Team of Misfits

[Kit_Cartaii]

Kit ran after the Leftenant, but was completely ignored. This irritated him greatly, he didn't mind being treated like a pet, but to treat him like he didnt exist? Kit couldnt stand for it at all. He watched the Leftenant for a minute, concidering the idea of biting him or something, just so he would notice the mechanical fox. It didnt seem like the best of plans though and He stormed back inside. He was irritated, but had to make time to do other things. His indtincts told him to bury the anger, use it later. So thats what he did. He could use it while on a hunt or something. Right now though he was oddly hungry. After feasting on the leader's emotions all day he was surprised at the amount of hunger he felt. He sighed and deciding that it was snack time. He reached out with his mind and found searched for an emotional reactor.

There were always certain people who had so many more emotions then any one else. Kit used this to his advantage when he was a ghost for 386 years. These people would just pour emotions out at rapid fire and make for an unforgettable feast, but you generally had to be in contact to really tap into this pool of emotions. There was only one unfortunate thing. There nearest emotional reactor was the vampire Kayne. Kit needed to eat though. He just didn't know what eating from her would do to him. He decided to play the glutton and risk it, padding up to the vampire. Her emotions upon seeing him were all over the place, scattered across her mind like a kaleidoscope. Kit felt his mouth water and his stomach growled.

He moved up next to her and leaned against her leg, much in the same way that he had with Sparks. He was getting some emotions, but something was blocking him from the brunt of what her mind had to offer. This was frustrating to Kit. He looked up at her and thought for a moment. He would need direct contact to her emotional center. Otherwise known as her brain. This would require one of two actions. Either he would tackle her and hold her down so he could syphon the emotions or he would ask her nicely to bend down so he could touch her forehead and sample her that way. Although she was a beta in hus mind she still deserved some respect.

"Please bend down Kayne." He asked watching her. Kit's mouth watered from the idea of eating from that pool of emotion. He hadn't had a proper meal since arriving. Sparks could put out delicious emotions, but Kayne's would be like smoking weed. It would be an intense experience to try.

Kit did have to admit to a sense of fear though. He was afraid that her mass of emotions might be to much for his little body to absorbed, then his mind would crack and he would be no better them she was.

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne

Kayne’s shock didn’t last long, which wasn’t surprising if one spent more than a few minutes with her. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and even then they had a tendency to fall off. Kayne was a roiling contradiction for the most part. Slender raven brows twitched and her bruised gaze fell upon Ron as he expressed his opinion regarding the talking fox dog thing. With a snort and a scoff Kayne rolled her proud shoulders back in a shrug.

“They don’t pay me to notice shit. Like I said…bubblegum and ass kicking.” Kayne started in, though it was only a moment or two before the conversation turned back in on itself. There was also the mention of alcohol, which at this point in the day took priority. It was obvious that caught her attention, the undeniable sparkle in those bruised orbs, along with the smirk that drifted smoothly out over her thin lips.

“Fuck yeah,” Kayne retorted easily, it was the first sensible thing she had heard all day. “Let’s fuck this place up!”

Things were starting to look up, Kayne thought for just a moment. That was of course when things always went bad; the moment one would let their guard down. That metallic fox came back out of nowhere, brushing against her leg like some kind of big cat. It took her off guard, enough to blink and glance back down at the thing as it spoke her name like they were good friends. It was, well, odd, Kayne couldn’t recall ever having a conversation with an animal before. Of course she didn’t have to outwardly admit it, she knew this thing was more than just some high tech pet. What it had to do with Sparks or the group as a whole, now that was the question.

Her disgusting gaze lingered on the fox and for the moment Ron was forgotten. A mixture of inquisitiveness and mirth lit up that sharply angular visage. Slowly she leaned over herself, her hands coming to rest on her knees and her backside thrust out, offering a hint of the curve of a tight little rear.

“What’s that boy? Did Timmy fall down a well again?” Kayne said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. The movement brought her closer, within perfect height of Kit’s reach. She had no clue he was sniffing at the emotions she wore so openly. Kayne was again a contradiction, inside and out.

The rage that had been so close to boiling over was gone, at least on the surface. But it was still there, just seething under the surface, dangerous and frightening. To look Kayne directly in the eyes and taste the rage was to flirt with madness, it seemed there was little left inside her but such base, animalistic emotions. Rage and lust won out, though there was an undeniable hint of sadness that seasoned it all, a longing for something that one could never truly possess.

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

Kit watched as she bent over with a small satisfaction. He waited patiently as she bent close enough for him to touch her. He listened to her attempt to admitted him and smiled and wide Foxy smile. He would have to be sure and thank her. He slowly leaned forward and let the cold metal of his nose touch her forehead. "Please. I hope you don't mind." He said softly before pushing into her mind and tasting her emotions.

The effect was instantaneous. Her emotions slammed into him, seemingly happy to be syphon into another being. Like a bad virus or a symbiote the emotions took over his body, filling him to the brim and still flowing. Anger, lust, sadness. All of it slammed into Kit and for once he had access to everything. Somehow everything that she held gave him control over his mechanical body.

He saw how he could help Portal, Roni, all of them. He could help them gain control over their powers. He could build a time machine. He could build a dimensional gate. He could do anything he wanted, but all he wanted to do what reroute the piping to make the alcohol in the basement flow through the spigot at every sink in the house.

He wanted to sniff markers, drink coffee, kick some ass. He felt cloves swirling around in his head as he connected with every computer and cell phone on the planet. Only to make them open porn sites all at once. Just to screw with every guy on the planet who had his mom looking over his shoulder. The idea made him giggle, but suddenly it was gone. Everything was gone.

Kit was confused for a moment, but then realized that he was no longer concious. Well he was, but his body wasn't. His body had flopped to the floor and wasn't moving at all. Kit sighed and sat by his body, patient for it to awaken and go again.

 

[DeathsKnight]

He arched a casual eyebrow, the fox thing did some weird connection story with the strangely powerful (yet attractive) woman and after a few moments gave a shudder and flopped down. The data feed from his eyes told him that it was alive, in fact there was so many factors feeding into his mind from this new group that he had a massive headache. At least the meeting was over, he got to his feet. Without a further word to any of them, he walked over to the open trapdoor, jumped and hauled himself up, closing the door behind him as he moved over to his "space", settling down and from the nearly empty bag, he draw a book about the history of weaponry.

