The Peralta’s Island was interesting and certainly showed their worth to the world. The greenery was filled with a large temperate and subtropical forest merged together, giving a wide variety of unique plant life that stuck out even within its isolation. It was clear not all the life was native to the island, numerous species from plants to animals, and most were brought in then left to thrive. And thrive it seemed to do. Overall, the setting wasn’t unpleasant to look at after one concerned the pain staking means it took to achieve it.
Right at the Peraltas’ front door were a small group of Asylums, meandering about and waited to be let in like stray cats, each waiting for the cruise ship holding the one with the key to arrive. The lost number, Geko, leaned against the far wall. He was within the enclosed section of the mansion and nearby some shadows which he could easily use to make himself less notable should trouble come knocking. A cigar smoked between his lips, the wisps wafting from the cherry red tip glowing with each breath. His arms were crossed over his broad chest while his legs were stretched out in a casually leaning position, his figure leaning heavily on the wall’s smoothed out stone surface. He was dressed completely in black while he admired younger, female Asylums with slight smirk.
He, among the other Asylums, had been briefed over their newest task so they all were well aware the Bloodlines were on route to the Meeting of the Crests. Anytime they would arrive and until then, they were ordered to wait here.
Waiting didn't sit well with Gris's nature, not on an Island in god knows where away from his tools. The man's hands continuously ran themselves along the belt he wore, searching for any stray hairs or gaps. It was a good thing he was finding none as he had no way to repair them, and such an imperfection would have elicited an undesirable reaction from Gris.
Joseph watched his partner's work. Privately he was nervous about Gris. The man didn't take well to being idle and his mind might find other ways to entertain himself at any moment. He needed to react quickly with song to protect everyone if that was the case. The enforced patience chafed at him as well. He'd been warming up his throat since they arrived, running through his vocal exercises. If they had to bide their time he at least wanted to use it productively.
Keeping Gris in mind he selected a song from memory, purely mundane, but one he knew calmed the man. Ignoring the others who were waiting, apathetic towards their tastes or desires, he began to sing the soothing melody.
Rikka was sitting on a patch of grass, admiring at how many plants she could pull before annoying Oliver. The sun burned onto her skin, emitting a golden glow on her fingers. Oliver sat next to her with his mask pulled down, he was about to scold her about messing with the plants. However, it seemed as though she had momentarily stopped. Oliver glanced up and noticed that she was staring at an unusual pair in the distance. As Joseph's song reached Rikka's ears, she turned towards him and grimaced at the sight. Her eyebrows furrowed and her brightly colored eyes narrowed. She grabbed Oliver's wrist and pulled him close to seemingly whisper about the strange Asylum man. Her eyes glossed over his appearance, cracking a smile to her friend,
"Hey, Antoine, don't you think he sounds too flat when he hits E sharp?" She asked her friend with an obnoxious tone to her voice.
Oliver glanced over to the pair and then back at his partner. Rikka stared back at him and smirked, knowing that Oliver caught wind of what she was going to do. He shook his head and spoke in a hushed voice,
"We have no idea what they are capable of. Starting a fight isn't--.." Rikka threw his hand back and swiftly stood up. The flowers that she had collected on her lap had dropped to her feet. Before Oliver had a chance to stop her from the mess she was about to cause, Rikka waltzed up to the pair.
"You shouldn't be singing if you can't hit the proper notes."A true professional when it came to singing Joseph did not allow his song to be prematurely ended by the rude interruption. Instead he continued on until the end of the chorus, finding a point where he could allow his voice to trail off in a natural finish. He could see Gris gently rocking along to the music from the corner of his eye and hoped the man would stay distracted in his own little world for a few minutes as he dealt with the uncouth before him.
He gave his voice a few moments to rest before speaking, fixing a condescending look upon his face as he addressed Rikka,
"Little girl you should keep your mouth shut on matters you know nothing about. Do not bother the professionals with your ignorant drivel." He stopped short of patting her on the head, but his smile widened and he shooed her off with his hand, clearing his throat and preparing to start again.
Bashing her head in with a brick.
