Fly like a butterfly, drink tea like a bee

The night was quiet, save for the hush of voices from patrons coversating at nearby tables. The night was illuminated by just the moon, making the scents on the breeze intoxicating and music hypnotic. Through tje windows and open doors of the homely, old, red brick shop wafter the scents of herbs and ingrediants that were freshly ground and prepared for drinks. As usual, the tiny local shop was occupied by the two owners of the shop. As usual they conversed with their costumers, confidently leaving their primitive register without fear of robbery. The gentle married couple had made their name here, kindness to far reaching for even the harshest of criminals to consider disrupting the peace of the old grandma shop.

Donas sat at a beautifully crafted metal table in the outdoor seating. He sipped soothing tea from a small cup, the hypnotic scent overpowering his senses. It was a mix made to heal all wounds. The famous Cappiery Tea. He set the cup down with a bandaged hand. It was one of the many reccomendations for getting past the injuries quick. He had more than a few and while the tea helped eliminate the pain from most, it failed to affect the largest one around his stomach, now bandaged with new wraps.

He had gotten these and many more from fighting in the underground arena. It was just for days ago. He'd need more time and tea to alleviate the pain on his abdomen. He worked with them well enough, he supposed. If he took the lighter jobs with the Pet Control he'd stay relatively alright. So far he had come here once a night and the affects had done enough to make working much easier. Donas frowned as the voices of his cousin and nephew's voices began to rise above the crowd. He hushed them quickly, slightly regretting allowing them to come. However, leaving them at home could cause worse tradgeties to arise.

Ren looked at the tea shop, eyebrows drawn above her eyes in an expressive arc. This place was actually pretty cute, she thought as she stepped inside and into the glowing warmth. Inhaling brought the crisp scent of herbs to her pallate. Her mouth watered a little.

When was the last time she'd been into a place like this? Not long ago, but still too long. This was the kind of thing that reminded her what a home should feel like. Not that she'd know exactly. Her youthful nights had been spent sleeping around a campfire, one of her parents close and at the ready with a firearm at all times.

With the money she'd earned in last week's fight she had been able to but herself a nice, warm coat. She may have taken any and every kind of job like an immigrant, but she certainly wasn't dressed like one. Not today anyway. A peach colored opalescent jewel hung on an equally peach neck. Ren raised her hand and toyed with the gem. She often found herself fidgeting with the necklace, most of the time without even knowing it. She continued to run the chain through her fingers as she approached a table and sat down. Within the same minute, a jolly older woman was at her side with a small paper menu. With a smile, the woman placed the menu on the table and bustled towards the back of the store. Ren read over the menu, finding immediately what she wanted. Cappiery tea, it was called. Supposedly it healed things, but she didn't really believe it. Ren simply enjoyed the taste. Had she been a connoisseur she would have described the taste as "earthy and sophisticated", but since she was not she just called it "good".

"Ma'am?" The woman turned around. "I'll have the Cappiery tea," Ren stated simply. The woman merely nodded and grinned and resumed her hustle towards the back.

It wasn't until the last sip, it seemed, that the warmth of the tea really came into action. It seemed to travel from deep in his core to the outer regions of his circumference, making even his fingertips feel as though they were heated by the fireplace. The thought of one made his mind travel a bit, going to places like the current arrangement of his home. Donas thought, lazily, that some sort of fireplace would be nice. The heating was conditional to the weather outside and he did not possess the intellect to manipulate geothermic sciences. It wasn't hot in the day, but it was at night (usual to this side of the planet). The best form of combatants was to bundle up under the covers of the bed and hope that the numbness of sleep would come before you had the chance to really feel the chill and then complain. For that reason such, it was imperative that he sent Zeke and Pherick to bed early when the sun first down. This night, unfortunately, wasn't one of the successful ones.

However, if he had a fireplace to keep things warm, it wouldn't be too very much necessary. There would be time to sit and relax and warm before bedtime--or at least during dinner. That would be nice... He could feel it now.

Donas' head shot up, jarring him out of his doze. The act of almost falling asleep made him somewhat confused as to what was currently going on. He remembered mostly snippets of his previous thoughts, which were now drifting away. He figured that meant it was time to go, but before the thought had come to his mind he realized he was missing two.

