Another day, another job. (O)

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik sighed. He hasn't gotten a mission from the Resistance in a few weeks. He lay in the grass and stared at the sky while wearing his Headphones, Sounds of Desire (SD). He sat up, and gazed ahead. He was on a tall cliff that wasn't far from a Resistance Emcampment. It overlooked the forest and a nearby lake. Azik usually liked to have time away to train or just to relax.

Azik stood up and dusted his clothes. Azik decided he might as well train for a while. At a nearby tree, Azik used a dagger to trace a target. He then took ten paces away. Turning, he readied himself. With a flick of the wrist and swift motion of his arm, Azik's Dagger landed on the bullseye. Azik pulled the dagger free and drew it back using telekinesis. He then took another 10 paces back, and threw again. This time, he threw two knives. Being smaller then daggers, they both landed on the bullseye.

Azik walked to the tree and pulled his blades out. He looked at the tree and sighed in frustration.

"It's too easy to hit a solitary target. Especially if it's not a mage..." Azik said to nobody in particular.

"And I cant use Telekinesis to move it because I know where it would be going to..." Knowing that there was not much else to do, Azik began his descent to the camp. Hopefully there was something he could do there.

[Jorungar]

Jorungar's arm muscles strained as he lift three boxes filled with scrap metals. Or scrap steelworks were more like it. The boxes were so darn heavy, not even Jorungar's trained physique can lift them with such ease. Unfortunately the Resistance's engineering workshop needed these metal junk, and Jorungar was the only one present in close vicinity of the taskmaster. Something about reinforcing their current equipment and fixing the plumbings, he think.

"Where's that damn elf when I need him..." The basilisk cursed between his steps for Bobby Scrumble's absence for these kind of task. He can make these boxes dance themselves to the workshop with just a snap of his bony fingers. Practical magic and abilities must be nice to have. Where would he be anyway? Probably teaching the kids again...

Between his grumbles and curses as he walked, he saw a figure walking to the edge of the camp from the nearby hills. Squinting his manmade eyes, he finally made clear who it is.

"Oi! Azik!" Jorungar yelled to the lithe man distances away from him. "Come here and help me lift these!" He yelled again, motioning his serpentine spiked head to the boxes just two inches away from his nostrils.

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik was zoned out as he entered the camp. People went about their duties and the now and then, a few children were seen playing. "Perhaps I should go read something..." he mumbled.

"Oi! Azik!" a sudden voice shouted. Azik jumped a bit. He looked for the source of the voice and saw a large figure in the distance. It was Jorungar. "Come here and help me lift these!" he shouted as he motioned towards the boxes he held. Azik knew of the infamous Beastfolk. Other members would tell rumours about him. At times some, if not most, were exaggerated.

Azik hardly had any decent conversation with the Basilisk, so he never knew if they were true or not. "Sure!" Azik shouted as he ran towards Jorungar. A few steps away, Azik lifted the top box with Telekinesis. It was of considerable weight. The box gently floated down, and landed into his hands. He walked by Jorungar's towering figure. An awkward silence seeped in.

[Jorungar]

Jorungar exhaled a long breath as he felt one third of the steel's weight had been lifted off his hands. "Thanks, kid." He said nonchalantly as they continued to walk to the nearest workshop post possible. Damn whoever put the workshop posts so far away from the spoils retrieval stations. Now he has to walk to it with this kid projecting such an inconvenient silent.

This is not the first time. Often times he's working with other recruits, it has always been like this. Them being all quiet, smell of fear and awkwardness reeking from their pits. Or maybe they just rarely took any baths.

Jorungar sighed again, and said another sentence he -always- used to new, frail-looking acquaintances forced upon him by circumstances.

"Hey, you. Azik." He says. "Just wanted to make clear of something. However the rumors may be, I did not swallow and spit up human recruits out of spite." He says again, his tone almost bored. But then he took another sniff. "... Or whatever you are. Obviously you're not entirely human." He chuckled after took a faint scent of reptilian smell from the boy.

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik's eyes widened. Not many was able to tell that he wasn't human without him saying so. Yet Jorungar picked up on it without so much as a question into his past. Perhaps he was just able to sense it somehow...

