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Since yesterday there was an ominous feeling in Writ's gut that he was being watched. Not that he looked like it when he strolled out humming out of a particularly run-down back alley in Downers. Though he had a large pair of sunglasses on, held on by flattened ears. He wasn't wearing his poncho either, opting to wear the t-shirt and jeans combination that he had been wearing since he was a kid.

A large duffel bag swung freely in his hands as he walked down Downers. He had all that he needed for the next couple of weeks except for one thing: People. He wasn't going to do this all alone, after all. This plan of his needed as many people on his side as he could find. Now if he could just find some godlings that weren't concerned about killing one another...

With a mud-splattered face (And body to match, for that matter), she sent a big toothy grin up to her guardian.

“Nahh~” Mischievously, she darted out to skip backwards in front of Varu, still smiling up at him. “I made them cry!”

With the accusations she had thrown at them, the twins had certainly made short work of making her feel guilty. Sure, they might have bent the truth a little, the told her, but it was all just to keep her entertained! Didn’t she see that they were doing it for her sake?

“And,” Her mouth was almost as wide as her face, smiling as she skipped along, “We made mud pies… And we had a snowball fight!!” Snow, of course, meaning mud, “Oh! And I got to drive the tractor!!”

The girl did a small twirl before returning back to Varu’s side, taking his clean hand in her muddy one once more, “OH! And even though they got me a lunch, I made sure to put something in the cubby for whoever’s lunch it was!”

…. Hopefully, Varu wouldn’t realize that that ‘something’ in the cubby was a wholly unappetizing and inedible mud pie.

"The tractor?" He asked.

A large piece of machinery made for ripping up dirt and flattening down all within its path.

That Seamus and Murphy had let Tepin drive.

He really needed to speak with those two.

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, though, hefting her up to wipe at the mud on her face with his sleeve. When it came to Tepin, he realized he was probably going to have to simply carry a towel around from now on. "Sounds like you had a fun day." An ice cream stand caught his eye - perfect. "V'ould you like to finish ee't up v'ith some ice cream?"

It was a rare day that Valeriu let his girls have such sweet treats. He always insisted on eating healthily, treating the body right - but even he had his own weakness for it.

"My treat," he added, grinning. And when Valeriu said it was 'his treat,' he meant that the girl could go crazy and get whatever she wanted.

It was a good day indeed.

No one, not even Writ, who fought monsters and gods, could resist the temptations of ice cream. He was planning on what he was going to get when he felt a godling's presence behind him. Seems like godlings had some weakness towards ice cream.

This would be the end of all of them somehow, he knew it.

He looked behind to see two kids. The younger one seem to be playing with the older one's ears. Cat ears. Yep, they were part of the game. At least, one of them was, the girl's aura wasn't as powerful compared to the guy's.

Writ turned around, "Taking a break from The Game too?"

She wanted to inform Varu of what a bint Quinn was, but she knew she’d just ruin her chances at getting ice cream if she let that word loose again. Darn! Darn those twins! She had learned the word already! It had stuck!!

“Stra--”

‘Taking a break from The Game too?’

She froze, easily being moved behind Vale. This man… he was a player? B-But… he was so big! Bigger than Varu… Her hands were trembling-- she gripped onto Varu’s pants to try to stop it from showing. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this one bit.

She knew that Mixcoatl had taken a long time to get her into this game… But why even bother? Not when there were people like this playing!

What should she do? What should she do? Should she try to play if off? Yea, they were playing tag earlier? No-- No. Vale was a player, she didn’t need to go so far to protect him-- it was obvious enough. B-But… What about her? She only had a stripe… Would he know? Would he ruin her secret?

She ducked father behind her guardian. She didn’t want this to happen, not at all.

He didn't relax. He didn't believe the man for a second - even Ciro's Patron Saint of Newbies had been more than willing to help him kill Quinn. And Ciro himself --

No, from what he knew, any godling who made it as far as they had was too extricated in the game.

Except for Quinn. Then again, Quinn was always the exception to the rule.

He snorted, though, straightening his position out. He was still tense, still ready to move and react, tail wrapped around Tepin's shoulders protectively. But if the man wasn't going to attack--

Well, Vale wanted some goddamn ice cream.

"I v'ould hurt you v'orse ee'f you tried," he scowled back, voice in a mix somewhere between good humour and real threat. Sure, it might've been bluff - sure, his tail was probably poofed up ridiculously. Sure, he was probably a kitten compared to this man. But if he had to, he would take him on. Prophets were one thing - Cultists were a whole other ball game.

"I have not seen you before," he ventured, warily studying the older player. "Stay ee'n Downers much?" That would explain it - Valeriu only really haunted Middling and some stretches of Downers.

"I wander." Writ answered simply. Which was mostly true, though he had been hanging out in Downers more often lately. Then he changed the subject. Best to try and get them back on his side, "So, I heard you know Quinn?"

"Next!" The ice cream man looked annoyed. Apparently Writ had been holding up the line with his introductions. He held up a finger "Give me a sec."

"Yeah, just give me a Snoopy pop." Writ slapped a couple of bills onto the stand. If his choice of ice cream specialties didn't show that he was harmless, nothing would.

She almost couldn’t drop his tail in the shock of being picked up so suddenly, but luckily her hand let go before administering a painful tug. She didn’t want to be up here-- in his arms or no, Tepin was now strait in the line of fire! Stupid Varu!! Stupid! She was in danger up here, no matter how hard he tried to pretend that she wasn’t!

“M-Mm. Yea.” (Somewhere inside her brain, her god cried out in misery. It was all about the mocha almond fudge! Didn’t his child know that!? He‘d have to educate her later.)

Varu… He was being weird. He was acting so… unlike himself!! Quinn was the guy he was dating! Tepin had only seen him be nice, if annoyed, with him… So why? A shiver ran down her spine… If that was his way of protecting his loved ones… She didn’t want to be ‘his to kill’.

Was that how he thought of them? Were they just there until he took them out? Was that the meaning of ‘taking care of her’? Suddenly, she was very afraid-- all around her were people that would snap her neck at the slightest nudge-- Varu didn’t really care, he was just postponing---!!

She knew that even if he didn’t feel that way now, if he knew about her, he would definitely come after her. If not even Quinn was spared….

Then she didn’t have a snowflake’s chance in hell.