D'Amantru - Logs

Dogfight (Complete)

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:50:28 GMT

Who: Tyler and Lettie (wiredqueen) and soldiers from Kage's continent (NPCs)
Where: Lettie and Tyler's apartment
When: A few nights ago
Rating: R (Language)
Summary: Lettie and Tyler get into a fight with the soldiers hunting Kage and Erika.

Things had changed.

Tyler set his binoculars down and crushed his cigarette into the asphalt rooftop as he exhaled slowly, turning his eyes to look up at the night sky. The handheld monitor sitting next to him flashed footage of a group of soldiers charging into an empty building, audio crackling as it came over the tiny speaker. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and tapped out a new one, ignoring the monitor. What was the point in paying attention? He knew the soldiers wouldn't be finding anything in the building aside from a few hunters waiting to collect their armor and weapons to sell off.

After all, he was the one who set everything up.

The Feln hunter gave a small exhale of smoke as he twitched his ears. It was nothing against the soldiers; they were doing their job and he was doing his. It wasn't his fault things happened to overlap now and then.

It also wasn't his fault there happened to be a good market on weapons, armor, and other goods from the other continent.

Of course, there was an even better price for the location of the two hunted hunters, but not even Tyler would sink that low. Granted, who could brush off 950 million, but who could brush off family ties either?

His cellphone vibrated in his pocket and Tyler reached up to switch his headset on, already knowing who was on the other end. "Ty here. What's shakin', sweetie?"

Lettie's voice came quickly over the headset, a quiet laugh at the start of her sentence. "Where are you?"

"Off in a strip club knocking back drinks with my buddies and getting a lap dance from an amazing Feln with an impressive set of knockers and a tight ass. Why?"

There was another short laugh and Tyler grinned as he looked down at the monitor to catch up on the latest. The hunters were currently leading the soldiers on a twisting chase through the building, pulling off shots when they could. With any luck they'd have some new weapons and armor for their personal stock as well as some goodies to take down to the market, though Tyler knew luck was a fickle lady who had never been on his side.

"Once you're finished getting your kicks, get your ass back here. Got a posting for you to look at."

As with the majority of their calls, Lettie disconnected without giving him a chance to reply or without saying any sort of goodbye. Tyler only shook his head as he clicked his headset off and packed everything up, sneaking a last glance at the tiny monitor now displaying bodies being rapidly looted, before taking off.

Tyler kept low to the rooftops and alley walls as he moved through the city, taking a winding path back to the apartment. While there were other hunters sneaking around for a variety of reasons, he didn't want to risk being stopped by any of the soldiers patrolling on the streets or even by another hunter. Who knew if there were spies moving around inside the hunter organization seeking out information for the government? There were too many chances to take.

It was a tense situation, not only for the two hunters currently on the run and the two hunters feeding them information, but for all hunters. There were those interested in cashing in on a near-billion dollar bounty, those disinterested in working for another continent's government, especially when there was no guarantee there would be any payout, and those who were on good terms with Erika and Kage and unwilling to go up against them. The environment in bars had become tense, with everyone watching their backs even more so than usual and keeping conversation quiet and limited.

But every hunter around still asked the same question; why a 950 million dollar bounty on a single man, especially a B-ranked hunter? To the other hunters, Kage wasn't a cyborg, but just a regular human (or vampire depending on who you asked) from another continent who'd suddenly turned up as a hunter and began making himself known. But aside from that, there was nothing too notable about him. He was still fairly low-ranked and still had a long way to go. While he'd had some bounties on him, rarely did they break a million, if even several hundred-thousand. So why a near billion dollar bounty on him and an army from his continent intent on dragging him back home? It didn't make any sense.

And naturally everyone who had the answers had no intention of sharing them.

Tyler paused on a fire escape in an empty alley and looked around carefully before slipping through a broken window and into an abandoned building. He carefully made his way around the broken glass, rotted wood floors, and rubble to what appeared to be a graffiti-covered brick wall. He slipped his fingers into a small crack against the wall and grunted as he pulled, slowly a section of the wall to reveal a secret room. Tyler quickly slid into the room and pushed the door close behind him.

Like most hunters, he had various storage areas and safe houses around the city that provided a place he could run to when things were rough. While no means comfortable—the current room had a small army cot, some shelves with cans and bags of non-perishable food and boxes of bottled water, and some racks for his weapons and armor—it served its purpose. In the darkness, Tyler quickly removed all his equipment and clothing and dumped it on the bed before shifting into his full feline form. With grace and agility, he bound up the shelves and toward the ceiling, sliding through a hole in the wall. Avoiding water pipes and broken steel bars, he twisted through the small passage, his ears turning and listening to each noise as he crept along, eventually finding the exit he was looking for. A crumbled hole in another ceiling, Tyler quickly dropped down and landed on all four paws, giving a long stretch and scratching at his ears before bounding out the window and back onto the city street. While it took longer getting around as a cat, because he looked like a rugged alley cat, no one gave him any thought as he raced through the streets and alley. Pausing to watch a group of soldiers walk by, he gave a low meow and grinned to himself as they ignored him.

It was nearly an hour later before Tyler arrived at his apartment. He scurried to the roof and pressed a small buzzer with his paw to alert Lettie inside before nudging a small latch open and dropping through the opening and into a chute. Designed specifically for his feline form, layers of padding covered the metal walls, keeping his footsteps quiet. There were also various twists and branching paths designed to confuse anyone who might try to sneak in. The end of the tunnel was behind the bookshelf in the living room and he squeezed out and gave a loud meow as he padded over to Lettie's computer room.

The door to the room was open and Lettie was seated at her computer, monitoring the multitude of screens in front of her and taking in all the data only she could understand. Tyler gave a loud meow before he entered the room and moved to hop into her lap, looking as innocent as possible as he stared up at her, trying to keep his eyes looking big, wide, and completely pathetic.

Lettie looked down at the tomcat sitting in her lap with a bemused smile as she briskly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dropped him onto the ground.

"Get your ass dressed and get back in here," she said as she turned back to her work. If it were possible, Tyler would have laughed, but instead, he gave a loud purr before leaving the room.

As his door was locked and too high up for him to reach with his paws (it was something he'd been meaning to adjust but never got around to), Tyler was forced to change back into his Feln form. Now able to speak and never able to resist making a comment or two, he went back to Lettie's room, hiding partially behind the doorway.

"You know, Lettie, right now my finely toned body is naked, so it'd be a shame to pass up on such a good chance to have some fun," he commented. From her desk, Lettie simply raised a hand and extended her middle finger at him without looking back.

This time Tyler did laugh out loud as he went to his room and turned on the lights. His room was a mess with clothing, equipment, magazines, and medical supplies strewn across the room. The only thing neat in the room was the bed, still freshly made and obvious no one had slept in it for awhile. The hunter carefully tip-toed around the mess in his room as he picked up clothing clean enough to wear. Once he was dressed, he went back into Lettie's computer room and leaned on the back of her chair as he looked over her shoulder, an arm unconsciously draping around her.

"So what's the scoop on things?"

"We're being watched."

There was a matter-of-factness in Lettie that always managed to catch Tyler off-guard. Even though he was used to a very blunt and factual way of speaking, being that way himself and having been around hunters his entire life, Lettie always managed to bring things to another level. While a part of him wasn't surprised at all by her news, it was how she said it, dropping it on him without any sort of warning and acting as if the fact someone was watching them was completely unimportant and insignificant.

It was just another thing about his partner he would never grow used to, but loved.

Tyler's loose embrace tightened slightly as he leaned over a little more, his voice dropping down to a whisper. It was nothing more than an old habit of his; it was impossible for the room to be bugged with any listening devices as Lettie's thorough scanning system would have picked up on it. It was also impossible for anyone else to see them. The window in Lettie's office was covered by heavy curtains and Venetian blinds as well as a layer of protective laminate that darkened the glass and made it difficult for anyone on the outside to look inside. Additionally, her window faced into a back alley and a solid brick wall on the other side of and a small overhang at the top of the window blocked the view of anyone (such as a sniper) trying to look down from a rooftop. While all the safety precautions may have seen over-the-top for any average person, it was completely normal for a hunter.

"Hunters or govvies?"

Lettie closed her eyes and leaned back into the chair as she rattled off all the information she had. "Govs. Dressed in civvies, but you can tell. Began watching the area for a few days now, keeping tabs on things. Been listening in to their convos. Looks like they identified you from some other hunters who hate your ass, but all they know are the basics. Your profile from the network it looks like as well as whatever anyone else told them. They have you pinned as someone who keeps in contact with the blueberries out in hiding."

Tyler also closed his eyes as he gave a low sigh and a slight grown, his chin dropping to rest against Lettie's head. It was really about time they caught onto things and he managed a small grin. "What do they have on you?"

"Nada. They know you have a partner, but they don't have any info on me, as it should be."

Tyler gave a small grunt as he untangled his arm from around her and straightened up. He wanted to tell her to take all her equipment and leave for one of their safe houses and wait things out from there, but knew suggesting the idea would result in several heavy blows to the head from her fist. She was stubborn, almost as bad as him, and he knew she would want to stand her ground and fight it out. Not that he really minded as it'd be nice to have someone fighting alongside him.

"When are they making their move?"

Lettie looked at her computer monitor, her brow furrowing slightly as she reached up to adjust her headset before quickly tearing it off and standing up, a determined grin set on her face. "Now. They caught one of the hunters on that dumbass raid of yours and they got him to talk."

There came a long stream of profanity from Tyler as he followed Lettie out of the room and quickly moved to the living room, already knowing he would be taking care of the hunter who spilled information as he began making preparations for the incoming soldiers.

Unknown to most people, the building they lived in was only occupied by the two Feln. While rooms were sometimes used to house people they were in charge of protecting or rented out to the occasional hunter, the entire building was their personal little fortress. One floor was renovated into a full training center and the floor they lived on contained a large entertainment center, but all the other levels were trapped to prevent anyone from getting in (or out) without their permission.

