[hr][center][h2][b]N i k k i[/b][/h2][color=808B96]the site of Max's crash; Sculpture Copse[/color][/center]
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The kid didn't bother responding to her apology, and Nikki let it go.  He was real beat up, so no sense in pushing.  Lucky for him the coon seemed to know her way round a medkit, she supposed.  She bit back a reflexive hiss as Xell plowed into her.  High, night-blind, or both, it didn't really matter, but he could have been more careful.  She herself had no trouble -- the waxing half-moon overhead gave her more than enough light to see by, even with the patchy treecover.

A quick round of musical flashlights followed, and then yet another person stumbled out of the brush.  This one was quite odd in appearance, a three-way cross -- beyond rare.

And the first thing Xell did was insult her.  Nikki snorted, not quite tickled enough to laugh, and gave his shoulder a swat.  "Rude!"  Her tone was amused, though not loud.  "Don't mind him -- like Taffy said, you're more than welcome.  Call me Nikki~"

And then they were off.  There were enough lights about that the nekomi didn't feel a need to pull out her own, especially since it wasn't particularly bright.  The dull red-orange glow wouldn't add much, and she didn't care to waste its charge.  She ended up at the fringes of the group, near the lutroi kid again since the ruddy hue of his light was the least bothersome to her vision.  It wasn't too far to the cluster of wood and metal statues, a place that always gave her a thrill of excitement when she saw it.  In the pale light of the moon, it seemed almost eerie, and she couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face.  [i]Who built them?[/i] she wondered, as she often did.  [i]And where did they end up?[/i]

With the glare of the flashlights, it was hardly surprising that they missed the young lady sitting on one of the statues at first.  Nikki gave a soft squeak of shock, but soon relaxed when the stranger spoke.  Max's curse-peppered response to the clunky joke setup left the nekomi speechless for a beat before she giggled.  It was funny, in a surreal sort of way.  "I prefer the one where two Novans walk into a bar and the nekomi ducks," she said lightly, her tail making an amused curl behind her.  "But if you've information you think we should know, I'm listening."