Roleplay

@InvaderCristi @ShadowGuardian0 @Oreo321

Zosia panted, staring at the Aven, taking in the air that had been knocked out of her as the pebbles of glass fell away. She'd hit, judging by the equal amount of blood being lost from the enemy aven as was flowing from the bullet wound in her shoulder. When they stopped themselves from falling she had been slightly higher in altitude than the other, but she was sinking fast, the pain in her shoulder sparking with every beat of her wing and she was soon equal to the opposing Aven in height. They had left the arachned up a few levels, but she couldn't let herself forget him. He had the Aven's gun, and whether or not he could shoot, massive wings weren't the hardest target to hit.

The Aven seemed to be looking at something over her shoulder, but she didn't turn around, it might have been a trap or she might be getting ambushed from behind. She decided to risk it and keep watching the Aven, at least she knew for sure that her target was in front of her. What ever was behind her though seemed to make the Aven uncomfortable and wishing for her to surrender so she hoped that meant the Aven also didn't want whatever it was to be coming any closer.

She took a minute to take in the Aven's offer. Was she really saying that? By now she was very close to giving up, the pain was hardly bearable, but she only had one bow and she couldn't fly defenceless. "I'll take you up on that offer..." She paused for a brief moment, "But only if you throw in my bow, because I'm not about to go easily without it." She knew the Aven probably wouldn't care but she added in the fake story anyway, "It...it's the last thing I have of my past, and my brother." She tried to sound sad, worried even, but she wasn't sure if it was entirely convincing, she certainly hadn't felt sad for a long while though she was already, naturally, worried.

She awaited the answer, staring down the other Aven and barely blinking. She wasn't going to be caught off guard if the Aven responded with an attack and no words. The fingers of her right hand danced over the arrows left in her quiver, waiting for a second to see if she would need to defend herself, or if the Aven would actually let her retrieve her bow.

The arrow clattered to the ground a few feet ahead of Findri and he looked up, peering past the rain to make out two shapes. Two Avens, one with the characteristic double wings he knew as Sariah. She was in a fight, but must have noticed him as his presence seemed to catch her, and he backed up sensing something was up. She never let people walk away without a fight. It wasn't like her. Unless...maybe she was injured? Or worried about him? If she was injured it would bug him that he'd walked away so he didn't go far and kept his ears perked up to the noise of the battle.

His concerned thoughts were interrupted by a very quiet hello and he realized he'd backed himself up the street that led into the river. For a second he couldn't see anything as he went from standing on all fours to standing upright on his hind legs, then she poked her head out of the water. A Picten. Cool. He hadn't been around water enough to see them very often, and it was pretty hard to tell a most pictens apart from regular humans as they usually could hide their changes very well.

"I'm Misty, and you are?" He was the trusting type, and she didn't seem to be about to hurt him, so, "uh, you can call me Fin". He looked back to the place where the fight was going on. It was hard to make out if anything had happened and his ears told him nothing had. Yet. He could at least pass the time by talking.

"With all the fighting going on now no one really talks anymore..." he sat down on the rocks, facing away from the battle. His ears couldn't move and so he heard things better when he was facing the opposite way and he was mostly focused on what was happening further down the street. "What's it like to be a Picten anyway? Water-wise and stuff...Is it safer?" He felt like he should converse, as she had nicely introduced herself. Maybe being water-bound was boring and she wanted to talk? He wasn't too sure, but didn't question it too much. Besides, it would keep him from going back and distracting Sariah.

@invadercristi @quicksilvr @oreo321

Sariah was a little stunned how she quickly accepted the offer, until she made the request. Sariah gave a sigh, this was touchy. Avens loved ranged weapons, with a weapon, she could easily inflict heavy damage, even without being shot, they were formidable weapons to stab with.

She saw Findri notice her and back away out of sight, good, now she could be a little more aggressive. "How can I trust you? Sariah asked the aven and took a quick look at Mortem. did he agree with the verdict? "How about this?" She asked the Aven and thought of a plan quickly. She gave a nod and said "This isn't an attack, only to buy me a little time. What comes after is not aggressive, but only safeguarding myself" and she pulled out sap gloves from her jacket, pained, and quickly tied them to the bow, forcefully throwing it down to the ground. With the added weight, she would have to fly fast to catch it in time.

