Conflict Continuum
Digression
Conflicts
Conflicted Rules
CC High Council
“Jake! Get up!” Jake groaned at his father’s barked order and felt the strong urge to pull his blankets up over his head and try and ignore him. But he knew this would do more harm than good so with an unhappy sigh he opened his eyes and stretched his arms with a loud yawn. He sat up and looked over at the uniform his father had brought home for him last night and frowned.
I never wanted to wear one of those. he thought before climbing from his bed. He paused and looked round him in confusion. He felt like he was forgetting something but he just couldn’t put his finger on what.
Was I meant to meet someone or do something.. He shrugged lightly then moved to get dressed. “It’s obviously not that important if I can’t remember it.” Jake grumbled as he pulled on the uniform then looked at his reflection in the mirror, a look of disgust on his face. “I look like a cop..” With another heavy sigh he moved from his room and was greeted immediately by his mother who gave a small squeal of approval then hugged him tightly. “You look so grown up!” She told him and couldn’t help but wipe a few tears away. “It suits you..” His father muttered in passing as he moved to grab his car keys. Jake didn’t respond to their compliments but instead pulled on his jacket then moved to the door. With a quick farewell to his mother he and his father got into the car and made their way to the station. “Remember you’re working with Kyra and Brandon today. You do as they say and no arguments. You are to go nowhere alone. Is that understood?” Jake sighed but nodded at his father’s words. He didn’t see much point in arguing. The rest of the car journey was spent in silence and when they reached the station, Jake was marched to his father’s office to await the two officers that would watch over him.
Not being involved in the raids, Kyra was instead put in charge of sitting in the radio room, making certain that all the officers were kept abreast of any changes. It wasn't a difficult job, and Kyrian was sitting on her lap playing as she did it. Once the relief showed up, she stood, sending Kyrian to his room and making her way up to the chief's office, where she knew she was meeting Jake. One of the other officers handed her a cup of coffee, and she thanked the other woman, giving her a weak smile as she took a sip of the black caffeinated beverage. Backing into the door to the office, Kyra turned and nodded at Jake. "Ready?" she asked in her no nonsense tone.
Jake turned to look at Kyra as she came into the room then nodded at her question. "Unfortunately
.." He muttered causing his father to glare at him from behind his desk. "Remember what I said..Kyra and Brandon are in charge. Whatever they say you do it." The chief told him then looked at Kyra. "I imagine things went well last night with the raid?" He asked before turning his attention to his paperwork and waiting for her response whilst Jake moved to slump down in a chair.
Kyra didn't actually get a chance to answer. Next to her head, as she was still against the open door, tapped a single knuckle. Brandon, looking very much like he just got of bed despite his spotless pressed uniform, grinned at her, boyish blue eyes sparkling to match. "Good morning, Miss Kyra," he greeted politely before looking at the rest of the room. "Sir," he said to the chief and gave a customary salute, then a much friendlier grin to Jake. "Mr. Jake," he commented, his tone the least formal with the boy. He supposed a teenager wouldn't care so much for formalities anyway. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding," he told the room together. "I just thought we should get to work? I have things in mind but- if you have something specific, sir?" He left the question open to the chief as he gave him a politely curious expression. He and Kyra were pretty well ranked, they should be trusted to know what to teach Jake, but that didn't mean they would
The chief glanced up from his paperwork at Brandon before waving his hand to dismiss them and looking back at his work. "Fine..carry on with the work you had planned." His eyes suddenly snapped up again to look at his two senior police officers and his expression was stern. "Make sure he stays with you and that he learns some valueable lessons today. Kyra you can inform me of the raid later. Now go." Jake sighed and stood up trying to loosen the tie round his neck as he did. He had merely nodded to Brandon when he had greeted him not wanting to interrupt the conversation. Stepping out of the office he paused waiting for Kyra and Brandon to join him.
Kyra couldn't help but roll her eyes at Brandon as he arrived. She didn't want anyone else in on her lessons with Jake, even if it was the charming man who smiled way too much. With a roll of her eyes, she nodded at the chief before following Jake out of the office. Kyra couldn't help but shrug out of her jacket and hold it, having worked most of the early morning and wanting nothing more than to just sit at her desk and do nothing. But lessons awaited. "What do we teach you first?" she asked, a sarcastic note on the word 'we'.
"I figured we could start with ways to avoid getting attacked with non human abilities," Brandon answered after he saluted his goodbye to the chief and closed the door, hurrying after the other two. "It's best to be prepared, in case one does decide to come after you, right?" His expression was mostly questioning, but the way he looked at Jake said he was being a little more pointed with the remark. He looked over the uniform the young boy was wearing and let a little smile show, tinged with sympathy. "That's a nice uniform you've got yourself," he said, pointing to it. "But, I don't think clothes really make the man-" He looked around conspiratorially and then gave Jake a bit of a grin. "Actions do. Don't you agree?" He chuckled, letting the question go before Jake could think he needed to answer. He didn't want him to think there was a right or wrong answer, even if there was. "But only if you agree, Miss Kyra," he said to his fellow officer in addition to his lesson plan suggestion.
"By all means," Kyra said, an almost sarcastic humor coming into her tone. "I would love to see how you teach him this." She knew there were ways to demonstrate different abilities, but it seemed that the types who were after the boy had more mental abilities and less physical ones. There were few good ways to counteract those particular attacks for a human, and they were hard to teach to someone. "Or maybe we can do the more practical and start him learning on the types of creatures first and what they are capable of. At least the ones we know. Then he can be taught properly how to avoid their attacks." Kyra smiled at Brandon then, although it was not exactly a friendly smile. It was along the lines of an almost conspiratorial smile. She wanted to teach Jake something useful, but having rarely been on the front lines herself, she knew more of the theory than actual practice. But she had also seen a lot and knew what they could do.
"Wonderful idea," Brandon agreed with a nod and a grin, his tone surprisingly devoid of sarcasm. He motioned toward Kyra. "Why don't you cover theory then, and I'll cover practical? Since those were the suggestions. You should go first, you seem to think it's more important and, well, Jake probably already knows many creatures already, so it probably won't take as long. Right Jake?" He turned his encouraging smile on the teenager, oblivious to how his words might have been taken, or just more focused on the boy than an argument. Truthfully, the latter. There was no reason they couldn't teach him both theory and practical, right?
Jake glanced between Brandon and Kyra, frowning slightly at how they were discussing how he would spend his day. But he had promised his father that he would do as he was told and so thats what he would do. When Brandon spoke to him, his eyes widened at his comment about knowing many creatures and he quickly shook his head. "No I don't." He said in a hasty tone before clapping his hands together and motioning for them to move. "So shall we get started then?" He asked with a nervous smile as he tried to distract from what they had been talking about.
"Come on," Kyra finally said in a minorly irritated manner. Leading to one of the conference rooms, she went to a file cabinet in the corner and pulled out two slim folders. One was clearly labeled 'visible' and the other 'non-visible'. "We tend to categorize the creatures into two brackets. Either they can pass as humans or are obviously creatures. I like to use other classifications. Because it doesn't matter what they look like when they are reading your mind or setting you on fire." Her mind was on the raid that had happened and the few cops who had been injured. One was sitting in the small infirmary room with second degree burns over his arms and torso. "Knowing what they can do is much more important, because then you'll know if you can overcome them at all. So have a seat." Gesturing at the chairs at the conference table, she looked from Jake to Brandon. "If you have anything to add at any time, go for it."
"Oh no no," Brandon replied, his same easy smile in place as he lifted his hands placatingly. "You go right ahead. This is your lesson, I won't interfere." He shifted his eyes slightly so he made eye contact with her and simply grinned, as if at a joke he hadn't spoken. He dropped his hands and walked around the table to take the seat furthest from them, pulled it out, and sat down, leaning back until it touched the wall and kept him propped up. He simply stayed quiet, watching the two of them with that easy smile, clearly unwilling to interrupt the lesson.
Jake slid into one of the chairs at the table then locked his eyes on Kyra. He figured if he just pretended to pay attention and nod along he could get through this day easily. He didn't care about learning about the different creatures and was only doing this to keep his dad happy. in a few months time I'll be eighteen and then I can make my break for it.. he thought before blinking and focusing on Kyra again. "Okay different creatures..." was all he said with a nod.
Kyra couldn't help but shoot a glare at Brandon as she felt he was being purposefully condescending. Her attention shifted to Jake, and she could tell his heart wasn't in this at all. Crossing her arms over her chest, she cocked her hip out slightly and eyed the boy. "I know you don't want to be here, but look at it this way, what we're about to teach you could save your life. It isn't just in this line of work that you should know these things. It's out there, in the real world, where you will run into creatures who will want to kill you simply because you're human. Maybe not all of them, but some might." She looked over at Brandon with a scowl. "What would you say the rough estimate of creatures to humans is in this city?" she asked, fully expecting him to answer and give Jake a reason to want to learn.
Brandon actually looked mildly surprised to be addressed and shifted his eyes upwards as he thought about it. "I've seen two to one in populated areas, sometimes more. Really the only time we can manage to take them down is when we find one alone." He frowned and looked at Jake. "And even then, it takes quite a few of us. Sometimes... a few of us get used as bait, just to find out what it can do- or to prove it can do what we think it does. Five to one, six to one. The sad truth is, we're outnumbered, by a lot, and we're damn lucky that less than half of them are fighters. Or, so we've seen so far. That doesn't make us right." He jerked his chin a little towards Kyra, and tilted his head, showing he was directing his question at her. "What was that last one? Some kind of fight club? There were only five of them or so and it still took nearly twenty of us to take them down. And twenty was definitely not the number that came back from that."
"But thats the problem.." Jake suddenly said. "I bet they wouldn't hate us so much if we just left them alone..I mean theres enough room in this city for everyone right? We wouldn't have to live in so much fear of them attacking us if we just stopped attacking them." He looked between Brandon and Kyra as he spoke. "Like that underground last night..those creatures had done nothing wrong but yet my father made the order to raid it." He sighed and shook his head turning his attention to the table top.
A sigh left her and Kyra pulled out a chair, sitting down so she could look at Jake head on. "These are things best left outside these walls," she said quietly. Almost sadly. "Because, truth be told, there are creatures, just like there are humans, who would rather kill and torment others than live peacefully. If we give them an inch, think about the damage it could do. We would all be dead in a matter of months." She wasn't telling the complete truth, but she knew enough about those who wanted them dead to know that she was near enough to the truth.
"Jake," Brandon said, asking for the boy's attention before he went on. He had let his chair fall so it was sitting on all four legs again and leaned forward on the table, hands clasped in front of him. "A lot of what we do is less about killing them before they kill us, even if that is the most urgent part, and more about keeping the balance. Given the choice, they will think themselves superior to us, and they will try to 'put us in our place'. Read the history books, you'll see. We even have a few from their side, it says the same. They think they are better than us, Jake, because they have abilities that just aren't normal. We're just trying to prevent an uprising." He smiled then, a little 'do you understand?' sort of smile, but it broke when an equally small yawn. "Excuse me," he said as it ended and pushed back his chair. "I need to use the restroom." He gave them both his trademark boyish smile, if tinged with a bit of apology, and quietly exited the room.
