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Bingo, huh? Surprisingly enough, Leon felt no accomplishment in being right, just more grave. His ears flicked back as he felt the attention move over to him. He couldn't say he didn't expect it to happen... he just didn't want it to. And like Luis, he felt the need to say that it was none of anyone's concern but his own, that it shouldn't matter now. But he also knew it'd make him a hypocrite not to divulge some of it, and that was decidedly worse. And maybe... maybe it'd make him feel a little better himself, even if Luis might not believe him, and understand him even less. He would expose the dark general explanation of his nightmares to a complete stranger- and maybe it was better that way. You had to give a little to get, right?

"You gonna listen, or are you already convinced that it's impossible?" Those blue eyes searched the other's apathetic features, but seemed content after a moment. Sera would listen, or he wouldn't. The blonde took in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled; it was usually the best way to begin things that way, with his head cleared. "Don't know what originally set it off, but something like that couldn't have happened to a more worse place than in the middle of a city. It was so quick it seemed like the streets were flooded... People all over suddenly sick and dying, dying and getting back up to walk again, but as mindless monsters with only the function of killing left to them. The infection was just too fast to stop. Eventually even the law force was gone, too."

Leon cast his eyes to the shadows around them, his gaze distant. Yes, it was as if he could almost see the obscure shapes of the city buildings and alleys in the shades thrown, and the flickers of brief light was the smoldering rubble in the street. "I saw things that make the thing bothering you look like the least of your troubles. Monsters that mutated from what used to be a person. Someone you pass by every day, or a comrade. The choices are to kill, be killed, or run. The option of saving any of them? Out of the question- it's not possible. I doubt it's like whatever you're in now, feeling like you're the last one, and that the whole world might be against you. Too slow- too useless. But that's the brunt of what it was, and what it still is. Until I saw that thing today... I've been managing to keep telling myself that it's just nightmares. I'd rather be crazy." He lowered his head a little as he finished, ears sinking a little firmer against his skull. There was a long pause as he reflected, and it seemed as if Kennedy may have lost himself in thought, and might have forgotten Luis. But then- "So, what about you? What's your story?"

So? What would this Leon bloke do? It was obvious that the other was unhappy with the shift in topic--but no pain, no gain, right? Maybe he was being heartless. But the Spaniard found he really couldn't care. For this guy to claim that they shared the same sort of nightmare...Well, forgive him for being more than a little skeptical. Nothing could compare to the hell he'd helped to create...even if it was in a vague sense. "Go on." The dark-haired kitsu replied with a flick of his tails, silent as he watched the male compose himself. The mention of an illness sent his ears flattening straight back against his skull, eyes widening with the barest trace of shock. A disease? The first symptoms of the Plagas were similar--yet they didn't often kill their hosts. With a fascinated sort of horror, the Spaniard silently indulged in the details, the heat of the flame all but washed away by the sudden chill that had swallowed up the room.

"Don't be so quick to judge, amigo." His voice was a little hoarse, but fiercely offended--who was this guy to think he hadn't seen worse? "I am the last one--I got rid of it. The parasites, Las Plagas. It was an innocent experiment, so the villagers were told. They were to mine some substance back within the caves. But what they didn't know was that they were mining their own masters free, amigo. The parasites frozen within the rock released spores. Traveled straight down the lungs and took root from there. When the eggs hatched...Little more to help them then, eh? Unlike your monsters...No, this is a hive-mind. They aren't human any more, no matter what they look like. Only thing that tells them apart is the red eyes..."

He'd fallen silent for a moment, haunted by past memories until he started again, his voice soft as dark eyes stared off into the crackling fire. "Friends...Family...They don't recognize you anymore. Anything that strays too far to the village is slaughtered without a second thought. The parasites, once they're adults--there's no way to get them out. Not unless you get an operation...and even then, it's fifty-fifty. I got out. The parasite's gone. But they'll spread, amigo...Once the big cheese finishes up his business, which, for the moment, is getting rid of me, you can bet that they'll slowly work their way even to a place like this." His voice had gone dry some time ago, raspy almost, the cigarette still held loosely between his teeth. And Luis said nothing more, still staring into the flame as the ghosts of his past even now pursued him.

Both brows raised at Luis' objection, and it seemed as if Leon was coming back from wherever other world he'd been, a sense of presence returning to his eyes. They regarded the Spaniard silently, surprised, skeptical, and perhaps even horrified to hear that someone else might have had to go through an ordeal that could rival what he'd seen. Respectfully, the blonde took his turn at listening, carefully setting his jaw in preparation. The mines, huh? Supposedly, the virus that had infected Racoon City had come from underground too- from the rats that had picked it up from wherever the original vials of the T-Virus had been spilt. The results of it were different, though. Apparently the monsters the other kitsu was talking about infected a host and played puppeteer so nothing seemed wrong. If you were far enough away, you could probably mistake some of the zombies for people, too.

Red eyes. As much as Leon would have liked to question the other about it, he kept silent while Luis started up again. And what he had said then had the lighter male digging furrows into the wood beneath his claws. Those monstrosities were out there, supposedly, still existing. Spreading. Now, because Leon still had some speculation over whether or not he himself, as a kitsu, had experienced the horror of the viral outbreak in reality and not just in his dreams, didn't know if the virus of his memory still existed to be used again. But this guy... he was really in some trouble, unless he was just crazy. As the other seemed to bring his story to a close, something miraculous happened; Leon found himself without an immediate response, confounded.

