#6 Main St.

[Madrigus]

Madrigus gave Sally a curious glance, noticing his attitude towards him. "I'm sorry for being absent for so long. I've been absorbed in catching up on my history as it's been close to six hundred years since I was last topside. I've missed quite a bit."

"I would very much like to play, though. It'll be good to get out of the books for a while." He suppressed the shudder at Alice's response, remembering his last encounter with some crusaders all those years ago and instead considered the animal question carefully before responding

"As for what animal I feel like today, the honest answer is 'human.'" He grinned widely. "Though that's probably not an acceptable answer to you, so I'll go with "moth."

[Sally]

"Ain't no problem, Mad-ri-gus, glad ta see ya 'round again," Sally says, his grin turning to furrowed brows, "Six-hunnert years since..." he shakes his head and swipes his hands wide, "I really should learn to just sorta bob mah head along at stuff like that."

Bobbing his head along to stuff like that, Sally says, "You n' this here Chickadee joinin' us makes four fer the Kay-nine side, les' you wanna run Fox with Miss Blue." He loops the crook of his arm around Alice & Leo's shoulders, his hands still punctuating every-other word. While his words to the quiet man had initially been guarded, Sally has now slipped right back into his backwoods bombast. "But gettin' away from books a' all sorts ain't a bad idea, er'ry now n' then. An' I say that as a man with a fondness fer tha' written word."

And when Madrigus gives his response of human, Sally's laugh is a surprised snort, missing the implication completely. Laughing still, he says, "She-iit, you say the M-word too loud, n' folks'll start pissin' in they britches. Either that, 'r Mason'll do that funky dance a his a-gain." Sally actually stage-whispers the "M-word," but then glances over his shoulder to ensure no moths are nearby, all the same.

Blinking for a moment as he looks back to the group, Sally says to Madrigus, "Oh, I get it- a moth- circlin' tha flame, right?" As he speaks, he draws a hoop through the air with his finger. He then looks to Liberty, as if to say That right there is a Pro-file!

[kimp]

:: Liberty levels Sally with a steady look, then her gaze shifts to Madrigus, then back to Sally ::
Did you know that a moth isn’t drawn to a flame because of a death wish, but because they are denied their preferred light source – the moon? It’s a deep-seeded yearning for the light ::
:: Her gaze shifts back to Madrigus then goes… elsewhere and she sings in a slightly smoky contralto :: And you let her go…

:: Then she blinks and her gaze focuses once more as she shifts her attention between both of them ::
It speaks of longing. Fairly beautiful. :: Her voice is a little soft and drifty, then falls back into its usual flatter tone to finish :: If you dismiss the frequent violent end.

They are also highly intuitive, directed by inner drives, and they do not give up. Plus they are creatures that transition from one state to another.
:: she raises her brows in quiet acknowledgement of Madrigus' choice ::

In conjunction with human… :: she gives a very slight shrug :: It gets interesting. Knowing what I know of you, little as it is…? Alienation *and* longing.

Or :: she shrugs. A smile lights her eyes, though her expression remains neutral/serious :: maybe he just feels the compulsive need to dust you, Sally.

Anyway :: She turns slightly to Alice :: It is always interesting to me how people respond to the question. Do their perceptions of themselves concur with yours? Do they diverge completely? Is there any connection?
:: Her gaze shifts down to the left, then up again to focus steadily on Alice’s features ::
So, you will be joining us?

Madrigus? :: she shifts focus to him :: Will you be? Joining us? As Sally said, it is a chance for us to get out of our heads and just have fun. And we’ve agreed to drinks afterwards. Losers…
:: She slants a glance at Leo and Sally, a subtle grin twitching at the corners of her mouth :: will be buying.

[PoeticJustice]

Alice watched Madrigus as he spoke, and there was nothing kind in her expression. Quite the opposite, it was the wary attention paid to a snake or wild dog or some equally important or dangerous creature. She leaned absently into Sally as he looped an arm around her, rolling her shoulders before her arms crossed in front of her. She scowled at the mention of moths, readjusting her crossed arms to shift her weight back and forth.

