⚜ The Hummingbird Wars RP ⚜ Open ⚜

[Avaloni]

[ Anastasia; I tottally understand, having just moved. It's hard to keep up with rp's, even if you try, and a lot of the time most people are very unforgiving and can't understand... so take all the time you need, Hawke will be waiting. ]
((Okay, I'll do that))..

Starling glared at her brother across the room. Their mission of bringing back escapee "Tabitha" had been a failure. One of her first, and by far worst. Their reputatio was on the line now.. her reputation was on the line, and that was something which she refused to put up with. Draven walked up beside her. "I'm sorry," he began. "Shut up!" Starling hissed. Draven took a step back, annoyed with his sister. She was always too bossy for her own good, and her ego was too inflated. "Now who's are next target?"Draven asked. "Jace was nice enough to provide us with this, and save us from a lot of punishment. You do realize that, right?" Draven nodded. He did know their handler was one of the best, and Starling was a little overly infatuated with him. However, Jace was still the best handler Draven had ever had, and by far their best chance at regaininig any status. "Our next target is another escapee girl named Sparrow." Draven looked up. "Sparrow?"The name was almost familiar. "I know right? What kind of a name is Sparrow? We're not even from sparrows, we're from hummingbirds." Starling added, tottally missing the reminicent tone in Draven's voice. "Your name is Starling," He retorted. She stiffened, but was unable to think of a comeback. "Anyway, you about ready?" Starling asked her brother. Draven nodded, although he didn't feel ready at all. It was hard for him to internalize what they were doing. Bringing back escaped tendits for them to be tortured or punished, or at least forced to betray those that'd helped them. He pitied them, and at times he almost wished that he was an escapee.. almost. Without warning, a door slid open and Jace walked up behind them. Cleanshaven, and tall, he stared at them. "No, sorry, I don't think Draven will be going on this one." He said, extending a hand for Draven to give back his special jacket. Statling looked up at Jace. "What - why not?" She asked, and Draven remembered the times when they were little and Starling would be so clingy she'd get mad if they were ever apart for too long. She'd demand he go with her on missions.. but now he just slowed her down. He was never the star student she was, he simply didn't care as much as she did. "But apprehending a tendit and taking her back to base unharmed is a job for two." She added quickly. "Because," Jace started, and then shot a pointed look at Draven. "Your brother has a habit of screwing things up - whereas you, my darling, are always perfect. You will be working with me for this mission, as your first ungaurded cross-species mission." Starling beamed at Jace's compliment, and disregaurded the insult to her brother. "Alright then, when we will start off?" She asked, in a state of reverance. "Right now." Jace replied, slipping a tranq gun into his pocket. He held out an elbow which in turn Starling looped her arm around. Jace turned to Draven. "You'll be here for reception, and transportation to section I." Draven nodded dumbly as he watched his sister and his handler walk off into the outer world. Starling and Jace hailed a cab almost instantly, being careful to avoid the standard gold SUV. "So, details," Starling asked, in what was close to a purr. Starling didn't like Jace nearly as much as she let on. He was her asset as much as she was his, and her affection for him was merely a game of control; hoping to milk him for some sort of sympathy or favor later. "Well, her name is Sparrow, she took off near the city, and she's taking the path of sewer system, but we're not sure if she's going to stick to that or not. We caught these images off some cameras." Jace handed Starling a couple blurry images of a girl. Starling studied them carefully, and then handed them back. "She's cautious; and careful. Clever. Why'd she run off?" Jace shrugged. "Probably some firestarter started singing about life outside of the walls. You know, the grass is always greener, as they say." Starling nodded. "They're all such idiots, aren't they? To think that the outside world is so much better. What do they even know of it, anyway?" Jace hesitated, and Starling thought she'd seen a flicker of guilt, but it had vanished as quickly as it had come. The cab pulled over. "We're here."The cabby said. "Thank you sir." Jace said politely, and then got out and opened Starling's door for her. Her wings were draped around her shoulders like a shawl, so as to look non-birdlike. "Hey, I think you're forgetting something!" Barked the cab driver from his seat. "Oh, I am sorry."Jace said, and then took something out of his wallet. The cab driver looked pleased for a second, and then agitated again as Jace flashed a Goldhawk privilege badge. The cab driver grumbled and then drove away. Goldhawks had the right to free transportion- regaurdless the cost to their driver.
((Starling & Jace got out somewhere within veiw of where Sparrow is at the moment. If she could spot them that'd be great.))

[Akayuri]

Sparrow sat on the edge of a street curb carefully chewing the leftovers of someone else's meal. She worked carefully to strip the very last bits of tissue and cartilage from greasy chicken bones and savor stale bread crusts. Her dumpster haul had been fairly average, only enough to fit in her hands and shove into her pockets for later. It has stopped the echoing in her stomach so she didn't question whether eating chicken could be considered cannibalism since she was part bird as well. She could briefly recall the lesson they were taught about the food chain and how it tied into their lives. The Goldhawks were at the top and everyone else was strewn along the bottom.

