OOC: Just wanted to let you guys know I'll be making a big post tomorrow on all ends, probably in the evening sometime.

Jerin chuckled, flashing her a mischievous smile.

"That's why I baited scarface a bit, to be honest."

He cast a thoughtful eye at the human he'd killed before turning to Junk. Knowing they couldn't trust either of the remaining survivors to leave the Complex on their word alone, he said what he said next for two reasons. One, the four most logical outcomes of leaving them tied up were as follows: eventual death by dehydration, possible death by predators, possible death by other competitive adventurers, or possible freedom in the form of merciful explorers yet to come. While Jerin was a killer at heart and had always been, he was inclined to spare his victims the pain of even potential suffering these days. More than that though, he gave Junk the following (quiet) order for the second reason: he saw both men as competition for Ottilie's future attention and was unwilling to share her.

"Execute procedure 777-K."

Wordlessly the bot made its way from his shoulder to the ground, slithering as a deadly viper might towards the unconscious man Aurora had tied up. Slinking up his torso, it coiled around the human's neck loosely, wavering...then it struck, jabbing its plug-like tail lightening quick into the base of the man's skull and sending a lethal shockwave directly to his brain. By the time he slumped forward Junk was already slithering down the path to take care of the other Aurora had knocked into the wall, Ball and Jack trailing after curiously.

While all this was going on Dirac and Jabin were still trading blows (and, Jerin knew, drawing attention away from what Junk was doing). Dodging Dirac's whirling axe, Jabin grinned.

"Can't beat me, Dirc. Don't have it in ya I expect."

Dirac shifted the weight of his weapon from one hand to the other, beseeching his adversary again over the hum of the blades.

"Walk away, Jab."

Jabin smirked at him.

"Not this time."

Dirac's brows lifted slightly as he tried one final time.

"Please."

The other dashed a hand across a cut on his shoulder, never taking his eyes from the dark haired man as he grinned wickedly.

"Bryony--"

It was the last word he spoke before Dirac lodged his axe in his skull. Jabin's body crumpled against the wall from the force of the blow, and he slumped to the ground, dead. The mercenary stood silent for a time, his face blank. In truth it took everything he had to keep the remorse he was feeling hidden. Finally he leaned down, dislodging his weapon. Jerin spoke quietly.

"You could have killed him several times before."

Dirac wiped the twin blades carefully with a thick cloth.

"Never let it be said I do not give those who stand in my way ample opportunity to back away...when I can."

"Ah."

The creature crossed his arms thoughtfully as Junk returned to him, quietly resuming its place on his shoulder.

"His final word was a woman's name, was it not?"

He looked back at Dirac, but the mercenary set his jaw firmly. Seeing he would receive no answer, Jerin indicated the path ahead.

"Well. Lets press on, shall we?"

The human inclined his head, replacing his axe carefully. Drawn inwards as they walked, he found himself more than a little bothered by several things. Jabin had worked for Boss Bondy of Rithm not as a mercenary, but as a sub-boss of sorts. One of the men in his company had also been an enforcer of Bondy's, but the other two Dirac recognized as working for Boss Ghouila and Boss Oystein, respectively. Why would their men be traveling together? Jabin's words echoed in his head. Or else yer here tryin' ta be self-employed. He frowned. Perhaps that was what Jab and the other three had been trying to do. It made the most sense, anyway.

Everyone keeps trying to be someone else, something more than they are.

He thought again, somewhat bitterly. Jabin had (probably) wanted the power of the treasure to be his own boss, Algos wanted the treasure to be the victor in its war against Rithm, Aurora wanted to be Aurora and perhaps was, and whomever he was following wanted to be Jerin Jestwood. Then there was this Ottilie they were trying to find. What was her angle?

I wonder who you're supposed to be. Who you want to be.

Dirac could only hope he would receive more answers soon.

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Elsinoire padded soundless through the Complex thanks to her P.I.A. issued footwear. Like most creatures she hated to wear shoes of any kind, but she was grateful for them now nonetheless, as they muffled her footfalls. Turning a corner, her many ears easily picked up the sounds of movement nearby. Following the noise, she came upon Ottilie, Tobias, and Henry walking some ways ahead. Grateful as she was to have finally found sentient beings other than herself, Elsie felt her heart sink in disappointment, hoping they were not the ones responsible for her presence there. She needed some sort of dangerous alien to subdue, or else one with a great deal of advanced technology in order to impress her agency. The group ahead appeared to be composed of common creatures and one halfbreed. Trotting forward anyways, she hailed them.

"Excuse me!"

All three whirled to face her, startled. Closing the distance between them, she produced her badge, professional sensibilities taking over.

"P.I.A. I'm sorry to detain you, but I need to ask a few questions and run a quick bio-signature scan. It won't take long."

Tobias regarded Ottilie questioningly. The creature flashed him a reassuring smile, though inwardly her heart was racing. The P.I.A. was the main reason the Oasis had such a hard time achieving first contact with extraterrestrials. Advanced as her beloved home was in terms of its technology, the agency this creature belonged to possessed other worldly mechanisms and methods of detecting life that they had yet to even covet, as well as an overly strict immigration policy that kept more than three quarters of the life from other planets from even bothering. And while Ottilie had to give them credit for defending the planet magnificently from interstellar threats on more than one occasion, their paranoia was unwarranted more often than not. One of her closest friends from the Oasis, Bram Blackwood, had been undercover at the P.I.A. for a year now, gathering information and occasionally assisting her and her fellow investigators when they needed to keep under the agency's radar. Originally the organization had not been a threat of any kind to the Oasis, but two centuries of conversing with alien races, adapting their technology, and following leads had made them formidable and dangerous. Legs tensed on her shoulder. He'd given her the silent treatment for the last hour after her intentions to keep Tobias and Henry with them had been made clear, but now he fell to mentally easing her anxieties.

Bollocks, Legs--

--Don't panic, Kitto. Remain calm. You've got your passport and a number of documents saying you were born on the Emerald Isle you can produce if she asks.

She nodded, both to Legs and the Agent in front of her. Refusing the P.I.A. was seldom a good idea.

"O'course...what can we help ya with?"

Elsinoire fiddled with one of the devices around her wrist, claws tapping several buttons nimbly even as she spoke in cool tones.

"Have you seen or experienced anything unusual since you got here? Strange weather patterns, peculiar sights or sounds, anything or anyone distinctly uncommon?"

Ottilie shook her head, glancing at the small device warily as it beeped three times.

"Can't say we have, right Toby?"

OOC: Just wanted to say congratulations for reaching your centinnial post!

IC: As the trio made their way further into the Complex, Aurora found herself wondering about Dirac. Or rather, what Jerin intended to do with Dirac. Did he intend to keep him with them until they caught up to Ottilie, or did he plan to somehow part company with Dirac before then? If the answer to the latter was yes Aurora imagined that it wouldn't be too difficult. After all, Dirac had only joined them reluctantly. There was however, something else to consider. If Jerin was planning to part company with Dirac- the 'more suitable arrangement' he had mentioned earlier- then he would want to do so in a way that suited his purposes. How would he do that? Aurora pondered this thoughtfully. How would she lose the mercenary if she were Jerin?

To answer this Aurora considered what she knew of the current situation. Jerin was going after the Treasure at the centre of the Complex, presumably for pay & for his own reasons as well. He was searching for Ottilie- why was he searching for Ottilie? Aurora paused, contemplating what she knew. Ottilie was after the Treasure, presumably to restore it to Algos, the realm it was originally crafted for. Ottilie was also- possibly- after Jerin in an official capacity. Perhaps Jerin wanted his opponent in plain sight? Or did Ottilie know, or possess, something that Jerin didn't & needed in order to retrieve the Treasure? That was possible. But surely if Ottilie was hunting for Jerin she'd be on her guard against him wouldn't she? Unless...Aurora's eyes narrowed slightly as a thought occurred to her. Unless Ottilie was distracted by something- or someone-else . If she were Jerin, Aurora reasoned, she might well attempt to use Dirac to distract Ottilie, whether he was in her company or wandering alone. He was a mercenary from Rithm, Ottilie was (probably) a representative of Algos; the two were natural enemies. And with Ottilie distracted by Dirac, who was to say what Jerin (or Junk acting on Jerin's orders) might get away with? At any rate, if Ottilie had to divide her efforts between Jerin & Dirac and whoever else might show up, that would certainly give Jerin ample opportunity to attempt...whatever he might want to attempt.

Aurora frowned slightly as the trio continued their journey. Jerin had said before that Ottilie had a tendency to surprise him & most other people she encountered. Aurora could only hope the girl had plenty of aces up her sleeve when they next met. Because if not, the situation might turn very ugly indeed...

"Accosted by strange mecha with what seems to be an artificial intelligence, a pitfall that badly injured my young charge, and now individuals sneaking up on me and engaging in casual conversation yet using words like 'detain'?" The words flowed effortlessly, for a moment his mock accent vanishing to reveal a more civilized manner of speaking. His eyes less naive than before, not as malicious as they had been at the pit but still not almost childlike appearance they held for the bulk of the time she'd known him. "No, it's merely routine for what one expects in a day." Even with this sudden change in his mannerisms Ottilie could almost feel the sarcasm oozing out of him.

OOC: Thanks Gem! And thanks for posting even when you were short on time, Rico. Sorry this post is late-ish, I'm getting ready to move next week and there are a million plus things to do it seems.

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Ottilie stifled a smile at Tobias' comments. She was glad to know he wasn't intimidated, but had to wonder why he chose to act as such. Though the lepoid seemed mostly content to play the soft-spoken, innocent drifter, there were instances (like now) where she glimpsed a learned warrior with a sharp tongue beneath the facade. Why had he chosen the life of a vagabond, when his learned mind could have offered him more? Fear of persecution? A pressing need to stay hidden from something or someone? She couldn't even begin to guess. In any case, the creature wasn't about to judge him for it. He probably had his reasons. Source knew she had hers for assuming two roles in the world as well. What mattered was that he and his charge wanted to help her at present, and Ottilie was grateful enough for that.

She focused her attention on the agent then. At first her reaction matched that of most of the agency employees Bram had described, as she appeared to either ignore what had been said or else was so preoccupied with whatever she was doing with the gadget around her wrist that she hadn't heard. Upon finishing with it though, she looked up, addressing the lepoid in amused tones.

"If by 'strange mecha' you mean outdated junkers and by 'pitfalls' you mean traps that are easy enough to avoid when you're observant. As for my sneaking, I apologize if I startled you. If I didn't tread softly in a place like this, though, I would never get anything done for all the time spent chasing those I only wish to question because they assume I'm some sort of monster."

She paused then to regard her wrist, but whatever data the device had gathered was still being processed. Looking back up, she tilted her head at him coquettishly.

"And anyway Blondie, sarcasm aside everything you've mentioned actually is routine for this place, according to the research I've done."

She shrugged, bluntly finishing.

"If it stresses you so perhaps you shouldn't have come. If not, you shouldn't complain. Just be glad you're still alive I say."

Surprised by this response, Ottilie glanced at Legs, who raised two pairs of arms in a shrug. She had more personality than the Oasis creature had been led to believe a P.I. was capable of, whoever she was.

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Rounding a bend in the path at a brisk pace, Jerin was stopped abruptly by the first dead end he'd run across since entering the Complex. Aurora and Dirac paused behind him, equally confused. The creature scratched the tuft of fur on his chin, wandering through the maze's corridors mentally. Finally he scowled, pressing his claws to the wall as if to make sure it wasn't some sort of hologram.

"Well. This isn't supposed to be here."

Junk raised its head, tentatively asking.

"Are you certain you remember the way correctly, master?"

Jerin glanced at his metallic companion pointedly, a strange edge to his voice.

"Junk, I have been very patient with you of late because I believe questions like that are the result of some ongoing malfunction in your program, which I can only blame myself for not correcting. Why, pray tell, would I forget this path?"

Junk didn't answer, twisting uncomfortably. The creature glared at the wall, growling.

"The Complex must be on to us."

"The Complex?"

Aurora repeated, puzzled. Jerin nodded as he made his way to the left wall.

"Mmhm. According to local superstition, the complex itself is said to be alive, which I always interpreted to mean it possessed a superior A.I. It would study the patterns of those who enter to a point, then start running certain walls along tracks built into the ground to close off corridors, form new routes, etc., according to what it deemed would keep those who seek the center away from the center best. I thought that was just a story, though. Now, maybe not."

He ran a paw along the vine covered rock, searching.

"Unless of course another traveler knew where this was, and how to use it."

He pushed his claws into a nondescript crack and yanked the rock outwards, revealing a small computer screen and keyboard. Jack hovered alongside his head as he powered it up and started to type. Meanwhile Ball looped in and out of the vines on the ground, droning amusedly to itself. Dirac observed this behavior for a moment with a slight smile before his attention was drawn upwards. On the opposite wall there was something under the vines.

"It looks like there's some sort of imagery carved here."

Jerin didn't look up, dismissing his comment.

"There're carvings all over this place. I noticed several on my way through earlier."

Engaging his axe since they were standing around anyway, Dirac severed the vines covering the relief, brushing them off with his other hand. Then he stood back.

"It's a forest. I've never seen trees like this, though. It must be a creation of the artist."

Both mercenaries contemplated the carving. Behind them, Jerin peeked at the stonework, though he didn't (couldn't?) turn around fully.

"They're only stone trees. Nothing to get excited about, like I said."

He closed his eyes against the familiar ache in his chest before opening them again, forcing his mind on the task at hand.

"I'll be done in a minute and we can continue."

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Prince Icosian sat at a window of the east tower reading by the day's remaining light. His father's opposite in all aspects, the fact was best vindicated by his appearance. Whereas Lovasz's hair was wild and red, Icosian's was smooth and jet-black. His tan skin sharply contrasted the king's paleness, and his dark eyes and pointed features seemed worlds away from his sire's blue ones and blunter features. Glancing outside, he noticed her then, a dark haired girl about his own age gathering fallen tree branches along the street side of the north wall. She'd come many times before to do this, usually with friends, but tonight she was alone, stooping attentively to add new pieces to the pile she carried in her arms. Perhaps feeling his gaze, she looked up and met the young prince's eye. Neither spoke. Noting the approaching palace guard from his higher vantage point, Ico broke the silence between them finally, leaning over the windowsill to urgently whisper.

"Hide!"

Startled, she dropped her branches, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Once she was out of sight, the prince hailed the guard.

"Halt!"

Raising his head at the command, the man immediately stood to attention.

"Your Highness!"

He paused, nervously continuing.

"I-If I am not mistaken, your highness has been forbidden from the outer towers..."

The prince ignored this, pointing into the garden.

"I saw something suspicious moving in there."

The guard seemed confused (probably because he had just come from that area), so the boy continued, his voice a command.

"Please look into it. Now."

He bowed quickly.

"As you command!"

Several minutes after he'd gone, the girl emerged to retrieve her fallen bounty. Looking up, she whispered loudly.

"Thanks!"

He inclined his head to her, starting to draw back into the room. She was curious enough now though to inquire.

"You're Prince Icosian?"

"I am."

She smiled.

"Nice to know you actually exist. For my sake especially."

He waved a hand at her, frowning.

"You would do well to leave before the next patrol comes along. They've increased them in the past week."

She saluted him playfully.

"Right. Thanks again!"

"You're welcome. Hurry now."

He watched her dash across the street and down a dark alley. Hearing footsteps approaching the room, he closed the window quickly, resuming his seat. A moment later there was a knock on the door, followed by his great grandfather's voice.

"Your highness? Are you in there?"

"Yes sire."

The old king opened the door, his face stern.

"Your highness knows this room is off limits. Why do I find you thus?"

Ico crossed his arms, slumping in his chair sullenly.

"I only wished to read by natural light."

"If that was your desire you know full well you can read in the central garden."

The prince scowled.

"I tire of the central garden."

His elder sighed, beckoning him.

"That cannot be helped right now. Come along, and don't slouch Icosian."

Rising, Ico took up his book and followed him. Shutting the door behind them firmly, the older man started down the hall. When he spoke again his voice was gentler.

"What were you reading about?"

Icosian looked away.

"Light fiction. Nothing of intellectual merit."

"Ah. The Oasis again."

The prince looked up at him, brows furrowed as he replied.

"Do you realize creatures have told stories of it for over one thousand millennia now? Most have never been written down because storytelling is an oral tradition among their kind, but still. I wish Mey had been able to acquire more than one book on the subject."

The old king glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow.

"It was hard enough obtaining that one according to Sir Meyniel. Every scholar he spoke of was more than generous with information except that which encompassed the Oasis."

Ico frowned.

"I don't mean to seem ungrateful."

He chuckled.

"Not at all, though that reminds me. I haven't seen Sir Meyniel in several weeks. On what quest have you sent the poor fellow now?"

The prince looked away somewhat guiltily.

"I sent him to help Ottilie."

"Oh really Icosian. There was little need."

He looked down.

"I should like nothing to happen to her. With Mey at her side she cannot fail. He is Algos' best knight, though father will never admit it."

His elder said nothing to this. After a minute Ico asked softly.

"Are you mad, great grandfather?"

The old king shook his head.

"No. I was only thinking I understand your concern better than you know."

The prince regarded him curiously as he continued.

"Come. I have something you might find interesting that isn't entirely unrelated to our present conversation..."

As Aurora gazed upon the carven forest a memory suddenly & strongly asserted itself. Although quite a number of the occupations she'd taken on over the course of time were not unlike her current one, she had enjoyed gentler careers as well. She had been an aspiring ballerina when she'd first met Jerin. She had dabbled in music. She had also, at one point, been a professional illustrator, one of her most favoured jobs to date. When she hadn't been working on pieces for clients though, she'd taken to creating illustrations of fairytales from her childhoood. And some of those tales had centred around..."the Oasis," Aurora said in a barely audible murmer.

Dirac turned towards her, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. "It's an oasis?" he queried, "you recognise the piece?" Aurora stepped closer to the carving, a small smile playing across her face as she answered. "Not an oasis," she corrected him, "the Oasis. And almost any kit would recognise it. The description matches that of no other forest in this world, and has been handed down by word of mouth throughout a thousand millennia- a million years of oral tradition". She fell momentarily silent again, contemplating the forest carved upon the wall. Then she spoke softly, remembering the words from her own childhood. "They say that this forest is the first forest there ever was," she explained, "and that when you stand amongst its ancient trees you can hear the Source sing. They also say that it's special in other ways as well. That all other forms of beauty in the world- wonderous though they are- have steadily faded through the years, but that this one forest remains as it was, its glory undimmed since the sunrise of time, the colours such as can be found nowhere else. Hence- in part- the origin of the name Oasis. Those who dwell there are blessed indeed," Aurora concluded. Since her attention was focused- mostly- upon the carving she didn't see the tension that seemed to have crept into Jerin's frame as he worked away at the keyboard. She did however, notice the edge in his voice when, as the wall moved from their path he said shortly, "we can listen to fairy stories later. Let's go".

As they began to move forward again, Aurora recalled something she'd been thinking about earlier. That strange expression Jerin had once used. 'Oasis and Earth preserve me!' Could the Oasis be real then? Could it even be possible that Jerin had come from there? Aurora attended to the former question first. Most people believed that the Oasis was a fantasy, a children's tale. Aurora though, was inclined to take the tales a little more seriously. Many born in the last twenty years (or even thirty) considered the Lucky Seven to be an urban myth. Not so Aurora, who remembered the day their reign had ended. That was only a century ago. So couldn't the Oasis have become like the Lucky Seven in a sense; something real that was regarded as a myth? Aurora believed that it could. She considered the second question she had asked herself, the question about Jerin. Could he have come from there? Although history was filled with tales of Jerin Jestwood, no tale ever related to where he came from. He had simply appeared on the stage of the world one day & had taken it by storm. The Babylonian, the strange expression...those might fit if Jerin was the Jerin & that Jerin had come from Oasis. Even the two brothers Jerin had mentioned- the ones who had simply vanished- could they have come from there too?

Aurora smiled wryly to herself. This theory & speculation was almost worthy of the P.I.A. And just like them, she had next to nothing to back a wild theory up. Still, it seemed to make sense. The time to muse over it though, was not just now, as their recent encounter with Jabin and his associates had proved. Focusing her awareness upon their environment, she continued to walk in silence...

OOC: I know you said something about taking liberties with Oasis Cher. If I've overstepped the mark in this post, please tell me so.

"%##%%," By now Ottilie was getting used to the word popping out of the young halfbreed's mouth everytime a female adult was present. And once again Henry did not disappoint, launching the slur casually as soon as she ended her barrage of sarcasm. He itched his injured foot, obviously irritated he had to wear a bandage.

This time there was no stammering or apology from Tobias. The lepoid was completely focused on the newcomer, she'd come out of nowhere, he'd felt no emotions... almost as if she was a robot. Not since his coming of age had any living creature suprised him, and that fact alone had him completely on edge.

OOC: No worries Gem, your Oasis stuff is great =) you've got the idea down and you kept things vague enough to where I can have Jerin or whoever add to Aurora's comments later without worry. And I promise I'll expand more on the Oasis soon, since I know it's still sort of undefined.

Also, just wanted to give you guys a heads up: I'm going to be packing my car and then driving north over the next two to three days. Next post should be coming either Friday or Saturday, internet access permitting.

OOC: That took longer than expected, but here's the next post finally! Also I promise Jerin and company will see some action soon. I'm playing set-up on Ottilie's end and I need to get one or two more things in before everyone gets together.

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Elsinoire raised a brow at the boy, flicking one ear over her shoulder as she addressed him with a degree of smugness.

"Hate to disappoint ya kit, but you aren't the first to call me that and probably won't be the last. Such is life when you're defending the modern world from interstellar threat."

Henry glared up at her, growling softly (which Ottilie thought was odd behavior for a human, half-bred or otherwise). Meanwhile, Legs chattered softly to her, eyeing the mechanism the agent had been fiddling with earlier.

"That must be the restructured bio-signature scanner Bram was talking about..."

The creature shrugged, hopelessly lost on this point, though she knew enough of bio-scanners to make her wary. Legs had tried explaining the logistics of the system to her once, but baffled as she was by machinery he'd eventually broken it down in layman's terms. She recalled his words now.

Basically, it's a machine used to measure a being's connection to the Source. Naturally every creature or human born on this planet has slight traces of it written in their psyche, since the soul comes from the Source at the beginning of life and returns to it upon death. Oasis creatures register higher than normal levels of residue because we've lived as close to it as you can get. That's why they're especially dangerous to us...

