[Unleashed Squiid]

So happy to be a part of this event. ^^
Since the theme is water vs. air, here is a special kiddo who focuses on the sky and the sea.

If you don't know about this summer prompt event, please go review the thread before posting here.

Prize one adopt- Here | [url]Prize two adopt.[/url]

Prompt 4;

During one warm summer night, from shadowns emerged a mystical sight...

Was it a magical creature, power-filled item, life changing event, or was it something else entirely? You tell me.

Rules/Limits

There is a minimum requirement of 500 words OR 2 pieces of art for your form to qualify.
There is a maximum of 2500 words or 5 art pieces.
Art does not have to be colored to qualify.
If you choose art, you can have 100 words per image to describe the scene a little (if you are afraid it's unclear)
Your images may include words, but they count in the 100 words per image rule.

mutations:
Event rare- finned mane

**Earrings and the barb on the tail are both items. The fish I used for reference did not have a barb but I thought it would look cute. ^^

This prompt is open from 6/25/2018 to 7/2/18 at 8:00 pm EST. Be sure to have your prompt answered/finished by then. Anyone who edits after that time/date will unfortunately be disqualified.

[Lioashu]

mark

[Mint Chip]

"Not much longer and nightfall will be upon us," Ridley shifted where he stood, exhaling the smoke from his lungs as he observed the sky. 'Perhaps a chance still yet of some precipitation.'

It was muggy this time of year, the heat in the day mixed with the sporadic rainfall kept the humidity levels relatively high. It was summer in London and while some might prefer to be home or out with friends, Ridley preferred to be at work. His apartment was peaceful but it left much to be desired in the homey sort of way. He glanced to his temporary partner who seemed more concerned with the time than work. It was a routine task, after all, nothing particularly exciting. They were to inspect the apartment complex from top to bottom. Recently there's been an influx of reports about this mostly abandoned place, suspicious activity, and possible foul play but looking at it, Ridley didn't get any of those vibes from it. After a couple slow drags, Ridley snuffed out his cigarette and tossed it aside.

"You can go on home." He told his partner, it was obvious that he wouldn't be of much help anyhow.

The viscet turned, surprised by the notion. "Are you certain, detective?"

"I'm certain. This won't take very long. Please go and enjoy your evening with your lady." Ridley replied without even a glance back.

He twitched his ears as he heard the viscet scuffle off and back to his car. He stopped a few steps shy of the apartment, surveying it again and taking in the outside of the building. 'Well, there appear to be no signs of anything from the outside.' He entered the apartment complex, looking around the main area. It's obvious that this place has very few occupants. Likely it's deserted aside from one or two homeless souls. He noted, beginning to search behind the use-to-be reception desk for spare keys to the rooms. There was a lot of dust and very little indicators for where the keys were kept but this wasn't Ridley's first time in a place like this. Using his knowledge of previous layouts, he was able to locate some keys to begin his sweep with.

"This will have to do," He told himself as he placed the keys in his pocket. Silently, he made his way up the first flight of stairs. During his ascent up the stairs, it became apparent that there was no light to be offered from the apartment itself just the street lights and setting sun outside. It was times like this that made him thankful that he kept a flashlight on him.

The first story didn't have much, only a couple keys matched any of the doors and the rooms were quite empty. Still, he looked over every inch of each apartment, surveying them carefully to ensure he missed nothing. The next flight up proved to be far more interesting, there were signs of life. At least one or two people had been there recently though he noted that it had been a week or so since even they had been there.

"At this rate, this job will be done well before my neighbors get home." Ridley mused, his neighbors were a bit rowdy individuals. Peculiarly lively, but then again, he was peculiarly quiet for someone his age. He didn't socialize much beyond what his job demanded, preferring to spend more time reading and keeping to himself. "That would be nice, perhaps I'd actually be able to have some peace and quiet for a little while."

