'BLUE SKIES [mukluk]

[ALICE CRYSIS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae66/Edgeandpearl19/new4-1.jpg); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35] hi ambition It seemed almost too easy. In the hours before open war came to the Vampires, the Queen of the Vampires was a very busy bee. Seeing to operations of manufacturing, to arm as many of her kind as possible for the storm ahead. Consequent training in combat and survival was to follow in carefully regimented programs. She had to personally plot out the places that many factions would attempt to take control of. And most important of all, she had to look exquisite will doing so. But this all fell short in her mind, to one small encounter that had been looming over her for days. Her intelligence group, never ceasing to amaze her, managed to track down what one could call an "inside man" for the operations to come. Someone from within the ranks of the Demons, eager to see their fall brought about. How her kind managed to connect with this person was a mystery that she didn't care to explore. What she did care about, was this encounter going smoothly - and not being a carefully devised trap. Demons weren't typically the most cunning of creatures (outside of combat, that is), but it wouldn't be the first time they did something strange of this sort. Her guard would not be lowered. Deep within the frozen forests of Germany was to be their meeting place; deep in the heart of Vampire territory. For one person to make it to their location and slip through the patrols that marched would not be too difficult; most trained units were out supervising the training grounds and such. Despite this, meeting here was in the name of security still; the vast trees, thick fogs and slick ice were Alice's prime hunting grounds (for no other reason than dwelling there for so much of her life - we're all creatures of habit, after all). Should something go amiss, she would be most comfortable here than anywhere, able to work her way out of the situation. And there she awaited. High upon the remnants of a tree cracked right in half some hundred feet up its truck sat Alice, her legs dangling over the edge animatedly. The bitter cold nipping at her body barely a concern of hers. For this meeting, she bore her typical 'stalker' outfit, consisting of black cloaks and hoods (though her hood was down - it is impolite to greet someone without showing your face!) covering her entire body. Hair dyed black to help conceal her against unfriendly eyes. And a plethora of weapons hidden about her body. Despite being so heavily armed in the event of things turning sour, her expression was one of content. For this, if legitimate, would be her trump card in the fighting to come. The key to ending the fighting, possibly even before it really began. She didn't quite possess the words to express how grateful she would be for this. But then, she always preferred physical expressions of gratitude anyways. Awaiting her company, Alice could only pass the time by cheerfully casting her voice into the forest, almost like a siren, to beckon the stranger forward through the shrouding mists; Although the darkness drowned the light, Love wouldn't die Raise up your eyes and see The future The suffering eventually Will cease to be Lift up your hands and receive The sky... Blue Skies will shield our eyes Blue Skies will never die

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The irony of her song was not lost upon her; singing hopefully of a clear and beautiful future while sitting in a broken, depressing and otherwise dark forest. Hopefully her contact would appreciate it as much as she did.

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WORDS: 662 ugh - NOTES: click lyrics for sound

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[MukLuk]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 13px solid #FFFFFF; margin: -250px 0px 0px 70px; width: 450px; z-index: 2; position: relative; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 10px 10px 10px 73px; background: #e8e5ff url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/iridescentjohn/Tarnishes%20Cycles/bg-circles.png); border: 1px dotted #ccbdcf;] NIGHT OF THE HUNTER ONE DAY I WILL GET REVENGE ONE DAY IT'LL ALL JUST END Vampires. She didn't particularly dislike them; she'd had plenty of vampire friends in Japan. They were generally pretty likeable, if a little unnervingly fast. And pale. But 'like' and 'dislike' did not enter into the equation when one decided to be all stereotypically vampiric and, like, emerge from the shadows and nearly make her vomit up her intestines. At least he was a really fast talker, though. That did enter into the equation, especially when she was ready to go Tyrannosaurus and start stomping her some vampire. But his speedy tongue had revealed that his reason for being there had not been to scare her into vomiting up her intestines, but to ascertain just how loyal she was to The Morrigan. Apparently, someone on the outside had learned of a shapeshifter recently entering into her service who didn't seem to care for demons in general. Which was entirely accurate. MukLuk did not care for demons in the least and she made it known to said stereotypical-vampire-man. Who then went and made it known to the Queen of Vampires. Or so he said. So she hoped. Because if she was in the middle of Bumfuck, Germany for no reason, there was going to be an angry tyrannosaurus seeking out vampires for the stomping. But, she had to admit, if she was out here for nothing, it was the most beautiful pointless trip she had taken in awhile. Germany was gorgeous. As well as quiet, which suited her fine. She had started out as an eagle, gliding just over the treetops, but as it grew darker and as the trees grew taller, she found it more tiring than anything. It was damp and cold, something the eagle generally disliked, preferring to soar on thermals rather than flap rigorously to avoid smacking into treetops. She shifted smoothly into her great horned owl, diving into the canopy, the darkness significantly less depressing with owl eyes to enjoy it. The control the owl exerted on his flight never ceased to amaze her; every feather was hers to angle for silence, speed, or what have you. She glided further into the forest, feeling like something of a specter. She was sure that, in spite of having shifted into the bird practically made for silent flight, she would not go unmarked by the queen of vampires. So when she finally saw her, a beacon in the forest to owl eyes, she felt a sense of relief. At least now, if she was going to kill her, she would see it coming. Sort of. Hopefully. Spiraling down in lazy circles to the forest floor, she returned to her human form inches above the underbrush and landed smoothly. Her eyes, however, remained those of an owl, unsettling to an outsider but comforting to MukLuk for their ability to make sense of the darkness. A moment of awkward silence followed her landing. She cleared her throat. "Um. Hiya." Smooth.

