Playground of the Omniverse IC

Old Boar’s Inn; Market District
Time: Sixth Hour and Second Quarter of MiddleDay[/center]
[Chad M.F.]

The girl, who at this point would be a whimpering bundle of shock, wouldn't respond. Her clothing would be loose in theory, if it weren't wrapped tightly around her thin frame, swaddling her body. If asked the same question repeatedly, she would eventually let her head bobble up and down rapidly in a shaky form of "yes." Her form would be turned away from the death gurgling reptile that lay dying on the rooftop, a steady pool of blood slowly swamping his once strong frame.

At this point, Chad could continue to ask questions, or continue in his pursuit of the vixen ninja...


???; The Back
Time: Sixth Hour of Midday
[Jojo]

"Well..." The dwarf shopkeeper would stroke his beard, cradling his glass of wine as he did, "Firstly, you would have to go the Town Hall -- the force is centralized around there. It won't necessarily be at Town Hall, but in its general vicinity." The ex-cop would wave his hand in front of his face, as if he were brushing aside a network of cobwebs, "But details -- the point is, you won't miss it." Sliding out of his chair, he made his way back to his large desk, still speaking, "But that's besides the point. They'll only accept those with badges, or who can prove they once upheld the law in their own world." The shopkeeper muttered something under his breath before continuing to speak, placing himself in the desk's large chair as he did, "Very rarely will they ever make an exception."




Old Boar's Inn; Booth Room
Time: Sixth Hour and Second Quarter of Midday
[Vin]

"Man down! Tower 4, we have a man down!"
"Sending back up to Sector 4 point--"
"It's gone Tower 4! We lost it!"

Vin, despite of making his mistake, undoubtedly recovered impressively. Without much resistance, he would find himself outside the city wall, just where the long grasses of the city outskirts began to truly grow to The Wildwood's reputation. In all honesty, Vin might find himself uneasy - as a thief who's home is in the city of Tutmose itself, such a place could cause any one to become uneasy. The land itself had an ancient feeling and never could truly be known, even to those who were born and bred in Tutmose. No, only the Woods People would know The Crossroads' true face.

Regardless, Vin's contact was always sketchy and unreliable at best. Truth be told, his information was always, always accurate, but finding him in a reliable way... This was the more difficult part. With a little wandering, Vin would be able to find the hidden path that was shown to him once upon a time by his contact - it would lead to their meeting place where, gods willing, Vin would be able to obtain some much needed information.

However, as he was about to walk down the path, he would spot a girl (who couldn't have been older than sixteen years) dressed in a blue dress. She was crouched in the tall grass, smiling to herself. She was seemingly convinced that she was hidden from Vin, as small giggles came from her delicate mouth as she desperately tried to cover the sound with her tiny hand, her wrist wrapped in bangle of shells and native grass...

If Vin chose to talk to her, she would laugh and turn tail, constantly looking over her shoulder, as if taunting Vin to catch her if he could. Even with all of his talent, Vin would find it impossible to catch her by the hand, for she would always be out of reach, giggling madly as she skipped backward from Vin's grasp or his coins. The chase could continue for several tens of minutes, in which the girl would show no signs of tiring...

However, if Vin chose to continue down the path, the giggles would fade with distance and then eventually explode into distant, full blown laughter. The path itself would be long and windy, giving Vin time to think about his next move and the turn of events in the Old Boar's Inn...

Chad Master Funk

The girl Chad saved was obviously frightened, shaken by the recent events. "I could go after Ayano but..." Chad thought as he turns to look at the frightened small girl, "I can't leave her like this". Chad approaches the girl "Hey," he says in a calm manner "how about we get out of here?" He proposes as he suspects the other thugs to come after them, and waits for the girls response. If she takes too long to respond and the thugs arrive or something unexpected happens, Chad will sweep the girl off her feet and run off the roof to make his escape.

JoJo

"A badge or something to prove I upheld the law in my own world...." Joanna pondered. "Well I am not old enough to be a police officer in my world, but I did uphold the laws their... but I can't really prove that" She crosses her arms and sits back. "Well, I am willing to give it a try even without a badge... but didn't you say you were retired? Is there any way you could help me out and talk to the people at Town Hall?"

[Nieet]

Something else changed within Nieet in the brief moment of silence between her words and the horse-man-freak’s. She snapped. Mentally she wasn’t there at all. She was unconscious but her body still moved, a bit more fluidly than before, almost calmer in a way. And when the door crashed inward she was not aware of it. In her mind she was somewhere else, in another time… a time when she was not quite so mad.

