359 replies to this topic

[Fujoshi Otaku]

Fay froze when Justin began to shout at him, terrified further by the sight of his eyes. "N-no," he muttered, sounding a little shaken, when Justin apologized. "I'm sorry...I never thought anyone I'd seen before would come here, so I was a little more paranoid than usual. I can't control what he does, so please don't hurt him. He's just a baby, and his mother was killed a week ago. He's alone, too." He knew that last sentence, if any, would get to Justin, because that was exactly how Justin seemed...lonely. And, he wanted to help him, somehow. Was it even possible to help a teleporter who couldn't control his powers? He could be gone at any second. Surely the low confidence in his own ability wasn't helping, either. But, before Fay could even begin to point that out, he heard the next thing Justin said, and his heart sank.
"But..." he whispered, the unbearable guilt returning. "That...that can't be what he wanted...He wanted to make everything equal. If he'd wanted humans dead, he would have killed us all in Brazil..." Now he was worried about the others. What if they were dead? What if he, Justin and Jessie were the last humans alive? He closed his eyes, then continued moving the chair along the path. "We should talk more in the house."
It was visible now, just beyond the trees ahead of them.

Yuui took a few steps back to give Jayjay room to walk off the pillar and back onto the floor. "And, you changed your mind?" he asked, both relieved and shocked. He didn't want to have to fight someone who was alone, and clearly just trying to find something to eat before she starved, but it was rare to see someone decide not to go ahead with their attack. Even when they knew they were outnumbered, the chance of food was too important to let go of.
As Jayjay began to walk away, he added: "You know, if you'd asked, we would have shared some with you," in a way that suggested the offer was still there.
Kurogane looked up from the fire, which was cooking the cat. It was larger than a normal house cat, but barely enough to fill three people, never mind four. Then he understood. Yuui was planning to give up his own portion, because he didn't 'need' it. "If she tries anything, I wont hesitate to knock her out," he muttered.
"You can ignore Kuro-meanie...He gets grumpy when he's hungry," Yuui added dismissively.
Timmy giggled, and sat down next to the fire, still in awe at the way Jayjay had just...walked down the pillar.

[Hyena.]

Justin sighed. "..whatever. But if it bites me, I'm puntin' the damn thing."
He saw the house and smiled slighty. It was quaint and cosy, and among the trees it simultaneously blended in and stuck out. It was symbolic of the ideallic harmony Desgraca had apparently fought for.
"I don' know, Fay. Y'r prob'ly right, but I can't shake the feelin' that that feckin' cat knew this'd happen. That his equality bullshit was all a pretence."
They were in the front room, and Justin sat.
"I mean, look at his laws, restrictin' everyt'in' about us. Why bother? Why not just forbid weapons? Why outlaw research? Runnin' water, for feck's sake." He sniffed, leaning forward.
"I don' know what he wanted. But I bet I ain't the only one thinkin' along these lines."


[Post JayJay tomorrow, PS3 posting can smd]

[Yandere✯]

The Fox stretched in fays arms, giveing Jessie the equivilant of a rude look.."~My name is David stupid~" It chirped in an inhuman voice. Jessie blinked at it, and looked away. Fay was evidently teaching the animals to be rude to him aswell..
Last time he had met that little fox, it had ~mreed~ and begged him to pet it..ungratefull thing.
He was jolted more awake with the mans voice cut through the moderate silence, aiming a stream of harsh, and loud words at Fay in particular, Jessie growled, clenching his fists ((thank you for deciding that for me hyena XD)), than relaxed, when he apologized.
It had been a while since Jessie had seen another person besides Fay around here, he didint really know how to act around him,so he opted for the avoidant method.
"hn..You talk funy" He said, and walked behind Fay as they all made their way to the house as a group, and as soon as they were inside.. He went about setting up logs of wood in the brick fireplace, arangeing them precisly, than useing a match to light it, he sat for a while stokeing it, and when he was saticefied with the way it burned, he got up, and lifted Fay from his chair, very gently as he always did, and brought him over to sit next to the fire, than he brought him a blanket to put around his shoulders.

