Racing the Storm

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #20 on:** May 02, 2014, 12:46:05 AM

"Oh dear, are you...are you all right?" Lily stammered nervously, running into the room. "It's okay!" she tried to console the rat. "We're not going to hurt you!"

bushwacked · **Reply #21 on:** May 02, 2014, 02:40:00 PM

Rio looked quickly between the ferret and the woman who'd just rushed in. He finally noticed the backpack lying on the bed, and considered making a dash for it, but it was too close to them, and besides... where would he go? He swallowed. It was worth a try. His eyes grew wide and innocent. "Please, I'm... I'm so scared... I need help!" Rio turned his doe eyes to the downed rat, his voice trembling as if he was going to cry. "I, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so, so sorry! You just scared me! Please, I'm just a little boy..."

With Lily's help, Axel stood up slowly. His legs shook, then buckled, and he sat down on the bed with a groan. "What's... in bag?"

"Huh?"

Reaching next to him, Axel picked up the backpack and shook it weakly. "What's... Ooohh... What's in this?"

Rio's face reddened. "Oh, nothing! Just, er, just toys and stuff!" Suddenly, the bag's zipper gave... and from it poured bundles and bundles of credits, raining on the bed and floor. Axel watched blankly as they tumbled out, and when at last the final one fell he turned his gaze up to the kid.

Rio's posture slumped. "Oh, fuck me." He sighed. "Alright. I'll cut the bullshit. But I do need some help." He licked his lips. "Could I maybe get a glass of water, or something? I'm really fucking thirsty."

-------------------------------------

Triste looked over her shoulder when she heard her name being called, and when she saw the large group gathered behind her, Triste turned around. "Another project. Really." Three humans, a tapir, and a tayra. The Ivitz didn't send them to find me, did they?

No. Not on our records.

The spider gecko narrowed her eyes at them. She couldn't just discount them - they knew her name. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said lowly. "Get out of here." Knowing the chances of that happening were fairly low, Triste shifted her posture slightly, defensively.

Pterano · **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2014, 04:30:54 PM

Tony blinked, and looked down at the whopping amount of credits sprawled out on the bed. "What the... hell?" he asked, noting it was a good amount, and much more than anyone would ever normally carry. "All right... where'd you get all this?" he asked suspiciously, picking one up and studying it to see if it was a forgery or genuine. "Furthermore, what's a guy with this many creds need to break into other people's homes for anyway? This stinks worse than a beached fish at low tide."

He had to admit though... his father had grown up kind of similar to this, and he wasn't completely without sympathy for the kid. "As for the glass of water, I don't see the harm in that, but this isn't my house, so it's not my call." he ultimately stated.

"I thought you might say that." the tapir said more menacingly this time, and smiled wickedly as his hand whipped upward and produced the taser in one swift motion. It only culminated in the actual firing of the small dart which lanced out the end of the device and headed right for the spider gecko with a slight crackle...

Vergil had seen this coming about a half a second before it occurred, and was already springing into action, but he had the table between himself and the group, so right as the taser fired he was leaping across said table, bounding over it and reaching down for his energy blade at his side right as the human on the far right started to turn towards him in a delayed reaction...

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #23 on:** May 02, 2014, 05:00:59 PM

Lily had already rushed back to the kitchen and brought Rio a glass of water, having used the one she'd already set aside for Tony's beer. "Here you go," she smiled softly. "We won't harm you, it's all right."

She turned to the others. "Why does it matter where he got the credits? Look at his clothes, he's clearly a street urchin. I think we should replace his bag and help him on his way. We could buy him a train ticket and he could start a new life in a nearby town. Chancellorsville perhaps." As a former fugitive herself, Lily had a soft spot for others who were on the lam with nobody to turn to, and was incredibly quick to forgive even the most suspicious of appearances. After all, if Axel had not given her the benefit of the doubt when they first met, she would have died in an alleyway on her first day in Lanthae.

Pterano · **Reply #24 on:** May 02, 2014, 05:21:44 PM

"I'm only asking because if he pissed off the wrong guys, it'll mean a world of trouble for him if that money doesn't belong to him. There are some very powerful people in this city, and I don't like to think about the things they could do to him if they caught him. Might sound strange, given my own family, but I just want to make sure he's not gonna get into greater trouble after leaving here... or indeed, bring trouble here for that matter." Tony explained. "I could say it's not my problem, and it's not, but all the same, still want to make sure he'll be OK before we send him on his way."