Jake sighed and slumped back in his chair. I don't know why I even bother.. He thought in frustration before finally looking back at Kyra with a frown. "..so theres different types of creatures?" He said in a monotone voice deciding he might as well just get this over with no matter how much he didn't want to do it. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he felt that strange feeling of forgetting something like he had done that morning but he still couldn't remember what it was. Shaking his head slightly he returned his gaze to Kyra trying to focus on the topic at hand.
Taking a deep breath, Kyra shook her head. "Different types, yes. Technically, Kyrian falls into both those categories. He can do things with his mind as well as things that affect the physical world." She gave him a look. This wasn't usually things she shared with everyone. "Jake, I know you don't want to be here. But think about what happened. Do you really want to go through that again?"
"No.." Jake replied quietly with a frown. "But I didn't see her until she'd grabbed me..how am I going to try and avoid those kind of creatures if they are sneaky and quick?" He asked. "And even if you do see them before they grab you how are you supposed to defend yourself against such a powerful creature?"
While Jake was speaking, the door opened and Brandon reentered. He gave them a small, apologetic smile and quietly returned to his seat, takin in the last of Jake's words as he did so. "It depends on the creature," he put in, giving Jake a look as if surprised to hear such a logical question come out of him, even if he wasn't actually surprised. He was actually running through a list of possibilities in his head. "What ones are you worried about specifically?"
It had been a long and quite entertaining night for Elvira. After leaving the bar she had wandered to the underground market to wait for the raids to begin there. After several hours of waiting the police finally came and as she had hoped for, it was chaos. There were creatures running in all directions to avoid capture and finally filtering out into the streets above to escape. Some weren’t so lucky and several police cars were needed to take them back to the station. Elvira grinned happily knowing it wouldn’t be long before word made it to Fox, Benny and Dash that the underground had been taken. Hopefully they’re started to get scared.. She thought as she watched the last of the police leave the market. Tomorrow it will be their turn..that dear little human boy will lead all his police friends right to the bar, where I’m sure a few more arrests are going to be made. She cackled loudly before disappearing into the darkness. When the morning light finally began to fill the city streets she reappeared outside the bar and took a seat on a nearby wall. Looks like I’ve got the best seats in the house for the upcoming show. She smirked, feeling triumphant that things were finally going the way she had planned. “Rafe won’t be angry anymore.” She settled down and folded her arms knowing she had several hours to wait before anything happened.
Fox tossed and turned in her sleep from a bad dream. Finally she gave up trying to sleep and crawled out of bed, leaving Benny there. Starting the shower she climbed under the semi warm water and began bathing as thoughts of the night before swept through her mind. She'd hae several more visions after leaving Benny and Dash. There was one in particular that had rubbed her the wrong way.The police were organizing a raid on the club. She didnt know when but they were coming. Finished with her shower she climbed out and toweled herself dry with the rough, old towel that hung waiting for her. Sighing heavily she came back out to the bedroom to get dressed.
Benny was waiting for her. He hadn't left the bed, but he had sat up, resting elbows on his knees and his fingers lazily laced together. His bare torso was exposed by the blanket more than covered the rest of him. "You didn't sleep well," he noted when he saw her. He figured the evening must have bothered her on some level, but judging by the dark circles under her eyes, it was worse that than. He just looked at her, face calm and eyes unblinking. "Do you want to tell me about it?" It was honestly a question and not a request. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime he didn't know if she wanted to share her thoughts with him. He couldn't blame her, he had hid his own for nearly their entire history, why shouldn't he give her the same courtesy? Yes, he had decided that last night, lying awake in bed as she tossed and turned. She needed independence, a little privacy, same as he wanted, and he would have to give to receive.
Fox paused on her way to the closet, eyes tired and sad. Sighing softly, she nodded her head as she continued towards the her clothing. Picking out a pair of black skinny jeans and a gray tank top she turned back and dropped her towel to the ground. "I had several visions last night. Some very graphic...others just...unnerving. One in particular worries me." Tugging her pants up her pantyless bottom, she buttoned and zipped them up before tugging her tank top on as well. Sighing heavily, she ran a hand through her wet hair before crossing the room to sit down beside Benny on their old lumpy bed. "The police are going to raid the club. I couldn't tell when so I need to keep my mind open and alert the next few nights so we can be prepared."
Benny nodded, sitting silently for a long moment before his hand moved out deliberately, landing on her lower back to make small soothing circles. "Should I talk to him?" he asked, knowing she would know who he was talking about. Still, his eyes were a little sad. A raid? On the club? Again? It had been... what? A decade, it felt like, since the last one. That was why precautions were in place now, though, albeit after nearly a year of negotiation and planning. "Odds are he'd know when something like that was going to go down."
Fox chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and nodded her head. "We havent heard from him in a while anyway. Its time to check in." They rarely spoke his name but they knew who they were talking about. Best to not speak his name for fear of blowing his cover. Running a hand through her hair once again she sighed softly. "We should go down to the Market today... pick up a few things."
Benny nodded. "Do you want me to come along? Or did you want to do that while I went and talked to him?" Wow, it made something deep inside him squirm uncomfortably just to suggest she might want to do something on her own, without him. He wondered what it would be like when it actually happened. The market was safe though, despite what creatures went there. At least no humans were ever there.
"How about... we leave at the same time and when you're done talking to him you can join me? That sound good to you?" Smiling softly, Fox leaned back into Benny and relaxed her body into his. Leaning her head against his cheek she sighed softly, content just being near him.
"It sounds bearable," Benny murmured quietly into her ear as he held her close. Even though his words sounded like a goodbye, he showed no sign of moving, instead simply holding her, enjoying the smell of her hair and letting his finger tips trail up and down her arm slowly, as if to memorize every gentle curve. It was many minutes before he finally stirred again. "I won't leave you for more than a couple of minutes, I might even find you before you make it to the market," he told her as he carefully shifted away and off the bed, in no rush to leave her but knowing he needed to dress. It only took a few minutes and he was in ragged jeans and a fitting black tshirt with a long forgotten band sign printed on it in faded grey. He shook his hair out but didn't bother to brush it. Really, who was he going to try to impress? He held a hand out to Fox, his eyes roaming over her as if he needed to remember what every part of her looked like. They had only just stopped arguing and it was difficult to let her go again, but damn it, he would jump off a cliff if it was going to make her happy again, and he was going to do this, clingy urges be damned. "You'll stay in here?" he asked, tapping his temple with his free hand's finger. "Stay in contact, in case something goes wrong? I can be there at a moment's notice."
Fox raised her eyebrows in surprise at his request but nodded her head gently. "If that's what you want." Placing her hand in his, she allowed him to pulled her from the bed. Moving forward she stepped into his arms, laying her head on his chest and sighed softly. Smiling gently she turned her head up and kissed his chin lightly. They'd been around each other for so long sometimes she let the simple things, like him holding her, go for granted, she decided from here on out she would cherish these moments. It was probably better for their relationship if she did this anyway.
"I don't want to be in the dark," Benny replied, his voice so quiet it was hard to hear. It meant more for a blood mage, who could walk through shadows and hide in the shade to say he didn't want to be in the dark than the surface of the statement would imply. He held her, feeling as if time stopped to give him these moments with her, away from the world and unable to be tarnished by mortal worries. The feeling wavered though, as the minutes ticked by. At long last, he slid away from her, slow and reluctant. He looked into her eyes, but couldn't actually say the words for goodbye, so instead, he closed his eyes and leaned a bit, capturing her lips in a soft, agonizingly controlled kiss, breaking it with an unheard sigh. "I won't be gone long," he promised, looking at her eyes again as if he wanted to say something, but it was obvious it was only his reluctance to leave, so instead he gave her another brief kiss, turned, and backed in to the dim corner of their bedroom so she was the last thing he saw before the shadow covered him and he was gone.
Fox had returned his brief kisses but sighed when he was gone. She hated watching him leave. Heading out of the apartment, after grabbing her satchel, out of the club and outside she headed straight for the market place. She was surprised when she didnt see very many vendors or people. Frowning deeply she began walking along the walk way, glancing into the few tables that were there. She got several waves but most everyone kept to themselves.
True to his word, Fox was at the market no more than ten minutes before a familiar man stepped up next to her. Benny's expression was grave but he didn't interrupt her shopping, instead simply falling in to step with her, hands shoved in his pockets. The news hadn't been good. In fact, it was worse than they thought. Plans were going to have to be made, and very soon. The only thing that kept him from demanding they head home now to pack was the fact that there were plenty of empty houses and apartments for them to escape to. "Best pick up some extra," he suggested gently. If they stayed in the city, there was no telling how long it would be before they could show their faces again after tonight.
Fox froze at his words and frowned deeply. Sighing heavily she picked up everything they needed. Food, clothing, supplies, and a few weapons. Swallowing past the lump in her throat she took everything a little ways away so no one could hear them. "Something is wrong. It doesnt take a genius to figure out something happened here last night. So let's have it. I dont want to dip into your mind. I want you to be completely open with me."
Benny was indecisive less than half a second before he sighed. "The underground was raided last night and he says the bar is tonight." His eyes moved side to side, double and triple checking they weren't being watched or listened to. Finally, his eyes landed on Fox's. "With Talia's apartment.. I can't help but feel these are very targeted attacks, Fox... Someone's out to get us and the police are a pain in the ass but they don't hold such specific grudges, not against us. We haven't done anything since the bar fight fiasco. No, we're in the cross hairs. He doesn't know why, but someone's got a bullet for us, Fox. We're in a corner here and, for once-" He held his hands up helplessly and his voice fell from concerned to flatness. "I don't know what to do." He didn't feel helpless- no, in a pinch he could grab Fox and Dash and- His eyes widened. "Was my brother on the couch when you left?" he asked suddenly, the question urgent.
Elvira had continued sitting outside the bar awaiting the arrival of Jake and the cops but when she noticed Fox leaving her apartment her curiosity got the better of her and she quickly followed in the shadows to make sure she couldn't be seen. A slow grin of satisfaction spread across her face as they wandered into the under ground market and found it to be nearly deserted apart from a few hopeful merchants who continued to try and sell their wares no matter how nervous they felt if another impending raid. Good work Elvira. she told herself then carried on following the fae. She stopped when Benny appeared and listened quietly to their conversation. Suddenly her eyes grew wide when she heard that they somehow knew about the raid on the bar. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! The only people who know about it are me and the boy and he shouldn't be able to remember it just yet! This isn't how this is meant to go! her whole body was shaking with anger and it took all her strength not to tear the marketplace to pieces, Benny and Fox included. She paused to listen to Benny as he carried on speaking and finally she felt a little hope. They're scared atleast. I shall just have to speed things up a little. Bring forward the time of the raid..to now. I guess its time I made a little appearance at the police station and teach that stupid human that he messed with the wrong shade.Pulling her hood up over her face she stepped backwards disappearing into the darkness.
