Non-HPU: Crater City

Post by **SeanWolf** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 7:38 pm

"Thank you...I'll take a cup of tea if you have it: Milk, two sugars," Mordecai replied while getting in, impressed with the inside of the limo.

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:31 pm

Lyncus wakes up to the sound of her alarm again, having already snoozed it four times. She drags herself out of bed, eyes still half-closed, as she crosses her apartment to squint out through her window blinds into the harsh sunlight. Seeing nothing remotely interesting from her apartment room on the second floor of the building, she retreats back to her closet and puts on the first shirt she sees, a pure black, thin shirt with a small, pink cartoon lion in the top right. She also throws on a light blue pair of shorts, not even bothering to groom out any tangles in her fur. She takes her phone from her charger and a single strawberry poptart from her pantry before also grabbing her pre-packed school bag next to her door. She exits her room, locking the door behind her.

She takes the stairs down to the lower floor, leaving the building on paws as she walks the couple of blocks to the library she works at during the week. Nothing interesting happens on her walk, save for some sort of silhouette casting over her as a figure flies over, but Lyncus doesn’t notice as she finishes her poptart, still drowsy.

Lyncus pushes through the revolving door of the library, giving a half-hearted wave to her boss, a librarian, of course, as she enters. She spots a ram wearing a light blue sweater that looks almost three sizes too large for his small build, sitting on his own at a large table in the back. She promptly makes her way over to the ram, and with a heavy sigh she dumps her bag onto the table and collapses into a chair, staring straight up at the ceiling with her mouth open.

The ram silently takes off one of his earbuds, watching Lyncus, before continuing to scribble on his paper. “Sleep well last night?” he asks.

“No, like, none at all,” Lyncus groans, sitting up and removing her laptop from her bag. “Something kept me up all night. I would still be in bed if it wasn’t for this stupid paper.”

“Not my fault; I didn’t assign it,” he comments, continuing to write.

Lyncus logs in, opens a new blank document, and spends the next five minutes staring at the screen, not writing anything as she tries not to nod back off into sleep. “That’s it,” she finally exclaims, a little too loudly for the quiet library environment, “I can’t write anything like this. I’m gonna go to that cafe and get something - did you want anything, James?”

“I’ll come with,” James responds, tucking his paper neatly into one of the books already on the table and placing the book into his own bag. “Unlike you, I got up early and wrote half of my paper already. I’ve got plenty of time to kill.”

“Stop showing off,” Lyncus responds jokingly. “You’re better than me at this, blah blah, let’s go.”

The two get up and push their chairs in. Leaving the library, they walk back towards Lyncus’s apartment, making light conversation. They reach the cafe after a very short walk, and enter through the door, approaching the counter.

“I’ve never actually been in here, even though I walk past it almost everyday,” she says to James before turning towards the vixen barista. “Heyo! What strong coffees do you have?”

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:20 pm

SeanWolf wrote:"Thank you...I'll take a cup of tea if you have it: Milk, two sugars," Mordecai replied while getting in, impressed with the inside of the limo.

"Sorry, I've only got cold drinks in this car. I can give you an iced tea if you want though. If I'd known I was having such a prestigious guest I'd have brought the stretch limo instead because that does have an urn." Ryan apologises. Having been raised rich with all his needs and wants attended to, it doesn't occur to him how this must sound to those less wealthy. At least he does sound genuinely sorry for not being able to accommodate his guest.
"You mentioned the fish before. Can I assume you like fishing then?" the otter continues, making small talk.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 10:01 pm

Hlaoroo wrote:"Sorry, I've only got cold drinks in this car. I can give you an iced tea if you want though. If I'd known I was having such a prestigious guest I'd have brought the stretch limo instead because that does have an urn." Ryan apologises. Having been raised rich with all his needs and wants attended to, it doesn't occur to him how this must sound to those less wealthy. At least he does sound genuinely sorry for not being able to accommodate his guest.
"You mentioned the fish before. Can I assume you like fishing then?" the otter continues, making small talk.

"I do like to fish as I find it very relaxing," He replies, "Though I must admit, I was making a reference to one of the literary greats: Douglas Adams...and Iced Tea will be just fine." He looks about the limo then, "How is your father, may I ask? Please let him know that he is invited to a barbecue I'm planning for this weekend. You're welcome to come too!"

Post by **CyberDragon** » Tue Jan 14, 2020 11:54 pm

Foxfan2164 wrote:"Why do you need a truck to take you and your family down to play paintball?" Hyper asked, pretending to be confused. He knew that Mist and his accomplices weren't going to play paintball, but what he didn't know was the fact that there was a kaiju hunter in that truck. "Could I come with? I knew I wasn't invited but I would love to play paintball." he added, pretending to have no idea about the contents of the truck.

DdeeStar wrote:Mist's smile falters for a moment, then it returns as he looks towards Heather and asks with a light sigh "Is that something we can do? Did you bring an extra gun, do we have an extra seat? Everything lines up?" He's certain this is a terrible idea. Besides the obvious problems with security and privacy he's already having a stressful enough day without someone unaffiliated there. Especially were Hyper to see something, being in the same school... Mist regularly had issues keeping the energy reactions quiet and even the match trick wouldn't work if Hyper kept pushing him for answers.

