Fantasy Code: Feral

[zCrookedz]

Simon and Jim's head swiveled around the training hall watching the activity that bustled about them. If Jimbo hadn't been paying attention to the room that the new recruit Jim had gone into out of the corner of his eye, he woul dhave never guessed that the elderly looking woman who wandered up to them was the same person who had gone in. Jim nudged Simon with his arm, whos head whipped away from Falarion and Duiks training to Jim who stood before them.
"Hello there ma'am. Can we help you find some...."
Simon's words were cut short by Calistas evaluation, and after a few more moments, Simon finally realised it was the same person. His eyes went wide as it surveyed the woma for any trace of a hint that they were the same. If it weren't for the Lioness with him Simon would have called them all liars.
He was a bit taken a back however when Callista insisted that he now looked like Simon's mother. But he quickly began to smile along with the rest as Calista's plan came to light. Simon chuckled to himself as he scratched his beard and thought at Jim's idea.
"Hmmmm, I've told my mother quite a bit about Amber. Callista to of course! Ah! Which is perfect, one thing my mother always thought was hilarious was the site of me throwing Callista during out very first mission together. Amber nearly had a fit, but it always made my mom smile when I told her that story."
Killerclown SilverFlight
((Sorry its small. Beach Brain XD))

 

[Bolts]

Barry slipped off his civilian clothing as he began to change into his workout gear since they were all meeting up at the training hall. Surly they would have some new folk along to train and also make sure the old team was up to the task as well whatever it may be. He glanced at his neck in the mirror, dragging fingers across the indents and scarring that rested there. Make up or long neck sweatshirt? He thought to himself. It had been a year since being a part of the watch, but he didn't share this part of him with everyone. They had at least been respectful about keeping out of conversation. Nah.. New people. He finished as he found a breathable set of clothing that obscured his neck. He made sure to nab a bottle of water for himself and a sweet drink for BB since she was surly working up the need for an energy boost by now. He stepped out and waited for the door to shut before bounding off in a mild jog. He shouldn't keep the new folks waiting and more importantly keeping Agent Strong. It would not look good on his part.

-----

BB eagerly awaited Duik's slide over and laid major feather upon his paw before zipping backwards in a flip. AHH D-BOI! Always a pleasure! Please, continue the course. I can't wait to see the improvements you two have gotten! Suddenly the familiar voice of a tiger passed by. Laohu! Wait! Don't think you can get out of this! You can't flatter me and leave! She announced. She began to hover faster in an attempt to catch up with Laohu but was stopped by the sudden growing beat of music. She looked over as the duo began the heroic course. She was in utter awe at the weaving and jumping, taking down dummies, the sudden cross. Without thinking, she found herself resting on the edge of the door frame while watching this display. During the final moments, her beak opened wide seeing the rubber bullet hit but ultimately take the dummy down. AHHH!!! GET A DOC! She yelled as she zipped as a blur towards Duik and Falarion. Ahh geeze oh no! I'm not good with this stuff. Do I do CPR, do I take it out! HOW WOULD I EVEN DO THAT?! He is breathing right? You're breathing right Duik? D-Boi, buddy o' pal?! You can't leave your queen hanging! I'm not giving up on.. Oh.. rubber bullets. Right, I forget that part. Still that was amazing! Great job you two! I gotta say, that final moment had me going for a loop and I don't get looped often! That is a lie. I get looped all the time but this was justified. You! Falarion! She began pointing at him with a wing then suddenly kissing the tips like complementing a fine dish. You did absolutely marvelous. I can tell how much you worked and I assure you it is fit for a mighty knight in this queens kingdom.
(quick mention) deer
---

Barry turned the corner to see the small gathering just outside the training hall. Phew.. just in time. He thought as he slowed to a halt just before a few old faces and a few new ones. He waved a hand for a friendly gesture before lowering it slightly in embarrassment when he heard BB's freak out.
BB turned when she remembered someone else had yelled earlier on. Seeing Beth immediately as the one who yelled and the others just behind, She took off in a quick flight. BETH! PEOPLE! MORE PEOPLE WITH NEW FACES! More people to talk to! Perfect. Oh and look how decided to finally get dressed. Barry, friend, pal, royal jester. Please hand over your taxes. The taxes being that sweet drink. She settled onto Barry's shoulder, looking up from the bottle to the new faces. Whoa! Pink hair! How did I miss this through the halls?! Someone didn't give me the memo and having the memo is my job! Someone is really lacking in that department. OHOHOH AND A SMALL FRIEND! By small I mean BB sized but everyone gets the idea. She fluttered over to Ernesto's head level and nearly placed her head on his. Heeeeeeey buddy. I can tell you and I are gonna be the best of friends. Flying around, fighting crime, Theatrical dramas that end in heart break. I can see it all! She peered over to Totus who had been on the shoulder of Beth and quickly perched back on Barry's shoulder. Oh! How rude of me. Uhh, hey Totus. Nice to see you again. Hope you have been doing well. ehehhhhhh..
Lioness075 Brendanfp Killerclown SilverFlight zCrookedz Flutterby

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Manjano	Companion: Falarion
Attire: Khaki beanie with most of his white hair showing above his forehead, icy blue eye contacts, khaki leather jacket, plain white t-shirt, light jeans, brown converse	Location: Front of the Training Hall
Tagged: zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), SilverFlight (Calista), Bolts (BB), Killerclown (Jim), Brendanfp (Annie and Ernesto)

Manjano smiled widely at Beth's laughter, very pleased to have been able to hear it. He was not certain if he had heard it so fully before she had left for her missions. IT was a wonderful sound and was all the better when it echoed in the halls. He was pleased with himself and his growing desire to tease others he knew well. It was very unlikely he would say much, if anything at all, to the newbies, but he was far less likely to mope about in the background now. That was another noticeable difference in Manjano's demeanor. He seemed happier overall and it was nice look for someone who did not look half as bad as he felt he did.

He quickly followed suit when Beth grew quiet around the newbies. He glanced them over and almost immediately felt as if the pink-haired young woman could be related to his twin sister. She seemed energetic by appearance alone and he would be surprised if the two did not get along perfectly. It was very odd for him to see a bat companion, which he had never really seen before. He had to agree with BB, though, those two were probably the most similar in sizes. Yet, Manjano noticed the way the bat seemed a bit withdrawn and could not resist a quiet chuckle. It would seem that BB and the bat's personalities were a far cry from a match. It was always interesting to see vastly different personalities matching up with one another, which Manjano knew he and Falarion were a prime example of this.

While he remained confused about the elderly woman for a few more moments, Manjano was soon surprised to hear that this 'woman' was actually a man and one of the newest recruits. Manjano immediately thought of Barry and wondered where the mute was. It was not uncommon for him to be anywhere but where Manjano was, but he had seen the young man wandering her and there over the past year. He seemed to have gotten more comfortable around the 'veteran' group, though Manjano hadn't reached out to him too much. He would not know the first thing to talk about around him and the only thing they used to share was their muteness, even though Manjano's had been selective.

Feeling weirded out by the 'woman' now wanting to pretend to be Simon's mother, of which he seemed to find very amusing, Manjano sighed and wondered when Agent Amber would get here. Surely she would help move things along more quickly. Manjano was very curious to know what their mission was. Beth and Totus had returned for it and while some were no longer with the team, the core team seemed to be mostly present now. Glancing around, Manjano then realized with a slight frown that Leandra and Luness were still absent with a few others. Xiao, Laohu, and Alec. He could only imagine that Xiao and Alec were together at the moment, and that perhaps Laohu was with them. While unsurprised by Leandra's absence, Manjano was mildly surprised by Alec's absence. He had always seemed to be the most focused of the group when it came to the real work.

Hearing Totus' compliment of Falarion, Manjano's slight frown soon became a smile instead. Turning to face his companion taking on the obstacle course, Manjano felt himself swell with pride. Falarion had been far more diligent than Manjano in training this previous year. Any time he had been awake and not on the obstacle course, Falarion had been toting around books to read or attending vocal lessons. It had gotten so tedious for Falarion to carry books around in his mouth, not to mention dirty and a tad disgusting, Manjano had gotten help to create a small saddle bag of sorts for the maned wolf. It was much like a harness for him and simply had two side slots for a single textbook each to be fitted. It was not uncommon for either a friend or even a stranger to be near the maned wolf when he wanted to read one of the books and so it was easy for him to ask for some help in laying out the textbook real quick. The maned wolf had even learned how to delicately turn the pages with his claws.