From their apartment, they could oversee and control everything on the other floors. While Lettie began enabling all the systems and monitoring the security cameras, Tyler began pulling out weapons and armor and setting everything up. They weren't afraid of dying, but knew death would only inconvenience the two hunters they were trying to protect. Even so, they were prepared to give the soldiers hell and let them know they wouldn't go down easily.

The soldiers in question had already scrambled, their APCs tearing through the streets with the ARCs trailing close behind. Information had been slim, but considering both of the target hunters were A-ranked, bringing the combat robots would be a wise choice. It took them very little time to arrive at the apartment complex, the few soldiers covering the building giving what information they had to the officers in charge of the arriving units.

The soldiers armed themselves completely under the orders not to kill the targets and took up positions at the three entrances to the building. On command, the doors were hit with a battering ram and a flash-bang grenade was tossed into all three hallways. After the grenades went off, the soldiers went in two by two, moving cautiously.

"About time now, eh?" Tyler remarked casually at the loud bang from the base floor. Over at her computer, Lettie only nodded as she surveyed her monitors, the majority of them showing feeds from the various security monitors across the complex. Lazily, as if she was writing up an email to a friend, she began typing up commands through her keyboard. On the second floor, in two different rooms, two turrets poised in the windows began to fire down at the soldiers assembled in the front of the building.

On the first floor, there was a quiet ding as the elevator began to descend, another turret poised to shoot once the doors opened.

"COVER! FIND COVER!" The soldiers outside dove behind the APCs they'd arrived in as the turrets opened fire. While it was only two turrets, they were likely to target anything that moved. On order from the COs, a group of soldiers sprinted out towards the building, drawing fire while a pair of soldiers leveled RPGs at the turrets, their explosive payloads sent hurtling at the automatic weapons.

The soldiers nearest the elevator watched warily as it grew closer to the first floor, not quite sure what to expect until their radios clicked, a transmission warning them that the building was fitted with automated turrets.

More turret fire cut through the air as the elevator doors opened on the first floor, instantly honing in on the nearest soldier and firing at them as the building shook slightly from the impact of the RPGs. Up in the apartment, Lettie continued to calmly monitor everything, disabling the two destroyed turrets and bringing up more turrets on the other floors. Tyler gave a low grin as he stalked out of the room, leaving Lettie to her fun. A hand went into his pocket and he fished out a packet of cigarettes and quickly shook out one as he placed it in his mouth, leaving it unlit for now. He knew it'd take more than a few automated turrets to deter them, but at least it'd provide the distraction they needed.

He picked up his shotgun as he walked down the hall, casually slinging it over his shoulder as he left the apartment, making sure it locked behind him. Walking several doors down, he entered another room and crept down a ladder to the fourth floor. Carefully moving to the window, he crouched down and put the muzzle through a small slot by the window and took aim before firing off several shots.

Deciding it was time to stop pulling punches, at least on the outside of the building, the head CO ordered an Omega class combat robot deployed to deal with the fire coming from the building windows. One of the massive automatauns stepped out of an ARC, turning to gaze at the building as it flexed its clawed fingers. It moved far enough forward to draw fire away from the soldiers, returning fire with the rocket launchers mounted on each of its shoulders.

Inside the building, one soldier who was leaning out too far took a volley of rounds to the face, the mask unable to provide any appreciable protection from the high caliber rounds. His body was pulled back to prevent any further damage, several of the soldiers swearing as one tossed a frag grenade into the elevator to deal with the turret. The group looked at one another for a moment before a radio clicked. -...Looks like we're taking the stairs.-

Tyler swore to himself as he saw the combat robot approach the building. He'd read through the specs with Lettie and figured they'd be encountering one, but seeing one up close was different than looking at computer images. He fired off a few more shots at the soldiers before moving onward to the next room where several grenades were waiting. Making a few quick estimations, he pulled the pins and quickly lobbed them out the window, already moving off before they even had a chance to explode. He could only assume they hadn't figured out which room they lived in, which was good as it wouldn't be able to take more than a handful of explosives, or if they knew, they didn't want to risk killing either of them. In the third room, Tyler set his shotgun aside and picked up a sniper rifle, picking out one of the COs as a target.

Back in the apartment, Lettie swore to herself as the combat robot loomed against the building and began taking turrets out. Overriding the automated fire command on the turrets, she took control of two of them and took aim herself, ignoring the combat robot as she began sweeping the ground with gunfire while still keeping an eye (and ear) on the soldiers inside the building. She only grinned when they remarked they were taking the stairs, quickly typing out commands on her keyboard with her free hand.

At the stairs, there came a small blip as the explosives on the other side of the door were armed.

Seeing the grenades fly out the window, the Omega's left arm followed their arc as the massive vulcan cannon slung under its arm roared to life, attempting to shoot as many of the grenades out of the air as possible before returning its attention to the building, opening fire with all of its weapons as a second Omega was deployed, moving to lay fire into another side of the building.

The men still outside the building remained as huddled behind their APCs as possible, not wanting to stick their heads out into the hail of lead. Due to the surprisingly heavy resistance, the CO Tyler had targeted had just finished requesting that the command post drop a pair of Gamma robots atop the building, to attack from two front.

Inside, all the soldiers proceeded with more caution as they made their way up the few available staircases, the one group not expecting the bomb. That is, until it blew up and took out the two men closest to the door.

Tyler's ears flattened against his skull as glass broke over him and rained onto his back, bullets hitting the wall behind him. Ignoring the tiny cuts, he looked through the scope and made a few final adjustments before pulling the trigger, abandoning the rifle and running toward the next room moment the CO dropped to the ground with a tiny burst of blood.

While Tyler was still unaware of the second Omega, Lettie was quite aware. Her teeth ground together as she continued controlling the turrets and watching the advancing soldiers. "Ty, got another heavy coming in and we have soldiers coming up. Take a few out before they get to the third floor, all right?" she commented into her headset as she set off another bomb, taking out part of the staircase leading upward.

"On it," Tyler hissed back into his headset as he chucked a few grenades out the window before moving on to his next location.

As the first CO dropped, the first Omega ceased fire, adjusting its right arm to fire a grenade up onto the roof to create an easy entry point for the two Gammas that were inbound. Seconds after the explosion, the helicopter carrying them buzzed past the building, two short, matte black figures dropping gracefully to the roof. The Omega then moved forward, one clawed hand balling into a fist before it literally punched through the wall, creating a new, very large opening for the soldiers to enter through.

With part of the stairs taken out, the survivors from the blast fell back and met up with another group, redistributing their numbers into two groups, continuing their ascent about the traps and turrets.

It was a losing battle, but Tyler would be damned if he admitted that. He swore loudly as a part of the wall crumbled away at the impact of the Omega's fist and soldiers began to rush through, taking out the waiting turrets on the other side. From his position, Tyler fired several shots with the turret in his room before picking up a new rifle and heading out of the room. While their system was designed to keep out the average group of hunters or overly persistent salesmen, they'd never built it with the intention of keeping out a full army.

"Babe, we've got too many holes being opened up," Tyler commented as he opened up a hatch in the floor leading into the third floor and fired of a few shots before slamming it shut. "What are you seeing?"

"Sixth floor, we have intruders," Lettie replied back as she set off all the turrets on the top floor in hopes of repelling the two new guests.

The two Gamma robots moved quickly and fluidly, taking a surprising amount of hits but still going as they shredded and otherwise destroyed whatever turret they encountered. The loss of an arm barely slowed one of the units down as it dashed through the building.

The soldier's progress grew ever steadier as they learned what to look for, especially with Alpha class robots acting as point guards now. They had orders, and they were going to carry them out one way or another.

Against his better judgment, Tyler abandoned his position and crossed back up to the fifth floor and up to the sixth. There may have only been two intruders, but they were closer to Lettie's position and he had a feeling they were more than the average soldier. He could repel the advancing soldiers, but it was pointless if Lettie was captured. Tyler practically crashed into one of them as he took a shortcut to the top, dropping down to pull out his knife and swing at the closest robot.

"Target Tyler Mercer acquired, detaining now." uttered one of the Gammas in a cold, mechanical voice. The single armed unit batted the attack aside, the small firearm mounted in its arm shooting the blade out of Tyler's hand as the other flanked the Feln hunter, grabbing his free arm and twisting it behind him, pushing him down to pin him seconds later. "Target Tyler Mercer detained. Second unit moving on to Target 'Lettie.'" As the transmission was sent, the one armed Gamma was already closing on Lettie's position as the soldiers continued fighting their way past the defenses.

Tyler struggled and hissed, his fur bristling as he struggled to get up and away, roaring profanities as the second robot took off.

In the apartment, Lettie gave a small sigh as she removed her headset, knowing things would be ending shortly. She rubbed her temples as she typed out a few commands on her keyboard before leaning forward and resting her chin on her folded hands. Shortly after, there was the sound of a door being blasted open as the Gamma approached Lettie's computer room. However, before it could do anything, a turret dropped out of the ceiling behind it and one came out of the wall at the end of the hallway, catching it in the crossfire of bullets.

Unable to react to the turrets in time, the already damaged robot was cut to shreds by the pair of turrets, an electronic shriek echoing from its voice processors before it was completely destroyed.

The shriek was a warning to the soldiers and Alphas, the more heavily armored robots moving ahead of the soldiers as they scanned for the turrets that had destroyed the Gamma. Due to the caution they exercised, they were easily able to avoid serious damage. Without hesitation, the lead Alpha literally tore the door to Lettie's computer room off its hinges, flinging it aside as the second Alpha burst in with its weapons leveled. "Do not resist, Hunter Lettie. Lethal force has been authorized should the situation warrant it."

Lettie remained with her chin resting on her hands as she opened an eye slightly, the smallest of smiles on her face. "...Where's my partner."

The Alpha cocked its head, edging towards Lettie to pull her away from her computer. "Hunter Tyler Mercer has been detained."

There came a quiet sigh and laugh from her as she shook her head and spoke slowly and clearly. "......Operation whitecap, override code 58T4L, situation 43D, time period, unknown. Return activation required."