"You're right, I'm not human. I have dragon blood running through me and I talk with a Dragon Spirit that only I can hear." Azik said proudly. They continued walking to the workshop on the other side of the camp. Azik then chuckled.

"And just so you know, I'm havn't been a "kid" for over 50 years." Azik said as he looked up to the Basilisk. He started to pick up his pace and was soon walking ahead of Jorungar. He turned his head and smiled. "Though not as old as you from what I hear." He then plucked the second box from Jorungar's hands using telekinesis and placed it on his own. The weight increased two-fold, but Azik was able to hold it with a some effort and maintain his speed.

Azik then smiled to himself as they continued walking.

[Jorungar]

"Really now?" The basilisk smirked as Azik took another box from his arms and stacked it on his own. Show of power, eh? Good for him, then. As muscular as he is, Jorungar never really liked manual labor. "How much did you hear?" he said again, playfully flashing his left fang and some of the yellow plates implants at the kid.

They finally reached the nearest workshop, where Sarrgas, one of the Dryad engineers working in the Resistance greeted him with a wave of his monkey wrench. "Eyy, Jory. Been using sum' kid fer yer works again, m' see?" he grunted with a toothy grin, pointing his wrench at the humanlike kid.

"Ah, shush, you broken tree stump." Jorungar retorted with a grin right back, walking towards the dryad and dropped the box filled with metal scrap beside him. "You know I don't do these things. What are you working on? No wait, I don't wanna know." he said quickly "I never used weapons anyway. Azik, put those boxes over here."

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik moved beside Jorungar and let the boxes he was carrying gently float down and landed beside the third. Azik looked about Sarrgas' workshop. Differnt tool were hanging off the walls. All had scratches from use.

"S' how did Jory ere' git ya' t' do is' job, kid?" Sarrgas said with a wide grin. Azik gave an equally wide smile. "He obviously needed the help"

Sarrgas gave a harty laugh. "Yer' not like them others, ain't cha'? All tip toin' about." He said with a sneer. "Why tip toe when you can stride?" Azik replied with a chuckle. He then looked up to "Jory" and grined.

[Jorungar]

"Yeah, apparently this one ain't worried I'm gonna eat him or something." Jorungar laughed gruffly at the Dryad while ruffling Azik's hair. "Pretty damn new for them when they see someone like us up close for the first time, eh? I kinda like this kid." He chuckled as he said that, as both Sarrgas and himself aren't exactly good-looking by standards of the norm.

Then he looked at Azik and sneered. "Yeah, I can still call you 'kid'. I'm more than a century old, kiddo. It's plausible." He ruffled his hair some more as he chuckled. He liked everyday interactions like these better than dismantling soldiers in field battles and raids.

"Well, I got nothing else to do until three days from now." The basilisk said, arms crossed behind his spiky head. "Don't you have something to do?" He asked, turning to the little demi-human.

[Azik Farenfir]

"Not for a while." Azik said while running a hand through his hair. "I was told that I won't have another hit for a few days." Azik sunkhis hands into his pockets and sighed. "They said to take some time off, but I can't find anything to do..." Azik looked at the Basilisk with his arms behind his head. His eyes drifted to the yellow plates spotted about Jorungar's body. Curiosity started to spark, but Azik thought that he'd better not delve into Jory's past.

Azik pulled a dagger out, and started flicking it into the air, and caching it's hilt. He repeated while looking about the camp. "I don't mind not doing anything. It's a nice change from wha I usually do." Azik saw a tree that was at least 50 paces away. He caught his dagger, ans hurlled it. It landed in the center of the tree with a muffled impact.

"I don't have any plans. How about you Pop's?" Azik said with a grin.

[Jorungar]

"Hold up, hold up." Jorungar interrupted and raised his hand above his face. "You were sent for a hit? Alone?" He said again, face still unbelieving of the kid's words. Judging from Sarrgas' expression, the mutant snake would say he did not believe in Azik's words either.

No one should be sent alone for assassination jobs alone unless they are... Capable enough. Azik sure doesn't look that way. Then again...

"Uh, kid," Jorungar says, "what... Can you do, exactly? You know, with your magic and all. I'll have a word with Shep if he just let you do missions like that without a partner or two."