Serris · **Reply #25 on:** May 02, 2014, 06:17:56 PM

"What do you mean you lost the creds!?" Ruozheng "Rory" Zhao thundered, pointing a steely finger at the two unlucky underlings in front of him. The scent of incense hung faintly in the air, hinting at the meeting place's "official" purpose as a meeting place for a Chinese fraternal organization. Behind him was a small shrine to the gods of the Earth.

"It was not our fault, Sir," the Chinese Water Dragon said, his tail twitching nervously. "We were wrapping up a deal."

"Not your fault!? Why the fuck weren't you watching the bag?" The Triad enforcer then rubbed his temples with his mechanical hands. He slowly took a deep breath to calm down. "There's a bug inside the bag. I'll go send some 49ers after it."

He then turned to the duo. "You two, on the other hand. Get out of my office! And find some way to redeem yourselves before I have you fed to the catfish and crabs!"

The two 49ers scurried out of the office.

Rory pressed the intercom on his desk. "Yuan, Lin and Zhu to my office!"

Less than three minutes later, a Giant Panda and two Humans entered the office. All of them wore very sharp business attire. Both the Humans were Augments despite looking like Baselines, equipped with artificially enhanced senses as well as reinforced bones and artificial muscles far stronger than natural ones. However, one of them was bald.

"Your orders?" the Giant Panda asked.

"Find the creds those two fan tung lost."

"Yes, Dai Lo."

(OOC - Fan tung [transliteration is probably off] is a Cantonese word literally meaning "rice bucket" but is slang for "idiot" or "dumbass".)
(OOC - dai lo literally means "big brother" but it's also apparently a respectful term that subordinates use to refer to their superiors.)
(OOC - Lin is the Giant Panda. Yuan is the bald Human. Zhu is the other Human.)

bushwacked · **Reply #26 on:** May 02, 2014, 07:51:40 PM

Rio took the glass, gulping down the water quickly with a satisfied gasp. "Thanks. Alright, yeah, the money might not be mine exactly." He looked at Tony. "And I wasn't breaking in here in steal anything. I swear. I was hiding."

Axel looked down at the credits uneasily. "Answer his question," he told the kid. The pain from the kick was starting to fade into a sick pain in his stomach, but at least he felt like he could breath now. "Who's money is this?"

Rio looked down at his worn trainers. "It might...kind of be, ah... the Chinese Mafia's money," he said shiftily. He looked up at the three of them. "Look, I know this sounds bad, but... I got payed to run ingredients over to the Triads. You know, for drugs, that kind of stuff. Yesterday, I was making another delivery to their warehouse, and when I was in there I saw this huge fucking stash of credits. I knew it wouldn't be there long, so this morning I broke in and just... stole it, kinda." Rio gritted his teeth, his hands fiddling with the glass uncomfortably. "Look, have you guys seen what it's like in the slums here? And I mean the slums, the real shit pits. Living there... it's the worst fucking thing I can think of and until I saw that money, I didn't think there was any way I could get out of it."

The boy slouched back against the wall, and now the emotion in his voice was real. "I didn't want to live like that anymore, man. Fuck that. So yeah. I took it. I thought it could be my way out." He glanced between the three adults. "I don't think they can find me out here, and I just need some time to figure out what I'm gonna do with all this shit. And I can't stay on the streets or, or go to a hotel or something. I mean, a kid with all this?" Rio waved a hand despondently at the credits. "Sure. People aren't going to notice that. Please, just... look, if you let me stay here just for a bit, I'll split some of the cash with you. Just for a while. If I go out there like this, I'm as good as dead."

Axel bit his lip. This sounded like trouble... serious trouble. But if the kid was telling the truth, and they just kicked him out... Godammit. Sighing, he looked up at Lily, unsure.

-------------------------------------

Triste saw the tapir's fist rising, and without thinking she lurched to the side, the dart missing her neck by millimeters. In a smooth motion, she seized the tapir's arm and pulled him forwards, pistoning her right leg forwards. Her foot connected with his knee, and with a wet pop his leg seemed to snap in half.

