group
"Want to, but seemingly unable to," she pointed out. "Being a mutant isn't a bad thing in of itself. Its what you do with your abilities and the people around you that shape it into something to fear and hate."
"Now you're starting to sound like that Professor guy who made that school in the 70's," he said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, this is getting a bit deep for someone I met 30 minutes ago."
group
Rasha raised a brow. "Deep? I'm simply explaining that the concept itself isn't bad, but technicalities shape said concept into how people view it. Nothing deep about that."
Kaz's frown deepened.
"Anybody ever tell you that you're difficult to hold a conversion with?" he asked, glancing over at her again.
group
"Everyone I talk to," she said with a shrug, seemingly unbothered by that fact. "I'm not much of a talker, at least in general. You will learn that sooner or later, if not already."
"Any clue where to go?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence. "I've never had to go out of the city before."
group
"No, but isn't that the point of drifting? Just don't go where the government is," she advised, then sat up and looked around to get her bearings. If he pressed, she might have a reasonable answer to provide. She had never been to this particular city before, but she had traveled enough to know what to look for when searching for a place to hide.
"Well, I've been in a situation like this before, and got very close to being captured at least twice," he said.
He didn't even realize that he was driving over the speed limit until he looked down at his speedometer, slowing down to not bring attention to himself.
"They have the area fucking memorized, apparently."
group
"Lose the roads. That's the first place they'll look. If you can, go through a wooded area or someplace that makes it difficult for helicopters to locate suspicious activities. Occasionally hit back roads or unused paths to find someplace to hole up. Cities are risky if you're on the radar. Abandoned buildings in rural areas are the ideal spot to lay low," Rasha instructed smoothly, already searching for what she had described. She herself didn't do what she just offered, as she usually had little issues, but it was a solid plan for two mutants with a higher likelihood of causing and getting into trouble.
"We are most likely on their radar by now."
Kaz pulled the car to the side of the road, turning the engine off and tossing the keys into the backseat.
"This thing has a GPS tracker since it's a rental," he explained, unbuckling. It was kind of odd that he even bothered with buckling. It's not like he was at risk for getting hurt. "We'll have to hoof it wherever we're gonna stay the night."
group
"Then why were you using it in the first place?" she inquired but didn't wait for an answer as she unbuckled and opened the door, a foot already outside and ready to get going. She rested her cheek on the back of the seat, eyes lazily taking in their surroundings.
It was a heavily forested area, intruded only by the two-lane road that cut through it like an ugly, asphalt scar. The only sound they could hear were the occasional bird chirp and the sound of leaves ruffling in the wind.
"'Cause I hadn't stabbed 3 people in front of half of the city," he said with a shrug, slipping out of the car and slamming the door. "Plus, I needed a car and this was the only thing available."
group
"Uh huh," she said, sounding slightly distracted as she looked around. "This is as good a place as any to start hiking. If we need a light, I'm available." The sounds were calming enough, she supposed, but she was more interested in the kinds of birds that were chirping, what kind of trees they'll be going around, the animals living in the forest—all things factual.
"Well, the sun's going down soon," he said, walking around the front of the car and heading off into the woods, "So I might take you up on the offer."
group
She got out of the car and shut the door behind her, coming up beside Kaz with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. "Works for me. Hey, did you know that to classify a forest, the area has to consist of trees with overlapping crowns forming 60% to 100% cover? Woodlands have 25% to 60% cover, and savannas have a minimum of 5 to 10% cover, and a maximum of 20 to 25% cover—and their trees are more widely spaced than forests or woodlands."
"I did not," he said, giving her the side eye as they walked, "Nor did I really need to. But thanks, I guess."
group
"Any knowledge is something to be needed, no matter how useless it might seem. Perhaps you'll get into an argument between the difference between a forest and woodland. Perhaps not. It's good to be prepared either way." She shrugged. "That, and I just like learning. Philomath."
"Philo-who know?" he asked, frowning slightly. "You're……an odd individual, even for my standards."
group
"Fil-uh-math," she said, going slowly for Kaz. "'Lover of learning' from the Greek philos, meaning "beloved" or "loving," and manthanein or the suffex math- meaning "to learn." Lover of learning." She chose not to respond to his comment on her oddness, as she knew she wasn't normal—and couldn't give a care in the world.
She was getting on his nerves, he couldn't lie. But the sound of a car door slamming from behind him pushed the thought out his his head. His sword was in his hands in a flash as he turned around, squinting through the trees to see if he could find who was after him.
group
((and now Kaz shall realize just what kind of a nerd he's dealing with))
Rasha was also on alert, though it didn't look like it as she looked over her shoulder, hands still in her pockets. She could use any sort of negative feelings that were ghosting around Kaz like an invisible aura, including his irritation., to fight against anything that might be a threat.
"Hey, um, is anyone in here?" someone called. "I noticed your car pulled over and I was wondering if you were okay."
Kaz looked over to Rasha and shook his head. Not good.
group
She held up her hand, the other waving Kaz back behind her in a 'let me,' gesture. It was her turn to rid themselves of too-nosey people, and at least her ability didn't automatically mean death to her opponents.
Before he could even react, a black blur flew out from behind a tree, slamming into Kaz with the force of a truck. Both of them went crashing into the ground at her feet. In an instant, Kaz and the guy were on their feet, and they got a full look at his face.
"Fuck," Kaz growled. They were staring at the face of Wolverine.
(Not really him, a clone. I'll get a picture up real quick)
group
((boy oh boy))
Rasha took multiple steps back, her brows rising in slight surprise. "That's not him," she said calmly, quickly tugging off her gloves, jacket, and even her shirt, leaving her in just her sports bra, pants, and boots. "Wolverine is dead." Her voice was almost disembodied as she spoke, her powers activating. The patterns over her body glowed brilliantly, and her pure white hair appeared to flow on an invisible wind as her eyes seemed to glow as well. She lifted her hands, and the wind picked up.
There was a lingering haze of negative emotions, and she latched onto that, twisting the feeling into a call. A sickly green and ghostly skeleton appeared behind her with a haunting scream, darting around her without any directions so far.
"Sure as hell looks like 'em," he grumbled as the claws on the clone's knuckles extended.
It was obvious from the way Kaz fought that he got no formal training. The reason why is because he was getting fucking schooled by the clone. Sparks flew each and every time those claw dragged across his skin, tearing his clothing even worse. The fact that the clone couldn't kill Kaz made him even more enrages, his attacks even more violent as the fight rolled on.
"Get involved any time you wish!" Kaz shouted, sounding slightly panicked.
group
Panic. Good. Feed, my pet. Call your friends and family. Aid me, my friends. Wipe the ground with this prey's blood.
Rasha didn't move, but more and more ghouls and spirits appeared around her, circling and racing around and around, whipping her hair this way and that. "Just a few more seconds, Rip," she said, voice haunting and disembodied. The screams around her deafened her partially, but she needed more. They needed to feed, and she was shamelessly using Kaz as the bait.
He growled in response, doing his best to keep the claws away from his eyes, which were the only weak spots on his body.
"Whatever you're doing," he said, noticing the green flashes running around in his peripheral vision, "please do it faster!"
group
"I would if you'd be a little more cooperative," Rasha reasoned flatly, having the audacity—or lack of care, perhaps—to sound almost disappointed in Kaz, as if she had expected more of him.
