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Locked Topic
The Hunter Comes to Neo; Stray Cats Reunited
Topic Started: Jul 13 2014, 04:36 PM (157 Views)
Comish
Part of the Crew
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
The sun was up high in the sky, blazing down at the citizens with its merciless heat that would burn the skin of those stupid enough not to put on any sunscreen. Many people complained about the heat that day. They said that working under these conditions was tough. The heat could exhaust someone within mere minutes if they worked outside without any way to cool themselves.

But most people working needed the money and they would gladly work even in this heat. One of those people would be a red haired woman, currently walking around the town looking for a job. She was heading towards one of the bars in town where she knew would be a mission board. Mission boards are slightly different from bounty boards. People from all around south blue could pin up their problems there that would need special people to fix, and Mandy was just one of those 'special people'. Of course, it was hard for her to get a job due to her reputation. Her time in the crew was short lived, but she was still known as the 'ferocious valor' Mandy, cook of the feral pirates.

Even though she had changed over the year’s people would still recognize her because of her bright orange hair and golden eyes. That combination was unique, and so she was easily recognized. It had been 2 years since that event and Mandy had yet to find anyone of the crew. She wondered when she would see them again. Had they changed? Had she changed? She didn't think she had changed. The only things that had been added was a scar at the side of her face, having gotten it from the marine ambush that had forced them to separate and her clothes had changed. She was now wearing a simple white blouse, tied up in a knot to reveal her stomach, a way to cool her off. She also wore simple blue jeans, slightly hugging her legs to show the slight muscles there.

Since they had separated she had gone her own way, just like before. Living off of the money she made from missions or bounties. It was a tough way to live, always having to stress over her rent, but it was the life she was used to, so she would not complain.

~~
Despite the blistering heat it appeared that quite a few people had come out to the board to look for any good jobs that had been posted. There was actually more than normal which probably meant someone had posted up a couple jobs that promised to pay well. Those were normally jobs that were either dangerous or sounded a little shady. ‘Lady friend for the night’ type posts were thrown up from time to time, as well as a few less than legal activities that were hidden in carefully worded documents.

The crowd that had gathered seemed to be buzzing with some excitement as they passed around a few pieces of paper and a few more were being handed out by two rather ‘colorful’ gentlemen. They were covered in head to toe in tattoos and both of them had pistols hanging from their waste in a very ‘mess with us if you dare’ type style. There was one balding man with an eye patch standing behind the men and he seemed to be the one in charge.

One excited younger man broke away from the crowd and came racing Mandy’s way, he was so focused on the paper he was holding that he almost ran right into her. He skidded to a stop and dropped his paper, a look of fear crossing his face. “S-sorry! I didn’t see you there… you, uh… you picked a good day to look for work, there is some serious cash being offered by these guys, with no real work involved. “ He stammered and quickly handed her the piece of paper before running away.

The sheet read ‘Large reward offered for aid in finding and subduing ‘Hooded Hoodlum’ and it had a very poorly drawn sketch of a man wearing a large cloak and a devious grin. ‘For those interested locate this scoundrel and then report to one of the Dagger Driver Boys. They were one of the local cut throat and pickpocket gangs that ran the city. It was probably some other two-bit criminal who stepped into their path accidentally and was now on their shit list. The reward was nearly a year’s rent though, with enough left over for food and leisure spending. ‘For more information talk to “Marlo ‘One Eye’ Creede” read the bottom of the page.

~~~
The woman looked after the man as he ran away in fear. She was used to this kind of treatment, and honestly this was one of the plus sides of being known. People fear you and most are too scared to even cross your path. To her it felt amazing, so much power in her hands. On the other side it also made bounty hunters come after you. She might have one of the smallest bounties on the island, but it was still something to go for. Especially as it would pay her quite handsomely. Even she couldn’t let this opportunity pass by.

She read the paper over. Just one more of those bounties, she figured. She had those lot. To locate a guy and take them somewhere alive... or dead. Scanning the picture she had to wonder if it was drawn by a 5-year-old. It really looked unprofessional, and it would be a challenge to try and find someone she didn't even have a decent picture of. Then again, she liked challenges.

Looking at the group that stood by the mission board she figured that Marlo would be the one standing behind the two. With the paper in hand she marched over to the group, pushing through the crowd with force, not caring if she knocked someone over. She ignored the two guards that stood near him and approached their leader directly instead. ''Hooded Hoodlum. What does he look like and where was he last seen?''

~~~~~
“Hmm, we have someone that’s interested do we? I should have known you would want a piece of this action.” Marlo whispered with a grin, he was missing a few teeth and several others looked like they were ready to rot right out of his head. He grabbed a piece of paper from one of his goons and waved it back and forth in front of her. “He looks just like this. He’s got a big ol’ hood on so its hard to see what he looks like, but he never takes it off, so he will be pretty easy to spot in this hellish heat. “ Marlo whispered before taking to fanning the pages at him to cause a small breeze.

“He roughed up some of our boys and now we need to teach him a lesson, so we want him alive… no tearing him up and leaving us out of all the fun.” One of the goons added as he rubbed his shoulder, a fairly fresh cut had been sewn up probably just the same day, it looked pretty bad as though it had been made with some sort of jagged object, probably a broken bottle.

“You find him before the day is out and we’ll even throw in a little bonus, we’ll let you get in a few punches before we make an example of him!” Marlo declared, though it didn’t get much of a reaction from the crowd a few more people disappeared with the note in hand, it seemed that the big cash prize on the mysterious man’s head was enough to make a few people risk their safety by going after him.

~~~~
[The woman hummed to herself before a grin broke out onto her face. So this man knew her. Well that was certainly going to be interesting. She looked over the paper again. She had hoped to receive some more information on what he looked like, but it seems that this was the only lead she would get. But if she'd be that guy she would have long taken off that cloak and hid among the crowd. Nobody knew what he looked like under the cloak anyway, right? Then again he was probably doing it for a reason.

She crumbled up the paper and stuffed it into her pocket. ''You will get your hooded man before sunset, Marlo'' she said with a playful grin appearing on her lips. Such a high reward... this man must be a challenge. And she loved challenges. Ever since she has started these jobs again there hadn't been hard ones. They usually varied from taking down a weak creature that had been eating and killing people, or just catching a thief. Nothing like this.

She had been itching to let herself go for once. It had been such a long time. Ever since that ambush... She shook her head to keep herself from thinking about it. It was in the past, nothing she could do about it. The crew was gone, either dead, captured or roaming around like her. No use dwelling over such things.

She strode back onto the streets with a stride that held purpose, telling everyone that she had a destination. If what Marlo said was true, she should be able to find him around the city, possibly in one of the alleys or the surrounding area of the city. She would start looking in the city for now. She needed clues, and the best place to get them would be from her informant, Ratchet. He runs a old beat down bar, still quite popular even though it was in such a poor state. 'Rover’s return' was the name of the bar he owned. She had saved him from a couple of burglars, and ever since then he had offered to give her information about the going ons in the city. For a price, of course.

She entered the bar and looked around. It was crowded and reeked of alcohol, just like always. She marched over to the bar and sat down at a stool, motioning for Ratchet, who was busy cleaning a few mugs, to come over.
~~~~

It seemed that Mandy was not the only one who had thought about checking the local watering holes, there were a few others around that were pestering other patrons and trying to get any information that they could. The people who called the beat down old bar home were far too intoxicated to give any real advice or insight on the hunt. Few of the muttered about seeing a hooded man walking around in the market place, and a few more could of swore they saw the same man floating in the sky earlier that same day.

There was only one other man sitting at the bar and he didn’t seem to pay Mandy and mind when she sat down and whistled to the owner. He just continued to sip at his drink and keep his head down. He didn’t look like one of the regulars at the bar, he smelled too clean for that. He had a big bushy beard and rather long hair but it seemed to be well groomed at least and he was wearing a rather nice looking coat. Mandy’s cat senses would be able to pick up the faint smell of fish on him. It marked him as one of the few sailors crazy enough to actually dock long enough on this island to come ashore.

~~
The smell of fish definitely did not go unnoticed by the cat. She could recognize that scent anywhere, it was her favorite food after all. She looked at the stranger for a few seconds out of the corner of her eye before she started conversing with Ratchet quietly; making sure nobody heard them, not even the sailor. It might look suspicious if this was any normal bar, but everyone was too busy with their drinks to notice the two. As they talked in hushed whispers Mandy was still none the wiser. Ratchet told her what she already knew. Hooded man, market place and mysterious. That definitely did not help her case.

With a soft growl of annoyance that came from deep within her chest she ushered the bar owner off, the man gladly getting away from her to tend to his customers. Again she looked at the sailor, her mind wandering. It wasn't often that she actually thought things through. Only when she was trying to track someone down. She beckoned for Ratchet to come closer again. ''Give him another drink for me'' She said, motioning towards the sailor. It might give him the right impression and then she might get some information out of him, as he still seems to be sober. She waited until Ratchet had placed the drink in front of him before she moved out of her seat to place herself beside his instead, one chair between them. ''You heard anything around here lately? Some news?” She asked, getting straight to the point. He might have been a sailor, but information could sometimes appear from... odd people.

~~

The sailor was a little surprised when a new drink was sat in front of him, but he didn’t have to look around very long to find the cause as Mandy took a seat right next to him. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit straighter, combing his fingers through his hair and beard to try to look a little more presentable. He wasn’t sure what this was about but he was hoping that his rugged charm had finally attracted someone. He was about to compliment her beautiful red hair when she quickly began to ask if he had heard and news or rumors around the island. He sunk down in his chair a bit again but smiled at her and took the drink she had bought him, taking a small sip of it.

“You one of the bounty hunter folks I take it? Someone is offering a big reward on some stranger from the island from what I hear. Well I’m sorry to disappoint but I’m not from around here and I have no idea who they are hunting. Far as I’m concerned this island is a shit house. Nothing worth anything here, not since all the big businesses closed up and the mafia and pirates moved in, I wouldn’t come within a hundred leagues of this place normally.” He explained, taking another long drink and smiling at her again. “I told him this place was a shithole, I told him there wasn’t anything worth finding here, and yet he insisted that this is where he needed to go. Crazy old bastard and now he wants me to just sit and wait for him to find whatever it is he is looking for.” The sailor growled and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

~~~~
She internally cursed herself at hearing that the man held no information, but that might just be because he simply didn't know who or what she asked for. She had been very open with her question after all, asking about the general happenings in the city. not about anything specific. She had to admit she was never any good at gathering information. Her... customer would usually provide her with names, looks, locations and so on about her objective or target, but this time she was left with nothing but a picture scribbled by a 5-year old. It was nothing she could go on and usually she would blatantly refuse the job. But the pay was so alluring and she hated how she could be so easily convinced.

However, she was genuinly curious when the man kept talking. looking for something, huh? He already said he didn't know what the man was looking for, but her interest had been sparked. She looked at him from the corner of her eye as she took another sip from her drink. This might just be the lead she was looking for. ''A friend of yours?'' she asked, pretending (though at the same time genuinly) to be interested in his story as to why he was here.

