Chaos Project

Rules for speaking:

Talking: Quotes

Quote from: Blake Says:What's going on here?

Thinking: Quotes

Quote from: Blake Thinks:Strange...

Describing: Normal Text
As he walked, he noticed that it was absolutely silent.

I will add the story in a bit :)

Blake looked around his dorm room. It was quiet, and unusually so. Normally, his roommate Jim would be playing music. But now Jim was dead. The Sickness had taken him last night. With nothing to keep him in Princeton, Blake had decided to move on. There had to be other people alive, and he would find them.

Quote from: Blake thinks:It's time to go now. Jim's dead, there's no reason for me to stay here. It's just... Oh well. I'd better get going.

QuoteSigh

The night was still, but the luminous moon shadowed overhead, like an owl watching it's prey. The sullen landscape appeared dry and all was still, movement was unheard of here, for long since had it's inhabitants died off. However, silence is but the absence or sound, and soon the unpertubed ground and air was shaken, as if by the tundering of the god. She marched forth into this land with great strides. Speed was of the essence, she made that clear enough. Her seps however, slowed, and she cast her gaze off the the side with enormous strain, as if to see that which had not been percieved by her. Her gaze lifted though and she took off in the same mannerism as she came...

Reiko began to pack her things when she accidentily drops a picture of her older brother.

Quote from: Reiko Thinks:Life has been lonely without my dear brother. But I can only hope he's still alive.

She picked it up and brought it close to her chest and memories of her brother filled her mind. A tear dropped from her cheek and she realized she was crying. She continued to pack. She knew she had to get to her next destination... For every moment without her brother was unbearable and she wouldn't be able to handle the pain anymore. She got up and looked at her map. It would seem that the U.S. border was still far. She looked at her route, her rest stops, where to pick up more rations and anything of the like. She glanced around the room one last time, the place that has housed her for the time being and it reminded her of her home. Pulling out her compass, she began her long journey.

Quote from: Reiko Says:My heart beats with anticipation and nervousness. My search through this continent could either shatter my heart, or fill me with happiness. I pray it be the latter.

Quote from: Blake Says:Damn it!!!

A bat flew overhead, and its feet scraped the top of Blake's head. He swore gain in frustration. The bat hadn't hurt him, and he would've thought the incident was interesting and strange had not the past week been a living hell. He had been confronted with horrors unimaginable; entire towns full of stinking, rotting bodies cooking in a September heat wave. And now, he was sick and tired of this trek through endless towns and forests.

Quote from: Blake Says:If there's a God out there, you're a cruel and misguided and I hate you!!

Anger coursed through his body. He thought of the bat. How he wished he could be carefree like that, fluttering about at twilight, not having to worry about this stinking pestilence. And slowly, he began to change...

It had taken awhile but it seems Reiko had finally reached the border. Across the niagra falls would be U.S. where her brother was, she hoped. But as she walked through the town she couldn't help but be mortified at the sight of the numerous corpses. After the pandemic, she had seen plenty of corpses and it always made her feel uneasy but not quite like this. Her hometown was very small and so the number of dead wasn't as disturbing but here, at Niagra Falls, a major tourist attraction, it was overwhelming. After walking through the streets, closer to the bridge that seperates Canada and the U.S., she couldn't stomach it anymore. She walked to the side of a building and puked. After resting a few minutes, she began walking once again. Awhile later she arrived at the bridge.

Quote from: Reiko Thinks:This car still has the keys inside of it and looks like it's pretty full of gas.

She removed the corpse in the car and began to start it up. She was surprised as to why she didn't think of it before. Perhaps it was because of the morals she had learned before the pandemic. The engine started. She began to drive into the U.S.

The whispering wind syrround the woman as she stepped out into the cold. It picked up, howling as a wolf does, full moon shining brightly over her displaying her eloquent grace, as she walked slowly out into the surrounding area. It was not of her to procede so cautiously, but tonight was different. She felt the cold edge of a dagger at her throat, waiting to pierce her flesh and sever her life. Hauntingly, she traversed the landscape, barren city towers strewn on the ground as if some behemoth had knocked them over with a giant push. She jumped over the debris, hoping she was alone.

(I'll make the story teller comments in brackets like this)
(Keep in mind, everyone, that it is a DISEASE, not a nuclear bomb. Most people are dead, and some towns have been looted, but cities aren't destroyed. What we have going now is fine, but let's get some characters together)

After his long trek, Blake had finally arrived in New York. Physically, he was exhausted, but he was in a mental turmoil. He thought back to several nights ago.

Quote from: Blake ThinksWhat happened? I... changed. I was flying. And when I realized where I was, I was lying on the ground, next to my pack. I think I.... I think I turned... I changed into something. But what's going on? What's happening? Maybe there will be others in New York like me.

After driving for several hours, Reiko stopped at New York City. It was a major city and a rest stop on her route. She glanced at how much gas the car had left and realized she was running on empty. Getting out, she couldn't help but glance at the statue of liberty from the distance.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysWow! There was nothing this amazing back at home! Only if.. Only if my brother was here...

A tear rolled down her cheek. She got up. This wasn't the time for this. She decided she would find some food and a nice place to sleep for the night. But after walking around for awhile she couldn't help but feel lonely. New York City was a place full of life and now... Now it was deserted. It was just her and her alone.

Quote from:  Reiko ThinksIf so many people died... The possibility of my brother having survived is so low. It's so overwhelming. I haven't even found one person alive yet! How do I know... That I'm not alone? What if... everyone else is dead but me?

She shook her head in disbelief. She knew that somewhere in the world, atleast one person survived aside from her. She soon found herself in front of a hotel. She found a nice room to lay low in and found a conveniently placed map of New York. She marked the hotel's location and slept for the night.

Tia bounded through the woods she'd spent most of her life in, wondering how she'd somehow become fused with a wolf.

when her legs lead her out of the trees, she stood near a city. it was still a ways off, but her new found Wolf-enhanced limbs would assist much in the trek.

she howled, suddenly, shocked that she'd been changed that much, and looked over towards the sun, beginning to climb to two feet.

she had expected it maybe to suddenly feel weird, traveling on two feet.

but it was fine, just as usual. she was curious, how does one kill a wolf, suffer wounds that should have killed them, and sometime later wake up half-wolf?

she looked around, and found a crashed car.

she thought that maybe nobody had seen it yet, and walked over to it.

to her luck, there was a person inside - long dead now - who wore a long jacket of sorts. she didn't want to wear a dead-man's clothing, so she looked through the man's car.

she found an identical overcoat-jacket-thing in his trunk, after using her claw-nails to rip it off.

she felt she could get used to this. being a Half-Wolf.

she laughed, and tossed the coat on, hoping it concealed her enough that people wouldn't notice she was now a half-wolf. she wished she could find a hat, but there was none.

good news though: the jacket covered her torso legs and covered her arms fully with the sleeve.

why did people wear such huge articles of clothing?

she moved on silently to the city, finding that her legs carried her strongly and swiftly.

she couldnt help but feel that she could make better time on all-fours, but she couldnt take the risk of someone noticing.

Blake stared at the intersection. Had a car just driven by? He ran to the intersection, and saw a car drive around another corner.

Quote from: Blake SaysPeople! A live human being! I'm too slow to catch it, but maybe...

His form melted down and he was on all fours, a sleek mountain cat with markings around its eyes not unlike the sunglasses Blake had been wearing. He sprinted after the car, and stared as it drove up to a hotel. A young woman stepped out. She looked tired and travel worn. Blake waited until she had gone inside, and then changed back to human form. He stepped into the hotel, and began to look for the young woman....

(There's your cue xD)

Tia stood outside the city now, it was New York City, she noticed, reading a sign.

she didn't speak any human language anymore - she still knew it, but no longer used it often.

she didn't even think in words.

she walked throughout the city, finding nobody alive. plenty dead. several cars were crashed, but it was evident everyone was dead beforehand. somehow.

she wondered as to how everyone died, and why. she broke into an antique's store. she found an ancient dagger, designed like a fox on the hilt.

it was ancient, and rusted. she tossed it aside. she'd get no use of a rusted dagger.

she also found a mirror, full-body, and for the first time realized just how changed she was.

she shook her head, and looked to the side, looking for some kind of a thing to use.

she found a longsword. engraved in the hilt was a pack of wolves, and the actual blade reminded her of the feralness of a wolf hunting prey.

she didn't think she could find out just how that was managed.

she found a useable sheath, and then moved to a gun-store, figuring that if anyone survived through whatever killed all people, a sword might not be totally useful, and toting a few guns would be pretty useful in deterring potential predators.

still, she first needed to know HOW to use a gun.

so she looked for a manual, and found one, making a mess along the way, and practiced how to use the pistol she grabbed. she didn't think any other firepower would be needed, and she couldn't risk carrying mch more than the sword and gun.

Reiko awoke from a nightmare of watching her closest friend die beside her. She was still half-asleep when all of a sudden she heard a creak. At first, she thought it was her imagination but she heard footsteps close to the hotel room. She was happy. She knew she wasn't alone but on second thought... What if it wasn't someone friendly? She shook her head. It could be my brother! But she decided to take caution anyways. She opened the door slowly and headed towards where she heard footsteps. She peeked around a corner and saw a figure. It was a man.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysHello?

She saw him turn around and she looked at him puzzled. She didn't feel any hostility from him and decided to approach him and get a better look at him.

(Kaishou)

Kaishou regained consciousness in the car. It seemed as though he was just dreaming when his head suddenly filled with a sharp stinging pain. He broke the car door down and fell out. He took a brief look at his surroundings and realized he wasn't close to Illinois anymore. It seemed as though his captors drove for about 2 days distance. Then he suddenly realized that both of them were dead. The head pain intensified. He passed out from the pain. He began to dream about his life back home in Canada. He dreamt that his parents were alive and that his cancer was cured and they all lived happily. He dreamt for another 2 hours until reality came crashing back down to him. He remembered.. his sister was by herself and she must be really worried about him by now. He decided he'd head back to Canada and tell his sister and all his friends he was fine. He also decided to keep his cancer a secret from Reiko in fear of breaking her fragile heart. After all, he was the only family she has now. He got up but the head pains returned. He was able to walk still though and he headed down the road hoping to find a car to hitchhike on. But to no avail none came and he was forced to walk to a gas station to fill up on food. It was there he realized, his captors didn't die from a car accident. It was a freak incident, he figured since he saw the dead bodies at the gas station. His head began to hurt more. But he filled up on food and stole a car. He began to drive towards Canada.

walking through New York more, Tia stopped.

she thought... cooking?

she followed the smell, and found a small fire, cooking a dead body.

she was confused as to how it started, but she didn't want buildings to stop collapsing, so she used a nearby fire extinguisher to put it out.

then she moved on.

she saw a hotel, and her wolf-ears heard what she though was a voice when she walked inside.

she sat down in a chair, and barred the exit doors, and unsheathed her blade, and began to practice, trying to figure out movements, and found herself wishing she had someone to train her.

she would search throughout the city, perhaps find a library or two, and find a book on swordplay. later.

at the moment she wanted to wait, the people in the hotel weren't on the ground floor, and at one point they'd have to come down.

but she wanted to hurry to find that book, it would probably take a long time to find one, and she couldn't waste any time.

so...

she thought for a moment, and finally decided to attract their attention.

she took the gun out, and shot a few bullets into the floor.

few lived anymore, nobody would care for the flooring to get roughed up. she didn't.

the sound of a gun being fire would surely be heard... they'd come, unless they were too scared, and she was fine for that. she could be patient, when she had too.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysWhat's yo-

She was interrupted. On what sounded to be on the ground floor came bullet shots. She began to panic. She assumed that another person down here was alive! But she could only get a sense of hostility from them. After all, they had just fired gunshots, it was clear they were dangerous! Without hesitation, she ran towards the room she was staying in. She grabbed all of her belongings and began heading up the hotel floors. She was thinking about her next move when she remembered the man she had left behind. She wondered if he was following her or not but she shook her head. All she cared about was that there was a dangerous person in the building and she had to get out. She recalled an old movie she once watched. She went to the roof of the hotel and looked around.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysThere!

She saw a balcony on the neighboring building. The gap between them looked jumpable. She took a deep breath and jumped.

Quote from:  Reiko ThinksI'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead!

She opened her eyes. She made the gap and was still alive. She got up and headed down the building and quickly ended up on the ground floor. The coast seemed clear. She took a minute to check her rations when she realized it was gone! The picture of her brother, she must've left it back in the hotel room. She decided to camp out here and wait for them to leave the area so she could go back in and get her photo back.

Quote from: blake saysWait!!

He shouted across the building tops to the girl. He needed to talk to her!! She was the first human he'd seen in weeks. He scrutinized the jump. He swiftly transformed into a hawk, and drifted across. He transformed back. He hoped he hadn't scared the girl...

Quote from: blake saysWait! Don't go! I didn't mean to scare you. And I'm not a freak!! Well... I am... But I'm not going to hurt you. I don't know what those gunshots were, but safety in numbers, right? I'm Blake. WHat's your name?

Tia had the strange feeling whoever was inside had left via the roof. but they wouldn't be able to get in through the ground floor. she'd made sure of that, she found a storage room, and boarded up the windows, and impossibly locked the doors.

then she headed upstairs.

her gun was ready; feelings didn't denote definites.

she found a room that looked like it had been lived in recently, and found a picture in it, among various things of the kind a girl would carry, she thought. she grabbed the picture; someone carrying a picture of someone would no doubt be looking for the person, and hold the picture dear.

she left a note stating that she was on the ground floor. she wasn't entirely sure her hand was legible; it had been years since she had written anything, and she didn't write regularly before then.

then she went back to the ground floor and waited again.

Reiko had been resting for a few minutes when she heard the sound of footsteps. Quickly thinking, she grabbed a vase and moved closer to the sound of footsteps. She jumped out the corner and just before she struck the mysterious person, realized it was the man from earlier. She put the vase down.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysOh! It's you!

She had so many questions to ask him but she kept it to a short introduction and explanation of the situation to him.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysWell, this is awkward seeing as to how you're the first person alive I've seen in awhile. But anyways, I'm Reiko and well I don't know how to say this but.. I left something back at that hotel and I really, really, need to get it but there's that person with a gun. Could you umm help me sneak past them?

Blake paused before answering. The girl seemed nervous and flustered, which could be expected after what had just happened.

Quote from: Blake SaysI think I could. Maybe. I can... I can change my shape, you know? But not all of the time. It's hard. I think-- I think it's because of the disease. It altered my DNA, or something. What fo you need me to get for you? Oh gosh, my name's Blake, by the way. I haven't seen another human being in weeks. I'm a bit nervous, you know?

Tia was a patient person, and as she waited she thought to maybe atleast get some practice in with the sword, perhaps maybe even intuitively learn some basic movements.

for safety's sake, she made sure to move slowly, so as not to give herself any undo wounds.

Reiko had thought over her possible options in this scenario. She figured they could sneak in and out quickly but even then, the room may already be compromised. They could also try directly facing the person in the building, after all it was 2 against one. And Blake was a shapeshifter! And in the best case scenario, the person may even be friendly, but it would still be best to approach with caution. She decided she'd take the person head on. She told Blake to try and shapeshift into something conspicuous, maybe a mouse, and get into a position behind them when they got close to them. This way, in case they were hostile, Blake would be able to flank them. She waited for Blake's approval.

Quote from: Blake says:Okay, sounds good. I tell you what, I'll be a fly! That way I can land on them and stop them quickly if you need help. I can change pretty quickly. Still, I think they have a gun. So be careful.

Blake thought for a moment, and then changed his mind.

Quote from: Blake SaysActually, maybe I should check them out first. Go in there as a small animal and see if they're dangerous or not. You know?

