Theo//vampire, civilian//location: Ember//tags: Ren, Ruby, Akihito
Theo perked his ears as the other two vampires left, tucking his paws close to himself as he watched Ruby wave to them before slipping into the shade. He lifted a paw as if to mimic the action before quickly covering himself by licking it and swiping it over his ear. They were off to drink, most likely, and Theo was somewhat glad they got out of the situation. A prince had more authority after all, and a cat was not bound by human laws.
The guard seemed lenient towards the royal, merely notifying him of the queen’s wishes and saying he will not go with Akihito unless he requested an escort. They did look busy, probably looking for those that had committed the resent attacks. Sensing some unease from the one that held him Theo curled his tail around Akihito’s neck and rubbed his head against his chin. He figured it was normal enough cat behaviour that the guard wouldn’t be suspicious.
It was unfortunate, then, that the man braced himself and looked around when Ren and Ruby were no longer in sight. “That’s funny, I never saw them leave.” He commented, doing a full turn around and still not seeing anything. When he made eye contact with Akihito once again, he made a slightly disapproving grunt at the comment about the cat. “You should reconsider. They’re good for keeping the mice out, but you can do much better than a mangy stray.” He went to comment something else but fell silent at the call for help. Standing at attention, he started towards it at the beckoning of one of his colleagues. “Your majesty, please get home. We can’t have anything happening to you.” He threw over his shoulder before starting off towards Ren and Ruby.
The tuxedo stood up stiffly, bunching his muscles to jump down but never actually executing it. Instead he settled for slinking down into Akihito’s arms and getting his ears scratched. He was still concerned for their friends though, and wasted no time peering over the prince’s shoulder. “That has to be Ren and Ruby, dontcha think?” He meowed softly, his violet eyes wide as he scanned the sky for a Vulture. “He had a gun too... it won’t do too much against a vampire I don’t think, but I hope they’re okay.” Theo curled up more comfortably in the royal’s arms, then looked up at him. “Ya know, I guess the word stray fits what I’m doing with my life right now.” The feline murmured with a soft scoff before speaking up a little louder. “Oh, and thanks for dealing with that.” He squinted his eyes in appreciation, trying to distract himself from the unfortunate situations that popped up in his head for Ruby and Ren. If the guard left to tell the other, surely they’d have a break where they could escape, right?
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Xander//human, hunter//location: Ember, dungeon//tags: Kenji
Xander’s only response to the smirk was a harsh stare. If his assumptions were uncertain before, they were confirmed in that moment. “That’s it? No excuse?” The man watched Kenji warily, but there was a hint of surprise in his tone. At the very least he would have expected a nonchalant ‘no, you’re wrong’. It was a nice change to have some honesty, he supposed, though perhaps the grin was less that and more of a scare tactic to control him. In any case, the whole ordeal rubbed Xander the wrong way- especially when his reaction made it appear that he found it amusing.
Despite Xander’s hesitance though, the soldier seemed to look at him approvingly and even agreed to his conditions. He made no move for a moment. Maybe it was because he expected a something else, such as his own additions to the terms, but when nothing came he slowly nodded. “Thank you.” He started forward towards the cell though every fibre of his being warned him against it. There was a sickly sound of something sticking when the vampire walked inside and the man braced himself for a similar experience shortly after hooking the door clamp to the wall. He hadn’t realised how much of it had stayed on the ground after he helped tend to the other’s wounds.
The hunter tried to hide his cringe as he made his way over to the smaller guard, removing the helm in order to get the chest piece off. “I think you’re mistaken. I could list all I learned of you on the fingers of a single hand.” He retorted, never taking his eyes off of his task. “Plus you haven’t actually told me what you are. Frankly I think you’re avoiding the question.” There was less fear in his voice now, either from his current defensiveness or the ‘pick your poison’ situation he was in. The man sucked in his breath as he lifted the armour off the shoulders of the knocked out knight and onto his own. This left him with little breath to scoff at the accusation, yet his eyes met Kenji’s with a flame alight in them. “I may have only my testimony for that part, but I can assure you there was no ill intent. I was selling my wares and happened to spot something that brought on my concern.” This was spoken with a tone just barely friendlier than a hiss. Xander knew well that his timing was unfortunate and the general had all the evidence against him, which somehow just made him more irked. Lady Luck was definitely not on his side that day.
The ranger attempted to regain his composure as he fitted the bracers on his wrists, turning away from Kenji again. With a level head he listened to his former cellmate’s explanation. It fit, however there was still the issue of him being from a foreign land’s military. There was no question his loyalty fell with them, so why was he so determined the protect the royals of Embera? Xander finished and sniffed, saying simply “I will trust you for the time being because I must” before starting on the legs and boots. Admittedly Xander’s findings before the assassination attempt proved some degree of closeness between himself and the princess, which made his former accusation lay heavier in the back of his mind. A little protectiveness over his ruler wasn’t often dubbed a mistake though, so the caution stuck.
Finishing up with his own armour and walking to the exit, Xander looked gratefully to Kenji for waiting and reinforced eye contact in return after stepping out. What he said had its truth, assuming he really had that rank. The ranger guessed it had its merit from the high honour and practice it encouraged, which the darker haired man displayed quite accurately. Besides, it’d take guts and a bad split-second decision to fake such a high tier and then expect to see the queen. Xander looked to the ground and thought a moment. He might as well have tied his own noose if Kenji decided to turn against him now.
A sour smile crept it’s way onto Xander’s face. “I’m sensing some inconsistencies in your little plan.” He remarked coolly, though when his dark irises met Kenji’s strangely blue ones their expression mostly held curiosity. The hunter had already determined that he would tag along to meet with the queen, and though his freedom may be limited afterwards it would let him see the world. Xander also wasn’t too fond of the rouges that had gotten him into this very predicament, and in his opinion they could use some payback. With that thought in mind the armour-clad man straightened and shrugged at Kenji’s inquiry. “I’ve no problem with it. Now, ...” his eyes shifted to the dark hallway. “I’ll let you lead. I imagine you’ll make some pretty good calls on our direction.”