RPG All For A Price [M-LV possible S]

[Deadpool]

[B][CENTER][U][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=3]All For A Price[/SIZE][/COLOR][/U][/CENTER][/B]

[B][CENTER][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Everything has a price, its pros and cons. Even life has a price. Sometimes the life of one can keep another alive. This is a bounty hunter's way of life. Through death, they make their keep, whether they do the deed or catch the wanted person and let their employeer do it for them.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/center]


[CENTER][COLOR=DarkRed][U][SIZE=2]Wanted[/SIZE][/B][/U][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1][B]Alias:[/B] The Crimson Slayer
[B]Age: [/B] Unknown
[B]Gender:[/B] Male
[B]Distinguishing Marks:[/B] Crimson three headed dragon tattoo on back. Crsimson red tribal tattoo on right hand. Red eyes and red hair. Carries a long dia katanna around with him. The blade is crimson with silver makings on it and the handle is the opposite.
Special Skills: Master of almost every martial arts and weapon techniques. Extremely dangerous.
[B]Wanted for:[/B] Uncountless murders. Numerous robberies on all scales. Ransom charges. Organizing crime rings in numerous cities. Selling of drugs and arms. Murders of fifty head politicans. The destruction of twelve major military bases.
[B]Amount on Head:[/B] Currently at $500,000,000,000,000 and rising.
[B]Number of failed attempts at capture:[/B] 4,906 and rising.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed][B]Alias:[/B] Errant Thorn
[B]Age:[/B] Unknown
[B]Gender:[/B] Female
[B]Distinguishing Marks:[/B] Blue eyes and shoulder length brownish black hair. A thorned rose marking left on all victims. Uses a small hand sycthe attached to a chain.
[B]Special Skills:[/B] Impressive aim with guns and scythechain. Very good at hitting main arteries and viens.
[B]Wanted For:[/B] Death of her father. The murders of her own gang and the heads of at least thirty-three others. Organizing crime rings and running them. Black market operations. High profile assassinations.
[B]Amount on Head:[/B] $500,000,000 and rising.
[B]Number of failed attempts at capture:[/B] Around fifty estimated. Very few bodies have been found.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1][B]Alias:[/B] Black Hawk
[B]Age:[/B] 28
[B]Gender: [/B] Male
[B]Distinguishing Marks:[/B] Black hawk tattoo on back and on the palms of each hand. Blue eyes and short white hair. Carries two sawed off shotguns at his hips. The letters B and H are left on his victims.
[B]Special Skills:[/B] Second fastest gunslinger in the world
[B]Wanted For:[/B] Numerous bank robberies and the murder of several families. The deaths of twenty officers of the law and thriteen govenors.
[B]Amount on Head:[/B] $750,000,000 and rising.
[B]Number of failed attempts at capture:[/B] 300[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]These are some of the top bounties on the list. Unfortuantly it will require a team to take them down along with the others that work for the Crimson Slayer. Amounts are sure to rise with every day and possibly double if taken alive. Come ot the Transit Square for more information.


Everyone needs to begin posts there or see the flyers and make there way there. It will soon start once everyone has posted. [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[The Enemy]

It was a cloudy day, it wasn't raining but it felt like a down poor.The clouds completely covered the sun, even though it was nly about one in the afternoon the streetlights were on to compincate for the darkness.

"I wonder whats with the odd weather?" Tim asked himself as he walked down the busy city streets.He was wearing his usual black trench-vest, and black pants.As he walked he saw a group of people gathered around a telephone pole.He reached into his suitcase and took out a smoke bomb, then he rolled the bomb into the center of the croud.

Suddenly the group of people were consumed by a thick cloud of black smoke.Soon enough the members of the croud ran out of the instand fog caughing and chokeing."Perfect." said Tim as he now walked into the smoke, he used one arm to cover his mouth, and his other to try and fan away some of the smoke.

Unfortunetly he accidentally hit the pole with his arm. As he looked for the sorce of the commotion he swung his arm back and forth to help get his mind off of the pain.
Then he saw a mall flyer taped two the pole, since that was the only abnormal thing about the pole itself he figured the flyer was what everybody was looking at.

As he read the flyer his eyes grew wide."Damn thats alot of money!" he said to himself.He hen grabbed a random passer-by by the neck and shuved him against the pole."Where the hell is Transit Square?" Tim asked the, now veary nervous, man."It-its that way!" the man sputtered back as he pointed to just down the road."Not even four blocks from here." the man continued

"Well that works out nicely." said Tim as he released his grip on the mans neck, and began walking towards the destination written on the flyer.

[kalon]

[SIZE=1]Fang grimaced at the numerous bounty hunters heading for Transit Square for information. Some fliers had shown the three biggest bounties she had ever seen, and she wanted in on capturing them. Unfortunately for her, the fliers said a team was needed. Having team members was a smart move considering the size and danger level of the bounties, but Fang could not stand relying on anyone else.

She immediately noticed how few women were there, but there always were more men than women in her occupation. Fang gave a small smile. Her goal was the Crimson Slayer, who the largest bounty she had ever come across. If these men thought they were going to get their hands on the Crimson Slayer first, they were dead wrong. She planned everything perfectly, and she would end up ahead of any "team mates." Her second priority was the Errant Thorn. Fang would never be able to rid herself of the rose and thorn on her arm. You cannot rid yourself of scars cut into you by a crazed bounty head. Fang and the Errant Thorn had a personal score to settle.

Subconsciously, Fang's right hand touched the gun hidden beneath her long black coat. She was restless. Once she received more information on the bounties, she could make better plans to capture them, hopefully leaving them alive as they would fetch a higher price that way. She weaved in and out of the people as she reached her goal: Transit Square.

Her restlessness kept increasing. If any of the other bounty hunters dared to bother her, she had a feeling she would screw any hopes of "strategy" for the day and start a fight. Fang felt like a little danger at the moment.[/SIZE]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1]Jonah took a long deep drag of his cigarette and slowly blew the smoke from his lips, letting it pool in front of him. He flicked the half smoked cigarette from his mouth and crushed it underneath his boot as he began to walk towards Transit Square. He laughed quietly to himself as he thought of the insane amount of money that was left on the head of The Crimson Slayer, surely because of the large sum everyone would be going for him first and making the other bounties second priority. The Black Hawk came in next money wise followed by the Rose, as he called her. Bounty hunting for Jonah wasn?t really about the large sums of money; sure having a lot of cash was nice but not necessary.

For Jonah bounty hunting was a way of life, he had spent most of his years in the military and when he left found that being a solider was all he was good at, and so in a way, bounty hunting allowed him to continue that to some degree. For him it was a test of skill, the money was merely bonus, a strange gift for doing a good job. Of course there were hits he doubted, families, women and children but at the end of the day this was all he had. He didn?t mind the fact that the fliers called for a team, he missed team work, its precision, almost beautiful in a bizarre way.

The thought of other bounty hunters possibly starting fights with one another crossed his mind, to may chiefs and not enough?well we all know the saying. His mind once again thought over the ridiculous amount of money put on The CS, he thought that if someone was willing to pay that much to take him out they would put a little more of their resources into it. He sighed to himself as he reached Transit Square, [B]?Pulvis et umbra sumus - We are dust and shadow.? [/B] he muttered under his breath.[/SIZE]

[Deadpool]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Kyle watched from the side as the crowd at the Transit Square kept increasing in numbers. Many hunters were here that he had met before and had beaten over a bounty. Many kept their distance from him and parted whenever he felt like strolling through waiting on the person who was in charge of this little operation. Unfortuantly he was going to get the bounty due to the fact that the Crimson Slayer and him were already on bad terms due to family issues concerning them both.

He couldn't help they were from the same family. The Slayer had the tattoo on his back forcibly put on which made the others suspicous as to if he was the Slayer. But many soon realized at the hated look in his eyes. He had spent every waking moment training to track him down and kill him. The money was just a bonus.