Tia put her sword back in its scabbard, and picked up the picture again. a girl, and someone else. she had no the faintest clue who they were; she'd not been in society for a long time, and even then she was much of a loner.

she put the picture ina hidden place in the room; where it would be safe, no matter what happened there.

it wasn't that Tia cared; she'd rather suddenly develop the ability to detonate explosions equivalent to nukes going off and then destroying all earth than leave that thing there, but she was curious.

and besides, despite the fact that she hoped whoever was nearby was the last humans - so that she could end the pitiful species, including herself - she was patient, and long time away from people means they might have changed.

her mother always noted how every ten years or so people were so amazingly different it was impossible to get the two peoples mixed up.

she thought she heard something coming.

she wondered when the person, or people, would get to the lobby already; she wanted that learning book.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysOkay! Sounds good. I'll try my best not to get shot. But let's get back to that hotel's lobby!

She wondered for a moment how trustworthy this guy was but she dismissed the thought. After all if he wanted to kill her, she'd be dead by now. She bolted out the entrance and looked at the hotel entrance. It was barred up. She broke the barred up door and in the lobby she saw a figure. The dust made it hard for her to see the person clearly but she knew someone was there. As the dust cleared up, she saw Blake, as a fly, get into position. She approached the person, whom she could tell was a woman now. She was cautious, but as she got closer, she couldn't help but be mortified at the fact that she wasn't human. Or atleast she was but not anymore.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysU-um.. h-hi. I kind of left my picture somewhere in this hotel.. I'm just going to go get it... I won't bother you or a-anything.

She was nervous, but she began to move around the woman and closer towards the stairs. She glanced at Blake and wondered what he was thinking right now.

Blake wanted to yell to Reiko, and tell her not to get closer. The woman wasn't a woman. She was... Blake didn't even know. And she had a gun. He decided that he didn't have a choice other than to change. A mountain lion should do it, but he'd never changed into something so big before. He focused  his thoughts...

RAWR

The woman was knocked to the floor by his weight. He pinned her down with his claws.

Reacting swiftly, Tia grabbed the Lion's neck. she had thought the girl timid, but apparently she could materialize thigns out of nothing, and hadn't waited for a response before sicking this lion on her.

snarling, she manuevered an arm to her sword, her gun having been knocked away already.

she took it from it's scabbard, and whacked the beast on her with it's hilt, her strengthened limbs providing forced enough to knock the beast off her.

she leaped to her feet, and grabbed the girl by her shirt, twirling her around and putting the sword's blade gingerly on her neck, any movement by the girl would slit her own throat.

Quote from: Tiaunreasonable child.

the words felt weird on her tongue; she barely pronounced them, she knew.

Quote from: Tiacall off your beast, and don't think about bringing anything else.

Tia's mind worked swiftly. now that she thought of things, she figured several things could be happening.

but the girl was probably at the heart of it, somehow.

Quote from: TiaI don't know what caused you to lash out, and all I wanted was to get your attention.

this was why she had left society, among other things; she wasn't very good with communication, her ability at it all the worse for unuse.

she didn't say anything else though, and her blade never moved so much as half an inch from the girl's neck.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysI-I-I'm sorry! I just left something valuable here! Please... d-don't kill us.

Reiko was still, stunned by fear. She thought she was going to die, but then, she remembered! Blake! Thinking her situation over, she realized that if it weren't for her Blake wouldn't be in this situation. Then she decided..

Quote from:  Reiko SaysJust let Blake go... do what you want with me.

Her voice was filled with fear and was shakey.

Blake? Tia looked at the fallen Mountain Lion, just then starting to stand up again.

Quote from: Tiaa shapeshifter?

Tia didn't want to kill the girl; not yet, Tia hadn't decided yet if she deemed the girl as horrid as the rest of her kind.

Blake stood shakily. The blow had hurt. He hissed at the strange person holding Reiko. His nose, much more sensitive now, defined them as a wolf. He decided that he could do no good as a lion now. He returned to Human form and picked up the gun the wolf-lady had dropped.

Quote from: blake saysLet her go. And give her her picture back.

Tia turned the girl's face, and now that she looked at her, she was the girl in the picture.

Quote from: Tiaso it is you.

Tia looked at the man holding her gun.

Quote from: TiaYou won't shoot. You have to realize if you shoot me this girl's neck will be slit. and you haven't figured out if i'm hostile yet.

she was feeling rather hostile at the moment, but years in a forest taught her nothing if not how to be patient.

Quote from: Tiatoss me back my gun, and we can talk about this. I only fired it into the floor in the first place to get your attention.

Quote from: Blake SaysNo. I'm going to keep the gun. Let's talk.

this boy was pushing his luck.

Quote from: TiaBoy. Blake. Shapeshiter. hand me my gun. or the girl dies, and I'll make sure this thing gets you before you can kill me. then we'll all be dead.

she shook her head, and made a tsking sound.

Quote from: TiaI'm really not sure why you two are so suspicious. but for the same reason you don't want to give up my gun, I need you give me back my gun. I don't know if i can trust you. and until my gun is out of your hands, the only thing i can be sure thats between me and taking a bullet is this girl's neck and my sword holding her on the brink of life.

when all else fails, best to state the facts.

She couldn't believe it. She wasn't dead yet, but it would seem as though this... girl was using me as a bargaining chip. She didn't know if it was blind stupidity, or a heroic impulse, but she grabbed the sword with her left arm and tried to bend it, push it, whatever she could to it to just get it away. And with much surprise, the sword began to bend. She looked at her arm in amazement, it had a metallic look to it, it seemed to have attained the properties of the sword. She attempted to grab the woman's arm and break it free from her with her newfound arm power.

Momentarily shocked, Tia moved her sword to its scabbard.

Quote from: Tialittle...

she slapped the girl, her not-quite-claws scratching the girls face.

then she moved on all fours and tackled the boy, biting on her arm holding her gun, then took the gun and stood up on her legs again, backing up some so she'd be able to shoot the both of them if they came at her.

Quote from: TiaGet up!

she was definitely hostile now, but she still hadn't decided.

and she wanted to know what the girl did. Tia's arm was trickling a little blood.

Quote from: Blake SaysHold on now. Just give us our picture and we'll leave you alone.

He stared at Reiko. What had she done to the sword?

Tia pulled a chair over and sat down, seeming for all else perfectly casual.

Quote from: Tiano. Lets talk. and besides, i don't even know what you're talking about.

an old trick; make the prey feel safe.

she still had her gun n her hand though, and she'd have to find both a sword-practicing book, and stuff o how to fix up a sword. the girl would pay for that; she'd have scars on her face as it is but thats not enough.

it would take a long time, and the sword would probably never be in the same condition ever again unless one of those who iraculously survived whatever it was is a master blacksmith.

Tia sat there, waiting, thinking. the girl Would pay. and somethin would have to be done about the shapeshifter.

Quote from: Tiayou there.

she pointed at Blake

Quote from: Tiayou so much as turn into a kitten and I'll blow you away and then shoot this girl's head off. so far, all I've done is try to get your attention, and you jump me as a lion, ruin my sword, cut my arm, and point my own gun at my face.

Reiko was trembling. Her face was scratched and it was clear it would scar but it didn't matter right now. She didn't understand what had just happened with her arm... it reverted back to normal. She began to feel lightheaded now however. Although she has a strong will at times, she was still a fragile girl. Her vision began to blur... the shock of all the events that had just happened began to take effect.

Quote from:  Reiko ThinksDamnit...

Her body suddenly stopped responding to her and she lost consciousness.

...

at that moment, she put the gun in it's holster, and shouted at the boy.

Quote from: Tiaquick! there should be a hospital around here, find one, I'll try to find out what happened. I scratched her, but it shouldn't have been enough... maybe the shock. or that thing with her arm. it doesn't matter. JUST GO YOU FOOL!

she had no idea what could have caused it, and she knew othing about medicine, but the boy was dangerous. Tia had learned that many dangerous things could be averted if you distracted them.

she wouldn't let him have a chance to think.

Quote from: TiaI turned into a wolf, and you can change shape, and neither of us fell unconscious, we don't know what happeend to the girl, so rush, and find a damn hospital, atleast there we can find some tools for doing something about this.

Quote from: Blake SaysAre you kidding me? You go! I'll stay here with her. How could you do this?

Blake couldn't believe that the wolf woman thought he would leave Reiko with her. She HAD threatened to kill them!!

She had awoken... Or atleast she thought she had. She was lying in her bed, in the place that she had called home for most of her life. She got up and looked at the mirror. She was shocked, the scratch on her face was gone... Or was it ever there in the first place? She began to wonder if the previous events had been nothing but a dream. She took one last look at her arm and assured herself it was nothing.

Quote from:  Reiko ThinksWas it all just a dream? Did Blake and that woman really exist?

A sizzling sound came from the kitchen. She hurried down to see who it was. A tear rolled down her cheek, she couldn't believe it, it was her brother!

Quote from:  Kaishou SaysRei?

He saw Reiko's tears and he cheered her up. Although he planned on heading back to work today, he decided he'd spend the day with his sister. Together, Reiko had one of the best days in her life. However, the day was cut short as they were walking home from wonderland. The streetlights suddenly turned off and all the cars disappeared. She clung to her brother's arm and held it tightly. It was already night and dark out she noticed. It was silent for awhile until they heard the sound of footsteps.

Quote from:  Reiko ThinksNo, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening! I'm just imagining things!

A mysterious voice yelled out

Quote from:  Mysterious Voice SaysOn the contrary, my sweet little Rei. This isn't just your imagination...

A figure came from behind a streetlight. Their face and body was completely concealed but she could tell it was a woman.. In her head she re-called the woman from her dream that was part wolf. She began to panic.

Quote from:  Kaishou SaysRei.. Step back, I'll protect you.

He charged at the woman but it seemed futile as she dodged all of his attacks. The woman finally decided to strike back, and she did, quite hard. The blow sent Kaishou flying into a pole, his face bleeding quite a bit. Reiko began to cry as she looked at the woman.

Quote from:  Mysterious WomanMy sweet sweet Reiko. You have so much potential but you don't use it. You could be so much more if only you weren't timid. Tell you what? How bout you let me have control over your body? We all know you don't have the willpower to find your brother. If you hand over your body, we can find him a lot more quickly, what do you say?

Reiko was confused. She thought that before, the deaths, the loss of her brother and all the other events had been nothing but a dream but she began to wonder if this... was the dream. The woman than removed her mask and Reiko was in utter shock. It was a metallic version.. of her!

Quote from:  Metallic ReikoDid you want an explanation? I'm you.. in a sense yet I'm not you. I'm an organism that exists inside of your body. If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead right now. I am the reason YOU were not affected by the pandemic. I cannot live outside a host you see... and I'm immune to this pandemic. So at that time, we were helping each other out but now.. now I don't think I need a weak girl like you anymore.

Reiko didn't want to believe what this.. thing was telling her. And in a rage, she charged it. But before any blow could be made.. she woke up. She had a minor headache and most of her body was sore, particularly her left arm.

fierce thoughts rolled through her midn as the girl awoke, but she easily kept her voice and face calm.

Quote from: Tianever mind then Blake, the girl is awake.

Tia made to checking the girl's eyes - not that she could tell if anything was wrong short of if a lot of red was showing - but she had to trick these two kids. she could kill them, surely, but... well, its much nicer to have two people working with you than two dead people on your hands.

Quote from: Tianow. you two have some explaining. any threats I made against either of you were done so in defense. now i want to know whats going on that you immediately resort to violence and attacking without waiting.

she pulled the girl up by her arm, and sat her in a chair. for two reasons.

one:

Quote from: Tiaalright girl, just sit down, we still don't know what caused your little fainting spell there.

two: the girl was close to Tia. not the boy. she was timid; she wouldn't make a run for it without the boy to protect her; he wouldn't run without the girl.

if her guess was right. it was a long time since she knew other people, but most species that mated for life that sheknew would sooner die than abandon the mate.

she sat down next to the girl, being gentle and careful; perhaps it would even prove to calm the boy, but the girl was more likely than not to find a gentle hand calming at the moment.

Quote from: Tiawe'll have to do somethign about that cut on your face.

she made her voice slightly harder, enough command mixed in with the sudden gentleness. at the least the boy would be shocked. the girl might take it that she was unconscious for a while.

Quote from: Tianow, mind telling me a little something about the state of the world, and why you thought to not give me a chance to do anythign before assaulting me?

The thoughts of her dream were distracting her but the commanding voice of the wolf-like woman had brought her back to her senses. She began to think over what she was going to say next, she had a couple questions she wanted to ask the woman as well.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysI'm sorry. We.. I thought that you were hostile. With the gunshots and your.. appearance. But I can see I was mistaken and I'm really, really sorry. But regardless, right now the state of the world? Can't you tell... Nearly everyone is dead albeit there's a few survivors as it would seem. Would you mind me asking? Where are you headed? I just want to know..

She figured it'd be best to see if this woman's interests coincided with her interests. She remembered Blake as well.. Where was he planning on going?

(End of Reiko PoV)

(Kaishou PoV)

He approached a small town. It was ransacked and he was terribly hungry. It seemed as though some survivors passed through here and took all the food. He broke into a house and sat down. He began to think over his situation. His head pains were still affecting him but it wasn't bothering him too badly right now. He knew he was in a desperate situation, his food supply was gone and the next closest town was really far. He would have to eat something... He noticed the body lying near the stairs of the house. It began to look appetizing to him. His survival instincts were beginning to kick in...

Quote from: TiaI suppose I can understand that. and it is obvious that everyones dead, but this is the first major human populated place - once major populated - that I've come by and I thought maybe other places weren't... dead.

Tia was sure the girl would come with her if things continued, the boy might follow her. Tia had no clue how many people survived, but three people - a half-wolf, a transformer, and whatever happened to the girls arm - would have a better chance of survival. she might even be able to gather the two to her will, and maybe if things get tough, and people must die... if the three would be the only to survive those two would probably be good enough to keep humanity afterward.

Quote from: Tiaalright, right now I think we should scour this city for any non-perishable food. and find anything you know about that might help start a fire; we'll need to be cooking over an open flame a lot. now Blake, I think you should morph into something inconspicuous but strong, in case someone sneaks up on you. the girl will come with me and I promise I'll do what I can to protect her, k boy?

I softened my voice a tad bit again.

Quote from: Tiais that alright with you?

I looked at the girl. I still didn't know her name, but that would be easily fixed while looking.

Quote from: Tiawhile we're looking I'l also need to find a Sword-Fixin Kit and a Sword-Play for Dummies book. if you come along one of those, Blake, pick it up please. another thing, before we split up, I found a gunstore, guns might be very useful, and we'll need all the ammo and all the firepower we can carry. before that though, we could probably use some Backpacks to carry them in. so Blake, we'll stay her, in the girl's room, since she obviously has one here, and you go look for them, ok? be careful. we don't know if there actually Is any hostiles around here.

Reiko looked at Blake for a moment. He seemed pretty out of it.(cmon buddy you made this RP O.o) She didn't want to make decisions for him and it seemed to her that this lady was manipulating her to get to Blake.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysI'm fine with it but.. Is it okay with you Blake? I really don't want to make you do something you don't want to do.

She looked at the wolf lady again. She realized she hadn't even learned her name yet! It had always been wolf lady. There wasn't much to think about so Reiko just upfront asked her, her name.

Quote from:  Reiko SaysBy the way, I'm Reiko. Can you tell us your name please?

wondering just why the boy seemed to be frozen, almost wondering if he would start to flicker like a hologram going awry, Tia barely heard the girl speak her name and ask for Tia's.

Quote from: Tiamy name's Tia, Reiko.

that was out of the way then.

Blake shook hisi head slowly.

Quote from: BlakeSorry, I was a little out of it their. Just tired.

He looked at Tia suspiciously. He didn't like her sudden change of aditude. He had a feeling that she wanted them for their abilities, and would dispose of them the second she didn't need him anymore.

Quote from: BlakeNo. It's not allright. I want answers. Now. What happened to you. Why did you take her picture. And what makes you think we're going to follow you around and listen to your orders like lost puppies.(Pardon the puppy/wolf thing) Maybe you ought to be listening to me!

