Dragon Ball: Forgotten Generations (IC)

[ChasNicollette]

Spread a green kirtle to the minstrelsy.

Crim didn't acknowledge the nod from the over enthusastic yet oddly and undeniably attractive green skinned woman.

If Crim's lack of acknowledgement bothered Flute, she gave no outward sign.

Well, actually, it did. Not in the sense that she thought less of him in any way, but she hurried to inwardly re-examine her social cues from the last few minutes to make sure she hadn't dropped the ball somewhere. She wanted to be a good person, better than the living war machine the corporation had tried to program.

And that meant giving people the benefit of the doubt and holding herself to the highest of standards.

Of course, sometimes that meant she worked herself into psychological loops of self-analysis and anxiety and being unable to ascertain her faux pas.

Fortunately, now was not one of the recursions.

He did wave off his "posse" though. They had more than served their purpose at this point.

"No, I haven't seen anybody fitting that description since entering the city." He nodded towards the gang. "But those. . .excellent gentlemen can put the word out." Crim said volun-telling the gang's cooperation. A quick glance from him was enough to ensure they'd at least half try to help. He'd certainly given them enough money. The slight implication of violence probably didn't hurt much either.

Her undimmable smile wobbled a little bit at that. But she quickly self-regulated, reassuring herself that actions spoke louder than nods and that this fellow must not bear her any ill will after all if he so swiftly requested that his friends come to their aid.

"Thank you for your help!" she bobbed brightly.

She turned that smile back to Grisha. "See? Canvassing!"

"Never underestimate the power of the kindness of strangers!"

 

[Sean Renaud]

Crim finally turned his attention to the green skinned maiden. "But I'm not strange." He grabbed her wrist quickly but gently and placed it on his chest. "I'm flawless. I'm also not kind." He stepped closer to her. "I may have bullied these miscreants but they were liable to do something naughty now they are helping you."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Cheetu nodded at the green skinned woman. He wasn't fazed by her appearance in the slightest, after all he had seen a variety of strange looking beings on his travels and indeed he himself was considered strange looking to most of the worlds population.

"I'm called Flute D'Amour," she greeted him. "I'm glad you're all right! And I am honored to meet you. Honored to meet all of you!"

"Thank you for trying to come to my aide Ms D'Amour, but as you can see, I heal rather quickly," Cheetu told her.

He shook his head in response to the question about the Lena person. " I am afraid I have only just arrived in the city myself and have not seen anyone like that, however if you could provide an actual picture of her I could help you in your search. I can scour this city at a very rapid pace and if she is anywhere on the streets I believe I can find her."

He watched as another man walked up and spoke to her and then saw him pull her hand up to his chest. He was not sure what to do. Ms D'Amour had seemed nice but a little naive and he was pretty sure she would not want to harm the man, but if she did not want him doing such a thing would she actually tell him so? Perhaps he should wait and keep a watch on the situation and try to stop it before it got out of hand. Besides he still wanted to talk to the woman he had fought against.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Green Lightning.

As Flute grinned at Grisha, the catman spoke up once more.

"Thank you for trying to come to my aide Ms D'Amour, but as you can see, I heal rather quickly," Cheetu told her.

"You do!" Flute acknowledged with a delighted nod. "I heal fast too! I wonder if your anatomy also lends itself to accelerated ki-flow throughout your meridians?"

He shook his head in response to the question about the Lena person. " I am afraid I have only just arrived in the city myself and have not seen anyone like that, however if you could provide an actual picture of her I could help you in your search. I can scour this city at a very rapid pace and if she is anywhere on the streets I believe I can find her."

"A systematic grid search!" Flute beamed. "Oh, those are my favorite ops!"

Crim finally turned his attention to the green skinned maiden. "But I'm not strange." He grabbed her wrist quickly but gently and placed it on his chest. "I'm flawless. I'm also not kind." He stepped closer to her. "I may have bullied these miscreants but they were liable to do something naughty now they are helping you."

She had been looking at Cheetu.

And when Crim grabbed her wrist, however gently, the unexpected contact made her eyes widen.

And somewhere in the engineered wetware that was her brain, a preprogrammed neuron unleashed sparks across synapses to countless neurons around it, and this became an instinctive relay race. A cascade of dominoes.