Ridley reached the top floor in record time, the previous floors hadn't offered much for him to analyze but this floor even at a glance already seemed different. There was a strange air about it, almost as if it were calling to him. He surveyed the main hallway, his eyes darting over everything as he took it in. He sniffed the air, there were no scents of any viscets that were fresh, just stale leads. He pulled out the last keys, amused that he actually had all the keys to the top floor. He started in the closest room and worked his way through. Some dirty blankets, overturned tables, scraps of clothing and empty food wrappers. Nothing out of the ordinary. Every room read the same way, there was once a living creature there but they'd long since gone. As he reached the end of the hall with only two rooms remaining, Ridley debated just stopping there and counting everything for being the same scene. He could easily have written his report on the building, stating that there were no inhabitants that had been there in the timespan of the suspected activity. His report could even be thorough in the layouts and every detail, no one would question him. Perhaps it was pride or something else entirely but Ridley sighed as he reasoned he couldn't leave the last rooms unchecked.

Ridley reached out to press the key into the keyhole. The door stubbornly refused to open as he turned the knob. He jiggled it, wondering why the door wasn't opening. He took a step back, wondering how he was to open the door before considering moving on to the last room and just reporting that it was one of the doors he couldn't find a key for. He turned to step to the last room but he stopped immediately as he heard what sounded like a deadbolt. He turned his gaze back to the previous door, his eyes widening at its partial ajar state. The fur and flesh along his spine pricked, as a shiver worked its way up. The door that wouldn't budge but moments ago was now standing open while there remained no fresh scent of any viscet being present.

Everything in him screamed for him to leave, there was nothing good here, he was certain of it. The sensible part of him reminded him that there had to be a reasonable explanation but there was no denying that what he had witnessed made no logical sense. the night was progressing, casting shadows in strange places. Nothing about this place seemed as dull or ordinary as it had seemed when the sun had not yet set but everything was different now. There was a roll of thunder, spooking Ridley further, and with little warning, the rain came crashing down. The sound of the rain pouring down on the roof was deafening on the top floor.

Ridley was frozen where he stood for what seemed like an eternity before he was snapped back into reality by a few stray drops of water that leaked through the ceiling. He shook his head, glancing up a moment to reorient himself before turning fully to the door still ajar. He inhaled shakily as he steeled his nerves and pushed the door open fully. Cautiously he moved his flashlight along the room, the room was a little different than some of the previous rooms he'd seen. It felt more homey, like whoever had lived there hadn't intended to leave anytime soon. Aside from subtle differences, there were still a lot of similarities to the other rooms. Overturned furniture, dirty clothing, and blankets haphazardly strung about the room. Ridley was beginning to relax back into his more neutral, analytical mindset now but he didn't drop his guard. As he walked through the apartment, he took note of a few other things that seemed a bit different and out of place in the complex.

There was a breeze creeping through the apartment when he reached the bedroom, his eyes instantly drawn to the open window. He had to blink as he swore he had seen someone coming in it. Shaking his head in bewilderment he moved swiftly to the window to examine it for clues. He leaned out carefully, the rain soaking him quickly as he felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. There's nothing here. No one could even get to this window from the outside but I could have sworn... Ridley moved back from the window, shaking the water from his body. His eyes scanned the area again, jerking back as his light glinted off of something and it moved. He stumbled, dropping his flashlight as his grip faltered. He flattened his ears as he got ahold of himself. Scooping up his flashlight as he followed after. His steps quickening as he caught another glint as it whatever it was darted into the bathroom. He hesitated, his nerves causing his hand to shake as he reached out to push the bathroom door open. Exhaling as he tightened his grip on the light, moving it around the small bathroom quickly. His eyes catching the faintest movement of the shower curtain, his heart quickening as he didn't hesitate to jerk it to the side, ready to face what was hiding behind it.

