Jessi sits alone in an ice cream parlour

(Just come in whenever you like!)

Jessi sighed and tapped her fingers rhythmically against the thick glass in her hand, the straw in her milkshake shaking slightly with the movement. She was sitting in the window-seat of an ice cream parlour, watching people walk by outside. Having an entire booth to herself was boring to say the least, and Riley had made her promise to stay put while he scoped out the town they had arrived in yesterday. He'd said something about a suspicious-looking Dimebian, but she hadn't really been paying attention.
'Why couldn't I come along, too?' she thought to herself, her lips pressed together in a defiant pout. 'It's not like I'd get in the way...much.'
Just then, her hand slipped on the glass, making it topple over onto the table. Pink foam spilled everywhere, and Jessi panicked and scrambled to save the glass before it slid towards the edge of the table.

((Character is a Wolf Dimebian, about 6'6" or 198cm, broad and very muscular build, with silver hair reaching down to his rear ending around his tail. Body type like that of a pro MMA fighter. Pics of him on my profile in deviantart, just look for SiegfriedVonTraumen)

'Way too hot out. I haven't seen snow for weeks now!' This place was differently different from home the young man thought to himself. Mountains covered in trees and frost were far from this place. He needed to keep heading Southeast toward the barrier and he had to travel solo for once. At least there was a nice little stop off her. He curled his toes as his bare feet felt the transition from dirt to pavement as he entered a town. He had been traveling for days on foot and needed a drink. Didn't care what. Alcohol was tempting, but he needed something more nourishing. An ice cream shop. Why not, it had to be cold in there. He tightened his olive green sack around his shoulder and calmly walked in to the place. He felt a little bad about tracking dirt with his bare feet, but he was sweating and needed a seat.

Before he could even find a place to rest his feet some clumsy girl dumped a shake in his way. He wanted to just step over it, but she looked so....helpless. Like a wounded puppy or a kitten in the rain. He sighed as his conscience got the better of him. He flipped his dusty tan sack over his shoulder and dug for something. An old rag, that'll work. A bit sweaty, but it'll do. The imposing man, knelt down and start to wipe it up without a word initially and stood after his rag was soaked with pink goo.

"Careful there kid, somebody could slip on that ya know."

He strolled past her without a second glance as he just took the closest seat toward the window he could grab which happened to be two down from her. Old habits he supposes, needs to keep an eye out for anybody tailing him. He kept his eyes out the window watching the pedestrians suddenly self conscious of his patched forest green gi and formerly white wraps as he saw all the people walking by in nice clothes.

Jessi followed the trail of muddied footprints with her gaze, noting with amusement how furious the manager behind the counter looked. This man really didn't care what others thought, did he? She found herself staring dumbly at the dishevelled man as he sat down, apparently ignoring her for now. She was used to people ignoring her, even avoiding her at all costs, but she sensed there was something different about this one. He had stopped to help...that had never happened before. The fact he didn't wait around for a thank-you was unusual too, but she quickly decided she liked him. She liked anyone; until they gave her a reason not to.

Her eyes scanned his form quickly; white hair, blue eyes, alert and on edge. He reminded her of Riley, except this man was much larger and wolf-ish (no matter how much Riley insisted he was part wolf himself). A feeling of spontaneity blossomed from her boredom, and although she'd been lectured many times about 'not to talk to strangers', she couldn't help herself. He had started it! She rose quickly from her booth and bounced over to the livid manager still staring daggers at the wolf-man's back.

"Could I get, ummm...uh...gimmie a minute." The manager turned his attention to her, tapping his toe in impatience. Customers were beginning to pile up behind her, while she stared thoughtfully at the menu above him.
"I want...that big white one there with the cherry!" She said loudly, pointing to a picture of a double-cream vanilla milkshake. She couldn't read the name, so she was by default a pointer. "And uhum...wait...ok, that fizzy one with the ice cream!" She said after a pause, pointing again - this time to a coke and ice cream spider.
The manager grumbled as he got her order, sploshing the ice cream in with as much violence as he could. It came to her looking an absolute mess, but she grabbed it gleefully, handed him a twenty, and walked away with both drinks. He perked up at that, tucking the bill into his front pocket and looking around shiftily.

The happy cat Dimebian made a beeline for the man who has shown her such kindness, and plonked the vanilla milkshake in front of him. Cream went all over one of his hands, but she didn't seem to notice as she leaned down a little to reach his eye-level.

"You smell funny." She said, bluntly. It wasn't meant as an insult, merely an observation.

Somebody was leering at him. It wasn't possible. Nobody could have discovered him that quick. That would be a new record or something he thought to himself. 'It's alright. Everything is telling me that the manager is a push over. A heel to his ankle, take away his footing, then go in for the-' his internal monologue was interrupted by something as pink and bubbling as the drink that stained his rag. He turned to look at the kitten he almost forgot about. He noticed her ordering some stuffs with difficulty, but tried to tune her out. He thought both were for her in all honesty. With that pink hair and those mannerisms she looked like a sugar addict.

He soon noticed how much older she was than he initially thought; he wondered why assumed younger. Honestly he is probably only 6 or 7 years her senior, then again it didn't matter. As she thrust the milkshake in front of him he instinctively went to lick it off his hand; he was way too thirsty to care about manners. She either didn't care much either or was a bit accident prone. The comment on his smell caught his attention though. She bought him a drink though, but normally one would consider that comment an insult. Was she just the direct sort? He could understand that. Or was she...well...dense.

"Yeah.... Traveling on foot for two weeks will do that to a man ya know. Thanks for the drink by the by." he stated in a level tone with a deep voice.

He paused for a moment. He didn't like too many sweets, but never look a gift horse in the rear or something like that. He scratched the side of his face, his stubble was starting to kill him as he stared at the girl for just a brief moment before turning back towards the window. No threat. Definitely not the one he's looking for. Before he could zone out he decided to try and be civil, she looked like she wasn't going to leave him alone. He turned his head slightly back towards her, picking up the cold milkshake. He could now see the muddy footprints he left behind, wondering for a moment if that is why the manager was so furious.

"Looks like I made more of a mess than you, huh kid? Don't s'ppose you know a good place a guy could get washed up?"

Jessi beamed when the man seemed to accept her offering, and sat herself opposite him without asking, instantly taking a huge gulp of her fizzy treat.
"Two weeks?!" She queried without hesitation, eyes wide. "I can only travel for, like, half a day before Riley has to carry me." She prattled on. "Don't your feet hurt too? 'Spose they do. They're rather dirty, aren't they? Yeah, they are, why don't you wear shoes I wonder..."

She didn't seem to stop for breath as she appraised him, but did manage to get a few more gulps of her drink in between sentences.
At his question, she instantly gave him her full attention.

"Well, yeah! We got this hotel just 'round the corner, it's got an amazing bath and bed. Oh but I don't think Riley would want me to bring anyone there, he's very strict you see..." She said, dejected. "But there's an outdoor faucet-thingy in the alleyway, I think people use it to get grease off their hands. It's got soap and everything!" She made as if to stand up, chugging down the last of her drink and staggering a little on her feet.
"Ugh, brain freeze, haha!" She said, awkwardly.

His ears felt more exhausted than his feet at the moment as the chatterbox prattled on. He silently wondered if he should have just ignored her as she spoke. He gave the milkshake a sip around the time she was talking about some kid named Riley. Probably her boyfriend or something from the sounds of it. He was about to mention something about his feet as his claws clacked against his cup when she shouted out in discomfort. Between the hyperactive attitude and the brain freeze he wondered if she had any impulse control at all. 'At least I know she has a brain now' he secretly thought to himself.

"Wish I could say I know what that's like, but never had one in all honesty."

He tapped his toes as he thought that even a fountain would be better than nothing. The girl apparently wasn't much of a traveler and he figured she was probably on vacation or something if she was in a hotel. He needed to get out of this parlor, he was drawing enough attention, but this pink fuzzball was practically announcing to a captive audience. He didn't even need to look behind him to know the manager was displeased. Next thing she knows he knocks back his milkshake as the frozen slurry of slightly sickening sweetness slid down his throat. He slammed the cup down as if he just pounded a shot of hard liquor and admittedly let a small grin out in triumph.

