[Maaike]

Slave Drivers: The City Guard has been putting feelers out. "We know Therians are being traded somewhere in the city, but we don't know where or who's behind it. Find these vlareons for us and bring them in — but don't forget the proof!"

---

Maaike gently shifted her son to redistribute his weight on her back. The filthy six-year-old had worn himself out playing with the local street urchins while she did some reconnaissance, looking for all the realms like a normal boy. If she'd stopped to watch him, Maaike would have started bawling right there in the street; seeing him playing with others, instead of off by himself tinkering with something, broke her heart in all the right ways.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't have dreamed of bringing him along, but needs must. It was supposed to be their quality time together, and Maaike had intended on putting off work until he was back with her clan, but she'd been press-ganged by a Therian family she'd helped out before. They'd made the situation sound so utterly dire that only a monster could have turned away, and in front of her son, Maaike was no monster.

“Someone's taking Therians right off the streets, and they're being none too subtle about it, either.” Wolfsbane had come up in the conversation, as well. Having personal experience with that stuff was enough to put Maaike on the war-path anyway, and then Sammy's puppy-dog eyes had done the rest.

“Awww, look at that. He wants to be just like his mommy.” Which just broke her heart in all the wrong kinds of ways.

“What next, mommy?”

Maaike debated not answering him truthfully. Telling him how she did her job was only going to encourage him; he was just at that age. She'd rather he be equipped to survive than kept ignorant, so she answered as she crossed the street. “A few of the people I've spoken to mentioned this one guy who's almost definitely involved. I'm going to have a word with him.”

In the meantime, she'd make herself look like any other young mother while she found somewhere to stash Sammy just long enough to keep him safe while she had her little "chat".

[NPC]

((Emma be here.))

Artorio slapped his companion upside the head.

"What the Hel was that for?!"

"You're a moron."

"Weh. What!"

"You're a moron!"

"Are you looking for a fat lip or something? Call me a moron one more time."

"You're. A. Moron."

Easily dodging the punch, Artorio grabbed Jason's fist and shoved him bodily against the wall. His wits knocked loose, the Anyelos was easy to manhandle into the alley before he collected himself enough to start slapping ineffectually at Artorio's hands where they were scrunched in his shirt.

"What the Hel, man? Get off!"

"Yannick must be insane, hiring you. Did you miss something? Hmm? Like the fact that it's daylight?"

"So? It's daylight, so what? That's when my powers are strongest."

"So you were going to 'nap him right out in the open, in broad daylight. That it?"

"Weh. Well. I mean, yeah, that was the plan..."

Shoving one more time, hard enough to knock the moron's teeth through the back of his skull, Artorio released him and backed off. Jason just sort of wilted right there against the wall, rubbing the back of his head, utter bemusement and shock on his face.

"So I'll just go tell Yannick that his new guy was about to expose his entire operation because his brain is the size of a pea. I got that right?"

"Um... N. No. That, I..." Chastised, and with dawning horror at his would-be mistake, the Apali straightened up and shuffled away from the wall but refused to look Artorio in the eyes. "Weh. Well..."

Pinching his nose between finger and thumb, Artorio closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't bother to look up as he said, "Follow them. Take him when it's clear and not before."

"Ye... Yes." Artorio only raised his head when the sound of Jason's beating wings had faded, and then only to look up at the sky. Xanth had abandoned him long ago, but it was hard to break old habits. "Morons."

[Maaike]

Maaike was having a hard time concentrating on the scene below her. She hadn't been able to find anywhere that she deemed safe enough for her six-year-old son, so he was on his haunches beside her, looking for all the world like a bounty hunter in the making. His adorable round face was scrunched up in such a serious expression, it made her want to pinch his cheeks and tickle him.

I'm a bad parent. Therians were taught to survive in the forest at an age that shocked most urbanites, but this wasn't the forest. Here, there were dangers he'd never see coming, just like she'd learned the hard way when she met Ashton. I'm a bad parent, I'm a bad parent, I'm a —

“Is that the man, mommy?” Hushing him with a finger to her lips, Maaike gestured for him to get away from the edge of the roof where he was leaning precariously. As soon as she was sure he wasn't about to fall, she took his place, narrowing her eyes to focus better on the Anyelos he'd pointed out.

