[center][u]Collab Between Skai and Kish[/center][/u]

"Idea? Whatcha' plannin?" Kisheto asked, almost involuntarily. He wasn't really paying attention, her words only came into the peripherals of his distorted focus. Instead, he squeezed in through the same opening that she did, taking it slow as to avoid hurting the man he carried. 

Arianna rested her rapier against the wall, then turned to face him. "It's hard for me to read minds when people are awake." She gestured for him to set Iktomi down. "Since Iktomi is in a comatose-like state, his mind is weakened enough that I could go into it and see if I can find out where we're going."

Kisheto simply continued to nod, "Yeah, uh, ok." It was quite obvious he wasn't that much concerned for how she would solve the problem at hand, he just trusted that she would. "I'll uh..." he looked around with a raised eyebrow as he gently laid Iktomi down next to Arianna. As he rose, he continued, "I guess I'll try to find some supplies in this... what is this, anyway? A bank?"

Arianna looked around, noting the different counters and desks. "It seems like it. Will you keep guard, too? I might be vulnerable while concentrating on this." She knelt down next to Iktomi, putting his head in her lap. Kisheto nodded and looked around. [i]Damn... what can I find in a bank?[/i] he thought as he walked forward, toward the entrance. From the looks of it, there was no other entrance to the worn building. After searching through a few cupboards, desks, and cracked safes, Kisheto returned to Arianna, setting a bag down next to her. "Three bottles of water, box of crackers, keys, a knife, a small backpack, and some oranges. I don't know how old any of this shit is... so... yeah," he said before turning towards the entrance and walking towards it. 

Arianna furrowed her brows slightly. How had he found so much in this bank? It must have been something left here by other passerby, or the owner had gone out for a minute and died before ever returning again. She took out the water bottle and tested some of it, then took a few sips. She hadn't realized how parched she was. After setting the bottle down, Arianna turned her attention to Iktomi. She placed two fingers against his temples, a weak spot she'd found in the mind's defenses. "I'm going in. You may use my rapier, if trouble comes," she told Kisheto before closing her eyes and focusing.

Inside of her own mind, she heard a few blips of thoughts from Kisheto, then the small buzz of Iktomi's slowed brain waves as he was in deep sleep. She focused her spirit on those waves and let her mind slip inside. Her body relaxed as she was absorbed in their minds, feeling her own brain waves slow down to match Iktomi's. It took a while of searching, and she wasn't exactly proud of what she had learned while exploring his inner conscience. Some of the things were disturbing and uncomfortable, and she wondered what he had done to have these kinds of images. She moved on, quickly moving past the ones that seemed private. Her mind seemed to hit a mental barrier, causing her to wince lightly on the outside. What caused this barrier? His kage? Or was it put up by himself? She didn't have much time to think about it before she found the address. Slowly, she began to pull her mind out of his until she was completely unconnected besides the normal one she felt. It was like waking up from a deep sleep, and it took her a little while before she could focus on the world around her. She took a deep breath and removed her fingers from his temples, the tips of them tingling.

"Whoaaa...." Kisheto looked on with wide, childish eyes, admiring the mysterious ways in which Arianna's powers worked. He couldn't see what she was seeing, but the outward effects of her powers intrigued him. It was trance-like, as if she was controlling something beyond the normal scope of a human's astral plane. While lost in his curiosity, he had completely forgotten about the fact that he was to be keeping guard.

Arianna blinked, her eyes adjusting to the growing darkness as she looked up at Kisheto. "I think I know where we're going," she said, still feeling a little out of it. She cleared her throat and picked up the water bottle again, sipping some of the refreshing water. The little stunt had probably drained some of her spirit, but she was confident that she'd be able to fight someone off if they attempted to attack. Kisheto nodded, "Sounds good, we headin' out now? I'm followin you, yo," he said as he reached for Iktomi.

Arianna took a deep breath and nodded, standing after he took Iktomi. "We should move on." She took the bag and shouldered it after putting the water bottle back into it. After picking up her rapier again, she shook off the strange feeling of using her ability and paused by the entrance. As she surveyed the street outside, there wasn't a sound but a soft breeze blowing through the city. She nodded and stepped out, heading towards the middle district.

-----

After about an hour of quietly walking through the streets, Arianna thought she was near the address she'd heard in Iktomi's head. It was completely dark, now. The only light that shown through the electric forcefield above them was that of the moon and stars, casting ominous shadows along the streets. The rubble didn't help, either. A loose metallic siding was flapping in the breeze that rolled through the streets, sendings shivers up Arianna's back. It was an odd sound compared to the quiet, desolate streets of the city. [i]We should be close,[/i] she told Kisheto, not wanting to speak aloud at night. "Finally!" Kisheto blurted out loud without thinking. The waiting had been getting to him, having walked a whole hour with even talking to the person he was walking alongsidge. On top of that, he had started to feel a bit of strain in carrying the unconcious man; he found himself changing shoulders much more frequently.

Arianna flinched, cringing as she halted in the shadows of a building. She was about to scold him for foolishly talking so loud, but she suddenly sensed a host nearby. Her body tensed, gripping the rapier tighter. Her senses went on hyper-alert as she looked around the empty street. [i]Stay here and be quiet. We have company,[/i] she told him, hoping that this host would pass them by.

----

The conduit licked his lips, scanning his surroundings with calm and collected eyes. He had heard something, and now that he concentrated, he smelt something, too. The breeze provided a marvelous advantage over the prey he smelt lurking in the shadows. Quietly, he stepped down the street, his dark hair and clothing blending in well with the shadows casted by the moon. He was hungry, and his stomach rumbled slightly at the thought of being fed. His kage growled within his mind, eager to know if his prey were hosts. "There is no need to hide," he purred into the night. His eyes watched every shadow for a hint of movement. Although he appeared empty handed, he hid a long blade up his sleeve.

Arianna was completely still, watching the dark silhouette as it neared them. [i]Shit shit shit,[/i] she hissed in her mind. The man was at least 6' 2", towering six inches taller than her, but he also appeared to be in his late thirties. Perhaps the age made him slower, and the height would slow him down. [i]Kisheto, stay here. Keep Iktomi safe no matter what happens to me.[/i] She set down the bag with their newly found water and slowly stepped out of the shadows, letting her fear take control of her so she could appear weak and defenseless to the host. "P-please don't hurt me," she stuttered, holding the rapier unskillfully in front of her. The conduit grinned, exposing his yellowed and slightly sharpened teeth. She would be easy prey. "I'm afraid I need to. You see, the society of Sovereign has changed drastically since the wall trapped us inside. It's just like the primitive world of animals in South Valira. The food chain has labeled me as a lion," he said as he pulled the blade from his sleeve and let it shine in the moonlight, "and it has labeled you as the poor gazelle."

Arianna swallowed, watching him. The blade was intimidating, but her rapier was much longer. She hoped she would be able to keep him at a distance. "Gazelle's get away sometime," she said, hoping to wipe some of that smug grin off of his face. The conduit only laughed, walking ever so closer to her. She wouldn't budge, though. He wasn't getting anywhere closer to Itkomi or Kisheto.

"Let's see how fast the gazelle can run, then," the conduit hissed as he raised his blade to his side.