[atrb=style, background: #ffffff; color: ccbdcf; font-family: Georgia; padding: 0px 5px]WORDS ● 489 TAGGED ● alice ! NOTES ● owl eyes, lolol TEMPLATE ● jawn of AA, OTE, DMB and TC

[ALICE CRYSIS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae66/Edgeandpearl19/new4-1.jpg); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35] hi ambition A lone owl stirred in the forest beneath Alice. A careful hunting, she knew exactly what this meant - the dispersal of wildlife from a region meant only that something had come along to scare them off. In her mind, this meant that her cohort to be had finally made their way through the forest, with the owl being the signal. Slowly her notes, cascading off the trees around her, grew fainter and fainter, until she had ceased to speak altogether. By this time, she found herself mildly surprised at where this individual had come from. The owl, it seemed, was her target in disguise. A shifter. Silver eyes watched the individual unfold from owl to Human, seemingly keep its orb-like owl eyes to better her vision in the deep dark of night. Not unlike the shifter below her, her eyes remained fixed upon this new person, lost in thought. Alice was absolutely fascinated by their entire species. Always, the happenings of her species' bodies were always governed by some sort of logic. Their strength, their power, their weaknesses - while certainly "supernatural", they weren't completely outside of the realm of natural logic. Shapechangers were completely contrary to this. Biologically, nobody was any closer to understanding how their bodies did the things they did now, than hundreds of years ago. To Alice, this was power. More seconds escaped as both did little more than size each other up. Alice's cold, calculating eyes soaking up every bit of detail in hopes of discerning knowledge of this woman before needing to ask for it. "Um. Hiya." Alice blinked. Her concentration snapped, she returned to the real world, her mind almost numb from concentrating so hard upon the one standing below her. Subtle. With the swift kick of her heels, Alice's pulled herself off of the tree on which she sat, falling downwards towards the shifter below. Cloak billowing helplessly behind her as her speed increased, she could only enjoy the sensation of the wind crossing her face, the numbing cold of frozen air rushing to her eyes. A beautiful sensation. She could only imagine it was something similar to flying. A few seconds later, the darkly clad Queen of the Vampires came crashing upon the ground before the Shapechanger knees buckling slightly as though she'd fallen from a meager height of a foot. Snow exploded outwards in all directions in a powerful display. Alice could see things much better now; this girl was.... Cute. Eccentric. Alice smiled slightly, warmly, her hood obviously disheveled from her fall. "Hello there. You can call me Strigoii for now. I trust you didn't have trouble getting past my men, then, hm? Of course not, they're not well trained in spotting your kind,: she rambled slightly, almost to herself, making a mental note to look into such a thing for these perimeters. If it was even possible. "Let's get a few things straight, alright?" Alice asked, though, she wasn't looking for an answer. Her tone was commanding, her gaze equally so. She stepped backwards, folding her hands into each other in front of her stomach where they could be plainly seen. Didn't' want to scare her off with sudden hand movements towards her weaponry, now did she? "First of all, I haven't the slightest clue why it is you wish to betray what is is the most powerful force in the East. But you're going to have to prove to me you're not in this to con me - your fate will be worse than death if I even suspect such," ominous were her choice words to this girl, the paranoia of Demonic treachery already set deep within her mind. Despite this, the warm smile persisted upon her face. "You're also going to have to prove that your information is worth something to me. Now, I obviously can't make you do this on the spot. So you'll earn my trust with time. Only fair, right?" Alice's back connected with the tree from which she had just dropped from. Her arms rose upwards, bracing behind her black hair and propping her head up. Curiosity was now taking hold of Alice, and it was slowly growing apparent in her face. Her features were softening from concern and paranoia, to intrigue. Something didn't quite fit yet... Something was out of place. She would find out what before they were to move forward. "Now, I know you're most likely almost as distrustful of me as I am of you at the moment. That's understandable. I would have me go through the same trials of earning your trust as I place upon you - again, only fair," Alice smiled, nodding happily. "So here's what I'm prepared to do." Her right hand slipped from beneath her head, allowing her index finger to careful press upon the button within her ear - part of her headset - before resuming its position. "I've no idea what motivates you to betray them in favor of us, but you obviously have your reasons... Your desires. I will do my best to make them come true, so long as you help me take them down." The air of amusement and curiosity found itself hanging heavy with the shadows of war, violence and death. Alice's face hardened as she cracked her neck. "Wealth is all but useless now... Weapons? Land? Shelter? Protection? Tell me what you desire. Anything and everything. I'll do my best to provide for you right here, right now, with some of what you desire. I have nothing to fear in being the first to bridge the gap of trust between us. You need only to ask, and I will provide for you, if it is within my power." She pointed to ear earpiece, a faint blue glow noticeable from within her ear (though, perhaps more than 'faint' to one with owl eyes), "Right now. I'll make it happen." One of Alice's many gifts included the ability to switch gears almost instantly. She'd rotated around from curious, to serious, to what was now little different than a motherly tone of protection and benevolence. It was one of the things that made her such a cunning linguist and dangerous tactician. It confused lesser individuals. Allowed her to talk circles around them, and play with their emotions as if they were but strings on a harp. "And, of course, after you tell me all these things I need to know to begin to trust you, as well as what motivates you to do this and what you want in return, you're free to ask anything else of me. Why do I want to strike at the Demons so badly? Why am I so eager for your help in particular? Just who am I exactly? All questions I'm sure you've had, all questions I'm willing to answer for you." She was still leaning against the tree, but this time, finally, her face had reached a sort of stoic, emotionless look. Her turn was over; the pieces were in motion. And this, this was her final move. "Does this sound reasonable to you, miss..." WORDS: 1182 ugh - NOTES: click lyrics for sound

