[Roxianna]

The night was dark as the black haired girl raced through the empty country side.  She ran with her arms straight out behind her, and her body was almost parallel to the ground.  She jumped off the sides of trees, in order to help her gain speed.  The spikes of hair on her head fluttered around her face, causing a blurring effect that, at her speed, made it look like she had no eyes.  The pink tips in her hair were the same magenta color as her eyes, so it all seemed to melt together as she ran.  Her backpack, floating behind her, barely attached to her arms, was at the same level as her body as she ran. Though the bag made no noise, was weightless, and practically invisible against the girl's pink shirt and black skirt, it contained at least seven different outfit changes.  All the outfits were different and unique, perfect for helping her spy, and she had different personalities she could act out to match each ensemble.   The girl only carried the bag as a precaution; she'd never had to use more than one other outfit before, and she kept that one on under her clothes at all times.

Destiny, though she was young, was on of the government's best spies.  And sometimes, her youth was her best disguise.  If an enemy had to chose between her or a twenty-five-year-old man, they'd definitely chose the man.  Not many people had ever met a sixteen-year-old spy before.  Or, to be more accurate, when they'd met one, they hadn't know that she was a spy.

Sliding to a sudden halt on her forest trail, Destiny looked around the clearing she was in.  Her eyes lowered, because something there was not right.  She bent down slowly, examined the foot-marks that she was following, and abruptly changed her course.  Her trail had changed.  Now, she was head for The Slums.

[Krystalolive]

Common Ferrikoon

"Heh-heh." A chuckle heard from what seemed to be a dark, empty allyway. Following it came the owner. He was tall, lean. As he turned to look back at the foolish guards running around the museum, messy tan hair got in the away of his red eyes. "Heh-heh."

Ricky turned from the confused cops to walk away, backpack with the 'goods' across one shoulder. "All this over a old painting." He smiled, happy he could steal something. He hadn't worn his 'theif' outfit in a while. Pitch black shirt with jeans. No really theif looking, but that was the point right? To NOT get picked out of a crowd? Only thing that would point him out was his Ferricoon wings, ears, and tail. Besides that, he looked like anyone else in the slums.

He smiled, then jumped to a rooftop, waiting for things to cool down. He smiled, then leaned back and relaxed. There were no good cops around here, just fat, annoying guys. No threat at all.

[Indigo]

The pounding of feet in an alley drew the attention of more than one person, but the one they should have been watching was moving among them silently, just fast enough to look like he was in a hurry without really being noticed. A few people registered the fact that a hood was pulled over his head even though it wasn't raining, but that was all. He stepped into the shadow of a low building.

Romulus paused to catch his breath. He pulled the hood forward, making sure it covered his spiky greenish hair. When he was sure the coast was clear, he raced across the empty street into the next alley.

Occasionally he was followed, but no one ever tracked him for more than a day. He was too fast, and too stealthy. At the moment, he was stalking a random person on the street; no one special, they'd just captured his attention. And when someone captured his attention, he found out their secrets.

Romulus was a professional stalker. Usually he looked up someone to follow, someone interesting, but right now there was no one interesting enough for him to shadow. So he followed random people on the streets until he found someone.

[Ghostlily]

[center]

"Lesee...there's a door here that we can sneak through, and then a grove where you can wait. Hah! And these people thought their club was foolproof. Pffttt...idiots..."

A tan teenager was leaning over a map, his finger tracing over the dark lines and blots. His blonde hair fell fashionably over his pale-green eyes and two Teigu ears poked out. His tail twitched every so often, betraying his excitement. He was planning another raid now--he hadn't been on one for a while. But then, a big hunk of sculpted gold didn't land near your doorstep that often either. The Teigu kept muttering to himself possible plans, the brown hood of his sweatshirt occasionally getting in the way of his view. His outfit was pretty plain--a brown hoodie, jeans, and brown tennis shoes. He didn't stand out too much. But then, that was the point--to be inconspicuous. His age helped too--not many people expected a nineteen-year-old to be a high-ranking thief.
Leaning over his shoulder, a blue-and-red figure scanned over the map. "This is a pretty big one, huh boss? A really big one...a whopper...a gargantu--"
"Cut it out, Corcel, will you? You know that gets on my nerves."
"Oops. Sorry, boss."
Yep. Sabakuzare was good enough to be called 'boss'--by a Riopath by the name of Corcel.