He opened the book and as he looked at the photos the data from each weapon sprang into his view, this had taken him years to get used to, since the only enhancement he had was the eyes and of course their connection to the brain. He still had a human brain, or at least he hoped he did. It took him months to get used to the constant feed of data, he kept practicing though, his mind had grown used to it, but he still had so much to learn. Strangely enough the eyes seemed to have logistic support built in as well...like when he knew in what order the files were, before the leftenant burnt them. Oh he wasn't stupid, he knew there would be more copies, even digital ones, but he was sure that Jenkins had a reason for what he did.

Sitting there in the dark, his eyes giving him the illumination to see by, he should have felt alone, but having grown up the way he did, he preferred being solitary, he preferred long-dinstance killing for two reasons: He was basically the best at it and he wasn't stuck with the accusing look and half asked Why. He was not defenseless either, though not as extensively trained as the man named Ron, he had been trained in unarmed combat, he even had been forced to throw edged weapons. Even his half-assed attempts seemed too good for what it should be, he always hit the target dead-on...just not with the deadly bit. He didn't want to calculate drag and rotation, he didn't want to be so close. He had an eagle eye and loved to use it...and now he had a cybernetic zooming camera telescope wired to his brain which made him just wrongly good at shooting over long distances.

He paged through the worn book, wondering if he would ever hold any of these classics and actually feel the thrill of firing them. After paging through the book and worsening his headache from all the information, he picked up the only love he had left in this life. He called it "Bertha" it was a play on the German rail cannon used in the 1939 - 1944 war, which was named "Big Bertha", unlike the canon it was not huge, it was merely a .50 cal, there was no telescope on it, but it did have two pressure pads which allowed him to fire the rifle. It was oiled, clean and in emaculate order and for that same reason he got out his maintenance kit, leaving the bag basically empty and started to field strip and clean Bertha

 

[wombat9966]

Ron

Ron laughed his head off as the dog/fox folded in a heap at Kaynes feet.
"Well, looks like he couldn't handle whatever he found in there. Guess your just to powerful or screwed up for him to cope with."
Controlling himself he looked at Kayne and then studied the house around them.
"Geez this place is dead. What say we bring up one of those barrels of alcohol, try and get drunk and make this place a bit more fun to be in? You get the glasses, I'll get the barrel."

Ron found the stairs leading down and made his way into the basement. Finding the light switch it didn't take him long to uncover the barrels.Picking up the first one he made his way upstairs and into the lounge.
"Don't know what this stuff is Kayne but it's old so I'm guessing that makes it good. Ladies first as my mother taught me," he said as he smashed in the top of the barrel leaving a big enough hole for a person to dip in their glass.

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne

Those bruised orbs slowly crossed as Kit leaned up and pressed his cold metal nose against her forehead. She tried looking at the fox, though there was little time for it as something else pressed forth. It was an unnatural sensation, though Kayne was something of a pro when dealing with unnatural sensations, yet Kayne still froze for a brief second. It was as if something inside her sensed the assault, that rage instinctively turned on the invading force only to be promptly consumed like a snack. Kayne tensed and her bruised gaze refocused on the fox.

The game was up, this metallic vulpine was obviously more than just Sparks’ playful pet or companion, something clicked inside Kayne’s demented mind and for just a brief moment she felt a certain kinship. Or perhaps she had just made it all up, as quickly as it all surfaced it was gone. The fox was unconscious on the floor in a pile and Kayne was left wondering just what the hell had happened.

It was Ron’s sniggers that lifted the fog from her mind. Kayne pushed up with a huff, her palms brushing out over her jeans before she sunk her hands into her back pockets. She gave the fox another look, the tip of her right boot offering him a little nudge. It was hard to tell if the thing was dead or alive, not that she really knew the answer before when it was walking around and talking. Kayne’s attention span was never really that great to begin with, even as she thought of finding something long to poke the fox with Ron sent her running in another direction. The reminder of alcohol brought out the undeniable glimmer to those otherwise nauseating eyes, even her thin lips gave a twitch and drifted into a lopsided smirk.

“At this point I’ll drink a pint of turpentine. At the very least we can set some shit on fire,” Kayne offered a satisfied nod as she set off towards the kitchen once more. Idly she searched the cabinets and pantry, finding mostly dust bunnies and cobwebs. It was only by pure happenstance she noticed the box in the corner of the pantry, old and dusty with the top flaps folded over. Kayne took to a squat before it and proceeded to open it up. She blinked a few times and quirked her face up before she picked up the box and reemerged from the pantry.

“This place is fuckin’ batshit insane.” Kayne muttered as Ron emerged from the basement with a barrel on his shoulder like some smelly pirate. She was just assuming the smelly part, since there probably weren’t many showers on pirate ships. With a huff she set the box down on a nearby table and proceeded to withdraw one by one crystal glasses with bright, comical drawings all over them.

“I dunno who lived here before us but they had some awesome fuckin’ tastes. I call dibs on The Hamburglar. You want Mayor McCheese or Grimace?” Kayne lifted up the glass with the ridiculous Hamburglar on the side, dressed in his white and black striped attire, with a wide brimmed hat and black and yellow cape. Kayne sauntered towards the barrel and gave it an incredulous look, even going so far as to lean in and take a sniff.

“Blergh. It smells like paint thinner.” She wrinkled her nose and made a retching face even as she dipped the glass into it and filled it to the brim with whatever was inside. She shot a smirk at Ron and lifted her glass in a half-salute.

“Least yer momma taught you one thing right,” Kayne said easily before she tipped the glass to her lips and proceeded to down it in three gulps. She closed her eyes tightly and took a staggered step back, before her free hand came to rest on her stomach and her head snapped forward. A resounding belch reverberated off the walls and down the hallway, to which Kayne smacked her lips and offered a ‘not bad’ frown.

“I’ve had worse. Your turn, Peewee.” She said and turned to Ron, letting the remaining contents and foam in her glass to spill out without even a second glance.

 

[wombat9966]

Ron picked up the Grimace glass and filled it up. Deciding he really didn't want to know what the stuff smelled like he quickly downed the contents. A slow burn began in the back of his throat and made it's way to the pit of his stomach were it proceeded to detonate and then ooze out into the extremities of his body.
"Hmm not bad, not the best or the worst I have had," he commented.
Filling up his glass again he sat down in what he now thought of as his chair and saluted Kayne with it. "To you and yours," he said and began taking large sips of this glass.

