Raiha

[quote name='Japan_86'][SIZE="1"] I am just me. It is probably hard for you to believe. You said so yourself, that areayou call home has no love for anyone. I see people do these things on a daily basis anyhow. People even helped me.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Oh wow. Can you even make that claim with a straight face? Is that how it works? And I never said you weren't you, I said you were difficult to believe. No. I did not say that the place I lived was called home. I also said at no point that the area I currently live in has no love for anyone. I did say actually that the homeless near where I live do what homeless do everywhere and claim to be veterans without actually served the country. Ever. Where I call home is none of your business, and you calling where I live home is honestly quite laughable. People give money to homeless people, but it does nothing. It only encourages their behavior. I help people who will actually benefit. Such as a child lost in the supermarket. A woman struggling with her grocery cart. And people have given me a hand, or let me go ahead of them in lines with my basket of eggs and celery when they had a cart full of everything in the bloody store. You have no real call to be claiming that everyone is a mean bastard that doesn't help anywhere where I live.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]For a moment, nobody moved, then Neil roared in a violent cacophony, the sum of all his rages and frustrations, his aura snapping a brilliant gold. Connor started forward, his sword raised, but I moved quicker than them all. I stamped one foot down, my tattoos flaring to life, and summoned a ring of blue fire. My rage at William?s death, at Morrigan?s foul perversions of life, and my indignation at my companions all lent power to my magic. The ring rose higher until it seemed that Sikal and I were encased in a globe of pure flame.[/i] "Still your rage Neil! It's not his fault!" [i]Neil attacked, blind with rage, but was repelled by the shield, the ki dissipating harmlessly. I didn't fault him for it; he was beyond the reach of my voice and any other voice to be sure. I turned my eyes towards Sikal, who was watching me with a hunted look in his eyes, and he tried to cross the barrier, but turned back when the flesh of his fingers began to blacken. Like any trapped animal, he leapt towards me, and I sidestepped, catching him around the throat. I planted both feet firmly so he couldn?t toss me over his shoulder, and began pressing against his windpipe. I could see Gavin yelling something incomprehensible at me, but the fire storm I?d summoned was howling so loudly it was impossible to hear. Who cares? The boy kicked and struggled, but I put my free palm over his forehead and gave him the crash course equivalent of what I?d just done to his twin.[/i] ?You are Saiya-jin. We are not your enemies. Morrigan is the enemy. She is your enemy. She is our enemy.? [i]With my mind, I felt his pain, his screaming. Part of him knew he?d just killed someone trying to help him, but the voice telling him to kill, was nearly deafening. I tightened my grip, felt something snap, and instantly released him. The boy fell down on all fours, still surrounded by a maelstrom of fire and smoke. It stung his eyes, and the eyes of everyone too close to the fire. Except me. Protective shield over my eyes in the form of this membrane that?s both opaque and devoid of color. My goodness I win. Sikal stood up, unsteady on his feet, and looked at me with a remarkably sane expression on his face. I raised my fingers and removed the ring of fire. And he spoke, in a voice that was, while hoarse, completely calm and comprehensible.[/i] ?Thank you. For years, my brother and I have been the flesh slaves of Morrigan.? [i]Mattheus stood as well, and his voice was equally calm, but perhaps a shade less raw.[/i] ?We owe you our lives. Anything you ask, we are now bound to do.? ?Ah sweet life debts. Complicating people?s lives since the beginning of time.? [i]Iki looked pleased, but even so, I couldn?t help but remember William?s corpse was still fresh, and his murderer now speaking to us. Neil had calmed himself by degrees, and while the others looked calm enough, Vicky?s expression was completely empty. Normally I would?ve figured it meant she would kill Sikal as soon as I took my eyes off of him, but I knew she was simply covering up for one vitally important emotion. Relief. She?d always been pulled between Andrew and Vicky, and while she?d covered up her confusion by sinking herself deeper into the relationship, it?d always been a source of sadness for her. Now that the rival for her attentions was deceased, her life had been made so much easier. Connor looked stricken, but I knew he?d understood. Leave it to a demi-god of war, to understand the fortunes of such, as well as the price. Gavin knew that the loss of William was serious, but then again, he?d never been so much of a fighter anyway. And it was one less person he would be responsible for. Andrew looked sad enough, but I wasn?t going to probe further to find out if it was a real sadness or like Vicky, a response to the feelings of relief. I closed my eyes for a moment, then thought of Warlock.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']You don't know why their homeless. They could have a drug habit or a drinking habit or life could have severely kicked them in the balls. I trust the homeless person more than I trust any organization. People come up with scam organizations every day. How do you know your money will actually get to these people? Really both of us are using a smidgen of faith here are we not? And to be frank if they wanna waste the money I gave them thats fully and entirely their business.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Let's see here. Since I help run the accounts for my father's church, I'm pretty sure that the money donated helps deserving people in need. And yeah, people come up with scam organizations, but I am, to reiterate, relatively sure that 'The Red Cross' and the 'American Diabetes Foundation' aren't out to take my money for giggles. Want to make a difference and donate something that'll actually do real people real good? Donate a pint or two of blood. Proffer your arm and give up some of the red pretty stuff that's fun to play in. Also if you really want to trust a crack addict too busy inhaling furious amounts of dick to get a real job, be my guest. But that makes me question your judgement and generally ability to make rational decisions. And if you casually search for homeless statistics, you'll discover that while 60% [or so] of people are in fact on the street for substance abuse. But then again, with groups like A.A. and N.A., there's plenty of FREE help out there that they aren't accessing. This is perhaps because they're on the street by choice, which is again, another fascinating statistic that's both fun and wacky. There is plenty of help available for homeless people, but some people just like sleeping in gutters. Some people also find fat people sexy. I don't understand it, but I'm not going to do more than just question you for liking to waste money.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Avenged666fold']I like giving money to the homeless.