~~~
“Friend? That might be overstating things just a bit. We met a few weeks ago, I picked him up on a small island a couple days sail away from here. Mostly it’s a little fishing spot used by some of the professionals. You can stop and pack you catch in salt and have a few drinks before you head out. He stuck out like a sore thumb there. He was no fisherman… he was a soldier, I could tell just by looking at him. Tall and well-muscled, had the look of a man who had seen too much death. Told me he would pay well if I could give him a ride and I thought why not, could always earn a bit on the side. He didn’t give me much trouble and kept mostly to his own affairs the whole ride over. When we arrived he said he would add a bonus if I stuck around until he found what he was looking for, I didn’t have to be home for a few more weeks and my catch is all on ice so I decided I’d give him a shot.” The man continued his story, taking a drink every few minutes and letting out a low sigh.

“Now I hear some big kafuffle is going on and the island is going nuts, people looking for some mysterious guy who is causing shit and I haven’t seen my new ‘friend’ anywhere since we docked. Hell he could have gotten wrapped up in this whole mess, maybe he came here looking for the bounty; he looked like the type to do a bit of sell sword work. I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley that’s for sure. Those eyes of his… more like an animal than a man.”

~~~
The woman flicked her finger against her mug in thought. This man might have connections to the one she was looking for. Or maybe even be him... She was about to ask what the man looked like, but then she was cruelly reminded that she had no leads on her target's looks, besides that he always hid his features. She looked back at the man again with a small smile. She got at least some information out of him, maybe even a lead. This man could also be useful in the future, if she wouldn't be able to find his friend on her own. ''When did you two arrive here? Week ago? 2? or maybe days?'' she asked, nonchalantly taking another sip of the alcohol.

Placing the mug back with a resounding thud she had to be proud of herself. This might have been the best she has ever done on such a mission. A mission with no leads at all. If she were to get to the guy first she would feel god damn proud of herself, so that's why she made it her own goal. Right now though she had to act fast before others found him. She would ask this man some more questions, head back to Marlo to also question him before she would head out and search for either men.

~~~~
“Hmm, I guess it’s kind of hard to remember, I’ve been sitting in this bar for a bit. I would say we got here about two days ago, right around the time things started going to hell… ah shit… you don’t think he’s involved in some serious stuff do you? I could be in trouble if he’s the one causing this mess; you think people might come after me too?” He asked with a deep tone of concern in his voice. “Heck I couldn’t even run if I wanted to, he scares me enough to keep me hear and them ruffians scare me enough to make me run… I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t… I need another drink.” He sighed and finished off his glass of booze before rubbing his temples with both hands clearly stressed about the whole situation.

“I know he said he was going to poke around in the market, see if he could kick up any information… that’s it. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you out more, and if you do find him and he turns out to be the guy everyone is looking for… don’t let him know I pointed you in the right direction. You’ll know him when you see him, he’s got that look about him, and he doesn’t fit in here… like he’s from a different part of the world all together.” The sailor added with a small nod and another quick smile in Mandy’s direction.

~~~
She smiled. There were rough times for everyone and this man seemed to be very worried about his own fate. She reached by her side and fished in her pocket, the sound of clinking metal softly heard. Finally she dropped a few coins on the table, covering them with her hand and sliding them over to him. It was enough for at least 4 drinks, and even though it wouldn't wasn't a big reward, there was not much she could afford to lose right now. She flashed him the tiniest of smiles. He was quite helpful, so the least she could do was be somewhat nice to him.

''If they come after you I'll help if I can. Just keep me updated. If you meet with your friend again, come to me, okay?'' she asked before she retreated her hand, placing it back on her back. She drowned the remaining contents and shoved the mug away from her. She jumped off the stool and patted the man's shoulder. ‘‘Thanks for the info, buddy. What's your name?''

~~~
“Thank you, darlin.” The fisherman whispered as he scooped up the coins and nodded to the barkeep to bring him another drink. He shot her a smile in return and straightened up a bit more as she spoke, it seemed she had left a good impression on him and he would definitely help out in any way that he could. “I really wish I could help more for such a sweet girl… if he shows up I’ll let you know somehow and I’ll make sure to keep him around so you can ask him some more questions… as for my name you can call me Mar-” There was suddenly the sound of gunfire from just outside the bar and a few screams and shrieks from a crowd of people.

“He’s over there; he took off running when we spotted him! Don’t lose him! Ugh, fuck he’s fast!” There was more gunshots and a few more people screamed and it sounded like it was an all-out panic in the street just outside the bar. Judging by all the noise it was likely one of the groups had bumped into the mysterious cloaked man and were in the process of running him down right now.

~~~~
The woman raised an eyebrow at the compliments. Sweet? she? HA! She would have laughed in his face if they hadn't been interrupted by the gunshots. She was extremely fast to run for the door before anyone could even guess what might have happened outside. In mid run she yelled back at the man. ''Gotta run. See-ya'' and then she was out the western styled doors, the things swaying back and forth as she left in a hurry.

Once outside she could see a small group running down the streets. Her first guess was that it was the bounty man. She took off after the group, her body shape changing. Just like she had done many times before her body changed into something which people would call a tiger anthro. Ears sprouting from the top of her head, a tail appearing from the top of her pants, her legs becoming longer and stripes appearing all over her body. With this form she could run right past the group at breakneck speed, taking one of their shoulders and tugging it sharply, causing the man to fall to the ground. She ran in front of them, ready to dodge anything they might throw at her as she searched for their target.

~~~
“Fuck it’s the kitty-cat!” Shouted one of the men as she bolted passed him, one of them even daring enough to take a pop shot at her, the bullet pinging into a wall way wide of her location. These guys were nothing but street thugs and cutpurses; they didn’t stand a chance at catch whoever they were chasing, especially if it was the mysterious man who had taken on some serious criminals only a day earlier. When she managed to get in the lead it was clear to see who they were chasing. It was a taller man running through the crowds and to her delight he did indeed have a cloaked pulled over his head… and he was fast. Really fast. He was moving way quicker than anyone else who was after him, enough to perhaps even give her a run for her money. This guy was no typical street thug.

The crowds parted as the cloaked man ran and a few of the women would shriek and run inside when they would see armed men pouring out of every corner to join in on the hunt. It seemed as though everyone with a weapon had decided to jump on board for this bounty.

~~~
She could feel a smirk creeping onto her lips as she saw the man in the distance. He was still quite far away from her and it looked like she was not catching up at all. She wouldn't let him escape though. She dodged through many of the chasers, not even bothering to trip them for they were never going to catch up to him or her anyway. The only problem that sometimes they were in the way, which slowed her down quite a bit. However, her stubbornness made her go on, and maybe even a bit because she wanted the money.

She was at least happy that the only ones who stood in her way were the bounty hunters. They were no match for her and she wouldn't feel bad to hurt them or at least make them trip. She never liked doing such things to citizens, unless they really stood in her way.

~~~
The hooded figure looked over his shoulder as he heard a few more men shouting and the crowds reacting to the gunfire, but that wasn’t what had caught his attention. His features were lost under the hood but he was looking right in Mandy’s direction, he seemed to stare at her for a moment. She was an odd sight to be sure, and her speed and agility would be something of concern but the stranger did not seem worried. He turned back around and suddenly darted to the side. He grabbed hold of a small fruit stand and climbed it quickly, leaping with surprising agility of his own and catching a low hanging roof. Within seconds he had pulled his body up onto the rooftop and had disappeared from view, a few of the pursuers simply stopped in place and stared. They were never going to be able to follow his movements, they knew that.

“Who the fuck… and what the fuck, is this guy?!” Called one of the bounty hunters who had managed to somewhat keep pace with Mandy. “No normal guy can move like that, what the hell have we got on our hands here?” He growled before quickly grabbed a ladder from a small dock worker and rushing to catch back up.

~~~
The feline definitely found this one challenging, and nobody that was normal could ever outrun her like that. She absolutely loved it. It had been a long time since she saw someone as fast as him, and it made her veins pump with adrenaline. It was amazing to say the least. She would have felt awkward as he stared at her that long. Surely he didn't need that long just to see if there was someone pursuing him. That or he was just really dense and needed some time for his brain to figure it out. It was not like it mattered.

She kept chasing him, even onto the building that he jumped on. She was surprised that he was able to jump so quick and pull himself up like that. You’d think his weight would at least weigh him down a little. She was quick to follow though, pulling herself up with a grunt. She had to admit that she was starting to get tired and she was panting heavily, but she really wanted to catch him. Upon reaching the top of the building she looked around to see if she could catch sight of him again.

~~~
She did not have to look long for her prey as suddenly there was a large potted plant flying toward her head. The man had not gone far he had simply moved out of view of the street below and had hauled up a plant from a window box just below. The man then lunged passed her and kicked the top of the ladder that had been put against the wall causing it to fall backward and land on the thug that had been trying to climb up it. There was thud and a grunt of pain below and then in only a few second the mysterious man was back on his feet and moving to the far end of the roof, it seemed the chase was back on.

Though the adrenaline was pumping and the noise of the street was rather loud… Mandy might be able to hear what sounded like laughter from the man she was chasing he seemed to be enjoying this little game of cat and mouse. This was probably not the first time he had been hunted like this.

~~~
If it weren't for her reflexes she would never have dodged the pot plant that was thrown at her. She dodged backwards, seeing the plant fly just above her and barely scratch her nose. She stood back up and would have yelled at the man if he hadn't taken off once more. With a growl of annoyance she took off right after him, this time careful for any flying objects he might throw at her.

Her ears perked as she could hear the faint laughter coming from the figure and her blood was starting to boil. He was mocking her. Oh how he was going to regret that. ''Come back here you Bastard!'' She yelled at his back, still quite a bit of distance behind but she was at least closer than before.

She hated to admit it but she wouldn't get there with speed alone. This man was going exactly the same pace as her, if not faster. And he was definitely more cunning and mischievous than her. Devising a small plan she could only hope would work. She dropped down an alley, disappearing from his line of sight.

~~~
The man continued to run as fast as he could but when he turned and saw that she was no longer following he seemed to slow down. He did not stop completely at first, wary to any tricks or traps but when he did not see her any longer he turned around and tilted his head slightly. He began to slowly walk back in the direction he had just come from. Looking along the rooftops and carefully scanning a few of the chimneys to see if she had simply been hiding and waiting for him, but his search turned up nothing. He let out a low sigh and folded his arms across his chest, the black fabric that covered them sliding back a bit to reveal how well his arms muscled were. There were clearly the arms of a fighter, marked with scars well-toned.

