Alternate path [COMBAT, PRIVATE Lexia, Arik, Yuuki]

He turned and twisted the small hourglass around. Surely it was just an empty piece of junk sitting inside a worn out brass ring. It did not create a good first impression, but this was what Master Horus led him to. And it was what Oak Hollow wanted as well. He was back within the safety of Xastristan, a world of endless roads and towering skyscrapers among even the middle class who could afford apartments in this district. Giant holographic billboards would advertise trending products or just showcase eye-candy for the perverted. It was all he could see from the window of this decent hotel. They had enough money to stay for a week at most. By now, he had planned to take upon the arts of witch hunting once more, or at least find a local pub to bartend. But with the current injuries he had, it would make such a task almost impossible. Still, the place was rather decent. But nothing outstanding. A small lounge with basic furniture and appliances, a kitchen attached and two bedrooms, though they would share one bathroom.

Sly ducked any questions the receptionist threw at them regarding their injuries, but all he requested was a first aid kit. But the man decided to call an ambulance as well, at least to get the two checked up. Sly was given a pair of crutches and Lexia, during her unconsciousness, was given proper treatment for all of her injuries. He told them they were in a tussle against some petty thugs. It was not entirely untrue. That was a few hours ago, and finally they could enjoy the rest of their stay in peace. It was a sunny day, the sun piercing through the windows and casting their light upon the carpet floor in front of the television. Sly had flicked it open to a news channel, starring a woman who had too many layers of make up over her face - and perhaps plastic surgery. As he listened to her drilling through redundant information, Sly pulled a glass from the kitchen and poured cold water from the tap. When he got back to the couch, the hourglass sitting on the coffee table before him, the scene in the corner of the television depicted that of Temporal ruins.

"In other news, eyewitnesses have reported seeing a series of explosions coming from the direction of the rural attraction site, Temporal Ruins. They claimed to have witness Oak Hollow forces opening fire on the sacred and preserved landmark of our world, destroying countless of infrastructure built by ancient civilisation. A week ago, the organisation had filed to perform an excavation on the rest of the ruins and have closed the attraction from any tourists until it is complete. The leader of the organisation cannot be reached for further comments, but they released a statement through a proxy email, stating that the destruction of the ruins is well within the bounds of their contract, and that it is necessary to reach further into the site. However, before they could set foot in this new and confirmed hidden portion of the ruins, their attack has flooded that entire portion of the ruins, rendering it inaccessible to us humans. The Government will not tolerate such actions against a renown site as Temporal Ruins that existed long before humans have arrived, and they will hold a conference to decide what actions to take against Oak Hollow.

"Furthermore, eyewitnesses also have claimed they saw a huge dragon-like silhouette escaping the ruins after Oak Hollow bombed the attraction to the ground. It was last seen heading towards Xastristan, but our borders reported no such siting until now. No comment was given from Oak Hollow. The species of such beast is not known, but to ensure the safety of our citizens, anyone who has seen any large beasts around Xastristan are advised to report this to local authorities immediately.

"This is just in, Oak Hollow has released another statement, claiming that a dangerous high-profile target was sited within the ruins, along with a female accomplice. They insisted these two are the reason why they levelled the fabled Temporal Ruins as they have stolen important and potentially dangerous artefacts from the ruins. They refuse to describe what these items are, but they have promised a large reward if the culprits are caught."

The whole screen then flashed an old photograph of Sly, heavily pixelated. Sly recognised it to be the family photo of Master Horus' house, and it was no surprise to him that Oak Hollow knew of his doings. The news would continue to state that Oak hollow was looking for this man. At least they did not know his name, and Sly pretty much had a blank record when the earliest memories he could recall was being taken in as a butler to Horus. Next to his picture was purely a black silhouette. All they knew of her was that she is a female.

Sly did not listen to the rest of it before turning it off with a remote. What could he do next was but a mystery. He doubted anyone within the hotel would recognise him. The photo was ten years ago, and his face had lengthened by then. But still, there would be people coming after them. Oak Hollow was well acquainted with the Government. He doubted anything the Government said in the news were true. More like they were holding a conference to determine where to look for the artefacts. Sly huffed a sigh, downing the glass. Before he set out with Lexia, he was casted from Horus' mansion. He did not have anywhere to go, and never really thought about it until now. Perhaps he could find some easy targets in the Board of Bounties.

The bed wasn't exactly comfortable, but her muscles screamed for rest. Those people who called themselves surgeons and doctors... She had never trusted them before, and she didn't trust them now as their experience was anything but satisfactory. Lex's mind ran through the memories again. How didn't she see them, it was so obvious... Why didn't she try to take cover... Why?

Her back flared for a moment and she groaned, rolling slightly to rest on her uninjured side. She hated being stuck like this, unable to move, unable to act. It was like she was handcuffed or paralyzed. According to those weird doctors, she was lucky the damage hadn't been worse. If the impact had been just a few more centimeters across, the damage would have gone straight to her spine and she wouldn't be walking again.

She sighed, glancing across at the bandages riddled across her arms. With her mouth pressed into a firm line, she pulled the pillow down to rest her head against it. The news flicked on, and Lexia gave it half her attention, the words washing over her. Oh, of course, herself and Sly were the evil people of doom, the convicts, the whatever you wanna call it. She sighed and huffed in annoyance. It was only a few moments later that Sly decided to flick it off. Thankfully. She was going to go mad.

Nithya would whine quietly at Lexia's annoyance and nervously pace across the bed in front of her, before opting to jump onto the bed. He curled up on the edge of it, feeling Lexia's hand on his mane. With a rather large amount of force, Lexia pulled herself upright, quickly shifting so that she was sitting on her legs. She groaned at the movement, her head spinning as Nithya would use his head to keep her balanced.

Lex gave Sly a half grin. "Next time, let me be the one who gets broken legs. It's better than missing half your side and have wounds that will take time to heal... You're so lucky I can heal minor cuts and grazes." She laughed lightly, before grimacing as the action pulled at the vast injury spidering across her back. If anyone saw it, they would question just what sort of bullet would have done that. But, thankfully, Lex wouldn't ever meet that again.