“That's him.” The locals had given her a physical description, but it was the smell they'd focused on. "Like a stable, only with Therian mixed in. Anyeli shouldn't smell like that." It was part of what had convinced them the Apali was a slaver. “Let's go.”

Sticking to the roof-tops, they followed the Anyeli. Maaike was forced to slow down to help Sammy in places where she couldn't carry him on her back, but the guy the locals called "Jason" didn't seem to be in any hurry. In fact, he seemed to be waiting for something, because he was essentially going around in circles, scoping out the place and the locals. Maaike got a bad feeling when he finally settled close to an alley and started surreptitiously glancing at a group of small Therian children as they kicked a melon around.

Torn, Maaike watched from the roof-tops. If she confronted the Anyelos now to rescue whichever of the children he was planning to take, she had saved one child. If she let him take that child, she could follow him to wherever they held the slaves — but what would Sammy think of her?

“Baby, I need to do something I don't want to do, and I need you to trust me, okay?”

Sammy stared up at her with solemn eyes. Maaike hugged him close. “Okay.”

[NPC]

Jason had been thoroughly chastised, told off like a kid by a guy who was barely older than him. Granted, Artorio had more experience in this line of work than he did, but still... Having the guy lay into him like that stung.

"I'll show him." Jason had muttered and grumbled as he scoped out the neighbourhood, determined to prove Artorio the weaker, less intelligent man. "I'll bring in so many, Yannick won't know what to do with them all."

Unfortunately, catching them without drawing attention to himself was proving more difficult than he'd thought.

First of all, Yannick only wanted the young ones. "Easier to train, ain't they?" Jason balked a bit at the thought, but he was desperate for cash and this seemed as good a job as any.

Second of all, the young ones were generally watched over by the not-so-young ones, and they tended to cluster together like pack animals. It took ages for Jason to spot one he thought would be easier to take, and then he had to hang around waiting for the tow-headed boy to leave his mates.

Being inconspicuous was tougher than he'd thought, too. The kid turned around twice, probably hearing Jason's footsteps, and both times Jason was forced to hide -- behind a stack of barrels with his wings tucked in so tight he thought they'd break; inspecting a leaky drain pipe like he knew how to fix it.

Finally, they reached a quiet spot and Jason made his move. The kid's yell grew muffled against Jason's hand, but his own yell echoed down the alley. The kid had bit him! “You little -- !” He almost wrung the kid's neck, until he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and eased up. He was sobbing now, but in that quiet way kids got when they were too scared to make much of a noise. “Good. Stay like that.”

Now he just had to get the kid to Yannick...

[Maaike]

Maaike flinched when he took the boy, her fingernails digging half-moon shapes into her palms. “Xanth smite me.” She daren't look at her son for fear of seeing his disgust and horror written all over his face. “Let's go.”

They followed the Apali from the rooftops. The terrifying thing was that he didn't go far. Either this was a temporary holding place where they'd drug up the "merchandise" for safe transport elsewhere, or the slavers had set up a HQ right under the noses of the very people they were trading.

“Stay here.” She didn't have time to make sure he was listening. The Apali had stopped in an alley to knock on a door, glancing around to make sure he wasn't being followed. Maaike was sure she could save the kid, but she had to hurry. “Stay here!”

She dropped from the roof to a drain pipe and shimmied down it, then back-flipped across the alley. As the door opened, she slammed her fist into the startled Anyeli's nose. Her knuckles stung like a kelpie, so she hopped into a roundhouse kick to knock out the doorman. The slender man went down with a grunt, and Maaike spun back to knee "Jason" in the groin just as he dropped the kid unceremoniously to take her on.

She wasn't sure what her plan had been, if she'd had one at all beyond rescuing the kid he'd snatched. As Jason doubled over and the doorman yelled for help, Maaike snatched up the boy and threw him over her shoulder. “Sammy!” Her scream would galvanise her son into following, hopefully without giving him away. For all these people knew, the boy over her shoulder was "Sammy".

But she couldn't free-run with a kid over her shoulder, and his weight slowed her down considerably. Hopefully, she'd reach the Therian neighbourhood in time for them to shield her.