Stepping back to let him fall to the floor, she flicked her hand and suddenly a small, curved knife appeared in her hand. Triste twisted the knife around so it was held in a reverse grip and started to advance on the others, catching Vergil leaping over the table in the corner of her eye.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #27 on:** May 02, 2014, 09:06:50 PM

"Well, we certainly don't want any of the money!" exclaimed Lily. "If you stay, it'll be for free." And temporary, she wanted to add, but that would seem harsh. Truth be told, she didn't quite understand the degree of danger this lad had put himself in; her fugitive story cast significantly less blame on herself than Rio's, but she could understand the desire to escape the street life, especially as a child.

She glanced at Tony, seeing as how he knew more of this stuff than she did. "What if...we drove the bag of money out into the countryside and left it somewhere? Or just bought this young man a ticket to another country? It doesn't sound he should stay around here..."

Pterano · **Reply #28 on:** May 02, 2014, 11:11:57 PM

Tony closed his eyes at the mention of the Chinese mobs. "Christ..." he breathed. "Not... the best and safest way to get rich quick, kid." the ferret commented, shaking his head. "You're putting yourself in real danger... and I'm not talking the kind you see in movies. This is the real deal. I should know, since my father's a pretty famous don. Staying here's not gonna work. A lot of times, these mobs tag their creds so they can trace 'em. That way it's easier to regather the funds if they've been laundered... or stolen. You gotta ditch that money, kid. Now." Tony emphasized. "I understand you want out of that life but... stealing mob funds isn't the way."

He nodded at Lily. "Yeah... or we could return it. Either way's fine with me. We dump it somewhere to be found, or we give it back. Either way, the last thing to do is have him keep moving with it in his possession. They'll track him down. I don't mind spotting him cash for a ticket, but he travels with that money at his own risk, is all I'm saying." the mustelid cautioned.

"Axel... we gotta get rid of that money... or let him go off with it, but he's dead if he does that. I'm not sure how much time we have, but we can't sit here discussing this." Tony explained with dead seriousness.

The tapir screamed in agony as his leg was broken cleanly by Agent Acyle. "Gagggggh! You fuckin' bitch!" he wailed, going down to the floor. "Get her!" he shouted in agony, holding his leg as he fumbled around for the taser, which he'd released after the searing pain had shot through his leg.

Beginning to draw their guns, the human in the middle looked at the human to his right with some confusion. "We can't kill her!" he reiterated.

"Crippling her she'll still be in one piece!" the other guy retorted as he took aim with a pistol for Triste's legs.

The guy that Vergil was heading for just barely drew his pistol before losing his hand when the gecko's energy blade was ignited, the beam slicing the arm off below the elbow. He screamed in pain and shock as he toppled backwards, clutching the stump where his lower right arm had been.

"Shit!" The guy in the middle pivoted and fired on Vergil, the white gecko managing to dodge to the side just in time as a particularly thick tome on ancient ruins behind him took the full impact of the bullet that had been intended for him.

Unseen behind the next bookcase, the tayra poked his head out and saw the unfolding battle. "Dammit... we've got problems." he muttered into his headset.

"Second team is standing by down below... we'll move on your signal." was the response.

"Might need that now... but hold off on blowing the place." the tayra replied. "I want to try and minimize casualties if possible for the moment." He slid back out of sight behind the books, pulled out a pistol and yanked the slide back as he steadied himself. Not yet... as team leader, he couldn't expose himself just yet...

bushwacked · **Reply #29 on:** May 03, 2014, 10:49:16 AM

"Give it back?!" Rio spluttered. "No fucking way. No. I can't see them again. Even if I do, it's not like they're just gonna forget about it. And what would I do in another country?"

"There's no way you're staying here with it," Axel said.

"Alright then, I'll just... I'll do what that guy said! Hide it in the countryside somewhere, maybe I can find a way to use it..."

"He just said it's probably tagged," the rat interrupted him. "If you use it, or keep it anywhere near you, they'll find you. Don't you get that?" He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "Jesus... what the hell were you thinking?"

Rio's mouth opened, then closed again. He swallowed, his fingers working at the glass as the reality of the situation he'd gotten himself into dawned on him. He'd thought maybe he could try to make a new start, somehow... but in the end he was going to be in the same position as always. Or in an even worse one - now it wasn't even safe for him to return to the slums. He had nothing.

