[NatureGirl]

Inigo stepped out of the small hut into the gale, a distant look in his human eyes. He sighed and turned down an alley, his pack full of ritualistic items used in his reapings. He was pelted with rain as he took off into a run and passed under a large tree.

"I thought it only rained here," Inigo hissed as he was hit with a flying branch. He shook off the leaves and mud and padded on, trying to stay off to the side of the harsh wind. He looked down at his skull charm for strength and sighed, pushing on into his abandoned "guest home".

Inigo broke down the door then clambered in, shutting the door behind him. He sat down his pack and took off his shoes, caring for the old place. He took one last look at the tip of his scythe before creaking up the stairs and entering the bathroom, grabbing a towel as he approached the clean shower-room.



Daemon slithered around the large piece of debris as she tried to get through the gale unnoticed.

"Why the hell does it have to be today," she snarled, being her usual grumpy self. She sighed and mumbled as she pressed on to the side of a house. Why did she have to follow Inigo? She had gotten herself stuck behind a house, waiting out a gale.

"Thanks alot nature," she cursed at the weather. Daemon huffed and squeezed under some stairs, barely avoiding a large garbage can flying at her. It shouldn't last much longer, should it?

She grumbled and didn't think it could get any worse than what it was. Then she morphed into her human form in her stress, barely fitting. At least nobody was bothering her...

[Mousen]

There were many dreary days in the swamps. This was was worse than most. A cold wind blew through the bog and the rain was hammering down in a heavy fashion as the goey mud glooped and spat. The trees leant over, battered by the constant gale.


"Roda Dentana does not die that easily!" Sparks flew as the rabbot's circuits glitched and her vision spun. The large battleheart only grinned a malicious grin and swiped at her again. She dodged out of the way, it's large clawas only missing her by inches. Roda was a thief, an assassin and an all round criminal. Harlequinn despaired over her. He'd made her circuits, programming. She had been designed to be the perfect daughter. Though it wasn't long before she started thinking for herself and went decidedly 'teenage'  and never returned home. She was quick witted and it took alot to surprise her; but this took the mechanical biscuit. Morwenna was definitely out to get her. Whether to use her as a pawn, to threaten Harlequinn with killing her perhaps. Whatever her motive Morwenna was after Roda's metaphorical blood.

The battleheart swiped again, a large roar escaping it's jaws; this time it found it's mark. Roda was tossed aside, almost like a little rag-doll in the way she fell. She cried out in obvious pain. Curse Harlequinn and his idea that pain was better than the emptiness most robot's felt. She lay still for several moments her system trying to cope with the shock. The battleheart towered above her, waiting to strike it's final blow. She rolled out of the way, not bothered about the fact she was covered with mud. There was a huge gash down her side, revealing complex metal systems inside.

In the darkness Roda was virtually invisible; while with her specially designed sensory setting there wasn't a beat of the battleheart's heart she didn't hear. She could see the outline of the bulky figure perfectly. "Are you going to stand there and fight like a mocha pichu or are you going to finish what you started?" Her breath came in short gasps and she felt dizzy. Her internal systems not coping too well with the injury.

The battleheart growled, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp pointed teeth. Of course it didn't notice Roda sneaking behind she'd been thrown against minutes before; nor did it realize the trees in the Baian swamp had a habit of rotting from the base when they got old. Nor did it realize a good swift kick in the right spot would bring the whole thing down; that was until Roda proved that brains generally triumphed over brawn.

She allowed herself a small smile before her legs buckled from under her; she slumped against a sturdier tree, her conciousness fading as well as the hope of surviving this particular venture. The mud oozing gently into her fake fur.

(Sorry it's long. Roda isn't going to die and the battleheart is dead. You may control his soul or whatever. XP)

[NatureGirl]

(that was a GREAT post, mousen!!!!)

