Like the Devil's Mouth. [Ven, Dem]

[Crash]

[th][cs=3][rs=3][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] It was time to get down to business. Crash made sure he had his best Beta-face on as he headed towards the Carna-Fulsi border. This was a serious mission today; he was going to meet up with Dmitri, the Delta, and the Fulsi traitor that he’d seen around a few times. Crash tried to keep an eye on him; Traitors couldn’t be trusted as far as he was concerned. If they could turn on their old Ring, they could turn on the Carna as well. Crash let out a soft growl at just the thought, and his free hand clenched into a fist. If it was one thing he hated the most, it was those who dared to betray the Ring that meant everything to him. In Crash’s other hand, he held his most prized possession snug to his chest, a goldfish bowl in which his pet goldfish Swimmy swam in frantic circles around his plastic castle. “I know, I know… I get it man, you hate travelling. We’ll be there soon, okay? I just need my main man for backup, y’know?” Crash spoke aloud to the fish. To anyone else, he would have looked like a complete lunatic, but to the Carna, this was a fairly normal sight. He neared the border, fish bowl in hand, to find that he was the first one there. Crash sighed and leaned against the closest warehouse, careful not to get any blood transfer on his army jacket. “It’s just me and you for now, Swimmy,” Crash mumbled, dipping his hand into the bowl to straighten out the little plastic props. Swimmy finally began to slow his circling, until he was meandering about his little glass home as normal. As he waited, Crash wondered what kind of information the spy would be bringing with him. “It had better be something good,” He growled, rolling his eyes; Crash really hoped he and Swimmy hadn’t come out here for nothing. Crash really didn’t know what to think of this guy yet, the blonde that the Delta assured him would be an asset. Crash had never spoken to the man himself, and for all he knew, he could be walking straight into a trap. He glanced down to Swimmy for a moment, and regretted bringing his little fishy friend along. If a fight broke out, there was no way Crash could ensure his safety. He gripped the bowl a little more tightly, and kept a lookout for anyone approaching. “Damn spies should at least be on time!” ooc: Haz next then Kit? Gurl, you owe me fo this~ >83

[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] Dmitri had always taken care of his appearance for obvious reasons, one of the main being that it got him laid more often and the second was because Anubis seemed the type to toss him out of bed for coming home covered in blood and guts. Yet today he’d taken extra care to look his best, putting on his clean change of clothes and smoothing out the wrinkles of his crisp clean white shirt. He’d spent a bit of time in front of a cracked little mirror he’d “confiscated” from a Scout, checking to make sure that his hair was just the right amount of tussled and yet styled. The last thing he’d done was to check his teeth for any scraps of his last meal. Once all this primping and preening was done, Dem had headed off towards his destination with a smirk on his face and a few hastily picked wildflowers in his hand. Today Venka was coming home, for good this time. There would be no more rushed and secretive meetings where there had only been time to discuss the routines of the Fulsi patrols and where they kept their supplies. There would be no refraining from leaving any marks on Venka’s pretty pale skin. There would be no having to hide his jealousy of the man whose scent was always lingering on Ven’s skin. No, this time he’d have the blonde all to his self or well almost. Crash had come along to this last meeting as well, to receive the best part of Ven’s haul and for the blonde’s sake, Dmitri hoped the information was good. As Dmitri neared the border, he spotted the green haired man and a fish? That was enough to make Dmitri’s eyebrow go up but he kept from laughing since he could only guess that the little fish was Crash’s famed pet Swimmy. He supposed they all needed something to hold onto in the domed hell and with his own liking for small cute things, how could he really fault his Beta for clinging to his goldfish. With that in mind, Dmitri forced his face to look serious as he lay a hand on Crash’s shoulder in greeting. “Hey man?” Dmitri had no idea if he’d said the English slang right but he’d tried at least. Crash should be satisfied with that, Taking his hand off of the Beta, Dem turned his attention to the Fulsi side of the border and waited.