[Fujoshi Otaku]

"He's a he," Fay reminded Justin, his tone indicating that he had reached the end of his patience with that subject. "And he wont even come inside. He hates the house...Says it's just false security."
He squeezed as much water as possible out of his long hair just before they entered the house, and removed his shirt once they were inside. Then, he waited for Jessie to start the fire, and looked at Justin again, parking the chair beside the one Justin was sitting in.
"Maybe he did know," he replied thoughtfully. "But...that isn't really his fault. He wanted people to stop treating animals, and the planet the way they did, if that meant doing this, to him, there's nothing wrong about it...I don't think he had any evil intent."
He smiled as Jessie lifted him out of the chair, holding the nest in one hand, and reaching out the hand he was holding his shirt in, to take Justin's as well. Then he hung both shirts up by the fire. "Thank you," he muttered gratefully when Jessie wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and pulled the worn, but soft material closer around himself. To him, this was...almost perfect. The only thing that could make things better was to be able to have the others here as well, without them hating him, or questioning his motives. He listened to the rest of what Justin said as he cracked the eggs into a chipped bowl, and stirred them with a sterilized stick, before pouring them into a pan, to which had been tied a longish rod, which allowed him to hold the pan just within the flames without getting burned.
He let out a small laugh. "We still survive, though," he pointed out. "Well...People are dying...I know that's horrible...But, that's why we have to adapt. Who needs running water when there's a stream, and ways to clean the water? And just think of how much of that research was being done on animals...And, in the past, us." He added that part bitterly, thinking about the ICC. "At least nothing like that will ever happen again, right?" He pulled the pan back for a moment, and stirred the contents again, with a different stick, the first one having been thrown onto the fire after use. "The only thing I don't agree with is the closing of hospitals. So I make medicine for whoever needs it. Animals or humans..." His voice drifted off, and he looked back at Justin, his expression now worried. "Do you think people will try to stop Desgraca?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned about it. "I mean...Instead of doing something pointless like that...they should just adapt...It's their only hope."
Once the eggs were done, he lowered the pan onto the fireplace, and grabbed the two plates they had, and the board they used for chopping vegetables. "Sorry...We only took what we needed in case we were attacked on our way back here, and forced to drop it all. So, there's no cutlery...We made some out of sticks, and they're all clean, and never used twice." Then, he passed both plates, and two stick knives and forks up to Jessie, indicating for him to give a plate to Justin, eating his own from the board.
"And Jessie...Make fun of Justin again, and I'll tell David he can use you as a teething toy, ok?" he added sweetly.

[The Oro]

Who are you trying to fool? the empty voice asked again. She knew it all too well. How could she ever forget it? You know you can't escape what you are.

Yuki fought the images that haunted her since she was first awoken in the ICC labs. The doctors, the other tanked agents around her. She was back in the city during the Pandemic-ICC siege. Blood spattered on her suit as her blade plunged into an abnormal rebel's throat.

"You never tried to escape."

Because I knew I couldn't. The fighting froze around her. She could see herself suspended in time, still holding a knife in the young man's neck. Why waste the effort dwelling on what I am rather than putting those skills to use? A dark figure loomed over Yuki's shoulder, its fangs barely visible on its faceless head. You saw my past, you can vouch for my work.

"You couldn't escape because you were at war."

The world fell apart around her and reformed as ruins. Foliage was overgrown and the city was near crumbling. What do you think this is? Do you really think this is peace time? Yuki couldn't reply to the ghost's question. This is your extinction event, and you're letting it happen. Blood once again ran from the soldier's fangs. Its body morphed into that of a panther's, its maw gaping open with blood running from its tongue. It leered at her with hunger.

The last thing she heard was Sam's voice call "Run" before she jolted awake. Yuki countered the hyperventilation with deep breaths. The breeze chilled the sweat on her skin as she sat up. Almost immediately she found herself entangled, her hands restricted. She tried to fight out of the grapple before realizing she was in the arms of her sister, Reiko.

"Shhh, it's okay," she whispered. "It's okay, I'm here." Yuki stopped struggling and her panting ceased. "It was him again wasn't it?"

Yuki wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Yeah."

"How is that possible? You just looked into his mind once."

"I don't know. It's like his soul is just detached from his body. He truly is hollow."

Reiko stroked her sister's matted hair, trying to ease her mind off of the jail sized living quarters that they called "home", that they were more than a hundred feet underground. "I'm here now. Just try to get some sleep."



Name: Yuki
Age: 25
Race: Abnormal
Power: Emotional manipulation and mind reading.