Manjano was quickly brought back to the present when Beth shouted encouragement to Falarion. Grinning now, Manjano waited until Falarion had glanced their way and then promptly gave him a thumbs up.
Not bad, Fal. You've really improved. I'm proud of you.
Falarion began yipping excitedly once more and sprinted around Duik a few times while shouting, "Manjano's proud of me! Manjano's proud of me!"
Chuckling, Manjano turned to Beth and muttered, "He's changed, but not entirely. I don't think his energy levels will ever lessen."

 

[Brendanfp]

The atmosphere of the training hall steadily grew more electric as other operative agents began to show up. The first of whom was a rather large man. As the agent approached it was clear he was a head higher than most people Ann would consider tall, however, while the man was tall lanky was something he was not. On his broad shoulder sat a thoughtful looking barn owl. Annie continued to examine the physical specimen before her as he introduced himself. "Hi, there! Welcome to the New York HQ. I'm Agent Simon Sinclair," he said before gesturing towards the two animal agents. "This here is Jimbo, my partner, and Callista, Agent Amber Strong's partner."

"What's up, Simon," Annie responded before quickly attempting to backtrack. "Erm... I mean... Good morning Mr. Agent Simon Sir... A pleasure to meet you," she fumbled attempting to come off as more formal. zCrookedz
Embarrassed Ann turned away from Simon and back towards the Agent he had referred to as Callista. The name reminded her of the sword-wielding Hindu goddess of destruction, Kali. Annie prayed that the similarities between the two ended with their names. As they all stood there Ann noticed that agents Callista's attention was now centered on her. Annie felt slightly uneasy but was relieved when the agent smiled at her. "I know who you are," Callista commented as she removed a tiny silver flash drive from her collar. "You got a computer with you right?"

"Of course! I practically sleep with this thing," Annie exclaimed as she reached into a pocket woven into her pink bomber jacket.