Instead of sitting obediently and quietly across from him his cousin (whom should know better) and his nephew (impressionable as he is, unblameable) were gone. His heart skipped a beat and it sullied with dread. He knew if they were gone, nothing good was happening. Even if they were kidnapped it meant they were up to no good. Donas tried calculating the time, trying to gauge without watch or symbol how long he'd been dozing off. He didn't believe that long, but time in reality and subconsciousness ran on two different dials.

He turned his head this way and that, looking to see the two of them. They were dumb, but they weren't stupid. They shouldn't have left the shop. His thought was correct. He could only really see if he stretched his neck out far, but the two of them were in the building. Pherick looked like he was ordering more tea to waste while Zeke had his eyes pinned on something else behind them.

He was looking over his shoulder with the look of appraisal in his eyes and a smile of wickedness on his face. It was apparent that he was going to try something Donas wouldn't like. He'd seen that look before. He didn't know if Zeke did it on purpose or by accident, but that look meant that Zeke had found something he'd want to thieve. He wasn't pro, an amateur at best at the art of embezzlement. Whatever he tried it would undoubtedly get him in trouble.

Donas got up from his seat to get a better view of this thing. Following the line of Zeke's eyes he landed on the body of a girl, a bird girl. A green feathered bird girl. One he had seen before, he remembered. At the market square and fleeting images of her in the ring (he couldn't quite remember why, though. Whatever his designated coach had done it made the last fight fog). What had her name been again? Ren. If he recalled correctly, Zeke had already caused misfortune on her person. If he recognized her Donas could guess Zeke was out to get her. The necklace around her neck had caught Donas' eye. No doubt it had caught Zeke's too.

Donas tried to get his attention, to tell him to stop, but it was to no avail. What was worse, before his eyes, Zeke brought Pherick into the act as well. His nephew, younger and more naive than Zeke, was unable to see the evil in Zeke's seemingly honest intentions. Pherick immediately made his way to her table, smiling with genuine innocence. Zeke took over Pherick's last task, however keeping his ears pointed backwards to keep close attention.

Being a child, Pherick's voice was naturally louder than necessary (children had no volume control), so it wasn't hard to hear what he'd said. He'd asked politely, well mannered as he is, if he could have the money needed for the extra cup of tea. It hit Donas then when he heard that. Zeke and Pherick had no money on their own to even get tea. When they got up they (or at least Zeke) planned to steal it anyways, Zeke had just found something better. Donas himself didn't carry much money himself and was unwilling to spend more of it even if he did. Donas found himself feeling worse about Pherick's asking than Zeke's plan to steal. His pride made him unwilling to ask things of others, especially for money.

Normally he would stop Pherick, but he knew that the bow would cause a scene or he would possibly get into a "yes and no" over Ren's insistence. Instead he hoped, with little shame, that Ren would turn him down instead.


OOC: I was wide awake so... 8I

Ren sipped her tea, recoiling when it seared her lips. Steam rolled off of the liquid. Her mouth watered and she realized all of the sudden that she was thirsty. Her eyes roved the cup, her pupils narrowing as she surveyed the fine details in the cup. It was chipped, and old. The paint had faded off in most places, but with her sharp eyes Ren could see that it had been a jungle vista, complete with tiny birds and flowers. She set the cup down and looked around the shop lazily, her eyes resting on a man with darker skin and whitish hair.

Donas. He looked like he was asleep, or nearly. She continued to gaze at him, thinking about how weird it was that they'd met again. This was the fourth time in like, a week or something. She rested her head on her elbow and swirled the tea in her cup around. She felt like dozing off too, and she almost did, had it not been for Pherick.

"No, I don't have any extra money," she said a little drowsily. It was true. She'd only brought enough money for a single cup of tea, which she took a small drink from now. "Sorry."

The look on Pherick's face confirmed the negative and Donas was happy for it. He looked disappointed, but accepting of the answer. Zeke on the other side of the store looked irate and his eyes pinned on Ren with a fire. He wasn't happy with anyone who turned his little cousin down and looked as though he'd march over there and give Ren his heated two cents even if her refusal was justified. Not only this, but Pherick began to perk up. He didn't carry any with him, but by the look and fabric of his clothing it was apparent that he had money. Nice as he was, he was probably going to offer her some.

