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Post by tessa on Jun 7, 2010 0:33:15 GMT -5
[/b] She figured that if the cops were involved they could take legal action. Just because they were gang members didn't mean they were exempt from the law. She knew at least that. Plus the cops would scare them away for good. She cocked her head at Max's question and her green eyes went wide. "Would they really do that-- like do they target...specific, people?"~~ Karla understood if they were a little baffled. She would be too. It was all so...scandelous. She, personally, loved it. Scandals were fun. Dying, on the other hand... not so fun. Or, so she had heard. She uncrossed her arms and opened her mouth as if to answer both Xara and Max's questions. She thought back to that night. Partying with the random alumni's from some school that had decided to party in the park. Why they would party in a park was beyond her, but hey, free booze. She had seen the couple walk past. She noticed the woman looked a bit soggy but otherwise she'd be fine so Karla went back to drinking herself blind. Okay so there were better ways to deal with stress but she didn't have many friends and she needed a release from the stresses of everyday life. But when the shouting started the party ended and she was pissed off and drunk as hell. But impressed by the way Xara handled it. In fact she even laughed at how she smashed his face into the ground. They seemed like good people and she needed a good activity. So she did them a favor, and when the two men regained their senses she led them away and to her house. She was getting evicted anyway and hated her landlord so she let them have the run of the place, hiding in the smalles nook whilst in her Wolverine form as they slaughtered her honorary pet cat and smeared it all over the walls. She smiled darkly. "Really? I don't think it will matter. The cops know what this is," she flashed them her tattoo. "they won't help us." she paused and gave them one last long look. Then smiled. "You guys are too serious. You need a drink? I'm packing. Hell, I can get you floored. Fuh-loored." she winked, "I don't think you guys drink much, do you? Beer," she gave Xara a chastising look, "No, no takers? Alright. Just relax," she moved forward and clasped both of their shoulders in her hands. "You guys need to get laid or something. Seriously. relax!"[/blockquote][/size][/ul]
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Post by max on Jun 7, 2010 8:25:19 GMT -5
Max tried not to look surprised as Xara’s hand snaked up to his shoulder. He tried to act as if she always did that, and he nodded at her comment about the police. Nonetheless, he failed to hide his surprise as Karla showed them her tattoo and gave them a little explanation about the nature of the Shelpey Alley police department. “They know? About us?” Max tilted his head slightly, his eyebrows narrowed thoughtfully. He wasn’t so sure he believed that, but he didn’t want to contradict Karla. Especially not after what she had done for them. He felt so indebted to her that he didn’t want to step on her toes at all, let alone start an argument about something he knew shit all about.
The offer of a drink sounded attractive to Max, but he couldn’t shake off Karla’s words. He flinched and clenched his teeth as she playfully clasped his shoulder, trying not to ask her if she was crazy. In debt or not, Max simply couldn’t believe this woman’s attitude. Was it possible that she was used to this sort of thing happening to her, and if so, what did it say about her? Or was she the kind of person to use humour to push her problems into some dark closet? Max understood that; he occasionally gave into a similar kind of bitter humour, but he wasn’t so sure he could even trust Karla. Maybe she was lying.
“Look, Xara’s right. Would they target us? It’s a bit hard to relax and party it up after all this shit...” Max pulled away from Karla as politely as he could. He considered the woman’s offer. Maybe it was the only way they were going to get any answers. He shrugged and scratched his cheek, feeling a bit of stubble there which showed he had paid little attention to his appearance over the last sleepless week. It was visible, but certainly not thick, and the only thing constantly reminding Max to shave it later was the itching.
“Um...well maybe we could go and get a drink.” If that was how she worked, maybe they should play along. He raised an eyebrow at Xara and shrugged as if to grudgingly admit it wasn’t a bad idea, then turned back to Karla. He paused, suddenly remembering with some embarrassment that a drink might not be a good idea after all. “Ah...the only thing is, I’m not old enough to drink,” he said, blushing and hating that Xara would probably think less of him. Max couldn’t tell if she was older than him or the same age as him; he was a terrible judge of age. “I mean, my parents let me drink. Where they come from, it’s eighteen not twenty-one.”
