The Mortal Strain

[Red Glacier]

Kerrigan_dragon

She blinked for a moment. Put a hand on the orb? she thought, looking down at Haze. How would that help? Wouldn't that make it worse? She tentatively reached her hand forward and stroked the orb delicately. "Uncanny abilities? Look, I can't do anything special, I think you have the wrong girl."

Haze gave a few soft sighs of relief as she stroked his orb like heart, he closes his eyes and lays his head down gently.

X: "your charisma and ability to steal so well speak differently Angie. I know full of the potential you have, I know I have the right person...'Angel'. We are the Star Atters, a group that is made to take care of anything that can't be handled by conventional means. You can help us and I know that you are able. you will receive a pay check for your work and a rich home will be provided with people like you. People who want you around for you, and not whats inside the tattered clothing"  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Angie self consciously tugged gently at her shirt, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with its super low cut and the artistic tears all over it, showing off large amounts of skin. "Angel is my street name. This isn't a street, so don't call me that," she told him, her expression blank as she tried to think. "Any person on the street can steal. And I'm just good with people, you know? I think you're kind of crazy." But even as she argued her point, she felt an ache deep inside her, wanting to take his offer and leave. "So. If I'm to join you, or whatever, what's the catch? What is it that I can 'help' you with? And, I ask again, who the ******** was that guy and why was he trying to get me?" She looked down at Haze and continued stroking his heart gently as she spoke. It was... a little surreal. But judging from the bruises she felt from being tossed around, she wasn't dreaming.  

[xDarkPisces]

Rex stood upright again, wincing in pain from the quick counter-strike. 'Quick,' he thought. 'That was damn near lighting...' Rubbing his side, he turned again to face Roland, nodding his comprehension. "Wow," was all he could manage at first, a little out of breath. "...You sure know your stuff. At least you have something useful to work with. I just..." he clenched his fist, not moving it from his side, and caused Roland's shadow to contort wildly, crawling up the leg of his pants by a few inches. "...shadows have always... fascinated me..." He spoke with a gently, soothing tone, quieted just above a whisper. He smiled as he continued to stretch and twist the shape of Roland's shadowy figure. "...if only..." he continued, still soft, still coaxing. "...if only I could do more with it..."  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland watched his shadow distort in awe. "How... interesting. Well, at least you know why your here though. All I was told was that my eyes are weird, which is no news to me. I'm sure that they will be able to help you figure more stuff out though."  

[xDarkPisces]

Using the mercenaries temporary distraction to his advantage, Rex launched another quick jab, connecting this time with Roland's chest. The mercenary took the blow well, apparently by an automatic reflex, and Rex's fingers took the majority of the force of the blow. Nonetheless, he had hit his target. The shadows...

"Hey, that actually worked," he said, an air of excitement peppering his voice. "Didn't think I'd actually be able to distract you..." he broke off and stepped back, unsure of how Roland would react.  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland grinned. "Haha, not bad. That's an effective distraction, not something you see everyday. Also, it would have been better to hit a bit lower-" Roland pointed out the sweet spot on his chest, where the rib cage met in an inverted V-shape "-where it will easily knock the breath out of someone." Roland grinned and threw a somewhat slow punch at Rex's shoulder, seeing how he would react.  

[xDarkPisces]

Rex's focus fell on the attack just in time to sidestep to the right, leaving the blow missing by inches. With his off hand he grabbed Roland's attacking arm, swinging a hook at the side of his head. Meanwhile, his focus on the mercenaries shadow continued, and as he attacked again, his opponents shadow drew up towards its owner, as if bracing for the impact.  

[Red Glacier]

X: "You can say what you want. I know your abilities aren't of practice. and if you join, like I said. You will help us take on the paranormal that the armies of nations can't handle. We are separate from every country and government, I guarantee the pay you will get will be much more rewarding then any job you have done."

he sounded a bit cold in few places in his speak but also remained fairly neutral. he gets a form and a pen and show them to her. "Its a risky job, but its a life most can only imagine having. You won't have to give up yourself up to any person anymore, you will be treated like a professional and not a toy. I'm giving you the chance to give up the lowly life style you have and start off on the highest life a person can have, friends that will be loyal to you and respect you will be yours to make. No one will have to know what you once were."

he paused and decided to answer her question about the creature. "he is known as the Spartan. A warrior that is rival to Haze and has been for years, he tries relentlessly to capture people who hold special abilities like you........he would have taken you by force and ripped anyone in half who would get in his way. we don't know what he does with the people after they are captured. but after they were we never found signs of them again."

Haze: he could feel the pain but was soothed by Angies touch as she delicately stroked his heart. he breathed softly and rested while still trying to hold onto the conversation  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Angie looked at him for a long moment, thinking. She then sat down comfortably, and continued to stroke Haze's heart. "Let me explain something to you, mister all-knowing. When a person uses their body as an object of sex to get money... they stop thinking of it as their own after a while. They stop thinking at all. Their life becomes sex; each customer, and the money they bring, is the only thing that exists. If what you're offering is true, then everything I've known for my whole life is gone. I am nothing. There is nothing inside me. You seem to know a lot about me? Then you know just how long this has been going on. What else have I done with my life? Nothing. I haven't had the chance. I don't know anything else. I can't... just stop. So if no one knows what I 'once was', then everyone will know me as an empty shell, because there's nothing else inside me!" She screamed the last sentence at him, filling the words to the brim with her internal anguish. She wanted to cry, but her eyes weren't even damp. She took the paper and signed it without even looking, not caring about what she was doing. "There." She went back to stroking Haze's heart, not looking at anyone or anything in particular.  

