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"Jackpot," Neko found one of the steaks hidden deep within the bag. Pulling it free of the other consumables in the bag Neko began to tear into his food simply listening to the conversation for the time being. After quite a few healthy mouth fulls Blade brought up an interesting question.

'Why exactly were you running around?'

"Well, as Yuki said before, running for our lives kinda thing," Neko swallowed a mouth full of food and continued now that he could be heard clearly. Why not let them know? It wasn't like it was much of a problem anymore, was it? "It all began with the mutt in the next room," Neko pointed through the door to Mitsu who was still sound asleep on the bed. "She popped up trying to steal food so we took her in the house," Neko made sure to leave out the part of the chase and nearly bashing Mitsu's brains in. Small details at this point. "And then this hound shows up, rather creepy looking fellow," Neko took another bite of food while he spoke.

"He was claiming to be related or something but Mitsu didn't act like she cared too much to go with him. Then he got a little hostile and long story short he chased us out of the village and we've been running ever since. But I haven't heard, smelled, nor seen any evidence of him for a long time now." Neko quickly continued to eat after he was done explaining. "This is really good."

Blade chowed down on his steak while he listened to Neko's explanation of why they were on the run for all this time. So it seemed that everything revolved around Mitsu when it came to that particular situation. But he had to wonder just why she was wanted. She certainly didn't seem to be a criminal of sorts, so it couldn't have been a bounty hunter looking for her.

"I see. But it's safe to go back home now then?"

After asking the question, he continued to eat away at his steak, savoring the flavor of the food.

"Glad you like it. It wasn't too easy getting this stuff you know."

Though, he was also thinking about where he would head once he broke off from these people. It would depend on which way they were traveling from here actually.

"So which way are you going from here?"

already on her 3rd fish fillet, poke finnaly found out exactly what had caused them go go running off in the first place.

"and thats what happened?" poke repeated with a mouth full of food. "why didn't you fight him off? you two against one guy, he must have been pretty strong" She ate some more and then said to the were are you going question. "why not double around in a horseshoe motion, so you're able to go back the way you came, but on a different road"

It all bothered her.

The talk of some devil hound hunting them down for an innocent girl. Talk of security that no one really believed was there... Talk of home.

"So, that's it?"

Riyo asked and looked at both Neko and Yuki, her emotions unclear thus far. She shook her head and let out a disappointed sigh. "All of this. Collecting people and traveling together. Making stories and friends... It just ends because you want to go home?"

And then, a short laugh. "If someone is really after your hides, do you think they're just going to say 'Well shucks, I'm tired of this.' and go home?"

Her voice stayed around the same tone the whole time.

"For all you know, he's waiting for you to go to this 'home' you speak of. Waiting for you to open that door. Let your guard down. In the mind of a killer, no wait isn't worth it if the prize is large enough."

As easy as that was to get out... The second part was much more difficult to speak.

"And... Where will we go?" Though, in her mind, it was more of 'where will I go?'

Finally beginning to eat once he'd finished speaking, Yuki only listened until Riyo and Blade were finished speaking their mind. Not so much out of courteousness, but because he'd stuffed his mouth so full that there was little to no chance that he'd be understood. There was a pause as he chewed, swallowed, and thought over his words.

But not nearly as carefully as he should have.

"None of you were ever required to stick around." He stated, something in the back of his mind screaming 'wrong statement' made him realize how cold that might have sounded. "I don't regret it. I don't." Was it entirely true? Well, he didn't regret meeting any of them... It was the amount of traveling that had taken the toll on him. "But... Really? You have nowhere to go? Nowhere?" He looked to each of them in turn, "What were you doing when we found you? Can't everything go back to how it had been?"

He looked last at Riyo, and knew the answer to that. At least, in her case. It was clear that she was the one his words were directed toward, "We can try to help you find somewhere to go, but why why would you deny someone the opportunity to return to their home?" He adverted his gaze from her, looking up to Hitsu only briefly before returning his attention to all of them. "I'm sorry if you all have nowhere to go, but we do... And we're going." He stared down at his food, the only thing that couldn't stare at him and make him feel guilty.

In a perfect world, everyone could return with them. However, this world was far from perfect. Cats preyed upon the relatives of the Fin tribes, loathed the species of the canine family, and Yuki didn't want to think about what would happen if they returned with a human in their midst. That mistake had been made before... And there were still several that would point out how foolish it would be to trust a man, especially after what had happened to their own family. A lot of their respect for him would most likely vanish, he was supposed to protect the village from humans after all... There just hadn't been any humans near their village for nearly eighteen years, as far as he knew.

Then, his sister voiced the unspoken question forming in his mind. "But... If we go back, are we going to see them again?" As though that question wasn't enough, she urged him into worrying all over again. "What if Riyo's right? What if he's still there, waiting for us?" The thought frightened her. Had she only known that this 'killer' had been the very same canine that she'd met in the wilderness a week prior, she would have known that such a suggestion of his location could not be true.

"No." Yuki said, "He was behind us." He looked up to her, and then to Poke. "In the forest, where Riyo had been injured. I know he was there... I caught his scent on the wind." For someone with only half feline blood, he knew that if he could still pick up the scent the hound had to have been dangerously near. "I don't know why he wanted Mitsu so badly, and I don't care anymore... We'll put up with the villagers somehow if we have to take her back with us." Yeah, right. Wishful thinking gone too far.