He moved quickly between Reiko's chair and Tia. He was ready to change in an instant. He didn't want to start a fight, violence wasn't his thing, but something wasn't right, and he felt responsible for Reiko. He wouldn't let this wolf-woman brainwash her.

so they boy was smart. good.

Quote from: Tiawhat happened to me? well the short story is that people were very huge assholes, so I went to live in a forest, and I was nearly kileld by a wolf and when i woke up i was like this. I'm confused as to how you even know I took the picture, and i took it because, like nearly every action before you assaulted me, i wanted to get your attention. and nothing makes me think you'll follow my orders, but its quite obvious we'll need to travel with food if we're going to survive. you want to live, don't you? then we need food. we also need means to carry it, and ways to defend ourselves. you can handle yourself; you can transform, but i'm the only one with an actual weapon right now, and Reiko apparently doesn't know how to use her power, so, combined with the enhancements my apparent Half-Wolfness gives me, the gun, and the sword, I'm the one best suited to protect her while we go out lookin for stuff. its what makes sense. get it?

Tia forced herself to calm down a bit; thinking about what happened always set her off.

Quote from: Tiaand if you have any suggestions lets here them.

Blake laughed.

Quote from: Blake SaysYou may have a weapon, but I can be whatever I want. A bear, a lion, a poisonous snake. Nothing can get through me. Besides, I still don't trust you. You hurt Reiko. You can go get stuff, and we'll stay here, or we can all go. Reiko, are you up to it?

Blake looked at her questioningly. There was something wrong here. He could see that Reiko trusted the woman, or almost did. If Reiko was all right, they would all get supplies, but he WOULDN'T leave without Reiko.

Tia sighed.

Quote from: Tiayou can be anything, yes, but are you fully accustomed to a Lion's body? do you know how a Lion taunts its opponents, or the way a Tiger controls every distinct muscle to leap at its foe? no. but I am atleast semi accustomed to my body, and its easier to do so since its based atleast partially on the human body I was totally used to. for that matter, are you entirely certain you wont, for say, go feral while in an animal's state? but enough of that, I Will go looking, and so will Reiko, but before we know what Reiko can do or that you will have definite control over yourself - you cant have had all that much practice with your morphing - at the moment, I would think I would be the most rightful to protect Reiko, and if your really that paranoid about the girl, I'll let her carry the gun while we're out, ok?

the boy really was being a pain. dealing with People was a pain. it always was.

still, though, Tia felt like she was forgetting something.

Blake growled. He stopped for a moment, perplexed. It looked like animal instincts were spilling over into his human form. He would go along with the plan, but still.... he didn't like this woman. Something was off. He sighed. He'd have to be more open, if they were going to work together, but the way she referred to him, like he was an obnoxious little boy, irked him.

despite herself, Tia had to suppress a giggle - fortunately enough nothing showed on her face, she had practice not showing an amusement or signs of anything; when your hunting for food in the forest, a single sound or shift of a muscle could warn your next meal that you mean to eat your next meal.

but still, she had only said what she said in haste, a tad impatient - she never could deal with people - but still, it appeared her guess was right.

She considered her position at the moment. It was clear to her that she was a burden to everyone, being the one who needs protection. She hated herself for that and even more for not being able to do anything. She recalled the words of that mysterious person from her dream,

Quote from: Mysterious PersonWe all know you don't have the willpower to find your brother.

She was in a terrible mental state. She was distraught over what she should do. It was clear that she couldn't do anything right now but she'd have to decide whether she'd accept being the weakest link or actually do something. She knew she'd have to deal with that...thing from her dream as well. Her brother was beginning to take less precedence and the least of her worries. Survival was the only thing that mattered at the moment. Her brother would have to wait, besides if he was alive he could take care of himself. Her power or whatever it was also crossed her mind. If it could be harnessed and controlled it could prove to be quite a valuable asset. Unfortunately she didn't even know what it was.  

She was staring blankly when she was brought back to the situation at hand. She knew her opinion didn't count for much but her woman's intuition was telling her something. She thoroughly thought over her words and began to speak,

Quote from: Reiko SaysShe's got a point, we need food and water. For now we should trust her but she won't take lead. What I think is that we should find some rations and we'll discuss this more when we've eaten. As for pairing up, I'm fine to go alone but if I must I'll pair up with Blake. Sorry Tia, I don't completely trust you yet. You just scratched my face awhile ago.

Her stomach grumbled. She realized she was very hungry. For now rations seemed like a very good idea to her. She might be able to trust in Tia in time but for now they'd have to keep an eye on each other.

this was difficult. for the same reason she wouldn't let them go alone; they might just leave the city while leaving her behind.

of course, she'd get payment for being left, but she wouldn't give them that chance.

she muttered to herself something about people being a pain to deal with.

Quote from: Tiawell, then. apparently we're not splitting up. just like you both don't trust yourselves to be alone with me; safety in numbers or something, I guess, I don't trust you two not to go running off without me. we'll scour the city together, and we'll spend a few days searching, I suppose, won't be able to cover as much ground as fast.

she sighed, and stood up from her seat, taking her gun from it's holster.

Quote from: Tiaalright, let's move now, get as much looking done as we can before nightfall. and before you get worried I only have the gun out in case something happens fast. such as if someone ELSE with a gun suddenly shows up and prepares to blast our heads off I migt be able to kill That person first. not that i even have any clue how good a shot I am.

that last was mumbled, but before she was done talking, she had the door open, and was walking with a mix of wariness and an air of strength and something that jsut said if you surprise me your he one who's going to be dead.

when she spoke she was serious. not commanding or anything, just serious.

Quote from: Tialets go. we can talk while looking.

and stood there, with the door open and herself in the doorway.

Blake shook his head wearily, and sighed. He walked out of the door. A strange feeling had come over him. He wanted to help Reiko, protect her. He had known her for only an hour or so, but already he felt like she was his little sister. If she wanted to go and 'scour the city' with Tia, he'd come too.

Blake followed Tia out of the door, keeping an eye on her. The second she made the wrong move, he'd transform into... something. A bear? He'd have to think about it.

Kaishou stood out in the street. His head began to pound even harder. He fell to his knees, he came to regret what he had done. He couldn't believe he ate the flesh of another human being albeit they were dead already. He gave up hope.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysEven my sister is probably dead!

He began to cry. He hadn't ever cried, not even when his parents died. He was strong back then but now he was beginning to fall apart. Any shreds of hope he had were being shattered over time. He stood up, he gathered his resolve. He decided he would bury his sister's corpse, it was clear to him that god had made him the last survivor for whatever reason. He felt his mind would find peace in burying her and honoring her. He began plotting his trek back to Canada. He found a nearby map and marked his location and all his rest stops. New York being one of them ( :evil: ) He wasn't sure what he'd do after but he decided to do one thing at a time.

(Reiko PoV)

Reiko approached the exit. She wondered, why were they the only ones to survive? How many others share the same fate as them? She saw Blake, his expression showed his distrust towards Tia. She also noted the brother like attitude of Blake, her brother was very similar to Blake. She looked at Tia, at first she felt anger towards her but now, now she feels kind of sad for her. To have been isolated from society, to be easily misunderstood. In her heart, she felt pity for Tia but she wouldn't tell her that. Perhaps in time she'll learn to open up to them but not now. Now was a time of hardship and struggle. She smiled, atleast the people who survived were nice.

Quote from: Reiko SaysSo, where to first?

Quote from: TiaI say the smartest decision first is to find something that we can use to carry everything we'll get. somebody know a place in this damn city where we can find some backpacks?

Cities. different since she was last there.

Quote from: Reiko saysWell if we're going by logic, we can probably stop by a supermarket, mall, grocery store and such. They tend to have plastic bags we could use to temporarily hold them in. We could probably steal a car and put the rations in there and drive back to the hotel where we can stash the supplies. But if we're headed somewhere far afterwards, we're going to need more than plastic bags.

New York was a big place though and it was very different compared to her small town in Canada. She never thought to ask but the it crossed her mind. Were these people living in New York or was it a chance meeting?

Quote from: Tiano. Backpacks. big ones. plastic bags can break, and we'll inevitably lose stuff since stuff can fall through the top of them. backpacks. strong, big backpacks. any bright ideas Blake?

Blake noted what sounded like sarcasm in her voice.

Quote from: BlakePersonally, I think we can't keep EVERYTHING in backpacks. Those are fine for walking around and all, but we can't each carry 2 or three. I think we should steal a car. I know how to hotwire one, but if we're lucky we'll find one with a key in it still. If we have a car, we can store food in plastic bags in there. Unfortunately, driving through the city will be hell. Cars are still jammed in the streets. For now, I say we bring food in plastic bags to the hotel, and whatever else we need, then haul it out of the city, and find a car then. Bright enough for you?

That plan seemed awfully similar to hers albeit worded differently. She didn't mind though as long as they decided to do something. She was getting pretty hungry, she realized she still had a couple bag of chips in her bag.

Quote from: Reiko saysI.. I'm just going to go get my bag from the other building. I've got a map of the city plus a couple bags of chips.

She headed back to the other building. Her bag was still where she left it, if it was stolen that'd be quite a shock to her. She picked up her bag and ran back to the others. She set down her bag and scavenged through it. She pulled out her map and began to munch on the chips. They weren't very filling but they were better than nothing.

Quote from: Reiko saysThe map should be able to help us plot out which streets we should scavenge and help us find our way back. I already circled this hotel's location.

Tia was shocked: these kids will have to learn to tell what they have when they have it, or else we could find out to be needing it when they forget it.

well, either way. Tia didn't like cars, but if she was to get these two to trust her, she'd have to let up on certain things.

she didn't like cars. too easy to explode.

she picked out what looked to be a general stuff store, and said, in no uncertain terms.

Quote from: Tiawe'll go here first. it is likely to have some food, some stuff to carry stuff in, and other necessary things. perhaps duffle bags will be more useful that backpacks,and we'll need to grab some bags of ice and a cooler, for the meat we'll need. especially since I'm not sure if my body will accept vegetables or fruit anymore. I guess I'll have to carry the cooler, unless you don't mind occassionally morphing into something strong enough to carry a heavy cooler stuffed with meat and ice?

a car would be useful, despite ones easily explosive capabilities, yet there will be times when they can't use a car, like if they have to trek through a forest, and they'd need to carry everything on their backs.

Quote from: TiaI also suggest we try to find other people. it might be hard to do everything without a couple more hands. and you probably don't want to make Reiko do much work, right, Blake?

that last was a taunt, and Tia knew it, but it was of the sort that was mainly used as a jokish sort of thing, if she remembered right.

people always were such a pain to deal with. especially them...

Tia made a growling sound from her throat, took the gun and its holster off, and tossed it to Reiko.

Quote from: Tiause it to defend yourself if need be.

that came out as a near snarl, and Tia fell to her four legs, and ran off in the direction of the store she'd pointed out earlier, speeding faster than a human could keep up with before she caught herself and stopped and turned and waited for Blake and Reiko.

Blake hated being shown up. He growled softly as Tia launched herself down the street. Blake concentrated, and changed into a cheetah.

Quote from: Blake ThinksHehehe. Let's see her outrun this!

He wondered if Reiko could understand him. He put his paws on her feet, and thought as hard as he could.

Quote from: Blake ThinksHop on!

Tia shook her head and wondered what the boy thought she meant by running ahead.

an image passed through her head from when she was younger, and still among humans, but she shook her head, made another wolfish snarl and growl, and it went away.

she spent years out of society to get rid of those thoughts.

she never did like cities. smells like... gasoline. and a lot of other stuff.

but right then, it smelled a lot like death.

she thought for the first time that everyone in the city must have been dead other than herself and the two she was looking at. she then wondered why she didn't catch the smell on her nose before.

Tia stood up and walked towards the two, slapping Blake on his cheetah's head and telling him to go back.

Quote from: Tiait's just occured to me that everyone here is dead. we should get out of the city as fast as possible; no telling what diseases a dead body can carry.

Blake hissed. Tia hadn't realized that all ready? He knew that, but they had a better chance of finding others in cities than in suburbs. Besides, it was nearly December. The colder it got, the less a chance there would be of peoples' bodies rotting, as gruesome as it sounded.

He shook his head, and bounded off down the street. He wanted to get away from this woman and find some other people.

Kaishou kept driving. He was constantly hallucinating and his head constantly throbbed. His figure was also beginning to deform. Over the past day he developed a relationship with two hallucinations. There was John, the masochist goody two shoes and Sarah, the sadistic evil badass. He found himself talking more and more with the two, especially Sarah. To him, John was a bit of a freak and his opinion never really counted much for Kaishou.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysSo, Sarah, I was wondering.. What should I do after I lay my dead family members to rest?

Quote from: Sarah SaysThere's not much to do since you're the only one alive but I would go around kicking the people I hated and laugh at their misfortune.

Quote from: John SaysThat's just cruel! Everyone's dead and you'd go and kick em? I would just lay everyone to rest. It's the least I could do.

The two hallucinations got into another arguement and began fighting each other. Sarah always won though. Kaishou kept driving on. Those two were pretty predictable.

Tia shook her head; Cheetah's were the fastest land animals. not even with some of a Wolf's speed could she keep up with one.

Quote from: Tiaso. Reiko. do you tihnk he'll return soon?

Quote from: Reiko SaysI really have no idea. To be honest I just met him today.

Reiko looked at Tia, she really wanted to get to know her better. But it seemed like it was going to be hard since Blake and Tia didn't get along very well.

Quote from: Reiko SaysWell, as long as we're waiting.. I wanted to ask you a few questions. I was wondering, why do you think humans are assholes? You said you isolated yourself in the forest for that reason..

Tia barely suppressed a snarl and a growl.

Quote from: Tiasomething happened to me when I lived among other humans before. people did it, and... anyway, do you think Blake can be trusted not to turn Feral? for that matter, can I be trusted not to turn Feral? or you? or anyone else we meet for that matter? why don't we start heading to the store; Blake should catch up once he realizes were not obediently following him.

Tia turned around and stared at Reiko, knowing her eyes pleaded at the girl nto to everbring up the past again.

Reiko knew she hit a subject that was quite sore to Tia. Maybe it wasn't best for her to have picked such a topic but it fascinated her. She would ask another time when they trusted each other more. For now, however, she just wanted to make conversation with Tia and get to know her better.

Quote from: Reiko SaysBlake seems like a nice enough guy. I can't imagine him going feral. So, what was it like living by yourself? I've always had someone look out for me..

She was headed into the store with Tia. Blake would come back soon, or atleast she thought he would.

Tia followed the signs and was looking for useful stuff.

Quote from: Tiawasn't too bad. Infact I'd just killed a wolf when this happened to me. i learned to hunt, had a little tree-hut like thing.

the words of human language were coming from her more smoothly now, but Tia didn't think she would ever think in them again. words held too much back in thought. it was much too slow. and besides.

Quote from: TiaI was an active kid when i was younger, i was never very inactive befor eleaving humanity. how could you stand it? being cared for, i mean. having people protect you, and decide stuff for you... well. I suppose I lived by myself for too long.

Tia actually did remember being ordered to her room as a six year old. they just usually seemed like someone else's memories.

since leaving, Tia figured herself more like one of natures animals; a wolf, or something rather than a human.

Tia sighed.

she'd already picked out a backpack, and had put some stuff like lighters and matches, and whatever else she figured she might need.

Quote from: Tiawhat about you? what was your life like, before everyone up and decided to just die?

Quote from: Reiko SaysMe? Well, can't say life was terrible. Can't say it was great either. My parents died when I was young so it left just me and my brother... I'm sorry. I just can't say anymore, my brother was everything to me. I mean, I had friends and I was doing well but my brother was always there for me.

She didn't want to mention more. Right now, her focus was survival. Thoughts like this would only serve to distract her and that wasn't a good thing. She would track her brother later. But when? That thought troubled her a little bit.

