Collecting Data (Open)

[antique]

It seemed it was time to collect some data herself about this Town. Crème’s interest had been peaked by a rumor she had heard when she had docked her Ship about a certain master Gummi Ship engineer…but there were other things she was interested in as well. She knew very well about the Heartless and Nobody phenomena…but there were certain ones she was interested in…observing.

But she already had a dislike for this world and its eternal night. Though Crème wasn’t exactly…a very…social person, she would have at least enjoyed some sunlight. Or more artificial lighting. Whichever was more readily available. The darkness reminded her of a very, very, very dark room…and the hours she had spent in it. It had been enough, in retrospect, to make the stoic Viera willingly want to escape and do “missions” for the Dalmascan army. Not that she was afraid of Darkness, or anything. In fact, there was even a kind of twisted comfort in it. But in that dark room, horrible thoughts, like circling and squirming swarms of maggots, liked to breed themselves there.

That was not an aspect of herself that she wanted to face. She had that aspect of herself carefully and thoroughly tied up and locked away.

Think about things that were symmetrical.

Butterflies.

The number 8.

Ah, that was better.

Now, to get on with what she was doing. Her stiletto heels clacked along the road as she glanced around, her head hidden underneath the sand colored cloak. It seemed this world was insignificantly small, though the population was rather large for such a place. One had to wonder how it was self sustained. Or how there weren’t any beggars or people dying from starvation on the street. She mused that there had to be some kind of slums underneath the town, kind of like there had been in Ivalice’s towns.

Ear twitched, picking up a movement.

[iuma]

The movement was slow and unsubtle. Staggering and limping forth, the sound of wounded prey.
Trashcans were tumbling over, annoucing the arrival of the man, that could be heard by even the deafest of creatures.

Breathing heavily, while clasping his bleeding wounds, a tall and broad young man appeared. Highblond hair, pearl teardrop earings. Quite handsome in the eyes of a normal human. But now with a bittered face that was biting off the pain. His red leather jacket was ripped and torn. The leather body armor underneath offered only little protection anymore. And the jeans and sneakers had seen better days.

Weakened and hurting, the man struggled forth. His wounds were so severe that a normal hume would have succumb to them long ago. But this individual was still going strong, with an inhuman stamina and endurance. Evenso, he was fighting an uphill battle.

Feeling it's end coming closer, and power slipping from his fingers. The man stopped, not so far from Crème. But his condition was to bad to notice her. He couldn't spare the energy to pay attention to his surroundings.
Supporting himself against a wall, he reached with his hand inside his jacket. And with trembling hands pulled out something. To those that have knowledge of technology, it was clear it was an electronical device.

Desperatly the young man tried to use the device. But then collapsed and dropped down on the floor. Only half consious. The remote still clenched into his large battlefist gauntlet. A red blinking light could be seen eminating from it.

[antique]

Smell of blood.

Creme's ears perked right up attentively before they fell, quite happily, along the sides of her head. Like tempting a dog with treats was the smell, and the rush of curiosity that billowed through her. It felt as if her entire body temperature had dropped a couple of degrees.

On the balls of her feet, she rushed to the sound of the noise, and the wonderful, wonderful smell. Blood meant warmth. Warmth that she could curl up in. Warmth was the closest feeling to being loved--at least, that was her twisted understanding of it.

It didn't take too long to track her prey--it seemed to have, well...literally fallen in front of her. With the cold face of a doctor, she dropped to her knees in front of the fallen Hume. He stank of Mist, just like every other damn Hume around here. Eyes sharpening, she observed the specimen in front of her with apathetic detachment--though she was very interested in what was going on.

In his hand laid a electronic device that was almost perfectly symmetrical. Figuring the delicious warm Hume was too unconscious to judge her madness, she plucked the item out of the large battle fist. An electric device, eh? Her red eyes reflected the light emanating from it.

Curious, she pushed a button on the device.

Nothing happening immediately, she took her long clawed fingers, and pushed up the chin of the specimen up so she could look at it.

Looked healthy, despite the injuries.