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I like giving money to registered faith based organizations that have a tendency to help lots of people [if their publicly available spending reports are to be believed] and not just pocket it and go buy crack. I mean cake. How do you expect the homeless to someday be the non-homeless when you're supporting their parasitic lifestyle? It's like training a dog to drool when you ring a bell. Or teaching a rat that the cheese can be obtained by squeaking repeatedly in pain. As you zap them through the floor. So what am I saying? I suppose it's this: "If I wanted to loose money, I'd just toss it off a bridge." Giving money to homeless people is like standing on a balcony over the pit of hell and tossing in damp sponges.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]So according to this Zodiacal Chart... Thingy... Scorpio and Pisces are like perfect partners for each other. And Gemini and Pisces are like a total opposites. At least this makes it easy for me to pick allies and enemies. That is unless I am going to sleep with my enemy.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Love is a fickle mistress, but if you can find it, I won't begrudge you happiness. Rather, I'll be happy for you and possibly live vicariously through your relationship. I've been in love myself, but it usually ends in tragedy. Or animosity. I hate everyone equally. My hate is spread around you all with great cheer and magnanimity. It's hard to be a racist though, when you hate everyone from every country everywhere.... Okay, so I don't hate everyone. I think I love Ikillion. And Gavin. And Vicky and Revelation and Annie. Except when she gets married. But seriously, I think hate is an important feeling to experience, and not hating people makes you a dull boy. I believe it's important at times to give you a drive, perhaps to be a better person than that object of your hate, and also to give you a reason to not commit suicide. That and it also has practical uses. I'm a vegetarian! Because I hate vegetables![/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]This still begs the question, which you conveniently ignored. You drop [u]everything.[/u] To help a total [u]stranger.[/u] Because going to volunteer at soup kitchens is fine, and there's nothing wrong with that, but nowhere in your original post did you mention such things. But if you expect me to believe that if some random stranger asked you to do something for them, besides just lend them change to make a phone call, you'd do it. Even if you were rushing off to see a movie with friends, or visit someone in the hospital, or so on and so forth. Sorry, but I am having difficulty imagining that.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Japan_86'][SIZE="1"]I guess one of my biggest attributes is my heart. Whenever anyone needs help, stranger or not, I drop all that I am doing to help that person. I do not support panhandeling, however but if someone needs a quarter to make a phone call, I give them a quarter. I feel that God bless those who helps others. Besides that, I get this happy squirmy feeling swelling inside when I do something to help others. I am very generous. I even surprised a friend of mine with some nachos when she did not have time for dinner last night.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Okay, here's where I have to enter what we call the reasonable suspension of disbelief. You drop EVERYTHING and go help a total stranger. Do you actually stick around to see if someone makes that phone call? Because you know calls aren't 25 cents anymore. And who doesn't know how to just make a collect call? I figured that out when I was 9. I mean sure you might feel some sort of swelling, but that might just be the veins in your forehead responding to the realization that you just gave a quarter to someone who pocketed it and then later spent it on crack. And are we assuming also that while your friend didn't have time for dinner, she had time to eat the nachos? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I prowled forward carefully, and gazed carefully at both, opening my inner eye to encompass the pair of them. They were the twins of my Sight vision for sure, but both were brainwashed to the point of animals. I should?ve known. Gavin and Vicky both set down their catches and everyone assumed a circle shape around the prone forms. Andrew spoke up first.[/i] ?We should kill them. They won?t ever be able to talk to us. They won?t ever want to talk to us.? ?Might as well do it now while they?re still out. We?ve already proven to the kids that they?re no match.? [i]Connor and Neil both nodded in agreement to Gavin?s suggestion, and I leapt up in an instant, catching the eyes of everyone who would dare to look at me.[/i] ?We don?t know that. Maybe Will, Iki, and I can get through to them.? [i]My voice stayed calm, but I felt a pinprick of annoyance. I?d been an animal once. But I?d come back. Eriju spoke for the first time since I?d defeated her. Her voice was quiet, and seemed to drift across the field, to everyone?s ears of its own volition. Vicky even tilted her head to catch the Feral?s voice better.[/i] ?In our culture, when a kit has had his mind badly damaged by outside forces, sometimes it can be regained. These boys are very young. Their minds may yet be healed.? [i]She spoke with such conviction, that even Andrew fell back, abashed. Gavin crossed his arms over his chest in consent and let me and William examine the pair. I felt the tingling in my spinal cord that meant Iki was probing them both while he sat still, a short distance away. My twin had his name tattooed in Galactic Standard the base of his neck. Mattheus. William turned his over and found another name. Sikal. Presumably, Morrigan?s brainwashers had needed a way to tell the two apart. Iki closed down his thoughts and made his pronouncement.[/i] ?They have near identical mental signatures. Near identical mental wounds as well, but there?s a hint of original life beneath all the damage.? ?That?s a Saiya-jin?s pride for you.? [i]I straightened from my hunched over position and shook Mattheus until his eyes opened. He didn?t make eye contact with me, and instead attempted to jerk away, but I grabbed his jaw with one hand and held let Eriju hold down his limbs with her own. Forcing his eyes to meet mine, I initiated a psychic stranglehold and pressed down with force of will. He instantly yelped and tried to close his eyes, pull away from my empty gaze, but it was too late. I spoke with a voice of power, injecting energy into every syllable.[/i] ?You are Saiya-jin. We are not your enemies. Morrigan is the enemy. She is your enemy. She is our enemy.? [i]The mantra repeated itself repeatedly in his mind. I could feel the two messages colliding. His lips formed the words of his own programming, and he strained to repeat it while my new programming was forced down his throat.[/i] ?You are the enemy. Morrigan is to be obeyed. I must kill. I must kill. I must kill.? [i]His eyes took on a hunted look as I increased the pressure until his eyes filled with tears. With a scatter of my own tears, I released him as I felt the damage fading away. William had attempted much the same thing, but unlike Mattheus, Sikal was not so easily turned. I opened up my Sight to watch Sikal?s mind, twisted in agony, surging towards William. To my eyes, in these moments, I saw only an animal, acting out of instinct, struggling to stop himself. But Morrigan?s evil was pervasive, or perhaps William hadn?t tried what I had done. It didn?t even matter. With the last of his power, the boy wrenched Will?s head around, snapping the neck instantly. The Konatsa-Jin fell to the ground, his eyes staring uselessly at nothing at all.