[Jaden Wolf]

Keytu
Spear

Walking past the rundown buildings of the slums with a bounce in his step was a lone kuhna in anthro form, a smirk on his face. His hair swept into his face, long enough to cover his ears, glinting green in the small amount of sunlight that broke through the clouds above. Tugging at the white tipped strands, he examined a store front curiously, a glint in his green eyes. Shaking his head at something he saw, he chuckled, ignoring a drunken man reaching for the end of his jeans. Continuing on his way, he pulled on the leather jacket he had been carrying over his shoulder, concealing the white t-shirt under it. The only thing visible was the green K2 on the shirt's front, and the dog tags hanging from his neck. His two tails swished with each step he took.

Spotting the building he was looking for, he grinned at the figure that was sitting on the porch. Or more accurately, the rail of the porch. With her back against the wall and a leg dangling, with her long reptilian tail brushing against it, the serraptor woman blinked slowly in the muggy summer heat. Her thin fitting red tank top didn't cover much skin, and her black short shorts drew the attention of every male that passed. Twirling her bone necklace, she nudged at the trench coat hanging over the railing in boredom.
"Hay, chica. What are you doing here on such a fine day like this?" the boy's teasing voice reached out to her.
Looking over, she grinned.
"Waitin' for a fool named Keytu, that's what!" She murmured, slipping on sunglasses she pulled out from...somewhere.
Chuckling, Keytu lifted himself onto the rail.
"Well, that Keytu seems to have arrived miss Spear", he said, reaching out for her sunglasses as his smile faded, "but you better watch who you're calling a fool."
Rolling her golden reptile eyes, Spear turned them to a man walking past as he gave her disgusted look. Just as he passed, her tail flicked out, grabbing his ankle and tripping him. The two smirked as he faceplanted into the dirt, and Spear reached down to brush the dirt off his hair, only to 'accidentally' knock his hat off.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I hope you are hurt." Spear said in a mocking tone, receiving a snicker from Keytu. With a scoff, the man got back up and walked off, picking up his dirt-filled hat on the way.

[Feint]

((ooc: Do you mind if I take that open slot? I'll delete this post if you were waiting for someone specific.))

Ugly human ref.

A petite girl that looked no older than eighteen swayed towards the occupied porch, her unique gait almost like that of something serpentine. She wore a very feminine trench coat, one that looked like a short dress with a long train until you saw the zipper. It also had a hood, one that she wasn't currently using, and pinkish spots that matched her lengthy fingernails. Underneath her coat, she wore a tall-collared bodysuit with a white patch down the front. The rest was black, much like her short hair, which completely covered her eyes. In her hands rested a somewhat battered child's rattle, one most likely maliciously stolen. She wore a small fanged smile as she approached the kuhna and serraptor sitting lazily on the porch railing. As she approached them, she casually slipped the rattle out of their sight.

"Tss, that wasn't very nice," she chided them teasingly. Her voice was high and somewhat child-like, but very confident in tone. "He might have gotten his shirt dusty!" she added, her voice even higher out of faked, shocked awe.

[Jaden Wolf]

((That's fine Open is open ))

Both Keytu and Spear raised their heads to the girl approaching them. After hearing her teasing, the male grinned and his companion lowered her sunglasses to examine the newcomer. She hissed something in a strange language that sounded like a cross between wind and a snake. Unknown to outsiders, it was the language of the Shadows, and even among those who knew it, few could understand and fewer could speak it.
"She's not very pretty, and her voice is annoying. Get rid of her, Bee." Keytu's tail twitched, and he slapped her leg lightly with the back of his hand; his grin unwavering. Slipping off the rail, he strode forward with an air of confidence, putting his arm around the unknown girl's shoulder.
"Why, dear lady, I do believe that was the point?" he said in an equally fake tone, raising his eyebrows. Noticing the girl had her arm behind her, he looked up at Spear while he reached down and pulled her wrist forward quickly, but gently. Seeing the rattle, he pulled on a fake frown and shook his head.
"Tut-tut-tut. Now what is a lovely lady like yourself doing with something like this?" his grin returned, Keytu let go of her wrist, ignoring the scowl he sensed his companion giving him. No way was he shooing her away. He was bored, and meeting a new girl seemed interesting enough...particularly a girl like this.

[Feint]

The newcomer tilted her head the tiniest bit when she heard Spear speak. It struck a memory in her, but faint as if it were one long lost. After some thought, she mentally dismissed it. Though it seemed like something she had forgotten, it sounded very similar to wind and the hiss of a snake. Both were sounds she was well acquainted with, especially the snake's hiss. Her memory had tricked her, she rightly decided.

She had retained her composure as Keytu approached her, but when he placed his arm around her shoulders, her back noticeably stiffened, and an edge of her smile twitched. Unknown to him, she leered from under her protective mask of black hair. She was not the friendliest being that existed, despite her playful entrance. That was just how she was. It was a man's suffering that had attracted her to approach them in the first place, after all.

"Hsss. Is it custom for men to freely touch each other? I am not familiar with the practice," she hissed in displeasure, gently raising her arm to nudge Keytu's off of her shoulders. His finding of the battered rattle did not seem to faze her any, and even after he released her, she held it up for all to see. "This? This... Ss-ss... This is a token. An... sss, an acquaintance owed it to me. It is, of course, more than just this," she said, and tilted it so that she was holding it by just the very end, then gave it a shake. Though most rattles rattled, this one rang like a miniature set of chimes. It was a delicate sound, and had it been in significantly better shape, would probably have been worth a pretty penny. It was a ridiculous accessory in its current state. She smirked and let her hand drop by her side. "It wasn't quite enough, but it's fine for now," she added with a toothy smile that's nature was somehow out-of-place. One of her long pink fingernails began tapping the large end of the rattle with little clinks.