Quote from: Reiko SaysHey, that's a nice backpack but what do you think of this one?

She lifted up a pink bag with a flower design on it. It looked pretty cute to her and wondered if Tia liked these kinds of things too.

Quote from: TiaI guess it suits you.

Tia was never one for fashion: she'd picked her own because it was of decent size, and sturdy.

one thing irked her.

Quote from: Tiawhere Did Blake get to? we need to move on to food stores, which might have a terrible stink, to get food, canned food. I think I've got everything I'll need from here. including a new knife. and the sword-forms book i was looking for. I'd say wait here but we dont know how to utilize your abilities yet. keep that gun ready. until we get you your own.

Tia continued rummaging through the store.

why were people so confusing?

While wandering through New York, Kassandra spied a group of people gatherKassandra walked closer and saw a group of people, maybe of 3 or 4. She walked up closer and tried to hid behind a barricade but was spotted by one of them.



Being really lazy here but I'm back in I suppose xD

Tia lowered her voice.

Quote from: Tiaalright, when I jump raise your gun and prepare to shoot anyone who isn't me or Blake. someone's spying on us.

she then walked over to an area, as if looking for somethign in where she was at.

then she dropped to all four and charged at the spy, jumping over a small barricade of sorts and tackling a girl to floor, a sound deliciously like a wolf's hungry growl.

Quote from: TiaWHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU SPYING ON US?!

Reiko was silent. Another person? There may be hope yet but still.. This person was a spy. She watched as Tia tackled a figure hiding behind a barricade. It looked like Tia, pinned her down. Reiko ran over to see who it was. She wondered if it was Blake playing a joke on them. A different thought crossed her mind now. What if she did something to Blake? What if he was hurt or dead...

Quote from: Reiko SaysWhere's Blake? Do you know anything about him!?

She was a bit angry. If something had happened to Blake...

(Kaishou PoV)

It's been about a day of driving. Kaishou began to drive into New York City. He'd have to re-fuel and get some food here. It was a major city so it wouldn't be that hard.

His appearance decayed quickly during the drive. His skin appeared sludgy and he looked monstrous. He was constantly hallucinating and he could hardly tell apart what was real and what was illusion. His two hallucinated friends, John and Sarah, were constantly bickering and it annoyed him slightly. He also realized he could shapeshift when he took a pit stop. It's capabilities eluded him however. He would learn more about it when he returned to Canada.

He kept driving through New York looking for a gas station.

Tia dragged the girl she'd tackled to her feet, using a firm Wolf-strength enhanced grip to hold her hands behind her.

Quote from: Tiawhat are you doing here? Reiko, hold that gun on her, and if she breaks free ofmy grip, SHOOT.

Tia had a certain tendency toward when something is nearby that she didn't knwo was there.

she flashed back to some form of a forest cat sneaking up on her, and tackling her to the ground.

it wasn't exactly important how she'd gotten out of that one, though she had had very noticeable scars on her chest before wolf-fur covered them.

Kassandra smiled and looked into the eyes of her captors.

"Why hello pretty one...You seem quite nice. Feel like taking in a lost traveler?"

Kassandra looked on hopefully bu not desperately as not to give away her guise...

Blake ran and ran. He felt bad leaving Reiko alone with the wolf-woman, but he needed to get some personal space. He'd been holding everything in since he'd left Princeton, and since he'd met Reiko. He was sick and tired of Tia treating him like a 3 year old, and sick and tired of  hiding his true self. After some time, he decided to return to them. He would never leave Reiko. She needed someone to protect her until she could find her brother.

He never bothered to change back into human form, and came upon Reiko and Tia fighting with another woman. Hissing, he lept over a car...

Tia had heard the muted sounds of Paws running on road. she smiled as Blake, still in his Cheetah form, just seemed to materialize out of nowhere and drag the girl, Kassandra, to the floor.

before he had, she let go of her grip, and the small flash of surprise on her face was fun enough to see before she realized a couple hundred pounds of transmorphed Cheetah was flying onto her.

Kaishou watched as an animal leapt over his car. He figured it to be another hallucination but he got out of the car anyways. He cussed angrily at it until he realized there was a small group of people there.

Quote from: Kaishou ThinksMore hallucinations?

Quote from: Sarah SaysGo say hi to them! Just so I have another person to talk to instead of that piece of garbage John.

Kaishou smirked. John didn't have anything to say it seemed. Atleast he wouldn't have to listen to John's ramblings. He approached the small gathering. Three people and one animal. One person was being held down by the animal, one of them was holding a gun to the person being pinned down and the other one was just smiling. It was a mildly interesting sight. He got a little bit closer and he could begin to make out their features. The one smiling wasn't human. Atleast not completely. It looked more like a werewolf than anything else. His hallucinations creeped him out sometimes. The person being pinned down was a woman. On top of her was a cheetah. Pleasant. Then it caught his eye. The last person was another girl only something about her made his heart stop. She had a striking resemblance to his deceased sister. Was his mind playing a trick on him? If it was, it wasn't funny. His gaze was now set on the girl. She had a gun. His sister would never hold a gun, she was to gentle for something like that. And his sister was still in Canada. Why would she be here? He was convinced she was a hallucination and nothing more.

Quote from:  Sarah SaysOh my. Doesn't that look like your dead sister? Such insolence. A hallucination that mocks the memory of your beloved sister.

Kaishou felt rising anger towards the girl. Sarah was right, it was a mockery on his dead sister. One that he could not let happen while standing idly by.

an odd scent wafted its way to Tia's nose.

she puzzled on it. it was... different, from any other she'd smelled before. then she caught it; it might be what people called smelling 'fear' only this smell was certainly not fear, it was...

abruptly, unscabbarding her sword, Tia turned and charged at the newcomer who'd just come out of a car.

how had she not noticed a car pulling up?

the person's features were twisted, but she remembered the picture she took from Reiko's room not too long ago, and this was her brother.

except the rage and hostility coming from him was worse than anything the girl being pinned down by Blake could do.

she tackled the boy to the floor; Tia did not know his name. fortunately, they landed n the hood of the car, and she moved to stab her sword through his arm and into the car.

that would satisfactorily pin him.

she made the move to start stabbing his arm, and-

Reiko watched as Tia took off. She looked into the distance and saw a man whose features were slightly distorted. She then noticed who it was! It was Kaishou, her older brother! It was a reassuring sight to see him alive although he was somewhat deformed. Reiko ran off to greet him when she noticed Tia about to tackle him.

Quote from: Reiko SaysWait! Tia STOP!!!!

Tia didn't stop. Tia had tackled her older brother and was about to stab his arm. Reiko wasn't going to let that happen. She took the gun and aimed at the sword. She didn't want to harm either of them to be harmed, they were both really nice people. She watched as the bullet flew hitting the sword and knocking it away. She watched the next set of events unfold.

(Kaishou PoV)

Kaishou was about to be pinned down when the sword was suddenly shot away. His assailant seemed to be shocked as well. He wouldn't let an opportunity like this slip by however. He kicked the werewolf away and ran for the sword. He picked it up and pointed it at the werewolf.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysYou! I have no interest in you. Let me and your friend over there settle things. This is a personal matter and I won't have you interfere.

He approached the hallucination of his sister only for it to have a look of joy on it's face.

Quote from: Reiko SaysBrother! It's.. It's really you!

He looked at the girl in disgust. A hallucination that attempted to impersonate his sister. It disgusted him.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysYou're not my sister. My sister is dead, along with the rest of the world.

He stabbed her, right in the chest and watched her collapse onto the floor. He hated watching someone mock the dead.

Quote from: Sarah SaysWell,well aren't we badass today? What are you going to do with the others?

End of PoV

On a side note, Reiko isn't dead just wounded. She'll need some medical attention ._. I'm more worried about Kaishou right now though >.<

Blake held the woman down. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to assume she was dangerous, since Reiko had been holding a gun on her. A sharp scent wafted into his nose. He sprung up, instantly, searching for the source. A man was holding a sword, headed towards Reiko! Tia looked out of commision.

Blake lept towards the man, just as he stabbed the sword into Reiko's chest. Blake's human mind went into shock. It couldn't function anymore. The cheetah brain took over.

He knocked the man down, and pinned him to the ground, as he had done to the woman. Only this time, he wouldn't be nice. He sunk his claws into the mans arms. The man would suffer for what he had done to Reiko.

Kaishou was tackled onto the floor. The cheetah had decided to pounce on him this time. The claws had scratched into his arm and Kaishou went into a rage. He'd have no more of this. His shifting skills weren't great but this was the perfect opportunity to practice. His shape began to melt down and reform. He decided a giant anaconda would help his situation a lot. He wrapped his body around the cheetah in an effort to crush it's body.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysInsolent little..

The scratch on his arm hurt a lot but his anger urged him on.

Blake's ribs were being crushed by the snake. Another shapeshifter?

Blake's human mind snapped back into focus. He'd have to take this man down. Tia would care for Reiko. He hoped.

He shifted, quickly, into a mouse, and escaped the snake. He shifted once more into a grizzly bear, and reared up on his hind legs. He smashed his paws down onto the snake.

The cheetah's escape was unexpected. He figured it to be a normal cheetah, clearly it wasn't now. It was a bear now and before that it was a mouse. Kaishou would just to have outshape whatever it was. He was boiling with fury, but he could still think. Not as clearly, but he was capable of thinking of a stronger animal. Or no.. even better. He knew of a way to settle this. He changed his form into a grizzly bear as well. It would be a fight based on who was more capable fighting in this form. He had been hit in the back while he was a snake and it hurt but now it was time to pay him back, many times over. He let his instincts and anger go wild. The battle would be an interesting one, no doubt.

Quote from: JohnCmon Kai! Can't we just resolve this peacefully?

Quote from: SarahNo doofus! Smash it's face in and show em no mercy! Beat the living tar out of em!

Tia stood up again, after a few moments, to see Blake morphed into a bear, and Reiko's brother - apparently another shapeshifter - also a bear. she couldn't tell the difference between the two. making angry noises, Tia glanced at the person who had been spying on her and Reiko. she was still on the floor, unconscious or making a ruse of it.

she looked towards Reiko.

Tia howled, and leapt over the bears, growling like a wolf. she didn't notice.

seeing that her sword had been sufficiently lodged into Reiko's chest, Tia's growling rose.

her nose smelled the scent from before, and when she glanced at the bears, in her enraged state, she could pick out the one it belonged to.

whirling around, she grabbed her gun from Reiko's collapsed body, and, without needing to aim - her nose told her where the bear was - turned again and fired four swift shots at Reiko's Brother.

Quote from: TiaHEY!

Tia stalked over to where the Bear was, and clawed at it's face with her nails - sharp enough since becoming a half-wolf to cut through the boy's bear-fur.

that was to leave a remembering scar in case he escaped, but just in case, Tia took out her gun again and fired off two more bullets at point-blank range.

Quote from: TiaDamn you.

When Blake saw that the other Bear was out for the count, he morphed back to human. When he was in bear form, he had had many cuts and scratches across his face. Now, he was completly healthy.

Quote from: Blake saysThanks Tia.

He stood over the bear. He hoped that it wasn't still alive enough to morph. Then all of it's injuries would be healed, as his own had. He shook his head, and turned to Reiko. He checked her pulse. Still alive.

Quote from: Blake saysShe needs a doctor. Now. Where's the nearest hospital?

Quote from: Tiayou think I have any clue? Reiko should still have the map on her, in the meantime...

Tia looked at the girl. still unconscious.

she pointed the gun at the bear, a distance away that if he moved for a charge she could get a few fires off.

Quote from: TiaI'm sorry but I'm going to have to watch these two, I'll atleast distract the boy if he wakes. Get going, Reiko needs your help you fool child. GO!

Kaishou was unconscious. Several bullet shots and a wolf person clawing at you would probably do that. He began to dream...

Quote from: SarahDamn idiot. Wake up you lazy piece of crap!

His shape returned back to his human form while he was outcold. About 15 minutes later he regained consciousness. He came slightly back to his senses and realized the truth before him. The people before him were no hallucinations. Hallucinations weren't capable of inflicting physical harm. These people were bizarre but they were real. It was a mental shock. He'd realize what he had done and couldn't believe it. He began to panick. His eyes darted around and saw the werewolf, with a gun pointed at him, a slight distance away.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysG-get away from me! What have I done!?

Fear and panic set in. He had to get away, even with his wounds. He made a dash for the car and attempted to drive away.

cooly collected now, with Reiko and Blake well on there way, Tia shot the three wheels she could on the car.

Quote from: Tiaok heres the thing, you are not going anywhere and you are going to calm down, and if you try to run I'm going to shoot you're leg, and there won't be much running then. now. whats your name, boy?

Blood was dripping from his body and his vision was getting cloudy. He was given a chance to escape and he screwed up. He couldn't let himself get caught. He would push his luck. He used his remaining strength and transformed into a cheetah. His body was at it's limits.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysTell Rei.. I'm sorry.

He yelled it out so the wolf person could hear. He dashed away hoping to avoid getting shot. The car thankfully shielded him while he transformed.

Tia had jumped over the car as soon as he was beyond it, but she fell flat on her chest, the wind flowing out of her as the boy, in the form of a cheetah, ran off.

she tried to fire off a few shots at the boy, but missed every one.

she began to force breath into her lungs, and started the tough climb to her knees.

when she spoke, her voice was wispy, in that breathless wind-knocked-out-of-you way.

Quote from: Tiadamn. still... susceptable.

she would have charged after Reiko's brother, but by the time she'd climbed to her legs and had her wind back, he was out sight.

Kaishou went as far as he could, escaping into the subway. He transformed back to his human form. His injuries were still there however. He was pushing his limits, he couldn't go any further. He put his back on a wall and collapsed. His strength was drained and John and Sarah seemed to have abandoned him. His body was completely sore and he found he could no longer move. Was he at his end? He noticed he left a small trail of blood. It was a matter of time until they'd arrive. Until then though, he would pass out and rest.

a metallic scent came to Tia's nose. curse her luck, but Tia had to choose between the spying person and Reiko's brother.

she dropped to all fours and tracked the blood trail.

she came to a subway, and found Reiko's brother there.

he was unconscious. Tia didn't like the boy. he was probably near insanity somehow.

then again, believing everybody was dead might do that. and Reiko nearly idolized her brother.

sighing, Tia found an emergency kit in the suitcase of a dead man.

Quote from: Tiahey what do you know, Dead people can be useful too.

cursing herself, and being perhaps a bit more forceful thna strictly necessary, Tia set to work patching up the boy's wounds. the kit had an instruction guide.

Tia just winged it.

Kaishou had passed out. His body was being treated by the werewolf whom caused a majority of his wounds. However while that was happening he had a dream that would continue to twist his perception. His appearance decayed a little more and his features were less distinguishable. His body's DNA structure had been changing when his head pains began. Several organ systems were changed and his blood was slowly turning into a sludge like substance. By some miracle however, his body could still function. His shapeshifting powers were different from the other person's. His wounds began to heal at an accelerated rate however and he was recovering fast.

In his dream he sat down in utter darkness and could hear the voice of the werewolf as it was treating him. He began to think that perhaps that it wasn't so terrible. But Sarah wouldn't let that happen. She attempted to persuade him.

Quote from: SarahShe's not trustworthy y'know. She is a cold and calculating kind of person. She's probably the one who made your sister hold a firearm. She's slowly warping your sister's mind, can you forgive her? Listen, I'll grant you my power for now. It may harm your appearance but you're going to exact revenge. Y'got that idiot?

Kaishou's eyes began to open, an hour or so had already passed.

as soon as she sensed some semblance of wakefulness and activity from the boy, Tia stepped back, and aimed the gun at him again.

Tia didn't forget those who attacked her.

Quote from: Tiayou going to calm down, now? your features are even more warped than before. whatever did this to us all seems still to be changing within you. and if your face is any indication its nothing good. and if its still changing in you... look, boy, I don't know your name. I;m even finding myself thinking differently than before. I'm a half-wolf now. my name is Tia.