"See? Nothin'. Now if a lady would be so kind as to escort me there, I think I'm meltin' that poor bastard's ice cream with my musk." referring to a patron a couple of seats down. He grew accustomed to his smell after a few days without a river in sight, but if the girl noticed, they probably did too. His silver-white hair swayed behind him as he stood and stretched out his back a bit.

"I might be able to answer a fraction of your questions then Miss....uhh....Kitten. " he mentions to her as he headed towards the door without pausing for her behind him.

Jessi pattered along behind him without a second thought, like an obedient puppy. "Your brain must have as many muscles as your arms!" She remarked innocently, pointing at his impressive biceps. She kept her distance though - after that incident with the Mickey-like receptionist back at the hotel, she was beginning to doubt just how much protection her gloves offered her.

"AND. It's Jessi, actually." She corrected him. "But...I've never had a nickname before!" She answered, visibly pleased. "So for today you can call me Miss Kitten - it's rather cute! I never asked yours, did I. I suppose I should. So then, what's your name? Or could I call you a nickname too?" She went on. He still didn't have time to get a word in as they rounded the corner into a narrow alleyway, but she assumed he didn't mind - he didn't seem like the particularly talkative type. Cool rain water dribbled down the moss-lined stones of the walls, collecting together in a massive trough at the bottom. She pointed excitedly to it as she talked, taking a seat on a wooden post nearby.

"If I were to call you something, it would be...The Vanilla Wanderer."

She wrinkled her nose at that, unimpressed. "Oh dog, that sounds like a movie title or something..." She sounded apologetic. "We should go see one!"

Bran muscles, where does this girl come up with this stuff? Oddly enough she seemed to have a grasp of personal space all things considered. Jessi, huh? Not a bad sounding name, at least he had something to call her other than 'Miss Kitten', but he wondered if she wasn't even slightly offended by that moniker. He practically called her a child in retrospect, yet now she likes it? He has to wonder whether it's this child or he's lost his touch with the ladies a long time ago. Her words deafened as water was in finally in his sight. Oh heavens he missed it, the life giver, the cool elixir, the wet....thirst quencher....stuff. Who cares what it's called he thought, he wanted to just strip down and drown himself in it for a moment, but he had restraint....he only ran over and dunked his head in.

"Bwah! Alive again!" he called out as he yanked his head back up, thick tendrils of wet hair flicking behind him hanging longer and heavy now. He tried to shake it a bit dry with little regard of who was in the splash radius as the hair that went down half his body whipped back and forth for a moment or two. He took in a deep breath before he squatted down in front of the trough to find his canteen in his sack. He didn't look up as he searched, but dreaded being called 'The Vanilla Wanderer' or worse all day. His full name was definitely a no go, so the shortened version would have to suffice.

"You can call me...Sig. ((pronounced like Zeeg)) And I'm not a wanderer. Wandering implies a lack of destination which I, my dear Miss Kitten, do have along with something to do at aforementioned destination." he replied lackadaisically.

He finds his canteen and uncorks the tops dipping it in the water to fill it. No telling how far from civilization he'll be if he ends up failing to find who he's looking for he figures. Hans will have his hide if he fails. The girl was nice, though he had to wonder how long she planned on following him. He couldn't exactly bath in this public place much less with a teenage girl not taking her eyes off him. He capped his jug and replaced it. He needed to lose the baggage, but then again leaving an adolescent girl alone in an alleyway added with the fact she seemed to defenseless made it difficult.

He was told the target tries to hide in plain sight, with lots of people. A tourist ought to know all the busiest cafes', hangouts, or hotels that they might be hiding in he speculated. He would essentially be using her to scout out the place, but he didn't know his way around town and being seen with somebody makes him less conspicuous when he's looking for somebody anyway Sig reasoned. He may not like it, but he needs to keep a low profile.

"So...a movie huh? That sounds good I suppose. Then we can do..."
He let out a small sigh silently under his breath.
"-whatever you want today. You know, fun, people, places. Repayment for the milkshake."

While on the outside he was placid on the inside he mentally prepared himself for whatever would come next. He needed to complete this task and to do this he just essentially gave this girl a golden ticket. A mental groan as Sig wondered 'Hope at some point I can properly wash up. Two weeks of traveling for this. I deserve at least a shower. Maybe some time to hit up a gym again. But mission comes first.'

((Character is a Cat Dimebian 6'1'', fairly muscular: More of an athlete's build. His hair light brown, fairly long, ends at the top of his shoulders. Somewhat tanned white skin. He wears what would be the current general style clothing in the town. Cool weather and somewhat loose against his frame.))

He had just exited a general supply store, restocking on some basic food stock, when he noticed an odd looking pair turn into a narrow alleyway. He was brought up as someone who tried to see the good in situations and people. His somewhat bull-headed approach to assessing things in his own view point, more often then not, got him into trouble. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his "goody two-shoes" ways getting the better of him this time. Though it looked like the pink-haired, smaller one was leadeing the bigger one into the alley, he couldn't be too sure. At the very least she could have been of one of the "Ladies of the night" from the local hotel, bringing a customer for a "sample" of their wares. He used the term "hotel" very loosely in his mind, creeping to the edge of the alleyway to listen in.

Hearing the prattling of the pink haired one, he quickly ascertained it was not his previous thoughts of hotel shenanigans. No way the hotel would hire a chatterbox like her, or so HE thought anyway. Nothing seemed amiss at the moment, just her making up movie titles and him finally dunking his head into the fountain, his thirst looking finally quenched. He tried to look casual to the others walking by in the street: Arms folded across his chest, leaning back against the wall outside the alley, looking as if he was just taking a rest. He listened intently, occasionally peering into the alley, waiting to see if anything malicious would happen to either party.

Jessi giggled with delight at the dramatic way her new friend flicked his hair, and blanched away excitedly from the splash back she received. He looked ridiculously like one of those models on TV, except...not a woman. The pink-haired feline eyed his hair with wide pupils - she had never wanted to braid something more in her entire life. She'd always admired long hair, but hadn't had her own hair so long since early childhood. God knows Riley was stingy with his. Her hands twitched slightly, but she managed to hold back.

She finally stood up, rather daintily brushing the few droplets of water from her white dress onto the ground, and turned to face him. Sig had a much better ring to it than 'The Vanilla Wanderer', she decided.
"Well, for someone who apparently knows exactly where he wants to go, it's kinda funny that you're leaving that up to me, now isn't it?" She said, cajolingly. "But I accept, Mister Sig! I think the movie theatre is near the hotel - I got sooo bored watching the ones that our room had. It was nothing but naked wrestling." She said, waving a flippant hand and walking up to the white-haired man.

"Oh, by the way-" Jessi whispered, getting as close to Sig as she dared. "...Is that your friend outside the alley? I think he's too shy to say hello, so I'm just checking. Don't wanna spook the poor fellow."
She'd sensed he was there for a while now.

Straining to hear what Jessi was whispering to the other person, he nearly fell into the alley, as one of the people selling their wares on the street propositioned him to buy something. He righted himself quickly, trying not to make too much noise, glaring at the merchant-type person. The demure merchant quickly walked off, their obvious self pride in their craft harmed.

He had missed what Jessi had said, but at least he knew the other one's name now as well as she had so generously proclaimed "Mister Sig". The obvious noise he had made earlier most likely alerted them, so he casually walked into the alleyway, pointing a finger directly at "Mister Sig": "Is this man bothering you, young lady? Young women such as yourself shouldn't be cavorting in dank alleyways with strange men." It obviously slipped his mind this "Mister Sig" could be a very good friend of Jessi's.

He folded his arms, waiting for a reply from either party. His gaze was fixed on Sig though, obviously pointing him out as the culprit for whatever he was doing.

He felt stupid as it seems even she picked up something was up when one moment he is dead set on his mission and the next letting her drag him around. He couldn't help it, he needed a low profile so hopefully nobody would notice him. Sig silently looks down as he wish he were a bit more of a eloquent and deceitful speaker. His mind was not stuck on admonishing him on choosing his works more carefully for long however as the naked wrestling comment him surprised him enough to cause his cheeks to blush slightly. 'Naked wrestling?! Calm down. Worst comes to worst people assume I'm her father or something. Right, I can still stay incognito with fuzzy here as long as nobody-'
Before he could even finish that thought, almost by divine intervention he decided, so did somebody she alert him that he had been discovered. Admittedly annoyed with the pink kitten as she not only distracted him, but now was attracting more attention than she was keeping it away. 'Hang around the girl I think. It will help me blend in I think. She's harmless I think. Well that's what I get for thinking I s'ppose!' Sig angrily thought to himself as his hackles began to rise.