"'Fraid not." Heather said, leaning against the truck with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "This truck's only got five seats, and the trunk is full. Not that you'd be allowed to ride in the trunk. It's not exactly safe, or even technically legal..." Heather shifted positions, walking down the truck's length to stand in front of the trunk and block any attempt to look inside.

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

Citrisfur wrote:Lyncus wakes up to the sound of her alarm again, having already snoozed it four times. She drags herself out of bed, eyes still half-closed, as she crosses her apartment to squint out through her window blinds into the harsh sunlight. Seeing nothing remotely interesting from her apartment room on the second floor of the building, she retreats back to her closet and puts on the first shirt she sees, a pure black, thin shirt with a small, pink cartoon lion in the top right. She also throws on a light blue pair of shorts, not even bothering to groom out any tangles in her fur. She takes her phone from her charger and a single strawberry poptart from her pantry before also grabbing her pre-packed school bag next to her door. She exits her room, locking the door behind her.

She takes the stairs down to the lower floor, leaving the building on paws as she walks the couple of blocks to the library she works at during the week. Nothing interesting happens on her walk, save for some sort of silhouette casting over her as a figure flies over, but Lyncus doesn’t notice as she finishes her poptart, still drowsy.

Lyncus pushes through the revolving door of the library, giving a half-hearted wave to her boss, a librarian, of course, as she enters. She spots a ram wearing a light blue sweater that looks almost three sizes too large for his small build, sitting on his own at a large table in the back. She promptly makes her way over to the ram, and with a heavy sigh she dumps her bag onto the table and collapses into a chair, staring straight up at the ceiling with her mouth open.

The ram silently takes off one of his earbuds, watching Lyncus, before continuing to scribble on his paper. “Sleep well last night?” he asks.

“No, like, none at all,” Lyncus groans, sitting up and removing her laptop from her bag. “Something kept me up all night. I would still be in bed if it wasn’t for this stupid paper.”

“Not my fault; I didn’t assign it,” he comments, continuing to write.

Lyncus logs in, opens a new blank document, and spends the next five minutes staring at the screen, not writing anything as she tries not to nod back off into sleep. “That’s it,” she finally exclaims, a little too loudly for the quiet library environment, “I can’t write anything like this. I’m gonna go to that cafe and get something - did you want anything, James?”

“I’ll come with,” James responds, tucking his paper neatly into one of the books already on the table and placing the book into his own bag. “Unlike you, I got up early and wrote half of my paper already. I’ve got plenty of time to kill.”

“Stop showing off,” Lyncus responds jokingly. “You’re better than me at this, blah blah, let’s go.”

The two get up and push their chairs in. Leaving the library, they walk back towards Lyncus’s apartment, making light conversation. They reach the cafe after a very short walk, and enter through the door, approaching the counter.

“I’ve never actually been in here, even though I walk past it almost everyday,” she says to James before turning towards the vixen barista. “Heyo! What strong coffees do you have?”

"Hey there!" Traci said, moving up to the counter with a skip in her step. "Somethin' strong, huh? I think I can help. We got the Sunrise Vanilla Late with a full quadruple shot of espresso. There's the 'Heart Palpitation' with it's five shots. Both of those have enough caffeine that you have to sign a liability waiver if you want to buy more than one per person, though we have a regular who gets, like, three of each per day. Not sure what that's about, but he's a cool guy." She smiled at her customers. "Either of those sound good? Or are you looking for something a little bit lighter?"

Deske · Post by **Deske** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 1:42 am

"Oh, high profile work or at least a lot of interaction with people I assume. Mmm. Well hey, maybe one day we won't have to worry..." Gregg nearly facepalmed as one of Mists friends practically came waltzing up to the group. He sighed and smiled at the wolf, wondering what kind of coincidence this could be, if it was one at all.

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 1:47 am

"Yes," Julian agreed, "this is some heavy cosmic interaction." He looked at Gregg quickly. "Uh, if I believed in that sort of stuff, obviously." He finished his coffee.

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:43 am

CyberDragon wrote:"Hey there!" Traci said, moving up to the counter with a skip in her step. "Somethin' strong, huh? I think I can help. We got the Sunrise Vanilla Late with a full quadruple shot of espresso. There's the 'Heart Palpitation' with it's five shots. Both of those have enough caffeine that you have to sign a liability waiver if you want to buy more than one per person, though we have a regular who gets, like, three of each per day. Not sure what that's about, but he's a cool guy." She smiled at her customers. "Either of those sound good? Or are you looking for something a little bit lighter?"

"I'll go with the latte, minus one of those shots," Lyncus replies apprehensively. "That sounds like an accident waiting to happen."

"And I'll take whatever you have blended. Surprise me," adds James. "How many of those waivers do you go through in a day, anyways?"

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:11 am

SeanWolf wrote:"I do like to fish as I find it very relaxing," He replies, "Though I must admit, I was making a reference to one of the literary greats: Douglas Adams...and Iced Tea will be just fine." He looks about the limo then, "How is your father, may I ask? Please let him know that he is invited to a barbecue I'm planning for this weekend. You're welcome to come too!"