This Errant Thorn though could be a little fun. Who said you couldn't have a little fun on the job. He reached into his coat and pulled out a pack of cigs and a lighter. He slowly lit one inhaling deeply the smoke and the letting out a long drawn out stream of smoke.

Another problem was this Black Hawk. The second fastest gunslinger could prove to be a problem. He would have to be taken down as a group. He took another breath when he noticed a restless girl in the crowd then caught the mark of the rose and thorn on her arm. He let out a smile as the smoke came out from around his lips and began slowly making his way throught he crowd, it parting before him.

He stuck the cig back in his mouth as he made his way up behind her. When he almost reached her, she spun and had a gun to his stomach, making him smile. He leaned in close to her ear. [B]"I would be careful where I would be pointing that"[/B] He took another hit from the cig.

The girl was not amused. [B]"And who are you? Why where you checking me out you perv?" [/B]

Kyle almost laughed. [B]"I know everything about you Xue Craft. Or would you prefer Fang?"[/B] He let the smoke out after the word Fang and slowly stepped away as soon bickering began to break out among the impatient hunters. [B]"You will find out soon enough who I am"[/B] He disappeared in the crowd, knowing she would be keeping a close eye on him.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Tekkaman]

Orange bodies surrounded by red and yellow shades left streaks of their colors behind while they moved as if the bodies were creating multiple rainbows for the world to see. Body heat. They continuously gathered towards a pale wall that looked off-painted and as they gathered, their Orange bodies melded into an enormous mass of red that hurt Omar Lumine's brain.

[I]Okay[/I], he thought. [I]That's enough of the [B]thermal sight[/B][/I]. He tuned the freq. of his EPG's to normal view. By turning a small dial on his gloves, his sight picture also changed, seeing a world that he thought he used to see in dreams, seeing the world as he once saw, long before his brown eyes had given up on him, turning the dull grey they have from years of inability. Lumine looked at the white clouds and voiced a silent prayer in his head. "I love these EPG's" He said silently to himself.

As he broke his focus from the clouds, Lumine realized the mission that 'The Organization' had briefed him on. "Talk to bounty hunters, they will brief you on your next mission." He repeated to himself. He would've rather bit his own tounge off if his bosses knew how he felt about them. He hardly talked to bounty hunters and for good reason, but that was another story he chose not to think about if he could help it.

As he walked to the center of men and women crowded around the wall he smelled random kinds of cigerette smoke all jumbled into a smell that assulted Lumine's nostrils. He ignored the horrible smell and continued pushing past hunters from his left, right, and front. As he made it to the wall, another hunter blocked his view of the paper he wanted to see. Obviously the man wasn't moving without a fight and Lumine wondered how new these punks kept getting each year. "You're not coming any closer to this wall here see. I'm Orbit the Invincible and i'm collecting this here bounty. You got objections to that chicken wuss?" He was confident but he needed to work on talking to adults. However, Lumine baited, ignoring the impudent threat staring at him.

"What bounty?"
"Don't play coy with me, shit-face. You wanted a second-look at the amount didn't ya?"
"What are you talking about?" Lumine was getting annoyed now by the kid. Everyone else crowded around them was too.
"Don't lie to me! You want the mon-"
Lumine grabbed the kid by the scruff of his neck and banged his head into the wall three consecutive times before letting him fall to the ground from unconciousness. "Get lost kid, i'm busy."

As the other hunters hog-tied the snot-nosed punk and beat the shite out of him, Lumine looked at the paper and dropped a shade of color. His grey eyes widened as big as saucers. "Wha..." he let his jaw drop for an instant before composing himselfand walking away from the paper to think straight. What concerned him about the paper wasn't the money, but the bounty. Crimson Slayer. The money offered was no amount to death and Lumine realized that a long time ago. "Crimson Slayer." He let the name escape from his lips as if he shouldn't say it aloud. "He is death incarnate himself. Everyone knows that, so why even try. " Lumine sat on the ground mesmerized at memories swooshing back through his head at speeds unheard of. "He killed my entire family. Death."

As Lumine snapped out of his daze, he realized that he might actually need friends to help him. (And to stop daydreaming so much.) He hated missions he didn't think he could complete, but his bosses were counting on him as he counted on them before they gave him sight. He figured it would be best to talk to a couple of hunters at the most. He felt an uncontrollable rage deep inside himself stir. "I hate this. It feels wrong." Then he thought for a second about the situation. About his family. "But I need to kill the Slayer."

So Lumine tried to manage talking to other hunters about the bounties on the papers.
---------------------------------------------------
Hope that's good. I want the story as interesting as possible to keep me on my toes!

[Deadpool]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Kyle heard the crowd go quiet as a man in a white suit with six buff guards walked onto the stage.

The man held out his hands. [B]"As you know I am the govoner of this nice little town but we have been suffering from the hands of the Crimson Slayer and his crime rings. I am willing to pay this amount for his return. I will only pay that amount if he is brought back alive. Half or less if he is dead"[/B] Murmurs spread as people showed obvious disgust for what he said. [B]"If you don't like it leave now"[/B]

Kyle watched as around fifty people left the square. [B]"Makes my job easier"[/B]

The govenor held out his hands. [B]"For him to be brought down you must travel in groups. For any other bounties you nab while destroying what he created, will just be added to the amount you recieve at the end. I want all of you to write your names down on the slips of paper at the table then put them in the box. I will the divide you up into teams." [/B]

It took about thirty minutes for everyone to write their names down and put it in the box as people shoved back and forth. The govenor then took the box and shook it. [B]"Group 1"[/B] He read off the eight names then watched them leave. [B]"Group 2" [/B] The process was repeated all the way. Group 6 and 7 passed and soon people were sitting down and conversing among each other as names were called out. [B]"Group 13. I feel sorry for this group with the unlucky number. First we have Jonah Worth...Tessa Cross...Timonthy Frost...Micheal Drellas...Omar Lumine...Eric the Lucky...Xue Fang Craft...and Kyle Ashcraft. Please get together and get your hunt under way"[/B]

Kyle smiled. These people had no idea what was in store for them.[/SIZE][/COLOR]


Well looks like no one is posting. What a pity

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]I've been a bit tied up, but I'm here to stay, now. Let's get this going.
----------------

Tessa was leaning against the grimy counter top of the Hell's Haven Bar. She frequented it night to night, day to day. It was practically her home and where she spent all of her time outside of bounty hunting. The place was dark, only a few dim red lights shone through their shades. Metal blasted somewhere from behind the bar and it smelled heavily of cigarettes and grease.

She spun around on the stool to face the muted tv. Just some more shit about taxes and what an idiot the officials have been in their latest raids. Tessa was sick of the news. "Dear God, James, turn that [I]off[/I]." She spoke over the music to the bartender. He smiled faintly and clicked off the tv. He traveled back over to the sound system and lowered the volume on a particularly screechy song. There was no one to protest, since Tessa was usually one of the few or only people in the bar.

