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Desmond hadn't been satisfied with Riyo's answer, but as everybody started talking about what to do next... He let it drop. For now, at least.

"That... Sounds good, actually." Desmond said in response to Mitsu's thoughtful suggestion. He wouldn't mind sitting down and passing out for a little while... At least until the sun went down.

Oh... Wait... "I... Can't go anywhere." He mumbled, looking down at his shirtless form. "I'll burn to a crisp..." Letting out a frustrated sigh, he took a seat on one of the bigger cave rocks. "You guys can go ahead. I'll catch up when the sun sets."

Riyo shrugged at the suggestion of going back. "I'm determined to catch my dinner... And I would've had it if not for that goddamn cougar." Also... She was really craving rabbit now.

---

Kohaku nodded to Suto and looked up at Lou. He seemed worried. She had to wonder why, since she'd just taken her medicine.

"Well, I think I'll be heading off with Mr. Adolphus until the sun leaves the sky." Lou nodded to the two and joined Suto on his walk.

Kohaku watched the two leave, letting out a little sigh. What would Blade do now, she wondered?

For a moment it seemed like they were all going to leave but Desmond was quick to bring up the fact he couldn't be out in the sun. How did she always manage to forget what he was? These things just never seemed to cross her mind.

"Stay here? By yourself?" She didn't like that idea. It didn't seem very fair. So when he took a seat she started toward him intent to stay as well.

"Suit yourself, Desmond." Apparently it didn't mean too much to Klyde to leave him either. It would be dark soon enough anyway. Heading back toward the opening he only looked back shortly to see Mitsu wasn't following. "Hey, you coming, Mitsu?"

Looking back to Klyde Mitsu only shook her head before she took a seat on the ground next to Desmond. She would stay here and keep him company for the time being. When it was dark enough they could come back to camp together.

Klyde frowned, he had to wonder if that was a good idea. He had no idea when the last time Desmond had eaten but he always seemed to have more control. Maybe it would be alright? "Are you sure?"

"Y...yes. I'll stay here." Mitsu said quietly drawing her knees up to her chest.

----

Once they were a distance away from the students Suto turned to look a Lou, that smile still on his face. "Decided to join me did you?" He toyed with the vial Kohaku had handed back to him. "She really is a lovely girl." He mused.

Shun's eyes shifted towards Mitsu as she sat down with her decision to stick with Desmond. Considering how she felt with the crabs earlier he didn't think she would want to be around here. For a moment he considered if he should stick around to keep an eye on her but decided against it. The vampire should be able to make sure things are alright. If he were to find out that something happened between the two, well... well Shun would get to that should it come to it. But it probably won't be pretty.

"Are ye gonna be alright?" frowned Bent-Tail. Mitsu didn't seem too happy. He was considering sticking around a little more than his grumpy friend.

"Fair enough," shrugged Shun to Riyo's statement as he leaned against the wall of the cave, waiting.

So the medicine was working for Kohaku. Blade wasn't feeling any different yet, but pain killers weren't exactly instant speed in their effect. He shrugged lightly at her question while thinking on how he should answer.

"Think I might walk around a little more. Maybe around the borders of the camp and the woods," he answered. It probably would be better to stay relatively close to the campsite, but he still didn't want to be IN the camp. Blade didn't know where the certain group of individuals were, but he felt he had a better chance of avoiding them outside of the main area.

The gears slowly began to turn in Desmond's head at Mitsu's assurance that she wanted to stay. He would be alone. With her. In the dark. Far away from civilization. Suddenly the arm seemed more like a blessing than a curse.

"Yes, I'll make sure she stays safe." Desmond assured the rat, hoping he'd just friggin' leave. Jeez, it was like she was some kind of princess surrounded by overprotective knights. What did that make him? The black knight or the dragon? Maybe both?

Riyo waved to Mitsu as the group started to leave, then looked back at Klyde, arms folding. "I don't need help from a man." She did her best not to smile as she poked him in the shoulder. "You'd probably just hold me back."

Lou thought for a minute, his face turning through a plethora of emotions as images popped up along with the ideas. "You think a chimera could still be cute?" He asked jokingly, trying to push off the nervousness.

"Ah, hell if I know. Bros before hos after all... Or whatever kids say now." There would always be others if she happened to grow tentacles or some such nonsense. "But you know... There's something very off about that girl." He finally admitted. It had been something he was just trying to push off... "And I have no idea what it is. Puzzling, really."

A mischievous grin broke through. "I suppose I'll find out soon enough, right snuggle bunny?"

Kohaku smiled at the mention of continuing to walk, quickly scribbling something else down and holding it up for Blade to read. "Can I join you? Promise I won't get sick again. c:"

"Ah, now that's pretty harsh," Klyde pouted a bit though he quickly smiled afterward. "I guess there's no helping it I suppose. I'll just sit at camp bored out of my mind until you return." Not that he hadn't already hunted today AND had some of Riyo's blood. He was full to the point he would probably be sick if he tried to drink anymore.

Waving to the others as they left Mitsu turned back to look at Desmond. "So what do you want to do in the mean time? Do you want to explore the rest of the cave?" It would be better than just sitting around right? "I promise not to go in small areas." She smiled sheepishly hoping he wouldn't be mad.