The pink-haired agent grinned as she pulled an ultra-slim hot-pink laptop from inside of her jacket pocket. She had built the machine herself, upgrading over the years. Annie got down on one knee and presented her laptop to the agent. "Agent Callista... if you don't mind me asking... are you a raccoon?" SilverFlight

~~~~~~

Ernesto watched silently from the shoulder of his partner as she greeted the near-by agents with her usual care-free attitude. Well, at least she was trying to keep up the airs of professionalism. The scruffy bat scurried back and forth the length of Ann's shoulder as he took in the situation. He had never been among so many agents before, he worried if he would be able to stand out amongst all the talent that surrounded him. To make things worse Ernesto was fairly sure that Callista was present when the Watch had taken he and Ann into custody. It made for an awful first impression and now--

"OHOHOH AND A SMALL FRIEND!"

Ernesto's train of thought was interrupted as a low hum drew closer. It sounded almost as if it were right above him.

"Heeeeeeey buddy. I can tell you and I are gonna be the best of friends. Flying around, fighting crime, Theatrical dramas that end in heartbreak."

Ernesto's head swung upward, as he was caught off guard by the appearance of the hummingbird. He hadn't met the Agent before but apparently, the two were already friends. The situation didn't sit well with Ernesto, however, it would be in his best interest to make a good first impression.

"Why hello there... buddy... you can call me Ernesto. I'm a bit new here but it is nice to finally meet some other agents." Bolts

 

[SilverFlight]

Duik was bouncing too, his joy building on Falarion's
"Yeeeah we're the best! We're the best." He began to chant, bouncing with all the energy of a puppy.
BB's flattery made him scuff the ground sheepishly with a paw. "Aw shucks BB, I'm blushing under my fur."
"You bet your tail he's proud of you! And so am I! We rock! Hey! Where's Alec! He's gotta know what we did!"
Duik thought about running to find him, but the new arrivals looked much more interesting, he decided to trot over and investigate.
Lioness075 Bolts

Calista made a tiny effort to sound serious when she replied to Jim. "This is actually quite an important--pft--test. If you can convince a human woman, and an agent, that you're a different person, then you get a clean eval in my books." She broke down into chuckles after that.
Killerclown

After recovering Calista looked up at Totus, taking his reply somberly. "Sounds like someone should have a word with the bartender." There was no hint of amusement on her pointed face. She was blatantly serious.
Flutterby

Annie took her attention back as she produced the pink laptop.
"Whoa, jeez, it's a good thing I've got reduced colour vision. Least you won't be losing it anytime soon." Calista flipped the top and booted it up, switching to command prompt immediately and letting her tiny, fingered paws fly across the keys. Once she had done a minute of this she took the silver key and put it into the drive.
The raccoon comment came just as the key clicked in place. Calista paused for a moment and looked up, dead serious. "A raccoon?" She repeated with a deadly-soft tone. She didn't say anything else, though it felt as though a chill had fallen over the little area.
She didn't break eye contact with Annie, simply pushed the computer back round to her.
"Ok, go."
Suddenly the laptop began to go haywire, opening and closing files, seemingly processing every byte stored.
"Oh, that's a virus by the way. In about 10 minutes I'll have everything that has ever passed through that computer...it might also catch on fire, unless you can stop it of course."
She glanced up to meet the young hacker's eyes, a glint of mischievous amusement in her eyes. "Good luck."
Brendanfp

Amber strode down the hall, datapad under one arm. She was worried Calista might have gone too far already. That Civet had no filter. She rounded a corner and found a collection of several agents, all gathered about the entrance to the training hall.
"Hell everyone." She announced in a professional tone, glancing only briefly at Simon before her mask of stoic seriousness slid back into place.
"I've booked the cafe for the briefing, so we can get started..." She trailed off as she saw the elderly woman in the floral dress. This was obviously not an agent.
"Who is this? I don't remember recruiting...someone like her."
zCrookedz Killerclown

 

[Flutterby]

Totus gave the civet a small wing-shrug, and didn't further comment. Calista was perceptive enough on her own, without him gushing about their latest assignment. No doubt she had access to the files anyway.. or could at least get to them.
Beth glanced at her owl, but he gave a small shake of his head. They had agreed, before arriving, that it would be best to say as little as possible to the others about it all. Manjano had been the exception, because they both knew he would ask, and Beth wouldn't be able to lie.

Beth smiled, at Manjano's comment about Falarion, turning to watch him tear around Duik, yipping like a pup. She went to say something, but was cut off by the appearance of Barry, and the shrill, excitable voice of BB.
"Hello again, Barry and BB," Beth said, with a nod at the mute as she watched BB hum around their heads. The little hummingbird was more subdued when she greeted Totus, who gave her a slow nod, and replied gently, "I'm glad to be back with friends, BB."

Beth watched the new recruits with interest, even though the old-woman-man made her a little uncomfortable with how good the disguise was. As the pink-haired Annie started her evaluation, Beth leaned over and said softly, "An African civet, not a raccoon. I had to look it up." Then, she let the new agent focus, and watched the unfamiliars train around her until Agent Strong arrived.
The pair glanced up in unison when Strong arrived, but didn't hold her gaze for long. Beth was a lot worse at practical jokes than Totus was, and she knew she would start giggling is she looked at her for too long.
SilverFlight Lioness075 Bolts Brendanfp

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon watched as one by one the small little group of newbies and oldies began to grow steadily. He was glad to see BB and Barry again, he hadn't had alot of time to spend with the young mute and his partner, but he and Jim would get more chances as their mission began and they both looked frowards to it.
The voice of the other newbie caught his attention and Simon couldn't help by smile at the girl. She was VERY colorful! Simon liked the energy all her color brought, which obviously bleed over when he saw the hot pink Laptop she produced. With a big grin he nodded to her as he watched BB zip around the little bat that was obviously her partner.
"The pleasure is mine! Welcome to The Watch. You can call me Simon. The big lug here you can call Jim. Though! That might get a bit confusing now!"
Eyeing Simon out of the corner, Jimbo let his gaze flick over the new recruit wearing the female clothing.
Simon glanced up at the sound of Amber's foot steps. Rolling his eyes a bit as she spoke in her all to familiar "formal tone" Simon's eyes met hers for a moment and gave her a reassuring wink before she moved on to their "new recruit. Simon swallowed his smile of humor, and created a smile of excitment before walking up beside Jim and placed his arm around the man looking proud as punch.
"Agent Strong! This is some one very special I wanted you to meet. Some one who had been eager to meet you for some time! Amber meet my mother Donna Sinclair."
Brendanfp Killerclown SilverFlight Lioness075 Bolts Flutterby deer

 

[Killerclown]

Jim turned around and grinned slightly when he saw Agent Strong approaching. He then looked Strong in the eyes, his grin turning into a large, friendly smile that was plastered on his face. He then said to her in his warbly, old woman voice," Hello Dearie. Simon has told me a lot about you. Especially about the time he tossed your partner." Jim then let out a small cackle in his old woman voice, trying his hardest not to blow his disguise.
zCrookedz
SilverFlight

 

[deer]

xiao hui

As Alec played along with her, Xiao Hui couldn't help but let out a giggle before shaking her head. Her cheeks flushed pink as she listened to Alec's compliment realising he was talking about her though a part of her wanted to make sure.

"M-me?"' Xiao Hui managed to stutter out in surprise as she gently tucked her hair behind her ears, smiling softly before leaning in towards Alex, slightly closing the distance between them. "Do you really think that of me, Alec?" She questioned, her gaze softening for a moment, a soft smile appearing on her lips.

However, when Alec turned down her offer of getting tea with her and Leandra in the Cafe to check on Duirk, Xiao Hui shook her head quickly. "Duirk? Making a spectacle of himself? Are you sure we're talking about the same spotted hyena?" Xiao Hui joked, laughing.

But, as Alec continued, Xiao Hui felt her eyes light up as she patiently waited for him to finish speaking, not wanting to interrupt him. At the mention of studying later after he checked up on Duirk and if she wasn't busy, Xiao Hui furrowed her brows slightly. Whatever it was today, or perhaps it was Leandra's influence, Xiao Hui wanted to tease Alec a bit more, finding joy in his company. It was easy to be with Alec, like she could just be herself around him. No pretenses and pretending to be what was expected from her.

"Well . . . you see, I . . I'm not sure if I have this afternoon free." She started, biting her lips as she nervously moved her books from one hand to the next. "I . . there is this boy . . no, man. He's helped me quite a lot over the course of the months and. . . I have been figuring out ways to thank him." Xiao Hui paused for a moment, her eyes staring in Alec's once more as she wondered if he knew she was talking about him.

"What do you think I should do to make it up to him?" Xiao Hui swayed slightly to the side, "Maybe a change in scenery could help since seeing the same walls every day could be a little tiring?"

However, before Xiao Hui could continue, her attention was drawn to the sound of loud music. Pausing for a moment to listen to the music, a knowing smile made her way towards her lips as she turned to look over at Alec. Excited, Xiao Hui tapped Alec on his shoulder, grinning, "I bet I know who that is!" She exclaimed before signaling Alec to follow her.

With a skip in her steps, Xiao Hui headed towards the elevators waiting for Alec to hop in as she waved him over. Once they arrived on the first floor, Xiao Hui led them to the training gym right before Falarion and Duirk finished their obstacle course. A wide smile displayed on her lips as she cheered Duirk and Falarion on, her eyes mesmerised by the footwork and obstacle course the two were running against. The music only made Xiao Hui sway slightly to the side as the beat of the music seemed to vibrate lively against the grounds as Xiao Hui felt herself slowly bouncing to the rhythm. The anticipation and adrenaline rush of the obstacle course made Xiao Hui's heart leap as she crossed her fingers, supporting Falarion and Duirk on the sideline. Soon, the buzzer called and Xiao Hui couldn't help but jump and squeal excited, turning towards Alec as she tugged on his shirt.