Or so he thought. As the curtain was pushed to the side swiftly, the light shone down on something laying wrapped up in the bath. Ridley looked around quickly, he neither saw nor scented anyone which raised some concerns. What had he been chasing? Had there been anything there at all? Had it all been a trick of the light? These and many other questions swirled through his mind as he leaned down to unwrap the object so carefully wrapped. He froze for the second time that night as the cloth fell to the sides of the object. His mind was moving in slow motion when he realized the object so carefully tucked away was a fragile egg. This wasn't a normal situation for him to be in, he didn't have a clue what he should do and panic was overtaking him. His hand seemed to move on its own as his paw tips touched the egg's surface. It was the cold surface that shook Ridley back to reality this time.

"I can't leave this here," Ridley told himself defensively as he wrapped the egg back up. Carefully settling it in his grasp as he began one last sweep of the apartment before returning to the hall. His gaze wandered to the last apartment door. His work wasn't over but he had more pressing matters. This egg belonged to someone and he had to find out who.

He made his way down the flights of stairs. Relieved when he reached the main lobby before he realized how far he was going to have to walk to make it to the nearest police station. He stood, egg in hand, and stared out at the sheets of rain that poured down. It wasn't as if he could just stay there, it wasn't a suitable place to stay even for a night but especially not with the fear of keeping this egg warm. Ridley tapped his foot as he calculated the best way to approach this situation. After several minutes' thought, he pulled his coat over his head and kept the egg held close to him, he'd have to make a run for it and hope for the best. It was the fastest solution and the only one he could think of. As the rain beat down on the cobblestone, Ridley opened the door and took the first few brave steps out into the downpour. The first few steps were slow and steady but in mere moments his pace had increased to a jog, then a sprint before turning into a full run. His steps were sure, his full focus on carrying that egg to the safety of the nearby police station.

The trip had been a rough one. Ridley wasn't used to running, especially not full force but he had made it to the station in record time. He was ushered in quickly and stood inside panting for several minutes, shaking as he kept the egg clutched closely. He was drenched to the bone but the egg had remained completely dry. As he caught his breath, he straightened up and explained where he'd been, what he'd been tasked to do and what he'd found there. While giving his report he was ushered into an office room. One of the officers had fetched two towels, taking his coat to hang dry while Ridley tried to dry off. He draped one towel over his shoulders as he unwrapped the egg carefully and showed the chief in charge. He omitted the parts where he believed he'd seen a ghost for fear of sounding mad.

After he'd spoken his full story and it'd been recorded down, the chief gave Ridley a serious look. He knitted his hands together as he began to explain that there was nowhere for them to take and keep that egg. The station wasn’t equipped to care for it, the best he could advise was for Ridley to drop it off at an orphanage. Appalled by such a suggestion, Ridley insisted that he was certain the mother was still out there and he was determined to find her.

The chief quirked an eyebrow up a moment before giving a faint nod. "Very well, if that is what you wish then I suppose you should keep the egg and care for it until you find its mother."

"Me? Keep it, sir?" Ridley didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't leave it but he couldn't take it home either. "I can't."

The two talked for some time over the fate of the egg. In the end, he determined that he'd hold onto it until he found the mother, certain that he would find her soon. The chief arranged for one of his officers to drive Ridley home as it was still pouring down heavily outside.

As Ridley stood in the doorway, staring out at the rain again before his departure, he felt the fur on the back of his neck raise. His eyes scanning across the darkness for a glimpse of something, something he knew was out there. A flash of lightning illuminated the area, lighting up the darkness for a brief moment. That moment passed by in slow-motion as his eyes focused on a small figure standing in the rain. 'A viscling?' There had been a viscling standing there he was certain, and it had been smiling. When he stepped out into the night to follow the officer quickly to their car, he couldn't see any signs of that viscling. When he mentioned it, the officer looked around and then back at him as if it were crazy, stating simply that nothing was there.

"Must have been a trick of the light..." Ridley said as they were on their way. He glanced through the rear window but he couldn't see anyone. Just the cobblestone and rain.


---------


"You were right, he took it." The viscling stood watching the car drive away. "I'm assured he'll take wonderful care of her." The viscling smiled at the sky.

"You've done well, my child. Now come home, Kalilah."