There was enough conscience to her consciousness that she delayed her reaction, benefit of the doubt, benefit of the doubt--

--and then he encroached right up into her personal space and he had time to utter a sentence but that was all the time she gave him--

--didn't give him five whole episodes to talk to himself--

--before that gathering storm of cerebral electrochemicals overpowered the circuit-breaker of her hesitation and she moved once more like lightning with a good tailwind.

She twisted her wrist in his hand so that the knife-edge of her forearm aligned with the place where his thumb wrapped around to meet his grasping fingers, grabbed her own hand in her other fist and hauled her arm like a lever out of his grip.

As she leaned back from the release, she took that momentum, dropped into a half-kneeling crouch, planted her hands, pushed off into a spin--

--and a long, strong, green, sweeping leg caught Crim by the ankles and dropped him onto his back, leaving him staring at the ceiling.

She was standing again with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide before she could even process what had just happened, her skirt settling daintily around her hips from her rapid ascent.

"Oh my goodness!" she squeaked.

Crim had claimed to be neither strange nor kind, but Flute was the former by design and the latter by determination.

"You startled me, I'm so sorry!"

 

[Sean Renaud]

It was entirely his mistake, the best fighters in the city were likely gathered here by now. Well except that one masked fellow and he'd treated her like some common woman.

Crim wasn't hurt of course. He was startled. It actually took him a full second to completely comprehend what had happened and that included checking the other warriors to make sure they hadn't moved.

"I startled you?" Crim replied staring upward and not moving for a long time. Not bothering to rise immediately the combination of his new vantage point and Flute's skirt wasn't entirely unpleasant. "Anyway no touching, got it. Just remember that when you're falling off a building." He replied as coldly as he could muster but unable to keep from smirking a bit.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Cheetu smiled. Well it looked as if Flute could handle herself. That had been a very fast reaction and a very neat piece of work. She had controlled everything and he was pretty sure she could have reacted even faster if she had wanted to and put more force into it. Maybe she would be fun to spar against sometime to.

As for the man on the ground well he was trying to save face of course, but Cheetu was impressed that he didn't seem hurt by the maneuver. Most people would have had the wind knocked out of them at least, but he seemed to have suffered no ill effects. Another one to watch perhaps.

"You do!" Flute acknowledged with a delighted nod. "I heal fast too! I wonder if your anatomy also lends itself to accelerated ki-flow throughout your meridians?"

"I don't know what you mean by Ki Flow Ms D'Amour. All I know is that I have a very fast metabolism, thus my healing process is very rapid. The only downside is that I am constantly hungry. Would you happen to know a good place to eat around here, I am starving," he smiled apologetically.

 

[ChasNicollette]

"I startled you?" Crim replied staring upward and not moving for a long time. Not bothering to rise immediately the combination of his new vantage point and Flute's skirt wasn't entirely unpleasant. "Anyway no touching, got it. Just remember that when you're falling off a building." He replied as coldly as he could muster but unable to keep from smirking a bit.

Flute chuckled, closed her eyes as she smiled, and held up an instructive finger.

"Perhaps, 'no touching without proper clearance?'"

And then she stepped back slightly, lowering a proffered hand to help Crim up.

"And I appreciate the foresight, but I am really, really good at running on walls!"

"I don't know what you mean by Ki Flow Ms D'Amour. All I know is that I have a very fast metabolism, thus my healing process is very rapid. The only downside is that I am constantly hungry. Would you happen to know a good place to eat around here, I am starving," he smiled apologetically.

Flute scrunched her nose thoughtfully, bit her lip.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm actually very new in town myself and haven't had much money since I've been here. I was just about to buy some ramen when my new friend Grisha started looking for Lena and I decided to help him."

"But I'm sure we can find you something!"

 

[Sean Renaud]

"You're not gonna have time to call out if you miss one of those jumps." He tilted his head slightly popping several vertebrae. Just because he wasn't hurt didn't mean that hadn't actually stung a bit still he let her help him to his feet. "Besides it's not likely to come up." He released her promptly and stepped away. "Still offer stands, these upstanding gents will help you find things at least through the rest of the day.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Green Cuisine.

"You're not gonna have time to call out if you miss one of those jumps."

Flute paused to consider this, looking very concerned as she tucked a red forelock behind her emerald ear.

"That had not occurred to me, as I have never missed one of those jumps," she confessed, and somehow-- somehow-- managed to say this without even the slightest pretense of bragging. Somehow, having never missed one of those jumps became a flaw because of her lack of foresight, and somehow she was apologizing for that. "Perhaps, should we enter into a scenario where that is a possible outcome, we should discuss at length various maneuvers in case of emergency."