As the bow fell, she quickly flew back to the window and grabbed her rifle, only taking a few seconds to get in and out before ascending very quickly to the rooftop where she aimed her gun at the Aven. Now there was little choice, a bullet moved much faster than any arrow and was much more deadly.

For a moment, her vision fogged but cleared when she blinked. That was not a good sign. She had been stabbed pretty deeply for just an arrow, and a little closer to her vital organs than she'd have liked. There was quite a bit of blood now, the shirt was ruined, and her gear would need to be cleaned with alcohol then water then oiled. What a mess.

But aside from that she noticed she wasn't as sharp, a little sluggish, she had smacked her wing on the frame of the hole and bruised it when she grabbed her rifle, not something she would normally do. Blood was actively dripping from her, wingbeats took a toll. The adrenaline, flying, and activity only hurt her, she'd have to be careful to end it quickly, if it dragged on, she'd lose with her injuries.

The blood dripped from her boots freely, getting the Blood-Borne Pathogen resistant ones was probably a good thing, not from her own blood, but her blood was surely a reminder. The blood would fall for a few seconds and then splat on the ground. This she heard well enough and any animal with a wet nose probably smelled it too. Or anything that used to be human with a wet nose. The rain and wind seemed to let up a bit, at least, and that gave her a sigh of relief. Her wings were starting to run out of the precious water-proof oils that kept them dry. She was probably going to get a cough from this cold water, wind, activity.

She could still shoot, but what a dishonorable thing to do. But this Aven now knew one of her safe houses... not so safe anymore. Maybe Mortem would deal with her. She hoped. Mortem could probably take her out as well, but at this point, it wasn't worth her thought or time gambling that thought away. Focus on the enemy that WAS trying to kill her. Secondary threats later.

The pain was quite a bit, compared to her recent spree of "No injuries in 62 days" had just been ruined, and that felt... painful. She wondered what Crow would say to her now. Probably tsk and give that little grinding sound of his beak that he did so often. But no doubt he would join in and protect her, if only he was here.

The thought occurred to her, she might die here. The aven might be faster than her plans and she could get shot dead right on the rooftop, maybe get shot, survive the initial bloodshed, and then get an infection and die that way, or picked off by stronger people, rogues or these new dark groups that have been coming from the worst parts of town.

But she too, pushed that thought away, getting distracted by her own thoughts was too much sometimes, and led her into trouble. She had so far gotten away or killed the offender, but this time she might not be so lucky.

(Okay I'm bringing Crow into this now)

@QuickSilvr


Misty laid her head on the rocks just as the boy was about to speak, "Uh, you can call me Fin," he seamed a bit taken back but she didn't really seem to mind.

She heard his comment about the war which made questions bubble inside of her but she didn't want to say to much, and nodded her head in sympathy.
"I'm sorry no one talks to much anymore..." Her voice drifted away as she noticed neither had she.

As he sat down she moved back a little, her vision was blurring and she almost couldn't make out who she was speaking with. His comment about Pictens made shocked her, safer? She spoke a bit louder then before to make sure he was able to hear, "It's just as dangerous under the water, especially when you can't come out of it." She flopped her tail so he could see.

He seemed to be hiding something but she didn't ask, she just kept talking until she realized her voice had started to sound like she was underwater.
She asked herself under her breathe hoping Fin couldn't hear considering he seemed to have adapted to his changes quite well, Why did this have to happen to me?! I wish it could go back to ways thing used to be! Of course on the inside she knew it wouldn't.
It's just not the way things work, she reminded herself.

"How's it like up on land?" Misty asked remembering the last time she had been on land, a time after her parents had been killed by the plague. Her voice was back to normal which was always good, sadly she knew it wouldn't last long.

@oreo321

Misti had a point, what was safer when you only have a limited amount of space to roam in, but then, how may pictens were there? "I doubt anywhere is safe anymore...Not land, not water, not...air" he sighed as he stumbled over the mention of air and flight, thinking of the fight between his friend and, most likely, some violent maniac, so high above the pavement. He wanted to go help her, but, what was it, 50 floors up? Way to high.