Tia had really despised those people after... anyway, she remembered a brief thing about working with insane people. of course, she was only taking care of the patients. but she remembered what some of the 'voices' and hallucinations had made some of them do.

she had had a scar on her shoulder from one of those. she had had a lot of scars. she didn't have any of them now, of course, but she had had them. she had.

Quote from: Tialook, Reiko is a friend, and you're her brother. It would really hurt her if you began to go insane. please, boy, don't go insane.

he probably was already: he had thought Reiko wasn't real. which meant he had hallucinations.

Quote from: Tiahey, do you have hallucinations? are any of them here right now?

Tia was taking a big risk. and she still had the gun pointed on him.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysHmmngh...

Kaishou got up and watched as the room slowly stopped spinning. His wounds had been treated it seemed. He looked on the floor to see a first-aid kit. Was she the one who treated me? No, it was Sarah who had treated him. Atleast, he thought it was Sarah. He was pretty sure he eluded the half wolf too. Perhaps Sarah was playing a joke on him and decided to change her appearance to the werewolf just to mess with him. That was probably it.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysI don't find this funny Sarah. Stop messing with me.

He looked at John with a cold look in his eye.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysJohn you wuss, tell Sarah to stop messing around!

Tia blinked.

Quote from: TiaSarah? is that the name of one of your hallucinations? and John, too? I'm not a hallucination. what's your name? boy, hallucinations can't touch you, they aren't physical. you must know that; you have common sense, right?

she very carefully did not say 'you have common sense Still, right?'

she carefully reach out to touch him on his cheek with one furred hand, keeping the gun pointed towards him still.

she was also listening with her nose; if she was right, that weird smell from before would rise up and hit her before anything showed on him.

Kaishou listened to who he thought was Sarah. He didn't quite know what was going on but what she was saying made sense. The woman's finger brushed against his cheek. It was something that Sarah couldn't do because she was an illusion. He looked at John again and saw that he looked angry and was ready to pound on... Tia. He looked at Tia and looked straight into her eyes. He saw a bit of sincerity in them.

Quote from: JohnYou idiot! She's a liar, a trickster! She brainwashed Rei and now she's working her magic on you! You blind moron, you're lucky I'm here!

John, although it didn't sound like him, was right. It must've just been a ploy. Nothing but lies. He looked at Tia again. It wasn't Sarah alright but she wasn't trustworthy either. He pushed her away from him.

Quote from: Kaishou YellsGet away from me! I won't be tricked by the likes of you... John and Sarah are right! No, keep away from me. I've got to get to Canada to bury my dead sister.. You people aren't real! You can't be!

when all else fails: shove the truth in their face.

Quote from: TiaI have to be real. I can touch you, I scratched you, and no matter how good at healing yourself become, that thing's going to scar. my sword you picked up. Real. you can't harm an illusion. where's Sarah, huh? or John? if I shoot them, the bullet with go right through them, and hit whatever is beyond them. but I shot You, and it hit. now come on, at the least let's go see your sister so you cna prove to yourself she's Real. you're right, I am liable to trick you, but aren't your illusions just as liable? The mind fools best itself, boy. they can fool you easy because they Are you, and you know it, just figments of your mind on the brink of insanity, and if you don't accept your going over the edge, and fight it while it is weak, it'll take you over completely. and then you will never be able to go back. never be able to accept that you might have killed your sister. come wiht me, child, or next time we meet, I will have to kill you to protect your sister.

she hoped that wouldn't incite a rage response. she stood back just as far as she was, and took her hand back.

Kaishou looked at her in distrust. She really did make sense but then he'd have to live with the fact that he may have killed his beloved little sister. That was something he couldn't accept. His thoughts and emotions were waging war with themselves. He really wanted to believe Tia but that meant taking responsibilitiy for his actions. Not something he wanted to do. His head suddenly had a sharp stinging pain go through it. He collapsed on the floor. A few seconds later he got back up. He had an intense crazy look in his eyes. He was out for blood.

Quote from: Sarah Possesing KaishouNo more! You've ruined my fun and now you'll die. I warn you I'm much more fierce than that coward Kai.

He shifted his form into a rhino.

that didn't sound like the boy. so his name was Kai? well. this would be interesting.

she muttered something about dragging him out to see his sister so he could acknowledge what he did.

worked for her. back then, when she first left, it was an accident, but it'd worked, and she never went near it again. but it still left her very different from the naive person she was once.

sighing, she dodged to the right, and fired a few quick bullets into the rhino's side.

the kid was a damn fool. she drew her sword, and kept it ready, still pumping bullets into the Rhino.

Kai recovered fast from stuff. she found that out while tending to him. she didn't do all that much.

Quote from: Tiaso. who are you? Sarah? John? someone Kai didn't tell me about? or was Kai a hallucination and you the real one? it is difficult to tell the difference. anyway whoever you are, I will drag Kai back to his sister by his unconscious cuffs if need be; he can heal successfully fine on his own. I swear, you'll not keep that boy's body as your own whoever you are.

Tia dodged down the subway stairs, and jumped in a parked never-to-be-used again subway train.

a Rhino would have a tough time being very successful inside a subway train.

Kaishou was possessed by Sarah. She wasn't very patient and wanted to finish this quickly but Sarah's opponent was a stubborn one. For now Sarah would remain in a human form but not Kaishou's form. Sarah began to laugh maniacally.

Quote from: SarahWhat's to say? I'm his killing instinct made real. But you can call me Sarah. But that doesn't really matter because soon I'm going to find you and torture you to death. After all, I hate chasing trash like you.

Sarah's human form walked clumsily. She wasn't adapted to walking in the real world. It didn't help either that her mind was in a struggle for control between Kaishou and John. She'd have to adapt quickly or Tia would be able to pounce on her easily. She changed her form again, this time a leopard. This was the form that represented Sarah and as such she was more comfortable with it.

Quote from: SarahY'know idiots like you piss me off. I'll make sure you die a slow death.

so. Sarah. Killing instinct. no wonder she was so influential with the man.

Quote from: Tiawell Sarah. I have a proposition for you. lets fight a duel, no tricks, no dirty-handedness. I'll even put my sword and gun down. and you take the form of a half-animal. as I'm a half-wolf. I want to show you that yo are just a hallucination. let me guess. John is what represents Kai's sanity, the him his sister remembers, or atleast a part of it, right?

she remembered hallucinations. vaguely. she didn't remember much from that brief stint with insanity.

Tia couldn't help laugh.

Quote from: TiaI'm no fool, you're the idiot. accept my duel, run away, or give Kai his body and leave him sane, or you won't much like the alternative.

Tia was wary. she wouldn't let it show, but she knew that Sarah would likely be very hard to fight. she didn't have enough of an attachment to Reiko yet that she would feel a lot of remorse over killing her brother in this situation, but Tia knew well the difficulty of fighting a battle where you want to win, and weaken your opponent, but killing them is unnacceptable.

growling, she broke a hole into the ceiling of the subway train, and jumped above it.

Quote from: Tiaso make your decision and come at me if you want, bitch.

she used the word to refer to a wolf mother, but she knew what the opponent she faced would interpret it as.

Sarah climbed atop the subway train. She changed into a half-leopard half human creature. She looked at Tia. She wasn't going to fight by her terms. After all, she was killing instinct. The instinct to kill and survive at whatever the cost. She gave Tia a fierce look and growled.

Quote from: SarahI'm no bitch you little whore.

She waited a few and seconds and leaped at Tia.

Tia expected that. Sarah didn't even wait for Tia to toss her gun and sword to the side.

when the half-leopard leapt at Tia, Tia grabbed Sarah's arm, and dragged her through the air, and slammed her elbow down over her opponent's back.

Quote from: TiaI'm not going easy. and I'm no whore; I only had sex once, and that wasn't really my choice. oh, but you're a bitch, quite certainly.

not really: the way she usually referred to it was too high for this girl, but the other meaning was quite sufficient to enrage her.

Killing is so attuned to rage, that Kai, near insane, might have put the two together closely enough that it could be used.

Tia was willing to bet on it.

after slamming her elbow done and as she spoke, Tia brought her foot over the girl's head and drove it as hard as she could into the top of the subway, and, using her grip on the half-leopard's arm, she sat down on her back, and twisted both arms behind her bakc, and continued twisting, then suddenly shoved the arms farther back than any arm based on a human was supposed to bend. with the added strength of a wolf, any normal person would have broken arms.

It hurt. Tia was skilled alright but Sarah wasn't going to be taken down so easily. She used sheer effort to lift Tia off of her. It was a hard task lifting someone like Tia off with just the use of her legs. She shaped her bones and made a quickfix to them. She punched Tia and was about to send a second one when she was interrupted. The fool John was pushing dominance over Kaishou's body.

Quote from: SarahTch. You win. I concede defeat this time. Do what you will with this weakling Kaishou. Kill him if you want. But no? You really are a friend of Reiko. Say hi to Koren for me then will you?

Sarah fell back into Kaishou's subconscious. The body fell and reverted back to normal.

inner battles. gotta love em.

in the meantime, to assure that he didn't go insane on her, while he was still unawake, she delivered a strong blow to his face, knocking him unconscious.

Quote from: TiaI have a bad feeling about this Sarah girl. and that thign about Koren. Kai, what have you gotten yourself into. and Reiko might be susceptible as well... geez. people are so hard to deal with. well. to the hopefully still unconscious spy.

she dragged Kai's unconscious form back to where the spy lay. she was still there, fortunately. Tia wasn't sure she would be. from there, she punched the spy also, and carried both people to the hospital.

Quote from: TiaBlake. this is Reiko's brother. he's insane. keep a watch on him, and if he starts talking about a John or Sarah or starts calling people idiots or being annoyingly rude, knock him out. and we might need to be a bit wary of Reiko as well. Sarah is the dangerous one, if you think she starts taking over, do whatever you can to restrain Kai. thats his name.

after making her report, Tia sat down in a chair, and looked at Reiko, who somehow was attached to an IV, and had something over her wound.

Tia hoped she'd make it. fully mentally intact.

Blake was confused as to what Tia meant. Sarah? Reiko dangerous? He would have asked, but Tia looked exhausted. He was too. He'd managed to hook Reiko up to an IV and bandaged her wound. Once upon a long time ago, he'd wanted to be a doctor. Benjamin had changed that...

Blake stood and walked to the two new comers. The girl was fine, or so it seemed. The man... Was a mess. Blood streamed down his face in rivulets. With a sigh, Blake carried him to another room, and cleaned him off. He bandaged the cuts as well. He noticed a few straps used for seizure patients, and strapped the man down. Just in case.

Tia called out to Blake.

Quote from: TiaHe can morph too, so restraints on a table won't do much. bring him in here, we'll just have to keep a close eye on him. Sarah, the insane part of Kai over there, told me to say hi to Koren for her. I don't know who Koren is. I'm assuming it's like Sarah, an insane part of Reiko. they're brother and sister so it'd make sense. lets hope my reasoning is flawed.

after all, what if Sarah IS whatever gave Kai his powers? what if Sarah IS the infection? what if it is Sentient? might Koren be the name of the thing inside Tia? or Blake? maybe the spy over there.

and then she remembered to tell Blake.

Quote from: Tiaoh yeah, Kai heals extremely fast. those wounds i gave to him just before coming over here.

Tia sighed. she so wanted to give over to sleep. but she couldn't, and she'd had practice.

Blake shook his head at Tia.

Quote from: BlakeI don't know who Sarah or Koren or whoever are. I do know that Kai can shift, but he needs medical attention regardless of his ability to heal. *pause* Listen... I know I was really rude before... And I never really thanked you for saving my life... So.... Thanks, I guess.

Blake walked to Reiko's bed, and shifted into a mouse. He scampered up to sit next to her wound so he could keep a watchful eye on her.

Kaishou stared into the ceiling of the room. He wasn't in the subway anymore. For now however he had time to think. His head pains were gone, for now atleast and he could think straight. He could hear voices near the room but he was to exhausted to check. That and he'd rather reflect. At the moment, he wanted to say sorry to Rei but he didn't have the resolve to face her. He also thought about his situation. He'd remain silent if they asked him anything. An instinct told him that. They weren't completely trustworthy but he was indebted to them for caring for his younger sister. It was clear to him he wouldn't be able to have the same relationship with Rei though. He was in deep thought when his arm started to hurt.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysAugh...

Quote from: Tiayour welcome, and thanks, but don't get too comfortable there. Sarah overtook Kai's mind and I seriously think something similar might be planted inside Reiko. remember that time Reiko collapsed? I remember a few insane people who seemed to faint and woke up thinking some deity or another spoke to them. a few. most just had dreams that sunk them further into insanity.

but she'd never seen a hallucination take over the mind of one and attack. much less talk back.

Quote from: TiaI suspect theres an inner battle with crazy going on in him. and slowly he's decided to give more to the fight, and less from other stuff. its odd, but as you do that, you actually become more insane. or so I think i picked up. my memories from when I lived with people seem to be coming back. i don't want to remember a good deal of it.

some of that started coming out with a snarl.

suddenly Tia felt very small in the face of things for some reason.

she tossed her head, which would have tossed her hair over her shoulder when she had some, but now it was replaced with fur, which only ruffled a bit.

Quote from: Tialook Blake. the spy I don't even know yet. Kai's definitely insane, Reiko might go insane if anything Sarah says can be trusted, and if Kai means anything to shape shifters, at best it could mean you'll just go feral. and I'm a half-wolf. I snarl and growl already; will I go all Wolfed out on you guys? insane people tend not to realize it when they go even more insane.

Tia didn't understand it. she'd been backed into walls before and she's always kept her cool.

she didn't trust easily: she never did, especially not after what happened.

but, right now, she felt that, despite everythign she usually required, she'd have to trust Blake, and Reiko.

even though they might just go crazy on her at any time. or her on them.

she sighed. words were useless to explain the complexity of everything.

Blake was confused. Who was Sarah? He decided he didn't need to deal with it right now. Tia looked uncomfortable with the conversation. He curled up into a ball and collected his thoughts.

Quote from: THINKINGThis is what I know:
1. Most of the people I know are dead.
2. I can shape shift.
3. I have met 4 others
4. Three are unconcious, and one is a wolf woman
5. One can shape shift like me, and is possibly insane
6. One is a young girl, who might be crazy too
7. I don't know anything about the other woman
8. I am in a hospital
9. I am a mouse
10. The girl might die.
11. The other shifter is her brother.
12. The wolf woman thinks I might go crazy
13. She thinks she might go crazy.
14........

Blake drifted into the realm of sleep.

Tia wondered if she wasn't a bit insane already. the boy Blake had nodded off, and Reiko was still unconscious. at the very least, if humanity was to survive, she thought those two needed to survive. she'd protect them, and trust them. if only because she needed too. in truth, though she didn't admit it even to herself, she thought of the two as cubs, and she the mother wolf.

Kaishou got up. He headed towards where he heard voices and saw Tia. He had to apologize to her as well. She wasn't someone she could trust but he had a sense of decency and honor to say sorry. He looked around around a little more though. He saw Rei lying unconscious in a bed. Had he done that to her? He failed in his oath to his parents. On his parent's graves he had sworn to protect Rei forever. In his mind he couldn't forgive himself. He looked around a bit more and saw an unconscious lady. He approached Tia.

Quote from: Kaishou saysHey, Tia look I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't quite myself.. Listen I wanted to talk to you..

He still had a small recollection of what happened when he fought Tia in the subway.

Tis motioned for him to sit on the chair Blake was in before turning into a mouse.

Quote from: Tiaapology accepted. I'll listen to what you have to say and talk, but first, I need to warn you about Sarah. She's dangerous, don't listen to her. I think Reiko will understand; I do, I smelt that whatever when you saw her. so, what did you want to talk about?

