the inside, Safiya was reading herself to run. On the outside, she smiled ever so slightly, her hand gesturing towards the pile of food.

"You're right. We might be a little more trusting of you. If you'd care to share that is."

Elsewhere in the woods, 1:05

Eva stared silently at the sight in front of her, her lips twitching upwards ever so slightly in a smirk. A clearing of crushed saplings, small trees, and assorted brush lay before her. It was a clear indicator that the kids had been here, and because it was only the day after they escaped, Eva knew they couldn't be far off. And since they had been raised in a lab, they'd leave a trail, of this she was certain.

Moving along the edges of the small clearing, she soon found the kid's trail. Pausing, she pulled out her small radio and quickly found the frequency that she knew Ralen would have his own radio set to.

"Hey. I'm in the woods, at the edge of a clearing the boy left behind. I found a trail, I'm going to follow it for now. Watch the edge of the woods in case any of them get away."

Without waiting for a reply, she replaced her radio in her satchel and ducked below the brushline, silently following the trail of broken branches and bent-over saplings before her.

[Wolfsong]

-Carolina-

She smiled faintly. They were hungry. Well, she'd gathered enough, she could probably share.
"Sure," she said, motioning to her pile. "But I hope you like the taste of dried bark. Its a little bitter, but if you give me some time to extract the peppermint extract from this," she held up the piece in her hand. "I might be able to alter that a little. Still interested?"

[Oddood198]

Ralen looked down at his radio, he had just sat down for a nice lunch at his house when he got the message. He sighed, pushing away the no-doubt delicious plate of lasagna and garlic bread, and instead took a slice of cold pizza out of the refrigerator. He picked up his bag and slung it around his shoulder, briefly feeling it to be sure his gun and knife where still there, then grabbed his radio and headed out the door.
As he began the walk to the forest -it wasn't long from his house- he adjusted his radio to Nya's frequency. "I was just contacted by Evanlina, she says she may have found the kids in the forest, and to watch the area and be sure they dint get away. I'm on the way now, I trust you can find a forest?" He added the last part half-jokingly, then held the radio to his face, waiting for a response.