Being strapped to a chair, subject to the mercies of a particularly vengeful orator--the topic at hand being a truly exhaustive lecture illustrating various properties of sand.
Being forced to decide between three identical shades of beige, complete with a shrieking sales representative and a time limit almost as short as she was. Which, considering the tiny stature with which Elliot Ferris had been cursed, was two steps away from being absolutely
terrifying.
Each of these prospects seemed enthralling, considering the alternative--there was showing up fashionably early, and then there was being an asshole. This fell securely under the latter category, Elliot figured--if showing up ten minutes early was tantamount to treason, then arriving hours beforehand had to be equivalent to a declaration of war. Etiquette, she decided, was for nerds. And, frankly, if she wasn't given something to do soon, she was going to bid the last vestiges of her dignity a poignant farewell and add ‘hammering nails into her own damn fingertips’ to the list.
Even the tension brewing mere meters away wasn't enough to stymie monotony's cruel, cruel machinations, and if the glazed-over gaze and the numb, slack expression weren't explicit indication she was mere minutes away from exploring the treacherous terrain of recreational idiocy, then maybe the cramps caused by prolonged inactivity would emphasize the point quite nicely.
She didn't have to get involved. She could swerve safely out of harm's way, right back into her own lane, where she belonged. She would mind her own damn business and leave the receipt-hounding to the professionals.
”N'you shouldn't be talkin'," she called to the instigator (the girl that made ‘princess complex’ look like a brand new social movement, hot off the proverbial griddle), a broad grin unfurling on pink lips,
"when the only thing your petty ass can hit is a nerve. Sea ain't salty enough for you?"Or, she could put her foot in her mouth. She could do that, too.
She could do that
pretty damn well.
Geko's ears perked up at the budding fight occurring between the unlinked, and two sets of teams. His eyes shifted from one group to the next, and finally settled on the last woman. He let a little smirk played across his lips while he debated on either two options: let this play out a little longer or stop it in its tracks. Both had their perks and hassles, his figure starting to edge up off the wall and stand upright.
He puffed his cigar a bit more, his teeth pinning it in his mouth as he edged closer gradually. His steps heavy and slow, drawing nearer like a shark watching a school of fish play.
Rikka scoffed at the other that decided to interfere, she flicked her strawberry blonde hair behind her shoulders and glanced back at the man that was singing formerly. She straightened out her back and crossed her arms with a smile,
"I was going to give you a nasty look..But it seems like you already have one." Rikka turned back to the man and placed her hands on her hips,
"A pro? Why haven't I heard of you?" She skimmed through the look on his face and rolled her eyes,
"Little girl? If you looked the way you act, you'd be dead."Oliver watched from the sidelines, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the people gathering around Rikka. He looked down at his feet and realized that he was stepping on a blue petunia. Dropping to his knees, he quickly muttered a few words to ignite some type of strength in the flower to live. Oliver's lips straightened at the sight of Rikka's feet. She was stepping on a patch of a brilliant blue flowers. He quickly got to his feet and approached Rikka and the others. The boy slipped on the mask and placed a hand on her left shoulder. Rikka assumed that the hand was there to either console her from fighting or for his desire to be closer to the little "princess".
An merely chuckled at the situation escalating in front of her, sprawled languidly on the soft grass and merely giving the situation a lazy glance. She didn't care much for matters like this, and instead spent the time amusing herself by switching her glasses to thermal imaging and laughing at the fluctuating colours, which were all inching towards some shade of angry red. Casting a cursory glance at her partner, An let out a long-suffering sigh and patted the grass beside her.
"Babe, please calm down, prissy mcsnobbypants just wanted a bit of excitement."Tae kept on pacing, wearing a path in the grass as her body ran high on both anticipation and a strange urge to simultaneously jump into the quarrel and placate it. Her face was as sullen as ever, amber glare harsh and bright, but the agitated twitch of her fingers gave her away as she clenched her hands into fists.
"That's entirely unprofessional, that's what. Terrible first impressions, really; squabbling like children right before such an important meeting. They really-"Tae shut her mouth with an audible click when An sighed loudly and yanked her down onto the grass by the arm.