Tia hoped the boy could be saved. Reiko definitely held him highly. she also was exhausted; she hoped she could take him out again, but Tia had fought him multiple times that day, it seemed.

she waited for Kai to respond.

Kaishou felt kind of relieved. He half expected her to yell out "He's awake!!" and fire her gun at him. Luckily that wasn't the case. He had a couple things to ask Tia. For whatever reason his instincts told him she was dangerous but in his heart he felt as though she could be trusted. He knew something was up in his body. For now he'd side with his heart and go out on a limb and trust her. He spoke in a soft and gentle tone.

Quote from: Kaishou saysI had a few things I wanted to ask. I don't know how she got here but she's here now and that's something I can't help. But is she safe with you guys? Can you promise me nothing will happen to her? I'm asking this becau-

His head throbbed slightly and he paused for a second to rub his temples in an effort to calm it down. No luck however and it continued to throb. He continued to speak.

Quote from: Kaishou saysbecause.. I don't think I can stay here. This is my business and plan to settle it elsewhere. If you ever need me I'll be in Toronto Canada.

Tia sighed inwardly; that was good.

Quote from: Tiabe wary of those headaches. and I promise I'll do my best to protect your sister. don't get upset but I think Blake is starting to see her as a sort of sister. take care of yourself. make no mistake though; you are dangerous. i stick to my promises. if, when I see you next, your are too far gone in your insanity, or if Sarah has you, I will kill you. and know this: Reiko will carry guns. we all will. because we don't know what we'll meet out there. just be wary. much longer with your features getting all screwy, and I'll not recognize you, nor your sister. fare you well, Kai.

Tia stood up, and picked up her sword.

it was still a little messed up from what Reiko did to it.

Quote from: Tiahey, your sister did this to my sword, think you can do something to fix it?

Kaishou listened to Tia's advice and words. He didn't like the idea of Rei holding a firearm. It meant several things. She wouldn't be completely safe and that she would have to defend herself. He looked at Tia's sword. He had used it to harm his own little sister. He had taken several classes in metal working and a sword like that wouldn't be to hard to buff out. He'd need tools however. A hammer and a strong flat surface preferrably an anvil. But he didn't have the time to fix it.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysI could fix it for you but I don't have any proper tools. I don't want to waste anymore time though. Just incase though I'll have this on my shirt at all times.

He showed Tia a ribbon. It was something to honor his parents. He wished he could see Rei pull through but his mind was still susceptible. He had to leave NOW!

Blake was having a horrible dream. Everyone, Tia, Reiko, the Spy, Kaishou, had died. He was the only one left, besides a stunningly beautiful woman. Except she was evil. She was holding him, and he couldn't escape.

Quote from: WomanMy name's Sarah. It's nice to meet you.

Blake woke with a start. He was still a mouse. Phew. He climbed down and morphed back to a human. The man was sitting by Reiko. Blake would've morphed into something stronger, but something held him back. He decided to give the man a chance.

Quote from: BlakeI'mm Blake. Sorry about hurting you... So you can shift too?

Blake shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked to Tia, silently asking her who the man was.

Quote from: TiaBlake. you're awake. this is Kai. Reiko's brother. he'll be going soon. he has a sort of battle to face for himself now. now. I know you'd like to ask him questions, but he really must be going now. Kai. i await our next meeting.

Tia stood up, and opened the door.

Quote from: Tiayou should probably leave as soon as possible.

Tia pointedly did nothing to exemplify the gun on her hip.

Kaishou smirked. They definitely thought he was dangerous. He knew he was too. He looked at Blake. So he was the one that was beginning to see Rei as his own sister. He respected him for that. Atleast now he knew that Rei was in good capable hands. He wished he could stay but his mind could go any minute.

Quote from: Kaishou saysI wish I could stay but it seems fortune frowns at me. Remember, the next time we meet, if she's not with you two, I'll see to it that you both will pay. Hmm.. Where are you guys going though?

He needed to be able to track them down when he'd beat this thing.

Quote from: TiaI'm not sure. I'm of half a mind to get out of this city and wander as fast as possible, and of another to hunker down and stay here, or else find a small, defendable place. its doubtful whether as to anybody capable of using powerful, instantly blow up a city weapons survived. I'll try to remember to leave clues for you. if you are still sane when you come back to this city, chances are you'll be able to gather them. if Sarah isn't capable of doing it for you, then if you're insane I'll be glad. but do note: I'll do my best to protect Reiko, but something Sarah said means a similar fate might befall her as well. I won't protect her if she isn't her. if I believe she, at any time, goes beyond help... I will kill her before her mind degrades. nobody sane wants to be insane. I'll keep an eye out for any sine of this 'Koren' for you. you do understand if you go insane yuou're not who you once were anymore. you're not mentally human even. you can see that yourself. don't trust Sarah. and be wary of ANY hallucinations speaking. Sarah can take other forms probably, being a hallucination.

then she motioned for him to leave, making it obvious that the conversation was over and Tia had said all she was going to.

and her poise meant she was ready to catch an attack.

   Kaishou chuckled. He knew who Koren was. But he was probably dead now too. He'd wait for Rei to tell them. Rei knew who he was too. He exited the hospital and found a car to steal. He took it and drove towards home. He wondered how he'd face Sarah. His head stung slightly and the world began to spin. He saw Sarah. He wouldn't trust her, not anymore.

Quote from: Kaishou saysI won't trust a single word you say, Sarah!

   Sarah only grinned. It was a dark and evil smile. Something was up. About exiting the city, the car crashed...

(Reiko PoV)

She regained consciousness. Her chest was in deep pain and she had no recollection of the previous events. It was a tactic her brain used to prevent her from being traumatized or shocked. She looked around and saw Tia and Blake. She spoke softly,

Quote from: Reiko saysWhat happened? I remember Tia pinning a.. Spy?

Tia didn't want anythng to come back and bite them for it, but she couldn't tell Reiko about it all yet. not until she healed fully, atleast.

Quote from: TiaI can't explain it all, but at one point shortly after the spy showed up, you got stabbed in the chest.

no need to say it was Tia's sword; she'd somehow found time to clean it.

Quote from: Tiathe spy was knocked unconscious, this is a hospital, where we patched up your wound.

it was troublesome, but for the girl's mental safety Tia couldn't bring up Koren. there'd be no way to explain that.

Reiko thought Tia was acting suspiciously. She didn't seem to be telling the truth but she wanted to trust her. She wondered though, how'd she get stabbed without knowing it? She must be losing her mind. She wondered if her brother had problems like this wherever he was. She thought it was time to tell Tia,

Quote from: Reiko saysTia, I'm here looking for my brother. I always thought that he was alive and watching over me. I came here hoping to find him but he's not here... I'm going to keep looking. You're very important to me and I felt you should know.

Blake wanted to tell Reiko everything, but he respected Tia's judgement, and kept quiet.

Quote from: BlakeStay still. If you move, you'll open that cut again!

Quote from: TiaI figured you were looking for him, after the fuss you made of that pciture. but no matter what, be carefulw hen it comes to that cut. you need to lay down here for a few days now, for it to heal. I'll be out gathering stuff.

Tia vanished through the doorway, and stumped through the city.

Kaishou stood outside the car wreck. He stared Sarah in the eyes, she was up to no good again. Where was John? He always fought back Sarah but now he was nowhere to be seen. He stared at her, their was something he was forgetting about Sarah. Something he had to come to grips with. He didn't have time to remember though since Sarah attempted to strike him. Her blows weren't physical but mental, striking his common sense first. He'd have to find a way to fight back.

(Reiko's PoV)

She looked at Tia before she left. She was horribly mistaken the first time she saw her. But now she saw her as kind of a mom. She was better than her real mom though. She was sort of thankful that she died but she took her father too. Sarah was her abusive mom's name and John was her dad. The two always argued with each other. At those times she cuddled with her teddy bear. She couldn't remember what she named him though. After her parents died Kaishou kind of shut them out but she knew he couldn't get over it. She rested comfortably on the hospital bed. But her arm pulses creating a painful sensation. She didn't know what was happening.

Tia was looking around the town.

she found the gun store from before, and picked out another pistol, and a rifle. then gathered up a few more pistols, and strapped the rifle to her back, and put the pistols in her backpack, along with several clips of ammo for the pistols, and spare bullets for her rifle. Tia wandered again.

she was muttering to herself. wondering what was up with this Sarah and John. she knew she couldn't understand an insane man's mind. she wouldn't be able to understand an insane women's either, if Reiko went as well. she didn't even know the tendencies.

she found that antique's store again. she found a couple daggers, simple work, and that rusted fox-hilt one again. she grabbed the fox-hilt dagger this time. she found an ancient clock, a small thing, that you need to wind constantly to keep working. unfortunately, it was stopped. Tia grabbed it. Maybe Reiko or Blake knew somewhere they could find a place to tell the time right then.

after that she walked back to the hospital, and dumped the stuff in the room.

Quote from: Tiaalright, as you can see, I've grabbed another pistol. and a rifle for myself. also, I got some pistols for the two of you. and Reiko, I dunno why, but I got this rusted Fox-hilt dagger for you. I liked Foxes. and Blake, here, I found a couple of daggers, in case you're caught in a situation where your morphing isn't helpful. I found this thing. it teaches you how to use them.

with that, she stumped out again.

she had some thinking to do.

Tia came back. Reiko had something important to ask her. Her arm had been paining her and she wondered if her arm was injured after she was mysteriously stabbed. She got up and looked at the dagger. It had a nice design. She wouldn't mind carrying that kind of weapon around. She took slow steps so as to not re-open her wound and went over to Tia. She looked at the weapon. Her arm urged to pick it up. It went without her control. She watched as her arm turned metallic. It was an interesting sensation. She enjoyed the sensation almost revelling in it. It was an addictive feeling. She dropped the dagger.

Quote from: Reiko saysK-Kai.. Help me.. My arm.. What's happening!?

Tia was strong. stronger than any average human, she knew. but just how much stronger?

she saw a long pole with a light on the end of it.

she grasped it with both hands, and pulled. she managed to bend it a bit, but she didn't do much, overall.

she pulled her sword. it was slightly warped. the hilt still showed the pack of wolves, and the ferality was virtually unbroken. she wondered if Reiko could fix it.

Reiko. Koren. Sarah. John. Kai.

Blake. Reiko, Kai, Tia, some girl, Blake.

why those five? Tia couldn't get her thoughts straight suddenly.

she couldn't stand it anymore.

she punched her fist staight through a window. she stomped through the shattered glass and saw several aisles of canned food.

muttering to herself about conveniences, she set about filling two more backpacks full with them. and found a lighter, as well, in the store.

she was back in the hospital, suddenly.

Quote from: Tia, suddenly enragedREIKO! DOES THE NAME KOREN MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!

she threw, absolutely, literally, threw the backpacks onto a chair, and waited. and paced.

Reiko looked at Tia puzzled. The name that she said was indeed familiar but she wondered how Tia knew the name. Koren... It did mean something to her. She couldn't remember exactly where she heard the name but she knew she had heard it last at around the time her parents died. She thought over it a second. She thought about it really hard and then it hit her. Koren was her imaginary friend when she was little. She talked to him a lot when her parents died but Kai didn't like the idea of her having an imaginary friend and told her he wasn't real and that she should stop talking to him. She had listened to her brother obediently. But how did Tia know the name?

Quote from: Reiko saysKoren? Let me see.. Oh now I remember. He was an imaginary friend I had when I was younger. My dad, John told me when I was four that Koren would protect me when I was in trouble but after my parents died.. Kaishou didn't like the idea of me having an imaginary friend. He told me the harsh reality about imaginary friends and I stopped talking to Koren ever since. But Tia how do you know the name Koren? What happened outside?

Blake was still examining the daggers. They were nice, but he didn't think he'd need them. He'd be better off being a tiger or a bear or something strong. Still, he would keep them, just in case.

Blake decided to go through each pack they had, including the two Tia had just brought, and organize them. They needed to get out of the city soon. He hoped to leave as soon as the woman woke up.

He listened with one ear to Tia and Reiko's conversation. He smiled, remembering his own imaginary friend, Louis. Louis had been an astronaut, and had gone everywhere with Blake when he was little. When Blake had turned 7, Louis had gone to Mars.

**REMEBERING**

"Louis!! Don't go! I need you here!"
"Don't worry Blake! I'm going to Mars! I'll be meeting Martians and Aliens from all over!"
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Probably not... But I'll send you pictures!!"

Tia didn't hear much after Reiko said Koren was an imaginary friend and mentioned John as her father.

suddenly she realized her back had connected with the door, and she slid till she sat.

Quote from: Tiaand what was your mother's name?

things might be worse than Tia thought. whatever she was feeling before slipped away, replaced with a raw fear of sorts.

Reiko was puzzled. Why the sudden interest all of a sudden? She didn't mind though. To her, this was a bonding experience with Tia. She was more than happy to talk about her parents although it was a bit of a sad subject to her.

Quote from: Reiko saysMy mom? My mom's name was Sarah. Why do you ask?

she gathered herself in and stood again.

Quote from: Tiajust curiosity Reiko. you need to rest, you're weak from that stab wound. get some sleep, I'm tired myself and hardly thinking straight. Blake, keep watch for the night?

it wasn't actually night, but that had passed while she was out.

Tia was right. She needed to rest from the wound that she couldn't recall ever getting. She wondered if it was the spy who had stabbed her or if it was something else entirely. She also wanted to know what was used to impale her. She was tired however and she did need rest. She slowly walked back to bed, being careful to not open the wound. She was lying down now. She began to close her eyes and dream. No, it wasn't a dream but more of a nightmare.

(Kaishou PoV)

Kaishou sat down at a tree. He began chuckling slowly turning into crazed laughter. He had a crazed look in his eyes. Sarah was right. She was always right and he would never doubt her again because he knew what Sarah would do. He'd be punished. Sarah's abuse was something he couldn't handle. He had failed Tia and Rei. He had become insane, bound by a hallucination in his mind.

Tia unceremoniously dropped herself to the floor, her body in the way of the door, so that anyone opening it would open it onto her, and abruptly fell asleep.

Tia had a dream in which she didn't encounter whatever de-insanitized her, and she'd stormed the hotel and killed Reiko and Blake. and had in turn later been killed by Kai.

EDITED CUZ TIA DOES NOT KNOW KAISHOU'S FULL NAME.

Blake could tell Tia was woried about something. The way she had screamed at Reiko and them slumped on the floor made him realize that someting was up. He just wished she'd confide in him! He wondered about the spy. Why wasn't she waking up?(come on!)

He decided to go explore. He shifted quickly through a few animals before deciding on being a mountain lion again. He ran through the city, trying to think. Something was bothering him. Benjamin, his room mate... what he had said, right before this whole mess.

"It's coming, Blake. Something big. And there's nothing we can do to stop it. We are our greatest weakness Blake. Our own minds are the most dangerous of all"

Shut up. she's just not normal, leave her alone. whats not normal is not needed! cmon just leave her alone. No, She should just go away and die. you don't mean that... OF COURSE I DO. just leave her alone. no, if she isn't good enough to stand it, then society has no place for her. stop... youre being mean. she's being mean, she's not normal, why isn't she like us, huh? is she better? stop. please.

Kaishou looked out at the city. So many people.. dead. His sister was alive and so were a few others who had been Rei, protecting her. He walked around dizzily as the world began to spin around. Sarah was making it hard on him. She was striking at all of his senses. He had seen a leprechaun, a unicorn and several other unrealistic images. He constantly fought them, believing they were all fake. He took caution however, since last time he had struck his sister thinking she was a hallucination. Sarah appeared before him, she was chuckling. Kaishou couldn't stand her anymore and so he charged at her, having her only disappear. She appeared once more and Kaishou kept chasing her, becoming oblivious to his surroundings. He had entered back into the city. Sarah only chuckled louder and louder. His head throbbed even more. He fell to his knees and began to cry.

Quote from: Kaishou SaysMake her stop.. Please! I-I can't do anything.. Stop..

