Non-HPU: Crater City

[Hlaoroo]

"All righty then. If you see Annie on the way out she'll set you up with your next appointment." Lightfoot says, tossing his gloves, washing his paws and then shaking Gregg's hand.
"It was good to met you. See you next time!" he smiles, opening the door to the waiting room again.
"Right then. Two down, two to go. Who's next?" he asks the waiting people.

~~~~~~~~
"Birch beer... That's like root beer, right? Nonalcoholic?" Kato asks uncertainly, unfamiliar with the drink.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"I suppose that should be me," Julian said, standing and putting his hands into his pockets. "Unless you wish to, Tigress?"

[DdeeStar]

Julian put a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't kill me," he urged. "I don't know why you seem to have regrets," he said, "but those regrets tell me that you did the best you could. Don't reproach yourself for that, it's all anyone can ever ask," he said, keeping his tone warm and honest.

"I'm fine. I don't ne-ed your **** pity." She growls, though her voice breaks halfway through. His contact paralyzes her, as her first instinct as to strike at him... but he's been nothing but kind, he's done nothing to deserve it.

"I suppose that should be me," Julian said, standing and putting his hands into his pockets. "Unless you wish to, Tigress?"

She slowly lowers her handpaws, managing to force a neutral expression and calmer tone, though it still wavers as she responds. "Go. I'd know if I was hurt." She waves him towards the door weakly, as if suddenly exhausted by the event.

Mist, acknowledging the situation, simply sits sideways in his chair, using Tigress as a backrest. He starts to hum a gentle, purr-esque tune as he continues to read. Any uninformed onlooker would just see him start laying against the tiger as if he had no idea what had happened, but he's learned that contact is one of the best ways to communicate with her-Julian had managed to make her take it peacefully, and his simple gesture had really helped stabilize her. She must actually like him... normally a negative trigger just sends her into some level of rage. Breakdowns are exceedingly rare.

[Deske]

"Thanks Doc, I look forward to seeing you again," Gregg says, accepting the handshake and heading out once Doc Lightfoot had opened the door. He stepped up to the counter Annie was sitting behind. "Hi, I'm looking to schedule another appointment and to turn this in," he held up the questionnaire. "Though, I probably should have done that before going in," he said with a small laugh.

[SeanWolf]

"Birch beer... That's like root beer, right? Nonalcoholic?" Kato asks uncertainly, unfamiliar with the drink.

"Yes it is and it is nonalcholic," Mordecai explains, "Personally, I enjoy Birch Beer a bit more then regular root beer."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Shouldn't be too long," he told Tigress before bowing slightly. "I DO hope you don't need to avenge me!" He turned on heel and headed towards the Doctor.

[Hlaoroo]

"All right, come on in, Julian." Lightfoot invites.
"Now, first thing's first." he jokes once the door is closed. "Fox, hare. Please don't eat me. Instead, please hop on the scales and then stand under the tape measure. Any preexisting injuries or other medical conditions I should know about?"