She frowned a little, glancing at Tobias. If his home were another world as he claimed, the scanner would attest to as much and register nothing at all. What would happen then?

"Paperwork."

The decipede chittered humorously, catching her train of thought. She smiled as Elsie glanced at her for the source of the chatter. Spotting the insect, she leaned forward with a surprisingly genuine grin.

"Hey, a decipede! I've never seen one outside of the Darwin Chain."

Legs leaned away from her, chirping evenly.

"Ottilie, if she doesn't get out of my face I will sting her. My venom may not be deadly, but I can promise it will hurt."

Ottilie laughed nervously, flicking Legs in the back of the head lightly with a claw.

"Hahaha, aye, Darwin Chains where I recruited 'im. Needed a mechanic. He's delighted ta meet ya, aren't ya Legs?"

The insect rubbed the back of its head, dryly responding.

"Oh yes. Charmed."

Elsinoire smiled, but before she could say anything else her wristlet beeped softly, and she turned her attention to it instead.

"Great. This'll only take a moment..."

Pushing a button, one of the screens displayed several illegible figures, and the gadget beeped evenly and clearly several times in succession. She glanced at Henry, nodding curtly. Whatever the scanner had to say about him appeared normal, so she turned to the next screen, pushing another button. The same pattern of beeps sounded, only louder and more rapidly. The pace and the volume made the agent jump, and she turned a suspicious eye upon Ottilie, whose heart pounded even as she tried to make light of the noise.

"Heh, spooked me a wee bit too!"

"Did it."

Elsinoire queried, tapping her claws against the screen as she frowned at the readout. Looking up, she extended a paw.

"Might I have a look at your passport and registration?"

"'Course."

Here Ottilie produced a small black tablet from inside her shirt pocket.

"Mine're the first ten pages. Me companions're after."

The other creature nodded, turning the device on and pulling the stylus from its built in holder. She paged through the electronic pages with quick taps to the screen for several minutes. Finally she commented.

"Just came from the Emerald Isle myself."

The creature smiled pleasantly.

"S'nice aye? Were ya on holiday there?"

The agent didn't respond to this, finishing briskly as she handed the booklet back to her.

"Everything seems to be in order..."

She sounded annoyed by the fact and lowered her gaze to the next screen to prevent Ottilie from seeing the suspicion still present in her eyes. She pushed a third button. Nothing happened. No beeps, no readout, no sound at all. Furrowing her brow, the creature tapped several more buttons to ensure her equipment was functioning properly. Soon though she looked up at Tobias, who regarded her with silent severity.

"Unless my equipments malfunctioning in a way the techs back at HQ haven't identified yet, you're my mark, Blondie."

She smiled a little, though her disappointment was evident as she lowered her arm.

This is the guy upstairs said was clocking in high on the master computer. Right. Next thing you know I'm gonna run into a hobo claiming to be Jerin Jestwood.

Elsinoire pushed another ear over her shoulder, meeting his gaze fearlessly.

Then again...there's something...can't put my claw on what, but maybe this is the break I've been waiting for after all.

She smiled more broadly at the thought, and inquired.

"So you have an interplanetary visa or need one or what?"

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As they continued into the now unobstructed passage, Jerin took a deep breath, willing himself to be calm. His hatred of the Oasis made him more prone to visible emotion than he cared for, and he feared Aurora might have noticed, astute as she was. Seeking a distraction from such feelings, he drew a deck of cards from inside his breast pocket and began to shuffle them idly.

After a time Dirac's gaze was drawn to the source of the soft flipping, and he promptly discovered something odd: all of the cards in Jerin's deck were of one suite, and beyond that, all were the same card, the seven of spades. He never would have mentioned the fact, of course, if Jerin's hands hadn't stopped abruptly. Looking up, the human realized the creature had been watching him watch him. Raising a brow, he inquired.

"Something of interest to you?"

The man shrugged, pointing.

"Not really, as I'm not much of a card player. Still, I know a trick deck when I see one."

Frowning, the other examined the cards he held. Scowling, he held them up for Junk to see.

"What am I to do with these? Invent some new and repetitive form of solitaire?"

The robots counter was annoyed.

"Master, I cannot go through every deck you own. Perhaps if you discarded half I would have packed a proper playing set."

Aurora smiled, responding playfully to this.

"You must own a great many if even Junk gets them mixed up. Are you a card shark now?"

He chuckled.

"No. Too easy. Street performer."

Dirac scratched his beard, wondering aloud.

"Why the seven of spades?"

The creature smiled, holding a single card between two claws as he responded in a voice both curiously amused and overtly casual.

"No real reason..."

The human frowned. He couldn't help feeling he was missing something important. As he couldn't begin to guess what though, he pushed this aside, changing the subject.

"The one we're looking for--"

"--Ottilie."

Jerin reminded him, tucking the cards away. He nodded.

"Right. Ottilie. She here for the treasure too?"

The creature inclined his head.

"I've heard rumors to that affect, and given that she claims treasure hunter as her primary profession I've a mind to believe them."

Dirac looked at him, surprise written in his eyes.

"Treasure hunter? Wouldn't be Ottilie O'Dethburr, would it?"

It was Jerin's turn to appear taken aback, and even Aurora looked at Dirac now as he explained.

"Relative of mine runs a place that carries rare trinkets a few counties over from Rithm. He's talked about an Ottilie O'Dethburr. Said she comes by once and awhile to exchange her findings for credit. Brings top stuff too, according to him."

Jerin smiled privately.

"So that's where she's been taking her bounty..."

He dwelt within this thought for a moment before inquiring.

"What did your relation think of her?"

The human eyed their surroundings shrewdly as they turned a corner, not wishing to fall into some hidden trap.

"Said she was sweet as pie. But she gives him good deals, so I'd say he's a bit biased in her favor."

The creature shook his head, his expression again turning to one of fondness.

"Not at all. She really is quite pleasant."

"Heard from the same source she got to Marzipan's Song before some of the best in her field could even bat an eye over rumors of the coordinates. And I'm talking the real deal, not some handcrafted reproduction--"

Unaccustomed to talking so much (and to creatures at that) Dirac broke off before continuing uncertainly.

"--either of you hear this already?"

"I know of Marzipan's Song. But I must admit I was not aware Ottilie went searching for it..."

Jerin replied, softly. Marzipan's Song was the name of both a melody and the tiny mechanism that played it. Though constructed simply and of no real physical beauty, the beautiful song emitted supposedly had great power over those who heard it, soothing even the most troubled mind. Created by a brilliant toymaker for a queen who suffered from insomnia, it had changed hands many times over the years, often stolen, sometimes bought, and several times traded. Eventually it fell into the keeping of a common but clever thief who hid it within the darkest forest of the northlands while searching for a buyer. Unfortunately he misplaced the map he'd drawn that indicated exactly where it was buried, and the device was lost to the forest and the ages. Countless hunters had spent their lives searching for it without finding so much as a hint to its location. Knowing all this, the creature had to wonder at his adversary's apparent discovery of the fabled trinket, though his major questions didn't center on authenticity, but expedition. Quite simply: how had Ottilie done it?

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In a charming province several hours from the Laplacian Kingdom lies the town of Estrelladonia. It seldom appears on any world map or within the stories of major headlines, and the only really extraordinary thing about it is the Countess D'Faye, who lives in a large villa well outside its borders near the sea. Her fur is calico in color, caramel browns, rich chocolates, and peppermint whites fading in and out of each other and darkening to pure russet at her extremities, giving her paws an elegant gloved appearance. Her ears resemble butterfly wings in shape, and her features are mostly cat-like. Her eyes alter between blue and green respectively, and she wears layers of skirts and form fitting robes in bold colors as well as silver bangles about her wrists and ankles that tinkle musically when she walks. The people of Estrelladonia know little of her, save what they have seen with their own eyes, her beauty and her wealth. Here are several things they do not know about the Countess. They do not know she lived the life of a street urchin until she was seven years old. They do not know she is one of nineteen creatures in the world capable of genuine sorcery. They do not know she is responsible for both their towns continued wellbeing and its seclusion. And finally, they do not know the Countess was once part of the notorious crime gang known as The Lucky Seven.

The night in question found the lady retired for the evening upon a velvet chaise of her favorite balcony. Her nose twitched as the breeze caressed her fur lovingly, and she closed one paw around the current of air. Twirling it like a lasso, she sent several amaryllis petals whirling into the sea far below. Gazing back at the coming twilight, her contented smile faded, and she sat up, sensing someone approaching. Shortly one of her maids appeared in the doorway, bearing an unmarked envelope in one paw as she breathlessly explained.

"Please forgive my intrusion, mistress, but this just came for you. I told the porter you weren't taking any offers at the moment, but he said it wasn't in regards to that, and that I must see this to you immediately."

Wordlessly she extended her paw. The maid handed it to her and stood aside, awaiting further instructions. The Countess studied the paper the envelope was made from carefully, but it offered no explanation. Everything about it was generic, from the feel to the smell. Fingering the contents, she looked up.

"That will be all, Acacia."

Curtsying, her servant departed, leaving the creature alone. Rising, she retreated inside to her sitting room, where she threw the envelope somewhat harshly upon her desk. For several minutes she did nothing. Then she pressed her paws to the tabletop, one hip at a jaunty angle as she stared down at it. Seizing the envelope finally, the Countess slit the seal with a claw, daintily shaking the contents onto the desktop. A single playing card fell out, face down. She sighed, drolling dramatically.

"Must we draw this out...?"

Extending her paw, she flipped it over. Seven of Hearts.

Breathing a sigh of relief and disappointment, she went immediately to her computer, turning it on. A pleasant voice greeted her.

"Good evening Countess. How may I be of service?"

She sat back upon her desk, one leg crossed over the other as she faced the screen.

"Access location 0052by4.ca under a security level of 10. Password is Charm."

"Accessing... ... ..."

She stared out the window, tapping her claws against her arms as she waited. Finally the voice spoke again.

"Access granted. One other member is active. Should I connect you?"

"Please."

The screen remained black. Then it sprung to life, displaying the familiar desk of an even more familiar figure. She purred, batting her long lashes at him.

"Good evening, Captain."

He grinned, leaning back in his seat.

"Evenin' lass."

She held the card up between two claws.

"I got your love note. No flowers or diamonds tonight?"

"Nay, though m'workin' ta track 'em down. Been awhile. Seems some o'ya got more lost than others..."

She tittered, leaning on one arm.

"Well, convey my regards when you inevitably find them."

He leaned forward, brow raised.

"Hopefully ye'll be able ta do as much yerself."

She kept her smile firmly in place, her voice silly young and careless.

"Whatever are you playing at, dear heart?"

"Proprietor o'the spades."

The Countess' heart skipped a beat, and her eyes shone electric blue in the dark. Outside, the wind rattled fiercely against the glass panes.

"I see. In that case, do be sure you aren't seen on your way. And make certain there's at least one clean room aboard that floating junkyard of yours."

He chuckled.

"Aw, be gracious ta me Blood love. Source knows shes gotten all o'us through a lot."

She smiled slightly, bowing her head.

"My apologies. I forget she is your dearest love."

There was a strange edge to her voice as she said it. Neither spoke. Then she mused softly.

"Do you suppose after...?"

He cut in swiftly, though his voice was gentle.

"Nay."

She smiled sadly.

"Really, it would be sweet of you to lie to me once and awhile. Source knows he used to, and look where it got him before all of this."

He chuckled.

"'Cept he always halfway believed everythin' what came out o'his mad mouth love. Truth in lies..."

"...lies in truth."

The Countess finished quietly. They each sat lost in their own thoughts before he spoke again.

"I'll be there 'afore mornin.'"

He seemed about to go then, but she stopped him with a soft query.

"Why is six afraid of seven?"

He grinned.

"'Cause seven ate nine."

"So they say...but I wonder. If I asked him, do you think he'd answer me like that?"

"Never could speak fer him lass. Best save that one fer the genuine article."

She smiled mirthfully.

"I suppose I will..."

"ekwanesxaw kolwas*," The rabbit muttered. Closing his eyes in irritation, "Ix whixan**"

Corky snarled and started digging around in his pockets.

The silliness came back, a mischievious grin appearing under those blue eyes, "Mark's a word bounty hunters use. Means the one they're charged with killin', e'la. Might wanna keep up with trends, miss. Lesser man would've already started fightin'." He cocked his head to one side, "Saavy? Must be higher on the food chain. You know where I am?"

*ekwanesxaw kolwas - ECKWAN ezah - Horse's ass

**Ix whixan - Icks WICKSun - Trouble kiddo

"I'm not exactly a treasure-hunter myself," Aurora said in response to Dirac's question, "so I don't keep my ears as close to the ground as I might where rare trinkets are concerned, but I did hear that someone had found Marzipan's Song. I didn't know the name though, until you told us". As Dirac nodded in acknowledgement Aurora added, "how strange that it should be the very treasure-hunter we're now on our way to meet". Jerin briefly turned his head towards her. "Is it really so strange?" he queried, "after all, a treasure-hunter skilled enough to find Marzipan's Song so swiftly would almost certainly be a favoured candidate for seeking out a treasure from a place such as this". Aurora nodded, "I suppose that's true enough," she murmered, but her mind was already on something else.

The thing which now dominated Aurora's thoughts was Jerin's deck of cards. Even as she had made light of it moments ago, the significance of them had dawned upon her. The seven of spades. The Lucky Seven. Given Dirac's age (Aurora estimated him to be into his early to mid-thirties at the oldest) it was possible that he didn't know of the Lucky Seven as anything more that an expression. Or possibly, he didn't care to know about criminals whose power and influence had dwarfed that of Boss Houiri, the underworld boss he was bound to serve. For Aurora though, much as she regretted it, this latest coincidence was one coincidence too many, when weighed in the balance with everything else she knew about the legendary Jerin Jestwood & her former Performing Arts Instructor.

Jerin Jestwood was long-lived. Since her Jerin appeared no older now than when she'd last seen him all those years ago, she could safely conclude that so was he. The Jerin Jestwood of legend used a set of razor-wires as weapons, a set identical to those now carried by her Jerin.The Jerin of legend was clever & cunning, achieving his ends through wit guile & subtlety and always had multiple interests. The same could be said of her Jerin. The Jerin in the stories was possessed of considerable charm, flair & charisma. So was hers. Moreover, as she'd noted earlier, he was the only Jerin Jestwood she'd ever encountered who seemed to feel no need to claim to be the genuine article. He was the only Jerin she'd ever encountered who could possibly live up to the description in the stories. And now the deck of cards. Had he been any other Jerin then the deck of cards would've been a deliberate mistake, designed to make people believe he was the one and only Jerin Jestwood. The fact that he'd never attempted to make the claim though & yet had amongst his numerous decks of cards a deck composed entirely of the seven of spades, not to mention the fact that he'd been genuinely annoyed when he'd realised that that was the deck he was carrying was almost as good as a confession to Aurora though. Much as she wished she could find another explanation, there was now almost no doubt at all in her mind that her Jerin & the Jerin were one and the same person. In addition, the edge that crept into his voice when she'd mentioned the Oasis, the Babylonian he'd taught her & the fact that no-one knew where Jerin Jestwood had come from all seemed to slot neatly into place if the Oasis was real & had once been his home. And if all that was true, then it gave rise to a most uncomfortable question in Aurora's mind: Just where did all this leave her?

"No higher on the chow line than myself, that's for certain. Unless your planet consists entirely of bright yellow grass you can hide that bright yellow fur in, Blondie."

She retorted, grinning cheekily.

"And even if that's the case, here it'll do ya no good."

Ottilie frowned at this banter, addressing Legs inwardly.

Slags baitin' him.

Completely. If he goes for it she can arrest him for assaulting a government official.

The creature tensed, her tail curling in annoyance.

S'bloody sneaky o'her.

I know kit, but that's what works for the P.I.A. Don't let it get to you, otherwise we'll be the ones under arrest.

She nodded grimly.

Hope they don't fight meself...

I don't think he's that stupid. Though, if they kill each other it would get them away from us.

She scowled at him. He held up two pairs of arms.

Ok, I didn't mean that. But you've gotta admit we've lost a lot of time, and this little interrogation is costing us more.

The creature sighed, looking away. It wasn't like she didn't want to get going as well. On top of everything, the dark presence she'd first sensed hours ago was nearly upon them. Her brows lifted in concern as she fretted.

Why'm I the only one who feels it...? S'it really jus' me imagination?

Ottilie thought of something then, and it horrified her.

S'targetin' me. Maybe s'why I sense whoever or whatever it is, 'cause m'the mark...

Kitto...?

Legs broke into her thoughts, his mental voice puzzled.

Your heart rate spiked just now. What is it?

M'not sure, but that bad feelin' I had earliers still present. Reminds me o'the way I felt around Jerin. Not always, but--

--WHAT?

She looked at him, startled by his exclamation as much as its implication.

Why didn't you say something earlier--?!

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"Did she happen to tell your relative how she went about locating it?"

Jerin asked, hopefully. Dirac inclined his head.

"She brought it to him to be authenticated. He was so surprised by what he found he did ask, and she was generous with information."

He chuckled.

"Like any who accomplish great feats, I suppose."

The creature watched him closely as he commented.

"Neither you nor Aurora are like that."

The human's smile faded.

"Greatness is more a matter of opinion than anything. I can't speak for Miss Aurora, but professionally I've done nothing in the past ten years I consider great."

"Ah. Well, if you'd be so kind as to tell me what she told him, I'd do you a good turn in the future. Of late I haven't had the time to follow Ottilie's endeavors as closely as I like, but I always find them fascinating."

Dirac nodded, continuing his story.

"Again, this is what my relative told me and supposedly what she told him, so take it as such. She was traveling through the northlands and stopped at a tavern near the Murkwoods, where different versions of the thief's map were on display."

"Most of those were found to be fake, correct?"

"That was the general belief. No one was paying them much mind, or had paid them much mind in years really. Until this girl. Your Ottilie."

He scratched his beard thoughtfully as he said the last, watching Jerin's face. There it was again. That quiet, affectionate look. He smiled a little.

"She stood in front of these maps, ten or so different ones, on and off for three days, contemplating them. On the fourth she took reproductions of what hung there from the innkeeper and vanished into the forest. A week and a half later when new rumors of the coordinates were just being discussed, she emerged and went straight to my relatives shop."

"And he authenticated it there?"

The human nodded.

"He examined it personally and took it to be dated via AMS. More than that though the song was the clincher. Said he never heard anything like it. It was real, what she found."

"She obviously saw more in those maps than most."

"That's what's interesting. She told him the path to the treasure wasn't on a single one. There was truth in several, three specifically. Each of them led you to a different place where the trinket was supposedly buried, but only by considering all three maps together would you notice a spot in the center of the false x's where no one had looked, partially because of the dangers particular to that area, but mostly because they hadn't thought to. That's where she went."

Jerin smiled, musing.

"Ottilie always did have a head for cartography. More importantly, it's never been about the treasure itself for her. It's about the map and the adventure that leads to it. A hunter interested in the end alone wouldn't see what she saw...what she sees..."

He trailed off, and seemed to lose interest then, finishing somewhat callously.

"I do hope your relation gave her a good deal on such a prize."

"She wouldn't sell it to him."

There was a pause.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Said she had other plans. Probably a private buyer somewhere."

"Perhaps--"

Before he could add to this, his ears swiveled, standing to attention. Aurora's lifted as well, and together they listened. He motioned them into another corridor after a moment, where they hid. In time Dirac heard the sounds of many feet in thick boots, and soon an armed squadron of humans, anthros, and several creatures ran past the opening where they crouched. All were dressed in combat gear, and most carried large, foreboding guns. Alarmed, the human counted them as they passed. Sixteen...seventeen...still coming?...yes, eighteen...nineteen...twenty.

When they'd gone, Jerin moved back onto the path, Aurora following close behind.

"Those men--"

"--they're Rithm."

Dirac finished.

"I know the uniform. The republic sent them. Figured as much would happen, but I didn't think they'd send so many..."

Whether or not Jerin heard this neither could say, but the alarm in his eyes was genuine enough.

"Ottilie."

And with that he was gone, a dark blur of motion sprinting after the brigade with Ball and Jack droning close behind.

"You're not like this lady are ya?" The Lepoid said motioning to Ottilie. "More aggressive, hope your kind isn't the main indigenous species on this planet." Toby said smirking.

The halfbreed moved his eyes toward the rabbit in restrained confusion. He knew exactly which race was dominant. He knew what this was about. What was he doing.. playing dumb?

"Do whatever ya need to, Miss. Everything save attack me that is, can't have little Henry here go it alone." He shrugged, turning and rolling his eyes at Ottilie.

"Best go after him I suppose," Aurora said to Dirac, motioning to the fast disappearing form of Jerin. Even as Dirac nodded in agreement Aurora took off, making up the distance between herself & Jerin in less than a second. Once she was beside him, she matched her pace to his. "I take it you have a plan?" she asked him as they rounded a corner together. "Of course," Jerin informed her in a neutral tone, "I plan to prevent any member of that mob from laying so much as a finger on Ottilie by any & every means necessary. Any objections?" Aurora sighed slightly & shrugged her shoulders. "Not at all," she replied, "but perhaps I should rephrase the question. Do you have a strategy by which you mean to accomplish your expressed intention?" Jerin smiled, a grim & mirthless smile. "I will by the time we get there," he stated. Aurora nodded her agreement. She hoped Dirac was doing his best to catch up with them, since his considerable strength & skill with the axe would undoubtably come in handy. Also, having someone with Dirac's physical presence would divert attention from herself & Jerin. Then Aurora remembered one other factor key to the situation.

Although she'd earlier told Jerin that Ottilie was in the company of two others besides her insect friend, she'd neglected to inform him that one of those two was a child. Like Jerin had commented earlier, she wasn't very forthcoming with information. Not even, it seemed, around someone like Jerin with whom she had little difficulty conversing. Perhaps there had been factors that contributed to that, such as the presence of Dirac & her suspicions regarding Jerin's identity, but it was a matter of critical importance now. In a matter of moments twenty armed and armoured adults would rush upon a group consisting of (as far as Aurora knew) two adults who might be able to fight, a decipede & a child who, as far as Aurora could tell, had no skills whatsoever that would aid him in such a situation. Deep in Aurora's psyche something stirred. Normally she was even-tempered & very few things could stir her anger. But adults attacking children & unsuspecting foes they easily outnumbered could do it. If they've harmed the child...Aurora thought to herself. The long-dormant icy fury began to awaken. If they'd harmed the child then, in terms of the cold wrath they would face as a consequence, they were standing on the brink of an ice-age...