"They did it!" She cheered.

Hui, are you close?

As Xiao Hui slowly calmed down, still feeling jittery, Xiao Hui bit her lips, laughing softly as she shook her head. "I should probably go and meet Lea, Luness, and Laohu now. Tell Duirk I said hello?" She asked before remembering, "Oh! That's right. Alec. Um." She started before taking a deep breath, reminding herself that it's just Alec and that everything was going to be okay. "I want to thank you for your help, Alec." Xiao Hui finished, wanting to clarify before she went headed off but not before noticing an all-too familiar silhouette standing next to Manjano as well as a few new faces.

Furrowing her brows, Xiao Hui tilted her head to the side wondering what brought on all both new and old faces together. Was there a mission? With an inquisitive stare, Xiao Hui looked over towards Alec, her eyes speaking louder than words. Did you know about this? But, deciding that she would be filled in later, Xiao Hui knew she shouldn't keep Leadra waiting any longer. "See you soon?" Xiao Hui asked softly.

With a small wave, Xiao Hui left the training gym and headed swiftly to the Cafe, hopefully not too late with her meeting with Leandra. Once she peeked inside the Cafe, seeing her friends by the window seat, Xiao Hui called softly over towards them, "Lea! Luness! I hope I didn't make you wait too long? Did you order or should I order for us?" She asked as she approached them only to see Laohu struggling to get into his own seat.

Shaking her head, Xiao Hui gently petted Laohu's head before telling Leandra the good news, "Lea, guess who I saw?" She questioned Lea, pausing for a moment to let the tension fill the air. For what seemed like forever but was only a few seconds, Xiao Hui grinned, "Beth! I saw her with Manjano. But, there were a few new faces as well. Do you think . . . .?" She trailed off.

location: the Watch classroom - training gym - Cafe | with: Leandra and Luness
mentions: Alec, Manjano, Beth| tags: SilverFlight , Flutterby , Lioness075​

 

[SilverFlight]

Amber's face went through a journey of expressions: from confusion, to disbelief, to something akin to being completely overwhelmed.
"You're mother..."
Calista's effort at keeping a straight face was monumental as she watched every step. Amber kept looking back from Simon to jim and back to Simon, trying to put the pieces of information together in some logical way. Why would Simon's mother be in New York, and why would she be invited into a top secret facility? Simon could have pulled strings...perhaps she hadn't given him enough credit. All at once Amber straightened, turning to Jim stiffly, almost as if she was...nervous.
"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am...Simon's...mentioned me?"
Her gaze shifted back to Simon again with a somewhat accusatory expression that seemed to read: "What exactly did you tell her?" or "Why the heck didn't you warn me?!"
"I've really been looking forward to meeting you..of course this is rather unexpected...but it's no trouble! We'll ah, get you settled somewhere for the briefing."
Calista, from her place behind Amber subtly signaled to Simon and Jim, 'Play it up' she mimed. Amber had bought it, they could push this further.
zCrookedz Killerclown
In the vicinity: Lioness075 Flutterby Bolts

Alec, having just played this particular game...missed the point spectacularly. The bottom of his stomach plummeted as Xiao mentioned a man. She was asking his advice after that but he had a hard time focusing.
"Well uh...I--" But the sound of music cut him off. Alec obeyed Xiao's summon, following her through to the training hall. He recognized the music as they got closer. It was Duik all right. Alec had put the Greatest Showman soundtrack on they hyena's ipod just last week. It was all he listened to, and he'd already created several masterful remixes of his favourites.
Distracted for a moment he cheered as Falarion and Duik finished their course.
Hanging back just for a moment he heard Xiao mention her meeting with Leandra.
"Oh yeah, I should say hi to Leandra too in a bit. You can greet Duik yourself when we get called for the briefing. Shouldn't be too long."
Alec caught sight of the new recruits, one in particular seemed a bit odd, and Amber was there...she seemed a lot stiffer than normal.
Xiao brought his attention back round again for one last moment.
"I want to thank you for your help, Alec."
It took a moment longer to process it. The guy she was talking about...it was him. And he was an idiot.
The relief almost gave itself away but he cleared his throat and looked down. "There's nothing to thank, I uh, I like spending time with you."
Alec waved back as she turned to go. "Count on it." He replied, and watched her until she was gone.

He didn't know when Duik had come up beside him, but the hyena's voice nearly gave him a heart attack: "You choked, didn't you."
"...I choked, yeah."
Duik looked up with a regretful head shake. "After all the practice...maaaaan."
deer

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra Sinciato	Companion: Luness
Attire: Icy blue color eye contacts for both eyes, black tank top w/ kawaii baby tiger on front, tight black jeans, and black converse	Location: The Watch Café
Tagged: deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu)

Leandra all but doubled over in laughter when poor Laohu attempted to climb onto a chair. The poor thing was trying so hard and Leandra could only think of the many cat videos she and Xiao Hui had binged over the past few months.

Luness raised an eyebrow at Leandra and promptly scolded her, "Help the poor furball, Lea!"

Both of them had come to call Laohu by 'furball' in both an affectionate and teasing manner over the last year. Leandra stuck her tongue out at Luness, but obliged. She left her own seat and walked over to Laohu's side before putting her hands on her hips. She struggled to contain her laughter while she tried to think of some way to help him. No matter how much training she had done, she still was no where near strong enough to help a tiger climb onto a seat. Instead, an idea came to her and Leandra grinned as she soon returned with a one of the fabric lounge chairs from further back in the cafe.. She stopped Laohu from continuing his futile attempt to sit in a wooden chair and moved it to the side before replacing it with the lounge chair. Glancing back at Laohu, Leandra then said, "Okay, try getting on now, Laohu. I think this will work better." It was the best she could come up with anyways.

Just as the pair concluded their mini adventure, Xiao Hui made her appearance. Unable to help herself, Leandra let out a small squeal of delight at seeing her best friend. "Ah, Xiao Hui! Hey!"

Frowning, Leandra returned to her own seat and then muttered, "Oh, yeah. I think I did? It's been a couple minutes...maybe they forgot or missed one of the drinks?" Just as she was saying this, a young barista came over and delivered their drinks to the table. Leandra smiled and said, "Oh! Thanks, Chris!" Having been such a regular here, Leandra had learned the names of each barista.

Sipping gingerly at her hot latte, Leandra glanced sideways to watch Luness sip at her own drink. It was still amusing to watch the phoenix pick up a small tea cup with her claws and then bring it up to her beak. Luness sometimes stuck out a claw for dramatic effect and she did so now, drawing a giggle from Leandra.

Hearing Xiao Hui's question, Leandra comically tilted her head to the side and propped her chin on her palm. "I haven't the faintest idea," she said in the strongest Australian accent she could muster. She grinned just as Xiao Hui exclaimed that she had seen Beth with Manjano. Hearing this, she then laughed and said, "I have a feeling he's going to be stuck to her like glue now that she's back." Almost immediately, Leandra's eyes widened and she burst out in song, "Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, stuck like glue! You and me baby, we're stuck like glue!" Swaying back and forth a bit, Leandra then paused when Xiao Hui's last words finally got through to her.

She frowned slightly and said, "You think we're going to go on another big mission, don't you?" Pausing, Leandra moved her chin back to her hand and glanced out the window of the cafe. She was not keen on another big mission after how poorly their last few had gone. Chaos had reigned most of the time and they all had gone unscathed throughout the failed missions. Several members had gotten too close to death, including Leandra due to blood loss once. She feared what may come next if they were gathering once more. New faces meant new chances for pain in the missions. Fresh rookies were bound to make many mistakes and that meant this could be dangerous for rookie and veteran alike. Not that they were necessarily veterans since most of them had only trained for a year, but in comparison to the rookies they were certainly veterans.

Sighing, Leandra returned her focus to her drink and continued to drink it while Luness gave her a concerned look. In between sips, Leandra added, "I suppose we should cut our date short in order to join the others for whatever is coming next. It'd probably be best that we don't miss anything important."

 

[Bolts]

Barry looked to the little bird on his shoulder, sporting a small grin. It was very refreshing to see her not freeze up from a larger bird being in the area. Whatever she had been doing, which she will inevitably talk about sooner or later, seems to have done the trick and he couldn't be prouder. He held a finger out in front of BB. She was in a bit of a trance trying to figure out what to do in the moment, but the stray finger snapped her back into reality. Hopping on, she was brought face to face with Barry. He softened his smile and nodded in approval before presenting a bottle of her favorite snack. Gosh Barry... You're embarrassing me in front of new people! She whispered while stressing the words. Her feathers puffed up while she covered her face from the other agents. Thank you. She murmured before helping herself to the sugary sweet liquid. Not too soon after, both could hear footsteps down the hall. As they peered over the noticed Amber approaching quickly. Immediately they stiffened up and presented themselves more professionally which was cut short by the sudden turn in Amber's change of character.