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[venvolkov]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Ventablebot.jpg] Ven was comparatively disheveled in his appearance. Because he hadn't dared to linger in the small bedroom that he and Adam had once called theirs, he had moved with haste once he was safely out of the alpha's sight. He hadn't needed to glance around him as he entered the room, having half sprinted, half-stumbled up the numerous flights of stairs. He had moved mechanically, by memory. It had been enough to guide him to each of the locations where he'd secreted away his stolen intel; the most import of which he had carefully secured to the underside of the nightstand's single drawer, taking care to tape each of the edges so that they were flush with the wooden bottom. The other he had folded and slipped inside of the blank pages of his moleskin notebook. He took only what he needed, working quietly and efficiently. Erasing himself from the room as if he'd never been. The only thing he'd left, after a moment's hesitation, was the ironed and pressed dress shirt he'd given to Adam as a gift. He fingered the cool material for a moment, noting how his scent had faded beneath Adam's own. It was fitting, he thought. And because he hadn't wanted to linger, to have Adam find him there, he left as quickly as he'd come, bringing his last most precious things; Ankh, and the yet unnamed rabbit. He'd slept in the grass that night, well away from any of the buildings in the Gospel Complex. The ground was far from comfortable, but it was better than being locked in a room that held memories of far happier times, before everything had gone to hell. And so when morning came, he was not the most pleasing of sights. He hadn't had time to change his shirt, and Adam's blood had long since caked and dried along the front and cuffs. His knuckles had turned an even uglier shade than the night before, the skin around them swollen and tender to the touch. All the same, he paused only long enough to clean both his face and his hands the best he could before traveling on, the information tucked safely inside of his shirt, puppy gamboling at his heels, the rabbit cage swinging from his other hand. It took nearly the full morning to reach his destination, and once he did, his heart sank at the sight of the two figures who waited for him at the edge of the border. He was late, then. Picking up his pace, and doing his best not to trip over the husky, who only seemed to think of their traveling as a grand adventure, he soon drew closer. The first he recognized only by reputation; and only then because of the vivid green of his hair. As for the other...his heart both sped up slightly, and skipped. The events of the night before almost seemed to wash away as soon as he laid eyes on Dmitri. It seemed as if he'd been waiting an eternity for precisely this moment. No more stolen minutes. No more borrowed time. No more lingering feelings of guilt to tether him and conflict both his loyalty and affections. The relief was almost overwhelming. He could finally offer what he had held himself back from before; giving all of his heart. As he drew closer, he was grateful to see that Dmitri appeared unscathed. His worrying, it appeared, was unwarranted. He stopped then, leaving several inches of space between them, no matter how much he simply wanted to collapse into Dmitri's arms and never let go. Instead, his eyes settled on Crash. "Sorry I'm late. There were...complications." He left it at that. He was sure his appearance could speak for itself. "The good news is..." he reached inside of his shirt then, carefully extracting the folded papers. "I think you'll agree it was worth it." And with that, he handed them over; both the list detailing the locations of the Fulsi's weapons cache and other supplies, and, most precious of all: the list of all active Fulsi spies.

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[Crash]

[th][cs=3][rs=3][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] Crash turned as he heard someone approaching from behind him, and he turned to see his Delta behind him. The Russian had proved to be another fun friend for Crash, since though he was popular around the Ring, he wasn’t close to many people. He’d been teaching him some slang terms, which Crash was proud to see he was using when Dmitri approached with a friendly ‘hey man’. The Beta gave him a wide smile, and an arm-punch to greet him in return. “Glad to see you made it, bro,” Crash replied, before nodding over to the fishbowl still in his arms. “This is Swimmy, by the way,” He added frankly, deciding not to go into detail about the fish’s thoughts on the Delta. Some people might call it unprofessional, seeing as Swimmy wasn’t a higher rank and all. Finally, another approaching person caught Crash’s attention, and he spotted the spy at last. Crash looked him over and noted that he was covered in dried blood, though it still smelled fairly recent. And Fulsi. Well, that was a good sign, wasn’t it? Crash smiled in greeting, extending his free fist to give Ven a fistbump. When the other man’s knuckles touched his, Crash pulled his arm back away with satisfaction. He examined his hand though, and found he’d picked up something from the Fulsi traitor’s, and tried to subtly wipe it off on his jeans. The guy had obviously had a rough couple of days. “So, you’re… The hell was his name again?” Crash elbowed Dem ‘gently’, though with Crash, nothing was gentle. “Anyways, you’re the dude who’s been helping us,” Crash continued, not waiting for Dmitri’s answer. His piercing blue gaze fell hungrily on the papers that Ven held in his hand, and he took them with his free hand, before shoving Swimmy’s fish bowl into the spy’s arms. “Hold that,” He demanded, as he began to flip through the pages. “And don’t drop him.” Now that both of his hands were free, Crash looked over the papers a little more, amazed at the bounty of information that he held. He hoped for the traitor’s sake that it was accurate information, though Crash had a feeling that this was the real deal. Finally, he handed the papers over to Dem, to see what he thought of them. “That looks like some good info you have there,” Crash spoke, his gaze flickering from Ven to Dem as he waited for Dem to give his take on the papers. He purposely left Ven holding his pet, not fully trusting him yet. It was probably best if his hands were left occupied for a bit.