Finally, he decided to take things one at a time, trying not to give off just how anxious such a statement made him. Spread here? Those things would come here? Just when he thought he might escape such large-scale troubles... "This 'big cheese'- you've seen them here? And that thing earlier had red eyes.. was it one of them?" No need to get hasty yet, Kennedy. Even though the thing near the river had possessed red eyes -which marked it out as a T-virus zombie, but it was a zombie nonetheless- it didn't mean it was a part of this other guy's world. Hell, Luis could be lying to him for all he knew. Somehow, he didn't think so. "...Luis?"

The soft sound of the other's words would fall on deaf ears--ears filled with the sound of screams, guttural screams, a cruel parody of his native tongue. The syllables had been so slurred with snarls that he could barely make out the words, but there was no mistaking the blood-thirsty intent of the beasts. But it was his name that finally seemed to draw him back, ears flicking faintly with surprise as the Spaniard shifted. Ah, right--question time. That is, assuming Leon hadn't been pulling his leg this entire time, and now thought him to be clinically insane for this little story...but as he pulled his thoughts back out of the gaping pit of his memories, Luis found that he quite honestly couldn't care. Now that the rotting skeleton had been dragged from its closet, he couldn't easily stuff it back in again.

"No. I haven't seen them." Came the cool reply, more distant now that the dark-haired kitsu had managed to control himself. Did this bloke think he was lying? Suspicion rolled over him in soft, threatening waves, but for now, the Spaniard simply contented himself with answering. "...I'm not sure. It's unlikely. The red eyes...well, they had me wondering, but I think we're safe for now, amigo...If it really had been a Plagas, it would never have settled for leaving me still alive." A grin flashed over his face, but his eyes looked hollow and dead, even the burning crackle of the flame failing to warm them. "So we're safe, but for how long?" Luis slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, his tails refusing to twitch even though his agitation was palpable. "And what to do now." The Spaniard mused aloud to himself, considering.

What was there to do, really? He didn't know now. He needed someone who could take them out--chances were that he'd already lost the Plagas' good graces. A snort of amusement drifted from him at that: as if crawling back on his belly would earn him any favors. But the Spaniard was already packing his memories away, slipping back into the light, carefree shell that he allowed himself to expose to the peering eyes of the world. "I don't know when they'll find me, but they've failed to so far, eh? Makes a guy reluctant to leave, knowing what's out there..." A half-hearted chuckle stirred in his chest before it quickly died, and Luis again was silent as he stared into the fire. "So what now, amigo? So you know my story. Satisfied, I hope?" Perhaps that was a little bitter, but it seemed to fade as another grin idly flickered across his muzzle.

Insane? Well, that would certainly be a great and easy way to brush the other off, but after what Leon has seen he no longer knew what to believe. He did, however, know how to be respectful when someone was speaking, and how to listen to others instead of just waiting for his own turn to speak. But he was also worried for the other unconsciously- either the guy was a great actor (which he was) or he was really blanking out. It wasn't good to dwell on those old thoughts, he knew, though most of the time it was good advice he couldn't follow himself. When Luis seemed to slowly draw out of the trance of memory, the tightness in the muscles between his own shoulder-blades lessened a bit.

When the Spaniard was done, the blonde's features were practically ice. Luis was good at flipping back and forth from serious to carefree, but sadly Leon did not possess the same talent of making light of a serious situation. "Not really," Came the grim answer as he gathered his forelimbs under him and pushed to the same sitting position as the other. His pale vision was raised, relatively level to where the other gaze would be, and sought the darker eyes even though they might not choose to connect with his stare. Swallowing a little, he forced his features to soften so as not to be so intimidating, though his eyes remained serious. He didn't want to be brushed off as a joker, after all. "I want to help you. You've heard my story too- I can't let something like that ever happen to anyone again. If those things come here looking for you, they're bound to hurt innocents too. Not only that... but don't want them to hurt you either. I'll fight."

He seemed rather resolute about that. If Luis was lying, so be it, he wouldn't leave to go chase after whatever it was if there was no actual sign of them around. But if the guy was telling the truth, then Leon knew his duty to the Mountain and all of its citizens. "The only thing is that there are probably people here that are born with red eyes, just like some are with blue or brown eyes..."

Tough crowd. Had the situation not been so serious, Luis might have laughed at the blonde's expression, try to get him to lighten up a bit. But, he had a feeling that this guy wasn't the sort to 'lighten up', so to speak. "Ahh well, can't have everything in life." The Spaniard noted, glancing over once the other had straightened himself up. Dark eyes swallowed the pale ones that held them, unflinching, yet they eased as Leon seemed to relax some, no longer so defensive. Well, until he went and mentioned help. "Sorry--I'd rather you not get involved." This is exactly what he hadn't wanted: outsiders trying to get themselves tangled in the already messy web of chaos. "Listen amigo..." His voice dropped some, imploring the other to listen to him. This wasn't good.

"I get that you're a good guy, all right? But you aren't gonna be able to help me out on this one." A grudging roll of his eyes soon followed, "Look. I appreciate you for what you did earlier and all, but I'm handling it. They aren't stupid, eh? Their numbers aren't great enough to risk attacking inhabitants just yet..." But, his eyes flickered away for a moment, mentally attempting to calculate just how many could have been infested in his absence. Surely not that many. "Well, that's the thing. The red eyes only reveal themselves at night--s'practically impossible to tell the difference between them and the uninfected during the day, eh?" A pity really, all things considered...

