Knife in the Back//The Wren//Open for apps! PM to Tundra

[Tundra]

[RAH bumpish XD]

[Draconox]

Amethyst's eyes grew wide for a moment; she had hoped be hadn't notice. She sighed. "When we get back to base," she said. "Or wherever the hell we're going." She shifted in her seat to face him a bit, wincing as she twisted her abdomen. She was silent for a moment. "And yes, I can show you the secret, if you'll allow me to touch you." She said. "Lean your head forward, to where your chin is touching your chest."

Maybe it was something in the way she talked or moved her head. Maybe it was just due to exhaustion. However it suddenly took Trustin a lot of effort not to snarl at Amethyst. But he couldn’t prevent himself from flinching away. There was a hint of panic showing in his eyes and for a moment the boy got overwhelmed by flashbacks of his past. A cage and the vicious presence of a ravenous shadow. The face of gentle Marisol, the pretty Hispanic girl, full of anxiety and no longer showing her lovely smile. Trembling delicate hands holding onto a bloodied knife. A small child wailing in the background. Once sparkling dark eyes growing dull and lifeless. Bloodspatters staining a perfect cheek. Piercing feelings of hate, betrayal, guilt and shame. Everything seemed more vivid because of the still present scent of blood in his nostrils. Trustin’s left hand clenched his shirt, feeling the rapid heartbeats. The claws of his ride dug deeper into the material of the arm rest. Still feeling a stifling mixture of shame and guilt, Trustin averted his eyes and whispered: “I-I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Nightingale’s angry voice brought him back and spared Trustin from recollecting more bad stuff. The man brushed past and disappeared in the back. Even while he was mad at himself for spacing out, Trustin was also curious of Bree's reaction. He had the sinking feeling, that things weren’t going to get better any time soon.

[SpartanAmethyst]

Amethyst looked at Trustin worriedly for a moment. Was it something she had done or said? The assassin female shifted, sitting right in the chair. "It's alright," she said, moving slowly because of her abdomen. She decided to explain instead of show. She looked over to him before letting her eyes drop to the nearby arm of his seat. "It's a trick one of my friends at school taught me. It has to do with your muscles, and if you massage them right it allows you to relax your tense muscles. But don't worry, I won't touch you if you don't want me to," she murmured. After a moment her blue eyes turned to look out of the nearby plane window, gazing across the bright white clouds beneath the jet. She took a deep breath and imagined wings forming from her back and leaping out into the air. Her eyes closed as she imagined the freedom of flying, of not being confined to the ground. She wanted to find somewhere she belonged. And being the newest assassin in the Wren, she sure as hell didn't feel like she belonged here yet. One battle didn't make a soldier truly part of the unit, at least not in her mind. The lingering sense of lonely fear was creeping up on her again; she could feel it. But as usual she just stamped it down, the event with Trustin making it worse. She didn't blame him, of course, but she knew it was something she did. What, she didn't know, but it was her fault for elliciting that kind of reaction from him.

[Tundra]

[[Bumps]]

[Derelict Draught]

Templar

The room was dark. Not a single light was lit. That didn't matter though. They could smell the man. They could hear his heartbeat. His whimpers. The armored figure listens to the moans and growls of the creatures that surrounded the caged man. The iron bars allowed the creatures to reach through and grapple for the man though they could not reach him. Not yet.

A persistent whimper marked the man's voice as he pleaded for mercy. To be let go. To be spared. He was just the messenger. To kill him would be cruel and unholy.There was an irony to the man's choice of words. Unholy. He knew what surrounded him. What the armored figure was yet he still believed that there was some merciful holiness left in the killer. Such a fool.

Soon the man would meet his fate. At the moment though, the armored figure was distracted by the video playing inside of his helmet. The messenger had delivered his message as instructed but the news had been dire. Malicia had failed to acquire his payment. In fact the woman's mercenaries had killed the man which was quite an...inconvenience.