[NPC]

Artorio stood over Jason's prone form, his lower jaw twisted to one side beneath his upper jaw and his gaze skyward in a "Why do you send me these morons?" expression.

"Ugh, uh, ergh."

Man to man, Artorio might have had more sympathy for the Apalos, but it really served him right. "Did you not think to check you weren't being followed?" Jason groaned something that might have been a protest or an excuse. "You're Anyeli and you didn't think to look up?" Jason wasn't groaning any more. In fact, he wasn't doing much of anything any more, thanks to the heavy boot smashed through his face. Artorio didn't bend to check his pulse; if he was still alive, and had any sense, he would be long gone before Artorio returned.

Tugging on the sleeve of his shirt to straighten himself up, Artorio pulled out his COM as he turned to follow the two men he had sent after the woman and child. Thanks to Jason, their whole operation was at risk. "Better up sticks and move just to be safe, sir."

"Unbelievable. You better hope they catch that hydra's head, Toro. I'll hold you responsible otherwise."

"Yes, sir." Artorio gritted his teeth but refrained from arguing. Yannick had hired Jason against Artorio's better judgement, but he wouldn't accept the blame for this in a month of Sundays. Maybe it was time to separate himself from this operation, after all.

[Maaike]

Two men were hot on Maaike's heels and the boy over her shoulder grew heavier with each step. He was bigger than Sammy and cumbersome dead weight, slowing her down and putting her within grabbing reach of one of the two men sent to chase her down. Maaike twisted sideways to dodge an outstretched hand, but sacrificed ground to do so. The next grab just scraped her shoulder, and the next was a thick hand around her biceps.

Maaike's gasp and Oof! were reflexive as she was yanked back and around. She lost the boy as she was shoved unceremoniously against a wall, bruising her hip on a windowsill. As a hairy forearm pressed to her throat, Maaike clutched at his hand instinctively, gasping for air as she grappled to get her feet in a good position to knee him just like she had with Jason. In the corner of her eye, she saw the other man ducking down to scoop up the boy, and a monkey scurrying down a drain pipe.

“You should know better than to interfere, stupid hydra's head. Interfering —”

His voice grew muffled as Maaike began to lose consciousness.

Wait, monkey?

“Argh! Gerritoff!”

Air rushed back into Maaike's throat as the big man released her to scrounge at the back of his head where a monkey was scratching and clawing like it was going out of fashion. For a moment, it was all she could do to pat her throat, half expecting to find her wind pipe had been ripped out, and then she regained her wits. “Sammy!” Her voice was little more than a croak. Dammit, if she'd just been faster...

But now her son was in trouble and the other slaver had already started back with the boy over his shoulder. Maaike didn't hesitate to leap at her attacker, wolf fangs ripping into his jugular. The taste of blood made her feel utterly sick, but she'd drink poison if it meant keeping her son safe. There was no contest.

His body fell at her feet. Maaike settled her gaze on the monkey and wordlessly pointed toward the Therian neighbourhood where the boy had been snatched. Clearly terrified and struggling to get back in to his human form, Sammy chittered at her and hesitated, but finally set off to get help.

She waited until he was out of sight before chasing after the other slaver, partly to make sure he would be safe, and partly because she was still struggling to catch her breath.

[NPC]

Snarls reached Artorio's ears and he slowed his pace to a crawl, coming to a halt at the corner of the alley and peeking around it cautiously. If all the men and women working for Yannick were equally cautious, his livelihood wouldn't be at stake -- but that's what he got for working with a second-rate crew.

Around the corner, one man was down, the other racing off with the boy he'd managed to retrieve. Artorio waited until the woman, face bloodied, and the monkey had separated and left the area before stepping out and over to the body. Nudging it with his foot, Artorio grimaced. This was the problem with Therians: No civility in their kills. It was clearly a Therian attack, too -- animal, natural, ferocious... but not completely inhuman.

It was definitely time to get out. But first, Artorio set off after the woman chasing the man and boy. They'd gone another way back to HQ, so he was able to catch up, and arrived at their door in time to see Lane dump the boy and turn to confront the Therian female.

Artorio never liked to leave a job unfinished, so as Lane drew out his scimitar, he unsheathed his daggers.