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[MukLuk]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 13px solid #FFFFFF; margin: -250px 0px 0px 70px; width: 450px; z-index: 2; position: relative; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 10px 10px 10px 73px; background: #e8e5ff url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/iridescentjohn/Tarnishes%20Cycles/bg-circles.png); border: 1px dotted #ccbdcf;] IT WAS A THOUSAND TO ONE AND A MILLION TO TWO I'M GOING DOWN IN FLAMES AND I'M TAKING YOU The vampire in question eased herself from her perch upon a branch some ways above the ground, cloak flailing behind her as she fell, her landing spraying snow out for some feet around her. Muk sputtered and shook the snow from her hair. Damnable vampires. She resisted the urge to spout her increasingly common "Unnecessary!" and instead settled for huffing and wiping at the front of her too-thin shirt. She should have shifted herself into something warmer, but now it was too late, now she had to pay attention to miss graceful vampire woman who saw fit to fling snow at her... Choking down a grumble, she gave herself a final shake before mittening her hands under her armpits. Vampire woman smiled, which was a bit unexpected. Muk barely managed not shifting away from her. All vampires were beautiful in a way that was, to many, enchanting. Muk found their brand of aesthetics a bit frightening, a bit... predatory. She bit her lip, suddenly unsure of being here altogether. "Hello there. You can call me Strigoii for now." Strigoli? Sounded like an italian pasta dish, but if that's what she wanted to be called, then that's what Muk would call her. "I trust you didn't have trouble getting past my men, then, hm? Of course not, they're not well trained in spotting your kind." "They probably weren't looking for owls," Muk admitted through clenched teeth, an effort to keep them from chattering. Germany was so cold. She hoped Strigoli wasn't bothered by sudden shifting, because she was seriously considering a nice coat of polar bear fur. Strigoli folded her hands in front of her stomach, which eased Muk's mind a bit, though she was well aware that she wouldn't even see those hands move if she chose to attack. It was more the gesture that was comforting; clearly, she was trying to establish some sort of environment of safety. "First of all, I haven't the slightest clue why it is you wish to betray what is is the most powerful force in the East. But you're going to have to prove to me you're not in this to con me - your fate will be worse than death if I even suspect such." Maybe now was a good time to try shutting off the pain receivers in her brain. She seemed to suspect it now. Not that Muk blamed her. She certainly didn't look like any kind of informant. Or, at least, she imagined she didn't. Informants could look different, she guess, but still, most wouldn't expect them to be flying in as owls or growing polar bear fur. Which, admittedly, hadn't happened yet, but was awfully tempting. "You're also going to have to prove that your information is worth something to me. Now, I obviously can't make you do this on the spot. So you'll earn my trust with time. Only fair, right?"

