Creature City

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Status
Not open for further replies.
In the first weeks of partnership, Dominic had conducted what he thought were hard to detect experiments, in order to understand what kind of person Roman was. Roman had known exactly what the Harpy was doing, but he hadn't commented on it, instead going about his business as usual and pretending to be oblivious of the Harpy's experiments. He realised that if his partner didn't like him, than he couldn't do much to change the fact.
On the second week of partnership, Dominic had tried to suss out other things about the Jackalope, by making subtle passes at the beast to see if he would pick up on them. They weren't particularly subtle, and Roman had instantly figured out what Dominic was trying to determine, but he hadn't said anything about it.
It wasn't until the third week, two days after the screwed-up mission, when the brightly coloured Harpy had given up all attempts of communication apart from musing out loud to himself, did the Jackalope casually mention something to the Harpy. He'd sat upright and blinked, blood rushing to his feathers and looking slightly flustered. Dominic had scanned the other's face, and had found it devoid of any expression. But he remembers the corner of the Jackalope's lip had quirked upwards, something that he wasn't sure even to this day if he'd made up or not. Perhaps it was an invented memory, something he'd drawn out in a fickle attempt to convince himself that Roman felt emotion just like any other creature, but he draws the image out from time to time when he wants to understand his partner's perspective.

They sit at some cafe, Dominic fidgeting and complaining about staff, Roman staring vacantly out of the window.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cecilia's eyes fluttered open slowly, her rich brown irises sleepily studying the patterns left by the brushes that had painted the ceiling cream long ago. Her waking body shifted beneath thick blankets and a beautiful silk nightdress moved seamlessly with her, as if it was a part of her. She flexed clawed fingers and rolled a muscled, grey neck, sitting up and pushing back the handful of milk-white hair that fell in her face. At the end of the bed, Altair stirred and lifted his head, eyes like pools of melted gold blinking slowly at her.
"Morning, Al," she greeted the Griffin with a soft smile which appeared gentle despite being lined with razor-sharp teeth. The gap between her curtains allowed the morning light to stream into the room and paint it golden-green; her bedroom faced the garden and the woods which meant sunlight passed through the thick leaves before reaching her, tinting it with the forest's green hues. She pushed her blankets off her body and sat cross-legged, stretching arms above her head and yawning, which crumpled her papery grey face and squeezed shut her large, deer-like eyes. Twisting upwards like reaching hands were her deep brown, velvety antlers, which she brushed with her fingertips absent-mindedly to dislodge any hairs that might have caught in them overnight. Altair flexed his wings and sighed softly, appearing impossibly to smile as Cecilia leaned forward to bump foreheads with him.
"Mistress Aster-Pitch?" a faint knock on the door was accompanied by a familiar voice, stiff with age-old formalities but weathered with warmth.
"Come in, Vera," Cecilia answered, moving her tongue uncomfortably as she felt a few strands of her wild hair caught in her mouth. "I'm up." She pulled the milky locks from between her teeth and brushed her fingers through the thick mass of blonde hair as her maid entered, bearing a tray balancing a mug of tea and a small plate of meat cut into neat squares.
"Breakfast, Mistress," she said with the faintest hint of a smile – she'd watched the Pitch Heiress grow from a toddler and had become fond of her over the years.
"Thanks," Cecilia took the tray and cleared a space for it on her bed, chuckling to herself at Vera's soft frown.
"I'm twenty, not ten – I won't spill the tea," she promised, second-guessing her maid's worries.
"Your father wishes to see you in the drawing room in an hour," Vera told the Wendigo girl, stooping to clear old cups and tutting at a pile of books on the floor. All adventure books, the old maid noted. Just like the ones Clara Aster-Pitch used to read to her children.
"Oh? What about?" Cecilia looked over curiously as Altair moved to sit next to her, eyeing the bowl of fish heads he knew was for him.
"I believe it's something to do with Lord Estelwulf and his son," Vera said, rearranging the books into a neater stack. She glanced up at her superior, the powerful-looking, beautiful grey-skinned creature that used to be no taller than the maid's knees. "Do you like him, Mistress? Master Estelwulf, I mean?" Cecilia's sigh was almost inaudible.
"Not in the way my father wants me to," she admitted after a moment, her long, elegant fingers wrapping around her steaming mug of tea. "But then again, the Noble Families don't marry for love, do they? I suppose my opinion of him doesn't matter." Vera regarded her, biting her thin lip.
"I'm sure your father would reconsider if you told him so," she said, knowing it wasn't her place to get involved in the family's business. "There are plenty of rich young suitors you could meet."
"Hm." Cecilia lifted the tea to her rosebud lips and took a sip, relishing the warmth of it – the liquid was stained with the merest hint of scarlet. Flavoured with blood as opposed to sugar, just the way the Pitch Heiress liked it. Vera dipped her head and left the room, and Altair clasped the fresh heads of salmon in his beak while his blood-sister drank her tea and ate careful forkfuls of raw meat. Outside, the birds sang, and the golden-green light illuminated the two of them like idols.
 