Inigo finsished drying his hair and was half way out the door before hearing a tree crack and fall in the distance. "Strange...." he mumbled and turned to the entrance of the swamp. Inigo grabbed his ritual bag and started off. He ducked as another branch fell and stepped sideways from falling wood.

"Well then," he muttered at the chaos as he hurried on. He started jogging when he heard a huge thump near him. He started sprinting when he heard a smaller one.

"That is definitely not normal!!" he exclaimed in anxiousness. He rounded a tree, only to trip over the body of a giant Battleheart covered by a tree. Inigo stood and stared at the body, dumbfounded.

"What could have happened-" he cut off when he saw the body of a Rabbot. "Bloody -censored-," he cursed when he saw how bad it was injured. He looked at the battleheart one more time and decided to deal with it later. He approached the Rabbot and kneeled down. He shook her gently, hoping to get a reaction. "Wake up!" he whipsered.

~**~

Daemon crawled out of the tiny space, gasping for air. "If I ever get stuck in another small space-" she grunted and wheezed as she popped out. She rolled over in the mud and sat up. "-It'll be too soon," she finished with a growl. She stood and looked around, brushing herself off. She had turned just in time to see Inigo jog into the forest. "Great," she sighed, and she jogged after him.

Daemon entered the forest and heard thumping. She immediately went on stealth, slinking behind trees and scoping out the area before moving on. She halted in midstep when she saw the body of a gigantic lizard. "Good grief," she murmured as she carefully stepped around it. She turned to see Inigo and a half-dead Rabbot on the ground.

Well, well, Inigo, Daemon thought, then jumped behind a tree. What kind of predicament are you in now? She decided to spy on him to see what was going on.

[Mousen]

Her eyes flickered for a moment, coming to rest on a pair of bright yellow eyes. She shook he head in surprise, it was a while before her mind caught up with the rest of her. "Oh." She she murmured, feeling sick. she were sure if she hadn't been artificial she would have thrown up.

Roda's head spun, as she could feel her mechanical heart pounding in her ears. It took her a long time to scrape together her bearings. She sat, letting the mud work it's was deeper into her fur and internal systems. Everything hurt. The pain ran rings around her mind and made her very dizzy. "I- I'm going to need some repairs if I'm ever going to keep my existence on this planet for much longer." Her voice was rather raspsy, strained even. She was used to pain, this was agony. Roda bet a candypoint to a keystone she'd broken something important.

"Do you know of anywhere... Dry?" Her words were slightly slurred. It was probably something in her back she'd done in. Perhaps something in the spinal chord. The beauty of robots was the fact even when they seemed to be beyond repair all you needed was some skill and some scrap metal. Though it began the age old question; was their life after death for a creature such as herself; was their something more; or could this be the complete and utter end for robots? When they died they were scrap metal and not a soul?

If the yellow eyed man wasn't her saviour she'd soon find out.

(Fail. xD I'm kinda tired right now. )

[NatureGirl]

Inigo sighed in relief. Then he tensed again when he noticed how hurt she actually was. "I'm Inigo. I can help you. I'm going to be careful with you, since I have nothing to cary you with but my arms. Let me know if it hurts. Okay?" he explained carefully as he shifted his jacket.

"Here," he said with a smile and picked her up gently. He picked up his bag and put it on his shoulder as he turned to go. "We'll go back to my place," he said and he hurried through the swamp. He covered the Rabbot with his jacket to block out the rain and jogged past the battleheart's body.

Inigo dodged around a tree and cluctched her to him tighter for a moment as he jumped over a log. He then loosened again and hurried on. "I'll take a short-cut," he murmured to himself. I don't know how much time I have, he stressed in his head.

"Tell me where it hurts," he said, making conversation to keep her focused and awake. This was vital for his work too, if he were to fix her. Could he fix this robot?

He'd have to wing it.

~**~

Daemon watched as Inigo picked up another patient. She sighed and shook her head. "Not a bad business," she smiled as she shifted back to her wild form. She slithered over the body of the creature and continued on, following the human tracks.