"You're going to be fine, immaturity never killed anyone." An cooed in a babying voice, borderline insulting, causing the scowl on Tae's face to deepen yet soothing the ire in her eyes. A bit more mumbling followed, but ultimately Tae stilled, resorting to picking at the grass around them to work out her agitation.
"Good girl," An teased, giving Tae a small pat. Turning her attention back to the group standing a little ways away, she laughed again, thoroughly delighted by the conflict.
"Gosh, wish I had popcorn.""Oh boy, this is gonna be good." Audrey sat down on the grass beside Tae and An, eyes fixated on the fight that was brewing nearby. It was almost like watching a live-action drama, and after popping a handful of chips into her mouth, she shoved the bag of chips towards both girls.
"Hey, it's not popcorn, but who doesn't love chips?"She waited for a response then focused on the action once more.
Wow, and she thought she was supposed to be the kid. For a bunch of grownups, her fellow Asylums seemed awfully immature. They'd been here for (less than an hour?), and already, several people were at each other's throats. Not that she minded of course. In fact, the silly squabble brought an amused expression to Audrey's face, and she quirked up an eyebrow when more and more people began crowding around the prissy girl and the guy who liked to sing. Yeah, working with these people was gonna be one helluva riot.
"Burn," Audrey yelled obnoxiously from the sidelines when Elliot joined in and landed a verbal smackdown on Rikka. She shifted her attention to Joseph.
"Come on, Sing-along! Are you just gonna let her talk shit about you?" Not waiting for anyone to respond, Audrey popped another handful of potato chips into her mouth and chewed loudly.
Jo held up his hand towards the other women who were adding their voices to the argument. He didn't need any assistance from external forces to deal with Rikka. Nor was he bothered by the approach of the girl's masked partner who for now remained silent.
"Take your partner's advice my uncultured friend and excuse yourself from this discussion before you reveal more of your ignorance. It is unseemly for a young girl to embarrass herself so." He smirked at her and once again waved a hand in dismissal. He refused to let the annoyance he was feeling at her intrusion show.
The tune in his head had finally faded away leaving nothing but silence. It had been years since Gris had been able to hold a song in his head properly, and one of the reasons Jo needed to be close by at all times. A frown overtook his face and he turned towards where he had last seen Jo. The man was now being accosted by two people as the others nearby all watched. His frown deepened and he took a few steps forward, cracking his knuckles and intending to interfere quite physically with the situation.
From the corner of his eye Jo spotted his partner making his way over and felt a small stab of fear.
"Gris no need to interfere." he called out, adding a little song to his voice,
"I can deal with these people here." The other man halted, a flutter of confusion crossing his expression before he nodded, folding his arms and stopping to just watch.
Rikka gritted her teeth at hearing a group of people that were already misreading the situation. The girl tilted her head back as people began to make a big deal about her simple criticism. All she meant was that he needed to work on his ability to hit high notes. Oliver dropped his grip on Rikka's shoulder and nodded at Joseph,
"Yeah Rikka, you need to get off of the lilacs." Oliver could only keep his mind focused on his flowers rather than think about what Rikka was doing or what she was up to. As Oliver realized that he was in the presence of others, he bowed deeply towards Joseph while sputtering out his name,
"Hello! Nice to meet you, I am Oliver Agreste." His antler made of branches had lightly prodded into Joseph's thigh. Without reading much into the situation, Oliver quickly lifted Rikka off her feet and placed her to the left of the lilacs. He raised a brow towards the larger and scary looking man, but nonetheless bowed to him as well,
"Hello, may we ask for your names?"She was fuming now, Rikka didn't have to be put aside like that,
"Forget about their names, Antoine!" Oliver hooked an arm around his partner's,
"I bet he thinks he can sing better than me!""Obviously I can." Joseph quickly interjected, the smirk still on his face.
She gritted her teeth and placed her closed fists on her hips,
"Fucking prove it," She spat out.