"How are you holding up?" She asked vaguely, giving him a gentle smile. She would wait for him to answer and, why he was hopefully distracted or maybe not paying too much attention to her, Lex would push the blanket away from her.

Turning slightly away from Sly so he couldn't see properly, Lex pulled back the blue shirt that she insisted on getting, quickly looking at the entrance wound. The skin was stitched together, with a simple bandage wrapped around her. Lex gave a small sigh, "Would you mind getting a few things for me?" Lex asked gently. "I have something you could trade in for some money, or to pay for it." She said, but her explanation of what it was faltered.

Her eyes rested on the bracelet that refused to be removed, the black bands wrapped around her hand. Lexia shoved it under the blanket, her pulse hammering in her chest.

"C-can you use... one.. of the.. umm... the few sapphires on the drawer over there... to pay for it? I-I think it'll be overpriced for what I need... but I... Umm.. Can you get another drink for yourself, but... Umm, also a glass of incredibly strong alcohol?" Lexia stammered, biting her lip.

Don't worry my child, there's nothing to be afraid of yet~ Or at least, I don't think there is~ Don't be so timid of the gifts I gave you! They are glorious~! Lexia closed her eyes, JUST SHUT UP! she scolded, only to hear an echo of a laugh behind her.

A shiver ran down her spine, the only thing there was a wall.

He grabbed one of his crutches and, carefully and slowly, pulled himself up onto his feet. He fiddled and almost dropped the other, and he made his way to the window. It was rather difficult having to work with them. Very quickly they began to tire his arms and bruise his shoulders, but he figured he would get used to it. From the distance, he could see a row of clouds approaching. It looked like it would be a wet evening. Turning to the kitchen, he thought about what to cook. The very thought of it brought back memories of his time as a butler. His food was nowhere as good as the head chef of the house, and more often than not, he would be scolded at for making something not up to his standards. Those were the good times. Long gone since he lost ownership of the mansion.

The more he thought about this, the more he regretted not pocketing a few coins of gold from the ruins. They would have helped him get closer to buying back the estate. And maybe a small apartment for him to stay in.

The groaning of the bed springs behind him brought him back to reality, and he turned carefully to see Lexia was awake. He smiled at her retort. At least you would not be needing to carry these. He pat at the crutches. It made his heart sink when he stared at her chest wound. The sight of it exploding before him. It scared him. The thought of losing her at that moment. When they got out of the ruins, the first thing he did was rush her to this hotel. He did not want to bring any doctors or even send her to the hospital. The last thing he wanted was authorities pulling Sly's records and finding that he was wanted for stealing the timepiece. It was good to see the glint of her eyes again. How are you feeling?

She then requested him to get a few bottles of alcohol from below. Sly would have said something about getting wasted over something like surviving against an army, but he noticed that she had been more... fidgety. He decided not to ask her of it. Sly nodded and moved to her room, where he picked up a sapphire which she took from the ruins.

Got it, he said. As he returned to the lounge, he released one of the crutches and let it slink onto the couch. He needed one free arm to hold the alcohol at least, though it meant struggling to even take a single step with one crutch. Let alone, with one hand. One of his legs felt stronger than the other, and he pulled open the front door to a lengthy and clean hallway full of doors. It took him a while to get to the elevator, even more so to head over to the bar near the lobby. Sly followed the glass signs overhead, the names and symbols glowing as they pointed him to where the cocktail glass was. He presumed this was meant to be the bar. After turning a few corners, he found himself in a somewhat dark but cosy area. It was lit by some luxurious chandelier, and the bar was surrounded all over the walls with booths, in addition to a number of stools bordering the centre, where the bar was at.

Sly huffed a sigh, fiddling the corner of the sapphire in his pocket, trying to decide what to buy...

Yuuki ducked out of the rain just as the storm hit. She was lucky; any later, and she would have been utterly soaked. The rain poured down heavily, and Yuuki looked at the cloudy sky, frowning heavily. She did not bring an umbrella, the weather forecast had stated that it would be cloudy, but would not actually rain. Luckily, she was wearing a raincoat nonetheless, so she would at least have some shelter from the rain. Brushing some raindrops off of her jacket, Yuuki hummed to herself quietly as her dark eyes studied the surrounding area. She was in a better part of the city, with high-rising skylines and nice shops and apartments. She might have to spend the night. The rain would not aid in her mission at all. In fact, it would probably just throw her off the trail even further. Spotting a nearby and decent hotel just a few blocks away, Yuuki stared at it thoughtfully. Maybe... She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet to count how much money she had.

Ah.

She was good. Enough to last at least 2 days in a hotel for both her and her teammate, Arik. She side-eyed the younger, raven-haired male. "We'll being staying the night today. I have enough to pay for both of us." With that said, she ducked into the rain and made her way towards the hotel entrance. As she entered, she eyed the lobby. It was a fairly nice hotel, clean and well-taken care of. The reception desk stood off to the left side, while there was a small cafe restaurant area off to the right. In the middle sat a ring of sofas and chairs. Hanging from the ceiling were a group of dangling lanterns plus an elaborate chandelier in the center.

Yuuki dried her hair quickly, letting the water drip onto the tiled floor. The TV displaying news, however, caught her attention. It was currently talking about two escapees of the Temporal Ruins, who were now on the run from the government.

"--eyewitnesses also have claimed they saw a huge dragon-like silhouette escaping the ruins after Oak Hollow bombed the attraction to the ground. It was last seen heading towards Xastristan, but our borders reported no such siting until now...."

"..... This is just in, Oak Hollow has released another statement, claiming that a dangerous high-profile target was sited within the ruins, along with a female accomplice. They insisted these two are the reason why they leveled the fabled Temporal Ruins as they have stolen important and potentially dangerous artifacts from the ruins."