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Muk shrugged. "Sure." Not like it wouldn't be a two sided affair anyways. Muk knew the vampire expected her distrust. Every movement seemed careful and calculated, meant to display a sense of ease bellying the suspicion she imagined roiling within this woman's mind. The vampire moved to lean on the tree she had leapt from moments before, Muk's eyes following her every step. She couldn't help ( somewhat jealously) taking in the near feline grace with which this woman moved. It made her feel horribly juvenile and clumsy. Well, she probably was rather juvenile compared to the vampire. She nearly smelled of the experience that came from many more years than Muk was likely to ever see.

"Now, I know you're most likely almost as distrustful of me as I am of you at the moment. That's understandable. I would have me go through the same trials of earning your trust as I place upon you - again, only fair."[/color] She smiled then, and nodded as if they were discussing a vacation to the beach.

"So here's what I'm prepared to do. I've no idea what motivates you to betray them in favor of us, but you obviously have your reasons... Your desires. I will do my best to make them come true, so long as you help me take them down."

Muk swallowed, glanced away. Most of the things she wanted were unattainable, moon dreams when lying awake at night. But she betrayed the demons for one reason, and she wasn't sure if this vampire would believe her. She wasn't sure she had believed it herself, but here she was, everything in her driving her to this meeting, to do something to bring about the fall of the blood thirsty creature atop Mount Olympus.

"Wealth is all but useless now... Weapons? Land? Shelter? Protection? Tell me what you desire. Anything and everything. I'll do my best to provide for you right here, right now, with some of what you desire. I have nothing to fear in being the first to bridge the gap of trust between us. You need only to ask, and I will provide for you, if it is within my power."

She pointed to a glowing earpiece that Muk had assumed was some sort of fancy vampire jewelry at first, but now thought to be some sort of communication device.

"Right now. I'll make it happen."

But she couldn't. No one could, not yet. But in time. What she wanted, what she desired would come in time. She hoped. God's blood, she hoped.

"And, of course, after you tell me all these things I need to know to begin to trust you, as well as what motivates you to do this and what you want in return, you're free to ask anything else of me. Why do I want to strike at the Demons so badly? Why am I so eager for your help in particular? Just who am I exactly? All questions I'm sure you've had, all questions I'm willing to answer for you."[/color]

Sure, they were all questions that had occurred to her many times during her deliberation over whether or not to actually go through with this, but now that she was here, it seemed unimportant with a chance to end it, really end it, sitting in front of her. God, she just wanted it done, she wanted it done now so she and Zanga could just walk away from Mount Olympus, from demons altogether, and just live.

"Does this sound reasonable to you, miss..."[/color]

Her thoughts held her for a moment more before she realized the silence was an expectant one. She shook her head.

"MukLuk. Or Muk, I don't really care either way. And, ah, that sounds reasonable. More than reasonable really."

She cleared her throat. Where to begin?

"Um. I don't really like demons. Which... is obvious, I guess, seeing as I'm here offering information to bring down their empire."

God, she was bad at this.

"But. Ah. Here's the thing. One of the Morrigan's agents recruited my... friend. Zanga. He's a halfling, half werewolf and half vampire. More werewolf than vampire, but either way. They recruited him and he accepted because he was in a bad spot. And he's kind of got this chip on his shoulder towards most races because apparently they killed his parents for fathering a halfling or something."

She grimaced. She knew how that must sound.

