Novus City (Temorarily closed. Still accepting new characters.)

Kami stumbled, fighting hard to keep her panic down. One look at her blood... Of course, that's if they checked blood. This planet wasn't under the Intergalactic Government's control. Maybe they wouldn't think to look for werewolves. Maybe they didn't think that werewolves existed. With each thought her heart rate slowed. There was no reason to worry. Except for the fact that they wouldn't be able to find her in the system.

She gave another tug on her arm, this one stronger than the first. "Only because you guys touched me," she shot back. "Look, let's just forget that this ever happened, okay? You two can just let me go and you won't ever hear from me again. I'll be a good girl, I promise."

She smiled up at the two of them, trying to appear as innocent as possible. "I'll be good, 'onest! My daddy is going to be very worried about me if I don't return home soon. Please just let me go. I'll go straight home. I'll be good."

Nikki tuned out the other voices in the bar. She wasn't in the mood for socializing tonight. Not that she generally was a social butterfly. Nikki knew better than to be open to everyone, though that usually meant that she was closed to almost everyone. But it was better that way. At least Nikki had no one to drag her down.

'Except for myself,' she thought her shoulder tensing just above where her metal arm started.

Nikki shook her head as she drank whatever the bartender gave her. Another reason she preferred to be alone was because she was in the Sins of Terra. It wasn't the kind of group that went around giving people hugs. But it shared her view of the world. At least Nikki had a place there.
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Enti was running out of energy, but he didn't stop. First off he wasn't sure how he would find his way home. He knew the streets well enough, but at night it looked different. Also he couldn't just leave Seren now. If she got into trouble, he knew he would feel guilty for abandoning her earlier.

"Seren how much longer?"

"Oh stop being a baby Enti. We're almost there."

Vision

"Wow, what a boost to my self-esteem. Bribing someone with free drinks so you won't be stuck with me," Gregor said, though his tone sounded as if he couldn't care less. "With my luck you'll just go off somewhere drunk and I'll be navigating my way home soon enough." He dissappeared into the room, only to reappear quickly covered in his black clothing, his head hidden from view. "Is Miss Ivory coming," he asked.

Alexander was bored. He drank some grape juice which he just bought. While taking sips of the purple colored juice, he tripped and stumbled into 2 men. The bottle slipped from his hands, and as a consequence both men ended quite wet and tinted. (viper and seth).

“I’m deeply sorry!” Alexander quickly started to apologize to them. With both hands he started to clean the juice off the man’s shirt, but of course, you can’t just brush off liquid of a shirt. Alexander panicked even more when he noticed the high quality of one of the shirts.

Can’t believe how damn clumsy I can be! He punished himself in his thoughts.
Who knows how much this shirt costs, or who this man is! His face turned red and goosebumps raised on his whole body.

((Gah, sorry. I tried to post earlier but my Internet was being evil. ))

Seth allowed himself a small smile under his cowl. He didn't care about the man's posturing or position or job. Very little mattered besides the fact that he was injured and had money.

"Follow me, then. We're not going far...you look bad enough off as it is." He turned and began heading up the street, looking for the entrance to the alley he wanted. There was a mostly hidden alcove there where he did much of his business; it was not often occupied by peddlers and squatters, and when it was, a few manic laughs or eye-rolling fits usually sent them on their way.

Seth kept his pace reasonable, to avoid pulling too far ahead of his patient. Mentally, he started assembling what he would need for this treatment. Hard, unrefined alcohol to douse the rags he used for bandages. Marigold leaves to bind to that arm wound. If he was correct and the leg wound was bruising, he would need castor seed oil for the swelling around the tendons and muscle. The man appeared to have moderately high pain tolerance, since he was walkng around the streets injured, so he probably didn't need the opiate effect of poppy. Valerian might help soothe his nerves...Seth thought he looked a bit jumpy, but if he was a thief, that might just be his nature.

Seth finally turned into the alley, finding his chosen alcove to be mercifully empty. He motioned to the man with his head to move into the area.