“Hmm, I didn’t think you would give up so easy…” He whispered under his breath, his voice was hushed and low but it was still deep and thought quiet… was strangely familiar. Perhaps this was someone she had met on the island before and just did not recognize him under his cloak.

~~~
She actually stopped, halted in her actions. She knew that voice. She was standing quite a bit away from him, but she could clearly hear it with her sharp ears. Shaking her head to clear the small glimmer of hope she knew would be shining in her eyes she had to take a deep breath before acting. She hadn't thought he would come back, though it sure made her job a lot easier.

Just from the right of him she was creeping up the rain pipes and window sills, surprisingly not making any sound. When she was finally up at the top she jumped up and ran for him, thinking that there was no way he could have heard her before. ''Think again'' She said, claw at the ready to swipe at him.

~~~
“That’s more like it.” He replied as he turned toward her, his left hand quickly drawing something out from under his cloak and raising it so it met her claw with surprising precision. The blade clashed against her deadly claws and stopped them in place, if he had been an inch higher or lower the metal of his blade would of bit into her hand or missed completely. The blade was long and worn, its edge was jagged and broken like a piece of metal torn from a broken building, nothing like what one would expect from a warriors blade. She was close enough now that she could smell him, even that was familiar but something was different about it… confusing and strange as if fragments of the memory of smell were missing.

She could see some of the features under his cloak; he had green piercing eyes that looked like they alone could stop someone in their tracks. His jaw line was strong and the grin he wore was both menacing and wicked. “That all you got, little one?” The voice came out more like a growl than anything else.

~~~
Recognition slowly crept onto her face. But it felt so strange. ''there was only one person that called me 'little one''' she said, her frown deepening. It felt like it was him and yet it didn't feel like him. She thought that if she'd think about it more it would make her brain hurt. She kept their position for a little longer, trying to see clearly under that hood of his or maybe catch a better whiff of his scent. Strength was never her thing, and so she let him push the blade forward, jumping back to avoid it.

She was quick to maul at him once more, this time from the side going for the unarmed arm. ''But it has been ages since I've seen him'' she said, a growl escaping her. She didn't want to think about it, for she knew it would distract her, but his scent kept penetrating her nose and remind her of it.

~~~
The man was taken a little by surprise when she struck again he dodged back but at the same time his cloak followed the movement and fell away from his head. He took a defensive stand with his weapon pointed toward her as the thin fabric fell back and rested against his shoulder giving her the first clear view. His eyes were even more threatening in the light and seemed to shine with the thrill of battle. His teeth were sharp and animal like in nature as he grinned at her, it was a familiar sort of condescending grin that she had gotten use to during long training sessions. His stance was too familiar and everything about him seemed to scream of familiarity except for one thing… this was a man. There was no fur on his body, he was simply a man.

“You seem to be a little confused, something messing with your mind? You are holding back.” He growled again as he lunged forward and swung his sword at her, it was clearly not meant to hit her, just force her back and try to take her off balance.

~~~
She would not be fooled. Sure, she was taken aback by seeing his rather... new features but it was to be expected. He was still a Zoan type, still a human. But she just wasn't... used to this and it threw her off a bit. She growled the same way as him, but it was playful. A grin crept onto her face. So it was him after all, just different.

She dodged the sword by jumping back just like he intended to, however, she grabbed his outstretched wrist skillfully without cutting herself up on the blade and used it to try and pull him forward, get him off balance so she would be able to knee him in his stomach. ''Well you seem to have changed. Glad to see that you're alive still'' she mocked, her smirk growing.

~~~
The blow connected with his midsection and he seemed to stumble a little bit but the pain was reciprocated simply by the impact, hitting him had always been like striking a brick wall and it seemed that much had not changed. “Hmph… well I see you’re not completely holding back at least, is that anyway to greet your old captain?!” He growled and swung his leg at her feet trying to sweep her off balance once again. He was quicker than he was before, though that might just be because he lost so much of his mass when he was in human form, shrinking nearly half a foot and losing a good chunk of his weight as well.

He leapt back right after his attack and smile at her, it was a warmer smile, not so much taunting or playful it was a genuine smile. It was clear he was happy to see her alive and well after so long. It lasted only a moment before he tossed his weapon to the ground and lunged at her. “Still not what I was expecting, where is the strength, the ferocity, don’t tell me someone has tamed my little kitten!” He laughed.

~~~
Being in feline form only made them barely the same height. She would have definitely been shorter than him had she been in human form, but she kind of liked this new development. Finally standing just as high as the man that always seemed to beat her. She stood at the ready when he backed off; hands held up in a defensive position, one slightly in front of the other as she stood on her paws firmly and balanced. She was not strong enough to stop his lunge, she could only dodge to the side, but even then she wouldn't be fast enough for he would have collided with her. A genuine roar of a tiger escaped her lips right then.

''I will never be tamed'' she growled, intending to dig her claws into his shoulders. She never held back during their training sessions. They would always be covered in scratches at the very end, panting (or at least she) and tired. So this was no other thing. She would hold back from fatally wounding him, but such a small scratch as this wouldn't hurt him. ''And where is all that fur you used to have? Shaved off your manliness I'm guessing?'' she taunted back.

~~~
Rhaz let out a growl as her claws dug into his shoulder, it wasn’t as deep as when he had been trapped in his Zoan form but it was still enough to stop most men in their tracks. It was far too animal like for the human skin he was currently wearing. He latched his hand onto the arm she had used to grab him and began to squeeze, his strength had not declined in the least either. It was like someone had just locked a vice around her flesh and began turning. It was almost an unnatural strength considering his size. “Mm, you know I like it rough!” He said with a laugh as he spun once and attempted to throw her across the rooftop.

The thug that had grabbed the ladder had managed to climb back onto the roof and had been followed by several others, who were now watching the two of them square off. They knew they were way out of their league, Mandy was known as a super tough chick and she was being matched by whoever the hell this weird guy was. “We should sit back… let them tire one another out.”

~~~
She winced as he started applying pressure on her arm. She was not fast enough to pull away, and now she was paying for it. However, this pain only seemed to fuel her excitement. Being as light as she was she was easily flung away by him. In order not to fall off the roof she had to use her claws to stop her from going any further. The throw was useful however, for she had landed very close to the thugs. With an almost sadistic grin she stood up and walked over to the ladder. She looked the bandits in the eyes before she gave a good strong kick to the ladder, causing it to topple over. They did show some resistance, grabbing at her leg for example, but she was too fast for them.

''let's say we go somewhere private before we get interrupted again, hmm?'' she asked, referring to the bounty hunters that were sure to come their way right now. They had made quite some commotion and even had quite the crowd in the area, people trying to get a glimpse of what was going on their rooftop.

~~~
“Mmm I never thought I would live to see the day that the ferocious little kitten would ask me to go somewhere more private for a little one on one adventure.” Rhaz teased, he had always been good at pressing her buttons without trying, but this seemed to be more deliberate. He grabbed the rip in the cloak and tore it away, he had abandoned the old leather armor he once wore and now seemed to be sporting no shirt under the cloak. Though it would explain how he wasn’t burning up in the heat of the high noon sun. His body was tough and well-toned something that hadn’t really been noticeable when covered in fur. The other thing that was now more noticeable was the deep scars that ran along his chest and down his sides; he looked like he had picked a fight with a chainsaw.

“I’m all yours kitten, if you can keep up.” He whispered before turning and sprinting away, he was wearing a pair of tattered shorts and looked a little like something out of the prince of thieves’ novels. The same laughter filled the air again as he seemed to delight in having found someone from his crew, that and finding someone who could give him a decent challenge.

~~~
She scoffed at his remark. Indeed, he always knew just what to say to make her feel embarrassed or infuriated, mostly the latter. This time, however, it was a little of both. She had never liked his nicknames for her, and this one was no expectation. In fact, she was safe to say that this one was his worst. All this time she had never given any male attention, not even once. But when he pulled off his cloak to reveal just what he looked like she couldn't help but observe him. She knew he was well muscled under all that fur in the past, but never like that. Not to mention those scars that were all over. It would definitely give normal women a certain appeal to him. She passed her actions off as simply being surprised and caught off guard by such a thing.

With a growl she chased after him, keeping pace just enough not to fall behind. Her grin was at the point where it could not get any wider. How could it? She had finally found her old captain and rival back and it felt amazing to have fought with him again. The familiarity that had rushed through her at that time felt so right. To exchange blows. Just like in their training. ''Come on, Rhaz. You know me better than that''

