got a target on your back [Quick]

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] Her tread was cautious as she crept through the Fallen campgrounds, her footfalls muted by the loose sand beneath her feet. Each step was measured as she prowled towards the makeshift paddock she kept her horse in, and as she painstakingly dragged the two heavy logs of lumber from their positions on the fence she was careful not to make a sound. She led Eden from his paddock and vaulted easily onto his back, grimacing as the arrows in her quiver rattled as the bow strung over her shoulder struck it. The sound seemed to echo through the barren landscape, but nothing stirred and after a few moments, she urged Eden forward into a slow walk into the darkness. It wasn't long before she'd cleared the main Fallen territory and she let Eden fly, heedless of the danger she was riding into. She was content to feel the wind whipping through her hair, to tangle her hands in Eden's wiry mane. She felt lost in the rhythmic thunder of his hooves, and she could feel herself come alive, her heart thrumming in her chest to the beat of his hooves. It was a strange, magical feeling she'd felt only a few times in her life. A connection that went beyond the surface, ran deeper than she cared to look. The feeling was short-lived as the desert stretched into the outskirts of the city, and she slowed Eden to a walk. He danced in place, tossing his head up at the strange flickering shadows the moon cast. Adelina patted his neck and crooned gently, and though he was still anxious the horse continued dutifully onwards. Dawn was still a few hours out when she pulled Eden to halt just outside the Carna borders, along the forested foothills that hedged the Fallen border. She'd taken the longer route to avoid the Fallen patrol that guarded those borders at night, but they had long since returned to their rail cars. Adelina dismounted and left Eden to munch contentedly on the grasses in the midst of a thick copse, content to leave him ground tied. She trekked the rest of the way and stole quietly into the Carna's territory, careful to cover her tracks. She drew her bow and notched and arrow, almost wishing a Carna would show his face so she could sink an arrow into his skull. She shook her head clear of those thoughts and continued on her prowl, letting instinct (and her nose) guide her as she searched for supplies. ooc-- this lamepost is set prior to Quick becoming Beta (still Lead Hunter) & when the Carna-Fallen alliance was still intact.

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick quietly slunk after Adelina in his leopard form as she snuck through the Fallenring camp, being careful to move as soundlessly as she was. He'd been having difficulty with her behavior lately, and none of his attempts to correct it had help. On the contrary, they seemed to had made it worse. She was running around and raiding Fulsi and Carna indiscriminately.

Or so he suspected.

Apparently there had been many thefts in Carna territory lately, and a good deal of them were along the Carna/Fallen border. Adelina became a suspect when she started showing up for patrols and such at the last minute, or she had been discreetly seen leaving the Fallen camp in the direction of the border with the Carna. Quick disliked them as much as she did, but they had a peace to uphold for the Fallen, however uneasy it might be. Their Ring had enough to worry about without their only alliance falling to pieces because one of their members decided to go and do her own thing. At the very least, Quick had decided, he wouldn't let it be one of his own Hunters that helped end their uneasy alliance with the Carna.

And so here he was, putting his old skills as a scout to use tracking one of his own Hunters. He didn't like it one bit, but that was the price of leadership. Quick made sure to stay downwind of her horse as he followed her at a distance, keeping quiet and out of sight. As Adelina urged her horse into a gallop, Quick shifted into a run himself, keeping pace with the horse and its rider. Once they got further towards the border, though, Adelina allowed her horse to slow back down to a walk. As it did, the wind momentarily shifted and brought his scent to the horse. For a moment, he thought he'd been discovered, but then the wind changed back and the horse settled down and continued on.

Finally they came to the Carna/Fallen border and Adelina dismounted and continued on foot. Quick shifted to his human form and followed her, stopping for a moment by her horse. He reached up and patted the beast and then continued on after its rider....