Hearing her mutter something quietly and thinking he was missing something, possibly something important, he turned more of his attention towards her, trying to hear what she had to say. He heard it all right, but decided not to comment, she didn't seem to want him to hear, as should have been apparent by her lower voice. He understood her thoughts though, connected with them even, changing things back would certainly fix so many problems, and change his past to something not so..horrid.

It's um, good, though nothing special." Childhood wonder of the world had quickly disappeared once the plague hit. "There's just always so much hate, and I wish that wasn't the case, but I guess in reality, it's not that much different from before, though I don't know for sure, I was around 17...I think...when it hit." He paused thinking a bit more of day to day life... "Of course there is always the constant quibble of the light and dark and all that fun. Some winged are getting more protective of their territory, but that's just more a pain than anything." He stopped talking and shook his head. Rain bugged him. He wasn't entirely sure why.

"What's it like being able to go underwater? Personally I think that's super cool, but I'm not one for water." He smiled, hoping he hadn't said anything stupid. He had a tendency to do that when he was stressed, or pressed for thought. This time was most likely a combination of both.

@Quicksilvr

Fin was right, there was no longer a safe place to be. She had tried to learn about all the other regions and if there was a place to hide from the chaos but no such luck, anywhere.
She payed attention to most of the conversation but started to get lost in her thoughts,
Screaming, Crying, Pain Suffering[\i] It had all come back to her the first time the plauge had hit. His comment about the plauge snapped her out of her daydream (well nightmare..)

"I was only 13 when, well the whole thing happened... My parents had died in front of me and I was all alone I knew they wouldn't have wanted me to get sick as well so I-I took the medicine..." She had tears welling in her eyes, normally she hadn't told anyone about what had happened but Fin had told some of his story so she wanted to tell him part of hers.

She held back the tears, and continued to speak, "After taking the medication I developed these," she pointed to her slited eyes and continued, "I lost most of my eyesight, and left myself locked in a cabin that used to belong to my parents... I was starting to go mad and went for a swim, they always used to calm me down. But the moment I had touched the water my tail appeared as well as my gills..." She stopped herself for a moment deciding not to tell anymore.

She let him talk a bit longer until he asked about the water, "It's pretty fun I geuss..." She shrugged her shoulders and looked back towards the water, " You get to see things you never saw before, and you start to understand what it's like under the sea..." Her voice drifted away with the current, and for once in a long time she smiled.

@quicksilvr
@rooibosinblue

(Sorry, meant for Felan and Pigeon to find him)

Crow gave a grunt and opened his eyes. The first thing to hit him was pain. "Uuugh" he groaned, clutching his head. Then he realized it was dark but his eyes were open, he panicked and his heart started beating fast, but light slowly filled his eyes and he calmed. The light was way too bright and he shut them. He shifted his weight and felt grass under him and he was wet.

He had been laying on his gun at the wrong angle and he felt stiff there. His memory was fuzzy. The light was less intense now, and his vision sharpened, but he felt shaky and weak. He rubbed his neck and felt blood, mostly dried. How long had he been there?

He sat up and rubbed his temples, some Asprin would be good about now. But... He landed to investigate a deer... then... his headache started to pulsate and he stopped thinking about what happened for a moment.

He looked around for a moment, the rain helped regain his senses, but he was still not great. With effort he staggered to his feet and caught himself as he fell. He gave deep breaths, trying to regain his balance and strength. Whatever hit him got him good. He flexed his wings, but like this, no way he could fly. He slowly climbed from the ditch and thought of a plan.

He slowly started walking toward a safehouse he knew was in the area. She wouldn't need it anymore... she was gone. Struck down in battle and they couldn't even recover the body.

He shook his head, trying to shake the woozyness. He gave a cough and tasted blood, with no severe wounds, it must be poison, but he couldn't even remember that much.

He slowly made progress, but every step was more painful than the last. His muscles burned, his lungs burned, his headache was growing and his stomach felt awful. He huffed through the streets loudly, walking with a slouch, barely dragging himself along. He would be easy prey and his flock was under strict orders to leave if he did not return. He made sure they understood that.

His vision started fading as he slowed and the wounds in his neck reopened, warm blood trickled down to his chest. He squinted as he saw what he thought was two shapes, but they were fading with each step and heartbeat.

