Northern Winds [NC-17] (IC)

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya twitched slightly, and her fur bristled as Sebastian spoke. She'd had no idea there was anyone right behind her. It was a good thing she'd recognised his voice immediately: after everything that had happened since last night, her nerves were still a little on edge. Not quite to the point where she'd reflexively attack if she thought she was threatened, but still... Anyway, she'd seen the bat was quite capable of defending himself against magic. A simple flare spell tossed over her shoulder, her usual first response to an attack from behind, would probably be no bother for him to counter.

"That is somewhat less than reassuring, Sebastian," she murmured. "Ah well, we shall deal with that if it becomes a problem." She resisted an urge to feel her back to make sure no-one had put a knife in it without her noticing.

[Cogidubnus]

The wolf shook his head at the walrus's words, taking note of both the fat man's expression and posture, and the relatively clipped tone of his words. He leaned against the side of the Beetle, taking off his shades and hat. He held them both in one hand while reaching inside his red coat with his left, producing a small white cloth. He proceeded to wipe the shades clean, carefully not looking at the proprietor as he considered his words.

Cogidubnus was feeling irritated and annoyed as well, although he was far too careful to show it. Instead, he simply stayed quiet, the expression on his face thoughtful. The walrus wouldn't consider a lower price, even though the vehicle was, for all reasonable intents and purposes, absurdly useless for such a price tag. Asking for a smaller amount less than he was offering at this point would seem petulant.
What really bothered Cog, though, was despite the proprietor's claims of its indestructibility and toughness, he just knew that with the kind of people chasing him, it was going to get blown up before the end of the day.

"Eighty thousand dollars..." Cog said, his voice neutral. He considered offering the Walrus something to sweeten his side of the deal - a charm, perhaps, or another item, but he doubted the man would find them as valuable as the wolf did. Most of them had sentimental value, anyway.
Cog put his hat back on his head, and his shades followed shortly. He pushed himself up, again looking the Walrus in the eye.

"I'm not going to tell you how to run your business. Suffice it to say, I don't know why you even built something like this, or who you thought you'd sell it to. Hell, perhaps you knew I'd be needing something like this in advance - in which case, it'd be right nice of you." he said, his words genial. "But...."
The wolf sighed. Some people would consider him rich, although the wolf knew better - he might have a lot of money, but, it had to last him a lot longer than most. Eighty thousand dollars wasn't pocket change, either - not to individuals, anyway. He could justify the expense, if the car would be useful as more than something than a eventual bullet shield, but even then...

"I apologize if my earlier comments were crass. You're obviously a busy man. Eighty thousand for the vehicle, the car, the straps, the cans, power steering, and the bags I was asking for earlier." he said, eyes hidden by shaded lenses looking at the corner of the room for a moment. "If that's not possible, I'm sorry to have wasted your time, and I'll be out of your hair."

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

Standing by Stygian was Keaton, looking exceptionally cheerful, or at least in comparison to her usual disposition. In the end, she hadn't bought anything from the bookstore they visited, given her limited budget. Besides, there was nothing interesting in the aisle she browsed. Wanting to be helpful, Keaton lifted her hand, using her palm to shade her eyes from the glaring sunrays, and scanned the crowds for the distinctively red-clad, shades-wearing, gray wolf.

---

...Deirdre:

Deirdre grinned slightly. At least some people in this group were polite, aside from Mel. That wasn't a very fair generalization to make about the rest of her traveling companions, but she didn't exactly have a very good impression of the bat... or Keaton, who she couldn't stop referring to as a less recognizable name in her mind, for that matter. "It's alright," Deirdre reassured Gareeku. "I'm perfectly alright with carrying it... I mean, it's pretty light."

After a moment, Deirdre decided that continuing the conversation wouldn't hurt - well, at least introductions wouldn't. "So, what's your name? I'm Deirdre."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

The walrus watched Cogidubnus carefully, even as he went on to say that he would buy the car off him, something that seemed to surprise the man. He scratched his neck, then nodded slowly, and turned to walk over to one of the steel cupboards.
   'We... um...' he began, sounding almost as if he were excusing himself. 'We built it to test a different engine than that one. It... sort of worked out...' He took out a few tools and papers. 'Eighty thousand. I don't know about overall insurance, but at least the engine comes with a three-year or 3000-mile warranty.' Walking back over to the wolf, he offered him a rough hand. 'You won't be able to drive it up here, so we'll move it down to the lower city for you. The place is called "Gresak's Custom Engines".'
   The walrus had just ended his statement when something from behind Cog drew his attention, and looking over the wolf's shoulder, he addressed someone who clearly had just walked in.
   'Yes, can I help you with anything?'
   In the polished reflection of a sheet of aluminium, Cog saw a tall, coated, red-haired figure.