Name: Reiko
Age: 25
Appearance:
Race: Abnormal.
Power: Barrier (Can emit protective force fields)


Brief history: Not much is known about these two sisters outside of the fact that they were formerly ICC drone operatives. That shouldn't come as a surprise, as most of the controlled agents failed to recollect anything from before they were converted to serve the agency.

Drone Agents were most often normals who ICC selectors found as physically capable of enduring their trials. Abnormals were used as well, but it was seen as more cost effective to kidnap nobodies for the program. The candidates were then surgically enhanced with strength augmentation and implants that would allow them to use synthesized Abnormal powers to their fullest. In addition to powers, they were implanted with control nodes that ICC handlers would use to keep them under constant surveillance and command.

After the release the twins in the city siege nine years ago, Yuki and Reiko, like most others in their position, sought out eachother almost as if acting off a pack mentality. Instead of any others however, they were bonded only to one another through some kind of telepathic link. Yuki theorizes that it may be the twin bond phenomenon, possibly boosted by what ICC had done to them.

The Enclave, an organization established by ICC defectors, dedicated itself to rehabilitating such people who had fallen victim to ICC's experimentation, as well as maintaining an armed force for countering any repeats from privatized companies. Their first real deployment was in Rio four years ago. Yuki and Reiko were among some of the rehabilitated who volunteered for service at the time.

Other: At the moment, the twins are laying low in a subterranean Enclave HQ. Their missions are limited to intelligence gathering and search and rescue with restrictions on lethal firearms.

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

Snow. Why did it have to be snow?

Gabriel watched as a flurry glided down and scattered on his shoulder like a miniature carpet bomb. The flakes melted almost instantly against his thermal wear. This may have been the dead of winter, but fresh snowfall was not something he had expected, same as last year. That snowfall was thought to be just a phenomenon. Weather patterns were changing now; snowfalls were coming earlier again and summers were actually ending on time for fall. It was almost as if the climate had balanced itself out.

Nonetheless, it was time to move on. Standing up from his rest, the operative slung his compound bow over his back and continued to follow the fresh set of tracks through the forest. They were human no doubt, two or three of them. There was definitely something with four legs following though. It would make for a good meal to bring back, and if not, then at least he had a chance at lucking in on refugees.

Despite his mask he could smell a distant meal being cooked over a fire. If he could pick up the scent, so could just about anything with a nose. He'd have to move quickly.




Name: Gabriel
Age: 27
Race: Abnormal
Power: Telekinesis
Brief history: Survivor of the second conflict involving ICC-Pandemic's incursion. Not much is known about Gabriel due to the fact that he can't remember much about what happened before he was taken in by ICC and converted into a controlled agent. He can't even remember his last name, just the fighting aspect of his life and his ability to decide right from wrong.

After assisting in the evacuation of Rio, Gabriel volunteered to leave the safety of Enclave hideouts to scavenge or rescue any surface dwellers if needed.

Other: Since Enclave has agreed to restrict practically all uses of firearms to keep from breaking agreement, Gabriel continues to use his katana. In addition, he has familiarized himself with a compound bow.

[Phoenix]

(Lol at Sam in Africa)

Name: Catarina
Age: 27
Race: Abnormal
Power: Full healing and extension of nails
Appearance: (Shut up! Perfect candidate! >.<)
Brief history: Victim of the ICC, and one of the controlled agents in the Pandemic/ICC attack. Once released by Adam and Tim's attack on the controller's, she fought along side the others, though she focussed her energy on healing as many as possible.

Name: Claudio Marine
Age: 68
Race: Abnormal
Power: Shape shifting into any kind of fish (That includes sharks but not dolphins and octopi) and control of the element of water.
Appearance: Strongly built man, with rusty copper hair streaked with grey, Turquoise eyes and pale skin, tinted blue. (I couldn't find an image anywhere near right.)
Brief history: Several centuries ago, when Abnormals were feared and treated like myth or burnt at the stake, a group of abnormals with water based abilities took to the seas, taking refuge there. Claudio is a descendant of that group. He had two daughters, and has two grandchildren.