"But he's a good person. I know, I've seen it. I went to watch over him and while he's living comfortably, I know it's only a matter of time before things get ugly. They always do with The Morrigan."

Muk sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She was really bad at this.

"I just. I want him safe. That's all. He doesn't belong with the demons and I know he'll see that eventually. But I also know that The Morrigan... she's something of a hoarder when it comes to her 'prizes'. Zanga is one of those prizes and she won't ever let him go. I just want us to be able to walk out of there together and not worry about her every second afterwards."

Fur spread the length of her skin from the neck down as she finally grew tired of the shivers, the warmth from her coat beginning almost immediately to permeate her entire body. She sighed with the relief from the cold. She could have sworn her fingers were turning blue.

"Sorry, but it is cold. Like, stupid cold."

And yeah, she should have expected that from Germany, but she didn't, so she grew fur. A natural response.

"But. Yeah. That's all I want, really. A place to stay would be great afterwards, but that's optional with us. We're something of wanderers."

Shrugging, she then considered the questions she wanted to ask the woman before her. Not many came to mind right off, but she did have something to offer while she thought.

She withdrew a vial from her pocket, the liquid within it black and of a sluggish consistency. Muk offered it in an outstretched palm.

"I, ah, think this is one of the poisons that The Morrigan uses on her blades. She goes through these... forgetful phases where she just gets weird and has these mood swings and she leaves things laying around. I was too scared to smell it; no telling what it does. But they look like these vials she keeps around her belt, so I just assumed..." she shrugged.

"Consider it a, um, gesture of goodwill."

Yeah, that.
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[tr][td][atrb=style, background: #ffffff; color: ccbdcf; font-family: Georgia; padding: 0px 5px]WORDS ● 1685 TAGGED ● alice ! NOTES ● muk the sap
TEMPLATE ● jawn of AA, OTE, DMB and TC[/td]