Elsinoire raised a brow at him. Professionally she was disappointed he hadn't taken the bait, but personally her respect for Tobias went up a notch.

"I don't know Irish there well enough to comment. But we are of the same kind despite the differences in appearance. Creatures both, am I right?"

When no response came, she frowned at Ottilie.

"Hey, Irish! Ya hear me?"

Snapping to attention, the other looked up, replying absently.

"M'sorry, I was miles away. What were ya sayin'?"

The agent rolled her eyes.

"Nevermind."

Turning back to Tobias, she crossed her arms.

"Anyway, you've no cause for concern Blondie, I'm not going to attack ya. You'll need a visa to remain on this planet for an extended period of time, that's all."

The decipede on Ottilie's shoulder chattered urgently, and she nodded, turning the blue bead round her neck over and over in two claws.

"Er...don't mean ta interrupt, but ya can send some forms an' such o'er the WWN aye? We're in a bit o'a hurry ya see."

Elsie scowled at her.

"I could, but it'd be illegal. He needs to come back to the agency with me for testing, and he'll fill out the necessary forms there."

"Right. Soon as we finish up in here--"

"--Now."

She insisted. Ottilie bit her lip. How could she explain?

"M'sorry, but s'jus' not possible at the mo--"

"--It's not an option, it's the law. And I'm--"

She stopped abruptly, both herself and Tobias turning to gaze in the opposite direction. The Oasis creature glanced at Henry, who shrugged.

"Er...sumthin'--"

"--Shut up a minute, Irish..."

Elsinoire muttered. She cast a sidelong glance at the taller male, her former cheek replaced by complete seriousness.

"Sounds like, what, sixteen, ya think?"

The lepoid shook his head.

"Twenty."

He turned to Ottilie and Henry, explaining.

"Group of twentys comin' this way. Humans mostly, judging by their footfalls."

The Oasis creature's brows drew together in concern.

"S'a lot...maybe we'd do best ta move out o'their line o'vision jus' in case, aye?"

"Move? Move where? We came this way last night Kitto, you know the path is singular. There's nowhere to go except forward."

Legs chattered. Meanwhile, Elsinoire had objections of her own.

"Just in case of what? We're not doing anything wrong, and I'm conducting an investigation besides! They can go around!"

The creature swallowed a slew of heated retorts, pressing her claws together patiently to stop them from curling into fists.

"Ok, first, so what f'the paths singular? We'll jus' go 'til there's a side path or what have ya we can dart down. I mean they're still a ways off, right?"

Tobias shrugged.

"Aren't directly behind if that's what ya mean, miss."

"Aye. So we can out distance 'em before they're upon us more'n likely. Then f'we get a good look an' they're decent there's no harm done, 'cause no one decent would think ill o'us fer bein' cautious."

"I still don't understand why you want to hide at all. Yes, it's a large group, but odds are they're only other hunters or thrill seekers or what have you. Why're you being so paranoid? Have you done something wrong?"

The investigator queried, regarding the quartet with suspicion. Ottilie responded evenly, praying what she knew of the P.I.A. would prove true in at least one aspect of the other's character.

"We haven't, but I s'pose yer correct."

Floored by this answer, a bewildered Elsinoire frowned.

"Of...of course I am, Irish..."

"S'a relief. An' maybe we'll make some new friends, aye? Jus' think o'all the conversations we're about ta have! M'sure we'll jus' talk an' talk fer hours an' hours about what we're all up ta in here..."

The other faltered, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl, who smiled innocently.

"Touché. Alright, we move. But I'm not done with you lot yet, understand? No funny stuff!"

"Wouldn't dream o'it! Lets go!"

As they hurried up the path, Ottilie's mind raced along with her body. She was beginning to accept the very real possibility that Jerin might be present. Was he part of the group? Or were they working for him? She frowned. Neither seemed quite his style, and that was precisely why either could be true, especially since the strong presence she'd felt was closing in on them around the time the agent and Tobias first heard the group of twenty. Even if her nemesis wasn't involved, the creature's second worry was that Rithm had discovered Algos' plans and sent a squadron to find the key and its keeper.

But why send twenty men ta find two creatures? 'Course, maybe they thought it was a group, not jus' me an' Legs. I've no idea how many they might've heard there were, after all...

She cursed.

Bollocks...they're goin' ta think Toby an' Henry an' this slag're fer Algos f'they find out we are...please jus' be a large group o'friendly adventurers...

Ottilie didn't have time to think about this any further as they rounded the next corner, a wall of solid rock bringing them all to a hasty stop. The creature blinked in confusion before pushing against the obstacle roughly.

"Wasn't here last night...this wasn't bollocksy well here!"

She exclaimed, losing her temper and pounding one fist against it. She felt a firm paw on her shoulder then, and Tobias said calmly.

"Hey. Don't hurt yourself over it miss Ottilie. Be no good with a broken paw, e'la."

"He's right kitto, we'll figure something out."

She regarded her partner and companion somewhat forlornly.

"Aye...s'true, sorry..."

Taking a deep breath, she pressed her claws to the rock, addressing Legs in calmer tones.

"Ok, so, wasn't here last night, meanin' it moved, meanin' s'a mechanism o'some--"

The insect leapt at the word 'mechanism,' and she had to smile as he squeezed through a crack in the wall to investigate. Meanwhile, Elsinoire stood facing the way they'd come, ears perked.

"They're closer. Not moving anymore, but I can hear their voices. Can't make out what they're saying exactly. Doesn't sound important--"

"--they've stopped to rest. I don't think they know we're here."

Tobias interjected smoothly. The agent nodded curtly.

"Seems to be. Still, hope your decipedes more than good at his job, Irish, 'cause I doubt we have much time to kill."

"S'the best o'the best."

Ottilie retorted fiercely, then looked up at Tobias, worriedly whispering.

"F'whoever it is does catch up an' wants ta start trouble 'fore Legs finishes though, well...ordinarily m'not one fer fightin' so close ta a kit. But I know Henry's not a normal--"

As she spoke he glanced down at Henry pointedly before looking back at her, and the creature re-called what the lepoid had said earlier about not holding back in front of his charge. Breaking off, she knelt to talk with the boy directly.

"My apologies. I think yer made o'top stuff, Henry. Where I come from we train our kits ta fight early, an' we're pretty tough on 'em. After observin' ya, I have ta say yer jus' as good as some o'the ones I've seen years ahead. In lieu o'that, I want ya ta know we might have ta fight whoever's comin,' though m'gonna do everythin' in me power ta avert such an outcome. Still, I wanted ta be up front with ya, 'cause ya aren't an ordinary kit, an' 'cause Toby believes in ya, an' s'good enough fer me. So be ready in case, an' be careful."

She smiled then.

"An' no worries. We'll help each other f'it comes ta that, ok?"

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Before long Jerin and Aurora caught up with the group from Rithm, though they left Dirac in the dust in the process (Jerin wasn't terribly concerned about this however, given the currently straightforward path). They'd stopped to rest and examine their weapons, and the creatures crouched around a distant corner, listening to them joke about nothing of import. Initially eager to prevent them from reaching Ottilie, the Oasis renegade seemed content to wait with the men for no discernible reason now, and became preoccupied with changing the wire in one of his reels.

"Shall I take a few, master?"

Junk inquired softly, entwining himself around the creature's neck while Jack made restless loop-de-loops and Ball drew question marks in the dirt. Jerin shook his head at all three robots, and they fell silent, awaiting orders. Glancing at Aurora, he noted the change in her demeanor, though it was slight. As he gazed upon the mercenary, he remembered that he liked her company and truly, liked Aurora herself. Such a realization might seem oddly out of place, but Jerin's mind had stopped working in any sort of linear fashion long ago. Nowadays it was more like a madly spinning merry-go-round that stopped occasionally to let ideas in and out. What he couldn't remember presently was if he'd ever done anything nice for her, and this was suddenly very interesting and important, as if he'd forgotten to stop the ride long enough for the thought to get on many times and was only just admitting it now.

"You've a vivid memory."

He began. She looked at him after a moment, returning to herself as he took her from whatever thoughts she'd been within.

"In the time we've known each other, have I ever done anything nice for you?"

Aurora tilted her head at him, frowning, and he added.

"I know its an odd query, but humor me while I look for another reel..."

The agents of Rithm had stopped for now. They had found no-one. They had harmed no-one. It was possible they didn't even know how many people they were looking for. As Aurora took this on board her recently-disturbed anger began to slumber again; it was slow to awaken but swift to subside. Then Jerin caught her eye. "You've a vivid memory," he began. She looked his way, returning from her own private thoughts. "In the time we've known each other," he continued, "have I ever done anything nice for you?" Aurora tilted her head, a slightly quizzical look on her face. That was an odd question to be asking at a time like this. Almost as though he'd read that last though, Jerin added, "I know its an odd query, but humour me while I look for another reel..."

Aurora thought back over all the time they'd known each other. How should she answer that question; 'nice' could have several applications. For instance, it could be used to describe taking the time to see that a quiet student was neither aloof or indifferent but shy & taking the time to get to know her. It could also be used to describe the act of teaching said student a rare & beautiful language. Or of making time to play a game of chess. Or of a number of other things that Jerin had done for his former student. But did Jerin mean things like these, or did he mean a specific gesture? And if so, how best to sum things up? Then Aurora smiled, as she hit upon a memory that seemed to be a perfect answer. "At my graduation from the academy," she began, "we each recieved a costume tiara, along with our certificates. However, I remember that after the main ceremony you gave me another tiara. I recall perfectly the surprise I felt when I took it in my hand & discovered it was a real tiara. And there was an inscription on the inside. 'Those that capture people by brutality are soon forgotten, those who capture the people's imagination are ever remembered. Congratulations upon becoming the latter'. I'd say that was something nice & I have that tiara still".

Jerin smiled slightly. "I'd forgotten about that," he admitted, "but it was a long time ago. I fear though, that in order to protect Ottilie, we must soon join the former category of that inscription". As he said this he gestured at the group before them. Aurora nodded. "Unfortunate," she agreed, "but I just don't think they'd pay attention if we tried to stop them by putting on a show..."

OOC: Just to let you know, I'm down in the south of England ATM to attend my nephew's christening, so my internet access may well be irregular until tuesday evening!

OOC: No worries! Hope the christening goes well or went well, depending on when it was or will be =)

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Jerin leaned back on his elbows, frowning at the last part of her final comment.

"Though I'm of the same mind as you on that point due to time constraints, I'm rather vehemently against the idea presented therein, so much so that I believe my thoughts on the subject could form the basis of an entire lecture."

As the Rithmites around the corner had fallen to blaming Algos for the poor quality of their weapons and didn't seem about to stop anytime soon, Aurora inclined her head with a smile.

"I'd love to hear, so long as you feel up to teaching."

He returned the smile.

"Anything for my favorite student."

Shifting to rummage around in his left pocket, he went on.

"Entertainment, be it projected from a screen, within a theater, or even upon the street, is extraordinarily powerful and altogether mystifying in that it is composed mainly of fabrications and illusions. We cloak perjury in prettier names of course, like 'fairy tales' or 'magic tricks,' but this doesn't negate the fact that the former lies to the ear and the latter to the eye."

He laid a sheathed knife, a small red ball, various strips of crumpled paper and several pieces of pocket lint upon the ground next to him before his paw disappeared again.

"Despite this crucial fact, a fact which the majority of the populace are well aware of, mind, if done correctly they react to what they see or hear as though it were real. More so than any gun or knife, the most precious weapons we wield are our words and--ah!"

Producing a brand new reel at last, Jerin opened the protective packaging noiselessly. The mercenary frowned.

"But what of pursuits like music or acrobatics or even juggling? These are disciplines mastered through hard work."

"Exactly. Those are things you learn. The performance becomes the lie because again, if done correctly, it makes the audience see or hear what isn't naturally given. Granted, some are born with a knack for one thing or another. You were born with an ear for music and a foot for dance. My Ottilie was born with both paws in acrobatics. But only through practice is the fullness of these gifts truly attained."

He paused to examine the reel critically, before nodding his approval.

"Rehearsal, that is honest, and few realize when they see the success they are really seeing the result of countless failures and perseverance. They want to believe the lie, that the performer sprung to the stage as good as he or she ever was or ever will be."

He smiled then, looking up from his work.

"The best illusionists though aren't the ones who merely trick their audience into seeing what isn't there, but the ones who trick their audience into seeing someone else tricking them into seeing what isn't there. In keeping with this, trouncing your peers doesn't come down to an understanding of them, but of their tricks. For instance."

He finished securing the new reel round his wrist, then chose the ball from his pile of pocket debris. He held it to his left eye.

"Abra Kadabra."

And with a flick of his paw, it was gone.

"Now. Where is the ball?"

She answered automatically.

"Your left sleeve."

He angled the accused sleeve downwards, and sure enough, it rolled back into his palm.

"Good! Since you know the truth behind the trick, the illusion is broken."

"I understand. There's still something to be said for knowing your rivals, though."

He tilted his head at her.

"To an extent. But individuals change. Tricks are simpler because there are only so many, and the greatest have already been performed. New details can make them seem fresh, but a trap door is still a trap door no matter how you build or hide it. Without tricks there is no magician, without choreography, no dancer. Understand the performer and you will understand only that. But by learning their tricks you will have the key to undoing or surpassing anyone you wish. Oh, and always sit near the back door. That helps if things go awry."

Aurora laughed softly.

"I take it you have experienced the last in spades?"

He chuckled, the irony of her choice of words not lost upon him.

"The mythology surrounding me can attest to that quite well I think, despite certain fallacies."

She looked straight at him, and Jerin smiled, leaning forward to remark in quiet confidence.

"It would be very arrogant of me to assume that one who watches always as you do hasn't figured a few things out by now, don't you think?"

If the mercenary was surprised by this comment, she hid it well. He continued.

"I'm not going to render either of us uncomfortable by delving further into that particular subject at present, though I will say this. My act is my life, and my life is my act. And contrary to what I said earlier, as in any good play or story there is some truth in it. But, and never forget this, truth in my case is like a decipede's leg. You may catch hold of it, but once caught it will be left in your paw as the insect leaps away to grow another."

He stretched then, re-pocketing his belongings and getting to his feet as the squadron prepared to move on. He gestured at the entire complex this time as he said.

"Abra Kadabra."

Lowering his paw, he turned away, his final words a soft reminder.

"Where is the ball?"

Aurora noticed Dirac approaching as she & Jerin prepared to follow the squadron from Rithm again. For him to have caught up so quickly meant that he must posess both superior speed & endurance for a human. Waving a quick signal over to him, to warn him that they were now close behind the agents of Rithm & to proceed with caution Aurora thought over what Jerin had just told her. It wasn't exactly a direct claim to be the one and only Jerin, but the way he'd phrased it left little room for doubt. An imposter would have made the claim directly. Jerin had allowed her to build a profile of the character legend described & then implied- quite strongly- that he was the truth behind the myth. In addition to this, the fact that he'd said what he'd said made a certain amount of sense if you believed (as Aurora now did) that Jerin was the Jerin.

Plenty of people had tried to imitate Jerin Jestwood over the years, but the acts of those imposters had never quite rung true however hard they tried. Firstly, they needed to know the tricks Jerin did. Of all those who had ever claimed the name, only a few knew the accompanying tricks & of those fewer yet were capable of pulling them off with Jerin's flair & skill. But even if you knew the tricks, that was only half the problem. In order to convince anyone you were the genuine article, you had not only to know the tricks, but to be able to think like Jerin. And that was where every imposter came unglued. Jerin had stated only a moment ago that if you understood the performer you would understand only that. However, the counterside of that was that if you understood their tricks you would understand only those. Simply put, though some of the imposters had understood the tricks, no-one understood the workings of Jerin's mind. Most of the imposters, outside their own areas of specialisation, tended to think along fairly conventional lines, in quite predictable patterns. Jerin didn't tend to think like that at all. Actually, about the best item Aurora could come up with to compare Jerin's thought process to was the weather system. Chaos theory states that a butterfly can flutter its wings in one country & half a world away a storm will ravage a continent. It is quite possible for this to happen, although there is no way for it to be scientifically proven. Jerin's thought process was not unlike that. An entire system of incredibly complex elements, all intricately intertwined, moving in patterns that could be described as anything but linear & able to completely rearrange themselves as a result of the tiniest thing. Ordered chaos. No-one else Aurora had ever met could think like that. And since Jerin thought in such an unusual manner & was a genius- not to mention being at least 3 centuries older than herself- it should come as no surprise that he knew or guessed the conclusions she had come to regarding his identity.

Aurora mulled this over. Jerin had said that if you understood the performer, you would understand only that, but if you understood their tricks you could undo or surpass them. Jerin knew her & at least some of her tricks. He seemed to know Ottilie, although he had also admitted that she kept catching him by surprise. Perhaps this was because, as he had stated moments ago, it was the details of her tricks that kept them fresh. How many tricks were there throughout this complex & how many did Jerin know? How many other people might be out there & did Jerin know their tricks too? If Jerin knew all the tricks the Complex had to offer, it was likely that he was once again in control of the board...

Henry closed his eyes for a moment, looking about as stoic as a child his age could, then nodded smoothly, "Kay. They start anything, we'll finish it."

Toby winced slightly, it was a firmly held belief with his people that the young were incapable of great sin. His charge however seemed to hold it his childhood goal to shattered that dearly held belief. The boy talked about doing things most people would find unfathomable of a boy doing; betrayal, murder, senseless harm to those he held in contempt. At times it wasn't simply talk either, little things he'd seen the boy do or nearly do made him think the tough guy talk was more than simple talk. The rabbit sighed heavily as he winced, it was indeed tough to be companion to that which disproved his very beliefs.

Ottilie nodded to the boy, smiling brightly.

"Aye, couldn't have put it better meself."

"Incoming."

Elsinoire remarked. Getting to her feet, the Oasis creature worriedly addressed the wall.

"Bleedin' deadly, get a wriggle on Legs!!"

There was no response, but minutes later the stone obstruction slid back into a narrow niche, opening the passage. Unfortunately, it was several minutes too late as the first few soldiers rounded the corner behind them. Spotting the quartet, they immediately charged, assembling themselves in practiced formation with various shouts of 'hold it right there!.' Ottilie froze, deeply troubled.

S'Rithm's kit. I recognize it from the flicks Ico showed me...

A stout, fair-haired man in used armor strode past the others, speaking as he made his way to them.

"I'm Captain Nathaniel Ore. My men and I represent the republic of Rithm, and we have reason to believe something that poses a threat to our fair city is being carried within these walls. We mean to search each of you thoroughly for it, but so long as you cooperate no harm will come to any of you."

This didn't sit well with Elsinoire of course, who responded haughtily, pressing her paws to her hips.

"Yeah? You got a search warrant to go along with that big talk, bub?"

She produced her badge then, addressing the group in a loud, clear voice.

"P.I.A. I'm conducting an investigation of my own and you're interfering, which, as you all know, is a federal offense on nearly every continent, including this one. So either return the way you came or continue on and leave me to conclude my business in peace."

The captain frowned.

"It may be a federal offense miss, but I believe our government would be most forgiving considering what we're looking for unlocks something could be dangerous to cities everywhere. I'm sorry if it's inconvenient for you, truly I am, but given the circumstances we're going to search you regardless. You can either go along with it and we'll be quick and pleasant, or you can't and we'll have to sedate you forcefully to ensure you aren't harboring that which could destroy us, our families, and our homes."

She growled, pulling twin laser guns from holsters round either leg and pointing them at him before he had time to even raise his weapon. There were several indignant gasps and cries of 'Captain!' from his men, and the nearest shifted positions to aim their guns and tranquilizers at her while the rest continued to focus on the remaining three.

"I'm the fastest shot in my department, ape, and no one breaks the law on my watch. No warrant, no search. Now back off."

The man swallowed nervously, but his voice remained steady as he replied.

"You're about to be the deadest shot in your department unless you can kill me and nineteen other men before one of them punches your ticket."

"I'm not afraid of you or anyone."

She felt a gentle paw on her arm then, and Ottilie's voice followed after it.

"S'ok. Let 'em do what they have ta, I've nothin' ta hide."

The older girl didn't look at her, scowling instead at Ore. The Oasis creature implored softly.

"Please. I don't want anyone ta get hurt needlessly. Yerself included."

Elsie continued to glare at the human, but finally lowered her weapons. The other creature bowed gratefully to her, relieved.

"Thank ya. You've a decent--"

"--I'm not your friend, Irish, and I didn't pull back because I'm condoning this. So don't go thinking otherwise."

She snapped irritably. Captain Ore stepped back, nodding gratefully to Ottilie.

"Much obliged, miss."

She patted the back of her right shoulder, regarding him with concern (desperation?) written in her features.

"Mind yer house, mate."

Though puzzled by this curious expression, the human chose not to inquire, merely nodding.

"I'll do that. Now, just to give the rest of my men peace of mind, please drop any and all weapons you're carrying and place your paws on your heads."

Elsinoire grumbled, dropping her lasers to the ground, then removed several other mysterious looking devices from various pockets of her uniform, settling them carefully near her guns and placing her paws upon her head with a warning.

"Some of my gears vicious. Touch anything you don't understand the wrong way and you might find your stomach has been replaced with a cantaloupe, which I hear is pretty unpleasant."

Meanwhile, Tobias kept a protective paw on Henry's shoulder while he removed his holster with the other. The boy growled low in his throat as his guardian dropped it to the ground. Ottilie too pressed her paws to her holsters, but only one came upon a weapon. She frowned, sighing wistfully as realization dawned on her.

Bollocks, s'right...I lost the other o'er the pit...

Setting the one down, she bent to remove two small daggers from hidden places in the armor at the backs of her heels. As she did this, the creature scanned the ground between the many pairs of boots with a frown. Despite the wall having long since slid aside, Legs had not returned to her. In addition, she felt his small mind churning thoughtfully through their link, which could only mean he had slipped among the Rithmites numbers and was in the process of disarming their guns in case things got ugly.

Large, poorly constructed clunkers. Should only take him eight or so minutes.

She thought.

An' hopefully they won't even find the key, hidden as 'tis. Meanin' they'd press on an' no one would have ta get hurt.

Straightening, she was confronted by a very sinister reptilian creature, whose tongue flickered in and out as his captain addressed her.

"Ladies first. And if you'd be so kind as to open your bag as well, miss."

Ottilie removed the satchel from her shoulder wordlessly, but before she could open it the reptile snatched it from her grasp, setting his own gun against the wall in order to dig through it more easily. Elsinoire narrowed her eyes at him as another human inspected the belongings she'd placed on the ground, drolling sarcastically.