Quietly, they listened in on the conversation. It went quickly from talk about a meet up to Simon's parents being in town. Barry fell only more in confusion by the exchange but BB started to hover closer and closer to the elder and Simon. Barry tried to reach out to her yet the hummingbird was much too quick. SOOOoooooooo... Your father in town too Mr. Muscles? I saw some old guy walk in earlier and boy was he old. Older than my parents! I think.. wow that would get awkward. Do you think he got lost!? Oh drat! I was so caught up in getting here I didn't even think to stop and give directions. I hope your father isn't prone to accidents or getting lost. If so, I'm sorry but there is no saving him. The Watch has him now. Zipping around back to Ernesto, she perched on his small back. Don't think I forgot about you buddy! Say Erny, even if you get lost easily, I won't let the halls consume you like they did poor Simon's father. I got your back now both literally and figuratively. If you got any questions, let me know. I'll ask my good.. friend Totus for advice. She did a small scan of the group before pressing her head into Ernesto's. Amber did say the meeting was in the cafe right? Wanna race there? looser buys?

Barry placed his head into a hand. It had been a while since seeing everyone and BB was back at it. He signed "Sorry" To Amber, Simon, and the disguised Jim. He did his best to shrug off the moment and await the instructions for the meeting. Once Amber and Simon were done that is.

zCrookedz Killerclown Brendanfp Flutterby SilverFlight

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon's expression was hinged on the border of endearing excitement, and uproarious laughter. Even Jimbo had to bite his bottom lip a bit to keep his maw from stretching into a wide toothy grin at Amber's stammering. As Amber stuttered and stummbled through her introduction, Simon caught Callista out of the corner of his eye and then returned to the scene.
"Mother was in town for the weekend visiting my aunt and her family. She called me up and wanted to meet you more than anything, so I had Darcy pull some quick strings fro a quick visit. And don't worry, I've only ever told her the good stuff about you!"
Simon's endearing smile was snatched away as her heard the buzzing of little wings and the quick flash of color as BB entered the field of vision. Before Simon could say anything however, BB started talking about Simon's father. Simon's expression darkened a bit, but if only just a hair. The little bird wasn't aware that Simon's father had passed away years ago, the thought of which was the cause of Simon's depend emotion. However, Amber had. While their personal lives came up from time to time, his fathers death had been one of the earlier recollections to her and their former team. His ability to provide for his family in his fathers absence had been the subject of the conversation that had lead to Amber telling him about her sister.
This little tid bit of information however could potentially lead to their rouse being found out. If she overlooked BB's comment about the "old man" that he had seen wandering around, then their ploy was till good. If not, Simon foresaw a thorough tongue lashing from Amber in his very near future.
Killerclown SilverFlight Lioness075 Flutterby Bolts

 

[Flutterby]

Beth kept her eyes away from Jim and Agent Strong, focusing mostly on the ground, Manjano, and the other new recruit ( Brendanfp ). The corners of her lips were resisting her efforts to keep her smile appropriately small, causing an ache to build up and the edges of her lips.
Smirking, she kept sneaking glances at the people involved in the charade- Simon, Amber, Jim, Jimbo. Simon and Jimbo both seemed to be just barely holding it together. Beth moved her eyes quickly, because seeing them holding it in was making it harder for her to hold it in.

Totus could feel Beth's laughter just bubbling beneath the surface, at the back of his mind where her consciousness brushed his. The owl tightened his talons on her shoulder, just a little, and Beth nodded almost imperceptibly as she looked back down at the floor.
Totus would have rolled his eyes if he could- she was so bad at jokes like this.

BB, true to form, chattered on and on, with Barry watching on embarrassment. She went from person to person, and then she let a detail slip that just might blow the joke. The "old man" was Jim before the disguise, not Simon's dad. Beth and Totus both glanced up at Simon, whose face changed very subtly, but abruptly at the mention of his father.

Beth and Totus shared a glance, and then looked over at Barry, who signed "Sorry" to the rest.
"Oh, Barry, you made me curious, and I tried to learn some signs while I was gone! I'm not very good, I ran out of time, but I know the alphabet, and say hello. Maybe you can help me learn more some time?" She signed "please" with a small smile, excited to show him to skill she was learning. And to break the small tension she felt building.
SilverFlight zCrookedz Bolts Killerclown Lioness075

 

[deer]

xiao hui & laohu

Laohu all but huffed to himself as he growled lowly at the forsaken chair that didn't allow him to sit on it. His eyes narrowed as he resisted the urge to slap his paw against the chair and bring hell down upon it for making him look like a fool. With a defeated sigh, Laohu's head dropped slightly feeling his pride flitting away as he listened to the sound of Lea's laughter. Laohu tried to keep a straight face, remaining indignant at the hassle he had to go through just for wanting to be in the company of his friends but the blockade of a wooden human contraption didn't allow him a peace of mind. Trying to feign anger at Lea and Luness for laughing at him, Laohu hmpfed as he stomped his paw against the ground in warning only to break out in laughter with them.

However, as Lea headed somewhere for a brief moment, Laohu curiously watched her go before giving a questionable look to Luness. But, once Lea arrived with a fabric lounge chair, Laohu's eyes lit up as a toothy grin escaped his lips. With a nod, Laohu slowly climbed into the fabric lounge chair Lea had brought in and sighed in satisfaction. "Ah." Laohu murmured under his breath, making his comfortable as he sat on the chair. "More comfortable than a wooden chair, that's for sure. Thank you, Lea."

Once Laohu was finally situated, Laohu's ears perked as he heard the footsteps of his companion. Turning to look at Xiao Hui as she approached him, petting his head, Laohu chuffled softly, not able to find it in him to speak of his embarrassing moment. Deciding to divert the attention away from him, Laohu whistled at her question if they had been waiting long. Quirking a brow, Laohu shook his head, "You are late again, Hui." He started, clicking his tongue, "Did a certain someone cause you to be late again?"

Laohu watched as Xiao Hui attempted to not blush at his words as she looked away clearing her throat. "N-no, not at all!" She quickly blurted out.

Moving his head around the Cafe and towards the doors, Laohu continued, teasingly, "Is that so? You are looking a little flustered, Hui."

Trying not to laugh, Laohu continued watching is companion squirm under his questionable gaze.

location: inside The Watch Cafe | with: Leandra and Luness | mentions: Alec | tags: SilverFlight , Lioness075​

On the other hand, Xiao Hui could only clear her throat as her attention was diverted back to Leandra, not wanting go any further as she felt her face heating up as she remembered Alec's words. I like spending time with you.

But, just as she asked Leandra if she had ordered already, the barista passed by and gently placed down their drinks. Xiao Hui sighed, seemingly looking grateful for the intervention as she slowly moved her chair to sit down. Smiling at Chris, Xiao Hui could only dip her head in greeting before she softly asked, "Chris? May I order tea for Laohu as well?"

With a nod and a wink, Chris gave Xiao Hui a thumbs up and Laohu waited in anticipation. Loahu always loved drinking tea and he knew he wouldn't be able to mess up this time with showing Luness and Leandra that he could be graceful as humans, despite being a tiger. Nevertheless, Xiao Hui and Laohu's attention was slightly tuned to Luness for a brief moment as they watched her gingerly take the teacup in her claws and brought it up to her back. Xiao Hui could only giggle softly with Leandra as well when she noticed one of Luness' claw sticking for pose and regality. Laohu, on the other hand, was always mesmerised by the Phoenix's display of elegantly drinking her tea.

"You will have your tea soon, Laohu." Xiao Hui gently petted him, smiling softly as she nodded, reassuring him that it would be alright.

A soft rumbling chuckle escaped Laohu as he nodded before speaking to Luness, "You have to teach me your ways, O' Bright Pheonix Luness!"

Shaking her head, Xiao Hui could only roll her eyes before her excitement crept up on her once more when Leandra tilted her head to the side and wondered who she had seen. Xiao Hui was waiting in anticipation and couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the idea of their team getting back together again as a whole. It had been awhile since she had seen everyone together in one area despite most of the team staying behind to train. But, regardless, she felt happier when she saw that Leandra and her twin brother Manjano had been on speaking terms again. Relieved would be an understatement when she saw the siblings working things out and reconciling with one another.

Although she still hates to admit to anyone especially Leandra, Xiao Hui could only wonder if Manjano may have hated her or even disliked her for causing trouble to befall on Leandra. She couldn't very well ask or approach him as she wasn't sure he would want to talk to her aside from a few greetings now and then. Xiao Hui knew she could be closer with some members of the team, but, it had been so hard to maintain so many secrets that she didn't know if she had a good standing with most of them. But, she did what she always did, stood in the background, watching over others - it is how she worked best, right?

Laohu, on the other hand, could feel his companion's slight hesitation and turmoil. He could only lowly growl, discreetly moved an inch to ease up next to his companion for comfort, though, it wouldn't be noticeable to the naked eye that Laohu was trying to ease his companion's worries.

Brought out of her thoughts, Xiao Hui heard Leandra's laughter and couldn't help but smile widely as she nodded, softly squealing at Leandra's reaction when she told her that Manjano and Beth were reunited. Tilting her head to the side as she listened to Leandra sing, Xiao Hui hummed softly, wondering which song she had been singing. "What song was that, Lea? I do not believe I have heard it before." Xiao Hui couldn't help but feel grateful yet absolutely in awe at the female before her. She had never had a friend before and Lea was the closest thing she had to even almost becoming like a sister to her. Spending time with Leandra for the past year made Xiao Hui hopeful, perhaps even more confident in herself. Leandra had helped her in more ways than Xiao Hui could even begin to explain and she admired her strength and determination.