An ominous hum filled the air as the lights in the apartment flickered before settling. Simultaneously, her six computer monitors flickered before five of them shut off, the remaining one reverting to a blank window with a blinking line.

The lead Alpha cocked its head again, moving forward to push Lettie away from her computer. The other Alpha had already gone to retrieve the surviving Gamma, bringing both it and Tyler back to the computer room. Soldiers moved in to detain the two hunters as the Gamma settled itself in front of the computer, its fingers flying across the keyboard as it attempted to hack into Lettie's computer. Unsuccessful, a panel opened on the back of one arm, a cable snaking out to connect directly to the machine.

Lettie calmly stepped back, her arms crossing over her chest as she watched everything. Even when Tyler was carried kicking, hissing, and clawing into the room, she barely reacted to him. Her focus was on the robot attempt to hack into her computer, a tiny smirk forming at the initial failure. When it went to plug itself in, her grin only grew. Though unknown to anyone else, she'd built her latest security system around Kage, studying the data collected each time he plugged himself in to her system. Now was only a matter of seeing how successful her programming was.

On her computer screen, characters and symbols began to fill the window and rapidly scroll down, her security system kicking into overdrive. The characters suddenly stopped as quickly as they began and the cursor blinked steadily before two words typed themselves out on the following line:

'ACCESS DENIED'

Could the Gamma blink, it would. As a whole, the highly specialized units were not used to being denied when hacking into any kind of computer systems. And yet the programming of a simple hunter ground it to a halt. It studied the words for a moment before resuming its efforts to crack the system's security, undaunted by the minor setback.

The security system kicked in once more as it worked to keep the intruder out, filling the screen with rapidly scrolling gibberish and nonsense. Lettie gave a calm nod of approval at the first attempt as she turned to look at Tyler, a dangerous smile on her face. While she was talking to her partner, her words were for everyone to hear.

"...It's a shame such a nice piece of equipment is going to get fried. Oh well, I guess some sacrifices must be made."

On the screen, there came a longer pause followed by more words.

"TERMINATING INTRUDER NOW."

The Gamma's eyes flashed for a brief moment behind its protective cyclopsian visor at the sight and at the data it was processing. Its arm recoiled back as it practically tore itself free from the computer, but the metal in the cable allowed the fierce electric current to arc from Lettie's computer straight into the Gamma.

It gave a horrid screech for a moment before falling over in a heap, the robot's body convulsing from the residual electricity.

Lettie watched impassively as the robot was fried, the smallest twitch crossing her face as she studied it. "....I'll need a new chair after this."

"That's your problem, not ours." Remarked a CO as he walked into the room, studying the twitching Gamma. "Get it out of here and sent back home. I'm sure they'll be able to recycle it."

Tyler's head came up as the CO came into the room, a cold smile crossing his face as he studied the soldier. His tail gave a small lash as he straightened up a little. ".....So, you must be the bastard in charge of this op."

The man in question pulled off his helmet and mask, letting the two hunters see the three scars that ran across his face. "Yes, I am. If you have a problem with that, I couldn't give a damn."

"Didn't have a problem at all," Tyler replied, his grin growing even more now that he had a good look at the CO's face. "After all, I'm going to kill all you fuckers anyway. Or if I don't, they will."

Tyler's words and smirk were regarded with a calm, flat expression. "Really?" Not giving Tyler a chance to respond, he strode easily over to the hunter and lifted him clean off the ground by the collar of his shirt, slamming him hard into the wall. "Let me make it clear for you, hotshot. I want this operation done as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Which means I'd like as many of my men as possible to go home to their families, and I'd prefer not to have to order to have either of you interrogated to get the information I want. I have more important things to take care of then babysitting moody bounty hunter scum."

Tyler stared back with a cold smirk that only meant trouble for everyone around. He was used to being roughed up before and easily brushed it off as he stared forward to talk right into the CO's face. "....Feh, typical, acting like you're all high and mighty. Guess what? You ain't the only ones with families and people you want to protect. Granted, Kage owes me more than I owe him, and fuck, the asshole even said I was free to spill any info on him to you guys. But you know what? You guys piss me off and even if he's got a God-complex, I like the guy. Got a good head on his shoulders and on top of that, he's been good to my sister. Yeah, that's right, my sister. I hear you guys put out a bounty on her. Big mistake, fuckers. So while you're going to cry over having to babysit moody bounty hunter scum, I'm going to fight to keep them alive. Cause they're my family. And you fuckers ain't touching them."

"My son's birthday is tomorrow." The CO commented, drawing his pistol and pressing it to Tyler's shoulder. "I know full well the value of family, which is why I'd prefer to do this as painlessly as possible. To be blunt, if not for the civil war my country is in, your entire continent probably would've been uprooted to find Sirakal. You two would have been captured, interrogated, and then executed. Now," he clicked the safety off and locked the pistol's hammer in place. "Are you going to play nice, or not?"

"Happy birthday to him," Tyler commented with pure sincerity. "How old is he?"

To the side, Lettie grit her teeth together as she stared at Tyler, already knowing the direction things would be going.

The CO gave an all too charming grin. "Ten years old. Poor boy bawled his eyes out when he found out I wouldn't be there because your sister's boyfriend is at large."

"My condolences to him," the Feln hunter replied with a shrug as best he could. "However, that won't be enough to make me give up any info about them. Family's important, after all."

A sigh escaped the CO as he shook his head. "The hard way it is, then." he commented, dropping Tyler to the floor. "Tie the girl to a chair in the living room. Use Alphas to take out any remaining traps. And board up the holes the Omegas made."

"Yes, sir!"

Tyler didn't give a damn if anyone tortured him; after all, he was used to being roughed up and tossed around. But Lettie? It was his weak spot and painfully so. The moment he was dropped, he gave an angry roar and lunged forward at the first soldier moving toward Lettie. Tyler barreled into him and managed to knock him down before sinking his teeth into the poor man's neck, crunching through the fabric and into the man's throat, ignoring the screaming and blood seeping into the fabric and his mouth as he applied more pressure, fully intent on killing the man.

Tyler was hauled into the air once again as the head CO pulled him away from the man, throwing the hunter against the wall. Without a moment's hesitation, he put a bullet in the Feln's gut, then turned to his men. "Get this man to a medic. Let the hunter bleed."

The soldiers gave no protest, leaving Tyler on the ground as they hauled their fellow soldier out, the head CO carrying Lettie out himself.

While Tyler refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain, he did double up in agony and writhed on the ground.

Fucking hell, why am I so useless. Why am I so fucking useless? he thought to himself as he struggled to his feet, glaring heavily at the soldiers as they moved out of the room. Though each step burned and he had to hold back his cries of pain, he stumbled after them, refusing to leave Lettie alone.

Lettie said nothing when Tyler was shot, only blinking in surprise and throwing a worried look back at her partner as she was carried out of the room. She knew better than to say anything that would put her or, far more likely, Tyler into any more trouble.

"...Looks like I found your weakpoint, boy." the CO commented with a grin, holstering his pistol. "Patch him up and tie him down."

"Yes, sir."

"...Fuck you," Tyler snarled out as he glared at them, though he could hardly protest to not bleeding to death.

"Pity you made me shoot you. I'm far more inclined to protect your kind."

"Ya still got a chance to go home to your family. Think your son will be crying more when his father comes back in a body bag, if at all."

"You're too presumptuous, boy. I've killed plenty of hunters, and you're no different than the rest."

Tyler paused and gave a cold grin as he raised his head. "...Funny, I've killed plenty of soldiers too. All die the same way."

"Yes, they do. They die in the dirt, far away from their loved ones, far away from those who really care. At least they have some proper cause outside of greed or revenge or just wanting some pathetic excuse for glory."

"Go ahead, keep on thinking you're so much better cause you ain't a hunter. You're free to call us scum, but are you any better, you fucking government dog?"

"Better a well fed dog than a stray who fights to live. I've never once regretted my decision to join the military, probably how you don't regret being a bounty hunter."

Tyler gave a cold laugh as he sat up to properly face the CO. "If I have to fight for scraps to live, then so be it. Wouldn't want to get fat off of scraps from the gov anyway. And hey, I got my freedom. And regret being a bounty hunter, hah. I've had a few thoughts about my job here and there. But I still have people I want to protect and things I want to finish. I sure as fuck don't think it's a noble job. Hell, it's anything but noble and the people who sign up thinking it's a fun game and chance for glory are fucking assholes that deserved getting shot down by you guys.
"....I don't have anything against you, Sir. You're doing your job. I'm doing mine. It's a pity they go against each other. Who knows. Maybe after this dies down, we can get some drinks. It'll be on me."

The CO could only laugh at Tyler's words, taking the time to lean against the door frame as the hunter was bandaged and subsequently heavily duct taped to the wall and floor. "I've lost count of how many times I've heard hunters say that to me. It's generally meant to garner a false sense of security. You, at least, sound sincere."

Tyler winced slightly as he was duct taped down, already feeling his fur pull at the slightest movement, but managed a grim smile and a tiny shrug. "I can respect a man doing his job. Though, Sir, I have to ask something. Do you really know what you're getting yourself and your men into?"

"...Yes, I do. Which is why I want this to be done as cleanly as possible."

"Fair enough, but how many of them know what they're facing?"

"None of your concern. And I'll have your tongue torn out if you let that information out anymore than it has already leaked."

At that, Tyler only gave a small smirk before turning over to look at his partner, tied to a chair not too far away. He gave a tiny growl and gave her a smile as he said lightly, "Hey, Babe, you holding up all right there?"

Lettie had remained silent the entire time, mentally preparing herself for what was coming. At Tyler's comment, she looked up slightly and returned the smile. "All things considered, sure. But I'd worry more about your own hide, boyo."

"She has a point." Not saying anything else, the CO motioned for his soldiers to exit the room while an Alpha took up guard duty. With that done, he put the door haphazardly back in place before turning to Lettie.

"Now, we have some things to discuss."