Axel sighed and rested his head in a hand. "Shit... Alright, we'll drive it out to the countryside and dump it. The further we put between us and it, the better." He looked at Rio. "Did anybody see you come here?" The boy shook his head no. Axel nodded and leaned over, roughly shoving the credit bundles back into the bag. Making sure he hadn't missed any, he stood up and slung it over one shoulder, the strap set at a size far too small for him. "You can stay here for tonight. In the morning, we'll figure out what to do with you." Axel looked over at Lily, his ears drooping slightly. We can't just kick him out onto the street.

----------------------------------------------

Triste sprinted for the human on the right as he took aim. Using her smaller size to her advantage, she drew within reach, slapped his gun upwards then hooked the curved edge of the blade around the inside of his thigh. Drawing it back towards her, the blade sliced through the human's muscle and femoral artery. As he fell to his knees in front of her, Triste slashed the knife sideways to open his throat. At the sound of a sudden gunshot, her head jerked sideways and her eyes widened as she saw the man firing at Vergil. No!

Pushing the dying human out of the way, Triste leaped up onto the man's back, wrapped a spindly arm around his neck and jabbed her fist forwards, the blade sinking between his vertebrae. She twisted the knife and there was a crunch as his spinal column separated.

Pterano · **Reply #30 on:** May 03, 2014, 02:20:47 PM

Tony nodded at the rat's outline. "All right... I guess I'm the one who has to drive it. I'm not sure I'm gonna go entirely out into the countryside, since that's a bit far. I might just dump it as soon as I can, or... see if the triads' contact info is anywhere conveniently stashed in my phone. I'm wary about driving it all the way out of the city, since it's going to look like I'm fleeing with it." he explained.

He picked up the bag, giving it a woeful look. "Um... you mind if I take the beer with me? I'm gonna need some fortification before I get out on the road." Tony gave Axel a hopeful look. Drinking and driving was of course totally illegal, but the ferret wasn't planning on being overt about it, and one beer wouldn't bring him over the limit.

Pulling his phone out, he began searching through his contacts, seeing if his father had given him the info of any of the triads in Corona in case of emergencies.

Vergil paused as Triste rather effectively killed the two humans in the middle of the room. That just left the partially armless human, who was going into shock, and the tapir, who'd managed to finally fumble around enough to locate the taser. Vergil gave the fellow one look and just as he was raising to fire into Triste's back, the tapir was suddenly thrown backwards against the bookcase and let out a surprised gasp as he crumpled, unconscious amidst a pile of books.

"Well... friends of yours?" Vergil asked as he straightened up and looked around before whipping his tail into the back of the head of the human he'd "disarmed" earlier in order to get him to cease his bellowing. "Or should I say, friends of 'ours', since apparently, I was in your squad at some point?" He extinguished his blade, and dropped it back onto the belt at his side, his feathers standing a bit more on end from the adrenaline rush he'd just been through.

Behind the bookcase, the tayra silently cursed. Dammit! So much for his team! Sliding the gun quietly back into the waist of his pants, he tried to act inconspicuous as he began making his way back to the elevator, but then stopped, and figured he'd listen in from his position. Besides, he was dealing with at least one telekinetic, maybe two. The gecko had held his own, much to the team's surprise. Their lack of preparation had cost them, and now they were down a squad. At least they had sizable backups waiting in the wings so to speak...

Serris · **Reply #31 on:** May 03, 2014, 04:16:45 PM

Lin, Yuan and Zhu walked around Corona's business district. All three of them carried Beretta 92 pistols inside their sport coats. While the weapons they carried were practically antiques compared to the energy weapons that were readily available on the civilian market, they had a distinct advantage. Thanks to their lack of a battery and electronics, most scanners would not detect them.

Of course, no one suspected the trio to to Triads. They looked just like any other businessman.

"That's odd," Yuan said, looking at his tablet. "The money went to the edge of town."

"We'll go there," Lin said as he flagged down a taxi.

The trio bundled into the taxi. "Where to?" the Human driver asked, a slight German accent tinting his voice.

"To Crown Gardens," Lin said.

The driver gave the trio a funny look. "Do you mean Crown Avenue? I can't seeó" Crown Gardens was a working class neighborhood outside Corona city limits. Crown Avenue was a posh upmarket neighborhood near the Financial District.

"Crown Gardens," Lin said, cutting the driver off.

