` Obscured Facades `

[SatyrWarrior]

'Where could he have gone...? Where?!' Ruyo's notions swarmed into his mind relentlessly. He weightlessly vaulted across various building tops, eyebrows burrowed into a harsh frown. 'I should be able to sense him, but...I still can't detect aura signatures very well at all. I'll need to work on that so I can find him easier. Either way, I must find him before it's too late.' He huffed and gradually came to a sedate stride. "Above all, I'm really getting tired of being accused for all of his god-damn crimes... I had no idea he'd be such a little douche...." he rambled aloud to himself, shrugging mildly. Perhaps he had obtained said 'douche' personality attributes from Ruyo himself...? Of course, he never considered that as a possibility. Ruyo ceased within his risky building-hopping and took a glimpse at the dusky night sky. His lengthy, light purple lockes indisputably contrasted with the shadows that collapsed around him, including his ebony trench coat. And perhaps, it even compelled his person to become significantly more conspicuous, but alas, he presently wasn't reflecting about that point. No, he was still attempting to discover where his doppleganger would be lingering. Where...? He sincerely didn't have the slightest clue, but that wasn't going to stop him. Never. 'I'll just keep searching. I'll look in every corner of this city and the next if I must!' Ruyo's thoughts boomed with full-fledged determination, which had become indicated upon his expression.

A smug smile abruptly curled onto the young lad's lips at that very instance, contradicting his former frown. Effortlessly, Ruyo resumed leaping from building top to building top, swiftly becoming aware of another presence in the intervening time. So long as others were within a somewhat close vicinity to him, he'd be able to sense them, even if he wasn't wholly trained in the art of aura detection. On the contrary, the presence was rather....familiar. He knew precisely who was currently trailing behind him, which only forced the beam on his face to broaden further. "Really.... Sweet Cheeks never lets up does she? I must admit though--I admire her persistence! Well, I guess I can take a break from searching to play with her." Ruyo said to himself prior to coming to an abrupt halt within his hastened pace. Upon skidding to a complete standstill, he twirled around on the heels of his feet to face his pursuer. His light purple hair gently cuffed him in the face due to the sharp momentum, but he did not appear to be aware of it. "Ah, it's you again, Sweetie. It's a pleasure..." He genuinely did appear to be delighted to see her rather than perturbed, in spite of the fact that she had been one of the bounty hunters pursuing him for quite awhile now. It had been about a month since she began--perhaps a tad more. "When will you ever let up?" he queried aloud to her as he thoughtfully tapped his chin. Suddenly, he gasped with feigned surprise, as if some sort of exceptionally noteworthy notion had just flooded his mind.

"Oh, I get it! You just like playing with me that much. Is that it?" The 20 year-old male nodded briskly, already assuming that that was the authentic reason as to why she continuously chased him despite that she hadn't even responded yet. "I see. I suppose I can understand. I am rather handsome after all, aren't I?" he questioned once more. "It's only natural for a feisty woman such as yourself to chase after me, right?" He winked in her direction. His sole objective by stating all of this was to merely get on her nerves. Irk her, just as he occasionally managed to do so whenever she came after him. Ultimately, he hauled his palms from his coat's extensive pockets. They were protected with fingerless gloves. "I know you only see me as a traitor to the bounty hunter organization, so just go ahead and try to catch me. I promise you will not succeed~!" he told her sweetly, folding his arms over his chest. He had given up on trying to justify his true circumstance to the other bounty hunters long ago, and that was why the current bounty hunter before him had assumed that he was just another criminal on the run. He never bothered with attempting to mention what was truly happening to her. He no longer saw a point in doing so. After all, he figured that the female bounty hunter would just disbelieve him, presume he was lying, and brush it off her shoulders like the rest of the bounty hunters had.

Ruyo patiently awaited her introductory move, eyeing her closely with his keen azure optics. He had swiftly caught on to the detail that she always committed the first move each and every time...
​

 

[Layne]

Sprinting with silent ease through the buildings, Ayah never allowed her target to get more than a dozen yards ahead of her. She was moving on the floor below the roof, allowing her to hear his rapid steps while staying out of his sight. It was a temporary thing, she knew, but for now it worked. This was all something to learn for her anyway. She wasn't made to be a bounty hunter and she knew it. Desperate times, desperate measures. If she had her way, she'd be sitting in a dark room somewhere tinkering with her little robot friends. Ah, such is fate. Already she had cornered him a couple of times, but he seemed more intent on messing with her and mocking her than fighting with her. She knew that she didn't give off the fighter vibe, but he was just getting to be an annoyance. A few times she had snapped on him, but this time she had a different plan. All she had to do was stay calm and dish it back at him, right? That'd probably unsettle him since she hadn't managed to do it yet thus far.


She leapt from one window to the next, rolling and moving up to her running pace once more. Halfway through the building, she heard his steps stop. Finally he noticed, she thought with a smirk. Not bothering to even pretend to hide, she walked back to the window and swung herself up onto the roof. She flicked her golden brown hair from her matching eyes absently and eyed him as he looked her over. The braids and waves were a mess thanks to the run, but she didn't care. She put her hands on her hips, the dark brown cargo pants clinging to her every curve. They had more pockets than one would be able to believe, holding everything from weapons to medical supplies to tools. Even without makeup on she gave off an extremely girly feeling, which she had actually worked to her advantage a couple of times already. Hiding wasn't something she needed, not when she could use her looks to sweet talk information out of anybody she met along the way.