Lettie turned to face the CO with a cold grin before looking away. Like Tyler, she had no intention of giving up any information on Kage and Erika. They both knew what they were getting into when they agreed to protect the two and they were willing to do whatever it took, their own lives be damned. The hacker gave a quiet smirk at the thought. Dying to save someone else's hide, huh. It was the kind of moment of glory that happened in movies or from rookies who were too hyped up on what they saw in movies. But then again.... if that was what it took, so be it.

"...Not sayin' anything," she spat out, hoping Tyler wouldn't be stupid enough to speak up.

The CO looked down at one of his gloved hands with a sigh. "Really, if you'd all just cooperate, Mr. Sirakal will be taken home in good condition and you all will be allowed to return to your lives."

"...What do you plan on doing to Kage?"

"I don't know what will happen to him upon returning home. But it doesn't concern anyone here."

"The hell it doesn't," snapped Tyler. "The guy's our friend. Hell, on top of that, what are you planning on doing with Erika? You guys set a bounty on her too."

"Silence him."

Complying, the Alpha moved forward and tied Tyler's mouth shut, allowing the CO to continue.

"Now, as I said,"

Tyler hissed and spat when his mouth was tied shut, giving the occasional growl as he glared stubbornly.

Lettie looked over at Tyler and gave a small shake of her head. At least this way he wouldn't be able to say anything else that'd get him in trouble, though it was still a poor situation. But he had brought up a valuable point. "...What will happen to Erika."

"Her bounty will only be posted until Kage Sirakal is taken into custody. If she is captured, she will be held as bait. Just like the two of you."

"Then what. You plan on releasing her once you have Kage? I don't buy it."

"I said you'd all be free to go back to your own lives, and it is the truth."

Lettie gave a grim smile as she looked up at the CO. "....You must be the kind of guy that doesn't bat an eye when a friend dies."

There is a difference between being a soldier and being a friend. I do not cry in their memory, I mourn their passing quietly and hope they are able to rest peacefully."

The grim smile remained as she looked away from him and lowered her head. "...Feh, I'm done wasting my breath."

"Good, because I'm done listening to the two of you prattle on."

She gave a general grunt as she closed her eyes and leaned back into the chair.

He absently rubbed one of the scars on his face. "When was the last time you saw Sirakal?"

As she stated earlier, Lettie remained stubbornly silent.

"I'd prefer to not have to resort to an actual interrogation in earshot of your partner. Now, answer me."

Unsurprisingly, silence followed.

"...Alright, what would you prefer? Stun gun or a baton?"

Lettie gave a tiny smirk as her breathing grew slower. Having spent her early life being abused by her master and his guards, she'd learned how to put herself in a near trance-like state and distance herself from everything. While it didn't stop her injuries from hurting later one, it worked well enough to make the moment pass quickly. Fortunately, it worked well enough for interrogations as well.

Tyler glared at the CO's back, but remained still. He knew about Lettie's technique well enough, but it still didn't change the fact that was his partner sitting in the seat. Yet he knew anything he did would only put her in more trouble and she was as good a hunter as him and could take anything dished out at her.

"..." A fierce backhand cut across Lettie's face before the CO got to his feet, reaching to pick up the stun gun. Not giving a second's pause, he circled around Lettie, pressing the device between her shoulders and activating it for a few seconds. "You will answer me, or I will leave you more broken than whatever life you've lead already has. I'd prefer not to have to do that."

Lettie's head jerked to the side, a wet mark visible on her cheek before her body jerked against her bonds from the stun gun, but she remained silent, only giving a tiny hiss as she slumped forward. Mentally, she was elsewhere, an almost out of body experience, if she had to describe it. To some sense, it may have been considered one as she was able to "see" herself be tortured in the chair like a passive observer.

"..." The CO pulled the chair off balance and let it fall back, leaving Lettie toppled over on the floor in it. He strode back into the other room, yanking the tie off of Tyler's mouth. "If she won't talk, maybe you will?"

Tyler gave a low growl and moved his lips around to rub feeling back into his muzzle as he glared at the CO. From where he was, he see Lettie's body lying awkwardly on the ground, still strapped to the chair, and he seethed to himself, but he kept his temper under control and remained silent. Unlike Lettie, he didn't have any tricks for interrogations, toughing it out aside. At least blows to the head were easy to deal with; Lettie had thrown enough hard objects at his head over the years he could take just about anything.

"Well?"

"Forget it."

There was a short pause before the CO pressed the stun gun against Tyler's chest and activated it.

Tyler jerked and gave a low grunt of pain, both from the current running through his body and the fur tearing away from his skin due to the tape, but still remained quiet.

He held the device against Tyler's chest for a few more seconds before pulling it away. "I'll resort to drugs, if I have to."

The Feln hunter gave a lower growl of pain as his head pressed back against the wall. Of course it hurt like hell, but he kept his mouth shut, reminding himself he'd gone through worse before and the lives of his sister and friend were at risk.

"...I don't have time for this." The CO growled before getting properly to his feet. "Extract the computer's hard drives and have them worked on.

Tyler gave a series of raw coughs as he squeezed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths before speaking. "...Don't waste your time. There's nothing on the hard drives."

"We'll determine that for ourselves, boy."

"Everything was wiped from them when Lettie shut down her systems."

"I doubt that."

"Suit yourself. Can I see my partner?"

He nods, motioning for his soldiers to bring Lettie into the room. Still tied to the chair, of course.

"Hey, Lettie, come on, girl, talk to me," Tyler said quietly, softening slightly as he turned to look at her. She still hadn't snapped out of her trance and he wondered if she was knocked out when her chair was toppled over. At the third or four question and no response, Tyler sighed and leaned back against the wall. "................I guess if you guys are taking over the place, might as well let you know there's an entertainment center on the rest of the floor. First floor has the training center."

"We know, the blueprints for your building were surprisingly easy to come by."

"...That a fact?"

"Loyalties change in the blink of an eye with so much money at stake." He merely grinned down at Tyler.

Tyler processed the information before giving a cold laugh. "...Let me guess, one of the guys you caught in that building earlier today?"

"No, we'd gotten them long before that."

"...Go figure." He knew what the CO said was true; money changed everything, especially with hunters.

In the chair, Lettie finally stirred, gradually snapping out of her daze. She gave a long hiss of pain as she leaned forward as far as possible, her face twisting before she sighed and shook her head.

"You can take it up with your precious board, actually." he commented, watching as his men took Lettie's computer out of the room.

Lettie was the first one to sit up, a wry grin crossing her face as she gave a cold laugh. "....Let me guess, they sold you the information."

"They were quite willing to give it to us. The pathetic fools actually think they can use it as a stepping stone to get our technology."

"That doesn't surprise me in the least. Ever since the last shift in power, things have changed. The latest batch of people running the board haven't given a damn about hunters for years now, their personal favorites aside." Lettie closed her eyes and gave a sarcastic sigh as she leaned back in her chair. "...It's all been a setup from the start. Hm, realizing that now, maybe I wouldn't have put up so much of a fight. I'd still have my turrets intact as well as the building. But so it goes. And by the way, activation code 385LM, activate security measure firestorm blackwall."

"...Hm. Can I trust you're actually being sincere?"

"Sincere?" The hacker laughed at that. "Dear, I'm always sincere. But that wasn't the code to get into my computer. That was the code to wipe everything off my computer and lock it down further."

"Oh, and it works when it's not plugged in, powered off, and down the hall?"

"That one? No, but it'll cover everything else. I'll get that one later."

"I doubt that, it's going to be taken back to our camp. If there's any information on it, we'll find it."

Lettie gave a sweet smile at that comment. "Is that so? Well then, I can't wait to see what information it gathers up then. And hm, sure, though you won't find anything."

"I'm willing to try calling your bluff. And it will not be connected to anything other than a portable generator, so you should hardly get your hopes up." He paused, pushing back a cover to look at his watch. "Now, I would love to stay and listen to you two go on and one for hours about nothing, but I have a report to make."

"Sure, work always comes first. But before you go, can you untie me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Worth asking at least."

"If you think so." And with that, the two hunters were left alone in the room with only an Alpha robot for company.

Lettie watched the CO leave the room before turning to look at the Alpha robot to study it curiously. While finding a way to study and dissect was high on her priority list, so was getting out alive. She turned to look down at her partner, a soft smile crossing her face as she reached out to give his foot a nudge with her own foot. "....Did good."

Tyler flicked his ears, eyes still closed, though he smiled lightly and gave her foot a soft tap back. At this point, there was nothing else to do aside from resting up and preparing themselves for their next interrogation, and with a robot guarding over them, making any plans was out of the question. Opening his eyes, he gave her a wink and a grin. "...Course, I did, sweetie. Now get some rest."

Of course, any proper sleep was out of the question, especially in their uncomfortable positions, but Lettie returned the grin and settled down, her eyes closing. Taped to the wall and ground, Tyler gave a small sigh as he alternated between watching his partner and the robot in the room.

"...Well, this is a mess. But oh well, things were getting boring anyway. Kage, Erika, wherever the hell you two are, you two better be safe."

[Completed] On the Run (Part Three)

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:45:05 GMT

Who: Erika (shadorika), Kage (un_human), and NPCs
Where: Outerlimits of Ametiton, Lazarus' ship out in the ocean
When: Feburary 5th (Backdated)
Rating: R (Language)
Summary: With no time to waste, Kage and Erika leave town to gather up some information and supplies.

Erika picked up her pack and slung it over to her shoulder, shifting into her Feln form and giving a teasing swish of her tail as she left the mess, grinning at the small group following behind. She stopped to study the map and look for the closest gym before heading off in the proper direction. While she had no doubt there were some talented fighters, she was also confident enough in her own abilities as a fighter to pull out some victories. Besides, when it doubt, there was nothing wrong with falling back on a tried and true hunter tactic; cheating.

The men, while not really know what to expect, hoped they at least had a fighting chance. But the prospect of fighting Kage for a chance to sleep with Erika still wore on their minds. Having seen his knife throwing display had unnerved them all. But they felt they'd take their chance, especially after having heard about what a screamer Erika was. It might've been Kage's doing, but hey, they could hope, couldn't they?