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[RIGHT][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/daedalusavatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/RIGHT] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Moderately offended by her Uncle's sharp tone, but striving for a vague understanding, Macey leapt up and followed him into the hall. Once there, with his bark of an order ringing in her ears, she summoned up her courage and snapped right back.[/i] "I'll do no such thing. Not here. Not where anyone could hear." "You will tell me. And you'll do it now!" [i]Reaching for her elbow to jerk her across the hall towards him, she nearly tripped and fell. Jerking her arm free, she leapt out of his reach and regained her dignity with a furious glare. He slammed his fist down into one of the many decorative tables lining the hallway. It shattered underneath the force of his blow, the fine china plates it had held crashing to the floor. Thousands of shards glittered in the glow of the gas lamps, and Macey looked up at her Uncle Daedalus with a hiss of true rage cracking her normally steady voice.[/i] "I will [b]not[/b] compromise the integrity of my experiments and my work to satisfy your pride. If you will not listen to reason, then clearly my explanations would fall on deaf ears anyway." [i]She hitched up her skirts in her hands and charged down the hallway, and up two flights of stairs. Unwilling to lay an angry hand on her again, he followed, soon realizing that she was leading him to her private balcony. Once there, she let him shut the recently repaired doors and took a seat on her bench as haughtily as any Queen. Smoothing her skirts with one pale hand, she leaned back slightly and let her Uncle pace up and down the round space of her balcony. Folding her hands calmly in her lap she assumed a much calmer tone.[/i] "That boy you frightened half to death is my experiment in the fusion of Magitechnology and humans. He's a perfect example of what I've been striving for in all the years of my research." "So he was more worth saving than Leonhart..." [i]Feeling a flash of anger at her Uncle's distrustfulness, Macey willed herself to calm down, and clasped her hands tighter until she could feel her fingers bruising themselves. Daedalus's expression, him glaring down at her was horrifying. How could he possibly doubt her?[/i] "I don't know the last time you were involved in a catastrophic bombing, but I could not find my Father afterwards. I could barely see, so I went to secure what I could and escape with my life and the life of what was precious to me." [i]She paused for breath, her emotions raging out of control, and groped in her sleeves for her kerchief. Just in time, she found it and pressed it to her cheek to stem the flow of tears.[/i] "If you think, for one minute, that I abandoned my father simply to preserve my pride as a scientist, than you've never had a thought that became you less."[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]The feral hissed at me, but there was no fire behind it. Her badly savaged shoulder lanced her body with pain, but she forced it aside and rose up to her knees. Her eyes flashed with rebellion, but she kept it in check. I smiled slightly, and then relaxed my posture. She stood as well and stalked back to Iki, smarting with defeat, even as he stroked her cheek to console her. Gavin gave me a short wave, and I bunched up my spine, snapping it back into it?s original shape with a quick jerk. Body realigned, I stepped across the field, the grass beneath my feet sharp and jagged. He laughed with a sharp crow of victory, and sized me around the waist, swinging me up to swirl above his head.[/i] ?Impressive hun. You?d think the months of sleeping would?ve dulled your edge.? ?If only. That way I wouldn?t have had to challenge her in the first place, because she would?ve gone after me while I wasn?t paying attention.? [i]He set me down, his arm around my waist, and I chortled in victory. Iki came over, a sheepish grin on his face.[/i] ?She says she?s glad she fell to you and not any other [b]tharn[/b] bitch.? ?No shame in falling before a superior enemy after all.? [i]Neil had joined us and had his arms folded over his chest, his perpetual frown exchanged for a partially amused look. I nodded at Iki?s words, feeling magnanimous enough to not throw in a few barbed insults. We turned and began to examine the twins. Vicky opened their pods, and started the reanimation sequence. While they were moderately different from mine, I suppose the concept had to be pretty similar. Then again, I have no bloody clue. Don?t look at me like that! Neil peered down at their faces, then stepped back as they regained a healthy color. The twins both came to almost instantly. One hurled himself forward, launching himself at Vicky in a frenzy of ripping, bloody screams and howls. The other appeared to be waiting for the precise moment to attack, but by then it was too late. As he started his own lunge, to follow after his twin, Andrew appeared to protect his mate, having leapt down from his vantage point on top of the ship. The sounds of animal howls, fighting, everything, filled the air. A flash of tails. Matched Saiya-jin twin boys. I felt a surge of grief in my heart, and then threw up a protective shield around both myself, and Eriju, who had slunk around behind me, to curl at my calves. She didn?t talk, but she shook out her mane in a sparkle of guard hairs and under fur. I kept my tone conversational, the scents of my shield and her wounds alike filling the space around us.[/i] ?You know, when you?re not trying to eat my innards, you?re a pretty kitty.? [i]I looked down at her, and she gazed back with eyes devoid of hatred, or any other strong emotion. Her wounds were healing themselves, but not as quickly as mine. I put a hand at her wounded shoulder and held the ripped flesh shut, sealing it with my heated hand. She flinched and nearly tore away, until she realized I was helping. Vicky meanwhile had thrown her twin across the field, and powered up enough to where she filled her jacket more than usual. Her hair snapped in the backlash of her aura, and her tail flared and bushed out behind her, snapping with energy. The boy screamed again, seemingly incapable of speech, and flung his arms forward in an unfocused, but destructive burst of ki. Vicky growled out a command, and centered all of her energy in one fist. Her hand held out before her, parallel with the ground, she absorbed the attack in one movement. Then she returned the favor, redirecting the energy back with all the discipline I?d come to expect from her. Andrew was dishing out much of the same, until, surprisingly, his particular twin gazed straight up into the sky. He stared directly at the sun. Then he changed. A ripple of flesh, a storm of black and brown fur, then came the Oozaru. He stamped in my direction, only to be headed off by both Vicky and Iki. The other twin switched over as well, as Gavin and Andrew strove to contain the new threat. Shades of Neil. ....Connor sighed and reached for his sword with the air of one who has seen it all. William stood next to him, a shield up and ready to drop at the order. A ball of stray ki burst towards Eriju and myself, and I dropped the shield in an instant, and kicked one leg high in the air, reflecting it back towards the battle. Eriju surprised me and reformed the shield, almost identical to mine, only smelling less like wood-smoke, and more like flowers. Moving in the same way he?d done before, Connor swiftly sliced off one twin?s tail, and then the other?s. Two beaten boys, sank down to their original shapes, and were swiftly put into submission holds by whoever reached them first. Gavin held up his prize by the hair, his other arm pinned across the boy?s chest, and Vicky kept her foot on the throat of his brother. [/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Sandy']It's family dinner time next, so I hope everyone will attend to that. I'm thinking the mood will be really tense and gloomy. You can each reflect on how your character feels about the situation. Leonhart is gone, Daedalus is namely in charge, and there's a total stranger in the house.