"Yes, my goddess."

( 2500 / 2500 words )




credits
Characters: Ridley, Viola (egg), & Kalilah all owned by me

[Yugi]

Eve had discovered the truest of all loves during a time where cruel shadows of her past had consumed her soul. While devastatingly dark matters led her to meeting the man that went by the name of Welkim, she felt like she was finally home in his arms. No longer would remnants of her memories haunt her; she would continue to move on from that point forward with her first ever lover.

The desert night was oddly warm for a change for Camira. She had been stationed there for several months now, but there was little to no sign of her mission ever beginning. Annoyed, she heads out from her camp, only to find a mysterious being that lurked in her own shadow; Scylla. With a sharp knife to her back, Camira felt complete unease as the silent attacker stared her down.

Welkim belongs to TenguInari; I've received permission from her to use him in my form ^u^

[fromage]

Noire grunted as she cleaned her wound up, it hadn't been her first escape from Silvmor, the fourth actually but she'd managed to get into scuffle with a watchman. Which ended up with knife in his neck and bullet in her leg, the bullet that's supposed to poison whoever it hits. Damn, Prospect organization, always thinking up of new inventions to keep the criminals at the battlefield that is Silvmor. She hated it there, it was so violent, dirty, and gloomy. Yes, she was an assassin, her husband being the first, but come on. At least give her a nice house to be locked up in, not some crumbling buildings and bloodied ground. Unfortunately, it was getting harder and harder to escape. She had no means to guarantee a safe escape, all she had is crude made knife and plans made up on spot as she went along. She knows there'd be a saying; "why did you become an assassin if you didn't like SIlvmor, anyway?" Noire had only one answer to that; love makes you do crazy things, cliche as it sounds.

The noirette looked around for something to cover the wound with, just for the time being until she found a way to deal with the poison when she heard leaves rustling behind her. With a great pain, she whipped around; pointing the pistol she grabbed off the watchman at the bush. Out of all things she expected, it wasn't some severely damaged robot with no intention to harm her. Some kind of oil spilling out from crevices, an arm detached, tail damaged where it curved wrongly, missing an eye.. huh, she had to wonder what happened to it.

"Spit it out." Noire hissed, sensing the hunk of metal had an ulterior motive despite seemingly not having the intention to tattle her whereabouts to the law enforcement. She could see that the robot was scanning her, identifying her, it was in middle of night but she could tell. This thing seemed to retract back into the bushes a little as if it would protect them, head lowering out of fear. At the gun, or a criminal, or both? Who knows. All Noire knows is that this robot could very well call Prospect without needing a phone.

"Amélie .. M-my name's Piper. There's bunch of guys looking for me, I need protection going home. I, um, Juno can give you an antidote for the poison, and patch you up." This metal, Piper explained and Noire truly wanted to take up on that offer, she hadn't heard anyone call her by her birth name in so long. It was like.. she knew this woman didn't intend to be an assassin, things just happened to push her into that direction. If anything else, getting an antidote does sound good. As well being called the old name, it felt like a home she lost.

"Hm. Okay, Piper, is it? I'll bring you home safely, but if this Juno doesn't give me what you promised. Things will get messy, and judging by a scan you did on me; I think you know how messy I meant." Noire threatened, and the kid only nodded frantically. The older viscet limped alongside other through the forest, keeping her pistol ready in case those "bunch of guys" tried to ambush them, or if Piper tried to trick her. It was a long trek of silence throughout the woods, none of them uttered a word until they came into a clearing, perhaps afraid that if they spoke. The men would hear them, and by looks of it, there was a lot. With a measly pistol and bad shape Piper is in, they would have no chance against them. As much as the older viscet wanted to safely bring the kid home, she didn't think they could do it unless they stayed quiet for a while.

"Um.. I see that you have escaped Silvmor couple of times. Why? I know it's bad, like a war, but.. it's just going to make you even more of a criminal if you keep escaping.. sorry for asking, I'm curious." Piper asked quietly, looking back to look at her protector in wonder. The viscet had to wonder, how old is this kid? She recalled some kind of news released about Sho'Kiuix's first robot created ages ago.