Fox had been about to comment on the raid last night when Benny asked about Dash. Closing her eyes she took herself back to the apartment when she left and frowned deeply. "No, he wasn't." Slowly opening her eyes, she glanced around, feeling eyes on them. "Benny, we're being watched." Stepping closer to him her eyes darted around. "I have a bad feeling." Placing her hand on her stomach she couldn't help the chills that ran up her spine. "We can't go back to the club. Something just isn't right." Pressing her free hand to her temple she groaned as a wave of dizziness swept over her.
Benny wrapped his arms around her and held her close, looking around the alley again before locking eyes with her. "We'll go back. Less than a minute. Get what you need, I'll set the door off hinges, so everyone knows not to come in. No one's getting hurt. Then we'll go to the lake and think it out there. It's far enough, I don't think a human has ever set foot there." He watched her only a moment longer, hoping she would agree, then looked around one last time to make sure no one was watching, and stepped in to a shadow, pulling them back to their apartment to execute a plan made many years before, that he was sad they had to actually implement.
By the time they were back in the apartment, tears were streaming down Fox's face. Sniffling softly, she hurried towards the closet and pulled out her old duffel bag. The very same one she had used to leave Rafe. Grabbing up several outfits for them both, she stuffed them all into the bag before running to the bathroom and grabbing the few things they NEEDED. When finished she took the bag into the kitchen and grabbed their old weapons out of one of the cabinets. Stuffing the bag full of all their needed things. Finally done she stood in the kitchen near the table, balling her eyes out.
Meanwhile, downstairs, where Benny had gone, the blood mage looked around to make sure the place was devoid of anything they needed. He found Adder, Lynx, and Rain and told them to leave, but he would come find them when it was safe, to let them know where he and Fox had gone, and to stay in touch with each other until they could find them. It was a painful goodbye, but he was too anxious to let it affect him much right now. Not afraid for himself- he had seen war and loved it, so this was nothing- but for Fox. She had always been his soft spot. He grabbed the main door and looked outside, making sure no one was around before he pulled out the bolts in the hinges and set it aside, the code to anyone who had ever come to the bar that it was 'abandoned' and no one should enter. He didn't even take the stairs, instead stepping through the shadows in the blink of an eye back to Fox's side. His heart broke, or that is exactly what it felt like to see her standing there like that. She needed to be safe though, so he picked up her duffle and situated it on his back, placed a hand on her wet cheek and, after a moment's pause, gave her the deepest, most loving kiss he could, scooped her in to his arms, and left the bar to head to the lake once more. He could find Dash later, he figured he already knew where he was, and it wasn't here.
Once they were at the lake, Fox climbed down from Benny's arms and stepped away. Swiping the tears from her face she sighed deeply and glanced around at the emptiness around them. Frowning slightly she glanced over at Benny. "What about the boys? Will they be okay?" She hadn't even thought of them until it was too late, and now she couldn't believe they'd left the three of them behind.
Benny nodded reassuringly. "Of course. I let them know. They're off to their safe houses now." He slid the duffle off of his back and set it on the ground before he stepped up to her and again wrapped her in his arms, holding her close whether she wanted it or not. He wanted it. He stood there a long moment, rubbing soothing circles on her back, before he spoke again. "We need to find Dash..." he said quietly, the statement fairly rhetorical. "And Talia, but I'm sure they'll be in the same place."
Fox leaned into Benny and closed her eyes. Sighing softly, she finally calmed down from her crying. Nodding her head she turned her head up to look at him. "I agree." Laying her head on his chest she closed her eyes. "I just hope they're both okay." Especially Dash... She couldn't help the thought from going through her mind. She loved him, she always would and no one would be as close to her as Dash and Benny.
"There you are!" an all too familiar voice breathed at them and Benny's head shot up at once. His golden eyes soften as they landed on his brother's head, peeking at them over a boulder and looking exasperated. He popped out of sight again and a moment later Talia was deposited on her feet on the dry earth before Dash pulled himself out of the stone's shadow as if crawling out of a man hole to the sewer. It had taken one stop to the club (which lasted all of a minute before they heard the rushing feet of dozens of cops) and one to the underground to see it all but deserted before Dash had come here. "What the hell is going on in Decamp?" he demanded, staring at each of them in turn once he righted himself next to Talia.
Benny looked at Fox, but then offered a brief answer. "It wasn't just Talia's place. Someone tipped off the police and they came after everyone else. I don't know if they are cracking down on everybody... but I can't help but feel this was all about us." He looked at the other three, then focused on his brother again. "Somebody knows about everything, and doesn't want us here any more."
Fox sighed heavily and leaned against the nearest boulder. Crossing her feet at the ankles and her arms over her chest, she stared at the ground. "Running... again. We always said we wouldn't have to run anymore. I don't want to have to run the rest of our lives. This play was supposed to solve all of that." Sighing heavily she shook her head and looked up at her friends, loved ones.
Talia listened to the others talk, her black eyes full of worry as they moved to look at each person in turn. Finally she folded her bare red arms across her chest and gave a worried sigh. "Who would do this though? Why would someone want rid of us so badly? I don't understand.." She wasn't used to being chased away. If she ever left a place it was because she wanted to not because she was made to. She bit her lip. "Where are we meant to go?"
"Well..." Benny said, then sighed. "I guess we find another place in the city, one we haven't been staying in, or.. a new city." He frowned, his heart aching at the loss of the first home they found after leaving Rafe. He shifted over to Fox and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close and just offering comfort.
Dash shifted on his feet. "Can't we take out the police?" he finally blurted out. He knew his brother must be as starved as he was, they had been wanting to slaughter them for years, but neither of them was willing to show that side of themselves to Fox, or, now, Talia. "That's what you were planning the Resistance for, wasn't it? To really take over?"
"Yeah, but Dash it wasn't nearly strong enough. We barely got a hook in to the police a year ago, and there are too few of us-"
"We could try! I don't want humans to run us out of our home again!"
"I know Dash but there is nothing we can do," Benny snapped at his little brother, making him fall silent, if stiff. "We need to gather supplies and leave. Maybe we can try to let the Resistance know, if they don't already know, what's going on and what's going to happen. We're not letting this go, but for now, we have to retreat." He looked at the three with him, frowning but at least he had calmed his annoyance. "We'll all go in, grab what we can, and get out. Food mostly, but weapons as well-" Fox didn't have much she could fight with without making herself sick. "Anything you think we may need. We might have to stay out of cities for a while. He was glad when he saw his bother give a tight nod, but didn't protest.
Fox nodded her head as she listened. "I got a few weapons from out stash but not nearly enough to keep us protected very well, or for very long." Pushing off of the boulder she glanced around. "We could split up, look for things and then meet back here." Fox suggested, wanting to get going so that they could start searching for a new place to live. "I'd like to get word to the boys once we know what's going on, that way they could meet up with us."
"Well.. if we could somehow get back into my apartment I have a ton of weapons that I've collected over the years." Talia replied with an innocent shrug. "Then I could get some clothes for Dash and I as well. Do you think we could do that?" She asked looking between Benny and Dash.
"I could take her there," Dash offered to Benny, but then frowned. "But then I have to go to the station. I promised Kyra we'd get Kyrian out, and I need to see if Jake is coming."
"Dash, you can't possibly expect us to bring him-"
"I promised," Dash snapped at his brother, his eyes darkening. Benny only stared at him a long moment, then gave a brief nod. "Fine, take Talia home, then find Him-" Dash gave a short nod of his own and Benny was glad he knew who he was talking about. "He'll help you get them out. He has to leave anyway, we can't risk leaving him in there."
"What if he won't come?"
"Then that is his own choice, but we won't be held responsible. He stays, he's on his own. Back here, half an hour."
"Understood..." Dash looked at Talia and held out his hand. "Ready then?"
"As i'll ever be." Talia replied with a smile then placed her hand in his before looking back ay Benny and Fox. "Stay safe you two and good luck!" She gave a final wave with her free hand then turned back to Dash as she shifted into her human form, knowing it was safer to look this way where they were going. "Lets get this over with."
Fox stepped closer to Benny, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nodding her heqd gently she sighed heavily. Turning to look at Dash and Talia she blew them both a kiss and smiled. "You too." She knew she'd have to close her eyes, stepping always off balanced her head and powers. Taking a deep breath she nodded to Benny and closed her eyes. "Ready when you are."
Benny nodded and unlike his brother who simply took his girlfriend's hand and led her back into the pool of darkness cast by the large stone, he knelt and lifted Fox with him, carrying her cradled in his arms over to the large spot of shadow. "Deep breath," he whispered, as he always did, and stepped into the darkness like stepping off a cliff, falling through chilled air and blank space, leaving an empty lake side in their wake.
Jake looked up at Brandon when he reentered then listened as he spoke to him. "Well the one that's the biggest problem at the minute.. for everyone I mean.." he added the last part quickly so as to try and stop Brandon knowing he was in fact talking about personal experiences. " ..is the one that if they touch you they've basically got you. I know its easy to say just don't let them touch you but its not that easy, is it? They're cunning and quick and can come out of nowhere. So there needs to be another way of stopping them from doing you any harm." He continued as he looked between Kyra and Brandon.
"Trust me there isn't.." a cold voice echoed around the room . The room was quiet for a moment until Elvira suddenly appeared behind Jake and before he could move she had placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, holding him in place. "Not that I wouldn't love to sit here and chat about myself but I have other matters to deal with first. Like for instance how little Jake here has managed to do something that has made me quite angry and I'm going to have to deal now with fixing it." She looked between Kyra and Brandon, smirking as she did. "Now if you'd please just show me to the police chief..he needs to be informed of something important."
Brendan was on his feet in half a second, gun in hand and pointed right at Elvira's chest, on her heart with deadly accuracy. He was looking at her face, but not her eyes, just above them. "Jake..." he said quietly. "As I just told you, we don't all make it out alive. Price you pay and everything. Just be prepared for that. As for you, Miss... whatever the hell you are, if you're so clever, which I guess you aren't, seeing as even a boy has upset you, or if you are so powerful, as you are trying to intimidate us, aren't you? Why don't you find the chief yourself, and stop threatening children?"
Elvira's eyes settled on Brandon and her smirk widened at the sight of the gun. "Someones brave aren't they?" She asked before chuckling slightly. "But i'm not here to fight. I just wish to speak with the chief..inform him about a dangerous place that is being used as a hideaway for a few of his most wanted. Plus I think he needs to be aware of what his precious son here has really been doing in his spare time. Somehow I can't imagine he'll want you to be wearing that uniform for much longer Jake..He might even like to introduce you to a prisoners outfit..you being a traitor and everything." She tightened her grip on his shoulders as his eyes widened in fear and his heart began to race. "Now please..lead the way officer. I really can't stay long." She finished, her eyes still on Brandon.