He tilted his head slightly popping several vertebrae. Just because he wasn't hurt didn't mean that hadn't actually stung a bit still he let her help him to his feet. "Besides it's not likely to come up." He released her promptly and stepped away.

She cringed a little at the way his spinal column autochiropracted, but nodded gratefully to him at his reassurance. "This is true! I do have a tendency to overthink things."

"Still offer stands, these upstanding gents will help you find things at least through the rest of the day.

At this she bowed, fist in palm, quick and neat.

"Oh, I would not wish to overburden them in their community service. But perhaps some food would be good? Search and rescue is much harder on an empty stomach, unless I miss my guess."

 

[HotCider]

Flute gave him a reassuring smile when it seemed that they had--maybe not a lead--but had some extra help. Finally, the Saiyan’s frown seemed to soften if only for a moment until one of the stranger’s snagged the green girl by her wrist. Immediately, Grisha’s dark hackles raised, and if she hadn’t been so quick and fluid with her counter, he might have grabbed ahold of the man. Having your legs swept out from under you seemed to be a better consequence, than having a giant threaten your life. Flute was quick to apologize for her actions, and the corner of Grisha’s lip cocked in disgust. The guy had gotten what he deserved and the justice had been kind.

Grisha no longer trusted the men who stood around them, and when Flute started to agree to the notions of a meal, the Saiyan turned and decided that that was when their path forked. As much as he loved to eat, he couldn't fathom doing so when Lena was out there somewhere. She could have been a captive somewhere starving. No; he wasn't going to eat or sleep until she was back under his protection, and he wasn't going to force or expect anyone to care because it was his business.

The giant didn't announce his departure when the group continued to discuss ki, meals, and miscellaneous. Grisha walked over to a sidewalk and gazed down the street. It was the first time that he was able to survey the city since they emerged from the subway tunnels. This section of the city reminded him of a bog. There was a beautiful and enchanting side to a forest, but when life depreciated there would always be bogs and swamps. The ghetto had newspaper and the paper bags of fast food restaurants skipping across the street. It was quiet except for a sleeping bum curled up on a busstop bench.

The beauty about having come from a small frozen village was that he knew everyone in the village and because Kousetsu hardly had any visitors, he also knew the smell of each resident. Everyone was different just as DNA made everyone unique. Lena, since he had been around her the longest, was unforgettable. He just needed to find her trail again.

Grisha closed his grey eyes and mentally blocked out the sounds of everything around him. The nearby conversations, the breeze, and the distant blares of horns and sirens. He listened and searched with his mind. His chest inflated with a deep intake of air that filtered through his nostrils, sending images to his brain. If Lena was in danger, then she would be scared and he would be able to smell her. If she needed him, then he would hear her!

 

[Sean Renaud]

Crim smirked. "So what's the plan gentlemen and. . .is lady the proper term for a sexy green alien, demon, or. . .what actually are you?" He asked looking her over a little more critically. Before he'd just been noticing her as a woman but catching him off guard. . .well the number of purely human beings who could do that could be counted. Besides the last time he checked humans didn't look like Captain Kirk's conquests so something was off here.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Green Beret.

Crim smirked. "So what's the plan gentlemen and. . .is lady the proper term for a sexy green alien, demon, or. . .what actually are you?" He asked looking her over a little more critically. Before he'd just been noticing her as a woman but catching him off guard. . .well the number of purely human beings who could do that could be counted. Besides the last time he checked humans didn't look like Captain Kirk's conquests so something was off here.

Watching Grisha go with a heavy heart, Flute managed a sad but nevertheless gentle smile and a curtsy to Crim.

"I am honored by the term 'lady,'" she nodded. "But I am informed by the scientists who made me to be a supersoldier that I am human augmented with Namekian biological code. So I suppose a technical term would be 'hybrid.'"

Then she rubbed her upper arm with one gloved hand, looking concerned.

"It is still my considered opinion that we must nurture our bodies and compare notes, but I would also like to confer with my friend who just left. His priorities are very... focused. I admire that about him."

"Perhaps I can talk with him while you all go ahead, and I will follow when I can?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Crim smirked. "So what's the plan gentlemen and. . .is lady the proper term for a sexy green alien, demon, or. . .what actually are you?"