"Sorry, Tess. I should know better, as you do hate politics. Another drink?" He asked, reaching for her glass.
"Please. The usual."
"Cranberry vodka on the rocks?"
"I said the usual, didn't I?" She replied with an annoyed sigh.
"You're going to need to start buying more expensive things from me, Tess. Business is going down the toilet..." James commented, starting to prepare her drink.
"That's not my fault," She leaned back, stretching out her arms.
"Actually, it is. People catch wind that you're in here, and they split."
"Let me rephrase. It's not my fault that your bar attracts bounty heads," She replied with a sly smirk.
"Touche." He placed her now full glass back in front of her.
"Hell, James... you know I love you," Tessa said playfully and leaned across the bar counter to give him a quick peck on the lips.
"You've gotta stop saying that, or I'll end up believing you," He said, returning her kiss a little more passionately. She smiled.
"Thanks." She adjusted herself back on the stool and took a swig of her vodka.
"By the way..." James began, pulling something off from the bulliten board. He slid the paper toward Tessa's vacant hand. She scanned it's contents quickly.
"What's this?"
"Well, I know you haven't been taking on very many cases lately, thought you could do with a heads up on the latest bounties," James said, taking her empty glass again.
"I've been taking a little bit of a personal vacation. I was going to start back up soon. Maybe this is a good time," She continued to read, in more detail. "Holy shit, this is a lot of money. Hell, I'm in. Plus, this Crimson Slayer is kind of hot. Doesn't really have the taste for being discreet in his appearance, does he?"
"You have odd tastes, Tessa."
"I suppose I do..." She slammed down some money on the counter and stood up, shoving the flier between her belt. "Thanks for the tip off, James. I'll be living in style after this, maybe I'll send some of the prize your way. But I can't make any promises."
"I hear you. Good luck."
"You don't need luck when you have skills. Have a good one," She waved him goodbye and headed out of the bar. Even though it was cloudy, it was considerably brighter than it had been in the bar. Sheilding her eyes, Tessa adjusted her arm bands and gloves. Transit Square, huh?

Tessa had just barely made it in time. By the time she had stepped into the square, people were gathering around a stage. She could just hardly hear the guy that was announcing say they had to write their names on slips and be seperated into teams. [I]Dammit,[/I] Tessa thought, [I]I wasn't expecting teamwork...[/I]
She pushed through the mass of bodies toward the table. She scribbled her name onto a slip of paper and got out of the way. She had experiences with other bounty hunters, most of them hadn't been friendly. Quite hectic, actually. That wasn't the kind of environment she wanted to work in.
The crowd hushed as names were called out. It seemed forever before her own name was called. Her group was one of the last to be announced. As she moved toward them, she couldn't help but wonder if there were any cute guys she was stationed with.[/color][/size]

[kalon]

[SIZE=1]Fang sighed as she found the other members of her group. Each team had its own spot to meet at. She sized up the bounty hunters who had already gathered in the spot.

Despite the cloudiness of the day, one man wore sunglasses, which Fang found a little unusual, but she had no right to call anyone weird considering her own tendencies. She was pleased to see another female in the group, a woman who appeared a year or two older than Fang and had tattoos across her face. There was another man with silver hair, who looked fairly ordinary, but in their business, you never could tell who was secretly psycho. The last person she saw in their group, a man with pale gray eyes, was standing off to the side slightly and held a walking stick. Fang silently mused how a blind bounty hunter might be interesting. Three people were still missing at this point. Fang joined the group, wondering how they would work as a team. She was certaintly not in the mood to deal with other people, especially other bounty hunters.

"Hello again, Fang," said a voice beside her ear. Fang, for the first time in her life, thought thirteen might really be an unlucky number. She had lost sight of him when they had gone to write their names for their pairings, but...

"You cannot be on my team," said Fang as she whirled around to face the bounty hunter who had spoken to her earlier. He had a small smirk on his face and a newly lit cigarette. Something about his sharp blue eyes made Fang apprehensive, but she again pulled her gun.

"It's [I]your[/I] team? You don't like working with people, but you call this team yours? I can't choose which team I'm assigned to. Of course, you do not have to stay here, but you want the bounty, too, right? Or maybe you're after something else?" His glanced pointedly at the rose on her left hand. Fang quickly returned her gun to its holster under her coat and pulled her sleeve over the mark.

"Fine, I'll deal with you. Don't get any ideas," said Fang irritably as she went to meet the rest of Group 13. Behind her, she heard a laugh.

"My name's Kyle Ashcraft," he said. "I thought you would like to know the name of the guy you're mad at."[/SIZE]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Tessa let a small smile creep onto her lips as she observed her new-found group. So many good-looking individuals. Perhaps this would be worth it after all. Nevertheless, the majority of the group appeared to be pissed off at their current situation. She had to admit, she was already missing her vacation, sitting in Hell's Haven Bar teasing James.

But. Money was money. And Tessa's funds were running dry. It was time to make nice with her new comrades.

She tightened the leg band on her pants, making sure her gun rested properly. She scanned the group over. There was only one other woman. Her facial features made her seem so [I]young[/I]. So adorable, like a child. Tessa was already drawn to her.
She then noticed someone somewhat more... ordinary. He had a cane resting at his side... was he blind? But he was so handsome.
Tessa wandered over to him, taking notice how the other assigned members of the team were eyeing her as she had been doing to them just a moment before.

She had a feeling that this man had sensed her approaching him, but he tensed up as she slipped her arm around his own. "Hey, I'm Tessa. But you can just call me Tess, everyone else does."[/color][/size]

[Deadpool]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]OOC: I will also take the role of the Crimson Slayer. His words and actions will be in purple.

People that have returned pm and are currently inthe rp. silver_blade, Blase, Oblivion, and Illusion. These are the people who chars are in the story right now. The others arn't

Kyle walked into the center of the group. [B]"We leave today or tomorrow" [/B] Most wanted to leave tomorrow. [B]"Alright, rest up hunters. Let's hope that we are the first ones to get this prize." [/B] The group headed for a local inn. Vincent ordered a table and drinks round. He really didn't drink like the others, he wasn't in the mood. He looked out the window. [B]"I think I will turn in" [/B] He threw a key on the table. [B]"There is one more bed in the room. I don't care who it is"[/B] He walked upstairs and into his room and closed the door. He let out a big yawn as he turned on the water to take a shower.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1]The meeting hall of the inn continued to buslte with life as the door opened and a man with a long brown cloak walked in. He sat down at one of the tables filled with a bunck of rowdy men. [B]"Hey partner. This table is reserved" [/B] He grabbed the man by the back of the arm and tried to pull him up. [B]"Don't make me get physical." [/B] There was a flash of crimson steel as the man fell to the ground with a large slit in his throat. Everything stopped as the man rose and took off his hood revealing red hair and red eyes. One of the man's freinds stumbled backwards. [B]"Your the Crimson Slayer" [/B] There was another blur of the long sword as he and another fell dead. [B]"You bounty hunters can't stop me"[/B] He took off his robe revealing the tattoo on his hand, a tight red short sleeved shirt and red jeans with silver markings on the side. He wore silver boots with red soles. [B]"All of you will fall to my blade"[/B] He jumped on top of the table and into the crowd. Everyone around him fell and the rest drew their weapons.

A couple particular people caught his attention. A small group of hunters off to the side. The two girls were what stood out the most. Espacially one with the thorn marking. the Inn broke out in chaos as a gang of the slayer's ran in and started shooting up the place. The Slayer flipped from where he was onto a table the landed on the one in front of them. Instatnly all weapons were drawn. [B]"That is not a way to greet someone."[/B] He dropped to his hands and delviered a spinning kick, knocking them out of their chairs. He landed on top of Xue and held the blade up to her neck before she could react. [B]"Have me met before?" [/B] A gun was at his temple and the one holding it was the girl the group referred to as Tessa. He slowly stood up the blade still on Xue's neck and the gun now at his chest.