((ooc: repost))

[Jaden Wolf]

Spear had noticed the girl's stiffening when Keytu had placed his arm on her shoulders, but chose to ignore it. In fact, she was trying to ignore the girl altogether. As for Keytu, he grinned again as the girl explained the rattle. Upon hearing its sound, the smile faded as his gaze flicked to Spear, who had stiffened. The reptilian woman did not like the sound, nope. It sounded much too similar to the language of the Light. Everything that chimed held a nasty place in the Shadows' already nasty...heart (if that was what you could call it). Her reptilian tongue flickered in and out in irritation as she glared at the girl.

Stepping aside to stand between his dangerous companion and the probably (almost) equally dangerous girl, he hoped that he could quell the woman before she started a fight. It was one thing if she wanted to torture someone, or anything along those lines, but in a real fight, her inner demon would be unleashed...without the protection of Jaden's bands of light, that demon had no problem killing a few million people to satisfy itself. That million could include Keytu himself, and the girl that stood before him. Trying to move on, Keytu smiled, somewhat nervously as his tails twitched behind him.
"Well, dear girl, to answer your question, no. Men do not freely touch one another. However I tend not to align myself with what men generally do. Now, moving on, I cannot stand talking to a stranger without knowing her name. So might I ask you of it? My own is Keytu."
He hoped that even if she denied giving her own, she would not ask for the name of the woman now snarling behind him, gripping the railing so hard, it was cracking with the pressure.

[Feint]

The girl tilted her head as if examining Keytu, and slowly stopped tapping her rattle. Underneath her shield of hair, she watched the serraptor woman very carefully. She might not have had the best hearing, but she could definitely hear the railing shattering under her monster-strength grip. She gave her head the very slightest tilt and debated inquiring about the woman, but felt it was not the best idea with her Heart still gone. She looked very strong, indeed--without added power and protection, she could very well sustain an injury or two, and she wasn't very good at tolerating pain. Her eyes went back to Keytu, and she let the aggravated woman pass from her mind.

"Hsss. That is sad that you cannot converse with a stranger without knowing their wordy label. Fortunately, I am in a good mood today, so I will share mine. My given name is Feint. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Keytu," she said to him smoothly. Her smile now had a completely different sort of mood mixed in with the sweetness. It was almost as though she were playing or plotting some mean-spirited prank against him, which she wasn't. At least, not in the near future.

((ooc: sorry about the late reply--college apps are due soon, and I'm in a scramble.))

[Jaden Wolf]

Keytu gave a playful, disapproving frown and waggled his finger in Feint's direction.
"Tut-tut-tut. I never said I couldn't, simply that I really don't like it. But thank you..." he paused, giving an exaggerated sweeping bow, "For giving me your name. A pleasure to meet you too, miss Feint." He pronounced his 's' like 'z' as he looked up with a sly grin adorning his face. Behind him, Spear slipped off the damaged railing with a huff, grabbing her trench coat.
"'Nuff of this, I'm gettin' bored. There's other places to be, more people to torture, and better company to keep..." her golden eyes flicked over to glare at Feint. Keytu, on the other hand, simply shrugged and laughed.
"We have been lingering too long. Why don't we explore the town a little bit?" he asked, putting his arm around Feint's shoulder again. He wasn't stupid...he knew she didn't really like it, but it was something he did, no matter the person. His cocky attitude called for it, perhaps. He also noticed the furious, burning glare Spear threw at him, but chose to ignore that as well.

[Feint]

Feint bobbed her head in place of a bow and smiled a bit more sweetly--just to be polite. She watched the serraptor woman slide off the wooden railing and folded her arms thoughtfully across her chest. She raised the top arm's wrist to tap her shoulder with the battered rattle in a light, dainty manner, creating very soft klinking sounds. As Keytu draped his arm across her, her fingers froze, and the tapping ceased. The corner of her lip twitched, and she raised the same hand higher to nudge Keytu's arm once again off her shoulders. This little habit of his was beginning to strike a nerve, though she still had some patience left. She faked a smile at the kuhna. "Sounds... hsss, enthralling. I hope you have someplace or something very entertaining in mind, Keytu, towns rather bore me. Although..." she said, ending her sentence softly. As her voice trailed away, she tilted her head to get a better look at the serraptor with the trench coat. "...I must inquire as to whom you are planning to torture," she said in a harmless manner, directed more at the serraptor than Keytu. One of her long, pink fingernails shifted along the handle of the rattle, unintentionally making a soft screeching sound.

[Feint]

"Nevermind," she sighed, flicking one of her wrists in the air. "I have forgotten my business here, tss. I must be leaving," she said, and carefully stepped around Keytu, then slithered up the street after the departed man with the hat. She twirled the delicate rattle around one finger like a keychain, privately enjoying the light sounds it made. When she was a good distance away, she stopped and turned back to face the unusual pair. "Ss, I almost forgot. If anyone comes by here searching for a fortune-teller, or a woman by the name of Emily... sss, do not mention me. I was not here. Understand?" she said, head tilted. Without waiting for a response, she turned and continued on her way.

((Withdrawing))