 

[DormantEvil]

Whilst the drinking began, Portal had no interest in the vile substance, she was however concerned about the metal fox that had passed out. Crouching down, she tilted her head on the angle for a moment, watching it. There didn't seem to be much to do for it, so she stood up again and looked around for something to do. She wasn't sure if there was much point in remaining, so she headed for the door.

The purple haze shuddered as she disappeared.

The street outside was busy, the city bustling around her as she tugged at her arms for warmth. Snow lined the streets of Chicago, and she was so very under dressed for the change in weather. She walked down the street for a block of two, before stopping at Papa Luigi's, her favorite little pizza shop in all of America. Holding her hands up against the window, she watched the couples having a romantic dinner, and the families enjoying the time spent together.

The woman who was taking orders spotted her and waved her in. The pale face must have looked almost ghostly as she stepped in through the front doors, shaking off the fresh layer of snow that had fallen on her.

"Well if it isn't our favorite traveler!" Rhiannon called out, rushing over with a big hug. She was a bit woman, and had a heavy southern accent, and knew just how to warm up the coldest of days.

"Hello, sorry I just disappeared...we moved again," she started, only to have her hushed by the caring lady. "Don't fret that little mind of yours, you always find some way home."

They chatted in between customers arriving and going, and Portal sat down at one of the tables nibbling on some cheesy garlic bread. But soon enough four large pizza boxes were placed in front of her, and she beamed. They smelled delicious.

Pulling crumpled notes from her pant pocket, she smoothed them out before passing them across. On the last note she also added a red rose brooch, she had been saving it for someone...anyone...and Rhiannon loved the 'specific' present. "You didn't have too! Oh, it's just like the ones I used to wear in my hair."

Not wanting to keep everyone waiting, and hoping to get back to a warmer climate, Portal bidded the woman goodbye and promised to return soon. She headed back to the doorway, leaving like a normal person would. Walking back to the door she had arrived through, she stepped back into the 'Misfits' house, pizza in hand.

"I know it's not much, but is anybody hungry?" she asked, placing the boxes down beside the funny looking glasses. The snow beginning to melt as her cold skin warmed up.

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

Kit sat patiently, watching over his body. He watched the others start drinking and apart of him was jealous that in his current form he could not join in. He growled to himself and stared of in the distance. For four hundred years he held this form. Unable to touch or communicate with anything in the natural realm. It is very annoying to have to sit by and watch things happen, with absolutely no interaction with what is going on.

Kit sat in a huff until something happened. Electricity rattle through his ghostly form and Kit shrieked. The electricity super charging every system in his physical body, including the retrieval systems, yanking Kit into his physical body. Kit's body cried out and electricity arced into the barrel of rum, charging it before bouncing back into Kit's body. He looked around, feeling his body shift, becoming silver and shorter. He stood at 3 foot tall now. He looked up at Kayne and noticed the glass in her hand.

"I need one of those please Kayne. " Kit said drooling. His thought changed for a moment as he spotted pizza, so doing the best he could he hopped I'll and managed to snag a slice of the pizza. Then without much ceremony he at the whole thing in one gulp. Then he turned his attention to the rum put on the floor for him. Again, without ceremony he gingerly picked the glass up between his teeth and tipped it back, letting it flow down his throat and into his chest.

The drink was strong and burned like whiskey. Burning it's way down his throat and settling in his stomach before working it's way up and into his arms and hands, then up to his head. He giggled randomly, before his metabolism processed it and it lost it's affect. Kit stood and sauntered over to Sparks. He curled up at he feet and proceeded to take a nap.

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne

Kayne enjoyed that burn that seared its way down her throat and sat in her empty stomach. It was one of the few things that warmed her from the inside out, a feeling she wasn’t use to but thoroughly enjoyed. Her metabolism made it difficult to get truly sloshed, though it wasn’t as if they were lacking in quantity. They had a whole damn barrel to go through, if it was just the two of them Kayne could gladly have her fill.
Ron stalked off back to the chair he had claimed previously. Kayne hadn’t given a thought to where she would sit, or if she even wanted to. Instead she displayed a definite poise and grace as she hoisted her skinny frame up and squatted over the top of the barrel. The heels of her boots ground into the edge of the barrel and gave proper traction to keep her position. She squatted there, hunched over herself like a grotesque gargoyle on its perch. Her Hamburglar glass was dipped back into the rum, more than a little splashing out as she did. Her head cocked to the side and she gave Ron a smug look before she lifted the glass in another salute and started to down it once again. It wasn’t the prettiest thing to see, with the way the excess dribbled down her chin and onto her pants. She didn’t notice the purple poof as Portal disappeared yet again. After all, the rest of the team didn’t exist, not really, the other little mousy girl had seemed to disappear as well, so what was one more?

At least the fox started to twitch and move, that was one thing she did notice from her perch. It shifted and changed color, or at least it seemed to. Perhaps the rum was finally getting to her, already she felt the tingling in her limbs and the numbness at the very tip of her nose. Kayne finished off her cup once more and let out that very unladylike belch, just in time for the fox to shuffle over and all but beg for a drink.

“Poochie want a drinkie?” She said with a lopsided grin, giving a little wiggle of her empty glass. “You didn’t get enough from me earlier? I’m not everyone’s taste…” Kayne let out a guffaw and deftly kicked up and off the barrel. Her boots hit the ground hard and she took a few steps over to the table.

“You get Mayor McCheese then,” Kayne announced as she snatched up another glass and dipped it into the barrel’s contents. She filled it to the brim, gave it an unneeded slosh and then gingerly set it down on the ground in front of Kit. It was about then that Portal reappeared with nothing less than four pizza boxes in her grasp. The fox was all but forgotten as Kayne zeroed in on the young girl as she set the boxes down on the table, a mixture of awe and hunger on her angular visage.

“This,” She said sternly, a hushed whisper as she leaned in and took a sniff of the box, before she delicately opened the box on top, the wisps of heat sneaking out. “This is what the farts of the Gods smell like! Holy shit on a stick!” She didn’t notice the snow or even anyone else for that matter, so focused on the food that anyone could have come walking through the door.