~~~~~~~~
"Sure thing, Gregg." Annie smiles, filing away the questionnaire.
"Any particular date or time you'd like? Long or standard consultation?"

~~~~~~~~
"All right. Birch beer. I'll give it a go!" Kato smiles. Suddenly remembering his manners, he removes his chauffeur's cap and places it on the bench seat beside him. His gloves he'd already slipped into his pocket as he entered the restaurant.
"Um, s-sorry. Forgot I was wearing that..."

"It's hardly a sackable offence, Kato. No biggy." Ryan smirks.

"Well, it's just, I know Tikbalang are big on customs and manners. I didn't mean to cause offence..." the chauffer answers, glancing nervously at the mayor.

[SeanWolf]

"All right. Birch beer. I'll give it a go!"[/color] Kato smiles. Suddenly remembering his manners, he removes his chauffeur's cap and places it on the bench seat beside him. His gloves he'd already slipped into his pocket as he entered the restaurant.
"Um, s-sorry. Forgot I was wearing that..."

"It's hardly a sackable offence, Kato. No biggy." Ryan smirks.

"Well, it's just, I know Tikbalang are big on customs and manners. I didn't mean to cause offence..." the chauffer answers, glancing nervously at the mayor.

"You didn't cause any offense, Kato," Mordecai smiled, "It was an honest mistake. Besides, I didn't even realize you still had the cap on."

[DdeeStar]

"Shouldn't be too long," he told Tigress before bowing slightly. "I DO hope you don't need to avenge me!" He turned on heel and headed towards the Doctor.

Tigress nods slightly, nothing to say. Even if she did, she's still not far from choking up again.

He stepped up to the counter Annie was sitting behind.

With that, Mist and Tigress are alone-or as alone as they will be for the foreseeable future. Noting this, he puts his notebook back, then turns his head to the side as he lays against Tigress's arm to comment with an emotionless tone "You're really out of it today. Figured if you were going to have a meltdown it would be while I was in there alone." While normally he'd lean on the word meltdown to make a joke of her electrically charged coat, he only really does the puns to cheer her up and that isn't his objective.

She stares off into space directly in front of her, Mist's tone making his voice unfamiliar. After a slow, deep breath, she replies. "I did. I... panicked. I accused Heather of setting up this hunter attack thing, and I thought those two were in on it too. I lit into them with literally no trigger. Then this, just now. Even though you were here. I'm just waiting for a disaster. Things can't go this well, but... they are, right?" She puts her handpaws against the sides of her head and rubs her temples, exasperated. "Or maybe that feeling is right. Maybe they are still hiding things from us. Or maybe they don't know what's wrong any more than we do. But this day doesn't end well. I-"

"Mom. Hush. Today we're smiling, remember? Seventeen. We survived another year." He pushes himself back upright and immediately she wraps her arm around him, holding him tightly to her side. While he wants to push the topic towards her fear of leaving him unsupervised, she actually seems to be recovering alright and he could ruin that easily. He knows he has to bring it up eventually, but right now, she just needs him here, and he's alright with just sitting with her. "Yay us."

[Deske]

"No preferred dates or times, just whenever there's an availability. and long consultation, I think. Getting an MRI done and I've never been a part of that so I honestly can't tell you how long it's going to take," Gregg says with a shrug. "Sounds like it could be fun though. New experiences and all that."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"You're the Doctor with all the pointy weapons," Julian joked back as he stepped onto the scales, "shouldn't I be asking you not to hurt me?" He stayed still for the measurements. "Oh, and nothing that I knw about. Of course, if I leave here in a similar state is probably up to you..."

[CyberDragon]

Wildfire, having trouble deciding on what entree to order (and still being very hungry from having his food earlier burn up before reaching his stomach), elected to order a sort of "Kitchen Sink" style platter with sirloin, ribs, chicken, shrimp, a bowl of Tutto Mare, a side basket of bread sticks, and a large cactus soda. He smirked a bit, seeing the waiter blink confusedly upon taking his order.

-------------------------------

With that, Mist and Tigress are alone-or as alone as they will be for the foreseeable future. Noting this, he puts his notebook back, then turns his head to the side as he lays against Tigress's arm to comment with an emotionless tone "You're really out of it today. Figured if you were going to have a meltdown it would be while I was in there alone." While normally he'd lean on the word meltdown to make a joke of her electrically charged coat, he only really does the puns to cheer her up and that isn't his objective.

She stares off into space directly in front of her, Mist's tone making his voice unfamiliar. After a slow, deep breath, she replies. "I did. I... panicked. I accused Heather of setting up this hunter attack thing, and I thought those two were in on it too. I lit into them with literally no trigger. Then this, just now. Even though you were here. I'm just waiting for a disaster. Things can't go this well, but... they are, right?" She puts her handpaws against the sides of her head and rubs her temples, exasperated. "Or maybe that feeling is right. Maybe they are still hiding things from us. Or maybe they don't know what's wrong any more than we do. But this day doesn't end well. I-"

"Mom. Hush. Today we're smiling, remember? Seventeen. We survived another year." He pushes himself back upright and immediately she wraps her arm around him, holding him tightly to her side. While he wants to push the topic towards her fear of leaving him unsupervised, she actually seems to be recovering alright and he could ruin that easily. He knows he has to bring it up eventually, but right now, she just needs him here, and he's alright with just sitting with her. "Yay us."

After receiving no answer for a while, Heather hung up the phone, figuring the call must have gotten disconnected. It tended to happen up there on the mountain sometimes.

With everything else out of the way, and with Mist's checkup being complete, Heather walked over to him and Tigress. She knelt down next to them to be at eye level. "Hey. Are you ready to continue the interview?" she asked.

[DdeeStar]

After receiving no answer for a while, Heather hung up the phone, figuring the call must have gotten disconnected. It tended to happen up there on the mountain sometimes.

With everything else out of the way, and with Mist's checkup being complete, Heather walked over to him and Tigress. She knelt down next to them to be at eye level. "Hey. Are you ready to continue the interview?" she asked.

Mist snaps up from the embrace, sitting bolt upright as he chirps "Absolutely!" He's beaming with excitement. Tigress pulls her arm back, crossing them across her chest. She fakes a light yawn and nestles her back into the chair, closing her eyes as if suddenly resting.

[Hlaoroo]

"Touché!" Lightfoot laughs as he wraps a blood pressure cuff around Julian's arm.
"Perhaps we'd better call a truce then." he suggests, jotting down the reading.
"Are there any issues or problems you'd like to discuss with me today?" he queries, shining a light into the fox's eyes and ears.

