Everflame 2 (FINISHED)

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin's grin widened as he saluted all of them before digging his talons into the bark for more traction, instead of simply pushing off the trees, and left rather large claw marks on the trees as he almost doubled in speed, using the motivation of 'competition' to pick up their traveling pace.

[KittKat chunky~]

This time Annie couldn't help but grin, regarding Dougie with a raised eyebrow and the hint of a laugh. She returned the whisper just as quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the cockpit behind them "Well if the pair of you aren't just chock-full of surprises... I appreciate the help."





Tess leaned over the desk, tapping its plastic surface "I'm calling in a favour Jessica. We need to find somewhere for Reggie to sleep tonight... You reckon you pull some wheelie-dealings?" Jessica raised an eyebrow incredulously and grinned "Tess calling in a favour? Ha! I thought I'd never see the day."

Still grinning she glanced down at her computer screen and frowned "I'm guessing he isn't with the Mechanicus. And that could be a problem." She twisted the screen around and showed it to Tess "All legit visitor bunks are taken. We got a Versmerchian trade cruiser docked this week, and their entire crew are clogging up the system." Jessica frowned, glancing from Reggie, to Blaze, and back to Tess.

"I've got an idea though. Tess, you have your own bunk now, so do you Blaze. Not exactly roomy neither of them, but still. How about if one of you shares with the other, and the big guy takes the free room?"
Tess glanced over at Blaze and frowned for a moment, before turning to Reggie "Whadya think? I'd be more n' happy to give you my room. Its gonna be cleaner n' Blaze's at any rate..."

Jessica shrugged apologetically from behind her desk "Sorry I couldn't be more help guys. If it weren't for the Versmerchains and their whining crews I'd have given him an en-suite somewhere..."

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The porcupine creased his brow and pulled out a datapad, letting it note down what was said.
"It spoke to you? What did it say?"





Tabby and Asia disappeared among the trees as Chronin sped away, but Howl and Seeker kept up, without any visible effort, almost as though the world was moving past them, and they weren't moving at all.





Dougie gave a dark little chuckle and herded Annie to the bathroom.
"You go clean up in there," he said. "And when you're done, come to me and Keiron's room, okay?" He couldn't stop his smile as he left Annie at the bathroom and almost ran to his room.




Reggie glanced down at Blaze, breaking a little smile for the first time in a while, then nodded to the young clerk.
"That sounds just fine."

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin wasn't entirely sure if he lost Tabby and Asia, but he was sure that he was getting close to the ship as the trees became less dense and he could see its shining hull through the leaves. I guess my premonition was right... he couldn't get air-borne before we came back.

[Entaru]

Nero crossed his arms impatiently as Vuranin attempted to locate the half-breeds.  AnY TimE NoW, VuraniN....I WoulD LikE TO GeT ThiS OveR WitH...ThE LesS I HavE TO BE ArounD YoU, ThE BetteR

[Chrono Blackwyng]

As if on cue, Vuranin finally got up and floated over to Nero. Her hand was wrapped in aural flames as she almost back-handed Nero, then went over to the beast as her flaming hand had extinguished itself. "I'll put in the coordinates when Nero gets the ship. But to be honest, Howl and Seeker are not that easy to get at. Unlike the three of us, who posses the means to remove objects in our path, they can simply pass through our hands and auras as if they were not even there."

[tangletail]

"He gave me what sounded like a, or what I think was a premonition of evil. Dark the opposite or shunned fool. And that he could feel him." He said looking upwards like he was searching for something "He was looking for... you know what. I think the object should be better left unsaid. If they can hear me talk from this far then this ship will be pulled inside out." He sighed, he knew well enough what they were looking for. "After all, they had a field trip with the metal planet we call Sphere"


A single dot grew nearer to them as they continued running. Looking over a ledge, Brogalio saw what appeared to be a dragon and hopped down. Landing with one hand on the ground and her feet firmly place, a loud crack comeing from her joints but seemed over all unbothered by it as she came back up followed by her partner. "Hey, Scalie we could use a hand!" She called to him walking closer.

[KittKat chunky~]

Annie slid the bathroom door closed behind her, slipped out of the stiff-collared uniform, and stepped quickly into a torrent of hot water. She yelped with surprise and fumbled blindly for the thermostat. Finally, and after several several frustrated minutes, she managed to find a temperature that was somewhere between boiling hot and freezing cold.Throwing back her head, she simply stood under the flow of water and scoured away the layer of grime that had accumulated over the course of several long days.