"The pleasure is all mine, darling. Such a delight to see you again," she replied easily as soon as he spoke, returning his smile with a small smirk of her own as she stepped a little closer to him. Not in a threatening way, more of a friendly conversational way. If he wanted to play, she was up for it. Cocking an eyebrow as he gasped, she tilted her head and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, that's definitely it. I can't resist the conceited criminal," she said, pressing her fingers to her upper chest in that typical distressed female way as she gave her voice a slight old-timey accent. Afterwards, she just grinned at his wink and shook her head at his promise. "You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep. Even if I don't end up catching you, one of the others will," she said, though internally she was wondering if they would ever catch up. Already the nearest one was hours behind. She was sorely tempted to hurl something at him, but each and every time that she had done that so far, he had avoided it. So, this time, she just told herself to wait.

Ayah

 

[SatyrWarrior]

As per the norm, Ruyo's eyes had dilated vaguely as she unveiled herself for the initial time that night. There had always been a particular aspect about her image that took him aback, even though he clearly already knew what she looked like. Perchance, it could have been her feminine beauty integrated with a peculiar fondness of her currently disheveled wavy hair, or the fact that she didn't appear to radiate with a fighting vibe although many bounty hunters couldn't wait to inflict violence upon the target. It incessantly obliged him to ponder--did she truly wish to fight...? In all likelihood, Ruyo 'disturbed' every bounty hunter that pursued him. He actually hadn't brawled or physically retaliated with any one of them--at least, not thus far. Swift escapes proved to be rendered more appropriate, seeing as how unremitting combat would certainly decrease the rate of his pace in terms of completing his personal 'search and obliterate' mission. On the other hand, he had not been desperately forced to use his capabilities solely for offense. His motto was, 'Violence is not the answer if it could be helped'. Though, with his sharp abilities, one would probably contemplate as to why he inconvenienced himself by going along with said motto. Overall, light taunting and irking was apparently 'up his ally'. It was considerably more entertaining that way.

He blinked blankly and glanced down at the building peak beneath his black loafers. 'Ah, so that's why I didn't see her. She'd been traveling below me the entire time.' he thought to himself momentarily. With additional inquisitiveness, he took note of an alternative detail: her response was definitely much more serene compared to her habitual reactions. ....What was she playing at? He arched a brow at her in virtual suspicion. Nevertheless, a light smile prevailed, smeared into his lips. He opted to stand his ground as she took a step forward. Her first move of the night was surprisingly nonthreatening. On the contrary, it was rendered as--to a greater extent--a friendly advance towards him. Her act was utterly conflicting to the means in which she ordinarily reacted, and it did fairly unease him...but it also brought forth a mass of mystery in the present predicament, so he didn't mind. Unpredictability was all the more fun, in his opinion. "Hmm." He hummed intrinsically as she stated that it was a delight see to him again. Although he didn't regard that as the truth even for a millisecond, it was still moderately delightful to perceive. "Something is different about you today... You look the same--lovely as usual--, but you are...acting strange..." He paused and scanned her figure over, scratching his head absent-mindedly. "So...in other words, this means you aren't going to freak out on me this time...?" he asked, smirking. He nearly chuckled at her following comment, which had been accompanied by a mild old-time accent.

'....She's right. I'm willing to bet that there's a high chance that I won't be able to keep that promise for much longer... At this rate, I won't be able to find my doppleganger anytime soon either. Someone will catch me eventually if I'm not careful....and I have no doubt in my mind that she may just be the one to do so.' he admitted to himself mentally. Her potential was so vast and radiant--everyone could see it, including him. And intertwined with her apparent fortified determination, he assumed that she would most likely mount to the top quickly if this were to be a permanent hobby for her. After all, he was beginning to detect other bounty hunters, and although some of them had been a bounty hunter for a lengthier period of time than her, they were still distantly lagging. He undoubtedly acted conceited, but the majority of his genuine personality actually wasn't like that. Thus, he wasn't going to deny the reality to himself due to pride. However, he would never let her know that. 'Even so...I must finish my business. I'll make sure she doesn't catch me anytime soon.' Ruyo smiled gently and continued to stare at her attentively. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you and the others will not catch me. At least, not while I still have business to take care of..." He trailed off and frowned slightly in her direction. The gaze he locked upon her deepened considerably before he conversed again.

"I may be viewed as a criminal now, but I am still one of the best hunters in the organization. I'll manage somehow." He shrugged and took a couple of steps backwards when he arrived at the very edge. His smirk broadened abruptly in a perplexing manner, just as he felt the heels of his feet draping right over the extremity of the ledge. Of course, the building top's edge dangerously dangled overhead the bustling city streets down below. If he were to plummet, there would be nothing but cement for him to land on...or one of the operating vehicles in the streets. "Honey, if you're waiting on me to commit the first move, then you've already made a huge mistake." he told her in his tranquil tone of voice, arms now folded behind his back. In the intervening time, azure orbs shifted off to the side in attempts to obtain a minuscule view of the streets underneath them. 'Almost there....' Needless to say, the cunning young man had already planned an escape route mentally. Now if only he could commence it... He had rapidly learned to never remove his eyes from her for too much of a prolonged period of time, so he was swift to alter the direction of his optics to aim back on her once more.
​

 

[Layne]

Ayah said nothing as Ruyo looked her over. It would be pointless to interrupt his examination, and it gave her the time to flick her own gaze over him. He looked exactly the same, which only confirmed what she already knew - he wasn't really bothering to hide himself. Again that nagging feeling perked up in the back of her mind, the one that said she was missing a piece to this puzzle. She had been chasing this guy for weeks now and he hadn't even fought her yet. All the times she had cornered him, he taunted her and ran off. That was it. Nothing physical. He wasn't hostile or anything like that, didn't change his appearance to blend, and he wasn't running toward any safe destination that she could think of. Bounty hunters were closing in on him from all sides yet he kept this weird path going as if he was moving toward something, but what? And why wasn't he worried about his persuers? It was an anomaly that she despised, because she had the feeling it was important, somehow.


