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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow straightened his posture and turned to Olivia as she announced that they should split up. He nodded in agreement, having already expected they would part ways to cover ground more quickly. In addition to that, he also knew it would be better for them to speak with the people in the tavern either individually or in pairs, since approaching them all together might cause the villagers to be warier of answering their questions honestly. Splitting up was their best option if they wanted to have any chance of finding out if the thieves they were after had passed through Whitebridge.

“Do you mind if I stick with you, Penelope?”

The thief stiffened slightly as Gavin spoke up. He turned towards him with a narrowed gaze, already catching on to the game the knight was playing. He had been hoping to work with Penelope and pair Gavin off with Olivia, but that plan obviously wasn’t going to work now that the female knight had already wandered off to interrogate villagers on her own. Glancing towards Penelope, he frowned as she agreed to work with her former suitor. The thought of the two knights going off alone together sent a pang of annoyance through him, but, unable to think of a good excuse to separate them, he just shrugged.

“I guess so,” he muttered, unable to stop the hint of jealousy that slipped into his voice. Casting one last irritable glance at Gavin, he headed over to another table of peasants, brushing the knight’s shoulder with his own as he walked past him.

Not wanting to use the same method twice, he slid into an open seat at their table with a friendly grin. “Anyone up for a few rounds of passe-dix?” he said challengingly, holding up the coin purse he had snatched from Gavin’s pocket as he had passed him earlier. He smirked to himself. The knight may have won Penelope’s time once, but that didn’t mean the thief was going to let him get away with it.

Of course, the villagers were more than willing to gamble—especially after they saw how much money Crow was putting on the table—so they had more than enough participants to start the game. As they played, even more people gathered around the table to watch. This worked in Crow’s favor, as he added in a rule that any time someone lost a stake—which happened quite often—everyone had to take a shot. Naturally, he only pretended to drink as the game wore on, since he wanted to be clearheaded enough to interrogate them, but all of the men and women who had joined the table quickly lost themselves to the alcohol’s effects.

After a while, when it looked like they were all good and drunk, Crow stood up from the table. “I have to say, luck wasn’t in my favor tonight,” he sighed, stifling a smirk as he retrieved the coin purse, which had been emptied aside from a few silver coins.

“Better luck next time, eh, thief?” one of the men shot him an intoxicated grin as he flaunted his winnings.

“I hope so,” he shook his head, holding out his hands in a helpless shrug. “Either way, next time won’t be tonight. I’m all out.” He paused, as if struck with another thought, and turned back to the small crowd of villagers. “By the way, have any of you seen a group of travelers pass through recently? They’d be about ten or more people from this kingdom. I’m looking for a man amongst them who owes me some money. If I find him, I’ll come back for another game of passe-dix.” He grinned at them challengingly, hoping they would take the bait.

“Sorry,” the man shook his head. “Haven’t seen anyone like that.”

“I saw a group of seven three days ago,” a woman spoke up with a frown. “But they were all from Gorm.”

“Oh yeah, I remember them,” another woman nodded. “I also remember there was quite a good-looking man among them.”

“Ooh, you mean the one with those gorgeous blue eyes, right?”

“Yes, yes! That’s the one. I nearly swooned when he looked at me…”

Crow sighed as the conversation quickly derailed. It seemed like no one had run into the thieves he was looking for after all. They must not have traveled through Whitebridge, he thought contemplatively. Maybe they went south after all… or straight to Younis. He knitted his brow in concern. It was still possible that Jaxon had decided to go right to the Younisian baron for his pay. If they had traveled without stopping, there would have been no reason for them to make a detour by any of the villages.

Having finished questioning the villagers at his table, he headed back to the front of the tavern to meet up with the others and find out if they’d had better luck.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's such a show off xD
Low key always have so much fun when I write for his character

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As the group walked along the main road in Whitebridge, Crow’s eyes wandered over the houses that lined the edge of the road. He was pleased to see that the people of this village seemed to be doing well since the last two battles. They were probably still in good spirits since the Brerratic knights had kept the Younisians away last time. The thought brought a faint smile to his lips. While most of war was terrible, and he wished it wasn’t happening, he supposed there was one good thing that came out of it. The villagers appeared to have a newfound sense of appreciation for life. Whenever battles weren’t happening, they enjoyed every moment with the people they cared about, whether they be friends or family. It was an interesting sight to see.