Ah, yes. Those two. Yuuki's mission. Dragon Storm had been recruited to track and capture--but not kill--the two that had escaped from the Temporal Ruins. Largely debated to have stolen dangerous artifacts, Oak Hollow had no choice but to hire Dragon Storm to track them, as the government themselves were not capable of such a task. Yuuki's eyes watched the screen thoughtfully. Was it truly possible that they were dragons? Dragons were largely extinct by now, and most had gone into hiding after the great war between the humans and the dragons. A dragon had to be smarter than that to let themselves be seen on national television.

And so, Yuuki had assigned the rest of Dragon Storm to this assignment. She had designated each of her teammates to go off and search for the two criminals in the entirety of Xastristan. From what Yuuki's sources had told her, after all, the two were last spotted somewhere in the large technology-based country. Yuuki and Arik were currently searching Xastristan's western side, while the others had been sent to the other poles. She watched the TV for a few more seconds in bland interest. What would she do if she encountered them immediately? Would she immediately initiate a fight? Would they, instead, challenge her first? Should she have a diplomatic conversation with them? They certainly seemed like interesting individuals, which led to Yuuki wanting to meet them, no matter how bad the consequences could be. If she thought about it, it probably would considering the circumstances in which they would meet. She turned away from the TV to glance at Arik.

"I'll book us a room. Take this time to search the security cameras."

Yuuki left Arik to his own devices and headed over to the reception desk to book them a double room. Thanking the person, she took the room keys and gave the room number and one key to Arik. Just as she was about to head towards the elevator, the young woman paused. So they had a bar as well? Not too surprising. Most hotels had one. Maybe Yuuki could ask around. She turned a few corners down a long hallway and arrived in the slightly dark yet comfortable bar room. One bartender stood behind the bar cleaning glasses, while there were a few more people scattered in the booths and chairs here and there. The one person that caught her eye, however, was the injured-looking man in crutches. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his pocket, and Yuuki caught a glimpse of a shine; was that a rare metal? Yuuki walked forward to barely brush past him and caught a glimpse of his face as she she headed towards the bar.  

That face.

Yuuki vaguely recognized it. It was one that she had somewhat seen when the government sent her photos. Heavily pixelated, but the picture still bore a resemblance despite the man's face seeming at least 10 years older. Was this actually him? What were the chances of meeting him here? She offered him a small but polite smile. "Hello. You seem to have gotten in a tough accident. Did you perhaps get into a fight?" She nodded at the crutches.



(Wow. This was kinda bad.)

Arik followed Yuuki as a storm seemed to chase them, the clouds big and dark with a very threatening look of rain upon their ever-mad faces. As his leader ducked under a cover he was lucky enough to only barely get hit with any rain, turning to see as the few drops turned into a heavy downpour. Anyone caught in the cats-and-dogs rain got drenched unless they ran to cover or were quick enough to pull out an umbrella, or just smart enough to wear a rain jacket. He could hear a few loud shouts of protest against the clouds before he had to follow Yuuki out into the rain and into a building. Any later and he might have been yelled at for not keeping up. Luckily he was one of the ones who wore a rain jacket today.

The warm air greeted him kindly as he looked around the yellow lighting. It would seem they had walked into a hotel. It was a lot nicer than some he had been to previously on other missions or by himself, and as he glanced to the cafe he wondered if they served some camellia tea there. Arik hadn't been paying attention to where they were going, and to some of things Yuuki had said, if he admitted it, but the TV did catch a bit of his attention. The young male found it amusing how coincidental the television was to their mission, the news talking about exactly what it was they were looking for. While the likelihood of it happening wasn't to surprising Arik still found a bit of curiosity when it came to those things.

By the time the news had faded to something else Yuuki had gave him a task, which was to look through the security cameras. Some being inside the rooms would be very unlikely, as the hotel would most likely recommend giving their guests their privacy. Hopefully the hotel would have them record so he could go through the tapes and see if anything relevant showed up. Glancing at the counter he noted that he wouldn't want to shut down their systems, or at least not yet. The less he was noticed the better, and he wouldn't want the receptionist to notice and make a scene.

Taking a seat on one of the couches in the lobby he pulled his computer out of his jacket pocket, opening it up and preparing it to hack into their systems. Yuuki only told him to use the time he had, not how much time he was going to have to make sure he got what he needed in an reasonable amount of time. If he was able to get lucky again, they could keep records of people who have gone in and out of here online too. That would save a lot of time rather than having to look though the security cameras for two people he could barely make out in an image. The rain continued to pour outside of the walls that separated him for the outside. There were many things he could go off of as intriguing, about buildings, the rain, and well, everything, but he didn't have that luxury right now. He had a job to do and he'd rather not be yelled at when they got back to their room. If anyone around would be able to hear their room they'd probably think it was some young couple having an argument. Little would they know.

He began to look through the camera's, seeing nothing that caught his eye so far. Finding another room he quickly recognized Yuuki, noticing she was talking to another individual. Maybe he should watch them for a second to see if she would need anything or find anything out. Switching around the cameras he looked for one in the area that would give him the best view and began to observe.

As he passed by the lobby to head into the bar area, he only noticed two faces watching the television, repeating the news of two figures escaping Temporal Ruins. Two pictures. One of himself when he was ten years younger, and the other, again, a black silhouette as all they could take home was she had long raven hair. Still, he kept his head low as he pushed his crutch against the ground. One of them was a rather tall woman with brown hair, and the other, a young man with his hoodie up. A first impression told him they were either acquaintances or siblings, but he would never know if they had any interest in playing the police.

Give me something strong. Two please, Sly said to the bartender, putting the sapphire on the bench. The worker looked like he was in his mid thirties, short hair and a well pronounced moustache. He looked at the gem carefully for a moment, then accepted it, beckoning Sly to wait there a moment.

As he was about to sit, a voice spoke to him from behind. Sly turned a little, and saw the same woman who was in the lobby. She approached him in a manner like she was too curious for her own good. A stranger with a crutch. She asked if he had gotten into a fight. Sly frowned a little. There was no way an average citizen would suddenly walk to an unknown cripple and ask about his injuries. He predicted she was suspecting him to the one the Government was looking for. Well, you are not wrong, he said when she mentioned he looked like he had been to a fight and been in an accident. Still he avoided eye contact. The bartender was still looking at his wares in the fridge. He would be in there for quite a while. What about it?