Great, now he sounded like a stupid kid, having his parents’ permission. He had a young looking face, which didn’t help his cause. Then again, his self image wasn’t the important thing right now. “Unless we buy the beer and go somewhere else. If it’s really important to you that we have something to drink. I just mean I won’t get anything at a pub or whatever. I know this sounds kinda stupid, but I can’t afford to get into trouble. Really, none of us can.” He thought about his own tattoo. Naive as he was, Max preferred generally to keep a low profile. That meant staying on the good side of the law; when he did drink, he was careful about it and he never went overboard. Now that he knew the cops were aware of shifters and, judging by Karla’s comments, saw them in a negative light, Max had to be even more wary.
[/color] ((OOC: Back to Xara’s place? Unless Karla found somewhere else to stay.))
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Post by tessa on Jun 7, 2010 23:11:34 GMT -5
[/b] She looked from Karla to Max, then nodded her head in the direction of her apartment (which was a few blocks away and visible from there). "My apartment is close enough and the walls are concrete so no one will hear normal conversation... plus I have some beer. Not...hard core but still alcoholic." ~~~ Karla released the two from her small hands and rolled her neck on her shoulders. She had seen some stuff in her life and this was nothing for her to be worried about. But these kids were sweet. And not very well learned in the arts of psychopathic, lonely gangsters. She smiled sadly at the two. They've done well so far but they need to buck up and get ahead of the game, or else... "You got beer?" she snarled, "It better be Canadian beer. The stuff we get here is, well, angels piss. Aint nothin' to get drunk off of, hell, you'd get more drunk off of apple juice." she pulled a face and nudged the woman with her arm. "Alright, you lead the way-""Hey you dumb bitch, get the fuck out of the walkway!" Karla caught herself from the forward motion as the mans girlfriend slammed into her. Rage mounted in her face and her eyes cooled with the fires of her stone fists. Her blood burned to battle. She was furious. Karla brushed herself off and gave the man a cold look. The she spread her hands and smiled almost kindly. "Its alright" the man snorted approvingly, "I didn't expect a twat like you to notice anything other than the rack on your pay-per-night whore anyway."she smiled, her bring-it-on attitude blurringly noticeable as she stared the man down. His face paled, then flushed. "you take that back!" "You take yours back." she added childishly. "Just leave her," his woman cooed, "lets just go." Karla's eyes narrowed contemptuously. "yes, run. Run away."He snapped his head back up at her and hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't hit girls." "you don't hit men either, I'd expect." Karla's smile snarled as she stood there, grating him on. He'd snap just....about....now. He lunged at her with fists flailing at her. No kind of method. Just rage. None heard his girlfriend scream as he reached Karla and took a swing, as Karla grasped his one arm and flipped him over onto his pack with sickening thud, at the same time using the energy to slam her palm into his diaphragm and winding the poor bastard with one solid hit. He rolled over onto his side, gasping and purple for air. Karla straightened and brushed her hands. "Right. Well," she smiled at Xara and Max, "Shall we then?" she turned on her heel, leaving the man and his woman behind, knowing Max and Xara would follow, a smirk creeping up on her face. That was too easy. ((OOC: Xara's place)) [/blockquote][/size][/ul]
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Post by max on Jun 8, 2010 10:00:31 GMT -5
Max barely noticed when Xara removed her hand from his shoulder. He was now deeply involved in the conversation around him, his thoughts centred on what to say and do next. While he was normally easily distracted due to having such an active mind, there were times such as this when Max was unable to drag his mind from the current activity. His eyes, a mottled dark brown and green in the current light, hardly left Karla’s face as she spoke.
She’s so relaxed. I wonder what’s really going on in her mind...
“That sounds good to me,” Max said almost distractedly as Xara mentioned her place. He managed a slight grin as Karla insulted the American beer, for he felt much the same way; his father had bought him beer for his eighteenth, and it hadn’t been a six pack of Budweiser. “I’m a Carlsberg kinda guy myself,” Max commented. “Much stronger flavour; it’s brewed in Denmark. Though my dad likes all the strong Scottish stuff, which I also like.” Talking about something so mundane made Max feel a little less anxious.
The calm situation did not last. A man with a cocky snarl on his bronzed face spat a tirade of insults in Karla’s direction. “Hey, you didn’t just call her a bitch,” Max started, but Karla didn’t seem to have any intentions of staying quiet on the matter. He bit his tongue as she gave her own back to the man, whose girlfriend preened her hair worriedly upon bumping into Karla. She smirked as her boyfriend started to defend her weakly. Max doubted she had a lot going on inside her head other than a constant array of fashion advertisements.
