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Location: Mosquito Hell
Interactions: The Team
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Vincent raised an eyebrow when Daphne said not to go higher than the trees. He looked at the tree line, then back at his wings when he realized the trees were too close for him to properly fly. After a moment, an idea came to him as he withdrew his wings and gathered the steel around his torso, forearms, and shins. Now equipped with a vest, vambraces, and greaves of steel, Vincent focused and jumped from the boat, using his power to help him jump higher and farther than he otherwise could. He landed on a lower branch of a nearby tree and looked over his shoulder. [color=teal]"I'll go on ahead, then. Let you all know if I see anything."[/color] he said before jumping further into the swamp.

As he leapt from tree to tree, Vincent found himself glad to finally be moving around, again. If nothing else, it helped keep his mind off of the relentless itching from his nigh-on countless bug bites. Though, if he had to be honest, even being out among the mosquitoes and humidity was better than being stuck at the Sanctuary. At that, the thought of KJ crossed his mind and he had to tamp down a twinge of annoyance. By this point, he understood and accepted why the decision to leave him behind had been made, so he wasn't upset over that. What annoyed him was how much easier this mission could have gone if they -- [color=teal][i]Nope, none of that,[/i][/color] he told himself as he took a seat on a branch and unwrapped a granola bar he had stashed away before the team made for Florida. [color=teal][i]What's done is done. Besides, we're doing alright, right now.[/i][/color]

He took a bite and got ready to leap to the next tree, but the sound of voices nearby stopped him. His ears twitched as he worked out which direction they were coming from, a tough task for someone without enhanced hearing and surrounded by trees that acted like natural sound breaks. Eventually, he decided to just take a guess and picked a direction at random. It only took him two more leaps before the voices became clear. "What do you mean, 'private property?' This is nature, man, no one owns nature! People gotta know more about the elusive swamp elephant!"

Vincent turned his head to find three men standing on a wooden walkway. One of them was taller than the other two, well-muscled, bald, his eyes hidden by sunglasses, and equipped with a bulletproof vest and shotgun. [color=teal][i]Obviously a guard.[/i][/color] The man standing next to him, his arms crossed, was a few inches shorter, a crown of dreadlocks on top of his head. [color=teal][i]No clue who this guy is.[/i][/color] Both men were facing the third, who wore neon green leopard-print pants, a pink tank top with some kind of logo on the chest, and had short, blonde hair. "For the last time, sir, there's no such thing," the guard was saying, clearly exasperated. "And this land was purchased by a private group. If you don't leave now, I'll have to remove you by force."

Vincent took another bite of his granola bar and said to the rest of the team, [color=teal]"Talos, here. I've got an armed guard, some dude, and Florida Man bickering. I'll wait until Florida Man gets chased off and see where they go."[/color]

Just as he said that, Vincent watched as the man with dreadlocks nudged the guard and gave a slight nod toward Florida Man. He didn't outright say anything, but Vincent's instincts clued him in on the unspoken message.

[color=teal]"Change of plans. I'm going in."[/color] Without waiting for a response, Vincent, holding onto the last half of his granola bar in his mouth, leapt from the tree. Just as the guard raised his shotgun, Vincent landed between him and Florida Man, then grabbed the end of the gun's barrel. Softening the barrel, Vincent bent it backwards until it was facing the guard and wagged the index finger on his free hand. [color=teal]"I'm no expert, but I think you'll have a bad day if you pull that trigger,"[/color] he said past the granola bar. He looked back at Florida Man and added, [color=teal]"You. Get out of here. Go chase your elephants somewhere else."[/color]

While Vincent was momentarily focused on the fleeing Florida Man, the guard let go of his shotgun and drew his combat knife. Vincent turned just in time to see the guard lunge forward, aiming for the young hero's stomach. There was a loud snap, followed by a splash as the knife's blade made contact with Vincent's carbon armor, snapped, and landed in the water. The guard, stunned, was too slow to react to Vincent's hand closing around one of the shoulder straps of his vest and even slower to react to the following hardened headbutt. He dropped the unconscious guard, then turned to Dreads. As steel encased his right hand, he asked, [color=teal]"Are you gonna behave or should I give you the same treatment?"[/color]