~~~

Rhaz let out another laugh as she chased after him; he darted between low hanging clothes lines and other debris that littered the roof flawlessly. He was so much more agile in his human form it was crazy, her old captain probably would have just barreled through the obstacles. He had never been one for stealth or grace. “Mm, people change though; it’s been a long two years!” He called over his shoulder to he as he disappeared behind a chimney for a second and when he was visible again he was darting in a different direction heading toward the outskirts of town. There wasn’t much in the direction he was heading, an old saw mill that had been closed down for years and a small overgrown forest.
“Maybe your hormones finally kicked it into overdrive while I was away! Can hardly keep it contained, like a cat experiencing her first heat!” He shouted again and smashed another chimney with his arm sending small chunks of brick and debris back toward her.
~~~~
She narrowed her eyes at him. Yep, despite his much more agile form he was still very much the same. And she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But she had to admit, he always kept it interesting no matter what, always pushing her little buttons just to see how she'd react, and reacting she did. She would never let any comments slide and she would either respond to them with verbal words, a playful comeback or simply violence. That's what she was used to. Ever the violent woman.
She was never able to make him feel embarrassed though. Sometimes she wondered if he was even capable of feeling such a thing. Or maybe she really didn't know him well enough. As the debris was thrown at her he merely swiped the small chunks away with her arm, not caring if they scratched her. In retaliation she grabbed a pot plant nearby and hurled it for his head in an act of revenge. ''you should know all about first heat. You got it all the time!''
~~~~
“Ha, I’m an alpha hunter, women line up to mate with a specimen like me!” He laughed as he spun midair and struck the pot she threw with his bare hand. The ceramic exploded around his fist and scratched his arm slightly but he did not seem to even notice it with the adrenaline flowing through his veins. He continued his sprint until he reached the edge of the last run down home, just beyond it was the old lumber mill and the large overgrown vegetation had almost completely reclaimed the old mill.
Rhaz leapt off the roof and in seemingly the blink of an eye his form changed, there was a flash of orange and brown and then a thunderous roar filled the air. By the time he hit the ground he had transformed completely into his old self. He was tall and bulky again, his large claws were extended and his teeth all had their razor sharp appearance back. He stretched to his full imposing height and let out another roar that caused the old buildings windows to shake a rattle.
~~~~
She scoffed at his statement. In all that time that she had been in his crew she hadn't seen a single woman approach him. Sure, she had seen many women ogling him and whispering to each other, most likely admiring his well build muscles, but never anything more than that. Or... He had to take some time to himself to mate with them without her or their first mate noticing. ''Mind you, I have never even seen a woman approach you''

As they stopped she landed just a bit behind him. She did not know where he was going, or what he was going to do in the next few minutes. His roar even shook her, giving her chills as she remembered just how they had first met. The little girl claiming that the big feline had been her pet. She had to laugh to herself. Nobody could ever tame him like that. It seemed utterly ridiculous. Right now he showed that just by showing off only some of his power. The true ferocity of a wild cat.
~~~~
Rhaz laughed a little as he squeezed his clawed hands together and then relaxed them, rolling his shoulders a bit and letting out a low growl. It seemed he was still getting use to this form; it was likely that he had avoided using it for quite some time so he could move around as an unknown. “Mm, I said they lined up, I never said I accepted their offers.” He growled as he turned to face her, his voice was deeper now, primal and commanding just like it had been. He grinned and his large fangs made it look more like a threat than a sign of joy.
“An Alpha needs a strong female, can’t have our line being watered down.” He added with a grin and his eyes seemed to scan her up and down. He was either checking her out or trying to push her buttons once again… though in his case it was more likely that both were true.
~~~~
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She rolled her eyes. It was still the same. She had never actually seen them in line, but like she thought before, they were certainly willing to go to bed with him. The appearance he had now taken was certainly more appealing to her in more way than one, but she was quite disappointed about their height difference once more. Looking up at him she rolled her eyes and then narrowed them suspiciously at him. ''Suuure. The almighty Rhaz wants to keep his bloodline pure. Of course. Why don't you go back to that island of yours? There would be tons of women waiting for you there''
Placing her hands on her hips she bared her fangs at him, growling slightly as she could feel and see his eyes raking over her. ''Keep your eyes to yourself'' she growled at him. She never liked male attention, and he was definitely no exception, though she would take a lot more from him than from others. With that she thought back to one of their missions, where he had flashily rid her of her clothes to leave her naked in the midst of a crowd.
~~~~
It seemed that Mandy was not the only one thinking about that time since the smirk on his lips curved a bit more as she commented on him giving her the once over. “What’s the matter; I’ve seen much more of you than this before.” He added and then quickly launched into a sudden attack, striking forward and swinging at her chest. His swings were not as wild and chaotic as they had been previously; his hand was curled into a palm strike with his razor sharp claws pointed toward her. It was more martial and disciplined, as though he had developed a sort of style to his fighting, as opposed to just swinging until blood was drawn.
~~~~
Her eyes widened as she saw that he went for a strike. In an instant she could see that it different from before, and she didn't know what to expect. She deflected it by using her wrist to push it to the side forcefully, causing herself to wince because it took quite some force not to get impaled by it. At the same time she moved to the side to make sure she was not hit, but both her speed and strength were not enough, for he still scratched her shoulders. She didn't pay attention to it though, for she went behind him lightning fast, going for a kick to his mid-back
~~~~
Rhaz was a little surprised by the girls speed, she had gotten faster and judging by the way her blow caused him to stumble forward she had gotten stronger too. He had not been the only one who had been improving his skills over the years that they were apart. He grunted in pain and quickly dug his paws into the dirt, spinning back around to face her and taking a low crouch, flexing his claw a few times to work out some more of the stiffness from this style of fighting. “Not bad, little one, not bad at all.”
Rhaz wasted no time in moving back into the offensive, scratching one claw through the dirt and sending a large chunk of dirt and grass toward Mandy’s face. He lunged forward and through his weight into this attack aiming for her midsection with his shoulder while attempting to grab at her waist with his arms to bring her to the ground.
~~~~
She might have trained and improved, but her personality remained the same. short temper and could be distracted easily. Like right now for example. The nickname was really a set off, and you'd think she'd be used to it by now but she hadn't heard it for 2 years and she was getting agitated once more.
That is why she did not see the attack coming. She grunted as the dust was flung into her eyes and she instinctively used her hands to rub it out of her eyes, this caused him to attack her successfully ''damn it that was a cheap trick''
~~~~
Rhaz used his much large size to tackle Mandy to the ground and was quick to position his body so he was pinning her legs, and grabbed her wrists to pin them to the ground. The movements were swift and with purpose, his actions were thought out in advance and he barely even scratched her in the whole series of attacks. This was a completely different fighting style, not primal and ferocious like it had been but tactical and planned like a true soldier.
“Heh, war is nothing but deception, plus you know I like getting you all fired up.” He chuckled as he sat back a little bit and rests more of his weight on her waist to attempt to keep her pinned down. “How have you managed to survive on your own for so long!” He teased
~~~~
She struggled under him, definitely not liking how she was trapped like that. it had been a very long time since this has happened to her. IN fact, it was so long ago that the memory was blurry. ''By being repulsive towards men'' she barked at him, clearly annoyed at her situation. It was true. Ever since they separated she had gone back to her old habit, and that was finding men disgusting in many aspects.
She growled up at him, her eyes showing her true anger as they stared up at him. If she were in her normal form he would be able to see that her skin was tinted red with embarrassment, but she was luckily that it was slightly hid by the fur that covered her body. ''I didn't know you were low enough to use attacks like that, Captain'' she said, the last word sounding almost sarcastically
~~~~
“Hah, trying to insult me while pinned down like a submissive little kitty cat, it is not your most effective tactic.” He taunted as he gave her that smug grin, showing off his large fangs before he laughed again and quickly rolled backward off of her, trying to give her no opportunity to get a strike in as he pushed off from the roll and launched his form back into an upright stance. He spun his hands into a defensive stance and kept his claws out ready to go another round.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had this much fun, truly, you have not changed… I think I am thankful for that.” He whispered with another small grin and beckoning her to attack him with two fingers giving the ‘bring it on’ sign.
~~~~
unwavering as ever, and she had to admit that only pissed her off more. No matter what she said she could never make him feel insulted or surprised, or he just didn't show it. She truly wanted to kick him right between the legs right then and there, but he was already gone and away from her by the time she could move her legs properly. She jumped up onto her own two feet, happy that there was no longer weight pressing down on her from all sides.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind into concentrating on defeating him rather than focus on his taunts. She moved forward with a low growl, pretending to go for a simple blow to the shoulder but instead twisting her wrist at the last second to go for a uppercut.
~~~~
Rhaz moved to block the blow but seemed to be taken completely off guard by the sudden switch in her attack. He attempted to step back to avoid it but her fist connected square enough to actually make him stumble backward and lose his balance. His feet came out from under him and he landed hard on his backside, shaking his head a few times as he tried to regain his composure. The blow had made his own fang bite into his lip as well, causing a small trickle of blood to run down the corner of his mouth.
“Wow that one hurt.” He groaned as he shook his head again and tried to regain his vision which was somewhat blurry, he really hadn’t expected that kind of hit from her. She normally didn’t think her attacks through when her rage started to get the better of her.
~~~~
Instead of smirking cockily like she normally would she stood her ground, looking down at him with a serious gaze. It was obvious that right now she wanted to prove herself, and that she hadn't been fully serious before. Even now she wasn't. After all, this was supposed to be a happy reunion, but she had felt like a fool too many times that day and she wanted to show just how much she had grown.
She would have jumped on him just like he had done to her, but she knew she wouldn't have the strength to keep him down, especially not in that form of his. The only thing she could do was wait until he would get back. ''You're not the only one that has had a big of training'' she said, nearly jumping on her paws.
~~~~
The shock seemed to wear off after a few seconds and the smile returned to his lips as he ran his tongue over the line of blood to wipe his mouth. “Mm, I see that, perhaps I shouldn’t be holding back then. You deserve more respect than that, Mandy.” He whispered, the words accompanied by a low growl as he moved and looked ready to pounce once again. This was one of the few times he had used her actual name, it was a sign of respect from him, and it had always taken quite a bit to draw your actual name from his lips.
He launched forward again but his form changed, he lost the extra height and mass and suddenly he was back into his human form by the time he reached her, he swung fast, his hands held in the same way he had his claws in his half form. The blows were powerful and quick attacking high and low at the same time.
~~~~
Her serious facade was broken by the grin that spread over her lips. To hear her actual name come from his lips, she knew what that meant. What it meant was respect, and that is what she wanted from someone she considered her rival. She was ready when he would go for an attack again, for it was what she expected.
She planted her feet firmly on the ground, knowing that a barage of fists would be coming her way and that she would have to be ready for it. She was just as quick as him, dodging and blocking many of his punches. Though with his superior strength he was bruising her very quickly. She occasionally threw in a punch of her own whenever she had the change without having the risk of getting pummeled back.