Noire just stared at the kid until she looked away, brushing her dreads behind her as she looked around them. "Because I hate it there. I know it's what everyone thinks too, but I was expecting a house arrest; not sleeping on blood stained ground in some barely standing structure."

When Piper giggled, she immediately pointed her pistol at the viscet out of sudden distrust, the answer wasn't what she expected. She kept the barrel aimed directly for the head, ready to fire if the kid even attempted anything.

"I can get that. I'd prefer to sleep on a warm bed under a safe roof, rather than being destroyed in a ditch. I mean, of course Juno has the means to track me down or to reverse the time, but... what if Juno couldn't anymore? I'd be trapped in a ditch, awake forever unless my lifecores is destroyed."

"This Juno can reverse the time? Did she make you? Lifecores, multiple?" Noire gained sudden interest, what if the viscet could help her with the Silvmor situation? What if she could go back in time, back to Gerard? Perhaps even provide her the means to escape easily at least? The apparent time travel did explain how old Piper is exactly, and that answer is unclear. She could have went millions of years in future and back, and be double of that number in age.

This time, when the kid laughed, Noire didn't point her gun at her, weirdly feeling like she could trust this robot not to be disloyal. "Yeah, she made me. You know, blow to your brain, you're dead, right? But my heart and stomach is just like my brain. Without my brain, I still have the other two. If all three is destroyed, I'm dead, unless Juno finds a way to bring me back, which she would always do. I believe that she always can."

Noire recognized fondness, attachment, closeness, loyalty, just like she had been towards Gerard. However the explanation of lifecores made her felt stupid. If she actually had shot Piper's head, she would still live and act out to save her own life; possibly ending with older viscet's demise. Yes, that would not be a good idea. Juno would most likely tracked her down and made sure she paid for destroying a lifecore in one way or another from sounds of it.

"Anyway, here we are. Juno!!" Piper shouted, and shockingly; the said viscet appeared to teleport in out of nowhere. "Juno! This is Amélie! She brought me home, protected me, but she's been poisoned. Can you-" The robot didn't get to finish, the scientist was already pushing them in. Piper just shrugged, walking off.

The older viscet watched as the kid lunged at a frankenstein looking viscet, rattling about her "adventures". She hadn't been focused on Juno, but when she felt a sting in her leg; she snapped over to see a syringe being pulled out of it. The antidote, so they really followed up to the promise. She wonder if.. she could ask for more? Would it seem greedy? She only brought the viscet home, but it looked like it meant a lot to them even if this thing happened a lot, too frequently.

"Listen. As you can see, Piper gets up to crazy stunts here and there. What do you think about protecting her, maybe from afar, if I gave you equipment to do whenever you escape from Silvmor? I'm not sure I'd love to help you remain escaped for good, but I can at least help you escape easily." Oh so, Juno knows as well? Some sort of memory uploading? Security camera? Whatever it is, escaping with ease sounds good. That way she can visit Gerard's grave as often as she'd like to, maybe even go for sightseeing.

"You have my promise." Noire said with certainty, feeling pretty proud that instead of turning Piper away, she helped. Look where it got her, receiving some high end technology that even Prospect didn't have. A x-ray visor, a much better gun than a measly pistol she had on paw, grapple hook, smoke bombs, and antidotes. "Speaking of Piper, shouldn't you fix her first?"

Juno snickered, looking over at Frankie examining his friend's detached arm fondly. "You recognize that she's a robot, right? She's also so positive, always upbeat. She'd even find her own damage cool, like its a new discovery. It's always fine, you're a living being that can drop die in a second. She won't, she nearly immortal. She can wait to be fixed for a little while."