Last edited:
Abner bounces his legs, impatient. They'd left the scene the kid had been originally spotted in hours ago, and were both sitting outside Minerva's apartment in the cold. The two spiders had sat outside for a long proportion of the night, and as the morning sun greeted them over tall city buildings, they sat in silence. Minerva cast a glance to her brother, watching him bounce his leg and eye the shadowy corporate buildings tower overhead. Withdrawal symptoms. The two had come back to their part of the city after that odd encounter with the two other creatures, and it was Minerva that had originally decided they were going to sit on the cold concrete steps until the sun rose again. Just talking, and mulling things over together. She doesn't want to talk to Abner, but every time she looks into his eyes she sees a lost boy trying to manage on his own. And she feels guilty.
Abner used talked a lot when he was nervous about something. She knew that. So she sat down on the steps leading up to a block of grey flats and told him to speak until he couldn't think of anything to say anymore. Just talk.
God knows they're a fucked up pair, but she wants to make it up to him. It should be him that should be trying to make it up to her, but she knows he tries so hard.
He offers her a crushed packed of cigarettes, his eyes bright with a sense of uncertainty. She takes one and lights it with the flickering flame of her lighter, holding it up for a moment in the dark. All she wanted, was a bit of stablility. She didn't want to have to dress like a whore to bring in an income, but that's all the Araneae were good for in the end. "It seems... A real downer, you know?" Abner had made an attempt to start conversation, watching her with wariness as she held the flame up to the darkened sky. They sat there until morning, like dumped Christmas dogs by the side of the road. Waiting and waiting.
She props her head on her hand now, regarding him with a stare. Hans had always said he was hopeless, running from one thing to the next and starting fights wherever he went.
It's true, but she doesn't want to believe it.
"You need money, right?" She tests the words out on her tongue. The spider tenses, and blows smoke into the air with a grimace.
"I'm- things are alright, Minerva. I don't need... To be helped." He nods, as if this is right. Convincing himself with his words.
"You think this kid's going be your saviour, right? If you just find this one human life and sell it for a certain price, all your problems are gone. I can see it, Ab. The way you looked at those two before. Sure, I'd like to account for it too. That way, I wouldn't have to work in these conditions." They never talked about Minerva's work. "But you want the money more." Her eyes shined in the dim light. "And hell, I'd give the kid, turn it over to whatever dismal future awaits it, but I don't think you'd do it. At the end of the day, Ab. You don't have it in you. Sure, you'd consider it, but after you look at a human face for the first time, especially a young one with its future in your hands, you wouldn't be able to do it."
Minerva hasn't told her brother this, but the truth is, they're waiting to be noticed. To send a message to this mysterious Jet and her watchful eyes that they're ready to accept whatever deal she has for them. She talked it over with the hyena, and it's all a matter of time now.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet hummed, dusting the desk and tidying the papers, having woken early, when Galzra burst in with a gasp.
The dark angel turned, eyebrow raised, and took a moment to look him over. His already scruffy hair was even more messed up, and it was obvious he'd been running around. "The guards- they caught me on the rooftops-"
That was all he got out before Jet shoved him into the comfy leather chair by the desk and yelled for Alexis. The younger girl came racing into the room, saw Galzra, and instantly dashed back out to get supplies. "You were out like this all night?"
He went to open his mouth, but she held a warning finger. "Don't answer that. You know you two disregard my orders and come home the second you lose the guards if you get hurt. You don't stay out there." Alexis came back with the first aid kit, along with Annabeth carrying a separate healing case, and they set about having a look at Galzra. On the whole, it could be a lot worse- he had scratches along his arm where bullets and arrows had grazed him, and-
There was a bullet in his leg.
Jet grabbed the healing case, practically ripping it open as Alexis used the first aid box to tend to Galzra's arms and back. She pulled out a small machine, designed with the purpose of removing small lodged objects from the human body- exactly like a bullet. One of these healing cases was invaluable to Jet and her family. Galzra attempted to squirm when he saw the machine, but Annabeth sat themselves firmly on his lap and refused to move, stilling his legs sufficiently for Jet to apply the machine. The dragon hybrid bit back a cry as it set to work, removing the bullet quickly from his leg. Jet swiftly replaced it with another machine, clearing out any toxins it might have dumped into his bloodstream. Annabeth tried to soothe the older male as best as she could while the whole process occured. Alexis distracted him with calming talk and wing flickers while she worked.
Finally Jet pulled away, and went to dispose of the bullet. Galzra slumped in the chair, exhausted, while the two children soothed him. Annabeth cleaned his face of sweat.
"Alright. You two, stay here and take care of him. I'm going to go meet these folk and get that information." Jet walked to the window, and pulled on her boots; supple black leather moulded to the shape of her feet. Silent, helped her blend into the shadows, and hid two knives perfectly. She leapt out the window and headed off, following instincts to find the signal.
 