- -

'Alright then', Stygian continued, starting to walk. 'Some alcohol and a burner just in case, a first aid kit, meat, a utility rifle perhaps and ammunition, matches...' He murmured on, going over a list in his head, and starting to duck into the occasional shop, the others in tow. 'Medical supplies are on their way, and... How many here actually use firearms? None? Crazy people...'

[Cogidubnus]

 The wolf froze. He sniffed once, pausing, and then his expression darkening.

And then he turned on his heel, his hand gliding to the hilt of his sword, smoothly and naturally, as though he was simply striking a dashing pose, and gave the red-haired woman a swashbuckling grin. He held his head at a jaunty angle, tilting the hat just right.
His feet slid subtly. His right hand hung loose, ready. The wolf was about to say something, and then paused, his grin faltering a little bit before he spoke.

"...hi."

He ignored the Walrus entirely. It was entirely possible that his conversation here was about to mean nothing at all - depending on what that spider was about to do...

[Aisha deCabre]

Meanwhile, heedless of all the banter and tribulation that she was sure the group was getting themselves into, Aisha had already bought a few food items that would last for a while on a trip.  The panthress had trouble figuring what any others would like; but one thing that was universal when it came to it, was to always have sandwiches.  Thankfully, she had just enough money to gather some in different varieties of meat and cheese and things inbetween...mostly for herself, though she would have gladly given what she had to anyone more hungry.

After that, she glanced around the street, clutching her own small pack close and being careful to keep her tail ring out of the sight of any more thieves like the child she had encountered back in the last city...hard to do when her cloak was draped over her arm.  That's when she spotted the ensign on the outside of a small building that signaled a pharmacy and apothecary.  Aha...next case, she thought as she strolled past a few people, and narrowly missed bumping into another, to get to the door.

On the shelves inside were a variety of medicines and things to help...including some familiar antibiotic potions that she had needed to restock anyway.

Finally, Aisha approached the clerk with her selections and money.  "Perdón, but I need a few first-aid kits...maybe three, if you wouldn't mind..."  Then she paused and thought for a moment, regarding the group that she was with.  Only one true healer, one or two that didn't bleed, a bunch of people who didn't seem like they had too much skill to boast, and a few very skilled ones who nonetheless got into fights more often than they stayed out...

"...Actually, make that eight," she concluded, rolling her eyes behind the sunglasses.

[Stygian]

The spider waved a hand at Cog, and then looked over toward the counter, while the walrus' gaze shifted to and fro between the both of them. She seemed to be wanting something, because she looked back to Cog, then jerked her head in the direction of the counter while giving him a loaded, meaningful look.
   'I'll just ready things then...' the walrus said, and walked over behind the massive vehicle, starting to dig through a cabinet. The spider turned, sighed, and then walked back through the shop.

- -

The merino behind the counter was quick to respond to Aisha's request, yet could not help give her a bit of a look when she noticed the panthress' comment and expression. Blinking, she nevertheless fetched the ordered items quickly, laying them up before Aisha.
   'Would you like a bag for that?'

[Aisha deCabre]

As Aisha caught the look from the clerk, she simply turned her gaze elsewhere.  It was a moment when, she wondered, if the town really got that many adventurers going through it.  Regardless, since they were being hunted, it would do good for her not to explain too much.  When she asked for a bag for it, she nodded.  "Yes, please."

As she paid for the medical supplies, one for each person who might need it, the panthress nodded her thanks and turned out to the door with all she needed to carry hanging off the crook of one arm.  All she needed was to put everything else in a backpack or something similar and certainly she'd be all set.  That and make sure everyone would get their kit.  She'd be in charge of the potions.

Pushing the door open, she walked out and looked for a sign of where the others were.

