[Salem]

So, what was a bored shapeshifter to do? That was the question that ran through Salem's mind as she sat on the back of a bench, watching the citizens of Elysia mill around with little to no clear pattern or indication as to what they had planned for the gloriously sunny day. The concept was still running circles around her head, and on what was an...interesting reflex born out of her curiosity, she looked up at the...sky? or was the cavern ceiling? Either ways, she still was in denial, more or less, about the fact that this place was all underground, but as she showed through her carefree shrug, it just did not matter any more.

Looking back at the crowd, her mind cast itself back to her first appearance here five months ago...five months! She still had no home, nor anything permanent set up here...the Therian was still hoping that she would be able to go home. Ridiculous? Maybe. She should have just given up? Never. Say what you will about Salem...no, Alexis Nayra, a lot people often do, but if there is one thing that defines her, it is that she is one stubborn little...okay, not so little, girl.

Her predatory gaze swept over the crowd as her other, not so innocent side temporarily showed through her mask of innocence, tempered by the predator that was a part of her persona. A very small number of the crowd flinched in someway as their instincts screamed, "PREDATOR!", making Salem crack an evil grin...she would never get tired of the reaction of rodent shifters to her predatory manners, being a feline therian absolutely rocked at times. Sniffing at the only to catch the prevalent scent of vampires tempered with the odd therian and anyeli, a small part of her wondered at the strange disappearance of the other races, the dragons, the nymphs, heck, she even missed the amazing scent of the zanaryans. One should not complain though, Salem nodded to herself as she flipped back off the bench to land on her feet, she really did love her feline reflexes, this was shown through her small smirk and self-satisfied purr then walked to join the throngs of her prey. Her self adoration could wait, right now, she had work to do.

Work you ask? What kind?

There was not much for someone like Salem to do as she generally did not join the Elysian culture outright, staying on the fringes had cost her quite a few things, one of them being a safe job. Then again, those same fringes allowed her to stay anonymous...get it yet?

If you still have not figured it out, the odd gasp of a random Elysian grasping at their pockets or bags showed her small sinister self. Salem needed to survive, as a therian, her instincts understood this concept as the hunt, and everyone was her potential prey...as Salem walked calmly to the cafe for her breakfast, she slipped her hand into the hidden pocket of her new bag and smiled. The wallets and purses she had taken from those few victims should last her a week or so, whispering a silent apology to everyone she filched from, she carried on her way, her hunting for the day done.
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((OOC: Firstly, sorry for any GMing present here...Secondly, Ini, Sanu? If you guys are still interested, here it is...sorry for taking sooooooo long.))

[Inimicus]

Inimicus had paperwork to do, it was so dry but than again it was what his job entailed. Procuring blood from willing doners to use in the kitchens of the crypt was not a streamlined and easy task, ever since the Blood Bank largely dissapeared it was hard to find large quantities of the life giving liquid. Doubtless if he was really desperate he could buy a blood bank on earth by selling a lot of his family estate, but that would be both a deception and something Xanth would not like, neither of which were things he was very interested in. That was not to say Inimicus hated deception, he was fine using it if the situation called, but not often was that the case.

With the paperwork he had decided to come to the Statue early that day and stop by the Cafe for some food, blood was life giving but once in a while food was good even if it did absolutley nothing for him. He was walking away from the staute towards the Cafe when he noticed a rather young looking girl acting very suspiciously and a bunch of people that were yards away from her on the path she had just walked noticing things missing. She was quick he could give her that, but his eyes and his senses were far quicker....though much less so in the even fake light of the underground. He watched her nimble fingers lift the wallet of a passerby and sighed, she seemed to not enjoy doing what she was doing, it was often the case. He rarely met a pickpocket who did it for pure love of the act, most were desperate.

Inimicus stepped out in front of the girl and flared his cape in the breeze to make himself seem bigger, he was armed yes, but he kept his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at the girl. He spoke to her his thick german accent becoming more pronounced, he had stopped trying to diminish his family voice.

" You know Miss while I do not personally understand the situation you are in that forces you to do what you are doing allow me to say one thing. There are many ways to get to this same result that are much more socially acceptable. You may be quick but in Elysia many are quicker. I would ask you to return what you have taken, but I wont this time. Instead how about you offer those up to Xanth hoping she can find the owners and I treat you to breakfast...does that sound good? "

He honestly didnt know how Xanth would respond, but he couldnt remember all the faces of the other races. He spent much of his time trying to remember the people under his rule, especially the Shadow Hunters, Vampires were his priority and he could not be expected to remember every face he saw, he was only 22 after all. He hoped Xanth would understand the reasons behind what this girl was doing. He further hoped she wouldnt try and bolt, he was relativly sure he could catch her but he didnt want to have to and he really didnt want to forcibly stop her. His stare was not predatory, was not cruel, but it was solemn and unflinching, he had learned that from his Grandfather. His face showed no amusement and showed how serious he was, a rather odd thing on his young and normally happy face.