There were other crew members training in the gym when Erika entered and they glanced at each other, especially when the huntress's tiny following came in after her. Erika took her time surveying the layout of the gym, noting the type of padding on the floor and walls as well as the type of training equipment inside. She paced a casual circle around the gym before returning to her backpack and throwing off her boots and jacket as she dug through it, pulling out her knife set and attaching it to her belt.

"...I thought this was going to be strictly hand-to-hand."

Erika gave a carefree smile. "I promise not to use them~ Though nothing's stopping you from using weapons too, yeah? Just said I wanted to spar~?"

"...Yeah, we're all unarmed. But... right then."

She sighed and stretched as she removed her knives and threw them back onto her bag. "Happy now~?"

"Yes, very much so. Shall we?"

Erika stalked over to the mat and gave a few stretches before grinning and sliding into a fighting stance. "Come on, baby, let's tango~"

Then first crewman stretched a little before following after her, dropping into a stance for a moment before rushing at her.

Erika easily sidestepped the rush and braced herself as she took a small step back. Having never fought them before, she opted to see what sort of fighting style she would be dealing with before going all out against them.

Their fighting styles soon proved to be rather standard military style fighting, as the crewman lashed out with a sharp left jab.

Having gone through training with Raaz's personal army, Erika gave a broad grin as she caught the jab with her fist and used his momentum to tip him off balance as she delivered a sharp kick to the man's stomach.

The man sputtered as he took the sharp blow, not having expected her to so easily stop him. Granted, he had rushed into it, but that didn't matter now.

Tumbling to the mats and rolling into a crouch, he clutched his stomach and waited for the time being, sizing Erika up now.

The confident smirk returned as Erika slid forward and aimed a kick at the side of the man's head, ready to fall back if he tried to throw her off balance or grab her legs.

He went for trying to grab her leg as his head ducked down and away from the kick, his intent to yank her off balance and then deliver a blow while she was down.

Letting him grab her leg, she twisted so she could land safely on her back. Once on the ground, she unsheathed her claws and gave him a good rake across the wrist as she pulled her leg free and rolled back into a crouch.

"Gah!" He clutched his wrist as he recoiled, trying to stop the flow of blood as he scurried back, hissing through his teeth.

"Morons still don't know how to fight." Kage commented as he breezed through the crowd, his jacket, gloves, and oddly enough his shirt as well, all tossed off to the side. "Ready for a real practice, babe?"

Erika balanced on her hands as she lifted up her foot to lick the blood off her claws, grinning as Kage came into the room. Bouncing to her feet, she ignored the crew member as she walked over to Kage and gave him a solid poke in the chest. "Took you long enough, baby~ Was getting all bored playing by myself~"

"Mm... Sorry, was enjoying the food." He gave a small shrug before taking a deep breath, grunting as he maximized his strength levels, causing his muscles to suddenly bulge before he reduced the levels of his strength to normal with a long sigh.

"...Show off~" was Erika's comment as she did a small backflip to put some more distance between them as she shook out her limbs. Around them, other crew members began to gather, the bet temporarily forgotten out of interest of seeing the two hunters spar with each other.

"Just checking the levels~" Kage retorted, stretching now that he'd made his little display. It'd been a while since he and Erika'd properly sparred, so he wanted everything in working order.

"...For the record, I promise not to bite your throat out either~"

"That's good, 'cause that's the last thing we need right now."

Erika gave a few more stretches and shakes to get all of the tension out before she dropped down into a fighting stance, tail twitching behind her as she watched him, ready for his first move.

Settling into a stance of his own, Kage began to slowly circle about Erika, his eyes fixed on her body, watching for even the slightest twitch to indicate she'd start moving.

Erika curled her fingers under as she slid into a slow crouch, the steady flicking of her tail stopping as it rose in a curve behind her back. Without platforms to hide and move from, it was a straight fight with nothing to get in their way. All that matter was who made the first move. She narrowed her eyes as she studied him, knowing he had improved since their last fight. And naturally, while she hated losing... well, she was going to ravage him once they got to the bedroom anyway.

"Let the show begin," Erika muttered as she launched herself at Kage, moving to send a firm kick into the side of his knee, intent on dislocating it (if only temporarily).

Kage made a point of keeping his strength dialed down to what would be considered normal levels, as it was likely the men around him didn't know what he was, and on top of that, well, he didn't want to cause any major damage to Erika.

Blocking the kick was out of the option, and he wouldn't have enough time to completely dodge the attack, so Kage instead did the first thing that came to mind. He shifted his wait, pointing his knee directly at the kick, hoping it wouldn't get completely destroyed.

In her Feln form, what she lost in power, she gained in agility and flexibility. While she could still do some damage with a good kick, negating damage wouldn't be too difficult. Her foot connected with his knee and on instinct, her claws dug in to leave a good slice across the surface of his skin, but aside from a good bruise, there was little damage. She quickly bounced back and moved to strike again, ducking and weaving as she threw punches and kicks at him, trying to keep everything as unpredictable as possible.

With his pain receptors turned off, the wounds barely registered as he shifted his weight to hold himself on a defensive while she pressed her assault. She was covering herself well and keeping her attacks from being too wide, meaning openings were few and far between. Kage finally decided to take a gamble, catching one of her arms as she swung and falling back to flip her into the air.

With how light she was, Erika flipped into the air easily, slight surprise crossing her features before she twisted her body in the air to land soundly on her feet. Back on the ground, a few paces away, she grinned as she crouched down and pounced at him.

As Erika twisted to land on her feet, Kage rolled about and got himself into a crouch, his head cocking around to allow him to see Erika's blue and white form hurtling at him. Having no time to dodge, she hit him full-force.

As her body slammed into him, Erika wasted no time in throwing a few punches at his face as her feet went to drill into his stomach.

Not even Kage could have stopped the raging ball of fur that hit him, his arms almost futily coming up to protect his face.

Erika managed a good punch to his jaw and, with his arms protecting his face, a few good blows to his stomach with her feet. Using his chest as a spring board, Erika bounced away from him and crouched down, tail swishing again as she grinned at him. "Come on, Kage~ That all you have, baby~?"

The cyborg popped himself to his feet once Erika was off his chest, stretching lightly as he checked his jaw. "Not at all." he retorted as he rolled his shoulders before launching himself into the air, his body arching about to bring a sharp kick down on her.

Erika quickly dove forward as Kage launched himself at her. Even though he was at normal power, she knew just how heavy he was and how much the impact would hurt. She rolled before hopping onto her feet to face him, giving a small click of her teeth as she flexed her claws out and studied him, knowing it was now time for her to go on the defensive. Around them, crew members cheered them on, placing their own bets between the two, with favor sliding between the two hunters. It was quite apparent at this point both knew how to handle themselves in a fight and even more so, they were holding back too.

The pads around him indented greatly before he got back up, launching himself foward the instant he was able to. He paid no mind to the betting around them, instead more focused their sparring than anything else.

Being on the attack, he fired off punch after punch, working to trying and break through Erika's defenses.

Erika blocked the ones she could and tried to avoid the rest, taking a few hits to her back and shoulders as she looked for a way to break through his attack. Taking a chance, she dropped down to the mat, using her arms to keep her head and shoulders protected before moving to headbutt him in the stomach.

The sudden blow sent him back some, knocking the wind out of him but not knocking him over. He grunted and closed one eye as he steadied himself, trying to regain his stance.

With the previous blow to her head, a headbutt wasn't the wisest idea, but it had the desired effect. Erika pulled back and gave a tiny shake of her head as she crouched back, growling deep in her throat as her tail began to swish from side to side, fluffing up slightly. From off on the sidelines, there was a whistle and sharp cry about her toned ass, but she hardly heard it as she rushed Kage.

Kage positioned himself to catch his partner as she rushed him, he once again went to flip her, though he added some muscle to it this time, throwing her with every ounce of strength he had at his normal levels.

Erika once more went flying, though at her speed, she hit the mat on her back and gave a small wince as she quickly rolled out of the way and back onto her feet. If there was anything that got her during spars, it was previous injuries and her own temper. in this case, the latter was sneaking up on her and she closed her eyes briefly and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, crouching once more, though only to survey him.

"....You've improved. I'll give you that."

"Thanks. Having a good teacher helps." Kage smirked as he settled into a loose stance, sizing up his partner.

The smirk was given in return as Erika straightened up and gave a small stretch before throwing her shirt off, leaving her chest covered by her sports bra as she crouched back down.

"....What was that for?" The action confused him, to say the least, but he knew by now that Erika always acted with some kind of purpose. Even if it only was known to her.

"Let's see you keep focus, yeah?" she commented with a small laugh as she rushed at him, swiping at his face with her claws.

"Shouldn't be too ha--WHOA!" Kage's head snapped back as her claws flashed, his eyes going wide with shock.

Erika grinned as she bounced back enough to take a second leap at him, this time swiping and slashing at him instead of throwing punches. Even if he managed to block the attacks, her claws would still flash across his skin.

As she slashed at him, Kage only worked to juke and dodge around the blows, honestly not wanting his arms torn to shreds by the attacks.

Erika continued her slashing dance around him, waiting until the proper moment. With a grin, Erika lunged at him again, but instead of moving to slash at him, she dropped down and delivered a kick at his stomach

Even as sturdy as he was, the kick knocked him flat on his back, the heavy thud clearly audible even through the mats. "....Ow...."

Ever a cat, Erika hopped onto him and crouched down to study him with a devious grin as she gave him a poke right between the eyes. While she knew it placed her in a vulnerable position, she couldn't resist the urge to tease him a little. "...You okay there, sweetie~?"

"....Yes, since there are five of you." Kage grinned dorkily up at Erika as he let his head clear.

"...Don't think you'd be complaining about having five of me at once~"

"It'd be a dream come true~"

"Sorry baby~ You'll have to live with just one of me satisfying you later on~" Erika hopped off of him and offered a hand out to him with a small grin.