"Congratulations, you can pick on someone smaller than ya, and all by yourself, too! Try me sometime scales. I'll show ya cold blooded."

The other hissed humorously at her.

"No thankssssss. I like my meat young..."

He grinned at Ottilie, who regarded him calmly, paws on her head, even as he leaned towards her.

"...and tender."

"I'll make you tender--!"

"--that'll do, miss."

The captain silenced the agent with a wave of his tranquilizer. The serpent-like creature continued to ruffle through Ottilie's belongings before producing The Canterbury Tales.

"Long read for ssssssuch a ssssssssssssweet little female. Ssssshould focusssssss on belonging to ssssssssomeone, not sssso many wordssssssss..."

She only smiled mysteriously, and Ore snapped.

"Chase girls on your own time, Venrile! We haven't got all night!"

The creature flinched, hissing softly.

"Sssssssssorry ssssssssir."

Around the corner and out of view, Jerin, Aurora and Dirac listened to these proceedings. The mercenary was worried he might run into someone he knew, as he'd heard that many of the friends he'd lost contact with over the years had joined the republics militia. More than that though, he wasn't sure why Jerin had let the men get this far if he was so adamant about protecting Ottilie.

Then again, doesn't make sense to fight if you don't have to. He's probably waiting for them to finish searching her. Should just move on when they're done, after all.

The human frowned, a thought occurring to him.

Unless of course...

As Dirac focused on 'unless of course,' Jerin stretched languidly. Junk swiveled its head around to regard him questioningly, and Jack hovered near his shoulder, tilting its orbs in mimicry of the other bot.

"Now be sssssssssstill..."

Venrile instructed, and was about to pat her down when Jerin's voice echoed evenly throughout the corridor.

"Mind your house is an expression the Irish use during sporting events. It means you're about to be tackled from behind."

Half of the men whirled, training their weapons on him as he strode forward followed by Aurora, Dirac, Jack above and Ball below. Jerin chuckled, lifting his paws in a light-hearted shrug.

"I suppose that information would have been of more use earlier--?"

What followed was chaos as Elsinoire slammed her fist into her distracted searchers face. Alarmed, a number of soldiers tried to fire at her and the trio coming from behind, but their weapons only droned weakly, fizzling. Legs had done his job commendably it seemed. The newcomers leapt into the fray, Dirac's axe humming a deadly ballad as he engaged another man who'd taken up a metal staff in place of his gun. Junk separated from Jerin in order to roll over the ground and strike at the heels of the unsuspecting, and Ball rolled after, droning to Jack as it ran a man straight through with a deadly hiss. While this was happening Jerin chose his first opponent based on a strategy that would get him to Ottilie's side the quickest, and the P.I. agent who'd instigated the entire skirmish laughed, sweeping her foe's feet out from under him as he took a swing at her. Reclaiming her property, she threw herself into the thick of the fight with a shout.

"Finally! Some excitement!"

Ottilie didn't have time to agree or disagree as she had become locked in hand-to-hand combat with her reptilian aggressor (a fact she was almost grateful for, as she wasn't emotionally ready to confront Jerin just yet). They tousled, and the creature slammed a large fist into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Jumping back, she pushed her bag safely to the side and retrieved her weapons, beckoning Venrile with a claw and a grin.

"Like tender meat, aye? Well, m'not gettin' any younger!"

He hissed angrily, lunging.

"I'm going to devour your inssssssssssssidessssssss!"

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OOC: Alright, free-for-all! Twenty (mostly humans and several creatures) vs. eight plus robots. Here's your chance to let your character(s) flex. Oh, and Rico, if you want to write on Henry and Tobias' ends shortly before the fight begins feel free (like if you wanted to write in one or two someones searching the pair beforehand so they can make witty remarks of their own, you know I'd be all for it. I only took care of the girls because I didn't want to take too many liberties with the boys), and the same goes for you Gem. Also, if one or both of you want to play things from the angle that Legs hasn't managed to disarm all the guns, go right ahead. I'm going to try to draw this out two or three posts on my end so we can get some good interaction. Plus, Jerin and Ottilie are about to come back together, and I (obviously) want a bit of time to build up to that =)

Before the squadron of Rithm mercenaries descended upon their target group, Aurora had time to see that Ottilie had been joined by at least one other person since their last encounter. The girl must have a gift, she mused somewhat wryly, to be able to draw people to her even in this place. As the mercenaries began to talk with the small party Aurora realised something. Of the five members Aurora knew should be present, only four were visible. Where was the decipede? Aurora guessed that answer as Ottilie used the phrase 'mind your house'. She smiled slightly. Aurora wasn't of Irish descent, but over the years she had picked up on numerous little code phrases that were useful to know. 'Mind your house' was one of them. Glancing over at Jerin, Aurora saw a ghost of a grin flit briefly over his features. Evidently he understood it too. Perhaps Ottilie's companion was at work amongst the Rithm militia, turning the tables for a surprise attack? If that was so, then going by Jerin's expression, the attack would be even more surprising than Ottilie had intended it. When Ottilie's new companion produced a badge Aurora's expression soured somewhat. The P.I.A. Well, wasn't that just the icing on the cake? As the search got underway Aurora's anger- which had all but retreated into dormancy again- began to reawaken. Perhaps they weren't threatening the child-yet- but the reptilian creature's behaviour was nearly as reprehensible as that & her anger had been too recently stirred to dissipate this time.

As Jerin announced their arrival, a change came over Aurora, almost too subtle to be seen. People sometimes describe the onset of rage as the descent of the 'red mist'. This quite neatly describes hot anger. Aurora didn't experience anything like that at all. Instead a terrible cold clarity invaded her psyche. Icy controlled wrath and deadly intent came to the fore. Emotion & mercy retreated, like leaves swept away by a storm-wind. And a chemical change began to occur in certain areas of her being. It was true that Aurora didn't carry weapons, beyond her own deadly speed and skills. But she had a hidden, biological weapon, seldom used but very deadly. Aurora was venomous. She possessed three forms of venom. One was probably the kind her distant ancestors had used, which would discomfort other Creatures and humans, but kill small prey animals. The second was a deadly cocktail for defence, used to kill life-threatening foes. But it was the third that was now increasing rapidly. This venom was extremely nasty, affecting brain & body both. There was no known cure for it but it wasn't leathal. The reason it wasn't leathal wasn't because Aurora wasn't ready to kill now- she was more than prepared- but because she knew that there are things worse than death that a person could experience. Her claws & fangs tingled as the venom became active & ready for use. The expression in her eyes changed, the usual approachable look becoming cold, merciless & dangerously focused.

As the fight started & chaos erupted, Aurora leapt into the fray. Before, when disarming the Whirligig & even against the group of mercenaries encountered earlier, she had kept her speed to that of the near-invisible flicker. That was partly because she had only wanted to defeat, not kill, partly because the fight had been between trained adults & partly because if she used too much speed she might cause a much larger cave-in than the partial one that had resulted during the fight with the Whirligig. Now though, Aurora moved considerably faster, vanishing from view completely. Darting amongst the members of the Rithm squadron, her eyes took in every detail of the fight, every person seeming, to her, to move in slow motion. Weaving here and there, she struck with fangs claws & tail. Unprotected hands, necks or faces suddenly developed small wounds & those who sported them toppled as though struck by tremendous force. Others would suddenly fly from upright positions to land flat on their backs. If the sudden inexplicable fall didn't incapacitate them, others would.With detached, deadly calm, Aurora took in the situation. Four of the opposition now bore small marks that were her handiwork. Jerin's razor-wires were hissing here and there across the passage as he headed steadily towards Ottilie. Bursts of light- strangely slow to Aurora's eyes- erupted from the P.I.A girl's pistols as she blasted any who got too close. Dirac was wading into the bulk of the group, his huge electric axe causing carnage as he hewed and felled his opponents. The rabbit seemed to be holding his own as well, blasting away with the pistol as he strove to protect the child. And was it Aurora's imagination, or had the expression in his eyes changed? The thought was distant as Aurora ploughed her way into the Rithm group again, ready to leave her calling-card on new candidates...

"He touches me I'll fu-" The boy only had the phrase out halfway before the brawl began. The rabbit yelped, putting a hand on the boy's chest and shoving him away from the fray, following in with a reckless dash to gain ground. A moment later they reached to nearest corner and fell around it, the rabbit slid quickly down to his rump, grabbing his holster and cursing under his breath realizing he hadn't picked up the gun the group had relieved him of.

"Lose somethin', dork?" Came the halfbreed smarmy commentary. He'd spawled out on his stomach in the chaos to obtain cover, rolling over and twirling the pistol Toby had sought only moments ago. "Face it, you'd be lost without me." The rabbit grabbed the weapon indignantly at first, sliding to the edge of the corner and surveying the area before looking back, "E'la, Whixan, e'la." Henry's smirk turned to a smile momentarily then to a sneer, "Shall I?"

Tobias poked his head out in time to see Aurora eyeing him, he hoped he wouldn't have to shoot anyone, but in this mess if anyone got the mind to head for them he would have little choice. It was better innocent blood was on his hands than the youth eagerly waiting to dash into battle. "No, not worth the supplies it would take to fix you up when it's over," his enbelishment disappointed the young warrior but it seemed to ring with some truth as Henry backed down and kept a vigil behind them, stopping randomly to peek around the corner over his older companion's head. Toby held the weapon at the crux of the turn in the tunnel, waiting.

OOC: Just so everyone knows, Yuku and I had some issues last night that resulted in the above four phantom posts. I'm searching for a way to delete them as we speak, and if anyone has any information on how I can go about doing that it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Though Legs had opened the passage a little too late, Ottilie was still grateful for the extra space to maneuver as she dodged and exchanged blows with Venrile. Twirling her weapon to get a better grip, the Oasis creature grimly took stock of her situation. Earlier she'd discovered the whirling part of her weapon was jammed at maximum speed (most assuredly due to her misuse of it over the pit) and therefore useless. This wouldn't have been a problem normally, but the reptile's skin had proven difficult to pierce with the pistons alone. As his jaws snapped at a place her shoulder had been Ottilie added the pale flecks of liquid glistening from the ends of his fangs to her quandary, jumping back in alarm.

Poison...I can't let 'im get near Henry an' the others...

Leaping to the side as he struck again, she brought her fists down hard on the back of his skull, then ran through the formerly obstructed passage, pausing to ridicule him with a smirk.

"Been a grand go mate, but m'off ta find a real fight now. Think I saw a baby grub up thisaways should do in a pinch--"

The lizard rubbed his head, turning a positively wrathful eye on her as she leaned forward with her paws on her knee guards, continuing in a tone of mocking concern.

"--an' m'quite sorry fer pickin' on ya. F'ya need a blankie ta hide under, ya saw the one in me bag, aye?"

Snarling, he lunged after her, pure rage driving his pursuit, and Ottilie ran, leading him away from her companions. This was only half of the reason she fled, however. The Oasis creature hadn't failed to notice Jerin approaching her position rapidly. So she ran because she was leading him away as well, and also because she was frightened.

Legs...

Her lower lip quivered as she skid around a corner.

I need ya...where can ya be? I hope yer ok. F'ya are, please come back here. I can't be alone with Jerin, m'not ready. Please don't let me be alone with 'im. M'scared, genius. I need ya...

She swallowed hard, paws pounding along the path as Venrile hissed behind her.

Please don't leave me all alone...

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Jerin stared after Ottilie's retreating form with a frown.

"I came all this way to find her and what does she do? Run. A simple 'hello,' is that so much to ask for?"

The man he was strangling gasped, struggling feebly. The creature nodded.

"My sentiments exactly. Give my regards to the Source. We haven't been on speaking terms in...oh, ages."

And pulling his wrists apart with a jerk, he decapitated his victim. Stepping back, he snapped the lines he'd been using, the bones of his wrists cracking as he brushed himself off absently, taking an odd moment of respite among the chaos.

I have had enough of these interruptions.

Moving more swiftly than before, he anchored two pieces of wire to the vines on either side of the passageway, evading any who approached him. Then Jerin's true talents were revealed as he zig-zagged across the chamber with one goal: clearing the remainder of the opposition. Unfortunately for her, Elsinoire was between him and this goal. Jumping back as he zipped past, she shook a laser at him angrily.

"Watch it buster!"

She leapt back again as he came the other way, weaving tight lines.

"HEY--!"

Several passes later Jerin had reached the other side of the battle and Elsie found herself pinned to the wall, row upon row of wire inches from her face. Around her those who hadn't gotten out of the creature's way quick enough were writhing in agony in the lines, slowly dying. She started to tremble, furious.

"Idiot! What in the name of the Source is wrong with you?!"

But he didn't seem to hear her, only continued down the path, finally disappearing from view altogether. The agent squirmed, shouting after him.

"Hey, get back here! Hey buster, I'm talking to you! Get me out of here! HEY!"

When he didn't return, she craned her neck as best she could to look in the opposite direction. The dark bearded human with the ax was fighting Captain Ore. The other female was nowhere to be seen, though the bush creature suspected she was among the remaining cluster of perplexed soldiers who kept striking at thin air. Meanwhile Toby peered around the corner, pistol at the ready. She swallowed hard, looking away from him. Her shaking was getting worse.

Keep it together, girl...not now...you can't lose your cool now...

Elsinoire was five years old when her parents were killed by serpents in the Bush. She'd always claimed she was rescued by the P.I.A. shortly thereafter. But the truth, a truth the agent had never confessed to anyone, was that she'd spent two years alone. Every day she woke up expecting to die. Every night she went to sleep expecting to die. When she was seven, she was buried in a cave-in caused by a meteor shower. She'd lain there two days before agents investigating the shower dug her out, barely breathing but still alive. Her time in the Bush had taught her you couldn't rely on anyone but yourself, and her time under the rubble had given her an irrational fear most bush creatures couldn't afford to know: claustrophobia. She gripped the wire suddenly, and it cut through her gloves as she shook it, a fact the agent might have been surprised by if she wasn't panicking.

"Let me out of here! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"

Her fear paralyzed her, made it impossible to think, and her pride prevented her from calling for help, even as she carried on, starting to hyperventilate.

"L-let me out of here...! Let...me out...!"

Her grip tightened, the wire cut into her palms, she struggled to draw breath. She was going to pass out.

"L-let me...out..."

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Legs worked vehemently, previous demands placed on both his body and mind making him wish he'd disarmed this particular piece earlier. The ferret-like creature that owned it was clearly some sort of marksmen or specialty bounty hunter, his weapon a silencer of sorts designed to hunt fast moving targets efficiently. Oddly enough, he hadn't fired a single shot yet, and kept changing positions against the wall, his mottled gray coat hiding him among the colors of the stone. The insect was half done when he heard him mumble triumphantly.

"Got ya, girly."

Peeking out, the decipede just barely caught sight of someone moving at an incredible speed five or six feet away.

That female mercenary.

The weasel took aim, claw positioned on the trigger. The insect stiffened, alarmed, looking back out at his rapidly moving target as she claimed another victim. He clicked his mouthparts together firmly.

Well. One good turn deserves another.

And leaping, Legs landed on the ferret's trigger finger, stinging it and then jumping to his face to sting him in the eye, the cheek, and the nose as he chattered fiercely. Crying out in pain and flailing wildly, the weasel dropped his gun, smacking him away and clawing at his face as the insect's venom burned through his skin. Landing on the opposite wall, the decipede smiled smugly. But his triumph was short lived as a deadly shock wave coursed through his body, and he fell to the ground, stunned. Staring upwards through bleary eyes, he saw Junk looking down at him from his place among the vines.

"Hello, bug."

The insect heard Ottilie's voice through their link then, calling for him, begging him to come to her. Distraught, he forgot about Junk, about the mercenary, about everything, squirming to an upright position to drag his battered body forward.

Kitto?!...Kit! I'm coming...hang on...just...

"Die you little pest!"

Legs looked up in horror as the weasels paw came down to squish him, then saw no more, falling unconscious with a desperate, weak chitter.

Ottilie...!

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Turning another corner, Ottilie found herself back at the beginning of the left path, and beside it were the splits for the center and right passages. A brilliant idea struck her then, and the Oasis creature bolted not to the center, but to the right. She'd noticed the trap just beyond the entrance the night before, but she'd also noticed that the vines hanging over it were longer and possessed no thorns.

I may not be a lot o'things...

Turning down the path with Venrile close behind, she leapt as far as she could, coming down hard on the doors and springing off as the trap opened beneath her. Reaching upwards, her paws closed around a vine, and she climbed expertly.

...but m'still one o'the best acrobats in the world.

She heard the reptile gasp, and hoped that was that. But another vine went taut, and whipping her head around, she saw him climbing towards her with madness in his eyes.

"Clever trick, but you're not going to sssshake me ssssssso easssssssssssily!"

Ottilie smiled merrily, a bit of shine coming into her eyes as she hung confident and comfortable in her true arena.

"Ya think that was clever, mate? S'pots an' kettles compared ta what yer gonna see."

And swinging hand over hand she took off, twirling and diving expertly through the air as she maneuvered from vine to vine. Beneath her, she noticed more doors opening, tripped by the impact of her leap like a row of dominoes to reveal one big, interconnected mechanism of hissing pipes, shifting chains, grinding gears, and razor sharp buzz saws.

Fall an' you'll be sliced an' ground inta soup.

She thought, grimacing. Swinging around the corner, she came upon the truly sadistic part of the device then. Even if you were quick enough to avoid the opening doors, the path was a dead end, and the trap went all the way to it, the last door swinging open beneath her with what she thought a particularly smug clank! Turning back around, she saw Venrile approaching, a hideously triumphant grin spreading over his features.

"Look into my eyessssssss now, little one, and ssssssssleep..."

Knowing the dangers of a serpent's eyes, Ottilie looked down instead. A vicious set of metal jaws sprung open and snapped shut rapidly beneath her.

Bollocks, m'trapped...an' I can't get through his skin without more--

Her eyes lit up as she stared at the jaws.

--thrust.

She smiled, looking back up.

"M'goin' ta send ya back ta the Source now, mate. May yer next incarnation prove easier on ya."

And then she let go of the vine, dropping into the pit. The serpent-like creature was so surprised by this he barely had time to react as she landed directly on the smooth surface of one jaw, using it like a slingshot to catapult her straight to him, whereupon she jammed the sharp piston into his chest as hard as she could. His howling was cut off in nearly the same instant as a flash of steel caught Ottilie's eye, and she watched in horror as a single bit of wire looped around the reptiles neck. Then the world was quiet, save for the rhythmic clanking of gears and the sickening crunches of first Venrile's head and then his body. Five feet away, Jerin hung upside down from the vines, staring darkly after the unfortunate reptile. Snipping the tainted wire with a flick of his wrist, he looked back at her, smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Three seconds later Ottilie released the vine she held for the second time.

Though more at home in the canopy than anywhere else, she knew Jerin had the upper hand there because he could fight upside down and with both paws, whereas she needed one to keep her steady and one to fight. Therefore, Ottilie concluded it would be better to be back on solid ground in case his intentions turned less than amiable. This is why the Oasis creature dove willingly into a deathtrap. Because to anyone else, that's just what it was. But to an acrobat, it was a fast paced obstacle course that just might fling you back to safety if you were skilled enough. So she fled again, grabbing chains, flipping between gears, dodging saws, swinging and twirling and diving for her very life. It seemed an eternity before she swung herself back over the edge of the hollow, scrambling frantic and breathless to her feet, single weapon still stained with Venrile's blood.

But Jerin was nowhere to be found.

"Jerin?"

She looked up and down, whirled around, scowled.

"Jerin?"

She repeated. Nothing. Rolling her eyes, the creature angled the flat, reflective piston to look over her shoulder without turning. Sure enough, he'd been clinging to the foliage overhead, keeping behind her as she looked for him. Taking a deep breath to steady the frantic beating of her heart, she tapped his reflection.

"Bleedin' deadly, mate. Wasn't expectin' ya so soon. Were ya goin' ninety ta the dozen or what?"

She heard him chuckle, and glanced over her shoulder and up with a small smile. He gripped the vine comfortably in the claws of his feet, lowering himself so his head was level with hers, albeit still upside down.

"Anything is possible for and because of my dearest Ottilie, though I'm disappointed to find my affection runs deeper than yours. You'd rather jump into gravity's rainbow than say hello to me now?"

The Oasis creature's brain rushed to remember protocol, to regulate emotions gone haywire, and to prevent her from simply throwing a temper tantrum in the dirt over her rotten luck even as she replied.

"On prior--"

She paused, angling her head so she could look him in the eye.

"--on prior occasions you've considered similar happenin's the sincerest form o'flattery!"

He grinned, tapping his cheek with a claw.

"Then your intention was to flatter me?"

She leaned in close, smiling somewhat humorously as she answered.

"I'll let ya wonder. Now right yerself ya bloody skiver. Me necks beginnin' ta hurt."

Delighted by this answer, he did as she asked, flipping to land elegantly on his feet. Keeping their distance, the fated pair fell to studying each other as animals do when confronted. He tilted his head, smiling appreciatively

"Why Ottilie, I think this is the least injured I've ever seen you."

She chuckled.

"Aye, s'pose ya caught me at one o'me better moments..."

She trailed off, and silence set in, deadly in Jerin's case because if left within it too long there was no telling what he'd do, given how his thoughts pinged and ponged among every possible subject, place, and being all at once.

Say sumthin.' Anythin.' Jus' bring him out o'it 'afore he decides stickin' a bit o'wire through ya might be an improvement.

She begged, but her mind reeled, still struggling to find its place in a world that suddenly included Jerin Jestwood again. While their relations prior to the present had been...tense, to say the least, like her dark eyed rival Ottilie's fondest and most recent memories were of a mountain, of snow, of strong wind, and of something rarely seen in him these days: a good heart. She re-called them now, and also the debates, the games, the playful (and not so playful) exchange of blows and banter, the lies she'd glimpsed (half-truths, he called them), the crimes she could never quite pin on him for lack of evidence, the way he worked so hard to be unpredictable and yet held onto one thing. Anger, frustration, sadness, loss, and yet, pure joy, promise, and hope. Because to know Jerin in any personal context was to know the whole range of emotions, and everything she'd known before the mountains stood against everything she'd seen in the mountains, leaving her altogether uncertain as to where they stood now. Torn as she was, there was one thing the creature had wanted to do since they'd parted, and the idea that she might lose her chance if she hesitated even one more second gave her back her bravery. And so in a dreamlike, dangerous silence, a silence in which she hadn't a clue where her former mark's mind might be, Ottilie closed the distance between them to hug him.

