[Closed Log] Newcomer Hunt Round 2 at Spencer's Hunting Grounds

[thepull_mods]

Who: Bigby Wolf, Chane Laforet, Conner Kent, Yosuke Hanamura, Larry Butz, Bruce Banner, Itou Kaiji, Jesse Turner, Bolin, Deadpool
NPC Hunters: Henry D. Spencer III, Beckah Platt, Ivanova Trumpah, Abram Trilt, Sherri Montgomery & Eddie Gumb
When: From 9am July 30th to Tuesday July 31st at dawn.
Where: Spencer's Hunting Grounds
Summary: Natives go "The Most Dangerous Game" on our newcomer heroes.
Warnings: Human Hunting, Sadism, Violence, Death! All that...good stuff.


This time, the hunt was a bit more personal, nasty, the challenge ramped up after the last newcomer hunt hadn't proven successful. But the Hunters knew what they were in for. And they'd signed the liability waivers. They assembled on the field, just beyond the front gates. These natives were allowed their choice of weapons, traps and personal gear, several thousand dollars less richer for the fee of taking this special safari.

As for the ten non-native 'game'? They waited in individual cages in the caverns and tunnels underground for the electronic latch to spring, hungry and hopefully ready to fight for their lives.

At noon, Spencer's lazy drawl crackled over an old PA system. Laconic and drawling with menace.

Load 'em up, boys and girls. Let's send these slugs back to wherever in hell they came from.

...and the hunt started off with the sound of an elephant gun, fired into the brush.


[OOC: Tagging order is totally open, and setting elements are varied. We fully intend there to be damage to the grounds. [ACTION] style logging is perfectly fine, considering how large a group this is, but prose style works too. Split up or group together! Threadhop and run into others if you want as well.

All of the hunted are outfitted with a tracking Microchip, which was embedded under the skin at the base of the neck, while they were still knocked out. The skin may itch slightly, but otherwise there are no visible signs that it is there. This will not completely nullify powers, but it will make the active use of them excruciatingly painful throughout the nervous system. Safe removal will only be successful by surgery, but the microchips will be deactivated by the end of the hunt.

Spencer will leer and gloat over the hunting grounds PA system, to inform all of his targets that they are fresh game to be hunted down and killed, and that this time, they're going to ensure no newcomer survivors with a 'nasty surprise' at evening siren. He will assure his prey that they have no chance of escape, and that even if they somehow manage to cross the high-voltage fences surrounding the grounds, he has a backup plan to ensure that they don't leave alive.

NVs will remain on your character's person, however wifi will be scrambled beyond the perimeter grounds, and they will not be able to access the newcomer network while on the grounds. They may, however contact each other via NV using voice function as a static-y walkie-talkie. NVs can pick up one another's internal signal at a maximum distance of 200 yards

Spencer himself will be overseeing most of the hunt as game warden from his security room at the lodge on property, where viewing screens show multiple cameras planted around the grounds and on a small fleet of cybernetic flying drones the size of a dragonfly.

At 9am, characters will be released by an automatic latch on their cage doors, into an underground labyrinth of tunnels and traps. They'll have to find each other, as well as forage for limited food and some basic weapons and survival gear, which the hunter will have planted near various traps and snares as 'bait'.

As described on the locations page, the grounds are extensive and the terrain is varied, engineered for a hunter's dream of a playground. Man made, it has elements of forest/jungle, sand traps, caves, a small lake, fields and other hiding places. It also has about 4 stories of underground tunnels, caves, bunkers, rooms with strange settings and endless paths one could take. It may take minutes or hours to run into the other hunted, but we encourage you to play paired in groups for an advantage against the odds. Go wild with playing your way through any setting obstacles you'd like your characters to face!

Spencer's voice will announce time remaining on the hour, over the audio system.

At sunset, Itou Kaiji will find and deactivate the timer which will detonate the release of deadly toxins from all microchips. This clock is located in a small locked shed near the southernmost point of the grounds.

The front gates of the property will be unlocked briefly after the first set of evening sirens, so the hunted and any surviving hunters will have exactly 10 minutes to get out and into the city, or be locked in for an additional overnight fight to survive.

If your character outlasts the hunt and is left to survive the night: The Hunting Grounds are haunted by the darkness mutations of all past game killed there. With the souls of great cats, rare exotic beasts gone savage chimera and former slaves with 'exotic' powers? The grounds are extra treacherous after siren.]