"I will." he replied, keeping his demeanour calm in stark contrast to the girl's attitude. He cleared his throat once more, raising a hand up like an opera, and began to sing. Rikka furrowed her eyebrows and took a step forward. It wasn't like he was any better than she was, Rikka decided that she had stalled long enough. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to sing higher and to drown him out with her notes. Noting his foes volume Joseph adjusted his own tone, taking on a lower pitch than Rikka. Yet oddly, he realised, their voices weren't discordant. They were ... harmonising? Rikka scrunched up her face as she heard their voices blend in together. Her frustration blistered from within, the "primadonna" decided to change the tune to see if he would be able to keep up with her. The reaction from Jo was instant, as his voice followed her changes perfectly, always keeping an octave below. Whatever she tried he knew he could easily match it. She narrowed her eyes at the man and continued to change the pitch, taking short and silent breaths in between. As Rikka sang the scales up and down, their voices created an ethereal and soothing melody. Joseph was surprised by how well the girl kept up and tilted his head to look at her. Subconsciously, she felt Joseph's glaring eyes at her, she quickly locked eyes to scare off her competition. There was no sign of backing down, but at that moment, they both stopped singing almost simultaneously and stared at each other in anger.
The Lost Number finally intervened, his dominating aura stiffening the air itself.
"There are better ways to measure dick," the old man continued as he slowly walked towards the group of toddlers.
"You kids have way too much energy, I am almost envious. However it takes a lot of balls to torture your superior by making him listen to your terrible singing!" Geko's voice had suddenly taken a fiendish tone, it was clear the Oldman had something mischievous in mind.
"Now I wonder what should the punishment be for you two, any suggestions?" With that the Lost Number had just found a way to make this dreary day a little more interesting as he turned to the others for their villainous ideas.
Instead of fighting, Joseph and Rikka opted for a sing off. The silliness of it all made Audrey laugh and she nearly choked on her potato chips in the process. Well, everyone here certainly was interesting.
"Betcha guys didn't expect that either?" She turned to Tae and An with a bright and impish grin. It looked like the girl had decided to attach herself to the pair for now since the others were preoccupied with the bickering turned sing off.
"Honestly, both of them were - oh, man, looks like someone's going to get it." Not caring about whether her commentary was getting on anyone's nerves, Audrey finally piped down when Geko began striding towards Joseph and Rikka.
She expected a slap on the wrist, but then their superior started talking about punishments and she made a face in protest. Would anyone actually sell out their fellow asylums for having a frigging sing off? Yeah, she didn't know them, but a sing off was hardly something to get punished for, righ? She gobbled up a handful of chips as the cogs and gears in her head started to whir. The loud chewing went on for a few more moments before she eventually shot her hand into the air like a student with an answer.
"They were pretty good. Wouldn't mind another song actually."An grinned impishly at Audrey, accepting the offer of food, passing a few on to Tae, who simply frowned and refused. Shooting the black-haired girl a sharp look, An simply turned back to Audrey and smiled.
"Thanks; any treats would work, honestly, this is too entertaining to pass up."Laughing when Audrey added her own commentary, An was pleasantly surprised when they decided to sing their anger.
"N-no... definI- definitely not." She spat out through her chuckles, nearly wheezing. Quickly tapping on her glasses, she set them to ‘record’, wanting to save this moment as either blackmail or something to laugh about later. An snorted when Audrey choked and pounded her on the back in a comradely fashion, already quite comfortable with the younger girl.
"Jesus, if they wanted a recording deal they should have headed to a studio, or at least somewhere with better acoustics and a more open fanbase." She sniggered, glancing at Tae who seemed to be quite awestruck. Ah, well; Tae had always been the more artistic out of the two of them.
An giggled when Geko decided to step up, humoured by his threats.
"You'd think he'd stop them earlier if they were so bad, stop them before they laid out track one of their first album." She joked, raising her hand and voice to accompany Audrey's comment.
"Hear, hear; it'd be a great song for y'all's debut album." She called, grinning impishly and ignoring Tae's restless, agitated shifting beside her. So what if she was pouring kerosene on a bonfire? It was fun, and nothing huge would happen before such a big meeting, anyways.
"Bunch of brats," Geko contemplated as he shot a fiery glance towards the cheeky Asylums in his path.