Brandon watched Elvira for a long moment, considering, so long that she might have snapped at him to get a move on but he spoke before she could. "Let me cuff you," he said finally, his gun still unwavering but it relaxed a hair, indicating he would put it away if she said yes. "We both know you would be able to get out of them. And let the boy go. It's going to cause less problems if they don't see you strutting through the station with a hostage, and make the chief more likely to believe you. Hell, I'll be more likely if you let me, even knowing you can get out of it. So-" He used his free hand to reach onto his belt and lift up a simple pair of handcuffs. "Let him go, let me cuff you, and I'll take you straight to the chief." Without turning away, he spoke to, what he supposed was, his new partner. "Kyra, get the door. Go make sure he's in his office and tell him I'm bringing someone important and to wait there. Please, go."
Kyra had stood the same time Brandon had, her gun out of its holster in less time. But she wasn't so quick to agree to putting it away. She was fully planning on shooting this creature, no matter what she had to say. There was simply nothing she hated more than these creatures using their humans as shields against other humans. Plus she didn't want this creature to get any sort of look at her son. "No, Brandon. Whatever she wants to tell him, she can tell us first. We are perfectly capable of delivering a message." Her voice was like ice towards the Shade. "You have the abilities, you could have just popped right in there, couldn't you? But no, you choose to torment the boy. Let him go and either tell us and we'll pass on your message or just do whatever it is you do and go up there yourself. Or stay as you are and get yourself shot. Your choice." Kyra was not planning on playing along with any creatures, not when they held her young friend hostage. Especially not when Kyrian was in the same building.
"Actually I can't just pop in there..i've never been in there and don't know what it looks like so it would be virtually impossible for me to appear there. The only reason I could pop in here is because of my link with Jake." Elvira replied as she turned to Kyra and narrowed her eyes on her. "And I apologise but I don't trust you to pass on any messages. So I suggest you either take me to the chief or go fetch him. And please make your decision quickly my patience is starting to fail and you really don't want to see what happens when its completely gone."
Brandon sighed through his nose, his eyes still unwavering on Elvira. "Fine," he said after a long moment and shifted to put his gun back in its holster. "I'll get him. Just don't hurt Jake." He gave her a last, glaring look before he moved past Kyra, giving her a little shake of his head, as if to tell her not to do anything stupid, then left the room to get the chief. It took longer than he wanted, but he couldn't run through the station without drawing attention to himself. Still, he tried to walk quickly. If anyone asked, he just had something important to talk to the chief about. That wasn't a lie. He knocked on the office door and waited to be let in and after just a couple serious moments in which he told the chief that he needed to come see about Jake, but not about the actual creature (he didn't want the whole station to come after them... yet), they exited the chief's office and strode quickly through the station again. "Don't panic," he told the chief as they arrived at the little room they had been studying in. "There's a creature in there holding your son hostage-" He saw the larger man stiffen and prepare to shout and he narrowed his eyes at him. "Forgive me sir, but I really don't think you could organize the entire force to take this one out- which is what you would need to take her out- before she kills your son. Besides, I think she has something you want to know, otherwise why hadn't she killed him already?" He raised an eyebrow, and while the chief didn't relax, he did seem unready to shout. Brandon nodded at that and opened the door to let him in.
Even though Brandon agreed, Kyra didn't lower her weapon at all. She stood there, staring down the Shade, not an ounce of fear in her eyes. There was nothing but hardness. And anger at not only Elvira but at Brandon for giving in to the demand. That was something they were trained not to do. If this creature got loose in the station, who knew what could happen. Her eyes didn't even go to the door as she heard it open again, but her stance did stiffen slightly.
Elvira's smile widened as Brandon agreed to her demands and watched as he left. Turning her eyes on Kyra she smirked but said nothing to the woman. When the door finally reopened she looked towards it, tightening her grip slightly on Jakes shoulders as she waited for the chief to enter. "Ah..finally. I thought I was going to have to come and find you myself. I wonder how your men would have taken it to have me walking around their station.." She commented then motioned to the seats across from where Jake was sitting. "Please take a seat. We have much to discuss. You two can join us as well if you wish.." She added looking between Kyra and Brandon before looking back at the chief.
The chief narrowed his eyes at Elvira and would have protested her words if she hadn't been holding his son. Slowly he moved to sit, keeping one hand placed on his gun. "Alright..get this over with." He snapped. "What do you want?"
"Want? Nothing.." Elvira replied with a look of mock surprise. "I'm just here to inform you of a few little things I feel you need to know."
"And the reason you need to drag my son into this?"
"Oh because some of my information includes him chief.." Elvira smirked as she felt Jake tense underneath her grip. "Now firstly I have information on a known location where several of your most wanted are hiding." She proceeded to give the chief the exact location of the bar.
"Why should I trust you..this could easily be a trap you've set up for my men. Why would you wish to turn in your own kind?" The chief growled accusingly in a suspicious voice, not believing what Elvira was saying.
"I thought you'd say something like that." Elvira replied with a light chuckle. "The reason i'm doing it is because I don't like them." She shrugged lightly then gave Jake a little nudge. "Now your son is going to help confirm what I say is true.."
As Elvira nudged him Jake felt a strange jolt through his body and suddenly couldn't stop the words that were about to spill from his mouth. "I've been sneaking out for months dad, been going looking for creatures to get to know them. I've always wanted to be friends with the creatures. I met Dash.."
"DASH!" The chief suddenly bellowed as he turned his eyes on his son. "You mean the same Dash that is one of our top most wanted?"
"Y-yes..and he saved my life then he took me to the underground market and I tried this really delicious food. Then I met Elvira.."
The chief held his hand up to stop him speaking, a look of anger on his face. "Have you ever been to the bar this creature is speaking of?" He asked in a slow and dangerous tone.
"Yes..thats where Fox and Benny live."
Elvira was grinning. This should hopefully get things back on track..
The chief slammed his fist on the table then turned to Brandon. "Get a team ready and go to that bar. NOW!" He shouted then looked back at Jake and was shocked to see the strange creature was suddenly gone and his son was now slumped in his chair, staring at the table. With a loud growl the chief stood up. "I'll deal with you later. Kyra..stay with him. Don't let him out of you sight and he is not to leave this station." With those words spoke he marched from the room and moved back towards his office.
This was a disaster. Kyra waited until the chief was out of the room before putting her gun in her holster and gesturing for Jake to stand. "Lessons are over," she said coldly to the boy. "Lets go." She didn't care one bit if Jake got angry at her for being so hard. It was less than he deserved. The boy had made one stupid decision after another and brought all this upon himself. And more than that, the plan to get her son and herself out of this place was probably about to fall into ruin. Again. All because of one idiotic almost-man. "Don't want to learn anything I've been trying to tell you for so long and this is what happens."
"None of us could have stopped her," Brandon muttered to Kyra, giving her a dark look, then looked at Jake, his expression a bit less irritated but no less serious. He holstered his gun. "You've killed many tonight," was the last thing he said before he turned and strode out of the room to gather a team as he had been ordered, his eyes, always a sparkling boyish blue, hard and dark now, begging no argument from anyone who might want to protest the assignment. Attack a hornet's nest, some people are going to get stung.
Jake looked between Kyra and Brandon as they spoke then turned his attention to the table top with a frown. "I couldn't stop myself saying those things. I didn't want to say all of that. Do you really think I would want to put so many people at risk?" He asked looking back up at Kyra when Brandon left. "You don't need to worry about my dad finding out about your involvement because he won't. You and your son will get out of here..even if I have to do it alone. I'm already in a ton of trouble, what harm could be helping a cop and her son escape do?" He watched her for a moment then sighed and stood up. "And don't worry I've learnt my lesson..i'm never going near any creatures again. Dad will never let me be alone and will most likely lock me up when i'm at home." He said as he moved to her side.
"You will not help!" Kyra hissed under her breath at him. "You will not get involved! You will have no more knowledge of anything that happens outside of this station!" She turned and led the way out of the room, her expression as hard as her personality. "Sit," she said, pointing to the chair next to her desk. Looking around the station where people were suiting up for the outing, Kyra kicked her own chair into place, not bothering to sit as she crouched down and started going through the things in her desk drawers. His actions had brought this upon him, and as far as Kyra was concerned, she was doing him a favor. "You will stay there unless I tell you to move, or I will not hesitate to handcuff you."
"Kyra.." Jake said after he had sat down then gave a small shake of his head and sighed. "Doesn't matter." He looked at the woman then turned his attention to the floor. Had he lost the one friend he had managed to make in the station? He frowned at this thought, sad that things had turned out so horribly. And its all that stupid shades fault..
"Just listen to what I have to tell you," Kyra said quietly. "You will spend the next few days here with me. You will not leave my sight, do you understand?" One eyebrow rose suggestively. "Since Kyrian is usually with me during the day, he will be your responsibility." She didn't know if she could send him any more of a hint. "Should anything happen like that again, you are to stay with him."
"I understand.." Jake replied quietly. He was worried that his father might decide never to let him return to the station after today but knew that it was the probably the only way he could keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't wander off. "I'm sorry you have to play babysitter to me..I doubt dad will want me doing any police work now."
"Better me than someone else," Kyra commented, standing slowly from her crouch with several items n her hands. She put each in the empty spaces on her belt, things she didn't normally carry but felt might come in handy over the next few days. "You can't begin to know how seeing that Shade made me feel. How worried I've been." The normally tough exterior disappeared for a split second and Jake could see the softness that made Kyra the great mother she was. "Next time you move out of the way and let me deal with that creature."
Jake nodded. "Make sure you aim for the heart." He said then slumped down in his chair and folded his arms. "I hope Dash and the others are okay. I would hate if they got caught because of me." He said then looked up at Kyra and frowned apologetically. "Sorry..they're still my friends."
"I know," Kyra said. She picked up her jacket and put it on, gesturing at Jake to stand again. "We'll go spend some time with Kyrian. I'll bring my paperwork. Lets go." Grabbing a few folders, she started down the hall, not even bothering to wait for Jake as she went straight to the cells where Kyrian's 'room' was located.
Jake quickly stood up and followed after her, not wanting his father to catch him out of her company. Once they were at Kyrians room he smiled at the small boy and waved. "Hey Kyrian." He said in a friendly tone then waited for Kyra to walk in first.
"Don't linger," Dash told Talia as he let go of her hand once they were in her apartment. He had checked from the shadows for leftover police, but seeing none, he had stepped in to the light again. "Get what you need and I'll meet you by the lake. You can make it back ok, right?" He was reluctant to leave her, and his face showed it, but it would take less time if they split up.
Talia gave a small nod in response. "I'll shift into something that will get me there quickly." She said then suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his hands not letting him move back just yet. "You be careful, you understand. Any sign of danger and you get out. I don't want to have to come and rescue you." She joked but her smile was weak. She didn't like the thought of him going into the police station alone but knew there would be no convincing him otherwise. Leaning forward she kissed him whilst still gripping his hands tightly. Finally after a moment or two she stepped back, slowly releasing his hands. "Go on then. I'll see you later."
