Unbelievable [open]

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky walked down the aisle, throwing a few things in her little basket as she went, a scowl on her face the entire time. She couldn't believe the Elders had her on errands now, getting medicines and other supplies that they need. She was a good Hunter, why did they have her doing this crap? Oh thats right...they say everyone has to do this at some point, we take turns...bullshit. She threw a few boxes of Advil and Alieve in her basket.

A mother and her young son where in the aisle with her. The boy starred at Vicky, with her long blonde hair streaked with black, black leather punk clothes, and of course her eyes lined with black make-up, the look of the devil in them. she waited til she was next to the kid, before leaning down at whisper in his ear.
You have been a naughty boy. A bad bad boy. I know where you sleep at night, all curled up under the covers....in the dark, all alone...
She didn't even get to finish before the mother started yelling at her and tugging her son away who looked scarred out of his mind. If she had to go shopping, she would at least make a part of it entertaining.

She continued down the lane, scowling and cursing under her breath, tossing things in her basket not even caring to look at what it was.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Melissa started through the pharmacy, trying to find the aisle with gauze. Her arm was still covered in the stuff, to protect the stitches as the doctor had told her. After first asking the woman at the counter and getting a 'I-don't-know-and-I-don't-care' look from her, Melissa decided that it would just be easier if she found it herself.

Without grabbing a basket, because she wouldn't need one, Melissa started going up and down the aisles one-by-one, determined to find what she was looking for. Her search was interrupted however, by a distubance near the front. Melissa was at the back of the store, so she simply peered around the corner of the aisle so that she could see what was going on.

It was a very confusing situation. On the one hand, you have the gothic freaky looking chick, who had the smug, cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face, and on the other you had a scared looking boy hiding behind his furious mother, who appeared to be yelling at said gothic chick. Since she had nowhere to be right now, Melissa figured it was better to keep an eye on the situation in case it got ugly. Probability of that? 100%.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

As Vicky walked down the aisle she noticed a girl looking at her with a very odd expression. Vicky glared at her, and when she got close enough said,
What the hell are you looking at?
She shook her head as she cant believe how rude people are, starring at others all the time. Like, really, where did all the manners go? She reached into her pockets of her pants and pulled out a crumpled up list. She read down the list rolling her eyes a bit before going to the counter. She asked for a few pills, mostly pain killers, and the guy behind the counter seemed to just know who it was for, didnt ask for an ID, or a doctors prescription, just gave them to her, free of charge. She flicked an eyebrow up at the action, but then moved on. The Elders pay for all of this stuff, so Vicky decided to go around adding a few of the things she needed into the basket. She gave a slightly evil smile as she plopped whatever into the basket. This will teach them not ot send her on stupid errands.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Melissa's eyes widened as she watched the kid's mother yell at the goth girl. It didn't seem to faze the freaky looking girl at all though, and in fact it only seemed to amuse her. The poor little boy was crying softly from behind his mother and Melissa cast him a sympathetic look. The girl's outfit alone was enough to scare anyone, and that's not even including the attitude she was excluding.

As the girl continued down the aisle towards her, Melissa squared up her shoulders and stood straight to face the girl. She wouldn't the girl push her around. The girl was closer now, close enough for Melissa to see the thick, racoon-like liner rimming her eyes, smeared over with thick black eye shadow. As if the appearance wasn't 'bad-girl' enough for everyone, the girl had to really show how mean she was by talking.

What the hell are you looking at? Your bad makeup job, what else. Or maybe your bad attitude, I can't decide. Melissa settled for giving the girl a condescending smirk, the ones older siblings give younger ones when they're allowed to go out and the little ones aren't. It was the look that often prompted the sticking out of tongues by the opposing side, though Melissa doubted that the girl would do that in this case. It would wreck the tough girl image she tried so hard to make. Why did she try so hard to seem so mean? There was something about the girl, something calculating and reptilian about her, and Melissa didn't like it.