He says nothing in regards to her comment, realising she was probably right. He wouldn't be able to, once he had the kid in his hands. But he needed the money. He needed his fix.
"Min. It's cold. I'm going to get going." He shoves his hands into his pockets, hopping from foot to foot to get his blood flowing again.
She regards him in silence, feeling the sun on her face. She knew his behaviour was getting erratic because of the general withdrawal symptoms of whatever drugs he was on, and he was rushing off to see some shady black market dealer to help him out.
"Alright. Look after yourself."
Abner was already jogging down the street, giving Minerva an acknowledging wave to signal his leave.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Galzra lay on his bed in his room. His leg was wrapped up tight in a bandage. Azur sat at the other end of the bed, feline ears drooped and intimidating eyes cast down to his lap. He was, to say the least, highly concerned about his friend. And he hadn't left his side for the entirety of the day. Alexis came in occasionally to check up on him, but otherwise nothing really happened. Galzra had slept the day away and developed a fever from the poison in his leg. The machine had managed to get it all out, thanks to no small miracle and several tries, but not before the poison could infect and cause a high fever in the dragon hybrid.
Alexis had already slaughtered the guards who'd hurt her brother, and was currently in the bathroom, washing the blood off her face and hair. Her clothes sat in the wash.
Carefully, Azur brushed back a stray strand of black hair from Galzra's face. He removed the kid's glasses and put them on the stand, before sitting back again with a quiet sigh. Jet still hadn't come back. He wasn't even sure if the signal had been sent. Galzra had been careless this time around; he'd let the guards catch him before he'd managed to even sense anything, and then stayed out all night like that. It was little wonder he'd come down with such a high fever if the poison had been given that much time to spread. He could have gotten off a lot worse, Azur supposed, but he was still somewhat mad at his friend. He was so careless, letting himself get hurt like that!
His attention snapped back to reality as the dragon hybrid groaned. "Az...?"
"I'm here, Gaz. You doing okay?"
Galzra let a small smile appear. "My temperature feels like I've taken a fire bath."
Azur grinned. "Spoken like a true dragon."
"Shut the fuck up, Azur." But Galzra was grinning, and soon Azur was laughing at his friend, and Galzra was chuckling too.
"Nice to see you still have your fire."
"I hate you"
 
"Why the fuck would he be singing 'kiss this guy?' The song's about getting high off being in love with a chick!" Steve whined, exasperated.