[/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Macey would naturally tell Daedalus the truth, but she can't do it in front of everyone. It'd compromise her experiment after all.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]My god people, it's deader than dead in here. Is it the Christmas season? That's a good place to throw the blame. It's Christmas's fault! Anyway, I figure my post will lead into a nice cuddly dinner. In which everyone will have fun posturing and pulling rank in the ensuing confusion of a house without its Lord.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[RIGHT][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/maceyellen-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/damegrimalkinavatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetavatar.jpg[/IMG][/RIGHT] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Dame Grimalkin, while intelligent and as wily as any old hen, hadn't counted on Macey Ellen's own cleverness, nor her maternal instincts. Wide awake after her ill-fated interaction with Mr. Deacon, she had been walking the halls quietly, calming her mind. And as such, she was just making her way back to her room to dress for dinner, when she saw Dame Grimalkin exiting Gadget's room with a self satisfied smirk on her face. Macey frowned and stalked, stiff legged, towards the matron of the house. The worthy woman saw Macey's expression and went still. [/i] "Dame Grimalkin, are you quite finished interrogating my assistant?" "I wasn't aware he was under any special protections that prevented me from simply telling him when dinner would be served." "Now you're aware. Get it through that skull of yours. Gadget. Is. My. Assistant. He is off limits to your threats and your meddling alike. If I hear one whispered word, one hint of gossip from anyone because of this, you'll be finding yourself unemployed very soon." [i]Macey's eyes flashed with a fire that hadn't been there for years. Her voice trembled with controlled rage and fury, and Dame Grimalkin knew that once Macey Ellen had been roused, she was a formidable force. That and her rank far outstripped nearly everyone in the house. The favorite daughter of the missing lord of the manor, and Daedalus's favorite niece, well loved by every sibling she had. Lowering her head in submission, the would-be usurper stepped out of Macey's path, and went downstairs to the servants. Lifting her skirts slightly, Macey opened Gadget's door, to find him pale and shaking on the bed. Seeing her, he quickly rose to his feet and began sobbing out his story. She smiled at him gently and let him cry into her skirts, stroking his hair. Her voice was soothing, gentle, motherly.[/i] "Now now, it's alright. Nothing will happen from this, and even if something did, I'd protect you." "But- she'll tell everyone!" "She won't." [i]Macey's voice was firm, her tone final.[/i] "That old bird doesn't want to loose her position here. It's too comfortable for her to give up just to satisfy her mean streak." [i]Reassured by both Macey's words and her expression, Gadget calmed himself by degrees, and let her wipe his face clean. She showed him the proper way to take her arm, and let him lead her down the hall and back. Etiquette of the table, she taught in fine form, for she was both an expert herself, and a willing teacher.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Eriju and I watched each other. She was crouched in the dark green grasses that grew wild in the field where we?d both been dropped. Her eyes flashed a bright brilliant blue, the vertical pupils searching my face for expression. I was grateful to my father for the distinct lack of pupils, or irises. It made me a helluva poker player, that was of course when I chose to actually sit down and play. But right now, it was time to stand up and fight. Duel for dominance. Gavin and Iki both had spouted the rules before dropping us down. Both of them were hovering a safe 600 feet out of range, standing near the pods holding the still reposing twins. Neil and the others were also watching, some from air and some from a generally safe distance. Mentally, I reviewed the laundry list of rules, mostly so I wouldn?t break one and be instantly disqualified.[/i] ?No throat biting, no hitting with the closed fist, no removal of limbs, no tail pulling, no elemental or ki attacks other than the basic expansion of aura....? T[i]here were a couple more, but I didn?t bother straining to remember those, mostly because I?m pretty sure they were no flying. And since I wasn?t a fan of the quick flying thing, and more a fan of the pouncing and running, it wouldn?t matter. Eriju flung herself at me without preamble, all four limbs extended and claws opened. I instantly rolled over on my back and kicked up my limbs to catch her and toss. Instead, she latched on, and I found myself being pinned by her weight. With a feral snarl, I shoved against her so hard I could feel her muscles ripping underneath my fingers. I opened my mouth, roaring in a mix between hatred and sheer mindless pleasure, noticing her own scream rising to match mine. She spat out words through a mouth that was rapidly becoming less humanoid by the second.[/i] ?I?ll flay your chest open until you bleed every time you breathe.? ?Oxygen is for pussies anyway.? [i]I forced the words out of my mouth, tongue flicking over sharpening fangs. Jerking myself away from her, I kept my desire to burst my whole body into flames in check, but reformed my shape into the relatively lupine shape I?d assumed when facing up against Sella. A muzzle, sharp and pointed like any wolf?s, and black eyes, without any iris or discernible pupil. I raised paws instead of hands and growled at the female cat stalking around me. I let her circle a few times, just to lull her into a false sense of security, then struck when she strayed into reach. A splay of four talons and a wickedly pointed dewclaw caught her full across the cheek and left shoulder, and she reciprocated. My right shoulder split open in a starburst of agony and I threw myself at her, sinking my teeth into her wounded shoulder. We grappled for a few moments, exchanging body blows with pure, bloodlust driven force. Eriju bunched up her neck muscles in an attempt to force me off, scrabbling at whatever flesh of mine she could reach, while I threw my full weight against her. Saiya-jin blood be praised, I was too heavy for her to throw. Tasting the sweet surrender in her blood, I sank my teeth in deeper, not crushing the bones, but making her struggle more painful by the second. She contented herself with weak snaps, but I kept on shaking, and slamming her down by the shoulder until she went limp and stopped thrashing. Gavin and Iki alike watched solemnly. I stood over her, rising to two limbs, spine still hunched over slightly, my aura slithering down my body in short bursts of power. My mouth had already become more human, and I showed one fang as I spoke, my lip curled in victory. My shoulder ached like fire, and blisteringly hot blood seared down my body, but I didn?t notice.