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

Grace rolled her eyes at his pessimistic view. "Only, if you were asleep, you wouldn't be able to warn the rest of us." She replied just as indifferently to his fate. Rolling her eyes again, she replied "I do sleep, thanks. Just not as much as you, lazy lump." She teased, then her face turned into one of mock concern. "Awww, does it need a kiss better?" She asked, her eyes full of amusement. Grace smirked, feinting as if to hit him again. "Absolutely."
As he wisely stopped mucking around, Grace followed him in. "Okay, fair enough. Though, I think, especially for someone like you, you need to get more training in."
Smiling as she sat down on the battered sofa, Grace rolled her eyes at the TV effect. "I know you can't, and don't overexert yourself." His next comment made Grace laugh. "Typical. I hope they're over the nuke plan." The nuke plan had been to break into the storage facility which contained the deactivated nuclear missiles, steal them, and then assemble them, as a threat to Desgraca. The main flaw in that was that it takes 15 years to assemble a nuclear missile and that humans would die too, and they couldn't afford that kind of loss of life.

Adam was dragging a small deer, enough to feed quite a few people, when he saw a flash of flame. around the corner. Adam saw Liam as the boy's eyes slowly changed back to turquoise, wincing at the stink of burnt flesh. "I couldn't save her, either." Liam whispered, looking at the ash. The little girl had died in his arms before he'd even got close to Grace. "Everyone's dying, and no one's doing a thing!" Liam continued, angry with himself, even as he accepted the hug. Then, Adam remaining silent, Liam helped him carry the deer corpse to their home, careful to avoid other people.

[Hyena.]

"Maybe not." Justin agreed. "But I don't think ye know about that sorta thin', an' then go on to do it anyway. I mean, the animal's are runnin' the planet now, are they not? It ain't equal out there, not by a long shot."
He sat back in his chair. "I don' know. And as long as I'm survivin', frankly, I don' care either." He watched as Fay prepared the food. He was the most adapted to this new life that he'd ever seen. Any other groups were ramshackle, drifters, no shelter, scavenging and killing animal and human alike for food. But Fay..Fay was fine. A thought crossed Justin's mind that his betrayal had been for some benefits of Fay's own, but he shook it away. It had been four years ago, and if that deal hadn't been made, they'd be dead.
"There are healers out there." Justin said when Fay spoke of medicine. "I never get healers, they're always for everyone else..but they're doin' what they can. When they're not bein' hunted down and kept in cages." He shook his head. There was some brutal stuff going on in the world.
He look at Fay. "Probably. You said it yourself, we survive. It's human instinct. We're a warring species, doubly so when our survival is threatened. There will be fighting against Desgraca..but whether we'll win is debatable."
He took the eggs gratefully, eating slowly to savour the taste. "Ye've given me shelter, food, and company. Don' ye be apologisin' now." He finished his meal and set the plate aside. He looked at Jessie.
"And ye think funny. Problem?" He chuckled at Fay.

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

"I didn't think I'd last long if I didn't.." JayJay said as she walked away, and then stopped at Yuui's offer, turning around.
"Are..are you sure? I mean, it's your food and everything.." She shuffled awkwardly, desperately hungry but not wanting to take from the family. She winced at Kuro but laughed shortly at Yuui, and shrugged. She removed her backpack.
"If you're sure.." She said, and took the piece of meat that was offered to her, sitting by the fire and eating voraciously. It was gone quickly.
She began to root around in her bag. "I have things that could help you..by way of thanks." She took out several objects; there were a few mugs, dented but clean; a pocket knife, sharp; some canteen flasks; and a few lighters, along with a canister of fluid. She set them down, and then took a zippo from her pocket. It was engraved with a 'J' on the back and a Sun symbol on the front. She hesitated, but set it to the ground anyway.
"You can take your pick..plus, I can offer other services.." She tentatively held out her hands to Timmy, who looked at them and then took them. JayJay enclosed his hands in her and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. As she did so, the scratches and scrapes Timmy sported closed and healed over, rosy smooth skin replacing them.
JayJay opened her eyes and smiled. "Please, take something."

[Fujoshi Otaku]

{XD Souma! }
{Is Gabriel in the same woods as Jessie, Justin and Fay?}

"Well...if it happens, I'll make sure to wake up and scream. Surely that will be enough of a warning," Cody offered. He was always quiet and apathetic, and so he doubted whether anyone had heard him scream before.
He sat down beside Grace, lazily leaning back in the chair, and yawning again. "You make laziness seem like a bad thing," he joked. Then he considered Grace's suggestion that he start training. "Maybe..." he replied thoughtfully. "But, I've seen the way you and Liam train...If I start fighting, and get killed, you'll be completely shut off from the rest of the world, and wont be able to help the others fight that monster." He smiled, his eyes lighting up again. "And, I'd rather use my energy trying to find your friends...You're all the strong people who managed to win two battles before all this. Our plans could improve a lot with their help too. No more talk of nuking half the planet...We're working with idiots at the moment, aren't we?" Then he rubbed his head. "And, if I must start training, I'll start...tomorrow. I think I may have a concussion."
Then, he thought over the new plans. Luckily, the whole nuke idea had been dropped. "Someone re-suggested forcing everyone to join together and kill every animal in sight...but there are so many flaws with that plan that it wasn't even considered this time."