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik was supprised how serious Jorungar was. Is it really that unusual to do assassinations alone? Azik's brow furrowed as he frowned. Looking back at the Basilisk, Azik cleared his throat. "Well to start, I've been breaking into houses, mansions, all sorts of places since I looked and was 10. I was a thief when I was younger" Azik said as he remembered fond memories from his childhood.

"I was taught magic from a old friend of mine. I discovered my specialty is Time." Azik said. He then held a hand towards the tree he threw a dagger at and pulled it free wih his telkinetic force. "And it's no secret that I use telekinesis. Though I learned all of this when I was still in my teen's. What did you think I did while I was hiding away for 50 years? I spent it training and sharpening my skills." Azik said while tilting his head.

"Not to mention I've already done numerous missions. Some a bit rocky the others. But I still completed them." Azik said with a toothy grin. "You don't have to worry about me. I told you. I'm not a kid."

[Jorungar]

He scratched his right cheek with his clawed hand. So this kid is a Time Mage... Jorungar kept forgetting he didn't really know Azik. Just earlier he had to try to remember his name, why would he think he knew what this kid is capable of?

"Eh, sorry." The basilisk said, one hand behind his head. "Your appearance keep throwing me off. Thought you're still a newbie at this magic thing." He let out a gruff chuckle, his serpentine tongue let out a few hissing noise here and there. "Almost forgot you're more than half a century old."

"Ey, stop makin' yerself sound old too, bulbtail." Sarrgas blurted out. "Ye sure a' hell still packs a good ol' punch. M' still limpin' since las' night!" He added a wink at that last remark.

"Shush you." Jorungar retorted, although he did gave the dryad a sly grin right back. "Anywho," He returned to the demi-human, "you seem like you got a lot of free time. Mind showing me what you can do? Not here though; Ol' Treebark here would ruin my ass if we wreck his station." He chuckled.

Behind them, Sarrgas gave an approving grunt.

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik blushed. He looked away as Jorungar and Sarrgas exchanged banter. "Anywho," Jorungar's voice made Azik look back. "you seem like you got a lot of free time. Mind showing me what you can do? Not here though; Ol' Treebark here would ruin my ass if we wreck his station."

Azik's face reddened. He quickly looked away and acted if he was thinking while he composed himself. Grow up you idiot! You act like this every time you see people flirt!

When he felt his face cool down he looked back at the Basilisk. He cleared his throat when he turned back. "Uh, sure. S-so what are you thinking about?"

[Jorungar]

He had to restrain himself from giggling at the demi-human's response. In all seriousness, he thought someone who had lived for so long would have had his share of casual flirting. But he brushed that aside; teasing him even more would felt... Wrong. "I'm thinking about a friendly combat. Sort of. I just wanted to know how capable you are in a fight. Maybe I wouldn't need to yell at Shep's face for putting you in for solo hit missions if I know how you handle hostile environment."

He walked towards the demi-human until they're only one feet apart. "It's no big deal. Just a little obstacle course, and if you can so much as point a knife at my neck at the end of it, I won't say anything to our beloved Shepherd." He gave a small grin.

"'Beloved'? Pfeh. Sounds pretty darn fancy fer someone you haven't slep- Mmmmmmfff" Sarrgas' blabbering mouth were silenced by a black ballgag trying to wrap itself around per Jorungar's rude hand gestures. It failed to latch in, but at least that prevents the brash dryad to finish his sentence. "Eh, fuck you too, Jor."

"Maybe later, Treebark." Jorungar sneered, and turned back to Azik. "So, you're in or out?"

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik watched as Jorungar created what looked like... a ballgag? Which tried to wedge into Sarrgas' jaw. Though he spat it out. "Eh, fuck you too, Jor" Jorungar sneered. "Mabey later, Treebark." He turned to Azik. "So, you're in or out"?

Azik's mood brightened. This would be a great way to get some training in, along with having some fun. Azik looked at the gag Jory manifested. He didn't know what abilities the Basilisk had, but it would sure make this more interesting.

Azik grined with enthusiasm. "I'm in."

[Ray]

Ray have an expressive tail.

It tends to twitch when he's bored. When he's angry. When he's annoyed.