For a long moment, Dash was stunned, but then a lopsided grin broke out on his face. "Well, now I have to come back," he half joked. Still a little drunk on the feeling of their first proper kiss (despite the circumstances) he felt emboldened enough to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "It won't be long," he promised, then slid his hands reluctantly out of hers and was gone as the shadow cast in the corner of the room fell over him like sinking in to dark water.
Talia stood watching the spot he had disappeared into for a moment before turned and hurrying to her closet. Grabbing a bag she began to stuff clothes into it along with the few treasured trinkets she had been so upset to leave behind. Once she was done she moved to her bedroom door and peered out. When she was happy the coast was clear she hurried to the spare room and packed a bag with clothes for Dash and a selection of the weapons she kept stored there. What else do I need? she thought then paused for a moment to think.
Benny checked up and down the street, staying still for a long few moments before he decided it was safe enough to step in to the alley and set Fox back on her feet. "Notify who you can," he whispered, his words quick but gentle. "I'll get the west side and come find you. Will you be alright on your own?" He looked in to her eyes, hands resting on her arms as if to make sure she wasn't feeling faint. "You'll stay in here?" he removed one hand to point to his head. He might want privacy sometimes, but when he didn't have an eye on her, the constant contact was the only thing that kept him from tearing up the city to save her, whether she was in danger or not.
Once they appeared in an abandoned alley, Fox laid her head on Benny's shoulder. Taking a few steadying breaths she pressed her forehead against his lips, she closed her eyes and just stood there in the silence for a few moments. Sighing softly, she touched her fingers to his temples and finally answered. "I'll stay up here." Pulling away only slightly, she tilted her head to look up into his eyes. "I'll be alright. I have the weapons, remember?" Grinning slightly, she took a few calming breaths. "Okay... we'd better go. We don't have much time."
Benny nodded, but wrapped his arms around her again, this time bringing his lips to hers to give her a breath stealing kiss, pouring as much affection in to it as he could. When it broke, carefully, a moment later he looked in to her eyes. "I will find you," he promised. "We'll always be together." He rested his forehead against hers, just taking in the moment, then stepped away, giving her a last look before he stepped back in to the shadow of a dumpster and was gone.
I know...and I love you. Fox sent in his wake. Sighing softly, she glanced around the alleyway before turning and walking down the street. Licking her lips she realized they'd ended up right in the middle of downtown. There should be tons of abandoned buildings in this area. So she began walking along. She found one convenience store along the way that still had a good amount of supplies and started rummaging through it.
Debri on the abandoned store floor crunched softly under slow footsteps, but she wouldn't have to wonder long who was approaching her from behind. "Fox?" Ulf, his words as quiet as his footsteps, had seen her through the store window and immediately been concerned at seeing her rummage as well as other things. "What are you doing here?" he whispered urgently, glancing out the window before looking back at her. Or at least, that was what his mask direction said he did. "The streets are crawling with police-"
"I know. But... I need to gather supplies. We're leaving the city." Fox felt her heart beat kick up a notch at the sight of Ulf. Sighing softly she felt kind of bad leaving him... or well... "You should come with us. You'll be safe. I promise." Stuffing a few more things into her duffel bag she zipped it back up and readied herself to leave for another store.
Ulf stood uncertainly, though what the stillness looked like to Fox was unknown. Finally he sighed, tilting his head a little. "I don't want you to go, but I would rather you be safe. Don't worry about me, ok?" His tone had the slightest hint of a smile, as if trying to reassure her, but it was gone when he spoke next, stepping forward and holding his hand out. "Please, let me help you. If you need a place to go.. I know someone who would be happy to take you in. But if you would rather not, I can at least help you carry that." His hand shifted to point at her bag.
Fox held over the bag and smiled softly. "Hmmm it would be easier then finding a place our own. Thank you. But that doesnt mean I wont worry." Glancing up and down the street she made sure there wasnt any cops in sight before stepping out onto the street and headed into the next store. Glancing around she smiled at the clothing. "I didnt know there were any clothes left in the city." Jumping forward she began rummaging around picking out clothes for her and Benny.
Ulf chuckled slightly but waited near the door. "I doubt people have been concerned with fashion since the war.." he commented. He did, however, glance around at the racks. He set the bag down for a moment to retrieve an item from one of the racks: a black jacket with a cotton hood attached. He slipped it on easily and brought the hook up to cover his dirty red hair, then picked up her bag again. He took to watching her browse the store with idle amusement, even if his little smile wouldn't show on the other side of his cracked mask. She really was beautiful, her hair like fresh snow in the grunge of a world gone awry. The perfect blank canvas. He mentally shook the thoughts away and glanced out the doorway again to check for cops but saw none.
"Well it's not really fashion I'm worried about." Stepping into view she showed off her ripped jeans and ratty tank top. "As you can see, I haven't had anything new in quite some time." Seeing him pick up a jacket she smiled softly. "If you want your old one, it's in the bag." Blushing slightly she moved over to the jeans and glanced over her shoulder. Seeing that he couldn't see she slipped on a new pair. Smiling softly she sighed. They fit so much better than her old pair. Seeing a rack of tank's she hurried over to them and did the same thing, only this time she turned her back to him so that he couldn't see. Grabbing a couple tanks and a few pairs of jeans she did the same for Benny, also grabbing them each a jacket. She slipped hers on before tucking all the other clothes into the bag. "I think we're done."
"Keep it," Ulf told her in response to her offer to return his jacket as he glanced out the door again. "Maybe it can hold you when I can't," he added, somewhat quieter, almost to himself. When he looked back, he caught sight of her bare back, and he did not look away, but gave no sign of taking the opportunity for more than it was. You would look beautiful in anything, he thought as he watched her pick up more clothing. New, old, a lot, or a little. But he kept those thoughts to himself as he held the bag for her to put the new items in, then slung it over his back again. "Is there anything else you needed?" he asked, tilting his head a little with his mask facing her. He was more glad for it than ever, because she could neither be unsettled by his adoration, or annoyed by his scowls. He could show whatever he wanted, and she would know nothing more than his smile, which would only be if he spoke and showed it in his tone. He was safe, and he was glad it helped her feel that way as well.
Fox thought about it and then shook her head. "If I ran into anyone I was supposed to let them know ahout the situation and then meet Benny." Shrugging her shoulders she stuck her heqd outside glancing around. "So where is this friend of yours at?"
"Not far," Ulf replied, then paused to think about it. "In a city to the East," he clarified. He couldn't be sure what their definition of 'far' was, after all. Not with Benny's abilities. "In a city called Haven." He leaned out with her to check up and down the street, but seeing no one he stepped outside and motioned for her to lead. "Do you want to look for others, or are you heading back now?"
Fox wasn't really sure how long she'd been getting supplies. "I wasn't really supposed to go looking for anyone. Just if I ran into someone let them know. Everyone knows something is going on. We have a signal at the club to let everyone know." Shrugging her shoulders she glanced around. Benny, I'm ready when you are. Tapping her head she smiled. "I've let Benny know I'm done."
Ulf stared at her. Or, well, his mask faced her and he remained silent. Wasn't that an interesting trick, mental communication. He set the thought aside though as the soft scraping of sneakers on rubble announced that they had a guest and he turned to see the blond haired mage stepping out of the shadows in one side of the store.
Benny's first reaction was to smile at Fox, but then his brain caught up with his vision and his eyes narrowed on Ulf. "Who are you?" he asked, forgetting for a moment that he didn't actually need to be hostile. But there was something next to Fox that he didn't know- how could he, with that mask?- and he was not at all comfortable with that. He didn't get a response immediately, only a visible stiffening of the body as the man (he assumed by the build) stepped a little behind Fox. His hand fisted and raised a little. What the hell was so clingy to his girlfriend? "What are you?" he asked as well and was rewarded with a nervous wince.
"Benny, it's okay. He's a friend." Fox's eyes were soft as she looked up into Benny's eyes. Frowning slightly, Fox turned to Ulf and hooked her fingers through the duffel bag. "He has a friend that will hide us for a while. Give us a place to stay... It's a place called... Haven." She recited from her memory of their conversation from early. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a reassuring smile as if asking him to trust her.
Ulf looked at Fox when she touched the bag he still held. It took half a moment for him to understand, but then he carefully slid it off his shoulder and offered it to her.
"Haven sounds like a very convenient name for an escape," Benny pointed out as he stepped closer, still not quite trusting this new character but needing to be by Fox's side. She might not want protected, but he found it hard not to with a stranger.
A cracked white mask turned to face him and Ulf's body tensed slightly but he did not back away. "It is the real name," he said calmly. "Given to the city when the creatures came to power."
Benny's eyes narrowed. "What happened to the humans?"
"I do not know."
"Were they killed?"
"I do not know."
"How can you not know what happened to an entire population!" Benny hissed, still aware that there were police on the street. He turned to Fox, frowning. "How can you trust him?" he asked, motioning to Ulf with a hand that made him lean back slightly, as if he didn't want to touch it, or be touched by it. "How do you even know him?"
"I trust him because hes given me reasons too. And I met him when he found his way into the club one night." Fox planted herself in front of Benny, sensing that he clearly didnt like Ulf. "Benny, honey, you dont have to trust him... just me." Her eyes were soft as she forced him to look at her. Kissing his cheek she carefully handed him the duffel bag she had taken from Ulf. "Please."
Damn it was difficult to argue with her acting like that, even though he knew, somewhere, deep in a small corner of his mind, she was manipulating him. Whether on purpose or not, he wasn't sure. Still, he seemed to let it go, taking the bag as she wished him to and easily hung it on his back before turning to her with gentle eyes. "I notified who I could," he told her, needing the change of subject if he was going to keep his metaphorical hackles down. "I think word will get around. Everyone should know before long. We should get back-" His eyes turned to Ulf again and hardened. "He's coming then, I assume?"
"I have to show you the way," Ulf pointed out, almost as if he was uncertain they would actually need him to. "B-but I'll just point you there- It really isn't difficult. It's due east-" He looked and pointed right over Benny's shoulder then dropped his hand and turned his mask to Fox. "I'm not ready to meet all of your friends," he explained.
Fox looked into the eyes of his mask and frowned slightly. Nodding her head a smile returned to her face. "Thank you for your help. See you later." Giving him a brief hug before she turned back to Benny and slid her hand into his. Tugging him down the street she squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you let it go." Tugging him close she gave him a soft kiss on his lips.
"I didn't really have much of a choice, did I?" Benny replied rhetorically after returning the kiss. At least he didn't sound angry about having lost the little confrontation. Alright, so maybe it hadn't actually been a confrontation, but it wasn't so easy to trust strangers these days. He sighed and took the lead so they found themselves in a dim alley where it would be easier for him to Step. "I just worry, I'm sure you know that, so there is no reason for me to point it out ten times a day." He sounded tired, but when his honey colored eyes looked at her, he gave her a 'don't worry' sort of smile. Yes, he was letting it go, but that didn't mean he liked it. "Ready?" he asked, nodding his head (as one hand held Fox's and the other kept the duffel on his back) toward a nearly door sized shadow next to a dumpster.
