[Maaike]

OOC: Continued from Summons Schmummons.

Having decided to go, Maaike wanted to get gone as soon as possible. Concerns niggled in the back of her skull that she couldn't quite put her finger on but that told her it was dangerous to linger at Greenview any longer. More than that, however, she didn't want to chicken out. Aiden didn't seem to have noticed, but she was stark terrified about letting him meet her baby boy. It was partly why she had teased him about a mysterious safe house rather than giving him their actual destination: If she changed her mind, she could deviate from the plan and he would never know.

“Hiiii, boy. Did Graeme take good care of you, hmm?” Smoothing a hand down Cailean's side, she soothed the azani with a click of her tongue. The noise also brought Magda out from her roost in the stable eaves so Maaike gave a whistle that brought the mistral falcon to perch on her shoulder. Cailean, out of sorts with her being absent for so long, snapped at the white bird of prey and forced Maaike to snatch her shoulder of his reach. “Oi, oi. Behave.” She slapped the azani's flanks a couple of times until he'd calmed enough for her to finish fastening the saddle. Hopefully Aiden and Graeme would have their things on the main steps ready to pack, though. She didn't think Cailean would stand still for long like this.

“Let's go. Come on.” She clicked her tongue again and tugged on the reins. The azani resisted, stubbornly setting his huge paws to make himself immobile. “Move it, mister. You should be grateful I didn't take you with me to that Helhole.” Another slap to his flank and he finally conceded, letting her lead him out of the stable and across the flat green that led up to the house. It helped that Magda had hopped onto the horn of his saddle to peck at his back. “You better not act like this with Aiden, buddy. It's not too late for me to make some fur boots for the winter.”

[Alistair]

The more Alistair was free to ponder his actions, the less he was sure of himself. Was he really capable of capturing two Therians on his own? Sure he was muscular, and knew enough about anatomy to know that a swift smack to the side of the head with his fists would do enough. But Alistair Beaumont was, as it happened, all looks and no show. He was towering and muscular, but soon enough the woman would overpower him. He'd learned enough in Espur to know that.

It had all started with a visit to Serana; he was going to go insane if he didn't talk to her, with creeping, suffocating feelings of isolation. Espur was bustling as usual. He tuned in, as he usually did subconsciously, to the inane thoughts of those surrounding him. There was too much to listen to at the port, but as he made his way to Serana's apartment, things got more interesting. There was something about a bounty, which instantly captured Alistair's attention. He followed the thoughts from one guard to the other, read the bounty, perked up at the reward, and set his mind to track mode.

Of course, Serana had tried to dissuade him. She had sat him down like a scalded child and paced angrily, lecturing him about his apparent lack of regard for his own safety. Of course he had no regard for his own safety. He was only an amateur bounty hunter, and beggars most certainly cannot be choosers. She even resorted to requesting to come with him. He had agreed... Then quietly slipped out of the bathroom window, and dropped down to the ground from the first floor apartment.

At present, Alistair was leaning against the broad trunk of a conifer tree, massaging his shaking knees. He told himself it was the two metre drop, but don't be convinced. Alistair had enough of a survival instinct to know he may have to run at any given time. Despite the season, the breeze was cool, so the Dracovarian slipped his arms through the tan trenchcoat in his arms and arranged it just so over his blazer. This man means business.

Reaching out with his mind to tune into the thoughts of others, he used it as a radar as he scouted out the estate he had made it to. It was pretty impressive, but the statue of that damned goddess made him roll his eyes. The thoughts he heard seemed to be from, for lack of a better phrase, lesser minds. The thoughts were so trivial as he made his way around the fenced area, trying to pinpoint into particular thoughts. Maybe the girl was out. Alistair was ready to leave, with his dignity in check and safety in hand, but pride overcame that. That, and the glint of something particularly shiny in the sunlight a little further up.