[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] “Swimmy seems pretty chill. You both make a good team.” Dmitri wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying, simply repeating one of Crash’s slang phrases. He was far too distracted by the glimmer of movement in the distance. When Dmitri’s eyes first caught sight of the other blonde Russian, it had taken all his willpower not to just run to the man and scoop him up into his arms for a heated kiss. However that wasn’t the sort of behavior he could show around Crash, not when he was new to the position and had already pushed his luck by getting Venka instated as a spy in the first place. However it was a testament to his willpower that he didn’t screw all of that and cling desperately to the former Fulsi once the Russian’s condition was visible. He was covered in blood, so much blood and while Dmitri couldn’t see any visible wounds on Venka expect for the man’s knuckles, it still worried him. If anything it meant that the blonde had gotten into a fight before leaving the Fulsi, which wasn’t good at all. Expect perhaps that it might earn him a bit more trust just because it showed that Ven had no alliance with his former Ring. Dmitri waited anxiously at Crash’s side while the green haired man leafed through the paper Ven had brought. He busied himself by giving the Russian a quick wave, hoping that Ven knew enough to keep their relationship hidden for now. As he waited, praying that Crash would see the information as worth letting Ven join the Ring as a real member, he watched Swimmy circle around in the water. For some reason the image of Ven holding up a goldfish both struck him as adorable and silly, leaving Dmitri fighting to keep the corners of his lips from jerking up in a smile. The tension of the situation began to fade however. It seemed that Crash approved and taking the papers from the large lion shifter, Dmitri could see exactly why. His brows raised and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at what Ven had brought them back. This was certainly worth admittance to the Carna Ring. “I agree. It looks like he cleaned them out of important documents.” Dmitri flipped through the papers one last time before handing them back to Crash. “This combined with the patrol movements and everything will set up a perfect chance to raid.” Dmitri weighed his words carefully, eyeing Crash from the corner of his eyes. “I think, that if our spy can handle raiding his former Ring, he’ll be all set to become one of us. What about you Crash?”

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[venvolkov]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Ventablebot.jpg] Ven kept surprisingly stoic as both his and Crash's fist met with slightly more force than he'd anticipated. He trapped the pained hiss behind his teeth, shrugging off the sudden spike of sharp pain that raced through his hand, and then ebbed, fading into a manageable, though persistent, pang. At Crash's fumbling request for his name, however, he raised an eyebrow delicately. He hardly thought his name was that difficult to remember, though he hardly took offense. Instead, he nodded a curt affirmative. "Ven," he confirmed, though he had a slight suspicion that the knowledge of his name would simply leave his head again, given time. He fell silent, however, as the beta's attention diverted from him once more. That is, until he found himself with a fish bowl thrust unceremoniously into his arms. He grunted slightly, but shifted his grip nonetheless, in an effort to accommodate the awkward shape and slick glass. Once it was secure in his arms, he glanced down briefly, wearing a slightly bemused expression. A fish, after all, seemed like a rather odd thing to bring along. Then again, he himself had come with his own small zoo in tow, and so he reserved judgment. Besides--he held a fondness for animals in general. He didn't protest being forced into holding the bowl, however; he merely waited for each of them to finish reading the documents. He caught Dmitri's quick wave, and his lips quirked into a quick, fond smile. With his free hand, he crooked a finger, returning the wave with a quick up and down motion. Dmitri needn't have worried; Ven knew enough to keep a low profile in Crash's presence. It was difficult, of course, but a safer bet for the both of them, in the long run. He tried not to look overly pleased with himself once they'd finished. However, as the conversation turned to the subject of a raid, he frowned slightly. "I think I could handle that," he said smoothly. "But before you come to a decision on whether or not you plan to go through with a raid on the Fulsi, there's something you should know." He took a breath then, before pressing on. "The 'complication' I mentioned earlier? That was because I made an attempt on the alpha's life. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy about it." It was an understatement. He didn't bother going into details; if nothing else, he could tell Dmitri about it later, once they were out of Crash's earshot. "So while it's not completely out of the question, we'll have to find some way to work around that."

