[Atoli01]

Ah. How she hated days like this. Becoming a routine now, her owner would send her here to see how things were going. But she was a Christmas pet! That came out of a nice Christmas box! She hated having to see all these thieves and bandits around, and having to watch her back every two seconds! But that was the thing she had to think of right now - her own safety. She had a pretty hefty amount of keystones and she was a rare Christmas pet and whether someone wanted to take her or the keystones or both, she had no idea. There were just too many pets that were becoming evil nowadays. I mean, sure, some do it so they can get by in life, but couldn't those pets just ask nicely for whatever they wanted? She kicked the side of the building and apparently mad a small hole. "Stupid buildings. You'd think they'd be at least a little sturdier." she said with a sigh. "Hey there miss! Clean that up now!" she heard the person inside the building yell. "Yeah. Whatever. I'll freaking clean it up later!" she replied as she sighed and kicked a trash can. She was amazed that that didn't leave a hole in it of no one yelled at her. "This is just my day with just my luck, isn't it?" she asked herself.

[1][Human Form]

[clackno1]

How did he get from being locked up in a box to walking around some dirty place filled with evil people. it did have evil people, that was a good thing. He is a christmas pet, making him valuable, but who would want to mess with him? Someone who doesn't know anything about his species might think he was just a stupid bug, but those people are just asking him to sting. Asking him to make them drop down dead. For someone who lived in this place he wouldn't really blame them. He kept stepping in puddles of stuff that definitely wasn't water. At least he had a weapon in this strange place. His pincers could do some damage, with their small, needle like spikes. His tail would certainly finish the job, with it's sharp point and deadly venom. His personality was usually enough to scare the odd passer-by. He had worked up a rage ripping that giftbox he was trapped in to shreds. He had ripped the yellow and orange box to pieces. Nothing could trap him. He's Simion Sandalwin, the evil inventor. Though he never actually uses his inventions that much, since he doesn't really torture for information. His little creations can fetch a good amount on the black market. As he turned the next corner he spotted something that interested him quit a bit. Another christmas pet, a Peppermint Teigu to be precise, and in human form. She didn't seem like she was in the loveliest of moods. Simion scurried around a few piles of items he didn't want to know the identity of. His feet made small clicking noises as the robotic scorpion scurried across the asphalt of the roads. He crouched behind the curb, keeping his glowing tail close to the ground. His six eyes focused on the anthro Peppermint Teigu.

(He can change into human form, just wanted to try out his pet form first)

[Atoli01]

She stood there, leaning up again a wall - this time a more sturdy one - and she heard a few clicking noises. She looked at the ground. It was a Scorpinch V2, huh? She had heard of these pets before and heard that the result of getting one angry - you didn't wanna know. "Hm? Who are you?" Peppermint asked. She stared at the scorpion-like creature. "So, um. My name is Peppermint. To tell you the truth, I really hate my name. It doesn't sound too fitting for my title. 'Peppermint of the Blade Children'. Oh! Oops, you're not supposed to know my title!" Peppermint said as she slapped her head with her hand. "Whatever anyone says, I did not say 'Blade Children'!" Peppermint continued in a hoarse whisper. "Now you're probably asking who the 'Blade Children' are... Well, I can't really tell you. All I can say is that all members are missing a - no I can't tell you." Peppermint said worried. She was so dumb. How could she reveal her identity to someone that could be a spy? Her and her rambling got her this far and now she thought her ability to openly speak her mind was more of a curse than a gift. "Now, you know nothing about the 'Blade Children' right? Or never even heard the name, right?" Peppermint asked a little nervous.

[clackno1]

Simion opened his pincers a bit and his tail lifted slightly, but he relaxed a bit when Peppermint didn't do anything. He was surprised that she started questioning him. That was new. Then his spirits rose a bit when she started giving him information that it seemed she wasn't supposed to give to complete strangers. He wondered how secret that information was supposed to be. the thought of blackmail entered his mind, but he dismissed it. There wasn't enough information for a successful blackmail attempt. He wondered if he should give Peppermint his name. She had given him her's, and more. He decided to wait a bit. More information may come from her."I won't speak a word of it." His voice came out small and hoarse, the one thing he hated about his pet form. How is he supposed to sound menacing with a small, high pitched voice? Though his voice was small his word was true, for the time being anyways. In the future, something may slip, and not by accident. He though about changing into his human form, and decided that he might later, but not now. His pet form was much more reliable then his human form. Sure, he usually carried some kind of small dagger, and a vile of his own venom, but he could take action much more quicker in his pet form.