Daemon slithered through a log and poked out the other side to scout for more tracks. She had lost them about two minutes back. "Don't lose the trail," she growled at herself as she slithered toward what looked like the exit. She had just reached it and smiled before falling into a shallow ditch. "or you're toast," she sighed as she lay in the pit.

The demon morphed back to human form and climbed out of the pit, then ran out of the swamp. She looked aorund to find Inigo. "You're toast," she sighed as she gave up on the trail.

(it was good. and I'm tired too lol)

[Mousen]

Roda just nodded, her main focus was keeping concious. "I've set off all the pain sensors in my side. I must have broken something there." Her voice was quiet, though steady. Normally she'd object to being picked up like a common culniflare, though not today. "And my back." She said after a minute silence. "There's probably several internal systems down; if you consider the fact my infra-red vision has gone." She winced slightly. "Definitely my back." She muttered. Her eyes closing momentarily. "I'd say I'd probably have to get to Nabias, back to my maker. I know he's otherwise occupied right now." Again Roda closed her eyes as she concentrated on breathing."The... The only other person that could help would be Talkore... Though like me he went AWOL." She seemed to be having trouble speaking now. Instead she fell silent, her eyes half closed, she tapped Inigo with a needle-like claw; the gesture meaning 'I'm sill here. I may not look like it; but I'm here'.

Roda then decided to remain silent; she should have been tougher than this. Though she'd been re-programmed by amateurs a while back; redesigned for speed, agility and stamina. They left the emotions; for they found robots that could feel both pain and fear could be pushed harder. In a way that experience had made her almost thankful for Harlequinn. She might never get to say so, though; judging by the way she felt.

She attempted to speak again. "If... Which is most likely... I don't- I die... You have to go to... Avian Street... in Nabias... look for someone... with a bleached... bleeder... That's... my creator... You will have to tell him... what happened... and that I'm sorry..." She kept her claw gently touching Inigo. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive this time. She could be repaired, though if her systems were left too long she would start to shut down for good. Her voice was slightly distorted, though it still sounded too human for it to not show emotion.

[NatureGirl]

Inigo let it all sink in as he clutched Roda to his chest. He turned and ran to his home. He then stopped when she stopped talking.

"Damn'!!" he hissed and he sat down his jacket and lay the rabbot on top of it. "I'm losing her." He reached in his bag and got some pliers and tape. He put on some glasses and leaned down, trying to reconnect a few wires.

Inigo bit his lip and ripped off a bit of tape. He reached in gently and wrapped it around some wires that he had managed to reconnect. The hadn't been severed, just unplugged. Her "ribs" were only slightly dislocated. Her back, on the other hand, was not on his level of medical experience. He wrapped her in his jacket and lifted her again.

"I'm going to have to keep you awake if you're going to make it to Nabias," he mumbled. Inigo reached in his bag for his smelling salts. He unplugged the cork and held it under her nose. "Wake up," he coaxed.

~**~

Daemon looked around and sighed. She turned to what she thought was north. "If you don't know where to go, just go north," she nodded to herself and she started to jog as she got pelted with rain.

She lifted her hand to her eyes to protect them as she got hit with a falling branch. Daemon grunted, but continued on, forcing through the mud.

"Just a few steps," she grunted as she struggled toward a vine. She was sinking in the mud. "C'mon," she reached. She wrapped her slender fingers around and yanked her self out as another tree fell where she was less then a moment ago.

Daemon crawled over a log and hopped over a pit as she continued on. She had reached a small shelter of trees and clambered in. She sat down... and groaned.

"Okay, maybe north isn't the way to go," she grumbled as she got stuck in mud.

[Mousen]

Roda coughed, then let out a small moan. "I'm concious. Sort of." After a moment she opened her eyes. Her orange yellow eyes fixed on Inigo. She would need further repairs, her systems were too complex for a bit of tape to be the end of her worries. "Why did you save me?" Roda asked, she was curious to hear this.