"M'glad yer alive. I heard ya were dead so many times, half believed it a few. After the Blinks--"

His voice was distant as he broke in, his body shocked stiff.

"--Please don't."

She persisted.

"After the Blinks, ya bunked off 'afore I could thank ya fer what ya did there. I've lain awake days thinkin' how I might never get the chance. I felt so guilty 'cause it meant so much and yet ya left never knowin' what it was ta 'em or me."

She pulled back, looking up at him with a big smile.

"So, thank ya, Jerin."

He seemed to return to himself, but she had already pulled several feet (a thousand miles) away again. He closed his eyes momentarily against the ache in his chest. He just ached to feel it again...

"Well...that was...unexpected as always. But...not entirely unwelcome. Thank you, O..."

He smiled, and she smiled back a little, before shrugging regretfully.

"Yer bein' so pleasant right now, haven't tried ta gut me or anythin,' I hate ta push me luck...but, why're you here, J?"

"I came to find you. I didn't plan beyond this moment for fear of ruining it."

She chuckled.

"Away with ye."

He raised a brow at her.

"You don't believe me?"

She came forward again, tentatively, to poke his chest with a playful claw.

"S'quite a conundrum, mate. F'I do, ya think less o'me. F'I don't, yer offended. Whatever m'I ta do, Mr.Jestwood?"

He chuckled, taking her paw and bowing graciously.

"As I'd hate to distress a mind on par with my own, I retract the question."

"Nay, sir, ya jest as surely as yer name implies when I've scars attestin' ta jus' how much ya love ta distress minds on par with yer own. Or have ya forgotten ta whom yer speakin'?"

He chuckled, leaning towards her.

"I have not forgotten. Nor it seems have you."

"Be hard ta with Legs--"

She started then, horrified.

"--Bollocks! Legs! The fight! Me companions!"

Ottilie made as if to dash off, but Jerin stopped her, gripping her wrist.

"They're nearly finished. We'd just be competing for the privilege of making the remaining few dead or otherwise uncomfortable."

She struggled stubbornly, trying to reason with him.

"I see the logic in that mate, but I'd still feel better f'we returned, an' 'sides, I left me bag."

His grip tightened.

"Someone will bring it. If not, I'll go back for it myself. You always seem to be accompanied by at least three others whenever we meet, and conversation stagnates due to the limited topics you can speak of in front of them. Therefore, grant me this interval."

He didn't need to indicate what could happen if she didn't. Ottilie frowned, but nodded curtly, punctuating her answer with a not so playful poke to his chest.

"Alright...but f'I find out yer lyin,' Source help ya. Now let go o'me wrist."

He inclined his head gratefully, releasing her, and she moved away to sit against the wall. Resting her head on her knees, she studied him as he sat beside her, riveted, lost.

"So...s'it the usual bollocks?"

She asked, finally. He leaned back, closing his eyes with a smile.

"That depends on you."

She sighed.

"Grand..."

Aurora scythed through the Rithm militia again, her claws claiming more victims as she did so. As five more of the opposition fell in her wake she noticed Ottilie leading the reptilian creature away down the corridor. She had probably been down that stretch of the corridor already, and so would have something in store for her pursuer. Then, a flash of steel caught her attention. Turning, she saw that Jerin had just decapitated his latest victim. As the wires arced gracefully- yet slowly from Aurora's viewpoint- across the passage, she saw the expression on his face & guessed his plan. As Jerin weaved and zig-zagged around the hallway in a deadly dance, Aurora moved in counterpoint at her heightened speed to avoid the wires. Had any there been able to see and follow the movements of both Creatures, it would have seemed like a beautifully choreographed- although deadly- dance. Moments later Jerin diappeared, following Ottilie. Aurora left him to it; she'd find him again soon enough. She turned her attention to the remainder of the Rithm forces who had managed to avoid the wires. Not many to go now, just seven. As she wove her way amongst them, a sudden glint from one of the walls caught her eye. Sparing it a glance, she noticed- just- a well-camouflaged creature. He seemed to be of ferret-like extraction, to be a marksman, and he had her in his sights. Before she could react however, by either dodging out of the way, or by using one of her unfortunate victims as a shield, the would-be sniper dropped his weapon.

Downing her remaining opponents, Aurora saw the ferret-like sniper wringing his gun-hand & pawing at his eyes. The decipede, Aurora realised as she saw the small brown creature land on the nearby vines. Distantly, part of her mind mused that there was something to be said for small allies, as Jerin had pointed out earlier. Then, she saw him suddenly go limp, as Junk stunned him. As he struggled upright & began to move Aurora realised that the ferret-like creature had spotted him & was bringing his paw down to crush the decipede. It wasn't going to happen while she was still to be reckoned with. Rocketing over, Aurora swiped the sniper with the claws of one paw, knocking him flying & closed the other one around the now-unconcious decipede. Withdrawing her carefully-closed paw from the wall, Aurora saw that Junk was coiled round her wrist. Perhaps he'd been closing in on the decipede & hadn't seen her arm suddenly materialize between them? In a voice as cold as her current mood, Aurora addressed the droid. "That," she said frostily, "will be more than enough of that Junk. You can try to shock him again if you like, but my armour's insulated, so I doubt you'll have much luck". The droid's eye flashed as it looked up at her, almost as though only now becoming aware of her presence. "Miss Aurora?" the dry voice enquired. "Me," she confirmed, "and you'd better listen to me. I've suspected for a while now that your master's relationship with Ottilie was," she paused briefly, "less than cordial. It follows therefore, that your relationship with her associate should be no different. However, this decipede just prevented our ferret-featured friend there from taking a pot-shot at me. One good turn deseves another".

Aurora was silent momentarily as she stooped down to retrieve the weapon the would-be assassin had dropped. Picking it up, she turned it over idly in her free hand. "Nasty piece of work," she said eventually, her offhand manner leaving Junk to wonder if she meant the weapon, its owner, or possibly both. "I don't know if a shot from this would've killed me," she continued, "but thanks to this brave gentleman-," she tilted slightly the paw that held Legs-"I don't have to find out. As of now & until he regains conciousness he's under my protection. Once he's recovered & back to full strength you can try to go at him again if you like. But until then," here Aurora fixed an icy & merciless gaze upon the droid, "so much as flash your beady eye in his direction and the term 'computer meltdown' will take on a whole new significance for you. Are we clear on that?" Not waiting for the droid's answer Aurora brushed it off her wrist & surveyed the battlefield. Anyone who wasn't littering the floor seemed to have been trapped in Jerin's wires. A movement caught her eye and she strode over to investigate.

The movement had come from the P.I.A. girl. She was behind the wires but not bound by them. Then Aurora noticed the blood dripping from one paw & the fast breathing-pattern. The girl was panicked & close to passing out. What would account for that Aurora couldn't say, given the girl's conduct during combat. The emotionless, mercurial eyes gazed upon the trapped Creature. Aurora had little love for the P.I.A. it was true, but this girl was barely concious, wounded & panicked. However, there was still the matter of her incapacitated ally- the decipede- and the tracking down of Ottilie & Jerin to attend to. Then she realised that she still had some company. The rabbit was now strolling back from his position at the corner, the child at his side. Dirac had finished his fight with Captain Ore & was wiping the blades of his axe. Aurora addressed the rabbit. "This one a friend of yours?" she asked. The rabbit took one look at the P.I. agent and shook his head. "Not one of mine," he answered emphatically. "I see," Aurora remarked. She turned her gaze back to the P.I.A. girl again. "Nevertheless, I'd like you to cut her loose," she murmured. "Why would I do a thing like that?" the rabbit demanded. "Not for anything she's done for you I'll admit," Aurora responded, "but something's got her panicked & she's wounded. Plus she fought pretty well just now. Jerin & I owe her that much. What you do- or don't do- once you've cut her loose is up to you". The rabbit frowned. "Just what should I use to cut those wires?" he inquired. Aurora jestured to the body-strewn corridor. "One of these will have something suitable," she remarked, "or just ask Dirac here to take his axe to them. Which reminds me..." She turned from Tobias to speak directly to Dirac. "Be so good as to re-pack the lady's bag for her would you?" she asked, gesturing to Ottilie's satchel, "after that just look down this corridor to find myself & Jerin. I've got something important to attend to". So saying, Aurora sped off, her right paw still gently but firmy clasped over Legs.

A short run later, Aurora found both Jerin & Ottilie, who seemed to be sitting down and discussing something. Both looked up as she approached. "Miss Ottilie?" Aurora said as she drew near, "I believe I have someone here who needs your attention". Extending her right arm, she opened her paw. Seeing the look of concern that came over Ottilie's features Aurora quickly added, "he's not badly hurt- just unconcious..."

"What the hell was THAT about?" The youthful voice marred with a kind of scathing shock and awe. Henry flapped his hands like a great bird to empathize the his guardian's irrational and uncharacteristic behavior.

The rabbit smirked, "You never listen. You never watch. Always with the moment... heh. Keep the all but the trusted in the dark, you should know that by now." He pulled his knife out, leveling it on the wires holding the woman he'd locked words with only minutes before the fight began. "This place. It's death if we aren't on full alert. Everyone here seems a titan in power and ability. Even a match for one of our Warden." The last word forced outward from him; the knife following in it's wake, snapping and hewing wires in a blur of speed that the dead could not and Elsinoire would not remember. Henry's lower jab dropped slightly at the feat, and somewhere inside his mind a spark fired that would slowly ignite and burn clear his misconceptions about the man he assumed had an ulterior motive to their companionship. The man he thought was a lost soul and wandering nobody. That one event started the clouds of doubt moving and churning in his young mind.

The wires snapped and came down, the knife was replaced swiftly, more words fell on the massive heap of things the boy already had to think about. "Only a fool fights a titan. Even a titan is not stupid enough to attack one of his own so arrogantly." He words were clear and well spoken, only now with only Henry and the halfwitted Elsinoire as witness did his true personality emerge. "If we are to survive we must watch and study them. If they pose a danger, we will wait for the correct moment. If they are friend we can mend our deceptions later. We won't fall prey to unwarranted trust like Ottilie, nor rage about drunkenly with our abilities like that creature just now. Our hands will not accidentally be stained with the blood of bystanders, or Art forbid an innocent." His serious look faded to his standard goofy smile, "I told you I would teach you our way, this is just another lesson. e'la."

For the first time the boy was silent, no witty riposte nor smug comeback came. Only the look and nod of someone deep in thought.

They weren't just stories, then. Henry's mind echoed as the rabbit helped the agent down the passage towards the others rattling, "Seems ya lucked out missy. Guess that crazed old man didn't have a mind for rending ladies in uniform, e'la."

OOC: Whoa, the phantom posts are gone! Either I dreamed them (and Gem did too I guess =P) or I've got four thank you's for Rico, who I suspect may be behind this. If not, then I have no idea what posts we're talking about.

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Elsinoire heard what Tobias said, but in her condition mistook a lesson to his young charge for concern over their plight. Frowning, she gripped his arm.

"Hey...Blondie...listen..."

He looked down at her. She regarded him intensely.

"Stop being so paranoid...I'm looking after ya 'cause...that's my--"

But she passed out before the word 'job,' slumping forward.

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Ottilie scooped Legs up even as Aurora's final words were leaving her mouth, turning him over quickly to press the side of her head to his chest. She listened, then looked up at the mercenary, concerned but not altogether unfamiliar with what was going on.

"Did he pass out immediately?"

She shook her head. The Oasis creature looked back down, turning her companion on his side gently to run a claw over his shell.

"He got hit in the back, s'lucky. Decipedes are like rubber..."

She glanced back at Jerin, continuing pointedly.

"...they don't conduct electricity too well."

He only smiled, leaning forward to sling his elbow over one knee with a sigh.

"I really can't take Junk anywhere. You should see him at parties. Useless."

She scowled, turning back to Aurora to nod gratefully.

"My thanks. He'll be alright. More'n likely he dropped due ta a combination o'the shock an' stress."

She regarded her partner sadly.

"...I need me bag."

Standing hurriedly, she dashed around the corner and back up the left path, Jerin and Aurora trailing after. Though she had spoken truly about Legs' injuries, Ottilie wanted him conscious as soon as possible to make certain there weren't more serious problems present.

Ya heard me callin.' S'why ya passed out, 'cause ya were distraught an' tryin' ta reach me...

She sighed, nearly crashing into a surprised Dirac as he came around the corner. Spotting her satchel slung over his shoulder, she quickly relieved him of it with a polite nod.

"S'cuse! Cheers mate!!"

The human stepped away, silently observing as she unceremoniously dumped the contents of her bag onto the ground and started to root through them with her free paw. Selecting a jar with several smelling salt chunks of various sizes inside, she opened it, waving a piece under the insects mouthparts. He twitched, springing upright with a loud, panicked chatter.

"Ottilie! I'm com--!"

Finding her right in front of him, he stopped, confused, and his weakened appendages shuddered, forcing him back to a lying position. The Oasis creature held him close, stroking the back of his shell and speaking soothingly.

"S'ok mate...ya found me, see? Jus' relax now, there's a good lad. M'ok, everythin's fine."

His breathing steadied, and he lay his head on her thumb, imploring.

"Water..."

"You'll have better'n that."

And grabbing the smaller of two gourds from among her possessions, Ottilie unscrewed the cap, carefully pouring a tiny amount of amber colored liquid into it. Resting the gourd against the wall, she brought it to his mouth. He sipped a bead slowly, pausing.

"Kitto, this's the good stuff, we really shouldn't--"

"--aye s'the good stuff, but only once it gets inside ya, so not another bloody word!"

She cut in sternly. While this was going on, Jerin, Aurora and Dirac stood regarding these proceedings. Overhead there was a rustling in the foliage, and before long Jack broke through, carrying Junk in its orbs. Drifting down, it deposited the bot upon its master's shoulder. The Oasis renegade glanced at it, brow raised in question as the smaller droid flitted off to re-join Ball, now droning curiously at Jerin's heel. After a minute Legs finished the liquid, its effects visible almost immediately as he stopped shaking and stood slowly in Ottilie's palm, testing his feet. She hovered over him.

"How d'ya feel, genius?"

He chattered crossly, examining his shell.

"Like I got shocked in the back by a murderous toaster. I swear when I get my claws on Junk--"

"--Junk."

She repeated, turning around to fix Jerin with an accusing (but unsurprised) look. Junk's eye flashed, his voice almost smug as he spoke.

"I realize you organics need a suitable interval to heal your inferior systems completely, but I trust you're feeling at least a bit better, bug?"

The decipede tensed, chattering furiously as he made to leap at him.

"I'm going to feel a lot better once I turn you into scrap metal!"

But Ottilie stopped him with a claw, eyes fixed on her adversary.

"Please."

He looked back, sliding down her paw.

"But--"

"--Legs."

Clicking his mouthparts together, the decipede chattered grumpily, pointing an arm at Junk to emphasize every word.

"You're lucky I'm stuck with a diplomat. Watch yourself, toaster."

The robot's tail crackled with energy in answer, and Legs made his way back to his place on Ottilie's shoulder, flopping comfortably into the soft space between her guard and neck. Aurora and Dirac stepped to the side automatically as she moved to stand across from Jerin. Whereas this turn of events may not have been altogether surprising to the female mercenary, the human had none of her insight into either creature, had only known anything of Ottilie via his relative and Jerin's talk. Given how the latter spoke so fondly of her, that the girl should have a less than pleasant relationship with him was puzzling. So he listened closely, brows drawn together as he tried to make some sense of it all. The Oasis creature regarded her rival frostily. He inclined his head to her.

"I apologize on behalf of my creation. He was only following his program, as you know. I meant to delete any unsavory commands after the Blinks. I must've forgot."

She crossed her arms, repeating.

"Ya forgot."

He leaned forward, tilting his head at her.

"You know me. It's not so terribly hard to believe, is it?"

Ottilie placed a protective paw around Legs, coolly saying.

"Perhaps I find it so hard ta believe 'cause I know I don't."

He raised a brow at her, smiling amiably.

"Ottilie, Ottilie, Ottilie. My world's bliss, my reason for coming out of retirement, my dearest double O. You thanked me so prettily for my actions in the mountains. Were you pretending to--?"

"--You can stop right there, mate. Usin' yer good acts as a shield may work fer ya elsewhere, but it won't work here."

And closing the distance between them, she jabbed a claw into his chest angrily.

"Now, mark me, Jerin. F'yer bot or you try'n lay so much as a claw or circuit upon me partner again--"

Clearing his throat, he glanced pointedly at Dirac and Aurora. Looking back at them, she broke off, claws curling in frustration. Though Legs was just as irritated by this, he checked himself firmly for her sake, and chittering softly, patted Ottilie's neck.

"It's ok kit. Now that he's here, he's bound to stick to you like a burr. Later."

She nodded to this and to Jerin, annoyance still present in her voice as she finished.

"--my mistake. Ya forgot. Could happen ta anyone. Now that I've reminded ya though m'sure you'll delete those commands straightaway, seein' as yer such a gentleman o'yer word."

"Of course, dear girl. When next I rest, it will be my first priority."

She smiled tightly at him.

"Brilliant. An' mate, followin' up on yer previous comment, gravity's rainbow never looked so lovely."

She knew Dirac and Aurora wouldn't understand this, but Jerin would get it. Turning back to them, the Oasis creature inquired anxiously.

"Me companions, the tall rabbit-like gentlemen, his charge, an' the P.I.A. agent, where're they?"

Dirac answered, still glancing thoughtfully between them.

"The rabbit and the kid stayed behind to help the badge--"

"--oy, she hurt?"

"Not badly ma'am. At least I don't think so. She got stuck behind some wire."

She sighed, throwing her paws up.

"Bollocks, s'jus' one bloody thing after another!"

And running to the corner, she peered around it, calling.

"Toby! Henry! Er...Agent! D'ya need assistance?"

Aurora took stock of the remaining party-members as they came down the passageway towards herself & the others. By now the cold, controlled anger which had dominated her psyche during the battle had dissipated, allowing her to return to her usual self. The P.I.A. girl was now out cold, the wound on one hand still untreated though the bleeding seemed to be slowing. The rabbit & the child both sported bandages & bloodstains, which Aurora recalled as having been in place before the fight, though not in evidence the first time she'd met them. Judging by the appearance of the bindings, they were at least a day or so old. She shook her head slightly at the sight. "My, my, my, what a mess," she remarked. She turned to Ottilie, half-smiling half-serious. "I thought I warned you to be careful in here last time I saw you," she commented, "what happened?" Ottilie's gaze flickered between the approaching trio & Legs. "The Complex happened," she murmured. Realising that the girl's mind was probably still mainly on her assistant, on the sudden arrival of Jerin & on the battle they had all just fought, Aurora saw that her comment might have been somewhat inappropriate. Again, her lack in communication skills was showing through. Blushing slightly, she said, "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I can help with the wounded. After all," she gestured to Toby & Henry, "it isn't assistance those two need. What they need is a hospital".

"The nearest hospital's weeks away from the Complex," Dirac commented, "I know you're fast, but are you proposing to lead those two out of here & carry them to safety?" Aurora turned towards him. "I could do just that actually," she informed him, "but what I'm suggesting is something more practical. I'm guessing that when it comes to first aid, Ottilie here has only the standard field-skills a treasure-hunter is expected to have & a limited supply of medical resources. I'm suggesting I add my know-how to hers". By now Tobias, Henry & the still-unconcious Elsinoire had joined them, Tobias catching the last of Aurora's sentence. He fixed her with a sceptical frown. "You a doctor lady?" he asked in a negative tone, "because I sure don't see any white coat or stethoscope". Alongside him Henry nodded his agreement. "I'm trained to the standard of field-surgeon if you want to know," Aurora informed him in a neutral tone, "but that probably won't do any of us any good since, as Dirac pointed out, we're miles from any proper medical supplies. However, I have with me a very new toy, that might just solve the problem". So saying Aurora removed her light backpack & crouched down whilst she opened a compartment.

As she knelt down, Aurora noticed The Canterbury Tales still poking slightly out of Ottilie's satchel. "Excellent book," she remarked as she drew something out of the opened compartment of her backpack, "I'd recommend my own favourite tale to you if you haven't read it yet, but I fear 'The Pardoner's Tale' might not be an entirely appropriate topic of conversation at this time. Ah, here we go," she added as she closed the compartment & straightened up again. Ottilie looked at the object the mercenary had retrieved. It was maybe two thirds the size, give or take a little, of a laptop computer & about the same shape as one. It was matte black & made of some material that Ottilie couldn't identify. When Aurora opened it up the resemblance to a laptop decreased considerably. The inside of the lid, if such it was, contained a small panel for holographic images & the keypad was set right alongside it. The lower part of the object contained a number of different compartments, almost like a toolbox in minature. Aurora opened one compartment just long enough for Ottilie & the others to see that it contained small capsules. Then she opened another, revealing a number of cotton-buds. Finally, she opened a larger compartment, revealing a pristine set of syringes & a small bottle of silvery liquid. Having set the strange object carefully down, Aurora pressed a button, causing the holographic panel to become active & a tiny light to blink on on a different compartment.

"And just what's this toy supposed to be?" Toby asked dubiously. "A prototype medical kit of sorts," Aurora informed him. "It's currently undergoing testing in military circles. If it's successful, then there are plans to introduce it into civilian hospitals. It's done very well so far". Dirac, intrigued despite himself, asked, "so what does it do?" Aurora inspected the symbols displayed by the holographic panel before she answered. "It uses nanotechnology," she explained, "basically you can either ingest the nano-aids in capsule-form," she gestured to the compartment she had opened earlier, "or you can inject them directly into your bloodstream. Once there, they act like artificial stem-cells. They will find your injuries & mend them, usually leaving not so much as a scar. However," she continued, "the nano-aids should ideally be primed before use". Tobias's frown deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "It means," Aurora informed him, "that before the nano-aids are released into a patients' body they should be keyed to the specific DNA of that patient. When that's done they can mend the wound with maximum efficiency. All that would require," Aurora said, looking directly at Tobias, "would be for you to give me a saliva sample. Hence the cotton-bud swabs. Once you did that I could allow the AI contained within the console to scan the sample & prime the nano-aids. Then you would have a choice of how you wished to take them. If you wanted a capsule I can give you one, but it takes longer for that to dissolve in the stomach & for the nano-aids to filter into the bloodstream & reach the wound. Alternatively, I could inject them directly into your bloodstream & they'd get to work much sooner. Or of course," Aurora concluded, "you may choose not to take the treatment at all; it's up to you".