[Atoli01]

Peppermint looked relieved that her information was safe. At least now she didn't have to act on him. But if he did say even a word of it to someone else, she had her own version of self defense. And this version was much more deadly than Scorpinch venom. Her hand slid on her dagger and a bottle of water mixed with Strychnine , a deadly poison. And she had more than a lethal dose of it. Although she had never had to use the poison, she had her plans on how to use it. All she needed to do was to pour some of that water on the dagger an within seconds after even a little cut from the dagger, her foe would be dead. "So I see we both have our own self defense then. Let's try not to use it. After all, you would be the one who would end up dead." Peppermint said menacingly. In fact, you wouldn't want to mess with any of the 'Blade Children'. They all had their own self defense, and everyone in the 'Blade Children' had self defense that was better than Scorpinch venom. "Hm. Maybe after you prove yourself worthy of it, I could reveal some more information on the 'Blade Children'. But just don't expect that to be anytime soon. But on a different note, You still haven't told me your name." Peppermint said.

[clackno1]

Simion stepped back a little as a strange chuckle like hiss escaped his mandibles. He rarely showed happiness in public, but it was possible, and that was just too tempting to not laugh."I think you are forgetting something, miss Peppermint. Scorpinches, like myself, have the battle trait Poison Immunity. So if we were to battle, you would be the loser." Peppermint needed to reread her facts. No one could beat a scorpinch with poison, their own element. The chuckle-hiss came again, this time a bit more evil sounding. He snapped his pincers almost menacingly, mostly from habit. His six eyes blinked in unison. He could feel the vibrations of someone coming. The vibrations were about the same speed a brisk walk, almost a run. Never a good sign. Simion turned around, his bright green eyes searching the gloom, until--there! He spotted movement on the other side of the road. His stinger twitched up into a position in which he would attack with. He clinked his claws together, ready for battle if it came.

[Atoli01]

"Hm. Right. Well I still have this. And I could always call over one of my 'friends' to finish the job." Peppermint replied. She took out her dagger and stabbed it into a barrel. "But I think you forgot something too. There's the sun and since you're a robot, you have circuits that can be fried or cut. And lemme tell you, if even so much as two do get fried or cut, you would be dead. That part, I did do some research on." she continued as she pulled the dagger out of the barrel. She picked up the dagger so the sun shone on it just right to create a small flame on the Scorpinch's shell. She grinned in a rather menacing way and slid the dagger back into her bag. "I really wouldn't try it. But anyways, I'm not in the market of a battle today. So you're safe. But remember, even if the sun isn't out, I can start a fire." Peppermint said smiling. She stood there, staring at the Scorpinch to look for any weak spots. "And I believe those are circuits of some sort right on the back of your head there. and it would probably hurt if I cut one of those pincers off. With a sharp enough blade and enough courage, I could cut off one of those pincers along with a few circuits as well. So I would be at the vantage point." she continued. "And plus, I don't think I would want to kill you. You'd most likely be of use to the 'Blade Children'." Peppermint said as she sighed. But then she saw that there was a shape on the other side of the road and took out her dagger. "Who are you?! Answer yourself! Friend or foe?!" Peppermint yelled with her dagger in her hand.

[clackno1]

He clinked his pincers again. He was still paying attention to Peppermint, but also scanning the shadows at the same time. He had perfected this skill. It's good to have the element of surprise, and showing you know the enemy is there isn't the best way to get it. The small chuckle-hiss came again, this time tainted with nervousness. Simion realized he was starting to lose this battle of wits, but he wasn't finished yet."I see you are also forgetting another trait of mine. Fast Healing would take care of fried circuits in almost no time." He crawled to the side slightly to get a better look at the shadows. he saw a small movement again and knew they were being watched. he started to have slight suspicions of Peppermint. The 'Blade Children' didn't seem like a very kind and non-threatening name, though he had done a few bad acts of himself. It's not like anyone would start following him, would they? He had already sold a few of his torture contraptions on the black market, so someone could probably track him down using those."I agree that 'Peppermint' isn't the most threatening name, but 'Blade Children' is a bit menacing." His mandibles twisted into what looked like a smile as he focused on a small shape in the shadows across the street.