Comments

Bolin--open to anyone! starting prose cuz that's my favorite but i'll match

[chiblockthat]

Ohh Spirits he'd really done it now. Really, why did he have such a knack for getting kidnapped? Bolin really hadn't thought that his little blunder the other night with the Titans and that unexpected trench in the middle of the road would be taken so personally, but that had to be the reason. What other reason would there be for something like this? Fresh game? Seriously? Nobody treated other human beings this way just for fun, right?

... Right?

He scratched absently at the back of his neck. He really didn't even remember how he'd gotten here. All he knew was he was in a cage--he was in a freaking cage, and his head ached and it was dark and he didn't know where he was. He had tried to earthbend, hoping if he could aim a large enough rock at the cage it would break open, but when he tried to move the earth a searing pain bloomed through his head and shot down his spine and he had cried out in the darkness, his voice echoing eerily off the walls.

What had they done to him? Had... had they taken his bending away!?

He couldn't hear anyone, could hardly see... all he could feel were the cage bars around him. He had believed it, when he'd been told the natives didn't like newcomers, but he never would have dreamed that their hatred was this severe. The trick with the seaweed had been unkind, but this? This was just utter madness.

Who else was here? Pabu hadn't been with him when he'd woken up, so at least he'd escaped safely. Hopefully. But... were any of the other Titans here? Was Korra here? Bolin was afraid, sure, but the thought of Korra being here, without her bending, trapped in a cage to be hunted... it send shivers down his spine.

Spirits, if you're listening, just let her be okay, he pleaded, knowing full well that he was far from home and the spirits he called out to, but hoping they might hear him anyway. Whatever happens to me, I can handle it... I'll handle it, really, I will! So long as she's okay.

There was the sudden screech of metal on metal and Bolin was jerked almost painfully out of his silent pleading as the cage door swung open. He hesitated only an instant, then darted out into the darkness of the tunnel in front of him. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to find other people. There were other newcomers here, of that he was sure, and if he could just find them, maybe they would make it out all right.

He didn't know if any of his friends were here--part of him hoped they weren't--and his bending seemed to have been suppressed somehow. What was he going to do? Mako had always taken care of him. Mako had always made sure he was safe. ... Mako wasn't here. Bolin was all on his own. And it terrified him more than words could express.

[underdogged]

That first, sudden blind panic when the door of his cage opened was like a shot of pure adrenaline- and that was what was keeping him going. For now, the urge to crawl into the bushes and hide was easy to suppress; his instincts told him to move. To run. He was safe as long as he didn’t stay in one place too long, as long as he was on his toes and covering ground.

In black tunnels with only his ragged breathing and stumbling feet to accompany him, he really did feel like game- or maybe a rat watching a cat pace in front of its hole, claws skittering against the floorboards. The darkness seemed to breed that primal, unadulterated desire to simply survive- and it was one that was numbly familiar to him.

Kaiji dropped back against the wall, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. It was a chance for him to catch his breath in but the tunnel wall against his damp back was also a reminder of where he was. This wasn’t the Starside. He couldn’t get hung up on the past, not at a time like this. What kind of goddamn moron was he?! Crying about that when-

Another set of footsteps.

Kaiji drew a short, sharp breath, the need to stay quiet momentarily forgotten in his fear. Shit, shit, shit-! He pressed himself more tightly to the walls, trying to make out a shape in the gloom. A hunter? Or another rat waiting for the cat to strike?

Re: Bolin--open to anyone! starting prose cuz that's my favorite but i'll match

[inthejunk]

[It's possible that Bolin might hear some screaming coming from nearby.]

Jesse Turner - Caves - Open

[therightchoice]

[ Jesse screamed when a lightning bolt struck his neck and set it on fire.

Or at least, that's what it felt like. When waking up cold and scared, he immediately thought of his small, shabby apartment in the Tower, where the puppy Aslan is peacefully dozing on his bed. He thought of it and with a quiet hush audible only to him, he'd be back, safe and secure. His screams vibrate the bars of his cage and bounces of the silent, condemning walls. It only seemed forever did the pain finally fade away, leaving behind an itch that was only barely tolerable.

He laid on his side, curled up into a fetal position, quietly sobbing. He jumped at the wretched sound of metal scraping metal and when he looked up, he saw the latch unlocking and swung open. He didn't move for what felt like the longest time, but he managed to gather his strength to scramble outside of his cage. Clinging to the wall like it was his only protector, he slowly but surely went down the path of darkness. ]

Yosuke Hanamura -open, if you can handle his whining!