Fox tugged at his hand gently. "Benny... you always have a choice. You know I never want to make you do anything you don't want to. So if you want to talk about this... we can." Sighing gently she shook her head, feeling bad for how she'd gone about it. "I know you worry, and I'm glad you do. The day you stop worrying is that day I should be afraid. I'm sorry this is how you found out about my new friend. I should have told you sooner." As they came closer to the shadow she nodded her head gently. "Ready..."
Benny stopped and turned to her, leaning down to rest his forehead against her, staring in to her eyes. He wanted to shut out the world just for a brief moment. "You don't have to tell me every little thing about your life the moment it happens. I'm not going anywhere, you can tell me whenever. I'm not mad, but I want to drop this. At least for now," he told her, keeping his voice so close to a whisper it was almost hard to hear. He wasn't mad, exactly, even if it sounded that way. He just wanted to get Fox away from the police and he was confused about Ulf, but he didn't outright hate him. Apparently he had met Fox before and caused no problems, so he couldn't be as dangerous as the Shade. Or so he hoped. He tilted his chin up and caught Fox's lips in a warm, deep kiss, but kept it brief as he turned away again and tugged her in to the shadow, vanishing from the alley as much to get them safe again as it was to completely end the conversation.
The boy looked up at Jake and gave him a nod, walking over to hold up the project he was working on. It looked to be a small balloon filled with water, but the balloon was clear. Kyra frowned slightly at her son's blatant use of power even though she didn't say anything. Sitting in the chair across the room, she opened a file and started going through the creatures captured the night before, her eyes scanning each page one at a time.
"Hey thats really awesome." Jake said as he knelt down in front of Kyrian to further inspect the boys project. "You're really clever." He ruffled the boys hair then stood up. "You might need to make room for another bed in here Kyrian. I might be made to join you." He joked with a smile as he glanced at Kyra, wondering if she would find it funny.
Kyra didn't smile, but Kyrian did. His concentration on the balloon failed and it melted, sending water to the floor where it rushed to the drain in the middle of the room. "Maybe we shouldn't make such plans so soon," Kyra said quietly, looking over at Jake. "We don't know how long you'll be with us."
"Yeah, dad will probably have me shipped off somewhere to keep me out of trouble." Jake replied then patted Kyrians shoulder. "I've got myself into a little trouble but i'll be okay." He said with a smile before moving to sit down. "I guess I don't have to worry about my dad wanting me to be chief anymore."
Outside the door, just out of sight, the guard murmured something to a new arrival, but after a few minutes, the talking stopped and soft footsteps retreated down the hall. Whatever had happened outside the door, however, seemed moot when an arm stuck out from underneath Kyrian's bed. "Nobody freak out!" Dash's gentle voice announced and the arm sticking out held its hand up placatingly, before it landed on the floor again and the blood mage hauled himself out from under the bed as if climbing back on to a cliff he had slipped off, looking a little flush faced by the effort. There was, after all, very little space between the bed and the floor. When finally he made it out and had stood, dusting himself off, he looked at the other occupants of the room in turn, then settled on Kyra. "Told you we'd come," he informed her, the words perhaps meaning to be smug, but held none of the appropriate inflection. He looked at Kyrian and smiled, crouching down to look the boy in the eye. "Hey, I thought I knew you," he said, his voice just a hint softer. "It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Dash," he introduced and held out his hand. They didn't have much time, no, but they didn't have so little he couldn't afford a little courtesy and explanation. He glanced at Jake, then did a double take, finally realizing his clothes. His eyebrows rose a little. "... Not your most flattering outfit," he teased dryly.
Jake jumped backwards when the arm suddenly appeared from under the bed but he quickly relaxed when he heard Dash's voice. When the other man crawled somewhat awkwardly from the tiny space he gave a small sigh of relief when he saw he was unharmed. Good..he didn't get caught and hopefully this means neither did the others. He rolled his eyes at Dash's teasing words then folded his arms across his chest. "Well its a good thing i'm not going to be wearing it for much longer then isn't it. Probably the next time you see me i'll be in prison apparel behind bars." He said with a sarcastic smile before sighing and unfolding his arms. "So are you here to take Kyra and Kyrian here away like we promised? Have you got somewhere safe for them?"
"Safe is relative," Dash replied, his eyes looking up thoughtfully. After a moment though he nodded. "But yes, and you, if you want to go. Doesn't seem like you'll be too happy here. Trust me. I've felt those prison clothes." He wrinkled his nose. "Chafing," he muttered, then relaxed and looked at the three of them again, still not rising from his kneel in front of Kyrian. "I need to know who's going now though. We don't have much time."
Kyrian was shooting his mother looks, and Kyra came over to stand behind her son, both hands on his shoulders. The boy looked at Dash with shy eyes and blinked a few times. "The sooner we leave the better," Kyra said in a low voice. "They are moving against you lot, as I am certain you are aware. That Shade was here, used Jake to tell them where you were staying. We need to go now." She was all business, but she still didn't trust that Dash would actually stay and help.
"Wait..you want me to come too?" Jake replied then turned away from Dash for a moment as he thought about his options. Finally with a determined look he rushed to the small desk in Kyrians room and quickly scrawled a note before pinning it to the wall with a very clear name labeled on the front, "Mom". Turning back to Dash he gave a swift nod. "Ready when you are." He said before ripping the tie off from around his neck and throwing it to the ground.
"You're brave to come. I'm glad to see you'll stay on our side," Dash told Jake and gave him a nod before giving one to Kyra. "We'll deal with the Shade, but I'll make sure to get you guys out of the city first," he said as he stood and lifted Kyrian's bed on its end. It took a bit of doing, but he managed to lean it up against the desk to keep the mattress upright enough to create a shadow on the wall almost the size of a regular door. That was easier than going under it. He didn't fancy falling while holding people. He looked back at his companions. "I'm going to take you first," he told Kyra and Kyrian, then looked at Jake. "Then I'll be back for you. Don't worry, you're safe- How long have we got?!" he called suddenly to the door.
"Another fifteen. I've relieved him for lunch," came a familiar voice, but he didn't introduce himself or come in to view.
Dash just nodded. "Alright, I'm gonna be right back," he promised Jake then turned to Kyra and Kyrian. "Let's go. It'll only take a minute, but it'll be cold," he said, more to Kyrian since Kyra had already felt it. He smiled though. "But I think you'll like where you end up."
"So long as it's safe," Kyra said, glancing at the door where the voice had come from. She frowned slightly, knowing that the voice can only be one person. Kyra took Kyrian's hand and led him towards the shadow door, reaching out her free hand to Dash. Kyrian had no such hesitations and stretched out his own arm, interlinking his fingers with the blood mage's, looking up at him with shy eyes.
"Okay..i'll just wait here then." Jake replied with a joking smile and a shrug. "Just get back soon, if my dad decides to check in i'm going to be in worse trouble than before." He added before glancing towards the door, curious as to who was standing outside. I wonder if it would be bad to look.. He thought before looking back at Dash.
Dash only gave Jake a brief nod before he took the two others' hands and gave Kyrian a small smile. "Deep breath, and hold it," he told him gently and, once he was sure he had, he stepped into the shadow like passing a curtain and was gone.
They reemerged with an effort, since Dash couldn't let go of them in the darkness (well, he could, but it usually resulted in people 'falling' out of the nearest shadow.... violently). Luckily the sun was low enough that he had them stoop and they sort of shuffled out from behind a boulder casting a low shadow. He let go of the two of them and let them look around. The lake was so far out of the city that you couldn't even see the tallest buildings, though Dash never knew exactly how far it was. He had never physically walked there. The earth was dry and broken except where it touched the water's edge, where it turned into a nondescript grey-green color. Dead trees and boulders, rocks, scraggly brown grass dotted the dry earth. The lake itself was a muddy dark grey color and had an odor to it, but it was nothing someone couldn't get used to after a few moments. The part he thought Kyrian would care most about was that the lake, despite the filth, was made of water. And at least it was sunny here, out in the open air. He didn't bother saying goodbye though, since he would be returning in barely a couple of minutes, and just returned to the boulder, dropping in to its shadow like a manhole.
"You're turn," Dash said as he returned to Kyrian's small bedroom. He was holding his hand out to Jake, but his eyes flickered to the door as it opened.
"Going to leave me were you?" Brandon teased, smirking at Dash, who only rolled his eyes in return.
"I can try," Dash replied with a half scowl, but then a little grin cracked his face and he held his hand out to Brandon, which he took. He would explain that at the lake and, not wanting to risk getting caught now that they had no look out, he grabbed Jake's hand as well. "Deep breath," he warned, more out of habit, and hauled them both into the shadows. Luckily, Brandon seemed familiar enough with the process that he was able to work with Dash to climb up and out of the shadows and let Dash lift Jake, much as he had done Talia earlier, out of the shadow. Finally, he came last, hauling himself on to the dry earth.
It took Kyrian a moment to blink, but he was still shading his eyes when Dash emerged with the other two. Kyra was standing close, watching her son as he reacted to being outside for only the second time in his life. The boy walked down to the murky water and touched a hand to the surface. A small circle of clean water formed but only lasted for a second before Kyrian pulled his hand away and the murk returned. He looked back at Dash, a small, shy smile forming.
"I thought you'd like it," Dash said quietly, even though there was no one around to hear them. He left the boulder and joined Kyrian near the water, plopping himself down on the dry earth just out of reach of the water lapping on the banks. He smiled at Kyrian, watching him see the outside world for what looked like the first time. He felt almost as if he had given the small boy some kind of gift, and it made him happy to see it was received positively.
"I always wondered what he would look like in the sunlight," Brandon remarked to Jake as he crossed his arms over his chest and grinned, watching the small boy on the shore. Then he looked up at the eternally cloudy sky. "Not that there's ever much of it." He chuckled and looked at Jake finally. "So, why did you decide to come along?" he asked conversationally.
Jake's eyes had widened at the sight of Brandon entering Kyrian's room and for a moment he had prepared to tell Dash to run fearing that they had been found out. But when the two spoke like friends he relaxed a little though was still confused at how he had never suspected Brandon. When they emerged at the lake he glanced around before turning his attention to the male cop when he spoke to him. "Do you really think my dad would have let me off with just a warning about everything the shade told him? He would have probably wanted to make an example of me..but by running away like this, I guess i'm saving him the embarrassment of having to punish his own son. I hate leaving mom though..I know she'll be hurt." He shrugged lightly as he frowned then looked up when he saw Talia approaching dragging two large bags.
"Finally! I thought you were never going to get here." Talia said to Dash in a breathless voice when she finally reached his side. She looked round at the group and smiled to each of them in turn before finally dropping the bags. "I brought some clothes for you as well as a few of the weapons I spoke of." She continued saying to Dash as she brushed off some dust that had gathered on his chest from crawling under Kyrians bed. She smiled up at him before returning her attention back to the group. "I don't think we've met. I'm Talia.." She said in a pleasant tone as her eyes settled on Brandon.
