[IC] The Many Adventures of the Life Guards (Shade and Diz)

[MonsieurShade]

Manny's ears perked slightly at the sound of a cage falling somewhere behind him, however the kestrel's constant harassment left him with practically no time to turn and reprimand Reece for his actions. The kestrel meanwhile started to alter it's attacks a bit, Kassy's mental suggestion having cut slightly through the haze that clouded the raptor's mind. The concept of a friend was a foreign thought to the creature, however it's mind was able to conjure up the closest thing, which was "non-threat", or rather the avian equivalent to it anyway. The second suggestion further cleared the bird's mind, and it's message was only too easy to decipher.

The bird swooped over Manny's head with confidence that it had not previously displayed, to which Manny could only respond with a chocked back growl of frustration. Everything about this was bad; bad for business, bad for his reputation, and bad for his goddamn blood pressure. Watching Reece's piss poor attempts to catch the bird only served to exacerbate the situation. For a moment Manny entertained the idea of just shooting Reece after it was done and they were on their way back, perhaps halfway through the trip so that the body could be weighed down and chucked overboard without anyone noticing. He entertained this thought, then he squinted a bit at his cohort. Something seemed off about "Reece", but he couldn't quite place what it was. Was Reece a bit shorter than he'd remembered? No that wasn't it. His hair? Was it darker or lighter than he'd last seen it? Manny couldn't tell, such details were always so unimportant until they were necessary.
Once more his pondering was interrupted, first by the Kestral taking a swipe at his goggled face with wicked talons- something he'd barely managed to dodge- and then again by a sharp yelp as the rhinoceros calf saw fit to charge Percy and strike the behemoth man in the groin with it's nubby horn. Things were getting more out of hand by the minute "Find a net or something you buffoon! Or Would you rather it shred your hands while you paw at it?!" he finally barked to Reece as he remembered what he'd been asked.

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Right, right, sorry! I'll go get it!" Kassy dashed off, looking like a harried employee eager to get away from an upset boss. Truthfully, she was very happy to get some distance between them. Manny was a lot smarter than she expected. She saw him looking, really looking, and knew that he probably would have broken her illusion if he'd concentrated much longer. Thankfully that lovely warrior bird had understood, and helped her.

In the guise of looking for a net, she moved around the area, putting thoughts of hostility into each of the animals, prodding them to attack the two criminals. Some of the animals didn't respond; the tranquilizer must have been preventing them from moving. Others started to go after the small woman, and when she was good and distracted, she faded into invisibility.

Too bad she was without her staff- this would go a lot smoother. But she couldn't have taken it safely where she'd been tonight. No matter. She wasn't able to attack head on like Pulse, but only the brave or foolish looked a shark in the mouth. She padded up, invisible and silent, behind the small woman, and then she reached out fast, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck in the chokehold that Pulse had taught her to perform. She held on, tight, knowing there would be a struggle coming.

[MonsieurShade]

Manny scowled as he watched Reece trundle off to acquire something to catch that damned bird. He was going to shoot him. He was going to shoot him in his stupid underachieving face. At least, that's what Manny told himself. What he refused to admit was that he was absolutely certain that something was off about the subordinate, and that he couldn't place what exactly it was. The animals awakened by Kassy began to whip themselves into a frenzy and attempt to force their way out of their prisons. It wasn't until a few of them actually managed to do so that Manny was made to scramble to try and lock them back in while also trying to avoid getting clawed by the sea going raptor. With Manny distracted, and Percy still reeling from his latest injury no one was any the wiser when Viola was subjected to a two pronged attack. She'd just barely managed to prize a particularly vicious coati from her arm when she'd felt the strong grasp of Kassy lock around her throat. "Wh-" She'd started to hiss before her airway was block off by the pressure.

Viola began to struggle violently against her unseen attacker, unable to call out beyond a few soft rasps to Percy, whom had just barely began to rise before he found himself tackled by what may have been the most aggressive creature that had been aboard the ship: A tasmanian devil. What the beast lacked in size it more than made up for in ferocity, biting and clawing, and lashing about in a frenzy as it cried it's hateful cry. As if heeding the will of all that was malevolent in the universe, a honey badger and a wolverine cub swiftly joined the frenzy, putting on a violent show that even Pulse himself probably would have had a hard time trying to match. The big man screamed and flailed about, adrenaline rushing through his system as he tried to dislodge the malefic trifecta from his person, still unaware of his partner's dilemma. The rhino calf, meanwhile, continued it's trot along the beach.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Kassy ground her heels into the sand as much as she could, and continued to hold the woman. As she did so, she spoke into Viola's mind.

Yes, I know. This is quite unfair, isn't it? Nothing honorable about choking a person until they're a drooling mess. Pulse knows this, I do as well - I'm sure you know it too, but just in case you don't... There is no honor in true war. Someone wants you dead and there will be no chance to defend, no moment to pick up your sword, just... you die, or you kill.

She could feel the woman scratching at her arms, trying to yank her free. But soon enough the fight started to wane from her.

You're very lucky I do not wish you dead, because my voice would be the last you hear. Maybe when you wake up you'll take a long look at your path.

Viola went limp and Kassy quickly let go, checking the fallen woman's pulse. Still there. With as much speed as she could muster, she pulled the woman across the sand and out of sight. Then Kassy exhaled and reappeared, trying to gather her strength again. Holding an illusion that long was draining - she would eat well tonight. She could hear the struggle of the last member of their group, being attacked by the creatures she'd riled. She wanted to laugh - if only Pulse could be here to see this!

But no, this man was the most dangerous by far and not just due to that gun. Until he was down, this wasn't over. Exhaling, she resummoned the Reece illusion, and rushed over, waving her arms wildly. "Hey, get off him, scat, shoo!"

[MonsieurShade]

Viola hadn't had much time to process what was going on before she'd blacked out, her final thoughts and emotions as she had slipped into unconsciousness being those of fear and panic at what the voice that had whispered to her mind had possibly belonged to. In his mounting fury Percy had remained entirely ignorant of the downfall of another of his associates, being entirely too wrapped up in not having his face and other extremities torn from his body. Kassy's return and subsequent flailing at the beasts had thankfully provided enough of a distraction for the behemoth to get the upper hand in freeing himself of the hate orgy that he'd unwillingly become part of. The wolverine cub came crashing roughly onto the sand, followed by Percy's massive boot. With the little beast pinned beneath his foot, it took every ounce of willpower he had not to crush it to death. Said willpower was then forced to fight a battle on two fronts as the throat of the devil found its way into one of his hands. With the two subdued Percy was left with one hellion left.

Unlike the other two however, the young honey badger was not nearly as keen on getting caught; digging its claws and teen into Percy's back and shoulder blades and he twisted to and fro to try and dislodge it. With his patience and energy running low, Percy turned to Kassy with bloodshot eyes and growled out three words: "Get. It. Off.".

[Mistress Dizzy]

"Sure thing, sure thing!" Kassy said in Reece's voice, trying not to laugh. It was a lovely sight, watching this big man cowed by a tiny animal. "Here, boss, let me help!" She moved forward, leaping toward the man's back in a dramatic show of trying to pull free the badger. "This little furry brat is tough." She made sure that the creature's claws were dug in before she pulled. Beating this man was not going to be easy, and something small in her was wishing she called for Pulse's help at the start. But no, she had to provide to him that she wasn't a weakling, that she wasn't his leash - that she was a warrior too.

"I got it, I got it-" She yanked free the badger, and removed the gun from Percy's holster. It was time to be done with this. "Are you okay, boss?"