He especially paid careful attention to how she would respond to his question. His mind etching towards the timepiece in his pocket, ready to conjure something if the woman revealed she was going to capture him. He hoped not. Not with Lexia still recovering in their room. It would be a nightmare trying to get her out of the hotel without his legs. Even worse, before she had someone with him. He was nowhere to be seen.

Sly held onto his crutch tightly, as if getting ready to bolt despite his broken legs. But he remained at his seat.

Lexia felt her heart beat faster in her chest. After he had left, she only just realised that she would be basically alone with the manic voice in her head.

Manic? Now that's a bit rich! You barely know me yet you choose to pour out insults-I wouldn't advise that too much, little Lexy-bear. The voice commented and she shuddered, her hands shaking as she moved them to slowly take away the bandages from the wound. She needed fresh ones, which she knew were in the top of her draw. Her fingers curled around the edge of the bandage, rolling it as she took it away from her skin. She sighed, deciding to just remove her shirt temporarily as Sly was absent and there was no one else in the room.

Nithya would roll off the bed lazily, his form following Lexia as she went to the bathroom after dropping the shirt on her bed and collecting the bandage from her draw. There was a mirror there, and Lexia never had the courage to look at it while she went into the bathroom to dampen a cloth.

You are so ungrateful. I saved your life and you repay me by calling me manic, I mean, I could have let you die and see the streaks of red everywhere, but that would have been a bit mean. The voice spoke again, to which Lexia sighed abruptly. "Just shut up! Okay! Just bloody shut up!" She snapped suddenly, causing Nithya to whine. She glared at the pet, "Oh don't give me that Nithya! You know I'm not yelling at you!" She scolded, to which Nithya would wince and quickly leave the room. Lexia let out an explosive sigh, slamming her fist onto the ceramic sink-almost cracking it due to the force. She focused on the task, her jaw clenched as she cleaned the wound. She would need the alcohol before she could put the bandages back on, and she turned to get the shirt.

Only to glimpse herself in the mirror.

Her heart caught in her throat as she saw the damage done to her back, the wound covering at least 40% of the skin. Her heart beat harder as she quickly pulled the shirt back on, her eyes staring at her hands as she sat on the edge of her bed. She could barely feel anything as she sat there, her mind racing.

At least there are bits left of you~ It chuckled one last time, and Lexia felt tears sting her eyes. She barely noticed that Nithya had left.

The foenix was visibly hurt, his feet finding their ways to the stairs and down them. He then walked to the elevator doors, sniffing until he caught Sly's scent. The rather large foenix then followed it to the lobby, a small rumble coming from his chest as he noted the female standing near Sly. He gave her a warning growl, before nudging Sly's hand.

If Sly looked down, he would see Nithya's pleading eyes, his tense stance showing something wasn't right with his owner. They practically begged for Sly to hurry.

Yuuki watched the man, the polite smile still up on her face. She slightly winced while looking at his injuries to keep up her facade, although she had certainly seemed worse. If this truly was the man she was looking for, did he gain his injuries when escaping from the ruins? Or did he perhaps gain them through running away from the government? Those were questions that Yuuki would be sure to ask him, but not right now. For now, she would just try her best to get at least some information or hints.

She studied the man for a few seconds. He was tall, taller than Yuuki herself. He had long blond hair, and besides his crutch and other various smaller injuries, he seemed rather well-groomed. And he was also avoiding eye contact, she mused to herself. That was one give away. Yuuki took a seat next to the blonde man, and ordered some nice tea for herself from the bartender as well. When he returned her answer, his answer was something similar to what she had expected. Of course he wouldn't give out all of his information if he really was the criminal.

"Nothing really," she answered in reply. "It was just that you looked very beat up, more so than what you would see in an average accident, or maybe even an average fight."

Even if he tried to run away, she observed, it would be difficult. With a crutch, and his seemingly painful walk, it would be hard for him to get away. Not only that, if he was here, then his acquaintance must be around as well, which would have to lead him to notify her, and then they would both have to escape. And if he was this injured, the other criminal could possibly be as well.

Just as Yuuki was about to make another comment, a large blue shape bounded into view, coming from the entrance. It padded next to Sly, rubbing his nose and growling at her. Yuuki was slightly taken aback and surprised. Was this also one of the man's companions? The government had never mentioned a third creature. Maybe they had never seen it, or maybe this was the female companion.

As she took in its appearance more carefully, Yuuki noticed that it was indeed a wolf-like creature, but blue in color with a crown of feathers extending from its unnatural fur. Its legs also appeared to be scaly like a bird's.

Yuuki slightly leaned away from the creature. While it was injured, it was still quite large and would stir up a fuss if it attacked. It would probably be best for Yuuki to tread cautiously. Maybe.

"Is this your pet?"

Arik continued to watch them on the camera's, still switching between the others for any other information he could get from them. There was nothing much other than a few maids in the halls and the people at the bar. Everyone else was either out or in their rooms. Well, that made it easier to watch over his teammate - you never really knew who all was at a bar. The person she could be talking to could secretly be a murderer or something. He gave a slight sigh with a small chuckle. The male was being paranoid. Even if someone at the bar wanted to kill her she could easily handle herself. Him on the other hand not so much. Of course, he technically could, but those days were over for him. At least for now.

Hearing some like footsteps he glanced up from his computer, noticing a creature making its way down the stairs and to where he assumed the bar was. It was rather pretty, if he was honest. Nice black coat, long blue feathers, some blue markings on its hide, along with some black-and-blue legs like a bird. It certainly wasn't a creature you saw everyday, and Arik decided to not get into his way. Those claws weren't just for show.

Going back to his computer he watched as the creature walked up to the two, looking like it growled at Yuuki before nuzzling the other's hand. It certainly surprised Yuuki, and he wasn't going to hesitate to go and help her if needed. Most likely she wouldn't need it, but who knows what the creature was able to do. The less wounds they got the better. Arik thought back to the room number he was given. 25, right? He looked at the key for any hints, but it was just a plain key. Well, once he knew that Yuuki was safe he might as well head for the room and continue his search there.