He took one step, but his leg didn't hold this time and he fell. He gave a cough as he struggled to rise again and grab his weapon, but his strength was gone as quickly as it returned. He just hoped his death would be quick and someone more worthy than him would find his weapons.

He remembered something as he felt the rain hit him in the face and he felt the cool road beneath him. There was a girl before, but he couldn't quite picture her. The crunch of his boots echoed in his ears as his vision faded and he found some peace in knowing if he was killed, he would find a friend.

The four winged Aven had saved him and he had saved her, the friends he had lost in battle, and maybe even Findri. The sad lonesome look in his eyes was deep, it was an outrage what had been done to him, but he still held on. Wings that couldn't fly... what a curse for someone so young. He gave a groan and passed out.

@ShadowGuardian0 @Oreo321 @Theirin

Zosia didn't even think for a second that the Aven giving her her bow back might have been a trap. Caught up in her thoughts she tucked her wings and angled herself down following the path the bow took. She was almost to the ground when she stretched out her wings, swung her feet forward and barely managed to grab her bow in her right talons. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off by now and as she bounced off the pavement to climb back into the sky, the painful realization she had been shot reached her. She gripped her shoulder, the whole area was wet with dark, sticky blood and every wingbeat was a strain. She'd never be able to shoot fast enough and she was far to close to the ground now.

One look up and Zosia changed her path from going up to where the other aven was with her gun to going around the corner, to where the other aven wasn't and she could climb higher in peace. A few wingbeats more and she was around the corner, though dropping quickly to the pavement instead of climbing higher like she had wanted to. She wished she could laugh at the surrender business, but the reality of the pain was far too much for that to be considered and the snicker came out more like a cringe combined with a groan. Maybe...just maybe she'd take up that surrender thing, and leave to come back later. To finish things. Her pride and her shoulder hurt as she stumbled onto the ground, landing on her knees, right wing still spread out, left drooping on the ground, like her left arm. Breathing heavily she looked around, almost wondering where she was. Buildings looked different from the ground.

She pushed herself back to her feet and grabbed her bow in her hand, it felt good to have the smooth surface pressed between her fingers again. This wan't a time to admire her weapons though and she started to run before the Aven followed her. She needed a high vantage point, one that looked down on the building the Aven was on, but flying seemed out of the question with her shoulder a bloody mess. She turned another corner, and stopped.

So she was on that side of the town was she.

The large building that Anise called home stood very clearly in front of her. And by the looks of things, she had just missed some fun over here too. She kept her distance from Anise, she wasn't about to try her luck after disappearing for a while. "Fancy seeing you again!" The last thing she wanted to do was to catch her ally off guard, her way of killing always unnerved Zosia.

13 Findri thought. He couldn't imagine being 13 and watching your parents die right in front of you. Feeling awkward that he'd even brought up the subject, he fidgeted, listening to Misty talk about being under the water and watching her smile made his day. That was sweet, he hadn't seen anyone smile in ages, it was all frowns and stern looks that made you feel nervous when people looked at you for too long. But the silence in the conversation made him realize the silence of the street behind him. One or the other must be dead for the battle to end, and he hadn't heard any gunshots.

"I'm sorry Misty, I've, I've got to go..." He trailed off as he awkwardly got to his feet, short limbs sucked when you were trying to get up. "I, I have to go see if my friend is all right!" Fin ran, back down the street to where he had seen Sariah before, a dull throb in his left arm where a scar still marked where he had been stabbed so long ago.

She had to be alright, she couldn't be injured, she couldn't be dead. He was thankful when he saw her still perched atop the building, but the other aven was gone, and there was no body about. He approached the building beneath her and gently pressed his hand to the window. The gecko-like pads clung to the glass, and with a gulp he got a whole three steps up the side of the building before falling back down and clutching the ground, his vision spinning and his heart going a mile a minute.

A splat on his finger got him to open his eyes. The thick red dot pooled and dripped in the crevices of his furry hand. He looked up, she was bleeding. But she looked like she was 100 stories up, and even just looking up was making him dizzy. He really couldn't do anything, and unless Sariah somehow knew about his vertigo, it was unlikely she'd put herself at risk to come down here. Pained, Fin looked around for somewhere else to get up. Oh why, oh why did he have to get involved with Avens when he was so terrified of getting 10 feet off the ground.