As Karla continued to egg the man on, Max wondered if she did this often. His girlfriend glanced over at him and Xara, her painted nails pressed up to her lips, which were curved in slight amusement. “She shouldn’t have said that to my poodle-kins,” she whispered, letting out a confident giggle. Max, unsure if he’d heard her right, missed the boyfriend’s lunge until it was too late. He wasn’t standing anywhere near the man, so he didn’t have time to grab the bastard before he did something stupid. Not that Karla needed his help. He watched her dispatch ‘Poodle-kins’, occasionally looking around for security and hoping fervently that they wouldn’t arrive until they were long gone. The last thing Max wanted was to get kicked out of university. People stared at them, and Max avoided eye contact in the hope that nobody would recognise him. He had only been here two months, so the chances of that were extremely slim anyway.
“Bitch!” the girl simpered as she poured over her boyfriend. “He just beat on a woman,” Max informed her bluntly as he walked past. She glared at him, but didn’t otherwise comment. He wondered why Karla had instigated a physical fight, but then remembered that he probably would have said something himself if she hadn’t. Perhaps even punched the man. Not one for violence, Max understood that his hostile feelings of late were mostly bought about from a protective instinct and an inner frustration. He had always been quick to anger, though not generally quick to punch. Still, he couldn’t help but find the situation kind of funny; the guy shouldn’t have been so rude to Karla in the first place.
Max took up the rear as they exited the coffee place. He was still feeling paranoid from the week before; who knew if the man would attack them from behind. “So, uh...you both fight better than me,” he said in way of conversation. “Maybe you could teach me a few moves.” What he lacked in skill, he made up for in heart and determination. “I just bought a pickup truck if you guys want me to drive,” Max offered helpfully. He had indeed just bought himself a truck. It was a 90’s Toyota Hilux model and in good shape, though the blue paint was chipped in some places. Nothing a bit of time and extra money (which he didn’t currently have) couldn’t fix. He wasn’t sure it was a complete girl magnet, but he already loved it.
[/color] ((OOC: Xara’s profile says she is 21? That’s legal drinking age in the US isn’t it? It’s 18 here in Australia. Which is reasonable considering we can go off to war at 18. Just asking ‘cause you posted there that she said she wasn’t old enough to buy alcohol. Feel free to say they got to Karla's place someway or other. If Max drives, you can assume he's a safe driver, not a lunatic at all. If not you are free to say Max got into whoever's car and they drove off to Xara's place.))
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Post by tessa on Jun 10, 2010 0:51:04 GMT -5
[/color][/b] she said as she picked her way through the crowd. She chewed on the inside of her lip, thinking about the proposition carefully. Probably a good idea but... she threw a quick look at him over her shoulder. Huh, he'd need a lot of work. But it would be worth it in the long run. Once she was sure that these two nimrods were out of the hole, she was scott-free. But as it was she was technically obliged to help the, both, even if Max wasn't from the Theives. He could become a possible member, and since those goddamn Assassins were so high up on their fancy ponies and thought that they could kill whomever they wanted. She felt her rage returning but settled it down. "Maybe. Depends on how often we can get together" she smiled forcibly through her tiredness. She could not wait until this day was over and she could check into a hotel and just relax... She groaned inwardly. Now, she was stuck babysitting. ~~~ Xara watched quietly. She was in shock but then again... it didn't surprise her that this woman could take down a full grown man as if she were killing a sick kitten. Of course she was the perfect semeratin. Calm and collected. Kind. Willing to sacrifice her own possessions and livlyhood to help strangers. It was sickening. Xara frowned at the woman as she shivered on the concrete walk and sniffed as she passed them, turning her head away and walking silently behind Max and Karla. She gazed cooly at her. So she was good at fighting. So she was strong willed and smart and could read and actually knew whether or not she was able to buy alcohol. Xara guessed she might be old enough but she didn't know for sure, and she didn't have the money or the means to find out so she, and her doctor, just assumed she was 21-ish. But, so what? she was not as... as... Xara's frown deepend. She couldn't even think of anything she did better than wonder woman here. She walked slowly behind them, her eyes dark with thought and self pity. Then Max wanted lessons. Lessons! She bit her tongue so hard she thought she tasted blood, and then realeased it. He was allowed to have...friends. She had just gotten over almost losing her new friend and now someone who knows