~~~~~~~~
"I see. We'll have to book you two appointments then, one for the MRI and one for the follow-up consultation." Annie says, typing away.
"The scan itself could take an hour or more depending on how much of your body the doctor wants scanned, and depending on which of your forms you're being scanned in. The MRI would be first and then the doctor can discuss the results with you afterwards. Did he give you any details on what he wants to look at?"

~~~~~~~~
Kato nods and smiles gratefully at the Tikbalang.

"So... Tikbalang are from the Philippines, is that right? How did your family end up running a town over here?" Ryan asks, keen for some conversation.

[SeanWolf]

Wildfire, having trouble deciding on what entree to order (and still being very hungry from having his food earlier burn up before reaching his stomach), elected to order a sort of "Kitchen Sink" style platter with sirloin, ribs, chicken, shrimp, a bowl of Tutto Mare, a side basket of bread sticks, and a large cactus soda. He smirked a bit, seeing the waiter blink confusedly upon taking his order.

Mordecai, after hearing the order, just smiled and chuckled before turning his attention back to Ryan.

Kato nods and smiles gratefully at the Tikbalang.

"So... Tikbalang are from the Philippines, is that right? How did your family end up running a town over here?" Ryan asks, keen for some conversation.

"My ancestors emigrated here during the Civil War not just for a new life but to continue in helping the innocent and spreading the knowledge about our kind," Mordecai explained, "It was a, how you say, up-hill battle at first as around that time? While Kaiju were known to exist back then, we Tikbalang weren't that well known in the US so we first were looked upon like we were demons. But after some time, we were slowly accepted to where mankind don't fear us anymore but rather look at us as protectors, as I've told you both today. As for running a town? Well the town of Thunder Bay, which was founded back in 1890, had human mayors for some time before 1931 during the Great Depression and we Tikbalang were first accepted there with open arms so the people living there thought it would be a good idea to see what would happen if one of us ran the town. So, during the mayoral election, one of us did and the town had both it's first Kaiju mayor and first female mayor running the town. Once they saw how she ran the town and saw how we Tikbalang really do care about the people and will always put them first before ourselves...well, a long story short, the council, along with its citizens, decided to give the town over to us as they felt we could run it. And just to answer the inevitable question: No, my ancestors did not fight in the Civil War. We helped in World War 1 and World War 2 but that was it and, even then, they were in the medic division and not doing any fighting.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"No, there's..." Julian paused, thinking of something he'd probably better ask, now he was with a Kaiju Doctor. "Um, I've been, um, wondering... Is there anything that could, uh, go wrong if we don't, um, grow for a long time?"

[Deske]

"Just the torso area I think. At least I think that's what we're limiting it to since the topic of choice was 'layout of internal organs'. Shouldn't take a super long time, hopefully," Gregg replies. "Even if it does, my boss is pretty lenient on taking time off for medical reasons so scheduling shouldn't be too much trouble."

[CyberDragon]

Mist snaps up from the embrace, sitting bolt upright as he chirps "Absolutely!" He's beaming with excitement. Tigress pulls her arm back, crossing them across her chest. She fakes a light yawn and nestles her back into the chair, closing her eyes as if suddenly resting.

Heather paused, realizing that Tigress wasn't coming with them. "What about you? Figured you'd want to be with Mist."

--------------------------

Mordecai, after hearing the order, just smiled and chuckled before turning his attention back to Ryan.

- - - - -

"My ancestors emigrated here during the Civil War not just for a new life but to continue in helping the innocent and spreading the knowledge about our kind," Mordecai explained, "It was a, how you say, up-hill battle at first as around that time? While Kaiju were known to exist back then, we Tikbalang weren't that well known in the US so we first were looked upon like we were demons. But after some time, we were slowly accepted to where mankind don't fear us anymore but rather look at us as protectors, as I've told you both today. As for running a town? Well the town of Thunder Bay, which was founded back in 1890, had human mayors for some time before 1931 during the Great Depression and we Tikbalang were first accepted there with open arms so the people living there thought it would be a good idea to see what would happen if one of us ran the town. So, during the mayoral election, one of us did and the town had both it's first Kaiju mayor and first female mayor running the town. Once they saw how she ran the town and saw how we Tikbalang really do care about the people and will always put them first before ourselves...well, a long story short, the council, along with its citizens, decided to give the town over to us as they felt we could run it. And just to answer the inevitable question: No, my ancestors did not fight in the Civil War. We helped in World War 1 and World War 2 but that was it and, even then, they were in the medic division and not doing any fighting.

"You... you know each of these dishes is meant to serve a group of four, right?" The waiter asked as Titus tried to clarify what he was ordering.
"I'm aware. It's not all for me. I'll be taking most of it to go." Titus explained.

The waiter nodded, took the order, and left. Meanwhile, Titus listened to Mordecai's explanation of the origins of the town and how the Tikbalang came to take charge. "Interesting." he said. "That's a pretty powerful tradition, if Tikbalang have been consistently elected in every election for nearly a century. Has nobody else even run for the office?" he asked, somewhat curious and, frankly, a bit concerned.

[SeanWolf]

Meanwhile, Titus listened to Mordecai's explanation of the origins of the town and how the Tikbalang came to take charge. "Interesting." he said. "That's a pretty powerful tradition, if Tikbalang have been consistently elected in every election for nearly a century. Has nobody else even run for the office?" he asked, somewhat curious and, frankly, a bit concerned.

"Yes and there has been non-Tikbalang mayors throughout Thunder Bay's history. Just that the past couple of years, there hasn't been. When I said that they 'decided to give the town over to us as they felt we could run it,' I meant we work along side both the mayor (if a Tikbalang isn't mayor) and council to ensure the safety of our people as, again, we Tikbalang always put the people first before us. If my wording earlier seemed odd then I do apologize and I do understand your concern in your tone but you have to remember: We Tikbalang are not like the rest of the Kaijus on the planet, hence why humans can feel both trust and safe around us." Mordecai explained, taking a sip of the wine from his glass.

[DdeeStar]

Heather paused, realizing that Tigress wasn't coming with them. "What about you? Figured you'd want to be with Mist."

Doesn't take even that much to have her on her feet and ready to go, arms crossed and smiling happily. Then she remembers why she had been sitting there so long and turns to Mist, about to ask a question when he cuts her off with a reply to her unspoken question. "It's not that I don't want you around me I was just kinda sorta worried it would be like a full physical sorta thing and I really did not want you in the room for that ANYWAY please come with I'm gonna really look dumb if I forget the power words." Managing to finish his line he gives her an embarrassed smile. Having not quite caught the quiet bit of what he said she just gives him a confused look, then smiles in turn.

"You know the words. You speak Yasal as well as I do, you liar." She shakes her head at him as if disappointed, then turns to Heather. "But, yeah I'm coming. Thanks for the offer." Tigress seems really happy about this, though she's still trying to keep her emotions in check. Mist notices this and gives Heather a pleased smile in thanks for clarifying, fidgeting with the edge of his cape in his off-hand as he tries to guess what the test will be. Presumably about his powers, which is the one he needs to worry about since he has so little practice... he starts reviewing the words to his 'spells' in his head. Tigress isn't wrong, but his tongue slipping in a stressful situation is not beyond the realm of possibility.

[Hlaoroo]

"No, there's..." Julian paused, thinking of something he'd probably better ask, now he was with a Kaiju Doctor. "Um, I've been, um, wondering... Is there anything that could, uh, go wrong if we don't, um, grow for a long time?"

"Not usually." Lightfoot answers thoughtfully. "It's usually only specific powers or body types that can cause problems. Dragons, for instance, can easily overheat in human form. You're not a dragon, are you?" he half-jokes, as a buzzing machine squeezes Julian's arm, taking his blood pressure.
"Have you experienced any problems or issues?" he asks seriously.

