Posts by Cups

Kou snarled, spit flying and dripping. Why was the siren not moving? Scared? Ha! "Not so high and mighty now, huh?! Not going around killing people now, huh?!" the canine laughed, not of actual sound, but one that echoed throughout the mind of people nearby. Seeing the siren down and trapped beneath his paws, Kou couldn't help a delighted bark of triumph, tail swishing in a wag.

Everything happened too fast. For Alson who lacked experience in handling shifters, he could only watched as the shots he fired missed, and the shifter turned into a magpie and flew off. The blonde gazed icily toward the direction of the bird even as it disappeared from sight.

"Alson...?" Wilson cautiously inquired, even as his gun stayed aimed at the girl with the large crossbow, "We'll get the shifter sooner or later, brother. But right now, we have more urgent things to take care of."

The blonde laughed. "Of course, little brother," Alson turned to regard the girl with a smile, crossbow already aimed at her head, "Little lady, I must apologize for having to meet you under such unseemly circumstances, but I really feel like shooting something now so--"

"What do you want?" Wilson immediately cut in to ask the girl, shooting his older sibling a sidelong glance.

Seeing the Siren move away, Kou hopped forward as well. Best restrict the siren's movements, so she wouldn't try anything funny. The canine continued to let his mouth hang open to show teeth too, just in case. "I'd ask you the same thing, siren. I, Kou Ayashi, come from the great family of the Inu,"--Kou paused here, remembering the news report from earlier. The inu had suspected that perhaps the culprit was a siren, since supposedly all the victims were men. Hisui might well receive instructions to investigate it anyway, so he might as well get as much information as he could. The inu eyed the girl with suspicion--"Also, several men have gone missing recently. Know anything about it?"

Wilson glanced at Ion to check if he was alright.

Alson merely chuckled, "The little lady is correct. So let me return the favor." The blonde squeezed the trigger of his crossbow, the bolt flying just past the side of the girl's head. He started a little when he felt a firm grip on his shoulder, and turned to see his younger brother frowning and shaking his head.

The brunet then cleared his throat, before speaking. "We all want the shifter. There's no point in fighting among ourselves like that. The sooner we get it, the sooner we get the money, so--hmm..."

Alson continued where Wilson began to struggle a little for words. "We have to work together, boys and girls," Alson declared with dramatic relish, although not without narrowed eyes that betrayed annoyance. He bowed toward the girl--an elegant movement, if it were not as mocking. "So, shall we, milady?"

Kou began to growl again at Linney the siren. "Watch that tongue, or I'll bite it off--" The inu stopped short when he sensed a strong magical aura pulse through him. He flinched, and turned to its source. *, he forgot about that girl with the book; So that was where he was scenting all that magic. The whole park stank so much of it, it practically overrode his senses. He hadn't really been able tell where it had come from and just assumed it was the siren, since that scent was more familiar to him that this other girl. The canine bristled. What exactly was she? Then he heard the roar.

Kou startled and backed away from the Siren, away from all that noise. His ears felt as if they were bleeding from the noise, his canine senses screaming 'Run! Run!' Only stubborn anger kept him where he was, facing off against the creature that seemed to have appeared out of no where--a Griffin, he recognized. The inu snarled and bayed, all sharp teeth and snapping jaws as he closed in on it. He crouched close to the ground, and was about to leap.

"Kou, you idiot. You're fighting a tree. Or something. Stop it."

The inu startled. That voice. He turned to see a bleary-eyed Hisui, hair hastily brushed such that it was still rather messy and a mismatching outfit hastily put on. The girl yawned as she approached, and cuffed the surprised inu on the ears. "It's an illusion, stupid. Dad taught us about those already, remember?"

"How did you...?"

"Your fear and anger. I could feel it in my sleep. It was giving me totally messed up dreams. Oh, and I used your money for the cab," babbled Hisui, before she turned to the other two girls. She drew a dagger from the belt on her waist and pointed it at the two, it's wickedly curved blade glowing with enchantments. "Don't mess with Kou. He's dumb enough as it is--"

"I was provoked!" snapped the canine, "There was a siren! And a summoner!"

Kou rattled on, but Hisui was already ignoring the inu. The sleep was slowly cleared from her eyes, and her lips curving into a bright smile. "Coffee. We go somewhere to have coffee. I've always wanted to have a conversation with a siren and a summoner. I think. Over coffee. Or we can fight. That's fun, too." She looked up at the two other girls expectantly, even as Kou growled and grumbled.

Kou snorted at Lin, and turned away with his nose in the air. Hisui giggled, absentmindedly ruffling the canine's head in her delight. "Great! That's settled then," she said, sheathing her dagger. "I know this twenty-four-hour cafe close by. We can just walk there. I'm Hisui by the way, Kou's master--"

"Partner!"

"Whatever. Now change back. You stick out like a sore thumb like that."