more about life, about keeping their asses off the heat, and wasn't so...troubled, comes along. Then what? She didn't want to think about it. She shuffled slowly behind him, every cheerful phrase that came out of Karla's ever moving lips like a dagger to her chest. She shook herself out of her grumpiness as she sensed them slowing down, and she smiled thinly, though still feeling a bit jealous, and waited for Max to point out his vehicle. Another thing she just did not have. That and, well, a decent sense of self esteem. She suddenly began to worry about her sparse apartment. Perhaps she should look into some cheap decorations or something, or she should have at least dusted the place off, though it wasn't that bad it just looked as if only one, lonely person lived there: Her. (( OOC- point well taken and cleverly disguised as a I-meant-to-do-that kind of thing I was worried it was sounding too unreal for a moment there so I made Xara a little jealous and pissy with Karla for coming in and taking control like that. I don't know... what do you think?))[/ul][/size][/blockquote]
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Post by max on Jun 19, 2010 16:18:10 GMT -5
As they walked, Max caught Karla glancing over her shoulder at him. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, then folded his arms and looked away. He had the feeling she probably saw him as a bit of a joke. He fumbled for a reply, shooting Xara a look as well. Neither girl looked particularly happy, he noted. Then again, why would they? The day had already started badly for everyone, and Karla likely didn’t want to bother with them. To her credit, she was helping them anyway. To Max, who always thought people were angry with him, a small frown from another person could easily make him instantly guilty, nervous or defensive.
“Um...well I meant if either of you could teach me,” Max clarified, guessing Karla didn’t want to show him a thing. He had aimed the question at both of them, but Xara looked even more disinterested. In fact, she looked more nervous than he did. He wanted to ask if she was okay, but not in front of Karla. “Never mind, was kind of a joke anyway,” he told them both a little bitterly. “I mean, I can take some lessons myself. Oh, there’s my car.” There was a very obvious tone of relief in his voice.
God, I really don’t need this crap today.
Trying to smile, Max unlocked the car and scratched his head. “Um, well sit wherever,” he offered. He kind of hoped Xara would sit up front with him, as much as he didn’t want to admit that he had feelings for her already. The drive didn’t take long. Max was a careful driver, though he did occasionally suffer road rage; one incident caused him to swear out of the window at a balding man with no common sense. “This isn’t fuckin’ England!” Max shouted. He quickly apologised to the girls, and that was the end of any shouting for the whole trip.
When they reached Xara’s place, Max parked where she told him to and locked the car once they had gotten out. Her home looked a little different in the daytime. Several squirrels chased each other up a tree nearby, and Max observed them with mild amusement. A group of sparrows harried a falcon, sending it spiralling higher into the blue sky. It was hard to imagine that just last week, he had carried a deathly Xara into this apartment after a run in with two murderous rapists. He scratched his arm, feeling a shiver run through his body at the memory, then waited for Xara to take them into her house.
[/color] ((OOC: I know this post is a bit crap, hard to get back into the swing of writing after a week or whatever. Sorry! Crap is an understatement. And yes Max’s self esteem is almost as bad as Xara’s, he always thinks people are second guessing him or angry with him. What a pair they make!))
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Post by tessa on Jun 20, 2010 4:25:57 GMT -5
[/b] she explained quietly. ~~ ((before/ during the car ride)) Karla shook her head, "Naw, I'll teach you." she said dismissively, "S'no big deal really." The woman sniffed and rubbed her sleeve across her nose, a little miffed at Xara's unfriendly reaction. She figured the woman was just threatened. She almost scoffed. Whatever, it was a stupid thing to be pissed off for. Besides, they needed help. She didn't want to say but she had her suspicions that these thugs were some how related to the Assassin scum. Which made this her problem as well. She walked uncomfortably beside Max, ignoring Xara's spiteful eyes in the back of her already crawling neck. She did not think that, though Xara was overreacting a bit and was a little too dramatic, she gave them both a break, seeing as they were new to this whole near-death-experience thing. Karla has been a Thieves member for a very long time and she has learned to just take things in stride. These people were not so well versed in the art of 'letting things go.' Though granted, she reflected as she walked in silence to Max's vehicle which was in slightly better condition than her own, Their lives are being threatened by a force they do not understand and