[Maaike]

Maaike was in trouble and she knew it. The blood on her tongue had made her light-headed and nauseous, and the attempt to suffocate her had left her throat bruised and her lungs still struggling to catch a breath (not to mention the chase). Worry for Sammy's safety, and the safety of the boy she'd attempted to rescue, clouded her judgement, but she knew better than to take on two Rutili.

Yet she couldn't really see another option. If she left now, they'd take the boy and his parents would never see him again. They'd move their operation, sweep away all the evidence and any witnesses, and she would have just made things worse.

With any luck, Sammy could get help from the locals, but there was no guarantee they'd get here in time, so that meant stalling these guys. Preferably without getting herself or the kid killed.

There was no use in "Why"s or "What for"s. If they had reasons, they probably wouldn't tell her, and she wasn't sure she wanted the insight into their twisted minds. And rather than give them room to gain any further advantage, she figured it was safer to go straight on the offensive -- in the passive way of a free-runner.

So she lunged forward, baring her wolf fangs to startle them in to giving her some room, and then immediately lunged back, twisting to run up the wall and grab on to a window ledge. Back-flipping from there, she clawed at the back of the man with the scimitar, ducked low to spin and kick his feet from under him -- and then retreated back to the wall, rather than push her advantage.

It was exhausting work, ducking in and out of the fight like this. Ordinarily, it would exhaust big men like them before it dented her stamina, so it was as good a combat strategy as any, but this time she was failing too soon. A couple of times, she almost missed a foot- or hand-hold, slowing her down, and it wouldn't be long before she was grounded.

[Jericho]

Jericho had been called to Nubia for a deal that would be extremely beneficial to his operation in Hesia. Ordinarily, he preferred to make his clients and partners come to him and didn't like to leave his shop for too long, but in this case his partner was an old man who had lost both of his legs and an arm in "the war" (Jericho was never quite sure which, since he was old enough to have fought in several of Elysia's better-known battles). Petre's very survival was a miracle; first his wife and then his eldest daughter had cared for him for years, and Jericho supposed he'd eventually acclimatised. In his younger days, he still ran around (or he supposed "hobbled" might be a better description) on wooden legs, but now "these bones are dust" so he stayed home and had his grandchildren run around doing errands for him. Unfortunately, none of them were of a mind to negotiate with a merchant like Jericho, so the trip was unavoidable.

He'd left Rusty and Nin to look after the shop and make sure his Hesian clients didn't start to think they were safe in his absence. Both men had protested (Rusty rather more loudly than Nin), and Jeri himself was reluctant to go anywhere without his bodyguards, but he hadn't operated in Nubia for decades so he felt he was more or less safe from recriminations.

He hadn't banked on stumbling across a slaving operation. Or, having seen this sort of thing before, that was the conclusion he reached when he saw the unconscious boy dumped unceremoniously on the floor and the woman (clearly Therian, given the wolf fangs in her mouth) battling with two men in an alley. It might have been a mere kidnapping, but in a Therian neighbourhood like this, he knew which was the most likely.

I should really avoid alleys. This wasn't the first time he'd walked in to something he shouldn't have, just from taking a short cut.

He supposed that sight of the woman's plight and knowledge of the boy's would-be fate should have moved him, but he never had been the emotional type. Rather than join in the fray, he hung back. He wasn't interested in choosing sides, or bringing anyone "to justice". It was only when one of the men, the one with the scimitar, swung at Jericho (apparently assuming he was involved in the rescue attempt, somehow), that Jeri threw in his lot with the woman. He wasn't very nimble on his feet, but the man's swings were clumsy (he had probably lost a fair amount of blood by now, if the woman's guerrilla attacks were any indication of the injuries he'd sustained) and fairly easy to dodge, but Jericho didn't like to work up a sweat. He also was unable to inflict while he was under attack, so he had to put some distance between him and his assailant before he could reciprocate.

[NPC]

This was getting ridiculous. Had it been just the woman, Artorio was confident they could have defeated her quite easily and then tossed her in a cage with the others. She was too old to train, but he was sure they could find some sort of use for her, and a single person was much less likely to be missed than, say, the two now involved. As it was, they'd have to kill the man (it was impossible to tell what he was behind those sunglasses, but he moved all wrong for a Therian), which meant that Artorio now had an even greater mess to clean up.