As if overhearing the conversation, Piper turned around with her lower jaw completely hanging by several wires, Noire could see that she was laughing despite the devoid of expressions robots always take on. Juno just shook her head with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's what I meant. She's absolutely falling apart and she didn't care. Anyway, you better go, I apologize for saying but I don't want Prospect to show up at my door. I have a beef with them too." The older viscet nodded in understanding, getting up from the couch to say goodbyes to the kids before opening the door to leave.

With everything set, she headed out to visit Gerard's grave like she had meant to after she got her leg wound situation fixed. She got a good news to give, as she would try to do whenever she went. The man loved to hear about anything even if she only had a delicious sandwich as a good part of the day. With her fancy new gun and ammunition strapped to her body, and visor over her head; she shot the hook at a tree nearby to swing off onto the next, and next towards the city.
[1687/2500]

Viscets Mentioned:
Noire
Piper Atrlee
Frankie Atrlee
Juno Atrlee
Gerard is a minor character with no reference

[Vixen Luo]

mark

[Corvuss]

Mark.

[cyberdragon725]

Mark!

During one warm summer night, from shadowns emerged a mystical sight...

[magpiemochi.]

Throughout her life, Kiatre was always teased for her larger stature. Tall, bulky, naturally muscular; she never fit in with the petite females around her, which for a short while, led her into a depression of sorts. Desperately wanting to fit in, she pushed against her own distinct personality and attempted to be like the other girls, usually getting laughed at in the process. In her adolescence, it never occurred to her that all she had to do was carve her own way through life with her own style, personality, and confidence. It wasn't until she noticed a poster taped against the side of a brick establishment. After tearing it down, curious blues scanned the page, mouth turning up in a smile at the silly propaganda splayed across it.

JOIN THE VISCET ARMY.

Big bold letters with a crudely drawn viscet staring forward in what looked to be a menacing pose. 'You'd think they could get someone to pose for a picture,' she thought to herself, smile quickly turning into a laugh as she discarded the page and continued about her business. As humored as she was by the propaganda poster, the idea continued to nag at her through the days and weeks, until she found herself inside of a recruitment office against her mother's pleading wishes. Kiatre reassured her family that she had no intention of joining; she only wanted to see what it was all about. Admittedly, she wasn't even aware they needed an Army for anything.

Oh, how naive she had been.

After speaking with the officer, who would later be known as just Empire, Kiatre was suddenly struck with a realization. After so many years of feeling like an outcast, bring tossed to the side at every given opportunity, she finally felt as though she had a purpose. Not once did the officer give her any hint of a lopsided glance or a questioning glare at her "un-lady-like" stature. If anything, he had complimented her on it and convinced her that she would pass the initial training with flying colours. A feeling of excitement coursed through her, but it quickly turned into something akin to something she had never once felt: completeness. Even though they hated the idea of their precious daughter being behind enemy lines, her determination and desire to join was obvious to them. They were well aware of how much she was bullied throughout her childhood, and they hated to admit it, but it would be good for her. Begrudgingly, they agreed with Kiatre: it seemed to be the perfect fit.

That was when she was at the tender age of 18, clueless about the world around her, and she looked back on it with humor, if not a tad bit of embarrassment thrown in there for good measure. Over twenty years had gone by since then; she lived her life, saw the world, and even raised a child of her own. Retired from the Army after serving fifteen long years, Kiatre wanted nothing more than a quiet life at home, perhaps with a grandchild or two she could spoil, though it wasn't entirely necessary. The company of her own grown son every so often was good enough for her. There was never a single time that she thought of throwing herself back into the fray. A few jobs had been offered to her throughout her retirement —- mostly small security jobs -— but she had no desire to give up her quiet life. She had done everything she wanted to do and even more than she ever thought she could.

Leaving the military, Kiatre had earned the rank of Captain, though it was something she didn't flaunt much. Impressive? Yes. One of her proudest accomplishments? Absolutely. But Kiatre didn't want to be known for that. She wanted to be liked for who she was as a viscet instead of her accomplishments. She had always been like that though, for as long as she could remember. Kiatre always wanted to be loved and respected based on her own personality because in the end, that's what shapes a viscet. All of those medals, titles, accomplishments... In the end, they don't mean anything. The only thing worth anything in the end, was inside.