Kaishou looked around for John. John was the one who always stopped Sarah but he was gone. He had scared John away.

Tia woke up, feeling like something was wrong. Blake was missing. the spy was still unconscious: or maybe just dead, perhaps the infection just took longer to kill for some.

that sent a shiver down Tia's spine. if the spy; why wouldn't Tia just suddenly drop dead?

she woke up Reiko, and turned around, leaving a note for blake that said only: went back for the pic.

she hustled a still sleepy - and tired; from the wound, of course - Reiko out the door and back to the hotel.

Tia, when she woke up, suddenly didn't feel as if the whole city was any kind of safe.

her nose picked up a particular scent that she remembered well.

Kai. he was in the city. he was supposed to be going; leaving. he couldn't have gone insane already! Tia gave serious thought to telling Reiko the full truth as soon as Blake returned.

Blake wanted to go back to the hospital to check on the spy and on Reiko, but something pulled him forward. He ran, out fo the city now, in the suburbs. Now, he was in the fields. He been running for hours, but something pulled him forwards. There, in the middle of a field, was a... structure... A monument. It was a black obelisk, reaching up to the sky. Shapes flitted across the surface. A dark aura seemed to ooze from it. A door opened at the base. Against his better judgement, Blake entered...

Tia arrived back in the Hotel.

Quote from: Tiawe can stay here a while. I wonder where Blake is... anyway, be careful and tell me if you see anyone Reiko.

   Kaishou got up. He regained his senses for the moment. He'd need to get as far away as he could but Sarah was preventing him from straying too far. The few moments of sanity like this had to be used to it's full extent. The length of these moments so far were short. A car was dangerous to use since he may crash if he experienced another episode of insanity. No, atleast if he crashed, if he died, he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, especially Reiko. He found another car and drove off.

End of PoV

(Reiko PoV)

   Reiko looked at Tia with a puzzled look. They'd been in this area for awhile now, she can't have been out of it for that long. Not to mention they would've spotted them already. If someone were to come, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Unless..

Quote from: Reiko SaysTia, is there something you're not telling me?

Were they under attack by some unknown person or could she have found clues on the whereabouts of more people inhabiting the city? Either way it was very suspicious to Reiko.

Tia sat down in a chair.

Quote from: Tiayes, theres stuff I'm not telling you right now, but I can't tell you until Blake gets back. its important that he's here when you're told. if it doesn't show up before him, that is.

So she was right. Reiko's suspicions were correct. Tia was indeed witholding information from her but why? What possible reason could she have to hide something. Even more so, it seems as though Blake was involved as well, along with what Tia called an it. It might've meant someone or something. But what? She couldn't wait for Blake. She wanted answers now! She felt that she had done her fair share and deserved to know now at the very least. But she knew she couldn't force the information out of Tia.

Quote from: Reiko SaysTia, please just tell me now. What is it that you'd hide from me and not Blake? I'm not stupid, I know Blake isn't someone you exactly like but for you to tell him and not me, do you hate me?

It was possible that perhaps she was the least trusted in the group but she thought she gave them no reason for that. She was quite sane and apart from a shakey start, they'd gotten along quite well.

Tia responded to that with a hurt look, and said.

Quote from: TiaReiko, their are... many reasons why I can't tell you right now. and it's not that I told Blake, he was there as well. please, be patient. hey, let's try to figure out what your abilities about, anyway. take out that dagger I gave you.

Reiko didn't like having something being kept secret from her and it seemed like Tia was trying to change the subject. If that's how she wants to do it, then it was fine with Reiko. She pulled out the dagger Tia gave her awhile back. She thought about her power and remembered the mysterious person in her dream. She was scared she might awaken whatever it was. She gathered her courage and remained calm. No, this power is a blessing not a curse, it will help me find my brother wherever he is. She looked at Tia to reassure herself.

Quote from: Reiko SaysOkay, let's figure this out then. Just remember to tell me whatever it is when Blake gets here!

Quote from: Tiai can't forget, not with that smell going around.

as a point, she sniffed, then shook her head.

Quote from: Tiado you have any idea how to use your power?

Quote from: Reiko SaysA smell? Does that mean that it you mentioned is close? Should I be on the lookout for something?

Now Reiko was worried. They would tell her if something or someone was here but they didn't. What could it be that they would hide its existence from her? Perhaps they no longer trusted her anymore. Did she do something while she was unconscious? She didn't care about her power right now, she just wanted answers. Honest answers.

Quote from: Reiko SaysWhat happened while I was unconscious?

Quote from: TiaI can't tell you until Blake gets here, or he'll Never trust me. now, either we can try to figure out your power, or we can just sit around, waiting.

Tia didn't like not telling Reiko, not now, but she couldn't. or, as she said, Blake wouldn't ever come to trust Tia. and he had to. if they were going to be traveling together, he HAD to.

Reiko knew that Tia wouldn't budge on the subject. Tia was stubborn like that but that was also a reason why Reiko admired her. But now, another thought had crossed her mind. Where was Blake? He was gone for an awfully long time. Perhaps Tia knew and she was keeping it a secret. She took her mind off the subject, Blake was strong, brave and courageous, just like her big brother and he'd be able to handle himself fine.

Reiko looked at the dagger Tia had given her. She looked at Tia's sword when she suddenly had a headache, she felt as though she was about to remember something, something important. Recent memories began to flash through her head. Her eyes widened and she began to shake. She remembered.

Quote from: Reiko SaysThat s-sword... My br-brother st.. He w-was..

She stopped completely. Her body stopped shaking and she closed her eyes.

Quote from: Reiko SaysI'm sorry. What was I talking about. I can't seem to remember. Actually, nevermind, I'm tired and I'm going to sleep in the hotel room.

Tia nodded, unable to stop a grimace from forming on her face. she could not make a sound when she needed to, but she never did learn exactly how to keep emotions from clouding her face; she'd lived in a forest full of wolves and such, and never had had time, or any reason, to.

Quote from: TiaI think some sleep will do some good. don't listen to whoever might come into your head. don't think on that too hard. just rest, and ignore anybod y trying to tell you to do something in your dream. I'll stand guard.

Tia led Reiko upstairs and closed the door to her room and stood outside it.

Reiko entered the room and watched Tia close the door. For some reason she was extremely fatigued so she found the bed and quickly fell asleep. Her hand was holding on to a locket her parents had given her.

Quote from: ??? SaysSo, look who's come back. If it isn't the weak little bitch who everyone has to protect. Your brother would be so ashamed of you.

Reiko found herself in the hotel room still. The voice she had heard was a familiar one, a frightening one. She was scared, very terrified. She tried to get out, tried to run away but the door was locked. Tia was supposed to be on the other side. Why would she lock her in here? She suddenly heard a voice on the other side. It was  Tia.

Quote from: aiTWhat's the matter? Can't get out? Good. It took awhile but finally you and Blake are out of the picture. Did you honestly think I trusted you after you damaged my sword and tried to hurt me? Blake was a lot harder to deal with. He was always suspicious about me. I had that spy fake being unconscious and had her attack Blake when he was alone. Oh and don't worry about your brother, before I met you guys I already killed him.

Reiko was in shock. Tia killed her brother? She couldn't believe it. But it might've been true. It was a possibility. She fell to the floor, crying for a moment. She stopped. She had a crazed look in her eyes. She began yelling at Tia calling her a bitch and the like. She broke the door and looked at Tia but it wasn't her. It was a metallic version of Tia.

Quote from: ??? SaysSo we meet again! The last time we talked, you tried to punch me but now we know better don't we? Well back to.. Business. You see, my offer is still up. Let me take over and we'll never have problems like being knocked out ever again! After all, the world is so much more dangerous these days and a person like you will only get killed or even worse, get your companions killed. So, I'll ask once more, do we have a deal?

Reiko wasn't sure anymore. Maybe she was a burden to the others. This thing seemed to have a point. It looked more powerful than last time as well. It might've been gaining strength. She decided she'd refuse. Just as she was about to say no, she was back in the bed with Tia standing beside her. She looked at Reiko relieved. Tia pulled a dagger out.

Quote from: aiTYou'll never bother us again..

Just as the blow was about to be struck, Reiko woke up. Several hours had passed and her stab wound had practically disappeared.

Tia heard sounds coming from inside. it appeared Reiko was having a nightmare. a terrifying one. so why wasn't she wakign? a terrible thought came to Tia, and she opened the door and began trying to shake Reiko awake.

but try as she might, Reiko remained asleep.

until suddenly the girl woke up.

Quote from: TiaReiko. Tell me EVERYTHING that happened in your dream just now.

The border between dream and reality had been blurred for the moment for Reiko. She looked at Tia who seemed worried about her. She thought Tia might attempt to kill her again and as a result Reiko jumped out of the bed and looked at Tia with a frightened expression. She wanted it to stop, she wanted her brother to comfort her, she wanted to go home.

Quote from: Reiko YellsGet away from me!

Reiko looked at the door and decided she'd run, run as far away as she possibly could. She began to run to the door.

hysteria. with a sigh, Tia grabbed Reiko's shirts' collar, and sat her down on a chair, and closed the door, locked it, closed the windows, and locked those, then sat down in front of the door.

and just waited.

Reiko was forced into the chair. She watched as Tia closed the doors and windows, shutting off every exit. She had nowhere to run, she was trapped. She looked at Tia in fear but she seemed to be waiting for something. She began to whimper in fear. Her voice was shakey when she began to talk.

Quote from: Reiko SaysP-Please don't hurt me! S-someone s-save me!

Something heard her cry for help. Something inside of her began to pulse. As she finished her cry for help, she suddenly stopped. Her eyes whitened and her body slumped down. Her heart stopped beating and she stopped breathing. It was as if she had just died on the spot but that was not the case. Inside her body, an organism was initiating a hostile take-over of the body.

Tia growled, stopped herself, and leapt, literally LEAPT - like a wolf - next to Reiko.

she felt for a pulse. she couldn't find anything. Tia stood and backed up.

she let out a howl - a wolf's howl - and crouched on all fours, her sight blinded by something. her sense of smell kicked up, and she smelt something... inside the human.

it smelled terrible. foul. she looked through the human's mouth to see if she could see what was inside it. she sniffed and put her hand in the human's mouth.

she couldn't get it in very far.  she'd have to open the human's chest to find the source of the smell. but that might kill the human. why did she care? was the human a cub? certainly, it smelt younger than she herself. maybe that was it. why did she want to save the human?

only one thing for it. she raised a paw, and cleanly sliced open the human's chest.

Reiko was sliced in her chest and the paw had almost swiped at Koren. Koren looked at the paw with great interest. Tia intrigued him quite a bit. But Koren continued his way towards Reiko's brain. However he took the opportunity to infect a few nearby blood cells. The blood cells began to heal the wound at an accelerated rate at the cost of Reiko's lifespan. Koren ran off into the bloodstream flowing into the head. His take-over was almost complete.

Reiko's form began to move slightly. She looked at Tia with a hollow look in her eyes and an emotionless expression. She sat upright and crossed her legs. She continued to observe Tia.

she had almost grabbed the source of the smell. too late now. wracked with worry, and inable to find any other solution, she swiped at the human's head with her paw(which, btw, is Tia's right hand... >.>). hopefully, it would stop the smell's take-over.

she sniffed more, and concluded that it did, in fact, center itself in the human's brain. a danger to let exist, it was doubly so at the heart of the body's function.

she growled, a deep rumble in the back of her throat, on all four of her paws, ready to kill the human if it meant the smell didn't have complete control.

Reiko continued to observe Tia even after she was swiped at the head by Tia's hand. Reiko smiled at her giving a sense as if she was forcing herself to. She clutched onto the pendant and her arm adapted the pendant's metallic attributes. She spoke with an emptiness in her voice.

Quote from: Reiko SaysYou entertain me, wolf. And you even helped me with my take-over believe it or not. And so as a token of gratitude, I grant you one request that I'll fulfill to the best of my ability.

Reiko watched Tia carefully, observing every single movement she made. Every twitch, every blink, Reiko observed closely. Tia was something that entertained her.

Tia's eyes flashed golden for a moment, and she appeared to vanish in her movement.

she crashed Reiko through the wall, and they fell. she didn't fully remember the past few minutes, but she certainly remembered enough. the smell, for one. she felt stronger somehow too. strong enough to throw Reiko through the wall.

into an alley.

she kicked downward, and forced her weight over Reiko, hoping to kill her instantly upon falling.

it wasn't Reiko in there anymore.

Reiko was in trouble. The fall would be fatal even with her advanced regeneration capabilities. Tia seemed to have no hesitation about attacking her companion. From his knowledge of her, Koren knew that Tia would likely do that. He figured Tia was a survivor who would do what was needed to survive. It was a shame. Reiko looked at Tia again. Her eyes showed feeling again and her face showed a great deal of confusion and fear. Reiko was clueless now and she was scared completely.

Quote from: Reiko CriesTia! W-what's going on!? Help me!

Had Koren given up and let Tia win..?

Tia wasn't about to take the chance that Koren had given up: evil had a way of seeming your best friend until it killed you. so, instead, Tia maneuvered things so that Reiko wouldn't die, but would instead be paralyzed, if only for a certain amount of time: if Tia had a right to paralyze Reiko, Koren was still in control. or atleast able to take control. and if not Tia would have a lot of explaining to do. and if Blake saw them at just the wrong moment... Tia would have a lot of difficulty on her hands explaining everything.

she would Anyway, to Blake atleast, but that would be three times the worse.

so they landed, and after a shock that falling a few stories to the ground will inevitably give you, Tia stood up, and looked around.

Quote from: TiaReiko. Reiko, is that Actually you, Reiko? I didn't know what to do - I think I went feral for a while, you were emotionless, and that smell, and your brother, Koren... your not still Koren, are you? - Reiko?

she wasn't actually as flustered as she sounded - Koren might still be in control.

Reiko was stunned. She couldn't move and she was lying on the floor helplessly. She looked at Tia with utter shock. Tia had gone feral and injured her. What if Tia went feral again? Why did things have to be so complicated? She looked at the sky. She looked at the clouds drift by until she realized what Tia had just said.

Quote from: Reiko YellsYou knew something about my brother!? Why didn't you tell me! I-I'll never forgive you about this! I hate you!!

She was angry right now. Tia was lucky she couldn't move otherwise.. Otherwise she would've been trying to strangle her by the neck.

Quote from: TiaI was going to tell you. soon as Blake showed up. the plan was not to let you know until we could be sure of Kai's sanity. the problem is that he's almost completely insane. and i think he's being haunted by your mother, in a sense. he hallucinates your parents. his smell is so strong and messed up i can't imagine how it got like that. even his face is starting to warp. when he first saw us he stabbed you with my sword after stealing it from me. after we came here I fear Koren - something probably parasitic within you that stole the name of your old imaginary friend - started to take you over. I figured you'd rather be dead than have your body be used by some spawn of the infection.

The sudden burst of information had shocked Reiko to the point of denial. Her brother was insane? His features warped and had hallucinations of their parents? It didn't seem possible! He was Kaishou, her brother! Tia was deceiving her yet again and it wasn't funny. Her brother was everything to her and she was ridiculing him in front of her. Her anger began to build up inside her.

Feeling began to return to her body and her arm retained it's metallic property. Her eyes were filled with anger and hate as she got up slowly. She looked at Tia with a look that showed she meant business. She charged at Tia.

Quote from: Reiko ScreamsI won't let you lie about my brother and say such rude things about him! I won't forgive you!!

Tia, being a far more experienced fighter, easily dodged Reiko and slammed her to the ground.

Quote from: Tiaits the simple truth. the plain fact that you yourself are having horrors happen to you should provide some proof. do you see now why I wanted to keep it from you? just ask Blake whether its true when he shows up. you should be glad I went feral - if i didn't, I would've never knocked Koren out of you. or whatever the hell I did to it. people always do this, they seem nice first, then they go all crazy on you. seek me out again if you feel like it. I'm leaving.

she stood up, and walked off, listening with her heightened, heightened senses to make sure Reiko wouldn't charge her again, and instantly began loping away from the city like a wolf as soon as she left the alley.