Though he hadn't pushed himself to his feet, the tension rippling through his shoulders and limbs was a sign that the Spaniard was seriously considering it, despite his casual facade. "It'd be a shame if you got yourself killed off anyway, mm? You seem like the hero type...but if you die, that won't do you a whole lot of good, understand? What's to stop that thing from earlier hassling others?" Maybe a low blow, but eh.

Leon listened more out of politeness as Luis went on to try and discourage him. He'd certainly predicted something like this ever since Luis had been reluctant to even tell him the problem. He brushed away indignity when the Spaniard insisted that this was not something he could fight (not shouldn't- couldn't) and instead allowed somewhat of a small wry smile to cross his features, for he knew he hadn't displayed any good ability simply ramming into the earlier enemy. They were smart, huh? Well, so was he.

He could have said something just as equally low, but again he refrained. Fighting was not something he wanted to do right now. Instead, he nodded to the bit about the red eyes, ears only lowering a little at the final comment. "I'm afraid it's too late for backing out. You can't tease me and then say I can have no part of it- I'm the stubborn type too, in case you didn't pick that up." A grin finally broke out on the male's maw, though his eyes were dulled a little by the grimness of the situation. He did have some humor! He was just slower to get to it. "If it comes here, it's not just your problem any more. I like this place too, ya know? You don't have to be stuck with me, but if I see any type of thing that meets your description, I'm going after it. The difference is that I may be better equipped for it if I'm with you. So you can let me stand by your side, or you can let me try and pick them off by myself."

His look softened at the notion of being killed, a small, sincere smile of gratitude for the sentiment twitching the corners of his lips. "I just won't die then, will I? Don't worry about me, comrade, I know I must look like a billboard pretty-boy to you, but I'm not one of those television heros or glory-seekers. I didn't make of that city alive by running and screaming- I crawled out battered and bloody. I'm a survivor, but I'm not afraid to die. If I was, I'd have never chose upholding the peace as my occupation, and I definitely wouldn't do stupid s**t like throwing myself into zombified freaks." His tails flicked back and forth once, the golden-brown strands sweeping the floor momentarily as he smiled at that last bit, winking. "I'd be an asset, I promise. As for that thing... I'll find it again eventually. If it really was evil and wasn't just screwing around with you, I'll... have to kill it. Again. Or at least put it in some sort of prison- whatever I have to."

Oh, all right, if this bloke really wanted to screw himself over, he could fight...but there were some monsters that just wouldn't go down. They were too strong, too smart--and in some cases, practically unkillable. The Spaniard looked a little exasperated as his words seemingly failed to reach the other, shaking his head slightly. Of course, a splash of humor never failed to lighten his mood, and Luis reluctantly allowed himself to chuckle. "That's the first thing you gotta learn, amigo--I don't tend to follow up after the initial flirtation, eh?" Dark tails flicked softly against the worn wood of the cabin floor, swishing.

"That's practically suicide. Let's not be too hasty, shall we?" Luis noted, allowing a hint of unease to creep into his tone. "They won't hesitate to knock you out just so they can infect you--best not attack them head on unless you want to face the entire swarm." Like he needed that sort of guilt resting on his shoulders. The rather, in his opinion, unfair option had him rolling his eyes, tilting his head as he eyed the blonde with a mingled trace of disapproval...and perhaps a bit of respect. "Tough love, eh? Hm..." So what, they'd be partners? Luis wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. A partner meant placing trust, and, as he knew, trust was easily betrayed...On the other hand, this bloke seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and it couldn't hurt to have another set of eyes watching his back. The Spaniard mulled silently over his options, listening to Leon's words while weighing the risks. Choices, choices...

Ahh, amigo, did anyone have any say about when they got to die? A rueful snort softly escaped from the dark-haired kitsu, but he said nothing, allowing Leon to continue. The mention of being a pretty boy was enough to get another grin out of him, and he took another drag of the cigarette between his teeth, smoke trickling past. "An asset? Sounds like you're some sort of assassin to me, amigo...buuuut, I don't think I'd mind." He could be lying, of course. But that was another risk he'd have to take. And Luis had always been somewhat of a risk-taker..."So, you really think you'll be able to handle it then, eh? Mmm...We'll see. For now--just do me a favor. Don't ever do that charging thing on me, all right? Aiyeee-yi-yi, you couldda broken someone's back with that..."

There was a slight smirk as the other ran with the joke, amused. "Too bad..." A soft snort followed the comment to show he was kidding. Even if he hadn't known the other was joking (he assumed Luis was kidding), a real relationship outside of friends seemed next to impossible in his mind. And even when it came to friends, he was horribly picky. Ears twitching mildly at the new tone, Leon remained homed in on the explanation the darker male was offering about the plagas. He was half tempted to intercept and comment on how it didn't sound quite as bad as being eaten alive to him, be restrained himself. He really didn't have experience with either, thankfully.

The blonde merely gazed back silently at the other as he was looked over, a smug little undertone playing beneath his smirk. He knew he'd been entirely unfair putting things the way he had, but it was probably to be for the good of them both in the long run. That and he wasn't one of your normal goody-goody heros. Partners? Why not? True, Leon thought of Luis as the shady type, but then he also didn't seem like anything Leon couldn't handle if he was turned against. As for himself, he knew he could be loyal as long as the goal was for the greater good. Not only that, but he was starting to entertain the thought that he just might like Luis after all, despite the tension of their meeting.

"Assassin? ...Not quite, but I'm not into trying to make everything a happy ending or a bargain anymore. Sometimes acting right away and reasoning later can make all the difference." A momentary coldness passed over him before flitting away with the thoughts of the Skarecrow. The final comment had gotten a chuckle out of him, and warmed his features just as the fire had his wet fur. "I think can manage that. There are plenty of other moves to use if you provoke me." Was he joking? Leon hefted his brows a couple times teasingly, before he smirked and got to his feet. Striding to the fireplace, he leaned in as much as he dared, listening for signs of the rain outside.