Seeing the disaster ready to begin when Zeke took a step forward, Donas entered the store and put himself inbetween as the sturdy obstacle between peace and choas.

"Pherick!" Donas called before he could speak. Donas bekonned Pherick to him and before coming, the young horse looked disappointed. "Haven't I told you not to do that?" Pherick opened his mouth to ask what he had done, but Donas' look already told him. Giving money away to random people was a nono.

Donas' eyes found Zeke who looked like he was about to do something sneaky. "And you," Donas said, stopping him in his tracks. "Get over here," he finished sternly, knowing full-well that any normal-voiced command would cause Zeke to suddenly go deaf. With the two collected at his side he commanded them out of the store and back out to the table where they belonged and without more tea.

"Sorry about that," Donas apologized. Again. He finished bitterly in his head. Was this going to keep happening?

"Don't worry," she said, emptying a packet of sugar into her tea, "it's not a big deal." No harm no foul. They were just kids, right? She certainly would have known better than to even approach a stranger, but maybe Donas raised his... nephew or cousin or whatever differently. Ren sipped her tea, which had finally cooled off enough so that it didn't scald her lips. The quiet little shop was falling asleep, and so was she. Her and Donas were the only two adults left in the store besides the shop owners, who were both busy cleaning off tables and blowing out candles. Yawning, Ren rose from her chair and drained the rest of her tea in one mighty gulp. She set the tea down on the table and fluttered her wings. "See you around, Donas," she said before making her way out.

The burst of humid Gertragian air that met Ren upon her exit didn't slap her into wakefulness like she thought it might. She looked up at the sky. Seeing Gertragia's three moons still weirded her out a little, having been used to only one her whole life. It was also strange that there was almost no one else sharing the street with her. In fact, there was no one but a small group a few hundred feet away. Ren paid them no notice as she started walking the other way, towards the outskirts of the small town and towards her recently built apartment. It was nice enough. Not as nice as the one she'd had on Sigma, but passable. The only thing she hated was how far away it was from anything besides little family owned shops and jungle. If there was one thing she did like about Gertragia, it was the jungle. Something about it felt right, although she couldn't acertain why. She'd never really seen more than a couple trees together until a few months ago, come to think about it.

"THWACK!"

Ren's knees buckled. "What the fuck?!" she managed to shout before large hands were clapped over her mouth and shoulders. A flurry of movement surrounded her, and suddenly she was against a wall, still on her knees and face smashing against the brick. Her thoughts reverberated through her head, along with the voice of someone speaking near her ear.
"You're going to give us all of your cash, and that pretty little thing around your neck." It was one of the people from the group she'd seen earlier, a man. His voice carried a little bit of an accent and a sneer. She felt his breath on her neck and jerked away.
Ren snarled. Her vision was caught in a tempest of black stars. She lifted her eyes, and through the torrent of black she was able to see two more figures looming over her. In one's hand was a dildo metal pipe. Ren's head hurt just looking at it. Thoughts sluggish, she tried to think of ways out. This hadn't really happened before. People had tried to mug her, sure, but they'd never gotten this far. Most of the time she'd been able to see them coming and get her gun drawn. This usually sent people away fast. God. That cappiery tea must have deadened her senses, or maybe it was just the generally calmer atmosphere of Gertragia in general. "Fuuuuck," she groaned.

Donas grunted and nodded, supposing he'd "see Ren around" from their pattern of meeting, but also hoping not to if it was going to keep up. Meeting like that seemed weird to him and possibly to her as well. He didn't usually meet people in odd ways like this. It made it worse that, even in these encounters, they didn't exactly talk to each other. It was more like a pass and go. Just like now. Ren got up from her table and headed out the door to wherever she normally goes. As she did, his eyes went downward and, in satisfactory approval, nodded his head before the transparent glass door obscured her image. He put his attention back on his younger family members who seemed to be able to quickly change subjects. Whatever it was on it was Ren related because they whispered to each other while looking in the direction she had just left from. Donas frowned and cupped them both behind the ears, firmly stopping their little plans.