"In my time children were less insolent," he spoke while reminiscing the stricter days of old where the back of the hand was the perfect tool of upbringing. A chuckle escaped the Lost Number as he observed the Asylums in front of him, in his eyes they were all but toddlers who hadn't seen the true cruelty their occupation had to offer. It was a sight that brought a sense of solace as well as a hint of despair, the old man had lost count of how many times he had seen such a sight and how many bodies he had to bury afterwards.
"Ya'll kids need to get serious," Geko chastised the group before reaching out his hand to flick Audrey and An on their foreheads, one would think this gesture to be a playful act however once they witnessed both the females being hurled several feet from the impact, they would possibly re-evaluate the situation.
"Next time I get a cheeky response from you ladies, your panties will be auctioned at A.M.R.O's head quarters. I am sure a lot of people will be looking forward to that." He warned the lot, a perverted smirk spreading across his face.
"Bloodlines have been part of the balance for many centuries, A.M.R.O cannot afford to let it fall apart," the atmosphere had suddenly gotten a little tense, the gravity of this mission was clear from Geko's tone.
"If war breaks out among the bloodlines, it will encompass the very world and there is only so much A.M.R.O can do to control the situation. If rogue Alchemists start brawling it out on streets, the secrecy that we have painstakingly maintained will be tarnished and there will be chaos." What the Lost Number was uttering was a known fact, however the fact he was stressing it with such emphasis revealed the high stakes.
"As you all know, within the past five years there have been several murders within every Bloodline. Tensions are high and I wouldn't be surprised if they have counter measures already planned, there is a definite possibility things may turn to shit and I have a feeling the Bloodlines have prepared for that. We need to stop the aggravation of this situation and uncover the truth behind those murders. Right now every single Bloodline is a suspect, I would love to hear your opinion regarding this matter?" With that the old man decided to retreat his steps and calmly sit on the floor, leaning against the gate of the Peralta estate.
Joseph was mildly and not unpleasantly surprised by Geko's actions. Despite his initial words he lacked any form of punishment for the two singers. Perhaps the man could work on his discipline, he wasn't sending a good message to the Asylums. He pulled his view away from Rikka at long last and instead focused on the old lost number. He flicked his hand out as if bored and then looked to the mansion they sat before.
"Probably the Laos. Too strong, too rich, too secretive. And also smart enough to not flaunt their desires in everyone else's faces like some of the bloodlines."He sighed,
"All the Bloodlines and their fighting amongst themselves like fools. Maybe they see a better future where there's only one Bloodline in AMRO. Maybe two. It would help to have some ... lethally efficient killers on their side to help with the assassinations." his eyes narrowed on the Peralta manse, making it clear who he meant.
"Outsiders." came a deep, gravely voice, as Gris finally spoke up,
"Bloodlines hate each other. Make them hate more. Kill for you. Easy victory." The man spoke in short sentences as if the act of speech bored him.
Audrey pulled a face when Geko began striding towards them, but the indignant look she wore immediately turned into one of surprise and mild terror when his forehead flick sent her and An flying several feet back. She didn't have enough time to brace herself for impact and was sent crashing into several bushes, sending leaves and twigs into the air upon impact.
Everything hurt and she had leaves in her mouth her face.
Audrey remained sprawled out in the bushes, barely managing to grumble in response to Geko's ‘threat’. Flinging them across the Peralta estate was one thing, but selling their undergarments? Um, yeah, that had to be the silliest threat ever. Because ew, who would even want to buy that? Asylums had better things to spend their money on, didn't they?
Whatever, her elbows were stinging and she needed a snack. Audrey continued to grumble angrily as Geko asked about bloodlines. It wasn't until a minute later, that she sat up and began hauling herself out of the bushes, too irritated to really do anything besides pluck leaves off of herself, she ignored the ongoing conversation between Joseph, Gris, and their leader and. Still, bits and pieces of what they were saying flew around her head and she scowled, shooting An a look only to see she was unscathed. Personally, Audrey didn't have any guesses, but whoever it was... well, they were going to be in for a smackdown and that was what mattered, right? Right?