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] Adelina worked her way quietly down the light slope, coming down from the cliffs the long way. Adison had innocently shown her the safest, quickest paths down to the shoreline--or rather, she'd watched him from the edge of the forest when he thought she'd gone. Even before she'd met Adison, she'd found herself sneaking into the Carna territory, drawn there by the promise of danger; besides, she wanted to satisfy the niggling curiosity at the back of his mind as to whether or not the Carna were really the blood-thirsty monstrous beasts her family had made them out to be. The Carna had never been a source of fear for her, even at a young age. She knew them for what they were--shifters who were out to survive, just like everyone else. And that was why she had seen Adison for more than just the Alpha's son, why she had fallen in love with him despite their differences. It hurt to think of how different things were now, how lost she felt as she stole through the familiar paths of the Carna lands, as if she had been born there. As if she were made to read the same paths they were. She knew deep down they were still the same, the same people stuck in the same place. Another one of her father's lessons; Just because you were a Carna, didn't mean you were a murderer. And just because you were a Fallen didn't make you a saint. But as she found herself at the bottom of the cliffs, creeping along the rocky shore, she knew that it didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter who lived and died, who she killed and who she let live. They would all die, it wasn't a matter of if or how it was a matter of when. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she wasn't aware of her direction any longer. She snapped out of it as she heard the boards of the docks creak under the weight of her boot. She pulled herself up abruptly, biting down on her lip to bring her back to reality. This was no time to be getting philosophical, she thought. She slung her bow over her shoulder and shifted, prowling along the docks with soft, feline paw-steps, hardly making a sound with her weight more evenly distributed. She headed for the warehouse district, the heavy scent of Carna cloying her nostrils, bringing back painful memories. She shrugged them off with ease as the wind shifted and the sharp scent of food caught her attention. Teal eyes bright, she followed her nose to a warehouse. There was one guard, who had already fallen asleep at her post. The Carna were worn down now that they had been lending the Fallen aid on their patrols, and Adelina didn't blame the poor girl. Unfortunate that she'd likely get a punishment when it was discovered they'd been robbed blind in the morning. Spotting a window on the top floor where a board had fallen loose, Adelina took a running start and leapt into the air. She landed roughly on the sill, scrabbling for a hold, hissing when a shard of glass sliced into the bottom of a calloused paw. Nevermind, she thought and easily ignored the pain and blood. She squeezed inside and unfurled her wings, gliding gently down to the floor below where a stack of delicious smelling crates awaited her. She landed lightly, shifted back and immediately went to work. ooc-- hope its okay~

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick followed Adelina quietly all the way down the path to the piers, making sure to stay out of sight of his quarry as he did so. It didn't prove to be too challenging as she seemed to be spacing out, lost in her own thoughts while wandering Carna territory. He had to fight down the urge to run up and stop her there, but decided he wanted to wait longer, just to be absolutely sure of her intentions in Carna territory.

It didn't take him long to find out.

He had followed her to a warehouse that had the strong smell of food coming from it, especially once the wind shifted to blow towards them. He paused to watch what Adelina did, taking in their surroundings as she leapt into the window. As Adelina jumped through the broken window, a large piece of glass broke off and shattered on the ground. Quick cursed quietly and hid behind the corner of the warehouse, seeing the sleeping guard jerk awake as he did. How could Adelina be so careless?

Quick shifted to his human form as he heard the girl move closer to the corner and pulled out one of his knives. He heard her cry out to others as she got closer to where he waited in ambush, and the Lead Hunter tensed himself, prepared for what he had to do. As she came around the corner, he jumped out at her, sliding the knife through her neck under he chin. He took in every detail as he slowly lowered her to the ground: the shocked expression on her eyes, the way her hands weakly grasped at his arm, fighting for life she knew was already over. Within a few minutes, her eyes were lifeless and her grip loosened on his arm. He pulled his knife free of her neck, wiped the blood off on her clothes, and replaced it in its sheath. Then, gritting his teeth, he shifted and leapt through the window after Adelina. He gave his eyes a chance to adjust and then leapt lithely down to the warehouse floor, following after his rogue Hunter.

Finally, he caught up to her, still unaware he was there. He shook his spotted leopard's head and shifted as he snuck up on her. When he was close enough, he reached out, pulled her close and clamped a hand over her mouth so she couldn't cry out.

"It's Quick, Adelina," he said, whispering into her ear,"stay calm, and stay quiet. There are other guards out there looking for intruders, thanks to you."

He let her go at that point and stepped back, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes,"I just killed a girl who looked like she was your age or younger because you wanted to run off. I want a damn good explanation when we get back to the Fallen camp, got it?"

He looked around as he heard voices coming in through the window they'd used as an entrance. It was the poor guard-girl's friends, and they didn't sound happy to find her dead.

"We need to get the hell out of here first, though," he told her,"and fast."