"No, man, you don't get it. He's stoned, like to the extent that's he's so fuckin' confused, he kisses a dude." Abner explains, expression plain as if they've gone over the conversation a hundred times.

"He's singing kiss the sky for Christ sake! Why are you not getting this? You've completely missed the point! He's so drunk off of love, he could kiss the sky! Not kiss some guy!" The other huffed, crossing all six arms.

Abner shook his head, convinced. " Man, you're in the wrong this time. Jimi Hendrix really did sing 'Kiss this guy'. Look it up." The comment earned a frustrated cry from Steve.

The group is fifteen minutes into their meet up, chatting idly about family business and rumours going on in the city. Just like it used to be.

In the row across the the table sat Vince and John, foreheads together, arguing about something the disinterested Abner couldn't place, growling at each other. He couldn't see Vince's eyes, but John wasn't blinking, and he was trying very hard not to smile.
"You'd better be careful, Vince," John murmured. "Never mind the talk of those two. You have that look in your eye like you're gonna kiss me, and if you kiss me, I just might have to slap you."
Vince laughed, tipping back his head and breaking the playful animosity with his trademark howl of laughter.


Dominic fiddled with his cellphone, unsure of what do do. He scrolled through his contacts list aimlessly as Roman stared up at him with an odd expression on his face. Without warning he snatched the phone from his partner's grasp, and dialled the closest number on the list.
"Hey! What-"
"We're calling this Jet person. You weren't going to call until you got back, and that would waste time. So I'm doing it."
Dominic blinked, going from angry to shocked in an instant. "Woah, man. That's the most you've said to me all week."
Roman holds the phone up to his ear, waiting for the familiar click of someone on the other end picking up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet hummed a wordless question as a ringing sound came from her desk. After an uneventful search, she'd returned home, just in time to hear the phone going off. She strolled over idly, picking it up. "Hello?"

Azur and Galzra remained in the dragon hybrid's room, listening animatedly to the call. Well, at least Azur was. Galzra was trying to sit himself up, and Azur was alternating between listening and gently forcing his friend to remain on the bed.
 
Arrow woke alone in bed, stretching like a cat and shielding his eyes from the light pouring in through the uncovered window. His muscles ached from the previous night's activities with Jack, and he smirked as he remembered, pulling himself into a standing position to find some clothes, all of which had been carelessly thrown across the room at some point last night. He settled into a pair of his favourite worn skinny jeans and a thin white jumper that belonged to the Wendigo – it was too big for him, since Jack was over 6 feet tall and he was a mere 5'11", so he had to roll up the sleeves. Running a hand through his raven bedhead, he paused at the window and peered out; the streets were shadowy even though the sun shone brilliantly above them, but if he ignored the darkness of the city and looked up he could focus on the crystalline sky, watching two birds circle each other against the endless blue.

"Get in contact with Dominic and Roman – I want them present," Jack's voice was icy and authorative as he spoke down the phone. "And call the dealers; you know the ones." There was a pause and the faint hum of an agreement on the other line. "What's your status on Jet?" A voice spoke into Jack's ear and his pale eyes flared, thin lips pressed into a hard line. Behind them, rows of blade-like teeth ground against one another.
"All right," he said after a few moments. "You keep an eye on her and the rest of them – no. No!" An angry Chief was a sight to see, and his clawed hands were twisted against the kitchen counter, pointed nails leaving scratches on the surface. "I've said it before. You don't touch a hair on her fucking head. Not any of them. You want information out of them, you get it painlessly. Got it, Fang?" His nostrils flared like a riled horse and his face was a storm. Gradually, it settled – Jack was prone to fits of violent rage, and he could tell by Fang's muttered apologies that his vampire colleague was glad this was only a phone conversation.
"Right. Good. 5pm. Don't be late." He hung up and put down his phone with more force than necessary, jaw clenching and unclenching beneath grey skin.
"Jack?"