[Atoli01]

"We'll deal with the 'fast healing thing later. But you're right to have you're suspicions about the 'Blade Children'. Like I said, if I trust you, I'll reveal everything. And if we make it through this battle, I'll reveal a little something about the 'Blade Children'. The thing that I was originally going to tell you." Peppermint replied. After all, Eyes said for everyone to try to recruit someone for the group as long as they seemed trustworthy and wouldn't just randomly spill all our secrets. But then again, if this Scorpinch doesn't favor violence one bit - even when the time calls for it, then he wouldn't be the right one. "Hey, if you did have to resort to violence, would you do it? Or would you be the one on the sideline trying to capture instead?" Peppermint asked. This was a vital question to ask before telling any of the secrets. Eyes, what would you do right now? You know everything... what's right and what's wrong, how to make a living, and most important, how to survive in this harsh world. Peppermint still stood in her fighting position, ready to strike if need be. "Do you have any idea what this thing is?" Peppermint asked.

[clackno1]

Simion smiled slightly to himself again. He had won the battle of wits, for now. He tried to find anything on the creature in the shadows that would help to identify what it was. He moved sideways a bit more and caught a glimpse of fur, but the creature moved farther into the shadows before he could see anything else, but it gave him a hint at it's nature. He snickered a bit at Peppermint's question."Prisoners? I don't take prisoners. Once they meet me there's the chance they'll report me, and I don't want that." He crawled forwards a bit manoeuvring around puddles and piles of unknown items."No idea, but I'm interested in finding out." He disappeared into the shadows and stepped lighter so his footsteps wouldn't make any noise. He got to the other side of the street and hid in the shadows of cardboard boxes as he approached the creature. When he peered around the corner the shadows gave way to a Shielupe, muscular and well fed. He crawled silently through the shadows, his pincers and stinger ready. He approached the enemy from behind and when he was close he struck the Shielupe in the back of both knees, causing it to fall, then he stung. His stinger dug into the Shielupe's back and he could feel the venom being injected into the dog. The Shielupe gave a small whine before fall onto it's side. Simion pinching it's side and felt the muscles tighten, but then they loosened and stiffened, and the Shielupe was dead. He circled the animal to the head, and found a collar around it's neck. He pryed the tag from the collar and read it. The tag had a few numbers inscribed into the metal, then an address, which just happened to be the address of the local police force building. He crawled back across the street to Peppermint and dropped the tag at her feet."Police dog, you go anything to do with it?"

[Atoli01]

"Well, I can't say we can do anything to completely cover up that it died. But Eyes, he says we can't erase something we do, only try to cover it up. But, as promised, I shall tell you a little something about the 'Blade Children'. We just have to try to find something to do with this Sheilupe before the police find out and then try to find a more secluded area. We can't risk anyone overhearing us." Peppermint said as she stuck the collar into her bag. She grabbed the Sheilupe by the scruff and started pulling it out into the jungle. "Perhaps after we hide this Sheilupe, then we can look for an old shed or shack that no one's using and then we'll talk." Peppermint continued, laying the Sheilupe into a pit that was probably meant for some unlucky animal to come across. "It will look like he died a natural death now. Now we have to find an old shed or shack." Peppermint said as she wiped off all the fur she had on her hands. "Do you know of anywhere around here that we could talk without being overheard?" Peppermint asked.

[clackno1]

Simion knew that there was no hope that they could cover their tracks."It's hopeless. The police are going to take it out of the pit, find no broken bones, find the puncture wound from my stinger, then test it's blood and find my venom. And, who is this 'Eyes' you keep talking about?" He started walking down the street, making sure to stay in the shadows, though the glowing venom could bee seen in his tail. he started thinking of places he would go if he was being searched for, which he hadn't completely concluded in this situation. Most of the places he came up with were too small for Peppermint to fit in, and he did want to know more about her and the 'Blade Children'. He finally remembered something he had seen while entering the Slums."There's an old abandoned warehouse on the South side of town, on the outskirts, it should do. I need a place to change anyways, the police are going to be looking for a Scorpinch v2 and probably won't pay any mind to two teenagers." He kept going without looking back, knowing Peppermint could catch up and go past him easily. He's only a bit bigger than someone's foot, not that hard to pass.