~~~~~~~~
"All right then. Would you prefer morning or afternoon? I can fit you in next Tuesday if you like. I've had a cancellation in the morning, or the afternoon slot is, unusually, still free."

~~~~~~~~

"We Tikbalang are not like the rest of the Kaijus on the planet, hence why humans can feel both trust and safe around us." Mordecai explained, taking a sip of the wine from his glass.

Ryan can't help but snort a little.
"Ouch. Do you, uh, maybe wanna rephrase that last bit?" he asks with a wonky grin.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Oh, no no," Julian explained, "I'm just me. Just... about 140ft taller is all." He grimaced, "It kinda does impact any personal, private, life when people can see you from seventeen blocks away - and the logo on your shirt becomes a mighty advert in the sky," he added with a wry grin. "which is kinda why I haven't, uh, 'gone up' for about..." he thought as the pressure monitor did its work, "...at least eighteen months?"

[SeanWolf]

Ryan can't help but snort a little.
"Ouch. Do you, uh, maybe wanna rephrase that last bit?" he asks with a wonky grin.

Confused at first, he then realized what he said, "I didn't mean it like that as there are plenty of other Kaijus humans can trust, don't get me wrong. I mean in a sense that we don't behave like a what one would usually associate with when they hear the word 'kaiju'. Let me put it like this: Due to our legacy, we are one of the few who can easily tell someone who we really are and can transform in front of them without giving them fifty heart-attacks. I know some of you are not the biggest fan of that idea..." he said while shooting a quick aside glance, with a small smile, to Wildfire, "...and rather we stay secret due to the presence of Kaiju Hunters, but that's just not the Tikbalang way. To be honest, those hunters never bother us thanks to the government passing something back in...think it was 1972, I don't recall when or the actual name of the law at the moment...plus, Thunder Bay actually have a few working for us as rouge Kaiju spotters..." his attention then turned to Wildfire, "Actually, speaking of governments and laws...hope you don't mind me saying, but I wouldn't have taken you as a government official. What made you take that job?"

[CyberDragon]

Doesn't take even that much to have her on her feet and ready to go, arms crossed and smiling happily. Then she remembers why she had been sitting there so long and turns to Mist, about to ask a question when he cuts her off with a reply to her unspoken question. "It's not that I don't want you around me I was just kinda sorta worried it would be like a full physical sorta thing and I really did not want you in the room for that ANYWAY please come with I'm gonna really look dumb if I forget the power words." Managing to finish his line he gives her an embarrassed smile. Having not quite caught the quiet bit of what he said she just gives him a confused look, then smiles in turn.

"You know the words. You speak Yasal as well as I do, you liar." She shakes her head at him as if disappointed, then turns to Heather. "But, yeah I'm coming. Thanks for the offer." Tigress seems really happy about this, though she's still trying to keep her emotions in check. Mist notices this and gives Heather a pleased smile in thanks for clarifying, fidgeting with the edge of his cape in his off-hand as he tries to guess what the test will be. Presumably about his powers, which is the one he needs to worry about since he has so little practice... he starts reviewing the words to his 'spells' in his head. Tigress isn't wrong, but his tongue slipping in a stressful situation is not beyond the realm of possibility.

"You won't have to demonstrate your powers." Heather said, leading the way down the halls. "We don't have the space for that anyway. Besides, practicing and learning about whatever powers you have is part of training, not eligibility."

The group finally came upon a door leading to what looked like an empty meeting room. There was a long table in the middle, a projection screen on one of the walls, and simple office chairs running around the table. Heather ushered the felines inside and shut the door. She took a seat on the far side of the table and pulled out some paperwork. "This shouldn't take much longer. I suppose now's a good time for me to ask if you have any questions about the KDF, what you'll be doing, what benefits you'll receive, or whatever you think you need to know before committing to the KDF."

-----------------------------------

Confused at first, he then realized what he said, "I didn't mean it like that as there are plenty of other Kaijus humans can trust, don't get me wrong. I mean in a sense that we don't behave like a what one would usually associate with when they hear the word 'kaiju'. Let me put it like this: Due to our legacy, we are one of the few who can easily tell someone who we really are and can transform in front of them without giving them fifty heart-attacks. I know some of you are not the biggest fan of that idea..." he said while shooting a quick aside glance, with a small smile, to Wildfire, "...and rather we stay secret due to the presence of Kaiju Hunters, but that's just not the Tikbalang way. To be honest, those hunters never bother us thanks to the government passing something back in...think it was 1972, I don't recall when or the actual name of the law at the moment...plus, Thunder Bay actually have a few working for us as rouge Kaiju spotters..." his attention then turned to Wildfire, "Actually, speaking of governments and laws...hope you don't mind me saying, but I wouldn't have taken you as a government official. What made you take that job?"

"I wasn't originally a member of the military." Wildfire explained. "But I've always tried to protect people. I'd go after Leviathans that threatened fishing boats, or talk down rogue Kaiju when something sets them off. Eventually, the military contacted me. Now, it's illegal for Kaiju to be deployed overseas ever since World War II, Tikbalang included. We're considered WMDs. That said, There's nothing stating we can't defend the homeland. Through this idea, and with me as one of the first Kaiju to join in the idea, the KDF was founded. I was the most recognizable face in the group, so I did a lot of the political, diplomatic, and PR stuff. Eventually I rose through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel." He let out a small laugh. "Honestly, not that hard to do when there's only fifteen or so people in the entire branch of the military."

Titus shifted his position in his seat and adjusted his posture. He sat up straight, but rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to correct you on something, though. The hunters don't leave you alone because it's illegal to go after Tikbalang. I know that because it's illegal to go after any Kaiju. They don't care. Rather, you aren't bothered by hunters because you live in a small enough town such that anyone who might have the desire to hurt you likely doesn't have the resources."