Her body seemed to know what to do despite her mental checkout. Three blades hurtled towards her, too fast for her to dodge even with her ridiculous new speed. But her body knew what to do. In a blur her left arm flew up before her face and took the blow of each blade to her left forearm. And there they stayed, each blade penetrated her flesh and stuck through her forearm near to their hilts. Fresh blood splattered on her blank and empty looking face. She was not conscious to feel the pain if she even could in her condition.

Instead, she felt a warm breeze coming in through an open window and she saw flecks of dust dancing in the sun’s afternoon light. She was in her grandmother’s old and pleasantly musty house in the country. But of course she was not really there.

Her body still moved unconsciously. Her left arm was nearly useless now as the blades had severed a tendon or two and certainly broke her arm in a number of places. But with her right arm her unconscious self reached under the bed for a weapon she had noticed earlier. It was not a hammer but it would do. And with terrifying speed she would lunge at the first threat that would present itself or straight for the hideous merchant if nothing else got in her way.

All this while her grandmother braided her long hair in the dining room of the big, old, country home….

[Vin]

Vin eyed the mystery girl, who was still apparently unaware of his presence. It struck him as odd that such an innocent looking girl would be out here alone. Her clothing suggested she was native to the woods. And while Vin had not met any of the wood people before, other than maybe his contact, he was quite interested in learning more.

Vin approached the girl in an attempt to start a dialog. However, the girl immediately turned and began running. “Wait!” Vin called after her. But it was no use. Vin decided to give chase. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn more about the strange people of the Wilderwood.

One of the many things that Vin hated about the Wilderwood, among a host of others, is the fact that there are random mineral deposits spread throughout the ground. While most people wouldn’t even notice their presence, they threw Vin’s senses all out of wack. Making it hard for him to focus on even the coins in his pouch as he attempted to catch the girl. He was surprised by her athletic ability and how she could be keeping ahead of him. Every time Vin thought he had her, she would make a pinpoint turn or suddenly gain a burst of speed. Vin was beginning to think he couldn’t catch her when he realized he had no idea how to get back!!

Old Boar’s Inn; Market District
Time: Seventh Hour of MiddleDay[/center]
[Chad M.F.]

The girl would be unresponsive at first, but if encouraged enough, she would look up to Chad's face. Her big red eyes would be drowned in tears as she sobbed, reaching upward to him. She was broken but able to half stand, long enough for the detective to carry her, if he so chose. Chad would find no resistance when he made his descent to the ally's floor - apparently the thugs had heart their leader fall and had taken their cowardly leave.

From here, the next step would be up to Chad. From his vantage point, there would be no real place he could see that he could abandon her and his options were endless options. One choice Chad could make is find shelter for the shaken girl, who was clutching to him as if he were a life preserve in the sea of chaos that surrounded them both. He could go back to the Old Boar's Inn, which was an island of safety at this point.

But then again, if the Master Funk decided to walk out into the open market, he could see two establishment's neon flickering lights displaying their names: The Open Home or the Long Shadow.

However, if Chad felt that she would be fine by herself or safer with him, he would be free to make his own decision. He would be also free to talk to his newest friend in any way or to move about The Lows as he saw fit.


???; The Back
Time: Sixth Hour and Second Quarter of Midday
[Jojo]

The shopkeeper eyed Jojo with a severe glance. "You think you can jist ask that, lass?" Shaking his head in a grave manner, he continued, "I'm retired. I'm done with that. I did my time, and you want me to get back into that world?" His stout frame stiffened in the large, tall chair, "Maybe you're not cut out for that type of job, if you think you can get by with free hand outs."


Old Boar's Inn; Pavilion Warehouse
Time: Fifth Hour and Second Quarter of Midday
[Nieet]

The impossible was occurring for Marv Talbetus

He had risen from nothing. Cast away in this accused plane, he built something from nothing. Where he had once been mocked, disrespected, and regarded for nothing more than gutter trash, he was -- is The Hidden Merchant, the myth, the urban legend. Now, all of that was being torn apart by one crazy bitch and one incompetent minion. As Nieet lunged at the deranged merchant, he would raise his arm to protect himself.

It was then the Triage of Death plunged itself into Nieet's arm. The blades had viciously plunged into the Nieet's arm, spiraling their hungry tips with pinpoint accuracy. However, it was because of this direct attack that became their downfall and Nieet's saving grace. Caught in her forearm, the whirling blades had crossed themselves, locking themselves in a secure metallic knot, inches from the teenager's face. The force between the three blades was incredible, staggering the girl back a full five paces, even with her growing strength.