 

[wombat9966]

Ron noticed Portal 'Poof' out through her closet door and then laughed as Kayne perched on top of the barrel in her best Vulture impersonation. He watched her down another glass and decided he better keep up with her. After all it was not as if he was going to get drunk after all. His healing factor processed the alcohol straight away so he may as well be drinking tap water for all the buzz it gave him. Oh he still got the taste but he could drink this whole barrel by himself and still function perfectly normal seconds later. Just one of the bad side effects of his gift.

As he noticed Kit start to move Portal re emerged from her closet and he saw snow on her shoulders. She must really have gone somewhere special for the pizza he thought as she hurried over to the table. Getting up he refilled his glass and made his way over. Grabbing a slice he took a bite a grinned happily.
"Kid I don't know where you went but next time you do, tell them from me that this is the best pizza I have tasted in a long time." Grabbing up two more slices he retreated back towards his chair ruffling her hair on the way past. "Thanks Portal. How much do I owe you for the Pizza? You can't be expected to pay for it all."

 

[AnyOtherName]

Sparks

As Sparks prepared to leave she was approached by Portal. "...I locked the bathroom door...it's my fault it needed to be broken. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to help with the repairs."

The blonde gave a soft smile. “Well. It probably didn’t need to be broken, but... I do appreciate your honesty in the matter. Perhaps you and I could fix it together? Sounds like Kayne has plenty other punishments to keep her busy...” As much as Sparks felt that she and Kayne would never be close there was something about being pushed away that was absolutely intoxicating – as if breaking through the barrier would yield some fantastic reward. That, or... Maybe being around other people was a good thing for Sparks, as much as she denied wanting company. Her empathic nature made it easy to focus on others, somewhat quelling her own inner turmoil. And Kayne had plenty of anger for distraction.

She wrapped an arm around Portal’s shoulders and drew her in for a side-to-side hug. “I must be off...the masters beckon. But I look forward to our project!”

With that, Sparks was off.

-----

“...Zombie cyborgs?”

“Not a ‘zombie’ in the traditional sense, no...but it’s what we’ve given to calling them.”

Sparks stared ahead as a light flickered on beyond a thick pane of glass. Secured to a metal chair by bonds of wrist, forearm, waist, and ankle was a wretched looking creature – a human, decayed at least several month. It’s expression twisted with a strange combination of anger and excitement as it looked around wildly. An opened maw revealed rotted teeth and only half of a tongue, a disgusting gurgling noise escaped from multiple gashes in its throat. Among the decomposing flesh the existence of technological wiring was unmistakable. This one had a single mechanical eye, gleaming crimson with metal encasements. The other eye was entirely missing, as was most of his face.

“It appears that the cyborg components were installed post-mortem. And so...the body isn’t infected, it can’t transmit zombie-ism. It shows a taste for flesh but we’ve not yet fed one of them to see if it has any real beneficial effects for them,” he tapped a pen on the side of his clipboard, perhaps wondering who would be assigned that wonderful study. “The re-animation of a corpse by machine is mostly done by wiring the brain, tricking it into thinking it’s alive, but I’ve found that the processing centers are installed in seemingly random areas. And then there is the modifications to their strength capabilities...”

“Wait, wait. What’s the part about the processing centers?”

“Their electronic brain.”

“Yeah, I got that,” she responded a little more sharply than she had intended.

He held up his hands defensively. “Sorry – of course you’d understand that part. What I meant is that: the processing centers have been found pretty much everywhere except in the head. So...they’re like zombies...but they’re intelligent and strong and it’s a case by case basis to determine where the kill shot needs to be placed.”

Sparks just stared at him, as if in disbelief.

“And the processing centers being used are no bigger than your own,” he added.

She knew that to mean about the size of a quarter. “How long...has this been a thing?”

“We first came across them about half a week ago. Our studies are very much preliminary. But we have reason to believe that you can be of a great help in the matter.”

“...Seems to fall within my area of expertise,” she admitted a little reluctantly.

The next hour would be spent in what Sparks knew would supply nightmares for the rest of her life. Afterwards, she was given her team’s first assignment – which was expected to be carried out within two days. It didn’t give them much time to plan, and much less to train, but the Organization seemed confident that their strike was on a low risk location. There wasn’t time to waste: more subjects were needed for study and Sparks’ team was being sent to lesser hot spot to collect the bodies. The majority of the woman’s time at HQ involved exploring the digital minds of their foes, allowing her to configure a way to incapacitate them with a coded shock – but she had to touch them to do it. And, assuredly, they were all much much stronger than her.

...This mission was going to suck. Hard.

-----

When Sparks returned to the team house she walked through the front door unceremoniously; she was several paces in before her previously preoccupied mind suddenly recalled the alcohol she had left at the disposal of her roommates. Whether or not that had been a bad plan had yet to be seen.

Sparks halted her progress and took a moment to scan the activities of the house.

 

[KattDclaw]

Roni

Roni was for lack of a better word, intimidated. It wasn't from the guys bristling with muscles, the purple puffs of smoke from the girl that disappeared, the odd metallic fox that was obviously much more than just a pet, or even the creepy chick with all the scars. The thought of the stern faced man and his rules and punishments wasn't the cause of Roni's trepidation either. It was the simple fact she was in a house with a list of strangers, in such close confines it was inevitable that they would come in contact. The very thought made Roni's fingers itch under the heavy material of her mittens. They twitched and scraped against the rough, scratchy fabric, no doubt already coated in a thin layer of perspiration.

After the introductions there were more speeches, more thinly veiled threats, and more shenanigans than Roni knew what to do with. It was easy to just disappear into the woodwork, so to speak. She didn't need Portal's awesome power to just vanish. All it took was a few slow, quiet steps back into the hallway and a pivot to the right. By this time her bags were getting far too heavy to lug around much longer, Roni passed the bathroom door, smashed to pieces by one of the other occupants. She couldn't help but look at the smashed bits of wood all over the floor, the way the rest of the door hung limply from the hinges. It was all such a mess, if only she could do something about it. For a moment she hesitated, pondering if she could. Maybe she could find a broom, dustpan and sweep it all up, or maybe she could use her powers.

The thought send a chill of dread down her spine almost instantly. No, she'd end up destroying the walls and the floor before she was done, it was stupid and dangerous to think like that. Roni admonished herself silently as she shuffled further on down the hallway. She eventually found herself in front of an open door and timidly peered inside. The room was dark and empty, save for a few beds and dressers. No one had yet claimed it, or so it looked like from a causal glance. She didn't see any bags lying about, no one would mind if she stashed her own stuff here in the meantime. Roni didn't rightly think she was laying claim to the room or one of its beds, it was just a place to set down the bags that had gotten way too heavy for her weak little arms.