---

Iva smiled. She had been secretly hoping someone would give her an excuse to go out and celebrate Founding a little. She tried not to sound too enthusiastic as she answered. "Is he givin' you trouble again? I'll be right over to help. It's close to a sin to not go out on Founding. But you do owe me the coffee. See you in a few, Ben." It wouldn't be too long of a walk, and Iva always preferred to use her own legs as transportation, despite the extra danger it presented sometimes.

((Hey, AD? Nando's char spilt grape juice all over Seth and Viper...and that's fine. The interwebs hates us all at some point.))

The man pulled back, twice as hard. "No. And if you kept pulling I'm going to make sure you stay in a cell for a few days so you can think on what you've done, clear?" It was easy to tell he was quickly losing his patenience with her, and every moment he had to spend escorting her was a minute longer than he wanted to be near her.

After a few more minutes, the small guard post came into view.

-------

Kaine nodded to himself, as he polished off his glass and poured himself another. "Hard thing to find during Founding. Maybe you shoulda just stayed at home? Relaxed infront of the TV...not as bad as people make it out to be." Despite the general ease of the conversation, it was not hard to miss how his body would periodically tense up during his scannings of the patrons, before relaxing once again. His deamenor showed not trouble though, just a friendly mountain of a man who was just chatting away his night.


As a waitress walked past Kaine frowned. "You hungry? They have some great ribs here. Want me to order us up a plate?"

-------

Ben rolled his eyes at Gregor, not caring what the grouchy mutant was seeing this as. "That's great! Well, you know where the the shut-in lives, so we'll see ya soon. And I wouldn't dream of robbing you of your coffee, Ivory. You know me better than that." Flicking the phone closed, he gave Gregor a thumbs up.

"Indeed she is! Now, what's this about being stuck with you? You know you're just as much my friend as my partner, right?" His face never lost it's smile, even as he looked at the mutant's outfit. "You're wearing that? Again? Don't you have any nice clothes?"

Vision

Vision didn't reply to any of his comments, because an answer would just mean more talking. Instead he looked around at the other people nearby, all celebrating this filthy hole of a city. If he had to describe it in one word, it would be ridiculous, that was what the city and its people were to him. "We may be partners, but I have no friends," he said. He suddenly wondered what he was doing out here instead of back inside trying his best to ignore the man he stood near.

Kami sighed softly as she dropped her act and instead stared quietly at what she presumed to be the guard post. You had to go and get yourself into trouble... Idiot! What were you thinking? You know better than that! If there had been a wall before her, she would have been banging her head into it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the two Helm agents. "For this!"

She twisted around and pushed herself up off of the ground. Her feet hit the man with the gun square in the chest, as she reached out with her free hand for the rifle that he held. Silver magic swirled around her feet as they made impact, increasing the force of the blow.

(No worries, we can just do a little jumpskip and a hop and boom, we got acknowledgement of Nando's char! I'll handle that in fact.)

Viper followed Eyebright into the alley, his eyes darting around in his usual paranoid fashion. He watched the man walking before him, judging his intents by his body language. Or at least, trying to. It only worked about half the time that he tried it.

So far, Eyebright appeared to be everything that he had said. His movements were practiced and his body seemed relaxed, not tensed up in a way that could mean he planned on attacking Viper. Which was good. He really didn't want to try and fight off another attacker that night.

"So, how long is this gonna take? I kinda got places I need to be..." His good hand went to one of his pouches, reassuring himself that it was still there.

Unfortuantely, he happened to be rather focused on Eyebright, and failed to notice the guy that was approching them both until it was too late, and both the theif and the healer were soaked.

Viper jumped back away from the appologetic man, nimbly dodging his attempts to brush the juice off him. How he was able to do this so effectively while wounded was a mystery, even to him.

"It's fine, it's fine! No harm done, just a shirt!" He spoke quickly, almost tripping over his words.