He placed both arms on the bench, eyes to the corner as he listened to what this woman had to say. Curiosity? Hardly. It was pretty obvious she was on to him. Why would she even dare to take a seat next to him? Unless she was trying to hook him or make him pay for a stay in this hotel, he caught a hint of suspicion that she was definitely suspecting him over something of the recent news. But what could he do? He was barely in any condition to fight. Her accomplice was nowhere to be seen and could strike at any moment. As his mind cycled through his options, he kept a stone face and waited for the bartender to return.

It was then at that moment he felt something brush against his hands. Something cold and wet. He recoiled a little and looked into Nithya's eyes. A growl beforehand to the woman before a strange look towards Sly. It  was that of worry. Sly frowned a little, then looked back at the bartender, he pulled out two flasks of red liqour. The man nodded to the woman's orders as he made his way back to Sly. He did not answer her when she asked if the foenix was his.

Sly grabbed the two drinks in one hand before, swivelling on his seat, pushed himself up and onto the crutch with another hand. He only took a few steps before coming to a stop. I have little time to chatter right now. If you would excuse me. Sly made his way to the elevator. As he exited the lobby, he found the hooded man sitting on the sofa, his head deep in the laptop he carried.

There were too many warning signs. The woman's curiosity, Nithya's suspicion and the two arriving together at first but parted as if to fulfil some individual task for some greater purpose. Sly and Lexia needed to get out of here. But first, something was up with Lexia and he needed to hurry.

If the woman did not choose to call out to him, he would be in the elevator and press his floor number.

The rather large foenix would impatiently stand there waiting for Sly, his gaze all too often drifting to Yuuki. He didn't like how close this stranger was sittin with Sly. But he could tell that he didn't know he, or vice versa. Nithya looked around the lobby as another door opened, allowing for a few more guests to enter, laughing mid conversation. There were a few people carrying other expensive items, but one that he looked at curiously was someone sitting down, his hoodie flicked over his face. Nithya somewhat dismissed them. Aside from the fact they smelt funny.

Even though the foenix didn't need to wait too long, Nithya felt like he had been there for at least five minutes. He really was impatient sometimes. When Sly took the drinks, Nithya would attempt to carefully take them off him to aid with him getting back to the room. However, the only way he could carry them was in his mouth, and he doubted Sly would let him take them. He would lag behind Sly so that if Yuuki would try to stop him, the foenix would turn and physically remove the 'normal' human off him.

You, the inside of a human is disgusting and boring. All you are is squishy things and... I don't know half of these things. It'd be much easier to investigate if they weren't actually IN your body.

Lexia sighed, this stupid voice clearly wasn't getting the message to shut up. It all happened back in the ruins. If she had known this would be the outcome of helping Sly, she probably would have turned his offer down. However, what was done was done, and Lexia had to suffer the concequences. Sure, Sly had damaged legs, but she would rather that then this voice talking to her!

Lexia shook her head, letting out a sigh. She fell back on her bed-then hissed with pain as she landed straight on her back. Quickly, she pushed herself upright again and removed the shirt before the blood could stain it. She slid off the bed and onto her feet again, staggering towards the sink. She ran the tap, using it to dampen a complimentary cloth. She pressed it onto her back lightly, ignoring the stinging sensation as she held it there. Then something hit her. She didn't have her companion. "Nithya, where did you go?" Lexia called out to him, before she cast her gaze around.

Only to stop, sheik and punch the mirror without a second thought.

Shards fell to the ground and Lexia cursed, shaking her hand as little fragments grazed her knuckles. Her heart pounded in her chest, eyes wide fright. She was certain that the reflection in the mirror was a lie, but how it could be, Lexia had no idea. But there was no way that the reflection was here. Lexia felt her stomach flip, and she pressed her lips in a firm line. She would refuse to open her mouth, and just stared in horror at the place the mirror use to be.

A white, smirking face stared back at her when she saw.

The voice laughed, Why be afraid? It's just me~!

Yuuki frowned as the man seemed to hurriedly stand with his large blue-and-black feathered dog. He seemed to be in a rush; was his companion in trouble? Was the man himself in danger? She heard him say, "I have little time to chatter right now. If you would excuse me," and he immediately left the bar. She watched his retreating back for a few seconds. Hands placed onto of the counter, she slightly fiddled with them as she waited for her drink. The bartender returned with Yuuki's tea, and she thanked him with a smile, handing over a few bills. Her face was devoid of any emotion, seemingly deep in thought. Even though he was injured, his departure was quick and hurried. The tone of his statement was also slightly spat out, as if Yuuki was wasting his time on something more important.

Which was probably true.

As she pocketed the change, she checked her watch. 3:47 PM. Her deadline to capturing them was in a few days, so at least she still had time. But she would have to work fast and carefully.

Arik would still be outside in the lobby or up in the room, so Yuuki could plan a few things with him. The young woman exited the bar just in time to see the man's face disappearing as the elevator doors closed. Going up to his room, then? Yuuki could deal with that. She walked over to Arik's couch, taking a seat next to him and peering at his laptop.

"The blonde is most likely one of them," she whispered quietly, taking a sip of her tea.

"Use the security cameras of the hallways to follow him. Find his room number. His accomplice will most likely be up in that room as well."

Arik watched as they seemed to leave, glancing up as the person Yuuki was talking to and their creature went into the elevator. Next came Yuuki, and he quickly changed the camera he was looking at as she sat down next to him. "The blonde one is most likely one of them..." So that's why she was talking to him. It hadn't occurred to Arik that that might be the reason as to way. He glanced at the elevator, looking at the floor number and going to the camera that corresponded with that. "Floor two," He commented without a glance at Yuuki. Arik watched as the man hopped down the hallway, the canine-like animal by his side. Eventually he would reach a door and enter it, one marked with the 25 that Arik thought was their room. At least they weren't far. "Room 25, when do you want to go to them?" He asked, still not taking his gaze off his computer. The blonde could be faking it if he actually thought that she was following him or something, but it would seem that he was not.