Finally she had predicted one of his punches, grabbing his wrist. She swiftly turned around so far that she was behind him, his arm pulled over his back and she twisted it upwards.
~~~~
Rhaz growled as well as he was able to in his human form as his arm was twisted around and she held it in a lock, not allowing him to move to strike her again. He swung a kick back toward her and attempted to yank his arm free at the same time, he was no stranger to pain so he wasn’t too worried about her dislocating his shoulder during the move. He needed to create some distance between the two of them so he could launch into another attack, with her being so close and being the faster of the two of them he knew he would be in trouble if he couldn’t break away from her.
~~~~
She had expected it. She would have done the same thing after all. She had learned that someone in such a position could only either kick their legs from under them or try and pull the attacker over thhemselves.
That she expected it did not mean it wasn't affective. She had a feeling that if she hadn't moved her leg right at that time he might have broken it, or at least made quite a big bruise. She side stepped, which cause her to lose grip on his wrist so he would be able to break free.
~~~~
He was able to break away from her grip and quickly rolled his shoulder a few times to get try to get it to feel a bit better after the lock she had put him in. He took a few steps back and forth and sized her up again, he had misjudged her a few times already, he didn’t want to keep making the same mistake. He launched forward again and through a small flurry of attacks just like last time, but something a bit off, he wasn’t pushing forward, he instead had his feet planted.
He threw one quick jab toward her shoulder that seemed all too easy to block and suddenly twisted his hips slightly and leaned back. “Tiger paw.” His voice shifted as he spoke and within a moment he had transformed back into the half form, he thrust both of his powerful paws toward her aimed at her sternum. He retracted his claws so that if the blow did connect it would not be a bad wound, but it would still knock the wind out of her.
~~~~
Just like before she was swift, blocking his blows as much as she could. She had noticed that something was off, and she was wondering what he was planning. Just like she had been doing from the start of the attacks she went to block his jab towards her shoulder, not thinking much of how easily she could deflect it, but she was definitely surprised that he changed it.
As it hit her in her chest she stumbled a few feet back and she had to gasp for breath. Her lungs had been squeezed at that moment and that small moment where she had a lack of oxygen actually made her a little dizzy. She shook her head as she held one hand to her chest. ''damn...''
~~~~
Rhaz pushed forward again as the wind was knocked out of her lungs; he swept her legs out from under her and quickly wrapped one arm around her to keep her from completely falling. He extended the claws in his other hand and thrust it quickly so it was placed just below her throat and held it there. The smug little grin slowly crept back onto his lips as he let his tongue run across more of the blood leaking from his sliced lip. “Do you yield?”
Though he had her in a rather one sided affair right now that same smug look he always had was enough to drive just about anyone crazy. He was always challenging her to push her limits and was never afraid to smack her around or piss her off to do it. He was possible the most infuriating kind of teacher but that was his style, and he was too thick skulled to ever change. “Or perhaps you have some new grappling technique to get out of this one as well?” He teased.
~~~~
All of his actions, including the lick of his lip, set her off. Every single time he would be able to get to her, no matter what calming technique she used. He always had one little trick up his sleeve she couldn't predict. That is why she learned to adapt. In their little time together she had learned much about him, and even though there was still a lot of mysteriousness about the man that was currently holding her up, she was confident to say she knew at least half of his tricks. That is why it irked her even more to think that he knew she would never yield to him. She would never admit defeat, not while he held that smug oh so confident smirk on those bleeding lips. Her eyes glared up at him, fire continuously growing within them as she considered her options.
She was known for being incredibly stubborn but also slippery, her body able to bend in such unnatural ways that some might question if she wasn't made out jelly rather than flesh and bones. The only thing that kept her from doing so now were the claws currently gently scraping her neck. The only thing he did not suppress, or simply saw no reason to, were her limbs, all 4 of them being completely free to do anything.
She gave no indication on what she was about to do, and she never wanted to strike so low, but she truly saw no other escape from this situation. Besides, if it would work, she would relish hearing his squeal just like the few other men she had done this too. Nobody could blame her for doing it though, for it was truly one of the few things that would make sure she would not end up bleeding or defeated.
Her foot struck, literally, below the belt, right between his legs. And it was by far a gentle tap, though not enough to wrack his brains out.
~~~~
The smug look disappeared so quickly that it might have been comedic to see it replaced by the wide eyed gaping mouth look that took its place. The blow had landed squarely where it had been aimed and it had taken the wind right out of his sails. He dropped her like a rock and quickly stumbled backward, or more so he wobbled backward in a bowlegged fashion. He was coughing and groaning in pain as one of his hands quickly shot between his legs and held his damaged family jewels. Despite the painful and humiliating blow he did manage to stay on his feet if only by the slightest of margins.
He placed his free hand on the trunk of a tree to stead his shaky legs and slowly turned his gaze back toward her, opening his mouth to say something but only a small squeak escaping at first. He coughed again and shook his head, letting out another low groan as he tried to stand back up to his full height but still feeling the need to huddle over slightly to alleviate some of the pain. “That…. Hurt…” He managed to groan with his voice still a few pitches higher than normal. “I thought you said you didn’t like cheap tricks.”
~~~~
As she had thought, or at the very least hoped, he stumbled backwards and away from her, removing his hand from her neck. Though with his claws still restracted and with him being way too distracted with his jewels he had left quite a nice scratch. With one hand held to her stinging neck she watched him. Of course, no matter how one would look at it, her friend was in a lot more pain than she was. ''That's what a cat does when it's cornered'' she said, her anger slowly ebbing away.
She had to cringe as she could hear his struggling, trying to ease the pain. If this were anyone else she would truly, TRULY relish at the sight before her, but as she saw her friend gasping for breath she couldn't help but feel that pang of guilt strike her in her chest like a dagger. Maybe she had stricken a little too low. She carefully stepped towards him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder with a look of uncertainty. She was still cautious, thinking that maybe she had angered him and she would have to run to avoid his wrath. That would be a sight. They were reunited and she'd have to run for her life just because he wanted her skinned for what she did.
''Okay, maybe that was a little bit too cheap'' she mumbled, biting her lip uncertainly. ''Is... uuuh.... is there anything I can do for you?''
~~~~
Rhaz was still trying to regain his breath as she approached and put a hand on his shoulder, he looked at her and tried to stand back up again only to lean forward again and wince. It was hard to keep his legs in any sort of state besides spread apart and it still send chills up his spine to try to stand up straight, she was right though. When you were cornered you should do anything to survive, and she had done just that. He hadn’t been expecting the attack and had gotten overconfident; this was his fault for not expecting her determination to win to be that strong.
Despite the fact he was in terrible pain he knew that she was sorry for the cheap attack she had launched on him. He didn’t care though he was actually quite proud and he wasn’t going to let her completely take this victory. He reached one hand up and grabbed hers; it wasn’t in an aggressive way, more a pained clutch to steady him. “I hear that most humans, when they have suffered an injury, will have someone… kiss it better?” He started to laugh right after finishing the sentence, though it was accompanied by winces as the laughing made it hurt all over again.
~~~~
Instead of making a angry retort she had turned her head away from him, her face quickly rising in heat and a nice shade of deep red crawling up her entire face. She held her arm steady for if he chose to use it as a support. ''Why don't you let one of your females do that in my stead? I'm sure they'd be more than willing. And even let you have a little more pleasure'' She really wanted to enjoy his postion right now, but she felt it was not her place to do so. Even though she felt immense satisfaction that she might have finally beaten him, even though with such a cheap trick, she could not really count it as a win.
She stood up straight and looked back at him. ''Same pervy old man from 2 years ago, huh?'' But then a thought struck. What would this mean? Having been reunited... does that mean they former another group or would just seperate ways again? Would she want to? That was the true question.
~~~~
“Hah… ooh god’s that is still tender…” He muttered as he used her aid to stand back up straight and take a few deep breaths, it was going to be a little tender for quite some time. He coughed a few times and took a few more deep breaths until he was able to stand upright again without doubling over in pain or feeling like he was going to vomit. He smiled at her and it seemed that he too accepted this as her victory and he was quite proud. “I told you, it takes a special woman to earn the right to mate with an Alpha.” He said and gave her a small wink to continue the teasing.
“It is good to see you, Mandy.” He added after a small pause, his tone was different, it was sincere and caring. He was genuinely glad to see her, he had probably been on his own since they got separated, just like she had.
~~~~
She gave a grunt of annoyance on his first statement of needing the perfect mate. She didn't know what he was implying, but she didn't think she'd want to find out. She helped him up without any complaint, since it was her fault he was hunched over anyway. She would always act as a support if he needed it. Now that she thought about it she would always be there for him, except for the more... personal things.
She had not expected the comment. Her heart welled up at hearing it, maybe because it was happy she didn't have to run for her life, or just that he felt the same way she did. She rubbed the back of her head nervously, never really one to show her affections through anything else but actions. ''Same to you, Rhaz'' she said slowly, uncertaintly but still with a warm voice. She finally managed to smile awkwardly. ''so where you been all this time?''
~~~~
“When we got separated I was picked up by the marines, they hadn’t exactly forgotten about our little prison escape, and they were none too happy about having their whole facility pulled down. I took the blame for the whole ordeal and they locked me up, the warden remembered every little detail it appeared and he was rather happy to have me back. He scheduled me for execution only a few days after my arrival.” Rhaz explained, it seemed he was warming a little bit, especially after seeing her smile, it had been so long since he had seen it he wasn’t sure he ever saw her smile. He was able to stand mostly on his own now and his form again suddenly shifted so that he was but a man again, standing roughly the same height as her.
“I was saved by that bastard Marcus… the marine that had captured us the first time. He snuck me out in the middle of the night, and took me away from the prison. I was with him for nearly a year. Training with him and his men, and learning new ways to fight.”
~~~~
Her eyes widened and her mouth stood slightly agape upon hearing this news. ''You travelled with marcus?'' she yelled, completely in shock from what she had just head. Sure, the marine had shown that he liked the small crew, but she would have never thought he would be willing to save not to mention train one of them for a whole year. She seemed to have completely forgotten that he was also in danger before Marcus' arrival.
It made her feel a little guilty. She had almost been gone cleanly, not having any marines after her. After all the only things she did in those 2 years was try to find her family. She had not succeeded thus far. ''Wow... you must have some good connections''
~~~~
“Marcus is dead.” Rhaz added when she made a comment about his connection, he seemed to get a little distant again as he spoke, as though he was remembering the last few months. He took a long breath and looked down at the fresh scars upon his chest and arms. He turned to look at her again and decided to continue his story. “I was confused at first; I didn’t know why he had saved me. It made me angry really; it was like he took pity on me. He sparred with me daily and would always beat me. I would fly into a rage and tear up the ship and his men would pick up after me. I figure he was keeping me like some sort of pet to hone his skills… that wasn’t it though, he was training a successor.”
Rhaz thought back again and shook his head, he clearly felt very foolish for some of things that had occurred over the last few years. He had been through quite a bit of trouble and had fought with those way out of his league. “Marcus knew he was being targeted by someone, you can’t be that good of a man and not make a few enemies on both sides of the fence. He knew he was going to die and so he trained me, trained me so I could hunt down the one who did it and bring them to justice… our type of justice.” Rhaz growled and clenched his fist.