The rest of the group had their hands full with the gang that was making a ruckus the city at the time. [B]"Well well what do we have here. Aren't you a pretty thing."[/B] He stared into her eyes as she stood froze, hypnotized by the stare. [B]"That happens alot when people see me" [/B] He put a hand on the gun and lowered it, then gave her a small kiss on the cheek. [B]"Next time we meet, why don't we have tea"[/B] He picked up Xue with her back to him and slipped an envolope in her back pants pocket. [B]"You are taking a big risk with them" [/B] He noticed several gangs members run upstairs. [B]"I think I have made my point" [/B] He threw her into Tessa and slammed down the back door and disappearred in the night.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Kyle stepped out of the shower and put on a pair of briefs and an under shirt. his door was kicked down as several punks ran in holdiing guns and knives. Kyle kicked the chair in front of him hitting them as they came throughthe door giving him enough time to get his gun and put a round into their heads. [B]"Stupid kids." [/B] He heard gunshots and yells coming from downstairs. [B]"Looks like another bar fight"[/B] He sat down and lit a cigeratte as he turned on the tv.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Before the man had any time to reply to Tessa's actions, another member of the group started to talk. She'd earlier heard him address himself as Kyle Ashcraft. She watched him with interest and slipped her arm away from the blind bounty hunter. Apparently they were going to an inn. Tessa was disappointed, resting now? At this early stage of the game? She was expecting these people to be serious, tough, gun-slinging bad asses or something. She shrugged. Oh well. You always have to start small.

When they got to the inn, Ashcraft bought a round of drinks. Tessa hardly touched hers, the cranberry vodka was still sloshing in her stomach. Her senses couldn't be too clouded.
As the other people in the group started talking and joking, Tessa withdrew herself. She wanted to observe, wanted to find out what made these guys tick. Analyzing your partners are crucial to success, that was something her brother had taught her.
"I'm turning in," Ashcraft's voice cut in, he tossed a key onto the table. "There's another bed in the room, I don't care who wants it." After he made his leave, everyone continued to converse. Tessa was curious about this guy. She stealthily reached out for the key and slid it between her belt.

There was suddenly a crashing noise and someone screamed. Tessa's ears came to attention. There seemed to be a fight going on at the other end of the inn's bar. There was a lot of shooting and commotion. Tessa rolled under the table, dodging the flying bullets. Maybe this would turn out a bit more exciting after all. All the other people in the group crashed out of their chairs and Tessa saw a pair of boots appear.
She rolled back out from under the table and grabbed her gun. She held it to the temple of a man who had the girl, Fang, pinned to the ground, blade to her throat. He stood up and faced Tessa. Her heart nearly stopped. It was the Crimson Slayer. He had a soft smile played onto his face. His lips moved, but Tessa could hardly hear them. Why couldn't she [I]move[/I]?
Before she knew it, he's leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. This got the blood flowing again. This time she heard his words. "Next time we meet, why don't we have tea?" He quickly turned to Fang. Tessa was soon knocked over as Fang collided with her.
Once she pushed Fang off of her, she looked around frantically, but he was gone.
"Damn it!" She yelled, shooting at the wall. "He was right there!" She ran to the front door of the inn and shoved it open, searching the sidewalks of the now darkening city. But, she knew it was hopeless. He'd disappeared.

She walked back into the inn and headed directly for the stairs, not even giving the group a first glance. She jammed the key into the door that corrisponded with the number that was on the key. She stormed in, shoving the key back into her belt. Kyle was sitting on one of the beds, eyes directed toward the television.
"So, I guess I'm bunking with you?" He asked, glancing at Tessa. She ignored him and let herself fall onto the unoccupied bed.[/color][/size]

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1]Jonah took in the lovely sights of the women as they walked towards the Inn, one he saw, had a thorned rose marking on her arm, interesting he thought. We might have some personal issues to deal with. Of the entire group Jonah was probably the only one not angered at the team arrangement. As he watched the group walk to the Inn a strange sight caught his eyes. A blind bounty hunter, now that was strange, when he thought again it probably wasn?t that hard to believe. He himself had problems in that ball park.

When the group reached the Inn Jonah was the first to order a drink, weird looks ensued when he didn?t remove his glasses inside. In all this time Jonah had only picked up on two of the group?s names, the red head Kyle Ashcraft and Miss rose who was called Fang, other than that he had no idea. Ashcraft brought a round of drinks to the table and Jonah downed his whiskey, it would take a lot more than one drink to get him drunk but he stopped at one anyway. As the others began to joke and talk with each other Jonah noticed the other lady in the group not saying anything.

Luckily before she became silent he caught her name as being Tessa, clever girl he thought, observing everyone. People found it difficult when talking to Jonah, all they received in return in ay of response was movement from his mouth. There eyes were met with a semi-distorted orangey reflection of themselves in his glasses. It was at that moment that a large crash could be heard from the other end of the bar. A fight seemed to have been starting at the other end. Jonah almost laughed it off until bullets started flying; he dived from his chair and was up in a flash. It would seem that the Crimson slayer had joined their party.

He didn?t really give The CS another thought as he started punching other rowdy bounty hunters eager to get in on the money that was staring them in the face. Jonah just wanted to make sure the other members of his team could do what they needed to do. [B]?Just like old times.?[/B] he mumbled to himself. His unit had started more than one bar fight in their time.

Jonah turned to see Tessa flung across the room and then crash into Fang. Tessa was up in an instant and out the door of the Inn looking for The CS no doubt; she came back inside and went directly up stairs not bothering with the rest of them. Jonah walked over to Fang and held a hand out; she waved it away and stood up on her own.

[B]?Thanks, but no thanks.?[/B] She spoke while dusting her self off. [B]?I didn?t catch your name.?[/B]

[B]?Jonah and yours?? [/B]He already knew but asked anyway.

[B]?Fang.? [/B]She spoke matter of fact but a small smile darted across her lips. [B]?Who are you bunking with??[/B]

[B]?No one?at the moment.? [/B]He adjusted his sunglasses slightly, flashed a smile at Fang and headed up the stairs to find his room.
[/SIZE]

[Tekkaman]

As Kyle Ashcraft began taking command about what room the hunters were resting in, Tessa Cross slipped her arm away from Lumine. Even though Lumine was dissapointed at the fact that her hand drifted from his, he had to remember that the mission came before anything else.

But Tessa was very attractive to him...

As the group followed Kyle to the inn with Lumine taking the rear, Ashcraft brought a round of drinks for them all. Instead, wanting to blend in with his surroundings, Lumine walked away from the group towards the bar and ordered their strongest bottle of liquor. Satisfied that all of the bounty hunters in the bar gave him a second look as if he were a regular joe, he took two swigs of his bottle while keeping his pale eyes on Tessa eyeing her cranberry vodka, deciding whether to drink it or not. As she looked up towards Lumine, he quickly averted his eyes, a tell-tell sign that he liked her. However, Lumine couldn't figure out WHY she was so pretty to him, [I]just another bounty hunter[/I], he thought.

Lumine turned around towards the bartender, annoyed by the primal feelings he felt for another hunter, and talked to him in his best civilian voice. "Hey, bartender." The bartender, looking pestered, turned towards the man who sat 6 feet away from him and stared at him as if he shouldn't be here. From the pink of his eyes and the baginess of his lids, Lumine thought, he seriously needed sleep. "Is this the best bar in this area, because this place is PACKED! I'm gonna have'ta come here more often and with more money." Lumine was causing a bit of a scene, but it was okay ,he thought, because the other hunters were believeing his act by giving him annoying stares as if saying [I]get the hell out[/I].
"I... don't think you're in the right spot." The bartender said confused. "Didn't I just serve you a bottle?"
"Yep, and i'm gonna need another bottle of what you just served me earlier if you wanna keep me --"
" Sir," The bartender said in a meaniful tone, cutting Lumine off. "You 're gonna have to leave. This bar is for VIP members only today."
"And i'm paying you top dollar for these bottles!" Lumine said raising his voice. "Now if giving you $80 for a bottle of liquor isn't VIP enough, then I --"

Before Lumine could finish his sentence, he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder, gripping him in a controlling manner. Lumine, instead of grabbing his Desert Eagle, decided it was best by playing his character and staying two steps ahead of the competition. As Lumine turned around, he saw a gigantic man looking down upon Lumine from the barstool. The man in his late 30's was definitely a bounty hunter playing bodygaurd for the night, looking unconcerned with the civilian he had put his hand upon. The man looked at the bartender with his cement look, meaning buisness. "Is there a problem, sir?"
"Not anymore," the bartender said, smiling. He looked at Lumine with the same grin. "This gentleman was just leaving."