When the girl walked to the pharmacist, he got her a whole bunch of stuff without her asking, and Melissa noticed that he didn't make her pay for them either. Weird. Why doesn't she have to pay? Melissa didn't like unfairness, but she wasn't going to stick her nose where it didn't belong. She settled for taking several deep breaths to calm herself, and she noted a weird smell eminating from the girl; it was earthy and scaley smelling. Double weird. Ordinarily Melissa would have avoided this girl, but she decided that the direct approach might be better. Too bad that she was too chicken to talk to the girl. Her curiosity would just have to be satisfied by what had already happened.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky turned away form the counter just as she thought the other girl have made a grimace with her face, directed at Vicky. She hesitated, glaring and wondering if she had imagined it, or if they girl did make a face at her. Vicky hefted the basket, now full of supplies, up higher onto her waist, eyes still frozen on the other girl. She slowly took a few steps towards the girl, in a very predatory manner. Vicky eyed the supplies on the shelf, as if she needed something more and was not trying to 'hunt'. Her Badger talisman crawled with joy, prying and clawing its way out. But Vicky hushed it back. It growled and huffed in frustration.

Those would look good on you.
She said, pointing to a set of the fake stick on nails, black with red tips. She licked her lips, ready to have some fun. This girl was younger than Victoria, and she seemed to reek of and innocence that Vicky only held when she was an infant. She grew out of that innocent phase very quickly.
You should try something new. A new hairstyle. Or new clothes..or maybe just a whole new style. You look to goody two shoes. I could help..with that.
Vicky's grey eyes shined with anticipation.

[Melissa|Tristan]

There was something odd about this girl, different from many that Melissa had met so far during her stay in Naotak. It wasn't just that the girl was about the weirdest person she'd seen so far, but the girl smelled . . . musky, a scent that totally didn't go with her outfit or demeanor. Besides that though, Melissa was really thrown by the girls' new attitude towards her. Since she'd been not-so-nice to that little boy, Melissa was a little intimidated. If a person picked on little kids, they'd probably pick on bigger kids too. This girl looked like a fighter of the worst kind too; a cutthroat, take-no-prisoners type.

Melissa took a concurrent step backward as soon as the girl stepped into her personal space. She didn't seem angry with her, even though Melissa had given her a dirty look only moments before. Her cheetah was more settled now, but it gave a warning shake of it's head, advising her not to trust this stranger. It had said the same with Caleb, but she'd ignored it. She wouldn't ignore it's advice this time, since it had already proven itself before.

Those would look good on you. She turned to see what the girl was talking about, and discovered a set of goth-looking fake nails. Inwardly, Melissa cringed. The nails looked downright dangerous, not to mention uncomfortable. Why would someone stick bits of plastic over their real nails? She tugged on her t-shirt uncomfortably before answering carefully. Fake nails aren't really my thing. But I'm open to suggestions about clothes. It was only a half-lie since Melissa didn't actually mind getting help with clothes. She just wouldn't wear exactly the same stuff as this girl, is all. It was easier not to take offense to the girls' comment about the 'goody two-shoes' thing. Melissa dressed somewhat preppy, but more casual, ready-to-get-down-and-dirty-at-a-moments-notice than anything else. Having a talisman like hers called for it.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky eyed the girl, not at all insulted by her refusal for the fake nails. Vicky didn't wear fake ones either, although she did once in a while paint them like that. Usually she just kept a layer of black. On 'special' occasions she would would add a touch of red or some other color. Vicky almost took a quick step back when the girl said she would take suggestions about clothes. Was this a trap? She didn't know. Vicky eyed her once more, she calculated as much as she could about the girl. Her look, her posture, her hair style, her facial features, her smell, everything. She sensed something different about her. Usually meant her Badger was saying that this one had a talisman.

Im Vicky.
She thought that maybe if she played nice with the girl, she could find out more. Then decide what her move would be. She reached a hand out to greet the girl, 'officially' anyways. The two rings on her hands stood out against her pale skin. And her current layer of blank nail polish had chips in it. What? Being a Hunter was dirty work.
I can always take you shopping. I know a few good places where the clothes come really cheap.
Pretty much meaning she got them free because of who she worked with. One of the many perks of being a Hunter.