[/i] ?Your flesh has become my flesh. Submit to me.?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]See I'd offer to help change a tire, but since I've only done it once and I'm usually not dressed for it...and a big fat weakling, I'd be useless anyway. And get in the way- trust me it's happened before. But anyway, I like helping people when it's not going to be a major inconvenience. I pick up friends from work every now and then when their ride has vanished into thin air. I have in fact helped scared lost crying kids find mummy and daddy in stores before. I'll hold a kid while the mom shuffles in her purse for her wallet. Once I helped a blind woman find the towels in the bathroom because her Seeing Eye dog wasn't getting the job done. But you see here, I don't help homeless people. I just don't. I don't give the money. Ever. If anything, I give them coupons for fast food or a bottle of water or a snack bar. But I'm from Southern California, where a favorite ploy of homeless people is to claim that they are Veterans. It's usually a lie. If I'm going to give money anywhere, I give it to foundations for terminally ill children, or to diabetes research facilities. I will buy books for book drives for improving children's literacy, but that's where my altruism ends. Call me compassionless, but I have no time to waste on people who are too selfish or lazy to stop living like parasites.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"][i]Lace settled back, drawing the omnipresent cigarette from behind her left ear. She brought it to her lips and shot a look towards Mr. B.[/i] "My god I wonder who could possibly have a lighter in here?" [i]Grim's upper lip twitched and he went back to what he was doing without any further interest. Lily shook her clutch purse with a certain amount of vigor then flipped it open in her lap. It dropped out a gun, a clip, a small leather pocketbook, a lipstick tube, a compact of powder, and a switchblade.[/i] "Definitely not me. Perhaps maybe our friendly driver has one?" [i]Mr. B was about to say nothing as well, when Lace drew her one of her balisongs from her thigh sheath and flicked it open with a light twist of her wrist and swirled it across her fingers. The rhythmic sounds clacked lightly over the sounds of the car 's engine, and Mr. B's zippo appeared like magic. Lace snatched it up with a satisfied smile and flicked it open with a little mewl of happiness. She inhaled slowly, and handed back the zippo with general good cheer. She leaned back and licked her lips slowly. With a little luck, she'd get to do the killing herself. Stealth was her specialty after all. But if it dissolved into the showdown at OK corral who really cared after all? Except for the part where Lace wasn't really good at that. Besides, she didn't even keep extra clips for her guns. One shot was usually all that was necessary anyway. But then again, she usually did the point blank thing anyway.[/i] "So do I get to do the honors this time? It'll be so much fun." [i]Her voice was cheerful and bright, which sounded odd enough in the generally sarcastic air of the car. Lace kept her butterfly knife out, and giggled through her cigarette. Lily chuckled as well, replacing everything in her purse haphazardly.[/i] "You got to do the last one." "Yeah but there were the guards you all got to play with. I only got one."[/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Athena'][size=1]Raiha (I will always call you that lol), and no that is not how I meant by rolling. My character does not have that interest. I don't know about yours, but it's not going to happen from my guy. And no, he's not gay :p[/size][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]No, he's just asexual. Ah curse it. I suppose sleeping with the enemy will work too. But who is the enemy? Is the law the enemy?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]And by rolling, do you mean me and Grim? In bed? On the floor? In the backseat? Because nothing says 'I won't betray you' like a good steamy lurrrrve session. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Gavin patted me gently, stroking the nape of my neck while whispering what a good girl I was for obeying him. I playfully snapped at his fingers and let him lead me to our bedroom, where I figured I could find some real clothes. While the ship was a good place for me to forget to wear clothes, I figured that while on Opir, going around naked was a good way to be arrested. That is, if the laws were anything like the laws on good ole Earth. But that wasn?t really an issue. I supposed that at least while on Opir, I could let my aura be it?s normal shape and size. Singing to myself in a haphazard manner, I showered myself as long as I could stand it. ...apparently someone had used up all the hot water and standing under the waterfall of 5 degrees wasn?t my idea of a good time. I couldn?t even heat up myself to get over the cold. Teeth chattering in the unfamiliar chill, I dressed in the moderately fire proof pants and battle jacket Connor?s mom had developed just for me. Boots weren?t really necessary. My feet had the tendency to sprout long talons and reshape themselves into sizes totally unfit for shoes. No pun intended. But who cares? Fully dressed, I waited at the loading dock next to the others.[/i] ?Where?s the cat thing?? ?Ah, Iki told her to wait for five minutes until after we?d left, so neither of you would be tempted to break the ?no violence? rule right off the bat.? ?That works. But she and I can get it on later right? And by get it on, I mean try to rip each other?s heads off.? ?Sure. Why not? Sounds like a good time to me. [i]Vicky and I lounged lazily against the walls and waited for the docking clamps to engage. Connor jumped ahead in typical ?I don?t need to wait for doors to get out of the way so screw you? fashion. William, Gavin, Iki, and Neil waited like good boys in the back, sensing that if they pushed ahead of either me or Vicky, ball crushing would ensue. Due to an unfortunate game of rock, paper, scissors, Andrew found himself sitting on the ship at the helm with a black eye and a bad attitude. Finally, we were cleared, and as the ramp came down, the pair of us bounded across the walkway and into sweet, normal gravity. I skipped across the metal path and stopped to give the others time to catch up. Eventually, we stopped in front of the nearest bar, which was called ?The Surly Mermaid? for some reason. I put my feet up on the counter and took the beer that Vicky handed me with a moderately sour face. It wasn?t that I didn?t like the stuff, it just wasn?t my style. Then again, we were on a foreign planet, and it was probably safer than the water.