With a nod, Xiao Hui swayed slightly to the side as well, enjoying the moment with Leandra. "Stuck to her like glue, you say?" Xiao Hui hummed softly, imagining that image in her head as she couldn't help but laugh in agreement. However, Xiao Hui couldn't help but understand that feeling. If Leandra or even Alec were to leave for a few months without her, Xiao Hui honestly would feel . . . no words could explain how she would feel. She became attached to her friends and that's what worried her the most. Simon and Jimbo were kind enough to teach her a few boxing moves and help her in her less area of expertise: fist-fighting. The thought of losing all of them made her stomach twist and churn and that only brought flashbacks of being back in Beijing.

She could hear BB's loud echoing voice in her ear once more when she was her companion and she could only feel even more sorry when BB had also been a victim of her father. She, for awhile, couldn't face Barry either as it was the same as Manjano. Inwardly sighing, the resonating soft sound of silence echoed in the air when she took note of Leandra's expression as Leandra had more courage to ask the question she, herself, was afraid to ask or even say.

"You think we're going to go on another big mission, don't you?"

Xiao Hui could only send a small smile and a nod as she listened to Leandra at cutting their date short. She feared another mission, but she also knew avoiding missions wouldn't help any of them improve in their crafts. She became an Agent for a reason and her fear shouldn't outweigh what they needed to do. Xiao Hui could only sigh inwardly before shaking her head, telling herself to get a grip. "Lea." She started, her voice just above a whisper.

"You have improved so much within the last year. It may not look like it. But you have exceeded expectations. What you accomplished with Laohu and I, not everyone can understand or get to the level that you are capable of within just a year or even less." Xiao Hui smiled reassuringly before Laohu slowly moved from his lounge chair and brushed his head against her legs in affection and reassurance.

"Maybe it's time to put all that we learned to good use, what do you think?" She finished before gently taking her tea cup in her hand, and taking a small sip of her tea, feeling the warmth of the drink disperse through her body.

location: The Watch Cafe | with: Leandra and Luness | mentions: Alec, Simon, Jimbo, BB, Barry, Manjano, Beth
tags: SilverFlight , Lioness075 , Flutterby , zCrookedz , Bolts​

 

[Killerclown]

Jim nodded and placed a hand on Simon's chest and patted it.As he did that, he thought to himself," I wonder when i can break the ruse and reveal myself. This is starting to get kinda awkward." He then said to Amber," That is correct dearie. And, from what I heard, you are an excellent person to work with. I am happy my Simon has a excellent co-worker." He then extended his hand to shake Amber's.

 

[SilverFlight]

It wasn't long before Alec and Duik rejoined the group outside the training hall. Alec certainly didn't recognize the old lady.
"Hey guys, who're the new faces?" Alec asked as he approached the team. Amber, he guessed, would be leading them to the briefing but she seemed a little overwhelmed at the moment.
Bolts Lioness075 Flutterby zCrookedz Brendanfp

Amber reached out slowly to grasp 'Donna's' hand and frowned when her own was significantly smaller. She didn't have much time to think on however as Calista dissolved into a fit of giggles.
"Amber...you should--haha--you...you should see your face!!! Oh I can't wait until you meet the real Donna Sinclair."
Amber paused, then she blinked once, the pieces falling into place. She narrowed her eyes and turned back to the old woman whose hand she still clasped, speaking in an icy voice:
"James Sterling Carswell I presume?"
Her glare shifted to Simon behind the 'woman' and it said very clearly: 'you'll pay for this later'. Then, noticing Jimbo beside his partner she looked at him with a mock-tragic expression.
"Et tu, Brute?"
zCrookedz Killerclown

Duik, who had been watching all of this suddenly snorted, unable to contain his laughter anymore.
"Oooh my gawd that's a dude!" He began circling Jim, absolutely facinated. "I couldn't tell at all! Man how'd you do that? Also...you're face looks familiar..." He sat back on his haunches to look up at the man in disguise. "I coulda sworn I seen you somewhere....maybe not with the dress though dig?"
Killerclown

"Well, now that you've all had fun." Amber said curtly, her air of professionalism had returned in full force. "How about we actually get to work?"

The cafe was already occupied by a handful of the old team members. A nod from Amber sent the barista away swiftly and the doors were closed on his way out. If they wanted drinks they were allowed to make them themselves.

Duik jumped up on one of the spinning bar stools and rotated a few times before having to wiggled back round to the counter.
"Hey! Bartender! Milkshake!" He smacked a paw on the plastic surface. "Come on Alec! Chop chop!"
"Why me?" Alec grumbled, clearly not impressed with the hyena's mock-snotty tone.
"Because you're dressed like one." Duik grinned.
Alec looked down at his dark green vest, then shot the hyena a sour look.
"It's fashionable."
"For a bookie."
"I...Shut up."
Nevertheless Alec slipped behind the counter and prepared to take orders, glancing occasionally at where Xiao sat, and trying not to be obvious.

"As you know," Amber began, once she had set a device on the table in the center of the room. A stream of blue light shot forth, projecting an image on the blank wall in front of it.
"We've recalled quite a lot of you back from previous training programs and missions. We've even recruited a few more people with very specific skillsets. This is because there has been a new development in the Ferals case."

Even Duik stopped goofing off at those words. The Ferals case had been dead for a year, with no news leads in all that time. It was like they had vanished like ghosts.
Calista sitting in a chair beside her partner, playing with a laser pointer on the desk, waiting for her turn to speak.
"This new lead will take us to Singapore. As of yet we believe the Ferals are unaware of the fact that we've picked up their trail. We'd like to keep it that way, so this mission will require us to be absolutely invisible. As far as any single noise we are putting out for our info trollers on the other side, the Watch will not be in Singapore."

Bolts Lioness075 Flutterby zCrookedz Brendanfp deer Killerclown

 

[Flutterby]

Beth's facade finally broke when Callista's did, breaking out into soft giggles as the civet tried to speak around her laughter. Totus chuckled as well, the sound coming out as a series of soft hoots. Their enjoyment of the joke faded quickly, as Amber's icy professionalism clued them- this was a really serious visit.

They let the joke go, and followed solemnly as they went to the cafe.
"Is this.. is this going to be like last time?" Beth said softly, glancing at Totus, then Manjano, then anyone who happened to hear her and look back.
Totus rubbed his beak against the top of her ear, but he was just as uneasy about the way Strong was acting.
As they entered, Beth raised a hand to greet the group already there, with a restrained smile. With this many of the old team together, she began to have no doubt.
Bolts Lioness075 zCrookedz Brendanfp deer Killerclown

Totus took off from her shoulder and landed on a table, grabbing Beth a seat while she followed Alec behind the counter.
"I'm just gonna get some tea." She said softly, moving past him and Duik to grab a cup. She hadn't spoken much with just Alec in the 'old days,' but it made her smile to watch him pretend to not look at Xiao. She managed to get herself a cup of peppermint tea without breaking or spilling anything, and smiled warmly at Alec as she slipped from behind the counter and went to go sit by her bird.
SilverFlight

As she sat down, Totus took a look into her cup and then clacked his beak- he preferred sneaking sips of mochas and lattes, but she had cut back on caffeine recently. It had made the stress and anxiety worse, while they were working. Even though they were both half-expecting it, hearing Agent Strong actually say they were back on the Ferals case.. well, both of them felt their blood run cold. They shared a glance, and a blink, and then both turned back to the screen.
With any luck, this time would be the end of it.

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon hadn't realized it until after Amber had said the words, but he had been holding his breath ever since the group sat down for the briefing in the small cafe. It wasn't until after she had said the words that he was flooded with a mix emotions that had washed away the humor he had found in the rouse in the training hall. Even Jimbo had smirked at Amber after their performance and her Ceaser reference, merely shrugging and saying "Eh, felix culpa." from his very limited knowledge of Latin expressions. Simon had found it even more amusing than Jimbo had, bursting into laughter with Calista as soon as they had been found out. Even Amber's glare at him hadn't been hard enough to break through his shell of excitement and good humor.
The current conversation had been however. With the release of the slow steady breath he had been holding, Simon could feel Jimbo nudge him in the thigh from where the ape was sitting on the ground. Simon had chosen a stool at the bar to set, but had been to anxious to ask Alec for anything. The details of the mission and what the plan was still rattling around in his brain like a jar of coins, it was hard for him to concentrate until his partner help to ease his thoughts. Simon smiled and nodded to his brother returning his attention to Amber at the front.
When she had reached a point of interjection, Simon stood from his stool and made his way over towards her and Callista at the front. Clearing his throat, Simon folded his arms over his broad chest and took a deep breathe.
"The miss direction of information is one of many steps we are taking for the safety of this mission. I don't wish to alarm anyone, but given the.......history......of Singapore, I met with Director Darcy to ensure some extra safety precautions for this mission."
Simon's eyes wandered first to Jimbo, who sat on the floor to his right and gave him a slow and solemn nod. Then, his eyes and head turned to Amber and Calista. In his mind he could still hear Darcy and his conversation explaining the situation, then ending it with
"The best precaution is to prepare them for the worst."
Simon had understood the meaning clear as day. So, he let his arms fall to his sides and his hands slip into his pockets as his eyes swept across the recruits.