A blond cat-based Dimebian. Looked a little lanky to him and like a civilian, but don't all the best ones do? Military? No, way too sloppy to just announce his presence like that, especially without backup. He was exhausted from travel, on his defense and his body urged him to naturally ready itself to hold the line. He didn't attack, if he attacked first somebody might see and run him out of town causing him to miss the target, but the bridge of his nose did wrinkle and his eyebrows furrow in response. This was a natural reaction of aggression cause the skin to pull from his mouth and to expose his sharp, predator fangs at the intruder briefly before he spoke.

"You best identify yourself before you throw accusations around. I mean the girl no harm and that should be that." he said with a low rumbling voice that was edging close to growling.

He couldn't help but stand in front of the girl, an old habit or person some subconscious instead to protect territory, whatever the case if this man was military he definitely wasn't letting anybody touch somebody he dragged into danger. His conscious would not allow it.

Drax rubbed his chin thoughtfully, lowering his pointed figure, "Your actions and words belie a truth that you are protective and not destructive to this girl. I retract my words." He grinned, saying, "Nice to meet you. Name's Drax." He stuck out his hand in a manner of "Handshake?" Drax's current mood shift most likely seemed strange to the two, but he puts on a kind face, masking any intentions of his, if any.

Still holding his hand out, he says with a warm smile, "I notice your are still soaked to an extent, and there is a power conduit a few inches near you. I would advise not doing anything hasty. You may inadvertently electrocute yourself." He shrugs, "Just some friendly advise." "You know...military probably wouldn't like you "tainting" a water source like that. But you two don't SEEM to be part of that particular group, so I'll let you in on a little secret. From what I can tell they shoot first and ask questions after shooting someone again. Maybe even after a third shooting..." He grins, "So maybe talking in such a way to strangers isn't the best bet. I'm sure off duty military comes through here all the time." He shrugs yet again, hand still extended, "I don't particularly like them myself. So, where you from, Mister Sig, "The Vanilla Wanderer" ? "

'What is this guy, neighborhood watch or a walking public service announcement?' he thought about the apparently bipolar feline. Could he be putting on a face to get him to let his guard down or for some reason he walked into a town full of personality disorders. While he talked to Jessi Sig tried to analyze this person to see if there were any weapons, signs of group affiliations or the like, but at first glance he did indeed seem like just a civilian. Albeit a nosy one who can accuse and forgive a person at the drop of a hat, the type of people who can't hold a grudge to save their lives which are exactly the type of people that confuse Sig.

At the mention of the military his face relaxed and his eyes narrowed on the man with slight displeasure at the mere mention. Sig was trying to discern if he was subtly trying to threaten him as part of it or just a novel gesture. The man was rather direct in trying to discern his alliance and seemed to be baiting him. 'What sane person just talks to two strangers about how much he hates the military when one of them might be a member? I obviously have combat training, and he even admits they're hanging around. Is he trying to get dissidents to rat themselves out? Amateur if he is, just a strange man if he isn't. Yet after meeting the kitten here I'm willing to believe the latter more easily...' he concluded to himself.

Still speaking in a slightly snarling tone, but decidedly less aggressive he stated cooly "One should not go around saying such things. If they are so quick to kill as you say, then shouldn't you keep your head down? And watch such talk in front of the kitten there."

Watch such talk? Ugh, he was already starting to get protective of the kid. Well who wouldn't? A seemingly helpless girl who now seems to be a magnet for trouble. In the past 15 minutes of being around her he's made scenes and drawn undo attention to his presence. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, subtly making the defined forearms known in case this man still had any ideas of trying anything against his wall of dense muscle.

"As to where I'm from I've been traveling for weeks. I'm running some errands, personal business that's all. I've got a sick uncle around these parts."

A lie, but he kept his tone level and hopefully he could get away with at least this much today. He was indeed looking for somebody though. An Asedai hidden around this town in disguise. He could practically smell the magical potential in the air, but something was throwing off his nose. It was like he got that chill up his spine as if they were right behind him, but that girl seemed a bit too simple to conjure anything akin to the arcana.

Jessi smiled knowingly as Sig stepped bravely in front of her, something she was well used to. Riley had done it all her life. She hadn't the heart to tell Sig that she didn't need protecting...or so her Mother had always told her. Why did people feel the need to, then?

She shied away from the open, expectant hand of the other man. The blonde cat Dimebian seemed friendly, but then again, people always seemed friendly. His mention of the military made her incredibly nervous...not only a few days ago had they invaded her small little town of Miir'Sau. She could never forget those intimidating helmets, and the way you couldn't see the wearers eyes until they were right in front of you. Hauntingly joyous laughter pierced her memory, and she shook her head roughly, as though trying to shake it out of her head.
Hand contact was one of the biggest ways people tended to turn on her, so although it was rude, all she offered was a tiny wave of the hand, an apologetic look gracing her face.
"Good to meet ya, Draxy! You think he suits 'The Vanilla Wanderer' too? I think so!" She chattered, instantly pleased.

'It's obvious it's 'men talking time' here, though.' She thought to herself. 'This is the most amount of words Sig has said so far.' But her heart went out to him when he mentioned a sick uncle.

"Sig! Is that why you walked all the way here, for two weeks straight?! Well, let's go pay him a visit, I'll buy him a milkshake to make him feel better!" She had obvious concern in her voice. She'd never had an uncle, or any extended family, and suddenly his quiet manner was beginning to make sense. He was worried!

((*Quinci enters the parlour whistling a cheery tune*

*Takes note, two guys roleplaying already, and only one girl*

*Turns right around and leaves the parlour whistling innocently* ))

((LOL I think y'all should start a thread of your own, yeah? I'm sure a brothel setting could be fun...))

((Quinci here comes another girl maybe!! May I join?))

LovelyKouga wrote:((LOL I think y'all should start a thread of your own, yeah? I'm sure a brothel setting could be fun...))

((Maybe, though I'm not sure how much roleplay time we can get out of that... Right now in the idea discussion they're considering a city setting and I was thinking Quinci could leave the brothel for new ventures, so I'll wait on that till the morning. If not I'll take the initiative.))

((A brothel setting, and here I thought this was a clean site Sounds sexy though. Wonder if Krista would frequent...))

A turn of the head as she once again grabbed the attention of those around her. He needed to think and quickly, he didn't account on anybody deciding to follow him if he said it was family. Then again, she was that type. 'God! I keep lying myself into corners! I am soooo bad at this, my first mission and I'm gonna fail it for sure! Stay calm, remember your training.' Sig took in a quick breath before exhaling out his nostril his face returning to a more neutral one of serenity for a brief moment. He looked at the blonde cat in front of him, Drax, and wondered if he would get lost more easily than the girl. Then again, he was already knee deep in it and just going to ditch them when he blew town anyways so he supposed it didn't matter. The thought of roping more people into his lie disgusted him a bit, but then again he is admittedly new at this sort of thing and figured he'd become tougher with time. 'No, no, no. Don't do that, could just get 'em killed later on. Better just ditch them now.'

"Well, you see, the thing is, my uncle moved here to get cared for so it was only recently meaning I don't quite know where in town he is...So seeing as I'll be wandering aimlessly don't see much reason for you fellahs to follow. " he told to the both of them.

He hoped he could get away from them and grab this punk, but it seems to be getting increasingly difficult to shake them.

((Haha WELL maybe not, after all, there's bound to be more to our porcupine friend than just him being a whore XD))

Jessi clapped her hands together and walked towards the entrance of the alleyway, a skip in her step. She was getting bored of this alleyway, but she was glad for the company for once. She wasn't about to let it get away that easily!
"That's okay! We could always go shopping for presents for him. You look really sad and like you wanna leave. The shopping square is two blocks away, but there's a LOT of people there. I mean, I don't mind if you don't!" She was sure Riley wouldn't scold her later, right? She had a lot of extra money, on account of Riley skipping bills for hotels and meals. She didn't like it, but she wasn't one to argue when it got her four extra milkshakes a day.