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] The shadows cloaked her well and she was grateful for the cover, but at the same time it made her task that much more difficult. She felt her way through the best she could as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. She looked to the floor far below, for the most part a void of shadows that seemed to swallow up the light; the moon filtered in through a few windows, just enough to illuminate a few vague shapes. A couple of moments passed and she'd identified her path to the bottom, quickly and as quietly as possible making her way down an old staircase. There were a few creaks here and there, but she was confident they mimicked the usual sounds of the warehouse settling. She'd used it to her advantage several times before, noticing what the guards did or didn't react to. It all depended on luck, mostly, and how paranoid the guards happened to be. She felt the ground change beneath her and knew she'd reached the bottom. It took her only a few moments to sniff out which boxes were full and which we empty. The Carna did a decent job of hiding their stores, they changed them up fairly often and it was difficult to get a trace on a good score. Most of the time it was pretty much useless food that had little to no nutritional value. But hey, she wasn't here for that. It was the whole idea of it, the fact that she'd slipped past their guards, in and out as easily as a shadow. She knew better than to underestimate the Carna, however. Though she wouldn't have minded a bit of a scuffle. She wouldn't seek them outright, no. Then it would be as if it was her knife seeking their blood. But if they sought her out, she wouldn't deny them the fight they thirsted for. Adelina found herself yearning more and more for the thrill of battle, more so than she had ever before. There was something satisfying about it, something deep in her core that came to life when she felt the tip of her knife or claws dig into flesh, the feel of pure control she felt when the blood oozed from the wounds. She felt powerful, like nothing could touch her. A pair of hands wrapping around her body brought her back to reality with a sudden jerk, and she found herself immobilized with her mouth covered. She felt hot breath against her neck, heard a whisper, but all she could think about was getting free. It took her a few seconds to recognize the scent, the voice, that she wasn't in any imminent danger. She stopped struggling for a moment to hear what bullshit excuse he had for coming after her and grabbing her from behind like some creep pervert. Something about guards looking for her. She rolled her eyes, a low growl-like sound rumbling in her throat as she twisted one arm out of his hold and aimed a vicious backward swing at his solar plexus. She twisted free of his grip and rounded on him, though held herself back from slamming a fist into his face. He was her superior, so she would hold her hits. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she hissed. "And that girl's blood is on your hands, not mine. You shouldn't have been following me. What I do on my time is of no business to you." She heard the commotion outside the barricaded doors, presumably where the guards had discovered their fallen comrade. "Look what you did, you idiot," she growled, rolling her eyes. She pulled out one of the machetes from the dual sheaths strapped to her back, twirling it nimbly in her hands. Adelina stalked up to Quick and held it level with his throat, though she was careful not to let it touch him. She knew he would understand she wouldn't hurt him, not fatally at least, but the intention was clear. She wasn't going with him on his terms. "Let them come to us," she said, twirling behind him and hissing it into his ear. "I'll take care of them big tough Carnamen for you. You stick to the innocent little girls." ooc-- rambol gambol XD sorry it's so late </3 also Lina is being such a biiiitch xDD

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick felt Adelina twisted an arm out of his grip, and moved just in time for her to hit him in the side, rather than the stomach. It hurt, but at least it didn't knock the wind out of him. She then briefly spat out in anger at him about how what she did on her own was not his business. He scowled at her, his temper flaring up for the first time since he'd come into leadership in the Fallen, despite his attempts at controlling it.

"I don't give a F&$! what you want. It's my damn business when one of MY Hunters does something to endanger the Ring! You're coming back with me, one way or the f@&%#+* other," he said to her angrily as they heard the Carnaring guards at the door. Adelina pulled one of her machetes and walked over, holding it up near his throat. He grabbed her hand and moved it so the blade was pressed firmly against his throat. He looked at her angrily as he spoke,"If you're going to threaten me, you'd damn well better be prepared to follow through and finish me off quick, 'cause even with a slit throat, I'll f@&$*@' take you with me. Is that clear enough for you?"

He pushed her hand away and drew a couple of his throwing knives as the guards finished opening the doors to the warehouse, the sound of heavy chains falling to the ground as the guards stormed in. Quick looked back at Adelina and motioned for her to follow him. He intended to use the skills he'd learned in his days as a scout to get them out of there....

