A Game of Cat and...Cyborg? (Kit/Marisa)

[Marisa Lorette Anduin]

Marisa simply ignored the scientist as he spoke, tuning him completely out...her thoughts were more focused on trying to figure out how she could bring him down a few notches. She sighed heavily, as nothing was really coming to mind at the moment...she didn't even realize her facial expression was actually mirroring how bleak she saw today as having gone so far as she walked back towards Fox. Only when he spoke up when she got near did she snap out of her thoughts. She nodded and gave a small smile, at least for Fox's sake.

"Of course, sweetie...I'm sure she is just fine, other than being shaken up and potentially frightened. I may need to stay a bit further back from her than you, though...she doesn't seem to trust me...though I think she may be in possesion of Mr. Clipclop right now. I was on my way to bring him for a visit when all of this happened..."

She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and her pointing finger. This has been an extremely frustrating day so far...she felt so frazzled right now, she wasn't sure what she was going to end up doing to burn it off. After a couple seconds she shook her head and spoke once more.

"I'm not entirely sure where she went -exactly.- All I know is she started running off in this direction...and as that jerk managed to somehow disable my scanner, I won't be able to track her as easily."

She pointed down the hallway before kneeling next to Fox and placing her hand on his, gently moving it to check and see if the pinprick had stopped bleeding...if it had, she'd gently take the cloth again, but otherwise, she'd move his hand back as a sign to keep applying pressure...unless of course the bleeding was extremely slow at this point. Either way, she'd give him a scratch behind the ears before standing back up and waiting for Fox to be ready to head out in search of his friend.

[Kit]

The humanoid feline paid a quick stop at her cell to leave the pillow and returned close enough to keep tabs on the situation. Once out of sight, Kit waited withing hearing range to make sure Fox would be fine. SHe didn't like what she heard. In her view the whole thing was a set up...and Fox fell for it! The humans won over...and worse...used HER to get to him. No, she was not at all pleased by this...but it was too late. They were surely on their way now. Kit ran off in silence, hiding somewhere they would not look so she could double back to Strages once they passed her. She knew they would hurt Fox now, but that sample meant a great deal..too great. Her mission, now, was to retrieve the sample and cause chaos. Yes, chaos...what could they possibly do to her now? They had conspired against her friend and used her to get to him...she had to make it right.

[Fox]

Fox wagged his tails a little as Marisa scratched behind his ears, and didn't mind her checking the little hole in his arm. The bleeding had already stopped, leaving a small silvery splotch on the cloth she'd given him earlier. He was more than happy to let her take it back and put it away. "Don't worry about tracking her down, I can do that myself." Fox said tapping his nose as his usual joyful attitude started to surface once again now that the scientist had left the area.

Fox sniffed the air a couple times then dropped down onto all fours and sniffed the ground. Then with a nod of his head he hopped back up to a standing position. "I got her scent, she's off in this direction." Fox said with a smile and a wag of his tails, pointing down the hall she'd run. "I hope she's not still mad at me..." Fox added, not quite grasping that Kit had been trying to protect him in her own fashion.

[Marisa Lorette Anduin]

Marisa nodded and started heading in the direction Fox had pointed towards, walking at a somewhat brisk pace.

"I can't say for sure Fox...that did seem a little strange, considering you seem to know her. It's not like you were going to harm her in any way...though...I do have to wonder why the scientist gave up so quickly on both her and whoever Liadon is when you showed up...he certainly seemed like he was blackmailing you to me."

Her face and voice grew quite grim at these thoughts. If Strages was going after Fox for the purpose of unreasonable experiments, then there was going to be hell to pay...she'd make sure of it. She shook her head...she'd figure this out later, away from Fox. She didn't want to dampen his spirits just as they were rising again.

"So tell me a bit more about Kit...she seems to be fairly nice, if mistrusting. I can't say I blame her though...I do work for the people who are keeping you here after all."

She sighed a bit as she continued walking, following whatever leads Fox may point her towards.

[Fox]

"Well Kit is really nice. She was like the first person here to really talk to me, so I guess she was the first friend I made here. She's much friendlier than what you saw... I really hope she's okay." Fox sounded a little worried as he continued to lead the way down the hall. He paused at one intersection and sniffed the air a few times. "Her scent is stronger here, fresher. I think she was just here." He didn't move though as he could smell the scientist's scent as well, as he'd just passed this area recently as well.