Cheetu grimaced. How dare the idiot say such things. It did not matter what species or how a person looked. Flute was obviously female and deserved the title of Lady until they were told otherwise. The man obviously had not been brought up with any manners.

"If it is all the same to you lady D'Amour," he said emphasizing the lady a little, "I do not mind waiting for you to finish your conversation and then accompanying you wherever you need to go. However if you insist I will say goodbye and meet you another day. It will be my pleasure to maybe spar against you sometime.I think I could learn a lot from you."

He waited for her answer. Actually he was hoping he could convince her to stay around here so he could talk to both her and the lady who had beaten him. They seemed to be the two most stable people he had met and he hoped to learn a lot more about this city and the rumors of the fighting tournament from them.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Grisha Doesn't Need To Whisper

"Oh, that's worth more than a bit of credit."

"The wisest warrior knows that true power is not worn on the sleeve or the shoulder, but hidden in the heart, so it can be be contained when it is not needed, but can fill your very lifeblood when it is needed."

After giving the green-skilled woman a rather quizzical look, Vanessa turned and was surprised, but not entirely shocked, that Cheetu recovered his senses and sat up after wiping himself off. He looked a bit unsettled, but that was to be expected, considering all that had happened between them. She crossed her arms over her chest, and watched as he eventually stood up on both of his feet. He certainly was tougher than he looked.

"Well as I lost allow me to introduce myself formally. My name is Cheetu and I have come here in search of fighters worthy of fighting against. Just my luck to find one capable of defeating me straight away. Still we must learn, and we learn more from our failures than our victories."

"If I can ask what is your name," Cheetu had asked Flute. "And perhaps you will now tell me yours?"

Ordinarily Vanessa didn't like to give out her name to strangers, but since almost everyone in the city worth knowing knew it already, she realized that it would be pointless trying to hide it.

And besides, Cheetu at least seemed worthy of learning it.

"My name's Vanessa," she said simply. Vanessa briefly looked over at Crim as he approached the group, and then she turned her attention to Vincent when he came over to talk to her. While she gave him most of her attention, she tried to at least keep one ear open to the conversations going on around her.

"I'm called Flute D'Amour. I'm glad you're all right! And I am honored to meet you. Honored to meet all of you!"

"Thank you for trying to come to my aide Ms D'Amour, but as you can see, I heal rather quickly," Cheetu told her.

"You do!" Flute nodded. "I heal fast too! I wonder if your anatomy also lends itself to accelerated ki-flow throughout your meridians?"

"I don't know what you mean by Ki Flow Ms D'Amour. All I know is that I have a very fast metabolism, thus my healing process is very rapid. The only downside is that I am constantly hungry. Would you happen to know a good place to eat around here, I am starving,"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm actually very new in town myself and haven't had much money since I've been here. I was just about to buy some ramen when my new friend Grisha started looking for Lena and I decided to help him."

"But I'm sure we can find you something!"

Even if Vanessa didn't show it, she was picking up on quite a bit of information. Most of it was just pleasantries, but learning about their strengths could certainly come in handy some day. And although she didn't know anything about 'ki' or 'meridians', she certainly knew a lot about food.

At first she even thought that it was just her stomach was growling, but it turned out that the rumbling noise came from a rather large brute of a figure. Vanessa guessed that he must have been close to seven feet tall.

He was, she learned, a very direct person.

"Where Lena?!"

"Oh! Oh. Oh, Grisha I'm so sorry, I got all caught up in the--"

"We're looking for his friend, Lena. She's blonde and she's about this height--" Flute gestured to indicate the same height Grisha had shown her earlier "--would any of you have seen anyone like that?"

" I am afraid I have only just arrived in the city myself and have not seen anyone like that, however if you could provide an actual picture of her I could help you in your search. I can scour this city at a very rapid pace and if she is anywhere on the streets I believe I can find her."

"A systematic grid search!" Flute beamed. "Oh, those are my favorite ops!"

"No, I haven't seen anybody fitting that description since entering the city." Crim then nodded towards the gang. "But those... excellent gentlemen can put the word out."

"Thank you for your help!" she bobbed brightly.

She turned that smile back to Grisha. "See? Canvassing!"

"Never underestimate the power of the kindness of strangers!"

"But I'm not strange." He grabbed her wrist quickly but gently and placed it on his chest. "I'm flawless. I'm also not kind." He stepped closer to her. "I may have bullied these miscreants, but they were liable to do something naughty; now they are helping you."