"And we can look for him together later, if you like." She suggested. He seemed a bit cagey when it came to his uncle, maybe they didn't get along so well. She turned to Drax and smiled brightly up at him, she herself being a modest 5'5 in height.
"I won't get lost, because you two just tower above everyone, dont'cha! You're like a beacon."

((Psst its light brown hair. XD BAH! J/k j/k. Blonde is ...cooler...? ))

Drax bowed slightly to Jessi, "It would be an honor to go er... present shopping with you, but I have some urgent business I must attend too." He looks at the sky, blanching abit, "In fact, this little detour has cost me time. I am late." He nodded to Sig, "I hope your "Uncle" gets to feeling better. Once again, I apologize for the accusations earlier." Grinning knowingly, he says, "Enjoy the present shopping..."

With that, he adjusts his clothing, turning on his heel and walks out of the alley, stopping at the end he quickly says, "I hope I don't get lost again..." Muttering to himself he walks across the street into what looks like the same general goods store he came out of earlier. Apparently going to ask for directions. Before he enters the door he lets something drop out of his pocket, purposefully or not is unknown. The object makes a high pitch clank as it falls to the ground, echoing across the street and clearly audible within the vicinity of the steet and the alley...Once again if this was intentional is up to debate, but Drax doesn't seem to notice its gone. The object falls to a rest very briefly upon falling on the ground.

Anyone happening to look down at in passing would notice it appears to be a gold pocket watch. Etchings of some kind on the top of it. A small ruby is set into the middle of it below the etchings, catching the light when shadows aren't cast on it. Obviously its very....shiny.

((Sorry for the slip up Drax! Wow, what a stupid replacement, bad brain, bad!))

One down, one to go. The strange brunette left without hardly much provocation, perhaps his luck is finally looking up Sig had to think to himself. The girl remained and even seemed to sympathize with this uncle thing he said earlier. He couldn't help his eye as something small *chinked* and shined in the light. He half expected it to be a grenade knowing the karma he's gonna have to repay, but it seems the feline just dropped something. Thank goodness. Not terribly destructive, but worth investigation.

Sig almost ignored the girl for a moment as he silently walked in the direction sliding some toes under it and kicking it up in the air for him to catch. He yanked it out of the air only to see it was just a pocket watch. Mind an expensive looking one. He didn't know jewelery too well, but that ruby inset on it definitely was a sign that it was suppose to look expensive at the very least.

"Hey Jessi, be a lark and give this to the man if you find him. Think he headed into that store, so let's hope he didn't leave...then we can go shopping I suppose" he asked the pink haired child.

He held it out to her figuring she may be best to return it as Drax held no malice towards her. Jessi's disclaimer about the number of people did not go unnoticed though. The more people in the area, the more likely he would find the one he is looking for. He was getting close, he could almost feel it.

The pink-haired girl folded her arms tightly across her chest, and pouted childishly. Her new 'friend' was leaving - was it something she said? Oh well, he seemed like he was in a rush, either way. Besides, she still had one friend left!

Jessi's ear flicked once - what was that sound just now? Turning her head slightly, she spied something small and glittering in the sun. Like a magpie drawn to anything shiny, her eyes lit up instantly. She couldn't explain why, but she wanted to hold it, just once, just...

Before she knew it, Sig had offered it to her, though she didn't quite hear his voice. Her ears were filled with an eerie and distant ringing. Those golden eyes never left the delicate, yet heavy-looking trinket for a second, but she felt a moment of hesitation. There it was, just resting in his palm - the red stone glinting innocently in the small amount of light anointing the alley. She swallowed audibly; reaching out for it with a gloved hand. It was shaking slightly, but Jessi hoped the older man didn't notice. Dare she risk touching his hand with her own? It hadn't exactly...gone well the other day. Her mind flashed back to the lovely receptionist (he was Mickey Mouse, she was sure of it!), and his judging and fearful eyes filled her memory.

She had to test it. She had to know. Without a second thought, she slapped her hand roughly onto Sig's and left it there, looking up at him with wide, scared eyes.

'Honestly, she acts like it's the most precious thing in the world to her. What's with that face? I wonder what she-' Sig thought as he was trying to judge whether she was interested in it as a fashion accessory or if it held some meaning to her. However his mind quickly blanked and a jolt of electricity seemed to snake its way from his ears down to his tail. His eyes focused on the girl, widening to take her wholly into view as the spark could only be one thing. And it would make sense Sig guessed; after all, he thought he was getting nearer to his target, but perhaps she was near him the whole time. It would certainly be ironic.

....'No'. Her face, her hair, her dress, her body, it didn't match the profile. She couldn't be the one. It was no disguise, no veil of ignorance to get him to overlook her, but she definitely had it.

'Magic'

Even the word alone rang in his head as both daydreams and nightmares trampled back into his awareness. Nostalgia and despair, a sickening mix to be sure. Easily more sickening than that vanilla shake earlier. Anger was ready to flare, eyes ready to analyze what parts to strike, and fangs ready to pierce her carotid artery, but something caught him. Something he saw all too often in those "blessed" with this gift. Fear. A fear well placed in this country.

His mind finished its assessment in only seconds as his eyes narrowed once again. They were fierce, blue and shone with the aura of an impeding storm. From an open upturned right palm he grasped her hand quickly with his paw easily wrapping around her completely. He did not apply pressure to crush her hand, only so she could not pull away. He pulled her in swiftly far before she could have reacted thanks to years of training his senses and movements to a fine point. It was almost automatic as his left leg slide a little to the side in case he needed to trip a fleeing girl as his left arm wrapped around her lower back to lock her body close to his. His stature dwarfed her as he leaned down very closely to her face, his hair falling in long silver-white tendrils at his sides almost as if to give them a little privacy. He stopped short of her forehead on that foolish pink head of hers to whisper into those fuzzy feline ears.

"You. Possess. Magic....Don't even play at a lie, so how about you come with me...that is, if you want to survive."

((...Hot. LMAO))

As that all-too familiar feeling churned her stomach, as the little bolts of electricity zapped through their connected bodies...and she instantly regretted her action. For there it was; the look that meant absolute rejection. She knew he felt it too - the fear, the disgust, the urge to lash out, the...wait. The realisation?

So, he'd felt this before. She didn't know how she knew it, but his reaction was so unlike anyone else's before. His eyes...they spoke of experience, and that scared her most of all. Most would pull away instantly, their body jerking in unnatural ways in order to create as much distance as quickly as possible; but the blue orbs spoke to her a tale of hate, deception and a desire to kill.
In all honestly, she would almost call herself...stupid. Almost. The need for her to test the effectiveness of her gloves was completely irrational; she had been so careful until now. Heck, it was the one and only area of self-control and moderation she had, and she KNEW how people reacted. She KNEW. What was it about that trinket in their hands that broke her resolve? What made her risk it, especially with someone so powerful?

Just as she thought of the trinket, she felt a second wave of static pulse through her at the prolonged contact. Sig's hand, much larger than her own, enveloped hers with a vice-like grip. And then he was there. Hands on her. Face close. His masculine musk assaulted her sensitive nose, and she could almost taste it. Controlled breaths and long hair tickled her face as he spoke to her in a low, threatening hiss.

She had never been this physically close to anyone before - it was foreign, it was sudden, and it was unwelcome. Her mind couldn't comprehend this, wasn't equipped to deal with it, and she began to hyperventilate uncontrollably, unsure of what to do. Fear didn't even begin to describe what was bubbling up inside her chest, choking to get out. Her breathing was so loud, she could hear nothing else as her whole body shook like a frail leaf. All she wanted was for him to let go, to stop touching, to leave her alone, for Riley to come and-
'Riley...where is Riley.' *wheeze* 'H-help. I'm sorry, so sorry for not listening. Where are you. Riley...Riley!'

"RILEY!"

The trinket vibrated with such force that it shot their hands apart, sending them both reeling backwards. Jessi's arm collided with the wall behind her, and she felt a sharp pain dance up her arm. The pocket watch hung there, suspended in the air, its ruby glowing a malicious red. The trough in the corner, long forgotten, began to froth; it's seething mass spilling out over the sides. Several red glowing bubbles rose almost mechanically from inside, and whizzed all throughout the alleyway seemingly with a mind of their own. Standing strong now and cradling her damaged wrist, the pink-haired girl looked Sig square in the eyes - her slightly shaken expression reflected over and over in the spheres of pulsating magic.