Tobias looked less convinced than ever. "That all sounds very fishy to me," he remarked, "are you sure you didn't steal that thing from the P.I.A?" Aurora gave a derisive snort. "Steal something from an agency of obsessives who become ever-more paranoid the second the slightest piece of extra-terrestrial detritus flutters to the surface of this planet? Give me some credit!" she responded. Resuming her more regular calm tone she continued. "The P.I.A's barely even aware of this thing, because it's home-grown," she explained, "and used only by qualified field-medics or doctors known & trusted by the military. Some medical knowledge is needed, since during the time the nano-aids are at work, the area around a wound may become slightly inflamed. For instance, whilst they work on a broken arm or leg, they cause inflamation as a result of supporting the damaged limb, allowing it to be used almost normally, although playing tennis or sprinting is out of the question. Now I've already explained my level of medical training but," she asked fixing her gaze on Tobias, " the question is: Do you trust me?"

OOC: Yeah, that was moi. Looks like Aurora's not taken the hint... round 2!

The rabbit's innocent gaze didn't falter one bit as he responded, "No ma'am, not abit. Life taught me a thing its trust's earned, e'la."

Henry rubbed his calf, still very sore from his injuries, "He means you don't know us, an' left that lady back there with us on the whim we wouldn't take the opportunity to rid ourselves of her. Besides, who knows if nanite technology even works on his kind. Micro-AI is so picky when it comes to biological re-er..."

The rabbit shot his younger companion a stern glance. The youth winced, "I mean, why would we trust some... new fangled," his voiced tripped, cringing out the phrase as if it was lemon juice, "little robots in our bodies." the halfbreed's sour disposition was that much worse now, some directed at the rabbit.

OOC: Hooray, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! It wasn't a huge deal I mean but it would have driven me crazy so I do appreciate =) I.O.U. one kinder, gentler Elsinoire (haha).

Also I am going out of town early today for my cousin's wedding and won't be back until Tuesday. So I'll catch you guys then =)

OOC: If I've jumped in here just before you were planning to post again Cher, please don't hesitate to let me know!

"As you will then," Aurora said with a slight smile whilst closing up the kit again, "but at least now you can't say I didn't give you the option". As she returned the kit to her backpack Ottilie spoke up. "What about her?" She asked, gesturing to Elsinoire, "ya offered ta help me with the wounded. Or doesn't she count?" Aurora cast an eye over the unconscious agent. "I imagine she'll be fine," she remarked, "all it should take is some surgical spirit to disinfect the wound, a bandage & some stitches if the wound's deeper than it looks". Ottilie didn't seem entirely satisfied with this response. "No miracle-bots for her then?" she queried. Aurora shrugged slightly. "I'd be more than happy to offer them to her," she informed Ottilie, "if she were conscious. I could quite happily take a DNA sample & release the nano-aids into her system & I might do it regardless if her injury were life-threatening. But since it isn't I won't do that unless she wishes me to. It has to be her choice to have it done, just like it was his choice," here she gestured towards Tobias, "to refuse it. Fair enough?"

Ottilie nodded her head to this & went to work on the injured agent. Aurora stood silently by, ready to offer assistance if assistance was needed, but with her mind on other things. If the group was going to be travelling together for any length of time- and Aurora suspected that some of them were at least- then knowing whom you could trust was of critical importance. And right now it seemed to Aurora that no one member of the group could fully trust any of the others. Ottilie for instance, seemed to trust more easily than most. She could obviously trust her partner Legs. It seemed safe to say that she could trust Tobias & Henry too, and they seemed able to trust her. But Ottilie clearly couldn't & didn't trust Jerin. Or Junk. As for whether or not she would put any faith in Dirac, well that was anyone's guess. But Aurora suspected that she wouldn't since he'd been travelling with Jerin when he met her & was an agent of Rithm, not to mention a mercenary. Which brought her neatly round to herself. At their first meeting, brief as it was, she & Ottilie had been friendly enough. But would the fact that she'd been travelling with Jerin affect their immediate future? Aurora couldn't say for sure, but she suspected that it might. As for whether or not Ottilie would place any trust in the P.I. agent, that remained to be seen. Aurora considered the other members of the group.

The rabbit and his charge might be able to trust Ottilie, but the rabbit at least had clearly stated that he didn't trust her. Well, that was to be expected, if their positions were reversed, Aurora wouldn't trust herself either. She strongly suspected that he didn't trust the P.I.A girl. That said, given what she'd heard from the agent before the fight started, the fact that he'd said she was no friend of his, and his charges' remarks just now, Aurora believed there might be a reason for that. For instance, the P.I agent might suspect that he was harbouring something like the treasure said to be at the centre of the Complex. Or that he was an alien. Given his charges' remarks about biology moments ago, the latter seemed the likliest possibility. As for his trust for the others, well in all probability, he would bide his time. Dirac probably didn't trust any member of the current group except himself. The P.I.A. girl would probably be the same. As for Jerin, it was anyone's guess as to whether or not he had ever truly trusted- or would ever trust- anyone at all. If he had any trust for her just now it was entirely possible that that might change when Junk reported- as he surely would- what she had said to him whilst rescuing Legs. As for herself, Aurora believed that Ottilie was trustworthy, although she would have to wait to discover if this belief was reciprocated. Legs had proven byond a doubt that he could be trusted, and most unexpectedly at that. Jerin she could trust as she trusted him now- only to a point. The rabbit had proven that he could be counted upon, even when he had the opportunity to rid himself of someone he didn't like, something Aurora had hoped would prove true when she left the P.I. agent in his care. He had integrity, but he didn't trust her, so she couldn't necessarily say that she could extend trust to him. As he'd remarked, trust was a thing earned. Dirac she had never fully trusted to begin with & that didn't look set to change. As for the P.IA. girl...Aurora had yet to meet anyone outside the P.IA. who trusted one of their agents. All in all, it looked as though their group was set to remain divided. And if that was so, how long would they last in the Eulerian Complex?

OOC: Not at all, I was actually waiting in case you wanted to post =) also, I apologize for being so late with this. It took longer because while I can go in a variety of directions when I write interaction between Jerin and Ottilie, one always feels more correct than the others. Ordinarily I nail it on my second or third try, but this time I had some difficulty. Anyway, here's more Irish slang from this bit:

A skiver is someone who avoids work.
Ara be whist means shut up.

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Kneeling at the agent's side with her jar of smelling salts in hand, Ottilie sorted through the pieces absently. She felt bad for accusing Aurora of denying Elsinoire the nano-treatment (and also a bit foolish for inquiring, seeing as the P.I. really didn't need it) but at the time her mind was only half there, and now the creature simply didn't have the energy to feel as apologetic as she was ordinarily prone to. Selecting a long, substantial sliver, Ottilie held it between two claws, studying it without really seeing it. Beyond the milky surface of the salt she had Jerin in her sights, and she wanted to keep it that way.

What'm I ta do?

She fretted, staring at him through the shard.

S'like Legs said, gits sure ta stick ta me like a burr, prolly all the way ta the center...

She frowned, lowering her head to return the salt to the jar in favor of a shorter piece.

Say he did leave though. I'd only worry he's up ta no good elsewhere, manipulatin' Source knows what or who.

From the corner of her eye she watched her (former) mark meander down the passage a ways before finally stopping to sit comfortably against the wall.

Then there's the episode in the Blinks...f'he could only be as he was there always, I'd--I'd run the entire Northland forest, swim Kraken infested waters, and leap inta a pit o'toxic waste. Oy, Jerin...I saw ya use yer fine mind fer good instead o'evil, this mind I was convinced the world blew ta bits beyond repair long ago. But they didn't get you mate. Not completely...what happened ta ya? I'd give anythin'--

She sighed softly, sadly, and Legs patted her neck reassuringly.

--well, s'pose it doesn't do any good ta dwell. What I needs a plan, an' I think I can at least assume m'in a right bloody mess no matter what he does or doesn't do...so, I guess the first question is, do I want 'im doin' it where I can watch 'im, or where I can't?

She felt his eyes upon her, but looked away, finally leaning over to wave a sizeable chunk of salt under the older girl's nose. As with Legs, the agent's brow furrowed and she twitched, springing back to life with a jolt. Befuddled and still panicky, one hand fumbled for a laser automatically while she exclaimed, wild eyed.

"--LET M--!...Wh--?! W-where am I? What's going on?!"

Ottilie remained still, careful not to make any sudden movements.

"Ya passed out durin' the brawl. Toby an' Henry were good enough ta bring ya here. Yer fine."

She scowled, seeming to return to herself as she sat up slowly to study her injured paw.

"Fine. Right."

Aurora began to speak then.

"If you wish, I can tend to your injur--"

"--No thanks. I can take care of myself."

She cut her off harshly, removing a long bandage and a small bottle from one of her many pockets. After disinfecting the cut with whatever the bottle contained, she fell to wrapping her paw while taking stock of her surroundings through narrowed eyes. Turning her head to look in the opposite direction, she spotted Jerin. Her face contorted in anger, and she twisted to all fours, the bandage forgotten.

"YOU!"

His brows drew together in puzzlement as she lunged, and he swiveled to evade her attack. Frowning, he dodged as she stood and took another swing at him.

"Well! Clearly we've met and I have no memory of it."

He smiled humorously.

"Were our relations pleasant?"

She spat the words at him, furious.

"Pleasant? Ya trapped me behind at least a dozen lengths of wire!"

Jerin ducked under her arm, trotting backwards.

"I see. When was this?"

Elsinoire came at him again, yelling.

"OH YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE ME MAD!"

Running, the Oasis renegade sidestepped suddenly, ducking behind Ottilie. She attempted to whirl around, but he grabbed her shoulders, positioning her in front of him like a shield. Elsinoire stumbled at this maneuver and had to lean against the wall to avoid losing her balance. As she paused momentarily to recover, Jerin nudged his rival.

"Work your magic, will you?"

Ottilie rolled her eyes, jerking her shoulders from his grasp as Legs chattered heatedly at him.

"Fight yer own bollocksy battle!"

"But you're so much more efficient at soothing violent parties than I, and I'm worn out as is."

She scowled at him.

"An' m'what, fresh as a daisy? I know I make swingin' about in death traps look effortless--"

"--you make it look tiresome actually. You make it look so dreadfully tiresome just thinking about it makes me even more somnolent."

"So explain yerself right quick already an' ya can have a bloody nap!"

"An elegant solution, but you forget I need a substantial amount of sleep. If we're to get anywhere in a timely fashion, I think it would be best if I begin immediately."

"S'kind o'predictable."

"I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but thank you."

He eyed her shrewdly then, tapping his claws against his chin.

"I could always remove myself from your company. That would calm her and allow me to rest..."

Ottilie looked away, previous thoughts echoing in her brain.

The first question is, do I want 'im doin' it where I can watch 'im, or where I can't?

Jerin smiled knowingly as she turned, muttering defeatedly.

"Bloody skiver."

"Pretty stark for a name, but I'll take it! Now onwards!"

And with that, he kicked her right leg with his left, sending her stumbling forward with a grin.

"I have every confidence in you!"

"Ara be whist, Jerin."

She grumbled.

"We should have let him die in that avalanche. You never listen to me."

Legs chattered crossly. Meanwhile, Elsinoire had remained where she was, oblivious to everything except the bout of dizziness she was fighting. Seeing this, Ottilie's brows lifted in concern, and she made her way to her not only for Jerin's sake, but to see if she was all right.

"Oy, ya ok there...? Perhaps ya should sit a min--"

The agent snarled, claws balling into fists again as she looked up fiercely.

"--Out of my way, Irish!"

Ottilie frowned.

"Ya shouldn't thrash about so, yer like ta pass out again f'ya carry on like this."

Her prediction already seemed to be coming true as Elsinoire stumbled to the side, pressing her paw to the wall while muttering angrily.

"Ya just keep giving me more reasons to not like you. First ya interrupted me in front of those soldiers, and now you defend someone I've never met who almost killed me?"

"Fer interruptin' I do apologize. I was only tryin' ta help ya avoid gettin' yerself, me, an' my companions shot. Ta the last, I don't condone what he did, but from experience I'd wager harmin' ya wasn't his intent. F'it was ya'd be more cut up than that."

The older girl growled.

"Accidental or not, I could lock him up for endangering an officer in the course of her duty and harboring what I suspect is illegal weaponry. Furthermore, maybe you should be locked up too, if you're crazy enough to be so familiar with him!"

She regretted the comment almost immediately. As the younger girl had her back to the others, only Elsinoire saw the sad, pained look in her eyes, eyes that seemed to say you have no idea. It made her sorry, and her own expression softened briefly before she grew angry again, though now at herself. Straightening, she responded somewhat snottily to Ottilie's silence.

"I don't have to listen to this. My business is complete."

And strolling away from her quickly, she looked at Tobias, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

"Come on Blondie, we're out of here."

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The cities nearest the treacherous Blinks are renowned not only for their beauty, but for housing objects of paramount worth in various banks, museums, and automated storage facilities throughout the region. Countless crooks and hackers have ended their careers ensnared in the protective matrices surrounding these impenetrable fortresses, and in the smaller city of Cicely, Master Ket Locke is in charge of designing and overseeing the security systems of (almost) every fundamental establishment. He is weasel-like in appearance, auburn colored all over fading to lighter points on his chest, muzzle, and belly, with piercing yellow irises and a short, brush-like tail. He wears small gold spectacles and dresses as a bank manager might, in dark trousers, white button up shirt, black vest, black tie, and gold pocket watch. He is immaculately groomed, punctual, humorless, and wouldn't warrant a passing glance from a stranger. Still, Master Locke has one very special talent that once earned him a place at the side of the leader of The Lucky Seven, and that talent is this: he was (and arguably still is) one of the best hackers in the world.

That evening found the creature walking the twilit streets of Cicely after a hard days work. He'd failed to convince his final investor at the Cicely Museum of Natural History of the foolproof nature of his system and thus could still not say he had secured every establishment in the city, a fact that colored his mood now. Turning down a dark alley, Locke trotted some ways before swinging around to walk up the rusty stairs of an ancient brick building. Stopping at the top, he faced a solid wall, and kneeling, removed a single brick at about knee height. It was an awkward place for a keyhole, but he hadn't the option to be choosy. Unlocking the hidden door with a click, he ducked inside, shutting the entryway up tightly behind him.

"There are either fewer prudent entrepreneurs in the world, or fewer thieves of your caliber working to make them prudent."

He announced tonelessly, throwing his briefcase on the rooms only table. The room itself was of moderate size and broken into one large common area, two closets, a small bathroom, and a slightly larger kitchen. There were no windows, only a skylight, and not including the table the contents were as follows: several articles of clothing strewn over the floor, three chairs, five lamps, a row of mismatched desks taking up the space against one whole wall, various computers, monitors, and equipment on top of the desks, an impressive pile of bulging sacks taking up another whole corner, and a pair of bunked beds. A bundle of blankets in the top bunk stirred at Locke's statement as he seated himself at the table, pushing a pile of papers aside in order to pour himself a shot of anise liqueur.

"Regardless of which is correct, the museum's more valuable assets won't be troubling them after this evening's activities, so I suppose the answer is irrelevant."

The blankets lay still. Downing the shot, Locke shook his head, glancing at them.

"Did you hear me, Twitch?"

Another creature poked his head out from under the blankets to first yawn, then nod, then yawn again. Sitting up, he stretched, scratching his head. Twitch was identical to Locke in every way save for a more muscular physique, slightly longer fur, a lack of eyewear and a perpetual smile lurking about the corners of his mouth. He hadn't spoken once in his life, and in truth, couldn't speak. Most thought him mentally vacant due to this, never guessing even as they turned shaking their heads piteously from his clown-like grin that his quick paws were stealing from their pockets and purses. He'd been called the Prince of Thieves long ago (among other names) but nowadays his brother called him Twitch due to his inability to sit still. Leaping from the bunk nimbly, he rustled through the kitchen before joining his twin at the table with a box of biscuits. Locke pushed a second glass of liqueur towards him, declining the offered box with his other hand.

"No. Thank you."

His brother shrugged, leaning back to sink his teeth into the sweet pastry. Locke stared at the floor, lost in thought, before frowning and pointing.

"What is that?"

Twitch tilted his head, leaning forward to peer over the edge of the table at the unmarked white envelope lying under their skylight. Getting up, he retrieved it, offering it to his brother. Locke adjusted his glasses, opening it and removing the contents. His twin peered over his shoulder at the two cards he held: the Seven of Hearts and the Queen of Spades. The brothers contemplated them momentarily, before Locke got up. Still munching, Twitch followed him as he made his way to his computers. The system came to life as the hacker drew nearer, humming quietly as its sensors detected the signature of their maker.

"Access location 0052by4.ca under a security level of 10. Passwords are Hack and Pilfer."

He instructed. After a minute the central screen read: Access granted. One other member is active. Should I connect you?

"Yes, please."

Locke said, seating himself in his desk chair. Twitch rested one arm along the back of it, chewing the edge of a biscuit as he watched the master screen. It flickered, then revealed another figure seated atop his desk. Locke closed his eyes, inquiring as Twitch waved cheerfully.

"How can I or my brother be of service to you, Captain?"

The pirate chuckled, leaning forward with a raised brow.

"Always straight ta the business end o'things, eh? Aye, 'ello Twitchers, I see ya."

The younger creature adjusted his spectacles with a frown.

"I've much to attend to and no time for idle prattle. Therefore, again, how can I or my brother be of service to you?"

The captain grew serious.

"Not of service ta me lad."

The brothers exchanged a look. Locke leaned back, pressing his claws together around the Queen of Spades card.

"I see. The Countess is with you already?"

"Aye, though I didn't think ya knew 'er current vocation. Been keepin' tabs Professor? S'sort o'quaint."

He teased. Locke answered coldly.

"Of course. It would be decidedly detrimental to my own ventures if I didn't keep an eye on the activities of the world's real puppeteers. You may not say it, Captain, or even act as such any longer, but you're still the Pirate King even if you allow some pretentious brat to clai--Twitch, you're dropping crumbs and I just swept."

His brother pulled back, smiling apologetically and wiping his mouth. Locke shook his head, turning back to the screen.

"In any case, I digress--"

The other grinned. The younger creature raised a brow.

"--you find something humorous?"

"Ya sounded like 'im fer a minute, s'all. When ya said 'puppeteers.'"

"The use of a common word is hardly worthy of a laugh."

"No offense matey, but ya never find much worthy o'a laugh."

Locke regarded him with his piercing eyes.

"I wasn't aware the other purpose of this call was to discuss my standard for amusing quips. If I find what you say to be entertaining, I will laugh. Is that so very hard to remember?"

The captain laughed himself then, and shook his head.

"Nay, s'not an' that weren't my purpose laddie."

"Then I trust your ancient dirigible can still make it here by, say, two tonight?"

The other smiled.

"Before. But, we'll go with two, aye?"

"Pick us up at precisely two a.m. then. Don't be late."

And with that he hung up. Twitch watched as he walked back over to stand in front of the table. The thief tapped his chin thoughtfully, jabbing a thumb at the sacks in the corner. Locke didn't turn, but answered.

"I will attend to them while you go to the museum. If we must depart this area early, I'd at least like to come out with as many valuables as possible."

Twitch nodded, grinning and snapping his claws confidently. Locke almost smiled, remarking.

"A snap. Very good."

Facing him, he held out a single sheet of paper, continuing.

"In addition to these, there is one more item I'd like you to acquire..."

Twitch saw the slight change in his brother's demeanor as no one else could or would, and listened attentively.

"...I was...rather surprised to see it again. Second floor, fourth room on the right coming up the east staircase. You'll know it."

An exasperated Henry yelped out pushing his way from behind the older rabbit and poking the agent in the chest, "WE," the boy empathized his presence, "ain't going nowhere you psychopath. Why the hell would I wanna go anywhere with someone that just makes threats all the freakin time!"

"Mind yer manners, kiddo, ain't polite to touch a lady there. Least in THAT manner." Tobias remarked snidely, grinning ear to ear. The boy lurched back realizing what he'd been poking. the glared at his older companion, cheeks red with embarrassment even though he realized the man was simply picking on him for his age. "ARGH! You old pervert! You, you..." He fummed, words failing him. Had the situation not been as it were it was almost comical. "You're DIRTY, SLIMEY, and SCUMMY!" His fit ended abruptly with the boy storming not far away and plopping down belligerently behind a rock, purposely hiding himself from view to sulk.

Toby chuckled leaning back against the wall and folding his arms, then raised an eyebrow to Elsinoire, "As I was on about afore miss, trust is earned. Oatie there saved the boy... so he's about trustin her. More of the same where I sit. Conjure you better stay here if ya fancy a crowd, e'la. 'sides, we got a whole pile'a nasty there I like right where he is, our back's not a cozy place for one like that." The rabbit nodded toward Jerin.

Jerin winked at Tobias.

"Well, now that I've been throughly complimented--"

Ottilie silenced him with a sharp jab to the ribs, grateful that her annoyance with her adversary now overrode her amusement (for Henry's sake). Aurora coughed politely, covering her mouth, and Dirac looked away, nearly as pink in the face as Elsinoire, who had wrapped her arms around her chest promptly, muttering.

"Your sprout has some nerve..."

Although the agent didn't possess the noticeable mammaries particular to human females, the P.I.A. had raised her with the ethics of both creatures and humans. So while a normal female creature wouldn't find anything odd about being poked in the chest, Elsie felt as embarrassed as any human girl would, the positive result of which was that her mortification dissipated her anger. Her ears flopped over her dark eye, and she didn't bother to push them away. After a minute she addressed Tobias quietly, cheeks still slightly rosy.

"Look...Blondie--"

She broke off, suddenly aggravated, and pushing her ears from her face, looked right at him, standing to her full height.

"--what's...what's your name anyway, Blondie?"

The rabbit closed his eyes seriously, then spoke as if reciting from a script, "Tobias Hoskin. Third generation of House Underwood. Fifth generation of House Pendragon."

OOC: Nothing to do with this post, but in Scots dialect there's a similar phrase for shut up: haud yer whist. Also, the term skiver, with the definition Cher gave it, is generally recognised north of the England/Scotland border.