~~~~
She eyed him up and down. Revenge. That seemed to be the only thing everyone seemed to think about. And she hated to admit it, but so did she. She wanted to take pity on him, or try to console him in any way. but she could not. She was one that would always say 'suck it up and live with it' or 'the past is in the past. It's not worth to dwell on it'. Marcus died, and even though that too had hit her somewhat it was not enough for her to understand what he was going through. She could not compare it to her losing her parents, for that was a different case all together.
So she just stood there dumbly, arms crossed over her chest and a contemplative expression on her face. ''You have any idea who it is or where he is right now?'' she asked, looking at him with a serious expression.
~~~~
[9-7-2014 23:26:29] comish01: “There was supposed to a small gang here on this island that had some affiliation with the man responsible, the ‘masked man’. It wasn’t much to go on and I was going to ignore it until I started looking into it a bit more and heard some more tales. Stories of a fiery little redhead who has been stirring up shit here for a while… then I knew I had to come.” He explained with a small chuckle, shaking his head as he looked her over, he was pretty sure she didn’t understand, he owed Marcus a lot and his flame had been put out long before its time.
“I’ve been having some trouble finding the leader of these idiots though, everyone seems to think they are in charge and no one seems to know anything. It is like trying to find a needle in a stupid stack.” He sighed.
~~~~
She could not help but swell up a little in pride. As a former pirate it was a good thing to stir up trouble. And she felt proud that she was considered a threat or at least a problem in the city. She wouldn't know why though. The only things she had done in this city was roughing up some gangs that crossed the wrong woman to try and rape.
She rubbed her chin in thought, a old habit she had for a very long time. Many people said she looked like a old woman while doing it.She thought that maybe her sources could help him out. Ratchet, Romanov and that man at the bar. It looked like a lightbulb appeared over her head, remembering something. ''I've got a few people that could help you, but first I want to know how you got here? Is it perhaps by some fisherman that has taken you here two days ago?''
~~~~
“Fisherman? Marty? He is no fisherman.” Rhaz said with a small laugh, he knew that he had smelled the old man, he just thought it was the stink that had lingered on him, it made sense now, and she must have spoken with him. He had such a strong odor that it was impossible to mistake and Mandy must have been sitting too close to him. “Marty is a soldier… he was a marine in Marcus’s division, lieutenant. When Marcus was killed he came looking for me, sure it was my hand that preformed the deed. When he figured it all out he decided to help me out. He brought me here.” Rhaz explained and laughed again.
“He doesn’t like to let people know who he is… it’s the beard, it throws you off I know… plus the smell. “ Rhaz added and made a face of disgust before sticking his tongue out. “Blegh… like a body in the harbor.”
~~~~
So the old man hadn't told her everything after all. Well she couldn't blame him. People had to be careful in these parts, especially people of the marines. ''well that explains quite a lot'' she mumbled, still thinking to herself. ''And I was starting to like him, if only because he smelled of fish'' she said trying to lightend the mood somewhat. She didn't want to stay here any longer. They have had their little 'welcome back' fight but now she just didn't know what to do.
''I'll help ya to find this man I suppose. I know this city quite well and I have a lot of ways to get information around here... if you are willing to accept my help of course'' she said with some sarcasm.
~~~~
“Of course, a couple of stray alley cats like us need to stay together.” He joked back and gave her a playful little nudge on the shoulder as he turned back toward the city. There were shouts and some sort of commotion and it was definitely coming their way. The thugs had probably heard them fighting and the feral roars would have let them know that at least Mandy was over here… even though they had actually come from Rhaz.
“So how do we get back into town and find your contacts without dealing with the herd of people out to find me?” He asked with a slight tilt of his head, turning to look at her as though he really didn’t expect her to have much of an idea. “I don’t really feel like tearing through half the town like I use to… though it is so much fun, it might spook off the man I am looking for, and then I would have come all this way for nothing!” He declared, pausing for a minute and turning to her. “Well I mean, besides seeing your lovely self again.”
~~~~
Upon hearing the shouts from the thugs in the distance she could not help but groan. Her fur disappeared, leaving her in her human form to comtemplate everything. She listened to his'complaining' as she called it and tried to think of a way to get past them but was distracted by his little compliment. Lovely. That was the last thing she would describe herself with. Even if she wouldn't have found such a thing within herself that small tinge of red would stain her cheeks and she absolutely hated herself for it. This is why she usually scared men off, to avoid these kind of things. But it's not like she could scare Rhaz away. he would just laugh in her face.
''as Much as I'd like to give you in for the more than generous reward I don't think that would be an option, hmmm?'' she asked with a little suggestive tone.
~~~~
Though she had been teasing and he wanted to tease back, and perhaps even mock the light red glow on her cheeks something suddenly clicked inside his mind. His eyes went wide and a small smile crept onto his lips as he turned toward her. She was genius and she didn’t even know it, well she was pretty cocky at times so she probably figured herself a genius anyway, but this plan was perfect. “That’s it… that’s exactly what you will do.” He said as the grin got even wider, the voices were getting close now but it would still be a few moments before they arrived.
“You are going to turn me in.”
~~~~
She grinned and pointed a finger at him. ''Ding ding. we have a winner. Exactly. They'll think you're out of the picture, leave me alone and they won't even know it had been you all this time. I turn you in, we get the reward, you escape and we're all happy'' she explained extremely quickly, having to take a deep intake of breath at the very end. The reward was just too tempting to pass up like that, and now that they could work together they could both be happy.
''Only problem is that you left your cloak in the city'' she said, nearly face palming her face upon realizing that fact.
~~~~
“The cloak won’t be necessary, we just need to convince them that it’s me… that won’t be hard, the goons I roughed up the other day will be able to confirm it when we seem the again. Though we have to make this a bit more convincing… I don’t want it to look like I went down without a fight…” He whispered and quickly he drove his palm into her nose. It wasn’t a hard hit but it was enough to cause a small trickle of blood to start dropping out of her nostril. He bit down on the bloodied part of his lip again to reopen it, a little worse than before. He spit some of the blood onto the ground and then quickly took a dive, sprawling at her feet as the group of bounty hunters rounded the corner to the small clearing they were in.
The hunters all ran until they were only a few feet away from Mandy and her collapsed captain, they all looked equal parts surprised and disappointed. “Well shit, you took him down?! I didn’t think anyone was actually going to get him…” One of them said with a small sigh. “Guess I knew it would be you if it was anyone.” He added.
~~~~
[11-7-2014 0:52:04] Margomikina: She yelped and hissed, holding her nose. She had not expected the sudden hostile action and she wanted to pay him back for it but he was already on the ground, pretending to have fallen. Looking over herself quickly she found that they both looked a little roughed up. She had gotten quite a few scratches from their little fight and chase, so it should look convincing. She also turned into half form, to make it more convincing that the fight had just finished.
Turning to the thugs she smirked and wiped away the blood from her nose. ''You guys were way too slow. Now back off. I'm going to turn him in'' she said. Looking around she saw a coil of rope standing nearby the mill. She quickly retrieved it and used it to tie her captain's hands behind his back, an easy knot for him to get out of.
She then proceeded to crouch down next to Rhaz and placing him in such a way that she would be able to pick him up. She was lucky he wasn't in his half form, for then he would be a lot harder to carry. With her increased height in this form however she could pick the man up with only a decent amount of difficulty, swinging him on her shoulder with a grunt. ''damn it you should lose some weight'' she hissed very close to his ear. She knew he would not be able to respond, for that would give him away. Then finally she stared making her way back into the city.
~~~~
Rhaz had to do his best not to laugh when she commented on his weight, he cracked a small smile but quickly returned to a neutral state and allowed her to hoist him up and start moving toward the city. The crowd parted to make way for her as she moved; all except for the one thug who had been hot on their tail from the get go. He stared at Mandy for quite some time and then looked over Rhaz as well; it seemed he was having a hard time letting her just walk away with such a big bounty. “Hmph… you managed to bring him down did you? Where did you get those scratches? He lost his weapon back on the roof… and even then he looked like he was getting the best of you.” The thug growled as she passed by.
“Oh don’t be such a sorry sport, she got the bounty fair and square, and you just hate losing to anyone… especially a woman.” another one of the crowd laughed, causing a few more people to start taunting and mocking as well. “You’re gonna buy a round at the bar after you cash in, right Mandy?!” Someone called.
~~~~
The woman stopped, staring at the man with a serious gaze. She seemed calm and collected and honestly she was. She was just trying to figure out what the man in front of her was about to do. She knew him. Not personally but she has seen him around the city quite a few times. She had a knack for getting in his way. Finally she stood a lot straigher, as if she was proud of her little 'kill' that she was holding on her shoulder. ''I'll give a round for the whole bar as soon as I get the money'' she declared, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
the crowd erupted in cheers, fists pumping in the air. She grinned at the crowd, always loving when they would actually like her instead of fear her. ''Now, you got some business to finish or are you just fond of blocking my way?'' she asked the man in front of her. It wasn't taunting, but a serious question.
~~~~
The man scoffed and did a small little mock bow as he stepped to the side and waved his arm for her to pass, it was clear he was not exactly happy about having to give up the bounty, but he wasn’t stupid enough to try anything with the crowd of people around. Rhaz laid completely still as this was going on and tried his best to play dead, though he shifted slightly now and then, her shoulder was not the most comfortable place to be hoisted onto, she was still mostly skin and bones. The way was clear for Mandy now. The foolish gangsters that had offered the bounty were probably still back at the board trying to get more hunters in on the chase, without knowing it was already over.
~~~~
With a smile that reeked of pride she walked forward past the man. Her shoulder was already starting to hurt due to Rha'zik's weight. After all she might have gotten stronger, but still not strong enough to carry the man for a long period of time. And so she made a somewhat hurried walk back over to the Marlo. She figured that's where he'd be. Where else was she supposed to find him?
Once there she went to drop down Rhaz. Grabbing both his shoulders she let him roll down her arm onto the ground with a loud thud. Her arm was really sore and she rolled it to make it feel better. ''Marlo, I caught your guy'' she said with a smirk.
~~~~
Marlo and the small crowd that was still around him taking the hand drawn flyers all seemed rather surprised when Mandy showed up with Rhaz over her shoulder. They hadn’t expected anyone to come back so quick, and they hadn’t expected anyone to come back alone. Most the other hunters had split into groups to attempt to bring the man down, since the reward was big enough that it wouldn’t of mattered too much. “You… wow… you did it?” Marlo stammered as he stared at the ‘unconscious’ Rhaz.
One of the other thugs ran over and lifted Rhaz’s head so he could get a better look; he was the same one with the nasty look wound. He nodded a few times to signal it was definitely the same guy. “Hah! I knew I could count on you pussy-cat! Come on, lets get this shit bag back to the base, the boss will want to see this. You want to come too? Like I promised you can get a few kicks and punches in before we get to him… looks like he gave you a once over, you would probably like some revenge huh?” Marlo added with a huge grin
~~~~
Growling lowly at the man because of the nickname she lifted one hand to touch her nose. Indeed she had definitely been roughed up quite a bit by him, but of course nothiing fatal. To them a friendly sparring match might actually look like a serious battle to anyone else, for they did fight quite seriously. At least Mandy did. Rhaz always seemed to be enjoying himself a little bit too much.
ever so slowly a grin crept onto her lips. The thoughts of getting a few good punches on Rhaz was definitely appealing, but what she didn't like was that he wouldn't be able to fight back at that time. She reminded herself that he would be getting out before they would be getting to him anyway. ''Yes, I would like that very much'' she said slowly and almost menacing. She crouched down next to Rhaz once more, picking him up the same way. ''Lead the way''