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[Crash]

[th][cs=3][rs=3][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] Crash listened as both Ven, then Dmitri spoke, considering the idea. It was true that another raid using the information they’d just gotten would be a good way for the prospective Carna to prove his loyalty. After the Fulsi’s most recent raid, there would be plenty of Carna chomping at the bit to get some revenge. Crash himself was excited at the idea of teaching the Fulsi another lesson; he thought his last masterpiece had been lesson enough, but these stubborn Fulsi never learned. If he had to burn their entire city to ashes to get the idea through their thick skulls, then perhaps that’s what the Carna would do. But first, they could always raid just for supplies to make up for their recent losses. There was the fact that the Fulsi would be on guard, though. Crash flashed Ven an impressed smile when he told them of his attempt on the Alpha’s life. Now that was something that could help him get into the Carna. Crash liked this guy more and more! “Damn, kid, I like your style,” Crash told him with a laugh, finally reaching over to take Swimmy back. The fish was circling frantically, the constant movement toppling his little castle over onto the colorful rocks on the bottom of the bowl. Crash poked his hand into the water and propped it up again, and the fish finally slowed his circling. “As for this raid, maybe we’ll wait a little while. I’m sure Manic has some ideas of his own.” Crash grinned, imagining what havoc Manic and his ring would be able to cause with all of their new intel. “He’s gonna want to see those papers,” He added, nodding over to the files in Dmitri’s hands. Of course, Crash would be reading them with him, but he wasn’t going to broadcast one of their Alpha’s only weaknesses in front of anyone. “We should talk to him as soon as possible. Good job, Ven.” Crash nodded approvingly at him, before turning away from the border. “Well, don’t just stand there like idiots! Let’s go, both of you.” Ooc: …I really don’t know what else needs to happen here? XD If you guys have more stuff to do, I’ll edit so this doesn’t sound like an endinggg?

[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] “I’m sure he would.” Dmitri said smoothly, trying to keep from rolling his eyes. He respected Manic but sometimes he thought that the Ring as a whole thought too highly of their Alpha. Dmitri had seen men much worse and he supposed it made him hard to impress, especially since his former mentor and partner in crime on the outside had a knack for cruelty in all its forms. Either way, he wasn’t all together to keen on the idea of the Alpha taking control of his operation and then getting all the credit for it. No, he’d run the raid with his ideas and his spies, Manic be damned. Dmitri Shikov was just as much of a pawn as he thought his Alpha’s scarred smile was sincere. Tucking the papers under one arm with all intents of making copies, Dmitri turned to follow Crash. Their work was done for the moment and all that was left was to find Ven a place to stay until he underwent the marking ceremony that would make him an official Carna. Dmitri was forced to stop mid-step however when a hawk came swopping down at him, its talons grazing his shoulder with a brilliant and delicious burst of pain. The bird shifter, Fulsi now that it was close enough to smell, then shifted back into the form of a pretty red headed woman clutching a large steel tipped spear. At first Dmitri merely raised an eyebrow at the lone most likely Scout, daring her to strike him again. He would have let her because in truth he found the pain she inflicted as a sort of high rather than something to be avoided. But glancing over his shoulder at the Fulsi, Dmitri saw her start to level the spear at Venka and then he finally jumped into action. Spinning on his heel, Dmitri used his speed to launch himself forward at the woman before she could get to Venka and pulled his knife free of his jacket. “I think that meeting will have to wait a bit, Crash!” Mid-stab, Dmitri saw the reason for the woman’s boldness. Already there were three other Fulsi emerging from their various hiding spots to attack. The woman below him drew back his attention however, when she spat at his cheek and began to scream about traitors and how they ought to die. Disgusted, Dmitri swiped at the glob of saliva on his check with his leather gloved hand and then resumed his attempt at slicing the woman in half from the throat down. It didn’t bother him at all that there were three rather bulky men running straight towards them. Crash and Venka could handle them.