IC: Tobias Hoskin. Aurora made a mental note of that & filed it away. Now she could name almost every individual there. She'd heard Ottilie calling for Toby & Henry earlier of course, but then she hadn't known which was which. She reviewed her list of names. There was Ottilie to start with & her companion was Legs. Then there were Junk & Jerin, whom she'd known already. Dirac she & Jerin both had been able to identify on sight & now that she knew who Toby- or Tobias- was, that meant the child must be called Henry. Unless, by some twist, that was the name of the P.I agent. However, since Ottilie had called 'Agent', at the same time as she'd called for Toby & Henry, Aurora considered that possibility unlikely. She would have to keep an ear open, in case the agent decided to name herself at any point in the near future Aurora mused, since knowing every name in a company bar one was one of her pet hates. In her head Aurora matched the names she had with such notes as she'd already made throughout her journey into the Complex. When Dirac had mentioned earlier that she often specialised in espionage, he'd been right & there was good reason for it. Espionage(or spying if you wanted to be blunt about it) required a person to keep their eyes & ears open & their mouths shut. It also required them to remember well everything heard or seen & to take note of anything & everything which might be considered important. Given her memory & her quiet nature, it was a job Aurora was almost uniquely qualified for.

Aurora scrolled through her mental notes. Ottilie & Legs: Treasure-hunters, here to retrieve the Treasure from the heart of the Complex. Possibly for Algos, partly for personal reasons. Probably hunting Jerin Jestwood. Possibly representatives of the Oasis.

Jerin Jestwood & Junk: Believed to be the Jerin (by Aurora at least). Probably here to retrieve the Treasure in opposition to Ottilie. Possibly for Rithm or some other faction, possibly for his own reasons. Possible renegades from the Oasis. Former instructor of Performing Arts.

Dirac: Mercenary from Rithm. In permanent thrall to Boss Houiri, sent at his command to retrieve the Treasure for reasons unknown (though not unguessed).

Tobias & Henry: Travellers in the company of Ottilie & Legs. Wandering the Complex for reasons unknown. Possible alien/s? Wanted by the P.I.A.

P.I. agent: Name unknown. Seeking Tobias (and Henry?), possibly as suspected illegal aliens or as those harbouring unknown & dangerous technology. Former possibility most probable.

Her notes were, she mused, quite scant & based mostly on possibilities, probabilities & guesswork, with no solid facts as of yet. And since trust was in short supply at the moment, conversation was likely to become strained & less frequent, so she'd better pin her ears back. Aurora felt her spirits dampen slightly. She hated being in a group where trust was absent. It was bad enough that when in company where trust was plentiful, she often ended up alone. But when no member of the group trusted all the others, everyone ended up alone & the atmosphere became oppressive. When that happened, she tended to feel the need to strike out on her own, since actually being alone was better than being alone in company. But she'd promised herself she'd see this through to the end, so that option looked like it was out of the window. It was, she decided, a good thing that patience was one of her virtues, since the trip through the Complex suddenly seemed a lot longer...

OOC: Neat! Recently I've started using this site for reference, so its good to know its doing me right =)

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The agent made a face.

"Heh, I think I prefer Blondie..."

Trailing off, she frowned, removing one laser slowly and angling it against her other palm.

"Here's the thing. The P.I.A. is run by lunatics of astronomic proportions."

Everyone seemed surprised by this statement. Elsie raised a brow at them.

"Come on kits, I work for them for Source's sake, have for ten years, I've heard it. They call us strange and our methods over the top. But really, how could ya be part of an organization specializing in oddities without already being or else becoming a bit odd yourself? As to the last, well, spend some time battling invaders with teeth the size of your head and marvel at how excessively thorough it makes ya after."

She removed the flat firing head from her piece, pocketing it with a frown at Tobias.

"Having said that, its probably not hard to deduce how ballistic they'd go on me for returning empty handed. Not to mention how it'd be even more trouble for you in the long run--"

Unclipping one of the mesh spheres that hung at her belt, she snapped it into the end of her weapon, adjusting the settings.

"--so you can follow me, or I can drag you back to my ship in a net. And since you're so adamant about your sprout, I'll do you one better than most of my associates and extend the same offer to him. Either way, I'm leaving this place and you're both coming with me."

She turned her weapon on him then, her words nearly as firm and final as the distant slam that immediately followed them. Though quiet, everyone heard it, and all listened with varying degrees of concern to the succession of slams that came after, sounding from every direction of the Complex. The agent growled, drawing her other laser.

"Oh what now?!"

Ottilie plucked her lip worriedly.

"S'gettin' louder..."

"Closer."

Jerin corrected her, leaning against the wall. The Oasis creature glanced at him, suspicious. Dirac shifted his weight, resting his hands on his guns even as he spoke.

"Maybe another traveler tripped a trap somewhere."

"Maybe more robots are being released."

Aurora said softly.

"Maybe we should beat feet 'afore we have ta find out."

Ottilie suggested. Legs chattered agreeably. Elsie rolled her eyes, hands working quickly to replace the firing head of her other laser.

"You run, I'm--"

But before she could finish, a slab of stone shot neatly into place with a deafening SLAM in the corridor directly behind the group, effectively sealing them off from the exit. Everyone jumped, including Elsinoire, who grabbed onto Tobias, accidentally firing her laser right at Ottilie. A shocked silence followed this development, finally broken by the concerned dronings of Ball and Jack. Seeing the agent's weapon coming down as it had, Ottilie was tensing to bolt when the shot went off. She never got the chance, for in the blink of an eye Jerin had her pinned protectively to the wall, blood seeping through the upper part of his left coat sleeve as fabric, fur, and skin burnt a jagged gash up his forearm. Pulling back slowly, he regarded her with concern, touching her astonished face with gentle claws.

"Didn't bump your head, did you--?"

"--Master!"

Aurora showed the same surprise as everyone else when the P.I. agent mentioned that the agency was run by lunatics of astronomical proportions. For Aurora the surprise wasn't that the girl knew that, it was the fact that she'd admit it to people outside the agency & a group of almost complete strangers at that. Her respect for the agent went up a notch. As the girl continued to speak though, Aurora saw where her discourse was heading. Her heightened respect for the agent remained, but her opinion of P.I. agents stayed at its present low. Then the series of slamming sounds began. Aurora couldn't say for certain what had caused it, but she agreed with Jerin's statement. The sound was getting closer. "Maybe more robots are being released," she said softly, thinking aloud. "Maybe we should beat feet 'afore we have ta find out," Ottilie suggested. Aurora was inclined to agree with this remark. She started to rise from her crouched position as the agent started to object. Then came the deafening SLAM as a stone slid into place, blocking the exit & making everyone jump. Even as they did so, Aurora saw the flash of the laser, heard the hiss & smelt the scent of burnt flesh. In the shocked silence that followed the inccident, she located the source of the scent. It was Jerin.

From the look of things Aurora could tell he'd leapt in front of Ottilie to protect her, taking the shot from the pistol himself. As a result, his forearm was not a pretty sight. Aurora sighed inwardly. Why was it always the arms? First the shoulder, now the forearm. Was it on the same arm, or the other one? Aurora couldn't be certain at the moment. As Jerin enquired after Ottilie's health, Aurora made her way over to him. Knowing his regenerative powers, the wound probably wouldn't be serious (or at least, not for long), but it would undoubtably be painful. Casting a glance at the wound she asked, "would you like something to soothe that at all?" Jerin turned to face her, still smiling although the grin looked more like he was simply gritting his teeth; "what have you got?" he replied. Aurora counted a few things off on her fingers. "Well," she said, "the main part of the med-kit you know about, you were here for the explanation. I also have in its compartments pain-killers, pressure-bandages, a small flask of rum (for medicinal purposes only you understand, I hate the stuff), or we could leave the wound untreated & just give you a soothing cigarette. Any of those appeal to you?"

OOC: A stóirín means my little darling / my little treasure.

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Even as Aurora came forward to offer Jerin her medical expertise and assets, Elsinoire sprung away from Tobias, genuine concern present in her wide eyes.

"Source preserve ya Irish, are ya--?!"

"--M'fine..."

Ottilie responded, and it was hard to tell who was more amazed to find she'd hit a different target, the Oasis' investigator or the P.I.A's investigator. Upon seeing that said target was Jerin however the agent relaxed, crossing her arms and declaring sardonically.

"Oh. That's ok then."

Aurora saw the glint of a pleased smile before the creature inclined his head to her.

"Pardon me."

And turning, he addressed Elsinoire dryly.

"Moments ago you were quite annoyed with me for accidentally trapping you behind my wire while in pursuit of Miss Ottilie. Now you have accidentally shot me in the arm while preparing to do battle with potential aggressors."

Undoing his coat, he pulled his injured appendage from his sleeve with a grimace.

"The way I see it, that makes us about--"

And here he simply drew a square in the air. The agent scowled.

"Whatever, buster."

She offered no further rebuttal, looking away. Jerin chuckled, removing his coat completely and folding it. Elsie narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's so funny?"

But he didn't answer, seating himself shirtless on the ground to study the gash with careful claws. Junk hovered over it, Ball and Jack droning with concern nearly equal to its own.

"It would have been wiser to treat this earlier, master. Now it is considerably exacerbated."

"It crosses my favorite scar. I didn't want to risk damaging it..."

He responded softly. Jerin's body (predominantly his back and chest) was a collection of scars left from knife wounds, bullet holes, lasers, teeth, claws, hot liquids, and countless other instruments of torture. The old scar on the upper part of his left arm ran from shoulder to elbow and was his current favorite because it was the first (and only) mark Ottilie had left. Looking back at Aurora, he finally answered her queries.

"My apologies for the untimely response, dear girl. My blood doesn't take well to nanites, but anything conventional you've got to stop the bleeding and the stinging I'll take gladly, so long as it won't cause this mark to fade."

As he spoke, Elsinoire confronted the slab of stone several feet away, groaning.

"Great!"

She pressed a hand to her forehead, tapping her claws against it.

"Ok...not a disaster..."

As she muttered to herself, Dirac and Ottilie stood individually engaged with their separate thoughts, the former still taking it all in while the latter attempted to process what had happened and react accordingly. Currently she was wavering between thanking Jerin and punching him in the stomach, her uncharacteristic irritation stemming partially from guilt over her previous treatment of him (had she erred in thinking ill of his intentions in the Complex?). Even Legs was silent, uncertain how to take this turn of events. Finally he chattered quietly.

"A hound, having started a hare on the hillside pursued her for some distance, at one time biting her with his teeth as if he would take her life, and at another fawning upon her, as if in play with another dog. The hare said to him, 'I wish you would act sincerely by me, and show yourself in your true colors. If you are a friend, why do you bite me so hard? If an enemy, why do you fawn on me?'"

The Oasis creature supplied the moral in her head sadly.

No one can be a friend f'ya know not whether ta trust or distrust 'im...

She rubbed the back of her neck tiredly.

Oy...bad luck day I s'pose. Wonder what da would do in a situation like this...?

Ottilie pictured her father then, reclined at the base of his favorite tree in their orchard. Lifting his head, he smiled warmly, as though she'd only told a joke.

S'a tricky one, a stóirín. But I s'pose I would start by thankin' yon gen'leman fer savin' me from injury or worse.

She smiled a little, allowing memories of his advice to converse with her present worries.

But da, how'm I s'pose ta do that when--

--How now, s'this? Did I raise ya in a barn? A lady o'quality will always thank 'er benefactors an' ne'er be too proud ta accept help when appropriate.

But DA, he's tried ta off me 'afore! Sorta...can't prove it, but I think a train almost ran me o'er once 'cause o'him, an'--

--In the past?

Well, aye, but--

--S'this the past, a stóirín?

No, sir...

E'eryone makes bad choices love. Some make more'n others. But we've always the option ta choose ta be better, 'cause the Source loves us enough ta let us live as such. Even so, s'pretty hard ta change when others refuse ta see anythin' but the bad, wouldn't ya say?

Her expression softened some at this.

S'pose that's correct.

Aye. Ya must look after yerself too o'course, an' yer friends. Sir Tobias an' Henry have done nothin' but right by ya, an' that girl saved yer mechanic without knowin' you or 'im. I taught ya ta commend such good deeds and ta condemn the evil ones, but ignorin' either is the worst sort o'wickedness. So mind yer bloody P's an' Q's. That won't kill ya, will it?

She smiled fully at this, and turning to Jerin, addressed him firmly.

"Hey, double J."

He looked up at her. She nodded gratefully.

"Thank ya. F'ya hadn't put yerself on the line I might be where ya are now, or worse. Should the opportunity arise ta do ya a good turn in the future, I might not be able ta resist it."

He chuckled softly, and returned the nod. Satisfied, she watched Aurora remove her medical kit again, and thought suddenly of her own stitches, as did Legs, who patted her upper arm with his back feet.

Oh, 'bout that time. Next order a business is changin' wraps.

Setting her satchel down, she looked up at Toby.

"Should change our bandages now. You'd best fetch Henry back."

The rabbit had been watching the melodrama with intense interest. People fascinated him, it was always a good mystery to figure out why people did what they did. His link to his people's noble bloodline, and their supernatural ability for senses another's inner emotion only served to intensify that curiosity. As with this instance, he forgot reality, watching the reactions and inner reactions of the people involved in the situation with a blinding kind of tunnel-vision.

He shook his head suddenly, rubbing his eyes as if he was half asleep. "'Course, wixan's had time enough to sulk. Could use a minute or two rest 'swell." He gave her a jovial smile, "Call when ya feel like tackling the stone wall, think we can help ya with it. May not have techomedical things or creature super healin', but I think a few hundred years training may help he defeatin' a piece of rock, e'la."

With that he turned and moved over to the still pouting henry.

"Don't touch me you filthy old man!"

"My point was you fondlingin' the-"

*whap* *slap*

One jumped the other and the ensuing wrestling match and namecalling between the elder and younger companions bringing some needed comical relief to the weary group.

"We'll start with the painkillers then," Aurora said to Jerin as she retrieved her medkit from her backpack. Flipping the lid open again, she selected a different set of capsules from those glimpsed before & handed one to her patient. "These are fast-acting," she assured him, "and won't have any unwanted side-effects". Jerin grinned. "What about wanted side-effects?" he asked, "will they induce drowsiness?" Aurora flashed him a grin. "Only if you take a swig of the rum to swallow them down with," she informed him, "and going by what you said to Ottilie earlier, you feel drowsy enough anyway". Jerin simply nodded in response to this & swallowed the capsule. As he did so, Aurora took a closer look at his wound. Having been made by a laser beam, the wound looked pretty clean, but Aurora decided to cleanse it just in case. As she applied the disinfectant, she inspected the flesh around the wound. Despite the jagged shape of the wound itself, there were no torn flaps of skin, the laser having burned cleanly through. Having taken a look at how deep the wound was though & given the fact that, as Junk had pointed out, it was exacerbated as a result of having been left unattended earlier, Aurora felt that stitches were in order. She informed Jerin of this.

Jerin remained silent for a moment, the look on his face calmly contemplative. Finally, he asked her a question. "Will the stitches affect my favourite scar?" Aurora paused briefly before answering. "Well," she told him, "that's where I can give you an option no regular medical practitioner would. I can stitch the wound especially neatly, ensuring that no new scar will result from this wound. But that might cause fading of the scar this wound crosses. Alternatively, I can stitch the wound with a little less than due care. That would guarantee that your favourite scar wouldn't fade, but might well insure that you develop a new one criss-crossing it. Which would you prefer?" As she expected, Jerin didn't take long to respond to that question. "Developing a new scar- whatever indifference I might feel for it- beats losing an old but favoured scar every time," he informed her.Aurora nodded to this & got to work with her needle & thread. The wound was fairly easy to stitch, although she had to exercise discipline to keep her hands steady when Toby & Henry began to wrestle. Despite the chuckle that rose in her throat though, her ears didn't fail to pick up on a piece of information she regarded as important. A few hundred years of training. Well, that was certainly interesting. Aurora had been uncertain of Toby's age before, though he certainly seemed young. Now though, there existed the strong possibility that he was older than she was and Aurora had been taught to treat her elders with respect. Added to that, it might also mean that he knew a few tricks she didn't, therefore it would be foolish to underestimate him should a confrontation arise later. Older than her, trained (in a military sense?) and didn't trust her. Not, she reflected, a good combination. She would certainly have to keep her wits about her for the rest of this journey...

OOC: No worries Tobe. Since there're only three of us this can pretty much move as slow or fast as we want. If you ever get in a bind again though and want me to hold off on posting just drop a quick note and I'll do that. Same goes for you Gem =) I'm flexible, and there's never any rush!

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As Legs scurried over Ottilie's upper arm, checking her stitches and rubbing more brown salve into them carefully, he heard something he hadn't in a long time: laughter unburdened by worry. It was soft, and she covered her smile so as not to offend Henry as he scuffled with his guardian, but she was noticeably more relaxed. The insect didn't look at the boy or the rabbit, but his resolve to distrust them lessened somewhat, if only because they'd made his partner forget her cares for an instant. Wrapping a clean bandage securely around her arm, he clipped it into place, patting it with a chatter.

"All set. I'll sew up the tear in your sleeve when I take my watch today, ok?"

She smiled brightly, nodding and pulling the torn fabric of her shirt back over the bandage.

"That'd be champion. S'still a newish shirt, so I hate ta have it torn so."

And standing with a renewed sense of cheer, she called to Tobias, who had a struggling Henry pinned beneath one large foot.

"Heh, bandages're here on top when ya want 'em mate--"

"--the salve is right under them. They can use that too if they like."

Legs interjected quickly, crossing his arms and looking away as if it really didn't make any difference to him what they did. Ottilie raised a brow, but merely relayed the information.

"Oh, there's also some salve under 'em ya can spread o'er the stitches ta fight infection an' help with the healin.' Thanks fer that, Legs."

The insect waved her off with a brusque chatter. She chuckled, then looked back at the lepoid, adding.

"When yer done wrappin' meet me by the rock an' we'll see what we can do there."

Having said as much, she started toward where Elsinoire stood, running her hand over the portion of wall nearest the stone obstruction. Legs shifted, addressing her via their link.

That's sort of strange.

The creature paused behind the agent, glancing at him.

What?

It looks like she's searching for a way to access the circuitry of the Complex. Why doesn't she just use a contained force mine to blast the passage open?

Ottilie's brows drew together in puzzlement.

Er...well, Bram said there were a bunch o'different departments in the P.I.A. Maybe she's Retrieval an' Observation? Ya know, kind that wouldn't be carrying demolition type stuff.

Maybe, but she said herself she's been with the P.I.A. ten years. If that's true she should really be quite high ranking by now, and didn't Bram also say the few high ranking agents still engaged in field work carry some serious firepower?

The Oasis creature looked at him.

Maybe she used t'all up earlier?

If she'd used any mines or explosives of that magnitude in here we'd have heard the blasts, contained force or not.

Legs crossed two pairs of arms, concluding.

Either she was lying about the length of time she's been with the agency, or she hasn't been promoted to where they'd grant her access to that kind of artillery.

Ottilie looked back at Elsinoire.

F'the latters so I don't get it. Ten years an' they still won't give 'er the pin what says she can carry some bloody mines? Why?

Well I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with her sparkling personality.

She shot him a look. He clicked his mouthparts together sharply.

You have to admit shes been very rude to you. There's no reason to help her, logically or otherwise.

S'the right thing ta do. M'not gonna let 'er try'n make off with Toby an' Henry o'course, since Toby said he didn't wanna leave an' Henry seems ta feel much the same, but s'still not kickin' ta press on an' leave 'er trapped. Complaints?

No. I find her extremely unpleasant. The sooner she leaves the better, and if she takes Skizzy and Smiley with her, that's just fitting one cog for two clocks.

She smiled, teasing.

Methinks the decipede doth protest too much.

Think whatever you want, it won't change the fact that what I care about most is reaching the center in a timely, uninjured fashion. That said, if you're determined to do this, lets hurry up and get it over with.

Leaving it at that, she came up beside the agent.

"Hey, have ya got 'er figured, or d'ya need assistance?"

Elsie shot her an odd, suspicious look.

"What do ya mean?"

"D'ya need help movin' this slab? Toby offered his services too."

This seemed to floor the older girl, who glanced from Ottilie to Tobias, baffled. Pushing her ears aside, she finally responded with an annoyed scowl.

"That's not funny."

"Pardon?"

"Your joke. I find it in bad taste."

"S'not a lark, I'd like ta help and Toby said he could certainly move a piece o'rock 'cause he has sumthin' like a hundred years o'trainin.' In movin' things like rocks I s'pose."

"You do realize this blocks my exit?"

"Aye."

"And once it's removed, I am leaving."

"Aye."

"And I'm going to take your friends with me."

Here she frowned.

"Aye, though I can't stand by an' let ya do that as they've expressed a desire ta remain here."

"So you're not offering to help me?"

"No, I am."

She narrowed her eyes at her.

"I don't understand. What's your angle, Irish?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"I mean what's in it for you?"

"S'in what fer me?"

"Don't get smart! Why would you assist me in exiting this place when by assisting me you're taking me one step closer to capturing your comrades? That makes no sense!"

"Like I said, I can't allow ya ta take me companions anywhere they don't wanna go 'cause that'd be unseemly, but refusin' ta let ya deny 'em their freedom on ethical grounds and then allowin' this bit o'granite ta deny ya yers would be hypocritical. S'why m'willin' ta try'n help ya move it. I dunno 'bout Toby."

She winked.

"Maybe ask 'im yerself."

The agent shook her head, turning to the lepoid.

"Yo, Blondie, Irish here obviously has the wrong idea, right? You aren't serious about helping me with this wall are ya?"

Jerin watched Ottilie as Elsinoire addressed Tobias. The Oasis creature said nothing more, but she tilted her head at the agent, smiling thoughtfully. Aurora looked up at him from her stitching. Noticing, he smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you, that feels better already. Though, I must admit I'm a bit down on my luck at the moment in terms of credit and have no way of compensating you for the use of your supplies. Unless of course you take marbles?"

The rabbit looked up, he'd been trying to cut a piece of wrapping for his younger companion off the roll he'd retrieved, and it seemed he was failing. As such he looked up with the wrapping still where he'd been trying to cut it, in his mouth. It was odd for a moment, rabbit's had the ultimate built in cutting utensil in their huge front incisors, why was he having trouble? The answer was obvious, even before looking and noticing he lacked the front rabbit incisors she had an idea to the answer. Indeed, his teeth looked more like a dog's than a rabbit's, canines and all. Tobias was just as much a halfbreed as they youth was, that in mind things began to make a little more sense.

"Mmf, m-Puh", he spit the gauze out and shrugged, "Course I am, only the right thing, right? Helping people that is. Art doesn't aid those that don't aid others, e'la. Conjure it'd be a easier on the kid to help ya if that kidnappin' stuff was lost to ya memory. Had a bad one with that, el'a, be shiny if ya'd stop remindin' the wix'an." He looked back down to see Henry cutting the gauze with a knife and looked sheepish, "Shoulda said you had that." The boy smirked, "You didn't ask... e'la" He snickered at using the man's own term against him.