[Melissa|Tristan]

To Melissa's utmost surprise, the girl didn't seem angry with her polite refusal regarding the fake nails. Actually, she seemed to become more interested then. Perhaps she was the type of person no one refuses anything to. Exhibit A: The pharmacist giving her the free drugs. What was up with that anyways? Somehow, Melissa doubted that she was going to find that answer out.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, being stared at. Melissa pretended not to notice the girl watching her, simply out of politeness. Her mom had raised her to be polite and subtle. Well, she'd actually only tried with the subtlety; Melissa still hadn't mastered that.

I'm Vicky. The name didn't really fit the person; it sounded like it belonged to someone much less frightening. She cautiously reached out to take Vicky's offered hand; it was the polite thing to do after all. Melissa. I'm new in town. She would have added an 'it's nice to meet you', but she didn't know if that was true yet.

As their skin touched, Melissa felt something stir inside her. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and her cheetah silently hissed. She wasn't sure of anything, but this girl was different than the other normal people she'd met around town. Vicky felt the same to Melissa as Aras had; maybe she had a creature too. The thought was hard to swallow; no doubt it was something more dangerous than Melissa's own creature.

The smart thing to do would have been to leave, but like it happens so often, Melissa didn't do the smart thing. She decided to stay and talk to Vicky. She didn't seem too dangerous, and the offer to go shopping was nice. Sure. I would be nice to go shopping with someone I know. It took an effort to smile, but Melissa managed it pretty convincingly, curious about Vicky. She seemed so different from anyone else Melissa had ever met, and she was curious to know Vicky's story.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky nodded towards the check out line and started walking that way. She didn't glance to see if the girl was following, but assumed. She waited in line and turned to see her behind her.
So, what do you like to do, for fun? I know there is not much to do here, unless you like nature. Or shopping.
Vicky found it very difficult to sound nice, it almost seemed to pain her. She forced a fake smile, practice from working at the fancy restaurant actually payed off.

She reached the counter and dumped the stuff in a messy order. The guy gave her a look but scanned each item. She handed him a card without looking at him but turned to look back at Melissa. She opened her mouth to start a conversation but came up short. So instead she turned to the guy and said,
Will you hurry up? I have things to attend to.
He rushed.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Melissa didn't follow Vicky right away, though she was still intimidated by the older girl. I've just gotta grab something quickly. She called out to her and turned to walk quickly down the next aisle, the one that contained tape and gauze. Grabbing a role of each, hopefully she wouldn't need more than that, she moved to meet Vicky at the checkout.

Smiling at Vicky's bored sounding tone, Melissa thought carefully before answering her seemingly simple question. It wouldn't do to give out too much of her personal information to an almost complete stranger. I love nature, so I've been exploring the area since I got here. It sure is beautiful here. Melissa particularly liked the new freedom she'd found here, being able to do what she liked when she pleased. She'd found it strange at first, after being controlled by her father for so long, but had vowed never to go back. Anything was better than that.

After cautiously returning Vicky's smile, she approached the opposite counter, where the unhelpful girl from earlier was reading a tabloid magazine. Melissa cleared her throat politely in an attempt to catch the girls attention. At the same time she heard an angry voice say, Will you hurry up? I have things to attend to. Melissa winced at the tone before turning to discover Vicky glaring at the guy attending to her. He had an apologetic look on his face, and seemed to hurry much faster now. Well, one good thing came out of it; the girl at Melissa's counter noticed she was there and rang her through faster than she'd ever been taken care of before.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky gave the man and polite, yet nasty smile before turning to Melissa. Her face immediately went to angry look to, 'omg a friend' look. She caught site of the tape and raised a single eye brow, she let the girl know that she had seen it, but didn't say anything. She nodded her head as if to say 'c'mon' and headed to the door. Vicky reached into her bag and pulled out the pack of gum. She tore it open and put a piece in her mouth, popping it loudly and blowing a bubble. Her talisman shifted uncomfortably in her, trying to get out. She hushed it once more. It has been getting more and more antsy lately, for unknown reasons.
So, where to?
She popped the piece of gum again and turned to face Melissa now outside the store. Her phone in her pocket vibrated and vicky took it out to look at it. She scowled and slammed it back into her pocket, ignoring it.