It really was time to get out of this business. But, too late — a deep rumble sounded from the rooftops, like a series of animal growls echoing down the alley from every direction at once, and Artorio paused to look up. It was a risky move, given that the woman had proven more annoying an adversary than he'd initially given her credit for, but he sensed great menace coming from above and his instincts took over.

With just one glance, he knew it was over, and he dropped his knives. Slavers could only operate so long as the neighbourhood from which they plucked their merchandise remained ignorant or impotent. That wasn't the case here any more. Their heads poking over the edge of the rooftops above, a row of Therians in their animal forms looked down on him, an army of fangs and claws. Leading that army was an infant monkey, pointing down at the alley with a trembling hand.

“Hahhh.” Artorio was not a man given to cowardice; he had risen through the ranks of Yannick's operation through cold, hard determination and unwavering victory, but even he knew when to bow out gracefully — and with haste.

[Maaike]

Maaike slumped against the nearest wall, staring dumb-founded at the army of animals above her, specifically at her son still trapped in his monkey form. He must have dragged the entire neighbourhood back here to help her, raising the alarm and chasing after her even though he clearly was terrified. And, though she'd seen the Sullivan clan fend off predators and trespassers by ganging together like this, the sight of so many Therians in their animal forms defending their territory was truly a spectacular sight to behold.

It almost brought tears to her eyes.

As one of the men took off like a bolt of lightning — followed swiftly by a few of the Therians intent on seeing him punished for his crimes — Maaike pushed away from the wall and staggered slightly. She was exhausted and light-headed, hurting from various bruises and cuts sustained during her battle with the slavers, and desperate to get her arms around her son.

As if in answer, Sammy scampered halfway down a drain pipe toward her, but Maaike stopped him with a hand up, stumbling toward the second slaver to check he wasn't just playing dead. He really was unconscious, and Maaike could only assume the third man was responsible. His sunglasses made her wary of him, suspicious, but nevertheless she offered him a grateful smile. “Thanks.” She didn't have the energy to say much else.

In the next moment, a furry arm was slipping around her throat and Sammy was plastered to her face. It was hard to hug him in this shape, but until he calmed down he'd be stuck like that, so she cooed softly and stroked his back, turning to face a Therian male as he walked up to her. He morphed back into his human form as he did so.

“I'll repeat what she said,” he told the man with the sunglasses, offering his hand to shake and beaming. “And Maaike... You're crazy, but I love you.” His face was wreathed in smiles, his eyes full of relief as he clapped a wiry arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. Maaike, uncomfortable, struggled to stay on her feet for a moment, but then succumbed with a weak grin.

[Jericho]

Jericho was indeed responsible for the Scimitar's unconsciousness, but it was perhaps a little overkill. He'd taken an opportunity, when the man paused to glance up in horror, to lay hands on him and inflict such pain he'd immediately fainted. Unable to move for a few moments after, it took Jericho a second to realise exactly what the warrior had been gulping at, and that perhaps he hadn't only fainted from the pain. The sight of so many ferocious animals, and the sound of so many growls, was enough to make even a seasoned warrior tremble, he was sure.

Jericho was far from being a seasoned warrior.

Wiping his hands on the crisp, white handkerchief he'd whipped from his jacket pocket and shaken out (they weren't actually dirty, but they always felt so after inflicting pain of that magnitude, or merely touching a low-life like Scimitar), Jericho stepped over the prone figure and glanced about with some concern, even as his face remained neutral. It would be completely like a Therian to blame him as one of the traders, and he couldn't fend off a group of them by himself. Yet, as he prepared to summon assistance — wondering briefly what he had on his person to offer as trade — he was approached by the shaken female and thanked!

“Hmm.” There really wasn't much else to say, he supposed, and he glanced around from behind his sunglasses once more, a brief pause before shaking the man's hand. If they wanted to think him her saviour, so be it; he knew better than to explain that he really hadn't intended to get involved.

Made entirely uncomfortable by the Therians' tactile affection (and by the monkey attached to the woman's face like a limpet), Jericho cleared his throat and stepped further away. “I'll be off, then.”