"So, Sera, what else have you been doing here? Taking advantage of all the Mountain's scenery, or just that river?"

Eaten alive, huh? At least you'd be dead then, rather than scrabbling frantically at the insides of your own head, desperate to get out, to die--anything instead of playing host to a parasite that would have you murder your own children, your loved ones...The very thought had his features going blank for a moment, dark eyes turning inward until the barest trace of a shudder gently slipped itself up his spine. He shook it off furiously, maintaining a flippant composure even as his inner self struck out at the thoughts, the memories that still threatened to consume him. No sense in going crazy after fighting against the madness for so long, eh? Besides--that b*****d was smirking again, and Luis was starting to find it hard not to grin back.

What to make of this bloke? He'd been convinced that he didn't like the guy, what, with his stubborn ways and that irritating confidence that he could make everything right again...but hope, as he knew, was an infectious thing, and though he'd resisted its touch at first, slowly, it was beginning to seep through the walls he'd built to protect himself. "No? Couldda fooled me, amigo." Luis drawled, a lazy grin finally snaking across his maw, "But ah well. So long as you keep yourself to this particular bargain...then I have no problems." Damned if it wasn't a bargain. To Luis, placing his trust in a stranger, revealing to him practically all of his past, (though not, he reminded himself, some of the key details) was a bargain in itself. And of course, he could have been lying to this fair-haired pretty boy...He was certain that Leon would have considered that by now.

"Oh-ho, so you think you can do something else to me besides running around like a crazed bull? I'll look forward to it." Luis chuckled, the silky sound purring in his throat even as his eyes glinted with much-needed amusement. Idly, he watched the other shift himself towards the flames, and since it didn't block him from getting any warmth, the Spaniard felt no need to say anything about it. "Taking advantage of its lovely ladies, more like...but as of late, it's been me and that river, eh? And all its crazies, mind you." First that blue bloke, now the red-eyed crazy...It just didn't stop, eh? And the Grim Reaper before that..."This Mountain's crazy, amigo, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." His tails drummed softly in good humor against the cabin floor.

(fin)

"Well amigo, you seem like an obvious sort of guy." The Spaniard offered slyly, sinking into a stretch before he straightened with a sharp shake of his head and a yawn. "Not that I blame you. Of course, if you need to lay low for a little while, it doesn't do you much good..." Dark eyes flickered with bemusement over the other for a moment before Luis shifted, apparently ready to go, if the other meant to show him. "So? You seen anything...suspicious then? Corpses, weirdos...the occasional attractive woman?" A grin split over his muzzle, unable to keep the mood serious for long. For now, anyway.

"Obvious?" Leon questioned, cocking a brow at the Spaniard as if waiting a more thurough explanation of 'obvious'. What, was it his clothes? His hair? The agent snorted softly, not bothering to insist that he surely could lie low if he had to. He just didn't choose to, was all! There was no reason. The shift in the other's posture called him to his own feet, as he'd been sitting before, only rolling his shoulders and neck once before he moved to lead the other out through the trees. "Suspicious? I think I've got to start readjusting my standards on that one- I haven't really stopped running into those sort of individuals. Maybe I've just got bad luck." He offered, weaving his way slowly through the very beginnings of the trees. "You?"

The dark-haired kitsu swept silently after Leon, making a soft, sympathetic sound. "Touch luck. Seem to keep running into them myself, actually..." There was a moment of hesitation before Luis decided to hell with it, wording his phrases carefully. "Yeah...Met some girl the other day. Problem was, she was dead and still moving." The Spaniard chuckled, though it was mildly bitter. "No clue what she's up to--she didn't seem inclined to taking a bite out of me. Then again, from what you told me, your zombies didn't seem to have much as far as intelligence went..." He quirked a brow, keeping pace at Leon's side, though allowing the other to lead. "Shame she was dead though, eh? She's all too easy to tease." A grin.

"Kinda makes you wonder if 'normal' is really the majority in this place..." One long ear twitched at the mention of the dead girl, Leon's attention obviously drawn for one grim moment. Had... had the virus reached its hold out this far? However, as the other male continued to explain the situation he'd come across, the more it began to sound familiar to the blonde. His own thoughts, almost, to a scenario he had only recently left. "One-horned, purple-haired girl with a bad case of arrogance? Setsu?" He tried, wondering just how much he had to worry about now with this new information. A pause at the grin, brows furrowing a little. "You dog. You didn't....?"

The Spaniard tossed his head casually, dark locks sleekly shifting themselves out of his eyes while he eyed Leon. "You readin' my mind, Americano? Setsu." He confirmed, wryly amused with the irony. "Seems like we have a knack for finding freaks...First that chingada at the river, now this one..." There'd be that blue ghost-type thing too, but he didn't care to bring that particular memory out of the closet. "And if I did?" He grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. "She threatened to take off my head, I blew kisses. Was surprisingly effective." Yes, he was chuckling now, apparently quite amused with how it had all gone. "Regular 'I'm a tough girl, the world's against me' sorta stereotype, if I say so myself... Nothing a little flirting didn't help. Or make worse. I'm not too sure."