[iuma]

She had pressed the button.
The red blinking light started to blink faster and faster. Some form of process was happening as the device was calculating and calibrating. Then as the bunny looking girl took a closer look at the young boy. Both became engulfed by a beam of energy that emanated from the very air around them. A bright flash and both disappeared. Leaving nothing behind of evidence of their existence.

After a moment of blinding light, it was dark and cold. Immediately the enclosed feeling of being in a small room could be sensed. The wind and fresh air was gone and a more stale version was now being breath into their lungs. The silence of the town was replaced by a soft humming and buzzing of computers, electronic gadgets and engines. Lights, buttons and switches ornamented the walls as only a single large window could be seen. Looking out in the night sky.

No not the night sky, the stars itself. The light had transported both onto a small Gummiship that was now drifting in orbit around Traverse Town. It was dark and cramped. The young blond man laid on a bed as he was transported there directly. Creme found herself in the small cockpit. The device she was holding in her hand was no longer blinking the red light. The canopy was so low she couldn't stand up straight without bumping her head.

[antique]

One minute she had been in Traverse Town, checking the health of such an oh-so-fine specimen that she could run some experiments on before releasing back into the wild--and next, she was in a dark, small, and crowded room. Eyes collecting what little light there was from the electronics, they almost glowed red--not in a sinister way, but more in the way that nocturnal animal eyes tended to "glow".

Nonetheless, it still felt like that dark room she had often been shoved into as a child. Tendrils of darkness wriggled out of that curled kitten ball in her brain, out of her ears--prodding out, sucking in the shadows. Figuratively, anyway. Face twisting into a warped smile that had often showed itself in that room because out of habit, no one had used to see it--she dug her claws into her hair, as if she were keeping what little sanity she had inside her skull.

She observed the situation, glancing at the blinking lights of the Gummi Ship. A little bit different than the Air Ship, yes--but it could be read. Turning her gaze to the Hume on the bed, she stepped toward him.

"Wake up," she said, prodding his cheek with the remote. "Wake up before I steal your ship and your intestines."

As if he would. She bit the inside of her cheek, drawing blood, and groaned quietly. Was she going to have to fix him?

[iuma]

The young hansom man was still laying still. Seemingly unconscious. His wounds were severe, his wounds should have killed him already but still the resilient boy was breathing. Although his condition was actually slowly degrading over time. It didn't seem like he was eve going to wake up again.

Like a python, his hand then suddenly shot up. The hand closest to Creme. Lashing out as his thumb and other fingers formed a gasping jaw that reached out to grab the Viera. The cold steel gauntlet deadlocking itself with massive grip.
His eyes spurred wide open. The venomous green eyes widening large before focusing. His body and mind in a state of shock. Air was breathing in and out at high pace. Causing his nostrils to flare lightly with every gust. With tensed muscles and his aching body tormenting him, the young man slowly turned his head toward Creme.

In his eyes there was so much going on, like staring in the frightened eyes of a wounded piece of game. But when wounded and cornered, animals tend to be unpredictable and desperate to do anything at any cost to survive. And this man's instinct to survive was strong.

While still struggling to remain conscious and keep the possible threat of this unknown bunny girl at bay. The other free hand started to rise up to the ceiling of the bunkbed. Where a single large metal pull was dangling over his head. A handle attached to a short chain. The metal graved finger hooked itself with much difficulty before letting the muscles in his arm relax and have the sheer weight of his arm pull the emergency handle.

A strange sound occurred as then a green aerosol got sprayed from a sprinkler system over the bed. As the green vapors landed on his body, the wounds were healing at a rapid rate. The effect was that of a simple elixir potion. But it was now being splashed over him instead of drinking. The blood stopped with dripping as the large gasping scars started to disappear like snow in the sun.

Recovering from the injuries, so was his mind now again stable. Standing up from the bed, eyes burning with rage and murderous intent now stared down at the intruder in his Gummi ship. Holding his head crooked under the low ceiling of the ship, his battlefist gauntlets started to glow and brim with energy. With an hostile and aggressive tone he said whilst glaring down on Creme:
"Steal my ship?! I don't think so."