As they approached the tavern, he glanced down at Penelope, who had asked him if there was anything else they should know. He took a moment to ponder the question before answering, “Well, a large group would be the most striking detail to any of the people here, since most travelers are alone or in groups of twos or threes.” He looked up again as they neared the building. “Also, the last time I saw them, Jaxon’s group was made up solely of thieves from this kingdom, so if anyone says they’ve seen a group of travelers from Younis or Waithen or anywhere else, they’re not the ones we’re looking for.

“As for specific details, I can’t say for certain who is still part of his band, so it will be hard to narrow it down past ‘big group,’ unfortunately,” he shrugged. “But that should be enough, since any group of travelers larger than three people is quite uncommon out here.” He stood back as Gavin pulled open the door to the tavern for the others. He offered the knight a curt nod in acknowledgement of the gesture and then stepped inside.

The tavern was bustling with activity. Groups of peasant men and women sat around at different tables, talking and laughing loudly amongst each other. Most of them were drunk and quite rowdy, which was a good sign to Crow, because it meant they would probably be loose lipped. He smiled to himself. It seemed they had come on a good night.

Turning back to the others, he held out one hand in a sweeping gesture, “Welcome to the Wild Lion tavern.” In the next moment, he ducked as an empty ale mug flew over his head, thrown haphazardly by a man on the other side of the room.

“Charming,” Gavin muttered dryly, wrinkling his nose with distaste.

“Well, I like it,” Olivia grinned, her eyes alight with excitement as she looked over the chaotic scene. “This is my kind of place.”

“Just don’t forget the rules,” Crow reminded her with a roll of his eyes. “Also, it might be a good idea not to mention that you’re knights. Since none of the people here are very fond of nobles, I can’t imagine they’d react well to finding that out, especially since it looks like almost everyone here is intoxicated.”

“So, basically, you want us to keep every part of this mission a secret,” Gavin narrowed his eyes distrustfully.

“Now you’re getting it,” Crow smirked at him.

“How are we supposed to get anything done if we can’t specify who we’re looking for, and we can’t use any authority to get anyone to talk?” Gavin crossed his arms. “It almost seems like you don’t want us find anything out.”

“If you can’t think of any way to interrogate someone without lording your status over them, you’re more hopeless than I thought,” the thief sighed. “You don’t need any of those things to get information… You know what? I’ll show you.” He looked over the people in the tavern until he found a viable target. Glancing back at the knight, he winked slyly. “Watch and learn.”

Without waiting for a reply, he made his way through the wild crowd, weaving effortlessly between the groups with skill that came from years of practice. His target was a short, tipsy looking man with scraggly black hair and a full beard. The man was engaged in a conversation with a few friends and didn’t notice the thief approaching until he had stopped behind him and cleared his throat.

The scruffy man turned around and quirked a brow in surprise when he recognized Crow. “What’s this about, huh?” he growled. “You ain’t here to steal from me are ya? ‘Cause I don’t go down without a fight.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Crow scoffed. “I’m not here for you. I’m looking for someone, and I have a good reason to believe he passed through here recently.”

“Are you lookin’ to steal from him then?”

“No,” the thief answered airily. However, in the next moment, his demeanor changed, and he slammed one hand down on the table, causing the men to flinch. He narrowed his eyes, meeting the man’s gaze coldly. “The bastard owes me money, and I’m here to collect. Now then,” he stood up straight again, resuming his mild attitude once more. “Have you seen a big group pass through recently?—Think at least ten people. The scumbag I’m looking for would have been traveling with them.”

“Can’t say that I have,” the bearded man shook his head and turned to his friends. “How about any of you blokes? Seen any travelers like that?”

“Not that many,” a sandy-haired man shrugged. “I would’ve remembered a group that big.” The others nodded in agreement.

Crow eyed them for a moment until he decided they were telling the truth. Keeping up his act, he muttered a curse and folded his arms over his chest. “That sly bastard must have gone to Grimsby,” he said, tapping his foot with mock frustration. “Thanks anyway. Here’s a little something for your trouble.” He tossed the scraggly man a silver coin before turning around to head back to the knights.