The relief of letting the bag drop, along with her backpack brought out a sigh. Roni took the moment to neatly stack her bags on atop the other and then a few more to admire her work. She wasn't really that concerned with it, no, it was more just a quite moment to let her mind wander. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all...

The moment came to an abrupt end with the cries from the living room, another undeniable smash of something wooden which was shortly followed by one of the loudest belches Roni ever recalled hearing outside a cartoon. She let out another little sigh, a soft mourning of things that would never come to pass. Reluctantly she reemerged from the room, still huddled in her hoodie and mittens. She found a back way through the house, one that lead around the other side and she found herself in the kitchen opposite of all the commotion. It was about the same time that Portal reappeared with the pizzas that Roni found herself standing at the threshold of the kitchen leading into the common room. The scent of the pizza was amazing, though she wasn't the only one that was drawn to its delicious aroma.

All the voices and commotion was simply too much for Roni. Without even really trying she turned back and sunk into the shadows. She found the back door and quietly made an exit. The night was still and quiet, for the most part. At least compared to the house behind her. She wandered about till she found the edge of the small porch and slid down to sit at it and let her legs dangle. Her hands sat lightly on her lap, fingers shifting under the bulky mittens. It would have been a good opportunity to do some star watching, that was if the stars could be seen. From her spot on the porch she saw nothing but branches and clouds along with the light pollution. She let out another sigh and let her mind wander.

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

Kit checked his internal clock and panicked. His body was about to lose power and run a complete system shut down. This would enact until the system felt it was fully charged. That could take years to do.

Kit let out a disgruntled whimper and stood, his mental blueprint of the house telling him he could easily sneak out the back. So he did. His small metal body made it's way, silently to the Backdoor and out into the night. He looked around and spotted a wooded area. He smiled and ran to the woods,he was in such a rush that he didn't make sure nobody was looking, and instead started changing as soon as he passed the first tree. He kept moving, deeper and deeper in the woods, the change still happening to his body, quickly changing him into his human form.

As soon as he was fully human Kit came to rest behind a tree, panting lightly as he laid his head back and stared up into the cloudy sky. Most would think Kit as a human was a cute Kid. That is until he managed to finish the transformation completely. Usually he stopped just between a Fox and Human, so he held the height of a fox, the big blue eyes, and the silver fur he would normally have as a fox would cover his head in a messy mop.

But ever now and then Kit would go fully human. Times like right now. His complete form was 6 foot tall when standing. He also had the silver hair and blue eyes that held a constant smile. His hair was usually very messy, but not very long. He was toned, but he had always made sure not to be to toned. He found it to be uncomfortable for girls when they would lay their heads on a rock solid mass of muscles. That and he hated diets.

Kit sighed and smiled softly before standing and shifting into the fox form. It was nice to get out of that form every now and then, but not for very long or Kit felt vulnerable. Kit starts running back to the house. As he got closer he felt something hiding in a corner of a small porch. Hidden nicely in the shadows was what appeared to be a small girl. Kit sensed her shyness and lack of self confidence. He felt sorry for her and wandered up to her quietly.

"You know. Clouds are mostly water, but urinals it hard to stargaze when they won't get out of your way." He said, giving a guess at what the lonely girl might be doing. "Now if you have the right filters..." a small holographic projector appeared from his back and shot a small beam into the sky.d Kit stared upwards, his eyes acting as the filters and the image that would be seen was transmitted through his eyes, so as soon as the projector was ready, stars seemed to fill the sky, the clouds seemingly vanishing as Kit projected the stars for her to see. "You can always see the stars."

 

[wombat9966]

Ron was having fun. He and Kayne had been going glass for glass for the past half hour and they had polished off most of the barrel he was sure. Well he knew it was getting hard to reach in and fill his each time he had to. So far they had eaten most of the pizza, drank most of the booze, told disgusting jokes that had made Portal blush and them laugh harder and generally had a fun time. He was surprised at the amount of liquor Kayne could handle but pleased at the same time. Perhaps he had finally found someone he could go on pub crawls with that could actually keep up with him.

Looking at her while she was slightly tipsy and enjoying herself, she didn't look half bad. He wasn't going to make a mistake and try hitting on her though. He was pretty sure how that little experience would probably go, healing factor and all. Still if she was to ever give him a go he wouldn't say no. There was just something about a girl in leather he grinned. He drained his glass and looked her in the eye.
"Cm'on you weak ass, finish up. You can't be drunk yet surely. Hell we haven't even finished the first one."

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne & Roni

Kayne

Kayne was at her easiest with a drink in her hand. That did not mean by any means that she was any less loud and crude, but at least she wasn’t an angry drunk. If anything the more she drank the more the rage lessened, that beautiful numbness made everything alright. She had stopped counting how many cups she had drained after the fifth, by then both she and Ron were going at it pretty hard, draining glass after glass in a ‘friendly’ competition. Pizza was consumed; belches went flying and enough blue humor to make a sailor blush. Kayne had that bawdy kind of laugh that echoed off the walls with its intensity, more than a little infectious. It was mostly the booze, by this point she had drank enough to put most fully grown adults into a coma. Her bruised gaze was a little glossy and she wore a wide, shit eating grin upon her thin lips.

She didn’t realize just how low they had gotten until she had to actually lean over to get her glass filled. As she did that jacket rode up and she offered a splendid view of her pert little rear. She wasn’t incredibly shapely and curvy like others, but there was no denying the curve and tightness as her pants clung to it. With nothing short of a cackle she filled up her glass, sloshing it about as it was raised and brought to her lips once more. She took a gulp, then another, and another till the glass was all but empty. Kayne gave the glass a swirl, watching the swill drift about in a circle.

“Weak ass? Man fuck your bitch ass!” Kayne said with an undeniable slur. She brought the glass back to her lips and poured the contents into her mouth. She held it briefly before her cheeks puffed and she promptly sent out a stream of rum. Kayne wasn’t close enough to actually hit Ron; instead it just piddled out on the carpet with that curious sound of one relieving themselves. It was enough to bring out a lewd guffaw from deep in her throat, followed by a sudden lurch of her entire frame as Kayne took a few unsteady steps towards the couch. She flopped down in an unladylike fashion, sprawled out with her legs spread wide, the empty glass still in her grasp. Tipsy? A bit. Sloshed? Not so much, though for a moment her eyes started to drift closed.
Yet just as her lids closed the sound of the front door cut through the room followed by approaching footsteps. Kayne opened her eyes just in time to see Sparks reemerge, which brought out that wide, lopsided grin to her lips once more.