She kept her silence as he commented on her acting strangely, already having known that he'd pick up on it since it was blindingly obvious that she wasn't going to be baited today. Hopefully. Giving him a slight shrug, she watched his eyes run over her figure and wondered for a moment what exactly he was looking for. By now he'd know that the only weapon she had displayed so far were a pair of throwing knives that sat on the back of her belt, which would be out of view for him. She had a surprise in store for him, however, but she decided against using it yet. Her attention remained focused on him easily as he asked about her freaking out, a slight laugh slipping from her.


"No, no freaking out," she assured him, then tilted her head as he apologized and claimed that nobody would catch him. Then he said something that really caught her attention. Business to take care of? That meant that she had been right and he was heading somewhere! She immediately wanted to ask about it, especially considering his expression after, but she held her tongue. All he'd do would be mock her curiosity or give some sort of flippant answer. She wasn't foolish enough to step into that. Shifting her weight a bit and putting one hand on her hip, she cocked an eyebrow at him as he labeled himself one of the best. True or not, he still sounded like an arrogant ass.


She watched as he stepped back toward the edge, not making a single move to follow him. There was no need. Tonight she had decided that she was going to try something new against him. She had thought about it over the last few days and realized that she wasn't playing to her strengths. If building robots and creating technology was easy for her, why couldn't that help? So, she had spent a few hours while she was chasing him and built something that was perfect for this situation. All she had to do was grab it and hope that he didn't drop before she got him.


"I'm not the one who made the mistake," she said, taking one step forward in the same fluid movement that she drew something from one of her many pants pockets. She pointed it at him and pulled the trigger, but it wasn't a gun. A small, dart-shaped robot flew at him rapidly, aimed straight for his chest. If it hit him, it would extend into a claw and cling to his shirt, allowing her to pull back rapidly to get him more firmly on the roof. In seconds, it would spread around his torso and pin his arms to his sides more tightly than rope.

 

[SatyrWarrior]

Although Ruyo was already aware of what weapons she held within visible range, there was still that prodding feeling that she had some sort of unfortunate surprise in store for him. Ah, well...he'd just have to wait and see what it was then. After all, he had been surveying her figure for quite some time now, and hadn't identified any indications upon her. Primarily, she possessed too many compartments along her cargo pants that made it difficult to suitably determine whether she was veiling another weapon or not. Notwithstanding, he was gazing unrelentingly because he was also attempting to detect her body's flow of energy. He may not have been extremely skilled at apprehending aura signatures from even a substantial interval, but within such a compact length from his pursuer, it was reasonably simple for him to follow any minuscule energy flow. He felt the energy's course alter abruptly--she was about to do something, but...what? His lips twisted into a mild frown before selecting to dismiss the nudging notion in the intervening time. "Oh. How inconvenient." He sighed after she assured him that she would not be 'freaking out' tonight, glancing back once more to establish whether what he had been anticipating for was arriving or not. Indeed it was, though Ruyo could barely make it out from so far away. 'And....now--huh?' He seized his actions and thoughts altogether; the young lad blinked blankly as he acknowledged her response. He had committed the error...? What could she be talking about? "What...?" His eyes dilated with surprise when she instantaneously pointed the dart-shaped robot at him.

'What...in the world is that...?!' he thought to himself with astonishment, enthrallment, and unsettlement simultaneously. Ruyo was mildly dim-witted when it came to ordinary modern technology, so distinguishing the young woman's invention was like a blow to the head. He was not aware of what it was or what it would do, but he didn't yearn to stand around and find out...shockingly, seeing as how his opportunity to flee was about to become confined from his own range. And she was aiming it at him. That evidently wasn't a good sign. Why didn't he listen to that prodding feeling from before? He was just about to retreat off of the ledge entirely, but alas, he did not shift away far enough. The tip of the claw clenched onto the front of his trench coat. He jerked away from it with a tiny grunt, but it only seemed to haul him forth at a greater force whenever he did so. He needed to think of something quickly, before the claw completely distributed itself out across his torso, which would take no longer than a couple of seconds. If that were to happen, he probably wouldn't be able to escape from it. It was already beginning to spread over his shoulders, restricting a portion of his brachium.

Nevertheless, he was only able to attain what was in the pocket of his trench. Suddenly, he yanked out a hefty, razor-edged knife; within one swift movement, he swiveled it in reverse and sliced into the back of his trench coat, forming a complete rip directly in the middle of it. Prior to the claw dispersing over his entire torso, he forced himself backwards, slipping directly out of the rip he had formed in the back of his trench coat. Right after sliding out of it, the claw had wholly extended across the torso region of the coat, except he was no longer in its grasp. Underneath the trench coat that was currently in the claw's clasp, he sported a long-sleeved, white-collared shirt with a dark brown vest over it. In all honesty, his attire appeared to be a tad too formal for just outrunning fellow bounty hunters, but that wasn't a very significant element right now. He was slightly disappointed that he had to destroy his new trench coat to get out of her 'devil's hand' weapon, but at least the action managed to aid him before the weapon trapped him too tautly for him to escape. He swiftly executed his following move, and performed an airy back-flip right off of the building top he formerly stood upon.