With another grumble and a poof of smoke, the inu shifted back to human form. In place of the wolf was a boy in his teens with long sandy-brown hair, complete with wolf-like ears and a fluffy tail. Kou scowled as Hisui waved his wallet in his face. "You're paying for everything, of course," Hisui paused, before turning to the two girls. "If anyone asks, tell them Kou's cosplaying. Oh, and your names?"

As she said this, Hisui led the way to the cafe, Kou tagging along. The inu glanced sideways at the two other girls. "I'm...sorr--Wait, you know what, it really wasn't even my fault. You people were acting all suspicious."

Hisui peered curiously at Amalia as she flipped her notebook open to reply. She had caught a glimpse of the other pages in the girl's notebook, and almost squeaked from excitement when she saw the strange lettering within its pages. She was about to bombard Amalia with questions when Kou retorted, "Well, you summoner, almost killed my ears with that screaming Griffin! And there's clearly something weird with a siren so far off sea!" He was starting to see that this argument was going no where, but hey!--Kou Ayashi doesn't back down just like that!

Hisui shook her head with a sigh of exasperation, "We'll never make it at this rate!" She grabbed Kou's arm, ignored his protests and ran toward the doors of the nearby cafe, "Come on already, slowpokes! Continue your argument once we're actually inside!"

Alson chuckled. The girl was going to kill them all if she wanted to; He could tell from how tense and wary she was. Not an ounce of trust. But he could relate to that.

"My name is Alson, little lady," the blonde replied with a grin.

With yet another person to their party, however, getting the shifter for himself was going to be a more difficult task. Alson couldn't help a discrete, grim look toward his younger brother. Time was running out.

Wilson took no notice. He was visibly relaxing, frown gone and a hesitant smile on his face. With one more person, they would catch the shifter more quickly. Alson had tried to hide it from him, but the brunet could tell that his older brother wanted the shifter badly. He wasn't really sure why, but Wilson believed he had good reasons for doing so. At least, he hoped so--you couldn't really be sure what the crazy blonde was thinking.

"Wilson, younger brother of Alson."

Kou didn't answer Lin and resorted to merely grumbling, resulting in a giggling Hisui. In the cafe, the girl ran for the window-side table. Plopping herself on the inner-most seat, she called, "Kou, you help us order while we talk. I want a mocha."

The inu huffed. Frowning, he turning to Lin and Amailia and spoke through grit teeth, "And what may I get for you ladies?

When Ion and Arryn started fighting, Wilson startled and was about to try pull them apart, but his older brother held him back

"It's just tension, little brother. Let them fight it out. And if they manage to kill each other, then all the better."
"But--"
"I wouldn't want my kind little brother to get hurt." Wilson could only glare at Alson's smiling face.

When the shifter appeared, the blonde fired his crossbow and missed again as the creature shifted to a sparrow and flew away. Alson hummed. "Arryn, Ion, would I get away with both of your murders, I wonder?"

Wilson sighed, "Focus, guys. We can't go into this without a plan. So out with the ideas."

Yay thanks! XD

Smile Dog was humming the tune of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, as he rolled about the back of the van. He'd flopped over at one particularly sharp turn, and didn't bother trying to right himself, what with the straight jacket trapping his arms and all. That and he was half-drunk on the sedatives they gave him. Hardly necessary measures, given that he was quite happy with his current prospects.

"Hello." He said simply, to the armed guards who pulled him out of the van after it had arrived at its destination. Outside, he stopped just to look at everything, despite both men pulling him on either side. The Nightingale Home for the Mentally Unstable sprawled before him. It was at once, something dark and almost regal. Smile gave a bark of laughter, delighted.

"You guys are really rocking the horror movie vibe. " Smile said, to no one in particular. "I'm looking forward to my lobotomy sessions already."

Smile's grin inched wider upon hearing the other girl's giggles. It was nice to know someone appreciated his humor. He strode along with the guards on either side, up the stairs, and stopped before a women at the door. Smile nodded towards her. "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'd introduce myself, but you probably already know who I am, Ms. ...?"

Name: Thalle Anderson
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Orientation: Gay
Type: Werewolf
Personality: A bit of a loner within the pack--he has no problems socializing with the other pack members, but clearly stands by his views even when they are not the norm and is thus seen as sort of the odd one out in the pack. Easily excitable, easily pleased. Doesn't think through things a lot, just living in the moment. Generally protective. Strongly loyal.
Looks: (Human form) Black hair that have slight curls to them. Very light brown eyes, almost yellow, though they can appear darker in dimmer areas. Tanned skin and lean build. (Wolf form) A fairly large, long-furred black wolf with yellow eyes. Thalle can shift to anything in between the two extremes of Human and Wolf form (including human form with wolf ears and tail, if you prefer that)
Height: 5'9"
Wears: Short sleeve, button-down denim shirt with a pair of grey jeans and black trainers.

Another day, another hunt. The usual. Thalle was on scouting duty, sniffing out prey and anything worth attention ahead of the main group, before going back to report. He was in wolf form right now; he was rather large as a wolf, but his body was still more compact than when in human form. It made for quieter prowling.