[Cogidubnus]

The wolf wasn't quite sure what to make of the spider's actions, except that she either wanted him to finish buying the car, or was making sure that he wasn't trying to renege on paying. Cog's posture slowly relaxed, the wolf slowly turning with his feet towards the counter the Walrus was busying himself behind. He kept an eye on Sal until he couldn't see her anymore, and very carefully turned his attention back to the proprietor himself. He coughed, blurring for just a moment, and adjusted the silver chain around his neck.
He stood stock still, and with some hesitation, began to speak again. He leaned forward, as though imparting a great secret - one might imagine that, behind his shades, his eyes would be wide and darting, although other than his strange posture, the wolf's countenance revealed no secrets about his mood. He tiled his head just slightly.
"You take checks?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was following along with the rest of the group as Ignatz was listing out the items he thought they needed to find. "It is beginning to sound like a safari. Should we add tents and blankets to the list? Ropes, knives, marshmallows?"

[Boog]

"Tripwires and snare traps." Richard suggested, still pissed about his having been bowled over by whoever that had been. "We've been getting snuck up on by everyone, we need something to watch our backs for us." He rubbed his wrist where the handcuffs he'd been trapped by earlier had left a mark, "And grenades, or something. Anything easily concealed, useable in a hurry and makes for a big disorienting kaboom." He straightened out his tie, more comfortable in the suit now that it looked wrinkled and messy. People deserved a warning, after all. "Also, add alcohol to that list twice."

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya glanced from side to side to make sure no passers-by were close enough to overhear, then she looked up at Richard and cleared her throat quietly. "There may be no need to obtain physical traps," she murmured, holding up her free hand, cupped as if to hold something. A tiny spark of light bounced cheerfully along her clawtips, then she flipped her hand over to snatch it in mid-air. "I can set up magical traps, made to deal out whatever level of... ah, chastisement that may be required. Even if it is not sufficient to destroy the ones pursuing us, it should at least allow us a running start."

[Stygian]

The comment about grenades passed by. Those could be used tactically, and the Undead had proven to be somewhat avoiding of violence. However, the next comment made the bat flinch and stop. He blinked behind his round glasses, and then looked down at Kerya with stern disapproval.
   'Please tell me you are not thinking about setting electric traps or curses that make people burn indefinitely here in the city', he said. Leaning down a bit and looming over her, the sun conveniently hidden behind his head to turn him into a fearsome shadow. 'Because if you are, I'll use you as a dustcloth. Or maybe a claw polisher...' Slowly, he rolled his near-ivory fingers, impressive ebon claws stretching.

- -

The walrus looked hesitant for a moment, as he looked back over the car at Cog, eying him appraisingly for a moment, before turning back to his business.
   'Sure. Just remember where you are...' he said. Cog got what he meant instantly; Jann's Cliff's policing Guard were notable for their swiftness and harshness in maintaining order. A city that survived on trade, even when placed at such a vital passage between lands and countries, could not afford to have too many thieves or swindlers, or its reputation would dwindle. And then commerce would as well. Not a few 'collector' agencies existed in the sprawling city as well...

[Cogidubnus]

"Of course." Cog said, this time reaching into a pocket instead of his jacket, and producing a thin, leatherbound book. A second foray produced a rounded, silver pen. He flipped the small book open and began scribbling, one eyebrow rising over the top of his shades.
"The simple fact is, I don't carry eighty grand in cash. I don't use credit either, so..."

He finished scribbling and tore off a scrap of paper from within the book, setting it on the counter quickly, and pushed it just slightly towards the storekeeper. It was a check, written on ivory-white paper with silver borders. Black ink in block letters at the top proclaimed it to be in the name of the Bank of the Imperial West, good for eighty thousand, signed Cogidubnus Mithlome.
"If for some reason it's refused, it shouldn't be too hard to find me in that thing, anyway."

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya's tail twitched under her heavy cloak at the bat's words. She turned and gazed back up at him calmly and impassively, but there was a hint of an annoyed gleam in her eye. She appeared to completely ignore his dramatic, intimidating stance.

"Do you truly think me one to play fast-and-loose, then, Sebastian?" The little stoat's tone of voice was formal and clipped, with only a slight quaver in it. "I do not play games with my safety, or that of my fellows, but I do not heedlessly endanger bystanders. Last night I could have unleashed my full remaining strength against Laertes after my first attack failed, but I had no desire to bring the building down about our ears. I side with Richard in this, from what he tells me these people have been following you, and hindering and harrying, at their leisure. This retreat was the only thing we could do, and it has brought us some respite, but they shall inevitably be treading upon our tail-tips again. When they do, I shall do whatever seems prudent to hinder them."

Kerya directed one last glare at the bat, then she hmmphed dismissively and turned back to Mel and Richard, muttering "... dustcloth?" under her breath in a scathing tone of voice.