Leon didn't seem moved by the question, keeping an expectant stare on the other as he continued to look smug. Come on, man, just get on with it... Though he could help but be curious about just what had transpired between two particularly unique individuals. Had Luis reacted as badly as he had? When he finally got his answer, he really wasn't quite sure just WHAT such a thing was classified as. There was an audible, unbidden snort at the thought of making eyes at that half-dead, and for a moment Leon didn't look willing to believe that Luis had managed it. "You're lucky she was too scared to be pissed and lurch after you." He moved his eyes back to the path for a moment, lowering his head a bit with a slow shake. "A real steel magnolia. Well, at least you seem to have had fun running into her."

Dark tails swished slowly with apparent amusement at Leon's curiosity, having to admit that perhaps it hadn't been one of his better ideas, but hey. A man was pushed to do certain things he normally wouldn't in his right mind when he was bored. "She got quite offended when I made the suggestion." The Spaniard was grinning again at the memory. "Seemed to think it was barbaric for me to even consider it...Of course, I had to remind her that I wasn't the one rotting, eh?" He snorted a little, his head lightly bumping itself against the other's shoulder as his goods spirits continued to rise from the recollection of his victory. "Ohh, you didn't? I'm shocked, amigo--she wasn't fawning over you? Unless you weren't playing the part of the gentleman today..." The thought itself was amusing, dark eyes sliding to their corners to slyly observe the other while Luis grinned. Well? Out with the details.

"Flirting as barbaric? Were you wearing a viking helmet at the time?" The blonde smirked at that, apparently sharing Luis' amusement for a time. It widened into a slight grin at the nudge before he lifted his eyes upwards and pretended not to enjoy it as much. Horrible, Luis, you were just horrible. Though, at the sly little question, Leon had to snort, unable to help the way his ears drooped a bit with shame. A bit sheepishly, he glanced through his bangs at the other. Yes, he was apparently expecting an answer too. "Well, I was less than welcoming, I'll say that much. She was sleeping when I found her.... Thought she was dead." He assumed Luis could assume how he felt when she suddenly woke up.

Dark eyes widened for an instant as the Spaniard let a look of shock scrawl across his features, ears pricking themselves faintly with the motion. "You think my flirting could ever be barbaric, amigo? Nahhh, I was talking about when I offered to let her chew on me a little...Though, I suppose that could have been taken another way..." A definite twitch of his brows followed by an amused snort and a toss of his head, and that grin widened to completely fill his handsome face at the other's expression. "Brute." Luis teased lightly. "Taking advantage of a lady when she's sleeping...Or dead." His shoulders jerked silently with a chuckle before the Spaniard grew a bit more serious, flicking dark locks from his face to give the other a sideways glance. "She didn't....well, you know, attack you for it or anything, eh?"

There was a scoff at the Spaniard's explanation and, for a moment, Leon attempted to look disgusted at the connotations that were likely lurking beneath such a comment. The accusation was enough to deserve a roll of the eyes, but Leon restrained himself, his ears simply lowering a little. "...No, she didn't attack. I think she didn't know where she was for the moment. It was me who was going to attack. I thought she... was one of them. Gaping hole on her head somewhere, blood over half of her face? Nah, we didn't exactly trade names or formalities..." He shook his head somewhat, unwilling to really recall the embarrassment he felt when he learned the girl wasn't a zombie at all. "....What makes you ask? She attack you?"

Not much fun right now, was he? A pity. Luis seemed to brush it off however, quietly listening at the other explained what had happened with a mild lilt of his brows. "Mm. Well, you didn't act irrationally, amigo...I'm not so sure she's as sweet as she seems. More harmless than she'd like to be thought of, but...a little too brash, eh?" Ears twitched idly at the question and the Spaniard busied himself with tossing his hair for a moment, tails swishing quietly behind him as the womanizer fell away and gave in to the more analytical mind that lurked underneath his partially shallow exterior. "To an extent. I wouldn't call it an attack so much as a threat, eh? Let's just say she offered to show much just how well she knew how to use blades on one's throat..." He mused idly at that, feeling a derisive snort build in his chest at the memory and how he'd chosen to walk away afterwards. An interesting character, yet seemingly too stubborn to change...Well, from what he'd gathered from their limited time spent with one another.

He was far too busy at first to discover the other Nightmare's presence, howling laughter and tearing up the earth in great furrows in his squirming pleasure. Flicking out his tongue, he attempting to get a good idea of what his newest meal was about to taste like. Imagine how apalled and confused he was when something truly rancid touched the fork of his sensitive tongue. It was then he whipped around towards Nemesis, having got a general idea of where the nasty taste was coming from, his ears pressing back. A deep and threatening snarl ripped forward from him, his dark red horns purposely flashing as a sign of warning.

"Who is there?" He demanded over the crackling of the flame and the moaning bear. "Answer, or feed the flame! I smell the filth on you, whoever you are. The stench of a normal..." His tongue flicked out again, attempting to gather more, but was overrode mostly by the charring of the bear.

The menacing flash of crimson seemed dull compared to the flames that roared from the mouth of the cavern, the smokey scent of overly well-done meat earning another rumble from the beast--this time from his stomach. Yes, he was beginning to truly hunger, only too pleased to wet his appetite on the scents of the meal he fully anticipated on enjoying, alive or dead. The words he processed slowly, understanding the demand, the threat, and the innaccuracy of the label tossed upon his head. From the mutated monstrosity came only silence, the complex gears of his rather simple mind debating over the course of action he should take. "S.T.AR.S." Nemesis growled, stating his purpose though the word was meaningless to those who did not understand. Yet the way he spoke it, the conviction and predatory purpose that it held..It did not sound like a name. And for a moment, the beast struggled again, this time with an ability that, though he still possessed, had grown difficult and rusty with dissuse. "...Hhhh....Hungers." The bioweapon pronounced slowly, the word almost sounding slurred due to his abundancy of teeth and the way his forked tongue struggled to speak normally with them.