Usually, he wouldn't mind that, but now he's trying to keep it from twitching by curling it around the table leg.

In front of him is a notebook, laid open, with some questions on it. Just some simple mathematics. At least Bobby said that.

What is the answer to 18 times 14? He don't know. He tried to solve it, but somehow the number get out of control and start dancing in his mind, until he's so confused that he just want to take out his gun and shoot them all down.

His tail twitched again.

He stand up. "I need to go to toilet."

Hoping Bobby wouldn't mind that he skip a class or two, he went to the toilet, took out a note and stick it on the insides of the toilet door, before slipping quietly out of the building.

The note says "Thank you sir". You have to be polite. Always be.

He decided that he might go to the training grounds and starts shooting range, but as he pass through the workshop, he saw two familiar figures, and he stopped to stare at the bigger one.

Jorungar's appearance always fascinates the younger feline. He looks very......special, if not a little intimidating. He looks like something that came out from a horror story of some sort. There are rumors about him swallowing new recruits and spit them back out, and he can't help but wonder if that is true, when he's staring at him like this.

[Jorungar]

"Cool. Let's go somewhere more open." Jorungar said, motioning at Azik to follow him outside. His heavy tail slids across the grassy ground as he moved, leaving a trail of disfigured clumps of grass. He looked over to the hill, where it's open enough for him to set up some decent obstacle course for the eager demi-human.

But an unknown smell hits his nostrils. Someone is watching them. Someone he doesn't know, and... If memory serves him right, it's the smell of a mammal.

Quickly Jorungar maneuvered and whispered a loud sentence in a threatening hiss, and within seconds, various tools appeared from his right hand, pointed at the direction where the scent came from. The amount of tools he conjured was plentiful. Giant pliers, jagged scissors, slithering barbed wires, spiked chains... Jorungar has a habit of coming up with anything he can think of in his hands whenever he's dealing with unknown possible threats.

"Who's there?" He barked, still hissing. He kept his eyes closed to focus on the scents. "Show yourself."

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik faced the direction Jory was aiming his various creative tools. I can see why he doesn't use weapons. He's a walking arsenal! Azik quickly drew two daggers and let the other four rise into the air and lock on the direction Jory was aiming.

Surely the Government hasn't found them... Nor be foolish enough to attack in broad daylight!

[Ray]

One moment he was staring at the basilisk, tuning towards him, and the other moment he was surrounded by weapons. "Who's there?" He demanded, "Show yourself."

Four daggers added to the collection of floating arms, and by that time Ray already had his hand behind his back, fingers closing around his gun. Not that he want to shoot anyone, it's just reflexes, and he was surprised.

Relaxing his fingers, he withdraw his hand and put both of them in front of him, palms open, before stepping out from the entrance.

"Didn't mean to startle you." He explained. "Sir." He added.

[Jorungar]

Jorungar opened his eyes. That voice doesn't sound hostile, and all he could smell from the voice's source, besides the obvious feline smell, was fear. This was proven true enough when he sees a young feline beastfolk standing at the direction he pointed his torture tools... Sighing, he let his hand fell to his side, the tools covering it disappeared along with his alertness.

"Ah. My bad. Thought you're a soldier. Or spy." Jorungar said to the young white feline. "Who are you again..? I can't remember." He said while rubbing his formerly weaponized hand to his chest.

[Azik Farenfir]

Azik retracted his daggers and sheathed them. A young male feline stepped out. "Ah. My bad. Thought you're a soldier. Or spy." He heard Jorungar say. Azik let out a sigh. He almost stabbed the boy. He looked familiar...

"Oh, you're... Ray, right? I seen you around the camp. Sorry about that. Reflexes and all." Azik said with a nervous smile.

[Ray]

"It's fine." He said, stepping closer to those two. "I'm Ray. Igorei. I'm new."

"And you're Azik..." He looked up at the human, then turn to the serpent. "Jorungar."

Now that he's closer to the basilisk, he can see the yellows plates on his body clearly. He's pretty sure it glowed just now, when the weapons appeared. He stared at it for a while, his tail swaying with curiosity behind him, and advert his gaze, remembered that staring at others is considered impolite.