[Stygian]

If anything, the bat seemed taken aback by the little creature's retort. His frown deepening, but his anger seeming to peel off a few layers, he stood perfectly still, pondering whether if he should say something sharp. Not a few less vocal reactions came to mind as well. The foremost problem though seemed to be that the stoat had a skewed perspective of the situation. And he wondered whether if she did not happen to have a temper as well. Either way, her way of seemingly determining when the conversation was over all on her own, typical of women or egotists, offended him. And it seemed that it was time to establish some sort of dominance. If it was at the expense of some newcomer that the others could have felt more for, all the better.
   'Richard doesn't know these people', the bat said. His voice was low, but there was some sort of twist to it that seemed to bring it right to the stoat's ears, so sharp that it was like having his mouth right over her shoulder, fangs poised to strike. 'And neither do you.' He waited for her to look at him, his gaze sharp as if he were forcing her to through sheer will. 'But if you are so insistent on stopping them, then we should consider this little shopping trip over, and get right out of here, whether we're ready or not.' He ended his statement by reciprocating her action of cutting things off, by turning on the spot and heading back, moving in the direction of where he had last seen Cogidubnus, not looking back.

- -

It was almost palpable to Cog how the spider's gaze prickled his neck, and no surprise when he caught her glaring. Then, when she had his attention, she immediately directed it to the same sketchblock from the coffee shop. Her tight, tidy style of writing was all over it again.
   Please pay attention, it read. You're still with the others. I've seen them. Are you going to keep traveling with them? I would like to acquire your cooperation.

[Cogidubnus]

 The wolf's gaze didn't alter visibly, although this was nothing new. His head turned just slightly as he read the notebook, and he adjusted his red hat for just a moment before pushing the notebook back.
"What, my disguise didn't even fool you?" he said, tsking with mock disappointment. "I thought red suited me. Ah, well..." he tapped his fingers. "To answer: I am, I am, I see, I am, and...continue."

He waited for the Walrus to finish with whatever it was he was doing, and waited for the spider's response. Light glittered off his shades.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was looking in the window of a shop to assess how many of their shopping needs it could satisfy when the discussion began between Kerya and Ignatz regarding the stoat's rather impetuous nature and efforts to curb it. The store seemed to be the type that had belonged to multiple generations of the same family and still had some of it's original stock tucked away in odd corners. Just the sort of place to get a diverse assortment of items. She was just turning the doorknob to enter when Ignatz declared the shopping trip over and started off in the opposite direction. The pseudo-swan shook her head and muttered, "If you children don't behave we are turning around and going right back home."

Rather than following Mel chose to enter the shop. They still needed equipment despite the disagreement in the party.

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

Keaton watched Stygian and Kerya rather apprehensively out of the corner of her eyes, purposefully turned away. Feeling a little uncharacteristically awkward during their altercation, she decided to shuffle away from the stoat and the bat, mumbling, "Um, I'll be right back, guys. I just remembered something," in a quick murmur before she followed Mel. Watching the small stoat and the significantly taller bat argue was profoundly disturbing, largely because of the profoundly disturbing mental images filling her head, particularly involving one of them eating the other, or blowing up the city in an explosive magic battle. If one of those options did happen, Keaton wasn't going to be around to see it. As she trailed behind the swan, her mind randomly dug up a topic which intrigued her, although it probably wasn't relevant anymore. She poked Mel on the shoulder to catch her attention.

"What was that about marshmallows?" Keaton asked hopefully.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya's shoulder twitched once as Sebastian's voice seemed to come from throat-biting range, right beside her ear. She didn't otherwise react, though, until the bat had turned and walked away, then she sighed a little sadly and glanced over her shoulder at him.

She grinned impishly for a moment at Mel's comment, then after a few seconds she followed the black swan into the shop. "I shall come with you for the moment, if you will," she said to Mel and Keaton. "I must be chary — I am loath to hazard aggrieving Sebastian, or distracting him, but I fear I may if we rub each others' fur aslant for much longer. He discomfits me so much at times... I think he mistakes me, but I am unsure how!"

[Gareeku]

Nodding his head slightly as he listened to Deirdre reply to his offer, Gareeku's eyes blinked behind his dark sunglasses. It wasn't often nowadays that people, particularly other adventurers, were so...well...nice, to him anyway. His demonic-looking eye hadn't exactly won him any best pals. Neither had his newfound gruff attitude towards pratically everyone else, for that matter.