Not having anything to collect, they could leave quickly. Saying their goodbyes and thank yous to the shop owners (and a little extra) they started heading their way out. Except, they couldn't actually leave. It was an "oh dear!" from the elderly shop Misses that alerted Donas and stopped him in his tracks. There was trouble outside the shop, it seemed. Looking out, he could see exactly what was happening. It was Ren (which seemed to be a usual thing) in trouble. She was stuck up against a wall, one silhouetted man behind her and two on his flanks, obviously with malicious intentions in mind. The first thing that came to Donas was to get Pherick and Zeke somewhere safe, the second was to think of a way not to get involved. There was no way he couldn't get involved. Going outside put him in direct contact with the situation and staying inside would warrant someone asking him to go out and help, which already seemed to be happening anyways. The Misses owner was in hysterics and her husband was doing his best to calm her down while commenting on the scum of Gertragia. She was already asking Donas to help between "oh dear!"s and other comments on how it Ren was poor for being in that situation. As much as Donas didn't want to be in the situation, he was obliged to be.

Before he walked out to start the heroics, the husband advised him to get a weapon, since everyone out there seemed to have dildos metal pipes to swing with. He pulled a bat from under the counter and, briefly, Donas wondered what good a bat would do if someone came to the store with a gun and how one bat against three dildo poles was going to be a little difficult. He, however, didn't complain and nodded to the both of them when they advised him to "be safe".

Donas stepped outside of the tea shop, looking serious towards the situation and whatever other emotion would be appropriate as well. He gripped the slender end of the bat and gazed at the three dildo bearers. He growled then, in warning or whatnot, since there wasn't much I could think to say.


OOC: The end. =w=

"I don't have any money," Ren spat. She hadn't been lying to Pherick earlier, and she wasn't now to the trio of men standing over her like vultures. The man behind her snarled and the dildopipe collided with her head once more. Ren's face slammed into the wall. It felt like an earthquake had just rocked her entire body, then threw a brick wall at her fucking face. Forehead now bleeding, she tried to put reach for her gun, but one of the men grabbed her arm just before her fingers brushed the patterned edge of the holster.

"You don't look that poor, bitch." The man's voice was a low growl in Ren's ear. She shuddered and recoiled, causing him to simply position himself closer. "But maybe if you ain't willing to pay, you're willing to give me a little something else, eh?" She could almost hear the devious smile in his words. Her eyes narrowed and she bared her snake-like fangs. A low hiss escaped her lips, resulting in a chuckle from the man, who was standing up now. "Take the necklace, Jaster." Ren felt fumbling hands at the back of her neck, and soon the necklace was being held up in the moonlight, the pearl seeming to glow.

The one called Jaster looked over his shoulder to see Donas, and hearing him growl immediately clutched his pipe tighter. "A-Albin? We have an interloper."

Albin, the man who'd been doing all the speaking thus far, ripped his eyes away from the pearl and looked at Donas. He frowned and clutched his pipe tighter as well. "Are we gonna have a problem, sir?"

Donas grimaced as he gazed upon these three muggers. They looked standard addition. They bored him, almost. It seemed just like another day. He was reminded of his days a few years passed when he was doing the same things these three were, and soon, more than that thanks to his own friends. That was behind him now, but not by choice. He figured, after a while, that this life, though difficult; tedious; or poor, was much better.

By their short conversation, he gathered that two of the names were Jaster and Albin. Those didn't really seem like names you'd expect for muggers. He wondered if the third would also be unexciting. Something like Robert or Sam... Or Benjamin. It didn't take them long to notice them (though they could have been quicker). The way Jaster talked it sounded like he was the type of person that wasn't supposed to be a mugger. Like this was his first time and he only did it because he needed to or they had convinced him somehow.

"Definitely," Donas replied to Albin almost nonchalantly. "Give her back the necklace and let her go." He didn't say it like a demand, he said it like an order. Donas didn't expect them to listen, but he wished they would.

Albin collected the necklace from Jaster's hands with a smile. The bull looked at Donas with a raised brow, sizing him up. He turned to Ren once more and grabbed her by the hair. She tried to turn and glower at him, but the venom in her gaze and the blood streaming down her face simply made him smile. Twirling his pipe, Albin outstretched his arm and brought the pipe down on her head. "I don't think I will."