[Maaike]

Even exhausted, Maaike could sense something... off with the man behind the sunglasses. He smelled like money and good leather, a scent far too reminiscent of Ashton's for her to stay close, so she tried to put distance between them without looking rude. He'd saved her neck, it seemed, and Maaike knew better than to throw that back in his face. Elysians weren't often wont to help each other like that, especially in a Therian neighbourhood.

“I'll be off, then.”

He was clearly uncomfortable, and Maaike almost couldn't blame him. Therians could be overwhelming for city folk, especially when they ganged together like this, but it put her back up, too. He acted like he'd stepped in something nasty; that, combined with those sunglasses, made her think more and more that his pupils, if he took those shades off, would be slitted. The thought made her shiver, and her hand paused on Sammy's back before resuming its petting.

“Nay, lad! We've some celebrating to do!” The Therian male, "just call me Jimmy", clapped the suited man on the back hard. His other hand landed on Maaike's shoulder, and he drew them close to guide them back to the heart of the neighbourhood. Above, the animals had all reverted to their human forms and were whooping and cheering. Some raced each other (cautiously) back to ground level, the others tracking Maaike's group along the roof tops. It seemed someone had headed for the local Guard Tower, and the escapee had been captured the next street over; there were cat-calls from the rooftops to "Tie 'im up, lad! Good and hard!" and "Beat him senseless like what they did to our Willy!"

Maaike allowed herself to be dragged along, even if Jimmy had drawn her far too close to the suited man for comfort. She was starting to get some strength back but she desperately needed a drink, and it would do Sammy a world of good to be surrounded by his own kind while he calmed down.

Besides, she needed a rest, and was nostalgic for home.

[Jericho]

Damn. How to extricate himself without being rude? Jericho wasn't the type to mind prejudices -- he was a merchant. Why kill opportunities for financial gain? -- so the fact that these people were uncivilised meant little to him. However, “I have somewhere to be.” It was the truth, though Petre wasn't going anywhere, but he thought to add, as if regretful, “Alas.”

Detaching himself from the smaller Therian, Jericho feigned a sigh.

“You sure, mate? The wife does a mean hotpot.”

“I'm sure.” He meant it as a sarcastic "I'm sure she does" as much as a "Yes, I'm sure I'm leaving", but the Therian seemed oblivious.

“Well, your loss, mate. But listen, you ever need help, you just come by Eighty-Four End's Run and ask for Jimmy, hear?”

Straightening his vest with a tug, Jericho glanced to the woman, then back to the male with a stiff nod. “My thanks.” Having so many of them whooping and racing around was unnerving, and he regretted ever having come this route.

“Nono, mate, it's our thanks. You helped save our lad, that's a hero in my eyes, it is.” Thankfully, "Jimmy" was done, only clapping Jericho on the shoulder once more before guiding the female, still petting that filthy monkey, further down the alley.

Jericho waited until they'd all gone and the hubbub had quieted before tugging on his vest once more, and heading in the opposite direction.

“Damned Therians.”

[Maaike]

The celebrating didn't last long -- or rather, Maaike didn't stay long. She had allowed Jimmy to guide her to his home where his son was reunited with his mother as if they'd spent years apart rather than just minutes. As much as she ached, Maaike could barely believe it had been less than half an hour since the boy was nabbed: It seemed like so much longer.

As soon as Sammy had calmed enough to revert back to his human form, still clinging to her neck with his bare legs around her waist, Maaike said her farewells amid continuing cheers and re-tellings of the event from people who likely weren't even there for most of it. Pleading exhaustion, she managed to leave with the same offer that Jimmy had given the 'Varian: "You ever need us, we'll be here."

What she didn't say was that she wanted her bounty before she left town (there was bound to be some sort of reward), and to check that the Guard were actually doing their jobs. She'd rather have left Sammy with the Therians so he'd be safe and unnoticed, but he wouldn't let her go without him.

“You did that? Psh, you look as if a feather'd knock you down -- and I don't mean an Anyeli.” But one sharp look and a growl over Sammy's sleeping head made the Guard think twice, and he went off to confer with his pals. “John said there was a female do -- Uh. Therian did the neighbourhood the favour, so I guess that's you. Anyway, we can't offer you much, but here.”

Ignoring his slip, because she was too tired to argue over being called a dog, Maaike accepted the money and left without a word.