Ryan passes Mordecai a sealed bottle of iced tea and cracks open a cola for himself as the car turns a corner.
"Thanks! I'm sure he'd love to come and I'll be there for sure! Just let me know the time and place! I can't say no to a good party! Speaking of which, I'm having one on my yacht tomorrow night if you wanna come." he invites, leaning back in his seat to sip his drink and study the horse.
"Forgive me asking but... You don't seem very mayoral. Most mayors I've met are at least sixty and dress like undertakers. How did you land that gig?"

Foxfan2164 · Post by **Foxfan2164** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:12 am

"Well I'm pretty sure that you and your accomplices aren't going to paintball but hey what do I care?" Hyper replied, somewhat skeptical about Mist going to paintball. He didn't mind it until he saw two humans poking their heads out from the truck. "Hi!" he said to them in a friendly tone. "Are you guys Mist's friends?" he asked.

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:22 am

"And me," Julian said, poking his head out, "If I'm allowed," he added, more to Mist's mother than anyone.

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:39 am

Foxfan2164 wrote:"Well I'm pretty sure that you and your accomplices aren't going to paintball but hey what do I care?" Hyper replied, somewhat skeptical about Mist going to paintball. He didn't mind it until he saw two humans poking their heads out from the truck. "Hi!" he said to them in a friendly tone. "Are you guys Mist's friends?" he asked.

"They're my uncles, dad's side. And good, then I'll see you at school Monday, alright?" Mist turns to the van, stepping towards the door.

Welsh Halfwit wrote:"And me," Julian said, poking his head out, "If I'm allowed," he added, more to Mist's mother than anyone.

Tigress stifles laughter as Mist slowly and calmly puts his hat in front of his face to hide his gritting teeth. To her it's funny watching the normally very passive kid get angry because he won't just say no. Not to mention his lie clearly wasn't working and he was sticking with it. She was tempted to invite Hyper along just to figure out what Mist's issue with him was, but figured Heather wouldn't be pleased and scrapped the idea. "Of course you are, Uncle Gregg. Mist hardly gets to see his family, why not shoot each other as a reunion?" She replies to Julian in jest, purposefully using the wrong name since she never picked up Julian's. Mist doesn't notice the slip up for the same reason, and just puts his hat back on normally, his smile switched for an exhausted frown as he looks into the empty seats in the van.

Deske · Post by **Deske** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 am

"Uh... huh~..." Gregg looks back at Julian, "Yeah Uncle Gregg," Gregg says with a smirk. "What a fantastic idea for a family reunion. I guess it would work on getting old grudges out of the way." He lifts his wrist up and checks his watch, "Look at the time, we should probably get going. So much to do today, don't want to waste any time."

Foxfan2164 · Post by **Foxfan2164** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 4:17 pm

"Well you guys are being pretty weird. I know that this isn't a paintball trip." Hyper said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are really bad at hiding things."

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 4:30 pm

Foxfan2164 wrote:"Well you guys are being pretty weird. I know that this isn't a paintball trip." Hyper said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are really bad at hiding things."

Mist groans aloud. He starts to speak into the car. "Look, does it-"

Tigress cuts in, watching Hyper with a thoughtful expression. The swirling mix of energy he scans as wasn't obvious at first, but after watching him for a while she thinks she's got it down. "Hey, paintball guide Heather, what if we moved some of the stuff in the front seat around? I don't know why, but looking at this kid... something tells me he might be worth bringing along, like he might have a future in the lucrative paintball scene." She looks over at Mist. He's glaring daggers at her. Her smile grows as she looks back at Hyper. "I just get the feeling that this -Hyper, was it?- has got a giant heart, plus those ice-cold soldier eyes... seems like he might be as good at this as we are." Mist stops his sulking, slowly turning to Hyper while holding the hat just below his eyes to hide his surprised look. She shrugs and steps over to Heather, giving her a devilish smirk. "If you catch my drift. But don't let me tell you how to do your job."

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:13 pm

"O-oh, boy," 'Gregg' said, rolling his eyes, "I can really pick 'em, ey, 'Julian'"

Post by **CyberDragon** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:18 pm

Citrisfur wrote:"I'll go with the latte, minus one of those shots," Lyncus replies apprehensively. "That sounds like an accident waiting to happen."

"And I'll take whatever you have blended. Surprise me," adds James. "How many of those waivers do you go through in a day, anyways?"

"One triple-shot latte and the daily special, comin' right up!" Traci said, turning to prepare the drinks. "Only one or two a day. Depends on how much our local caffeine addict orders. I had to cut him off after five of those Heart Palpitations once, even after signing the waiver. Weird thing, he didn't seem effected by it at all..." she shrugged.

The vixen finished making the latte and the special, which turned out to be a caramel mocha. She handed the cups to Lyncus and James, respectively. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

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

Foxfan2164 wrote:"Well you guys are being pretty weird. I know that this isn't a paintball trip." Hyper said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are really bad at hiding things."