[antique]

Though her delicate ears heard the movement before it happened, the Viera made no attempt to move away. A strong hand managed to take hold of her frail-looking wrist, as she stared at him with detached apathy. She neither tensed nor attempted to get away—for example…if she tried, especially in this cramped of a place, she’d probably end up floating somewhere in outer space.

She glanced out the window with apathy as she looked at the stars as the man recovered—occasionally flickering her ears in the direction of the spraying elixir potion.

"Steal my ship?! I don't think so."

Apparently enough time had passed so that he seemed to have completely healed, and he wasn’t as delirious. Turning her blood red garnet eyes to him, she did not seem the least big disturbed. She sighed, watching the giant gauntlets ignite with energy. Mist. She raised her eyes, to look at him, undisturbed, right in his face.

“Well, you’re awake now.”

[iuma]

The young muscular young man kept in his aggressive stance while glaring down on the unwanted intruder. But something in her demeanor was disturbing him. Making him lose his focus on his anger and rage. Her wrist was still clenched in his fist. But the man was baffled by the lack of natural response that the bunny like girl was giving. No single attempt to break free or back away.
Her eyes were an apathical garnet colored. And her face was as stone so cold.

There was nothing that the man could detect in emotion or feeling in the bunny girl. No fear or bravery, no sense of self preservation nor misplaced desire for self destruction. It was as if she was not really alive. A life size walking, talking, breathing, doll. Hollow on the inside with no soul.

The glowing gauntlets died out as the energy fleeted away. With his free hand, the young man moved to a control console on the side of the cockpit and typed in some keys. Then a blinding light and both got teleported back to traverse town. Right back to the place where they had left only a moment ago.

With a dismissing wave the man let go of the girls wrist. As he stated coldly:
"I don't pick up stray little bunnies, even if they're as cute looking as you."

[antique]

Crème paused the moment the giant of a man let go of her wrist. The frail, rather pale looking thing was lifted in front of her eyes to observe it with a sort of almost detached curiosity. Upon closer inspection, there were raised lines of thin, almost microscopic cuts that had been sewn together meticulously. Not in the sort of cuts that people had when they were frustrated or wanted misplaced death, but rather if she were some kind of science experiment. She was her own little science experiment. Watching detachedly as the welt from his grip bloomed upon her pale skin. How beautiful. It would have been much more lovely if it were symmetrical, but she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Oh well. They were at least back in Traverse Town. Not that it mattered. She supposed she could tinker around with the Air Ship again.

Or…

Her blank eyes flicked to the man who had just let her go, and she observed him, quietly. Yes, she had heard what he had said, though she didn’t leave. Her hand dropped to her sides, however. She was curious about that gauntlet.

"I'm not a rabbit."

[iuma]

The young blond man kept his cold venomous stare of his green eyes at the reply of the Viera. And then turned away from her. Not wanting to be bothered by her anymore as he said dismissively out loud.
"Pff, whatever freak. You're obviously screwed up, that's for sure."

From his jeans pocket, he carefully pulled out a cell phone with two of the thick fingers of the battlefists. A difficult maneuver as the device was constructed for normal sized hands.
Still the young man has had practice and managed to look at the large screen. Starting an application that allowed him to check the status of his Gummi ship. He grunted as he noticed the number '1' standing in the potion table. Meaning only 1 potion is currently equipped in his emergency potion disperser. He feared it was nearly empty so it was time to look for a refill.

His gaze traveled up to the small house occupied by the moogles who run an synthesist shop there. A malicious grin appeared on the man's face as he tucked his cell phone away and started to march upon the door.
The battlefists started to glow again as the young man gathered power during his walking.
Reaching the wooden door he swung his arms around and mowed through the obstacle with effortless ease. Bursting through the doorway with a loud rumbling and crackle.
Disappearing in the darkness of the door hole.

A moment later the panicking voice of moogles yelping could be made up coming from inside as well as the sound of items breaking. Glass shattering and distress.