[inthejunk]

...Huh?

It's not a huge surprise to wake up with a cheek pressed to the floor, drooling on himself a little, someplace that isn't immediately recognizable. That's a thing he's been doing a bit of lately anyway, from time to time, through sheer dumb luck. And once because it turns out he's a lightweight and shouldn't be allowed to drink. But this doesn't feel like a hangover. Oddly enough, it gives him a little thrill of impending doom long before his brain processes why that might be.

And then it hits him. He's seen all this before. It feels like a dream now, but it isn't. It's a nightmare. Panicked, he does the first thing that comes to mind. Yosuke springs to his feet and rattles the bars of the cage. He reaches instinctively for Jiraiya, wanting to send a burst of wind at his holding cell. But as soon as he attempts it, bright lights seem to flash behind his eyes and he lets out a shrill howl of pain unintentionally.

Shit. Ow, shit. He's on the floor again, panting and holding his head. After having called so much attention to himself already, it probably doesn't even matter that he does it again, a childish cry for help that he'll have to deny later. But at the moment, he's operating on frantic instinct.

"HELP! Shika! SHIKA, HELP! SOUJI! ANYBODY! PINKMAN! HEEEEELP!"

hope this is okaaaay-!

[fidele]

The sound is distorted and strange as it rings loudly down the hallway-- a young man's shouting for help, recognisable simply for the tone. It's a voice she might have heard before, out-of-place memories bubbling up even as she's curled against the back of the cage, looking out into the darkness. Another newcomer's voice. But she doesn't expect the words that come through it. Shika?

--Shikamaru? Her old housemate, Rin's friend? Just the idea works some life into her, some curiosity and puzzlement powering a slight shift in her acheing sitting posture. Is it somebody she knows? Is it-- worth trying to communicate with them?

Chane glances at her NV. Without a pen she's unable to message anybody. But she knows the voice of her companion, even if she isn't certain of their identity, or even if they're real. Closing her eyes, she lets her mind focus, sharpening her power to communicate. Hopefully the recipient won't resist a telepathic surge. A breath out, she sends them the words;

Who's there--

But the second the words leave her, a blinding pain strikes her from the neck downwards like a crack of lightning. It's unexpected more than unbearable, and she's vulnerable, shocked, hurting in a way that's impossible to keep from transmitting along with that thought. Although no sound leaves her, the shock is enough to send a jolt through her body and rattle the bars of the cage gently, quietly ringing down the hallway.

[ ooc; telepathy open to anyone! ]

After he and Chane have separated, maybe?

[newcomerhunt]

[Such dramatics from everyone. Even Spencer, for all his lazy tone. This isn't entertainment; it's exterminating Newcomer vermin. A job that needs to be done.

[Beckah's steps are crisp, but light, disturbing little of the ground. Whoever is here, she doesn't care. They all deserve to die. And she has all the tools available to make them hold still while she metes out the punishment for their mere presence.

[Her hand flexes in anticipation. She hasn't seen any of them yet, but she's itching to find her first target.]

Bruce - Open for In Person or NV

[hulkbusted]

[Bruce woke with a sense of disorientation that was all too familiar. His first reaction was to look down and see if the Hulk had left him with any clothes or if it was going to be another case of trying to cover himself enough to avoid being arrested until he could beg, borrow, or steal some clothes.

It wasn't until he saw that he was still fully dressed that he felt the first surge of fear and adrenaline.

No, no, keep it under control there. Not going to do a damn bit of good to let him out without knowing what we're up against.

He forced himself to focus on his surroundings and take stock. He had clothes and shoes and a kind of residual grogginess that stirred unwelcome memories. He also had his NV and an open gate into a thick stand of something that looked like bamboo.

He knee-walked forward until he was in the opening out into the bamboo. He wanted a place to retreat if he had to, but he didn't want the door to swing closed and trap him again.

First things first, the NV. He swept through its menus; it was charged and functioning, but the network wasn't showing up on its scan. He set it for an open comm broadcast and tried anyway.]

"Hello? Is there anyone who can pick this up? This is Bruce Banner and I've been kidnapped."

[You can grab me on plurk for any plotting or coordination.]