DdeeStar wrote:Mist groans aloud. He starts to speak into the car. "Look, does it-"

Tigress cuts in, watching Hyper with a thoughtful expression. The swirling mix of energy he scans as wasn't obvious at first, but after watching him for a while she thinks she's got it down. "Hey, paintball guide Heather, what if we moved some of the stuff in the front seat around? I don't know why, but looking at this kid... something tells me he might be worth bringing along, like he might have a future in the lucrative paintball scene." She looks over at Mist. He's glaring daggers at her. Her smile grows as she looks back at Hyper. "I just get the feeling that this -Hyper, was it?- has got a giant heart, plus those ice-cold soldier eyes... seems like he might be as good at this as we are." Mist stops his sulking, slowly turning to Hyper while holding the hat just below his eyes to hide his surprised look. She shrugs and steps over to Heather, giving her a devilish smirk. "If you catch my drift. But don't let me tell you how to do your job."

Heather sighed. She knew exactly what Tigress was suggesting. Heather had in fact been aware of Hyper's Kaiju nature since he got close and her watch went off again. "Alright, look. Even if we had the room, I can't just drag every... potentially good paintball player over to the facility. Especially since I can already tell he's to young to play without parental permission." Heather shook her head, exasperatedly. "Even with parental permission, he's still too young by at least a year. The absolute best I could do would be to show him the facility, and even that's getting into shaky ground since I'm not supposed to bring outside people onto the field. He'd be restricted to the town near the paintball field."

Foxfan2164 · Post by **Foxfan2164** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:03 pm

"I know you guys are talking about the KDF. I'm not a kid." Hyper sighed. "Yeah and I'm pretty sure I can't join the KDF until I'm 17. But quick question, who else is in the truck other that your so called 'family members'?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I heard someone else."

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:13 pm

CyberDragon wrote:"One triple-shot latte and the daily special, comin' right up!" Traci said, turning to prepare the drinks. "Only one or two a day. Depends on how much our local caffeine addict orders. I had to cut him off after five of those Heart Palpitations once, even after signing the waiver. Weird thing, he didn't seem effected by it at all..." she shrugged.

The vixen finished making the latte and the special, which turned out to be a caramel mocha. She handed the cups to Lyncus and James, respectively. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

”Nah, that’s all for me, thanks,” Lyncus responds, taking a sip and still wincing at the bitter strength of her drink. “What’s the most complicated custom drink you’ve had to make before, then?”

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:08 pm

Foxfan2164 wrote:"I know you guys are talking about the KDF. I'm not a kid." Hyper sighed. "Yeah and I'm pretty sure I can't join the KDF until I'm 17. But quick question, who else is in the truck other that your so called 'family members'?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I heard someone else."

"If you realize that it's a government issue, you realize that you can't ask questions like that and expect answers. Assuming you're right." She lightly taps Mist on the shoulder and points towards the door, snapping him from his stupor. He makes his way into the van, still stunned by the fact that Hyper was a Kaiju. Mist had avoided all attention for fear of being found out, but Hyper seemingly had no reservations in making himself seen. Tigress shrugs and crosses her arms. "Plus you really don't want to know considering you're wearing all that cold in public." She points her finger up and down his body. "It's rude to say get lost but we've got some pretty important business to get to and if you aren't coming along you're in the way. So if you could..." She tilts her head with a neutral expression, her trouble-making over now that Hyper's clearly not allowed. She's still got plans for Mist's birthday and the fact that he hasn't been accepted yet only makes her more eager to get back home. She doesn't need some teen reminding Heather that Mist's supposed to be testing.

Post by **CyberDragon** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:25 pm

Citrisfur wrote:”Nah, that’s all for me, thanks,” Lyncus responds, taking a sip and still wincing at the bitter strength of her drink. “What’s the most complicated custom drink you’ve had to make before, then?”

"Aww, jeez!" Traci laughed. "Do you have an hour so I can make a list?" she joked. "I once had someone order a large caramel frappuccino mocha with chocolate sauce, whipped cream - specifically whipped cream from Wisconsin in the shape of the Eiffel Tower - homemade caramel drizzle, chocolate drizzle, honey, spun sugar, and a cherry on top in that exact order." Traci said, counting the different parts of that absurd order on her fingers. "And you can bet that I spent a full hour getting that put together all while the customer was yelling at me for taking too long." She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of taking too long... I have to get back to work. If there's nothing else you want, then..." She looked at the line behind them and called "Next person!"

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

Foxfan2164 wrote:"I know you guys are talking about the KDF. I'm not a kid." Hyper sighed. "Yeah and I'm pretty sure I can't join the KDF until I'm 17. But quick question, who else is in the truck other that your so called 'family members'?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I heard someone else."

Heather blinked for a moment, not sure how to respond to that.

DdeeStar wrote:"If you realize that it's a government issue, you realize that you can't ask questions like that and expect answers. Assuming you're right." She lightly taps Mist on the shoulder and points towards the door, snapping him from his stupor. He makes his way into the van, still stunned by the fact that Hyper was a Kaiju. Mist had avoided all attention for fear of being found out, but Hyper seemingly had no reservations in making himself seen. Tigress shrugs and crosses her arms. "Plus you really don't want to know considering you're wearing all that cold in public." She points her finger up and down his body. "It's rude to say get lost but we've got some pretty important business to get to and if you aren't coming along you're in the way. So if you could..." She tilts her head with a neutral expression, her trouble-making over now that Hyper's clearly not allowed. She's still got plans for Mist's birthday and the fact that he hasn't been accepted yet only makes her more eager to get back home. She doesn't need some teen reminding Heather that Mist's supposed to be testing.