Titus leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles, looking at Mordecai. "I'll let you in on a warning. It doesn't matter how much good you've done. The hunters don't see it. They only see your potential. They look at all of us and see monsters that could swallow a school bus on a whim, nevermind the fact that we all consider the thought of doing something like that repulsive. It doesn't matter how good we are. All they see is the potential for bad, and that's all they need to justify hunting us."

[SeanWolf]

"I wasn't originally a member of the military." Wildfire explained. "But I've always tried to protect people. I'd go after Leviathans that threatened fishing boats, or talk down rogue Kaiju when something sets them off. Eventually, the military contacted me. Now, it's illegal for Kaiju to be deployed overseas ever since World War II, Tikbalang included. We're considered WMDs. That said, There's nothing stating we can't defend the homeland. Through this idea, and with me as one of the first Kaiju to join in the idea, the KDF was founded. I was the most recognizable face in the group, so I did a lot of the political, diplomatic, and PR stuff. Eventually I rose through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel." He let out a small laugh. "Honestly, not that hard to do when there's only fifteen or so people in the entire branch of the military."

Titus shifted his position in his seat and adjusted his posture. He sat up straight, but rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to correct you on something, though. The hunters don't leave you alone because it's illegal to go after Tikbalang. I know that because it's illegal to go after any Kaiju. They don't care. Rather, you aren't bothered by hunters because you live in a small enough town such that anyone who might have the desire to hurt you likely doesn't have the resources."

Titus leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles, looking at Mordecai. "I'll let you in on a warning. It doesn't matter how much good you've done. The hunters don't see it. They only see your potential. They look at all of us and see monsters that could swallow a school bus on a whim, nevermind the fact that we all consider the thought of doing something like that repulsive. It doesn't matter how good we are. All they see is the potential for bad, and that's all they need to justify hunting us."

Tilting his head a bit and raising an eyebrow, Mordecai replied, "We Tikbalang never fought overseas in any war. We always went as part of the medical corps and worked in hospitals. The only time any of us saw action was back in Vietnam when my great-grandfather had to take down a rouge kaiju that was making an escape harder then it should've been." He leaned back in his seat and checked to see if the waiter was coming with their food. He then turned back, after not seeing the waiter, and scratched the back of his neck before snapping his fingers as he remembered something. "Alright, now let me correct you. Recall I said I couldn't remember what law protected us in particular from Kaiju Hunters? It was 1972 and I think you may remember this from your history: A commercial plane was bringing in some people from another state when a rouge kaiju took it out, resulting in it crashing near Thunder Bay? Another kaiju took it out and managed to keep it away from major areas, only to be killed by a hunter immediately afterwards? That kaiju, that Tikbalang? Her name was Cleone Falkland: The wife of the then mayor of the city, which led to the creation of that law I was talking about whose name, once again, eludes me, which basically states that if a hunter was to kill a Tikbalang somehow, they can either take so many years in prison or work for us as rouge hunters. Yes, we are still hunted, like you said, but not as much as you two due to the law. It only affects Thunder Bay and the surrounding area, however and, trust me, I had my fair share of run ins with the hunters outside of the areA...pretty sure they enjoyed their hospital visit afterwards," he chuckled a bit at that last part, "Look, I'm not trying to make my species to be this, what you would see as, a 'perfect species' as we still have faults as well, as I stated many a time today. We're just unique, I guess." It was then when the food had arrived and was being passed around. "Speaking of 'unique', did you order out the entire kitchen, Titus?"

[DdeeStar]

"You won't have to demonstrate your powers." Heather said, leading the way down the halls. "We don't have the space for that anyway. Besides, practicing and learning about whatever powers you have is part of training, not eligibility."

"Oh, that's a huge relief. The doctor told me not to hurt myself and I'd hate to go back in this quick." He laughs softly as his attention returns to the walls and structure around them.

The group finally came upon a door leading to what looked like an empty meeting room. There was a long table in the middle, a projection screen on one of the walls, and simple office chairs running around the table. Heather ushered the felines inside and shut the door. She took a seat on the far side of the table and pulled out some paperwork. "This shouldn't take much longer. I suppose now's a good time for me to ask if you have any questions about the KDF, what you'll be doing, what benefits you'll receive, or whatever you think you need to know before committing to the KDF."

Mist takes a moment to survey the room, giving Tigress the first question. Deciding to get the worst out of the way first, she remarks "He can't stay with me if he joins you, can he." Mist, hearing it, becomes very interested in the projector screen as they wait for a response.

[Deske]

"Ah, morning sounds good. It'll give me a bit of extra time to grab some food on the way to work," Gregg says.

[CyberDragon]