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[venvolkov]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Ventablebot.jpg] Ven was all too willing to return both bowl and fish to their rightful owner. The effort of keeping the bowl from slipping from his grasp, tucked under an arm as it was, was harder than it looked. At the laughed compliment, Ven lifted his head, offering a crooked grin back, forcing the sick feeling at the back of his throat down. The fact that his attempt on Adam's life had been nothing more than a fluke, a case of mistaken identity in the heat of the moment was something that would have to be kept to himself. Of the two, he supposed he could withstand Dmitri's disappointment better, when he made the confession in private later. For the moment, however, it was best not to say anything that could jeopardize his chances. Once relieved of the fishbowl, he carefully tucked his mangled hands back into the confines of his pockets. They hardly provided much comfort, but they offered protection. As bone-weary as he was, he had no intention of fighting any more that afternoon. His body had already begun to protest his lack of a restful night's sleep hours before, and it was unlikely that it would hold up under strenuous demand much longer. He pulled himself away from such thoughts a second later, forcing himself to focus on the beta's words once more. The eager spark of excitement that the papers had generated was undeniable; there was a hint of predatory excitement just beneath the surface of Crash's words, a certain glint to his gaze. Ven nodded in quiet acknowledgment at Crash's congratulatory remark, his look distracted. Dmitri hadn't seemed nearly as excited as Crash the second the other man had mentioned the Carna alpha. Though he'd been polite enough, there was something ever so slightly off. A strange sort of tension laced his words, just subtle enough to pass for light, offhanded comment. Ven raised an eyebrow, trying in vain to catch the man's eye before dutifully falling into step behind the pair. As they walked, his gaze was fixed between Dmitri's shoulders. The thoughts that ran through his head were strictly unprofessional, and, not for the first time that morning, he was grateful that telepathy didn't appear to be either of their strong suits. He was jolted from such thoughts, however, when Dmitri abruptly came to a halt, caught across the shoulder by the talons of a low-flying hawk. The bird had fallen from the sky without warning, and the position of the sun hung just so; allowing its rays to briefly illuminate the flash of red that tipped its claws. Moments later, the shape of a woman replaced that of the bird, and Ven's eyes narrowed. The pungent scent of Fulsi that surrounded her was unmistakable; making the woman either very bold, or very reckless. Perhaps both. Her furious shrieks were nearly incoherent with rage, and the way she spit them through her teeth. Ven's expression was at once unamused, yet unsurprised. It had been only a matter of time, after all, before Adam or someone else told those in Fulsi the true identity of the one who had murdered the scouts. He took a reflexive step back as the woman lunged, anticipating the feel of his flesh separating beneath spear point. But Dmitri was faster, and it was only a matter of seconds before the woman was partially restrained in his grip. Not that he had long to dwell on the woman's thrashing; at Dmitri's words, he half-turned, his gaze taking in the sight of the rushing Fulsi. "Understatement of the year," he muttered, using his agility to neatly anticipate and sidestep the first clumsy blow. It caught him across the shoulder, and though he was temporarily staggered, it didn't stop him from following up quickly. He seized the man's offending wrist in a rough grip, bending it back towards him until the bones creaked in protest, on the verge of snapping. Then, in a single, fluid motion, he disengaged one of his concealed blades, bringing his fist forward in a hard punch, using the momentum to drive the point of the blade into the man's lower abdomen, dragging up in a jagged pattern before Ven twisted away, drawing the first away just as the other two caught up. Ooc: Wheee, drama.

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[Crash]

[th][cs=3][rs=3][atrb=border,0,true][bg=000000] ”I’m sure he would.” “And he will,” Crash began, eying Dmitri curiously. He didn’t seem as… excited to hand over the information to the Alpha as he probably should have been. That was his choice, Crash supposed. He would just be there to make sure everything went as it should, always watching out for his friend and Alpha; Manic might not have thought of him as a friend exactly in return, but Crash knew he was getting there, and these blondies weren’t going to ruin that. Crash brushed it off and instead made a mental note to meet up with his friend Desi and get some cactus juice for the celebration the Carna were surely going to have over this victory. His happy thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a friggin bird swooped down out of nowhere and clawed at Blondie-number-one’s shoulder; Crash would have let out a laugh at his misfortune, that is, until the hawk shifted back into a woman, reeking of Fulsi. “Damnit!” He hissed, dashing into the closest warehouse, his eyes scanning it desperately for a hiding spot. Crash moved as quickly as he could, ducking behind a pile of boxes, which seemed secure enough in the corner. “This’ll have to do,” He whispered, gently setting Swimmy’s bowl on the floor and out of sight. “You stay here, little man. I’ll be back for you soon,” Crash promised. In moments he was out of the warehouse again, and immediately shifted into his massive, light-colored lion form as he spotted the Fulsi girl’s backup heading straight for him and Vent…Vern? The other Blondie! The lion flexed his claws and gave his thick mane a little shake; it’d been far too long since he’s had a good old-fashioned fight. “I’m tellin’ you, Fulsi, you can still run home to Momma Adam while you have a chance!” Crash snickered, as one of them shifted into a cougar and rushed at him, spitting and clawing. “Your choice!” Crash let out an ear-splitting roar and slapped the much smaller cat away, sending it rolling across the concrete with a yowl. He padded calmly to it’s side, waiting for it to get to it’s paws before pinning it back down again. “Should have taken my offer, Fulsi.” Ooc: Shooort but there you go~