Speak( or in this case thinking) of the winged-devil, she looked up from beneath her hood for a brief moment and spotted the girl with a feathered shawl and escort. Those feathers weren't like the showgirl furs women wore in the sleazy nightclubs, the looked clean, well kept. The only word in Sparrow's mind was ' dark angel' and it was very unsettling. This girl didn't belong in these streets, she was too clean. The man with her made her even more concerned, a flicker of facial remembrance sparked in the back of her mind, maybe a profile or half caught glimpse, but it was enough to kick the escapee tendit into " flight" gear. She smoothly stood and began walking in the opposite direction, eyes down and towards the nearest dark alley. She already knew which pathways and roofways and sewerways she could slip into and disappear in case they noticed her.

She had to keep a cool exterior, avoid drawing attention to herself. Under her many layers of clothes, skin, muscles, and bone her heart was already beating at a worrisome hummingbird page and her stomach twisting into thin knots ( they would have been thicker if she had eaten more). Please don't find me, please don't find me, Please don't find me...

[Avaloni]

Starling spotted Sparrow almost instantly. She had keen eyes for spotting runaways. They were always too eager to hide. That was the trick about hiding.. it's best done in plain sight. Someone who doesn't act guilty is rarely a suspect. She tapped Jace's arm. Jace looked at her and then looked in the direction of her icy blue eyes. He nodded. The girl was in the process of making a clean getaway, but that wouldn't be the case for long. She exchanged a meaningful look at Jace and he took out the tranq gun from his jacket. He raised him arm and with a slight squeeze of the trigger a slight buzzing sound was heard, and the bullet hit Sparrow in the back, in between the wings. "This was too easy." Starling purred, as she trotted up toward the tendit girl, Jace following closely behind. "Don't count your chicks before they hatch, darling. This chick will wake up on the drive home, and who knows how much of a fight she'll put up. Starling frowned, as if Jace had insulted her. "I'll have her tied." She said. Jace clucked, shaking his head as if he knew something she didn't. Jace put his gun away, back safely inside his pocket. Starling lifted the girl's arm, preparing to pick her up but Jace shooed her away. He slung the tendit girl over his shoulder, her body falling limp like a rag doll. "When'll she wake up, exactly?" Jace walked to a certain back alley, in which a golden SUV had been placed there for them upon completion of their mission. When he spoke he didn't bother to turn around to face his accomplice. "I'm not sure. It depends on her metabolism. Anywhere from in the SUV to back at the facility at reception." Starling nodded, stretching her wings. They did cramp in the position if she held it for too long. It always hurt to wear her wings as a shawl, but she always did. It was the price, she often told herself, for the appearance of normalcy. Jace turned and arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything. After stretching out her wings to their fullest, she tucked them back neatly around her shoulders, like before. "Bind her." He said, as he got into the driver's seat. Starling picked up a roll of twine that sat on the back seat. She made a few loops around the girl's feet, then around her arms. She tied the girl's feet and arms together with a three-foot long piece of rope. Then she bound the girl's legs together. Some might find this excess, but you can never be too careful with a captive tendit. They can be dangerous creatures.

Jace looked back at her from the drivers seat. He started the engine and started driving. "Wha-wait! What are you doing? Can't you wait for me?" Jace shook his head. "You're sitting back there with her. You need to keep an eye on the captive." He said. "Did you even check her for weapons?" Starling bit her tounge. "No. But... I've got her tied to where she can't use any if she does have some." Jace made a "tsk tsk" noise at her. "So you're going to untie her and hand her to your brother so she can assault him? "No!" Starling growled. "I have her tied securely and there won't be any hiccups."
"Promise?" Jace asked from the front seat.
"Promise." Starling replied from the back seat, annoyed. Jace turned on the radio.

[youre_the_onlyreason]

HAWKE

Hawke paused. Stay at.. his house? He wouldn't really object to it other than in the fact that he was there looking for a new place to stay. "Erm-" he started, "I don't know.. I would, I mean, of course I would, but I'm sorta looking for a new place to stay, too... I do have a place in mind though, it's closer.." Hawke was talking half to Caroline and half to himself, trying to make up his mind. It wasn't too safe to stay where he was now, but then again could he justify turning her down by saying it was safer on her own by the street somewhere? "Tell you what, I'm moving out of my place in the next couple of days. However, I'll still be there for tonight and probably the night after. You can stay with me then, but it's not safe any longer than that. I'll be moving soon, and you can come with me once I do, if you'd want to." He knew he was being idiotic by offering the girl a place to stay. One teenager on his own might not draw too much attention to himself, but two.. that doubled their risk of getting caught. However, he could not deny her. After all, wasn't he thinking only earlier today how selfish normal humans were? Even though he looked like one, he refused to act like one. "It'll be nice to have company, for a change." he added.

~Caroline~

Caroline nodded steadily. She rubbed her arm ever so slightly. This was something she did when she was nervous or embarrassed. This time, she was both. "A-Are you sure? I mean, I hate to just invite myself in, and all... I don't have to if you don't have the room, or something. Really, it is fine if you can't..." Caroline really didn't know what else to say. If he said it was fine, she would thank him, of course. But, if not, she would just find another place to stay at, and hopefully run into Hawke again.