---


Suto merely shrugged when Lou asked if a Chimera could be cute. "I think it depends on what you think of as cute." The bro's before hos comment only warranted an eye roll as Suto continued to the cabin. His next comment caught his attention however, minus the snuggle bunny part. "Oh, something....off?" His already wide smile broadened. Now this was something interesting.

Once out of the cave, the two went on their way back towards the campsite. There was no real rush so they just took their time as they moved on through the forest.

It puzzled Blade a little, but he didn't question it. His pace was a little slower than usual, but that didn't bother him all too much. He was also starting to feel a tad lightheaded, but it wasn't enough to deter him from this walk. If anything, staying around the camp would probably end up making him feel worse one way or another.

Once he was at the outskirts to wander around, he shot a glance towards Kohaku momentarily. She was so quiet that if he wasn't really paying attention he might forget she was following him. When his dark red eyes went back to the path ahead, he froze in place. His eyes widened and color had drained from his face as he stared at the ground ahead of him. There was nothing wrong or out of the ordinary about the area, at least that anyone else could see.

"W-what...?" he stammered as he glanced away hoping he was mistaken but when he looked back he still saw them laying there, just as they were ten years ago... only now in a forest.

Well, that was somewhat disappointing. Lou had sorta wanted to figure out what she was as well... Not that it would've kept him from doing what he was going to do, but curiosity was a killer.

As they walked in, Lou closed the parasol and tossed it aside with a sigh of relief. Ah, sweet darkness.

"You mentioned that before. Any specific plans for them?" The vampire questioned as he took a seat in his nice comfy chair... Which was right next to his coffin. Yep. He was one of those classic kind of vampires. ******** beds.

Desmond did his best to hide a grin when Mitsu questioned the stories surrounding the caves. There really weren't any he had heard of, but that didn't mean he couldn't make one up on the fly. "There's a rumor floating around that 10 years ago, on the annual field trip, a boy disappeared in one of these caves... Actually, I think it was the one we're walking in right now..." This'd be good. "The police searched high and low, but couldn't find hide nor heel of him. Then a year later, a young couple exploring said to have spotted a boy matching the lost one's description... He said 'the crabs got me... the craaabs got me...' and disappeared. The case was reopened and they found his body... Infested with crabs." Oh, that sounded so horrible. But it would probably be enough to scare the daylights out of her.

As Blade stopped, Kohaku blinked and looked around to see what the boy was looking at. She followed his line of sight... And there was nothing. Not even a little chipmunk... Very lightly, she tapped him on the shoulder to see if he'd tell her what was so fascinating.

Mitsu listened to Desmond's story all the while trying to keep an eye on her footing. The cave floor was a little unstable and there were large gaps were the floor had worn away into the stream. She was about to straddle one of these gaps to keep moving when Desmond got to the young couple that had stumbled upon the boy. "C...crabs?" They were vicious little things but could they really take a person down? Not that her mind often worked within the realm of logic. She quickly found herself falling victim to the story as it progressed.

Soon it came to an end and Mitsu was wide eyed trying to keep a look out for the horrible little creatures. "D...Do you really think that can happen?" Now everything seemed to catch her attention. A small reflection on the water, a drip along the wall, everything was playing tricks on her eyes until she was starting to think they were surrounded.

Trying her best not to think about the story too much Mitsu prepared to move over another gap bracing her hands against the wall. She had almost made it across when the rock she had placed her hand on began to shift. "Eh?" Eyes as round as they could be she turned to look and found she had placed her hand on the very creature Desmond had just worked up in her mind. It was smaller than any of the others she had seen, though it looked larger in her mind, and it appeared very displeased to be pushed into the wall. Claws snapping it took hold of her hand making her scream and pull back. Completely off balance now she tumbled backward and fell into the stream.

----

Taking a seat in the chair next to his own bed Suto pulled out a book of sorts, looking at the notes he had made. "Yes, I do actually." It took him a moment longer to elaborate, his mind running through the numbers and formulas. "The girl, Riyo, she is no normal cat." Suto began. "There is a power locked inside her I would very much like to harness. I managed to collect some samples though they were sadly incomplete. I had to reconstruct a large deal of the genetic structure to fit the specifics I am looking for." There was another pause as he turned a page in his book. "I have something special in mind for her but I think I want to test something out on this Mitsu girl first. See if this sample I have obtained and reconstructed is of any use. I have actually already begun the integration with her system."

That wicked smile that showed off the pointy teeth in the back of his head appeared as he looked at Lou. "And then there is always Mr. Faryn who should be experiencing the time of his life right about now." He chuckled a little, an unsettling sound as he went back to his notes. "I also have a few things started on the Mattix's kid and her friends. Something that should prove most interesting in the coming weeks."

----

Klyde shrugged. "I really have nothing in mind. Just wait around camp until Riyo is done...doing whatever she is doing." He didn't want to have to explain, just saying she was probably tracking down a mountain lion to show a b***h who's boss was enough to make him realize how crazy it really sounded. Who in their right mind would do that? Of course, Riyo was no where close to being in her right mind. Klyde knew that very much and something about it seemed to draw him in like a moth to a flame. He liked that about her, it was like dancing with danger in a way.

"So why are you always so quiet?" Klyde asked looking at Shun curiously. "Your rat friend seems to always do the talking."