[[1--1]]

[Roxianna]

((Sorry it took so long for me to post.  It won't happen agian.  >< ))


The girl flew through the town at a speed faster than most adults could run at.  She noticed everything and anything, imprinting even miniscule details into her flawless memory.   The fly at the trash cans near the courner?  The empty liquor bottle under the bench?  Yeah, she saw it.  She noticed everyting.

Though any one who was wondering the streets of The Slums at this hour was sure to be drunk, Destiny avoided human contact like it was worse than Satan himself.  Just one witness would be enough to get her killed, even if she was on the side of justice.  Sometimes, the side of good was the most dangerous place to be.

The person Destiny was supposed to find was a Ferrikoon by the name of Rikki.  Rumors at headquarters were that he was supposed to have a hide out here, but those were only rumors.  The police had virtually nothing.  That was why they had sent Destiny; she was the best of the best.  They knew that if anyone could find him, it would be her.  After all, she'd been trained for this since birth.

Even though she was so good, she was still having trouble following him.  Rikki's trail was well hidden, and Destiny often followed another, innocent person's instead, until she found a clue that pointed her in the correct dirrection.  This was probably one of the hardest cases Destiny had been on so far.  

Smiling to herself, Destiny headed off in the dirrection of a new trail.  Finally, a mission that was worth her time.

[Krystalolive]

"I wonder where Rikki is.." Nereus looked around, wondering why Rikki asked him to come. 'He's club is only Terrikoons, and I'm a lucain.' He shook his head, then smiled. Human form... He was maybe 15-16, somewhat tall. He had a snow whiteish hair with very little light gray at the end. Nice blue jeans and a dark red shirt. He smiled again, then sighed and shook his head. 'Stupid Terrikoon, making me come out here for one of his 'infamous outings'. I'm not covering him for anything.' He sighed again, then pulled out a cookie, this could take a while.

[Indigo]

Romulus ducked behind a trash can at the sound of approaching footsteps. He held his breath as the steps paused by the can, but they continued. He looked out into the alley, but whoever it was had disappeared.

He pulled himself up the side of the low building, hoping his new, slightly spiked climbing gloves would work. Walking around to the other side of the roof, he ended up looking down on a strange sight. Someone with a Teigu's tail who looked around nineteen was tracing a map. Hmm.

Romulus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book. It looked perfectly normal, with a tattered blue cover and a faded title. Some sappy romance novel. But in fact, it was an automatic self-updating record of every criminal in the city. "Never judge a book by its cover," he whispered, and laughed quietly at his own joke. Then he flipped through the book.

He almost fell off the roof.

Sabakuzare, one of the highest-ranking thieves in the Slums, or possibly anywhere, was standing a few feet below him. There was someone behind him that Romulus hadn't noticed before. He checked the page. Yes, that must be Corcel, the Riopath who worked with that Teigu. Finally, after three weeks of tailing random people on the street, Romulus was about to take on his biggest job yet.

A slow grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun.

[Ghostlily]

Sabakuzare took a few more moments to map out a route, then stood up, grinning. He rolled up the map, rubber banded it, then stuffed it away inside a bag hanging over Corcel's shoulder. Its worn strap showed that it had been used on many other outings. Saba wouldn't trade it in for a new one, though. It wasn't worth the risk of someone getting ahold of it for evidence, and besides, it was just plain lucky. That little bag had too many memories to be thrown away, and once, when he had used a different bag, he'd narrowly avoided capture.
"C'mon Corcel, let's go check out the club. I want to see it first-hand." Sabakuzare hopped onto the Riopath's back, positioning himself so that he wouldn't fall off.
Corcel was jumping around with excitement, and Saba held on tightly. "Ooooo! I can't wait! I can't wait! Let's gooooo!" With that Corcel leaped into a swift run. This was what he was made for--running, and in it, he found pure joy. Well, he found joy in everything he did--he was a positive person. Corcel stayed in the alleys, occasionally climbing on a rooftop to avoid being seen. Having six legs was ever so helpful.