Here, Marv collected himself, scrabbling to his four hoofed feet while simultaneously thrusting a hand outward, as if summoning something. Nieet's arm, despite of its density, would be shredded in a glorious, bloody blender as the Triage ripped themselves from their temporary fleshy prison. Once free, they would begin to whirl around the centaur merchant, a crimson trail echoing the humming blades' movements. "Round 2, bitch!" Marv would snarl.

Nieet's good hand, however, would have found a hammer-like weapon -- and it would yell, "AWH HEEL NAH! AH DIDN'T SAHN UP FO' DIS!" However, the long handled, solid cast iron...ish pan would clearly have no choice in the matter, for Nieet's strong grasp would be strong enough to handle the writhing sentient weapon...


Old Boar's Inn; Booth Room
Time: Seventh Hour of Midday
[Vin]

The thief was fast, but his quarry faster. If Vin had any means to tell time, he would realize that he had been chasing the girl for the two quarters. The moment he realized he was lost, however, the master mind would find the girl inches from his person. Her breath would be on the back of his neck as her wispy voice brushed past his ear, "Are you lost, sir?"

If he turned, she would skirt away, just outside an arm's reach. She would giggle as if it were a game, but she would stay close, in all of her exposed glory. Watching with curious eyes, she would give him a playful smirk...

Nieet

Nieet ran up to Tommy and looked him square in the eye. She stared at the young neighbor boy not three inches from his face. He did not know how to respond so he just gazed right back. Just when Tommy’s face turned red Nieet produced the dandelion she wielded and held it between their faces. And all at once she blew the fluffy seeds off the stem and into Tommy’s face. “Hey!” Tommy yelled and rubbed his face, feigning disgust. He smiled, Nieet smiled back then took off running and Tommy chased her all around her grandmother’s yard…

But then Nieet’s arm exploded. It was probably overwhelmingly painful. But she would not have felt it in her state. The three blades seemed to spide through the air towards the merchant. She heard a voice from the newly found weapon in her hand but she was not really there to hear it. Her blank expression and the blood she was now covered in and the carnage of her mauled arm left her looking more than a bit deranged.

The force of the sword's collective blow stopped her lunge, now she walked slowly towards the merchant and his whirling blades. She was likely in more danger than she had been when she was conscious. The only thing moving her was lust. Lust for the blood of a centaur. She would not likely defend herself further, instead she would move only to kill. The weapon in her hand struggled against her. She tightened her grip threatening to crush the object if it did not obey.

She would keep walking slowly towards him only dodging the whirling blades if they prevented her from seeing her victim. If the weapon had any control of itself it may be able to defend her from the whirling blades but she would surely punish the weapon for any disobedience. If he ran at her she would stir him from underneath his front haunches with a sharp uppercut from the object in her hand. If he stood where he did until she reached him she would stop before him and drive her weapon through his chest. If he evaded she would pounce on top of his back and strike him down with such force the floor would quiver. She would rip off his limbs one by one if he left himself open. Her intent was murderous...

[Vin]

Vin jumped, pulled a coin from his pouch and just stopped himself from sending the coin through the girls forehead. How did she sneak up on me? It didn't seem possible given the environment. Nevertheless, she had.

In response to his quick move, the girl had jumped just out of arms reach and smiled at him. Lowering his hand, Vin kept the coin ready in his hand and his senses alert, although he still felt blind and disoriented. Am I lost? Of course I'm lost. How could anyone find his way out here? Vin thought. Looking at the girl, Vin realized this was a perfect opportunity to learn about the wood people. "No, I think I'm exactly where I mean to be. My name is Red." Vin decided to not reveal his true identity. not yet. "who, may I ask, are you?"

Chad Master Funk

"Hmm what do I do now?" Chad thought to himself as he carried the young girl in his arms. "My safest bet is to go back to the Inn and take care of this girl, however..." Chad looked up and noticed two distinct buildings. One had a sign written "The Open Home", which seemed much more appealing to the other building named "The Long Shadow", however, Chad is a curious person and is eager to learn more about the world he is in. "Hmm... I'd rather walk around for a bit and explore my options before getting into shady places like that. If I don't find anything interesting, I'll reconsider my options. In the mean time..." Chad looked at the red eyed, innocent, frail girl holding on to him. "So, what's your name girl?" Chad asked her. If she answers or is in the mood to talk, Chad would ask more things about her like "Where are you from?" and "Where were you going?"

JoJo

JoJo was a little surprised by the sudden mood swing of the dwarf. "You don't seem to be very fond of your time as an officer, am I right?" she asked. "And also, I think you're underestimating me a bit, don't you think?" She said confidently. "I know I may look like an ordinary girl, but I have a few... "tricks" up my sleeve" She stared back defiantly at the dwarf. After saying that, she waits for a response from the dwarf.