"For those of you who are new, or have yet to hear the story. Singapore was the last stop for Team Delta about 6 years ago. Of which Amber, Calista, Jimbo and myself where part of. We were sent into investigate a situation much like this, and wound up losing our entire team to a creature known as a Merlion. Mythical classification, about 2 stories tall and can summon giant tidal waves. After which, it was never seen again. But we lost our entire team, and some good friends. So, I insisted on the extra protection."
Simon could feel the lump in his throat when he swallowed to try and calm himself. He knew it wouldn't be of any use than to just continue on.
"We have several evac plans in place, one of which I've had our engineering department working on a special tool. Though I'm not sure if it will be ready. But we can get into the evac after Calista fills in everyone on the actual mission part."
With that, Simon glanced over to Callista with a nod before he turned and leaned against the counter beside Jimbo. He felt the big guys hand rap his knuckles on the side of his hip and was greeted with a warm smile.
"Good job."
Bolts Lioness075 Flutterby SilverFlight Brendanfp Ineptitude . Killerclown

 

[Killerclown]

Jim couldn't help but grin as the ruse they did was finally exposed. That grin was quickly replaced by a look of nervousness as she frowned, obviously annoyed that she was tricked. This nervousness was shorted lived when a hyena walked up to him and started to circle him, stating that he knew him from somewhere, just not with a dress on. Jim just let out a small chuckle and thought to himself," I might've found myself a fan of my work." As the rest of the group left to begin the briefing, Jim walked back into the disguise department, Artemis in tow, and began to switch back into his suit. As he took off the make-up that covered his face, Artemis looked at Jim and said to him," You are lucky you weren't fired on the spot. The agent you tricked did not look very happy." Jim laughed and said to Artemis," She obviously had a sense of humor. Besides, i view it as less of a prank and more as a opportunity to show off my amazing disguise making and acting skills." At this point, Jim resembled the man he was when he first arrived at the facility, besides for a few smears of makeup still on his face. As he wiped his face with a cloth, he turned to Artemis and said," Now, shall we head to briefing. I believe i saw them head for the cafe." Jim and Artemis then left the disguise department and headed towards the cafe.

Jim and Artemis made it to the cafe just as the barista left and the doors closed. As Jim settled down on his seat and began to listen to the briefing, he looked around aimlessly, checking out the other agents and their animal partners. Suddenly, his eyes came to rest on a Asian woman and a tiger. What caught his attention was the color of the tiger, who was white as snow. Jim's mouth dropped a bit as he thought to himself," Oh my God, that tiger looks like Luna." Suddenly, a image of his younger self running around his Grandfather's garden being chased playfully by a white tiger flashed through his mind. Jim immediately shook his head, clearing his mind of that image and turned away from the two, hoping that they didn't notice him staring at them. As he continued to listen to the briefing, he started to grin to himself. Apparently, a cold case was just revived by a new lead that would take them to the city-state of Singapore. Jim then let out a light chuckle as he said," Singapore huh? I have been meaning to go back there. The last time i was there was there was when they filmed The Jaguar movie back in 84. " Jim's grin then grew wider as he remembered his misadventures in the city while Artemis just rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed that Jim had brought up his old role during the middle of a important briefing. Jim then said," I still have a few buddies down there. I can hook you up with them if you want. They could've seen or heard something about Feral in the Grapevine."

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui & Laohu

Not a moment sooner, Laohu's attention went towards the door of the Cafe hearing footsteps approaching. Lifting his head up as he walked back towards Xiao Hui, his eyes landed on Amber before the others that trailed in behind her. A lopsided grin appeared on his face as he watched Duik jump into one of the spinning chairs by the bar. Tilting his head to the side, Laohu sighed, knowing he couldn't jump into one of the chairs without falling in style. Regardless, Laohu shook his head before he nudged Xiao Hui's hand. Noting the small look of awe on her face, Laohu rolled his eyes seeing as Xiao Hui tried to not show that her attention was on Alec the moment he walked in. "You're staring." Laohu singsongy said in Xiao Hui's mind.

Quickly diverting her gaze away, Xiao Hui smiled nervously back at Laohu before she slowly got up from her chair and slowly moved the chair to the opposite side of the table facing the direction Leandra would be facing and where the debrief would begin. Once settled, Xiao Hui smiled softly towards Leandra and took another sip of her tea before clinking her own tea softly with Leandra's - another sign of reassurance and hope that everything would be alright. But, before the debrief began, Xiao Hui took her time to recognise new and old faces, committing them to memory as she sighed softly. It was bittersweet.

However, as Xiao Hui gazed around the room, she could feel as if someone was staring at her but she didn't know who. Laohu, on the other hand, sensed his companion's wonder but didn't find the need to be too alert. His eyes eventually landed on the lioness across the room - a new member of the team it seemed. It wasn't his first rodeo where he met another big cat, however, Laohu's eyes narrowed slightly as he caught a glimpse of the lioness' companion's facial expression. "Was he staring at him or Hui? However, before Laohu or Xiao Hui could question any longer, their attention was brought back to the matter at hand.

If her heart could drop even further, it just did. The Feral cases were active once more and Xiao Hui could feel cold sweat dripping down the side of her face. Laohu, on the other hand, pawed at the ground slightly, trying to ease both his and Xiao Hui's stress. But, Xiao Hui's heart beat quickened as Amber, Calista, and Simon began diving further into their past: Singapore, the Merlion, and their fallen comrades. Her heart went out to the four of them: human and animal companions alike. She couldn't imagine the pain and the strength to overcome such hardships, burden, and catastrophe. The mission presented before them would be a cause for extra awareness, protection, and precaution. The cold case became active once more and Xiao Hui couldn’t help her thoughts. Was it a nightmare? A coincidence? Whatever it was, they would be diving straight into the bulk of the matter with as much stealth and quietness as possible.

Something quietly stirred inside Xiao Hui. Despite not being part of the team 6 years ago, their newest case had hit close to home - her teammates, her comrades, her fellow Agents were suffering maybe even suffocating. It was personal. Would that be a problem? Regardless, Xiao Hui silently vowed to keep her wits about her and to be her teammate's support when needed, no matter what. However, her curiosity went towards the Merlion creature. Flashbacks of encountering the Nian in Beijing was as clear as day and Laohu could lean in closer towards Xiao Hui.

However, the two were brought out of their thoughts when one of the newest members of the team spoke up. Xiao Hui narrowed her eyes slightly, taking note of his appearance and his companion. "The Jaguar?" Xiao Hui whispered to herself before the older male added that he may have contacts in Singapore that could be of use to them. Exactly who was he? Nevertheless, Xiao Hui took a deep breath and steadied her heart before waiting to hear more of what they needed to do in Singapore and the plan.

tags: SilverFlight , Flutterby , Lioness075 , zCrookedz , Bolts , Brendanfp , Killerclown

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Manjano	Companion: Falarion
Attire: Khaki beanie with most of his white hair showing above his forehead, icy blue eye contacts, khaki leather jacket, plain white t-shirt, light jeans, brown converse	Location: The Watch Café
Tagged: zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), SilverFlight (Calista, Amber, Alec, and Duik), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis), Brendanfp (Annie and Ernesto), deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu)

Frowning when Simon declared the old woman to be his mother, Manjano glanced between the two for resemblances and found himself uncertain if they were lying or not. Feeling rather confused, he glanced over to Beth and blinked when he saw her expression. She seemed to be struggling to hold something in and Manjano was rather perplexed with the entire scenario.

As the celebration for their victory died down, Falarion trotted over to rejoin his companion's side. Still panting from the physical exertion, Falarion felt too tired now to do much else than sit down and swivel his head about.

Subconsciously, Manjano reached out for Falarion now that they were together again and smiled when his hand met Falarion's furry head. It was very uncomfortable feeling for him whenever Falarion was not with him and Manjano had a feeling that Beth felt the same way. He could not even begin to imagine being away from Falarion for weeks like Beth during her missions. He involuntarily shuddered at the thought and then looked back at Beth. She was still trying really hard to compress something and Manjano finally realized that she looked like Lea whenever she was trying to not laugh.

Feeling more uncomfortable with this situation rather than finding it humorous, Manjano resolved to simply wait until the charade was over. Personally, he just wanted to hear what Amber had to tell the team and hopefully get ready for a new mission. Manjano had gotten close several times to volunteering for missions himself, as the waiting had all but driven him insane. He could only twiddle his thumbs for so long before he wanted to hit his head against a wall.

Falarion glanced up at Manjano, hearing his thoughts, and nudged his hand thoughtfully. We might have missed out on joining everyone for this mission if we tried to go do our own thing, though! Plus, I wouldn't have gotten so great at running, jumping, and even speaking!

Smiling again, Manjano nodded down at Falarion and scratched him behind the ear while Falarion began thumping one of his back legs.

Not a moment later and Amber suddenly found out the ruse and was quietly infuriated by it. Manjano was happy to know he was not on either side of the situation, which meant he was safe from her fury. He definitely did not want to be on her bad side.