“Oh lookie! Fearless Leader has returned! Now can we get Moose and Squirrel?” Kayne chortled and did her best Boris Badenov accent (which was pretty terrible). She raised her empty glass in a mock salute, as she had done all night. “I’d say have a drink but we done did drank all that shit up!” She stomped her boots and gave a hoot of a laugh at her own comment. Everything as funnier, especially your own jokes.


Roni

Roni was for all intents and purposes non-existent at this moment. She had let her mind wander for so long that things such as thoughts became irrelevant. The intimidation, the uncomfortable feeling it brought could be forgotten out here. The boisterous noise of those inside drinking was nothing but a distant hum, a soft rumble at very best. It was cool and quiet, the wind had yet to get a biting nature to it so her hoodie sufficed in keeping out the chill. She was alone, the way she had been for some time. Change was always difficult to accept, especially one like this. She wasn’t a super hero; she was barely a competent thief. It would have been funny if it was completely ridiculous.

The thoughts came and went, Roni was left to the quiet night. That was until something metallic seemingly appeared from nowhere. To say Roni literally jumped out of her pants when the voice came from nowhere would be an understatement. She let out a little squeak and brought her hands up defensively. It was simply a instinctual maneuver, once the words sunk in Roni felt more than a little ashamed of herself. She lowered her hands and offered a small smile, her large brown eyes drifting out over the fox curiously.

“Oh…I was…uh…not really. Well I had thought about it. But well…It doesn’t matter much,” Roni began, more so rambled. But the metallic fox had a purpose. She had little realization of what stood before her, but the animal body somehow put her a little at easy. Why having a conversation with a talking animal was easier than a human…well…Roni had no idea. She didn’t have time to even give it a thought before the fox started shooting out lasors and doing things Roni couldn’t comprehend. It didn’t matter, the end process was awe-inspiring and the young girl gazed up as if she were seeing the stars for the first time. They were beautiful, even in their cold and distant manner, though Roni suddenly felt more than a little self conscious. She wrung her hands in her mittens against her jeans and looked down at her shoes as she sought to say something, anything.

“That’s…uh…well pretty cool. Do you have a name? I’m Veronica…but everybody calls me Roni. So…you can call me Roni…or Veronica…” Roni bit down on her bottom lip and nibbled, the only thing that seemed to stop her from rambling. She took a breath and glanced up from her shoes, her dark gaze settling upon the fox fully, at least for the moment. There was an undeniable twinkle in their depths, a subtle twitch as if they wanted to look away. She hadn’t even tried looking Kit in the eyes (nor had she done so with anyone else for that matter).

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

“That’s…uh…well pretty cool. Do you have a name? I’m Veronica…but everybody calls me Roni. So…you can call me Roni…or Veronica…”*

The stutter was kind of cute. Not that that mattered to Kit. He had yet to actually look at her, but as soon as he did, the view that the projector was displaying changed to her on a Larger-than-life scale that mad her images, or what Kit could maoe out, almost the sice of a mountian.

"I'm called K....Steal Fox." He stuttered, almost giving his name away to a person he hardly knew by site. "I dont mean to be rude, but what are you here for? What are your powers?" He knew he could probably access the Organization database and find out, but he decided to let her tell him.

 

[DormantEvil]

Portal sat down on a chair watching Ron and Kayne drinking, she held a large slice of pizza in one hand and one of those soda's that Kayne had obvious problems with earlier in the other. If questioned as to why she was drinking that, she simply shrugged. Whilst she was quiet and shy, she wasn't as timmid as Roni appeared to be. She just didn't like people that much, and hadn't really ever got to know anybody for a long period of time. When asked why or how she could drink such swill, she replied, "compared to your choice, I think its got less of a kick."

When Sparks entered, she stood up and walked over, not wanting to be too close to the drinking duo in case some sort of fight broke out. In fact, she was happy to escape the room with one of the pizza boxes.

Heading upstairs, she couldn't find anybody else, but as she paused in the hallway it sounded like someone was in the attic. Soft scraping against the roof gave away the presence. It took her a few good jumps to pull down the little rope, and she stepped back so the stairs didn't knock her over.

Climbing up carefully, she balanced the box of pizza in one hand. At the top of the stairs she looked around, not afraid of the dark room. Off to the side someone sat, and she wondered how they could see without the room lit up.

Pulling the ladder up behind her, she didn't want to block the hallway, but the little string swung back and forth as she walked over.

"I saved you some pizza. Kayne would have finished it off soon."

Sitting down across from him and his precious, she crossed her legs and put the pizza box down so they could both reach.

"Why do you like the dark?" she asked, her tone one of sharing something in common.

 

[AnyOtherName]

Sparks

Sparks gave a small smile and nod to Portal as she rose to leave the room. From Kayne's sprawled and opened legged position on the couch, and the lack of anger in her expression, it was obvious the woman was drunk before she even opened her mouth. Sparks couldn't blame Portal for dismissing herself; happy drunk or not, there was probably still a potential for the woman and Sparks to not get along.

“Oh lookie! Fearless Leader has returned! Now can we get Moose and Squirrel?” Kayne's Russian accent wasn't spot on but it was recognizable...and hilarious. Sparks cracked a smile despite her present mood. “I’d say have a drink but we done did drank all that shit up!”

Sparks didn't believe her, even for a moment: she had seen the stock in the basement (and had no way to know Kayne and Ron's ingestion capacities). Still, she wasn't certain that she was interested. She should be. Nothing sounded better than a good stiff drink...but then what? She'd keep drinking and find the worst moment to sink into a hole. Her mind was all wrapped up in the new enemy, what she had seen from their programming... It was as if their dead brain was still accessible but stuffed beneath their adroid-esque code. She had seen glimpses of who the monsters had been but deterred her efforts to the task at hand - which had been to disrupt their cyborg components, of course. Now she couldn't help but ponder how much person was left in the abominations.

...Not that it really mattered. They were already dead, right?