"Whatever you say." The repulsorcar lifted off vertically as he merged into the skyway above and headed for Crown Gardens. Where Axel and Lily lived.

--------------

Soren was about to put another lentil chip into his mouth when he saw Anne perched atop the roof of the next door building. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Maria! Rose! Look out the window! It's Anne!"

---------------

Anne breathed in the air as she stood atop the building. She peered behind her, enormous wings of pure golden light shimmered. She had done it, she had somehow become a Cerosala. And now she would prove her acension by flying.

Of course, none of this was real. The marijuana joint she had purchased and smoked had been of an unusual strain. Genes belonging to the ergot fungus had been inserted into the plant via genetic engineering techniques. As a result, smoking a full joint was like taking multiple hits of LSD. At the same time. Normally, this strain was supposed to be used in miniscule amounts to make "space cookies" and similar psychoactive foods.

(OOC - Cerosala are equinoid angels with a unicorn horn and wings of pure light. They feature in myths in the Into the Black 'verse)". The term is from Latin combining the words for horn and wing.)

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #32 on:** May 03, 2014, 05:17:19 PM

"You can have anything you like!" exclaimed Lily. "Maybe some strawberry ice cream in case it gets too hot?"

She looked at Rio. "Of course he can stay the night with us. And then we'll give him what he needs to live for a while wherever he turns up." She said this last bit hesitantly, as she knew that Axel had been saving up in hopes of upgrading their current living situation, and that slush fund is obviously from where Rio's gift would be coming. Also, she suspected Rio would probably misuse most of the money and wind up in his original ways, not due to any fault of his own except youth and inexperience. But the alternative was letting him live with them longer than part time, and she couldn't ask that of Axel. While part of her had been wanting children for a while now, this neighborhood was hardly the healthiest place for a child to grow up, and she could never bring herself to ask Axel. She suspected he was too busy trying to keep their own lives afloat without having to care for yet another.

bushwacked · **Reply #33 on:** May 03, 2014, 07:15:21 PM

Axel smiled grimly. "Take it. Ice cream's off limits though." He was trying to make jokes, but inside his stomach was turning knots. "Be careful, alright?" he said, putting a hand on the ferret's shoulder. "And when it's done, give us a call so we know you're okay."

"Can I have a beer?" Rio piped up.

Turning, Axel frowned. "No."

A sulky look passed across the boy's face. "Fucking bullshit," he said quietly.

"Hey! Do you know what a risk this guy is taking? For you? You haven't even said thank you."

Rio looked at Tony holding the bag, his dark hair falling over his eyes. All he saw was someone taking off with the money he'd worked so hard to get, the money that could have spelt a new life for him. "Thank you," he said eventually. It didn't sound sincere.

Axel sighed. "Just... sit there and be quiet," he said, pointing to the corner of the bed. The rat turned back to Tony. "We owe you for this. Thanks Tony."

-------------------------------------------

"You could say that. It was time I found some new friends, anyway," Triste said drily. She slid the knife from the man's back and wiped the blood from its surface on his shoulder. Sliding it back into the strap on her forearm, she looked down at the bodies around her. "Kalis' men, probably. They've been stepping up their attacks lately, and that makes me uncomfortable. Something big's coming, Vergil. And we're going to need your help."

She looked up at Vergil and tilted her head. "You still haven't lost it, I see." A smile played across her face. Gesturing, she started to walk back to the elevators. "Let's go. You won't find your answers if you're dead, Vergil." We were just attacked. Likely Kalis' men.

You can't allow any harm to come to the target. Hurry back.

Pterano · **Reply #34 on:** May 03, 2014, 11:18:49 PM

Tony nodded, and hefted the bag over his shoulder. "Friends can't be in debt to each other." he responded simply, and began heading for the kitchen, swiping the beer on the way out. "I'll be sure to call when I'm out of harm's way!" he shouted back into the house, and made his way quickly down the path to the Delahaye. Finally finding the number of "Rory" Zhao, he decided to try the Bak Long Triad first. They were by far the most prominent triad in Corona, after all.

Sliding behind the wheel, he started up the engine and got the expensive car rolling. Chugging the beer, he dialed Rory's number to find out what was up, and if he knew anything about the missing money. Of course... he'd need to tread cautiously. If it wasn't the Bak Long Triad's money, they might try and hunt him down anyway once they learned he was in possession of quite the amount of creds.