As Liberty spoke, Alice's attention shifted to the other woman, focusing on her with the entirety of her intensity. When Liberty's attention shifts towards her, she doesn't flinch or stop her fairly blatant staring.

"I am fairly straightforward," Alice said with a shrug, before finally averting her eyes. "And I don't generally try to understand the perceptions of others. I know my view of the world is... different than most."

Seeing the world through jagged lines and violent flashbacks. Images of ticking clocks and a constant desire to grab her head and scream. Memories of hellfire and brimstone. Red and black with flashes of purple. Screaming. It always came back to screaming.

She could feel herself shrinking in towards Sally, retreating into her shell, and it was an act of will to stand up straighter and banish the demons in her mind.

"Anyways yes. I would like to... play?" she glanced up at Sally as if judging whether or not that was the right term. "... If that is alright..."

[Sally]

With cheerful Leo on one side of him, and dour Alice on the other, Sally positively beams when he says,

"I been dusted once al-ready, so if I'm buyin drinks, I might as well get dust-ed again." He nods to Alice "Hell yeah, it's all right ta play!" then looks back to Madrigus, "We all wastin' away in crampy, musty-ass cabins all summer, "An' I right appreciate summore company." He says this with such baldfaced, raw emotion that there can be no secret as to the reason for his prior jitteryness.

Not that a seven-and-a-half foot tall font of bloody murder was ever exactly secret.

"What'd Daddy Stark say 'bout lone wolves chances fer survivin' once Winter done come?" Sally shakes his head, hunkers down some and squeezes Alice & Leo 'round the waists before standing back up and bringing them off their feet. He does this with the strangely graceful expertise of a man reared on backyard 'rasslin' matches with farmers daughters' and coal miners' sons.

Balancing the bulk of their weights on his hip and their shoulders, he turns towards the doorway to the AAA and calls into the diner:

"Hey YA'LL, whose up fer some golldarn grown-up style MANHUNTIN'?!"

He pauses, glances back to Liberty and says, "WO-MAN HUNTIN'!, that is?"

With another glance back to Madrigus he says, "Ya can feel free to hop on my back if yer feelin' left out, but I didn't wanna be too for'ward with somebody I ain't done already bled all over!"

He says this with absolute glee.

[Madrigus]

Madrigus silently mouthed the word moth to himself, trying to figure out what was so bad about them, and then remembered the moth creatures and made an "oh!" face. That certainly hadn't been what he meant, but Liberty was much closer to the truth than he was comfortable with. Her insight was impeccable, and the demon resisted the urge to stare. He let her go? That almost made him jump.

Liberty's assessment was so curious that he almost missed the spiteful glare Alice was giving him, and was annoyed that he was forced to bunk with such a hostile person. He hadn't done anything to her, or anyone else in town for that matter. Giving Alice a concerned look he turned back to Liberty.

"Yeah, I'll join," he replied. "This sounds like it'll be fun. I'd like the opportunity to work together," he glanced at Alice, "in a team." To Sally he said with a laugh, "the only dust I've got is book dust, and while I'm sure you wouldn't mind that, I think I'd rather walk."

[kimp]

:: Liberty's gaze locks on Sally's actions with the intensity of a snake, she even sways slightly from side to side for a moment before going still and blinking to clear her vision back to 'normal'. She remains quiet for another few seconds then focuses on Alice where she's hefted against Sally's side ::
When I was young it was called training. Would that term suit you better?
:: The corners of her mouth quirk ::
I call it fun because it is.

:: She shifts her attention to Madrigus. Focuses for a moment then pointedly shifts her gaze to Alice then back to him. There is understanding in the subtle nod she gives him as she sidles closer and says in a quiet voice that carries no further than he and she ::
It is easy to paint someone with the black brush of homogeneity when you define them as a term instead of an individual. Working with them, and living with them, can challenge that definition. Some don't like their definitions challenged.
:: She shrugs ::
Some bend and become better for the experience. Others, brittle, break.
:: Amusement lighting her eyes she steps back and says in a normal tone ::
Want to place a side-bet as to how this will go?