----------

"Um..." Senka licked her lips, before taking another sip. It had been a few days since she had last eaten, since she didn't know how to access the escape pod's food stores. If it had even had food stores. She wasn't sure.

Go on, Senka. Food will do us good.

She glanced back at Kaine's face, her amber eyes watching his blue ones. "Yeah, that'd be really nice, actually." She gave a hesitant smile, but it dissappered as quick as it came.

((Thanks for taking that, Shadow. I missed that detail.))

Seth had also been focusing on his own concerns. He had mostly tuned out his patient's half-hearted complaints, but he couldn't very well tune out the splash of cool, sticky liquid.

His first move was instinctive. He pulled his cloak in close to his body, bending a little to protect his precious healing supplies. Even something as innocent as grape juice could render some of his leaves, bark, and concoctions useless. His second move was the necessary one, just as instinctive in its way. He whirled to face the man who had spilled the juice, using one arm to knock his placating hands away. He whipped the cowl off and gave his head a sharp shake in the same movement, making his black hair whip down around his shoulders in a wild mane. He hunched his already stooped shoulders and gave the hapless man his best crazed look. "Sorry doesn't do much for me, you cringing oaf. I've gutted men for less than what you've done, d'you know that?" He threw in a bit of hoarse wheezing. "Unless you have a damn good excuse, I don't want to hear your sorry apologies to my companion and I!" Seth fought the urge to grimace as he felt a tendril of liquid slide down his arm. But he kept his facade in place. The man could be anyone, and the spilling of juice could easily have been no accident, but a ploy to distract him before an assault or a robbery. He'd seen it done before.

---

Iva lengthened her strides, not wanting to keep Ben waiting. Come to think of it, it probably wasn't best to keep Vision waiting either. The man seemed to be naturally grumpy, and he'd probably be even less fun than usual if she inconvienced him. She kept her eyes peeled for anything she needed to take care of along the way, but she hoped it would be an uneventful trip. She wanted to get out and celebrate, truth be told.

((How far away is Vision's house from where she is? I'm still not exactly sure about the distances and placements.))

((Well, if she's in the same sector, then probably not too far. If she's in another, then it might take sometime.))

The agent with the rifle grunted, his body recoiling at the force of the hit and he crashed to the ground, clutching his chest tightly. His partner released his hold on Kami, quickly turning around and facing the young woman. Drawing his pistol, he aimed it threateningly at her head. "Get on the ground, now, or I will shoot." Nothing about him said that this was a joke, as he pulled out his radio and clicking it on. "This is Patrol 307, requesting immeadiate assistance. Man down, and an assailant of unknown origin. I repeat, This is Patrol 307, requesting immeadiate assistance."

--------

"You are the biggest pessimist I have ever met, Gregor, and that is saying something." Ben followed his gaze, watching the people go about their business. "Look, I know it's stupid to celebrate while we're trying to kill each other, and there are probably a million better things we could use this time for, but the people need a time to just...enjoy themselves." Leaning againest the small railing, he smiled at the mutant.

"That goes for you two. What are you gonna do after they cure you? Sit in your house all day? Then what's the point of being cured, right? You've got to live life, Gregor. This is the only one you get, and you have to get the most out of it." He was quiet for a moment, as if he was letting his words sink in, before he frowned.

"And we are so friends. You may not see it, but I sure as hell do."

---------

"Alrighty." He raised a hand, grabbing one of the waitresses attention before shouting. "One plate of ribs! Gimme a bit of everything!" The woman nodded, and went to place his order in.

Stretching his large arms out, Kaine sighed as he felt the stiffness slip away into the corner of his mind. His gaze examined her for a breif moment, before he smiled and took another sip of his scotch. "You look like a woman who's seen alot of shit in her life. What do you do for a living?"

Senka finished off her glass before returning it to the table; her thin fingers quickly found the edge of the glass and began sliding around it. She swallowed a few times, attempting to keep the memories swiming at the edge of her mind from surfacing.

"I..."