"It's okay, baby, I'd hate to get sloppy." She continued to smile and placed a hand on her hip as she openly considered Kayne's form. "I'm not above taking advantage. And if I did, I'd want to impress." Her gaze lingered on the other woman's face for a moment before she took to a walking pace. A convenient choice of seat was on the couch, with Kayne, by her feet. If Sparks had any fear of getting kicked or scolded for her former remark she showed no sign of it, unceremoniously seating herself. She released a tired sigh and reached a hand back to rub at the base of her neck.

Her gaze settled on Ron. He didn't appear to be drunk, though the scene didn't suggest that Kayne had been drinking alone, and so Sparks assumed his abilities had a sobering effect. That probably sucked, when one wanted to get wasted...

 

[wombat9966]

Ron looked over at the two women and chuckled. Oh there wasn't any sexual tension in the air there at all was there. Still it looked like Sparks had a lot on her mind on the moment and not a lot of it was good. Refilling his glass he walked over to her and held it out. "Here, looks like you could do with this. Boris over here and I have been drinking it all night and honestly it's not bad. It should help you relax a bit anyway."
Ron handed the drink over then walked behind the couch and began to knead the muscles in Sparks neck and shoulders. "Fear not fearless leader," he said in a much better Russian accent, "Loyal Natasha will have you feeling better in no time."
Seeing her puzzled look as she glanced behind her he smirked. "Well if Kayne is Boris then that has to make me Natasha," he explained laughing.

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne and Roni

Kayne

Kayne sat perched sloppily on the couch, one arm behind her head, the other cradling the empty glass. Her long legs were all over the couch, her boots scuffing against the cushions, though there was still enough room for one more. She seemed all too happy with herself, her bad accent and all. So caught up in her own joke was Kayne that she almost missed the little nickname, as well as the undeniable connotations of Sparks' words. Once more Kayne felt a little taken off balance, like a shove from the right when one was expecting it from the left. She quirked a slender raven brow and let her bruised gaze settle upon Sparks fully. It was one of those moments that one took a good look at the other, something that Kayne really hadn't done. Sure she saw those shapely hips and ample bustline, who couldn't? Sparks had curves Kayne could never hope for, she was far too sleek and compact, which for obvious reasons made the pang of jealousy all too tangible. At least that was the case on their first meet, the chick had taken Kayne's reactions, even the dickbutt incident, surprisingly well. Kayne had wanted a reaction, an explosion of anger that she could at least laugh at. Jenkins had ruined most of the joy from that little incident, yet Sparks still handled it surprisingly well.

Of course being pretty sloshed helped Kayne's current opinion of their fearless leader. Her lopsided smirk lingered intently upon her lips as Sparks approached, only to claim the spot on the couch nearby. Kayne let out another throaty chortle and shifted on the couch to look down at Sparks.

“Baby, is it? You keep flashin' those baby blues at me and you might get more than you expected.” Kayne easily retorted, only to snap her jaw closed sharply. There was a dangerous look in those bruised orbs, though the interested glimmer was unmistakable. “I might be a little drunk but I still got some moves left in me.”

She pushed up, just in time for Ron to stroll over and stuff a drink in Sparks' hand. Her lips twitched and quirked before another guffaw burst forth that sent her back onto the couch rolling with laughter. “That's the shittiest Russian accent I ever heard! Yer such a dumbfuck...listen...it's like this...” Kayne pushed back up into a sitting position, her cup still clutched in her grasp.

“Moose...and...Squirrel!” She repeated, in the same horrible accent. “Like that.”

Roni

All too quickly the Stars changed to a gigantic picture of...her face. At least that was all that Roni saw, which was enough for her. She raised her mittens over her face and squeaked lightly. No one liked their picture taken by surprise, the last thing the introverted girl wanted was her face plastered in the damn sky for everyone within miles around to see.

“Whoa...can you...not do that? Please?” Roni leapt off the porch and tried to circle around the fox and out of his field of vision, which was obviously connected to the projector.

“Steel Fox?” Roni repeated, obviously getting the wrong idea. She blinked her large brown eyes and stood in the grass whilst she contemplated just what the fox had asked. The latter of the question was easy enough, not that she took any particular pride in such. The other part...now there was a real question.

“The Organization sent me here. I'm not sure what they expect me to do though. All I can do is corrode things I touch...like anything...except mittens...” Roni pointed out as she held up the large, bulky gloves. “They are magic.” She interjected awkwardly, her attempt at humor. Foxes could understand humor, at least talking metal foxes, she hoped.

 

[AnyOtherName]

Sparks

The woman looked over while continuing to rub at the soreness in her neck. Kayne's response was less volatile than expected - though from her tone and expression it was obvious she didn't appreciate being fucked with. If that was what Sparks was doing. The uncertainty between them made the blonde wonder if the final statement was a threat or a promise.

Ron approached and offered her a full glass. For a moment she looked hesitant to take it, likely for her aforementioned concern about falling into holes. But as he spoke, claiming it to be 'not bad', she found her hand reaching out to accept the drink.

And drink it she did. Dropping her alternate hand from its former work, she gave a salute with the glass before bringing it to her lips. Sparks tilted it back smoothly. Several deep drafts later, the liquid was gone and an empty glass found rest balanced on her knee as she grimaced and shook her head.

"Oh yeah...that'll hit the spot..."

She jolted in response to the sudden feel of hands on her shoulders, her upper body and face quickly turning to see who it was. She had failed to track Ron's movements as she was drinking...when she saw it was him she felt rather foolish for her paranoid reaction. She gave a relieved, quiet sigh and sank back into her former position. Ordinarily, she would calmly explain that she didn't like being touched...but damn, it felt good. There was at least one knot back there and Sparks would be damned if she was going to chase away someone nice enough to try to work it out for her.

Ron's take on a Russian accent brought a smile to the woman's face - though she was confused as to why Kayne was Boris and Ron was Natasha. But she had accepted far less reasonable explanations and so she took it.

Kayne cackled, her mirth so great that it knocked her onto her back again. As she recovered she insulted Ron's Russian accent, pushed herself to a sitting position, and gave him a short lesson.

“Moose...and...Squirrel! ...Like that.”

Sparks just about died. She was certain it wasn't the alcohol - it hadn't been given the proper amount of time to really set in - and so it must have been her teammates. The woman tried to hold back a laugh, even going so far as to lift a hand to cover her teeth-showing smile...and the end result was a snort. For a second her eyes went wide in surprise; she nearly thought to be mortified. But the embarrassment quickly subsided, despite the reddening of her cheeks, and she burst out in laughter shortly thereafter.