Tilting his head a bit and raising an eyebrow, Mordecai replied, "We Tikbalang never fought overseas in any war. We always went as part of the medical corps and worked in hospitals. The only time any of us saw action was back in Vietnam when my great-grandfather had to take down a rouge kaiju that was making an escape harder then it should've been." He leaned back in his seat and checked to see if the waiter was coming with their food. He then turned back, after not seeing the waiter, and scratched the back of his neck before snapping his fingers as he remembered something. "Alright, now let me correct you. Recall I said I couldn't remember what law protected us in particular from Kaiju Hunters? It was 1972 and I think you may remember this from your history: A commercial plane was bringing in some people from another state when a rouge kaiju took it out, resulting in it crashing near Thunder Bay? Another kaiju took it out and managed to keep it away from major areas, only to be killed by a hunter immediately afterwards? That kaiju, that Tikbalang? Her name was Cleone Falkland: The wife of the then mayor of the city, which led to the creation of that law I was talking about whose name, once again, eludes me, which basically states that if a hunter was to kill a Tikbalang somehow, they can either take so many years in prison or work for us as rouge hunters. Yes, we are still hunted, like you said, but not as much as you two due to the law. It only affects Thunder Bay and the surrounding area, however and, trust me, I had my fair share of run ins with the hunters outside of the areA...pretty sure they enjoyed their hospital visit afterwards," he chuckled a bit at that last part, "Look, I'm not trying to make my species to be this, what you would see as, a 'perfect species' as we still have faults as well, as I stated many a time today. We're just unique, I guess." It was then when the food had arrived and was being passed around. "Speaking of 'unique', did you order out the entire kitchen, Titus?"

"I have two stomachs and a crop to fill." Titus echoed his earlier statement to Ryan. "Besides, as I said it's not all for me."

The dragon in disguise seemed uncomfortable with something Mordecai had said. "Do... you know what a rogue Kaiju is, Mayor?" he asked.

------------------------

Mist takes a moment to survey the room, giving Tigress the first question. Deciding to get the worst out of the way first, she remarks "He can't stay with me if he joins you, can he." Mist, hearing it, becomes very interested in the projector screen as they wait for a response.

Heather lifts an eyebrow at this question. "Why not?" she said. "After boot camp, the KDF is a mostly part time, on call position. He'll stay on base for most of the time during his initial training, but after that he can live wherever he wants. He'd only be required to return at least every other weekend for further training." Heather sat up, looking at Tigress and folding her hands together on the table. "Of course, if you'd like to stick close together even during training, KDF family members get heavily discounted housing options in town. There's also the option of joining the KDF yourself. It's a paid position that I'm sure will be offered as a community service option anyway."

[SeanWolf]

"I have two stomachs and a crop to fill." Titus echoed his earlier statement to Ryan. "Besides, as I said it's not all for me."

The dragon in disguise seemed uncomfortable with something Mordecai had said. "Do... you know what a rogue Kaiju is, Mayor?" he asked.

"I should hope so as I don't think we need a Bowser roaming the land," Mordecai chuckled as he cut into his stake, "Well, at least you'll have room for dessert, if you so choose." Chewing for a bit and being delighted with the meal, a far cry from Fredrick's, he looked back over at Titus to answer his inquiry, "There are many a different meanings for the term 'rogue Kaiju'. If we are going by Tikbalang definition, then a rogue Kaiju is someone who cares not for human life and wishes to be their apocaplyse. I have fought but many rogues and many fell before me by my hands. Regretfully, few were slain by Jörmungandr: The sword of the Tikbalang...which is a death no Tikbalang wishes upon anyone, be it kaiju or not." Mordecai went silent for a bit as he ate before scoffing and smiling, "Look at us, I invite you three to dinner with me and all we're talking about is myself. So, please, tell me a bit about you three."

[DdeeStar]

Heather lifts an eyebrow at this question. "Why not?" she said. "After boot camp, the KDF is a mostly part time, on call position. He'll stay on base for most of the time during his initial training, but after that he can live wherever he wants. He'd only be required to return at least every other weekend for further training." Heather sat up, looking at Tigress and folding her hands together on the table. "Of course, if you'd like to stick close together even during training, KDF family members get heavily discounted housing options in town. There's also the option of joining the KDF yourself. It's a paid position that I'm sure will be offered as a community service option anyway."

Tigress listens with a stoneface expression, her elbows against the table and her chin resting on top of her handpaws. She lays her head sideways to address Mist. "Would you want to come home? You seemed to really like this place." Mist shakes his head with an eager smile on his face.

"I want you to join too! It's not like construction work is the best use of your skills. Plus here we can change more than once a year. And I can learn new elements! Plus there's a doctor! And Cthulu! This place is great!" He claps his handpaws giddily, giving her a hopeful look. Not getting a response his smile starts to falter and he continues "There's literally no reason not to choose this, it makes our life so much better and the one risk is something you would do for free." Tigress turns her face downwards, her palms against her closed eyes as she tries to come up with a satisfactory answer.

"Just let me think about it, alright?" She replies in a tired voice. Mist clearly loves this place. That's good. But for her to actually be able to afford this reliably, she'd need to join. And Heather is being so positive about this. It can't be this perfect. Tigress crosses her arms and eyes Heather suspiciously. "What's the catch? This place have a huge death or crime rate, maybe testing on the recruits, what? This doesn't feel right."

[Hlaoroo]

"Oh, no no," Julian explained, "I'm just me. Just... about 140ft taller is all." He grimaced, "It kinda does impact any personal, private, life when people can see you from seventeen blocks away - and the logo on your shirt becomes a mighty advert in the sky," he added with a wry grin. "which is kinda why I haven't, uh, 'gone up' for about..." he thought as the pressure monitor did its work, "...at least eighteen months?"

"Ah, well, if you're a Colossus then you shouldn't have any problems. Ideally we like to ask you to, 'go up', as you put it, at least once every month or so just to stretch out and keep the blood circulating just in case but so far no Colossus has ever had any health problems we've been able to directly link to a lack of Shifting. That's not to say I can guarantee no problems, just that statistically it seems unlikely. There haven't been any proper double-blind studies of Colossuses... Colossi? Who haven't Shifted for extended periods, just individual case studies here and there. But yeah, long story short, you should be fine." the hare reassures the fox, squishing his tongue with a stick and shining a light into his mouth.
"Right then. Let's see if you can stretch. Can you try to touch your toes without bending your legs for me?"