Senka, don't do this! There's a time for breaking down, but now is not that time. So take a deep breath and tell him that you are unemployed at the time. Okay?

Okay...

She swallowed again, blinking away the wetness that had barely started to gather at the edges of her vision. "I...don't have a job. Ran on some rough times."

Her eyes dropped to the table. "What about you?"

Kami's eyes landed on the pistol and then flickered to the guard post. Back-up wouldn't be long in coming... She took a slow step back and then paused, finding her hands empty and her mind out of ideas. She bit her lip as her eyes landed on the pistol.

If they weren't going to check her blood before, they surely would now.

Coming to that realization, a single thought formed in her mind.

Run.

She swiveled around and ran for it, her bare feet pounding against the ground. She knew that he would shoot at her, she just prayed that he wouldn't shoot to kill. Her eyes focused on the buidling before her.

Just a few more feet...

Vision

"I don't wish to continue this discussion, Benjamin," Gregor said. He closed his eyelids and was slow to open them, as if they carried a weight on them that was almost too much to bear. "If Miss Ivory does not show up soon, I will return to my home, and will not participate in any celebration," he announced after a few minutes of silence.

((For the sake of expedience, I'll have her be in the same sector. I'm going to assume that Ivory's wanted for the Ben/Gregor plotline right now, and not for response to the agent's radio? Otherwise I can tweak this.))

Iva had been to see Vision on various business before; she had a mental map of this area and knew just where he lived. She couldn't help glancing at the various bars and establishments she passed, which spilled loud talking and the sounds of revelry from their doors and windows. A thrill of anticipation went through her.

She swerved down another street, her eyes flickering around in the alert way that she'd trained them to scan whenever she was on patrol. Then she spotted them, moving fairly slowly, with Vision's unmistakable pale skin and bald head marking him instantly. She changed her path so she'd be on a course to intercept them, raising a hand in brief but friendly greeting.

The agent swore loudly, before he squeezed a few rounds off at the girl, aiming for her center mass. He'd be dammed if he let her get away with this, as he moved over to his partner to ensure that he was alright.

--------

"Yeah, yeah..." With a heavy sigh, Ben looked ahead, before instantly perking up when he spotted Ivory approaching. Raising his own hand, the agent waved at her before nudging Gregor with his elbow. "Sorry, looks like you'll have to come out with us after all." There was nothing apologetic about his tone, as he started towards Ivory.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice! It's always good to have company on Founding, and I can't think of any better company than you two! Well, unless Gregor decided to cheer up, but we all know that won't be happening..."

---------

"I mostly do odd jobs around the city. As long as it pays, I don't really mind what I have to do." Filling her glass again, Kaine took note of the small mist that had showed suddenly in her eyes. Bad past...well, everyone has their demons, and she's no exception it seems.

The waitress soon brought them their ribs, and Kaine immeadiatly began to eat. He may have skipped dinner earlier, so this was just as good. And a man his size needed food, so why not eat? He ate at a slower than normal pace, not wanting to spook his company by inhaling all the food. That simply wouldn't do.

"It was no trouble at all, trust me." Iva gave a smile to Ben's enthusiastic greeting. "I haven't really celebrated much yet. And it is always better to have friends on big city days like this." She nodded to Vision too. "It really is good to see you out, you know. I think if you give us a chance, we might actually find something you think is fun." Looking at his face just then, Iva secretly doubted her own words more than she let on, but she kept her face friendly. She was glad of Ben's company though; he always seemed to know just how to handle himself in Vision's unusual company, and it really did seem to take a team of two to convince him to come outside most of the time.

Senka nodded, keeping her eyes on the table.

Deep breath, girl. Get things together. Don't let tonight become a bad one. We're free, we escaped. We're healthy and strong. We should be enjoying ourselves. There's no way that we could of been traced.

She sucked in a quick breath, before she looked up and grabbed a rib. She eyed the meat, before taking a small bite.

There ya go, Senka. Go on, actually eat. You need to keep your strength up. Besides, this isn't half bad.