Before falling out of view, he folded his arms and looked straight at her once more. "That was a close one wasn't it? Impressive gadget you've got there." he told her with the accompanying of a wink, just as gravity began to take its toll. He began to drop beyond the building's peak, but then he recalled a detail that wasn't very significant to anyone else other than himself. "By the way, you owe me a new coat m'lady." he called out to her flatly as he continued to plummet towards the bustling city streets down below. He shifted in mid-air, pivoting until he was able to properly scan the streets for what he had been waiting for the whole time. It was partially the key to a somewhat safe escape along with such a risky dive. His azure irises brightened when he finally did notice the open garbage truck, in the midst of light traffic. He smirked gently and took a glimpse at his wristwatch, lengthy hair fluttering behind him wildly through the abrasive breeze. He was a tad impressed by his precise calculations of the truck's whereabouts at this time. Eventually, he came to a blunt landing directly into the garbage heap within with the hood of the truck.

He gasped sharply for air subsequent to digging his way out of the deep pile. Drowning in trash didn't sound very appealing to him after all. The male bounty hunter sat upright in the pile of litter, flicking a banana peel off of his head with a displeased expression. "Not my best idea, but...eh." He shrugged; he would have much preferred to fall into a truck full of flowers rather than trash, but in actuality, he was just content that he had been able to get away from her for now. Hopefully. "I need to be more careful. She almost caught me there...with that...strange device..." he pondered aloud. He couldn't let his guard down just yet. Ultimately, there were still other bounty hunters out there somewhere, foraging for him. "Perhaps now I can continue my search." He frowned, fanning the smell of garbage away from his nose. He couldn't wait to get home and take a shower, being the hygienic man that he was, but that would have to be postponed. Ruyo still needed to do a bit of 'hunting himself. He peculiarly felt somewhat secure with the high metal walls of the truck concealing him from everyone on the outside, but of course, feeling 'safe and secure' wasn't a completely literal sensation at the moment.
​

 

[Layne]

A small smirk touched Ayah's lips as the dart buried itself in his jacket, and she could see that he was stunned and confused. Perfect. She moved forward with the intent of hauling him onto the roof and cuffing him, but then she heard a ripping sound and he flung himself backward. Gasping in surprise, she ran to the side of the building and looked down just as he announced that she owed him a new coat. Rolling her eyes, she dug in her pocket and pulled out an old-fashioned slingshot along with a small oval-shaped piece of metal. She aimed right for him and waited as he hit the garbage truck. The second that he emerged for air, she flung it at his chest. If it hit, it'd form a chain and pendant around his neck that would be unable to be removed except by herself - and it couldn't be broken either.


Even if he managed to dodge it, it didn't matter. She could easily track the signal of the truck now, even if it mixed in with others. With a grin, she picked up the dart that had been discarded and started running along the tops of the buildings until she was ahead of the truck. Turning around, she took out a handful of exploding balls and hurled them down at the truck. Several hit the windshield and a few hit the grill and tires. They all exploded on contact, causing the vehicle to swerve badly and come to a shrieking halt while the driver bailed out. Now Ruyo's transportation was stopped, she thought with a grin.


She jumped down, flipping off of a balcony halfway down to slow her decent before she landed in a crouch on the roof of the truck cab. Breathless and aching, but ready to fight more, she rose and scanned the garbage.


"Come out, come out, wherever you are.." she taunted in a singsong voice.

 

[SatyrWarrior]

The runner knew that he was not safe, thus why the sensation of security within the truck had only rested in his head. It would have been far too undemanding if she seized pursuing him here, so he presumed that she must have possessed another ploy up her sleeve. And she certainly did, but he strived to prepare himself for it nonetheless. Squinting, the lad stole an upward glimpse precisely early enough to notice that she was aiming yet another gadget at him. He narrowly evaded the slingshot with a swift roll in the heap, optics widening once more as he felt the truck veering treacherously. Prior to the sensation, he had heard a couple of explosions trigger themselves from the external sections of the truck. One detonating ball cuffed the windshield, and the others hit the grill and tires. His body collided with the metal wall of the truck as it swerved. For a moment, he hoped that the driver hadn't been injured in the various explosions, but apparently he had not been because he quickly bailed. "Damn it...!" he hissed to himself out of exasperation, surveying the surrounding locale. Now what...? She was approaching him and the truck rapidly.

What was he to do? Subsequent to inwardly cursing to himself upon becoming aware of the fact that he would have to dive back into the trash in order to camouflage for the time being, he shoved his lean frame back into the heap entirely. Shortly after, she had arrived at the roof of the truck. 'I was silly to think for even a moment that she would give up from there...' Notions hovered about within his mind as he attempted to identify what was encompassing him. Yes, it was merely garbage, but what was in it specifically...? One man's trash could always end up being another man's treasure, right? He was beginning to run low on air beyond the broad mass, so he needed to come up with something now or never... A faint smirk suddenly formed at the corner of Ruyo's mouth. 'Perhaps I could use that as a bit of a distraction...' he thought, shuddering slightly when he perceived her statement in the sing-song tone of voice. "Like hell I will..." he muttered with a mild frown.