And now she was rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Let me deal with this..." Heather took a deep breath, and addressed Hyper. "Alright. You're right, I am from the KDF. We were attacked. I arrested the attacker, but we can't afford a bunch of police and press harassing the witnesses, as neither has a good record of treating Kaiju fairly, and they'd probably try to spin it to make our attacker out like some kind of hero. As such, I'm transporting the witnesses and the assailant to a KDF facility for debriefing, questioning, and probably some other official-type things as well." Heather said, trying to make sure she wasn't giving away too much, while at the same time being descriptive enough that there won't be any further questions.

"There. Now you know as much as I can possibly tell you. Probably more than I should have told you, in fact." She said. "I hope you don't have any more questions, because I really can't say more."

Post by **SeanWolf** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:39 pm

Hlaoroo wrote:Ryan passes Mordecai a sealed bottle of iced tea and cracks open a cola for himself as the car turns a corner.
"Thanks! I'm sure he'd love to come and I'll be there for sure! Just let me know the time and place! I can't say no to a good party! Speaking of which, I'm having one on my yacht tomorrow night if you wanna come." he invites, leaning back in his seat to sip his drink and study the horse.
"Forgive me asking but... You don't seem very mayoral. Most mayors I've met are at least sixty and dress like undertakers. How did you land that gig?"

Sipping the bottle of tea, Mordecai looks out the limo's window for a bit before answering Ryan with a straight face, "Pistols at dawn with the old blood," before laughing and saying, "Sorry, I couldn't resist making a joke. No, actually, ever since the founding of the town, we Tikbalang been both protector and mayor of the town. My father was the mayor of the town until his peaceful passing into the great valley two years ago and I was next in line so I took over his duties. I will admit it was rough the first week, but like driving a vehicle, I got used to it and been mayor ever since. As for the invitation, I will be honored to come on board your yacht." He then smiled again and added, "In regards to your undertaker comment, while I don't dress like one, I have been called Meat Loaf due to my choice of outfits."

Deske · Post by **Deske** » Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:47 pm

"I concur, Gregg, you're there best at picking them." 'Julian' said to the fox. "You know, I'm beginning to think that the KDF is just about as secret as any other "secret" group, but less so because she's about to give what is basically a guided tour to some random kid."

Post by **CyberDragon** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 12:00 am

Deske wrote:"I concur, Gregg, you're there best at picking them." 'Julian' said to the fox. "You know, I'm beginning to think that the KDF is just about as secret as any other "secret" group, but less so because she's about to give what is basically a guided tour to some random kid."

Heather shook her head. "We're technically not any more officially secret than the National Guard is. It's just members of the KDF are aware of how dangerous it can be to reveal oneself as a Kaiju, or to openly associate with Kaiju. As such, most members try to maintain a certain level of secrecy. No point in that if everyone in the room already knows."

Deske · Post by **Deske** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 1:05 am

"Ah," Gregg said, flipping a flinger over to point at Heather, "That would make sense. But, are we taking this kid or not? Gonna try and get him interested in joining when he's of age? Start early," he said with a grin.

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:57 am

CyberDragon wrote:"Aww, jeez!" Traci laughed. "Do you have an hour so I can make a list?" she joked. "I once had someone order a large caramel frappuccino mocha with chocolate sauce, whipped cream - specifically whipped cream from Wisconsin in the shape of the Eiffel Tower - homemade caramel drizzle, chocolate drizzle, honey, spun sugar, and a cherry on top in that exact order." Traci said, counting the different parts of that absurd order on her fingers. "And you can bet that I spent a full hour getting that put together all while the customer was yelling at me for taking too long." She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of taking too long... I have to get back to work. If there's nothing else you want, then..." She looked at the line behind them and called "Next person!"

"Overkill, much?" James asks Lyncus, holding out one of his paws in a half-shrug.

Lyncus doesn't respond, glancing behind her shoulder at the sudden appearance of customers and looking nervous. "Yeah, let's go, then. Thanks," she adds hastily, before leaving the cafe, James following right behind her. Once the two leave the building, Lyncus abruptly stops a few feet away from the door, frozen.

"Are you okay? You kind of left in a rush," James comments.

"I'm good," Lyncus breaths out. "I didn't notice all of those people behind us. It just... caught me off guard, that's all."

Foxfan2164 · Post by **Foxfan2164** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:10 am

Hyper, taken aback by the amount of information the human part of the KDF gave him, stayed silent for a while trying to grasp the level of infomation that was given to him. "Well it seems that I can't come mostly because of my age right?" he asked.

DdeeStar wrote:
Foxfan2164 wrote:"I know you guys are talking about the KDF. I'm not a kid." Hyper sighed. "Yeah and I'm pretty sure I can't join the KDF until I'm 17. But quick question, who else is in the truck other that your so called 'family members'?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure I heard someone else."
"It's rude to say get lost but we've got some pretty important business to get to and if you aren't coming along you're in the way. So if you could..." She tilts her head with a neutral expression, her trouble-making over now that Hyper's clearly not allowed. She's still got plans for Mist's birthday and the fact that he hasn't been accepted yet only makes her more eager to get back home. She doesn't need some teen reminding Heather that Mist's supposed to be testing.