Before Lumine could mouth his next sentence,a crashing noise filled the bar. Lumine, flipping his head automatically in the direction of the accelerated commotion, soon saw shooting and blood. Keeping seated, Lumine heard two bullets fly past him as the bartender and the bodygaurd ducked quickly to the ground. Lumine looked at the bodyguard who had hit the ground and covered his head. He smiled, knowing that this was the same person who tried to invoke fear in him just 15 secoonds ago by his massive size and deep voice. As Lumine looked back into the fray of the action, he double-checked his EPG's, making sure that the gloves were firmly attached to his hands: his lifeline of sight, unbeknownst to everyone else. As Lumine looked up, he saw the Crimson Slayer move like a flash of lightning and hold his blade on Fang's neck, immediately followed by Tessa holding her weapon to the Slayer's temple.

[I]Invisibility is better than exposure[/I], Lumine thought...

Lumine dug in his pocket and dug out a small tracer, hardly visible to one not looking for it. Flicking his hand in a natural manner, Lumine threw the tracer in a half-moon arc, landing on the Slayer's cloak 10 feet away. The tracer attached himself automatically. "Perfect." Lumine said under his breath, slowly walking away from the bar into the main part of the inn where their rooms awaited. After seperating himself from the commotion on the other side of the wall, Lumine put his back against it and dug into his other pocket, pulling out a transmitter, capable of tracking the unique signiture of his own tracers. As Lumine turned the transmitter on, his set the device to track his tracers currently in use. After double-checking the transmitter with widened eyes, he slowly moved his hand to his back pocket, afraid of what he would find. Moving his hand back towards his line of sight, Lumine looked at a transmitter that was attached to his buttocks, unbeknownst even to him. As Lumine turned the tracer off, the beeping that the transmitter made ceased and the dot on the transmitter showing the only tracer that was activated dissapeared off the screen, Lumine's jaw automatically dropped.

[I]Is this the same tracer?![/I]

Lumine turned the corner, drawing his Desert Eagles, aiming for the Slayer that had now threw Fang onto Tessa, moving with lightning speed, almost uncanny speed. Lumine shot multiple rounds at the Slayer, missing his target despite his pinpoint accuracy. As Lumine reloaded, the Slayer vanished from his sight, minus the tracer. Lumine kept his weapons drawn, horizontally now, scanning his perimeter before letting down his guard. As he looked at Tessa who had now looked at Lumine's apperance and stance, caught off guard thinking he was blind before taking off after the Slayer, Lumine mumbled under his breath knowing that this action would change his apperance from here on out.

"Shit."

As Lumine pit his weapons away, he looked for his walking cane, still by the seat he had once occupied before the gun fight. The bodyguard looked at Lumine with widened eyes, wondering if he was a blind civilian or a blind bounty hunter. Lumine looked at the bodyguard, already knowing what he was thinking.

He kicked the bodyguard in the jaw with his left brown boot, knocking the mammoth unconcious. Lumine was angry that he didn't catch the Slayer.

"I'm a blind bounty hunter." Lumine said to the unconcious heap of flesh, picking up his cane before walking off.

------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Sorry guys, I'm trying to keep up but I had to move my house and had to disconnect my CPU. I'm using my dad's right now and I honestly don't know when i'm going to be around another one. I am setting my CPU up now though, so bear w/ me.

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]OOC: You guys are so lazy, get posting.
---------------------

Tessa felt Ashcraft watching her. She rolled her eyes and then lifted herself into a sitting position onto the bed. She met his gaze.
"[I]What[/I]?" She demanded, about ready to catapult a pillow at his face. She was still pissed about downstairs.
"So, what's got you in a frenzy?" He asked casually.
"The Crimson Slayer got away, that's what," She replied simply, trying hard to restrain herself from kicking something. Kyle sat up straight.
"[I]The[/I] Crimson Slayer was downstairs?" He didn't seem very serious, more like a mock tone. Maybe he thought Tessa was just going insane.
"Yeah, the Crimson Slayer. Jesus, are you right in the head? He slipped right through my grasp. Right through my fucking grasp!" She balled up her hands and then relaxed them again, throwing her arms up. "What a disaster." She fell back onto the bed.
"How did he get away?" Kyle's voice drifted over to her.
"He threw that Xue girl into me, Fang... whatever you want to call her. Hell, I think the girl is adorable, but she was just in the way. [I]This[/I] is why I don't work with partners, unless they disappear when it counts. You know?" Tessa sighed. She slipped off the bed and stood up. "I'm just going to take a shower..." She informed him and then stalked off toward the bathroom.

She slammed the door and twisted the knob to start the water. [I]Calm down, Tess... calm down...[/I] She thought as she started peeling off her outfit. She could practically feel her blood boiling.
When the water got up to tempurature, she stepped into the tub and closed the bath curtain. The warm water beat down on her. It felt so much more soothing than it normally would have. She gradually felt her muscles ease up and she let her mind wander...
That blind guy. She hadn't caught his name. But... apparently... he wasn't as blind as she'd originally thought. It must have been a guise. Oh well, if he wanted to keep that image up, she wouldn't rain on his parade. She'd play along with the charade, no point in exposing a partner's weakness, right? She wanted to talk to him. Now.
After another few minutes of letting the blissful water pour over her, she cut off the water and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed a towl and dried herself off quickly. After she threw her clothes back on and secured her gun, she walked out of the bathroom.
"I'm going for a walk," She told Ashcraft, whom was still watching tv. He nodded and she walked out into the hallway...
------------------------
Sorry, I would type more... but I'm getting a migrane... and I get blind spots with migranes, so it's almost impossible to see what I'm typing.[/color][/size]

[Deadpool]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Kyle watched Tessa walked out and into the hall. [B]"Hey hold on a sec" [/B]

She looked back in the room as Kyle got up and slowly pulled her in and shut the door. [B]"What do you want?"[/B]

[B]"Your serious about seeing the Crimson Slayer right?"[/B]

[B]"Of course I am serious, you think I would make that up?" [/B] Her mouth made a small frown.

[B]"That is strange."

"What is strange?"[/B]

[B]"The Slayer left you and the others alive." [/B] He put a hand to his head and turned around. [B]"Very odd"[/B]

Tessa was obviously interested. [B]"What do you mean very odd?"[/B]

[B]"For years the Sayer left no one alive. I am wondering if he has feelings for you" [/B] He sat down in front of the tv. [B]"You know what? Maybe we should discuss this over tea sometime"[/B]

Tessa went stone cold still when Kyle finished his sentance.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Tessa froze, felt as if her whole body had given up on her. Those last words that left Ashcraft's mouth had her paralyzed. They stuck to her like glue. She'd heard those exact words before. A quick flashback played in her mind, the Crimson Slayer. He'd said, "Next time we meet, why don't we have tea?"
Tessa's brain was working frantically, while Ashcraft just sat on the edge of his bed leisurely, a soft smile on his lips. She needed a plan, to get him backed up in a corner. But what? No, screw planning. This bastard was hers.
In half a second, her body was working correctly again. Her hand flew down to her gun handle, she brought it up in a flash, her index finger resting on the trigger. But, he was fast. Before she knew it, Ashcraft was directly in front of her. He had a hold on her neck, his thumb putting incredible force on her windpipes. But, she had her gun to his head again. Their faces were only inches away from each other. Ashcraft took no alarm in having a gun held to his head, and Tessa wasn't struggling for air, yet.
"I should have known it was you. I sensed there was something odd about you to begin with, I should have taken you down," Tessa said, glaring at him. Her hand was shaking.
"And yet, you didn't. Now, why is that?" He asked, rather amused with the current situation.
"One false move, and I blow your brains out, Ashcraft," Tessa seethed, ignoring the previous question.
"And one false move from you, and I'll easily crush in your windpipes," He replied. He had her there. They were both looking death in the eye, quite literally. "Now, all I ask..." He started, then flipped his hand up from his side, grabbing Tessa's gun hand. He slammed her arm up against the wall, her gun barrel facing the ceiling. "All I ask, is that you stay quiet, and nothing will happen to you. But, if you talk, I'll promise to grant your death wish. Deal?" He moved his left hand from her throat and placed it to the back of her neck. He pulled her face to his, their lips made contact for a brief moment, then he pushed her roughly toward the door. "Go take your walk. But if you say a word, you won't be able to see your little blind bounty hunter again."
Tessa re-opened the door, her whole body shaking. He had even known she was going to see that guy. What, could he read minds, too? Damn, this is why she hated partnership.