Hesitantly, he apprehended the item that he had discerned by the tail of it, flinching at what it was. It was still alive and kicking, so he was also trying to restrain it from biting him in the process. Finally, he chose to not lavish anymore time. Beyond everything, his oxygen was running quite thinly already. "Sorry little guy." Abruptly, Ruyo darted out of the litter and swiftly hurled the rat he had been grasping along the tail, aiming the scavenger straight for her. Even if the startled rat flying in her direction hadn't taken her aback, he figured that she would probably still have to take the time evade, swat it away, or so on and so forth. It was merely a distraction, but it was good enough. In a matter of seconds, he was bolting for the exit of the truck. He vaulted, clasped onto the top rim of the truck's roof, and utilized it to propel forward in the form of a backflip after letting go. From there, he landed squarely on the hood of another moving car. He stood erect upon the roof as he gazed back at her, giving her a little wave in the intervening time.

Since he was facing the opposite direction in which the car was traveling in, his hair was starting to blow forward into his features, becoming a tad of a nuisance. Ruyo then whirled around and leaped onto another in-motion car that was diagonal to the car he had been formerly perched on. Panting due to oncoming breathlessness intermingled with the peculiar adrenaline rush, he vaulted onto another operating vehicle in attempts to increase the distance between them. He paused to crouch down this time, not yearning to draw too much attention to the scene at hand. It was late into the night, so there weren't many pedestrians out, but still...
​

 

[Layne]

Ayah scanned the rear contents of the garbage truck closely, waiting to see something move since she knew that he hadn't escaped yet. She thought that she saw a box shift, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't moving at all. This was becoming insanely frustrating and she really, really didn't want to have to jump in there after him. She told herself that he couldn't stay in there forever and that he'd have to come up soon for air or to try and run, so she just crouched down and waited patiently, ready for him. What she wasn't ready for was the rat that he flung at her. She squealed and ducked to dodge the flying rodent, frowning in disgust. Even more than her feeling of 'oh ew gross' was her annoyance that he had forced her to have such a girlish moment like that and was probably laughing about it.


She looked up and saw that he was on the roof of another car, one that was moving. Cursing, she ran and jumped from the roof of the garbage truck and landed in a crouch on a passing car that was following his. Moving like this was definitely not something that she was used to, and she had to really work on her balance. Even once she had it, she didn't know what to do. The way he hopped from car to car made it seem easy, but she didn't dare to do it. She was running a hand through her hair and ready to give in for the night when they approached a stop light.


Of course. She hadn't thought about the fact that they were in a city. With a grin, she ran down over the windshield of the car and across the hood, ignoring the shouts behind her. In a flash, she jumped to the trunk of the next and ran over it, doing the same several times until she was on the car right behind his. Traffic restarted again and she was forced to stop, but now she was close enough that she didn't mind so much. She could either wait for the next light and chase him away from the cars, or do something sooner. Waiting really wasn't something she wanted at the moment, so she threw a handful of the tiny exploding balls at him. Hopefully his clothes would catch fire or something and distract him so he fell to the street. At the same time that she threw those, she launched the claw device at him again. Something would hit him. Hopefully..

 

[SatyrWarrior]

"I seriously need to wash my hands...and my entire body while I'm at it." Ruyo said to himself whilst casually car-hopping away. He had lulled in the midst of his actions to brush the muck and grime from his attire, releasing a chuckle as he recalled her squeal. He didn't blame her for reacting in that way, but it was still comical nonetheless. Upon taking a peek back at her, he discerned that she had commenced on coming after him. Cerulean optics fluttered a few times in her direction, vaguely dumbfounded at that instance. However, he was brisk to twirl back around and gather his attention on proceeding forward again. '....Interesting. She doesn't appear to be accustomed to balancing herself atop moving cars, and yet...she followed me anyway. As a result, she seems to be getting used to maneuvering on them already... I need to increase my distance before--,' he thought with inquisitiveness, nearly misplacing his stability when the car he was perched on top of came to an abrupt halt. He blinked blankly and looked up to observe the cause. Of course. The red light.

How could he pay no heed to the red lights in a city of all places?! He merely gawked at the red light with disbelief, before a rather dull expression smeared into his features. "......Damn. It." he grumbled through a palm to the face. He genuinely couldn't believe how unlucky he had been today thus far. Though, if he thought this was 'bad luck'--well, if only he could foresee the future, onto the inevitable phenomenons of just several minutes in advance... But why was the red light considered a negative component for him? Well, because with the car's motions coming to a stop, there was no doubt that his pursuer would near him at a progressively accelerated rate. He swiveled his head back around to record her present location, optics widening at the revelation. She was closing in on him. And just as hastily as he had conceived. The grin on her face sincerely compelled him to flee once more, but prior to resetting his sprint atop vehicles, she emerged on trunk of the car behind the one that he was still on. He returned the grin to her, but his own manifested into a smile that was a tad more on the sheepishly nervous side. Moreover, he was just about to dart away, but promptly she had chucked a couple of exploding devices his way.

When she had tossed the exploding spheres, he sprang onto the following car while traffic resumed its motion. Alas, he could not avoid the multiple explosions entirely. As a result, his...err... His... Well, let's just say that the front seat of his pants were now set on fire....which meant that his 'private area' was in grave, dire peril. No man would ever disregard such a fragile region of the body, especially when it was literally blazing, so he couldn't either. Instantaneously, he gasped sharply and simultaneously initiated to pat it away with his fingerless glove-covered hands. Though, the predicament about the whole 'patting' concept was that it harmed him each time he relentlessly smacked the fire away in that section of his physique. He was so preoccupied by extinguishing the fire that he finally mislaid his equilibrium. Within due course Ruyo stumbled in reverse and skidded directly off the car. The claw hurtled right over his head ascribed to the rearward stagger, narrowly missing him as he fell into the streets. He tumbled like a rag doll along the concrete for a moment or so, but was swift to regain adequate footing. At that very instance, one of the detonating balls grazed a nearby truck on its side.