Tae finally moved, lunging out to grab An before she hit the ground. Scowling at Geko, she gritted her teeth and prepared to get up and smack him, nevermind their differing prowess and rank. An stopped her with a glance and a shake of her head; best that she not escalate the situation to physical blows. Relatively composed except for a slight shortness of breath from when it was knocked out of her, she gave Geko an appraising glare, her earlier sunny disposition momentarily wiped from her face.
"Wow, I do enjoy being sexually threatened. It's a woman's greatest wish." She deadpanned, cocking an eyebrow as her mouth stretched into a lazy sneer. Her smile became a bit more genuine as she chuckled lightly at Audrey's expression, giving her a small pat.
"B'sides, I think there're better people to spend money on than a lazy lesbian and a small teen."An gave Tae a glance, to see if she wanted to comment on the bloodlines. Met with a tightly pursed lip and exceptionally dour expression -it was clear she was still miffed about the earlier proceedings- An simply sighed, shrugging nonchalantly.
"T'be honest, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Their infighting is bound to thin their numbers anyways; they're tearing into each other like wolves. Makes them less of a threat to us." She punctuated this with another shrug.
Oliver listened to the conversation attentively and seriously. He plopped down at Rikka's feet and played with the grass. He didn't really like the way Geko pushed the two ladies away. While Rikka was distracted by glaring Joseph down, he laid his head against her leg. Normally, she would push him away, but she was more focused on Geko and Joseph, that it barely affected her. When Jo looked away, Rikka backed down from the staring contest. The ‘primadonna’ nudged Oliver to let him know that she sees what he was doing and was very disappointed with him. The Asylum boy wrapped an arm around her legs and chanted a soft incantation.
A small budding flower sprouted at her feet, ranging from bright blue to a dark purple. He was making attempts to impress her, it was his way of saying that he was practically kissing her feet by putting his flowers in pain. Rikka's face cleared and she plastered on a smile for Oliver. The smile continued as she stomped on the flowers. Oliver sighed and released her legs before laying back on the warm green grass.
Rikka scoffed at rest of the group,
"Just pick a group and get it over with. Someone like...the Steins. Call out the pretty boy for the murders."Oliver yawned and corrected her,
"It's just bodies, princess." Grass slowly grew around him. The spell he placed on the flowers was spreading to the grass with no real threat,
"Steins would have disfigured their bodies to the point that they aren't recognizable. Besides.." He plucked a stray petal near his hand,
"..I think the bodies would still be useful as cadavers.""Whatever," She took a step away from Oliver and was quick to drop down on the ground. She laid her elbows on Oliver stomach and would occasionally dig into his guts. Oliver let out a silent laugh, he found her actions strangely cute. She went on with her accusations,
"Accuse the family with no casualties.""I don't think they would be stupid enough to not kill their own while they did it. Emotionally painful, yes. Any direct suspicions? Nope. The perp probably wants to frame someone."Rikka snorted at that,
"It's probably my daddy. He has enough money and the resources to do it." She flipped her long hair behind her shoulder and simpered at the fact that she even brought it up,
"I'm just joking, of course.""Why is it, the bear seems smarter than you lot? I personally hope it's not a third party.....our job will become much harder." Geko teased, his eyes bouncing from one Asylum to another until finally resting his sight at the cloudless sky above them.
"Try to remember, bravery gets you killed. Fear is an ally and it can keep you alive." These words didn't possess the same playful nature associated with the Lost Numbers' tone. His words were heavy with the weight of their implication and his tone resonated with a sense of dread, all enhanced by the old man's grim stare.
"Some exercise is what we need!" He exclaimed, realizing they have had enough of all the 'gloom and doom'. Among Asylums, sparring was perhaps the most common means of preperation before a mission or venting frustration/unease.
"Let us set some interesting rules," the old man sneered as the cogs of perversion began to regain their motion within his mind.
"The first rule is no alchemy and no weapons," he nodded to himself, thinking it is better no one get eviscerated or beheaded.
"And the second rule is, upon each successful hit you strip a piece of clothing." With these words the lecherous lizard assumed his stance, preferring the defensive nature of Tai'chi. Despite his position as one of the greatest killers in A.M.R.O, Geko was equally infamous for being a softy when it came to his subordinates.