Drax had just finished asking the clerk directions when he heard the scream. Cringing as he heard what had to be Jessi scream out the name of someone named Riley. Cursing to himself slightly, he grimaced, wondering if his trinket he had 'accidently' dropped had had an adverse reaction to one of them. He wouldn't say it out-loud to her, but he figured she would be attracted to the 'shiny'. What they didn't know was it housed a one time magic charge in it. At his command, it would send a huge jolt of electricity to someone of his choosing, within reasonable distance. It had cost him alot of money, but he thought the risk of losing it didn't outweigh the needs of helping someone or himself if they had refused to give it back.

He couldn't be sure it was the trinket that had done it, but he bolted out the door of the shop anyway, concern clearing written on his visage. It quickly turned to half frozen between astonishment at the watch hanging in mid air and anger at Jessi clearly with an injured limb. He could clearly see she was capable of defending herself, however, the waves of magic clearly resonating from her. He cursed slightly again, looking around to see if anyone, particularly guards, had noticed the altercation. He tried to keep his voice smooth and calm as he spoke, "Jessi... I know your injured and angry, most definitely scared, but you have to calm down before anyone notices... " The last part sounded dumb before even finished saying it, the street was crowded. He was more focused on trying to keep Jessi from destroying the entire area around her. Or at least he had witnessed first hand what magic could do, he didn't feel like dying, at least not today. He didn't dare go for the pocket watch, but he kept its trigger words under his breath in case Sig tried to close in on Jessi again. He slowly moved around behind Jessi however, putting room between her and Sig. He stopped slightly to her side, more towards the alleyway they had come out of previously. He could hold his own in a fight, but friend or foe was blinded when battles began and he wanted to be in a position to help not get in the way at the same time. He held his ground, reaching his hand into his other pocket. He sighed, this one was even more expensive then that pocket watch. He grinned inwardly, at least the military gave him sufficient spending allowance, just as long as he stayed out of their way while in the city. He may hate them but he wasn't too good to take their money.

((Very hot....LOL. I swear to Dog he is not a rapist!))

His mind raced quicker than his heart it seemed. The trinket, the crowd, Drax rushing in, and now orbs of magic rising in front of them. So much had gone so wrong so quickly. He believed she was not the one he was searching for, but that feeling of magic could have came from the trinket he realizes. Questions filled his head with albeit a slight creepy of his own fear within him. 'What was Drax doing with something like that in the first place?! How did it turn out this way?! If the guard notice what should I do?!'

Sig should have know better. He was too direct. He should have realized that his body would have reacted on instinct whether he desired it or not. His face must have looked terrifying to Jessi at that moment, a young and naive girl. 'I'm so stupid! She thinks I'm going to hurt her now! Why?! Why am I so bad at doing, good?!' Thoughts of his trained warrior's edge, the reflexes and instincts he so prized being a problem began to plague him. Perhaps it was due to paranoia or his own naïveté about how this type of mission works or just so much magic being in the same town that his biological instincts got away from him. A hidden Asedai somewhere, a magic trinket, and now her.

HER. She was so harmless, so weak, a person in need of rescuing and now she was both proving and disproving that simultaneously. Her magic would be great to defend her against an attacker her, which was him at the moment it would seem, but at the same time he knew that if a single guard, soldier or captain saw she was done for. She wasn't part of his mission, his mission was simply to track down that Asedai, but now she was in real danger. His mouth seemed to act quicker than his body at the moment though as perhaps at least it realized grabbing a girl may make her think certain things.

"Wait, Jessi, you don't-!"

His head whipped around at the crowd as he heard people move closer to get a better look at their faces. More people were attempting to come in and gawk. They needed to leave, they needed to hide for a moment and lay low. It only made sense.

"You need to come with me, right now!" Sig said with desperation creeping a bit into his voice.

His nose was more sensitive than theirs, the military was already coming to see what the commotion was about. Their uniforms and equipment always had a distinctive smell; the polished and pressed smell that only they would have. 'If we don't leave this instant then I'll be captured and interrogated and Jessi will be....'

"Graagh!" Sig growled angrily at the whole thing, especially the crowd. As his feet rested on the cobblestone street he decided to act decisively and get the attention away from them. He actually turned from Drax and Jessi and leaped toward the watchers. He rose almost 20 feet in the air before he forced his legs down as he landed well short of the invisible barrier the crowd made for themselves. The force of his kick as he landed caused the street to crack and break into large stone chunks that jutted out of the ground, at least 6 or 7 feet tall a piece. Enough to give them a physical barrier mind. It was easy to do with the paving of the rode keep the now giant stone chunks keeping it bound together and the road wasn't particularly wide.

He turned to Drax and Jessi with Drax who seemed to be warning her about the military. He stated his distaste for them and he had to hope that would be enough.

"DRAX! Get her outta here before they arrive! I'll fight off the guards that are on there way here, just take Jessi and run!" he aggressively shouted at the two of them.

His actions had to seem confusing to them. If they did perceive him as an attacker then why would he tell them to leave. He just hoped they didn't stand dumbfounded as the military was now getting within a football field's distance of their location.

Drax licked his lips, weighing his options. He had no idea what Sig was up to, but apparently he was more worried about the crowd seeing them then attacking Jessi at the moment, for some reason. On the one hand, he could probably slip away into the crowd without too many people noticing, but on the other he felt some pang of guilt for even thinking such a thing, remembering some of the people who were cursed with this magical malady, that he had helped.

He cursed under his breath yet again, risking bringing Jessi's current magical wrath down upon him. Grimacing, counting on some of the mercy Lady Luck had shown him in the past he moved in towards Jessi, hopefully not coming into contact with one of the balls of energy. He gently, but firmly grasped her uninjured arm, pointing towards the alley. It seemed people were shying away from it, the trough reacting the way it was from Jessi's magic, "Jessi, we have to GO! Lead me to wherever this Riley, you screamed out earlier is, I'll protect you best I'm able. Though at the moment, you're seemingly the more capable one." He turned his mouth down in a slight frown, he knew in the past that such a powerful display of magic all at once was usually more instinctual, then controlled, and quickly drained the user. He got the feeling he may be carrying her, or at the least helping her along, a little while from now.

He had no doubt the military was already on its way, he couldn't risk them coming in just at the moment. Being seen like this would surely rouse questions he didn't feel like answering at the moment. He sighed, bringing on of the very few items he had been allowed, and actually sanction by, the miltiary, to have. It had a horribly short range, but he hoped it would reach at least one of the soldiers. It could intercept any communication channels the officer, they had no doubt sent with the group to handle this incident, may be using. He just hoped it didn't screw up this time, magically endowed items were so finicky some times! He also hoped he go the right channel, he hadn't had much practice with this, "This is er... Special Operations Officer Drax reporting any Officers currently assigned to deal with the uprising being reported. Crucial update has need of report. Do you read me?"

((I'll leave it up to Krista to see if it actually contacts anyone. Just in case she might have Jessi dart away or something. Short range and all that! If it does go through:))

He just hoped this would be enough to at least delay the oncoming military, so they could get away, "Target has moved far North from last known reported location. Pursue immediately."

Jessi hadn't moved the whole time. She'd used her bubble magic before, sure, but the red glow of these monstrosities was unlike anything she'd manifested before. Her magic usually went the same way - she'd open up the pouch on her arm, grab the small blue bottle of bubble mix, and use it as she liked. Normally, it was for fun purposes, such as creating a bubble to bounce on, or to sit inside and float as high as the treetops. But...those were always blue in colour, and always when she was alone. She'd never created bubbles from another source. Momma had warned her many times about using her magic in front of others; it could mean mass panic or even death.
And as the bubbles around her began to shake, she was afraid of what they might do should they burst. It was all she could to keep her concentration on them, keep them all in one place, keep them...together. And when Drax grasped her arm, her focus almost broke. The hand was unlike the rough grasp of the white-haired wolf man, and it didn't seem to cause the stomach-churning reaction in either of them. She frowned at that - what the heck was going on with her?