"I can be happy with that." He reached up and took her hand, pulling himself up with a small grunt.

With his weight and size, Erika had to lean back on her feels and use her other hand to pull him up. Once they were both standing, she grinned up at him as she bounced around him, giving him several pokes and prods. "...might want to get those cuts bandaged up. And ooo, that's a nice bruise I left you~"

"Mm, well why not help me get patched up?"

"Sure, why not?" The watching crowd parted slightly as Erika bounced over to the marked medical cabinet against the wall. She rummaged through it before pulling out a first aid kid, some extra bandages, and some ice packs. With everything in her arms, she bounced back to Kage, pausing to study him for a few moments. ".........You know, I never did say what everyone should do if they lose to me."

".......That is true."

"......Public humiliation or payment of some sort?"

"........Payment. Definitely payment."

There came a long pause before Erika snapped her fingers. "You can give me some of the best, bed-breaking, room-shaking sex. .......Everyone else owes me a thousand dollars."

"....That works great." he agreed with a broad grin. Sure, they'd maybe only done it half an hour ago, but did it really matter?

There was general grumbling in the room as the crew members quietly bemoaned her added addition to their prize. Having seen her fight in action against their own, then with Kage, they knew she was hardly a lightweight, nor was Kage. At the same time, the way she moved fluidly was just as tempting as was the promise of a few good hours provided they survived.

Erika ignored the grumbling as she dragged Kage over to a bench and seated him, shifting back into her human form to clean and bandage all his wounds for him.

They would've been lucky to survive Erika and Kage, especially since he would purposely dial his strength up. But he ignored it as his partner did, allowing her to plunk him down and attend to him.

There came a loud pop as Erika broke the seal in the ice bag and began mixing the chemicals inside together before plunking it on his shoulder and sitting down on the mat in front of him, her legs stretched out in front of her. Despite their purpose for coming to the ship, it was oddly easy to forget everything else and focus on the entertaining and fun here and now. With an almost child-like sigh, she threw herself back on the mat. "Nyah~~~ Now I'm bored again~~"

"Well, we could head to our room?" Kage looked down at her, holding the bag in place. "It's got a killer entertainment system."

"Yeah? What's in it?"

"Surround sound speakers, twelve foot screen for the projector which is hooked up to satellite TV and a DVD player, and a few other things."

Erika looked up at him, a flat expression on her face as she spoke. ".......Carry me there. NOW."

"...Yes ma'am." He quickly gathered up their clothing and such first, and once that was done, scooped Erika up and took her off to the room in question.

Her cheery expression returned as she settled in his arms and gave a wave goodbye to the crew members as she was carried out of the gym. "Laz knows how to treat his men right, huh?"

"Actually, this is just my personal guest room."

"...Well damn~ What else is in there?"

"Now that is a surprise~"

Erika gave a large grin as she closed her eyes and settled in his arms even more. "Fine, fine~ Let me know when we're there~"

"Sure thing~" He returned the grin as he carried her along, soon enough getting them to the room in question. "...Ever been in a presidential suite?"

"Presidential suite? Eh, once or twice if the guy I'm taking down is a real high roller. But Boss-man has some pretty comfy guest rooms in his estate."

"Yeah, this is kinda like those." Carefully, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Once they were in the room, Erika cracked an eye open, her eyes growing wide instantly. "....Holyfuck," she cursed out before skittering out of his arms and looking around, giving a low whistle as she surveyed everything. "...You've got it made~"

Making sure to close and lock the door behind them. "It pays to be Lazarus' best friend~"

Erika had already made her way over to sprawl out on the bed, sighing as she sank into it. "So, what do I have to do to be his best friend~?"

"Hey, you're with me, so you've already got it made~" Kage set their things aside as he made his way over, almost purring down at her.

"Looks like I have the good end of the deal then~" Erika purred in response as she propped herself up on her elbows to look up at him, a small grin on her face. "So come on, anything else about this room I should know~?"

"There's a hot tub, massage table, full kitchen and bar, and a massive bathtub." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Oh, and the softest carpet in the god damned world."

".....I'll be the judge of the last part," Erika commented as she flopped down on the carpet and spread her arms and legs out.

"Well?~"

"....................................................Damn, that is pretty soft."

"Told ya so."

The huntress sprung off the carpet, giving her bare feet a few more good presses into the soft carpet before hopping back onto the bed. "Okay, fine, color me impressed, consider my mind blown, blah, blah blah." She gave a small grin as she tilted her head back. "...So now what~?"

"....Well, you wanted to fuck like there was no tomorrow."

"...Technically, if your gov decides to come out early, there won't be a tomorrow after all."

"...Don't remind me." Erika's words quite effectively took the wind out of Kage's sails, the cyborg slumping down onto the bed.

"...." Erika's smile faded slightly as she rolled over and curled up next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. ".....So why don't we live for day, then give them hell tomorrow, yeah?"

"...Yeah."

There came a small pause before Erika pushed herself up enough to lean over to give Kage a soft kiss on his lips, mumbling something quietly as she drew back to smile at him.

He blinked a few times at the kiss and her mumble, surprisingly unable to make it out. But it made him feel better, so he returned her smile.

Satisfied at his grin, she flopped back onto the bed to lady side-by-side with him, her arms coming up to rest under her head. "...What did I say earlier? Being down doesn't suit you."

"Yeah, yeah. Hard to stay upbeat though, knowing what's gonna be bearing down on us. But eh, what the hell." Inhaling deeply, Kage stretched himself out on the bed. "So whatdya wanna do?"

"Going with your words, fuck like there was no tomorrow," she replied with a small grin as she stretched out.

"Alright~"

-------

Erika gave a satisfied sigh as she stretched out alongside him, reaching up to brush hair out of her sweat-covered face before doing the same for him. Her toes curled into the sheets as she let the cool air wash over her body, shivering in satisfaction as her head rest on his shoulder. With all the day's problems and their upcoming concerns ahead, any sort of distraction, no matter how wild or rough (and perhaps even more so if it was that) was welcomed.

"Damn, I'll never get tired of that," she purred as she gave his shoulder a tiny kiss and looked up at him, her cheeks still flushed red.

Kage stretched along with Erika, his eyes falling closed as her fingers brushed across his face. It was a much needed release for the both of them, and he wouldn't be too surprised if they stayed rough with one another until this was over.

"I'd be hurt if you did get tired of it." he replied with a smile, settling comfortably into the bed as he slipped an arm around her.

"Yeah, well, I'm a cat. Fickle, yeah~?"

She gave another stretch as his arm slipped around her, letting every part of her from her toes up to her fingers extend out and flex before relaxing again at his side. On the large screen, the porn flick they'd loaded had finished and waited back on the main selection menu. Their slow breathing aside, the room was quiet. Despite being one for energy and excitement, Erika reveled in the small moment of peace, eyes closed and giving another tiny sigh. In the idle moment, her mind began to wander into the what-ifs and all the upcoming concerns and she gave a tiny scowl against his shoulder.

"Damnit, I just want to relax right now," she thought bitterly before scrambling over his chest to look for the remote.

"Fickle in the best ways~" He laughed lightly at the comment, getting as close to her as possible as she stretched. He was reveling in the calm, doing his best to keep his mind from wandering. Kage was trying to focus on the here and now, on the comfort he felt lying next to Erika.

"...Hn?" An eye cracked open as she began crawling over him, wondering what she was doing.

"....Looking for the remote," she commented, now dangling half over him and off the bed as she panned the ground with her hands. Her hands grazed and object and she leaned over a little more to reach under the bed, successfully pulling it up. Now satisfied, she settled back on the bed and began to flip through the menus. While not looking for anything in particular, she needed something to fill the silence.

He blinked at her response, making sure to keep a hold on her lithe form so she didn't fall off the bed. "The quiet bugging ya?"

Erika gave a small shrug as she flipped through the various menus, eventually settling on one of the music channels and cueing up some rock music, turning down the volume so it wouldn't be too overpowering. Now satisfied, she lay back on the bed at his side, the visualizer falling into sync with the music.

"Better now?"

There was a pause before Erika gave a large grin. "...Yes."

"Good." He smiled, slipping an arm around her again to pull her close to him.

There was no protest from her, the huntress even moving a little closer to be next to him. Her head rest back on his shoulder as she stared across at him to the large protection screen, multicolored lines moving in time with the music. To some extent, there was a sense of surreality with the whole situation; here they were on a ship in the middle of nowhere, days away from fighting the battle of their life and unsure of what the ever living hell was going to happen next, and yet they were lying there as if they were out on vacation or something.

Her foot grazed against his leg as she turned to look at him, saying nothing as her green eyes stared into his gold ones.

Kage sighed quietly as he watched the colors of the visualizer pulse across the screen, wondering idly if that'd be a good representation of things to come. It's really not like he'd know one way or another, but he decided it didn't matter at the moment.

Feeling Erika's gaze upon him, he tilted his head to stare back into her eyes, a brow quirking slightly.

Erika continued to give him that unblinking cat-like stare when he looked back, a blank expression on her face, before giving a small sigh and settling next to him. There were too many questions on her mind and things she wanted to say, but she figured for the sake of the peaceful moment, she'd remain quiet.

An arm draped over his chest as she adjusted her position and gave another sigh.

Unfortunately for Erika, she'd piqued Kage's curiosity. He shifted slightly, looking at her with a curious expression. "What's on your mind?"

"Ahh, nothing."

"...Alright."

"....'mgonna get something from the bar. Want anything?"

"...I'll just have whatever you're gonna have."

Erika gave a small shrug as she bounced off the bed and walked over to the personal bar. While no bartender like Ginia, she knew how to throw some things together and she knew what she liked. Pouring up two glasses of brandy, Erika carried them back to the bed and handed one over to Kage, tapping her glass against his.

"Cheers," she commented as she took a long gulp.

"Cheers." he returned, downing his glass in a single swig.

".....What a day, huh?"

"...No kidding."

"...So what's on the plate for tomorrow?"

"I dunno, I know Lazarus's got a VR system we could use to train, if we want."