At the offer of sparring it was Gris who first stepped up. Unlike most of the others he only wore a pair of shorts with boxers beneath. So it was probably going to be a quick fight. Unfortunately for Geko's perverted little plan the man had no issues with getting nude in front of a group. And he also lacked the particular parts of the body Geko would want exposed. The man lifted up his hands and cracked the knuckles of both, then rolled his neck loosening it up.
And then the round began. Gris bounced off his knees and took off at a sprint towards Geko. He showed no signs of slowing his approach or making a traditional attack. Instead, a few feet from his foe, Gris jumped. He head curled forward as his body rolled forward. If Geko didn't move the man's giant back would slam into him. If he dodged the force of the leap would carry Gris past his foe and let him turn his leap into a roll, springing back up onto his feet on the opposite side, spinning to keep his face on Geko.
An had started tuning Geko out, no longer interested in the conversation, and missed the brief second of tension as she tried to calm Tae down. Hearing his next words, An smirked, giving Tae a suggestive glance as she wiggled her.
"A strip sparring match, Tae. Isn't that right up your alley?" She crooned, running a finger up her arm, leaning in to whisper something in her ear and laughing when Tae choked on her own spit in surprise and embarrassment.
"Jesus, An, there are children here." Tae croaked hoarsely, giving Audrey a faintly apologetic glance.
"B'sides." She huffed, crossing her arms and scowling in a petulant and surprisingly childish manner.
"I'm not participating in any of his little activities."Punctuating her sentence with a barely contained grimace of disgust, she raised an eyebrow and turned her head slightly, to face An head on.
"C'Mon, An. You aren't going to fool around with this sort of thing, right? It's demeaning and insulting." An blinked, pausing for a second, before turning to Audrey and grabbing her hand, making sure not to tug too hard.
"Let's do some strip sparring, Audrey! I'm sure it'll be fun." An piped out, leading Audrey a little ways away and giving her a sly wink, distancing herself slightly before getting into a lax, slightly incorrect karate pose. Tae stared daggers at Audrey from her spot on the grass as she ripped at the grass around her and absentmindedly shredded the blades.
Talk about the bloodlines came to an end when Geko suggested they spar for a bit, and Audrey arched an eyebrow in response to his rather interesting set of conditions.
No weapons or alchemy? Well, shit. She was the freaking runt of the litter. Not like it mattered too much though, if they knocked her down, she'd get right back up. And if she lost, well, wasn't like she'd be dead so yeah, bring it. She was born ready!
Or at least... until Geko stated the next set of conditions.
Audrey's expression practically screamed irritated and uncomfortable, and said expression was deepened when she heard Tae refer to her as a child. Excuse you, she was 18 not 12! I'm not a kid, Audrey almost spat, but before she could say anything, An reached for her hand and began tugging her away from the cluster of Asylums on the grass.
Audrey turned beet red at the suggestion and turned an even darker shade of red when she noticed Tae seemed to be glowering at her. This was far from her idea of fun.
"Oh wait! I think I hear someone calling us! Oh, what? My noodles are burning? Right, can't let good food go to waste!" And yeah... she wasn't fooling anyone with that. She was just going to have to make sure she dodged An's hits. Still somewhat flustered, Audrey cracked her knuckles before sliding into a more defensive stance.
"Fine."Her initial plan was to wait it out and remain on the defensive, but being as impatient as she was though, Audrey propelled herself forward the moment An decided to stay put and wait. The girl kicked up grass as she barreled towards her opponent with a fist raised in preparation for a left hook.
"Jesus!" An yelped, still slightly caught off guard as she messily raised her arm to parry Audrey's fist. She was a split second too late for a clean block, and Audrey's fist grazed her on the shoulder.
A sudden flash of alarm crossed An's face as she remembered that she was still wearing her bodysuit. Her not very pliable, not very fist friendly bodysuit.