Finally, the group moved on to the cafe, which was convenient enough since Manjano knew Lea and Xiao Hui along with their companions were having tea there as they did nearly everyday. As they all entered the cafe, Manjano gave Lea a small wave and she gleefully returned it. He then moved over to the bar and while Alec begrudgingly made a milkshake for Duik, Manjano instead searched for the lightest alcoholic beverage available. While it had been absolutely impossible for him to stop drinking while Beth had been away, it had been too difficult for him to not notice how she felt about drinking in general. Manjano figured that drinking lighter was better than no improvement at all. Finding the ingredients he sought, Manjano went to work making himself an Americano. He had actually watched some of those weird DIY YouTube videos to learn how to make his own drinks since he oftentimes just wanted to enjoy a drink alone instead of in a public area.

Meanwhile, Falarion happily bounced over towards the bar area, but instead went for one of the bar stools near Duik. Having learned over the year to not be so hasty in his movements since he was half-blind, Falarion paused a moment and tilted his head at various angles until he had a good idea of how to safely get on the bar stool. With one deft leap, he landed on the bar stool and quickly sat down before he slid off of it. Ears pricked, he waited a moment until he was certain he would not fall before he spun himself once for fun and then stopped when Amber began the brief.

Manjano sipped his Americano while Amber announced that the Ferals were making a comeback and the team was to hunt them down yet again. Almost immediately, Manjano frowned at this and then down the rest of his drink in two gulps. Setting the glass down on the counter with an annoyingly loud clink, Manjano winced before grabbing a nearby hand towel. Absentmindedly and silent, he moved himself past Alec to the sink at the bar and rinsed out his glass before rubbing it with the towel.

Falarion winced at Manjano's sudden flare-up of mixed emotions towards the Ferals. Nearly every member of the team had experienced a close call last time. With new members joining them, recruits no less, the danger felt just as high as it had been before. Folding his ears against his head, Falarion let out a small whimper.

Listening to Simon, Manjano merely shook his head to himself. This was crazy, they already had tried to fight a mythical beast last time and had failed miserably. The beast had escaped and several team members had been injured in the process. Xiao Hui had nearly died, in fact. As Simon concluded his backstory, Manjano could only imagine how he would have felt if he and Falarion had been the only survivors of the Nian incident. Manjano felt a sudden urge to offer to make a drink for Simon, but quickly reconsidered since they were in the middle of the brief. Maybe another time.

When the odd man, who was no longer acting like an old woman, began speaking about some Jaguar thing and knowing people, Manjano frowned at him. It was normal for Manjano to not have much to say in most cases, but that man just blatantly ignored Simon's story and did not offer any care in the world about it. Not verbally, anyways. Sighing under his breath, Manjano merely went back to rubbing his glass that would have sparkled in the right light at this point.

Falarion's ears shot back up when 'The Jaguar' was mentioned. Prancing in place on his bar stool, Falarion quickly forgot Simon's story as excitement threatened to overwhelm him.
"The Jaguar?! Do you know the actor? Did you see him? Did you meet him? Did you get his autograph?"
The questions spewed out of him before he could think about anything else and Falarion let out another whimper, but this time it was one of pure excitement.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra Sinciato	Companion: Luness
Attire: Icy blue color eye contacts for both eyes, black tank top w/ kawaii baby tiger on front, tight black jeans, and black converse	Location: The Watch Café
Tagged: deer (Xiao Hui and Laohu), SilverFlight (Amber, Calista, Alec, and Duik), zCrookedz (Simon and Jimbo), Flutterby (Beth and Totus), Bolts (BB and Barry), Killerclown (Jim and Artemis), Brendanfp (Annie and Ernesto)

Unable to resist, Leandra giggled one more time at Laohu's perpetual seat struggle before she regained her composure. Bemused, she replied, "No problem, furball."

The moment Xiao Hui had entered the cafe and joined them, Leandra was nearly incapable of sitting still because of how excited she was. They were finally going on missions again! They were going to kick butt this time, too! Leandra did not feel nearly as useless as she had a year ago. Now she better understood pressure points and was capable of defending herself instead of just thwacking someone upside the head with a wooden staff.

Luness finished her tea and carefully set the teacup aside to avoid knocking it over by accident. When Chris delivered the rest of their drinks, he also picked up Luness' empty teacup and she added in after Xiao Hui, "Thank you, dear!"

Just then, Laohu began teasing Xiao Hui about Alec and Leandra absolutely could not resist joining in.
"Ohh, tell me! Tell me, Xiao Hui! Does he look extra cute today? Are you two going to study later?"
Grinning now, Leandra added in a wink after her last question, all too aware of how it could be misinterpreted.

Upon hearing Laohu's compliment, Luness chortled and replied, "Well, my dear, it will require some precision with your claws. I am lucky since I have talons that I can use individually if I focus enough on the task. For you, it will certainly be a bit more difficult. I have learned the hard way that the more you focus on the task, the harder it appears to get even when it is not too difficult to begin with."

Rolling her eyes at Luness' wisdom of drinking tea, Leandra opened her mouth to tease Xiao Hui some more, but was interrupted as the rest of their team joined them in the cafe. As Chris and the other workers left, Leandra felt a feeling of unease wash over her. This was not going to be a fun mission after all, then.

With her attention diverted from Xiao Hui, Leandra completely missed her staring at Alec. It was too bad since that would have been another perfect opportunity to tease her best friend.

Both Leandra and Luness focused intently on Amber's debrief. Hearing that Ferals were rising again and that was their focus once more, the pair exchanged an uneasy glance. So much pain and chaos had unfolded last time, what good could come of it this time? Leandra immediately rolled her ankle around to crack it, as she remembered when she had torn several muscles in it before. Or rather, when a feral wolf had nearly torn her foot off.

Without skipping a beat, Luness hopped down from her perch and onto Leandra's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek to reassure her. Leandra brought a hand up to rub Luness' feathers and tried to smile despite her racing heart.

Because of how frightened she was by their mission, especially when Simon explained what had happened there previously, Leandra barely heard a word from the new guy.

 

[Flutterby]

Beth and her owl watched Simon stand and move to the front. He was tense, just like Amber.
"Something else is going on here."
Beth and Totus said it to one another at the same moment, and she smirked a little. Jinx, he thought.
Simon's speech brought their private moment of humor to a screeching halt. They hadn't heard the story, at least not in one succinct go. She had never seen Simon like this- holding in such strong emotion that wasn't anger. Totus ruffled his feathers, uncomfortable with the way this was being brought up. He was beginning to wonder if they'd be safer with Agent Williams.
If they were understanding Simon and Amber correctly, they were going into Singapore in the deep, dark kind of way. Limited, if any, contacts. Probably limited resources, to avoid being big and flashy and drawing attention. There might even be a faux mission file 'sending' them elsewhere. The owl and the young woman blinked at one another again, and Beth took a slow sip of tea.

When the old man spoke, Totus scowled a little. He wasn't a huge fan of new agents- he remembered how volatile the original team had been at first. And this man.. well, he seemed more happy to reminisce about something that had happened decades ago then understand the gravoty of the situation. His plumage puffed up a little. That kind of thing could be dangerous.
Beth glanced at Totus, feeling his attitude at the back of her mind. Her eyes darted around, noticing Manjano's annoyance as well. She looked back over to the man who had spoken, and she cleared her throat softly. A part of her felt bad for this guy. He was a new agent to an established team, and older than everyone in the room by quite a bit. She couldn't help but feel that he would need all the help he could get in finding a way to fit in.
"If I'm understanding, the point they're making is that we're not trusting anyone with any information about this- probably not even other agents. Which might make reconnecting with old friends impossible. We can't afford to take any risk when it comes to being compromised." Her voice was soft, but her tone was firm.
Killerclown
She returned her eyes to Agent Strong, and said, "What do we know about their activities since.. well I guess China? With the mythic and that little animal and uh.. the ice place.. " She gave a mouth-shrug, the corners of her lips dropping down before she spoke again. "I mean, are they in Singapore as an extension of what we were chasing, or of what Team Delta was chasing.. or are those two things the same?" She glanced between Amber, Calista, Simon, and Jimbo, hoping to get on to the mission details before her mind ran away from her.
SilverFlight

 

[Killerclown]

Jim grinned at Falarion and was about to respond to him when all the sudden he was suddenly interrupted by someone clearing her throat. He turned around and saw that the person who interrupted her was a girl with a owl for a companion. As the girl explained why he probably shouldn't shake down his former contacts for information, his face started to turn red. Whether this was out of anger or humiliation was vague as he continued to listen to her. After Beth was finished, Jim put two of his fingers on his chin and said while rubbing it," I suppose you make a good point missy." He then turned around back to Falarion and said to him with his grin plastered on his face, " No, i did not meet the Main Actor or get his autograph. The reason why is very simple, i am that that actor. I am Jim Sterling Carswell, better known as the man who played The Jaguar of course.'' Jim's grin grew wider as he brought this up. The Jaguar was his most famous role so no doubt some of these agents would've heard of both him and the show he was on. He then started to look around the room, trying to see how people reacted to hearing that new piece of information.
Lioness075
Flutterby