here I am telling them who they are and what they do, ruining their whole self-sufficient paradise and their risudual high from their one accidental victory. The next time wont be so easy because they know me. They know I only run with shifters, Thieves, and now they know who Max and Xara are. This was not all my fault, but not all their fault either. I need to fix this, and if they don't like it -well- thats just too damned bad, isn't it? Karla slid into the passengers seat and buckled up, telling herself to not be peeved that Xara was acting so childish. Really, why would a grown woman act so jealous and stupid?! Bu then, suddenly, guiltily, she realized. Oh! She must think I am hitting on him. I see. Thats her guy. she sized him up, Well, their moods definitely match, thats for sure. she thought gloomily. Karla was not interested in Max. Not in a million years. She could be friends with him by all accounts but she would never consider a relationship beyond that. No bloody freaking way. She stole a glance at Xara in the mirror and turned to Max, smiling, "So, tell me: how exactly did you two meet, anyway?." ((Mine was actually okay and yours was just fine... welcome back Milo, by the way! Oh, and Sin apparently has an assassin she is willing to have bother either Xara, Karla or Max. Or any combination. We could figure out a plot from there maybe?)) [/blockquote][/size][/ul]
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Post by max on Jun 24, 2010 15:22:18 GMT -5
As Max drove, he and Karla engaged in a little small talk. He felt a little reluctant to reply; Xara seemed unhappy and he didn’t want her to think he was blocking her out of the conversation, hence Max’s replies were a little distant. He narrowed his eyes in concentration, both hands clutching the wheel as if he was too busy driving to get into too much conversation. “Uh...at the wharf,” he told Karla. “We were both watching the sunset.” It was a small lie; he wasn’t about to embarrass Xara by describing her little trip off the jetty into the sea water. “I um...” Max lifted a hand of the wheel to scratch the side of his neck. “I tripped over and she helped me up.” He would rather humiliate himself than humiliate someone else. Besides, Max was the type to laugh at himself in that kind of situation, so he offered Karla a wry grin. Despite his honest personality, Max could lie when necessary, and he did it smoothly.
Max noted that Karla had taken the passenger’s seat and Xara had sat at the back. Karla was a bit of an alpha female. At least, that was how Max judged her so far. She was a little overwhelming, but she was here to help, so who was he to complain? There was very little conversation the rest of the way. There’s so much bloody tension, Max thought anxiously as he followed Xara out of the car. He felt his mouth go dry, a sure sign of nervousness. He hated it when others were angry or discontent. It was an unfortunate trait, picking up others’ emotions. Given little time, Max would begin to reflect them and become moody and skittish himself.
“It looks different,” Max noted, but he didn’t give a reason for his comment. His eyes caught Xara’s reaction to pain almost immediately. “Hey are you alright? Ouch.” Max took her hand gently and a little hesitantly, afraid she might find his touch intrusive. It would seem even weirder to apologise, so he bit his lip and looked down at the cut. He winced, feeling as though he had just cut himself too simply by looking at her wound. “You didn’t cut it on anything rusty, did you? I mean...tetanus and stuff.” He looked into her eyes, then let go of her hand and looked away uncomfortably in case she thought he was just trying to get in her pants by acting kind. Max picked Xara for the skittish type; he didn’t want to make her dislike him.
The apartment looked as uncluttered as it had last time. Xara obviously didn’t waste time on the same kind of personal items which cluttered Max’s place. Or rather, would clutter his dorm room when he finally unpacked all his boxes. He kind of admired minimalists, because it likely made it so much easier to walk around without tripping over something, and easier to find things. He glanced over the chairs. Where to sit? He wouldn't sit until Xara did, because it was her home, her 'territory'. It would be rude. He did, however, wonder where he might sit. It would be safer to sit by himself and let the girls sit together, even though he kind of wanted to sit next to Xara.
“So um...maybe some explanations might be in order? Over that drink, if you really want. I’m happy to pay for some beer, by the way.” His face held its usual sincere look, his eyebrows raised in question. This time, Max’s eyes, now a golden brown in the current light, focused on Karla. His voice became more certain. “I’m guessing you’ve got a lot to talk about.”
[/color] ((OOC: I assumed the apartment was the same from reading up and seeing Xara say she needed some decorations. Hope this post is ok. Not fond of it. EEK Im never fond of my posts!! Hahah should have Karla sit next to poor Max. He would get up and pace as an excuse hahah!))