The only thing Kiatre took from her time in the military was her pension, which she put to good use. Though, she began to realize she was starting to struggle. Before it got too bad and before she was in debt, Kiatre decided to get back in touch with all of the viscets who had offered her jobs in the not so distant past. Fortunately, she always had a backup plan, and pride was never really an issue. If she needed the help she would always work for it, no matter what. It was a lesson she had learned throughout her life: everything had a price. Nothing in the world was ever free, and it never would be.

Much to her dismay, it seemed as though Kiatre waited too long to look for any remaining jobs; they had all been filled. Hopeful eyes soon darkened into those of doubt and slight panic. Without the extra income, she would surely have to resort to desperate measures such as selling her quaint home and moving into a small apartment. Not that she really minded apartments, there were just so many memories at her current home, and she wasn't ready to leave them behind.

Defeated, the Captain returned to her home in order to do some calculations and budgeting while also looking for other options in order to continue her comfortable lifestyle. Her finances started to confuse her, as she didn't quite understand where most of her money was actually going; she wasn't a heavy spender at all. It seemed as though there was an unknown force siphoning money from her accounts inch by inch; slow enough that they wouldn't get caught until it was much too late. There was a positive and a negative to this situation: she was relieved to know that she wasn't overspending, but she was terrified to learn that she was being robbed without even realizing it.

"Mom, I don't understand why you won't just get the authorities involved. You can't do EVERYTHING yourself, you know." After filling her son in on what was happening, and her plan in order to stop it, Jacques argued against her idea with his own logic.

"They'll do a whole pointless investigation. It'll take months, maybe even a year to get to the bottom of it!" With arms crossed over her chest, Kiatre walked over to the kitchen counter to look down at a small business card with only the letter 'M' written across it in red ink. "I'm not saying the police don't do good work, Jacques, that's not what I'm saying. They just take too long. By law, they're required to look into every little possible thing, and I just don't have time for that."

"So, you're just going to trust the word of some street rat?" He challenged his bull-headed mother, not because he didn't think she could take care of herself, but because he worried about her a little too much.

Kiatre released a chuckle, though sighed shortly after, "he isn't a street rat, Jacques. He's been very reliable over the years. A very important friend with a lot of firepower behind him."

At the mention of firepower, her son flinched away with the shake of his head. "Now what do you mean by that!?" Sure, she was a military woman, a strong and intimidating one at that, but Jacques still absolutely hated the idea of her getting tangled up in the wrong type of viscet. The mention of 'firepower' made him think of the street gangs that ran the next city over, though they claim they run half the entire world.

That wasn't a comforting thought.

The blue and grey viscet did her best to convince her son that she had it all under control and she didn't need the help of authorities, but he didn't leave feeling any better about the situation. Instead, Jacques left feeling 100 times worse about everything. There was no way in Hell he was going to lose his mother because of her own stubbornness, but there was also nothing he could do. Calling the authorities would have been a waste of his time and theirs; she wouldn't be willing to allow them to search through her belongings to find out exactly what was going on, and they couldn't just force their way in with the word of anyone else but her. Instead, he was forced to wait it out while also checking in on his mother obsessively.

A few more days passed and Kiatre noticed that her issues seemed to stop without even a hint that she had been having any in the first place. Not only was the money no longer disappearing, all of what was taken appeared back into her accounts. Not wanting to get her hopes up, Kiatre decided to watch it for a few more weeks before telling her son that her problems were finally over and she didn't even need to involve anyone else. Of course, he'd only roll his eyes and tell her that she was right like always, but inside, he would be relieved and proud of his mother for doing exactly what she said she was going to do: she said she'd take care of it, and she did just that.

