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[color=#A4303F][b]“You asshole,”[/b][/color] slipped out under Umbri’s breath as she followed Alex, the shock of the situation trumping her own code of ‘careful what you say’. She impulsively shoved against his back. [color=#A4303F][b]“How am I supposed to pay you back for that?!”[/b][/color]

Alex didn’t so much as stumble from the shove. Simple shrugging his shoulders while looking back at her with that same genuine smile that went all the way up to his eyes. Said eyes flashed blue for just a moment. [color=deepskyblue][b]”That’s the funny bit. [i]You don’t have to[/i].“[/b][/color] He motioned for her to follow along before holding a door open to a lovely establishment with a rather plain sign etched into an oversized cleaver in a monster skull just over the door that read “The Quality Cut.”

[color=deepskyblue][b]”I do hunting on the side for these guys so I get a nice discount. Just uh, don’t stare too much.“[/b][/color]

Umbri scowled at him. She reached for the door’s handle, gave it a yank, lost the contest between her and Alex’s arm, and the door stayed open.

[color=#A4303F][b]“Alright listen,”[/b][/color]  she hissed, leaning in and keeping her voice down, [color=#A4303F][b]“Thank you. Let me get that out of the way. Thank you for doing that for me. But listen. I don’t leave Northbridge, and I don’t ask for help. But here I am, in this [i]alien[/i] town, looking like I’m going to be thrown into a Colosseum, and I need help. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been freaking. The fuck. Out. So you have to let me pay you back. Because when you come at me with your whole -''[/b][/color]  she shook her hands at him, [color=#A4303F][b]“Your whole thing, all that’s in my head, is that the worst kind of help you can accept is the kind that parades itself as free.” [/b][/color]She shifted back and folded her arms over herself protectively, glancing away. [color=#A4303F][b]“It’s not that I don’t trust you -” [/b][/color]She did, in fact, not trust him. [color=#A4303F][b]“But you have to let me pay you back. It will scratch at me until I do.”[/b][/color]

[i]Alex’s face fell.[/i]

The smile he had the entire time they were out died on impact. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Sure . . . Sorry.“[/b][/color] The door stayed open when he let go and went inside.

The large man behind the counter greeted Alex with a grunt. Well. Man might not have been an entirely accurate word. The gentleman behind the counter making fresh cuts of meat looked like someone had taken a large wild boar and fused it with an equally large man that almost made Alex look normal by comparison. That also was probably the reason the shop's dimensions were so large. [b]”Good to see you Alexander. What can I do for you?”[/b] a deep, rumbling bass voice came from the boar man as he barely took a moment to look up and see who came in.

Alex gave a somewhat forced, halfhearted smile. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Good to see you too Mr. Houston. Lookin to get a large order. And that special request we talked about from my last hunt.“[/b][/color] He seemed a bit more . . . deflated now. Alex ignored it. Umbri didn’t need a guy like him to be personable and stuff. He was here to be useful. Do a service and get compensated for it. Wasn’t like he was expecting the one person he had met recently that knew nothing about him to accept a little kindness and not want anything in return. 

It wasn’t like he wanted to do SOMETHING, literally anything that wasn’t expected of him or needed compensation to feel just a [i]little[/i] bit better about himself. Was the world really so fucked up that wanting to be generous and charitable was an alien concept now? He could swear he could hear the faint sound of his fathers mutter yelling in the distance. His scars started to burn. The mounting frustration stopped at a sudden cracking sound that came from his pocket.

He had his back to Umbri currently and Mr.Houston didn’t seem to even flick an ear at the noise. Alex made no indication that he had heard it and moved closer to the counter.

Umbri [b]had[/b] heard it. The hairs on her neck stood up and she just looked ahead, determined to not acknowledge it. There was an oppressive tension over them now that Alex’s mood dropped. She couldn’t help but feel that she was now in a room with an angry man.

This is why you [b]keep your mouth shut,[/b] girl.

Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. She walked to the only display of live beasts in the shop, some naked rodents rolling over each other in their cage. Her brow furrowed in sympathy. They didn’t shine, but there was a certain… spark, in each of them. She was in the right direction.

[color=#A4303F][b]“How many of these would substitute for a human?”[/b][/color] She murmured thoughtlessly. Definitely not just the ten available in front of her. She looked back around at the meat on display, vibrant and fresh and so unlike the scraps shipped off to Northbridge, but also… dead. [color=#A4303F][b]“When Jemma was in my head, I saw things. I don’t know if it was real, but she sees it that way. Everything… shines there. This doesn’t.”[/b][/color] She started, trying to soften the crazy-factor of her thought process. [color=#A4303F][b]“None of this meat still has its soul.”[/b][/color] [i]Brighter the soul, the more tempting. Like his.[/i] She shook the unwanted thought away and leaned on the counter, craning her neck back to take in the massive boar man. [color=#A4303F][b]“Have you got any Threshers still alive back there?”[/b][/color]

Alex’s brow furrowed at Umbri’s explanation. Concerning was one way to look at it. Also apparently Jemma had some minor form of Trump power if Umbri apparently had one of her senses now. The idea that Jemma might have also been a Master did cross his mind, but those that could control people were almost as rare as thinkers. We’ll go with trump. The mention of souls is as ominous. Granted, if he had to guess it might have had something to do more with advanced synapses and developed brains. “Brighter” lights and all that. A built in ability to help facilitate Jemma’s “hunting” more than likely. Multiple Powers in an individual tended to daisy chain together to help one another, Jemma’s new biology probably needed that “Shine” to help fuel it outside of just calories and meat.