Deer. It wasn't long before he picked up on its scent. And something more. Thalle dropped his jaws open, tasting the air. Yes, definitely something different. Ears pricked forward in curiosity, the black wolf headed towards the two scents. He reached the area just as something jumped at the deer killing it.

On reflex, a low growl rumbled from his throat. How dare he! Killing their prey, on their territory! The other creature hissed, and immediately instinct took over. He lunged, forepaws crashing into the creature's shoulders in an attempt to knock him down and beneath him. Jaws full of knife-like teeth poised to close over his neck, but not yet biting down.

Had the creature been a known intruder, perhaps another werewolf, he would have mauled him, no questions asked. Werewolves respected one another's territorial rights, and to break that trust would make the offender fair game. But Thalle had never scented or seen the creature before. So while he was obliged to retaliate on account of loyalty to his pack, he had no real intention of killing the thing. Not yet, at least.

So even as he bared his teeth and regarded the other with narrowed eyes, he was more curious than malicious, carefully looking over the creature. In the distance, the rest of the pack could be heard howling

"This isn't the time for that one lion king moment. I barely even know you."

Thalle gave a short bark of laughter, and immediately withdrew his jaws. He'd caught him by surprise with that. Nice one. And what did he say he was? A vampire? Thalle gave him a quick once over.

He'd heard of vampires before--it was a story the adults liked to use to scare the little ones. He'd known they were real, but he'd never seen one before now. He kinda expected them to be more...skeletal or bat-like or something.

The howls grew louder, and suddenly Thalle remembered how the pack never really took to vampires. Most hated them, actually. He got off the vampire, and bumped his head into his shoulder, as a sign for him to get up. Then he turned, and headed in a direction away from the approaching pack. A few paces away, he turned back, a signal for the vampire to follow him. He'd talk, but that would require changing to human form and cost them some time--canine tongues were never really built for speech.

On the way, Thalle nodded as he heard the vampire talk. Huh. Funny how the pack's stories of vampires had skewered the truth so much. Hearing him sigh in relief, Thalle gently bumped against his leg with the side of his muzzle--it was a gesture that sort of translated to "It's alright" in his pack.

Soon they'd arrive. Among a particular thick cluster a trees, stood a small cabin. The wood was fairly new, not much moss of lichen covering them yet, so it was clear that the cabin was recently built.

Thalle sniffed the air. His pack wasn't as close now, but they might still decide to follow him. He was on scouting duty after all. But he'd veered off the path the pack had planned to take, so the pack was probably deciding what to do. He'd have to get back to them quick and lead them somewhere else.

Thalle trotted over to one of the nearby trees that served as his cache and dug among its roots. He turned back to the vampire with the key in his mouth, and nudged at his hand with his muzzle, for him to take the key. Opening doors with paws was impossible. He gave a few brief yelps for good measure, in a bid to get the vampire to hurry up.

Thalle could scent it, the discomfort rolling off the vampire in waves. Without another word, the wolf slipped into a room. A minute and a half later, the door was slowly pushed open. Human-form Thalle stepped out, eyes fixated on the vampire.

"Hello. I figured you'd feel less nervous with one wolf less around, seeing as the pack might still come after you."

He cautiously walked out into the sitting room and flopped onto the beanbag on the floor, facing the vampire. "What's your name? I'm Thalle, by the way."

Thalle nodded upon learning the vampire's name. "Aaron..."

"So...uh, your not clawing my face off?"

The corner of Thalle's mouth quirked. "Nope. I just happen to require someone who makes Disney-references in my life."

Seeing Aaron looking about the cabin, Thalle took it as a sign that he was feeling better... He got up from the beanbag. "I'll be come back to you real quick. Have to send a message to the pack, tell them to go ahead with the hunt without me...try not to laugh."

With that Thalle skipped over to the door that led outside the cabin, opened it and poked his head out. He inhaled deeply. There was a soft whoosh as he exhaled, which quickly grew to a long, low howl. The sound rose and ebbed at different points, in a pattern that would convey what he wanted to say to his brethren. He repeated the pattern two times just in case. Not long later, a series of howls returned Thalle's. Afterwards, he closed the door behind him, and turned back to Aaron.

"They're going ahead without me. But they also told me to be on the lookout for a vampire. Must've been the deer blood back there, and traces of scent you left behind. They haven't tracked you yet--I think my scent's covered yours for now. But they're trying to find you." Thalle frowned, and stalked back to sit at the beanbag. "You might want to wait for things to die down a little first."

Smile continued humming through his mental playlist, as he was dragged to his room. There sure were quite a few other people. How promising. Smile's head lolled sideways, as his eyes roamed his surroundings. He wasn't really paying attention to the layout of the place. Not really. Just noting the lovely dusky grey of the walls, the smell of old wood some of the pillars emanated...finally they arrived at the door of room 287, where Smile was shoved into the padded room, and locked in. Smile brightened at the shiny clean plastic of the padding, and plopped down with a small bounce on the padded floor. The place was considerably old, but recently furnished. Not bad. With a few adjustments, this could be very nice indeed.