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] She kept her expression blank as he snarled and cussed his threats at her; the usual manly threat that he'd go down fighting and take her straight to hell with him, yadda yadda yadda. She waited for him to finish, gritting her teeth as he grabbed the blade and pressed it so it was flush against his throat. She breathed steadily through her nostrils, resisting the urge to twist the tip of the blade further into his neck, just to draw a bit of blood and see how far she could push him. "Don't tempt me, sir." she said, twisting the blade against the thin flesh of his neck. She could almost see his pulse, almost feel it through the steel on her blade. "And I'm not endangering the Ring. I would never think of doing something so rash," she hissed, teal eyes flashing in anger. "I am here on my own. If I was caught, and I wasn't going to get caught, I'm a fresh Rogue, ditching the Fallen for a life on my own. All was going perfectly well until you stormed in and offed that poor girl. All I wanted was some supplies to get what we deserve." she said. "But you interfered, and led them right to us; a giant red arrow pointing right to the Fallen," she said, easily twisting away from him. "If they rain hell on us for this, Quick, that's on you. Clear enough?" Adelina didn't wait for a reply and turned away from him, ignoring his commands for the meantime. The last thing she wanted to do was cooperate with this douchebag, storming in here like he owned her; like he expected her to kow-tow to his every command simply because he was of higher rank. She loved her Ring, she loved her Alpha--but sometimes the folk in charge didn't know what was best. And Quick was one of 'em. Quick whisked past her, motioning for her to follow him again. She figured that they might as well get out of the warehouse, and then she could have it out with him. Besides, it's not like she wanted him to die, even if he did somewhat deserve it for being such an idiot, coming after her like that. She sheathed her machete and re-drew her bow and notched an arrow, content to give him cover from behind if he needed it. ooc-- lemme know if anything needs fixin

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick stood there, listening to Adelina make her excuses about how she wasn't endangering the Ring. So she'd pretend to be a Rogue to protect the fallen? It seemed like a solid plan at first, but there was something else to consider: telepaths. They existed inside the dome due to the Keepers' genetic experiments. Quick didn't doubt Adelina's ability to lie, but even the best of liats couldn't fool a telepath.

"You're forgetting about telepaths," he told her in a quiet, angry hiss,"No matter how well you lie, you can't fool someone who can read your mind. And the Carna havevsome telepaths at their disposal, make no mistake. Anything that comes of this is far from my fault."

He peeked around the corner of the shelves toward the door the Carna guards had entered through. He ciuld see them just inside the door. They briefly discussed their strategy for searching the warehouse, then split up. Quick ducked back out of sight as one of the guards headed straight for them. He slunk quietly to go around the other side of the shelves, motioning for adelina to follow him. As he turned the corner, however, he ran into another one of the guards.

The Carna raised a cry and Quick raised his knife in a lightning quick motion, running the blade across the guard's throat. The guard fell to the floor as he gripped his throat, blood spilling between his fingers. The Lead Hunter cursed silently as he heard the other guards return the dying one's shout. He reached around and pulled his spear from where it was lashed to his back.

"I guess we have a fight on our hands," he said as another guard came around the next corner. Quick bull-rushed the man, slamming into him hard with his shoulder and knocking him to the ground.....

.