"Oh g- wait! Audrey wait a minute I gotta- let's just count this as my first 'strip', mkay?"An's voice went from faintly panicked to slightly suggestive at the drop of a hat as she danced backwards, holding her arms out to try and stop Audrey from advancing while positively smirking at the younger girl -although her gaze did flick over to Tae, who had resolutely turned away.
"Hey, Geko, do bodysuits count as weapons?" An called out.
As expected, the first one to go on the offensive was Gris, the carnivorous teddy. Despite watching the bear like human charge him, Geko found no reason to evade such a brutal and basic attack. In terms of hand to hand there were very few who possessed the skill to best the Lizard, this was not due to Geko's overwhelming power but his cunning and maneuverability as well as his vast knowledge on a multitude of martial arts. If that didn't boast his level of prowess, his portfolio was one that often put Chronos to shame. In A.M.R.O's history, Geko has been the only Lost Number to survive to his fifties. He has accomplished five hundred 'registered' assassinations, was granted the newly coined title of 'the thirteenth Lost Number', allowing him the freedom to chose to be partnered with any Chrono he wishes and is among the select few who have successfully created a new form of alchemy.
"You think a head on attack will phase me, boy?" The Lizard scoffed arrogantly as he calmly shifted his stance to 'Judo' the art of parrying and grappling.
"You won't even be able to touch me with such a basic and mindless charge," Geko teased some more as he calmly observed the titan's charge.
"Hey, Geko, do bodysuits count as weapons?"As soon as An spoke these words, the lecherous Lost Number couldn't help but shift his ogling eyes to face the woman.
"Yes!" He, almost adamantly, expressed while scratching his stubble to gauge the freckled Asylum's 'goods'.
"And since your clothes are attached to the bodysuit, it is completely logical for you to fight naked!" Geko spoke, his finger pointing towards An, as if accusing her of cheating and for her to take responsibility by stripping.
"Come on, let those melons fr-" Before Geko could complete his sentence a realization suddenly popped into his mind, his head instantly flipping to face forward.
"Shit, I forgot about him!" The old man suddenly screamed, attempting to regain his stance only to be hit by the burly giant's back. The sheer force of the attack dragged Geko away, the breath being knocked out of his lungs as his feet dragged across the dirt in an attempt to reduce to force just enough.
"Hey big boy, we shall keep this a secret. If my students find out the master of evasion was hit by something like this, well I will be the but of the joke," he bargained with the bear as both his arms tightly clasped around the man's waist to form an ironic, bear hug.
"In return i'll make sure that this doesn't cause any brain damage," he continued, before suddenly tilting his own back, capitalizing on Gris's own force in order to make lifting him relatively less taxing.
"Geko special suplex!" The old man screamed as he flung the burly Asylum behind him, Gris's head greeting the soggy ground with enough force to form a miniature crater.
"Fuck, I am going to be sore tomorrow," Geko groaned while lying on the floor, his lungs working double time in order to recoup from the collision.
"I still need to see those melons...." He muttered in between his groans, slowly crawling towards the tantalizing women in front of him.
"You have given me no choice, I have no choice but to use it!" The lizard whispered sinisterly as he regained his stance,
”You women should have simply succumbed and stripped, but now you will feel my wrath!" There was something frightening about the veteran, it was as if he had dropped all the silly facade of being nothing but a lecherous pervert. If these women knew the real Geko, they would shiver and realize how foolish they are to think he is anything but.....anything but a pervert.
"Geko special alchemy, 'PANTY STEAL!" The Lost Number's voice resonated, activating his alchemic drive causing all the women around him to experience a strange phenomenon that could be best described as their panties beginning to teleport away.
"This is my true power, my ability to make panties bend to my wi-" Before the lizard could complete his sentence and his alchemy, a relatively large pebble appeared to strike against his temple, knocking him the fuck out.
"You disgusting old fuck!" A voice screamed out from a distance, tracing it they could see the rest of the party. The ship had finally arrived and the remaining Asylums were slowly approaching the 'Peralta gate' while escorting the various Bloodlines. Team Ante Mortem appeared to be walking far behind the rest while Ying was in front of all others, in her hands several pebbles.
Member
Rikka + Oliver - Joseph + Gris