[therightchoice]

Jesse was in the caves, still going through the tunnels when his back pocket buzz. Gasping in realization, he scrambled for his NV, pressing it on and became momentarily blinded by the bright screen. Blinking away the tears, he pressed the green button to answer.

"Hello? H - Mr. Banner? Where are you?"

Deadpool Open if you can handle the crazy

[the_dead_pool2]

It had certainly been an interesting night. He had decided he was getting too soft with the teleportation belt, and besides, it was due for a malfunction or something, so he had stored it away. He went with just a pair of pistols and knives to hunt some of the Darkness, after only a little while he had gotten a nasty feeling someone was following him, the shot confirmed it, the tranquillizer was in, and then a couple more, apparently they knew who he was.

Now here he was waiting in a cage, feeling a bit groggy but otherwise fine. It seemed as though he was a new target in one of these hunts he had heard about. This was confirmed with the atypical gloating and talking about how doomed people were. This guy needed a speech writer or something, the material was always so predictable and dry. Blah blah blah, you won't get away, blah blah blah, got a special surprise. If there was always a special surprise, was it really that much of a surprise? No, its more like a predictable twist.

As the doors opened, Deadpool sauntered out, singing a merry tune. There would no doubt be some bad ass mofo's out to get him, maybe they would even kill him, but he'd tried it himself more times then he could remember, and it never worked, if they managed it, good for them. He'd have to find out how they did it.

"In the summer time when the weather is high. You can chase right up and touch the sky! When the weather's right, you got women, you got women on your mind. Have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find"

Sup. Later, somewhere in the forest

[newcomerhunt]

Trilt had been watching this particular specimen whenever he got the chance. And that was pretty often, considering how much attention said subject seemed to draw to himself. In that sense his behaviour was highly unorthodox for a prey animal. Theorising on the singing, the dancing, and what Trilt had scientifically termed the "larking about" had proved both fascinating and frustrating. Was it an intimidation tactic? Maybe some form of social cohesion stimulation, performed to inspire trust in others, or perhaps to lull them into a false sense of security...

Or maybe he was just bonkers.

Well, time to create a little change of pace in this subject's routine. Trilt purposefully leans his weight on a branch, sending a dry crack through the air as he steps out from the cave opening he had been lurking in. "Enjoying yourself?"

afternoon, forest

[underdogged]

That voice was impossible to miss- and it made Kaiji freeze where he had been huddled in the undergrowth, trying to catch his breath back. A good thing he caught him at that moment, too- any earlier and he'd probably have been too panicked to recognise him and fled. But now that he was feeling a little more in control, it sunk right in; he knew this guy.

Kaiji straightened up, trying to edge closer to him without drawing too much attention to himself in case someone more hostile was nearby. He was no soldier; those clumsy movements probably gave him away in an instant and if he wasn't careful, Deadpool might take him for a hunter trying and failing to sneak up on him. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

He put his hands up in a belated attempt at damage control- if Deadpool had spotted him already, he'd see he wasn't armed. "Don't attack-!"

[newcomerhunt]

If he was a fan of singing, then some time around mid-afternoon Deadpool would probably appreciate the distinct sound of a megaphone echoing out of a nearby bunker.

"If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal. If her daddy's poor, just do what you feel. Speed along the lane, do a turn or return the twenty five-"

Chane - open to action - early afternoon

[fidele]

Open air. There had to be open air. Having broken away from the small groups within the compound, encountered a range of not-so-subtle traps mainly involving food and weapons (with only one knife, her hands felt emptier than her stomach; she suffered the scratches of barbed wire for a second replacement) and navigated towards nowhere in particular, she found a square, wooden door in the ceiling above her at a dead end. A slow, scrutinizing glance upwards suggested another person taller than herself would have no problem lifting it. But...

She couldn't place her trust in the others. Things were dire and there was no clear way out, yet despite the reasons for calling and conversation she heard through the long corridors of the mazelike prison, Chane felt no reason to trust any of the other prisoners. Far from a hatred of people, the compulsion to rely and to lean on and follow behind somebody else was growing stronger by the minute, but she tamped it down. She had to. She would get weighed down caring for their safety.

...There was one whose wellbeing did concern her yet he seemed precisely the type of person who would do exactly what she predicted and slow down her progress. His very existence was almost doing just that; she caught herself staring into the pattern of the wood, dank and heavy, without coming up for any real plan for how to get through it. But the longer she stared, the more obvious a line of light became at one of the edges. A line just about wide enough for the edge of a blade.