"She seems to be going in the same way as that mean scientist... but I think she's following. I'm not sure." Fox sounded much more worried now and his fox-fires all seemed to flare and dim in a sporadic fashion. He wasn't sure what to do. Should he follow after Kit? Fox really didn't want to see that scientist again today... or ever if he could help it. Yet if Kit did catch up to that man, then he might hurt her! That made up Fox's mind as soon as the thought formed in his head. Fox was moving quicker now, his ears twitching a bit as he heard Marisa following him.

[Kit]

Kit hoped she wouldn't be seen as she dashed out of her hiding spot, prowling around the corner in view of Strages again. She stalked down the hallway, slowly, quietly hunting her prey. Her own safety was of no concern at that moment, knowing she was trapped in this hellhole didn't make her discision any harder as she had only one thing in mind. The feline could smell a very faint hint of the blood, but she didn't know where it was. At this point, she didn't know if she should jump in and suprise the scientist or keep a silent distance until the right moment to attack.

[Marisa Lorette Anduin]

Marisa frowned with worry with what Fox was saying. Why would Kit be willingly following Strages? This was quite odd. She definitely did pick up the pace, keeping up with Fox as he moved. This was definitely a strange situation unlike most others she has encountered.

"We should probably hurry...the last thing we want is for her to end up in his clutches again. I don't want to see that..."

She was quite concerned for Kit's well being at this moment...she reached down to her pistol holster with a single hand, prepared to draw and fire at a moment's notice, while at the same time changing the setting in the same motion. There was still some hope yet, but best be ready just in case...as well as being quick.

[Dr. Strages Valvatorez]

Strages was quite content for the time being as he made his way back to his lab. He had an excellent new sample to study, and maybe a new lead on his true goals. It was an excellent day for him thus far and he could hardly wait to begin study of the silver colored blood sample. The reports had said that the prisoner known by most simply as 'Fox' had been around as long as anyone could remember, with some reports having come from several other asylums and one of those facilities had been destroyed over a century ago! The mere idea that one of the prisoners had been around that long made him crave to know more. If a prisoner could have immortality, then so could Strages! It was just a matter of finding the correct way to go about obtaining such power.

Strages was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Kit trailing behind him and his two bodyguards, nor was he likely to notice her either. He passed through one of the security doors that separated the prisoners' wing from the scientific labs. The doors shut swiftly behind him, locking to prevent prisoners from escaping.

"Oh what wonders will that little vial reveal to me?" Strages chortled, practically skipping back to his lab. The few guards in the area that spotted him seemed even more disturbed by his obvious good mood than they usually were by his normal mood. Strages paid them no heed though, he had important research to do!

[Fox]

Fox finally caught up to Kit, spotting her down the hall. Her back was turned but he recognized her distinct tail at a glance. Fox was relieved that she wasn't actually with the strange scientist. The kitsune stopped a few meters back and then cleared his throat before whispering loudly, "Kit! What are you doing?" He really did sound worried for her safety, not knowing that Strages had already left the area and was secure behind locked doors at this point.

Fox approached Kit then, slowly. He wasn't sure if she was still mad at him and didn't know why she had acted that way toward him earlier. "You're not still mad at me are you?" He asked in an almost sad voice, his ears lowered a bit. "Just tell me what I did wrong so you won't be mad at me." His plea practically came out like a whimper.

[Kit]

Kit had failed...the scientist too swiftly locked himself behind a door...coward. The feline waited outside, focused, tail swishing as it did while she pondered looking at the door fiercely. Hearing a familiar clicking sound move towards her from behind, she flicked one ear in the sound's direction, keeping still otherwise. She could feel Fox getting closer and then she heard him whisper, but she was adamant in her task, the filthy scientist would not get away with this. This time she fights back and no one will get in her way to stop her.

Kit didn't answer Fox's initial question, she was too preoccupied with her plot, but his sad follow up question brought her to reality. Still sitting on the floor, she half turned her torso to face him, ears back now in sorrow and eyes softened by his words, "I'm sorry, Fox...." she let the words linger before continuing, "I was never mad at you..." she said softly, voice trailing off as she finished. Looking back at the door now, in face of defeat, she experienced something she never knew before...tears began to stream down her face. The fact confused her as she immedietly started to wipe her face dry, "what is this?" she asked in a slight panic, voice breaking. She had seen humans cry, but never had she done so...at least not like this. She wasn't sure if something was wrong with her, having forgotten her new state in a slight delirium at her failure.