Now, what confidence he'd had was wavering. It showed clearly in his expression, "I... Just wanted everything to be normal again." But could it really be so after all of this? He couldn't very well forget the past weeks, and he knew his sister couldn't either. "I guess it's too late for that now."

Oh, how true it was, though none of them could begin to know how much.

"I want to go home too, but," Hitsu started softly, "I don't want to be leaving everyone else behind when we do..." They were their friends now. They'd helped each other, kept their spirits up and kept them company. Could Yuki honestly just want all of that to go away? To forget about it like it had never happened? She looked saddened at the thought, and she sounded pleading; "We can't, Yuki."

He sighed softly. "I know, but... What are we supposed to do?"

"You're right about Mitsu," Neko said. "She would not be welcomed." Though he had been welcomed fairly well he knew the bitter cold ice that ran through the blood of the people there. If they had gotten even the slightest indication of his true self he would have been lynched on the spot. "Riyo could probably pass with no problem," He knew it was iffy but if she behaved herself and didn't let slip her abilities she would probably be fine. "But Poke would be hunted and so would Blade." Neko spoke truthfully. "Yuki knows as well as I do that the village is full of hard headed old fools that have been attacked enough to know not to trust anyone outside their own kind lightly. Hell they all looked at the bull man like he was the biggest meal they had ever seen." That had been pretty funny actually.

They all seemed to have rather valid points in the matter though Neko was just as confused as Yuki when Riyo had asked where the rest of them would be going. They hadn't been required to stay with them but the company wasn't going to be refused. And with Hitsu it was almost impossible to refuse anyone.

"Riyo," Neko said softly, "Don't deny them their chance to go home. If you can imagine this is the first time these two have been outside that little hole in a wall so its only natural they want to go back. Probably have gotten a little culture shocked." Looking back to the other room Neko eyed Mitsu's still sleeping form. And though he didn't much care for her and a part of him wanted to ditch her at the next stop another part of him couldn't see her left to be hurt or put in harms way. Just like the others he had come to know. "Mitsu and I probably won't go back." Neko finally said. Damn them all for making him have to actually think of a plan. "I'll probably continue on with her to make sure she's safe that way there will be no reason for the hound to continue to follow after anyone else. Despite being out of his flipping mind I'm sure he can be reasoned with if his prize isn't there. Anyone else is welcome to travel with us but just know that by following you're putting yourself at risk."

For the love of Gaia he had really put himself in a spot this time. Truthfully he wanted to go back with Hitsu and Yuki and just continue on with their mundane lives as he had for the last ten years. Ten years, it was hard to believe that was how long ago it had been before he wondered into the village and wound up staying for much longer than 'the night.'

At this point the food he was eating no longer tasted good. The mood had put a bitter taste in his mouth. Placing what remained down Neko headed for the door. "I'm going to go out for a bit." Slithering out was more like it but without so much as a word as to why or when he would be back he opened the door and quickly stepped out closing it softly behind him. From there he made his way to the lobby area. 'Hmm.....bar...a drink sounds nice. No no.' He mentally kicked himself. 'You got in trouble for that last time.......But I really need a drink.'

Neko decided to just let his feet take him where ever, but they seemed to be on the same page as his mind when he suddenly took a sharp veer toward the eatery in the hotel and the bar. What better way to forget?

Lightly nodding, Blade fell silent once again as others spoke up. With a light sigh, he shook his head a bit to himself when Neko mentioned the hard headed folks at home.

"You never really know what hatred will drive people to do... it may surprise you actually."

When Neko stepped out, probably to cool off seeing how the mood was no longer at ease in the room, the thief looked towards Yuki before stepping away from the wall. Since he was the most recent addition to this motley group, he wasn't really entirely certain how welcome he was in general any way.

"But whatever happens, if you want me to leave, I will."

Shrugging a bit, he went on to the nearest bathroom to get cleaned up finally.

---

Outside, Shun was just out and about. He had what he needed all set up, so he was just wandering about the city. The assassin stopped by the hotel his targets were staying at to see if there were any changes of any sort. While he did this, he noticed a dog staying by a door. It was the same dog the group had with them, so he could only assume that they were still within the hotel.

Perhaps he could sneak around a bit and possibly get ahead of his original schedule on getting some work done. After all, he had everything he needed with him now.

So he entered the building and wandered over to the bar of the place to see if anyone was there. And luck be had it, one of the feline folk was there already. Now he just had to figure out if he was going to try and bag him now or see if he can gather some info so he can get the others.

Either way, he made his way to the bar, sitting near the cat-man in the process.

Shun blinked as the feline addressed him in a rather slurred manner. He wasn't quite expecting it, but he supposed it made his job much easier. Turning a bit, he took a moment to act as if he was really trying to think of whether they had met before.

".. No I don't think so. But it's a small world after all."

With that, he glanced towards the bartender and asked for two drinks; one for himself and for this guy. Considering how drunk the guy was already, he figured he could probably ask a number of questions and get away with it.

"But anyway, what brought you here? I don't really see too many felines around town nowadays."