A few tense seconds prepared her to leap and shove the knife's blade in that gap, pushing her weight on the hilt mid-air-- enough sudden force to widen the gap and scrape the wood aside, lighter than it had seemed. A second leap, and her hands were on the edge of the opening, pulling herself up and through the small opening, with a knock of her elbow back for room, drawing herself up into the light and the air. The change was too sudden for her dark-accustomed eyes, but the ground at least felt familiar to her bared knees. Grass, plants growing over a bed of sand. She was above ground.

[kryptonianclone]

Conner didn't like being weakened at all. He'd survived without powers before, though, and he wasn't going to let it stop him this time. He could handle pain if he needed to. Right now, all he wanted to do was get outside and get into the sunlight. Maybe absorbing a few rays of the sun would make him feel better.

There was no way he was going to sit back and let some sick psychos hunt him or other people down for the hell of it.

Eventually, he found his way to the surface but not without a lot of scrapes and cuts to show for it. It was really unnerving being able to be hurt by simple things that had just glanced off him before.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as light hit him and taking a moment to himself before he looked around. Time to find other people and figure out how to get the hell out of dodge.

After she kills Larry, and after Superboy leaves?

[newcomerhunt]

Sherri felt good. One kill - lame as it was - under her belt. There were two targets for every hunter. That meant... someone else was getting a visit.

If SERO would just let her sit at the diamond and pick them off as they came in....

She crouched in a tree, ready to find her second target. Something caught her attention. Light shifted and swayed as the wind stirred the trees. She cocked her head to the side, listening.

... Was that someone breathing?

Really, really early afternoon because he's dead by mid-afternoon

[laurice]

Larry ran. He ran more than he ever did in his life, his feet flattening the grass, stomping all over stones, and crunching through dry fallen leaves. All too eager to find the way out now that he had escaped the maze (after many bumps and dead ends that left his trousers ripped and gave him a few bruises under his clothes as well as a cut here or there), his eyes darted this way and that, watching for any sign of movement, or any door or passageway.

Where was everyone else? The good news was that no one was coming after him. The bad news was that he was alone. All he wanted was out, but several steps told him that it would not be so easy.

He slowed down and eventually stopped to catch his breath, leaning against one of the caves. Maybe he could rest in it? But he shuddered when he thought of what could be in there...a bear, or something even worse. Or a hunter lying in wait...

Larry groaned, dropping to his knees and sighing.

OPEN TO EVERYONE EVER

[laurice]

[The moment Larry is let out of his cage, he stumbles out and trips. Fumbling for his NV while still on the ground, he desperately tries to call any of his friends - anyone at all he thinks he could help, or perhaps reach the network, for goodness' sake - but he gets nothing.

He scratches the back of his neck as he gets back onto his feet and makes a run for...nowhere in particular (although he looks this way and that, all over for anyone he could run to or anyone he should avoid). Did he get bitten by a mosquito when he was finally released (like a wild animal, geez) or something?

Larry stops behind a tree, and reaches for the pendant he never took off. Did he dare change into his Puella Magi self? It was probably his best chance of escape. So he grips the pendant, willing it to change into his Soul Gem -

It does, but using his magic sends pain blazing from his chest down to his limbs, lancing through his nerves, bringing a terrible pounding in his head. Forgetting that he was supposed to be incognito, Larry cries out and lets go of his pendant. The agony stops when he does, at least.]

HI LARRY - about mid-afternoon-ish

[newcomerhunt]

[Hunting. A sport that she didn't get to indulge in very often. This is possibly the best birthday present a girl's family could get for her.

She is sitting in a tree, her rifle carefully snugged against her shoulder. Her eyes narrow. The tree had been chosen because it gives her a good 360 view, and has several branches on which to hang out.

Spencer always promises a good hunt. Always. However, what she's seeing? No. There has to be some mistake.

She stows the rifle and slides down the tree behind her chosen quarry.]

He's kidding right?

[No one said she couldn't play with her prey a little.]

Before Sherri? After her? Whichever's easier!

[newcomerhunt]

[ Time for some accuracy practice.

From his vantage point lying along a ditch in the forest Trilt closes one eye. Aims.

And a moment later a thin line of smoke starts to rise from the very tip of Larry's quiff. ]

Jesse Turner - In the Woods / After Dark

[therightchoice]

In the Woods, Afternoon

There is a boy alone in the woods. He lost his giant companion and now he is almost vulnerable.