~~~~~~~~

"Ah, morning sounds good. It'll give me a bit of extra time to grab some food on the way to work," Gregg says.

"All right. We shall see you at half past nine on Tuesday morning then." Annie says, handing the human a card with the appointment noted on it.

~~~~~~~~
Ryan sips his drink thoughtfully as the conversation continues, curious as to where Titus will go with this line of questioning.

Kato also sits quitetly, unnerved and feeling out of his depth. Being neither a Kaiju nor of prestigious birth he doesn't quite fit in and doesn't feel he can contribute much to the conversation and besides, as a servant it goes against his training to participate.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"nut w'f yur t'ng'e th'ng immymowf,*" Julian protested. Once it was removed, he got to it, near enough touching his foot paws.

*Not with your tongue thing in my mouth.

[CyberDragon]

"I should hope so as I don't think we need a Bowser roaming the land," Mordecai chuckled as he cut into his stake, "Well, at least you'll have room for dessert, if you so choose." Chewing for a bit and being delighted with the meal, a far cry from Fredrick's, he looked back over at Titus to answer his inquiry, "There are many a different meanings for the term 'rogue Kaiju'. If we are going by Tikbalang definition, then a rogue Kaiju is someone who cares not for human life and wishes to be their apocaplyse. I have fought but many rogues and many fell before me by my hands. Regretfully, few were slain by Jörmungandr: The sword of the Tikbalang...which is a death no Tikbalang wishes upon anyone, be it kaiju or not." Mordecai went silent for a bit as he ate before scoffing and smiling, "Look at us, I invite you three to dinner with me and all we're talking about is myself. So, please, tell me a bit about you three."

Titus didn't look up. He stared down at his first few plates of food, yet still addressed Mordecai. "The difference between a Rogue Kaiju and a standard Kaiju is that there is no difference. A rogue Kaiju is what we call any Kaiju that causes unlawful destruction. Accidentally or on purpose, provoked or unprovoked. We call them rogues in an effort to separate ourselves in a bid to keep people from coming after us for the association." He jabbed absently at his steak with his fork, putting a piece in his mouth and swallowing it before continuing. "In my experience, rogues have no intent to cause damage. Maybe they're sick, and not thinking straight. Maybe they only just found out about being a Kaiju. Maybe they're a dragon who didn't realize they had to vent their fire until things started bursting into flames around them."

Titus set his fork down and looked up at Mordecai. A fire had ignited in his eyes, but he remained calm. "It can often seem like any attacker is simply there to hurt or kill people. Often, there's more to the story. So when you say you hire captured hunters, genocidal murderers who prove they don't care about whether a person is innocent or not, to be 'Rogue hunters' you imply to me that you are sending murderous maniacs to enact vigilante justice. So..." Titus calmly leaned back and folded his hands in front of him. "Please explain to me that I am wrong about this, and please clarify what you meant."

---------------------------

Tigress listens with a stoneface expression, her elbows against the table and her chin resting on top of her handpaws. She lays her head sideways to address Mist. "Would you want to come home? You seemed to really like this place." Mist shakes his head with an eager smile on his face.

"I want you to join too! It's not like construction work is the best use of your skills. Plus here we can change more than once a year. And I can learn new elements! Plus there's a doctor! And Cthulu! This place is great!" He claps his handpaws giddily, giving her a hopeful look. Not getting a response his smile starts to falter and he continues "There's literally no reason not to choose this, it makes our life so much better and the one risk is something you would do for free." Tigress turns her face downwards, her palms against her closed eyes as she tries to come up with a satisfactory answer.

"Just let me think about it, alright?" She replies in a tired voice. Mist clearly loves this place. That's good. But for her to actually be able to afford this reliably, she'd need to join. And Heather is being so positive about this. It can't be this perfect. Tigress crosses her arms and eyes Heather suspiciously. "What's the catch? This place have a huge death or crime rate, maybe testing on the recruits, what? This doesn't feel right."

Heather shook her head. "The town's not big enough to support a high crime rate, and the death rate is actually below average given Kaiju have extended lifespans and higher resilience than 'small' folk like me," she said, a hint of irony in her tone when she referred to her 6 and a half foot tall tank-like frame as 'small'. She shrugged and leaned back. "I suppose if there's a catch it's that we're far enough away from Crater City that it would be pretty hard to commute to the city for work. While the KDF does pay a salary, it's a soldier's salary. Not that much. You'd have to supplement the income with a job around town." Heather explained, though she did have a light grin on her face. "Word on the street, though, is that the self-defense trainer in town is looking for assistant teachers. The KDF also hires out some of it's members to go on commissions sometimes if you want to do a few of those."

[SeanWolf]

Titus didn't look up. He stared down at his first few plates of food, yet still addressed Mordecai. "The difference between a Rogue Kaiju and a standard Kaiju is that there is no difference. A rogue Kaiju is what we call any Kaiju that causes unlawful destruction. Accidentally or on purpose, provoked or unprovoked. We call them rogues in an effort to separate ourselves in a bid to keep people from coming after us for the association." He jabbed absently at his steak with his fork, putting a piece in his mouth and swallowing it before continuing. "In my experience, rogues have no intent to cause damage. Maybe they're sick, and not thinking straight. Maybe they only just found out about being a Kaiju. Maybe they're a dragon who didn't realize they had to vent their fire until things started bursting into flames around them."

Titus set his fork down and looked up at Mordecai. A fire had ignited in his eyes, but he remained calm. "It can often seem like any attacker is simply there to hurt or kill people. Often, there's more to the story. So when you say you hire captured hunters, genocidal murderers who prove they don't care about whether a person is innocent or not, to be 'Rogue hunters' you imply to me that you are sending murderous maniacs to enact vigilante justice. So..." Titus calmly leaned back and folded his hands in front of him. "Please explain to me that I am wrong about this, and please clarify what you meant."

Mordecai didn't answer immediately and, instead, ate some more of his meal. Wiping away some residue with a napkin, he looks up at Titus, "All ex-hunters we have and will hire shall they choose not to serve a prison sentence work as lookouts and nothing more. They are forbidden to carry any weapons or have contact of any kind with other hunters. As a lookout, they are giving explicit instructions on how to spot a Rogue Kaiju. To prevent any of them from labeling an innocent a Rogue, they are watched over 24/7 by either a military or police official who has been trained to deal with kaiju hunters. If they label a rogue correctly, then we Tikbalang go out and deal with them in a hopeful and peaceful manner, only resorting to violence if the need arises. If they do mess up or something else happens, they are sent to prison for a select time, no questions asked. They work until both the Tikbalang and the council decides they have serve their time and are ready to return. If they choose to go back to their ways, no second chances are given to them as they are quickly thrown in jail." He sipped his wine once more then stared into the glass a bit, watching the liquid within settle down. His voice soon turned to a guttural growl, one that was heard earlier by the cities council, as he speaks another warning that was passed down by his ancestors "Shall it be known that if the hunter shall expel the breath from a kaiju, may their souls be forever tainted by the howls of the virtuous. May they wander the sea of darkness and all therein that may be explored upon leaving the mortal realm. May the ferryman forgo their offers and forsake them of comfort. May their own souls be forever condemned to the fires of their past life." he then glances back at Titus as he placed the glass down, his voice now his normal tone, "I understand your concern and your lack of trust with my people and our beliefs. But let it be known that as long as the blood that flows within is as pure as a child's first breath, shall no innocent fall by Tikbalang hand, be it human or kaiju."

[DdeeStar]

Heather shook her head. "The town's not big enough to support a high crime rate, and the death rate is actually below average given Kaiju have extended lifespans and higher resilience than 'small' folk like me," she said, a hint of irony in her tone when she referred to her 6 and a half foot tall tank-like frame as 'small'. She shrugged and leaned back. "I suppose if there's a catch it's that we're far enough away from Crater City that it would be pretty hard to commute to the city for work. While the KDF does pay a salary, it's a soldier's salary. Not that much. You'd have to supplement the income with a job around town." Heather explained, though she did have a light grin on her face. "Word on the street, though, is that the self-defense trainer in town is looking for assistant teachers. The KDF also hires out some of it's members to go on commissions sometimes if you want to do a few of those."

Tigress glances towards the projection screen (not that it's any different from the rest of the wall) as she puzzles over what's been said. Heather didn't answer the testing question, but she's trying to give the benefit of the doubt, and clearly Heather's still trying to help her. Tigress's silence gives Mist a chance to speak, and he tilts his head in contemplation as he notes "Commissions? You're sending us out as confirmed Kaiju to do... what?" Tigress, in the meantime, pulls out her phone and begins slowly typing with it, distracted from the conversation as she struggles to draft up a pros and cons board like she'd been taught to. Mist is having none of this stress, seeing the choice as obvious, but there's a lot of moving parts to this idea and learning that there are other Rakshasa here is far less comforting than he realizes.

[Hlaoroo]

"I-if you don't mind my asking, Mr. Mayor, sir... What of those Tikbalang don't deem innocent? And why do Tikbalang and not other Kaiju have the right to judge? A-and what if they judge wrong?" Kato asks nervously, unable to stop the questions once they've started.
"S-sorry..." he finishes sheepishly.