[Azik Farenfir]

After Ray introduced himself, Azik noticed his lingering stare at Jory. Not wanting to look like he was watching him, though he was, Azik looked at Ray. He noticed that Ray had a eyepatch over his right eye. He stopped himself from prying open what would obviously be painfull experiences.

Azik watched Ray's tail flick back and forth. When Ray looked away from Jory, Azik scratched behind his head. "So... What can we do for you Ray?

[Ray]

"I was just curious." The snow leopard answered, sneaking one more glance at Jorungar. Azik had piqued his interest as well, after he got his scent. Something about it is telling Ray that he is more than just a human.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked, trying to veer the conversation away from himself.

[Jorungar]

"You guys done looking?" Jorungar sighed, pulling the collar of his black wifebeater down to expose more of the glowing yellow implants on his chest. "'Cause let me tell you, these aren't fashion statements. They're permanent. Pretty useful in case of blackouts, though." He grinned to the two smaller males and let his wifebeater snapped back to normal. "I would let you see all of them but I'd rather not go nude this early in the morning."

Done with that, he cracked his neck left and right, and looked at the young white feline. "We're going to go for an obstacle course. Well, he is." He pointed at the young demi-human. "I only provide the course. You wanna watch, kid?"

[Azik Farenfir]

"I only provide the course. You wanna watch, kid?" Jory asked. Azik felt irritated. "Watch"? What, does he expect me to make a grand display of failing? He folded his arms and scoffed.

"Rather then watch, how about you join in?" Azik gave a icy smile at the Basilisk. "Think that you can modify your plans to accompany another set of legs?"

[Ray]

"We're going to go for an obstacle course. Well, he is." Jorungar pointed at Azik. "I only provide the course. You wanna watch, kid?"

"Sure." He answered, wondering what would the obstacles be, having seen the variety of weapons pointing at him moments ago.

"Rather then watch, how about you join in?" Azik asked, smiling up at the serpent. "Think that you can modify your plans to accompany another set of legs?"

"I'll watch first," Ray answered, "but sure, why not."

[Jorungar]

"Heh. I like your guts, kid." Jorungar said. But this poses a slight problem. This feline kid... besides slight perspiration, Jorungar cannot sense anything dangerous from him. Does this kid know what he can do? This might require him to take it down a notch. Shep would berate him if he accidentally leave someone hurt again.

Finally they reached an opening near the hills; only grassy grounds, with a few trees beautifying a landscape. Shame the view won't be so beautiful anytime soon. "You guys wait here." He said, pointing to the ground behind him as he walked away from them for a good two hundred meters. Finally reached a good place, he stopped and turned to those two.

"I'm going to set up the obstacle course here. You guys try to make your way through it, and aim for my neck, just -don't- slice it off." Jorungar said, putting the emphasis on 'don't'. "If any of you got trapped and think your life is in danger, shout the word 'Help' as loud as you can, and I'll stop the course. Consider it as a safeword for this."

This time he had to suppress a chuckle from the accidental innuendo.

"On count of three." He took both his hands in front of him and face them upside down.

"One..." He raised his hands.

"Two..." Wiggling his fingers now. The area he left between himself and the teens began to shook as black energy smokes and bubbles began to form, letting the grass decay. "Get ready, boys."

[Azik Farenfir]

"On count of three." Journgar stated as he held out his hands facing down. Azik primed himself for what Jory was concocting. He started to think of different scenarios the serpent would throw at them. His mind started wonder with images of torture devices that Jory conjured up just a moment ago. Perhaps I've bitten off more then I can chew...

"Get Ready, boys." Jory's voice brought Azik's mind back. He saw that the field before them was a mass of smoke and black sludge. Azik crouched and put a hand on the ground to steady himself. This is gonna be rough.

He looked towards the feline. "Good luck Ray."

[Ray]

"One..."

Ray draw his handgun, check the ammo before reloading it and pull the bolt.

"Two..."

Black bubbles started to form between them, and the snow leopard eyed it warily.

"Get ready, boys."

His eyes shot up to focus on Jorungar. Azik crouched to ready himself, and wished him luck. He nodded in acknowledgement, not daring to let his gaze wander away from the serpent.