"Stars?" It was an interrogation all his own, and quite boldly, Auschwitz took a few menacing steps of his own towards the tyrant. His sanguine beak gaped thoughtfuly and readily. He couldn't undo the strange puzzle that had suddenly been presented to him, as it was obviously no name, or if it was it was a stupid one. "How are the stars relevant? Who gives a s**t about the stars? I can't see 'em." In some way he sounded viciously amused, turning his head as the tree being burned collapsed into itself and sent up a momentary flare of sparks.

Hearing the deep rumbling again, he returned his attentions to the other, musing over how he'd never heard a normal speak such a way. Perhaps, his corrupted mind slowly gathered, this wasn't a normal at all. The thought had him suddenly shifting, unsure and confused as to the identity of this newcomer. Oh, it was a scavenger certainly, whatever it was. Now, whether it was a welcome one was all up to him within the next few minutes. The footsteps, he attempted to reason, were far too weighted to be a normal's or an angelic, and while he could smell normal on the other, there was more of a rotting scent to him than anything else. More likely than not, he was kin, then.

"You hunger? Then come, commrade! I'll treat you to a feast." The Nightmare straightened again, his ears slowly swinging back about. He was in a good mood still, and although a normal might have spoiled it momentarily, the concept of another Nightmare overseeing his kill made it all the better to him. "You're a strange one, but you are my kind still, I see that now. Come, come! Sit by the fire with me, ja? It will only take a moment for the fire to douse iteself enough to move. Come." With that, Auschwitz laughed darkly again, spinning about to slink back to the fire, where he sat down and waited. As simple as that, Nemesis seemed to be off the hook.

Couldn't...Couldn't see? Those jaws worked again for a moment, quivering from the effort while stale air expelled itself from a pair of too-large lungs. "I....caaan...see. I can." Yes, he could, that milky eye turning to fix itself on the other as though to confirm it. The creaking groan of the burning wood earned the barest twitch from one skinned ear, but the Nemesis didn't move otherwise, unaffected by the impressive shower of burning embers birthed from the death of the ancient wood. He'd heard the footsteps too, and, in response, those slithering purple appendages on his back arched a little higher, as though threatening to strike should the other dare to come in range. But soon...soon they lowered once more, having heard what was apparently acceptance. Yes? The other would...treat?

There was a low grunt at the comment of being strange--perhaps a sort of agreement, though the beast did not elaborate. The command was processed, filtered, and accepted, and like any obedient soldier, the Nemesis lurched closer, his rotting body already heated by the leather coat that pressed itself so firmly to his skin, restraining him, as always. But, the beast slowly sat, joints groaning faintly while leather squealed in protest, and still the monster loomed, perhaps unaware that this situation could have taken a much different turn.

In a bout of hypocritical hypocrisy Dahlia was fast getting irritated with the lack of response to her herald. Apparently punctuality was a virtue lacked by all Nobodies, (it never crossed her mind that in her apathy her call might've been lost to those inside.) The thought tucked it's self away with all her other scalding judgments of the nonexistent species as she waited, in the cold, alone and unimportant. Unfortunately only two of the former were true and perhaps not the ones she would have wished, as she was not alone. Or rather-was soon to not be alone, as her one and only brother was fast approaching. She drooped visibly, he was not who she had hoped to see. And now she would be engaged. Engaged in what was yet to be seen, but he would ask her menial questions about her well being and who knows what else, and who's to say that she'd even be /able/ to deliver Xigbar's idiotic bag? She sighed, coaly feathers ruffling in replacement of a wave as she dropped her charge in order to greet her kin properly. “Hello Revelin. No... It's not for you, I'm afraid.”

She cast a sideways glance down at what would normally be innocently delivering lunch. She shoved it between them, offering it to her brother to properly inspect, hoping that the piece of Scotch tape that bound it closed would deter him from opening it. Or opening it with her there at any rate. Really, she wanted nothing to do with it. “I don't know what you want for Christmas, you'll have to tell me before I can get it. That's for Xaldin from Xigbar, do you know where he is?” She inquired, if she could get him to take it off her hands, perhaps he'd lose interest in her and she'd kill two birds with one stone.

He was no doubt curious about the bag pushed between them, pawing curiously at the top and frowning when he came across the tape. Well! That could be remedied pretty quickly. "Whatever happened to presents being surprises, huh? If I told you, then I'd know what I was getting." A small smirk was passed to her, as well as a small nudge. What was she so ruffled about, huh? She was living the easy life compared to him right about now.

"The big guy, huh?" That stopped his probing claw from slicing free the binding of the tape. If Xaldin found out he'd been in it... he was almost certain to get a smack. Picking it up between his toes instead, he gave it an idle shake, as if the contents could be perceived by that along. "He's around. The Missus isn't, though. No one answers the door but her this early- house policy. I might be able to fit in bringing it to him for you... unless you agreed to take it to him so you could see him yourself." To this he leered knowingly. The subject, however, flipped quickly.

