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Unfortunately, the little fuzzy bunny had more than one predator that day. Between one thing and another, it had been well over a week since Thom had eaten, and the cobra was hungry. With his new limitations--aka, having to hide from the cameras--he hadn't had as much freedom when it came to hunting, and his stomach was suffering for it. Today, however, he had picked up the trail of a lovely little rabbit and was quite confident that it would be the main course of his next meal.

That was, until a much larger mass of white fur startled it away. Thom cursed under his breath and glanced after the rabbit, but quickly gave it up as a lost cause. Even if he did manage to catch up with it, it would be wary for a good while yet, and likely hear him coming. Frowning, he turned his attention to the white dog-thing and straightened up. "You scared away my dinner!"

"Of course it's me," he snapped in reply, glancing past the dog towards the rabbit, only to grimace as Jordan went running off after the fuzzy creature. It was a rather pitiful sight, all in all, and a horrible technique for catching the rabbit, if he may say so himself. He was half tempted to just hurry away before Jordan could get his footing and try to talk to him again, especially reflecting on the dog's new speech impediment. Thom didn't have much patience for speech problems.

"Then stop scarin' my meal an' talk, I'm not goin' to listen for long."

Thom rolled his eyes. Of course Jordan wasn't here to fight. Jordan was in no shape to fight with anyone, much less the cobra. Thom had very nearly killed the dog man once, prevented then only by the chip in the back of his neck. Now the chip was gone, and, if provoked, Thom wouldn't hesitate to attempt the murder again.

However, as Jordan went on, Thom's interest grew. "I've already met Richard, thank you," he replied drly, folding his arms. "An' I don't find him...her...whatever, particularly threatenin'. Richard doesn't 'ave th' laptop, an' I don't plan on handin' it over." He paused briefly, raising a scaled brow at the dog man. "...I'll admit, I'm curious t' see what's on that laptop myself. What d'you want?"

"Don't push your luck. I wouldn't say I 'ave any reason t' trust you either, Jordan," he snapped. Not that he really had any reason to believe he was lying either. Jordan was terrified of him, that much was clear. The dog was breathing heavily and practically shaking where he stood; he absolutely radiated fear, as the occasional lazy flick of the cobra's tongue only confirmed. Jordan knew exactly what Thom could do if he wanted to, and Jordan wouldn't have the nerve to risk his life by lying.

Indeed, on top of the fear, Jordan said that Richard was making his life absolutely miserable. Jordan had come to the person who he feared, who he knew had little to nothing to worry about in an actual attack from the old cat, and who, after what he was hearing about Richard's determination, would be more likely to lash out at her in their next meeting. It was a rather smart move, all in all, and, briefly, Thom considered being a touch more patient.

"Th' laptop's hidden, I'm the only one who knows where it is. An' I'm not goin' to tell Richard. Especially if she's just goin' t' 'and it over to Duvert." His lip curled at the very idea. Richard had talked about causing unrest in the labs with the contents of the laptop. Moreau had something on there that even Sabin hadn't seen? "If I take you to th' laptop, will you show me what's on it?"

Thom didn't at all trust the dog man, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He eyed Jordan suspiciously for a moment longer, then nodded slightly and turned to start away, gesturing for the dog to follow. It was a good ways into the jungle to where he had buried the laptop, made even longer by the fact that they had to weave to avoid cameras and to ensure that Jordan wouldn't have the faintest idea where exactly they were. Thom on his own was usually safe of cameras once away from the main paths and such, as he had no chip to activate them, but Jordan's presence would have cameras watching about wherever they went. They had to be careful, and they had to move quickly.

After a good while, Thom paused and glanced back over his shoulder towards Jordan, sending him a frown and pointing a finger at the ground beneath Jordan's feet. "Wait 'ere. If you move from this spot before I say you can, I'll kill you." And he meant it, and he was certainly capable. They weren't quite too the hiding spot yet, but Thom liked wher eit was hidden and didn't want to bother with finding another spot once Jordan left. With everything he had been hiding in the jungle lately, suitable spots--and spots that he could remember--were harder and harder to come by.

Satisfied that Jordan wouldn't come creeping back in an attempt to find the laptop or run away while his back was turned, Thom headed off once more to the spot where he had hidden it. He was fairly certain he had nothing to worry about as far as Jordan was concerned. The dog was so clumsy that Thom would undoubtably hear him if he tried to follow, and for the same reason he would be easy to catch up with if he tried to run off with the laptop. Thom had the upper hand here.

He returned before long with dirt caked under his fingernails and the laptop tucked under one arm. It was in surprisingly good condition, all in all--he had taken the case as well and jammed the lock on it so it couldn't lock against him, and that had kept it protected from the elements. The case, on the other hand, was in horrible condition, but Thom didn't think that mattered much.

Upon his return, the cobra man kept his distance, giving Jordan a pointed look to be sure he remembered not to move, and finally pausing about five feet from the dog man. He looped his tail into a coil and sunk down as if sitting, propping the laptop on it and opening it up, then smirking in approval when it actually turned on and began through start-up processes, only to frown when it required a password. "What's th' password it needs?"

Sense told Thom to refuse, that there was too much risk in just handing the laptop over to Jordan. But curiosity won over very quickly, and he slipped free of the coil and the short distance to Jordan, hesitating only a beat before passing him the laptop. However, he didn't give him the chance to even consider running, instead snaking around to the dog's opposite side so that the better part of his tail completely surrounded the little patch where the dog was sitting. There would be no running.