Reiko got up and looked at Tia. She chased after her, she wanted to know something. She felt bad too after attacking her like that. She needed to apologize as well. She was crying, she may have made one of her fears come to fruition. She felt guilty and beat herself up inside about it. Why did she always screw things up? She finally caught up with Tia.

Quote from: Reiko SaysI'm sorry, Tia. I couldn't control myself. But, are you sure it was my brother not someone else!? I just wanted to know..

If she could find out where her brother was, she'd be able to live a peaceful life with him. But what if Tia was telling the truth?

Tia stopped, turned around, stood up.

Quote from: Tiaapology accepted. I am sure.

that was all she said. then she slapped Reiko.

Quote from: Tiaever attack me like that again, or doubt my word, and I will leave.

Koren watched and gathered more information. Tia was very fascinating indeed. Of course he wouldn't be able to talk to her until he decided to take control once again but he found just watching was entertaining enough. He could manipulate Reiko's mind when he felt like it however. But he had yet to meddle.

Reiko was happy despite being slapped. Her friend, Tia, wasn't leaving anymore! But more importantly her brother's whereabouts was within her grasp. She just needed to get it from Tia.

Quote from: Reiko SaysTia, I told you before didn't I? I'm here looking for my brother, do you know where he is? You have to tell me, please! I want things to go back to the way they were. I feel finding my brother will bring me back to happiness!

Quote from: TiaReiko. you're brother's close. he's in a very dangerous situation though. he's powerful. and if Koren decides to try another takeover and I can't do anything, who knows what'll happen? besides. I don't want to take the chance Koren will try to do something with that damned mother of yours. thats what the bitch does; bear children. they aren't supposed to come back from the dead and make their cubs insane! first thing first is to get Koren out of you. until then... well, not that I don't trust you, its whats inside of you i can't trust.

Where the hell was Blake?

Quote from: Tiafirst, though, WHERE is that boy, anyway?

Kaishou was outside New York City now. He was resting on a pathway when he saw a small child hiding underneath a car. It was a girl, about the age of 6. She held a teddy bear in her hands and her face had bruises and was covered in dirt. She was alone. No one was around to take care of her. He felt sorry for the little girl and he told her to come out. She timidly approached him and as she did, her stomach rumbled. Kaishou grabbed an apple and tossed it to her. He would protect this little girl, he decided.

End of PoV

Reiko wasn't really sure what Tia was talking about. Koren? That was an old memory. And she wanted to find her brother now. She began to think of what she'd say next but she began to speak. The words were not her own however.

Quote from: Reiko SaysKoren isn't a threat! I can control him I swear! Besides, we don't know what'll happen if he is removed from my body. Besides, if my brother is in danger we should go help him!

The last sentence was hers. The rest of it was nonsense concocted by Koren.

Tia looked at Reiko. sighed.

Quote from: Tiagirl, your brother might not be safe at the moment. we can't do anything for him. and besides. if we do see him again i want Blake there - the boy might bw able to hold him off for a while. I was a lot stronger while feral, i remember. not much else though. i don't think there Was much. also, remember. Koren took over once, it can do so again. I don't trust it in you. if I were you I swear I'd rather be dead than have a chance of having that thing take me. ever.

how much of what Tia was hearing was Reiko, anyway? Koren was a powerful Thing. she remembered that much, as well, from that moment of being Feral. Tia shivered; she hadn't even remembered who Reiko was.

and worse, she felt, she didn't know How she had gone feral. it might just happen again, without her wanting too.

Koren grinned. Well, rather he was happy, seeing as to how he's a micro-organism. He wasn't quite sure what to say anymore. Indeed Tia was quite fascinating and interesting. If he was ever to pick a host, it would be her but he was stuck in Reiko's useless body. Well, if he were to be removed, he would disguise himself as a red blood cell. That should prevent them from finding and extracting him. Even more good news, Sarah was making progress on her host rapidly. The pathetic human race would soon be destroyed, he hoped.

Reiko was disappointed. Tia wouldn't disclose her brother's location to her. She refused to believe some of what Tia had said however, like her brother having stabbed her and the like. Her brother wasn't like that! She knew better. What would Tia know about him? Not as much.

Quote from: Reiko SaysPlease! I want to see him! He wouldn't hurt, EVER! We've always loved each other, Kai and I. He wouldn't ever attack me... So please, Tia, let me see him!

Tia looked at Reiko, a look that said: No. and then walked off back to the hospital, knowing Reiko would follow.

Tia wondered if she could go feral when she wanted. use it, to say. in tough situations. they needed Blake. likely chance is he might start getting an infection thing, as well.

It was a disappointing thing to hear. Her brother would have to wait but for how long? She continued to follow Tia. From the streets they were taking, it seemed as though they were heading back to the hospital. This was an opportunity to talk to Tia some more, it seemed. A chance to get to know her better. Perhaps she could regain Tia's trust. But the past few events were quite, gloomy. This was going to be a long walk to the hospital, or wherever they were headed too.

Quote from: Reiko SaysSo, Tia! Was there anyone you liked before you umm left society?

She was curious but it was an awkward question. Wait, why would she start a conversation with such an awkward question!

Quote from: Reiko SaysW-wait! Forget I asked such a stupid thing!

Quote from: Tiawell its not a touchy subject considering i had few friends and was too busy being bothered to get to know anyone enough to like them.

but the whole subject of before leaving society Was a touchy subject.

Quote from: TiaIm looking for Blake, if you must know, if we're going to find your brother, best thing is to find Blake first. Blake can shapeshift. so can Kai. Reiko, know this, I don't lie to you. I haven't lied to you about anythign concerning your brother. its all true, and he's dangerous. I'm not dangerous to you unless you become dangerous to me. even when I was Feral i felt a sort of kinship towards you.

yeah, a bitch worrying about her cub, which confused Tia, but there it was. even Feral she wasn't dangerous to Reiko  unless Koran held control.

Kaishou slept in the car along with his little companion. He was dreaming but it wasn't something of his own dream but rather another person's dream.

He was in a glass container and he could only watch as 2 scientists, a man and a woman, conducting experiments in the room. Beside his container, there were 2 other glass containers. One was labelled Koren and the other was labelled John. However he couldn't see the beings in there b/c they were microscopic. The scientists continued their experiments, working endlessly. Whatever they were doing, it was important. The days passed by and a man dressed in a black suit came by. He seemed to be someone important. The sound was muffled in the container but he was able to figure out that the man in the suit wanted the 2 scientists to work faster. After refusing to work any faster, the male scientist was shot in the head. The female began to cry. More days passed, the woman was alone now. Her face showed her depression. A week had passed and the woman brought a little girl in the room. The girl was small, maybe only 6. The woman took the container with Koren inside and injected it into the girl. The girl passed out and I could only watch. Another week passed and now a boy came into the room.. The woman was about to inject the boy with the specimen known as John into him. However the man in the suit barged in, gun in hand.

Kaishou woke up. It was an odd dream. He was at niagara now. He would stay here for awhile. The young girl and him were safe here for the moment.

(Reiko PoV)

Reiko decided to talk more with Tia when she had a small pain in her chest. She looked at where the pain was coming from and realized there was a remnant of a wound there. It was made by a claw of some sort. Forced regeneration that Koren used took a toll on Reiko's body and she realized she was at her limit. She would collapse soon but instead Koren was enabling her to go beyond her body's limits. That would've been handy for a dangerous situation but it wasn't healthy. Her body would need a major downtime.

Koren travelled away from Reiko's brain. He created several infected cells in the brain area that he'd still be able to control her even if he wasn't at the brain. He moved towards the spine and attached himself to it.

Tia wondered jsut what about the psychological shift of mind between Tia and Feral Tia made her senses kick up.
the good news: Tia couldn't smell Kai anymore. nor could she smell Koren. that she only could do when Feral.

they stood outside the Hospital now. Tia hoped the boy had arrived back at the hospital by now. she didn't even know why he had left in the first place. Tia knew she'd have to be wary about Reiko from now on.  simple fact. no need to let her know that, though. yet. she'd have to tell her, and Blake, as well.

perhaps she should jsut kill Reiko and Kai, and perhaps Blake as well? Tia had managed to get along fine on her own for years. she could do it again.

Quote from: Reiko SaysSo, Tia! How long are we planning on staying in this city? I remember you and Blake arguing about when we should leave.

Where was Blake? She thought nothing of it at first but now she began to get worried. Blake had run off before but he usually came back after awhile. It's been so long since he ran off this time however. She wasn't sure of her next move now. Would she search for Blake or attempt to pursue her brother or just follow Tia around? Either way she didn't want to be alone.

Tia didn't like it. Blake HAD been gone for too long.

Quote from: Tiawe're leaving now. I'll grab our stuff, find a car. you make a note to Blake. actually, you have a car here, don't you? I'll pack everythign into that. then we're driving out of here.

true to her word, Tia picked up the bags she'd gathered before, and began to carry them to the car Reiko had originally pulled into the hotel with.

Reiko was confused but she complied with Tia's orders. She was able to refuel the car fortunately and she also began to help Tia with the packing. What was the next destination? Who was to lead? Tia had been leading for most of the time now, Reiko saw no fault in following Tia. Tia even knew where Kaishou was. That was enough reason for her to follow.

Quote from: Reiko SaysWhere are we headed to? And also, we're giving up on Blake, just like that?

Quote from: Tiano. I'm going to leave him, and Kai, clues to where we're going. include that in the note. he should be able to easily interpret them. only someone who isn't sane wouldn't be able to. so thats why its also for Kai. if he stays sane...

Tia sighed, and told Reiko to also include that Reiko knowes about Kai. and to NOT mention that Kai w=might also follow the clues, and to not mess with the clues in any way.

Tia had the bags packed. she clipped on two pistols, and tossed a rifle into the backseat.

Quote from: Tiaalright, now that that note's set, lets go.

Quote from: ReikoOkay! Who drives?

Tia was older than her, for sure but how was she at driving a vehicle? Reiko herself wasn't great at driving, she was below the age for a license. Reiko looked at Tia, with a curious look on her face. Should she be scared if Tia drives? Perhaps but she had no way of knowing.

Quote from: ReikoYou can drive right? I'm sorry, I was just curious.

Tia hopped into the passenger seat.

Quote from: Tianope. been too longl you go where I tell you to, though, k?

if the clues were too be followed, Tia had to go to the right place. right now, Florida. but she wouldn't tell Reiko just yet. why, Tia didn't know. perhaps because the girl might desert her if she suspected Tia was going AWAY from Kai.

or possibly because Tia didn't want Koren relaying any information to Sarah. if that was possible. Tia had no clue.

Reiko opened the door to the driver's seat and sat at the driver's seat. She fastened her seatbelt and glanced at Tia. She wished she could read minds, just so she'd know what Tia was thinking about.

Quote from: Reiko SaysOkay, I'll warn you now though, I'm not a very good driver.

She wondered how Tia would react. Thankfully her brother let her practice driving every now and then, so she wasn't that bad.

Reiko ignited the engine, and the car started running. Good, atleast it wasn't a completely terrible car. She adjusted the mirrors and made herself comfortable. Hopefully Tia had the destination planned along with all the proper rest stops. If they were going somewhere far, they'd need to fill up on gas at some point. But Tia was always prepared, she was a survivor, what would be the odds?

Quote from: Reiko SaysAlright, let's go!

She grinned as she put her foot on the pedal.

Reiko wasn't joking. twice before htrey left New York Tia felt like they should have crashed.

Thank the pack most of humanity's dead so they can't drive. flashed through Tia's mind.

Thank the pack?

She'd analyze that later.

they were moving. Tia glanced at the gas level. they had time until the first rest stop. Tia had had a map in herlittel hideaway from the civilized world of the U.S. best thing about being the only survivors: Gas is free.

not really. best thing is the surety of knowing those assholes were dead.

Quote from: Reiko SaysSo, you going to tell me where we're going or are you just planning on giving me directions?

She wasn't sure where they were even headed. What was the destination? Was it towards Kai? Were they headed to somewhere that was important to Tia? She wasn't sure.

She continued driving, it was tough but she hadn't crashed yet. Thankfully no one else was driving otherwise she probably would've crashed. She drove in confidence though.

Quote from: TiaWe're going to Florida, since you asked. if Kai is safe he'll be there, eventually. or wherever we end up. Take a left. I'm just planning on finding a place easy to live, and not difficult to defend. figured you'd be more comfy living in sunny Florida. Things might get tough, and Florida has some big cities - we should be able to find plenty of weaponry. hopefully we can handle Koren, and learn whatever the disease did to you.

and hopefully Blake would resurface.

Quote from: ReikoYou said that my brother's features were warped before. I don't get, if I have the same thing as him, why aren't my features screwed up? Are you even sure the disease did anything to me apart from my arm? This is really confusing.

Reiko couldn't find a connection. Maybe Tia was being paranoid? No, she was really troubled by it. Reiko would believe Tia still, despite not wanting to believe her brother was.. Different.

Quote from: Tiawhile I was feral, i smelled something IN you. I think whatever it is did something different to the two of you. but something similar. Kai's seemed to affect his mind. this one seems to affect your body. it took over your body before it had your mind. Kai's seems to be doing the opposite approach. and I think the warping might come with his transformation abilities. he's like Blake, he can morph. only he's got other stuff as well. I think he hallucinates your parents. Sarah, I believe you said, was abusive to you both, or him atleast, right? Sarah is the hostile one. seems your father's hallucination attempts to counteract your mothers'. Sarah actually took over Kai when I encountered him. gave me a run for my money, the bitch did, turning Kai into, I think it was a... half leopard? or a tiger. some half-wild-cat-half-human-thing. in imitaiton of me. Kai also has an amaznig ability to reconstruct his cells. It seems likely you do too.

Tia had run these thigns through her mind countless times. she was trying to figure out what was happening with brother and sister.

she looked to the side, and noticed that some trees looked as if they had been thrown at eachother. looked to the other side, and saw a gas station that had a similar appearance. it was destroyed.

Quote from: Tialets hope that the next gas station isn't destroyed.

Tia didn't understand it.

Kaishou raided a small food store. Most of the canned foods were in good condition.  He looked at the young girl, whose name he never learned yet. He kneeled down and looked at her, he handed her some more food. He grinned as she ate and he began to eat as well. He hadn't been overtaken yet, it seemed.

Quote from: KaishouSo, you got a name?

Quote from: Young GirlYeah, my name is Leah.

Leah, it was a nice name. It was his mother's name. It was an interesting coincidence. He patted her head and kept grinning. If he couldn't protect Reiko, he'd protect Leah. No, he still had to deal with Sarah. That was his priority but how would he engage such a foe?

(Reiko PoV)

Reiko kept driving. The gas station they passed through was destroyed, nature was still quite powerful. Sarah, her abusive mother. It was a memory she remembered quite well, a memory with scars. She remembered how her dad had died first. A man in a black suit came by the house that night. He had told them that John, their father, had passed away from a heart attack. They weren't allowed to see the corpse because they had cremated him. It left Kaishou, her and their Mom, Sarah. Their mom was never the same and was always drunk. She beat both of them, and they became really close to each other. Her mom one day even brought her to a secluded room and injected her with a syringe. When Kaishou and their mom, Sarah went out one day, the man in black returned again. It was the most terrifying moment in her life. Had Kaishou and her mom died? No, it was only Sarah who had passed away. She died from alcohol poisoning, the man told them.

Quote from: ReikoWhat...? My mom wasn't a person who'd love leopards. She loved microscopic things. She was a bit of a scientist, I never understood why she was working at a factory in an assembly line. She was really smart. And yes, my mom was abusive to us both but she wasn't always abusive. When our dad died, she became really different.

She continued to drive, trying to focus. She wasn't a really skilled driver.