"You're looking pretty well. Things're going pretty well for you and all?" Well, you had to start with menial. It made it easier to slip in the more significant. "Some people aren't all that lucky this time of year, you know. Hard times..."(

Had Dahlia known about Revelin's /other/ present, she would have no doubt chided him about his opinion about gift giving, and the mysteries thereof. However she did not, so she took his comment at face value and bowed her head in digression, “I suppose I shall just have to come up with something for you then.” she mused. However she doubted she'd get to it, and momentarily reflected upon her own shortcomings, lack of holiday spirit apparently one of them. It, of all things, made her laugh. Her laugh subsided into a slight grin as he shook the bag, eliciting a less than exciting muffled crinkling sound which could be made by anything from a sock to dryer lint to the decomposing remains of Esmyrelda's pancreas. “Oh, I'm sure Xigbar wouldn't mind if his dearest son finished the job for me.” she implored, wrinkling her nose and dragging a paw across the ground in a childlike fashion. “Not that I wouldn't /love/ to spend some quality time with dear old uncle Xaldin.” she practically snorted before she too moved on from the most tender subject.

“I have been lovely. Nothing brightens a girl's day like discovering the consistency of homemade slime in subzero temperatures. Did /you/ know that when the vertical is reversed, the viscosity is so thick that the slime actually stays in place? Wherever it may happen to be? Really, it's quite fascinating” Be it on floor or fur or ceiling...

"Pfft. I'm sure he'd be overjoyed to see you too." He replied, picking up on the conversation after being momentarily confused by her laughing. She wasn't making fun of him or some such, was she? After a small pause, he arched a brow at her lengthy explanation of her apparent new discovery, imploring, "You talkin' about snot? Sure sis, you get somethin' cold enough and it'll slow down just about any process. Running water, joint movement, bloodflow, organ development..."

A dismissive paw was waved somewhat. Really, if that egg wasn't dead yet, it would be if he let her go on about her scientific hooey. Time to switch tactics to blunt force. "Listen, Dahli, Bryna's gotten into some trouble pretty recently. You got a moment?"

Dahlia rolled her eyes and made a lengthy and highly undignified sound of indignation, “I'm not talking about /snot/. You asked how I was, I'm talking about one of-- Nevermind.” She cut herself off, looking vain, ruffled and chilled. Really Revelin was lucky she wasn't the talkative sort, if one of her sisters was in her position no doubt the egg would have been stuck unattended all afternoon, but when mention of one of said siblings was brought up, her interest was piqued, and her quest was momentarily put to the side. Literally and figuratively. “See if you can get it to him would you?” She requested, though she was obviously not standing behind her words at this point, the fact that she brushed the bag to the side making that even more evident. “What'd Bryna get herself into?”

She looked excited, all sorts of prospects blazing across her consciousness only a few of them so down to earth as the reality, “Did she get stuck in an inter-dimensional tunnel? Xigbar was telling me about one of them that the Nobodies used to get here, but they got stuck here. /He/ thinks that they can't get back to their world because this planet is shielded for some reason.” She prattled on about her naively formed hypothesis, almost forgetting that she'd asked her brother what had actually happened.

There- he had her! "More like what got into Bryna, if you get what I mean." He hinted, though he certainly looked grave. It'd be funny to him if it was anyone else, likely, or at least if he wasn't pocketed with one of the eggs. Perhaps it weirded him out a little how Dahlia could get excited over a misfortune happening to one of her sisters but, eh, it was Dahlia. What really mattered was whether or not she stayed hooked enough for him to convince her.

"I'll deliver it to him and say you dropped by. Just leave it there, and I'll get it later. C'mon, walk with me? Gettin' chilly over here." He implored her almost sweetly, hopping off the doorstep into the snow and beginning towards the tree from whence he'd came.

Dahlia stared at her brother blankly. Mind reeling. Mulling over his insinuation. But what he implied was so far fetched that she could not comprehend it and all it's ramifications. “Has she gone insane?” She inquired in all innocence, vainly attempting to interpret his murky statement. But nevertheless, whatever had happened to her sister it clearly was cause enough for Revelin's concern, and so, she supposed, at least her own attention. If not her own concern. However, the bag was, unfortunately, still her concern and so she picked it up again, having little faith in her brother to do so and not knowing what it was, worrying that it might suffer in the cold. With bag in tow, she bowed her head, and fell in behind him, not really knowing how trudging through the snow would make them any warmer.

"Yanno, that just may be it." He replied thoughtfully. Oh, how that'd free up some things from his conscience. He'd be able to blame everything on that b*****d if that was the case- not that he didn't already in every respect but one. Of course he wouldn't object her carrying her parcel around, so long as she followed. Inwardly, he relaxed a little at the fact she really was, and things were going much more smoothly than he thought they would have. Finally, he stood in the snow beneath the tree within which he'd hidden his burden. The ground was swept free of snow here, but that did not mean it wasn't hard and cold here. "Well, you might not believe it... but Bryna went and got herself pregnant. Three kids!" He turned and hissed quietly at her, black ears drooping back some. For Revelin, this was a very scarey thought, but he was watching his sister now, gauging her reaction.

Golden eyes, initially so bright with theories and hypotheses were now carefully unreadable as Dahlia took in and judged this new information. That was not the “trouble” she had expected. When she heard the word /trouble/ she expected some sort of life endangerment, some sort of... gene manipulation or time dilation or dimension tear or something. Inwardly, in her deepest and most honest of hearts she was a little disappointed by this information. It was just so... normal. “She managed to convince someone to have intercourse with her?” She asked slowly, still considering all the grand disasters that could have happened in the stead of the little organism developing in front of her. “Revelin, the only /trouble/ with that is the fact that this sorry gene pool is managing to replicate.” Idly, Dahlia considered if her father “got in trouble” when they had arrived, and decided since the two of them seemed so googly for each other, it was doubtful. “Unless she got raped.” she paused, “Or got an STD, in which case she has my heartfelt sympathies.” The irony of the statement was not lost to her, and was said with such knowledge.