Jack turned his head, muscles taut and coiled like a snake about to strike, catching sight of Arrow hovering awkwardly by the edge of the kitchen counter. He was drowning in a white knitted jumper that was too big for him, covering his ebony hands and hanging low on his chest, exposing his collarbone, making him seem tiny.
"Morning, love," he said, sighing and running a hand through his dark scarlet curls. He tried to force the tension out of his body and the scowl from his face. "How did you sleep?"
"Fine," Arrow replied, fiddling with the sleeves of the thin jumper. His neck, jaw and shoulders were covered in flowering lovebites from the night before and his yellow eyes were wide like a child's. "Is, um… is everything okay?"
"Of course! Everything's fine," Jack said, adjusting the collar on his coat. "Just a little work thing, that's all. Come here."
Arrow padded over to him, barefoot, and let Jack wrap his arms around him.
"How long have you been up?" Arrow mumbled into the cold skin of Jack's neck, letting his eyes flutter closed and swaying slightly on his feet.
"Since 6."
Arrow chuckled. "You're unbelievable."
"What? Why?" Jack asked in mock offence, his muscles starting to relax.
"Because you hardly ever sleep!"
"Well maybe if you didn't kick me all the bloody time I'd sleep more often!"
"I do not kick!"
"You do," Jack was grinning easily now, and he could feel Arrow laughing against him. Their chuckles died away and Jack pulled back from the smaller boy, a grey hand coming up to cradle his jaw and a mouth full of sharp teeth leaning in to kiss him. Arrow responded eagerly and when he broke the kiss he was blushing fiercely.
"Where's Kas?" he asked, looking around the empty living room for the Griffin.
"She's down in the pub," Jack responded, kissing Arrow's rounded cheek. "Catching rats, stretching her legs. I feel awful keeping her locked up in here, having to put up with you." Arrow pushed him playfully.
"Hey!" he was beaming. "I'm a delight to be around."
"You keep telling yourself that," Jack's smirk was full of love despite his biting sarcasm.
"Whatever. I'm having a shower." He turned with a smile and began to pad away.
"You warm the water up – I'll be there in a minute," he heard Jack's amused voice say from behind him. Arrow rolled his eyes, but didn't argue.
"You're a bloody sex addict," he muttered, grinning, as he opened the bathroom door.
"Am not!" He could hear the smile in Jack's voice.
"You know, sometimes I think you only like me for my body," Arrow said dryly as he pulled the jumper over his head in the doorway of the bathroom, revealing lovebites that trailed down his chest. Jack tried not to look at them, feeling his cheeks heat up despite his cold blood.
"That's not true," he said, busying himself with putting away dirty dishes that had piled up on the dryer. He could hear Arrow's silvery laugh echoing through the flat and he grinned to himself, trying to forget that he would soon be leaving the comfort of his home and his love.
 
There was a scramble for the phone, Dominic trying to snatch it away from his taciturn partner, Roman clamping his hands around the object in a defensive gesture.
"Listen you- I'm speaking, alright? Unless you want to say something!" The Harpy snapped in a childish tone, finally prying the cellphone away from the Jackalope's vice-like grip.
He put the phone to his ear, casting a final glare his partners way. "Hello." He said, knowing someone had picked up. She was a girl, by the sound of it. "My name is Dominic Dachter. I am an associate of your business partner-" He covered the receiver for a moment to hiss at his partner. "What do they call Chief aside from... Chief?" His partner shrugged, going back to looking out of the window.
"You know which one. I am one of his deployed assets, in charge of searching for a human child that might have breached the perimeter." He lowered his voice at the word human, narrowing his eyes and listening for a reaction on the other end. "Now, back at headquarters, somebody told us you would be useful in supplying the needed information of the child's whereabouts. Or anything on the kid, for that matter. After all, we heard the dealing of information is a speciality of yours and your clients'."