"I doubt Harlequin is even in Nabias at the moment... Last time I saw him his bags were all packed, he was planning something." Where was Talkore when she needed him?

-

Not far away, thankfully. The massive robotic hollowheart beat his massive wings, fighting against the wind that threatened to bowl him over. He swore underneath his breath. His voice carried away by the wind.  As it turns out, there was a small link between himself and his younger sister. Harlequinn must have known something like this was going to happen at some point. The S.O.S signal was strong enough to override every other command he'd been given. That's why he was here. Well, even of he did have some choice in the matter there was no way he'd leave her dying.

As Talkore landed he looked around nervously oblivious to the fact he was almost sinking on the mud. His mind ran rings around him as it mocked him with all the bad things that could have happened to Roda. Both the danger and pain she could be in was worrying him no end.

In the mix of trees and mud the signal was very difficult to pinpoint. He couldn't make heads nor tails of it at the moment. He spun around, knocking over a fragile tree in the process.

"Maybe North isn't the way to go."

"Hello?" he called out hesitantly. "I don't mean you any harm."

[NatureGirl]

Inigo smiled and sighed in relief. "Good to hear that," he huffed as he broke into a run. I have to get her back to my place... I know I have more machinery and equipment there, he hurried in his mind as he dodged a tree.

Inigo looked at Roda with a confused look. "I saved you because it wasn't your time to die," he spoke quietly.. His eyes misted over and he went into autopilot as he reached the end of the swamp. He turned to his home and hurried behind the tree there as a huge gust of wind blew a trash can toward them.

"If only I could do that for everyone," he spoke absent-mindedly as he approached the back door. Inigo jerked his leg into the door and stepped inside. He sat her on the couch and removed the wet jacket, replacing it wtih a huge quilt.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Inigo laughed as he shut the door. He grabbed a towel and rubbed it over his head. "Okay, so this guy... you think he's in Nabias Or somewhere closer?" Inigo turned serious and grabbed his bag, laying it on the coffee table as he pushed his scythe under the chair he sat on. "If he's your best shot, I'll get you where he is, no matter how far."

~**~

"-censored," Daemon gasped as a tree crashed down. A clockwork Hollowheart had entered the area. She sighed and pushed herself up onto her knees, wiping off her skirt. She managed to crawl out and stand with a smile. "Heelllloo there," Daemon laughed nervously.

She hoped he meant what he said about harm as she shifted awkwardly. "I'm Daemon!" she blurted out in the spur of the moment. She did a mental facepalm.

Idiot, she thought over and over again. Way to be hesitant about greetings. What are you, a Neuleef, or a Battleheart? Daemon sighed then. Neither, that's what. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

[Mousen]

She just nodded her head slightly at his statement. "I sincerely hope you're right." she added after a moments pause.

"Thank you. If I'm ever repaired fully I'm in your debt." He would the kind to argue against that kind of thing, she could tell. Roda wasn't the kind to let it go, though. She would find some way to repay Inigo if it were one of the last things she did.

"It's cute. Aside from the swampiness." His laugh was infectious, and she couldn't help but smile a little. She let herself be covered with a large quilt. For a moment she felt rather human, rather real. Harlequinn's creations were known for being very real. They learned from the people around them; expressions, phrases. Their memory seemed to be endless. They felt emotion and in truth they acted more like real people than most robots ever did.

"... I don't know. We haven't spoken... Not in a long while." Roda really had no idea where her creator was. He could be here for all she knew. He was infact still in Nabias, about to set of for the Tengel rainforest; he was blissfully unaware of the trouble his first robot with a female concious was in.