"Yeah. It seems that I'm probably messing up your schedules so I'll be going. Good luck Mist. he said in a part cheery, part overwhelmed tone.

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:26 am

Foxfan2164 wrote: "Yeah. It seems that I'm probably messing up your schedules so I'll be going. Good luck Mist. he said in a part cheery, part overwhelmed tone.

"Ah, thanks..." Mist manages to squeak out, head resting on the back of the seat in front of him. He lays his hat on his lap as he tries to sort through everything that's happened in a rational way instead of with a hunted animal's frantic thoughts.

"Enjoy your childhood while you've got it, kid. You don't want to spend your days off getting ambushed or, stars forbid, saving the city. You'll work yourself to death." Tigress dusts her hands off with a big grin and hops in the back of the van as well. "Maybe once Mist gets back you two can catch up some, play some actual paintball."

She nudges Mist with her elbow, but he only mutters "That would probably kill me." and goes back to his dazed silence, the social obligation to his peer over.

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 6:06 pm

After a few minutes of rest, Lyncus holds out one of her paws to examine it and is surprised when an orb of light appears and almost hits her face.

"There’s that light again,” James notices.

"I still don’t know what it does." Lyncus pushes the orb with her drink, far enough away until it slips past the cup and snaps back over her paw, as if it was attached with an invisible spring. “Are you sure you can’t do this either?”

"Positive," James says, as he waves his free paw around in mock demonstration. “That’s all you, Lync.”

Lyncus simply stares at her orb, lost in thought. James looks around the area for any interesting activity as he waits.
([][][][][][][][][][]) Full (100%)

"I think there's some sort of charge for this? It says it's full; I don't know what that means," Lyncus notices, holding out the orb to James. He stares at it blankly.

"I don't see anything. What fuel would it run on?" James asks, confused. "Also, aren't you making it appear, anyways? How could it even take any fuel?"

"Maaybe it's my health, then," Lyncus assumes, shrugging. She drops her paw and the light disperses.

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:43 pm

SeanWolf wrote:Sipping the bottle of tea, Mordecai looks out the limo's window for a bit before answering Ryan with a straight face, "Pistols at dawn with the old blood," before laughing and saying, "Sorry, I couldn't resist making a joke. No, actually, ever since the founding of the town, we Tikbalang been both protector and mayor of the town. My father was the mayor of the town until his peaceful passing into the great valley two years ago and I was next in line so I took over his duties. I will admit it was rough the first week, but like driving a vehicle, I got used to it and been mayor ever since. As for the invitation, I will be honored to come on board your yacht." He then smiled again and added, "In regards to your undertaker comment, while I don't dress like one, I have been called Meat Loaf due to my choice of outfits."

Ryan laughs heartily at the joke.
"That's really interesting. Has it always been your family specifically or are there other Tikbalang there? And I'm really sorry for your loss. I can't imagine losing my father. Overbearing as he is sometimes, he's been a huge part of my life and his heart is in the right place. And hey, there are far worse celebrities with far worse styles you could be emulating. Meat Loaf is a perfectly decent choice if you ask me."

Post by **CyberDragon** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:58 pm

Deske wrote:"Ah," Gregg said, flipping a flinger over to point at Heather, "That would make sense. But, are we taking this kid or not? Gonna try and get him interested in joining when he's of age? Start early," he said with a grin.

Foxfan2164 wrote:Hyper, taken aback by the amount of information the human part of the KDF gave him, stayed silent for a while trying to grasp the level of infomation that was given to him. "Well it seems that I can't come mostly because of my age right?" he asked.

"No." Heather said to both Gregg and Hyper at the same time. "It's not a good idea for you to come because we're transporting a dangerous person, and it's not a good idea for you to come because I wasn't lying when I said the truck is full."

Foxfan2164 wrote:"Yeah. It seems that I'm probably messing up your schedules so I'll be going. Good luck Mist. he said in a part cheery, part overwhelmed tone.

"Hey." Heather said, reaching forward to put a dinner-plate-sized hand on Hyper's shoulder. "Now's not a good time, but if you are interested in someday joining the KDF, I might be able to show you some of the public parts of the base." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a pair of small cards with contact information on them, handing them to Hyper. "If you ever want to know more, you can give either me or Wildfire a call, alright?" she said.

DdeeStar wrote:"Ah, thanks..." Mist manages to squeak out, head resting on the back of the seat in front of him. He lays his hat on his lap as he tries to sort through everything that's happened in a rational way instead of with a hunted animal's frantic thoughts.

"Enjoy your childhood while you've got it, kid. You don't want to spend your days off getting ambushed or, stars forbid, saving the city. You'll work yourself to death." Tigress dusts her hands off with a big grin and hops in the back of the van as well. "Maybe once Mist gets back you two can catch up some, play some actual paintball."

She nudges Mist with her elbow, but he only mutters "That would probably kill me." and goes back to his dazed silence, the social obligation to his peer over.

With the situation dealt with, Heather climbed into the driver's seat of the truck. "Alright. Everyone strap in. Next stop, the KDF base." Heather turned the keys in the ignition, but the vehicle didn't make a sound. Once everyone was strapped in, she turned on the radio and pulled silently out of the parking lot she was parked in.