"I know who you are," Brandon replied with a smile that said he was mentally reviewing just how much he already knew her. "If I had not been on the force, I would have met you long before now. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to leave- But that doesn't really matter now, since everyone's leaving the city and all hell has broken loose. I figured it was alright if I made my escape." He looked at Dash who had put his arm around Talia's shoulders to hold her close, glad she was safe. "A year really is too long with those narrow minded-" He cut himself off with a glance at Kyra. He looked back at Dash and Talia. "Humans," he finished, using a tone that said he had wanted to use a less gentle word. He directed his smile to Talia and put a hand on his chest, giving a little bow. "You may call me Brandon, everyone does."
"Your work was invaluable though," Dash pointed out, a note of thanks in the words, which Brandon accepted with a nod and an easy smile. The mage dismissed it, looking around at the group to make sure everyone was ok before he turned his attention directly to Talia. "I'm glad you got back safe. The city is littered with police- I've never seen the station so empty. I guess that worked in our favor though."
"Tell me about it. It nearly proved impossible for me to get through the city with these bags. I don't really know how I managed it." Talia replied as she rested her head on Dashs shoulder. "Once I reached the outer city I had to risk shifting into an animal and running the rest of the way here."
"So wait..you're not human?" Jake asked curiously as he continued watching Brandon. "You had us all fooled, even my dad. So..what are you?" He asked again not sure if this was an appropriate question but couldn't help himself asking it.
It didn't seem to matter if it was appropriate or not because Brandon laughed anyway, easy and unoffended. "I don't think that really matters..." he replied after a moment and rubbed the back of his head as he dodged the question, causing his dark hair to ruffle all the more. He didn't seem to notice, or care. "I doubt you'll see me much after today- Where will you three be heading anyway?" he asked conversationally, as much out of polite curiosity as it was a reason to avoid the question.
While Kyra didn't like being in the middle of these creatures, she would do it for Kyrian. When the boy stood and moved over to her, she put both arms around him and stood by, watching the exchange. Realization dawned on her and she picked Kyrian up, letting him wrap his thin arms around her neck in an attempt to comfort her as she debated about just leaving. An officer didn't belong in this group. And now that she had her son, she could leave and go anywhere. Her growing skittishness wouldn't be easily noticed by anyone else, as it was just a few simple and small steps backwards.
"Well I thought we were all going to stick together.." Jake replied as he looked from Dash and Talia over to Kyra and Kyrian. "Aren't we?" He didn't like the idea of having to choose between the two groups. "You must have had some kind of idea when you came to get us Dash.." He asked as he looked at the blood mage.
Hearing his name, Dash looked up as if surprised to find someone talking to him. He had been rather enamored with staring in to Talia's eyes, but now he let himself adjust to the conversation he had barely been listening to. "Uh.. What? No, I mean, I didn't have a plan- Not that you can't come with us- I wouldn't suggest that you do- But I'm not saying you can't!" He was falling all over his words and he knew it. With an effort, he stopped himself, took a breath, looked upward as if thinking it out, then looked at Jake, Kyra, and Kyrian. "Look, we don't live the safe life- you know that because you were on the side hunting us not half an hour ago. I know, you-" He looked at Jake, then Kyrian. "Didn't directly do so, but you know what we face, and that isn't even the HALF of it. A lot of creatures would very much like to kill us too, that shade was one-" He thumbed over his shoulder lazily, at the nonexistent creature that was gods know where. "If you want to come with us, I am not going to stop you, if you want to go your own way, I can't help you." He sighed and moved his hand to point at Kyra. "But I'm fairly certain she doesn't want to stick with us."
"Yeah Kyra," Brandon took up the conversation. He was giving the human woman a look that said he didn't like her movements and it was annoying him, but was also rather amused by something she was doing. "You've spent plenty of time with me, and Dash just saved you and your son. Why are you trying so hard to scamper off in to the sunset, hm?" He tilted his head, causing a bit of dark hair to shift over his blue eyes. "I know you don't like us-" His expression darkened for the briefest second but it was gone before anyone could blink. "But if you can't bear to so much as stand nears us... well, I'm shocked." He righted his head and held his arms out, hands up. "I tried so hard to look tolerable." He frowned and looked over his shoulder as he heard the scraping of dirt, but smiled again when he saw Fox lifted out of the boulder's shadow, Benny climbing out after her. It seemed that was their usual doorway, then.
Benny dusted himself off unnecessarily once he was sure Fox was alright and looked around at the rest of the group. The tension-unease?- made him frown. "Hi.. everyone. Glad to see you got out safely," he directed to Kyra and Kyrian, then at Jake with slightly raised eyebrows. "I'm surprised you came along though. I had thought non-humans didn't give you the best impression.. despite my brother's efforts," he added at the affronted expression Dash had given him. He chuckled when Dash shook his head and went back to his half bemused expression, admiring his girlfriend currently wrapped up in his arm.
She didn't like the sudden attention put on her. Kyra's grip tightened on Kyrian, who was petting her face slowly with the hand that was still damp from the lake. She looked at her son for a moment before standing a bit straighter. "Forgive me for not trusting you all completely. But I've seen the pictures you took of Kyrian, and I know all too well what some of you are capable of-" She cut off abruptly and looked at her son again, her face calmly slightly. "What?" He didn't say anything but kept a hand on her face, blinking innocently for a moment before he leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "I know, sweeting. But I'm not sure if..." More whispered words, and her eyes snapped to Brandon. Kyra let out a sigh and let Kyrian down, standing there as the boy turned and looked towards Brandon and then Dash. He took a few steps forward before speaking. "Mother is afraid you will take me away like they did before," he said quietly. When Kyra reached forward to stop him from saying anything more, he looked back at her and she paused. "It is the truth."
Fox was completely disoriented when they came out of the shadow. Normally he warned her, this time nothing. Stepping away from Benny, she held a hand to her forehead. "Ahhh... damnit." Taking in a few slow deep breaths she concentrated on steadying her equilibrium. "Nice warning..." Sighing softly, Fox straightened up and looked around at the lake. "Wooh... its been a while since I've felt that." Finally she noticed that there were other people around them and frowned slightly. "Well... hello." Fox eased herself down onto her knees, just a few feet from the boy and smiled softly. "Well... then aren't we glad that we're not those kind of people. I would never hurt someone as sweet as you." Chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, Fox sent a small message to the young boy. "We'll have to give your mother a reason to trust us, now wont we." Winking softly at the boy, Fox turned her attention to Kyra and gave her a soft, open smile. "I know you don't trust us, and I completely understand. There are creatures that even I wouldn't trust. But I hope you give us the chance and we can prove to you that we are trustworthy."
"Kyra, I worked beside you for a year, guarding Kyrian and earning his trust. Don't you think if I wanted to kidnap him I would have done so by now?" Brandon asked with a raised eyebrow. "Really now... Honestly as far as we go, Fox really is one you can, and should, trust." He pointed to the woman kneeling in front of Kyrian. "Them..." He thumbed toward Dash and Benny, then made a wavering motion with his hand.
"We're guard dogs, people see our teeth. She should be more worried about you," Benny snipped at Brandon, but a smile was playing with the corner of his mouth as he made the accusation. He had taken up leaning on the boulder, almost sitting on it, with his arms crossed over his chest watching Fox interact with the little boy. He wondered, now that they were together, if they would ever have children. "Humans tend to worry about snakes in the grass," he explained to which Brandon pouted, causing Benny to give a huff of laughter.
"It was either come here or stay there and face whatever punishment my dad was thinking up." Jake replied with a shrug as he turned to Benny. "That Shade decided to come and pay us a visit and tell him everything about what i've been doing. I swear I thought he was going to explode when she told him it was you i'd been hanging out with." He continued as he glanced at Dash briefly. "Then she went on to tell him about your bar Fox and that thats were you were all hiding." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "If I ever see her again i'm going to make her pay.."
"Why would she do that? I mean..shes meant to be one of us? Why would she side with the humans?" Talia replied with a frown. "Or maybe shes not siding with anyone..maybe she just enjoys playing us off against each other. Its all a big game to her. I'm with you on making her pay Jakey.." She said then turned to look at Dash to see what the plan was next but stopped with a look of surprise when she caught him watching her so closely. She raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Whats wrong? Have I got dirt or something on my face?"
"It's not the snakes in the grass that concern me," Kyra snapped suddenly at Benny. "It's the ones I can see." Her eyes traveled to Brandon then, and she gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't about to let go of the fact that he lied to her. "Don't patronize me. I'm human, I'm not stupid. Why were you watching Kyrian?" With one hand on her son's shoulder, she kept her gaze leveled towards Brandon, wanting answers. Kyrian, however, was focused solely on Fox, and he raised one hand to put against the woman's cheek, nothing but fascination in his eyes.
Fox stared into the little boys eyes until he reached up and touched her. Placing her hand over his she let her eyes flutter close. She didnt let her mind wander, she just relished in the gentle touch of a child. Inhaling deeply she felt tears brim her eyes as she opened them. Looking up at Kyra she smiled gently. "Not that you dont already know, but you have an amazing young man here." Clearing her throat she stayed where she was, perfectly content. "So, who wants to hear the plan?" She figured once she put it out there and they began moving then the tension might dissipate some.
"I think that would be best," Benny quickly cut off whatever Brandon had been about to say. "We're not going to get anywhere by being waspish-" He looked directly at Kyra. "You trusted us to get you out of there because you needed help. We did that, and no harm has come to you. Just... relax, alright? No one wants to hurt Kyrian."
Fox nodded her head gently, carefully removing herself from Kyrian and standing. "I have a friend, who has a friend that can take us in. It's in a near by city, town, village of some sort. I've never been there but I trust the person who's helping us. It's a place called Haven just due east of where we are. It shouldn't be hard to find." Crossing her arms over her chest she glanced around the group.
Talia had been carrying on looking at Dash awaiting his answer to her earlier question when Fox spoke up of her plan. "Wait..Haven? I know it!" She exclaimed quickly as she turned to look at the other woman. "Thats where I stayed last night!" She glanced quickly at Dash before turning back to Fox. "Are you really going to go there?"
Kyra just looked around at everyone, not sure what this plan exactly entailed. She didn't want to go anywhere that would put Kyrian in danger. "This place, Haven, it's safe? You know it's safe?" Taking Kyrian's hand in her own, she watched and waited for any other reactions.
"Safe.. is relative," Dash replied much as he had in Kyrian's bedroom, though with a touch more hesitation. Rafe had that human in his apartment, right? And he hadn't actually said anything about committing genocide, so perhaps he only scared them out of town? There was a chance, Rafe had always avoided fights if he could convince people to do what he wanted after all. Kyra might be killed, but it wouldn't be on the spot so maybe they would be able to convince Rafe not to drop her dead on sight. It was Fox and Benny he was wondering about. He looked at his brother and his bother's mate with a frown. He really didn't know what to make of them asking about it. Surely they didn't know? They spoke nothing but awful things about their old master since... well, before they left his service. "Do you even know who's there?" he asked carefully, but he caught Benny's eye and knew he wasn't exactly going to get away with it.