She could hear it now, too. The thundering footsteps, the chink of light armor, the panicked voices that always followed a military raid. The earth and pavement to the entrance of the alleyway was cracked and rose in large, foreboding shapes, effectively blocking it. Had she really been so spaced that she didn't even remember that happening? But, she knew it wouldn't last long. With the military came weapons, and with weapons...came bombs.

Turning her head to look slowly at each of the men, Jessi noticed their expressions for the first time. Sig looked almost panicked; angry, but ready for a fight, and Drax seemed highly frustrated, but with a kinder demeanor. He didn't blame her for what happened, but Sig sure did.
Suddenly the radio blared from Drax's hand. "Nice try, bucko. You didn't state your code name, might wanna remember that...if you're still alive."

'It's my fault, isn't it?' Jessi pondered. 'Well, I guess I should fix all this, get them out of here, do...something...I gotta do something. Riley will know what to do, he always knows.' The gears of her mind slowly began to turn, despite the urgency of the situation. She knew the others could hear the clanks, snips and electronic beeps on the other side of the makeshift wall; sounds that could only mean they were setting up a hearty-sized bomb. It worked in their favor somewhat - it meant the troops had forced bystanders back to a safe distance.

Sweating with the effort and pain, Jessi forced her injured hand to fetch the bubble mix from the pouch on her left arm. She pointedly shook Drax's hand from her as she did so. Face scrunched against the stinging in her wrist, she pursed her lips and blew a giant, blue-coloured bubble. It floated only a few centimeters off the ground, and was taller than even Sig. She stepped inside it, the bottoms of her feet now hovering off the ground with the rest of the bubble. She'd done this many times, so she easily found her balance on the concave interior.

Jessi poked her head out of the bubble and grinned at the two men.
"Dudes, get in, if you don't wanna be shot or blown up! This'here is a bubble shield...Riley's tested it before. It's sound, bullet and fire proof!"
Her uninjured hand emerged, too, and it seemed to guide the red-coloured bubbles away from them - towards the blocked entrance.
"'Course...I dunno what those bubbles do when they explode, but I think we don't wanna be in here to find out, yeah?"

Chaos was beginning to envelop the area. The military had arrived at the other side of his improvised barrier and even he could hear the sounds of imminent destruction. They weren't pushing past his stone wall which probably meant they were going to blow an entrance, storm the area in the chaos and take down anybody in the vicinity Sig reasoned. All too familiar a tactic. He lost track of how many there were and with those two behind him the explosives could harm them with shrapnel. His mind was attempting to focus on everything at once, but he had to react before he could plan. He could only faintly hear the sound of a military voice taunting them from what sounded like over a phone or something, but he had no time to look back to analyze it. Drax was a minimal threat and the girl he put in danger didn't seem like the backstabbing sort all things considered.

He decided to take the battle to them, but he refused to compromise his wall for an easy attack. As effective as overturning the stone on his opponents would be that would leave an opening to everyone behind him. As chills ran up his spine again like it did when he first touched Jessi, he forced himself to ignore the desire to look back or hesitate. More than likely the residual bubbles or new ones she would lob at him in an attack, but it mattered little at the moment. He heard her calling something, but the sound became deafened as he leaped onto one of the shorted parts of his temporary construct and then again to the top of it.

Sig stared down at the other side of the wall as uniformed soldiers with guns at the ready were barely taking notice at his presence when he charged at them from above. He needed to stop the bomb and drive them off and while close quarters combat was his forte it was hard to count how many were staring dumbfound at him and how many more were rushing to the scene. He launched himself upward into the air and shot down at the guard setting up the explosives like a comet racing down into the earth. A strong downward heel to his sternum broke Sig's fall and his opponent's ribcage as he wasted no time jumping at the next foe catching this one off guard as well with a swift diagonal overhead hammer, fist driving down into the man's face rendering it crushed before he could even draw his weapon. He delayed the explosion a little at least as he could barely make out the callings of Jessi behind him in the commotion of the brawl.

Drax didn't hesitate, seeing an easy way out and being able to stay next to Jessi, he jumped easily up at the bubble. Cringing, he said as he passed the bubble's surface, "I really hope by sound proof you don't mean air proof too, Jessi... I like breathing." Drax didn't comment on what Sig was doing, as far as he was concerned he had excluded himself from any help when he had attacked Jessi. He did admire somewhat the raw power Sig seemed to possess. Mumbling to himself something about "degenerates", he turned to survey the scene abit more closely.

Eyeing the bubbles with a great interest, despite the impending peril, he wondered what exactly they DID do. Or rather, how big of an explosion they would make. He knew first hand how much raw magic could be released from even a tiny mote, if the one wielding it desired it to be so. He smirked to himself, code name... Those narcissistical bureaucrats in the military's brass sure changed their rules at the drop of a hat. Or so it seemed to him.

Folding his arms he waited for Jessi to steer , trying not look abit put off by seemingly nothing holding him in the air.

That comment made her smile sheepishly. "Actually...I'm sure a friend of mine can tell you an amusing story about exactly the amount of air one of these holds. Don't fart, by the way. It tends to linger. You're taking this quite well, by the way."
She giggled despite the situation, and was just turning to see what the other man was doing when she saw a flash of white zip past her peripheral vision. She craned her neck up, and could just make out the distinctive silhouette of Sig before he crashed down to the ground - on the other side of the blockade.

"Lucky we're inside this bubble, bet we woulda felt that. What a knucklehead!" A hint of exasperation was apparent in her usually sweet voice. If he got hurt, well, it would suck. She didn't doubt him, though. That wolf man was a lot physically stronger than the average military soldier, who relied heavily on weapons and machines. Of that, she knew first-hand.

Naturally curious (not always a good thing, she decided after this experience), Jessi withdrew her hand back into the bubble and raised both her arms slightly from her sides, making the bubble rise slowly off the ground. The higher the bubble rose, the more its two occupants could see. And what they could see was Sig kicking ass. Always room for help, though.
Her uninjured hand flicked a little, and one of the red bubbles several metres below on the ground began to creep slowly into the fray. One of the soldiers attempting to sneak behind her comrade accidentally stepped on it, and the reaction was...explosive. It was like he stepped on a landmine, except his entire leg appeared to disintegrate - first the skin, then the muscle, and finally the bone. He keeled over on the ground howling in pain, while the rest of his squad looked on in horror as he cradled the bloody stump.

Jessi made a comical wince; teeth bared and eyebrows knitted together as she stared guiltily down at the incriminating hand that had directed the bubble.
"...Ooh. He'll feel that in the morning." She hissed through her teeth in sympathy.

At the moment Sig was in his element as he deftly dodged bullets and other attacks when they kept the pressure on him. He was a decent distraction and as they tried to circle around and surround him it only brought them all closer to him where he could easily take them down from within his strike radius. While they fumbled with revolvers he struck from a crouched position with an open palm smashing a lower jaw before quickly turning to his 5 o'clock and raising is opposite legs up for a strong high kick. However he was not invincible. As more came so did more movements to predict and more attacks to dodge. One soldier actually got in close with his gun and shot him point blank, two bullets entered painfully into the flesh of his shoulder before he tore the man down rather violently with his other arm reaching out and ripping down his throat as the soldier attempted to reload.

However a small burst in Sig's own periphery caught even his attention as a soldier was hold a leg now nonexistant and rolling in pain. This forced Sig to notice Jessi and Drax bloody freakin' floating in a bubble? What kind of magic and powers was that he had to wonder quickly to himself. To him it seemed very nonthreatening, but as he watched pieces of rubble and such ricochet off of it appeared to offer her some kind of protection...her and Drax. 'What are they doing?! If they were gonna escape then with that they should be long gone by now!'

As the shock began to wear off Sig sprinted away from the group currently working him as he ran at the wall of a shop jumping to the foothold around the top of the window and climbed up the side of the building. The soldiers reacted a little dully but managed to fire off several rounds at him as he ascended with bullets breaking through windows of some incredibly odd smelling clothing store and a stray one even hitting the bell straight through. He got to the the next level, a bullet whizzing by his head as he made a jump for the last few feet and pulled himself onto the roof and rolled out of the way of their attacks.

He hopped back to his feet knowing that they just seemed endless before he saw Jessi's bubble still floating there. He had no idea if she could hear him in there, but he attempted to signal her to retreat by moving his arms away. He forewent a military signal and ended up just waving his arms at her like a madman.