Vanessa couldn't help but smirk as the green-skinned female, Flute, reacted to Crim's "breach" of personal space by dropping him. Flute, however, seemed just as surprised at what she'd done as nearly everyone else.

"Oh my goodness! You startled me, I'm so sorry!"

"I startled you? Anyway no touching, got it. Just remember that when you're falling off a building."

"Perhaps, 'no touching without proper clearance?'"

"And I appreciate the foresight, but I am really, really good at running on walls!"

"You're not gonna have time to call out if you miss one of those jumps."

"That had not occurred to me, as I have never missed one of those jumps,"

"Perhaps, should we enter into a scenario where that is a possible outcome, we should discuss at length various maneuvers in case of emergency."

"Besides it's not likely to come up.

"This is true! I do have a tendency to overthink things."

"Still offer stands, these upstanding gents will help you find things at least through the rest of the day."

"Oh, I would not wish to overburden them in their community service. But perhaps some food would be good? Search and rescue is much harder on an empty stomach, unless I miss my guess."

"So what's the plan gentlemen and... is lady the proper term for a sexy green alien, demon, or... what actually are you?"

"I am honored by the term 'lady,'" she nodded. "But I am informed by the scientists who made me to be a supersoldier that I am human augmented with Namekian biological code. So I suppose a technical term would be 'hybrid.'"

"It is still my considered opinion that we must nurture our bodies and compare notes, but I would also like to confer with my friend who just left. His priorities are very... focused. I admire that about him."

"Perhaps I can talk with him while you all go ahead, and I will follow when I can?"

"If it is all the same to you lady D'Amour," Cheetu said, "I do not mind waiting for you to finish your conversation and then accompanying you wherever you need to go. However if you insist I will say goodbye and meet you another day. It will be my pleasure to maybe spar against you sometime. I think I could learn a lot from you."

After Grisha had wandered off, and the others began talking about food and finding someone named Lena, Vincent had gotten word from one of his underlings that the cops were doing a more thorough search of the city than usual for some previous disturbances. While the gang wouldn't entirely abandon the complex, Vincent suggested that they take the opportunity to get out of there and freshen up.

And Vanessa needed a new pack of smokes.

She gave him a quick nod, and then unfurled her arms.

"Do whatever you lot want, but do it fast," she said. "Cops are on their way,."

Vanessa didn't really hate hate the cops, but they certainly made things incredibly annoying.

And if they were looking for a "green-skinned female" and "hulk", Vanessa supposed that the two of them couldn't be all that bad. The city certainly needed some new blood.

Walking over to one of the walls, Vanessa pushed hard against a large slab that was resting up against it, and moving it off to the side exposed a rather large hole that led to one of the tunnels underground. It was probably big enough for even someone like Grisha to pass through.

"You're welcome to come this way if you want," Vanessa said, and then disappeared into the darkness. The tunnel led down at a slight angle, and eventually opened up into a rather spacious sewage area that had been emptied out many, many years earlier. Some lights had been strung up to provide illumination, and helped serve as a shelter when the shit really hit the fan. There were several other tunnels that seemed to lead to and from the room, but not all of them worked. Vanessa had explored just about all of them, and without a proper guide it was easy to get lost.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Crim canted his head slightly not hearing the familar wail of sirens. Still he didn't have a reason to question this woman just yet and. . .well his entourage were clearly getting a bit skittish. Just his eyes moving towards the tunnel was apparently permission enough for them to bolt.

"I'd rather not do anything illegal." Crim said with a shrug grasping his hands behind his back and casually walking towards the hole. It was actually a more accurate that he didn't want to kill, and kill police officers specifically. He wouldn't be particularly heartbroken if a law or two was bent or fractured.

"I suggest you wrangle the big guy as well. He won't do his friend any good in jail and if she has a lick of sense she's not going to come toward the police. At least not if she hasn't already." Crim said.

He glanced at the cat boy then just rolled his eyes. He wasn't so dense that he didn't catch that he'd been scolded but not only where there more important things to focus on but the catboy hadn't dropped him on his ass like the green chick had. The only reason he hadn't retaliated against her was a combination of knowing he was the offending party, her being attractive and honestly that she'd been so damn fast he hadn't quite noticed her moving until it was too late. Otherwise reflexes would have taken over beauty and insult be damned.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Cheetu looked at Vanessa and the hole and back at Lady D'Amour. He was hoping she would choose to follow her down the rabbit hole so to speak, but he knew her first obligation was to the huge person beside her.