As quiet as... Well about as quiet as a drunkard in a tavern, Alistair made his way to the shiny thing, still feeling out for minds. The pretty shiny thing was indeed a pretty shiny ring on the pretty finger of the pretty prey he was tracking. The red tipped hair was unmistakable, but he wanted the shiny ring... He gasped loudly and slapped a hand over his mouth, hiding behind a tree as his pulse flooded in his ears. Those sorts of thought and actions were going to get him a beating. It was like being at home with his butch sister Isobel all over again. Therians often had notorious sharp senses, but if he fled now she would be sure to see and follow.

Was now a good time to pray to Xanth?

[Maaike]

Cailean stiffened and stopped moving again. At first, Maaike thought he was being stubborn again, but his head was low and his muscles tensed. Maaike lifted her nose to the air to sniff, but she was still covered in dirt and remnants of the blood that had infected her with Red Mist. “What is it, boyo?” The azani's head tipped into the spring breeze. Great. If the threat was downwind, even he would struggle to pinpoint where it was coming from.

Of course, it could be something completely innocuous. Azani were not known to be tolerant so it could be just a passer-by. Maaike's paranoia had kept her alive more than once, though, so she was taking no chances. “Let's go.”

Maaike clicked her tongue and tugged Cailean further toward the house as her gaze swept the tree-line. Movement had her twisting to get a better look even as she continued walking backwards, but a grouse hopped out from behind a tree instead. Even better. “I somehow doubt that Greenview's game is going to kill me, buddy.” Even still, something was off.

[Alistair]

Alistair felt a little silly for thinking of begging Xanth for mercy, after a few seconds. Well it's not like she could have saved him anyway, really, he doubted even if she endowed him with super speed to flee, his legs would have given out. But it was all from the long fall he'd had obviously, mustn't have braced himself properly for impact.

Now that he could proceed in a dignified manner, he peeked out from behind the tree trunk, and felt out for the Therian's thoughts once more. She seemed to be convinced that it was nothing - maybe he was wrong about enhanced senses, that might have been vampires? He could have sworn it was Therians, but if all was well, then he felt safe enough to proceed with his death wish. He didn't even care if it was a suicide mission. If he had to be transported to a healer with a broken, wounded, bleeding body, he didn't care. They could place the bounty reward in his feeble, unconscious hands.

The fence was the next great obstacle. Alistair grabbed a medium sized rock, the size is his fist, and carefully placed it in his pocket. With some luck, he had a trick up his sleeve, but he wasn't entirely sure luck existed. One thing had worked in his favour so far; the second Therian didn't seem to be present. Or nearby, anyway, since he didn't want some morphed falcon screeching with its talons raised, aiming for his eyes, or something like that. Alistair liked his eyes.

As he tried to climb the metal obstacle, he wondered just how far his life had come when he was climbing up grubby railings in a very fine suit, if he did say so himself, chasing after a woman who could probably make him scream like a little hatchling. With this thought in mind, he anxiously held on firmly to the railings, and closed one eye for better aim. The rock sailed out of his hand, toward his intended target of the Azani's hind flank. He had hoped to cause chaos, but his legs trembled from the fall, and his hands slipped off the railing. As he fell toward the ground, he couldn't help but curse, "Oh Hel, not my damn good suit!". After that, he collided with the ground flat on his back with a huge groan, why him? Pain held him there, and his head span where he had hit it, and when he tried to sit up he felt himself immobilised. Well, this wasn't such a bad way to die. The shrubs made a nice little bed for him, and he'd get to see the nice shiny up close when her hand ripped out his heart. Or whatever. He just shut his eyes. Yeah, he'd just rest here for a moment.

[Maaike]

Cailean lunged forward with a startled yip, ripping the reins right out of Maaike's hand. “Hey! Hey!” Startled by his unusual behaviour, Maaike whipped around to scan the tree-line again as Cailean rounded on whatever had surprised him. Head lowered and his lips quivering through a low growl, the azani stepped toward the trees with caution. It was obvious he'd caught the scent of something, and the rock now half buried in the grass hadn't been there a moment ago. “What is it, boy?”