[/i] ?Cheers.? [i]We clinked our bottles together and leaned back. The bar was full of a variety of aliens. Several Ferals were clustered in a corner, watching everything that went on with eyes that glowed in the dark. I shrugged my shoulders at Vicky when she caught my eye and we both resumed the alien watching. Two Saiya-jins stood in another corner, talking with Neil and Gavin, while William and Iki both sat down at a relatively quiet table and were dealt into a game of what I could only assume was Texas Hold ?Em. How that game had made it so far out here I?d never understand. Vicky leaned against me to make room for a large, dog-like creature who sat down to her immediate left. Eventually I suppose Gavin had gotten all the information that was to be had, and caught my eye. Making my way across the tables, and avoiding bumping into anyone was easy enough, until one of the Ferals in the corner glared at me. I naturally glared back, wondering what it was about the male that reminded me so much of Eriju, until I realized that my body was reacting in the exact same manner as it had to her. He mouthed a word to me that I could only assume was ?tharn? and I smiled at him in a decidedly unfriendly manner, showing almost all of my fangs in one go. Before more exciting things could happen though, Gavin clapped a hand down on my shoulder and pulled me against him, giving everyone in the bar a sweep of his glance. Once I?d been pulled into the relative safety of the alley, he spun me around and commenced in his best lecture tone.[/i] ?Now I know this is difficult for you. Having to actually use your self control for a change, but I?d really appreciate it if you abstained from any threats of violence while we?re here. You getting arrested would put a real damper on our plans. And since I just got the right information on our next destination, let?s .....? [i]I cut off his train of thought by rubbing the top of my foot against the back of his calf. My fingers trailed through his collar and his expression muddled itself, then smoothed over again as I paused in my seduction. I went on tiptoe and put my lips by his ear.[/i] ?I?ll be good. The best you?ve ever seen. But only if you plant me and Eriju in the wilderness nearby in under half an hour.? ?You want all of us to take a break so you can fight with our guest?? ?Well they?re not our guests because of me. You?re the one who made an agreement with Iki. They?re the ones who want to come with us to get their kits back. I wouldn?t call them guests so much as people loosely affiliated with our team.? ?Whatever. But I guess all of us could use a this chance to blow off some steam. And we were going to have to awaken the twins eventually. Maybe they can help us.? [i]I mumbled something incoherent to that as I stalked towards the ship. If by help, you mean do their damndest to kill us maybe.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Awaken. Rebirth. Restore. I blinked several times, and sat up. Vicky wasn?t there, but according to the calendar she?d nicely decided to tack on the wall right in front of me, it was again, six weeks later. It was then that I noticed there were two more pods to my left and right. I jumped up instantly, and realized that my legs weren?t working anymore. I nearly sank down and crushed my feet beneath my legs, but caught myself and stood. I slowly stepped across the space between the pods and looked down. A boy, no more than 19 was reposing, perhaps in his own space coma. I stepped across and looked in the other and thought I?d gone mad. Another boy, also about 19, with no variance of feature. They looked like twins. I peered closer. They were twins. Identical marks on their left and right cheeks. Only those looked like brands. I looked again. They were brands. Twins. Probably taken by Morrigan. Both had nondescript features. Brown hair, pale skin, purple eyes. Wait. Purple? And why were their eyes wide open if they were in space comas? Or were my eyes open too when I was sleeping? And they were the same faces I?d seen before I was put under. Those two boys were the boys from when I?d used the Sight. With a sigh, I turned away from them and wandered towards the doors and nearly face-planted against Vicky. She took a step back automatically.[/i] ?You?re not going to try and screw me this time are you?? ?Well....? [i]She laughed and brushed against me while I headed towards the nearest thing resembling my husband. Fortunately he was right there, waiting in the curve of the wall, and caught me as I went charging past. I struggled for half a second when I realized that it was in fact, only Gavin, and that killing him would be overreacting. He kissed my open mouth and I purred and cuddled against him, lonely. Then I suddenly remembered and pushed against him slowly.[/i] ?Who are the twins?? ?We found them floating in identical, contained space pods. Both were in sleep, but we?re planning on not waking them up until we reach the next planet to refuel at.? ?Which is...?? ?Opir. It?s apparently scrupulously neutral, controlled by the same kind of of creatures as Leila apparently. Morrigan couldn?t overrule it, so now it?s a safe haven for both the evil and good creatures of the universe. Ferals apparently have a colony there, while Saiya-jins avoided it because of the non-violence policy.? ?Non...violence. It sounds so...so...awful.? ?Well actually that policy only applies to cities. In the wilderness, you?re allowed to apparently kill as many people as you want so long as they?re within range.? ?I am totally down with that. How far until we?re there?? ?About three minutes from now actually. I was sending Vicky to wake you up, but you popped up on your own. That?s...weird...? ?Let?s not question it. But I?m still wondering, what?s going on with the new people? Iki and that...cat thing.? ?Her name is Eriju. But since she calls you that ?[b]tharn[/b] thing? I guess it all evens out. Just do us all a huge favor and don't strangle her in her sleep. Or set her fur on fire. If you stay in the following quadrants and she stays in hers, we should avoid any unpleasantness. ? [i]He handed me a map of the ship, with parts of it marked in red and purple. I narrowed my eyes so far I could barely see through them and hissed through relatively normal looking teeth. Then I un-hunched my shoulders and relaxed very slowly, with the hairs on the back of my neck smoothing themselves.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='demonchild781'][FONT="Arial Narrow"][COLOR="Green"]Ok so I'm going to try [I]not[/I] to take offense to some of the things on this thread [I][B]*Vampire/Demon/Angel/Lycanthrope (This is because nobody ever gets it right, and that pisses me off for some reason.)* [/B][/I]Being that I have ran some very successful and long running RPGs with this theme. That said.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]There's a silly irony to you getting angry about people not doing fictional creatures [i]right[/i]. They're figments of imagination, of course each person is going to do them differently. And besides that, those that don't get them 'right' persay usually are the people who can't string twelve words together in a coherent sentence anyway. But I like the Viking idea quite a bit. If only so I can wear a cool hat, braid my hair a million times, wield a spear and say things like: "Argh! Show me your booty!" Well maybe not that exactly, but it gives you good options. There can be warriors, sailors, fierce menopausal Viking women, fainting sexy slave girls, and the list goes on...[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Neil chuckled as I continued my rampage down the hall, inflicting damage on nonessential inanimate objects left and right. I clawed carefully, and almost artistically, keeping the lines as straight as I could. While it didn?t sound too good, it did relieve a bunch of tension. At that point, I realized that the Ferals must have had excellent senses of smell, even better than mine. She?d known instantly that I was a [b]tharn[/b], even before she?d gotten a good look at me. I didn?t even know her name yet.