Even if they were to go to the room Arik would still be watching to make sure he didn't leave by the time they got there, or if he did that he knew where he was at the moment. "There's no clue that his partner is in the same room, although the creature went in with him."

He brushed the fur behind Nithya's neck as he waited for the elevator to take him up. The soothing tunes of elevator music filled the entire lift. It was rather peaceful, though carrying a hint of annoyance. At least he did not have far to go. His room was only 2 floors away. He adjusted his crutch under his shoulder. At least he did not have to carry the two bottles up. Still, something was bothering the foenix, and it was something to do with Lexia. He left the bar as soon as he could and did not stop to continue any pointless chatter of an obvious hunter. At least the woman did not follow him. At least for now. But whatever happens now, Sly and Lexia were not safe in here. The cost of the room was non-refundable, and they paid to stay for at least 3 days. Sly gritted his teeth. All this Government bull**** was starting to get in his nerves.

Arriving at his floor, Sly took a silent stroll back to his room. He took into account a few security cameras tracking him, but kept his head low so as to not expose his face. Finding the room Lexia was in, he fumbled for the keys and unlocked the door. Lexia? Sly called. I am back with a few drinks. As he closed the door behind him, he took the drinks from Nithya and placed them on the kitchen bench. But the room was deafly quiet. Sly stiffened. Lexia? Is everything alright? Sly peered over the corner to look in her room, but noticed she was not there. He was about to search the whole place until he caught a glimpse of her hair in the bathroom. What used to be a mirror before her was replaced by a crude web, cracks appearing all over it.

Sly stopped where he was, almost dropping his crutch.

Nithya padded down the hall as he wandered across the carpeted area, the drinks hanging out from his mouth. He looked a little mad as he did it due to how he held it, but the foenix didn't mind. To him, it was kinda fun. Nithya waited patiently in the door before following Sly inside. The drinks were removed from him, and then he would give a small whine. He didn't want to see Lexia.

That never happened.

Instead, the foenix whined and would run over to Sly's bed before jumping onto it. He would then curl up on the blankets and tuck his nose under his paws to keep them warm. Little did the humans know, he also did this when he was scared or wanting to hide. However, Nithya would never let them know. After all, the foenix was a terrorizer of a country side, and their whole species was known for causing a little bit of mischief and agitation among outer towns. How shameful would it be if he allowed humans to know that he was terrified of one himself! So he just laid there, paws over his face.

Lexia was barely aware of anyone in the room until she felt something staring at her. Quickly Lexia would lower her lightly cut fist, attempting to hide what she had done, but the damage was, quite evidently, already done. She glanced across to Sly, a small frown on her face. Why was he staring at her? You look like you've murdered someone~ Your back is covered in blood and you just punched a mirror out of spite~! It's GLORIOUS~!

Lexia glanced down, then froze. She was shirtless. And Sly was there.

Blushing in embarrassment, Lexia turned her bloodied back to Sly. "D-d-do you have the alcohol? I need.. to apply it... before I can umm, do anything... anything else." She asked nervously, her thoughts rapidly crossing her mind. They overtook her words, and her blush worsened. But then a realization hit her. She might need his help. With her cut hand, she wasn't going to be able to pour the alcohol onto her back without it touching her hand. Lexia sighed. "I'm sorry about the mirror... My mind played tricks on me. I just reacted and... well, I broke the mirror...

But umm, besides that... Do you think that.. umm, if you are okay with continuing to half see me shirtless... Can you give me a hand with pouring the alcohol on? I aggravated the wound and caused it to open up. Again." She would explain, a little nervously.

If Sly agreed to help, and in any way look concerned or paranoid, she would frown and ask; "Are you alright, something seems to be on your mind?"

Yuuki glanced back over as Arik pointed out their room number. She examined it closely, the number vaguely familiar. Room 25.... she pulled out her own keys to examine their room number. Room 27. They were literally next doors. Yuuki wanted to laugh at the coincidence. Their very targets, rooming right next door? What a joke. This was something that should only have happened in movies.

She remembered the man's face, however, just before he left. The agitation in his expression was clearly evident, as if something worrisome had happened. Such as his partner being in trouble. Maybe that was why the blue dog creature had come down to get him. Yuuki was at least 75% sure that his partner was also inside.

"Our room is right next to them. Even if his companion isn't in the room, if we capture the man and the wolf creature, we can possibly draw them out."

Yuuki kept her eyes trained on the laptop as the man entered the room with the dog, and did not come back out even after several minutes. She stood up, leaving her empty tea bottle on the table. "Make sure to keep an eye on that camera."

She entered in the elevator, pressing the number for floor 2, technically 3, because the lobby didn't count. Stereotypical elevator music played quietly in the background, the kind you would hear in movies. Was this all just a movie now? This was like the scene where the attackers were waiting quietly in the elevator, and then they burst into the other people's rooms, and ta dramatic fight scene would happen.

It would probably have to come down to that though, Yuuki reasoned. After all, she highly doubted they would come quietly considering all they had already been through, running away from Oak Hollow.

Yuuki walked down the pristine and brightly lit hallway, stopping in front of a white door with the numbers 25 hanging in the center. Casting a side glance at Arik to make sure he was with her, she knocked two times on the door.

Arik nodded as she spoke, a little surprised that their room was next to theirs. Capturing them would be the only hard part it seemed, not because of the hurt man but because of the creature. He was already planning on keeping an eye on his computer, the likelihood of the man coming out of the room was higher the longer he stayed in it. The young adult followed Yuuki as she went into the elevator, pressing the button to their floor. He wondered what the plan was, to just go to their door? If they resided so close they could just keep tabs on what they were doing from their room, or accidentally act like they went to the wrong room. But whatever Yuuki had planned he'd go with it, she was the leader after all.

He blinked and, realising she did not have her top on, turned away. His cheeks flushed and he immediately turned around a corner so he was out of sight. Sorry, he said, a little nervously. But still he could not forget the broken mirror near her. Something seemed to have happened, though he was not sure if he should question it. Before he could think any further, she asked for the alcohol. Sly fumbled for one of the bottles he left on the bench and scurried to the bathroom. He was only just outside of it, not wishing to enter.