A couple of months ago, Maaike probably would have dashed into the trees to grab the culprit right out of his hiding spot. Aiden's "encounter" with his co-workers, and their experiences in Acantha, had made her far more cautious, however. If not for Cailean, she would probably dash inside to get backup. As it was, she grabbed his reins and hauled back to slow him down. “Careful, Cai.”

Something wasn't right. If they were being invaded by Thanatos' men, how had he found them and where were said men? If a bounty hunter or a tracker, both of which were far more likely given their skill-sets, had discovered that Greenview was her base, this could be an ambush but not a very good one. Why attack now, on relatively open ground, when they could have snuck in to attack her in the stables or waited until she was somewhere more isolated? Did they know she planned to leave again?

“I know you're there. Show yourself before I let him loose.”

[Alistair]

Well, this was going well. At least he was still alive, and his head was starting to stop aching. Alistair sat up slowly, with a groan, and rubbed his temples. With any luck he didn't have a concussion or some other injury, but he felt okay, apart from the feeling that he was going to throw his guts up, from a mixture of fear and pain. This sneaksy approach of his obviously wasn't working too well at the minute, so perhaps he should try a different approach. Listening to her thoughts he gathered that she was off on another runner again, and when he heard her thoughts wondering why her potential tracker didn't take a more sneaky, organised approach, he mentally kicked himself. She was already causing him enough inconvenience, there was no need to rub in his incompetency!

Alistair , until now, had only tailed petty, easily intimidated criminals. Sometimes, they offered to bribe him to let them slide, but the bounty was normally larger, so there was something to be said about the judicial system of Alexandria. And besides, Alistair was just such a good citizen. Inspiration struck him; play the part of the damsel in distress. Even if the Therian had no soul, he could either quietly stalk her or play to his advantages, since the ladies just loved his apparent suave exterior. He acted as meek as a lamb, calling out in his silky, confused voice, “Hello... I fell, I-I'm sorry to disturb you on your land...” Alistair trailed off, then groaned and rubbed his head, and found a lump at the back under his short hair where he must have hit a rock. All the more convincing, he hoped. Besides, it wasn't a lie. He did fall, after all.

[Maaike]

Maaike's confusion grew as the voice called out, meek and unthreatening. Cailean refused to back down, though, and despite his aggression and general unfriendliness with strangers, he was also not given to raising his hackles like this unless he felt threatened. What was the use of a mount that snarled at passers-by to scare them off when she usually needed the information they could give her? So, the fact that he was still snarling meant he could sense something she couldn't.

Tempted to morph into her wolf form to try and catch a whiff of whatever the azani smelled, Maaike shifted her weight fretfully. She chose not to in the end. The wolf's nose was definitely better than hers and might scent beyond the blood and dirt caking her clothes (she really should have given them all time to freshen up before heading out for Cailean), but it couldn't hold the azani at bay and may just provoke him all the more. If the man apologising for disturbing her was as innocent as he sounded—

A chill shot down her spine when she copped a look at him. Blue, slitted eyes. Short-cropped blonde hair. Clothing better suited to the city and people like Mortimer Jericho. Ashton. She immediately shovelled back a couple of steps before forcing her knees to lock and her muscles to freeze. There was no way this man could be her late husband. No way in Hel.

Even so, her tone was arctic. “What do you want? You're on private property.” She kept her words neutral. If he didn't already know Greenview belonged to her, she could pass herself off as a stable girl. If he did know, then he was trouble.

To be on the safe side, Maaike whistled. Magda's wings fluttered as the falcon adjusted her talons on Cailean's saddle, then she launched herself into the air to circle overhead.