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

Citrisfur wrote:After a few minutes of rest, Lyncus holds out one of her paws to examine it and is surprised when an orb of light appears and almost hits her face.

"There’s that light again,” James notices.

"I still don’t know what it does." Lyncus pushes the orb with her drink, far enough away until it slips past the cup and snaps back over her paw, as if it was attached with an invisible spring. “Are you sure you can’t do this either?”

"Positive," James says, as he waves his free paw around in mock demonstration. “That’s all you, Lync.”

Lyncus simply stares at her orb, lost in thought. James looks around the area for any interesting activity as he waits.
([][][][][][][][][][]) Full (100%)

"I think there's some sort of charge for this? It says it's full; I don't know what that means," Lyncus notices, holding out the orb to James. He stares at it blankly.

"I don't see anything. What fuel would it run on?" James asks, confused. "Also, aren't you making it appear, anyways? How could it even take any fuel?"

"Maaybe it's my health, then," Lyncus assumes, shrugging. She drops her paw and the light disperses.

Lyncus and James might notice the strange tank-like truck glide silently down the road past them as they did this, since the warehouse was in the same complex as the coffee shop. Heather thought she caught a glimpse of Lyncus's orb of light, but wasn't about to take her eyes off the road.

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

Meanwhile, after finishing two full bread bowls of Fred's clam chowder, Titus decided to walk around the pier for a bit as he waited and visit some of the other shops. He didn't want to draw suspicion to his apparently bottomless stomach.

He would have ended up eating all the chowder Fredrick had if he had stayed there for another minute. Besides, he wanted to know what the shop called "Hidden Dragon" was about.

Post by **SeanWolf** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 9:15 pm

Hlaoroo wrote:Ryan laughs heartily at the joke.
"That's really interesting. Has it always been your family specifically or are there other Tikbalang there? And I'm really sorry for your loss. I can't imagine losing my father. Overbearing as he is sometimes, he's been a huge part of my life and his heart is in the right place. And hey, there are far worse celebrities with far worse styles you could be emulating. Meat Loaf is a perfectly decent choice if you ask me."

"Mostly been my family as my ancestors were the founders of the town. And you are right about Meat Loaf...I listened to some of his songs and I do enjoy his music and I will freely admit to have been caught singing some of his songs in the shower..." Mordecai replied before pointing at an oncoming building, "Ah, we're here. Could you have your driver stop and wait? I shan't be long."

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Thu Jan 16, 2020 9:38 pm

CyberDragon wrote: With the situation dealt with, Heather climbed into the driver's seat of the truck. "Alright. Everyone strap in. Next stop, the KDF base." Heather turned the keys in the ignition, but the vehicle didn't make a sound. Once everyone was strapped in, she turned on the radio and pulled silently out of the parking lot she was parked in.

Mist lays quietly, trying to focus on the radio to shake himself out of the funk he's in. Tigress turns in her seat to Gregg and Julian and, keeping her voice low, asks "So what possessed you two to get involved in this mess? Picking up a stranger's watch, realizing that he was tracking us, and still coming in? Seems like a death wish, really." Her curiosity stems from the fact that she doesn't see any way they could've benefitted from being there. These strangers threatened their lives to stop another stranger from threatening her son's life. Life can be oddly poetic.

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:15 am

"There are easier ways to spend a day, yeah," Julian agreed, buckling in before the van headed off "but there are right ways too. See a guy following a couple of ladies and a youth? Guy then runs off as you approach and he had one of those watches? It's only right to warn the youth and ladies." He grinned slightly. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Citrisfur · Post by **Citrisfur** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:02 am

CyberDragon wrote:Lyncus and James might notice the strange tank-like truck glide silently down the road past them as they did this, since the warehouse was in the same complex as the coffee shop. Heather thought she caught a glimpse of Lyncus's orb of light, but wasn't about to take her eyes off the road.

James stares at the truck for a while, not fully realizing what's he seeing for a few seconds before he blinks in surprise. "Is that a... tank?” James asks, nudging Lyncus. She snaps out of yet another daze, having once again being lost in thought after her new discovery. By the time she looks up, the truck is far out of clear view.

"What? A tank, driving down the middle of a public road?" Lyncus asks, skeptical. "Where?"

"It's gone now,” James says. "Maybe it was just a customed truck, but I didn't know vehicles that large could also be that quiet.” He pauses for a moment before shrugging. "Anyways, are you going to work on your paper now, or...?”

"Yeah, fine," Lyncus sighs. "I guess it's gotta get done."
__________

The two are back at the same library table, James's books on the table again and Lyncus back on her laptop. While James works with his earbuds back in, Lyncus is clearly distracted as she generates her orb again.
([][][][][][][][][][]) Full (98%)

She then dissipates the orb, and every few minutes, repeats the same process.

"Hey, James," Lyncus eventually calls out softly, "I think I can control this thing now. Although the charge or whatever went down a bit."
([][][][][][][][][][]) Full (96%)

"Yeah, no kidding. You've been flashing me with it this whole time,” James whispers back. "Now turn it off before someone complains about it.”

Lyncus obeys, putting her paw down again, and the orb disappears once more. She stares blankly at James.