I know this great place out of town for clothes and other things. It's only a minute walk, if you wanna go. Cheap too.
Vicky smiled at her as nicely as she could, and believe it or not, if she tried VERY hard, it could be convincing. She actually looked like a true friend, but only for a moment. She hoped she would say yes, for, 'shopping', would be fun.

[Melissa|Tristan]

As oblivious as she was in some situations, her talisman was now giving it's opinion on anything and everything happening right now in the pharmacy. The cheetah was making it plain that it wasn't happy with their current situation, and didn't seem to have any intentions of stopping either. Melissa listened to it's advice, but mentally shushed it. Unless they were careful, Vicky would figure out that something wasn't completely normal with her, and that could be a bad thing.

Aras' last advice to her had been that not everyone in Naotak was friendly to those who had talismans like her. Advice that Melissa had vowed to live by. Despite the weird look Vicky had given her at the sight of the tape, Melissa didn't explain. She followed Vicky out of the pharmacy at her own pace, not following right behind her as was probably expected. In this gesture Melissa hoped to convey that she didn't give in to others' demands easily.

The swooshing of the automatic doors was the only sound as Melissa walked out until an instant before they closed, when she heard the girl who'd scanned her items whisper a bad word in reference to Vicky and her behaviour. The doors clicked shut with a snap behind her, cutting her off from the angry sounds that had been continuing from inside. Melissa tried to shake it off, to focus on Vicky, who'd added to her image with bubblegum.

The image was marred a second later, when Vicky's phone vibrated, but surprisingly Vicky didn't answer it. Vicky's ticked off look made Melissa want to disappear, but thankfully her attitude wasn't sent in her direction. Umm . . . Alright, sure. I guess I can shop for a little while with you. Quickly glancing at her watch, Melissa continued. I've got lunch with a friend in 45 minutes though, so we've gotta make it quick. Of course she was lying about having a friend to meet, since she didn't really know many people yet, but it was better to lie, just in case. Melissa didn't trust Vicky yet, and she might need to leave if they turned out to be non-compatible as friends.

Melissa smiled at Vicky, trying to appear at ease. Lead the way. Her cheetah snarled at the stupidity of such a decision, promping her to question it. Why are you so edgy today? The only answer she got was that the hair stood up on it's back, a tribute to how uncomfortable it truly was right now. Melissa turned to face the same direction as Vicky, tentatively moving to just out of reaching distance. For some reason, she felt more like prey than predator right now.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky popped her gum loudly again and shifted her bag to a better place on her shoulder that was more comfortable. She gave the girl a friendly smile and started to walk down the road, in the direction of out of town. She racked her brain trying to find some easy, small talk and finally found something...although it was the truth.
The first time I found this place I was shocked by its location, I mean, who would pick out of town right? But apparently most of the locals know it. And its great, its where I got...this shirt actually. But they have a variety of stuff.
She hid a smirk, loving how it was so easy for her, setting a trap, lying blah blah blah. Then again, its her job right?

They walked for a few more minutes, the buildings shrinking in size and getting more and more discrete. She glanced at her watch and smiled.
You still got time before your lunch. Man time does go fast though.
Her badger jumped with anticipation, ready to strike. She calmed it down, telling it not to distract her, and it immediately settled down. Her phone vibrated in her pocket again, she pulled it out and replied to a text message.
Sorry about that, the boyfriend. He's um, a bit controlling, always needing to know where I am. You know.

They buildings were now almost non existence, she would have to pounce now before Melissa really got suspicious. Vicky stopped walking and begun to dig around in her purse, then to the bag, then back to the purse.
Hey have you seen my....my um...
Distraction. WAM!!
Vicky flung her arm out in a wide arch, and back handed Melissa in the jaw. She let her bags drop to the ground and jumped after Melissa, hoping to grab her before she reacted to quickly.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Vicky seemed pretty casual with her stance and language, but her eyes said otherwise. They were over-alert, darting everywhere to take everything in, and Vicky wasn’t making eye contact. In Melissa’s experience, that meant that the person was lying, but why would Vicky be lying to her? Despite her instincts, which were telling her that now would be a good time to bolt and run, Melissa followed Vicky. Not right beside her as was expected, but slightly behind, trailing as much as she could while still being polite. Her nerves began sounding as soon as the buildings became more sparsely spaced.