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] Adelina rolled her eyes, knowing that they didn't really have time to play the blame game, but she couldn't resist one last quip. "I speak ten different languages; I dream in Japanese for Christ's sake. I'm pretty sure I could manage to think in a language their special little brain-leeches couldn't speak," she said, adjusting her arrow and trying not to go off on a rant about goddamned telepaths. She hated them with a passion, ever since that Fulsi had invaded her thoughts and stolen her memories. Just that simple thought was like opening a floodgate, and thoughts of Adison and Reagan overwhelmed her. Adelina squeezed her eyes shut and leaned against the stack of crates she'd been rummaging through a few minutes before, trying to get a hold of herself. God, all she had wanted was a way to get her away from all the memories and the guilt-ridden thoughts that hounded her constantly in the desert. All she had wanted was an excuse to spill some blood--maybe if it was hers, it would somehow wipe away her sins. Blood for blood, or something. She'd heard some crazy guy shouting that from a rooftop before he'd ended up rearranging his face on the cement. She supposed she had an excuse now, but this Quick fellow had gone and mucked it up. Spilled Carna blood, and was trying to blame it all on her. It left a bad taste in her mouth, and as she watched Quick dart around the corner and finish off (quite messily, she thought) another Carna she found herself less and less excited for the impending battle. Still, she supposed it was part of the reason she'd come here in the first place. Looking to skin some knuckles, get the blood pumping and try to feel alive. She stepped around the corner behind Quick as he rushed the other Carna, loosing an arrow at another that was hot on the man's heels. It hit is mark in the woman's right shoulder and she toppled backwards from the force of the impact at such close range. She'd wanted to sink it between the woman's eyes, but besides it being a much more difficult shot, her father's voice was ringing clear in her head to spare their lives. She slung her bow over her shoulders and freed her trench knives from their sheathes, threading her fingers through the holes. She left one of the blades un-opened, basically acting as brass knuckles and rushed forward to fight beside Quick, who was grappling with the Carna he'd tackled. The man had managed to get to his feet and shove Quick off, but Adelina was quick to enter the fray. She darted in with quick one-two brass-armored punch at the man's ribs. She dodged one wild blow, blocked the next and with one quick swipe she'd given him a nice slice across the belly with her opened knife, and without giving him a second to register what had just happened she rushed forward and slammed him into the crates, jerking her head to the right to tell Quick to go ahead and clear the way. ooc-- woops came out longer than I intended for a fight post XDD sorryy

["Quick" Taylor]

As he slammed into the guard, he lost his footing and went down with him. He quickly scrambled back up to his feet just in time to see Adelina cut his stomach open with a trench-knife. The eviscerated guard was shoved by the girl into some nearby crates, bloodloss and the pain from his wounds preventing him from rising back to his feet. Quick looked at Adelina, sizing her up for a moment, something he'd never had to do before. She certainly didn't look that dangerous, being a girl in her late teens, but she was surprisingly adept at bringing down enemies. She broke his train of thought when she nodded in the direction of the doors. She was right, they needed to leave. He leapt to his feet and ran towards the open warehouse doors.

"We need to leave fast," he told her as he passed. He passed through the doors quickly, warm night air. He paused to look around, but before he could take full stock of their surroundings, a guard who had hidden himself off to the side, behind one of the open doors, lunged out at hkm. Quick spun around, grabbing the man's arm and snapping it while he was in mid-air. As the Carna hit the ground screaming, Quick delivered a strong punch to the back of his head to knock him out.

The Lead Hunter straightened where he stood and surveyed their surroundings. There didn't seem to be any more Carna guards in the immediate area, fortunately for them. He quickly checked to see if Adelina was still behind him and then moved to a corner of the building and peeked around it. There was novody in sight, leaving them a clear path back to the Switchstone.

He shifted to his leopard form and quietly slunk through the nifht shadows, leading their way back home. He didn't want to have to spill the blood of any more of their allies this night.....

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[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] "We need to leave fast." Adelina simply nodded, stealing after Quick. She stopped to pry one of her precious arrows from the Carna woman's shoulder. She'd fallen unconscious. The arrow came out rather easily after a tug or two, and Adelina couldn't help but stop and press a bit of cloth she kept in her quiver to the oozing wound to stem some of the bleeding. She wasn't quite sure why she did it, but it was done. She caught up with Quick, stealing quietly at an angle so she could cover their backs, ensure that they weren't being followed. As Quick took down another guard and gave the all clear, Lina was about to follow after him when she remembered Eden. "Shit," she hissed between her teeth. "I need to get my horse. I'll meet you at the asylum." Without giving him a chance to debate, Adelina slipped her bow from over her shoulders and in one fluid movement shifted into a winged wolf, grabbing the bow between her teeth. She took a few running strides before she lifted into the air, climbing until she disappeared into the inky skies. Quick was a big boy--he could make it home by himself. He'd made it to the Carna alone, after all. She came to the dense woodlands of the cliffs, landing a bit roughly as the strong winds by the rocky outcrops buffeted her. She didn't hesitate, folding her wings and trotting to where she'd left Eden ground tied. She padded into the small clearing, and Eden only took a moment to recognize her scent and the white stallion greeted her with a soft whinny. She shifted back, patting him on the neck and vaulting easily onto his back and led him back to Fallen lands. She let Eden guide himself for the most part (he knew the way home by now), only directing him a few times here and there. It wasn't long before they'd reached the Asylum, one of the closest buildings to the Carna border, and scented Quick in the area. She let out a low whistle and waited for him to show his face. ooc-- let me know if I need to fix anything :]