~~~~
Marlo waved his hand for her to follow and he and the two thugs started to move through the crowded streets, pushing people out of the way for Mandy as though she was some sort of celebrity. Everyone gawked and stared at the group as they moved passed, it was clear that this had been quite a stir in the city where not much normally happens and Mandy had received some sort of stardom. The one eyed thug had a large grin on his face as he led the way, moving toward the outskirts of the city. They entered the rougher neighborhood of the city, the type of area you only come to when you’re looking to get stabbed and they made their way to a small pub.
“The boss is in here, he doesn’t like it when people look in his eyes, so don’t do that. He doesn’t like it when people address him without him addressing them first… and he doesn’t like… people, so don’t do that. You all cool with those rules?!” Marlo asked her, in a serious tone.
~~~~
She felt like a star walking on a red carpet. All that was missing was the camera flashes and the actual carpet. She didn't know why people thought it was such a big deal. after all it was just another bounty. A big one, sure. But still just a bounty.
She raised an eyebrow. That is some odd set of rules, but she would just have to go with it. She took in her surroundings, trying to memorize it all so that they would be able to escape easily later. She hoped their boss wouldn't be some beefy guy that would give them trouble. After all Rhaz was supposed to make it out safely as soon as they got the money.
With all these thoughts in her head she nodded towards Marlo, heading inside the pub with her captain still on her shoulder. Walking through the door she wondered where their boss would be.
~~~~
The bar was a rather disgusting looking place with a few drunks laying sprawled across tables or the floor, lying in pools of their own… well hopefully their own, piss. The place stunk of a mixture of smells that could only be described as awful. Though other words such as horrifying ghastly and nauseating were close runner ups. The bartender was a short little fat man and there appeared to only be one waitress. She was a plump little thing who was currently busy swapping spit with her legs around a rather old looking gentleman. “Mm, its good to be home!” Marlo declared as he took a deep breath of the stink.
The one eyed thug quickly moved across the floor to a smaller door on the far side of the bar, it stuck out like a sore thumb in the setting because it was made of a heavy iron. The large slide near the top of the door slid back before Marlo was even able to knock and a pair of eyes peered out at the group. “Password?”
“It’s me you big lug, just open the door… Red uh …. Red Vipers!”
“That’s not the password!”
“What, yes it is!”
“Nope, we changed it, peoples was gettin’ wise to it.”
“I wasn’t told!”
“We know, that’s so people can’t get wise again.”
“Then how the fuck am I supposed to get in?!”
“You gotta have someone in the gang who knows you.”
“You know me.”
“Right I do.”
The slot closed again and the large door swung open to reveal a small fancy office room. There was a big desk and a large chair sitting just under the only source of light in the room. The man behind the door was nothing short of a giant, a mountain of muscle and steroids that looked like it could crush coal into diamonds. There was a very similar looking man standing next to the chair that was facing away from the door. There was one other chair at the table, and a smaller metal one in the corner of the room. One of Marlo’s men took Rhaz from Mandy and dragged him to the metal table. He quickly secured him to the small chair with a few more ropes.
There was then a voice from the other side of the chair back that was facing the group of thugs, and Mandy. “Sit down.” It commanded.
~~~~
A shiver ran up her spine as she entered the bar. She defintiely did not like the stink or the mood that was set up in this bar. She would make sure to avoid this one for the rest of her life. She was sure Rhaz would be able to smell the stench of the room, and even she had a hard time to keep herself from gagging. She walked after the man hurriedly, hoping to distract herself from the smell that was penentrating her nostrils.
Usually when someone would see 3 big body builders they would get nervous and possibly soil themselves. But of course not her. While she would have been a bit nervous a few years ago she looked unmoved right now. She didn't like that her captain was taken away from her but she wasn't exactly in a position to argue. After all she wanted to be on good terms with their boss.
She sat down as was ordered, sitting back in the chair comfortably. She eyed everyone in the room as if sizing them up, wondering how they would do in a battle. She sat quietly, following the advice of not addressing him.
~~~~
There were a few minutes of silence before the chair slowly spun around to face Mandy. The man sitting in the chair could only be described in one way, terrifying. He was larger than the two muscle bound fools the flanked him and he had tattoos across just about every inch of his skin. He had a massive scar across his eye that looked like it was caused by some sort of bear, and he left eye had a black patch placed over it. He was wearing a leather coat and his hair was slicked back and kept completely neat, not a single follicle out of place. He had a large cigar hanging from the side of his mouth and his lips were pulled back in a sort of sneer.
Had someone ever built a shrine to the most badass man alive, this guy would have probably blown it up while riding a motorcycle or a bear. He did not look like the type to be trifled with at all, and his aura was enough to make lesser men quickly retreat away from him. “So you is the one that took down the guy that’s been causing the stink huh?” He asked, his voice was deep and gruff, like a military sergeant.
~~~~
She observed him, trying to look friendly rather than grumpy like she usually did, especialy in this situation. She was anything but happy. She thought that it might actually become a challenge to break out. First she'd have to get the money as quickly as possible, then they would magically have to jump up at the same time and try to break out. Their biggest challenge would be getting out alive. With these 4 brick walls in front of them it would seem impossible for a normal man.
She nodded towards the man. ''correct'' she didn't want to say much, for she knew that her foul mouth could say something stupid and ruin the whole thing for both of them. That was the last thing she wanted
~~~
[0:49:36] comish01: The big man let out a deep laugh and took the cigar out of his mouth, blowing a big puff of smoke out before he popped it back in. “Impressive for a little thing like you, I’ve heard rumors about you, tough little chick. You could make a lot of money working for an organization like ours you know. Don’t even got to put much work in, not when you got a reputation for being tough and violent! They see you coming and they throw money at you, it’s a piece of cake!” He laughed again and shook his head. He reached under the table and pulled out a small briefcase, flipping it up onto the table and opening it. Inside were hundreds of stacks of large bills. With just a quick scan of the case it would be clear there was well over five hundred thousand stuffed inside.
“You did a good job, kid.” He said with a small nod of his head. “You know, I think the boss might actually want to meet you, if you’re up for it.” He added. Rhaz hadn’t made his move yet, so this guy was clearly not the one that he was looking for, and yet the room was empty other than the three meat-headed body builders. There didn’t appear to be anyone else that could possibly be this ‘boss’ unless the ringleader of this gang turned out to be the fat little bartender or the frisky waitress.
“Whatta ya say kid, want to change your fate?”
~~~~
The gears in her head started to turn. A few things were becoming clear. Rhaz has not yet seen his target or has even moved for that matter, so she took this as a sign for her to continue. Then there was the thing that this guy actually wasn't the boss, which was quite a disappointment as she already seemed to be on good terms with this man. He seemed to like her due to her reputation.
If she were to take his offer, she might be bound to the organisation for who knows how long. If she would leave without them being defeated they would hunt them down. This new evolvement sure was going to be a problem. She could refuse, but then they would only get the money and not Rhaz's target. She didn't want to disappoint him.
She smirked at the man, looking quite confident. ''Getting money and only having to flex my muscles, huh? sounds like a dream job to me'' she said with a smirk. ''I'll take it''

(Posts so far 46 Margo, 45 Com, 91 Total)
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Comish
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“Ha, I like the cut of your chops kid! Let me get the boss so you can have a little chit chat with him, he’s a decent guy real high class and fancy like so don’t get concerned when he uses dem big words like. He tells me they is just fancy talk for simple things, he isn’t insulting you or nuffin like dat. Try to address him all proper like, he makes me call him ‘sir’ or ‘boss’ he doesn’t like when people use his name or nothing.” The big guy explained as he fished under the desk for a second and flipped a small switch. There was a suddenly movement in the center of the desk as the middle opened up and a small platform popped out with a den-den mushi sitting in the center of it. Then there was a slight whirling sound as a screen was lowered on the wall just behind the big guy.

The screen flickered a few times and suddenly it burst to life, though the scene it displayed was mostly just a dark room with a faceless figure sitting in a chair in an office similar to the one that they were sitting in. There were a few minutes where the faceless man just seemed to be staring at Mandy and then suddenly the den-den mushi began to ring and the big man picked up and set the speaker down on the table so Mandy could hear him clearly and speak in a normal voice and still be heard.

“Why are you disturbing me, Michael?” The voice was calm and carried a tone of superiority as though the man on the other end was talking down on someone he considered beneath his station. “Who is this young woman? Who are you, miss?”
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margomikina
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She watched with mild curiosity as the den den mushi was shown in front of her and the screen flickered to reveal a rather dark man. When their actual boss was shown she wouldn't be surprised if this were actually some mafia gang. It was actually more than likely that they were quite a big one as well, considering that they had all the mysterious kind of things going on with their boss being shrouded in shadows.

Mandy sat back in her chair, sitting more straight and looking a lot more formal, something that seemed rare considering her rather... brash attitude. ''My name is Mandy Cadwell, sir'' she said formally, trying to give a good impression on him. Though when one would look closely they would be able to see her hands clutched tightly in her lap from tension. If it was either from nervousness or possible anger, only she knew.
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Comish
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The figure on the screen suddenly went rigid and seemed to sit up a bit more in his chair, it was still far too dark to see his face but if she could it seemed like right now it would have a look of extreme worry on it. The man tilted his head slightly to the sight and there was a small cough from the den-den mushi as he cleared his throat. “You said your name was… Mandy Cadwell? You are the one who brought down this mysterious man who has been causing my group trouble?”

The big man sitting across from Mandy let out a little laugh and nodded his head, picking up the phone and leaning back in his seat, putting his feet up on the table. He pointed one of his big meaty sausages at Mandy and chuckled again. “That’s right boss, this little thing managed to bring down that guy who has roughed up Marlo and his boys, pretty impressive right?”

“Show me the body.”
“What?”
“The body of the man she killed, show it to me!”
“He’s not dead, we brought him back here so we could get some ass whoopin in before we put him to rest.”
“You foo-”

Their conversation was cut short as a small grunt came from behind Mandy and suddenly one of Marlo’s men was thrown across the room and collided with one of the big guys flanking Michael. Rhaz had broken out of his bonds some time during the conversation and had already taken out Marlo’s two thugs and had Marlo by the throat. The big man that had been struck by the flying henchman was now down as well and was groaning in pain.

“Take them down, Mandy!” Rhaz roared as he began to shift into his half form and tossed Marlo at the other big guy who was still too stunned to really do anything.
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margomikina
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The red-head's hands were balled into fists and slightly shaking. It was obvious she was losing her patience quickly with their boss as he called her tiny. Luckily for her she would get her revenge soon enough as she could already hear shifting behind her and very soon a grunt followed. By then she already knew her captain had made his move and she was glad that is was this soon. She wouldn't have been able to keep her hands off the man in front of her for long, and that is not meant in the good way.

Before the order was even shouted she had already jumped off her chair, the wooden piece of furniture toppling over and laying forgotten. She jumped right on top of the table, knocking the den den mushi away in the process. She turned into her feline form lightning fast, her claws glinting in the air before they were embedded into the man behind the desk, right in both of his shoulders.

As the two collided, the woman practically having pounced on him, it caused the chair to topple backwards, tossing the two over. However the woman kept him pinned against the chair, her claws digging painfully in his shoulders, easily drawing blood as the claws on her legs were embedded into his thighs.