((I guess Drax is AFK so I'll go ahead and post XD; Man, we might need to get someone to play Riley soon!))

Jessi was horrified by what her bubble had done, but she decided not to think about it for now - she was good at that. There would be time for emo-ness later, after this little incident was over. All she knew was she wanted to put distance between herself and that still floating and glowing pocket-watch; the little bugger was the cause of all this after all.
She looked on down at the fray, impressed by the hulking man's agility despite his size. Riley was possibly more agile, but all of his strength was in his legs. After all, he was still young - muscles would come later. She almost laughed out loud when she actually pictured Riley with huge, bulging muscles. The shoe didn't seem to fit. While she was mulling the amusing image over, Sig seemed to climb the side of a building with ease - something Riley would have found more difficult. When Sig started waving his arms at her, she had to giggle despite herself.

"I think he's guessed this bubble is soundproof." She said, more to herself than to Drax. "Either way...he's a stubborn one, he doesn't seem to recognise a free pass when he sees one!" Jessi had had every intention of simply pulling him into her bubble against his will - at least that way he would be safe, too. But she had seen enough to know he was more than capable of defending himself...and then some, judging by the depleted number of conscious grunts. And to be honest, she didn't relish the thought of risking touching him again. It was all she could do as it was to keep her distance from Drax inside the cramped bubble. It had begun to shrink a little in size as they used up the air supply, and possibly, her magic too.

Jessi nodded at Sig, defeated, and raised her arms once more, directing the bubble to go East. The sun was beginning to set, but this would mean she'd be able to easily hide herself and Drax. She looked back a couple of times, unable to help the worry welling up in her chest. She was leaving Sig behind, but also...how was Riley going to find her now? She was supposed to wait at that ice cream parlour for him until closing time.

In a flash of 'brilliance', she remembered...the hotel!

(Nooo, not AFK XD. Just wasn't anywhere I could jump in since he was floating in the bubble XD. I'll def post when I get home from work. I could try to play Riley? I could pm you a test RP if ya want lol. I though I did ok in my fan fic thingy I did though lol. Let me know! ))

((I was waiting on you Kouga. As for Riley you should totally play him. Yes, I know that means conversing with yourself, but I don't suppose that's any different than real life....right? Other people talk to themselves too, right? I'M NOT CRAZY!))

As the bubble began to drift towards dusk he lowered his arms a little pleased that he finally did something right this day. His shoulder felt like it was being torn open even more as the gunshot wound and climbing a building with it only served to remind him of the bullet still in there as he attempted to catch his breath. Thankfully it avoided any major arteries or veins, but now that there was a momentary lull in the chaos with soldiers attempting to climb the building and finish the bomb Sig decided it had to go. Sig bit his lip, but caught himself remembering that he could easily bite through it when doing this sort of thing as his hand opposite the injury dug a thumb and forefinger into the wound. The bullet had thankfully not moved much and his claws easily grasped it as he painfully drug it out and dropped it on the roof.

Around that time Jessi was getting harder to see with the setting sun and the military men seemed more interested in the man attacking them rather than a fleeing teenage girl. He needed to make sure that they weren't followed and then he could elude them himself....somehow as he second guessed himself. The soldiers finally got some on the roof with guns draw and bated breath they fired upon him, forcing Sig to flee. Their hands announced where they were intending to hit and so dodged the shots were easier than before as he sprinted the opposite direction of the cat couple currently coasted casually towards. As he approached the edge of the top of what he now discovered to be some fowl undergarment store, which the military had now shot up, one got gutsy and sprinted full speed in an attempt to tackle him. Sig let his own momentum take this one down as a jump to the side saw him tumbling down into the alley from that height. He quickly was reminded that he was being chased as he was shot at again.

They pursued him further as he jumped from one rooftop to another, apparently these soldier a little more deft at high speed movement. He knew that they may try something drastic against him and he needed to find a place where nobody was around. Perhaps the edge of town would work. The smell he got off of the one that charged at him worried him as it was almost exactly like he had an explosive at the ready and was intending to use it one him. He had no idea what, but he didn't need to find out he supposed to himself.

Anger and adrenaline still coursed through him like a violent stream of energy, but his mind started to calm as he knew he at least did something right. 'Flubbed the mission, almost got two civilians caught up in it, and now the military is after me...I am so bad at being a good guy right now. Well at least they're not after her anymore. After this I'm gonna---' he thought to himself as a trap was sprung. Careless old wolf, unlucky old wolf. They flanked him without him realizing it as his attention was fixated eastward and he jumped onto the roof of a building lined with explosives. They used it against him the crafty bastards, or perhaps he was just an idiot who fell for it. In an instant he was falling into a burning void that used to be someone's business crashing down as the rafter caved to the weight falling down. From the outside it looked like it quite literally ate him as his imploded around itself as fiery debris collapsed onto their stubborn enemy. A man of muscle who was attempting to hide magical beings and they either caught and gravely injured him or killed the nuisance....A win-win situation.

((And yes, I was referencing the panty store from the manga. ))

((That wasn't the shop Drax was in earlier, I swear! What... he likes man thongs, OK?! XD))

Growing somewhat irritated, he looked at Jessi, stating bluntly, "We have no more time to wait on him, Jessi. Why would you even WANT to save him after he attacked you? We have to go. NOW. Take us to wherever it is this Riley is, like I asked earlier before you started making bubbles out of thin air." He did offer Sig a grimace as he saw the explosion on the roof go off. He had a sudden thought, hoping Jessi was powerful enough and just plain lucky enough to pull it off he turned his head to her again, "Jessi, listen to me. I'm gonna put my faith in you that you have at least some energy left in you, I know you're injured, and I'm sorry I'm going to ask this of you. But please try. Its the quickest way to escape. I've seen this done before..."

He points at the edge of the bubble, "The outside 'skin' of a bubble is reflective, almost mirror like, correct? Can you create one of these at any location in the city? If you can, I think you can do this. I'm kinda winging it here with the explanation, but here goes."( He said to himself, rather then out loud, "Or so you can understand it hopefully." ) "You know how two bubbles can sort of 'connect' or merge with each other if they are close, without popping?" He curls his thumb and index finger together , on each hand, to form two 'bubbles'. Putting them together he forms one bigger bubble by connecting his fingers together in a larger circle, "If you can put one of your bubbles near wherever Riley is, you could mirror our location to that bubble, effectively joining them together, our bubble replacing the other bubble and putting us in that location."

He emphasizes this by pulling his 'finger bubble' he had designated earlier as theirs back out of the big one and closing his fist, to show it disapearing and keeping the other finger bubble still closed to show one still existing. "I don't know if you can do it or not, Jessi, but its the quickest way to get to this Riley of yours. You think you can do it?" He smiles warmly, "I have faith in you, Jessi. I know we've just met, but I can tell your stronger then you think you are. You have it in you. Give it a try?"

She frowned a little at the comment. Why did she care? Looking away from Drax, she smiled sadly at her feet, observing the panicked Dimebians running through the streets below. The bubble had risen much higher at this point, and the people looked like little ants from up here. She nudged the bottom of the bubble with her boot, pretending to squash one.
"He...reminds me of someone." She stated, bluntly. "And he's one of the first strangers I've met who would rather fight with me than against me."
Right then and there, she decided to forgive Sig for threatening her in the alleyway. His reaction was to be expected, and to his credit, he hadn't tried to kill her or run away after touching her.

...Hm. There's a first time for everything.

She saw Drax wince slightly at something happening behind her (or should she say, below), but she didn't look. Sig had probably delivered another impressive finishing blow to one of the soldiers, or maybe another one had touched one of those red bubbles. Either way, it was difficult enough to keep up this constant flow of magic without distracting her mind with violence.
Jessi listened intently to her companion's explanation instead, trying to wrap her head around the concept. She tilted her head to the side, one ear flopping in confusion. He wanted her to...teleport?! Could she even do that? Dare she even try? It seemed a bit risky, especially with a scatterbrained rookie like her involved - and when they already had a perfectly serviceable shield as it was.