Fay turned to face Justin and Jessie, letting out a small laugh when Justin said things weren't 'equal'. "Actually...I think you're wrong," he disagreed quietly. "He knew the only way animals would have a chance was if he put in place those rules...If humans couldn't handle it, it was no concern of his...Right now, I don't think anything is running the planet...Besides maybe Desgraca. We're being forced to throw away everything that made us think we were superior, so they could have a chance. Isn't that fair?" He noticed the way Justin was looking at him, and continued. "No one is at an unfair advantage. It just depends on how well we can adapt. Even we've had it tough." He moved the blanket from around his shoulders, revealing the numerous scars on his chest and arms, all from animal attacks. Some of them looked only a few days old.
"Well, there's no healers around here," he pointed out. "One passed through the forest a few months ago, but after giving her some food, she left...I can't really explain, but I don't want too many people to find this place, even if larger numbers of us would help us survive...Everyone thinks they have a right to regain control again." He scowled at the thought of people keeping healers locked up, for themselves. He and Jessie could have easily captured the woman who had passed through the forest, but they wouldn't sink to that level.
The concerned expression returned to his face, terrified that the humans would push it too far, and find the thing that could stop Desgraca. "They wont win," he replied dismissively. "And they shouldn't even try...They'll just end up getting everyone killed, because animals wont trust any of us to stay quiet. They should just shut up and accept that there wont be anymore wars for them to fight." He didn't care how harsh he sounded.
He just nodded to accept Justin's thanks, and smiled sweetly again at the expression on Jessie's face.

Yuui smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "We only kill for food," he explained. "And, since we're not cannibals, if you fought us and lost, you'd wake up a few hours later...Of course, we like to avoid as much conflict as possible, so..." His voice drifted off as he gestured for Jayjay to eat, smiling again when she did so. But then, when Jayjay offered to give them something in return, he opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off when Jayjay took Timmy's hands, and healed him.
The awestruck expression on Timmy's face grew. "Thank you," he smiled sweetly, then tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "I wish I could walk down walls too...Do you want to see my power?" He spoke quickly, and cheerfully, obviously deciding he had made a new friend.
"Sorry," Kurogane muttered, certain that most people weren't used to being cornered by five year olds. Then he looked at the stuff, and shook his head. "Honestly, healing Timmy was enough."
"It kind of feels like we owe you again, now," Yuui joked. Although he never showed his concerns, he had been worried that if they hadn't found something for Timmy's cuts soon, they would have got infected. He looked at the zippo that seemed to hold some importance to Jayjay, and considered asking about it, before deciding against doing so.

[Yandere✯]

Jessie hmphed' when Fay threatend him with a baby foxs wrath."He already bites me every time I try to pet him Fay, Its not fair..What have you been telling him about me?" He whined, while takeing his plate. He handed the other plate to Justin.
He ate his food in silence, savoring the portion he was given, while for the most part keeping out of the debate that the 'adults' were having mainly because he almost didint have an opinion about it, he was a simple guy , He liked being with Fay in this house, even though they were alone, and there were no luxuries like easy access running water anymore... a nice hot shower..That was somthing he definatly missed.
He was happy there being taken care of by Fay. Not like Fay waited on him all of the time, but he gave him that extra disciplinary edge, that got Jessie to do little things he wouldn't on his own, Like getting up early in the morning, forageing for food, bathing even..He was still Immature, even at the great age of twenty nine.
His age was somthing he was a bit moody about, he was afraid of being old, and had now taken avoiding the mirrors in the house, despite his face still being quite young, and handsome..His mind would start playing tricks on him, and he would begin seeing signs of age where there was none.
Come to think of it...He hadnt had a birthday in a while, and that wasent normal..to be 29 for such a long time..
His eyes slowly, and hesitantly drifted to the calender on the wall, afraid to see what month it was.
No...
He dropped his plate,and stood up, his expression exageratedly distressed.
"Fay!...its...its been my birthday already...just a few days ago.....I'M OLD!!!!!!" He shouted pointing at the calender.
Than he proceeded to cover his face dramaticly..His muffled voice leaking out through his fingers"Fay...dont look at me..Im an ugly old man..And ive got 5000 wrinkles..."He said sounding pitifully depressed.