Despite her seemingly repaired situation, Kiatre felt uneasy about the entire thing and started to even second guess herself. Time didn't help either, if anything, the uneasy feeling grew worse until she heard a tiny, seemingly insignificant noise in the middle of the night. Eyes wide, Kiatre shot up from her pillow to stare into the darkness, sweat beading at the base of her mane; a mix between the late night summer heat and the shockwaves of fear crashing into her. The closest weapon she had was only an arm's length away, but as she saw something move in the darkness, grabbing at it seemed to be a lost cause. Whatever was in her room had already spotted her; she could feel its eyes on her.

"You're just as jumpy as Sebastian was. Hopefully that means you're as good of a shot as he is." The voice spoke out from its shroud of darkness. A sweet accented voice that could be compared to that of dark chocolate. It was suave and powerful. It was then she realized the uneasiness she had felt for the past couple of weeks had completely dissipated. Was it because of this situation? Had she known, somehow, that this would happen? Her guess was as good as anyone else's.

"Who are you?" She replied, voice free of any fear. It was loud and confident instead as she squinted into the darkness to try and get a better look at him.

"I did you a favour," he replied, obviously ignoring her question of his identity, "and now it's time for you to pay."

Though the words seemed threatening, the tone of voice carried no such hint. That didn't stop her from flinching away, however. It was obvious now that this viscet currently in her room was the one responsible for making her troubles disappear; of course he required payment.

"Name a price," she shrugged, "and it's yours." She was confident that this situation would be taken care of easily with money until he started to laugh at her prospect.

"I have all the money in the world, Captain. What makes you think I require more? No, this isn't about money." With the flick of his tail, the unknown viscet finally moved to the stand next to him in order to turn the small lamp on. The light illuminated his face, and Kiatre was forced to hold back a small gasp, though she couldn't stop her jaw from unlatching, mouth falling open only slightly. She had seen him once before while she was in the military. Everyone knew who he was at the time, but there was an accident. An accident that resulted in his death, and it all but shook the world. The viscet in front of her basically owned the world, at least the crime inside of it, and he was supposed to be dead.

Kiatre wanted to ask how; she wanted to know how he managed to escape from the very jaws of death itself, but that could wait. She was more interested in what he could possibly want from her for his services, if not money.

"You spoke to one of my associates. A small, skittish little thing. Jeremy was his name. He gave you my card, yes?"

The female nodded, eyes glancing at the business card with the red 'M' on it that was sitting on top of her nightstand.

"Lesson one. Start asking more questions. That card is a contract, and the moment you touched it, you signed your life away." Noticing the look on her face, he chuckled before continuing, "no, I'm not going to kill you. Rather, you're going to work for me now. Only the best of the best are worthy enough employment under me. I've seen you work, Captain. We met once before, don't you remember?"

'Ah, so he does remember me.'

"If you say yes, you keep your life. If you say no, well..." He drifted off solely for dramatic purposes, eyes following suit as they averted downward for only a moment.

"If I say no, then I die. A contract in blood and all that good stuff. I'm all too familiar with the type. I just can't believe I was fooled into it." There was a silence between them and she took the opportunity to get a good look at him. His pelt reminded her of the thieving little bird, a magpie, which made all the sense in the world. His left eye was that of a dull milk colour, insinuating that he had been blind, and if the scar above and below the same eye was any help, she could assume his blindness wasn't caused naturally.

"So," Kiatre broke the silence as she slumped out of bed, "what happens now?"

The crime lord had never answered her question with the spoken word, only spun on his heel and she followed without question. Kiatre followed this mysterious viscet into a whole new world. Her new world full, and it was full of all the seedy things she worked her whole life to rid the world of. Violence, crime, double crossing. The man who came to her house that fateful night, the man who was now her boss, led her into a despicable world, but she couldn't deny the fact that she loved it.

She was taught by the best of the best, and soon enough, she was part of those known as the best. A seemingly normal mother by day, a highly skilled assassin by night.

2500/2500
Kiatre owned by me
Empire owned by me
Jeremy owned by me
Moriarty (unnamed) owned by me
Jacques owned by Strudel

[Pacsaj]

Mark