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Post by tessa on Jun 25, 2010 15:47:42 GMT -5
[/i] just born yesterday. She was still new to this town only because she had lived with her head stuck in the sand for the most part. She was involved with the Thieves for less than two months now and this was what it had gotten her. She was starting to think that being a loner would probably have been a lot less strenuous. She was fitting to a loner life, since she was a loner. She buy herself a bird or something to keep her company. Thats all she really needed, wasn't it? A pet or something. None of this "your life is in mortal danger" bull shit that Karla was trying to pull. They were just thugs. Nothing more, most likely something less, but still only thugs. They were bored and immature, and high. Thats all. Xara didn't need Karla's protection. “So um...maybe some explanations might be in order? Over that drink, if you really want. I’m happy to pay for some beer, by the way. I’m guessing you’ve got a lot to talk about.” She twisted her head Max's way and her eyes softened. He didn't need her wrath at all. In fact she was glad to have ever met him at all. He was a god-sent. She turned back to Karla, "Oh yes," Xara sneered in a deep, female voice, "Yes, please do explain."~~ Karla ignored Xaras venom for what seemed to be the tenth time in one hour. She sighed inwardly. Why was she having such a hard time with these people? Normally they would be overjoyed to have someone willing to help them, to take their problems away and give them some release from the terrors they did not know they had yet to face. Were they daft? No. They were young, and naive. Well... Xara was young an naive. She wasn't so sure about Max. There was probably hope for him yet. But Max, wasn't the reason she was here. She had rode in silence for the other three minutes of the trip, and followed silently up the stairs, being the last one to enter the house. She slipped past Max, seeing Xara had already made herself comfortable. She waved to Max to seat, "Please, have a seat."Xara nodded, Karla noticed, in agreement, moving some papers for Max to sit beside her. Karla resisted the urge to "squee". "You both know very well, I am sure," she began without any preamble, "Of the dangers here, for us shifters. But there is something more sinister than just humans. The only thing more dangerous to a shifter, is another shifter." she clasped her hands behind her back and straightened her shoulders in a traditional, military fashion, as a commander often does when giving a mission to their squad. She didn't realize it, but that was how she spoke formally. Her eyes narrowed, "I am not sure of how much either of you know about the two groups of shifters here, I know very well that Xara knows about the Thieves, of which I am a member," she thrummed her fingers along the back of her other hand, almost nervously. This was a touchy subject. "But there is another group. They call themselves the Assassins, and with good reason, I am soon finding. The Thieves second in command was found to be dead. We suspect the Assassins, and I suspect an Assassin had a hand in your attack. I cannot be sure, but I have to take these kinds of precautions, given the current circumstance."~~ Xara frowned. Something wasn't right. She hadn't known, when she joined, that she'd be in the middle of a gang war. This was rediculous. She spread her hands and waved Karla down before she could continue. "Look, I didn't do anything to these people, okay? They have no reason to be chasing after me or Max. You must be mistaken. It was just a fluke, a freak accident. Besides," she glowered at the woman, "How do they know I am a Thieves member, huh? How did you know? I've never met you before my whole life." She shook her head, standing quite suddenly, "Thanks, but no thanks. You've said just about enough here. Leave. Now!" ~~ Karla snapped her jaw shut with a click, watching calmly as Xara ordered her about. What an insolent little shit. "I beg to differ, Ms. Brubek. Sure, we've never met but I was there when you joined up. I know what you look like and I know who you are now. Besides that, I am the least of your problems. I am trying to help you out here-"There was a viscious snarl, and beige-tanned cat came flying from where Xara was just standing. Karla's instincts took over and she ducked, turning around a second later in her wolverine form. Xara turned about, snarling, hackles raised. Karla yowled and growled a warning to her, but they circled each other in the bare room, facing off. Karla dreaded, This is going to get bad...[/blockquote][/size][/ul]
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Post by max on Jun 26, 2010 16:30:09 GMT -5
Max, a little miffed at Xara’s attitude, stepped aside as she pulled her hand away and wiped it on her jeans. What had he done to piss her off? He scratched his head in confusion and frowned as Xara glanced his way again. Something about her expression told him she wasn’t pissed off with him directly, but he still felt the weird tension in the room. Max was sure now from Xara’s tone of voice that his new friend already despised Karla bitterly. He had no idea why and that bothered him. To Max’s relief, Xara clearly wanted him to sit next to her. Well...maybe not wanted in the desperate sense of the word, but perhaps was being polite. He quietly walked over to the newly cleared space and sat down, careful not to sit too close to Xara or too far. What was considered polite? Unsure, he folded his arms and leaned back a little in the chair. It was a conflicting display of body language; the folded arms showing a closed off discomfort, and the leaning back showing the complete opposite. Max at times was a confusing walking contradiction, which reflected his indecisive state of mind.