Ren felt the dull, metallic thud as the pipe connected once more. "Ugh," She swayed and clawed at the brick wall to steady herself, but slid to the ground anyway. Hot, sticky blood ran down her forehead and into her eyes, causing her to scrunch one shut. Damn. None of this was a new sensation to her, but it certainly wasn't one she'd experienced in a long time. She thought she was past this-- this being the victim shit.Am I going to die? The question leapt through her head briefly and Through the burning red curtain, she was able to see Donas with a bat, backlit by the moonlight. While her lips parted a little as if to say something, a feeling of numbness swept through her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, silencing her. Vision blackening, her eyelids slowly fluttered shut.

Albin turned and scowed at the last member of the group, Alperious. "She's not gonna be moving for awhile, get your ass over here and help me take care of this faggot." Albin looked back at Donas, his horns curving forward from the side of his head. He flicked his ears. "You should just leave. She's not worth this."

Donas scowled, watching the bull of a man predictably refuse. He used his pipe to strike a blow to Ren's head, making her bleed. The blow sent her to the ground and it didn't take long for her to go unconscious. Another problem to deal with. Alby, done with Ren for the time being, got the last of his recruits and looked like he was going to do some kind of tri-attack. Donas wasn't really all for that deal. He was more of a one-on-one kind of guy. He could fight a couple people at once but... Who wants to? Honestly, it had too much going on.

He twirled his bat almost casually and looked Albin straight in the eye. "Don't tell me you need help getting rid of one little fag."


OOC: Oh MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDD! DX

Albin grinned a toothy grin. "I don't. But I also wanna teach you a lesson." Albin stepped closer, Alperious and Jaster behind him, Jaster looking very uncomfortable at the sight of Ren's unmoving body. "You gotta learn not to fuck with other peoples' business." Alperious and Albin started circling around Donas, Jaster hanging back.

Jaster gazed at Ren's bloodied face. He let his eyes travel over her, and with every inch he felt worse about Albin's actions. She wasn't very old at all, definitely still a teenager, if her face and, well, (he couldn't help from noticing) her tightly clad body were anything to judge by. Her wings curved gracefully over her back, tiny yet still visibly powerful. She was pretty. She probably had potential. He bit his lip and looked to Donas. Jaster was pretty sure that Donas didn't know the girl, and probably wouldn't be willing to take on three gangsters in order to save her life. Probably. Jaster didn't want her to die, but he couldn't tell Albin to back off. So he did what he could. Jaster stood back, not joining in the lion-like circle around Donas.

Albin, not noticing, grunted and swung his pole at Donas with whatever bull-like strength he possessed. His eyes glinted grayish brown, and the smile was still on his face.

The bull and the dragon started circling him, the other one hanging back with the currently immobile Ren. The bull said he wanted to "teach him a lesson". He really didn't feel like he had the time, but he'd be burdened with it anyways. He preferred people giving him straight on attacks than this... Walk around thing. He watched them both closely. He instantly expected them to attack him from behind, but that prediction wasn't correct. The bull came from the side, right at the edge of his vision. He swung his pole up high and Donas ducked out of the way. In the same motion Donas swung his bat, coming at Albin low.

OOC: Holy crap. Uhm. Yeah. Posts are going to really suck for a while. Sorry. XI

Donas' bat smacked into Albin's stomach, making him reel backwards. He spat, and his eyes narrowed.
Without warning, Alperious stepped forward and swung his bat fast and hard at Donas' head. Curls of smoke seemed to emanate from him, as if he were about to breathe fire like the beast he shared half of his DNA with. His horns gleamed, sharp and more dangerous than Albin's dulled points. Albin might have been stronger, but Alperious was much faster.
Jaster hung backwards, his cat-like eyes roving from person to person, finally settling on Ren. The corners of his mouth turned to a frown. He stepped closer to her, between the girl and the fight. He could pick her up and carry her away, but Albin would certainly have his tail. It wasn't worth it, not even for her, pretty as she was.

ooc: It's okay mine will too!!!!!

It seemed that as soon as Donas' bat made contact, another one came and hit him. It struck him right in the back of his head, making it lurch forward from the impact. Immediately both pain and confusion came at him, characteristic of impacts to the head. For a second he felt sick, but that was a feeling that came and went with the pounding of his head. He grimaced and winced hard, pain beating on him. Donas stumbled forward a few steps and then regained his footing. He gripped his bat hard and with one quick step, turned and made a downward swing with his bat at his other assailant, aiming for the head.

OOC: XI