"Sounds good to me. I'm curious what we're up against." Erika paused and swirled her glass around a little before downing it. "....Hey, Kage?"

"...Yeah?"

".....Don't try to be a hero out there."

"....Same goes for you."

Silence followed as Erika stared down at her empty glass. She had no intention of throwing her life away for nothing, but at the same time, if it came down to it, she was ready to go out with a bang. It was just how hunters were.

"...I mean it."

"Hey, I'm not going to die pointlessly."

"Good. But don't feel you need to die for me."

Erika set her glass aside and leaned back on her hands to look at him, fixing him with a serious glance. "....Kage. I'm not going to die for you, but I will fight tooth and nail for you."

Kage gave little more than a nod in response to her words, mussing over things. "...Y'think Tyler and Lettie are alright?"

"...Don't know. They're pretty sharp and tend to know what's going on. Just depends on whether or not your gov decides to move early."

"Hm... I guess we can only wait and see, then."

Erika nodded and settled back on the bed, giving a small yawn. "......'m tired."

"Then we'll get some sleep." Kage said matter of factly, wrapping both arms around Erika to bring them close together.
Erika settled easily in his arms, a tiny smile crossing her worried face as she leaned against him. It'd been a long day for both of them and some rest was needed.

He stroked her hair softly, giving another quiet sigh as he settled in place on the bed. It had indeed been a long day, and they both deserved a good night's sleep.

[Completed] On the Run (Part Two)

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:40:45 GMT

"...You're such a little kid sometimes." He laughed as he arched a brow, "Y'that impressed?"

Only further proving his point, Erika turned back to scowl and stick her tongue out at him. "...Shut up, I've only been on small ships and private yachts."

"Wait til we land."

Making herself comfortable on her lap, she gave a dismiss wave of her hand as she gave a small shrug, feigning disinterest. "Yeah, yeah. wonder if I can get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Mess hall and kitchen takes up a quarter of the fourth deck. You should be able to get anything."

"....awesome~ what else does he have on there?"

"Shooting range, armory, massive computer center, gyms and training rooms... Pretty much anything and everything he could fit on there after optimizing the cargo load."

"....And how long are we staying there?" The excitement in her voice was unmistakable.

"I was figuring three days?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow in deep thought, already drafting out a light outline of things to check out before giving a satisfied nod and a grin. "Sounds good!"

"I'm glad you approve. Now, sit normal, I need to strap us in tight."

Erika gave a nod, first moving over to her pack and looping the straps around it so it wouldn't fall off the seat before seating herself properly in Kage's lap.

Once Erika was seated properly, Kage quickly strapped them back in, already feeling the Chinook beginning to descend. "Alright, hold on. Sea landings can be a bit rough."

She held onto him as her attention turned once more to look out of the window, not wanting to miss a detail.

As Erika watched everything that happened with her full attention, the helicopter lined itself up with the massive ship, the pilots adjusting as best they could to the chop of the ocean.

The landing wasn't horribly rough, but it was enough to shake everyone a bit. "Let me get out of the chopper first, alright?"

Erika gave a small shrug as a few crew members went onto the deck, most likely to meet Kage and help unload while other carried rifles. "Yeah, sure, I'll stay here with my bag. Which form's safer; human or Feln?"

"Either or works, Laz and his men don't care either way, especially since a lot of 'em are anthromorphs." Reaching around her, he undid the harness and stood up once she got off his lap. "Just follow me out, the pilots likely radioed the crew on the ship to let them know you're here too."

Opting to stay in her human form as she was already in it, she unstrapped her pack and slung it over her shoulder as she followed behind Kage, taking in all the details. It'd be a hell of a story to tell Tyler and Lettie when she got home, that was for sure.

The ship's crew mostly stayed out of Kage and Erika's way, save for one who came to lead the hunters into the belly of the ship.

Erika kept pace, lagging slightly to look into rooms and note where any rooms of interest were. "...Kinda reminds me of something Boss-man would have," she commented as she passed by one of the gyms.

"S'that so?" he asked over his shoulder, his hands tucked in his pockets, as this was nothing really new to him.

"Pretty much. Kinda looks like the barracks actually. Only thing missing is Ti running around and teasing the guards with what they can't have."

"...I think you might be partially filling her role here. Not too many women actually work for Laz."

Erika gave a small grin as she fell into step with him, ideas already clicking in her mind. "...That so~?"

"....What're you planning."

Erika's grin only grew as she shifted into her Feln form and gave a satisfied purr. "... Nothing at all~"

"...I highly doubt that." A small frown appeared on Kage's face, his brow furrowing slightly. But that conversation'd have to wait, they'd almost reached Lazarus's command center.

"Come on baby, just going to have some fun!" She purred in response, her tail giving a happy little twitch as she began surveying the area again.

"Your definition of fun makes me worry, you know that." He laughed at her enthusiasm, though it quickly died when the entered the command center.

"Yo, long time no see." Surrounding Lazarus was a full contingent of guards, each one of them bringing their rifles to bear on Kage and Erika.

"...You've gotta be bullshittin' me."

Erika calmly stared at the guards and gave a casual tilt of her head to one side as her tail lashed behind her, a low grin forming as she raised a hand in greeting. "Yo~"

"Y'know, Cyber-boy here's worth a pretty penny on his own. The two of you together are a small fortune."

"Your point is?" Kage asked flatly, one hand purposely moving up to rub the side of his head. "The price for me's gotta be chump change to you."

"It's still money."

"..." The arm Kage'd brought up darted into his coat and pulled out a grenade, the pin already clattering to the floor as his thumb held a percussion trigger in place.

Despite the danger of moving with guns aimed at her, Erika gave a lazy stretch as she watched the conversation. Being a hunter and having seen various greetings between old friends, she knew how things tended to go and nothing about the situation really surprised her.

"...That's not even real, is it."

"Naw." He released and depressed the supposed trigger a few times, many of the guards giving quiet sighs of relief. "Seems you can still call my bluff."

"Hey, you called mine." Getting to his feet, Lazarus clapped his hands together. "SO, the lovely little Feln's your partner?"

"...Do you ever not ask stupid questions?"

"...Naw."

Erika gave a grin as she bounded right up to Lazarus and stood on tiptoe to look into his face, twitching her whiskers curiously as she walked around him a few times before hopping onto a nearby chair and balancing herself on the chair back, giving a thumbs up over to Kage. "...I like him."

"...Wait, wha?" The green-haired man looked back and forth between Erika and Kage, actually not sure what'd just happened, especially since Erika's stuck her face in his.

Kage shrugged, tossing the dummy grenade to one of the nearby guards. "Don't worry about it. So, my old friend, what can ya tell me?"

"...Well, you're cluster fucked."

"Well that ain't too new," Broke in Erika, an almost bored expression on her face as she slipped into one of her usual acrobatic acts, balancing herself on one hand on the chair. While she knew she was treading on dangerous territory by throwing orders around, she wanted specifics. "Any other details? Who's after us? How many? What kind of stuff do they have? What's their area of influence? How far has the news spread already? Where can I get something to eat?"

"....Um...." He could only cough as he gathered himself up from the assault of questions, ignoring Kage's laughter at his friend's confusion. "Our government is, and they're sending in half a division in two weeks. Armed with the best body armor, nothing short of AP rounds'll do. They also intend to field test their Alpha level combat robots on you. They've got their hand in the D'Amantru Hunters Guild and the Delphin Empire. No news yet. And the mess is on the fourth deck, Kage can show you."

Erika let her pack slide onto the chair as she rebalanced herself, her legs stretched out in front as she mused over the information, a deep scowl crossing her face. "AP rounds eh? If you're as good as Kage says you are, you can supply us with those, right? Alpha level combat robots, got any specs on those? Speed? Armor type? Weaponry? Skills? Come on man, can't skimp on the info here ....Hunter Guild's involved, huh? Feh, not surprised, but looks like we got Seekers on our ass then, no doubt about that. Probably good chunk of S-rank dogs, no surprise there. Empire... eh, lazy asses, can't see where that'll go. News... shouldn't be too hard. I can get Lettie on the networks and get her to suppress things, might ask Boss-man to do some suppression from behind the scenes. And fourth deck, sweet. Anyone there that can make me a kickass steak?"

"..." Lazarus turned to Kage, looking almost dumbfounded. "Is she--"

"Yes."

"...Right then! Well, yes, I can. And as for the Alpha's," He walked over to a terminal and punched a few keys, the full technical diagram appearing on the main screen. "That'd be tham. And yes, there's steak."

Erika perched back on the chair and gave Lazarus a long, dark smile before hopping over to look at the monitor. "Medium rare, surprise me with the steak sauce; give me a baked potato with sour cream, chives, shredded cheddar, and bacon bits on the side; cup of lemon-lime soda, go easy on the ice; oh yeah, how about a small dish of ice cream? Chocolate is cool. By the way, can I send this info to my friend? She'll get to work on finding a way to rip them apart."

"....Kage, please go take her to the mess. I'll have the data sent to your usual room, alright?"

"Sure, sure~ Come on, hot stuff, lets leave Laz to his business~"

Erika gave a long grin as she bounced over to get her backpack, then gave Lazarus a quick peck on the cheek and slap to the rear. "Thanks, sweetie~" she purred before bouncing out of the room with Kage, cackling once they were out of hearing.

Lazarus sputtered and nearly flailed at Erika's actions, spouting something about how he'd be in his office until she left.

"...D'you have fun tormenting Laz?"

Erika paused in her tracks and spun around to grin up at Kage. "Oh fucking yes. I love making confident guys squirm. By the way, send a message to him I want to spar with his best fighter after I'm done eating. Gotta bet back into shape, yeah?"

"Will do~ And my sides hurt now, thanks to you. I have NEVER seen Laz that flustered before."

"Think I came on too strongly~?"

"I think the ass slap might've broke him."

"Hey, when you have an ass that nice, it's gotta be slapped."