~**~

"Talkore is what I've been chosen to go by." he said shortly. He'd never been one for much conversation.  "Sorry to be a bother, you look lost and I myself am in need of a little help. Have you seen a rabbot C6 around here?" He wasn't phased by her fear or nervousness. If anything he was a little empathetic."I do have a human form, you know." he added after a moment, hoping to make her feel slightly better. "I could turn into that if you like. though I thought it would be easier to travel the swamp in this form."

She was either lost or looking for someone. Talkore would guess at both. People rarely came alone here, and if she could find her way back she'd have gone already. "Perhaps we'll even find you're friend. Whoever that may be." He was very much aware that, that statement would probably freak her out. Even if he had realized he probably wouldn't have really cared all that much.

[NatureGirl]

Inigo sighed, but managed a small smile. What to do now... he paced mentally. "How are you holding up?" he asked after a moment, standing up. He turned toward the kitchen. "And there is no need for you to repay me," he added quickly as he turned back to Roda.

"I'm sure that he would love to find you again," Inigo assured as he went into the kitchen. His phone was still dead. "Damn'," he muttered. He looked toward his bag. Don't make me have to do this, he yelled in his head. He turned away and went back to the room Roda was in.

"Okay. I'm going to morph and go outside for a minute. I just need to check around the house for damage since the gale is a big one." Inigo morphed into his Myuu form and nodded to Roda before pushing the door open and stepping outside.

~**~

Daemon looked up at this.... Talkore... "Nice to meet you Talkore," she smiled. Then she stiffened when he mentioned the C6. "As a matter of fact, I did see a C6 around here. With my friend, Inigo . . ." she trailed off.

Daemon looked up with a smile. "I'll just morph back into my form," she nodded to him. Daemon was back to her Slydra form in seconds as she turned back to Talkore.

"Okay. . . I know where they went, but the only way I would no to get back there is if I had a good idea of where we are at." She looked around. "Do you think you could lift me into the air to check around?" she asked nervously.

[Mousen]

"I'm not any different." Roda said quietly. Thinking. She was sure there had been a connection between the two of them; Roda always knew when Talkore was in trouble; hopefully he'd act on that feeling. All she could do was wait.

"I'll wait here." She commented dryly, closing her eyes. She wished she hadn't been so stupid as to get into a fight with a creature many, many times her size. It was stupid. She was stupid. Nevertheless, she'd just have to concentrate on keeping her systems running until the storm blew over an she could get to a mechanic.

~**~

"You did? That's fantastic." For the first time in a while Talkore smiled. Finally some good news.

He nodded. "My gait tends to be a little bit all over the place if I take off somewhere  crowded, whatever you do, don't panic." He warned, feeling this was a bad idea, though if it would help him find Roda, he would say no more against it.

(Fail. DX)

[NatureGirl]

Inigo paced around outside. Why do I feel so stupid? he growled in his mind as he flicked his ear at the sound of a screeching of a sort nearby. What in the world . . . he gasped as he turned the corner. A small figure was huddled near the entrance to his home.

A sulkuhna kit, barely able to walk was screeching outside the door. The voice . . . it was familiar to him . . . something about home rang the bell in his head as he sprinted to the injured figure.

"Iris?!" he shouted.

Iris could hear something shouting at her. Her voice cracked and finally gave out . . . I'm doomed. She had been chased away from shelter too many times, and was too weak to move this time. They can beat me if they want . . . her thoughts flickered.
I can't move anymore . . .
Her fragile body shuttered as the rain pelted her delicate skin. She hadn't planned on dying. She just wanted to find Inigo with Daemon. . . too bad she had lost track of both and was paying for her disobedience.

Meanwhile in the swamp, Daemon sized up her situation. She could sense doubt growing in her stomach, but she agreed since she needed to find Inigo. "Okay, I'll be cool and controlled," she smiled, and with a nod, she wrapped herself loosely around Talkore's neck.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," she laughs. "Or kill for that matter," she adds on with a little shake of her head.

(sorry it took so long to respond, and sorry that this post is a fail. On a lighter note, It's snowed at my house!! )