[Alistair]

The look on her face startled Alistair, and it slipped onto his face to mirror her own expression. He had found that while he could easily turn in people guilty of crime, without remorse and cold-blooded, it was best done quickly. Somewhere in that seemingly icy heart, he had compassion, when he spent too much time with someone and he could listen to their desperate thoughts and view the individual's background. For example, a petty thief resorting to thievery due to poverty, or a member of a gang trapped in through blackmail. He hadn't been bounty hunting for long, but he hoped that he wouldn't come across people like that. He was confident, and determined, that he would not show mercy. Who would show him mercy were the roles reversed? He was a man who had seen little good, and consequently grown up with a heart of stone. He wouldn't show himself to be weak, Isobel and Gregory would laugh themselves into hysteria if they knew what he was thinking.

The 'Varian cleared his throat, blinked, and looked up through eyes surrounded by thick lashes. “No, I'm sorry. I came to Espur to visit my family, you see, and I'm afraid the landscape here is so beautiful I simply lost myself in the vista. In fact, and I must apologise, but the estate here is exquisite. Curiosity got the better of me. Sorry to startle you.” He spoke eloquently and slowly, as if tasting each word before he repeated it, a habit he had not been able to get rid of. It might come in handy, anyway, to soothe her.The startled expression must be due to the thoughts she had had when she saw him, but for lack of ability he couldn't access them. It may have just been his eyes, since the slitted eyes seemed to creep the other races out. Or the colour; members of the Peteulanus sept often had bad reputations.

Oh, what a travesty, his suit was a bit of a mess. He pushed himself to his feet in order to straighten himself up, and felt a wave of vertigo wash over him. Alistair stumbled over his own feet and clutched onto the trunk of a nearby conifer, holding his head. That part was genuine, he felt sick to his stomach and couldn't organise his thoughts. The whisperings from the Therian's mind made his headache all the more painful, and he shut her off completely. “Could I trouble you for water or anything?” he asked, standing properly and seeing two of the woman.

[Maaike]

Okay, so not here to tackle her, then. If he were, he was doing a terrible job of it. Then again, he was a Pet, so there was every chance he was reading her mind and attempting to trick her.

Eyeing him suspiciously and deciding to bluff her way through it until he slipped up one way or the other, Maaike shook her head and backed up, dragging Cailean with her. Magda continued to circle overhead. “Sorry, mister, this ain't my place.” She let a little of her old Sylvan accent begin to slip in, as if unnerved enough to lose her cool. Hopefully, it would downplay just how long she'd been in the city and make her look more 'rural'. 'Vari tended to be dismissive of those not up to cultural par. “The boss, he don't like strangers on his land. I can't help you. You should leave before he finds out you're here.”

[Alistair]

Desperate as to his next course of action, Alistair considered letting her go and giving up, since the whole situation was completely out of hand. He was too unskilled for such a quarry, but even so he was more determined than ever. He wanted to, well, he didn't even know what he wanted, except the cash. Was that so bad? He was only trying to make a living here, and he was running out of suits, too. He desperately needed some good retail therapy.

The only thing he could think of to do, and he was probably going to regret this and be laid to eternal rest, was to call out. “We both know that's not true, don't we? You can keep up the facade, but you're the 'boss' round here, and you're nervous even so, and scared to stay here.” Alistair was grasping at straws, going simply on the thoughts in her head, and even so those might have been misinterpreted or she could have been deceiving him. The falcon circling up ahead unnerved him, but he would hopefully have time to flee if he read in her mind that she was going to call the bird down to peck out his eyes or something. There was no way he could leave it, though, not when Isobel knew. She had beaten him down and injured him many times, so hopefully if he got beaten up or mauled, she wouldn't laugh too hard. Well, he should be so lucky.

[Maaike]

Everything in Maaike stilled, a full and certain emptiness seconds before the panic set in. For a second, the ground beneath her feet skewed off-balance. With a shrieking whistle that set both Magda and Cailean into motion, she righted the world and her place in it - morphing swiftly into a snarling wolf that lunged forward onto all fours before it was even fully formed.