He was torn. He wanted to talk to the person he now knew as Vanessa, but he also wanted to find out more about Miss D'Amour. Plus he had offered to not only help her find the missing Miss Lena, but also to get something to eat with her.

Cheetu wandered off after her but kept his distance. he didn't want to eavesdrop on any private conversation, but he wanted to put himself in her eyeline so she would know he was there if she needed him. However if she decided to go off without him he would be more than glad to see her on another occasion and go and talk to Vanessa. He wanted to know where she had gotten that second wind from. It had been like nothing he had experienced before. maybe they would be able to train together.

 

[HotCider]

Nothing. He couldn’t find her scent anymore. Where did she go? The Saiyan dropped to his knees, cracking the concrete, and posted his hands out as he bowed his head in shame. He lost her. She could have been anywhere now. Was she still here in the city or had she gone halfway around the world? The latter wasn’t possible…maybe. To Flute’s surprise if she had approached him, or any of the fighters if they had lingered, they would be able to see the big man tremble as tears dripped from his eyes upon the sidewalk.

“Grisha lost Lena,” he whimpered. He felt like such a failure and Tobias had trusted him to find her.

He could hear sirens on the wind and the blare of helicopter propellers growing ever louder with their approach. Those annoying men in uniform were catching up, and Grisha was too upset to care. What was he going to do? He couldn’t just give up, but he didn’t know where to go.

 

[ChasNicollette]

"If it is all the same to you lady D'Amour," he said emphasizing the lady a little, "I do not mind waiting for you to finish your conversation and then accompanying you wherever you need to go. However if you insist I will say goodbye and meet you another day. It will be my pleasure to maybe spar against you sometime.I think I could learn a lot from you."

Cheetu's garrulous friendliness alleviated some of Flute's deep, deep concern, and she smiled at him, beamingly and gratefully.

"You should go ahead, and I will catch up as soon as I can. I do not think that I can walk away from my new friend with him thinking that I am abandoning his quest."

"But I too would be honored to spar with you! Learning from each other is the highest form of edification!"

"Do whatever you lot want, but do it fast," she said. "Cops are on their way,."

Flute's eyes widened, and she hesitated, rubbing her upper arm with one gloved hand.

While she herself did not assault the police, she had even saved one of them, she knew the fact that she fled the scene with Grisha implicated her as an accessory in his rampage. She would certainly be a person of interest-- even though her intentions had been good, to help him accomplish his goal without all the hulk smashing.

The smart thing to do would be to evac as soon as possible.

But she couldn't leave without Grisha. Or at least without trying to warn him that the police were coming. He was powerful, no doubt about that, but could he fight every angry, heavily-armed law officer in the city?

Walking over to one of the walls, Vanessa pushed hard against a large slab that was resting up against it, and moving it off to the side exposed a rather large hole that led to one of the tunnels underground. It was probably big enough for even someone like Grisha to pass through.

Even though Vanessa had punched Cheetu through a wall earlier, this was a much more subtle, elegant, and in its way profound display of strength. For such a comparatively tiny woman-- at least, tiny compared to Grisha-- she certainly packed impressive power!

"You're welcome to come this way if you want," Vanessa said, and then disappeared into the darkness.

Flute bit her lip and narrowed her eyes.

She had successfully navigated tunnels by instinct earlier. Could she do that again? Could she risk going back for Grisha and losing her chance to have an escort?

She had to try. Leave no man behind.

Also, maybe Grisha could track Vanessa through the tunnels with his keen olfactory senses?

"I'd rather not do anything illegal." Crim said with a shrug grasping his hands behind his back and casually walking towards the hole. It was actually a more accurate that he didn't want to kill, and kill police officers specifically. He wouldn't be particularly heartbroken if a law or two was bent or fractured.

"I suggest you wrangle the big guy as well. He won't do his friend any good in jail and if she has a lick of sense she's not going to come toward the police. At least not if she hasn't already." Crim said.

Flute nodded firmly to Crim, standing a little taller, her teeth no longer worrying her lower lip.

"Yes. I agree in spirit. Thank you for the reassurance. I do not want to leave him to the proverbial wolves."

Then again, they might be literal wolves. One of the police they had met earlier had had a dog face.

She inclined her head and smiled once more at Cheetu, and then at Crim, speaking to both of them.