Vision

Vision's face remained impassive, as he stared unblinking at Iva, and then looked to Ben. "So where is it that I will have to endure tonight's torture," he asked. Though he would never admit it, he was pleased Ivory was here, if nothing else, she might distract Ben more and keep attention off himself. At least Gregor had the consolation that this was the last day of Founding, and tomorrow things would return to normal.

Kami yelped at the gunfire and dived behind the building, her hands over her head. She rolled to the side, stopping only when her back hit the wall. Only after a few seconds of silence had passed did she notice the stinging pain in her side. She glanced down, noticing for the first time a small pool of blood staining her shirt.

She winced at the sight, as if looking at it had suddenly increased the pain, like her brain had just become aware of it. She gingerly lifted up her shirt, whimpering as she did so. A hole could be seen in her left side, where the bullet had entered.

The pain was growing worse, burning painfully. Still, she forced herself to her feet, the need to run driving her on. A hiss of pain escaped from between her clenched teeth, but she continued forward, keeping herself pressed against the building as she walked. Her right hand was wrapped across her front, pressed against the burning wound.

Reaching the far corner, she cautiously peeked her head around it, but saw no Helm people, or whatever they called themselves. She slipped around the corner, still keeping herself pressed against the building. Her breathing was fast and heavy, as each breath caused more pain to shoot from her body, stemming from one of her right ribs. Most likely, the bullet had stopped there, sparing her body from any major damage.

She leaned her head back, sweat dripping down her face. The burning was growing worse. She needed to find a safe spot to hang low, someplace she could get this darn bullet out.

Think.

What about this building? They would think that she had run for it--after all, she had already tried that multiple times. They wouldn't think of searching here, so close to where they were.

Grinning (though with tears in her eyes), Kami turned her gaze to the window just a few feet away from her.

Bingo.

(My characters are so lonely....XD)

Seren finally stopped as the two arrived in a small park. Enti sighed since there was no sight of Seren's friends anywhere. He was about to say something about her just wanting to go for a walk or something when she saw that Seren looked upset too.

"You ok sis?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, indicating that she wasn't fine at all. "It's just that...."

"They aren't here when they should be," Enti finished for her. Seren nodded. She was told to meet her friends here so that they could celebrate the Founding together tonight, but it appeared that they had stood her up.

"This sucks! I am so going to chew them out for ditching me," Seren said. Enti just nodded.

"Well what do you want to do now? I for one don't feel like going home after taking all that time just to walk here."

The two exchanged a look and headed into the park. Seren thought that at least she could celebrate with Enti. It wouldn't be as much fun just hanging out with her twin, but at least she wasn't alone.

For a brief moment Alexander was more worried about the shiny shirt, but his attention was caught by the man who seemed a bit paranoiac.

“Settle down man. It was an accident. I said I was really sorry about it. No need to get so hasty.” Alexander said kind of angry, but he settled down pretty fast.

“Sorry for the trouble” Alexander said as he passed between both of them. After he turned his back and was a few feet away from them, he chuckled softly. His white smile was stretched all over his face. He managed to pick up the paranoiac man’s wallet.

A few seconds sooner and he would have caught me. Luckily, I’m pretty fast with my hands.

The kid made a turn in the nearest corner and walked fast to get away as fast as possible from those men. Sooner or later the victim of robbery was going to find out he was robbed.

(Um, Nando? Which char's wallet did you lift? We kinda need to know.)

Nikki had downed her third drink and was feeling-well not better, but she wasn't as upset as she was before. A numb feeling had taken over, which the woman was use too. She ordered another one, glad that she was being left alone. After all not many people would approach a sullen woman drinking away at a bar. Or they would, but if she was good locking. Nikki didn't think of herself as good looking at all.

'Why do I even care? It's not like I need someone.'

(The paranoiac man's wallet a.k.a. Seth. Paranoiac was the word Alexander used to describe Seth since he got hasty when Alexander touched him.)