Jylat - Starting Over

[Laurelle]

*still with my earlier post, sitting, eating, waiting... *

[Yolanda Riona]

[Moving on~ I feel almost like we could go a little more freeform since we're not in combat mode or something. Plus some people seem bored.]

Esmeralda just shrugged at Nail's silence. Perhaps he was just the sort best left alone. She started in on her meal like the rest of those around her, quickly piling her plate with wings with a sparse array of vegetables on the side. Crosis himself went directly for the cod. As the couple happily munched on their dinner, Rios turned his attention to Laurelle.

"So, how's your family anyway? Have you heard from them lately?"

[Laurelle]

"Yeah, we speak on the 'phone a couple of times a week. My family's huge, but most people are ok. Still not heard from one of my cousins, not that that's unusual but with all this fuss... One of my brothers is in hospital, pretty badly burned in one of the cities that was hit. A fair few of my sisters are all training in first aid, they heard how I really got into the thick of it and want a piece of the action..." the bushbaby shakes her head, smiling fondly. "Practically everyone's volunteering for home defence schemes up there now. It's strange to only chat to them occasionally, but way better now I'm settled here, before I could only guess where I'd be, before I met you guys..."

Laurelle is munching through a varied plate of tasty food, enjoying the meal. She'll share some light conversation with those around her who aren't talking to anyone else yet unless something important comes up, when she'll listen in.

[Nail Strafer]

"What? Sorry?" Nail said with a start. He'd been too busy munching up his food to be paying attention really. When the food had been put down he'd quickly forgotten the dragon and the blue fox, considering the food just made him realize how very hungry he was. How long had it been since the last time he'd eaten anyway? First he'd left home suddenly, then come to Never Lake, battled those pirates, walked here, met the gang again, and now was here. It was a small wonder he wasn't ravishing for food until then.

[Links Tyrell]

Links quickly dismissed Nail's comment, seemingly the problem was no longer relevant. He returned his attention to his meal for a moment and then looked up again. Glancing towards the door he sighed slightly and looked at the empty spaces at the table. Alindel, Jodie and Dromar still hadn't returned...Jodie he understood but it was not like Alindel to avoid social situations unless there was something up. She would normally be rushing around making sure everyone was comfortable...it was just who she was...even if this wasn't her house. He absently rose a piece of cod to his mouth and chewed on it as he thought.

[Yolanda Riona]

Esmeralda just smiled and circled a claw along the table cloth lightly.

"Oh, it's alright. It seems you were starving. I was just asking, dear, what brings you here?"

She took another nip of her wings as she awaited his reply. On the other side of the table, Rios nodded to Laurelle with wide eyes. It was really the first time he'd ever asked about her family before. Given, they had been together for two weeks now, but between his leg issues, Jodie's problems, and all the stress of living in a new place with new people, he hadn't really given the thought enough of a chance to become conversation.

"I'm glad they're okay. Wow though. Just how big is your family? Do they all do what you do?"

[Laurelle]

"Uh, we're a big family. Really, really big. My dad's a good guy, a fighter, my mom's pretty timid. I have loads of brothers and sisters who are mostly training martially or still in school, although some of them are looking at following me just lately. Then there's my extended family, kinda like a clan of bushbabies in the area I live in, they're all important to me as well. We're peaceful, but we all know we need to protect ourselves, noone's forgotten Robotnik, especially not my mom and dad. How about you?" Laurelle smiles as she sketches out the broad lines of her tale. She's still eating tidily, but immersing herself into the conversation and atmosphere. From what she says it seems like the more people around her the more comfortable she is!

[Yolanda Riona]

Riarios stared dumbly for a moment before shaking his head. He hesitated, then spoke up.

"My parents used to run a diplomatic agency. They always wanted to help with the relations between humans and furs. It was really... controversial, but they didn't really care. Sometimes they used to go on long business trips, but Dromar was always willing to watch me and Jodie so it wasn't so bad. Our extended family is way different from yours though. They haven't tried to contact us in a long time. Dad always said it was because of a big fight he had with my grandpa. Mom's side... I forget why they don't call us or anything. It was something..."

The teenager pondered a moment as he rubbed at the corner of one eye.

"Anyway, I guess it is how it is. You can't really miss what you never had."

[Nail Strafer]

"In case you can't tell from the outfit, I am a mercenary. My work takes me all over the world. My latest job happened to be here...protecting some loony human named Jav...and after that was done I decided to visit this town since I had always thought about coming here but never did...and then I ran into these guys again..." He smiled a little at Laurelle. "Helped me save my sister from Capitol City before it was blown up."

He sighed a little bit at the last sentence...remembering the destruction. But then he caught word of something from Rios that sent a slight chill down his spine. His head rather suddenly snapped towards Rios at the mention of an agency.

Agency...? To improve human-fur relations?

---

A few months ago...

Nail watched a news report recorded on a VCR tape...feeling the color drain from his face as Canma looked on, smiling.

"...can't give you an accurate death toll at this moment...a tragic bombing that is another blight on getting humans and furs to join hands in unity...several office workers and bystanders killed..."

"Beautiful...isn't it?" Canma said...throwing his arms around Nail.

Trying to stay in character...since he wanted her to believe he was true to F4 again...he did what he could to smile and muster up a cheerful voice. "Yeah...you...really showed them." His voice cracked quite a bit, but Canma didn't seem to mind. If Nail had one edge in this entire dangerous game of infiltrating F4...it was that Canma...it's leader and his then ex-wife...would believe anything Nail told her.

"They really did deserve it...disgusting notions they have... I bet it's all just a big trick so that the humans can backstab us again when we're vulnerable."

"Sure...I agree..."

---

Canma is responsible for his parents' deaths... She did turn around just a couple weeks ago after the Sarath invasion started...but it will not bring back his parents.

Nail was almost in a good mood before, but now he had gone rather somber... He turned away from Rios to look out the window...and he looked as if he were staring at something very far away. The sudden shift in emotions wouldn't be too hard for the others to notice.

[Chadin]

Staring blankly out the window as Nail was, he'd see more that just boring old ordinary scenery. Just beside the window frame if Nail looked closely, he might notice the silhouette of a darkly clad shoulder. And that's not all, from his years of training, Nail would easily recognize that posture as... preparation for a breech entry!!!

Suddenly the lights went out and the whole house was cast into pitch blackness.

All at once, the windows in the dining room exploded inwards as large round cylinders smashed through the glass. Two masked soldiers stormed through each window, each barring a suppressed sub machine gun. "Get down on the ground, get down on the ground!! Don't move!!!" the men shouted at the top of their lungs as they spun their weapon mounted flashlights around the room creating a huge confusing, disorientating mass of sound and light.

Down at the main door, the door exploded inwards in a hail of splinters echoed as the door handle blew off. Even more soldiers stormed into the house now and broke off into teams to sweep the house.