WC: 300+

Invite gladly accepted. ;P Although I gotta go look up some rules to card games!!


The one-armed man found himself wandering again, black eyes darting sharply amidst the remains of the human city. He liked the ghost town, liked what he could find here, both trinkets and acquaintances. He'd met some interesting faces in the decrepit old buildings, and it was a beautiful distraction to the mundane goings-on of his kingdom. The horse race, now that had been a flash of excitement, although he had no one to gamble with... but it was over and gone now, with nothing in the foreseeable future except cold and snow.


The collie hybrid's nostrils flared, expertly identifying the spice of alcohol wafting in the still air. His fangs flashed in a wicked smile. This was promising. His footpaws padded lightly on the cracked pavement, feathered tail waving behind him as he peered about, seeking the source of the tantalizing scent. He had been sober for too long now - another reason for looting the city, to find the dusty stashes of liquor and indulge his addiction. It wasn't long before he drew up before the open window, squinting into the gloom of the abandoned casino.


A soft rustling noise came from the paws of an unfamiliar canine, his golden fingers flashing as he deftly played with a deck of cards. Jac's black eyes lit with excitement, recognizing them from an old game he used to play with his dog crew during their sailing days. His cards and his dice were at the bottom of the sea now - along with most of his companions, he presumed - and he had set aside the memory, never one to dwell on the past. But this, a new setting, a new face, a new game to master - just the spice he needed. The tall monarch dropped in through the open window, landing in a small cloud of dust. "Bonjour, monsieur... Am I too late to join the game?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly, eying the open bottles on the small table. He found himself hoping it was a drinking game.

I was debating for a while if it was appropriate to bring Kaena in here because I rilly rilly wanted to be in this but I thought it would be awkward with Kae and Jacq, but then I figured it would be awkward!interesting anyway, if it gets there. XD Rurik would be so perfect for this, but Kae likes to drink, too, so... nnngh, you have no idea how badly this made me want to bring in Rurik rightnow. |: But, I didn't want to bring Char in here because I think I'm going to start winding his threads down and junk now. He needs to hurry up and die.



       The hybrid woman had not visited the city some time, and she was eager to browse the battered and ruined streets once more. This place was at once the same and different from the one she remembered. The former place, she had walked its streets so many times she had not been lost in it since she was young. Even as she marveled at this new place, her head was in the past, and she shuddered as she envisioned it burning, flames licking up the ruined skyscrapers and devouring everything, from that ruined church to the forgotten building where she'd first known Salvaged. These places were strong in her head and her memory, and they resonated even here, even into this city—the coyote woman still remembered that meeting with Lillith, and she could not shake the sable woman from her head. There was something distinctly familiar about her, that same mystical air that had permeated Ahren always, the same feeling she got standing in that broken church where she had first met the golden-furred wolf. The silvery woman had never been religious, but her son believed in god, and she had survived many things that she should not have survived. There was something to consider even in that—perhaps there was some unknown protector, some ghost of the past made to haunt her soul and keep her safe at the same time. It could be anyone on the other side, quieted and unable to speak to her through the foggy gloom separating the living and spirit worlds.



       A familiar scent drifted into her nose, and her grizzled head jerked upright, inhaling Anselm's familiar mask. The coyote woman grinned, and immediately began to pursue it, thinking they could explore the city together. No doubt the experienced Caelum would know the best spots in the city, and she was eager to know them. Curiously, she rounded a corner and encountered two more smells, one intimately familiar and one a complete stranger. The latter of the two was forgotten in her scenting the other, and she hesitated for just a moment, knowing their prior meeting would come into play here. No doubt about that, but now, there was most certainly Fatin to consider. The coyote woman winced at having put herself in that position, but there was love and fun—and so long as this was all in good fun, there wouldn't be any awkwardness. Would there? The hybrid woman was amoral at best, and though she had halted and hesitated, there came another unmistakable smell—the sharp spice of alcohol. She licked her lips, her golden-yellow eye half-slitting.



       The scarred woman debated this for a moment as she stood outside, thoughts mingling in her head. She could turn around right here, couldn't she? Avoid the whole mess, avoid the possibility of dodging her commitment to Fatin again. The red wolf was still there, still recuperating back in the caves—Kae could smell her still. She was at once confident and underconfident she would be able to resist her urges to sleep with Jacquez again should the opportunity arise, worried because such an act would no doubt return to Fatin back in Inferni via Anselm. Then again, what loyalty did he have to her? He knew Kaena better. These thoughts whirled in her head for what might have been a full minute, until her head jerked upright again and her golden eye flared widely open again. Inhaling sharply, the woman shoved the thoughts aside and shifted, regaining her Optime form as she walked to the door and opened it slowly, sliding inside of the dusty building as she kept the opening to the outside world as narrow as possible.



       Her grizzled hand crept behind her back and she closed the door slowly, almost without a noise. "Now this looks like a fun party," she said with a grin, her sun-gold eye falling on the trio of men arranged around a table. The ashen hybrid knew two of them, but in the momentary dilemma outside of the door she had not even remembered the third canine's presence. Now she eyed him with curiosity, figuring that he was some kind of dog. There was some strange thing she could not detect, whether it was more dog or something else Kaena did not know. She was generally good at pegging coyote hybrids, but she had only met one full-blooded dog in her life, and that was the man sitting in this very room. She grinned at him, showing no outward signs of awkwardness. "Hey Anselm," she nodded to him. The coyote woman's grin widened again at the sight of the red-eyed hybrid, and after this greeting the Centurion made her way over, sliding next to Anselm and sitting down a seat over from him. He held some kind of object in his hand, and after a moment Kae realized they were cards. She had never actually seen them before, but she knew what they were. She smiled, delighted at the possibility of engaging in a real card game.



       The scarred hybrid looked over to the third man for a moment, scrutinizing him once more before offering him a smile as well. If he was okay by the other two, then that was alright—plus, he did not seem to be a wolf, which was always a plus in the hybrid woman's mind. "Hello," she said, almost awkwardly—she was not so good with greetings most of the time. "Jacquez," she said, turning to the last man. There was another wide grin for him, and the hybrid woman's smirk almost openly stated their past deed, her golden eye remembering their last encounter for a brief moment. Why hide it? Without hesitation, the silvery hybrid reached out for one of the bottles, picking up whatever wasn't clear and taking a short swig to test it. She was fondest of whiskey, and quite pleased to find that the brown liquor was just that—firewater at it's best. It burned down the woman's throat, and she immediately dug into her pack, grabbing the cigarettes there. There was perhaps three-quarters of the pack left, but the hybrid woman didn't mind sharing. She pulled one out for herself and tossed the remainder of the pack onto the table, indicating it was free pickings for the others with a motion of her hand and a smile.