[Phoenix]

Grace looked at Cody skeptically. "One tiny problem...You can't wake up if you're dead." Well, one person had, but that was because of Tim. "Unless you meant a telepathic scream." As he sat down beside her, she rolled her eyes. "It is, you know." She replied, punching his shoulder lightly...by her standards. "Which is exactly why you should start training." Then her smile became slightly sadder. She knew there were both animals and humans spying on her, and possibly the others, so Desgraca would know if they decided to reunite. Which would kinda make them lose the element of surprise. "Hmm, well, I'm sure several of them could have ideas." Her mind drifted to Cross and Kurogane. "But at the moment, yes we are. Those and bloody politicians who still aren't used to the real world." Not that many politicians were alive. Their evasive approach to life didn't keep them alive very long. "Oh, you're such a wimp, I didn't hit you that hard. But, it'll have to wait until tomorrow, it'll get dark soon." Especially seeing as it was winter. And, it was freezing now. She rolled her eyes. "Typical."

[Fujoshi Otaku]

Fay smiled innocently at Jessie. "I didn't tell him anything," he insisted. "He bites you because you treat him like a pet...And, I might have asked him to...one or two times."
He looked at Justin again, preparing himself for the outraged answer he would probably receive. But, he wasn't prepared for Jessie's sudden outburst, and he jumped, his eyes drifting towards the roughly drawn calendar. The innocent smile returned to his face. "Oh yeah...I must have forgotten to mention it...You're thirty now, right?" He gave Justin an apologetic look that indicated this kind of thing happened often, before looking at Jessie again. "Maybe you'd look younger if you shaved more," he teased, thoroughly enjoying Jessie's over dramatized performance. "Aw...You're not ugly...You'll just have to deal with a few wrinkles and a little hair loss, that's all."

"Oh...I didn't think about that," Cody replied indifferently. He winced, and rubbed his shoulder, the crocodile tears returning once more. "Training wont get rid of my fragility," he whispered. "But, I'll do it," he added quickly, before Grace could hit him again. "Lazing around isn't going to help you...And, I'm not a wimp. Just lazy and allergic to pain. There's a small difference."
His own smile faded slightly when he saw Grace's expression sadden. "I'm going to work harder to contact them," he insisted. "It's not only because we need better ideas, or that the idiots we're working with keep getting themselves killed. I know you miss them, and you wont be able to relax until you know they're all alive, right?" He smiled. "And, if I make new friends, I wont have to listen to the politicians whining about how hungry they are...Idiots."
Then he turned to the TV again, contemplating putting the picture of The Matrix up. He was really in the mood for a movie, right now. "Do you have any more ideas?" he asked, deciding against it, in case he was hit for getting distracted again.

[Phoenix]

Grace rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that conversation. "You're hardly fragile, would you like me to prove it?" She teased as she jokingly raised a fist to punch him, smirking as she lowered it. "There's no difference. You are a wimp." She teased. Then she looked away, at her scarred hands. "Don't overdo it." Then she looked up at him. "Was that a bit of concern Cody? Seems Mr. Apathy's got a soft side." She teased, not really answering him. Truth was, she really missed them, even Fay. She knew they'd be fine, they were all incredibly good fighters, and obvious survivors. "Yeah, well, trust me, this lot are a lot more interesting than that boring bunch."
Then she thought for a second. "No, not really. Negotiating didn't work, so the only way I can think of is by permanently making all the animals normal. But, of course, that's probably impossible. You?"

[Fujoshi Otaku]

Cody flinched, then smiled when Grace didn't hit him. "You know, you're the first person to completely see through the act," he replied. "And there is...kind of. Wimps start crying the second they get hurt. I'm actually allergic to it." He smiled, and nodded, promising he wouldn't overdo it.
Then, he looked away from Grace. The truth was, it was always disconcerting to see someone who was obviously upset about something, but who put on a brave face about it. It always made him actually want to help. "Well...It's nothing, really," he insisted. "Once I find them it wont be that much work...And, like you said, they're more interesting than politicians."
He thought about Grace's suggestion. "If we found some way to do that, it might work," he replied slowly. "But, we're not like our ancestors...I don't think everything will ever go back to normal again."