Just almost.

For the longest time, Jesse stood in one place, amongst the thorns and bushes and trees, thinking if he stays where he's act, Bruce will come back. He clings to the bag he found in the caves earlier, with only a flashlight, a small hunting knife, a water bottle just barely used and a half eaten bag of peanuts. As he waited, though, he starts to hear strange sounds, sounds of twigs snapping under the weight of a boot. Completely terrified, he runs blindly, with no plan, no idea what to do, just terror fueling his small being, one rushed step at a time.

After Dark, Microchips off

The monsters are out and so is the Antichrist.

With his powers back, Jesse changed. He is still scared, scared of the monsters, but with his powers, he deafeted them as easily as a queen chess piece takes a pawn. He sometimes flings them away with a push of his mind, others he turned them into toys and crushed them underneath his sneakers; and sometimes he got a little creative and made up monsters of his own and made them fight the Darkness.

Jesse is still alone but his heart is not filled with so much terror.

It is filled with hate.

[ pick out what time in the header! ]

afternoon

[newcomerhunt]

[There had been screams earlier in the day, but the sound of them had bored Ivanova. All she wanted to do was have a little fun, and while Spencer had promised a good time, she was getting annoyed. Bored and annoyed, and that was never a good thing. She'd given chase, in the beginning, and now she was simply waiting.

There was the smell of fear in the air, as well as the smell of someone with the blood pumping through their veins. Sniffling the air, she got down into a crouch, waiting as the boy came through the trees at what she assumed was a run. She'd set up a trap, right up ahead of him, and if he ran into that, then it was time to have some fun.

Finally.]

Kaiji Itou - forests, late afternoon - open

[underdogged]

[Stop and you’ll die.

There’s no point in stopping to think or trying to get a grip of the layout of his surroundings or whatever bullshit they tell you to do when you’re lost. There’s only one thing going through his mind right now.

Stop and you’ll die.

His high-tops are scuffed and filthy, the bottoms of his jeans streaked with dust and mud from the times he’s slipped in his haste. He has to find someone- anyone. Trying to do this alone is suicide and if there’s any way he can make himself useful, he’ll do it.

Should he risk calling out?]

Hello-?! [it comes out quieter than he wanted it to- his nerves seem to have failed him at the last second]

Re: Kaiji Itou - forests, late afternoon - open

[newcomerhunt]

[Even with a whisper, Ivanova could hear it. She didn't even need to be near him, though she was up in a tree nearby. She couldn't see him, but the smell of blood pumping through his veins was easier to hear then anything else. He'll hear a small, scared, female voice calling out in response.]

Hello? Who's there?

Kaiji Itou- Southern Grounds, Sunset- Open

[underdogged]

[That he’s managed to survive this long is nothing short of a fucking miracle- no, that's wrong. Thinking of it like that is completely wrong. There's no such thing as "miracles", no benevolent deity waiting and extending a hand to those who truly need it. Funny how people only start believing in shit like that when it’s most convenient for them. The reasons he still has a pulse right are straight up luck and skill- both his own and…

Kaiji glances briefly at Chane. Matching her movements is far more difficult than he anticipated; she’s effortless yet controlled, swift and precise compared to his own tired, stumbling footwork.

And yet he's caught somewhere between admiration and unease; where does this leave them? They've been forced together but, should they get out alive, nothing is going to change. She works for Tonegawa. Not only that, but in a position that means that she might well one day turn into another type of hunter- the skills that he's so grateful for now might one day be the ones that bring him down. The funny thing is that, in spite of all that, the trust he has in her at this moment outweighs any doubts; in this war, she is an invaluable comrade. They fight- they survive- side by side.

Kaiji clears his throat just slightly, trying to catch her attention. When he speaks, his voice is barely above a whisper.] Want to keep going in this direction?

[fidele]

[ Chane seems mostly unaware of Kaiji's presence. When it's necessary to catch his attention, reply or suggest a new direction, she glances and signals, but out of those brief moments her motions don't acknowledge or accommodate her companion at all. Naturally; if she had her eye on him constantly she couldn't have necessary awareness all around them to dodge footfalls, avoid a gunshot. He's a non-threatening motion in the corner of her eye; that's where she'll keep him.