"Go. I have no wish for you two to be stopped and questioned while I am going after my friend. I will close the wall behind you both and then go after Grisha."

She was not as strong as Vanessa, she was certain of that. But her legs were powerful, she felt sure that she could shift it.

"When I see you again, I hope that I will have Grisha with me. But in any case I will see you again soon."

********​

Once she had left the secret entrance, she hurried out of the battle-damaged warehouse and quested about...

...she found Grisha kneeling on the sidewalk not far away, the concrete cratered around his knees, suggesting he had fallen there with the full weight of his considerable mass.

To Flute’s surprise if she had approached him, or any of the fighters if they had lingered, they would be able to see the big man tremble as tears dripped from his eyes upon the sidewalk.

“Grisha lost Lena,” he whimpered. He felt like such a failure and Tobias had trusted him to find her.

He could hear sirens on the wind and the blare of helicopter propellers growing ever louder with their approach. Those annoying men in uniform were catching up, and Grisha was too upset to care. What was he going to do? He couldn’t just give up, but he didn’t know where to go.

Carefully, gently, Flute almost tiptoed up to him. She placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, and scrunched down beside him-- not that it took much scrunching-- even kneeling he was about as tall as she was standing--

--and smiled encouragingly at him.

"It is written," she told him, "'The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.'"

"There is no shame in falling back, Grisha. Come with me. Come with us. We will marshal our forces and compare our notes. We will find her. This is not the end."

"This is the end of the beginning."

 

[HotCider]

A warm hand touched his shoulder and he saw out of the corners of his eyes the green woman kneeling next to him. The smile she had given him made him think of Lena, and how she always smiled when he was feeling angry or upset.

It is written…‘The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.’

The giant rubbed the moisture from his eyes with the back of his fist, and then gave Flute a blank look.

She then elaborated: There is no shame in falling back, Grisha. Come with us. We will marshal our forces and compare our notes. We will find her. This is not the end…This is the end of the beginning.

The Saiyan stared at the sidewalk for a moment. The sirens were growing louder and Flute was risking her ‘good girl’ status waiting around with a criminal. Grisha then stood as a determined scowl hardened on his expression.

“Grisha go with Green,” he told her. He also seemed to tell her that her name was now Green. It was easier for his simple logic to remember. He turned to face the discrepant warehouse and would follow the hybrid weapon wherever she wanted to go—their roles reversed.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Cheetu's garrulous friendliness alleviated some of Flute's deep, deep concern, and she smiled at him, beamingly and gratefully.

"You should go ahead, and I will catch up as soon as I can. I do not think that I can walk away from my new friend with him thinking that I am abandoning his quest."

"But I too would be honored to spar with you! Learning from each other is the highest form of edification!"


She inclined her head and smiled once more at Cheetu, and then at Crim, speaking to both of them.

"Go. I have no wish for you two to be stopped and questioned while I am going after my friend. I will close the wall behind you both and then go after Grisha."

She was not as strong as Vanessa, she was certain of that. But her legs were powerful, she felt sure that she could shift it.

"When I see you again, I hope that I will have Grisha with me. But in any case I will see you again soon."

Cheetu had smiled sadly but nodded. He understood her feelings and would have probably done the same thing had he been in her place. The big warrior may not be the easiest of companions, but they had set out together and she was going to help him as best she could. Cheetu could respect that.

He held up one paw in a salute of farewell. "Until we meet again Emerald skinned warrior. I will hold you to that promise of a sparring session." He smiled at her then turned and began to follow Vanessa's scent as it led him deeper into the maze of the tunnels.

She had moved off quickly and knew the lay of the land so he knew he would not be able to catch up with her. He did not doubt that he would find her though. He had fought against her and her scent had been added to his data banks of individuals to be remembered. He could track her wherever she went now.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Crim shook his head as he headed down into the tunnels. For a a moment a flash of claustrophobia crossed his mind but he wasn't about to let any of these people know that he was even slightly uncomfortable so he soldiered doing his best not to think too much about the tons and tons of rock overhead. More than he would have anyway of digging through.

"Did we have a specific location in mind or can we just surface once we're clear of the cops?" Crim asked straining slightly to sound casual. He noted the light up ahead.

 

[ChasNicollette]

He held up one paw in a salute of farewell. "Until we meet again Emerald skinned warrior. I will hold you to that promise of a sparring session." He smiled at her then turned and began to follow Vanessa's scent as it led him deeper into the maze of the tunnels.