Once she was safely out of the room, she holstered her gun. It felt like her heart was going a mile a minute, yet, at the same time, her body felt numb. Now.... how was she going to find him?
She knocked solidly on a room door where she knew Fang was staying. The door slid open. "Yeah?" The younger bounty hunter answered, poking her head out. Tessa had the urge to exclaimed how cute the girl was and squeeze her to death, but that would have been awkward. This girl wasn't a little kid.
"Do you know what room that blind guy is staying in?" Tessa let out, her voice sounded nerous. Fang gave her an apprehensive look.
"Room seven," Fang answered, pointing down the hall. "G'night," She said before shutting the door.
Tessa made her way down the hallway, trying to shake the horrible feeling that Ashcraft had left her with. She stood in front of room seven and knocked loudly. The door swung open.
"Hey," Tessa greeted him, playfully forcing herself on him, hugging him around the neck.
"Hi..." He mumbled in reply, obviously embarassed. Tessa made her way into his room without asking.
"Keeping to yourself, huh?" Tessa asked, observing that no one else was in the room.
"I guess."
"Hey, great. Can I crash here tonight?" She didn't want to even think about going back to that room and being alone with Ashcraft.
"Yeah, sure," His voice lifted in enthusiasm.
"So, hey. I didn't catch your name before."
"Oh. You can just call me Lumine."[/color][/size]

[kalon]

[SIZE=1]Fang replayed the event of the Crimson Slayer's entrance in her head. She placed a hand to her neck where he had held the dia katanna. If he had pressed in any further, she would be dead.

"God, that was fun!" said Fang to herself. She let out a small giggle and fell back on her bed. The adrenaline rushing through her veins was a natural high. Coming close to death, being that close to the Crimson Slayer. Oh yes, Fang was having fun. She had decided that the team was bearable, at least for the time being. Of course, she had no plans to let anyone else have the Crimson Slayer. Then again, she was certainly not willing to give up Errant Thorn or Black Hawk, either. She pulled a key from her back pocket and examined it closely, then put it on a silver chain around her neck which she slipped under her shirt. This key was very special, even though she did not know what it was for.

A loud knock broke Fang's thoughts. She smoothed over her hair and clothes, then opened her door. "Yeah?" said Fang as she looked at Tessa.

"Do you know what room that blind guy is staying in?" asked Tessa anxiously.

"Room seven." Fang pointed down the hall. "G'night," she said as she shut the door. Something was definitely wrong with the older girl. Fang wondered what had shaken Tessa like that, but brushed it off. Probably just a delayed reaction from what had happened downstairs.

Flopping down on her bed again, Fang made a futile effort to get some rest. After about half an hour of lying in silence, the bluish purple-haired bounty hunter gave up on trying to sleep. She changed her clothes, grabbed a deck of cards, and headed into the hallway. She stopped in front of one room and knocked on the door.

"What is it?" asked Jonah, running a hand through his hair. Fang noted with amusement that he had his sunglasses on.

"I'm bored, and I feel like playing poker. There are probably a few people in the bar who like gambling, but I thought you might be better company. If you feel like playing, come down," said Fang bluntly but with a small smile. She turned on her heel without waiting for Jonah to answer. Downstairs she sat at the bar and started shuffling her deck. She was not there to make friends, but she could always have some fun gambling.[/SIZE]

[Tekkaman]

Something was wrong...

As Tessa threw herself on Lumine trying to get inside of his room, he felt and heard the rapid beating of her heart; fear. As she entered his tidy room after inviting herself in, he smelled the perspiration on her face and body; also linked with fear. He also heard the slight squeakiness of her voice. Yep, Lumine figured that from the first few seconds Tessa talked to him, she was scared out of her mind.
"Hey," Tessa greeted him, playfully forcing herself on him, hugging him around the neck.
"Hi..." He mumbled in reply, immediately wondering why she was at his door, in near shock no less.
"Keeping to yourself, huh?" Tessa asked, trying to control her emotions.
"I guess." Lumine answered, already thinking of questions to ask in order to talk to her.
"Hey, great. Can I crash here tonight?"

Lumine froze, trying to regain control of the conversation, despite his sexual emotions flaring.

"Yeah, sure."
"So, hey. I didn't catch your name before." Tessa asked Lumine.
"Oh. You can just call me Lumine."
"Lue...man-aye?" Tessa mouthed.
"Close enough." Lumine shrugged.
"So what's your real name?" Tessa asked, beginning to sit on Lumine bed, staring at him while he stood. Lumine forgot that there was only one bed in the room.
Lumine froze, afraid to answer the question.
"He-llo..." Tessa said to Lumine, knowing that she had hit a sensitive nerve.
Lumine refocused on Tessa, shaking off the fear he had just felt from Tessa asking him his real name.
"Cat got ya tongue?" Tessa smiled. The fear had apparently left her, whatever it was. Lumine figured it was time to regain control of the conversation.
"Omari Lumine." Lumine answered, staring Tessa in the face with his dull grey eyes. "But my friends call me Omar."
"Well then, Om-"
"You're not a friend of mine." Lumine said, serious.
Tessa twisted her face at Lumine. He knew he had made a mistake, especially with someone he halfway liked.
"Yet." Lumine finished. Tessa smiled at how he acted.
[I]Good save.[/I]
"So..." Lumine cleared his throat, "what's up?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you in my room?"
Tessa thought for herself for a split second before answering. "Afraid of the dark."
"But isn't Ashcraft -"
"Like I said," Tessa repeated, fear returning. "I'm afraid of the dark." Lumine didn't know she meant that Ashcraft was [I]the dark.[/I]
She quickly changed the subject...
"So... what are the gloves for?"
"Whaddya mean?" Lumine answered, making sure that the gloves were snug on his hands.
"You haven't taken them off ever since we met."
Lumine stared at the female bounty hunter before answering.
"They're my lifeline to the world."
"Really?" Tessa asked, prying.
[I]This is going no where Lumine thought...[/I]
Lumine grabbed his black trench coat and opened the door. He looked back at Tessa. "Let's take a walk." Lumine said. "We'll talk more while I enjoy the night sky...
"Okay." Tessa agreed.

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Tessa didn't mean to intrude upon Lumine. She knew she'd crossed some boundaries in the personal questions area. Ordinarily, she'd have a much smoother approach to this situation. But in all honesty, she was just... freaked out. Even to look back to it, she realized what a lame excuse that had been not to go back to her room. The dark. But, it was halfway true in these circumstances.
"Let's take a walk," Lumine suggested. "We'll talk more while I enjoy the night sky."
"Okay," Tessa replied. She got up and left the room, adjusting her belt and gloves. It was something of a habit. Once Lumine came out and shut the door, there was a small pause between the two. As if he expected her to make another move on him. Take his arm, something. But Tessa didn't like doing what was expected of her, so she began to walk away, starting their little outing.
She heard him follow, down the stairs, and out the Inn door. Tessa caught a glimpse of Fang dealing cards to a table-full of people in the bar.