The tayra peered cautiously around the bookcase again, watching the two head for the elevators. He didn't make any sudden moves though.

Vergil nodded as he followed after Triste. "I still haven't lost it?" he smiled back. "Good to know I'm as good as I was... and Kalis? I knew it!" he snarled. "He made an appearance in Lanthae a half a year ago, and mostly leveled the place! I'm convinced he's part of my past and I was right! I've been meaning to try and seek him out for answers but... he doesn't exactly seem like the type of person you find... more like he finds you, and seems I'm not too far off. At least you and the others can provide me with answers." he confessed gratefully.

Something about how she said something big was coming unsettled him, and the gecko figured the faster they got to wherever she wanted to take him, the better. As the elevator doors closed and they began heading down, the tayra finally spoke into his headset. "They're on the way down! You'll have to work fast!"

"Copy. Police are already on their way. No point in wasting time." was the response from the second team's leader.

Inside the elevator, Vergil looked over at Triste. "So... how well did we know each other before the whole... thing on Rex's ship?" he inquired.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #35 on:** May 04, 2014, 04:38:51 AM

Lily was silent as Tony left the place. A few awkward moments passed.

"...so, uh, what did you say your name was?" asked Lily, coming up with the best icebreaker she could. "Do you want anything to...drink?"

Nick22 · **Reply #36 on:** May 04, 2014, 03:13:40 PM

What the heck is she doing/ rose started as she rushed to the wiondow. the next building was roughly 3 stories taller than their building ' is she dealong drugs again?
- you know anne, its how she pays her portion of rent' Marita sighed.' We need to get her attention! Soren! does she have a phone? call it!' she said to him. marie gasped as she saw Anne on the roof, apparently ready to jump off..

Serris · **Reply #37 on:** May 04, 2014, 04:08:37 PM

"Something tells me that she went scavenging and blew her creds on something!" Soren grabbed the radio transmitter that Anne had scavenged from somewhere.

"Anne!" he said into the radio handset. "Back away from the edge! Step back from the edge!"

---------

Soren's voice, distorted by radio static echoed in her head, courtesy of her antenna horn.

"Ehh, Soren? Did you ascend too?" she asked aloud and transmitted.

By this time, numerous spectators were crowded around the ground floor and staring at the spectacle.

---------

Soren covered the handset with his hand. "I'll keep her talking. You three get to the next building and grab her."

"Anne," he said. "So tell me what you 'ascension' is like?"

"Oh it's wonderful! I can see for miles!"

Nick22 · **Reply #38 on:** May 04, 2014, 04:21:01 PM

Marita , Rose and marie ran out of the room, and headed down the stairs. it would probably take them a few minutes to get to the top of the building. hopefully Soren could keep Anne occupid long enough for them to grab her. marita rushed in and reached an elevator which took a couple minutes to open. the three of them entered, she punched the button that said' roof', and the elevator began to ascend.' wonder what drugs shes on to do something that.." Rose said.

bushwacked · **Reply #39 on:** May 04, 2014, 04:48:52 PM

The boy looked up at Lily as he sat on the corner of the bed, his lower lip threatening to protrude in a pout. "Rio," he said sulkily. "And I don't know why I can't have a beer..."

Axel grimaced. "Because you're... like, what, 10 years old? No way."

"I'm 13!"

"Whatever. You can have, ah... juice or something instead. This is Lily, by the way, and I'm Axel." Rio shrugged his shoulders. Gritting his teeth, Axel turned to Lily. "Can I speak to you for a second?" Leaving the bedroom, he walked with her to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. "I'm, ah... I know I kind of said he could stay without asking you," he said as he took out a carton containing the last of the orange juice and poured it out into another glass. "I'm sorry. But, ah... you know... I'd feel pretty bad if we just kicked him out." Axel put the carton back and gave Lily a smile. "Tomorrow, I'll figure out what to do. It'll be okay."

---------------------------------

Triste gave Vergil a sideways glance as the elevator traveled down. "Well, now I'm offended if you don't remember that." Her tail snaked out and lightly brushed up against his leg. "Let's just say we had our own... special training program. Maybe now that you're back, we can make sure we haven't gotten rusty."

Taking her tail away abruptly, she crossed her arms and faced forwards again. The numbers above the door continued to drop as they approached the ground floor.