Crim shook his head as he headed down into the tunnels.

Once Crim and Cheetu departed her company, Flute saw to the slab that blocked the door.

It certainly... hnnnh... was less... effortless... for her... (ow) ...than it had been for Vanessa. But with the right leverage and her powerful leg muscles, she managed to get the thing in place in short order.

She dusted off her shoulder a bit as she made her way out of the warehouse and glanced around for Grisha...

********​

The Saiyan stared at the sidewalk for a moment. The sirens were growing louder and Flute was risking her ‘good girl’ status waiting around with a criminal. Grisha then stood as a determined scowl hardened on his expression.

“Grisha go with Green,” he told her. He also seemed to tell her that her name was now Green. It was easier for his simple logic to remember. He turned to face the discrepant warehouse and would follow the hybrid weapon wherever she wanted to go—their roles reversed.

Warm and gentle smiles were nothing new to Flute D'Amour's face.

But at this gesture of powerful trust, this affectionate nickname, she smiled like the sun was peeking through the clouds after forty days and nights of rain.

And so she led him into that decrepit warehouse, and indicated the slab.

"Do you think that you can slide this aside, and then back again? There's a secret tunnel behind it, and we can track our new friends to safety, but the police can't follow us. They won't understand your plight."

 

[HotCider]

Grisha followed the green woman into an old abandoned warehouse and watched as she motioned to a stone slab. Before she could even finish her request, the Saiyan had stepped over to it, slipped his fingers between the seams and with barely a grunt of effort, slid it out and set it aside. Seeing that there was a secret passage behind it, Grisha turned to Flute with an accomplished grin on his face. He waited for her to enter before he followed her inside and paused when she would have more than likely reminded him to close the passage behind them. Turning back to the entrance, Grisha reached an arm around the wall, rested his hand upon the slab and slid it back in place with a thoom! that seemed to resonate throughout the passage.

Grisha then immediately noticed the difference in lighting. It was just like the subway tunnel but even that had some light to it. This was just dark.

“Darkness! Bad things in dark. Grisha no like!” he growled.

He didn’t like what he couldn’t see but he knew Flute was there because he could smell her and her exotic scent. The narrow tunnel seemed to put the big man on edge. There wasn’t much room for evasive movement if they needed to. Flute would have a better chance than he would.

 

[ChasNicollette]

They hadn't known each other long, but Flute had to remind herself not to be surprised at the sheer physical might that Grisha possessed. As easily as picking up a feather, he removed their obstacle and replaced it.

(She wondered if a certain angel had found it so easily rolling a certain stone away from a certain tomb.)

But one obstacle surmounted led to the next obstacle. This was life.

But, Flute would be the first to remind everyone, obstacles existed to be surmounted.

“Darkness! Bad things in dark. Grisha no like!” he growled.

Instinctively, Flute's hand found the heartfelt brute's there in the dark, and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It's all right, Grisha," she promised. "Give your eyes a moment to adjust."

"We got through those last tunnels okay, right? It's just another way to get where we need to go. And I don't care how bad a thing is, I don't think it's bad enough to hurt you!"

She paused and tried to listen to the air currents like she had in the subway tunnels.

"Can you pick up our new friends' scent at all? That might help us get there easier."

 

[HotCider]

Flute was lucky that Grisha wasn’t entirely simple for if he hadn’t been blessed with a good sense of smell, then he might have freaked out when she took his hand and sent her and his fist straight through one of the walls. The Saiyan instead gently grasped her small hand firmly in his larger one, and when she asked if he could find the group from before, she would experience Grisha’s slight arrogance for the first time.

“Heh, Grisha smell everything,” he answered. “Smell no always good. Sometimes stinky. Grisha find stinky friends.”

It seemed rude and he didn’t exactly smell like spring flowers worthy of a fabric softener commercial either. But some of them had been working up a sweat, and the BO was strong with them. It didn’t seem to take Grisha as much time as it had to find Lena to pinpoint the direction the group had went.

“Grisha found!” he informed Flute before he took off like a hound dog.

His pursuit hadn’t at all been stealthy as his footsteps seemed to stomp through the tunnel sounding as though a herd of bulls had been released. He was still holding onto Flute’s hand, dragging her along in his rampage. He was eager to get out of the cramped and dark space. He didn’t like it!