Once out into the cool night air, Tessa stopped and inhaled deeply. The scents of the city rolled around in her nostrils. She hear Lumine stop at her side.
"Do you know this town?" He asked her. She grinned.
"Like the back of my hand."
"So, any good places to go?"
"Well..." Tessa thought a moment. "If you don't mind being seen in a bounty head infested metal trash pit, then I have the perfect place. A friend of mine owns it."
"Sounds promising," Lumine replied with sarcasm.
"Seriously, I miss that place. If you don't want to go, then I'm bailing on our little night stroll," Tessa said. She'd give anything to go see James again. She began to walk away, then she heard a heavy sigh.
"What's the place?" She halted and spun around, beaming.
"Hell's Haven Bar."

The two must have look considerably awkward together, walking through the streets at midnight. For, Lumine looked very normal compared to Tessa. Her skintight outfit, blazing red dreadlocks, and weathered tattoos made her stick out. But, it fit her quite well. She attracted a lot of attention on the night streets. People waiting in lines to get into clubs and bars looked her up and down. Wannabe ganster kids sat on stoops, nudging each other and staring at her shamelessly, smirking.
Lumine took notice, and it was apparent that he was uncomfortable.
"Doesn't that bug you?" He asked.
"What?"
"That people stare at you?"
"No. I'm used to it. Besides, I kind of like it," She replied. "So. You must be beginning to trust me, if you're letting me take you somewhere like this."
"Not really. I don't trust too many people."
"Then I guess we're in the same boat, Lumine, my friend, I don't give my trust to just anyone," She said. "But I trust you. I don't ask that you return the favor."
The was silence for awhile. Tessa guessed that he didn't know what to say. She smiled softly.
"Why?" He finally asked.
"Why do I trust you? I don't know. I can't say for sure. But it's there." She squinted, trying to see in the dim lighting of the street. "Hey! There it is!" She grabbed Lumine's arm and sped up, dragging him along.
They crashed through the entrance, Tessa making a scene. "James, baby! Guess who's back?" She yelled joyfully across the bar, her voice overriding the music that was practically shaking the building. A head bobbed up from behind the counter and the music went down slightly. James came out to greet them, wrapping his arms around Tessa's waist enthusiastically, kissing her roughly. Lumine just slipped into a booth awkwardly.[/color][/size]

[Tekkaman]

"Hell's Haven Bar." Lumine said to himself. "Tessa's paradise."

Lumine carefully looked around the bar one good time before he sat down in a booth. After he sat, he figured it would be a great time to truly 'see' the bar for what it was. As Lumine took a deep breath, he slowly took off the gloves he had worn for so long; his EPG's. As he took one of the prototype black gloves off. His image of the bar faded considerably. Lumine exhaled the breath he had took in before and began to take off the other glove.

[I]There are advantages and drawbacks to everything[/I], he thought.

As he took off his other glove, everything went black in his head. Nothing. Darkness and memories were the only things to constantly keep him company without the gloves on. But, Lumine rather explore new surroundings this way. With his sight picture gone, Lumine could no longer see, but his other 4 senses were heightened enormously. In a matter of seconds, Lumine could hear Tessa and the barkeeper talking quietly from 20 feet away, though he chose not to listen. His sense of smell had created a world of scents from vomit that was cleaned months ago to the numerous types of alchohol that laid on the bar shelves. The vodka in particular had caught his attention. Even his sense of touch was accelerated to where he could feel the smallest of rocks on the table, although it was cleaned yesterday from the smell of Pine-Sol and Bleach covering the other smells.

[I]Yes, there were advantages and drawbacks...[/I]

Lumine felt for the gloves he had once took off before standing up. As he put the EPG's in his left trench coat pocket, he grabbed his trusty 5 ft. black cane and walked to Tessa, who was laughing with the bartender. As Tessa turned to Lumine, she immediately noticed three things: He wasn't looking at where he was going, he had his cane out and gripped it as if it was everything to him, and his hands were exposed for the first time. Tessa sat, staring at Lumine, not knowing what question to ask first. The only thing she could mouth to Lumine was, "Is something wrong?"
Lumine ignored the question, reaching in his trench coat and pulling out two circular steel plates, flatter than a belt buckle and with the area of a coaster for bar glasses. He lifted up his shoes and attached the plates in specially made grooves that held the plates in place. As he walked, the plates clicked on the ground, giving Lumine a sight only ears could use. As sounds from the shoes bounced off the bar area, the combined sounds bounced back to his ears, giving Lumine a 'sight', but on a much lower level than the EPG's. Lumine stood motionless, putting his hands on the bar tables and feeling the foundations with his bare hands. The coolness of the tables made Lumine smirk slightly.

"Are you okay?!" Tessa asked again, irratated this time.

Lumine snapped back into reality, turning to where he heard the voice of the female bounty hunter. "I'm sorry. Everything is new when I take off my gloves."
"What do you mean, new? Where are your gloves?"
"I put them away for the time being."
"Why?" Tessa persisted.
Lumine sighed, [I]Gawd, she's not going to give up until she knows.[/I] "They help me to 'see' when I have them on. Lumine gripped his black cane with his right hand until his hand turned whiter than usual from the loss of blood flow.
Tessa sensed she was going to far with the questions and decided to change the subject... "James this is Lumine. Lumine, James. He is a great bartender and my number 1 sweetheart." James smiled at the compliment received by his only customer.
Lumine extended his hand but was off by a foot and further left then he should have been. Tessa looked at Lumine, knowing that he wasn't pretending. She pulled his hand a little closer to her and pushed it to the right, meeting James' hand.

"How r'ya today?" James asked, shaking Lumine's left hand.
"Fine.. thank you." Lumine returned, pulling his hand back. He smelled of alchohol but duh, he worked in a bar. [I]You're soo smart, dumbass[/I], he thought to himself. He redirected his attention to Tessa who started to talk with Lumine more about the questions she had. She had found someone she thought was interesting and vice versa. Lumine didn't mind talking with her. He sat down on the stool right next to her.

He hardly talked to anyone... And she was a breath of fresh air for him.

[Disenchanted]

[SIZE=1]After briefly talking with fang following all the commotion with the Slayer, Jonah headed up to his room, number 11. He went straight into the bathroom; he looked at his reflection for a long time before reaching to take his sunglasses off. He placed the sunglasses on the side of the sink and once again looked at his reflection. Without his glasses Jonah Worth wasn?t very nice to look at, that?s why he [I]always[/I] kept them on, if by some change people actually got a look at his eyes they would either, a) scream and turn away, b) wince and make a disgusted [B]?uggh?[/B] sound or, c) stare at him with a very strange/shocked look on their face.

Jonah plugged the sink with hot water and plunged his face into it with his eyes open; he stayed there until he could no longer hold his breath then took his face out of the water. Grabbing a towel he wiped his wet face and hair. The room wasn?t all that bad really; probably need a few repairs here and there but nothing was without its faults. Jonah flopped down onto the bed and turned the TV on, every station was more or less talking non stop about the bounties, typical. He turned of the boring television and was contemplating going to sleep when there was a knock at his door.

He took a few long strides into the bathroom and put his sunglasses back on, opening the door he saw Fang. [B]?What is it??[/B] he asked running a hand though his hair.

[B]"I'm bored, and I feel like playing poker. There are probably a few people in the bar who like gambling, but I thought you might be better company. If you feel like playing, come down,"[/B] she spoke bluntly but flashed him a smile before she turned on her heals and was gone before he could answer back.

[I][B]?Cheeky aren?t we??[/B][/I] he muttered closing the door behind him and following her downstairs, she was already seated and shuffling the deck. He slid into a chair opposite her,[B] ?What are we playing??[/B] Fang?s shuffling was good, she would throw in a fancy tick or two as the cards danced in her hands. [B]?Where did you learn those tricks??[/B] Fang flashed him another smile.