Deidre, however, was different. Not only did she not be a complete ass to him, he didn't feel like being a complete ass to her, either.
"I'm Gareeku...Gareeku Manoko." The wolf said quietly, still somewhat taken aback, though it wasn't as if he did not like it. The Manoko name was well known in some adventuring circles, but a lot of people didn't take a guy with a demonic-looking eye and a slight attitude problem that seriously when they referred to themselves as part of a well-known adventuring name. "Nice to meet you...so...um...How long have you been adventuring for?"

[Stygian]

The spider's look back at Cog was no less charged, while her hand scribbled to work under the supervision of only one corner eye. She was conflicted, but there was no one else that she could trust as much as him. The incubi could not be considered. The adventurers were rash and most likely disinterested, having their own perceptions. The little... thing, she had no idea. And the dragon was, again, out of the question.
   'I don't think we have much time. I want you to be my eyes and ears. Your companions cannot be trusted, but Giles trusted you. That makes you my lifeline here.' The letters she wrote were quick and cramped, yet did not veer in their precision. She was clearly an experienced writer. 'I have others that I need to keep check of. You know who.' She tapped that sentence with a wicked claw for a second, before continuing. 'We need time and control. You will be leaving here soon. Can I ask you to tell me for where?'

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel smiled a bit at Keaton's inquiry. "Well, whoever heard of a camping trip without a marshmallow roast?" When Kerya decided to take a rest from Ignatz in the store the dragon decided to put both to work. Despite being far taller than the other two in her current incarnation Mel couldn't manage to see far amongst the items in the crowded store. "It looks as if Ignatz is planning for an extended stay away from civilization so we'll need a lot of supplies. Why don't we split up? Grab whatever you think we'll need and meet me at the counter." She took a few strides in the direction she hoped camping gear would be in she added, "That includes those marshmallows if you like."

[Aisha deCabre]

...Geez...yeah, chica, you should've known that in a big city, you tend to lose sight of people.  Well, at least a few of us are still recognizable.  Wonder what time it is anyway, maybe people are thinning out for lunch.

As Aisha tended to do while walking along on her own, she let her mind wander while her eyes did the searching.  The group couldn't have really gone far, and she knew where they were seen last.  But as she came up toward the corner, it was apparent that they indeed had moved.

Just then, she spotted someone familiar walking behind the crowd...from brief glimpses of her vision she knew that indeed it was Stygian heading back toward where Cogidubnus was last seen...yet he was with the group before.

Her ears lowered to the back of her skull.  What happened to keeping together?  Well, I might as well head in the opposite direction.

And so the dark panthress did, walking past shop by shop...until finally, a bunch of familiar figures caught her eyes, behind the dark vision of the sunglasses.  Gareeku was speaking with the gryphon Dierdre, Richard was standing nearby, and she figured the other three were in the store.  Sighing with relief, she trotted up to the former three with her bags in tow.

"There you are, muchachos...I brought some first-aid kits and potions, as well as some food for us all.  For those who eat.  Grab some stuff to put in your own bags when we get them."  She smirked and set the bags down, relieving herself of their burden while she leaned against the wall and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  "How much longer is this gonna take, I wonder..."

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

Keaton nodded to Mel, then gazed around the store. Eventually, her vision drifted to a conspicuously vibrant-colored aisle, apparently stocked with a wide variety of treats. Judging by the festive decorations and symbols emblazoning the packages and bags, they were apparently intended for Easter or other holidays. When Keaton was a child, Easter was always her favorite holiday - largely because, instead of celebrating it as modern children did, by revering some ubiquitous rabbit effigy, those in Harla'Keth exchanged sweets and other candies Keaton was extraordinarily fond of. To this day, besides her clan's natural proclivity for suffering, Keaton also had a taste for Schadenfreude, which was characteristically "sweet."

Keaton wanted to watch her figure, but... the aisle was just so tempting. And Mel did say it was alright for her to buy some marshmallows... that was all.

Glancing back and forth surreptitiously, Keaton crept into the candy aisle, then started searching for her favored treat. Keaton eventually noticed a large box filled with small, sugar-encrusted marshmallows, all of which were in the shapes of adorable chicks. Most of them were yellow, but some blues and purples were arranged in other boxes of marshmallow peeps. Keaton hated any marshmallow peeps other than the yellow ones (anything of another color was somehow inedible to her), so she snatched up the box of yellow peeps, clutching it to her chest possessively. And before she could stop herself, she was starting to consider getting something else. After all, they were going to be traveling for a long time... and didn't Stygian say it was alright to buy things, since it was on his tab?