He needed a new subject. Who though? He didn't know of any other bearing the gene. His target had no relatives and his bloodline ended there....Or did it? The video feed zooms on the two players at the airport cafe. The girl. The way they regarded each other...There was a possibility but it was slim. In the pitch dark the figure types. The message was short and the consequences for failing him would be far more dire than Malicia could imagine.

Bring the girl ALIVE.

**Two attached files. One bearing the image of Bree and Malberry at the table together and the other with the predicted arrival point for the aircraft.

[Verdana]

[Sorry that this is so late, everyone. Life has been hellish.

I'm just going to time skip to move things along, if that's okay.]

//Bree//

Playgrounds did not make Bree comfortable.

She had never played in them as a child. She had begun training as an assassin when she was four years old. When she began to wield a gun successfully, playgrounds dropped on her list of priorities. In any case, she had never been a sociable little girl. She had been demanding, opinionated and domineering. Other children had stayed away from her, and she hadn't really cared. She'd stopped going to school when she was eight years old, and until she'd hit teenage, she hadn't seen the need for any companions her own age.

No. That wasn't true. She'd needed Vee. But Vee was dead. And nobody could replace her.

The other assassins from her party were securing the perimeter or loitering in the immediate area. Kuar was carefully concealed. The last thing that anyone needed was for the bird-man to erupt and scare the kiddies. She also did not want to see him. At all. He had slammed her into a wall. She hadn't liked that. She had been helpless. She had blamed the jet, because she did not like it. She had not had a comeback. She was seething with the lost opportunity.

With sharp eyes, Bree scouted for familiarity. She was not sure about their situation. When Booker had asked exactly who Shay knew in Croatia, Bree hadn't known, and she still didn't. Knowing her mother, it was no friendly cousin. She was probably better off not knowing.

She watched for Ty. Nobody could disguise Ty. He was her best bet.

//Shay//

There had been a bit of a rush to get to Bihac. Bree had altered course straight away. Shay was proud of her daughter. However, Shay had been behind schedule.

She shot a glance to their captives. The female called Jessica certainly wasn't human. She had known Shaygrin's name. Shay did not like that at all, especially since she still did not know how Jessica could possibly have known. Shay had panicked; knocked her unconscious. The female was awake, but subdued and bound. Still, Shaygrin wasn't comfortable. Killing was fine, but kidnapping? What if somebody wanted the female back? A male would, probably. She was certainly attractive enough to warrant attention.

Then there was the matter of the... Thing. It was in a box meant for large dogs, at the back of the school bus which Shay had acquired. She didn't like it. It was incongruous. She hadn't had a choice, though. She hadn't had a choice in many things.

She pulled the bus up next to the chosen rendezvous point. Small children in woolly clothing clambered about. Instantly, her eyes landed on Bree, clothed in a green trench coat. She smiled slightly, and opened the pneumatic doors of the bus.

Everybody out. Except you, Ty. I'm sorry, dear. Someone needs to stay with the captive.

And you are a walking target.

[Tundra]

The heat of the sun beat down on the playground. The grassy areas were covered in children playing, sweating, and doing childish things. Everything here seemed completely normal, no danger at all to anyone. In the shade of a tree, Kuar sat silently. In fact he wasn't even visible, being high in its branches watching the scene bellow him with interest. To be honest, Kuar had never 'played' as a child. He was to much of a danger to the other kids, so he went hunting, weaved baskets, typical tribal work. So, observing the children in the playground only brought him to a small smile. He, despite being a cold blood killer sometimes, was one of those that actually was a playful sort. No one would know this about him, well, one did, but she was not likely to revel it to the rest of the team. Flicking his tail he picked out of the crowed the surviving members of the Wren. They had all received the needed medical attention from one of Kuar's contacts here. But, even then the would need to make sure the wounds were still tended after the fact.