[B]?Bounty hunters are entitled to a little fun now and then.? [/B]

[B]?We?re being mysterious tonight aren?t we??[/B] Fang flashed him another smile and dealt Jonah his cards. [/SIZE]

[Deadpool]

[size=1][color=darkred]Kyle got dressed and pulled his hat down low as he made his way downstairs. He had overheard of the little card game down stairs and this might by a little fun to mess with his new group. He walked into the tavern hall and sat down across from Fang as she was dealing the cards.

[b]"Are you in?"[/b]

He made a small nod as she handed him the cards. [b]"What is the name of the game?"[/b]

Several more poeple sat down and were dealt. Kyle looked at his cards as he waited for the game then frowned. He reached back and pulled his dagger out and stuck the blade into the table and stared at the newcomer between Jonah and Fang. [b]"I don't like cheaters"[/b] The table went quiet and observed the stalemate between the two.

The man's eyes went wide. [b]"What do you mean?"[/b]

[b]"I give you to the count of three to grab that dagger and kill me with it. If you don't then you die for cheating"[/b] Kyle narrowed his eyes as the man gave a half smile and looked around the table, tyring not to make contact with Kyle's sharp eyes.

[b]"You have to be..."[/b]

[b]"One"[/b]

The man suddenly tensed realizing Kyle wasn't joking.

[b]"Two..."[/b] As soon as the t of three came out the man began to reach over the table as Kyle pulled out his pistol and shot the man in his right shoulder, the force knocking him out of his seat. Kyle stood up and pulled a King and an Ace out of the man's sleeve and picked his dagger up.

Fang almost laughed. [b]"How did you know he was cheating?"[/b]

Kyle smiled as her as he took his dagger and sat down. [b]"He didn't keep tyring to defend himself and difuse the situation. If he wasn't he would have agrued for a lot longer. Plus he sucks at cheating"[/b]

Jonah was obviously amused as well. [b]"But about the dagger, I thought it was the first person to get it and kill the other wins?"[/b]

[b]"Ah you need to listen. I told him if he gets the dagger and kills me with it he isn't cheating. Then if he doesn't he will die. I never said anything about me having to grab the dagger. Ya'll just asumed it" He watched as it ick in theirads after a few minutes. "Being able to decieve people is my greatest attribute. Helps in bringing down bounties if you really don't want to kill everyone but just a few."[/b] He glanced down back at his cards. [b]"What's the game"[/b][/color][/size]

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]Tessa was far more comfortable in Hell's Haven Bar. The surroundings enabled her to be a lot more carefree in her conversation with Lumine and James. She could feel the anxiety flow out of her body. Tessa found where Lumine's boundaries were, making it easier for her to avoid awkward territories in the conversation.
After a few drinks, James touched Tessa's forearm lightly. He looked at her pointedly. From all of her history with him, she knew that this gesture meant he had something important to say.
"What is it?" She leaned in, curious.
"Uh... the adopting agency called earlier today, after you left," He muttered. Tessa flashed a glance at Lumine and focused her attention on James. "What's going on, Tess?" She rubbed her temples gingerly.
"Look... I... I contacted them about a week ago," She kept her voice low, hoping Lumine wasn't catching much of this.
"[I]Why[/I]?" James asked sharply.
"Dammit, James... you know how I love kids..." Tessa was putting up her defense, no matter how weak it sounded.
"Is this what your 'personal vacation' was about? To set up to adopt some kid?"
"... Yeah."
"What about your career? How are you going to take care of it? I'm not baby-sitting some two-year-old while you're out chasing bounty heads. It's just not sensible," He fought.
"I was going to quit this occupation. Thought maybe I could set up a stable home, start out a [I]real[/I] life, James..." She paused, thinking it over. "Besides, I'd have Keith help me out. He's been lax in duties at the base..."
"Do you really think your brother will help you out with this?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then I think you're out of your mind, Tess. You had a perfectly good thing going. [I]We[/I] had a perfectly good thing going!" Tessa pushed herself away from the counter, knocking her stool over.
"What the hell are you talking about, James? This isn't about you, it's about me, okay? Besides, what good has this been for you? I'm the reason your business is going down, you said so yourself! Don't pull that 'we' shit on me. After this stupid case, I'm done. Done with this whole thing. The job was fun while it lasted, but it's going real sour on me. Sorry if I want a life, James. Sorry if I want a kid," She wasn't bothering to keep it quiet anymore.
"Then why have them call me? Here? Tessa... why couldn't you just ask me?" He sounded somewhat hurt. She let out a bitter laugh.
"What, ask you to donate sperm? Have sex with you? I don't know about you, James... but the way I view it... having sex with someone and letting it mean something to you, just makes you weak and pathetic," She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Besides, I'm not able to have children..." She stared at the floor for a moment and then turned on her heel and left the bar.

Outside, she slumped onto the curb. She spotted a half used cigarette on a few inches away from her foot. She nabbed it and grabbed a passer-by for a light. She took a long drag, not really caring who had been the last person to use the cigarette. Tessa hated smoking.
After a few minutes, she flicked the cigarette butt onto the cement and ground her boot into it. She heard the bar door open. Lumine stopped about a foot away from her.
"Want to go back to the inn?" He asked.
"Yeah."[/color][/size]

[Tekkaman]

Tessa sucked in air heavily as she fought back her tears. Lumine could relate with her to a certain extent at the door of the bar called Hell's Haven.

All she wanted to do was find [I]her own place[/I]... whether it be in the world, or in her own heart. Lumine felt sympathy for Tessa while her emotional defenses were down. He wanted to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay, that he would never put her through so much stress...

His training from 'The Orginization', however, had rusted the emotions he wanted to convey to his new friend long ago. Instead, Lumine put on his EPG's, [I](regaining his sight picture and dulling the other senses)[/I] and walked to Tessa who sat on the curb, taking a drag of a cigarette. [I]She looked like she [B]needed[/B] someone.[/I]

"Want to go back to the inn?" Lumine asked Tessa, double-checking his gloves at the open door.
"Yeah."

As they walked back to the Inn, Lumine said very little; aside from pointing out things in the bar before the Crimson Slayer attacked. Tessa said nothing, however; absorbing Lumine's words like comfort food and giving back no input in return. She was depressed and it wasn't like Lumine was helping the situation any. He thought back to the conversation James and Tessa had back in the bar:
[B][I]The Adoption Agency,
Children,
Love,
James,
Keith,
Carrer,
Life,
Not able to give life,[/I][/B]

"..........Not able to give life? [I]Why?[/I]"
"[I]Why[/I] do you need to know?" Tessa asked.

Lumine's head snapped back into reality, back to Tessa staring at him with her glossy eyes, determined not to cry. Somewhere in his thoughts, he had been talking out loud. Lumine was momentarily uneasy about asking her question.

"Sorry. I was thinking out loud." Lumine answered.

As Tessa and Lumine made it towards the Inn, Lumine stopped at the doors.
"I'm sorry that you went through that discussion with James while I was present. I ho-"
Tessa cut Lumine off, holding her index finger on Lumine's lips. She gently kissed him on the right cheek. "Thank you for your company." she said. Lumine smirked, then dangled the keys to his room at Tessa.
"If you need to change into something else, i'll give you time." Lumine said. Tessa grabbed the keys that Lumine was dangling with his EPG's.
"Thanks." She said, turning around and walking through the framework of the door, inside the Inn. Lumine sighed as she walked out of his sight picture.

"Gawd, she's [I]beautiful[/I]." He was glad he had controlled himself that long around her presence. Now the next challenge was to sleep in the same room with her. He longed for a woman...

After waiting 15 minutes outside, Lumine turned and went into the Inn towards his room. It was late and he would need to be rested for the next day.