A few minutes later, Keaton emerged from the aisle with a shopping basket draped over her arm, the basket stuffed with confectioneries. Boxes of (yellow) marshmallow peeps filled the basket alongside chocolate figures crafted like rabbits, bags of peanut butter cups, crunch bars, M&Ms, gummy bears and sharks, sweet and sour candies, and other flavorful and potentially cavity-inducing treats. Keaton clutched the handle of the basket with a clearly obsessive glint in her eye, then expectantly gestured to the basket. "Well, I think this is enough for m--us for our trip." Keaton said, dead serious.

---

...Deirdre:

Deirdre scratched behind one of her ears with a curved talon, the tufted tip of her ear flickering, her features fixating into a thoughtful frown. In the back of her mind, she distantly recalled hearing about the name Manoko before at least a few times in her Adventuring career - but she couldn't immediately remember the context. Almost a moment later, a look of revelation replaced the slight flash of confusion lurking under her eyes, and she brightened considerably, appearing quite pleased with her memory.

"What, you mean the Gareeku Manoko?" Deirdre repeated, just to clarify. When it seemed as though Gareeku's answer wasn't going to change, she let her enthusiasm leak into her expression. "I've heard of you! Your family's pretty well-known in the Adventuring business. Good to finally meet you!"

After a moment, Deirdre pondered the exact time she spent as an Adventurer. Maybe she was acting a little too friendly, but she was just glad to have someone sane to converse with in this group - not to mention a fellow Adventurer of considerable renown. Keeping in mind that some of the people in the group were Creatures with poor reputations, she didn't want to be pegged as a murderous, rampaging Creature-slayer because of her occupation. "I had been adventuring for... over ten years, but I retired recently. I think... a few months ago."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya's uncharacteristically dour mood brightened when Mel suggested she and Keaton start looking for useful items they'd need once they left the city again. The jackal immediately stalked off towards one particular shelf with an intense hunting gaze in her eyes, while Kerya went the other way.

Now, let me see, what can we get here, she thought. The shop hadn't looked big from outside, but it was crowded — the stacks and shelves were laid out in tall rows, closely packed together, many of them going almost all the way up to the ceiling. There were a few places here and there where even Kerya needed to wriggle through a whisker-narrow gap.

As she explored further, the little stoat came across more things to puzzle her. The translation spell she used, which allowed her to read the very different writing system here on Furrae, appeared to have limits, as she read various boxes and labels. What, for instance, was a right-handed dexitroboper, and what kind of complete toolkit would a quantum mechanic use? In a dark corner she discovered a tall block of what looked like concrete, cryptically labelled only "JH". Very mysterious.

Still, the little stoat managed to accumulate as much as she could carry in one shopping basket as she browsed from one aisle to another. Four candles, in case any of the others ended up in the dark without a mage nearby. She wasn't sure why she'd picked up the two small boxes labelled "O's" and "P's", but they were bound to come in handy somehow or other. One of the odder things she'd picked up looked like a bladed hook of some kind, or perhaps a very small scythe. She'd shrugged and put it back down again.

Finally, Kerya found herself back at the front of the shop, beside Mel. "This is all I could find from a quick look," she said, as she hefted the nearly overflowing and rather heavy basket onto the counter.

[Cogidubnus]

The wolf read the spider's cramped and yet clear handwriting quickly, and suddenly wished the damn walrus wasn't taking so long with his paperwork. He licked his teeth, and pushed his shades up a little tighter around his eyes, giving the spider blank look with hidden, shaded eyes.
"Do you really think I know anything?" he said, his mouth all but tightly pinched, although his voice was more curious than anything else. He spoke lowly, beneath the hearing of the Walrus shopkeeper. "Who are you? Another dog of the church? A sect? A rival?"
He paused.

The wolf shook his head. "Giles is dead." he said, turning his head. "Who he trusted doesn't matter. I'm not out for a crusade. Just revenge. A life for a life. Help me with that, you can have whatever you want."
He didn't look at her. "I don't know where we're going. The car is just preparedness on my part. If you want to watch us, I won't stop you."