I see, Sly said, a little relaxed as she said she overreacted. His gut told him that it was something more than that, but with how agitated she would have been to land a punch like that at the mirror, it would only be tossing oil into the flames to push more out of her. Lexia made a comment about him seeing her half naked, before asking if he could put alcohol on her bullet wound presumably.

Uhh... sure, Sly said, again a little nervous. He did not want to walk into the bathroom, even if the mirror was broken. If it does not trouble you, would it be better if you lie down on the couch? Just as he finished asking, he heard a knock on the door. Sly frowned, wondering who it could be. Then he stiffened.

The woman from the lobby. Did she report the authorities already?

Wait here, Sly said, grabbing his other crutch before making his way to the door. His timepiece at the ready in case there were any police waiting for them behind that door. Slowly he swung it open and stared into the woman's eyes. Sly sighed quietly, his heart flaring as it settled. What do you want? I need my peace if you do not mind.

Lexia would feel as if she had done something horribly wrong, due to the nervousness in his voice when he spoke again. Lexia felt her heart rise in her throat, her heart almost seemingly choking him. Did he see the broken mirror? The slight gashes on her knuckles? What did he see? She sighed quietly to herself, her heart hammering in her chest. At his request, Lexia would nod, before beginning to move from the room.

She quickly found the shirt again to be able to pull it at least over her top half. At least Sly, hopefully, wouldn't get too nervous again. She felt her cheeks flush, reddening as she went to the couch as he requested. However, Sly froze. Something was wrong. Lexia bit her cheek, pulling her shirt down completely. Quickly, he grabbed the other crutch and Nithya followed Sly, a deep rumble coming from his chest to try and scare away the people who he saw as intruders.

Groaning silently, Lexia would make her way over to the window. Nithya growling only meant bad issues. And the last thing which they needed were issues, especially in their current conditions. Making sure she couldn't be seen from the doorway, she slightly pulled back the curtains, looking out from the window. Looking through, she peered out onto the balcony. From there, Lexia could see a few ledges that she could climb onto. However, Sly wouldn't be able to make it down with his legs in their current condition.

Lexia thought for a few moments, could Nithya carry him out? A small smile came on her face as she pulled away from the window as well. If things went south, she would call for Nithya to grab Sly and get out of the window. She would guide Nithya through the ledges across the side of the building.

For now, she waited silently, waiting to give the command to get them out in what she hoped would be just a few moments. And hopefully they wouldn't be able to follow them... and if they did, she would lead them to a roof top or something, somewhere that she could try to fight them off.

Try to fight them all ya want little one~! You'll just end up on the floor in a crimson pile~!

( *kicks the bump button to death* Come on Yuuki! Don't you want us in DS?! ;^; Just like... barge into the room XD You're being oppressed by someone with a dog and crutches XD Or, if it'd help, I can do a time skip to the combat part of the RP? Just let me know ^^ )

(( Got the okay from Yuuki in Cbox the other day to do this. ))

~~Time skip~~

Lexia's back ached, the blood hidden by a normal t-shirt that she wore. Her eyes were distant, her mind combing through the events that took them to this area. Roof tops. Typical. Thankfully, this was the only tall building as far as the eye could see. She gave a heavy sigh, glancing at Sly. His crutches... Was he serious? Was he sure? Was he insane? Did he know just what he was asking?

Kill and devour them! You know that you can~! the voice sang, and Lexia cast her gaze away from Sly, who was half standing, determined to attempt to fight in that state... Her heart rose in her throat, the image which ... that thing had shown her was still burning in her mind. But she couldn't allow Sly to fight alone. She gave a little bit of a smirk, her eyes looking up to Yuuki.

"So let me get this straight," She began, stepping forward gingerly. "You want us to join your guild, Dragon Storm. However, neither myself nor Sly want to be a part of a weak guild, so we want to fight you to see how good you are. If you manage to beat us or get our approval, we will join. In return, you will ensure that the government won't be able to find us too easily and erase traces from us? And give us a place to stay?" Lexia asked, coming level with Sly. She flashed him a brief smile, "Is that correct?"

Yuuki's eyes gleamed as she acknowledged the man and woman. Now that she could get a better look at them, she could see that both were around her age, albeit maybe slightly younger. Perhaps closer to Arik's age? Atop the roof, the wind blew with more force as the rain down-poured on them, although it was slightly better now. Yuuki's hair and clothes were now soaking wet, simultaneously buffeted by the gale, and she brushed her wet bangs impatiently.

Honestly.

If Yuuki had to say honestly, she for one, did not want to capture them and turn them in. After the chaos of them escaping some of Oak Hollow's armies, she knew they would be valuable assets to her team. Of course, it was obvious that Yuuki would automatically keep them under the radar of the others. They were wanted criminals; and if they were still targets, that made Yuuki's team a target as well. And Yuuki couldn't allow that. But between erasing traces of them and letting them join her team.... well, erasing all traces of them would be difficult, albeit Yuuki would have to make do with what she could. Arik wasn't, after all, a genius hacker for no reason.

Ah yes, speaking of Arik. The young man was still standing next to her, having followed them to the rooftop for obvious reasons. Yuuki wasn't sure she could beat them. She knew they were strong, and Yuuki wasn't a very frontal fighter, if anything. But if Arik were to be inluded in this fight, maybe she could have a slight disadvantage. But she couldn't understand why those two wanted to fight. They were injured, very much so, judging from how the woman kept wincing in pain, and the man with a literal crutch.

Unless they had something else, they were mostly physically immobile. Or at least, compared to Yuuki. But if this was what they desired, then Yuuki would go through with it.

"Correct," she stated, tucking her hands into her pocket. "Is this a one versus two, or is my friend-" she motioned to Arik. "allowed to join?"