["Quick" Taylor]

"Shit. I need to get my horse.I'll meet you at the asylum," Adelina said from just behind him. Before he could say anything, she had bolted off. He let out a quiet growl of frustration and let her go. He couldn't make her leave her horse behind, regardless of how angry she'd made him. Granted, he was impulsive and reckless himself, but he also didn't just attack allies without reason.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head and continued on towards Fallen territory at a fast trot. He didn't want to spend any more time in Carna territory than he had to. Really, all he wanted to do was go back to his railcar and sleep. Unfortunately, though, he had to deal with Adelina's gross insubordination first. The Fallen was not totalitarian, like the Fulsi, but those who lead the Ring expected a certain level of obedience among the lower ranked members.

He finally arrived at the asylum and sat down to think about what he'd do about Adelina's behavior. Taking rations was out of the question. Hunters and Scouts in Fallen got just enough. Taking any away from her would leave her wigh too little, sapping strength away from one of their more valuable Hunters. No, he needed a different punishment.

He looked up as he heard her approaching the asylum on the back of her horse. His brow furrowed as he thought a little more about what he would do with her, then pushed it out of his mind and walked up to her.

"So," he said, looking up at her where she sat,"Why were you raiding the Carna? What's going on, Adelina?"

[Adelina Russovo]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 497px; height: 647px; background-image:url(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/sketchedesigns/linaaaaa.png)] It was only moments before she heard the soft fall of footsteps, followed by the gentle tickle of Quick's scent on the breeze; she locked eyes with him as he approached, gaze never wavering. His words drifted to her as if through a haze, and slowly her eyes traveled up to the night sky. It was the only sky she had ever known--the outsiders always said it was fake, Keeper made. But to her it was real, just like the lives they each lived out in the dome. It wasn't scripted--the Keeper's didn't have them on strings. It was people acting of their own will, killing each other over scraps of food for no good reason. She supposed people were scared. She'd seen it in their eyes, the terror of starvation, of death. She had never been scared of dying, not when she went to sleep at night not knowing if she'd take another breath, or if some monster would slaughter her in her sleep. Adelina absently ran her fingers through Eden's mane, gently pulling at the tangles as she wondered at life here in the dome. It wasn't often she sat and thought about the morals of right and wrong, of life and death. She simply hunted, ate, slept, woke up and did it all again the next day. But Reagan had changed all that. Her baby had awakened something within her, some fiercer creature than she had ever known herself to be. A creature who had loved too passionately only to have it wrenched away. Her baby was gone, buried in the ground. And Quick asked her what was going on. She turned her head to look at him, fixing him with cold gaze. She wanted to watch him squirm, wanted to watch him come loose at the seams; she wanted to hear him scream as she screamed, watch him bleed as she bled--she wanted to see someone else feel what she felt. This emptiness that left her physically sick, this cold hollow she could feel in her chest that spread like ice through her veins, thickening in her blood until she could hardly breathe. She wanted to tell someone, to tell him what was "going on", god she wanted to scream it so the whole dome could tell her what to do, how to make it better. But she simply stared at him until the silence grew long, and she glanced back at the sky again. "Nothing." A single, deadpan word fell limp and lifeless from her lips, yielding nothing to him. ooc--

["Quick" Taylor]

Quick locked eyes with Adelina as she fixed him with a cold, angry stare. Quick returned the stare, his own gaze unwavering with a look that seemed to say "I dare you to try and make me back down". He couldn't let one of his subordinates get the best of him. If he did, none of the others would ever listen to him.

"Nothing," Adelina said, the tone in her voice suggesting it was anything but nothing. Silence hung in the air as he tried to think of what to do. She had obvious issues going on, and if he didn't proceed carefully enough, he might end up pushing her over the edge. That was something he wanted to aboid.

"I hope you don't expect me to believe that. You're a terrible liar," he told her, matter-of-factly,"Now, if you don't want to talk about it, that's one thing. But, if it's going to interfere with your duties like this, I think you should take a little time to come to grips with it as best you can. And if you do need somebody to talk to, you can come to me if you need to. I can promise you I'll listen."