"lost to your/my memory" - refering to forgetting something

"wix'an" - WICKS un - refering a child, little, younger

Aurora smiled slightly in response to Jerin's remark. "Well, my own marble collection isn't up to much at the moment," she admitted, "and it has been a while since I had a really good game". Still smiling, she spoke more seriously, "you needn't worry about compensating me for supplies," she remarked, "I most definitely am not in any urgent need of funds. And even if I was, I don't think I'd charge you for this. If anything, you can think of it as an attempt- in its own small way- at repaying you for the services you rendered me as a teacher & as a friend". She paused briefly to close up her medkit & pack it away again. "Actually," she commented, "I think this is only about the third time I've ever used the thing. You see, I mostly carry it in case others need help, since I have a healing factor in common with you & wear body armour besides". Again Aurora paused as she returned her backpack to her shoulders. Gazing at the flexible armour that covered one arm she added, "and as you can see, my armour's taken more than one hit for me before now".

Jerin nodded, taking in the armour she wore. It was without doubt still completely servicable and looked to be an all-purpose outfit. Knowing Aurora, Jerin was quite certain it would also be made of light-weight materials, allowing her to maintain her high speed. But there was almost no component of the armour that was without a scratch, a dent, or a scar to it, though doubtless the integrity of the outfit had never yet been compromised. Also Jerin could tell that none- or almost none- of the pieces that made up the armour had originally come from the same suit. "I'd say your outfit seems to have been in the wars," he remarked, "but given your current occupation it probably has". Aurora nodded. "Certainly in the Algos-Rithm war," she admitted, "and at least two or three other skirmishes besides". She fell silent again, watching as Ottilie & the agent inspected the slab of stone that barred their way. "You seem to be pretty well-informed about this place," she eventually said, "you probably know where the control panel is that will get us out of here". Jerin chuckled softly. "You're probably right about that," he replied. Again there was a silence between them as they watched their companions again. Eventually Aurora remarked, "do you suppose we should mention that, or should we just let them try to figure it out for themselves?"

Jerin grinned again. "I, for one, would offer my services would they but ask," he informed her, "but they seem to be having such fun puzzling it over just now!" Aurora smiled as well. "True enough," she remarked, "while we're at it; do you suppose we should mention that introductions are in order since we're in company, or shall we just wait until those that don't know us get tired of referring to us as 'hey you'?"

Jerin examined his bandaged arm before answering, standing as he did to pull his coat back on.

"Around O such formalities are an inevitability, but I'll wait until she deems names necessary as I'm sure the rude one will waste no time in making a joke of mine."

Meanwhile down the passage Elsinoire looked from Tobias, to Ottilie, to Henry, then tilted her head to regard the remaining three. She raised a brow.

"I just realized...you're all crazy, aren't you?"

But she laughed a little as she said it, looking down, and her smile was remarkably cordial when she looked back up, cordial yet sad at the same time.

"Guess you guys're lucky I'm a sucker for idiots with good intentions..."

And shaking her head at them, she held up a paw.

"Thanks anyway, but I don't need help."

Tobias shrugged.

"Suit yourself, miss."

Ottilie nodded politely, kneeling beside the boy and rabbit then in case they needed assistance tying their bandages. The agent turned back to her search. A minute later, she frowned, hitting upon an idea.

Then again...maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong angle. True, it wouldn't be fair of me to let some soft-hearted dolts aid in their own capture, but if I let Blondie exert the fruits of his 'training' on this rock I could see what he's capable of.

She snuck a glance at him.

Who knows, if there's more to him like I think there is, and I manage to bring him to book, the agency might finally see there's more to me, too...

Thumping one fist against the wall decisively, she whirled back around.

"Yo, Blondie."

He looked up at her. She smiled.

"I changed my mind."

She pressed her palm to the wall. Elsinoire had explored the circuitry behind the stone earlier in her journey and found it most impressive for the Complex' age. The metal framework was tough, but the rock that encased it was even tougher. To get through lacking in a knowledge of the place itself, machinery, or mines you'd need to be blessed with considerable power and even greater control of it.

"I can't open this passage without explosives or override codes, neither of which I have at the moment. If you can do what I can't, I'll not only let the 'kidnapping stuff' be 'lost to memory,' but I'll stay by your side and assist ya until ya get to wherever it is you're going."

Legs scowled.

"Is that supposed to be the upside of the arrangement?"

Ottilie silenced him with a look. The agent continued pointedly.

"However, if ya can't do what I can't, I'll take Irish up on her offer and see her mechanic open this just as he did the last, and you and your sprout'll come back to agency headquarters without further objection."

The Oasis creature glanced at Legs, worried over his reaction to this. He chirred amusedly.

"Sure, whatever. I can't imagine what she expects him to do. He didn't have codes or mines for the last and its not like this times any different. Unless he's some sort of Sage* in addition to being from 'another world', which is improbable considering the first smattering** went off about backlash*** ages ago, moving or destroying it isn't even remotely executable."

Ottilie frowned worriedly, looking away.

S'cause you've no imagination, mate...

She spoke then, pushing a stray strand of hair back into place.

"Er...well, Legs says he's more or less willin,' but couldn't some o'us assist Toby? S'a tough--"

Elsie quirked a brow at her.

"--He's trained at something that makes him confident he can accomplish the task, ya said as much yourself. But, tell ya what Blondie, your sprout can help ya if ya need it. But only him, no one else."

The Oasis creature wrung her skirt nervously, but nodded, putting on a confident smile.

"Yer right. Ok. I'll agree ta that f'Toby does. Ya best be prepared ta honor yer word though, 'cause m'sure he'll succeed."

That's what I'm hoping, Irish.

The agent thought with a nod and a smile, gaze returning to the rabbit.

"So what's the story? Can ya do it, or was that all talk?"

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*A Sage is a creature or human scholar who exhibits masterful control of unnatural energy or powerful influence over an element or elements.

**Legs is referring to a period in Earth's history before the P.I.A. was formed, at which time Mages from other worlds were coming to Earth with greater frequency. Upon discovering that their more 'supernatural' abilities were impeded by planetary backlash most departed as quickly as they appeared, and the formation of the P.I.A. along with the widespread belief that the first visitors told others of their planets 'special condition' has seen the arrival of fewer and fewer since.

***Planetary backlash is the reaction of the Source / Planet to technology, spells, and unnaturally formed energy of excessive power. When a piece of equipment is activated, a spell cast, or energy released it affects and is affected by the surrounding ecosystem(s) to varying degrees depending upon the presence of the Source, the spell or energy type, and the power of the spell or energy. As a general rule, the stronger the force exerted (whether negative or positive), the greater the backlash (return) from the Source (or, to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). Backlash usually comes in the form of whatever the initial energy or force passes through (most commonly air). For instance, if a Sage fired a spell through the air backlash would present itself as a gust of wind flung back at the user upon the spell's completion. There is no real harm in backlash unless the force is particularly powerful or else unleashed in an area where the Source is exceptionally active, meaning it is (again, generally) safe to use spells or equipment of moderate power without fear of deadly repercussion (i.e. the backlash from a fire spell with strength equivalent to that issued by a flame thrower wouldn't be lethal, just mildly uncomfortable). Many inexperienced sorcerers end up scarred, deformed, or dead because of miscalculations of the amount of backlash a spell will yield, and the best are those who learn to work with the environment instead of against it. For example, a Sage skilled in hydromancy might dwell near or in the water, and if engaged in combat, simply direct an incoming wave to strike at their opponent. The Source would be unlikely to respond visibly to this even if the spell was considerably powerful since the wave was pushed in the direction it was already going. Technological backlash doesn't occur nearly as frequently as magic backlash because all engineers' designs must meet international safety standards before construction can begin. Sages have no such restrictions placed upon them, mainly because so few exist (nineteen practicing). Backlash has actually worked favorably for Earth in that (combined with the protection of the Oasis) it makes the construction of weapons of mass destruction uneconomical. In fact, the most powerful bombs in the world aren't even capable of leveling a quarter of a major city without the bombers suffering sufficient losses, which is why most prefer to either negotiate or deploy ground troops to accomplish their goals. Planetary backlash has also prevented interstellar sorcerers from taking control of Earth via complex spells since they tend to end up destroying themselves out of ignorance or else leaving when they find they must regulate their abilities.

OOC: Just so we're clear, planetary backlash won't affect whatever happens next (if anything) since its effects are only apparent following the use of excessive power, but I've got more robots coming up that'll be playing off the concept and want everyone informed while there's still time to ask questions. I'm sure Aurora, for instance, is well traveled enough to have seen the results of backlash or may have even experienced it herself from a technological standpoint. As for Tobias, I don't know how long he's been on the planet, but being a Warden (a position in his world similar to that of my Oasis creatures) he's probably learned about or already knew about it before he came. Of course, what your characters are and aren't aware of is ultimately up to you, I'm just putting the information out there.

Also, speaking of Wardens, is there information anywhere I could read about them Toby? So far I've gathered from paging through your Aftermath of Evalc play that they've psionic abilities, but I'm unsure if that's the same here or if you're going to be trying other things. I could always have Ottilie question Tobias in play if you'd prefer that of course, I'm just curious and figure it's high time I educate myself with whatever you're willing to tell or direct me to.

Aurora smiled slightly at Jerin's remark. She had to agree, the P.I. agent would probably put her sharp tongue to exactly that purpose once she learned Jerin's name. Vaugely Aurora wondered what she might do if she had an inkling as to the nature of the individual attached to it. In Aurora's opinion, it was perhaps one of Jerin's greatest achivements that he had convinced the world that he didn't exist. Perhaps that could be credited to the fact that he'd kept to mainly the one name through the years, until the significance of it had faded and dulled with use. By contrast, she herself had worn several names over the years, changing them to suit her circumstances almost as other people might change their garments. That the former head of the Lucky Seven could openly operate as a street performer & no-one would suspect him could be accounted for by more than just constant use of the name Jerin Jestwood though. Partly, with the possible exception of the other members of the Lucky Seven, there probably weren't any people left alive that could positively identify Jerin- with the exception of Ottilie & Aurora herself. Or at least, identify Jerin & all the history connected with him. More significantly though, even if there were others living who could identify the true Jerin Jestwood, who would they tell? The authorities would simply laugh and say that Jerin was like the bogeyman- he simply didn't exist. Then again, if there were any individuals operating within the justice system who would take a sighting of the true Jerin Jestwood seriously, would they pursue the matter? Or would fear of such a legendary criminal deter them?

Aurora left off from her musings to listen to the arrangement the P.I agent was making with Ottilie, Legs, Tobias & Henry. Typical of an agent. Still, she had to admit, she was interested in seeing Tobias's mysterious 'training' at work. It certainly wouldn't hurt to know a little more about that. As she listened to the agent's final remark, Aurora caught herself thinking young people these days. She smiled wryly. Despite her own current age she was a bit young herself, to be entertaining thoughts like that. Still, when she was growing up, if she'd had a mouth like the agents' her parents would've told her that a tongue like that required a pair of velvet lips. A quaint expression meaning that an implement so sharp required a suitable sheath & was best left sheathed. Maybe, Aurora mused, if the group stayed together long enough, she'd have the phrase make its acquaintance with the agent...

OOC: There was at one time, but when went on vacation and got busy at work it fell into disuse and was removed from Wiki. But if you need info just pm or im me, I'm always willing to talk at length about that universe.

Having O question him is another way to do it, even asking Corky/Henry will net some info as he's obviously Toby's confidant.

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Tobias smirked, "I'll agree to me, but he will have to agree for he." He was of course referring to Henry. The boy smirked and folded his arms, then shrugged smugly, "I guess." It was almost mocking, that tone of his.

The rabbit smiled and shrugged, walking up to the rock and putting a hand on it. The lepoid closed his eyes, as if he was examining the whole of the door with his mind. After what seemed like an obscenely long and dramatic pause he placed an extended hand to the rock, fingertips touching it's polished surface. "Hemayan silwan, taha'plan kakno! Hewawa-ix eke-tan'maslak Kwalow yamaxap n'on e'lok yacapa-celay!"

The rabbit seemed pause for what seemed like an inordinate time. Then opened his eyes sheepishly and patted the rockface. He turned and shrugged, "Dunno, shoulda worked."

Elsie began to smirk. Henry sneered and started flapping his arms around, "What the hell are you doing?! That was pointless! Why would dead people help you break a rock?! Are you..." He looked speechless, "Are you trying... to fail?"

Hemayan atak silwan - Those who wander about as ghosts.
Taha'plan kakno - I need your aid.
hewawa-ix - Those killed by evil
Eke-tan'maslak Kwalow yamaxap n'on e'lok - Give the rabbit great power such that he can
Yacapa-celay - Smash through the heavens

Elsinoire's smile tightened, and she crossed her arms, persisting.

"Blondie, you do understand if you can't do this you've agreed to come with me, right?"

He nodded, something like laughter in his eyes. This only served to further her annoyance.

"Right. So, hey, you want to--oh, I don't know, try again???"

OOC: I had this lying around and thought it might be fun to play while we wait for things to progress. The parallels are pretty obvious, but I never claimed to be subtle. Respond if you like Gem, or this can just be a standalone piece.

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Jerin buttoned his coat, mind spiraling elsewhere as his gaze fell on Ottilie again. Smoothing the fabric absently, he thought back to his tenor as a professor at the Laplacian Academy. His eccentricity and odd sense of humor had never earned him any friends among the staff. Whereas working for one of the top performing arts academies in the world gave them a sense of superiority, he'd openly laughed about it, saying the place wasn't his absolute ideal because it was too stuffy. Add to the equation his less than classy habits, including but not limited to the way he ate peanut butter straight from the jar and spent his nights rubbing elbows with some seedy characters and his solitude was assured. By contrast his students loved him, and he in turn adored them. Of all the classes he'd proposed and subsequently taught, his favorite (of course) dealt with acting and achieving an understanding of the characters being played. The day he remembered now had occurred directly following the Kingdom's grandest yearly festival, when the academy had elected to re-open the day after instead of taking the traditional week off...

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"Master, your students are arriving."

Junk nudged Jerin's head with its tail. He mumbled something incoherent, sitting up at his desk and rubbing his eyes tiredly as he watched his exhausted young protégés take their seats. He waited a long time, playful smile lurking about the corners of his mouth, waited until their eyes came to rest upon him curiously. Finally he inquired.

"Who's for a siege on the academic office?"

This elicited a murmur of laughter and several raised hands, and he leaned back with a smile.

"Well, too bad. I was degenerately engaged into the wee hours of the morning, as I'm sure most of you were, so we'll let them get away with it for now on account of my hangover."

He stretched, continuing.

"Fidel and Tayce--"

This was greeted by a collective groan, and one of the young humans in the front row gripped his head.

"Are you serious Prof? We're not actually gonna work today, are we?"

"Master Thad, if I have to be here for two hours, I refuse to be bored. And by bored I mean if the board catches me sleeping on my desk while all of you 'sneak' out again I'll get another talking to, and the Dean keeps such a record of my misdemeanors that should I ever need to replace Junk in terms of memory I think he'll do."

There was another groan. He chuckled.

"That said, I don't intend to assign more work. Today we'll merely discuss the play as much as we're able..."

Standing, he paced in front of them, reciting.

"I think you're something extraordinary. That's why I needed to. Do you understand? That's why I have to do this. If I kill you, I really am sorry about that too. The world doesn't deserve you though. So, I have to be sure."

His eyes swept the room.

"Hardly poetry fit to thrill the ears of fair maidens, but this is what Fidel said to Tayce in the final act of The Crimson Mazer. What do you think Bast was trying to say about the nature of every living creature?"

"That we strike at purity out of envy or a perverse sense of righteousness?"

One female creature with gazelle-like features suggested tiredly. Jerin inclined his head.

"One could make that argument."

"Man, it's completely simpler than that."

Thad announced with a scowl, leaning on his arm. His professor quirked a brow at him.

"How very forthcoming of you Master Thad. Care to elaborate?"

"Fidel had a thing for her and he was out of his mind. He probably just didn't want any other guy to have her and thought offing 'er would be the best way to make sure that didn't happen."

Jerin chuckled.

"Whatever suggested to you that he had a 'thing' for her?"

"Come on, Prof. He thought about her obsessively."

"But was he obsessed with her, or with an abstract concept she seemed to represent?"

The boy frowned.

"There's a difference? Even if it was a concept, by possessing her he'd possess it, end of story."

The gazelle-like female spoke up then, frowning.

"Liking one aspect of an individual because it mirrors a concept and liking the individual for his or her faults and virtues are completely different."

Thad rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but it all amounts to the same thing 'cause creatures never get passionate about each other like that. They're too sensible. Look at their literary track record. Books on all manner of scientific and biological principles, but hardly any romances or poetry. Granted your kind only started writing things down like what, five thousand years ago?"

The girl glared at him, and Jerin interceded calmly.

"Six thousand actually. But ours is an oral tradition, young master. Just because we have not written so much of our history or 'romances' doesn't mean we have none."

"I didn't mean that. I'm just sayin' our minds work differently. Your kind think more logically and mine're more in tune with things like creativity, art, etc."

The gazelle frowned at him.

"Thad, that's such a ridiculous generalization I can't even begin to argue it for shock at such overwhelming ignorance on your part."

The boy scowled at her, holding his hands up.

"Whatever Vanya, you're just mad 'cause I'm right."

He looked up at Jerin.

"I mean that's an accurate assessment, ain't it Prof?"

"Isn't it."

"Well isn't it then?"

Jerin leaned against his desk, crossing his arms with a smile as his eyes swept the room again, pausing briefly on Aurora (Jeanne then). There were days he called on her relentlessly, and days he didn't. He hadn't decided what he'd do today.

"That's a matter of opinion, Master Thad, and seeing as mine doesn't correlate to the topic at hand, let us return to it. Fidel swore his aid to Tayce on her quest to retrieve the crimson mazer crafted by her father. In the end he attempted to kill her, saying it was because the world didn't deserve her. So far we've heard two opinions on the message Bast was trying to send through his work, Master Thad's and Miss Vanya's. Can anyone add to either of their theories, or else propose a new one?"

Everyone looked thoughtfully perplexed. Jerin chuckled, raising a claw threateningly.

"Eenie meenie miny--"

OOC: Sorry, Powwow is finally over and the kids are gone but I'm really too tired to write anything right now. Will try to have something up tomorrow. Also I acquired something from a Celtic flowerchild there. Pretty cool, least I thought so.

OOC: Will give trying to pose another slant to Jerin's question a go. Let's see how well this fares!

IC: Noticing Jerin's distant yet intent expression, Aurora tapped his shoulder lightly. He blinked slightly as he turned towards her, as though startled out of a dream, or pleasant reverie. "What is it dear girl?" he asked as his eyes focused upon her. "I was just going to say, 'penny for your thoughts'; you looked like you were a million miles away," Aurora informed him. Jerin chuckled slightly. "Not quite a million," he replied, "but a comfortable distance away at least. I was thinking back to my days as a professor. Do you remember when I set The Crimson Mazer as a topic to cover?" Aurora smiled herself as she remembered. "How could I forget that one?" she asked, a faraway look in her eyes, "after the questions you raised regarding the final scene..."

Jerin's eyes rested briefly upon Jeanne as he scanned the faces before him. "That's a matter of opinion Master Thad," he said, "and seeing as mine doesn't correlate to the topic at hand, let us return to it. Fidel swore his aid to Tayce on her quest to retrieve the crimson mazer crafted by her father. In the end he attempted to kill her, saying it was because the world didn't deserve her. So far we've heard two opinions on the message Bast was trying to send through his work, Master Thad's & Miss Vanya's. Can anyone add to either of their theories, or else propose a new one?"

Everyone looked thoughtfully perplexed. Jerin chuckled, raising a claw threateningly.

"Eeny, meenie, miny--"

Jeanne raised her hand. Jerin stopped his 'eeny meenie' and turned his gaze towards her. "Jeanne," he intoned, a smile playing across his features, "you have something to offer?" Jeanne nodded slightly, blushing as she did so, "Let's hear it then," Jerin instructed, "what nuggets of wisdom do you have for us today?" Jeanne gave a small, shy smile, nervously pushing some of her long hair back from her face as she did so. "Could he have been trying to say something about the nature of the heart?" she ventured. "Elaborate please," Jerin instructed, "that's quite a vague abstract". Jeanne nodded again before continuing. "What I mean is," she began, "that at the start- as you said- Fidel swore his aid to Tayce. Promising aid to someone you know will be going into danger & uncertainty is a noble thing. But he ended up trying to kill her, which is definitely a base act. Could Bast have been trying to say that, in the same way that water flows downhill, the heart also tends to revert to its basest desires? Or perhaps that the heart of every sentient individual is essentially flawed?"

Jerin regarded her a moment. "Keep going," he said. Jeanne fidgeted with a stray strand of hair as she tried to explain. "Thad said that Fidel thought about Tayce obsessively," she said, "and with that much I agree. But I think that was simply a reflection of a deeper-lying flaw that the adventures he & Tayce went through brought out. I mean that, at the start of the story both Fidel & Tayce seem like noble characters. As the play progresses however, the adversity reveals both the virtues and the flaws of their respective personalities- in Fidel mainly but Tayce has flaws as well. Though their virtues bear them through the bulk of the play- in order to get them to their goal- there are some critical moments when the darker aspects of each character come to the fore. These less pleasant aspects are kept in the audience's mind throughout the play, just below the surface. And that's where they seem to be within the characters as well. This is best seen in Fidel's increasing obsession wth Tayce: He starts with an honest desire to aid & protect, but as the troubles come & keep coming, this slowly mutates into a desire to keep her not simply from harm but from all outside dangers real or imagined. At the same time his realistic estimation of her virtues becomes exaggerated out of all proportion, until he sees her as entirely pure. Subsequently these two mutated perspectives mingle until he desires to keep this pure maiden from ever becoming contaminated by a corrupted & undeserving world. This ultimately comes to expression in his attempt to kill her in the final scene of the play, fully revealing to the audience the level to which Fidel's heart has descended". Jeanne paused for a moment, then added, "I suppose you could sum all that up by simply saying 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'".

Jerin nodded as Jeanne finished her explanation. "That's certainly an interesting angle to come at it from," he remarked. His gaze swept over the students again. "Has anyone anything else to add?" he asked.

Aurora returned her attention to the present. How many years had it been since the Academy now? And now here she and Jerin were on a quest not entirely unlike the one recounted in The Crimson Mazer. She hoped though, that this adventure wouldn't imitate art towards the end...