[center][h3][i]BBCode do your job[/i][/h3][/center]

[hider=Nightlight City collab w/ Gareth so I can delete the doc]
[center][color=00aeef]A [@BaileyBlue302] and [@Gareth] collab[/color][/center]
Jaden paced closer to Richter, his tail waving in the air. "[color=9e0b0f]I'm sure I'll enjoy it all the same,[/color]" He meowed, breaking his private vow to remain as a mostly normal cat. He moved with ease, his form changing when he was around a foot away from Richter. Human legs made to take Richter off his feet; more specifically, Richter's legs. It was an old tactic Jaden had used before, known as the Doppelganger Theory. An opponent would be thrown off when asked to fight themself. While his actions meant he was still mostly on the ground, there was very little chance this proved detrimental to the fight itself.
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Richter watched the cat approach and then tensed when he heard it speak. [i]Yep I was right this thing is some weird species…[/i] He thought sadly. Then the words came over and he felt a pang of disgust. [i]Enjoy what?[/i] Then it transformed and Richter waited for it to finish as his face, his eyes, his body began to form. [i] What kind of stupid joke is this, if you think you can trick me your wrong, I know you're not me and you ain't never gonna be me.[/i] The leg sweep caught him by surprise as he was more focused on the transformation itself. He stumbled forwards with his back bent, but he recovered quickly. "That's the way you want to play. Magic to disguise attacks, you're crude aren't you." Richter went to grab the doppelganger's shoulder and brought his right knee up in an attempt to smash into their stomach.
[hr]
He rolled away, springing lightly to his feet. "[color=9e0b0f]You could say that,[/color]" He responded in a surprisingly bored tone. His voice wasn't his own. No, it was Richter's. He quickly realized he was doing this unarmed, but there was no way he would bail now, not after he'd just revealed what he was. "[color=9e0b0f]Imagine if Zi knew what you really thought of him. He'd be disappointed. A weak little kid, truly,[/color]" He taunted, though there were no real objectives to his words. At this point, he made no move to attack again, hoping he'd be able to get one of Richter's daggers. Slim chance.
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Richter lifted his lips slightly on the left side as he heard the thing's response. "You could say that."  It didn't seem threatened, that sounded confident and not at all worried. [i]In that case since he evaded me and that attitude-perhaps I should find out if this thing can back it up.[/i]  A micromoment passed as he heard the verbal jab. [i]Yeah whatever[/i] he thought.  Richter simply assumed this thing was playing mindgames.  He also assumed it was some weird stalker since apparently it could match his details to a T and knew the name and probably more of others around him. "I don't know what you're playing at, but you won't get in my head.  I don't know you." Richter grinned, "And we'll see if you really know me." Richter slowly pulled his right foot back then kicked it upwards, scraping the floorboords as the move shoved a cloud of dust in their faces. Instantly Richter pulled his scarf up around his face and only barely uncovering his eyes, as he approached quickly unleashing a barrage of round house kicks one after the other, kick step kick step and kick step.
[hr]
Jaden coughed, covering his eyes in an attempt to see. He fell quickly, changing back to his cat form and creeping under the bed. Perhaps that had in fact been a bad idea. Perhaps also cornering himself was a bad idea but he'd suffer those consequences later. But he wasn't exactly up for mind games. If he could figure out how to deal with Richter- he hadn't exactly seen Richter fighting very often, most likely due to being busy with his own personal activities, so that was a problem- then he could replace him and bring Bee down from the inside. That was his goal, but how the hell was he supposed to do that? He muttered a curse, knowing what he was about to do would probably not end well. So, in that point, he hesitated, probably costing him some valuable time.
[hr]
Richter saw the creature struggle, he still didn't understand what the thing was, but his expression changed and as it returned to the cat form and went under the bed.  Richter crouched a few away from the bed, keeping a hand over his face in case claws came his way, he called over to it. "ready to surrender?"
[hr]
Jaden gave him a death glare, opting to remain silent and debate his answer. If he could get out from under the bed and get a dagger, he'd be just fine handling the fight. But if he remained under the bed then it wouldn't be fun. He sneezed, a dust bunny tickling his nose. You know, I'm not, but I might have to, he thought bitterly. But he stayed quiet, laying down with a passive yawn. His answer wasn't too clear as he began washing his side. He would have some serious bruises once he turned human again.
[hr]
Richter couldn't see his opponent clearly and that bothered him. What he couldn't see could tear his arm up or worse so he opted for caution. He kept his distance and decided to use one of his daggers to cut a bit of his shoe lace off. Then in his hand run the shoelace against the floor, opting to appeal to the things animal instincts to come out and play.
[hr]
Jaden looked up, his russet eyes glinting. His eyes tracked the string, and it wasn't long before instinct took over. His paw shot out, pinning the string. He uttered a soft growl, more angry at himself for giving in to his instincts. [i]The woes of being a house cat, I suppose. Nonetheless, there's no way I can trust him,[/i] He thought, his claws catching on the lace.
[hr]
Richter smiled as his plan worked. [i]Yes finally something goes my way[/i] he thought. He put the cat on its side and kept a hand to hold its fore paws and back paws. He chuckled at the growl. "C'mon you can't be all that bad, if you still have a sense of fun."
[hr]
[i]Ah, crap,[/i] was his first thought. He tried to claw at Richter's hands, but with his paws held it was in vain. He hissed, but didn't dare try to bite Richter. He guessed that wouldn't end well. Actually, it might. He sank his teeth into Richter's hand that was holding his front paws. If he wanted to combat that, Richter would have to let go of his back paws, right?
[hr]
"Ah! Still won't give in right". He did indeed release the back paws and actually the front paws too as the bite bled and he straightened... "Look I just want to know who you are.. and even though you attacked me the deal is still up on the table. Stick with me and I could use some friends in this line of work, the boss is kinda of a jerk, fyi...."
[hr]
Jaden sighed, jumping onto the windowsill. It was painful to do so, and he guessed he probably had a broken rib from Richter. "[color=9e0b0f]Sounds like somebody I should kill,[/color]" He noted, in mention of the guard's boss. "[color=9e0b0f]What would I get from the deal?[/color]" He inquired, sitting down and licking a paw passively. Now that the dirty work was out of the way- it had been a mistake on his part- he was almost back to his usual coy self.
[hr]
Richter's face tightened as he heard that the cat was aiming to target his employer.  "No, I can't let you harm Zi, as much as he is like a control freak or whatever-there's no way I can allow that. You would get my protection and companionship, I won't allow Zi to harm you, provided you do nothing to harm any of them especially Bee in return." Watching the cat from the windowsill he hoped the deal was struck.
[hr]
"[color=9e0b0f]Deal. But if Zi tries for you, I'm hurting him,[/color]" He relented, allowing himself to lower his guard slightly. It would probably be a mistake in the future, but he prayed it would pay off. It would get him one step closer to the key, and he'd get to have a friend for a while.
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