[Red Glacier]

X: "A phoenix is a beautiful creature and comes from one of the lowest forms of matter, ashes, nothing. Why should it stick to its ashes when it can become beautiful and graceful? and why should you stick to nothing when you can become more then you could have dreamed, see the world around you and rise above just another object?"

Haze: He opened his eyes and stroked Angies arm in return hoping to comfort "What you were yesterday. shouldn't always be your tomorrow too. Sometimes letting the past go is better then living its cold sting. I'll be your friend Angie" he said gently and would have smiled if able.

X puts the signed form in a suit case with her legal papers and slides her a box. it had some new clothes, a plain black t-shirt and some blue jeans and they were her size completely. new and more modest then her current clothes, but the tags were removed. some servants raised some curtains.

"There. would you kindly change? I don't want your first impression to be too bad. and, if I see any of your prostitution antics at the Star Atter HQ I -will- have you removed. we are a group of professionals, and we won't tolerate that kind of behavior."

Haze shook his head a bit at what X said to Angie. he continued stroking her arm and then stroked the back of her head "You'll be fine. Its just time to kinda turn a leaf so to say" he said gently "Glad to have you here with us Angie"  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

Angie whispered, "thank you," to Haze softly, then stood up and took the box under her arm, resting it on the curve of her hip. "Yes sir," she responded to X sharply. "Of course, the fact that I'm technically a professional doesn't seem to have crossed your mind. It seems your head is too high in the clouds to take into account the lives and feelings of others. Whatever suits your purpose, eh? Whatever fulfills your needs and gets the job done." She looked thoughtfully at the servants. "How much are they getting paid? Are they slaves by any other name, to smell as sweet? I wonder if I've really signed up with the good guys or not. Funny how neither side gives you real, full information, eh? Like the movies. They just say 'join us!' and we're supposed to leap like a dog and say 'where do I sign?'" She sighed as she realized she was rambling, and headed behind the curtains. "So really, I just don't like you. You haven't made the best first impression on me, you could say. So when I want to, I will leave. I will leave, and there ain't no power in the 'verse can stop me. Trust me." With that, she goes behind the curtains and begins to change.  

[Roland Karloseth]

Roland knocked the blow aside with hid left hand. "That shadow trick is REALLY distracting. Just gotta remember, it's just a shadow..." Roland thought as he sent a jab into Rex's stomach.  

[Red Glacier]

X: "I'm sure you will think differently after a while with the Star Atters"

as soon as she removed the clothes from the box a check for 50 thousand dollars laid at the bottom, signed to her.

Haze: as soon as she left he began hurting again, he sucked in the pain and laid back. X what are you doing? why is there so much fighting between the two? and i also don't see why she is so resistant.......agh, my heart! he lays his head back and closes his eyes hopefully its just X getting to her, i really like having more friends then foes.

X: he grins at her threats of leaving while she was gone.  

[xDarkPisces]

Rex was unable to react in time, having put a bit too much focus into his shadow-play. He took the punch hard, feeling a bit sick as all the air left his lungs instantly. "Urgh..." he groaned, holding his stomach and bending forward a bit, the shadow returning to normal. "You sure know how to throw 'em..." Stayed in his position for a minute as his breathing struggled back to normal. As his stomach pain subsided, however, he found himself perplexed and fascinated with the strange phenomenon occurring under his foot.

In the midst of his own shadow, his foot was actually slipping downward into the floor. Rather, it was slipping- 'into the shadow..?' he thought curiously. Without saying a word, he slowly lifted his foot, dislodging it from the shadow instantly. "Interesting..." he muttered at almost a whisper, placing his foot back down. Expecting his foot to sink in as before, however, it merely connected with the hard marble and stopped. "What... the..." He stood straight again, still staring at his foot, puzzling. He looked at the mercenary, who hadn't taken his eyes off his opponent the entire time. "Did you..." he began, but then he shook the thought away, deciding it was for another time.

'Alright, where were we?' he asked himself wordlessly. Then he lunged at Roland, crouching down a bit and aiming a punch towards his solar plexus. As he stepped forward, and without his knowing, his foot sank an inch or so into the shadow again, which only served to anchor his foot better. Rex was completely unaware.  

[Kerrigan_dragon]

((Gorramit, cheque is a word. stressed It's the Canadian spelling. Screw you, Firefox spell check.))

Angie huffed as she slipped off her shirt, knowing she was being a bit of a drama queen, but X was just pissing her off so much... as she reached into the box for the new shirt, she saw a cheque for 500... no, 5,000, no... 50,000 dollars?! What? She picked it up and read it over several times. They'd spelled her last name right. Even used her correct first name. This was... weird. She slowly placed it back in the bottom of the box, and continued getting dressed, very slowly, looking at the cheque all the while, thinking. Angie folded up the cheque gently and put it in her bra, then came out again, much calmer than before. She walked back over to Haze, sat down next to him, and resumed stroking his heart, ignoring X.