Turning to him, she placed a defiant hand on her hip, her posture full of sass and condescension.
"I uh, appreciate the vote of confidence, buddy, but...ARE YOU NUTS?!" She exclaimed, rising up on her toes and miming jabbing him in the chest. "What if we get squished like a pancake, or worse, wind up thousands of kilometers up in the air?!" She didn't stop to check her priorities. Her tantrum not done yet, she folded her arms across her chest, closing her eyes and huffing a little.
"Maybe you think you know magic, maybe you've seen it at work, but that's the problem." She mumbled. "You don't know how it feels."

Not even wincing this time, she raised her arms behind her and leant against the surface of the bubble. Her fingertips pressed against it. Small holes appeared around her fingers, and a loud whooshing sound could be heard all around them. The girl closed her golden eyes in concentration and inhaled, holding her breath as air rushed inside the bubble, making it expand alarmingly. The bubble grew five times its already enormous size, and her eyelashes fluttered for only a brief second before she let out her breath.
All hell broke loose as the newly-found air left the bubble in one burst, throwing the shocked occupant off his feet while Jessi propelled their bulbous vessel through the large city. They were losing altitude fast, but they'd arrive at their destination in record time.

"Screw teleporting." Jessi chided through cheekily bared teeth. "I'm old school."

Raising an eyebrow in amusement, slight irritation still present of course, Drax was just going to reply to Jessi's outburst when the bubble shot forward, knocking him on his arse. He let a small curse escape his lips, as he was vaulted forward slightly thereafter, smashing up against the 'front' of the bubble. His face didn't exactly agree with this new outlook, his nose breaking upon impact as he hit the interior of the bubble at an odd angle. He stayed pressed against the bubble, watching the city speed by underneath them.

Trying not to choke on the blood from his nose, he managed to tilt his head so at least the blood flowed AWAY from his mouth. He only hoped it was going to stay trickling down the side of the bubble, not flying in any other direction. He almost snickered, he could almost picture Jessi's face if a glob of blood came flying at her. He managed to right himself after a few minutes of stunned exasperation, leaning against he bubble instead of being smashed against it, he shouted over the roar of the air, "You could have warned me, Jessi!" For better or worse, he was stuck with Jessi and whatever motley crew she was with that they were speeding too, at least untill he could he was grounded again. Wherever they were going, he hoped they had some food. Of all the oddest things to be feeling, he was hungry , the blood he swallowed earlier wasn't sating it either.

He grinned through the pain though, this was more fun then had had in a very long time, magic user being involved or not.

((btw guys, don't wait up for me. I intentionally am keeping his fate vague for now until you guys trot along a bit to see where this takes us. Also need to finish making another OC for this. Not drawing, just designing characteristics and stuff.))

((Maybe the best way is to let us all control Riley, it would probably move the story along better, yes? Or Sig can play him for now, whatever you want to do!))

Jessi smiled with self-satisfaction, not noticing the blood. "Consider it payback for dropping that freaky pocket watch. You know, I swear you did it on purpose." She chided, only half-joking. Although she was quick to trust, this one she was still a bit wary of. He knew about magic...and in her experience, the only ones who knew were the military, and that never boded well for her or her family.

The bubble was getting uncomfortably small now, but she spotted her target through the blur of buildings - an oddly fancy-looking hotel full of friendly people. She knew it would be a bumpy landing, but it was unavoidable with her dwindling levels of magic. The bubble could pop at any moment!

"Consider this your warning, then, Drax! WE'RE GOIN' DOWN!"

Their vessel flew right towards a slightly protruding balcony on the second floor that she knew to be her and Riley's room, and with her last dregs of willpower she crashed it through the large open window. The sliding doors were ripped clean off their hinges as the girth of the bubble exceeded the frame, but they did not shatter as the bubble popped almost instantly. She lost track of her companion as she tumbled across the plush carpet, crying out in pain as she was forced to use her injured wrist to control her graceless landing. Her crumpled form slid the last meter or so as it crashed into the legs of a person in the room, knocking them clean over on top of her. He landed with a loud grunt and seemed almost too shocked to move for some reason.

She squirmed a little beneath him so that she was on her back, and the look on her face when she saw the boy above her could have almost cured cancer.

"RILEY!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her. He sputtered garbled sounds as he attempted to pry her grip from him, but gave up when it was obvious she wasn't letting go any time soon. Freaking monkey-like grip. His body went limp in defeat as he scanned the trashed room, but quickly tensed when he noticed they weren't alone.

"Jessi, I'm glad to see you're okay and all, dog knows you'll get an earful later, but...who is this punk bleeding all over the carpet?" His tail bristled slightly, a natural defense intended to make himself look bigger and more threatening, but Jessi giggled and noted how it just made him look adorable.

(SiggO can play him, I don't care ! I still say you would play him best Krista. XD Maybe just make a "THIS IS RILEY'S SECTION OF MY POST" ?? )

Drax grimaced as he saw the bubble growing smaller and smaller as they neared their supposed destination. At least he hoped Jessi was aiming for a window of this building and not going to splatter them on the side of it. "Wait, Jessi, just set us down on the stre-!", he yelled out as she called her warning to him. His eyes grew wide, looking as if someone had just killed a puppy in front of him, as they crashed through the window of one of the rooms of the hotel. As the bubble finally popped on the door frame, he felt yet another sense of weightlessness as he was thrown towards a chair at the far side of the room. Ending up upside-down ,his rear up in the air against the chair, he spit his own tail out of his mouth. Apparently it had ended up in his mouth as he crashed against the wall and chair.

He groaned in pain, fresh scrapes and bruises on his body readily apparent, as he righted himself. His bones and joints cracked in many places as he stood up straight, evidence of him having been cramped against he side of a giant bubble most of the way to this location. Spitting blood on the floor to clear his mouth, he pointed a finger at the two in the room. Stemming the flow of blood coming from his nose with the other hand, he said in a nasally voice, "I'm SO not helping pay for the damage to this room. Also, Jessi... causing collateral damage to a hotel with a giant frigging bubble is NOT old school." He coughed a few times, spitting a bit more blood before continuing, "Now then... Riley, I presume? I could tell from her horrified scream early that she holds you high regards." Not elaborating on why she screamed in the first place, he went about tearing one of the ripped curtains in small strips and using them as make shift bandages on himself as he answered Riley's question, "I am Drax. I have yet to earn a punk title, however. I tend to strive towards the OPPOSITE of such earned disregards."

Wincing slightly as he tightened a bandage around a particuarlly nasty gash in his leg, he asked either of them in general, "So... what now?"

((I'll switch to Riley now, I think! I'm a bit rusty.))

Riley grimaced a little as the metallic smell of blood assaulted his senses. A broken nose was personally one of his most common injuries, usually a result of slipping while doing a handstand, so he could relate to the pain. But this man seemed to pay it no heed, and brushed it off as nothing.

Riley held Jessi at arms length and gave her a quick once-over, relieved to find no blood but concerned at the odd way she cradled one of her wrists. Probably a hairline fracture - minimum healing time, sure, but she was not fit to defend herself for at least a week. He wished he had some ice or something to help ease her pain.
Riley's ears flicked towards the other man as he spoke to him, surprised to hear his own name in there. Jessi had obviously talked about him a whole lot with this stranger, a fact that made his eyebrow twitch with the beginnings of annoyance. If there was one good thing about how people usually reacted to Jessi, it was that strangers tended to avoid her. Had she blabbed and revealed too much, like the fact they were wanted fugitives? This man could be military!
He hoisted himself to his feet, pulling Jessi up with him and manhandling her so she stood behind him.

"Yeah, it's Riley." He confirmed, making a point to not reveal too much. Best to be as blunt as possible. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, his gaze unwavering as he appraised the man. Tall...much taller than himself. He'd admit he felt a little threatened, but he was sure he could take him in a fight if it ever came to that.
"Drax, was it? Well, it's obvious you got us into this mess...though with much help from Jessi, I'm sure." He looked pointedly around at the absolutely wrecked room, his ice-blue eyes coming to rest on the open balcony window - now door-less. He could hear an uncomfortable shuffling of feet behind him, no doubt Jessi was grinning sheepishly at her expertness in collateral damage.

"I dunno about you, but I'm not waiting around to receive the bill for this room. I suggest we leave immediately the same way you came in." He had to smile a little at that. "Preferably down the drainpipe."
Before moving towards the window, he followed Drax's suit and ripped up a bedsheet with his teeth, creating a makeshift sling for Jessi's arm. She made a grateful noise but eyed the drainpipe uneasily.