~~~~~~~~
Dropping the stick into the bin with a smile, the hare puts the fox through the same series of stretches and exercises he's done with his other patients.

"Excellent." he says eventually, pulling on some gloves. "You clearly have no trouble moving at all. Let's get some blood from you and then we can send you on your way. How are you with needles?"

[SeanWolf]

"I-if you don't mind my asking, Mr. Mayor, sir... What of those Tikbalang don't deem innocent? And why do Tikbalang and not other Kaiju have the right to judge? A-and what if they judge wrong?" Kato asks nervously, unable to stop the questions once they've started.
"S-sorry..." he finishes sheepishly.

"No need to apologize," Mordecai assured Kato, "To answer your query: We never kill a kaiju. The only times we had to kill one was when we were left with absolutely zero options, which is very rare for a Tikbalang. As for judging, it's only in Thunder Bay and, even then, the council is in on the judging and they have the final say on what action should be taken next. It used to be we were judge, jury, and executioner, but after one of my ancestors accidentally attacked an innocent dragon kaiju (who was just suffering from allergies that day), we decided that while we still do the judging, the council has to be in and helping with the judging."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Oh," Julian breezed, "needles absolutely love me. I can appreciate that." He looked at the Hare. "I thought you'd be asking me to shift or something."

[CyberDragon]

Tigress glances towards the projection screen (not that it's any different from the rest of the wall) as she puzzles over what's been said. Heather didn't answer the testing question, but she's trying to give the benefit of the doubt, and clearly Heather's still trying to help her. Tigress's silence gives Mist a chance to speak, and he tilts his head in contemplation as he notes "Commissions? You're sending us out as confirmed Kaiju to do... what?" Tigress, in the meantime, pulls out her phone and begins slowly typing with it, distracted from the conversation as she struggles to draft up a pros and cons board like she'd been taught to. Mist is having none of this stress, seeing the choice as obvious, but there's a lot of moving parts to this idea and learning that there are other Rakshasa here is far less comforting than he realizes.

"We get requests from partnered organizations. Mostly public services." Heather replied. "The fire departments in the different parts of the city often ask for Leviathans to help fight forest fires. Thunderstorm, the dragon you saw in the valley, sometimes takes jobs from the city to give temporary boosts to the output of local power plants. Wildfire's done similar things. Construction companies appreciate just about any Kaiju with arms. It just sort of goes on like that." Heather said. "These jobs are completely optional, but they pay really well. You also have the right to hide your disguised form identity. In addition, your non-Kaiju partner will go with you for added security should you accept any of these commissions."

-------------------------------

Wildfire sat and listened to Mordecai's response, and the fire seemed to die down in his eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and he leaned back slightly. "I do have another question... you said you had encountered hunters before. Did they just... assault you up front?"

[SeanWolf]

Wildfire sat and listened to Mordecai's response, and the fire seemed to die down in his eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and he leaned back slightly. "I do have another question... you said you had encountered hunters before. Did they just... assault you up front?"

A smile form on Mordecai's face, "One group did, yes. It was early in the afternoon a few months back and I decided to head over to a local Bar & Grill in my town for a bite to eat. The place has amazing burgers and steaks along with the finest homemade root beers as a side note. Anyway, before I even walked in, a group of Kaiju Hunters came in, about five or six of them, dressed in your usual hunters garb immediately spotted me, but could you blame them? We Tikbalang are pretty easy to tell apart from everyone. They all walked over and started doing their usual shtick, along with messing with my outfit at the time. Now, I am a calm individual, let it be known, so everything they were doing didn't register with me at all. However, when I heard one of them rooster their revolver, a .45 Caliber with a five-round cylinder, and was ready to pull the trigger...I believe the phrase is 'All heck broke loose'? Because it did as I just looked the gun-wielder in the eyes and...well to spare the details, he went through the window of the bar while the rest were soon on the ground in pain...of course I paid for their hospital treatment and the one with the gun? He actually left the kaiju hunting business and now works as at that same bar as a bartender. Darn good one too as I've visited the bar on occassions."