[Avaloni]

HAWKE

Hawke shook his head. He'd already said she could... "No, no, it's not any real trouble. As long as you don't mind that it's... mainly unfurnished. The bus comes soon and it'll drop us off near there. Come on." He said, and then realized that even though he had ensured that he was identical to other humans, she was not. The bulge at her back was a dead giveaway, and if there was any goldhawks on the bus they'd be doomed. He slipped of his hoodie, revealing his thin olive shirt underneath. He tossed it to her quickly. "Put this on." Hawke's hoodie wasn't overly loose on his own broad shoulders, but Caroline's thin, doe-like frame he was sure it would be loose enough and thick enough to conceal the bulging of her wings. He could hear the bus approaching a little ways away, but still couldn't see it, the trees covered the veiw to the road sufficiently.

[youre_the_onlyreason]

~Caroline~

Caroline shook her head. "I'm fine. I used to live somewhere when I only had a bed and trunk. Then, I shared one big closet." Caroline said, after he said it was very unfurnished. Caroline had to share a closet with all of the girls in her room, which was at least 12 other girls. Caroline suddenly saw the hoodie flying at her, and caught it. It was warm, and smelled nice. Well, nicer than dirt, that is. She blushed, because she had never worn a boy's hoodie. Even if it was only for her protection, it still made her flustered. "Uh... Okay..." She quietly said, then slipped the hoodie on. It was a lot more warm on the inside than on the inside, and Caroline hugged herself in the jacket. It was huge on her small build. It hung off of her shoulders, fell past her waist, and the sleeves hung off of her hands at least a few inches. But, it was big enough to cover up her little wings. "Thanks... It is really warm... And it smells like you..." Caroline said, smiling and still hugging herself.

[Akayuri]

There wasn't enought time for Sparrow to even turn around as the tranquilizer needle pierced into her back, making her stumble forward. Whatever drugs they were using as ammo acted quick, it numbed her torso down to her limbs and stole her conciousness like a blown out match. The only sound she made was the dead thud her body made as it hit the concrete. She was lulled into nothingness as the beat of footsteps pounded into her ears from the ground she lay on, forgetting to feel terrified.

Out cold and bound like a wild bird of game, a gentle melody slipped into her unconscious thoughts. Like a lullaby, like a rediscovered gift someone had left in her care. ' Imi sanaki kegano naawo, orokoku morodame te motoiko,uaeru hetotechi arahiru hoima odi chiuo mami...' There was no recognizable meaning to the words that slowly reverted back to the sounds around her of stale music and car hiccups. Sparrow did not open her eyes to check her surroundings, she was afraid to look and see that the other Tendit girl and her friend were not just a bad dream or an illusion of her own paranoia. Something was binding her limb together, and tightly. She had been out long enough for her wings to get cramped and uncomfortable under her clothes and even worse under the twine.

Hardly making a sound, Sparrow began taking a deep, deep breath, pushing her diaphragm as far as it could go to fill her lungs before unleashing a shrill, skin crawling scream that bounced off every surface of the car into her captor's ears.

[Avaloni]

Not gonna be able to post until late tomorrow. Sorry!!

[youre_the_onlyreason]

{{That is fine! I probably wouldn't have been able to reply today, anyways. ^.^ }}

[Avaloni]

[[My next post will include Draven.]]

Starling's hands almost instinctively flew to her ears upon hearing the shrill, blood-curdling scream, but she forced them to do otherwise. The golden SUV almost swerved as Jace jumped about an inch off his seat in surprise. "Oh God, Starling, what did you do!?" The question came out a bit more like a growl. Starling's reaction was instantaneous and part helpful part hurtful. With one hand she smacked the tendit girl across the cheek, both a reaction and for the sake of distracting her. The other hand slammed over the girl's month as she struggled to find from the front seat as gag with the first hand. Jace barked from the front seat as he saw his protegé rough-handle the tendit girl. "Starling, she's scared. All hitting her will do is scare her more." Starling grit her teeth from the backseat wishing she was in the front. "Maybe it'll scare some sense into her." The phrase came out as a mumbled noise. Sighing, she reluctantly took careful measure to not scare the girl further. She turned to face her captive, trying for her most innocent, nonthreatening face she could manage. "Hello, Sparrow. My name Glass , Goldhawk current field oprative and wide spectrum ability specialist. If you were wondering why you are here it is because you escaped from your room at -" Starling pulled out a paper, handing it to Sparrow, as some procedure somebody thought up somewhere dictated. She read aloud the date and time, and the paper that she'd handed Sparrow showed pictures taken by security cameras and witnesses. "We've decided it was best to bring you back and ask you a few questions." Jace turned the radio a little louder as his favorite song 'and then it rained' came on. Starling thought it was very unprofessional to listen to music during a kidnapping (or as it was technically called, a Retrieval Mission), but didn't say anything because he was her superior.