He knew what he was offering up for her when he said it, and deceived her anyway. It was a talent of his, to stretch and shorten the truth, though to use it on a member of his own family... truly, it gave him an uneasy feeling in his gut. But it was better this way, for what had to be done. Would she have been so cooperative if there was not something for her to hang upon and wonder at? He thought not. HE wouldn't have, in any case.

"Dahlia!" He gasped slightly at her first question, his jaw hanging a little as if she'd just said something quite scandalous. "That's our sister, c'mon!" He chided her somewhat, shaking his head a bit. "The problem is, she has to deal with kids now. It's gotta be hard, you know? Don't even get me started on the sonovabitch that knocked her up- a damn loser, and no respect. Guy wears a damn ski mask! Yeah, I'd say she's got trouble."

Dahlia sniffed, a haughty and ungratified gesture that seemed to indicate that she did not share Revelin's opinion on the “scandalous” material she had just divulged. “If our father asked you to take care of one of his /spawn/?” she spat the word like it was dirty, only further instating the indication that she felt that Xigbar had no right wading in the gene pool, much less doing a cannon ball off the high diving board. No. She would not help her father raise a child, even out of courtesy. Even if she was one of his children too. “Why does she need your help? If she's capable of fornication, she's capable of taking on the responsibilities of motherhood. /Xigbar/ took one of his eggs...” She trailed off there, rolling her eyes, “No doubt she could get Kitsyn to babysit the other one, really. Or Mother could do it if she's so desperate.” A crooked grin took up residence upon her face, “I could hardly see you as the paternal type, I wouldn't make a charity case out of this.”

He realized he was beginning to lay his ears back at her words, brows furrowing a bit with offense. While he no longer blindly adored his father, there was still some respect for him within Revelin. He knew better, though, didn't he? He would have wished she'd grown out of it, but it was clear now. Dahlia loathed Nobodies. This was, he assured himself, something he could work with anyway. Indignant and impassioned, he lifted his head. "And if our mother asked your to take care of one of her children?"

He was frustrated- it showed. He'd have been an excellent Nobody, and a perfect liar were it not for the fact he had emotion, though he tried to lock it away in the face of others. "She didn't ask them for help, Dahlia, she asked me!" There was a huff at her final statement, and Revelin turned his head away so only his eyepatch and half his deep frown showed. The truth was finally out. He was gathering himself now- he had to make a better presentation than this if he was going to convince anyone. Would sincerity maybe work?

"You're right- I'm not. I'm... damn scared of raising a kid. What was I supposed to say, though, huh? She thought she was giving me a present. You think I could tell her that I couldn't handle a little kit? No way. She practically worships me, Dahl, I don't wanna let her down..." There was a soft sigh from the male, and he looked back to his sisters, eyebrows lifted, appealing.

"If I had some help, though, I think I could do it. I don't know where to start when it goes towards caring for a kid, but I know how to teach. Please, Dahl, pleeeasse?" He drew it out a little, the word stretching his maw to show off the wide array of sharp teeth behind them. "I don't know who else I could ask- no one who'd be as good as you!"

"Listen. If it helps, you can look at it from a genetic point of view- Bryna's half a Nobody, right? I mean, she is emotionless, but there's still that recessive normal gene in her. The guy she's got? He's ********' weird, but normal. There's virtually no chance that their kids can be anything BUT normal." He'd play all the cards he had to appeal to her if he had to, even if it was the non-Nobody one.

"Our mother has our father to take care of any progeny, Revelin, I cannot fathom any circumstance in which she would require our assistance over his." Dahlia pointed out, reply even but terse. As she took in her brothers next statement a slow grin took up residence upon her face, a condescending, teasing amused sneer. "A fine gift /indeed/." She laughed softly, sitting with a soft plop and regarding the egg with a sudden thoughtfulness. "That girl thinks that her child is something to be gifted out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned back to her pleading brother.

"I'd be frightened of her offspring as well, especially from what I've heard of her partner. But I doubt /my/ talents would be any use to you at all." Pausing, she took a moment to pass a paw thoughtlessly through her curly locks, "You're far more world-worn than I. The study of genetics have /nothing/ to do with the raising of a child." She liked her brother, she really did. She couldn't fathom the resistance he'd come upon if she didn't. But she would no doubt make an excellent Nobody as well, had she no heart. She was not as outright deceitful as her brother, but she was manipulative enough. And jaded enough to utilize it for idle amusement.

"You asked me what I'd do if dad asked me to raise his kid, I was countering it. S'besides the point, though." He replied dismissively, shaking his head slightly in frustration when Dahlia went on to laugh. He was having a hard time finding the humor in misfortune when it belonged to him. However, he wouldn't deny that it was indeed a strange situation indeed. The male wordlessly nodded to her question about gifts- apparently so! He hadn't taken the time to ask her logic on the subject, unfortunately.

When he began to hear doubt in her, however, that single green eye seemed to spark. Opportunity, was what it saw, a reason to hope. Dear, dear sister, if it was an ego boost that you needed... "This kid's gonna need all the help it can get. Besides, I don't know what to do with a baby. How am I supposed to know if it's doing good or acting right? Sure, I can teach it not to fall off cliffs but..." To this he quirked a crooked grin, an imploring look. "I need a feminine touch. You know what's up. And as far as those rudimentary things go, you should know I'm crap. This kid needs you, Dahl, I need you. C'mon... it could be fun?"