The explosion wasn't too sizable, but it was certainly powerful enough to construct a corrupt hole along the side of the wine truck. In the process, a moderate portion of the merchandise within shattered from the collision as well. The resonance of fracturing wine glasses penetrated the vicinity. The wine had started to leak forcefully from the recently-formed hole...and alas, it was seeping squarely towards him. By now, he had smothered the flames and his pants were still completely intact, but... "You can't serious..." Ruyo mumbled, venturing to evade the 'wine-fall'. It was rendered quite strenuous to dodge--since he was concurrently avoiding speeding cars--, so the flow of wine ended up meeting him head on. The strength of the current was mighty enough to knock him out of the streets and onto the sidewalk, where he landed on his side. However, it was not long before he commenced lifting his upper body from the ground to sit up. Consequently, he was drenched with wine from head to toe. ...No, wait--he didn't....did he? Yes, he did. The sole reason as to why he was trying his best to elude the wine initially was because alcohol, in general, was his adversary. His body was utterly weak against its effects. Following consumption, it would either compel Ruyo to go 'haywire', lose consciousness, and/or et cetera. The main issue was that subsequent to absorbing alcohol, Ruyo's precision, adeptness, judgement, and just about anything else that obstructed him from being captured diminished.

Despite his endeavors to not accidentally ingest any of it, a decent sum of the booze had slipped into his mouth and nose in the course of the collision. 'No...I can't....' He trailed off as he managed to stand up to his feet, coughing and stumbling mildly. Quickly, he went in the direction of a dark alleyway. He needed to be fast, for his eyesight was blurring up and becoming increasingly distorted. And the capacity to think properly was gradually becoming more demanding of him. 'She just had to throw those exploding doohickeys didn't she...?' he thought incoherently, a peculiar but faint chuckle forcing its way out of his mouth. Oh no. The alcohol was already beginning to take its effect on him, obliging him to sway to and fro as he turned to face his pursuer. Righteous fury abruptly filled his mind...for no apparent reason. After all, he was no longer wholly aware of his actions, and the fury faded just as rapidly as it came. "You'll never catch me alive, you sexxilicious little ass you~!!" he screeched out at her in a mild slur, pointing upwards at the sky triumphantly prior to sloppily turning upon his loafer's heels and racing into the dark alleyway.
​

 

[Layne]

The fact that the only part of Ruyo to catch fire was his.. personal area.. amused Ayah to no end. She hopped off of her car and rolled to avoid injury, then stood and approached him at a lazy pace as he attempted to pat out the flames. Smirking to herself, she didn't realize that the wine truck had been hit until she heard the explosion and the shattering of a LOT of glass. She blinked and turned to look out of mere curiosity and saw the rushing wine. Not taking any more time to think, she jumped up on a bus bench and ran to the other end of it. No point in getting drenched in alcohol, she thought with a pang of distaste. Besides, from here she could easily watch as the wave slammed into Ruyo and tossed him like a jellyfish onto the sidewalk. People grumbled and stepped around him as they walked along, minding their own business. There weren't many due to the late hour, of course, but there were a few staggering home from the bars. How ironic that the drunks were avoiding the wine, she thought with a small smirk.


"Come on, get up, you idiot.." she muttered to herself, not even sure if he could see her from where he lay. She watched him sit up and pulled out her last claw dart. If he stood, she could just throw this at him and not bother with handcuffs. It'd be a lot easier, that's for certain. The only problem was that when he did get up, he was swaying so much that it distracted her. She stared at him as he yelled a complimentary insult at her, then blinked a few times. Was he.. drunk? Tilting her head a fraction, she merely watched as he stumbled and ran into an alley. "Oh, this is going to be too much fun.." she said, grinning as she leapt from the back of the bench and raced after him. A perfectly sober girl and a man drunk off of wine who was already slurring his words? There was no doubt in her mind that this time, she would be winning the race and bagging the grand prize. She threw her last handful of the exploding balls down the alleyway at him as soon as they were far enough away from the street to hide, hoping to at least trip him up.

 

[SatyrWarrior]

Scarcely noticing the people had been walking along and around spilt wine, Ruyo sprinted forward into the alleyway once he had succeeded in reclaiming his upright posture. 'This...isn't good. At all!' he mused to himself. No, really? He could barely keep abreast with his running pace, attributable to how copiously he was doing his upmost best not to trip over his own feet. Furthermore, it was apparent that his pursuer was directly behind him, completely sober in contrast to himself. As if he wasn't already toppling himself up, he faintly perceived the sound of several items being hurled. Right in his direction. He ventured not to whirl around to see. Doing so would merely screw him up if he did, but nevertheless, he had a bad inkling that it was those detonating spheres again. They were simply expected presently, considering they'd been flung several times by her tonight thus far. Needless to say, he was not able to hurtle any faster than she was in his current predicament, so the multiple explosions caught him with relative ease. And as he strived to wriggle out of catching himself ablaze like before, he stumbled a couple of times, but did his foremost to retain what little balance he had left. In all honesty, it felt like he was standing at an exceptionally inclined position, as if he was darting up an acutely steep and endless hill. Naturally, that wasn't making it any easier to 'vamoose'. Neither was his hazy and disorienting vision. And to think, in actuality, he had only consumed what had been equivalent to two compact cups of wine that wasn't even as intoxicating as it could be within its alcohol content.