It felt undeniably good. Almost foreign, it had been so long.

Several moments passed before the woman managed to gather herself. She lifted a hand to wipe tears from her eyes. She too a deep breath put on her most serious face.

"Quiet, idiots! Now catch Moose and Squirrel!" she commanded in a German accent worse than that of the Fearless Leader.

 

[Kit_Cartaii]

“Whoa...can you...not do that? Please?”

She asked jumping up and moving around me, my head followed her for a moment, and just for a second her entire body lit up the sky before my eyes found their way back up to the sky. Once again stars blasted across the sky, making it just a little more interesting, Kit zoomed in on them and made them appear to grow.

“The Organization sent me here. I'm not sure what they expect me to do though. All I can do is corrode things I touch...like anything...except mittens...”*

I nodded slowly, making the stars shift a bit with the movement.

. “They are magic.”*

This made me giggle and I managed to shut down the projector as I looked over her. I slowly looked over her, I hadn't really seen her before so she seemed to be a random new addition. Sure the organization had files, but they weren't nearly as detail as they wanted to believe. Kit did wonder though. He had read her file and after speaking to him was curious about her.

"Genetic mutation?" He asked softly, knowing that some would be embedded to admit that about themselves. Again he knew the answer, but for some reason prefered to hear the answer from her. "Can...can I see one of you gloves? I promise I will give it right back."

 

[wombat9966]

Ron cracked up and his hands stopped their massaging for a minute. As he recovered he continued and found a large knot of tensed muscle. He gently began to work it out.
"Yes fearless leader," he replied in his Russian accent putting a female spin on it. "Boris and I will get Squirrel and Moose for you. Ah just one question oh great and magnificent leader. Where are Moose and Squirrel?"
Ron almost couldn't keep a straight face and it was lucky he had something to concentrate on and that he was not looking at either one of the ladies faces or he was sure he would crack up laughing again. He knew his Russian accent was good, after all he spoke fluent Russian, and Kayne's was just horrible, but that was what made it so funny.

Working on her knot he pressed a little harder now and heard her gasp a little but it was gradually working it's way out. He used a combination of his fingertips and his palm/wrist to work the muscles of her neck, shoulder and shoulder blades. He had learned the technique from several different Mercenaries over the years and had refined it into his own style. It seemed to work well and he used it on his own legs and arms.

 

[KattDclaw]

Kayne and Roni

Kayne

Kayne was in the moment, enjoying it for exactly what it was – a distraction. Everyone needed those moments to blow off steam. Surprisingly, these two weren’t as weird and alien as the rest of them, they could appreciate a stiff drink and a dumb joke. The fact that both of them got it and played along only made Kayne feel even more at ease, the ability to let go was something that didn’t always come easy.

The snort was unexpected, as was the embarrassed look that flashed across her face for just a brief moment. The infectious laughter that shortly came after easily covered it up, who could resist it, really? Kayne simply burst into another fit of giggles, her free hand slapping at her jean covered thigh in the process. They all enjoyed a good laugh, the kind that came up from deep inside and went full body. Kayne might have been a borderline sociopathic serial killer but she could enjoy a good laugh. The silence settled for only a brief moment after the laughter died down, long enough for them to catch a breath. Kayne started to move, though she froze as the horrible German accent cut through the air like a knife. If she had a mouthful of rum it would’ve been sprayed into the air, she let out what was a combination of a giggle and a snort, which came equal parts from her mouth and noise. It was followed by another riotous laugh, though instead of flinging herself back as she had before Kayne kicked up to her feet. With her free hand she snatched up the glass from Sparks’ grasp and sauntered towards the nearly empty barrel.

“You guys are fuckin’ ridiculous. Seriously,” She commented as she strode up to the barrel and bent over it once more. It took her a few moments to fill up both glasses, all the while her jean clad rear wiggled enticingly.

“I dunno if I’m laughing with you or at you.” She rose and held aloft both glasses. With a look of glee she returned to the couch, yet didn’t claim her previous spot. Instead Kayne settled on her knees right at Sparks’ side. They hadn’t been this close since their initial meeting, from this distance Sparks could see the way the color shifted from green to brown to purple within her gaze. Kayne placed the glass back in Sparks’ grasp, or at least against her knee. Either way the cyborg would need to take a hold of it or be wearing rum.

“So…you’re a cyborg, right?” Kayne started in, a curious tone in her voice. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a heavy swallow. She lingered dangerously close, seemingly completely unaware of personal space.
“So did you get an upgrade when you got turned into one?” She asked, her eyes flicked lower and lingered on nothing less than Sparks’ chest. The idea had formed in her mind as she walked to the barrel. Their fearless leader had hinted twice already, Kayne was keen to see just how far she could push her. With her free hand she positioned her pointer finger directly over Sparks’ right breast and gave it a curious poke. “Cuz these warlocks can’t be real.”

Roni

Roni outwardly cringed as she filled the sky. It wasn’t until the stars appeared once more that she relaxed, a visible slouch of her slender shoulders. Steal Fox was really something else, the way it moved, the things it did, even giggled, it was all a little much for Roni to take in. She always over-thought everything, right now she couldn’t help over think the situation even more.

The question took Roni off guard, mostly because she honestly had no idea what it was referring to. Those big, beautiful brown eyes blinked twice before she even found her voice.

“Uh…sorry?” She asked helplessly. Her ignorance on just about everything shone true. Roni had no idea what she was, where her powers came from or pretty much anything for that matter. She was an eighteen year old girl thrown into an unfortunate situation simply because her powers happen to manifest into something useful.
The next question took her even further off guard. Her defenses raised and Roni instinctively folded her arms over her chest. Her lips twisted into a frown, if only slightly before she tried to offer a nervous smile and a shake of her head.

“It…it was just a joke! For serious…I stole these mittens from Stacy’s Department Store a few months ago. Not real magic…I…I’m not magical…well…they mittens aren’t. I guess I’m not either…pretty sure…Uh…” Roni rambled nervously, one of her habits when she was put in an uncomfortable situation. A soft echo from the house carried out to the backyard, even Roni heard the scream of ‘Moose and Squirrel’ several times followed by the cacophonous laughter from the trio.

“Did they say…Moose…?” Roni asked timidly, unsure she actually heard it. The idea of another talking animal made her stomach hurt. What the hell had she gotten into?