Arik stood slightly behind Yuuki, his hands in his pockets as he waited for this all to be sorted out. They had found the two that the government had wanted, yet instead of capturing them and getting the mission over with they decided to... fight to have them join DS? The boy looked over the two again. The female was clearly in pain and the man was on crutches. To him it seemed like a bad situation to want to fight in. The only one that seemed to be in the best shape was their canine-like companion. If they ever got to talk more later he had to find out what exactly it was.

His head turned to look at Yuuki as she began to talk. Slight concern ran over his face when she asked if he could fight with her. Arik quickly tried to erase it off his face as he looked back at the two, for what was probably the 100th time. Could he take on one of them and actually help, or was he just needed to be more of a distraction so she wasn't double teamed. He straightened, trying to look more intimidating than he felt. Whatever went he'd try to do his best, even if it didn't end up helping much in the end.

The rooftops.

A place that carried so many old memories, all the way back to the time of Master Horus. Many events transpired during those times, and among most of them Sly bore witness to it all up here, in addition to the glowing crystal that was the sun in between the skyscrapers that marked the early hours of day. The rain made it rather difficult to see or tell time, the gentle mist that would form on their feet as the rain pattered around the steel roof. The city was a lot duller than what Sly had seen on days with clear skies, the looming grey clouds severing their ties to the heavens and threatening those below with beast-like howls.

He preferred a place where he could shelter himself from the heavy needles that splashed over his body, but Sly knew very well it would be very difficult. Joining a guild was not something that crossed his mind, especially with the previous events that sent him onto the streets. Partly because he did not want anyone involved in his affairs. It was something he had to do alone. Then again. it would nice to have strong allies to support him whenever he was in a pinch. If only there were any worthy to his eyes like Lexia.

What better way to test this woman's strengths than to fight her in combat? Though she should enjoy the handicap, as neither Sly or Lexia were at their full strengths. Sly lifted his other hand up to his stomach in front of him, half opened. The timepiece responded and spilled a fine stream of glinting silver and blue gears, circling his hand before manifesting into his key sidesword. However, Sly pointed the blade downwards and rooted it beside him. The blade would glow, generating a blue dome-like aura around him and Lexia. The aura was more potent above them, providing an umbrella of sorts for the both of them.

After Lexia spoke what was also in Sly's mind, Yuuki asked how many of them would be participating. Sly turned an eye to Lexia, scanning the sapphire eyes. There was the stern and sharp look of determination in her, like she was focused on one goal despite her injuries. Sly huffed a sigh, knowing that she would make her own decisions and could refuse to stand down.

One on two, two on two, it matters not. Us two are going to team against you. As he said this, Mirage would glow, and emit the familiar trails of specks that spiralled around it. This trail of gears would leave the blade and land a few metres behind the blade, beginning to construct what looked like a small blue pawn structure with an axillary head.

Feeling a bit of tight feeling in his head, Sly flicked open his free hand again, and the timepiece constructed a small white device of some sorts. He would then toss it behind him, right next to the pawn structure, and there it would begin to unfold, expand and reconstruct itself into a white sentry.

Sly smirked, finally resting his hand on the pommel of Mirage, still providing a shield over the two from the rain. Sure, he was basically crippled and could not move around much. But it would not be wise to underestimate him just because he was injured. If she wanted to know how the two escaped the Ruins from one of the best of Oak Hollow armies, she would get a bit of taste. For now, Sly had laid out as much of his defensive structures as he could. He did not know how this woman or man fights, and it was best he would turtle a bit until he found an opening. The rain against his aura would not provide significant enough momentum for him to use. He would have to make up for it in combat.

Stay close to me, I'm going to be relying on your javelins, Lex, Sly said softly. Unless Yuuki had sensitive hearing or could read lip movements, she would not be able to tell whathe was saying through the pattering rain.

For now, both of Sly's structures were still constructing, and he stood by, waiting for Yuuki or Arik to make their move.

--

Health: 80%
Pieces: 0%

Structures:

Mirage sidesword constructed (-15%)
Mirage Amplifier (under construction, 0/1) (-60%)
Pulse Sentry (under construction, 0/1) (-25%)

Lexia watched as the blue pieces spilled forth from the timepiece, the familiar form of the sword reappaearing at Slys side. It's form was something that Lexia never thought that she would see again so soon, so soon after those ruins...

She quickly would shake her head, her fingers clicking in a rather peculiar order. Instantly, Nithya would almost nod to Lexia, before wandering off to the side. Non aggressively, he would approach the strange other man, the hood pulled over his head. His head was curiously tilted to the side and, as non aggressively as he could, Nithya nudge Arik with his feathery head. Hopefully Arik would recognise that Nithya wasn't to attack, but merely wanted to steal as many pats as he possibly could steal from the funny smelling human.

Lexia, seeing that Nithya has left the two of them, gave Sly a rather nervous grin. Sure, her back flared at almost any signs of movement, but Lexia would push that to the side. The ruins were a giant test, one in which she really shouldn't have survived. The fragments of the bullet had mangled her back, the surgeons doing the best which they could to patch the skin together. They had successfully achieved that but time was the main thing which would restrain the injury from being healed completely. The medications she took would ensure that there would be minimal to no scarring but she hated that it took so long merely to patch the injury.

A gentle sheet of rain came down, Lexia almost flinching as it struck her bare skin for a few moments before a familiar blue shield was raised around them. She looked across to Sly, who seemed incredibly calm about this. Even if he was injured, almost to the point of being a cripple, Lex understood that he was still incredibly dangerous. The ruins proved that when he was stuck on his abdomen and back, his legs being crushed. To save her sorry hide.

At his request, Lexia would nod, a hand simply lowering from her hip and held towards him. The opposing hand help the five blood stones, which were brimming with the desire to be used. Lexia shoved the feeling into a box. "I'll need you to give me some, if that's how you wish to create your pieces." Lexia said with an equally quiet voice, her eyes locking with Yuuki and Arik, watching their every movements which they made. She wouldn't be able to attack until Sly had given her the items which she needed. That being said, Lexia still had access to her own daggers which she could use to return to the offensive against them. A quick glance at Sly would give her another suggestion.

Defend.

Lexia's eyes settled on their opponent again and she just hoped that her pet would be able to sit the fight out this once...