[The Oro]

[Goddamn you, Chatzy >_<]

Gabe was now close enough to hear voices, about three of them. Scratch that, he thought as a fourth came into play. He thought he recognized two of the voices. He used the snow as a blind for his approach, hoping whatever four-legged follower hadn't picked up his trace.

"What have you been telling him about me?"

That had to be Jessie.

"I didn't tell him anything. He bites you because you treat him like a pet."

Gabe smiled beneath his mask. That was definitely Fay and Jessie. As for the biting discussion; that explained the tracks that were following the three. Gabe slipped closer to their hideout, slinging his bow but resting one hand on his knife sheath at the small of his back. With them or not, the fox was still a fox. He had to be careful.

"Aw...You're not ugly...You'll just have to deal with a few wrinkles and a little hair loss, that's all."

"Too bad pharmacies are closed," Gabe said from the entrance. "We could've gotten him some Rogaine."

He finally rounded the corner and ducked down in front of the entrance. He counted correctly; three foot mobiles, one four-legger. With a free hand, he pulled off his mask and revealed his face. He wasn't sure they would recognize him since the last time four years ago, back when he was clean shaven and his hair was just over military regulation length. That no longer applied here.

"Personally though, I wouldn't say you look at all that bad for thirty."

[Fujoshi Otaku]

{>.<}

Fay gasped when a voice suddenly came from the open front door. He grabbed the sharp piece of flint that was used for skinning and cutting meat, and glared at the newcomer.
"You brought more people here, didn't you?!" he accused Justin suspiciously. "You liar!" His eyes turned back to the man standing in the entrance, and narrowed, as he tried to figure out whether he was someone they had known. His appearance was much different...but his voice sounded familiar. "You're...You were in Rio, weren't you?" he asked warily. Well, at least this guy hadn't been there when he had betrayed everyone, but he was part of the enclave. That scared him almost as much. "What are you doing here?" He held up the piece of flint offensively.
A low growl came from somewhere behind Gabriel, and the fox pup bared its tiny teeth at him.

[The Oro]

Gabriel kept his hand over the knife and aligned his head with his shoulder, thus to keep Fay in his peripheral vision while glancing at the fox. He detected that guilty hostility as Fay held the edged flint in a threatening manner. "Relax, Fay. I already know."

The operative brought his hand off the knife and slowly removed his compound bow and backpack, setting them down in front of him. "If I were here to cause harm I would've done it already. I've been on your trail for the past hour. It was your campfire that got me here."

He took a sip of water from his camel pack to ease his dry mouth. "As for what I'm doing here, I'm just making my rounds." He took another glance at the weapon in Fay's hand before looking him in the eye again. "If you put that down I'll explain."

[Hyena.]

"I ain't no feckin' liar! I told you I didn't bring no one." Justin had jumped instinctively from his chair to the room behind this one when he'd heard the footsteps outside the front door, and was now stepping back into the front room. "Hell, if I had it my way I wouldn'a brought meself. Liar, the feckin' nerve'o some people."
He looked at the newcomer.
"Rounds in-feckin'-deed." Justin said. "What kind'o rounds are you doin' out in the feckin' jungle?"
Justin studied the man. An obvious soldier, able to survive, able to kill. Valuable as an ally. Terrible as an enemy.
"Put the damn rock down, Fay."

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

JayJay smiled at Timmy. "It definitely comes in handy when my room's too full with toys to sleep on the floor." She said, ruffling his hair. "Sure, kid. Let's see what you can do."
She sat down, look at the men.
"Nonsense. Food is far more valuable these days than it used to be..take some lighters. They'll help you cook. Don't worry, they're all full, and all clean."
She picked up a canteen and took a small swig.
"What are you guys doing way out here? Hardly anyone left in the big cities these days, they've all gone to where stuff grows."