[[2-2]]

[Roxianna]

Following the trail, Destiny hopped from roof-top to roof-top.  That was one of the flaws of the Slums.  If a theif -or spy- was good enough, then they'd have no trouble getting from place to place by hopping the roofs.  

But Destiny was not alone on the roof, and she knew it.  Careful to aviod others, no matter what their reasons for being there, Destiny headed straight to the next location she was told to look out for.  Usually, she would have followed her current clue a little farther, but in the dark, she might run into someone else up there.  She'd go in the daylight, when only a stupid theif would hop roofs.  Then, at least, she'd be sure to be alone.

Heading to her next location, the night club, Destiny sat on a roof and watched the entrance.  The club was for Terrikoons only, so Destiny couldn't get in.  She did have a pretty good Terrikoon costume, but she honestly hated wearing anything other than one of the two outfits she already had on, and neither of those were Terrikoon costumes.  

Instead of sneaking into the club, Destiny watched for anything unusual outside.  Criminals and drunks loittered the street, and few people looked healthy.  There was, however, one boy there who appeared to be better off then the rest.  Much better off, actually.  He didn't look as if he belonged at all.

Studing the boy careful, Destiny detirmened that he was a Lucain as well, only he had white hair.  The boy wore a red shirt that would have stood out anywhere else.  The fact that the shirt was red from dye and not blood was unsual though.  And, what was another Lucain doing at a Terrikoon night club?  He had to be meeting someone.

He was young though, maybe a little younger than Destiny herself.  Why was someone so young meeting Rikki?  Being rational, Destiny decide that the Lucain probably was not meeting the Terrikoon she was after, but rather someone else.  Still, her curiousity was peeked, and she decided to wait and see who he was waiting for.

[Krystalolive]

Ricky looked around, getting the strangest feeling that someone was 'hanging out' at his club. He stood up, slowly making to his place by rooftop. He stopped when he saw Nereus. He looked around, feeling there was someone else to, but didn't see anything.

He jumped down, a grin on his face and walked over to the lucain. Nereus looked at him, then sighed. "Hey Rik-" "Tavi." Nereus looked at Rikki with a confused look, while Rikki kept the smile. "My name's Tavi, and you are?" He stuck his hand out in a shake, then Nereus still had a confused look when he took it. "Nereus, hi Tavi."

Rikki looked around, still feeling that something was wrong. Nereus looked at him, then whispered. "What's with the name change 'Tavi'?" Rikki looked around, looking normal. "Someone's here, no doubt watching us."

[Indigo]

Romulus reached into the backpack he always carried. It carried his stuff and had the added benefit of making him look like a high-school student. Which he was supposed to be. But he didn't have time for school; all he had time for was his work.

He pulled out a complex tracking device, disguised cleverly as a textbook. He'd bought it off a shady black-market dealer, along with a few pieces of equipment that turned out to be utter junk. But this...this was real. It worked remarkably well, even though he hadn't used it in a year, since that Fellox was arrested.

He snapped his fingers; no time for nostalgia now. Fortunately, the gloves were padded, so there was no sound. Opening the tracking device, which was currently free-roaming, and opened the "Search" tab. Typing in the name "Sabakuzare", he waited for it to lock onto its target. The tracker worked on an ID basis, designed specifically for one person. Romulus managed to make good use of it anyway, but he didn't really know how it worked.

The tracker locked on, and Romulus grinned, ready to follow. But he hesitated for a moment. I shouldn't be here, he thought suddenly. I shouldn't be doing this. He shook his head, but the doubt was still there. And guilt, too, for all those arrests he'd caused.

After this one, I go straight, he decided. Then the tracker blinked, and Romulus began to run between rooftops, reveling in the speed and risk of it.

Well, maybe I'll do it as a hobby, he decided.