[Atoli01]

"One of the things I could tell you I suppose. And plus, if they do suspect us, some of our members have been evading the police for years. But, anyways, lets go to that abandoned warehouse then." Peppermint said in a nonchalant attitude. When they finally got there, Peppermint opened up the door and the warehouse saw that it was a good size and most importantly, abandoned. She closed the door behind them and locked it once the Scorpinch had crawled in. "Now. You have to promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you." Peppermint said sternly as she took a seat. "Well, as I was going to tell you when we first met, the key feature of telling if someone was a member of the 'Blade Children' is that we're all missing a rib. And no, it's not like we don't feel any pain at all from that. But if you join, we won't have to take out a rib. One, because you don't have any and two, because we all lost our ribs at birth. And now, to answer your question about Eyes. He's the leader of our group. You might have heard of him, as he is also a famous pianist and author. His full name is Eyes Rutherford. And he says everything that happens, well, it's our destiny. He says we can't change it no matter if we like it or not. That's why both of us are here right now, he would probably tell us. And to answer one more thing. You remember when I asked you 'If you did have to resort to violence, would you do it? Or would you be the one on the sideline trying to capture instead?' It was because of our group. Eyes says, well that if our destiny is to be killers, we might as well follow it. In other words, we, lets say, eliminate those who need to be. Even if it's in our own group. And if you decide to join, if you spill any word about this or anything about us for that matter, it will be you who will be eliminated. So, if you want to live, I'd suggest that even if you don't join, that you never say a word of this to anyone else - never." Peppermint explained. "I don't like this path, but as Eyes says, it's our destiny and we can't change it no matter how much we want to." Peppermint said.

[clackno1]

Simion crawled through the door and climbed onto some crates, his legs having no trouble gripping the rough wood. When he had made himself comfortable and made sure the crate wouldn't collapse under his weight, he changed forms. His six legs turned to two, and his six eyes, neon green eyes turned to two neon green eyes. His metal shell disappeared and was replaced with pale skin and light, copper colored hair appeared on his head. He wore a black T-shirt with black pants and black shoes. He leaned back against the crate and placed his hands in his lap as he stared at Peppermint through his bangs."So if I do join you and the 'Blade Children', I'll have to swear to secrecy or something, because to tell you the truth, if the need arises I might not keep the secret. I'm sure this Eyes fellow must of been expecting this. You couldn't have believed that I would have come out and said yes right away. I was actually thinking about black mail when you first mentioned the 'Blade Children'. It seems easier than working alone, like I do, but I'm not really the teamwork kind of person. But, Eyes does say it's our destiny, so we might as well sit back and see how things play out." He enjoyed the sound of his voice in this form, a bit deeper and more persuasive than the voice in his creature form."Since your telling me all these secrets I might as well tell you my name. Simion Sandalwin, also know as 'The Parasite' to others. I sort of like the term, actually." He heard a small noise, almost like something scurrying, from upstairs, and was thankful when he felt his knife from under his shirt.

[Atoli01]

Peppermint nodded. She understood what he meant and it seemed like he was kinda reluctant at first, but it seemed he understood. "Well, Simion, Eyes never expected everyone in our group to keep the secrets. That's why we now have 'hunters'. Before you ask, they're people that have heard about our group and vowed to kill all of us. We've never had one succeed, but...they're very dangerous. And again, Eyes does not expect any of the people that we talk to about it to join right away. He says we have to earn their trust and they also have to trust us." Peppermint explained. "And since Eyes says it's my destiny, I follow it more than willingly." Peppermint said. She got up and leaned up against the wall. Will he really join us? "What's in these barrels." Peppermint asked as she opened one of the crates. "Empty. Just as I had suspected." Peppermint said. She turned the opening of the barrel upside-down and sat on it. "Well, if you have any other questions, you might as well ask them now. You never know if the police suspect us already. And where would they expect criminals to hide? In some old abandoned place." Peppermint said.