Roman, who had been trying to pay attention to what was being said and exchanged on the phone, felt his own chime in his pockets. He fished it out, ignoring Dominic's desperate gaze.
He usually didn't greet anyone on the other end until they stated their business calling him, but this time he greeted the familiar voice.
"Roman. Chief is totally like.. Freaking out over this kid. He wants everyone present for this meeting at five. So I need you to drop whatever you're doing and get down here right now. Since I'm pretty much under fire over here with the whole thing. Maybe you fellas can shed some light on this subject and give the Chief a reason not to yell at me. I don't know. Anyway, just... Come down to HQ as quickly as you can, okay?"
Fang's desperate words flew down the phone, as Roman hung up to signal his priorities of getting to the meeting as fast as he could.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet nodded. "Ah, Dominic. No need to introduce yourself. I know about you and your partner, Roman. Yes, I was quite aware the Chief would like information regarding the human child. And I may have a few leads, but I can't say they're going to lead very far, or indeed that your boss will be best pleased with them. We have received several rumours regarding this child, and I've chased many of them up myself. If your boss would be so kind, I would rather meet with him to discuss these matters rather than passing a message. It's far easier, as you will discover, to do something yourself rather than assigning others to do it for you."

Azur felt a chill go down his spine as Jet talked. There was a certain tone to his voice; one that others couldn't pick up so well, but him and Galzra did. One that only came up when dealing with clients; she knew about these people, had done for a long time. Indeed, every lackey under Jack's control was known to Jet, even if they didn't know her. This was one such time, and it scared both of them.
 
Dominic smiled, something cynical in the way he showed his teeth. He had been surprised that the voice had known him and his partner, even their names, but that didn't stop him from putting on a pressing tone.
"That may be the case, lady, but Chief assigned us to deal with this situation. You can perhaps relay a message onto him when you meet the guy in person, like you wanted, but right now we are his representatives. Fang, who I'm sure you know too, told us in great confidence that you knew more than just rumours."
Roman nudged his partner, making a motion to suggest cutting the conversation short and leaving quickly. In response, he brushed the Jackalope off, frowning.
"If you only knew the basic rumours everyone else knew, then Fang and the rest wouldn't have trusted you enough to get us to make a call."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet raised an eyebrow. "And how would you reckon I knew more than just rumours?" She pondered for a moment. "It's dangerous to talk over calls. Others might pick up the same information. Go to a safe location, and wait. We'll talk what we know there."
 
Morning bled into afternoon, and the flat felt warm and safe. Jack was in the kitchen, buttering toast (for Arrow – the thought of eating anything other than raw meat made him feel sick) and Arrow was sat cross-legged on the sofa, translating an old spell book. Kastra was at the half-demon's feet, listening to him mutter incantations in Latin or Greek before scrawling them down, chirruping softly whenever his bronze hand massaged her feathered ears idly. Jack sprinkled cinnamon over the toast, wrinkling his nose at the smell – Arrow was addicted to the stuff, he ate it on an obscene amount of food – and carried it to him, pushing books out of his space so he could sit down.
"Thanks," Arrow smiled, pausing in his work to lean over and peck Jack's lips affectionately. The Wendigo smirked and ruffled his hair, still damp from the shower. Arrow blushed at the affection and started to eat. A comfortable silence filled the room, interrupted only by the occasional buzz of Jack's phone – confirmation of the meeting. He glanced at the time: 3:30pm. He'd have to leave in half an hour.
"Aren't you going to eat something?" Arrow asked when he was halfway through the small mountain of toast on his plate. "Before you – go?" Jack looked at him, so wide-eyed and swamped in his oversized jumper, and felt his heart skip a beat.
"I will," he promised, knowing it would make the Nix feel better. He started piling up the books and placing them on the floor until he had a clear path to Arrow, then he shuffled closer and pulled him onto his lap. Arrow abandoned the book he was currently translating and nestled into Jack, eating cinnamon toast that tasted much better than usual just because the Wendigo had made it. He sighed softly.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked in a small voice.
"This is an important job," Jack said after a moment, resting his cheek on the top of Arrow's head. "I… a few weeks, maybe. I'll call as much as I can." The sofa groaned as Kastra pulled herself onto it and burrowed into Jack's side – Arrow threw an arm around her and Jack's hand carded through her feathers. This was how he intended to stay until he had to leave.
 