His older brother raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowed just a fraction with suspicion. "Do you know who's there?" Dash shook his head, but Benny wasn't completely convinced. Dash would tell them if he knew there was some danger, wouldn't he? It took a moment of staring him down, but finally he forced himself to shrug it off and looked at Kyra and Jake. "I'm not sure either of you would be safe there," he said honestly. "But we- all of us- will do our damnest to make sure you are."
"Well thats good enough for me. When do we leave?" Jake asked after he had listened to everyone speak. He couldn't see what would be wrong with a place that Talia had already been to and Fox's friend had recommended her to. He didn't know that living within Haven was the creature that hated him as much as he hated her.
"Now... If everyone agrees to go that is." Fox glanced between the brothers and frowned slightly. Clearly there was something go on, but this wasn't the time to get into it. Glancing at Brandon she raised an eyebrow. "I'd like for you to come with us." She had grown very fond of him over the years, he did them a great favor in going undercover at the police station. Turning back to Kyra she smiled. "And just as Benny says, we will make sure you're safe." Her eyes fell to the little boy and her expression softened slightly. "Promise."
"I need clothes," Kyra said, gesturing at her uniform. "I can't very well be traveling with you in this." She let Kyrian go, who seemed intent upon trying to touch as many people as he could. He was currently standing in front of Benny, his hand curled in front of his chest as if he was too shy to reach out to him.
"No problem! I got plenty of clothes here. I couldn't choose what to pack so I basically brought everything." Talia replied with a chuckle as she motioned to one of her bags. "Dresses, skirts, jeans..you take your pick." She smiled at the policewoman then glanced at Jake. "You might want to change into some of the clothes I brought for Dash.." she said noticing he was partially wearing a police uniform. "And you too if you're coming with us." She continued turning finally to Brandon. "Girls clothes in this bag..boys in the other with the weapons." She motioned to each in turn as she spoke of them.
"With the accessories," Brandon corrected Talia teasingly and chuckled before he went to the duffle she motioned to. After snooping through, he took out only a pair of black jeans. He carried it behind the waist high boulder Benny was sitting on, giving the blood mage a dazzling smile as he followed the other man with his eyes. Benny seemed unimpressed though and turned his attention instead to the child in front of him as Brandon shed his uniform jacket to leave him in a white tshirt and swapped his pants, safely concealed from the ladies' eyes.
Benny crouched down, seeing Kyrian's hesitation, and offered a little smile. "It's ok," he said and held out a hand, his arm littered with tattoos that he took no notice of anymore. "I'm pretty normal," he explained. "I bet you're a lot more special than I am." He chuckled, knowing exactly what the little boy could do. Or, well, more precisely what he WOULD be able to do, given the chance.
Kyra had no such hesitations. She picked out the clothes and simply started stripping down, revealing the tight shorts she wore under her uniform as well as the camisole. Tossing the uniform aside, she pulled on the capri pants along with a t-shirt and a jacket. She transferred her belt so it sat underneath her jacket, keeping her gun safely concealed. When she turned to Kyrian, the boy was placing a few fingers against the tattoos, his hand leaving a small wet trail as he did so. "I am not special," he said quietly to Benny.
Talia chuckled lightly at how Brandon and Benny acted together then she playfully raised her fingers to her mouth and gave a loud wolf whistle when Brandon began to change behind the rock. She turned to smile at Dash and reassure him she was only joking but noticed Kyra suddenly changing in full view. Slapping a hand over Dash's eyes she leaned up and whispered in his ear. "Nothing you need to see." She only lowered her hand when Kyra was fully redressed and gave a small apologetic smile up at him. "Hope I didn't hurt you." She said then took his hand and laced her fingers through his as Jake changed into an old pair of jeans and T-shirt before looking round the group. "So I think that's everyone ready. You ready Fox?" The shifter called to the other woman.
Fox had been staring off at the city she used to call home when her name was called, her attention brought back to the group. When she turned around though, she was practically brought to her knees with emotion as she saw Benny interacting with Kyrian. Clearing her throat she nodded her head gently. "Ready as I'll ever be." She never thought they'd have to start over again, but even a physic telepath can be wrong sometimes. She'd have to get reacquainted with her powers if she didn't want to be surprised in the future. She could do that without dipping into peoples minds.
"You'll be more special than you can understand just yet," Benny told Kyrian, keeping his voice so quiet only the boy would hear him. When Fox spoke though, he looked up. He frowned a little at her expression, but he was fairly certain he should ask about it in private, so he looked at Dash instead, who was pouting at Talia and muttering something about why did she get to see when he wasn't allowed? "How are we going to take everyone?" he called to his brother and stood, holding out his hand to Kyrian subconsciously if the boy wanted to take it. "I might be able to take two, and maybe you, but that still leaves two."
"Oh, oi, I could take someone!" Brandon piped up when he stepped back around the boulder, buttoning his pants and giving Talia a grin for her whistle. He didn't look her over though, so he clearly wasn't having impure thoughts. At least, not for the moment. "Would feel good to stretch after all. I'm sure Talia understands."
"Oh gods, what are you going to do? Be a dragon?" Dash snipped at him sarcastically, but it lacked the venom of an actual attack. "That won't terrorize people at all." He rolled his eyes when Brandon pouted in response and instead wrapped his other arm around Talia, squeezing her close. "Maybe two trips?" he offered to his brother, ignoring Brandon when he gaped in offense.
"We'd still have to leave two people unattended."
"They don't all need us to protect them."
"I'd trust Brandon and Talia the most to be alright on their own. You want to leave her behind first?" Benny challenged and saw Dash visibly squeeze Talia harder, realize he might be suffocating her, and relaxed a little to let her breath. "Yeah, I thought not. Maybe Brandon can stay behind with Jake..."
"I can take him!" Brandon whined, then noticed what he did and his eyes widened and he cleared his throat. "Come on, I haven't been anything in a year but this dull shell-" He motioned to his body. "I'll stay above the clouds. Come on, please?" He put his hands together and looked at them hopefully and Benny knew he was purposely making his eyes that unbearable blue color.
Finally, the elder blood mage sighed audibly and rolled his eyes. "Fine! But I swear to god you get caught it's your own ass. Maybe Talia would like to travel with you, since she seems to know the way-" He looked over at the female shifter and raised an eyebrow as if asking if that was ok. "I could take Fox and Jake, and then Dash could take Kyra and Kyrian."
Brandon's face visibly lit up and he also looked at Talia, then he calmed a fraction to smirk. "What do you say, my lady? Care for a trip for two?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and immediately broke in to loud laughter at the dark look Dash gave him.
"I'd be worried, but I think you could take him," Dash told Talia without looking at her, but turned to her for what he said next. "Would you be alright going with Brandon? We could use someone keeping him in line and you would probably travel easier with him than anyone else. Well, and be able to get away, should something happen."
"Which it won't."
"Shut it, Brandon."
"So cruel, Dashiell!"
"You know, life's not always a game."
"Most of the time it is."
Dash turned narrowed eyes on the other man, but seeing the flawlessly innocent expression, he couldn't help it. His mouth split in to an unwanted smile and he chuckled, clearly trying to stop himself. "You can pull that off no better than I can."
"So... perfectly?"
"Only to those that don't know what lurks behind those disarming eyes- Seriously, you are just a lie aren't you? Down to every strand of hair on your head."
Brandon grinned in response. "Pretty much."
Fox had had enough, sure they were cute, but she wanted to move. "Boys! That's enough. It's settled so quit the bickering and lets get moving." Sighing softly, she rubbed her temples and moved to Brandon, hugging him gently and kissing his cheek she whispered, "Be careful and keep her safe." Nodding at him she smiled and moved to Talia next, hugging her close, tightly she whispered softly. "I'm sorry for how things have been going lately. Please forgive me, and keep him in line." Knowing she would she gently released Talia and moved to Benny's side.
Talia had listened to the boys talk, her head moving swiftly from side to side as she looked at each of them in turn. When Dash had tightened his grip on her, she quickly nudged him. "You're hurting me.." She gasped then relaxed when he loosened his arm. She felt intrigued as she listened to Brandon and couldn't help but feel a little excited that she was going to get to see what he really was. Is he a shifter like me? She thought then nodded enthusiastically to show she was willing to go with him. "Lets do this." She grinned then turned and kissed Dash. "Don't worry, he'll not dare mess with me." She whispered to him before pulling herself from his grip as Jake moved to Bennys side ready to travel. "You guys take the bags and we'll meet you there." When Fox approached her she hugged her tightly in return then waved off her words. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She said then moved to Brandons side, smiling at him as she did "Ready."
Brandon smiled back at her, but then gave a not so innocent little frown to her. "Do be gentle with me. As I said, it's been a while," he said, his voice fluttering, but then his mouth broke in to a grin again. He spread his arms, looked over his shoulder to smile at everyone, giving a particular look at Kyra to make sure their eyes met, then his shoulders bulged slightly and he pushed his arms down, his body almost seeming to fall away before their eyes as a hawk shot in to the air. It brought it's wings in and did a spiral before snapping them open again, leveling them out high above them. The sharp beak opened and let out a sharp call to the people below.
"Show off!" Dash yelled at him, shaking his head, but then he looked at Talia and he smiled softly. "Be careful," he said quietly and, with an effort, finally looked away to pick up her bags to ready for his departure with Kyra and Kyrian.
"Did you expect anything less?" Benny replied to Dash, but he too was looking at Brandon with a disapproving expression that lacked an edge. He shook it off mentally and turned to Fox. He picked up their bag and situated it on his back before he took Fox's hand, then Jakes. "Don't be long," he told Dash, who nodded, then looked at the two he was escorting. "Deep breath, think warm thoughts," he said, making sure they understood before he led them into the shadow of the boulder, having the crouch so they wouldn't have to drop into a hole, instead seeming to walk pretty much in to the boulder and vanish from sight.
Dash, bags now situated on his back, looked at Kyra and Kyrian, offering his hands to them. "When you are ready," he said gently.
Talias eyes widened at Brandons transformation before a wide grin spread across her face and she had to control the urge to jump up and down and clap her hands with excitement. She couldn't remember the last time she had been with one of her own and for a while she had started to worry that maybe there wasn't any. "See you soon and stay safe.." she called to the others before returning her attention to Brandon. "You call that a display.." she called teasingly then in the blink of an eye she was up in the air with him in her own hawk form, dipping and diving round him before she finally settled into just gliding effortlessly beside him.
Kyra watched as Kyrian moved from Benny over to Dash, reaching up and taking the mage's hand without hesitation. Kyra walked over, looking back in time to see Brandon's transformation. She didn't seem to react in the slightest, but inside she was screaming. Focusing on what had to be done, she reached out and took Dash's other hand, giving him a nod.
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