Tonegawa's words almost echo in her mind, his trust in her ability. It's bizarre, isn't it, how she's come to adopt Kaiji as her protégé rather than the hit of the day. It isn't entirely that he seems powerless on his own. He has spirit enough in him to merit living, she judges, from every bad twist thrown at them that he's only risen up from, his willing acquiescence when she needs it, and besides that... he's Claire's friend. He has to live. He deserves this favour of protection merely by association. For that, she has to give all-- no, twice the usual effort to protect another person, regardless of loyalties.

He interrupts the haze of thoughts floating just behind her sharpened senses, so suddenly there's a threat of breaking her concentration. There's worry darkening her brow at the gradually setting sun; soon there won't be any light for them to see their way which, from what she's gathered of the terrain these past few hours, only leads to warehouses likely hiding more concealed hunters. Her breath held almost irritably as he speaks, his question forces her to consider their route a little more carefully. She glances to the reddening sky, at the outline of the trees ahead, and frowns. Perhaps it's the most expression he's ever seen from her, but it doesn't occur to act on that idea. Instead she looks back to him, an eyebrow arched in question-- does he want to keep going? They aren't being pursued; her leadership is not necessary for the time being. ]

Conner Kent - late afternoon

[kryptonianclone]

Conner was mentally cursing at himself for not keeping a better eye on Chane. For all his determination to do his best to help the other people being hunted, he'd been too focused on that and not keeping track of the person who'd been actually with him. Either he'd lost her or she'd slipped away, he wasn't sure, but whatever she was now, he hoped she was alright.

Looking up at the sky told him that night was going to be coming in a not very long amount of time. He hadn't been too worried before, being outside after sirens, but that had been when he'd had all his abilities working.

[newcomerhunt]

Unlike some of the other subjects Spencer gathered, the one Trilt spots silhouetted against the lake is both young, and from the visual evidence seems at a peak of physical fitness. It's hard to resist the opportunity to play with such a specimen, but earlier confrontations had worn Trilt down. Physically fit he may be, but young - not so much any more.

Trilt approaches from the east. The lake should hem the boy in if he decides to run that way. If he stands and fights... well, best to give him a handicap from the very start.

When he feels he's close enough to do some significant damage Trilt concentrates sends out an invisible ripple of cold air. When it hits the lake the surface instantly hardens into ice.

The Hulk - late afternoon - open but dangerous

[hulkbusted]

He's in pain. It's constant and searing and he can't make it stop! It drives the small amount of intellect the Hulk retains even deeper under the seething rage that fuels his strength.

It's all he can do to remember to stay away from the boy - so small, so fragile.

He's alone and he's venting his fury on traps and landscape alike with no thought to actually trying to escape. There isn't much thought in there at all; he's more like a force of nature.

[Because yeah, it's the Hulk, and he's caught in a vicious circle where the pain drives his anger, which drives his power, which drives the pain, which... yeah.]

/tries to like you when you're angry?

[chiblockthat]

Bolin had always felt at home in the forest; the ground was always a little damp and gave a bit, and everything smelled like earth. It'd always been comforting to him, and so the idea that he was being hunted in this one sort of turned the comfortable feeling on its ear. He was alone again, having lost track of the ones he was with, and hoped Jesse was all right--the very idea of a child being caught up in all this made Bolin's heart ache terribly. If he got out of this alive he was going to make a point to get in touch with the people who had helped him here.

At least the screaming had stopped.

As he ducked through the underbrush, though, a very different sort of sound ripped through the air: a roar, almost inhuman, and Bolin was so startled that he tripped over his own feet and pitched to the ground. Just as well, actually, as a tree happened to go sailing by where he had just been standing not a moment ago. Oh. That's new.

Rolling to one side, he looked up in time to see a large green man (?) stomp past, and for a moment Bolin wasn't sure his eyes were working properly. Was that a person? People weren't green! Or ten feet tall. Or green. But it wasn't one of the hunters, was it? This person, this huge green man, whatever he was, he seemed to be in pain. Bolin couldn't quite imagine what could hurt someone as big and powerful-looking as this man storming through the forest, but...

Bolin swallowed nervously and got to his feet, dusting off his knees and rubbing one arm absently where he'd scraped up against a rough tree trunk. Another roar, the sound of something being broken or crushed, and Bolin hopped over the fallen tree from before and cupped his hands by his mouth.

"E-excuse me, do you need help?"

He hoped this wasn't a bad idea.