Dominic sighed, rifling through his pockets for a sheet of paper. The lady was right. Probably not best to talk over the phone. By the sounds of it, she was smart and ready to meet them in a place away from danger.
"Yeah alright. We'll meet you somewhere."
He closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Roman made another motion with his hands, already standing up to go. "Calm down, I'm going." He clicked the phone off, knowing Jet's people where almost everywhere enough of them so that he didn't need to specify a location.
 
Jet set down the phone, and moved to Galzra's room. Checking in on him briefly, she smiled at the sight; Galzra was fast asleep, and Azur was curled up next to him, resting with one hand over his friend's heart, keeping an eye on him. She shut the door silently, and headed to check up on the children. They were playing, but stopped when Jet popped in.
"Take care of Annabeth, will you, Alexis? I have to go out on a job regarding them, and I don't want them to be found while I'm gone."
Alexis nodded and gave a thumbs-up. Jet smiled, and left. She headed out the window exit, and flipped onto the roof before dashing off.
 
The two made their way to a small warehouse, uninhabited apart from a few junkies and the odd homeless person passing through.
Dominic was positive they'd been seen because they had both made as much loud ruckus as they possibly could, just to make sure.
Roman had frowned, but had followed his partner obediently into the thankfully deserted area.



The gang of criminals had got to playing pool, waiting for the others to slowly file in. No one out of the bar-goers had bothered to talk to the creatures that obviously came from the more seedy parts of the city, realising it was best just to pretend they weren't there than intervene.
"I can't believe you're hustling me, man," Steve exclaimed, leaning on his pool cue, eyes narrowed.
"What the fuck are you talking about? There's no hustle here, I'm just playing," Abner replied with a wide innocent shrug, swinging from one end of the table to the other.
"Yeah, you're playing like a hustler." Steve snapped, and Abner grinned, holding up two hands in a defensive gesture.
"No, you just suck at this game."

Vince and John were sitting by the bar, John kicking his legs, perched on the stool like a gleeful child.
"What's a matter, huh?" The fox draped himself against the hyena, smiling a sharp-toothed smile as the other shook him off.
"Nothin'." The hyena adjusted his scarf, eyes flickering around the room. "Just.. Thinking."
John turned his head to the side in response, propping his head on his chin and making a low distracted humming noise.
He was glad when Abner jumped onto the stool next to him, abandoning the pool game despite his friend's aggravated protests. He put his arms around Vince's shoulders, tapping his foot as he listened to Steve's shouts from afar. Noticing the sullen silence on the air, he began to talk idly, running his mouth.
"Goddam, who do I have to blow to get a little service around here?"
Out of his periphery, he watched another angry hybrid march over to him, pool cue still in hand.
Abner waved him off, ignoring the hyena and the fox next to him who were now both laughing again as if they'd been huffing nitrous oxide all afternoon.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet's wings twitched as a slight breeze blew across them. She read the signals in a couple of seconds.
Warehouse, small, east.
It was all she needed. She took off, ignoring the stronger wind that now blew. That one didn't carry any signals. Within a few minutes, she was at the warehouse. Scouting around, she located a back entrance, and swung in, silent as a breeze, landing silently on an upper platform. Two men stood in the bay below, looking around. She walked to the railing and leaned over, calling down. "Lost, are we, boys?"
 
Dominic flinched, head snapping up from when he was standing. "Jesus..." He breathed, staring at the winged leader of the information dealers with a look of confusion.
Roman followed his partner's gaze, standing stiffly, amusement on his face.
"We ain't lost!" The Harpy called up, voice echoing in the empty warehouse. He lifted his hands, and then dropped them by his sides, a defeated gesture.
"Let's talk." He murmured, realizing he didn't need to raise his voice in such an empty place.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jet chuckled. "I would hope not." She swung over the railing, her wings making a faint whoosh sound as she did so. She fell gracefully, landing soundlessly on the floor, and wandered over. "So." Her voice was simple, businesslike, yet a twinkle of amusement sparkled in her eyes at Dominic's reaction to her arrival. "Let's talk indeed. What have you and your boss heard about the child, first of all?"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back