Welcome to Gaia! ::

Back at the camp, Liz stirred roughly a dozen minutes after Rei had seen herself to sleep. She rose with a groggy look like her sleep had not been entirely restful and like she hadn't really gotten any quality sleep in at least a a few days. For the new arrivals, in retrospect, Rei had probably had a similar look to her, she simply didn't show it as much due to being naturally overactive. As Liz rubbed the sleep from her eyes she noticed those still seated at the campfire and gave a relieved sigh.

"So I see Alex got you my message," She said as she drug herself to the now unused log opposite Victor and Ricky that Rei had sat at prior. "And it also seems he gave you a lift; I never really liked his teleporting spells honestly."

She looked over to Rei's sleeping figure and then back to the group before she said, "I assume Rei filled you in on our situation?"

"Did she fill them in on how we're taking too long at this?" A female voice interrupted Liz as a tall, toned young woman stepped out of the woods to the clearing. She had very short cut and ruffled hair dyed a dark purple and her hazel eyes glinted in the firelight. Her clothing seemed like a modified wet suit of some kind with shades of blacks and grays with a tidal wave pattern on the right shoulder. Liz seemed to reflexively tense up at the sudden intrusion but immediately relaxed at the sight of the new person, she was obviously an ally. Still, her tone and words seemed to agitate Liz all the same.

"We've been close before and I think we're close again," Liz responded before motioning from the men to the new young woman. "Before I forget, this is Maelstrom, she's one of Zack's former team members from x-nation. She is one of the people we've gotten to run interference for us."

"I'm buying you time so you can get my friend back," Maelstrom spat back with a rather cutting edge to her words with only a slight glance toward the boys to acknowledge their presence. "And I'm honestly not sure you realize there is a definite limit to the number of times we can cut this bounty hunter off from her hand off before she just kills Zack and is done with it."

"You don't know that," Liz said flatly.

"Oh?" Maelstrom said. "I think you under estimate her instinct for self preservation. Believe me that when it comes to anything to deal with Eden and the bounty hunter's they've had on us five since day one...you don't know what you are talking about compared to any of us. We are backing her into a corner, we haven't reached her breaking point yet but it's there and it's close. These people you've brought better be god damned miracle workers because if you don't separate them soon she will kill Zack and disappear after the next time or two we wreck her rendezvous. And I won't stop to keep him alive. None of us would, we'd all rather die than go back, or let another one of us do the same; I'd kill him myself if the choice was between death and Eden."

"It won't come to that," Liz said defensively, "Zack is all of our friend, we want him.."

"HA," Maelstrom snorted, cutting Liz off. "Maybe you think a year or so as his partner and a friendly romp here and there get you close to a person but let me tell you right now hun... you have no idea. No idea what it was like, no idea what it did you any of us; if you did you might understand why I'd be willing to kill him to stop that. You may be his 'friend'...but you've never really known him, or any of us. You. Don't. Know. Anything. Don't presume that you do for even a moment."

"Shut UP!" Liz said as she brought her hand down on the log and a flash of energy spike around her hand. The part of the log she touch was ripped to shreds as her aura ate through it like it was just air. Maelstrom did indeed stop her berating, but the look on both of their faces stayed a sour one.

The air was deathly silent as the two just stared at each other like whoever broke the eye contact first was the wrong one. Needless to say the whole ordeal was probably massively odd to the new comers, none of them had been there to pressure of the circumstance build up among those present, especially between Liz and Maelstrom. This was months of unspoken differences coming to a explosive clash.

"Eh, it's a bit off a long one, but to be honest I don't think she gives a damn about our bona fide miracle working pasts. And frankly I'm sick of all the whining. We out number her and we can utterly over power this ace bounty hunter in a fight. Now, I'm not one to underestimate someone's abilities," He paused and looked directly in Maelstrom's eyes. She wouldn't be able to tell under his mask but he couldn't help but smirk. " But I can say this with out a doubt that bounty hunters do it for the thrill first and the money second, and you always get less if the package is damaged or dead. She's not gonna kill him end of story and she isn't going to make her tryst," Reaper rand his fingers through his hair then noticed some excess marzipan on his hand he flung it off and leaned back against a conveniently close tree. "Heatstroke and I never lose and with our protégé our odds increase ten full. I trust myself and my plan all of this second guessing and worrying isn't going to save him. Can we agree on this?"

"Say what you will," Maelstrom spit out the words, "but I'll believe the results, not the banter." She looked to the horizon as the sun was creeping its head above the skyline. She whipped her hand out and a blast of water shot forward at the fire, flash freezing as it splashed off the logs and creating a rather jagged looking ice formation with grey ash trapped within. "Time to move, you'd better get moving before the trail goes cold entirely."

She moved to the tree-line, but stopped for a moment and turned, saying, "If you didn't already know we're not happy with Hunters for even letting this happen. I told Zack myself we should stick to family until we were sure Eden was out of the picture, but you people convinced him otherwise. We will prevent his capture one way or another but unless it ends with him alive and well and back with us we will hold Hunters partially responsible and cut ties."

Without giving time for any reply she faded quickly into the brush.

A few moments later Rei stretched and yawned as she sat up from her sleeping position. As she rubbed her eyes she said, "What'd I miss?"

Soul rolled his eyes before he sighed, " How many times are we going to be running through the motions Snyder. I will admit that I enjoy the boldness of this move but, really what can you possibly gain by becoming mayor? Politicians aren't as untouchable as they used to be. Once you step out of line the internet will take you down without any help from me."