• Piper's Boutique • Dafont • The Beast • Starry Sky • Model • Obsidian Dawn •

[Sanura]

Sanura had met that girl before, but she did not recall if they had ever spoken, and it was much more likely that they had only seen one another. As the cat watched the younger therian work her way through the crowd, her irritation grew. If there was one thing that bothered her about Elysia, aside from its habit of losing inhabitants at unexpected times (herself included, mind you), it was how just one mishap with one member of a race could give the entire race a bad name if anyone found out about it. Her lithe tail swished in annoyance behind her as she sat bristling in the doorway to a shop she had never been in. A pang of misplaced responsibility ran its course through her body and she trotted towards the girl, just in time to see a man of similar age to her approach the therian first and speak with her. The fur along her back raised, Sanura recognized the man as a vampire. As a young cub, her parents had taught her that vampires and therians were natural enemies and that they should be avoided at all costs, and that was part of why she had not been raised in Elysia, but in Italy, the home of her parents. At this recognition, she decided to intervene, perhaps out of a wrongful need to protect the younger therian who rightfully should have been punished. Her own sister was lost to her, and without her to care for, Sanura felt out of place in a way. In the midst of the crowd of people, some frantically searching for the wallets they "knew they had just a moment ago," she shifted with relative ease, though it was not to say it was easy and not at all painful, into her human form and rose, brushing at the front of her pants. "If I may be so bold," she intervened, directing her words to both Salem and Inimicus, "I might suggest that you cease what you've been doing often, as that is how it looks to a bystander's point of view, and seek out help if you need it. And if you're doing what you're doing for the thrill of it. . . I can't say it's a good way to feel that satisfaction." Though Sanura had never done illegal things often herself, her sister had gone down that path and was now to the point of no return, and if possible, Sanura was determined to stop anyone who might be going down that path. "My name is Sanura. I'm a therian as well, and I believe we've met before, but only while I was in a panther form and thus, you don't know me. Regardless, if you need help with anything. . . I'm here, and I want to help, for my own personal reasons as well as helping out another of my own kind," she added, though she didn't know which reason was more prominent in her mind. Her own reasons were to try and make up for allowing her sister to become how she had become, and obviously, she did want to help another of her kind. [[Table by me]] [[cat image]]

[Salem]

Walking slowly through the crowd as to not attract any attention in the wake of four discoveries of missing wallets/purses, Salem began planning how to spend the money she had gained for the next two weeks. She had a little left over from her last escapade, enough for one more breakfast at that amazing cafe...so much had changed since she had come here, now she was not even sure where anyone was anymore. It did not matter though, what mattered was that they had all left her high and dry, so many promises made to send her back home, so many of them broken. Quickly, and somewhat a little too roughly, she wiped away the disappointed tears that formed, passing it off as hayfever to the surrounding crowds with a well-practiced a sneeze and sniffle.

It was at that point her nose picked up the scent of a vampire, extremely close-by, and from the sounds of the vampire's ever closing foot-steps, it did not bode well for her...at all. She could not afford to do anything that would raise anyone's suspicion, but she was caught. Salem felt extremely calm as she stopped in the midst of the crowd, wondering when it would happen. Then as if on cue, the vampire appeared with a sudden flourish of his cape, only to start lecturing her.

Inimicus said:

" You know Miss while I do not personally understand the situation you are in that forces you to do what you are doing allow me to say one thing. There are many ways to get to this same result that are much more socially acceptable. You may be quick but in Elysia many are quicker. I would ask you to return what you have taken, but I wont this time. Instead how about you offer those up to Xanth hoping she can find the owners and I treat you to breakfast...does that sound good? "

The german accent of the vampire made it to her sharp ears as she returned the vampire's gaze with one filled with...nothing, she felt nothing at the fact she was caught, nor did she feel anything in terms of the offer. However...

She looked to the side as she whispered, whilst her stomach's complaints finally reached her, "Breakfast...that does sound good..." Looking back at him with her completely honest eyes, this time filled with a strange loneliness, "But I have to say no...I have to survive too..."

It was at this point, a strange, vaguely identifiable scent reached her nose, and with it, a familiar-looking panther, though she could not quite tell where she had seen her before. Yes, Salem's...wait, all Feline Therian senses were that sharp, Salem could pick up the scent of the panther's gender, a true gift and curse...remember, at times the extra information was not needed nor desired. Watching her shift into a rather beautiful human form, Salem smiled a little lonely smile...just how long had it been since she talked with others?

Sanura said:

"If I may be so bold,"//"I might suggest that you cease what you've been doing often, as that is how it looks to a bystander's point of view, and seek out help if you need it. And if you're doing what you're doing for the thrill of it. . . I can't say it's a good way to feel that satisfaction."//"My name is Sanura. I'm a therian as well, and I believe we've met before, but only while I was in a panther form and thus, you don't know me. Regardless, if you need help with anything. . . I'm here, and I want to help, for my own personal reasons as well as helping out another of my own kind."

A sigh, an extremely tired one at escaped from Salem's lips as her stomach became even more insistent and the honesty in her eyes was hidden away, "I don't do this for some stupid high, I haven't even been at this for a long time." She looked around at the crowd of Elysians, and spotted what she had been looking for. Looking back at Sanura and the vampire, she smiled slightly, "I thought you would understand Sanura...hunting and using only what one needs. Please don't hate me...I'm only surviving."

With that, she leapt into the crowd to her right side with a lonely smile and wave to the two who actually showed any form of concern for her. As she slowly shifted into her strangely domestic ocelot form whilst weaving through the somewhat surprised crowd of Elysians, whispering to her previous victims and random others of the scene she left behind, she knew she was missing a very specific something. For, in the place she stood five minutes ago, there was an oddly heavy, white single-straped bag, the hidden pocket was unzipped and clearly showed what was inside. It was barely two seconds after the young Therian dashed off when a small crowd gathered around the vampire king and the Animal Therian, all of them speaking excitedly as they thanked the two for apprehending the pickpocket.

Salem weaved through the crowd more easily in her smaller form, making amazing time to the only place she had always felt safe, she apologised to the two once more in her heart. How was she going to live for this fortnight now? Maybe the answer was in that amazing Lilac statue she sometimes slept near.
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OOC: I've decided to jump straight into things, the significant part of the plot will happen at Xanth's Statue, so yeah...please, don't catch Salem yet.

[Nymphadora]

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