"...I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Erika gave a grin and gave her own ass a slap before leaning forward and poking his chest. "Hey, so where's this mess hall, huh? Come on, my steak is waiting~"

Kage shook his head and chuckled. "Two decks down, and there's an elevator around the corner."

"Sweet~ Want anything? Bet I could scare someone else into getting something ready for you~"

"I'm gonna tag along, since the food's free. He's seriously got just about everything you could want."

"Fair enough~" Taking the lead, Erika was a grinning ball of energy and fun as she flirted openly with any guards she deemed cute enough on the way to the mess hall.

"...Having fun?"

Leaving another crew member to stare in bewilderment, Erika bounced to Kage and pounced onto his back. "...Very much so~ You?"

"Just amused by your enthusiasm." His arms moved back to hold her up, effectively carrying her along to the mess hall now. "You gonna be this wild in bed tonight?"

"Depends~ How thick are the walls?" She asked with a tiny purr and nibble to his ear as he carried her along.

"Soundproof."

"Then this wild and more~" Another nibble was added to his ear.

"I can't wait~" His hands being where they were, he easily gave her ass a hard squeeze.

"Too bad~ You're going to have to~" she purred over his ear as she dropped down to give his neck a few teasing kisses and nibbles, pressing a little harder against him.

"You're not careful and I'll do you in the elevator on the way down~" he purred back, giving her ass another squeeze.

"What would the other riders think~?"

"I doubt there'd be any~"

"It's tempting, but it'd be such a short ride~"

"Emergency stop button always works~"

"What if someone comes to investigate~?"

Kage tilted his head back, locking eyes with her. "Does it matter? D'ya wanna fuck before we go eat or what? I know plenty of places we can hide."

Her head tilted from one side to the other as her maddeningly teasing smile crossed her face before she leaned in and gave his neck another nip. "Lead the way, baby~"

"Forgive me, but it'll be a might cramped~" Doing as instructed, he led Erika to a small room used to store some older documents, making sure to lock the door behind them.

"Come on, cramped just makes it a little more fun~ 'Sides, I'm flexible~" she purred, nudging some boxes aside with her foot as she set her pack down. "So~ Which form do you want~?"

"Whatever you feel like, baby~"

"Hmm~ Well, it can be so annoying to be sticky when you're furry~" she commented as she shifted into her human form, running her fingers through her tousled hair.

"Especially when you can't easily clean up~" he agreed, removing his coat and gloves.

"Exactly~ Maybe later though~ I'm far more flexible~" following suit, Erika removed her jacket and set it on top of her bag.

"Sounds like a plan to me~" His shirt soon followed his coat, the cyborg easily closing the distance between them, catching Erika's lips in a hungry kiss.

-------

Erika gently wrapped her arms around him and rubbed a foot against his thigh as she sat up slightly to press a kiss to the top of his head, giving a long purr as she rubbed his back. "Think you'll still be as wild later on~?"

Kage shifted slightly, a long, content sigh escaping him. His lips brushed over hers as his hands came to rest on her shoulders. "Oh, most definitely~"

"Good~ Cause now I've got a bit of an appetite you'll have to feed later~"

"I promise to deliver however you might desire~"

"Good~ Now come on, my steak is waiting~" Her mind already moving onto other tracks, Erika gave him another quick kiss before skittering out from under him and began collecting up her clothing. It didn't take long for her to get dressed and soon she was skittering out of the room and toward the elevator, now quite hungry after a good bout of sex. "Come on, Kage, what's taking you so long~?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Laughing at her constant levels of energy, he jogged after her as he pulled his coat back on, scooping Erika up into his arms once he caught up to her.

"...Dork," she commented, giving him a good-natured (and gentle) bop on the head when he scooped her up, though not complaining in the slightest at being carried.

"Hey, what can I say." He grinned at her, setting her down gently once they were at the elevator. "...So I wonder how many people heard us."

Erika leaned back against the elevator wall, her hands resting behind her head. "...I don't know. Might have been some echoing or something, so could have carried down the halls. Let's say five or so."

Fixing up his hair, Kage contemplated the number. "...I guess we'll probably find out once we reach the mess."

Erika only grinned and tossed her head as she cracked her knuckles. "Yep~"

Moments later, the elevator binged and the doors opened to the fourth deck. "Alright, lets go get something to eat~"

"Woohoo~" Even with no idea where she was heading, Erika was out of the door and running down the hallway.

"....." Chasing after her, Kage realized she was going in the opposite direction. "Um, baby, wrong way?"

There was some slight skittering at the end of the hall as her boots squeaked against the floor before Erika turned abruptly and headed back toward Kage, shrugging as if nothing had happened. "These halls all look the same."

"That's why there're maps on the walls." Kage pointed at one of the maps in question. "Come on, the mess is back this way." At this point, she wasn't the only one who was hungry.

"yeah, yeah, fine, fine, I'll keep that in mind for later. ....Wonder if my steak is still warm?"

"Probably is. They've got plenty of ways to keep your food warm."

"Hey, this the room?" Erika broke in, waving her arm at a door a few feet away.

"Yep, that's be it~"

"Sweet~" bounding away from Kage yet again, Erika burst through the door and gave a cordial, "Yo, evenin', bitches!" as a greeting before going off to find where her dinner was.

"......." Kage poked his head in after Erika's boisterous entrance, noting that he actually received very few glares, instead being greeted by sudden low chatter. He figured finding Erika'd be best for now.

Erika had already made her way into the kitchen and located her already prepared meal and was walking out with the dish in one hand and her drink in the other when she saw Kage. "Damn, this looks pretty good~"

"Should be five star stuff." he commented, going to poke around the buffet to see what he could find.

"Looks like it. So anyway, yeah, I'm going to go grab us a seat, all right?" She commented, already heading off before he could give any sort of answer. Erika poked her way through the rows of tables before finding an opening at the end of a table and plunked herself down on the bench.

Kage gave a nod, grabbing a large plate, already starting to gather up appetizers, and from there various other things to eat. He wasn't getting any proper food, per say, but a lot of finger food.

Erika was already through most of her baked potato by the time Kage came around. Giving a wave, she reached over and stole some fries off his plate and quickly munched them down.

He returned the wave before he sat himself down next to her, popping a friend ravioli into his mouth. He'd made a point of using all his available plate space.

"....These fries are amazing," she commented as she grabbed a few more off his plate and quickly scarfed them down as she glanced around the mess hall. The conversation was still low chatter and she noticed more than a few glances given to their general direction, though as far as she could tell, there wasn't any open hostility, despite her... interesting greeting. She gave Kage a small nudge to the ribs as she began cutting her steak, still glancing around and keeping her voice low. "So... quiet bunch."

"Word's gotten out. That's all." He picked up a chicken finger, taking a bite as he glanced around. "They seem to be jealous of me and turned on by your screaming."

"That all, huh?" Erika commented, taking a bite from her steak. ".......Okay, this steak is going to make me cream my panties."

"Yep." Kage confirmed with a nod, tilting his head to look at her. "I won't be able to clean you up if you do. Not yet, at least."

"...Yeah, probably wouldn't be nice teasing the gents," she replied with a small wave of her fork to the other tables before digging into her steak with gusto.

"I think Laz'd ban you from the ship." he commented with a grin, polishing off his chicken finger only to grab a chicken wing.

"....Surprised he hasn't already after I slapped his ass."

"It might've surprised him, but he ain't that uptight."

"All right, fair enough." Finishing off her steak and washing it down with her glass of soda, she stole a few more chicken fingers off Kage's plate and began munching them thoughtfully as ideas began clicking through her mind.

"And I thought I was hungry."

"I burn through calories quickly," Erika commented as she hopped onto the bench and looked around the room. "All right, listen up! Who here is tough enough to take me on in a sparring match? Come on, I need some practice, so how about it?"

Kage simply watched as he continued munching on his food, watching curiously as the crewmembers murmured to one another until one spoke up. "What do we get if we win?"

Erika paused and tilted her head to side before resting her hands on her hips and giving a confident grin. "...How about really good, blow-your-brains out, rock-the-bed sex? …Or 5,000 dollars."

There was a resounding whoop as a large number of the crew bolted up, claiming they'd get to bed her. That is, of course, until Erika's steak knife screamed past one crew member, leaving a long cut on his cheek. The entire room fell silent as their attention turned to Kage, who hadn't really even looked up from his food.

"Y'wanna fuck her, you'll need to get past me, first."

At Kage's sudden addition to the challenge, a large number of men hurriedly sat back down, leaving no more than five crewmen standing.

".....Just five? That's no fun," Erika commented with a small pout before flipping over the table and landing on the other side and crossing over to one of the five challengers and peering up at him, giving him a few pokes in the chest and arms. "....Well, you seem sturdy enough at least."

A smirk appeared on the man's face, his arms crossing over his chest. "I'm sturdier than your boy toy, I can guarantee that."

"That so?" An equal smirk crossed her face as she swiftly sidestepped to move behind him, dropped down, and swung her legs to sweep his own legs out from under him.

As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Being the burly fellow he was, the man was unable to move out of the way in time, and thusly landed on his back with a heavy thud.

Erika quickly sprung out of the way and back to her feet as he hit the ground, springing on to his chest and crouching down. "...Nah, I don't think so."

"...I hate you."

Erika gave him a small pat on the cheek and a dangerous grin as she sprung off him. "Don't worry, you'll get over it one day~"

Grumbling, the man got up and sat himself back down, resuming his meal.

She hopped back over to where Kage was seated and plunked herself down on the table, facing the rest of the group with a confident and slightly bored expression, talking over her shoulder to Kage. "Well, that wasn't very exciting. How am I supposed to get any good practice in if everyone's a lightweight?"

"Y'could spar with me, like usual?"

Erika gave an exaggerated sigh as she rolled back and did a small flip back onto the bench. "...Yeah, guess so~ BUT~" She gave a wave into the air to emphasize her point, "if anyone is interested, I'll be in the gym~"

"I'll be there soon." Kage said around a mozzarella stick, giving her a small wave.

A few men glanced nervously back and forth from Erika to Kage before getting up and following the huntress, figuring they'd give it a shot.