After a good fifteen minutes she stepped out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around herself and the dark red uniform slung over one arm. She sighed and padded softly down the narrow corridor to Dougie and Keiron's bedroom where she knocked cautiously on the steel door.




Blaze returned the grin, tail swishing. Tess threw him a sidelong glance momentarily as the Clerk smiled happily "Okay, If you just wait a moment I can get a few forms and things printed out. Save any hassle..." She tapped a button on her keyboard and leaned underneath the desk, where a high-speed printer spat out the necessary forms.

She straightened up again and handed them to Reggie with a brilliant smile "The red form is the most important one, just give that to any official who tries to stop you. Though the pass card there would be enough I'd have thought." She indicated the card, a thin piece of metal stamped with a bar code. Tess grinned to her and leaned over the desk for an impromptu hug "Thank'you Jessica. Your a star, girl."

The vixen merely smiled and hugged her briefly back "Not a problem sister. Come round some other time, desk duty gets awful boring alone..."

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Before the group reached the ship, Howl and Seeker were already there, still and silent. Howl seemed to stare at the ship, almost with wonder and also relief. Tabby and Asia soon caught up, a little way behind.
"So where's the tiger?" she asked Chronin.





The beast growled, its white hot fire spurting its body. "Everything melts, we need to hurry," it said.




The porcupine opened his mouth to speak, then stopped.
"I think you need to see the general." He got up and headed back to the door. "I'll be back in a minute," he said, and disappeared out of the cargo bay. Everyone else seemed to hurry around, all with deep frowns or wide eyes, flitting back and forth from patient to patient, as more and more injured were carried in. Eventually the porcupine returned with a rather slender vixen, with straight lank hair trailing between her shoulders and parted at two unusual little bumps on her back, hidden under her slim green uniform. She said something to the porcupine, drowned out by the other patients, then walked over to Leo and sat beside him.
"So, my friend here says you've had contact with the beast. Can you walk? I would like this to be more private than it is," she said, looking around at the room.





The door clicked and slid away and Dougie stepped aside, revealing a bed covered in three different outfits. A short red party dress, with ribbons and high heels; a rather conservative long skirt, dull green tshirt and cardigan; and the last was more curious. The gleaming white skirt was remarkably short, but the top was a white blouse and a loose red jacket that trailed down like a robe, and beside it, various flowers and head garments were arranged. Dougie stood beside it, beaming pride and mischeif.
"Just so you know, these aren't mine," he said, always grinning. "I've been buying these for Keiron for years. We've got loads more at home." He stifled his laughter, biting his lip. "He's gonna kill me for this, but just for you, you have the honour of borrowing whatever you like, because i kinda feel bad for you." His face softened as he stepped aside and gestured for Annie to enter, before he exited. "Call me if you need me."





Reggie took the forms and looked through them. "Right, should we go?"

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chronin looked out at the female tiger and her compainions, and pointed directly at the ship. "I don't know where these jokers came from, but the one I'm looking for should still be in the ship." He walked up to the lining that betrayed the location of the docking ramp and tapped the hull three times before the ramp came down. He walked up the ramp and went straight to the room 'Jetho' was rooming in, and knocked on the door with his talons. "Had fun while we were gone, 'Jetho'?" The sound of a bullet bouncing off metal only seemed to make it more difficult for Chronin to not grin. "This isn't funny, I've been needing to eat for almost five hours!!" "On the contrary, seeing a copy-cat getting locked up by his own pride is rather entertaining." "Whatev- wait, 'copycat'?!" "Should have done a more thorough background check, Jetho died before I left the war-front, an accidental casualty on my fault..."

[tangletail]

Leo gave the vixen a curious look as she walked in. "Let me see" he said turning his body some and planting a foot on the ground followed by another. He pushed himself off the bed winceing grabbing onto his side and walked forwards with a limp."Yes I can" he said. He made a mental note to himself to thank his years of exsperiance developed by malpractice in the lab for why he could walk even when in so much pain. "So, where to?" he asked straighting himself up.

Brogalio clapped her hands a few times not understanding whats going on before turning to the Tabby cat. "Hey can your friends give us a lift?" she then shook her leg a bit popping it some after some pain from the landing started to reveal its self "We have six others, A random female civilian whos missing an arm and her shoulder, and a marine with a lame leg" she said not feeling like discribing such a twisted and punctured limb.