Karla started the conversation. Max gave her most of his attention, though he observed Xara from the corner of his eye occasionally. “Well, that’s what I was telling ... er ... these two other shifters, long story...before. That not all humans were bad, though some were. And not all shifters are bad, but yeah, some are.” Max nodded in agreement, then lapsed into silence. He didn’t speak again for quite some time, merely watching the conversation fly back and forth.
“I...I didn’t really know either, about the guilds, I’m not in one,” he admitted, but neither of them appeared to be listening to him. A sudden flurry of activity made Max flinch slightly in surprise. A bundle of golden fur tore past him, large enough to startle him again. He had never seen Xara transform before. Nor could he have known what Karla’s animal form was. Sharp, menacing teeth. Bushy fur. Claws and attitude. A wolverine.
Fuck this is gonna get nasty...
Max jumped out of the seat and circled widely around the two aggressive animals. His own hackles rose; the hairs on his neck and arms stood up, and his eyes darted between the two animals, trying to determine which would win. Xara’s serval form was fairly large. At least as tall as he was in his wolf dog form, for he was no bigger than a German Shepherd and as lean as any wild wolf. Xara would weigh less, as cats generally had less muscle than dogs of similar size. She was built for leaping and for stalking. Max on the other hand was built for stamina. Leanly muscled, and not as quick on his feet as a cat, though certainly quick with his jaws. Karla, on the other hand, had taken on a form which was known for its aggressive fighting prowess. She was stockier than Xara. She had a vicious set of claws and teeth, and of course she was older, hence she would have more experience in fighting and shifting. One would imagine. Size-wise, she wasn’t much smaller than they were; while lower to the ground, she was long and muscular. This was not a win-win situation. This was a lose-lose fight.
“Hey guys, this isn’t a good idea,” Max ventured, his voice coming out quietly over the snarling and snapping jaws. They were circling each other, preparing to fight. Not good. What the hell am I supposed to do?! Max thought, feeling panicky. He took a couple of steps forward, now only a few feet away. Though they were now smaller than he was, Max, not being a particularly big person in human form, felt intimidated. Why the fuck do they have to keep fighting like this? It’s so petty. It’s really stupid. A spark of anger clawed its way through Max’s anxiousness. “Cut it the fuck out!” he shouted, more out of desperation, though the slight anger fuelled his impulsiveness. He pulled off his coat and dropped it, hoping he had gotten their attention. Maybe they’ll look at me if I drop down to their level.
Max’s form began to change. He frowned and winced a little as his bones began to rearrange themselves, but the shift was ultimately quick, the pain not lasting long enough to cause any real distress. Most of his clothes changed with him, a trick his ex girlfriend had shown him before she has disappeared into the wilderness. The canine charm Xara had given to him still hung around his neck, nestled in his chest fur. It was the only thing marking him as even a little bit domesticated. Without the dog collar Max sometimes wore, he could have been a feral wolf. He accentuated the lupine side of him by baring his teeth in a snarl, his hackles rising. As Max wasn’t an alpha personality, his tail and ears didn’t automatically perk up. Rather, he just wanted them to know he was ready to break them apart for their own good if it came to that, his snarl the equivalent of a human curse word. It was unlikely that Max would resort to biting or tackling them unless they attacked him head on. His fur bunched up and his tail puffed to make him look bigger, since he probably wasn’t that big of a threat.
He wasn’t sure he could take them both on; that was highly doubtful. Wolverines were dangerous even to wolves, and Xara’s serval form looked formidable from this new height. He was reminded uncomfortably of Noxx’s feline claws. The snarl stopped as abruptly as it had started, replaced with a soft bark, perked ears and a slightly wagging tail. Max had a longer tail than a dog or wolf should have, perhaps due to being a cross breed. The long tail was just one giveaway that he was not a full blooded wolf or dog. It waved behind him, a hesitant gesture but one which helped to say clearly ‘please stop fighting’. He whined slightly, putting another hesitant paw in front of him but drawing it back just as quickly.
[/color] ((OOC: I did research the animal sizes. I wanted to know if a serval was much smaller than a wolf dog. Height wise, they are approximately the same. Not sure about length. Max has a long tail for a dog or wolf. But cats likely weigh less unless they are leopards, lions, tigers etc. Max isn’t too big but would weigh more than her.))
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