Flicking his tail again he watched Bree in particular. The young leader seemed just as lost as everyone else in the sea of people and sand/grass. She looked around, trying to figure out where he mother was coming from. It was obvious to Kuar she was a little dependent still on her mother, but she would never admit that. Pulling his attention away from Bree he began scanning the landscape himself, looking for any signs. It was about then that the Buss pulled up, but no passengers stepped out. This sparked Kuar's interest, since none of the children of the park seemed interested in the buss itself. Flicking his tail he pulled something off the side of his bracers and clipped them together. The lenses lined up perfectly and he looked at the passengers of the buss. Sure enough, there was Ty, no mistaking that man. He went up the rows of seats to see the driver, but he or she was blocked by the passenger side seat. Pulling the scope down from his eyes he said into his ear piece to Bree "Their on the buss, at least Ty is, I cant see who is the driver."

During their flight here, Kuar had taken the communication systems Bree and the rest of her team had and reprogrammed them so they could still talk. With the base being out, Kuar had to set it to have a new transmitter, which happened to be a device at Kuar's side. It was short range, but it did the trick. They could fix it later to have longer range, but this was all the needed. Kuar waited silently, his eyes scanning the area to make sure there wasn't anyone mischievous about. This was all to easy, and knowing Malacia she knew where Kuar had landed. A private airfield unmarked on any of the maps. In fact, it seemed almost to just be a stretch of roadway in the middle of nowhere. Kuar had a lot of resources over the years of his work, including townships that he now owned. He shifted his weight again looking back at Bree watching her reaction to him noticing them before She had.

--

[[Gonna wait more before more Twisted in this XD, Need more info on who is with Shay.]]

[SpartanAmethyst]

Amethyst sat on a nearby cobblestone wall, the one to the North of the playground. She was out of hearing of Bree, but not out of sight. She watched the people pass by, her harsh blue eyes scanning each of them for any sign of a threat. She had none of her normal weapons immediately with her, and she felt naked without her hidden blade. She shifted, feeling the cold metal of a dagger in her boot. At least she had that. She could feel the warm sun beat down on her tanned shoulders, sinking through her black tank top. She took a deep breath and went back to analyzing passing civilians. Moving her hand up to her ear, she placed it to look like she was resting her head in the palm of her hand. But, in all reality, she was turning on her blue tooth device. She hoped Bree had hers. "What are we looking for?" She asked quietly, barely moving her mouth as another man passed, jogging on in a grey hoodie.

[Mystic]

Surreal Rosanne Quilling

I wasn't very comfortable, physically or mentally.
My body slightly jerked as the lumbering vehicle stumbled to a halt, the awkward movement causing a bolt of pain to fly up my bandage arm. I felt my posture become rigid for a moment, before reluctantly relaxing into the stiff old seat I occupied. I hated large bulky vehicles. They were so noisy and uncomfortable, always shifting you around as it changed gears or drove over rough terrain. It grated my nerves just to look at one. It wasn't the best way of transportation, far from it, but it was a good cover for us now, and had enough space to store the hostage and that.. thing that took up the back.
I felt an icy finger travel up my spine at the thought of it just behind me, even if it was bound and locked up in a large crate. I didn't like turning my back on a room, let alone a being such as that. Normal people would call me paranoid, but I was being cautious. With the life of.. what I was, things would try and sneak up on you. So it was only normal that I felt skittish with my back to the.. whatever it was. But I just couldn't look at it without cringing or quickly looking away, which was a sign of weakness. And I hated to be thought of as weak and incompetent. I would have to face it sometime, but luckily that time would not be now.
Suddenly, my ears picked up the strong, stern voice of Shay. "Everybody out. Except you, Ty. I'm sorry, dear. Someone needs to stay with the captive."
I couldn't help but sigh with relief as I awkwardly got to my feet, favoring my sore leg. Most of my injuries had healed, thanks to my genetics, but it wasn't something to be proud of. I hated my inhuman side, and hated every single little trait I got with it. Every little privilege. It was just another sign of how abnormal I was. And it angered me to know I had no say in what my body could or couldn't do, what it could and couldn't heal. Yeah, it was a great benefit for my scars and bones heal faster, to become better in just a week or two, but it reminded me too much of what I was. An abomination.
I wouldn't think of that, as I limped forward and down the isle, trying to conceal my little walking problem. My leg would be better in a few days, so then I wouldn't have to walk like an awkward little penguin. I respectfully nodded to Shay as I hurried down the few steps that led out of the bus, gritting my teeth to keep from grimacing. As soon as I had left the bus and my feet were thoroughly planted on the soft grass, I stood there for a moment, my icy grey gaze taking in my surroundings. It was just a normal little park. A shiny swirly slide that was connected to a little play structure with numerous tunnels and ladders, a pole here and there. No body would think twice as to be suspicious of this innocent little play area. But I did.
My gaze soon took in the remaining Wren members from the mission gone wrong. Most of them looked okay, fine actually. Exterior wise. I was sure they were feeling a sense of loss, or at least agitation on how the mission had went. I couldn't blame them, I was still boiling with fury about how things had been played out. I couldn't believe we had been attacked. I couldn't believe the Wren had actually been.. destroyed. The thought left a sickening feeling in my gut, but I ignored it. We would soon regain everything we had lost, and would deliver our revenge along the way. This made a sadistic smile cross my pale pink lips as I slowly made my way over to a large tree, resting my back against the sturdy trunk.