Mr.Houston finally came to a good stopping point with his cutting answer Umbri. [b]”As a matter of fact, I do. Bastard is still kicking something fierce. Things an Apex variant if you can believe it, Hazard rating two if I’m measuring it right.”[/b] 

The idea of an Apex core potentially staving Jemma off from . . . accidentally eating someone for any amount of time was too good a chance to pass up. [color=deepskyblue][b]”I’ll take it. Live.“[/b][/color] 

The boar man emoted for the first time since the two entered his shop. Which came out as a short lived grunt of surprise. [b]”I know your pretty strong Alexander but are you sur-“[/b] he didn’t get to finish as a string of clatter was tossed down on the counter. Mr.Houston scratched at his chin hair, still looking somewhat concerned. [b]”Look, I know you're probably a bit irritated from not getting anything from the early hunt. But a live Apex is really hard to-“[/b] Two more strings were tossed on the counter in response. Umbri’s eyes grew two sizes at the sight of them.

The two men stared each other down for a good moment before an understanding was met and the butcher opened up the counter and motioned the two to follow him to the back. Alex still showed none of the mirth he had before coming to the shop.

Umbri hesitated to follow after them. The thunderous roar and bone-shaking hiss of the Threshers she’d encountered whistled by her ears, like their ghosts were hovering right over her back. She looked back at the pile of clat left on the counter. Then she fished a smaller, lighter string from her pocket and laid it out beside them before jogging over to follow close to Alex’s back.

The light from the thing wasn’t intense. But the HEAVILY restrained beast struggling in its reinforced cage lit up like it was under a black light. It was like an iridescent black viber had been fused with a leopard and given spikes and barbs all across its spine. Its spots glowed a sickly green all across its body. Equally venomous eyes glared balefully at the three as they entered the larger holding pen.

Alex noted how the paws on its four limbs were still bloody. Probably from having its claws ripped out. Only thing to worry about besides its solidly muscular form was the jaws then. Mr.Houston hadn’t put up any of the power related ranger signs. So either it had no offensive powers or it was already neutralized. Well. At least one thing was going right today.

Not wanting to put it off. Alex strode up to the cage. In a snap, his fist flew forward at speeds only hyperdense muscles and superhuman tendons could feasibly achieve. Alex’s punch shattered enough for Umbri to hear. He made no attempts to interact with the woman further, but clearly didn’t seem bothered if she stuck around or left. 

Umbri stood there a moment, looking at the door. The snuffling of the beast pulled at her heart and ear but she started to walk out. She spared it one last glance at it bashing against the cage before exiting and wiped under her eyes.

Alex didn’t bat an eye as the thing renewed it’s struggling, straining to roar in pain through its mangled jaws and the damaged muzzle biting into its flesh. [color=deepskyblue][b]”There. Should be safer to transport now..“[/b][/color] he grabbed a rag nearby and cleaned the blood from his hand, none of which was his own.

Umbri’s gasp was just short of a scream as Alex’s fist connected. Her hands slapped over her mouth and she held back. This being still had its soul. She’d found Jemma’s ‘sandwich’. And her eyes were getting redder and damper as they looked between Alex’s bloody hand and its bleeding paws. Its pupils dilated frantically over the torn skin hanging from its jaw. She was ashamed to meet them.

[color=#A4303F][b]“How are we - God - how will we do that?”[/b][/color]  she asked with a dry mouth.

[b]”Can get the thing delivered where you need it in less than an hour.[/b] Mr.Houston spat on the floor and gave an indignant snort. [b]”Good riddance if you ask me. Damn thing almost killed five people. Two are in need of cyberware now if they want to walk again.[/b]

Glaring back at the Thresher, Alex gave a nod. [color=deepskyblue][b]”Get it sent to Black Iron. Back entrance, and keep it somewhat discrete please.“[/b][/color] He looked over to Umbri, and the sharpness to his face softened somewhat. Clearly she was not ok with what she had just seen. He started to lift a hand and ask . . . Shit asking if she was ok was stupid. What could he say to comfort her right now anyway? Was she even going to be comfortable around a man that just showed off that he could probably kill the average man with a punch?

[color=deepskyblue][b]”I . . . I’ll be outside.“[/b][/color] he broke eye contact and quickly slipped past the two. The sound of the door's bell ringing could be faintly heard as he stepped out.

Umbri was met with the face of a boar showing very human concern as Mr.Houston looked between her and when Alex had just left. [b]”Guess I have a delivery to make.”[/b] The man lumbered to the cage and went about triple  checking everything. [b]”Hope the big guy’s alright. Never seen him that out of it before.”[/b] he said mostly to himself, though it was clearly said loud enough for Umbri to hear. He made no attempts to interact with the woman further, but clearly didn’t seem bothered if she stuck around or left.