[/i] ?It?s Eriju. She?s not sorry she called you a [b]tharn[/b] by the way, but she has calmed down a bit now that she?s had a chance to breathe the nice oxygen and all.? [i]I turned around and found the male right behind me. Apparently I?d been so absorbed in my thoughts, that I?d forgotten to throw up a psychic shield to protect against general intrusions. And his kind could read minds. .....maybe she didn?t have so great a sense of smell.[/i] ?Are all of your kind so politically correct?? [i]My fingers laced behind my head casually as if I wasn?t longing to retrace my steps and sink all twenty of my claws into her body until the blood covered every flat surface.[/i] ?Just her. She?s had a rough time, but now that you?ve picked us up, things are looking better. And not all of us are psychic. Just me. She really does have an amazing sense of smell though.? ?Perfect. ....just what I need. All you have to do is keep her away from me, and no bad will happen. Or perhaps give her a course in sensitivity training, and that?ll do the trick too.? [i]Iki chuckled, only it sounded like a half growl, half purr, and he flicked his tail once. I stepped out of his way, only to have him gesture all courtly like, and I laughed and bounded down the hall towards the bridge. Perhaps this is why space comas aren?t recommended for mentally unstable people. Halfway there I realized that I was scampering and restrained myself to a normal looking walk. I was keeping up my paces, when I found I?d walked straight into the door. Apparently, my senses had gone haywire, because I could?ve sworn I hadn?t made it all the way to the door yet. Whatever. I walked in and sat down where I?d been before, at Vicky?s station. Andrew was navigating as usual, and William was sipping a coffee with his feet up on his console. I shrugged and went for my own cup, only to find that William had somehow propelled himself through the air and snapped down on my wrist with his hand.[/i] ?No. Coffee. For. You.? ?Awww, come on. How is this a bad idea? What could possibly go wrong with giving me coffee?? ?Oh you know. EVERYTHING.? [i]I mugged a pouty expression and sat back in my chair, coffee free, and feeling fidgety. I still kept my energy down, withdrawing my magical aura into my body, which was working better than I would?ve guessed. I just felt weak and pointless and couldn?t help but feel a certain amount of annoyance with pure ki users. This annoyance was only going to get worse, I couldn?t help but feel it. I absentmindedly gazed across the room into the swirls of steam coming from the coffee pot. They instantly formed images, bursting in my vision as if my face were only inches away. I sharply inhaled air through my teeth, gripping the sides of my chair to keep from toppling over. My gift spiraled out of control, the Sight overwhelming my already frazzled senses. Faces pushed themselves to the forefront of my eyes, dueling for dominance. And suddenly I saw the broad expanse of pure empty space, staring me in the face. Two angry faces. The faces of boys really, rather than men, appeared in my mind?s eye. Filled with rage, yet void of expression. I didn?t understand. I couldn?t really, I?d never met them, but sensed that we were meant to know them. I realized at that point that I had been babbling what I was seeing, when I felt a hand on my shoulder and then the sharp pain of something shoved into my spine. The cameras show Vicky coming up behind me with a glass syringe full of the same liquid used to send me into the space coma last month. Apparently while I was in my Sight trance, I had begun shorting out everything within immediate range. [/i] ?That sneaky bitch...? [i]In the void of thought and time and space that must?ve been my subconscious, I considered my father?s face. He looked tired, but pleased. Apparently Leila, my mother, and all the others had proved too powerful a force for Morrigan?s far flung minions. Not only had they gone down to defeat, Leila had extracted a variety of interesting tidbits of information from them before turning the hapless things over to the Saiya-jins. Tagged and numbered, they?d been released for hunting. I laughed, heard my riotous cheering echo in the private space that had formed between us. He passed along what he knew of their fighting styles. Some could teleport, but for anyone with a basic grasp of energy sensing, finding them after their jump was the work of a second. Others used ki with a relatively sloppy style that must?ve been a cheap imitation of Saiya-jin ki manipulation. There were relatively few magic users, which wasn?t surprising. Enslaving spirits of energy and elemental power was generally overly difficult work and a total waste of resources. My father?s face drifted out of my vision and I settled back to the relative quiet of my subconscious. I rubbed my mental eyes with mental fingers and tilted my head back until I was arched out like a cat. Speaking of which. I didn?t like Eriju. I could sense her through the many layers of my psyche, loathing me, detesting me with all of her power. However her mate, or just whoever she?d escaped her homeworld with, was alright. I could sense him as well and the brush of his mind on mine denoting his psychic awareness. William felt listless. Confused. He was probably puzzling over the video feed of me before.[/i][/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]At that point though, it switched over to another voice, although this one was female. Or I was pretty sure it was female. Hard to tell with all the distortion.[/i] “Save us and I swear I won’t kill you once you do. I’ve gone without sex for two weeks now to conserve energy and it’s going to make whoever rescues us one lucky bastard! I swear to [b]Eiyagameya[/b] if we’re not saved, I’m going to haunt each and every person that got this transmission and fucking ignored it!” [i]As I spoke these words out loud, William and Neil both had to choke off laughter. I had to struggle to keep my voice steady too, but fortunately for me, the transmission ended at that point and looped again.[/i] “Okay, so I have no idea who or what [b]Eiyagameya[/b] is but I can roughly guess that it’s either a deity or someone’s mother. .....we’re going to go with deity for now. And that’s where my usefulness to you all ends.” “It’s good enough to start. Let’s pick ‘em up. Maybe they’ll start an orgy.” [i]Vicky was shaking with repressed giggles. Neil was rolling a jaundiced eye in our general direction while Gavin lounged in his chair, holding up a data pad in one hand and projecting a semblance of productivity. William set up the coordinates, and Andrew swung the ship towards Eunin. I busied myself with reading the star charts Vicky had handed me. According to known data, Eunin was a destroyed planet that had been rendered totally uninhabitable. But it’d also been centuries since the destruction, and Morrigan wasn’t known for returning to planets that had been totally ransacked and done down in a horror show of bloody planet-wide holocaust. I scrolled down further and saw Dejir on the list of destroyed planets. Apparently it had been, at some point anyway, populated with Ferals. Sexy things with tails and ears and possibly fur. I didn’t like using the word feral though, even when used as the name for a whole race of people. Feral to me meant one of my many