His body's physiological response to the alcohol had been rather abnormal as well, considering that the alcohol had taken fully fledged effects within under 60 seconds. Ruyo eventually did succumb to the inevitable. Soon enough, he had tumbled, plummeting onto the concrete with his front. Though, even while drunk, he felt determined to evade apprehension. Somehow, Ruyo managed to sloppily get back up onto his feet and resume his fleeing, laughing insensibly. What was it that kept him going in spite of the obvious odds that were in opposition to him...? Focusing straight ahead, he could discern the end of the alleyway, but...moreover, it seemed so distant. The newfound lack of precision forced him to work arduously in order to sprint in the form of a mere unswerving line. In the meantime, he was conscious of the point that the young woman was, up to this time, on his trail from behind. Beyond the unlit pasageway, there were various abandoned buildings set in a small cluster. Ruyo was unexpectedly able to perform a sharp turn just as he reached the end of the alleyway, briskly slipping into a nearby abandoned building. If he had been sober, he'd be highly disappointed at what else he had been reduced to aside from the felonious fugitive status: hiding with every opportunity he obtained. Above all, running was now out of the question in his current state.

Hiccuping softly, the lad hid in the darkest vertical crevice of the shabby building, subconsciously knowing--with what little wit he had left--that she would certainly catch him if he kept running. He covered his mouth in the intervening time, miraculously aware that any sound would give him away, including the recurring hiccups. He had succeeded with suppressing them for only a short while though, because despite that he was shielding his mouth, the blaring hiccup that surfaced next was barely muffled by the palm over his mouth. His eyes widened; swiftly, he leaped out of his revealed hiding spot and ran towards the feeble-looking and unsafe set of stairs. Even if it was rendered unattainable to outrun her in his condition, he persisted regardless. He needed to try at least, because even while intoxicated, he was entirely mindful of the doppleganger that he still had to dispose of.
​

 

[Layne]

Ayah was.. amused. No, scratch that. Ruyo stumbling around was flat-out hilarity. She actually had to restrain a giggle as he swayed and bobbled along. If she wanted to, she could have easily run up and caught him, but now she was just toying with him. When he fell, she stopped and watched him curiously, then resumed the chase as he got back up. What he didn't seem to realize was that, even though he was doing miraculously well for a drunk, he was still doing very, very poorly compared to the sober bounty hunter on his tail. She was literally right behind him as he turned the corner, but she slid past him and stood in the shadow before his poor mind could comprehend it. So, while he tried to muffle himself and stop his hiccups, she was simply leaning against the wall and watching him. Finally she tired of the game and decided to dash his hopes just as he jumped up to run. She stepped forward and tripped him easily, then pushed one foot against his back between his shoulder blades to keep him from trying the same stupid idea twice in a row.


"I have to say, I had thought that when I finally caught you, it'd be a much more impressive fight. I didn't imagine that the great Ruyo would be caught after getting drunk from a few swallows of wine. Pathetic, really, but I'm not going to complain," she said, relieved that it was over and feeling rather proud of herself. She had done what so many others couldn't. After cuffing him tightly with another of her little robots, she shifted and pulled him to sit up against the side of the staircase. Dragging a crate over to sit on a few feet in front of him, she eyed him curiously and tilted her head a fraction. "So, are you going to make up something about how innocent you are, or are you going to be passed out the whole way back?"

 

[SatyrWarrior]

Oh. Had she been standing there the entire time? And here he was, thinking that he had selected a sufficient hiding spot. Well, in the wake of virtually jumping out of his skin upon registering the fact that she had been standing there the whole time observing him, he scurried off, but had barely attained the stairs. Subsequent to being tripped by her, he plunged to the floor, descending flat onto his face. Though, within a moment or so, he was already endeavoring to get back up. Alas, the opportunity to do so was obstructed when she planted a foot onto his back, which forced him to drop back down onto the wooden flooring. He began to groan loudly. No, not because he was just somewhat slammed back down onto the floor, but because she initiated a speech with regard to having finally snared him. So, in actuality, it was simply a groan of slight irritation. "And I suppose...catching me after several decades isn't...too pathetic on your part..." He winked up at her and smirked languidly. Well, peculiarly, being turned in didn't phase him in the slightest. After all, he was anticipating to be apprehended sooner or later. He merely hoped that his evil duplicate wouldn't embark on a complete decimation just yet...

Ruyo took a glimpse up at his pursuer after he was shackled with one of her widgets and propped against the side of the staircase in an erect fashion. He hummed gently while she positioned a crate in front of him and took a seat on it. Leaning forward slightly, a dry smile emerged. "Huddle over coach...??" he queried sarcastically...and rather randomly. Alcohol influence, perhaps...? "Is it time for interrogation tea...?" he included flatly, narrowing his optics at her suspiciously. As presumed, the slur was still quite evident. Though, his words were not rendered difficult to decipher. He conveyed a stupid look to her as she asked her question, azure irises sauntering around in his head aimlessly as if he were rummaging around for an answer. Venturing to confess innocence although he was simply wasn't his style, and there was no way he'd give her the satisfaction of fainting after disclosing his feeble resistance to alcohol. At least, not yet... "Oh...oh! But I am innocent m'lady~! I beg of you--please don't turn me in! I'm innocent I tell you! Why won't you listen...?!" he informed her in a dramatically silly tone, clearly feigning his former frightened expression seeing as how it directly turned into a dull one. "...Is that what you wanna hear?? Well...no. No no no no no--I will not suck up to you!" He apparently still possessed some sort of wit leftover to be a bit of a smart-aleck. His stupid expression eventually converted to a frown though, shortly before he looked away.