[Marisa Lorette Anduin]

Marisa would stay at a distance and observe for a moment...at least until both Kit and Fox became rather sad looking. This made her frown as she stepped forward to scratch behind Fox's ears some. At the same time, she'd step in and answer Kit's slightly panicked sounding question.

"Those are tears, Kit...they are shed when one becomes sad...very, very sad. It's quite all right...there is no need to be scared of them, it's quite normal."

She let out a heavy sigh as she looked at the doors that Strages had gone through....truthfully, she was relieved that Kit hadn't caught up to Strages fully. That would have been rather bad...and she knew now that it wasn't time to confront Strages yet. Not directly. She then looked back to Kit, and held out her other hand that wasn't working towards comforting Fox a little. This was mainly meant as an offer for comfort as well in some sort...a hug, or also a scratch behind the ears...whatever would work. Marisa doubted she'd take it...but she offered anyway, just in case. However she also made sure to make no move to invade the feline's personal bubble...

[Kit]

Kit emitted a low growl at the woman's presence, "I know what tears are..." she scowled, "I'm not sad...and I'm far from normal." Sh cringed as Marisa extended her hand, backing away slightly, still upset and greatly frustrated by her failure. There was nothing she could do...she was useless, weak, nothing... Kit wanted to hurt someone now. She greatly needed something to tear to shreds. No scratching posts here...oh no...but plenty of humans that could fill-in just as nicely. Right now, she wanted to use Strages as a scratching post, but that was beyond reach. In desparation, the feline turned to the door again, scratching at it in a fury, each scratch emitting a high pitched screach that would send even the strongest human to his knees.

[Fox]

Fox's ears perked up when Kit said she wasn't upset with him. That was a huge relief to him, but it meant that something else was bothering her. At least Marisa was there and the scratching behind his ears helped ease him a bit. Then Kit reacted a little less than he hoped toward Marisa, which saddened him a bit. He wanted his friends to get along with one another, but Kit didn't seem to trust anyone that worked for the asylum... not that he blamed her. Fox likely wouldn't have trusted Marisa if not for how she had saved him.

Before Fox could do anything to try and figure out why Kit was in such a foul mood however, she started scratching the metal doors. The sound was horrible enough for human ears, but to Fox's heightened senses it was pure agony. The kitsune collapsed to his knees and covered his ears. "AHHHHHH! Make it stop! Make it stop!" He pleaded with a shout, curling up into a fetal position. The fox-fires flared up violently as well, some shimmering as they distorted their surroundings and made the very walls ripple like liquid.

[Marisa Lorette Anduin]

Marisa cringed when Kit began scratching her claws against the metal door....while she didn't have actual ears, it still set her audio receptors off quite a bit. That's really not what made her cringe, though...it was the reaction Fox was having to the noise. She would have preferred to deal with this by talking, but doubted that Kit would even be able to hear her in the first place...so instead, she went with direct action this time. Moving swiftly, she ran up towards Kit, and quickly attempted to scoop her up into her arms and away from the door. Of course, if she got clawed as a resuly, she'd need to fix the damage to the synthetic skin later...for now though, she focused on trying to calm Kit down. While she was not sure if this would work or not, it actually had calmed down a hysterical cat of her mother's that needed being taken to the hospital...at least long enough for the checkup to be done.

As she held Kit firmly, yet also gently in her arms, she would actually scratch right at the base of and behind her ears gently while humming softly. It was a gentle and slow tune, almost a lullaby in nature, though the tune itself did not actually have lyrics. The last time Marisa had heard it was in a music box. It was a nice tune though, and it had stuck with her through this time. Of course, if this didn't work to calm Kit down, Marisa would need to think of something else...and she would actually set Kit down gently on the ground if she struggled too much without relaxing in a non-surrendering way, like it seemed she had done with the robot Strages had holding her earlier. At the same time though, she would make sure she was between Kit and the metal doors, so as to prevent Kit from going ballistic on them again.

[Kit]

Kit became extremely furious being handled like that and even worse being scratched as she was. This woman seemed to be on the wrong side, which is all Kit knew... and each action only convinced her more of this, no matter what the truth may be. SHe faught back as best she could, throwing scratches and screaching, struggling until she was set loose. But what's this? The woman didn't seem to mind the scratches at all...all the more uncomfortable for Kit in her ever growing desparation. She hissed at the woman, regressing further into an animal state, no room for words to enter her thoughts. The only thing running through her head now was saftey...and the only safe place she could think of was the lowly cell despite the fact there was no truly safe place except out...and "out" wasn't an option...at east not yet.