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[ALICE CRYSIS]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-image:url(http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae66/Edgeandpearl19/new4-1.jpg); width: 457px; padding-top: 30; padding-bottom: 30; -moz-border-radius: 35 35 35 35; -webkit-border-radius: 35 35 35 35] hi ambition You don't live centuries without learning something about emotion. About expression. And about feelings; just what they look like, and mean. Most people have absolutely no idea how much detail they give off in everything they do, about everything they wish to hide. Faces in particular were well known for this, though the entire body, word selection, and even tone were all dead give aways to things if you knew what to look for. This girl wasn't much different. Her body language, to the untrained eye, spoke one thing - cold. Understandably so, Germany had harsh winters. However, going deeper, something else became faintly clear. Cold was all she was feeling. Not fear. Not concern. Not anger. At least not enough to phase her. This was impressive; most were frightfully aware of how powerful Alice was, and tried their damnedest to not recoil in fear and flee from her presence alone. This one, while possibly unnerved a bit by her, obviously cared more for the cold than her own intimidating aura of power. Impressive. Most impressive. "MukLuk. Or Muk, I don't really care either way. And, ah, that sounds reasonable. More than reasonable really. Um. I don't really like demons. Which... is obvious, I guess, seeing as I'm here offering information to bring down their empire." Alice smiled faintly, sensing the uneasy attempt at humor and playing along. Her usual 'stone face' would only serve to intimidate the poor girl - she neither needed that, nor wanted that, at this point. The paranoia in her mind was shriveling word by word. "But. Ah. Here's the thing. One of the Morrigan's agents recruited my... friend. Zanga. He's a halfling, half werewolf and half vampire. More werewolf than vampire, but either way. They recruited him and he accepted because he was in a bad spot. And he's kind of got this chip on his shoulder towards most races because apparently they killed his parents for fathering a halfling or something." Alice's lip twitched. That... That was going to be a problem. Her eyes fell towards the earth for a moment, consumed by thoughts of half breeds. Rare, powerful creatures of the world, totally misunderstood. Among Vampires especially they were treated like lessers, often the point of outright killing the being. She couldn't imagine them being treated much better by any other race... And it was a shame. Alice sighed, shaking her head in disgust. While there was a time the aristocratic side of her enjoyed picking on such people, that phase long passed. She would not punish someone for being born as they are - they had no control over this, thus they have no right to be judged upon it. And they were usually blood powerful creatures. "But he's a good person. I know, I've seen it. I went to watch over him and while he's living comfortably, I know it's only a matter of time before things get ugly. They always do with The Morrigan." So she knew. Humans are resourceful creatures. Despite this, and their technologies, they found themselves nearing extinction at the hands of this Morrigan. And those that had risen up to defend them? Their fate was exactly the same. "I just. I want him safe. That's all. He doesn't belong with the demons and I know he'll see that eventually. But I also know that The Morrigan... she's something of a hoarder when it comes to her 'prizes'. Zanga is one of those prizes and she won't ever let him go. I just want us to be able to walk out of there together and not worry about her every second afterwards." There was the answer she was looking for. Love - in whatever form it may be - was rarely the cause for such drastic action - it was in fact usually a paralytic. Fear of loss, however (better known as greed) was much less a paralytic and much more a motivator. So much so, that she was willing to risk great personal injury, frigid cold, and a certainty of death. All for this "Zanga". Alice's greatest weakness was under direct assault now - curiosity. That burning desire to understand this situation more had knocked out her paranoia completely. She could only smile and nod when Mukluk furiously coated her body with thick fur (the cold had finally won over her), and motioned with her hand for her to continue talking - she was quite clearly not done. "But. Yeah. That's all I want, really. A place to stay would be great afterwards, but that's optional with us. We're something of wanderers." Alice nodded thoughtfully. Yes, that could be arranged. They had many secure locations, beautiful locations, all within the wilderness of Europe. They would be safe there. Free to roam. But then something happened that Alice did not expect. Her nose wrinkled, agitated. "I, ah, think this is one of the poisons that The Morrigan uses on her blades. She goes through these... forgetful phases where she just gets weird and has these mood swings and she leaves things laying around. I was too scared to smell it; no telling what it does. But they look like these vials she keeps around her belt, so I just assumed..." Silver eyes narrowed upon the small glass container harboring the evil substance. She recognized it all too well. More than any other Supernatural was this poison effective against them. A poison of the bloodstream, it took hold of its victims quickly, in most cases. Vampires however, don't circulate nearly as fast - poison takes time to take it course. Its longer. More painful. Eventually overwhelming. But more threateningly, it essentially 'sterilized' a Vampire. Because a Vampire infected with this poison wasn't able to turn any other Humans into Vampires; when they transfused their blood into the drained victim, the infection killed them almost instantly. ""Consider it a, um, gesture of goodwill." She nodded. This was more than a kind gesture. With a sample of the poison not exposed to oxygen, they had a shot at an antitoxin - perhaps even a vaccine against it. A slender hand slowly slid outwards, palm up and open beneath Mukluks, allowing her to slide the vial into her eagerly awaiting hand. "This is a very kind gesture indeed, Mukluk. You may have just saved thousands of lives already with this. Very good job." The curious Vampire took a moment to herself to view the vial; holding it before her face and gazing through the mysterious fluid via the moonlight shining from above. "I must say..." she continued, still starring through the liquid with mild amusement, "I truly admire you Mukluk. You're such an inspiration for the ways I could never choose to be." Curiosity sated for a few minutes, Alice's attention to manners returned to her. The vial found its way beneath her cloak, slipped within a pocket to be kept safe for later. "To be so dedicated to one person like that. It's an honorable quality - rare too. I hope this Zanga understands just how lucky he is to have you be so concerned for him." Somehow, she gathered, he did not. "So you wish us to, at the very least, secure your friend and ensure your combined safety," she repeated, closing her eyes and recounting their conversation in her head. "And if possible, this can't look like the Vampires were involved in the extraction of Zanga, because that would lead them to hunting us, to get to you. It needs to be framed on someone else, or staged like an accident. Something along those lines..." It would be a lot easier to tell her how possible, or impossible, it was to do if she knew where Zanga was in the world. But that wasn't the biggest of issues at the moment. Alice continued. "Once your freedom is ensured, you'd prefer to be alone together, able to wander in peace where you please. I think that's everything." Alice's eyes opened. Pretty modest request considering the eternal peril she was placing herself in now. "The kinks of getting our hands on Zanga will be determined shortly. For now, I can assure you the other parts of that. When Zanga joins us, there are places we can take you two where not a soul can come near you without my permission. And, when your situation blows over, we can provide you with beautiful homes in remote regions, stocked with supplies, for you to do what you wish with. Doesn't get much better than that." For the first time in many minutes, Alice cast her gaze back upon Mukluk, staring deep into her eyes with a newfound sense of respect. Though she didn't agree to be so devoted to one person, it was admirable. She couldn't help but honestly want to help her. It just felt like the right thing to do. "I would be glad to do these things for you, Mukluk, and more if more presents itself as pressing to you." A gust of cold wind, carrying with it the chill of death itself, swept right through the forest. With it went all the heat not protected by some sort of a windbreaker, sapping energy along with it. Alice could only imagine what Mukluk was dealing with. "Come with me. We'll head back to one of our secure locations where it's warm. If we walk quickly, we'll get there in about ten minutes," she added quietly, pointing off towards the north. "And while we walk, you're going to tell me what you can do form, Mukluk, in the days to come. Tell me what juicy details you think you can procure for us." Alice began pushing through the mounds of snow that were building upon the forest floor, in the direction which she had pointed. "And then we'll get to discussing how to reunite you with Zanga. Am I missing anything?" WORDS: IDFK ugh - NOTES: click lyrics for sound