:: She makes a conspicuous show of sweeping the area, then rolls her head, pausing at the apex of the cycle to crack her neck then reversing the roll and doing the same on the other side before righting and focusing on the group once more ::
If you are ready...?
:: She shakes out her hands at her side and shifts her weight back onto her heels, then pauses to look at Alice and Madrigus ::
We decided earlier that if anyone else wants to join you during the time limit that is great. The only limitation is they can't use any knowledge they gain previous to joining, such as seeing me going past them a few minutes before, in the hunt.
:: Her brows quirk :: Willful blindess. Anyhow...
:: She twists her wrist to look at the large, military style watch whose face is strapped to the inside of her wrist ::
We can wait for the hour and then go. Unless anyone has any other questions or stipulations?

For me, all I have to do is run. You guys
:: she splits her attention evenly across the group ::
might want to decide who will lead you. And maybe a game plan or
:: her shoulders lift in a subtle shrug ::
how you are going to work together. Like I said, the challenge for the hounds is working in a group and figuring out what each of you brings to the table and how best to use those strengths and balance the weaknesses. This really is training, which
:: she grins ::
I think we need here in Whisper Hill, considering the amount of adversity we seem to be facing.

[Leo Wilds]

Leo was caught slightly off guard when Sally lifted him up. He just kind of let it happen. Looking at Madrigus he gave him the 'I've got a plan look.' He heard Blue suggest a leader an at the he smiled.

"If you don't mind Sally I think I will take lead on this one for thr first 15 min then since there is three more of us we can take turns in whatever order we please after. My suggestion though would be for Sally to be the leader for the last 15 min to see how well we function under pressure with the timer rjnning out. My lead in the begining will allow us to assessment of my tactical judgement and set the pace for us either way." He said trykng to think logically.

"So that just leaves Madrigus an Alice to decide who is second and third. Giving everyone a chance to see how leader and other roles in this exercise pan out for us. We can discuss our results of weaknesses or strengths over drinks with Blue's help after the game ends." He said hoping thry understood his reasoning.

[Madrigus]

Madrigus nodded slowly at Liberty and muttered "Thanks, I'm trying." Out loud he replied "A bet'll be cool."

Then he turned to Leo an considered his idea. "That's interesting, but I don't think it'll work. If this is a team-building exercise then we should be a team. That means one leader. If you want to switch roles, then perhaps we can run the exercise a few times, but I believe if we start 'taking turns' there will be confusion as to who is actually in charge. Clearly defined roles help a team to function properly."

[PoeticJustice]

Alice squawked audibly when Sally lifted her, spasming violently and shuddering. She flailed helplessly, the air immediately around her (probably only bothering Sally and maybe Leo) becoming suddenly tight and uncomfortable. She put her head in her hands and quaked, mumbling to herself as she struggled to reign in whatever episode was overcoming her. But, perhaps shockingly (or perhaps not, it is Sally who hoisted her after all), she does seem to succeed, taking deep breaths and exhaling with her eyes closed before turning her attention to the others talking. She wiggled, clearly uncomfortable, but was no longer on the brink of some psychotic breakdown. Not that she really expected Sally to notice or even respond meaningfully. Just continue trudging along, semi-oblivious.

She did still appear flustered when turning her attention to Liberty. There was a frown and a head quirk, and then an intense studying of the other woman, studying her facial features especially. She looked down then, wilting somewhat, although the why of it was hard to tell.

"Training is easier to understand," she mumbled, mostly to herself, shifting in Sally's arm awkwardly.

And then her attention shifted to Leo and she frowned deeply, her brow creasing.

"I am not a leader," she said, notably uncomfortable with the idea. "I will follow any of the rest of you though." Which was maybe a bone tossed to Madrigus. Or maybe just a expression of fact.