[Ghostlily]

Sabakuzare pulled out the maps again, grinning. The adrenaline in his body was under control, so unlike rookie thieves, he was in perfect control of himself. His breathing was normal, his heart rate steady--nothing seemed out of line. His appearance could be modified easily with the supplies in his bag. Saba was high-tech. What was the point of using out-dated things? Well, minus the bag--that was just a item of luck. But Saba couldn't stand not having the latest gagets. He pulled a small cell-phone like piece of equipment from his bag, then started typing into it. Sound came out of the speaker, and at that time, Corcel spoke up.

"So, what's going on inside?" Corcel said, running through the city silently. He was perfectly coordinated, never running into anything and never making a sound.
"...busy place...no one's watching the back right now, though...better move faster so that we can get there before the guards switch."
After hearing that, Corcel sped up, and in a few minutes, they were perched above the door leading into the back of the club. Saba leaped off of Corcel's back and onto the slimey roof, then punched a few buttons on the mini-computer. In a few seconds, his outfit had changed shape and color, the threads rearranging themselves as he wished. He was now wearing a stylish pair of jeans and a navy blue shirt with black webbing that covered his arms. He looked like the average clubber.
"See you in a bit," Saba murmured to Corcel. He jumped off the edge of the building, landing neatly in front of the door, and snuck in. Corcel watched him, then sped off into the wild grove nearby.

[[3--3]]

[Roxianna]

As Destiny waited, a Ferricoon headed straight towards the exact Lucain she had been watching.  "No way..." she murmured under her breathe.  Letting her instincts kick in, Destiny's hand moved swiftly to her pocket, and she subconsciously pulled out her "cell phone".  Then, Destiny flipped the contraction open, and pressed her hearing transmitter to her ear.

Although Destiny had some of the best technology available, there were some older gadgets that she refused to give up, simply because they were one of a kind.  The hearing piece was one of those gadgets.  She'd build the piece all by herself when she was eight, and at the time it had been the best in it's class.  Now, however, it didn't work anywhere near as well.

Listening into the hearing piece, Destiny only managed to pick-up on part of the conversation.

"My name...you are?" It was the Ferricoon talking now.

In response, the Lucain said, "Nereus..." before his voice faded out.

Then, the two started to whisper, and the only thing Destiny could hear was the burp of a drunk man who staggered through the alley.  Holding her phone away form her ear, Destiny mumbled quietly to herself, "Ewww...."

Then, using the added Internet she had put on a few years ago, Destiny sent the name Nereus to headquarters as she ran him through her own database.  Sending it to headquarters was just so she didn't get in trouble for not reporting a lead; Destiny had a much better database on her phone than they station had inside their entire building.

Then, decided before she'd even though it over, Destiny followed after Nereus and his currently unnamed companion.

[Krystalolive]

Rikki lead Nereus into the club, for he felt something wasn't right. Nereus looked at Rikki, then sighed. "What am I doing here Tavi? I'm not going to help you on any of your outings." Rikki ignored him, looking around. Akio was running the place since Rikki was away, and everything seemed alright. Nereus growled then grabbed the front of Rikki's shirt. "What did you take Tavi?" Rikki looked at him, shocked for a second, then smiled. "Just a painting, nothing big."

[Indigo]

Romulus frowned. A club? Hmm...What was going on here? He flattened himself against the roof and watched as his "prey" snuck into the club. What was there to steal in there? He shook off a nagging doubt and waited until Corcel was gone before pulling up his hood and jumping off the roof.

A foot from the ground, his boots kicked in. An almost invisible ring of green light separated him from the ground. The boots were of his own design, though he'd had some assistance. He reached down and turned the knob on the side until his feet rested on the ground.

He looked over his attire. Hopefully, he would go unnoticed. He didn't like to stand out, but had been unprepared for this development. Romulus was uneasy; his job was not to stand out, after all. He shrugged and walked in the back entrance anyway. With any luck, he would remain unseen.

Sabakuzare was unlikely to be concerned about stalkers anyway, right?

Somehow, he didn't believe himself.