The shift was painful and over-long. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and the blood and mud dried on her skin and clothes pulled uncomfortably taut across the fur that burst from her skin. She snapped at the Dracovarian's ankle with human teeth even as her nails elongated into claws. Her roar, part scream and muffled by a tongue too thick for its canine mouth, was echoed and amplified by the azani following her into battle. Magda's cry signaled her descent, but neither one of them actually tried to land a blow. She would not hurt a fellow hunter if she could help it.

[Aiden]

Immediately after the roar sounded, the door of Greenview's mansion burst open as a tall therian man stormed out of the house. Down the path toward the stables was an unfamiliar-looking man standing close to Maaike's wolf form. “Hey! Leave her alone!” Aiden yelled in warning as he sprinted down the path, although it was clear that the stranger was outnumbered. The suited man was surrounded by a flurry of movement as Magda swooped down and up repeatedly, Maaike snapped at him, and a large azani paced near the fence.

Aiden hoped this was all just a misunderstanding and that the man was just someone who'd lost his way, or was the messenger of unpleasant news. However, Aiden didn't expect Maaike to respond this badly to anything except a criminal or bounty hunter. His left leg throbbed painfully with each step, although he tried to hide the limp as he ran toward the source of chaos. Neither he nor Maaike were fit for a fight if the stranger meant to harm them---the first had been wiped over the decks of an airship by an Acanthan sea monster only four days ago, and the latter had just recovered from the red mist sickness...

((Feel free to GM and poke at his thoughts!))

[Alistair]

Alistair had foreseen this display of theatrics, and while he flinched from the bird, he couldn't help but feel queasy at watching her morph. His stomach rolled and he took a step back, but her intentions were clear in her mind. He attempted a different approach, not raising his hands to fight back, but speaking rapidly in his eloquent, smooth speech. Surely she could hear even if she was some sort of er, she-wolf. She-demon more like. “So what made the hunter become the hunted? S-s-surely, you were doing well enough you wouldn't just turn villainous, the crimes you've done aren't that type of amateur crime, something must have happened...” He composed his features, looking fearlessly at the she-demon. He wasn't sure how long he could keep up this facade before his legs gave out or caused him to flee. But there had to be some way to save himself.

“Look, it's obvious I pose no threat to you, but even you chase me from here I can run back to Espur like there's no tomorrow and come back with the guard. I'm quite persuasive. So you can either kill me, but my family are expecting me, so good luck with that. Or you can talk like a rational... erm... normal... being.” At that point, his eyes finally focused on the second Therian, just seeing him now. It was as if he did so, his mind tuned in to his inane thoughts about the two of them being weakened... Alistair narrowed his eyes, took a few steps back, and then a few more, painting a look of fear over his face so that it looked like his bravado had worn off due to being outnumbered, and spread his hands to appear harmless. Now, he had a chance to run back to the town, and now he really did have a chance if the Therian's thoughts were genuine. But if not, well, he may have seen the blue slitted eyes and immediately thought of that. On the other hand, he didn't look that smart. Alistair was just pleased he had a chance now.

[Maaike]

Aiden's yell did something to Maaike's insides she'd never own up to. She'd sworn after Ashton that she'd never let herself rely on another man ever again (Graeme's work as her steward notwithstanding), but hearing his protectiveness was like poking at jelly. But the 'Vari was poking at something much more dangerous. He assumed she was guilty of every crime listed under her name. Maaike had no guilt whatsoever for the things she had done in search of justice, but it frustrated her that anyone would think her capable of murder. It infuriated her even more that Aiden was accused of things he would never dream of doing. He was the most gentle man she'd ever met, and it was her fault he now had hunters like this vlareon on his tail.

Every protective instinct in her was sizzling to the surface, maternal or otherwise. Graeme was in there, and the estate servants relied on her to keep them safe. She'd always been so careful to make sure nothing could tie her back to Greenview -- but apparently, not careful enough.

She backed off when his bravado dissolved, a soft ruff drawing Cailean back and Magda back to the sky. She didn't want to hurt the man if possible, not least because doing so would only give the guards one more thing to pin on her. If she left him alive, people would (hopefully) begin to question all those bounties. She couldn't just leave him, though. He would only give chase, so they needed to take him out of the equation long enough to flee.