[Entaru]

Nero smirked Couldn'T HavE SaiD IT BetteR MyselF...LetS GO.  Nero suddenly began hurdling towards his ship.  In moments he was on board and typing in the co-ordinates.  The lightspeed drive charged as he typed, ready to go at a moments notice.

[KittKat chunky~]

Annie smiled graciously, watching Dougie with curiosity "Well, I really appreciate it." She waited until the door was closed before walking over to the bed. She glanced over the clothes warily, moving to touch the skirt gingerly. It was soft, incredibly so, and made from a material unlike any other she had seen. She grinned, picking up the skirt carefully. It reminded her of the skirts she had worn in her early teens. Strange, she reflected, how clothes would often turn full circle and come back into fashion years later.

With a light sigh, and backward glance to the door, she dropped the towel from around herself and slipped on the skirt and its accompanying blouse. Both where much warmer than appearances would suggest, and incredibly soft after the formal trousers and linen shirt of her uniform. Finally she pulled on the dark red jacket, the only part of her uniform that she retained, with the twin cogs logo of the Mechanicus emblazoned no the forearm. She rolled up the sleeves, black cuffs now ending before her elbows, and left it casually unbuttoned.

With cold eyes she pulled out a thin metal case from an inside pocket of the jacket. It opened with a click to reveal an equally slim pistol. Its steel body hummed softly as she checked it over, before sliding it back into the jacket pocket and walking quietly to the bedroom door...





Tess glanced up at Reggie and shrugged "Sure. Sorry we couldnt sort anything better out for ya' though." She nudged Blaze with her elbow and nodded in the direction of the exit "C'mon then..."

The crowds where just as thick as ever, a veritable sea of pilots and workmen. The trio slowly made their way to the less crowded bunk area where steel doors lined both sides of the corridors. Tess stopped at the doorway marked 'Teresa Kováč', sliding it open to reveal a room that was small, but unusually tidy. The only mess lay on and around a dismembered engine that sat at the end of the room. She sighed and motioned to the bunk bed "Beds made an' all. Sorry for the motor, gettin' that fixed up for a mag-bike this season..."

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

The vixen gave a warm little smile and guided Leo out of the cargo bay, and shuffled him through a small reflective corridor, moving him into a tiny little room that had a table, two chairs, and a mop and bucket in the corner.
"So," said the vixen, with a slight robotic smile, while her eyes searched, digging into the serval. "I'm told the creature talked to you. That it wanted something. Tell me everything."



Asia looked to the new group and guided the tigress back from the dragon.
"Any other time you may be helped, but we're in a rather important situation that can't really wait." He had apologies jumping off his face.





The beast compressed more and more, turning into a tight ball of blinding light, with all its amorphous features turned into sweet soft curves of apocalyptic fire, before finding its way into Nero's ship.






The door opened, and Dougie turned to the newly dressed Annie with a bright little smile on his face, with floods of anxious anticipation, like a light bulb about to burst.
"Yup," he said, looking her over. "I'm a dead man, because he's gonna kill me." He grinned wide, thenput his arm around Annie. "You look great though, and I like the little personalisation with the jacket and everything. Gives you a kind of... sexy yet capable look about you." He guided her back down the corridor, their footsteps tapping against the bare floor. As the cockpit came into view, they could see Keiron facing the main screen, displaying navigation maps and an estimated timer countdown. They would reach their destination soon. They walked to the cockpit and Dougie let Annie go, moving up behind Keiron's chair, draping his arms down over the serval, who looked up at him.
"What?" said Keiron, in silk soft tone.
"I found some clothes for Annie to wear. Have a look." Dougie moved around, turning the chair about, while staying behind it, almost hiding as he revealed the vixen. "What do you think?" Keiron's calm dropped from his face like an untied mask, replaced by shock, then realisation, then wisps of anger just slightly pinching his face as he attempted placidity. A twitching smile pulled upon his face.
"Miss Yantova, where did my... darling dingo... get those clothes from?"





Reggie shrugged at the motor. "It's a much better room than I had on that bloody ship." He gritted his teeth a little then shook away his bubbling aggression. He turned to Tess and Blaze. "How long will this set up last?" he said, with a little smirking glance to Blaze.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

The slight sound of a door opening, a muffled scuffle, then a roar that becomes a shriek are heard in all of three minutes. Then, Chronin walks down the ramp, licking the blood off his claws as his hair goes from straight-up and spiked to completely deflated. "Unless our two etheral guests have tangible needs, we should have enough meat for almost three straight days of travel."