Vicky was chattering on about this store she’d found in some remote area, and Melissa found herself tuning it out, looking around nervously, trying to spot someone, anyone. She was getting more and more suspicious with every step they took down the road out of town. She’d just opened her mouth to say she was going to turn around when Vicky’s cell phone vibrated, and she texted back to whomever it was, totally distracting her.

. . . the boyfriend. He's um, a bit controlling, always needing to know where I am. You know. Vicky’s eyes were still darting about, like she too was checking to see if there was anyone around. Melissa looked at the ground, replying softly as though hoping that Vicky wouldn’t hear her. Actually, I don’t know. The redness of her face was a mark of how embarrassed she was to admit that, even to an almost stranger. In her embarrassment, Melissa wasn’t paying much attention to the now almost absent buildings, until Vicky’s behaviour became even more suspicious than a minute ago.

Hey have you seen my....my um... Melissa’s cheetah snarled in warning, but the warning came a split second too late. It happened so fast that Melissa wasn't really sure what it was. She should have listened to what her talisman had been telling her. Next time she would, if there was a next time after this. Something told her that it was a very real possibility that she wouldn’t survive this attack. Subconsciously, Melissa had known that Vicky was trouble, but Melissa strived to think the best of everyone, though that often was what got her into trouble. Her morals were strong about not judging someone before you really know them, and she was more of an idealist than a realist. Sad, but true.

The instant that Melissa realized that it had been Vicky's arm that had whacked her in the face was the same instant when she realized that Vicky was stronger than she looked. Melissa lost her balance and slammed into the ground. The gravel dug into the backs of Melissa’s arms as she landed with a thud, but the pain coming from her shoulder far outweighed those small scratches. A ripping sensation passed through Melissa's shoulder as several stitches tore, placing a large amount of stress on her weakened arm. Her cheetah was very agitated right now, struggling to come out, but worried about the consequences of such an action. Melissa wiped her bloody lip off, and tried quickly to stand, barely succeeding before her whole vision was taken up by Vicky leaping at her. What was going on? Why was Vicky attacking her? The questions obviously weren’t about to be answered anytime soon, if Vicky’s swift second attack was any indication. A yelp escaped Melissa's lips as the two females collided with a sickening thud. It was anyone’s game . . . for now.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Vicky jumped toward the girl as fast as she could. Lucky for her, Melissa seemed shocked and unaware what was happening. Vicky smirked, congratulating herself by how well things were playing out today. Vicky landed next to the girl, and to make sure she stayed down, gave her a quick kick to the ribs. Her breathing was coming fast and hard and her heart rate had shot through the roof. She looked around her for the girls bag, spotted it and grabbed it. She ripped out the duct tape and began to unwrap it as fast as she could, using her teeth to make holes. But the stuff was strong. She ripped and tore at it like a wild dog scavenging for food. She gave a yell of frustration, eying Melissa to make sure she didn't lose her catch. They would be proud of her, well assuming she was something of use to them. But for a split second she felt guilty, she could see that the girl does not know of the tension, and well, war between Hunters and Innocents. She really was, an innocent.

Just as Vicky was about to rip the tape open and bind the girls hand, her cell phone went off again. Assuming her 'job' was not only pretty much done, but so easy she took her eyes of Melissa and stopped with the tap. she reached into her pocket and took it out, irritated that it wouldn't stop buzzing. She flipped it open and replied to an associate of hers, typing out her words on the keypad. The roll of duct tape hung from her wrist. She slammed the phone shut and shoved it back into her black pants. She thought that Melissa had gotten rope too, so she started to look through the bag, but gave up. She tore the tape open and advanced on Melissa, slowly pulling out the tape to get ready to bind her hands together.