He fell silent, and by his posture, it was obvious he considered the conversation over.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel found herself at the counter with just an eclectic assortment of items as the others. A mix of camping gear, hardware, and housewares floated gently in her wake. She looked with amusement at Keaton's idea of emergency supplies but gestured her to place it in front of the bored looking mouse behind the antique register along with everything else. It seemed to take forever for the sleepy-looking mouse to come up with a final total and conclude the transaction. With one sweeping gesture from the swan all the purchases disappeared with a bit of a blue shimmer. "Time to find the others. We have taken far too long," observed Mel as she turned and began the challenge of winding her way back through the store and out the door.

[Stygian]

A sharp slap from the spider's palm on the counter and an equally sharp stare broke Cog out of his train of thought, bringing his attention to her little sketchblock again, and drawing a quick stare from the walrus as well. She continued to glare at him even as her hands scribbled about more. She wrote only one line, before holding it up before him.
   'You cannot kill Laertes!' it read, and she solidified the statement with that glare, until she sighed and looked down. Placing a third hand on her face that came out of her jacket rather unexpectedly, she continued to write, hoping he had the patience to stay with her. It seemed to be one of the rare moments when she wished that she were able to talk, because that hand wandered to her throat, rubbing it.
   There was a light chime of a bell as the shop's front door opened, and the spider almost shot up, her grip on her pen tightening and her neck craning. She was over by the wall in a heartbeat, looking around it, scanning the front of the store from underneath a shelf of stainless steel wrenches, Allen keys and tool extensions. She drew back in a flash, baring fiercely sharp and strange teeth between odd mouthparts for a second, and then looked to Cog again. Immediately, she raised her sketchblock, jotted down a few quick lines, ripped off the paper and then swiftly shoved it in the wolf's hand, before rushing back into the machine shop. The walrus called out to her, moving back over the floor with a bunch of papers in his hand, and the monkey looked up after her, but she rounded a corner in the back before either could get hold of her, and from both their puzzled expressions it was clear that she was nowhere to be seen anymore.
   'What the hell...?!' the walrus muttered with clear consternation, before turning back to Cog, and handing him what looked like a couple of instruction manuals and, more importantly, insurance and registration papers. 'Sign there, and there', he said, pointing out spaces on an invoice. 'I'll take this, you get that... and I'll just go see... Aidan! Find out what the heck that was about if you can!' He muttered something inaudible, before starting to walk back out front. He didn't get more than behind the counter though, before the new arrival walked up.
   'Exc-', the female wolf began, stopping abruptly. Her eyes widening a bit, Ace stared blankly at Cog, yellow eyes going colder with each moment.

[Cogidubnus]

 "Try and stop m-"
Cog paused, his retort to the spider's written admonition cut short as she hurriedly scribbled down something else, ripped it off the page, and stuffed it into his hand. The wolf's mouth clapped shut shortly after as she stormed off, ostensibly into an employees-only area of the shop, where she was quickly lost track of. He blinked, having no time to even read the paper when the walrus, in an amazing display of timeliness, presented him with the papers he needed to sign. Cog reached into his jacket for his pen.
And paused, his shaded eyes meeting those of the acrobatic wolf from before. Still alive, even after the destruction of the city.

He considered pretending not to know her. His disguise, however, was suited only to perhaps throw off someone looking for a general description of him, and by the other wolf's rapidly deteriorating gaze, he surmised she'd recognized him already. And remembering her maneuvers in the club before, she wasn't someone to be lightly brushed aside...
She was a fighter, though. Two hundred years of swordsmanship and combat had honed the wolf's skills razor sharp. If she wanted a fight, he'd give her one.

Making a conscious effort, the wolf didn't change his expression in the least, but simply reached up to his head to adjust his hat. He touched the brim, moving it just slightly, still not paying any attention to the wolf staring at him, and without preamble tossed it at her gently.
The wide brimmed hat floated through the air, obscuring parts of the wolf, the hat moving deceptively fast to rest on Ace's head.

Cog waited just long enough for Ace to be distracted by the bright red thing flying at her face before grabbing the hilt of his sword. A moment later, his sword had cut a horizontal arc in the air, a blindingly fast silver blur aimed for her arms and chest, the more difficult parts of the body to retreat with. When he'd crossed the slight distance between them was uncertain - but the wolf's speed was clearly prodigious, Cog moving from a standing posture to slashing three steps away in less time than it took to blink. If one could have even seen the wolf for more than a half-second, his expression would have still carried the same, blank look it had before.