"This is really eating you up, isn't it? You're not gonna finish your paper at this rate,” he comments.

"Yeah? You think? How would you react if one day you found a power-consuming ball of light attached to your soul?" she hisses back.

"Is that what it feels like?” he sarcastically asks. "I wouldn't know.”

"Ugh, I can't with you, James." Lyncus pauses, then folds her laptop closed and slides it back into her bag. "I'm not staying in here and working on a boring paper when there's clearly more interesting things to focus on."

She then, quietly, storms out of the library, not bothering to push in her chair in her haste. James doesn't follow her, instead turning back to his paper after letting out a snort of annoyance.

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:49 am

SeanWolf wrote:"Mostly been my family as my ancestors were the founders of the town. And you are right about Meat Loaf...I listened to some of his songs and I do enjoy his music and I will freely admit to have been caught singing some of his songs in the shower..." Mordecai replied before pointing at an oncoming building, "Ah, we're here. Could you have your driver stop and wait? I shan't be long."

"Of course!" Ryan says, rapping on the partition between the passengers and driver.
"Little tip. The guy that runs this place owes me a favour. Ask him for Ryan's rate and he'll give you a good deal. Just don't spread it around or everyone'll want one!" the otter advises. This is a slight fib - Ryan and the owner are good friends and "Ryan's rate" is code for "give them a deal and Ryan will cover the difference". It's one of several ways the otter secretly gives back to the community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Ryan and Mordecai have finished their jobs, the car makes its way slowly along the waterfront towards Pier 29.
"Pier Three over there is where my yacht will tie up tomorrow night. Arrive any time from five onwards and we'll push off at six thirty sharp. She's that one onetwothreefour four along from the edge of the headland there, the Arhnaq. Her name means Sea Otter in Alutiiq, one of the languages native to Alaska." the sea otter points out, indicating a comfortable but not obnoxiously-sized, sleek-looking yacht sitting at anchor on the bay. A few tiny figures, a skeleton crew, can just be seen moving about on the deck.
"Dinner and drinks are provided, of course, so you won't need to eat beforehand. And speaking of dinner, here we are at Fredrick's!" A moment later the car pulls up and the driver hurries to open the door for the pair.

Deske · Post by **Deske** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:41 am

Gregg buckled himself in as the van took off. "Bout the same for me. Guy came sprinting around the corner nearly taking me out. Did some fist shaking at him before turning back to where he ran from. Saw Julian, struck up a conversation and here I am," Gregg explained with a light shrug. "Honestly didn't know what I was getting into, figured we'd just be warning someone about a stalker, not a genocidal maniac."

Post by **SeanWolf** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:06 am

Hlaoroo wrote:After Ryan and Mordecai have finished their jobs, the car makes its way slowly along the waterfront towards Pier 29.
"Pier Three over there is where my yacht will tie up tomorrow night. Arrive any time from five onwards and we'll push off at six thirty sharp. She's that one onetwothreefour four along from the edge of the headland there, the Arhnaq. Her name means Sea Otter in Alutiiq, one of the languages native to Alaska." the sea otter points out, indicating a comfortable but not obnoxiously-sized, sleek-looking yacht sitting at anchor on the bay. A few tiny figures, a skeleton crew, can just be seen moving about on the deck.
"Dinner and drinks are provided, of course, so you won't need to eat beforehand. And speaking of dinner, here we are at Fredrick's!" A moment later the car pulls up and the driver hurries to open the door for the pair.

Getting out of the limo, Mordecai thanks the driver and shakes his hand, all the while listening to Ryan talk. He then fixes his gaze over to the yacht and, after taking in its beauty, remarks, "I look forward to the party then. If you are interested, I can bring over some wine from my place as a gift," he then looks over at Fredrick's and smiles, "Speaking of which, it's my turn to treat you: If you'll allow me, I would like to pay for our meal here. My way of saying 'Thank You'."

DdeeStar · Post by **DdeeStar** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:59 pm

Welsh Halfwit wrote:"There are easier ways to spend a day, yeah," Julian agreed, buckling in before the van headed off "but there are right ways too. See a guy following a couple of ladies and a youth? Guy then runs off as you approach and he had one of those watches? It's only right to warn the youth and ladies." He grinned slightly. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Deske wrote:Gregg buckled himself in as the van took off. "Bout the same for me. Guy came sprinting around the corner nearly taking me out. Did some fist shaking at him before turning back to where he ran from. Saw Julian, struck up a conversation and here I am," Gregg explained with a light shrug. "Honestly didn't know what I was getting into, figured we'd just be warning someone about a stalker, not a genocidal maniac."

Tigress thinks about it for a minute, then sits back in her seat, throwing her comment over her shoulder. "I guess that's a way of thinking. Can't imagine you two are much fun at parties though." She checks on Mist. He's still there, eyes closed. She turns back to Gregg. "So you mentioned having a sort of thing for blue fire, right? Are you some form of heat elemental?"

Welsh Halfwit · Post by **Welsh Halfwit** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:19 pm

"Hah," Julian said, before lowering his voice again as he leaned back into his seat next to Gregg. "I do fine at parties. Well, I probably do anyhow. It'd probably be easy to find out." He grinned at Gregg. "Do they still dance the Macarena at those things?"