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[MukLuk]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 13px solid #FFFFFF; margin: -250px 0px 0px 70px; width: 450px; z-index: 2; position: relative; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888; box-shadow: 0 3px 5px #888;, bTable][atrb=style, padding: 10px 10px 10px 73px; background: #e8e5ff url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/iridescentjohn/Tarnishes%20Cycles/bg-circles.png); border: 1px dotted #ccbdcf;] I’M GOING DEEPER UNDERGROUND THERE’S TOO MUCH PANIC IN THIS TOWN BUT I’VE GOT TO GO DEEPER It was nice to feel like you had done something good, something worthwhile. Admittedly, it wasn’t a feeling that Muk often got to experience; she didn’t really do things involving other people and most of her warm and fuzzy accomplished feelings came from flipping beetles back onto their feet or helping lost chicks find their nest that they had forgotten was a few feet away. But to hear that she had saved lives, well, that made her want to preen her feathers. It made her want to have feathers just for the preening. But feathers were itchy and not very warm so she just settled with the warm and fuzzy accomplished feeling humming nicely in her chest. “I must say…” Strigoii started, silver eyes watching MukLuk with a degree of intensity that was slightly uncomfortable and made her wish, once again, that she had feathers to preen. Being an owl was so useful sometimes, though a Great Horned Owl had a pretty hard time preening. (Though one had no trouble doing the whole Exorcist thing and turning their head all the way around. Strange, really.) "I truly admire you Mukluk. You're such an inspiration for the ways I could never choose to be."

[/color]

MukLuk blinked, cheeks flushing; had her eyes been human, they would have much resembled her owl eyes now. Strigoii admired her? That seemed like the most backwards statement of the century. Here was a woman, preparing to take on The Morrigan and the entirety of her demon empire, meeting with strange shapeshifters in the middle of frigid Germany with no notion of whether or not they could be trusted, and jumping out of trees and landing in a dramatic and snow slinging fashion, all while carrying herself like some long forgotten royalty.

And she was jealous of the little girl who was sporting owl eyes and polar bear fur. Huh.

Before she could collect herself to offer some sort of thanks, Strigoii was speaking again.

"To be so dedicated to one person like that. It's an honorable quality - rare too. I hope this Zanga understands just how lucky he is to have you be so concerned for him."[/color]

“If he did, he would probably feel insulted that I felt the need.” She rolled her eyes. The way some people thought themselves invincible when their pride came into play, honestly.

"So you wish us to, at the very least, secure your friend and ensure your combined safety and if possible, this can't look like the Vampires were involved in the extraction of Zanga, because that would lead them to hunting us, to get to you. It needs to be framed on someone else, or staged like an accident. Something along those lines..."[/color]

MukLuk swallowed. Making such a request outright didn’t sit well with her, but she nodded. “Ah, yes. Sounds right. Good.” She swallowed and looked at the ground, feeling like a rather conspicuously girl-shaped burden at the moment, but Alice continued.

"Once your freedom is ensured, you'd prefer to be alone together, able to wander in peace where you please. I think that's everything."

Muk ran over her requests once more mentally, then ran over them again, making sure nothing was left out. But really, there was only one crucial element to all of this. Not like there was much to be left out in the first place.