Knocking him out wasn't something she could do as a wolf. She could already feel herself reverting anyway, her exhaustion practically radiating from her muscles. Maybe the 'Varian would assume she was doing the 'reasonable' thing like he wanted, but she couldn't help staggering back against Cailean's side when she was finally on two legs. Her eyes glittered with leftover feral instinct as she lunged into a wobbly roundhouse kick meant to knock him into next week. If she could put him under long enough, they could use Cailean's reins to tie him up. If they left the knots loose enough, he could free himself, but it should still give them enough time to get away - and she better not think of the route they'd take until they were long gone.

[Alistair]

For Alistair, it wasn't enough that he wouldn't be harmed. He didn't care about his own safety, and he didn't even care about the bounty. Okay, well maybe he cared a little bit. Well, a lot. Actually now he was just determined to be the discoverer and therefore one of the possible captors of the two. He narrowed his eyes, trying to ignore the male while he listened to the woman's thoughts, watched her back off. He took a few steps back.

It was like he'd predicted it. As her leg came swishing up to meet his face, he tensed his forearm and raised it to shield himself and collide with her leg. He didn't even see if it worked as he backed away. Clearing his throat, he raised one fine eyebrow and examined the scene. “Well, I have provided you with ample opportunity to win me over and give me a reason not to do this. After a thorough examination, I'm terribly sorry to say that I shall have to play the part of law-abiding bounty hunter. Au revoir, monsieur, madam.” With a sweeping bow, Alistair turned on his heels and sprinted as fast as he could back toward Espur. He gave everybody a chance, and she had not proved worthy of freedom. He would have to repay her for that attempted kick, though. Alistair didn't get mad. He got even.

As possibly the best-dressed sprinter ever, he looked down at his suit as he slowed down. He still looked snappy, despite having fallen on his back and hitting his head, if he did say so himself It was a relief when he passed into the town walls, panting and slowing to a halt. He was surprised at how he had made it without stopping, but more importanly, what would he do now?

[Maaike]

Maaike staggered. Ordinarily capable of recovering from his block, she instead succumbed to the fatigue and collapsed on her butt with both hands pressed together on her left-hand side. Her head whipped up and around so she could keep her eyes on him, but instead of pressing his advantage, he backed off. She narrowed her eyes, bewildered by his words and his withdrawal.

Sitting upright, Maaike sponged at her top lip with the back of her hand, holding out the other for Aiden to help her up. “He's headed straight for back-up. We need to get out of here yesterday.”

OOC: Feel free to end the thread, Joyness, then we can start another one either with them travelling or already in the Fae, whichever you prefer. ^^

Thanks for the fun, Lau! Poor Alistair. >3

[Aiden]

He'd pick a reasonable discussion over fighting any day, which was why he didn't lunge for the 'vari immediately when he reached Maaike and the azani. However, Aiden's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he got a better look at the peteulanus dracovari. His hands curled into fists as the stranger spoke to Maaike—if he had even one minor notion that the man was trying to influence one of their minds, Aiden would slug the 'vari.

Without warning, Maaike kicked toward the man, only to be blocked. As she staggered and fell, Aiden stepped between the man and the other therian, but not enough to block Maaike's sight of their assailant. However, the stranger merely backed away. With a sinking feeling, the ex-guard realized that they were indeed being hunted. Just not today.

“Son-of-a-vlareon,” he spoke under his breath as the suited man sprinted out of the estate. Bending forward to offer his hand to Maaike, he ignored the pain that shot toward his knee as he pulled her toward him. Xanth help them, they needed to regain their health soon.
“Agreed...” then he eyed the still-growling azani. Thinking of the trip that was to come, he stifled a groan. “Crap. He's Cailean?”

((Thread ended. I hope to see more of Alistair soon! ^__^))