forms. So I’m going to just go with galactic sex kitten. Kami knows that’ll be a huge hit with whoever we end up rescuing. Connor decided to skip forward and see if he could find them, just to make sure they weren’t dead and the message completely pointless. He skipped back in half a minute, assured us the targets were alive, and we continued as usual. Half an hour later, we were there. They were being quarantined in the event that either one of them had fleas. Oh yeah, my racism is going to go over like a lead balloon, I can feel it already. I traipsed down the hallways to where they were being kept with Gavin on my heels. Vicky was there, doing a short battery of tests while Andrew stood by, ever watchful in the event of violence towards his woman. I kissed his cheek and stepped through the walkway towards the two newcomers. The taller one was Iki I assumed, covered with a coat of black and brown fur, pointed ears, and a mane that spiked down his back to cover his shoulders. Other than that though, he looked moderately humanoid, as did his partner. Only she was disturbingly female, and my first impression of her was that of a hunter. A killer. She turned to me in a whirl of cream colored fur and azure eyes with a hideous, blood saturated growl.[/i] “Whadaya you looking at? [b]Tharn[/b] bitch.” [i]I hissed in an instant through half formed fangs, my ears rotating to the top of my head, and my fingers sprouting claws.[/i] “I was looking at you. Fucking pussy. If you ever call me that again, I’ll kill you so hard your past ten victims will make miraculous recoveries.” [i]My hackles were raised, my body beginning to steam, when Gavin jerked me back with a light blow to the side of the head. Almost simultaneously, Iki had grabbed his mate and given her a sharp bite on the neck. Both of us, in relatively subdued states, contented ourselves with hateful glances. I had never met someone I hated on such an instinctual level, not even Sella. Perhaps it was just an unreasonable response to her flinging my race in my face, but I was sure that leaving the two of us alone, even anywhere, was a monumentally stupid idea. I stalked off and let Gavin assume diplomatic formalities. I’m sure the conversations involved a lot of apologies and excuses, but I spent my time reliving tension by trailing my claws across the titanium paneling of the hallways. Neil found me extracting my right hand from a section of wall and crossed his arms over his chest like a disappointed father.[/i] “I take it you didn’t like our new passengers.” “The male was okay. But the female rubbed me the wrong way. She called me a [b]Tharn[/b] bitch.” “[b]Tharn[/b]? That slang for something?” [i]I kept my voice to a pleasant growl while taking on the tone one normally uses to explain things to toddlers.[/i] “[b]Tharn[/b] is a racial epithet for people like me. Halfs. Those that mixed races when they procreated. According to the texts, most aliens are pretty against half breeds like me. Although nowadays I hear it’s more common. If only because Morrigan’s driven most species to the brink of extinction. My father was considered insane for marrying outside of his race. That’s probably why he fled his homeworld.” “Was it overrun by Morrigan too?” “Hardly. The magical field that surrounds the planet, produced by the auras of every living Siyannan makes all ships trying to enter die a horrible death. Unless they’re the sort of magic/technological fusion my father must have used to make it out here.” “Sounds... ...fun. Just try not to make any fur fly. God knows you’re going to have to be sedated again before we make the next stretch towards Morrigan’s base.” “Just keep her far away from me. And nothing will happen that’s irreversible. I’m pretty sure those galactic sex kittens can’t regrow limbs.”[/FONT][/COLOR]

[i][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I kissed my husband?s lips, desperate for more. And he was more than willing. Apparently Vicky had locked me in, and any coma fondling was impossible. Not that I would?ve known, or particularly cared, but it didn?t matter now. What was important, was the fact that for the first time in what was now several months, my sex drive was back. Let us sing and rejoice. A lot. Gavin, sensing my urgency, ripped off the shift I?d hastily thrown on after Vicky had cleared me to walk. His lips found my collarbone, my chest, my nipples. He bit down when I shoved my hand into the base of his neck. Laughing, through what felt like a drug induced tunnel, I found his shorts, and ripped them off with my clawed toes. He didn?t notice, or if he did, he failed to comment. Instead, he tilted me back across the ledge and shoved up against me before I could breathe a sigh of relief. Lonely for caresses, starved for attention, we eventually rolled right off the shelf and onto the floor, but I only know this because Vicky had recorded the entire thing. For science! Or so she said. I think she?s a voyeur. But back to the current situation. Just as I was dragging a hand across Gavin?s sweaty forehead, the ship alerts went off. I frowned up at the speaker in the ceiling, and pointed a finger at it before he could slap down my hand. It melted into itself and I blew against the tip of my finger. Apparently I?d just sweated and secreted out all of the sedative Vicky had pumped me full of. My god could I possibly write a sentence that wasn?t overflowing with innuendo? Apparently not. The alarms still reverberating through the rest of the ship, my husband dragged me from the closet, even as I attempted to pull him back, and we made our way to the bridge. Vicky didn?t glance in our direction, but everyone else sure did. It was at that point that I realized my hair was sex hair, and we were both in varying stages of undressed. Only I was relatively naked and my husband was relatively not. William looked up from his console and reported.[/i] ?We?ve been getting a signal from some...thing. Or someone, who knows? It sounds like a standard greeting, but then it changes over to threats of violence. And it?s not quite in Galactic Standard, so who bloody fucking knows?? ?You mean you haven?t been able to figure that much out?? ?Cut me some slack. Inter-Galactic Space Linguistics wasn?t my major before our school was burned down.? ?No back talk!? [i]While this thoroughly adult conversation transpired, I slunk across the bridge and sat down next to Vicky, making a heroic effort to keep myself calm. She took one look at me and sighed.[/i] ?You don?t have any sedative left in you...do you?? ?Not a bit baby face.? [i]I twirled my fingers through the air, the heat from just my fingers creating steam in the relative cold of the air. She rolled her eyes and went back to attempting to decipher the data stream. I reached over with one hand and set it to play on the main speakers. And while it miraculously played, I?m pretty sure that I was the only one who understood it. Being Siyannan, with my dad?s natural proclivity for foreign languages, had always been a good time. It was Galactic Standard, or at least a rough patois of it. And it sounded at least to my ears, like how my mother?s cat would?ve sounded. If someone had taught it how to talk. I started speaking over it, once it?d looped several times.[/i] ?This is Iki. I am a Feral from the planet Dejir. I?ve been caught in the gravitational field of Eunin for a month now. Please follow these imbedded coordinates and rescue me and my partner before we die in a blaze of fiery death.?[/FONT][/COLOR]