"The kinks of getting our hands on Zanga will be determined shortly. For now, I can assure you the other parts of that. When Zanga joins us, there are places we can take you two where not a soul can come near you without my permission. And, when your situation blows over, we can provide you with beautiful homes in remote regions, stocked with supplies, for you to do what you wish with. Doesn't get much better than that."[/color]

It didn’t. The idea sounded better than heaven. Though the hiding bit would no doubt prove a bit stressful for both of them, and the possibility of this whole resistance of sorts being defeated was in the back of her mind. If nothing else, she and Zanga would have been hidden long enough that they could probably slip away without a soul the wiser.

Beyond Leda. She would probably have to be killed or something equally incapacitating before their departure; Leda’s tracking skills were certainly unusual. She needed to make a point of figuring out whether there were truly the result of some ability or whether she happened to be incredibly lucky. Muk wasn’t a strong believer in luck, but she could be, if it meant that the swan bitch didn’t have some sort of super tracking device implanted in her head.

A cold breeze blasted her, though the majority of the energy-sapping cold was spent on her thick fur. She shifted her shoulders appreciatively; it may have been strange looking, but she didn’t shiver, which was certainly a large step away from blue lips. Still, the cold was uncomfortable and the wind was picking up. Strigoii noted this.

"Come with me. We'll head back to one of our secure locations where it's warm. If we walk quickly, we'll get there in about ten minutes. And while we walk, you're going to tell me what you can do form, Mukluk, in the days to come. Tell me what juicy details you think you can procure for us. And then we'll get to discussing how to reunite you with Zanga. Am I missing anything?”[/color]

Muk shook her head, regretting the fact that she couldn’t simply shift into something faster and less impeded by the heavy snow and the frigid blasts of wind and just go. But Strigoii desired details, and she would clomp through the snow to provide this woman her details, especially since she was offering her the chance of obtaining the first thing she had ever wanted, really wanted, in her life.

“That sounds good to me,” she said, ducking a snow laden branch. “As far as juicy details, well. It helps when you can literally be the fly on the wall.” She inwardly winced a little, though; she didn’t enjoy being insects. Their entire manner of viewing and interacting with the world was so vastly different that she was always out of sorts for awhile afterwards.

“Zanga and I were placed in the ‘palace’. It’s where The Morrigan stays, along with her generals and advisors and servants and such. They generally don’t pay much attention to us until they need something from us. Until then, they just send in servants with food or cleaning or whatever. Besides us, I’ve seen very few non-demons, and with all of the big wigs of the demon, ah, monarchy seated there…” she shrugged. “I’m no politician, but I’d guess it to be the seat of power.”

The Morrigan certainly wasn’t renowned for her powers of reasoning outside of battle. Really, she wasn’t renowned for much of anything outside of battle beyond her batshit insane tendencies.

“It’s situated on… well, I mean, I’ve only heard it called Mount Olympus. It probably had some other name before the collapse, but it’s basically this huge mountain in Greece and she calls it Mount Olympus. She’s kind of obsessed with the concept. Something about Gods watching humanity below. I don’t know. She doesn’t make a whole lot of sense most of the time.”

She had been watching the ground while walking and met rather violently with a low hanging branch, exclaiming in a mixture of surprise and displeasure. Resisting the urge to sprout bear claws and beat the tree into mulch, she ducked under the branch and continued on, rubbing at her forehead with a wince.

“Um, yeah. There’s a lot of stuff going on at the palace. I’d just need to make myself small and get into those rooms and I’m sure I could learn plenty. It seems like her generals and advisors do most of the management that isn’t war, but I haven’t really been around enough to say for certain. I just know she either stays cooped up in her room, struts around her throne room, or wanders about delegating tasks to people. She gets a lot of visitors, but like I mentioned earlier… those forgetful periods. I guess they’re less ‘forgetful periods’ and more ‘bipolar beyond belief’ periods. A lot of her visitors leave with more scratches than they had going in.”

A goose egg was rising on her forehead, under her prodding fingers. Her nose wrinkled in distaste, but she continued.

“I mean, I have loads I could tell you, I’m just not sure how much of it will be useful. I haven’t really picked up anything really juicy beyond that vial there. No plans of attack or sketches for weapons of mass destruction or devastating weaknesses.” She huffed irritably.

“It was never this hard for James Bond.”
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[tr][td][atrb=style, background: #ffffff; color: ccbdcf; font-family: Georgia; padding: 0px 5px]WORDS ● 1,479 TAGGED ● alice ! NOTES ● James Bond
TEMPLATE ● jawn of AA, OTE, DMB and TC[/td]

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