[.skycat.]

Legial "Violet" Lylis
Another child practically ran into Violet, making the vampire squeeze her eyes shut to keep from lashing out at the little one. It took a few moments before she composed herself again. Even through the shade of the tree and her cloak around her, she felt insecure. The sunlight was stinging, making her inch closer to the tree trunk.
Violet really would have spoken out against Bree’s choice of location, but that would reveal a weakness, so she had just silently pulled her hood down lower when they came to the playground. Yet another thing the vampire couldn’t stand were the children. They were too loud and kept bumping into each other. The clumsy little creatures seemed to have no intelligence- at all.
Leaning against the tree trunk and blending into the shadows, Violet looked around for any sign of Shay or the others.
A small smirk crossed her face as she thought about anyone stupid enough to attack them at this point. Of course, they all still had wounds- even though Nightingale's contact had fixed most of them up- but that didn't mean they didn't have weapons. Violet has her switchblade hidden up her sleeve and her combat needles were holding up her hair in a loose messy bun. Not to mention she always had fangs and extra strength whenever she needed it.
But then again- that was only her. Was everyone else as prepared? It didn't matter if it was only one person... Would they be ready for an ambush? But who would take such a chance in front of the civilians?
Doubt now circled Violet's mind, but her expression stayed as stony as ever.

Mizuko "Misty" Velaiha
Misty sat on the bus, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head resting against the cool windowpane and her dark gaze looking out at the passing scenery. The only thing she was hoping for was that it didn’t rain. The last thing she needed was to risk shifting in front of everyone- including the passing townspeople. Though it didn’t seem as though it would rain- or drizzle for that matter- any time soon, and even if it did she always had a mini umbrella.
Hearing Shay’s words, Misty looked up tentatively, then glanced at Ty. A spark of sympathy lit in her dark eyes, but she knew why he couldn’t go. The sprite slowly stood up and lingered until most of the others had gone out, before following in their tracks.
As soon as she stepped out into the warm sunlight, a smile spread across the girl's face. The warm light played in her eyes, making them slightly lighter. She smiled at all the children and watched with empathy- and a hint of jealousy- as they ran around with each other playing on the slides and swings, and playing tag and hide-and-go-seek with their friends. For a moment her thoughts of worry lifted...
Until she spotted the small duck pond behind the playground. Yearning and restraint instantly conflicted in her mind. Misty forced herself to walk casually over to the swings, and look around for the other Wren members and possible threats- not daring to get close to the water or even look at it for that matter.
Misty had always had enough self control not to get wet in front of others, but the new warmth of the sun made the thought of diving in almost irresistible. Back with her Uncle, this would have been the time to enjoy a swim- but that was long ago.
Back before she joined the Wren.
Misty's eyes hardened and she scanned the area again, until her eyes landed on a girl with brown hair and very light blue eyes [Amethyst] sitting on the North wall of the playground. Misty sighed slightly and let her eyes drift around again- though she still didn't dare look at the pond.