"Oh no~! I just realized--if Princess Tutu and her 'explosive gizmos of death' turn me in... How will I find that bastard if I'm in jail??" he said, pouting mildly. "And how will my crimes get stopped--," He paused abruptly, eyes dilating simultaneously as he finally acknowledged what he had just said aloud. He had essentially admitted that the specific crimes he'd been indicted for would still cease to exist even if he were placed in jail, which could only mean... Well, as they say, the truth tended to unveil itself while intoxicated. The truth about the matter of his doppleganger was no different even though he hadn't bothered to mention it previously. His body's condition was certainly worsening above all. He would have liked to, without reluctance, lose consciousness, but as alluded before, he refused to black out for various reasons. In due course, he shook his head; though, doing so only escalated his lightheadedness. "Just...forget what I've said. Hurry up and turn me in..." He trailed off, a faint display of pain abruptly etching itself onto his face. Though, being naturally skilled at hiding discomfort, he erased the expression quickly. Then again, being drunk lowered his skills significantly. The alcohol was not only forcing him to act like the drunken fool he was, but additionally, it was beginning to cause him physical pain. Now that wasn't a very usual case with the consumption of alcohol, but it was for his...bizarre body chemistry.
​

 

[Layne]

Perfectly silent, Ayah just sat there on the crate and observed Ruyo as he spoke of being caught and all that went with it. She didn't react as he attempted to goad her into speaking by mentioning tea and then going on to give her a heavily sarcastic reply about being innocent. Right. As if he was innocent of everything that he had been seen doing. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, leaning back a bit as she eyed him. This was going to be hell. Dragging him all the way back and listening to him. She doubted he would ever shut up, to spite her if nothing else. Not her fault he was a lightweight and had made stupid mistakes. She told him that she'd catch him, and she did. Promise kept. Now he just had to deal with it and stop raving like a lunatic, she thought as he went on to stop and have a sober moment where he demanded that she hurry up.


"You aren't exactly the one in charge here," she pointed out dryly, sighing inwardly. Why had she taken this job? A faint movement in her pocket announced that something was coming out, and soon a small spider-like mechanical being was skittering up her arm. She didn't even glance at it as it perched on her shoulder and let off a series of clicks and whirrs. "Of course I'm not going to kill him, that would completely defeat the purpose. He's worth more alive anyway, and I didn't sign up for murder," she muttered in response. The little thing clicked a few more times rapidly and twittered like a bird, and she laughed a bit. "I don't think he'd take that as a compliment even if you meant well," she argued, nudging the spider affectionately.


"Ruyo, I don't care if you did it or not. I don't care if you're completely insane. My job is to get you back and then never see you again, so you can save your raving for them," she said, standing up and pulling another device out of her pocket. This one she set on the floor and stepped back from, watching as it turned into a motorcycle with a nice little sidecar. Amusing. She eyed Ruyo and pointed to the sidecar. "Get in."

 

[SatyrWarrior]

And this was precisely why he had ceased with bothering to demonstrate the truth to anyone. Beyond everything, who would be convinced by such a tale? Alas, though, the influence of alcohol compelled him to misspend his breath and blabber a portion of the truth without realizing until it was already said and done. He made the error of shaking his head again. Oh why did he keep doing that?? "Well, that is what you're about to do anyway, right?" he retorted with a shrug after she pointed out that he was not in charge and, therefore, was in no position to demand her to hurry up with delivering him to prison. Well, at least she hadn't paid his former statement any contemplation--the part that he had adventitiously mentioned. Saved him the mass clarification of befuddlement, supposedly. Ruyo eventually began to sport a flat expression as the arachnid-like mechanical being publicized itself, conversing with his pursuer. In spite of the flat expression he exhibited while they held a brief conversation, he was discreetly astonished by the device...and momentarily pondering about what the petite doohickey had stated about him through its clicks and whirrs.

Then again, he was not all that 'hip' with every segment of modern technology, so just about any of it would blow his mind away. However, he could definitely tell that the mechanical spider was certainly an abnormal part of modern technology. 'And you say I'm insane...' he mused, referring to the point that she was essentially speaking to the spider as if it were the most normal action to conduct. Well, he had come to the conclusion long ago that she was not normal. That much was apparent.... So, this was it. He was finally heading to the slammer...or maybe the giant rubber room a tad later... Once he was sober, he'd probably begin to plot his escape. Ultimately, it wasn't too difficult to do. He observed the second device she had unveiled from her pocket, optics widening faintly as it reconstructed itself into a motorcycle right before him. He eyed the recently materialized motorcycle warily when she told him to enter the sidecar. Oh yes, Ruyo--like building-hopping and diving to one's potential doom was any safer. In actuality, he just wasn't so sure if he'd be able to stomach a ride with current disorientation particularly, which only appeared to be getting worse.

Oh well. Perhaps if he were to be physically sick on the way there, he would leave the mess behind as a parting gift...? It was merely a side-thought though. That was the least of his concerns. With a sigh pushing past his lips, he rolled his eyes--momentarily muttering a denial about how he wasn't insane--and reluctantly stepped into the sidecar. Surprisingly, he instantly became silent. No back-talk. No sarcasm. Nada. Of course, he had taken his sweet time making his way over to the sidecar, including the entering. The fuel of his silence could have been due to the increasing migraine pain, along with troubled thoughts about what he'd do about his doppleganger. The headache was thought to be the result of the alcohol, but maybe it wasn't after all.
​