[Fujoshi Otaku]

Fay tightened his grip on the piece of flint, and watched Gabriel with obvious distrust. "You didn't come here to cause harm?" he asked, disbelief clear in his voice. If Gabriel knew about his betrayal, why wouldn't he be here to cause harm?
He seemed to calm down a little when Gabriel explained how he had found them, and how it had nothing to do with Justin. And, the way Justin randomly vanished the second Gabriel arrived, and returned swearing, suggested he honestly knew nothing about this.
"Fine," he muttered, putting down the piece of flint beside him. "I'm sorry," he added to Justin. "I just, really don't want these people here." He didn't seem to care that Gabriel could hear him, and that Gabriel had helped rescue him, Liam and Timmy from the animals, on more than one occasion. He looked back up at him. "What rounds?" he repeated Justin's question. "How many more of you are there?"

Timmy smiled when Jayjay replied, and giggled when she ruffled his hair. "You have toys?" he asked. "So do I! Do you get them from the toy shops as well? Daddy and tou-san say it's ok to do that now...They're hidden where the animals can't find them!" Then, his smile grew, and he nodded excitedly when Jayjay asked to see his power. They were all sat in the shadow of a pillar, and he raised his right hand, causing all three of the others to do so as well. No one could move unless they were mirroring Timmy's movements, until he released them, and smiled proudly.
Both Yuui and Kurogane had proud expressions on their faces as well. Timmy didn't meet many people, but, when he did, he wasn't shy.
"Well...if you insist," Yuui replied, reaching out to take one of the lighters. But, before he could, Timmy had seen the canteens.
"I'm thirsty."
Kurogane stood up to teleport, out of habit, but then he realized Jayjay had offered them perfectly good water, and he muttered a thank you as he took one of the canteens, and handed it to Timmy.
Yuui pulled his hand back, and shrugged. "Well, we have friends we want to go looking for," he replied, his smile saddening slightly. "But they'll probably want to come looking for us, as well...We can go wherever we want, within reason, thanks to Kuro-dorable-"
"OI!"
"...But we always end up back here, because this is where we came just after we were separated...It kind of feels like this is where we'll hear from the others, again...How about you?"

[Hyena.]

"Friends, eh? You're lucky. A lot of us don't have friends anymore."
JayJay chuckled at Timmy, giving a thumbs up. "Pretty impressive kid." She said, and then adressed the whole family.
"I'm Jessica Jules, JayJay for short." She sniffed, fiddling with a ring on her finger. It was a simple silver band, but it had engravings all around it.
"Wandering, mostly. Places like these are good for a couple safe nights, but you can't stay here for long if you survive. It's not even the animals that are the problem, it's food. I mean, you've got it fine.." she gestured at Kuro, "..being a 'porter an' all, but what I can do ain't great for getting places quickly, plus I've got to keep quiet about the healing thing...I've seen bad things done to healers. They're too valuable."
JayJay cleared her throat.
"But I'm just sort of..surviving. My parents divorced when I was a baby, and I was with my mum when the animals..." she trailed off. She didn't need to say more. She was present, and her mother wasn't. That was enough.
"Anyway, I got the hell off that ship and away from port. The seas are too dangerous, what with all the fish."
She fidgeted a bit, clearly hesitating to say something.
"Do you..do you guys think I could tag along with you? Just for a while, until we get somewhere I can fend for myself a bit easier. I'm great at scavenging, I can get into places even some teleporters can't, no offence to you," pointing at Kuro again, "and I can sort out the scrapes and scratches of everyday life in this world. I'm not as good as others, but..I can still help." She looked hopefully at the couple.

[The Oro]

Gabriel acknowledged Fay's action with a nod. "Reconnaissance rounds. I volunteered a couple years back to limit my surface operations to non-engagement ops. Scavenging mostly, but there are a few times where I'll come across refugees or encampments." He took another sip from his camel and pulled a bag of dried meat from his pack. He held out the bag, offering a piece to either of them.

"Some of them turned into search and rescue in the heat of the moment. A straggler or two, sometimes even a family would be found. I pulled a woman off the streets last week after her and a few scavengers took a wrong turn. It got messy."

He looked at Fay with with a slight grin. Knowing his past record, he wasn't willing to trust him with information about the Enclave's underground network. He did a good job of hiding his distrust. "I'm alone. And frankly, we people are the reason most of your friends lived."

Gabe wasn't as open with his opinions four years ago, when he was still finding himself as an individual. "The first time we met, Aubra's sister put a gun in my face and your brother threatened me. I was there searching for you and even killed the people who were going to run a mock project of ICC's control system on you. Sooner or later you're going to have to realize that Cross' organization existed for the right reasons."