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Comish
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The group of thugs that were used to shaking down merchants and pickpocketing dock workers had proved to be no challenge for the two battle hardened veterans who had picked them apart in a matter of second. The man on the screen was sitting back with his hands folded on the desk now as he seemed to be watching the scene unfold from his side, not making too much of a fuss over his men being taken apart so easily. The big thug ‘Michael’ lay very still under Mandy with blood oozing out of the wounds she had inflicted. He had hit his head pretty hard when the chair fell backward and seemed to have had the sense and the wind knocked out of him. His two bodyguards were laying in heaps on the ground, with Marlo and another of his men laying on top of them.

Rhaz moved to the center of the room and glared at the screen with a look of pure hatred, looking around until he saw the toppled over den-den mushi. He picked it up and held the received up, grinning slightly as he stared at the faceless man. Though it couldn’t be seen it could almost be felt, the man on the other side was glaring at Rhaz with an unchecked amount of rage and loathing. “Hello.” Rhaz said finally after a long silence.

“You… I should have known, and I see you have been reunited with one of your former comrades, do you have any idea what your former captain has got you wrapped up in?” Faceless man whispered, his tone was full of rage though he was clearly attempting to hide it. “I’ll give you a chance now girl, one chance, walk away from your capt- I’m sorry, your former captain, and I will not count his sins as your own.” Faceless offered.
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margomikina
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She grabbed micheal's jaw embedding her blood dipped nails into his cheeks to make a few nice scars to add to his collection. She leaned in close to his ear, hoping that he would be able to hear her even though he was unconscious due to the hit to his head. ''That is what you get when you insult me, bastard'' She whispered harsh and her words filled with venom. She let her claws trail down his cheek, leaving a nice trail before she let him go. She went to stand beside Rhaz, both of them still being in their half forms looking quite intimidating.

She let a rather sadistic looking smirk crawl up onto her lips as she stared at the man, staring directly at where his eyes should be. ''wellsir'' she said sarcastically. ''I believe I am in far to deep to quit now. His sins are already mine and since I'm going to hell anyway I'll be happy to add a few to that list'' she could see the suitcase full of money at the corner of the table, having been thrown off the table just like the den den mushi. She retrieved it and held it in view of the man. ''Also, thanks for the reward'' she said with a wink. Maybe, in those few years, she had become a little bit more... playful with her enemies.
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Comish
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Rhaz smirked a little as he looked toward Mandy; it seemed that the crew was back together, or at least he had just stirred up the poor girl’s life so bad she would have no choice but to come with him. The large feline turned back to the screen and grabbed the den-den mushi, pulling it up so he could talk to the faceless man on the screen. “We have got to stop meeting like this. Here I was thinking I would finally get to see that pretty mug of yours for once, and I find another screen and a few push overs to smack around.” Rha’zik taunted

“Hmm, yes you are a constant thorn in my side; do you know how much your little rampages have cost my employer? He is not very happy that you have been interrupting his deals.” Faceless hissed, his posture still ridged and oozing hatred.

“Well, it is your fault; I am really only out to kill you. I have no interest in your employers dealings or his finances, he should just hand you over if you are costing him so much. I won’t stop until I kill you.”

“Oh I believe you, I do not fear for my life, you are nothing but a little insect that needs to be swatted, you are dealing with powers far beyond your comprehension. You have thrown your life away by making me your enemy and now you have doomed this young woman as well.”

“I’m going to find you, and I am going to kill you… you are going to pay for what you did to my friend.”

The faceless man suddenly picked something up and pressed a small button and the room they were standing in suddenly went dark. The only light was the very dim glow from the screen that the faceless man was still projecting on. Then suddenly a red light began to flash and a small ticking sound could be faintly heard from somewhere inside the room. “Just die.” The faceless man growled and the screen went black as well.

“Shit, he rigged the place to blow! He knew I was coming, let’s go!” Rha’zik quickly grabbed Mandy by the hand and rushed toward the heavy metal door. He pulled it open and quite literally threw Mandy through it, like she was some sort of rag doll. He dove out and quickly slammed it shut behind him. There was a split second between him closing it and the bomb exploding. The large metal door was blown off its hinges and sent flying across the bar and out into the street. The office was a charred mess and the stench that escaped from it let everyone know the thugs that had been locked inside were now a charcoaled mess.

The bartender and the waitress quickly bolted out of the smoking bar and the one drunken occupant just continued to suck back the strong drink in his hand, ignorant as to what had just happened.
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margomikina
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She listened as her brain almost went into overdrive. His friend. Was he talking about Marcus? Was this the man that killed him? She hadn't been that close to Marcus himself, but she knew he was a good man. Much like Rhaz if she had to admit. They both had their teasing attitudes and were both very strong. Both captains, both men of pride... their similarities seemed uncanny.

Of course, just like always, her thoughts were interrupted by something. And this something was the place going dark. She sucked in a deep breath, instantly on her guard until she could hear the beeping. Before she could even recognize it or know what was going on the screen flickered off and she was being pulled painfully by the arm, away from the room.

Once they were both outside and she was pretty much flung into the bar. And then the explosion. It shook her to the very core to know that if Rhaz had not acted when he did they would have been caught in the middle of it. Speaking of her captain, she did not know where he was. The bar was smoldering, the room they had been in smoldering and some of the furniture had been blown to bits and was on fire. ''RHAZ!'' she yelled through the thick smoke, getting up off her feet and trying to look for him. The last thing she wanted was him to be out here in this fire.
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There was no response from her captain at first, the flames were burning hot and spreading quickly, fueled by the alcohol and weapons that were behind the bar. There was a few pops and smaller explosion as bottles went up and shattered from the heat, causing more flames to spread about the small bar. The smoke was thick and black and was quickly filling up the small space, billowing out the shattered windows and into the street. There were panicked shouts and screams from people who had been nearby when the bomb went off.

There was a slight movement out of the corner of Mandy’s eye and suddenly the large metal door that had been blown off the hinges was pushed up and Rhaz stood up. He had used the large door as a shield from the blast and it seemed to have saved him. He was not without injury though, his lip was even more busted now and he had a huge gash on his forehead. There was small bit of blood trickling out of his ear as well; it seemed the blast had rocked him pretty bad.

He coughed a few time and rolled over, crawling toward Mandy so that he didn’t have to stick his head into the smoke. He motioned for her to follow him to the door so they could get out before the whole place came down on top of them. He probably couldn’t hear a thing after being so close to the blast.
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margomikina
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She coughed. The smoke was thick and black, not allowing her to see much more than her hand in front of her face. It didn't take long for her lungs to start hurting due to the poisonous cloud, and so she ducked lower where there was cleaner air. She took a deep breath before looking around once more, finally finding her captain. He was injured, but alive. She saw him motioning over to the door and she knew that they would have to get out soon.

The building was groaning as the fire was gnawing at it's support. The wood started to become black and weak and they knew that it might topple over soon.Just like Rhaz she started crawling towards the exit, making sure to keep an eye on anything that might drop down on them. When she finally made it to the doorstep she jumped up into the fresh air, looking back to her captain.
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Rhaz was right behind his companion as they crawled out of the building and several onlookers rushed to their side to help them up and dust them off. One fat older woman even used her shawl as a fan to help them get a bit more air. Rhaz was coughing and trying to push people back as they assisted him, he wasn’t a fan of feeling so weak. The bar crumbled and collapsed right behind them, smoke and flames billowing into the air as it came down. Then suddenly there were new figures, these ones had weapons and they were very suddenly all pointed at Rhaz and Mandy. It was the thug who had taken the loss of the bounty pretty hard, he had rounded up a few others and now had the two injured felines surrounded.

“Ha, I knew something was up, there was no way you could have taken him down! You’ve been working together the whole time, he causes a stink and then you turn him in for a reward. Then you both escape and make off like bandits? You think I’m stupid?! You think I’m a moron?! You thought I wouldn’t figure it out?!” The thug was screaming as he pointed his sword right at Mandy, his men all aiming rifles and daggers at her and her captain.

Rhaz looked far too weak to fight at the moment, and the group of pissed off thugs had risen to about twelve, all of which were armed to the teeth and rather pissed off at having lost their bounty. Just when things looked pretty grim a small familiar smell was mixed with the ash and the soot from the fire, the smell… of fish.

“Excuse me, stupid.” Whispered the familiar voice, the thug who had been ranting went red with rage and turned to see who had spoken only to receive a hard punch to the face. The punch laid him out flat and several of the other thugs turned to the new threat, Marty. The ‘fisherman’ move with lightning speed, landing devastating blows with his bare hands, and each hit send one of the armed men sprawling out on the ground. Within seconds the man had dismantled the pissed off mob and had not even drawn a weapon to do so.
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margomikina
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Mandy was busy coughing up her lungs as she was stupid enough to have inhaled quite a bit. She was in the middle of a coughing session, being helped by some of the villagers, when there was suddenly guns and swords pointed at her. She rose slowly, glaring at the man she knew would give trouble sometime. She growled but was rudely interrupted as she once again started coughing. She felt utterly ridiculous.

She observed their situation. Rhaz didn't look like he would be able to fight. He had been the closest to the blast and she wouldn't be surprised if his ear drums had been ripped during the explosion. She was in a much better condition, but she wasn't cocky enough to take on more than 10 people at once, especially when they held such lethal weapons. She wanted to yell at the man. Tell him to back off if he knew what was good for him but she knew that her voice would sound hoarse and he would laugh in her face.

Luckily for them their temporary guardian angel showed up. As most of the thugs were concentrated on him she took the opportunity to grab closest two and bash their heads together, giving a nice satisfying groan as they collided. Before she even had time to get more involved the man had already dispatched the rest of them and she couldn't help but whistle at this accomplishment. ''Just a fisherman, huh?'' she said humorously.
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“To be fair, It is the truth, I am a fisherman… now, but I was not always so.” Marty said with a warm smile as he offered her his hand and then slightly bowed his head. “My name is Martin Franstin, and I am at your service, Mandy.” He whispered with a charming smile before he walked over to Rhaz and gave the man a hard slap on the back, ash flying into the air as he did so.

“You know, this was supposed to be an information mission, and here I see you have found an old crew-mate and have ended up blowing something up… again, let’s get out of here before the real marines show up, yes?”

“LETS GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE” Rhaz replied in a voice far louder than he needed to use for the situation, it was clear his hearing was a little bit off at the moment. The large feline started to walk back toward the main docks on the city when he stopped and looked toward the rubble of the bar. The flames had mostly died down thanks to the collapse but some spots were still burning. He used his foot to kick over a fallen board to reveal the large case of beli, it was sealed and still seemed to be in one piece. “LUCK IS TURNING AROUND!” Rhaz shouted again as he scooped up the briefcase and tossed it between his two hands, the smell of burning hair in the air as it singed his paws.
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