When he reached them, he leaned forward in a garish bow and shot Gavin an arrogant smirk, “And that, good sir, is how it’s done.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Feel free to throw in a time skip to Whitebridge if you want to. I don't think they have much else to do before then ^^
Or I could do it in my next post if you'd prefer that

Okay! Have fun with your fam cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow remained a bit more alert than he had been before as the group continued on their way to Whitebridge. After running into Layth and his men, he’d had his fill of unexpected encounters with patrols for the day. He hoped the rest of their trip would be less eventful. His eyes wandered to Gavin again as he thought about how it had been the knight’s carelessness that had gotten them into trouble in the first place. If they got spotted again before they made it past the camp, he had half a mind to just run and bring Penelope with him. Unfortunately, he knew she wouldn’t be as willing to abandon her comrades as he was.

He squeezed her hand as he felt her fall in step a little closer to him. Glancing down at her, he noticed that she had a focused expression on her face, and he could tell that the run-in with her brother had left her unnerved as well. She was probably just as concerned as he was about being seen by any other knights.

As Penelope and Olivia began to chide Gavin about his mistake, Crow held his tongue. He could have taken the opportunity to prod at the knight with them, but after seeing the embarrassed expression on Gavin’s face, he could tell the message had already gotten across. There was no reason for him to beat a dead horse, so instead, he said nothing on the matter and continued to keep watch for patrols as they walked.

“It will be good to stay alert, but I doubt we’ll have any trouble with the guards in Whitebridge,” Crow said when there was a lull in the conversation. As a local from the outer villages, he thought it would be a good idea to share some of what he knew about the place they were headed with the knights. “We’re going to be searching the tavern, and the knights there tend to stay away from it. They think they’re better than the people of the village, and they keep their own stock of liquor, so they have no reason to go there unless they’re already looking for someone.” He turned to the others. “As long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves, they should leave us alone.”

“Define ‘draw attention to ourselves,’” Olivia said with a challenging smirk.

“It’s pretty simple really,” Crow shrugged, ignoring her expression. “Don’t get drunk and don’t start any fights.”

“What’s the point of even going to a tavern if you’re going to take all the fun out of it?” Olivia pouted.

“Oh, and another thing,” Crow went on without answering her question. “While we’re there, avoid telling anyone we’re looking for a group of thieves and don’t mention any names.” He met their gazes in turn. “There may be more crime in the outer villages, but that doesn’t mean every villager we speak with will approve of it. Just say we were wondering if there was a large group of travelers that passed through and ask for details about what they looked like if anyone saw anything. The people of Whitebridge don’t often turn to their guards for help, but they might if they think there’s a band of thieves living near their village. We don’t need them sticking their noses into this, because they’ll just make it harder for us to catch Jaxon.”

“If they’re so worried about criminals, then why wouldn’t they be concerned about you?” Gavin eyed him suspiciously. “You’d think the villagers wouldn’t want an infamous thief around.”

“They don’t like it when I visit, but they tolerate me,” Crow smirked at him proudly. “I’m not going to give you any of the details, but I will tell you that I have a better reputation amongst peasants than I do among nobles.” As long as he kept bringing the villagers money to help pay their taxes and helping them in the war, they had agreed not to turn him in to the local guards. It was a deal he had made in all of the villages that were intolerant of thievery, and it had worked well for everyone involved. The peasants survived tax season, and the thief could trust that his location was kept secret from the knights.

“They’ve made an exception for me, but they won’t do the same thing for a group they’re unfamiliar with,” Crow continued. “It’s just a safer move for us to keep the details of our search private, so less people try to get involved. That way, it’s less likely that word will get back to Jaxon that anyone has been looking for him in Whitebridge. Understand?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

True xD He's going to struggle working with the other three, since none of them mind breaking the rules
And Crow has no rules to begin with lol

--

EDIT: I got invited to a Christmas party tonight, so I won't be on much after 7 or 8 ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As the knights came closer, it grew harder for Crow to resist the urge to run. They were now near enough that he had to turn his face away, so they wouldn’t recognize him. Staring down at the ground, he fidgeted anxiously with the hilt of his dagger beneath his cloak, tempted to draw the blade, but holding himself back since he didn’t want to bring the knights’ attention to himself. His heart fluttered nervously in his chest as his mind raced to come up with options for himself if Gavin should fail to lead the other patrol off his trail.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of very many good ideas. His best bet would be to keep his face hidden if the knights approached him and take on an accent to change his voice. However, even that would only get him so far if they insisted on seeing his face. He let out his breath in a quiet sigh. As much as he didn’t want to get Penelope into trouble again, it was starting to look like he was just going to have to run if the patrol recognized him.

He glanced at her as she suddenly told Olivia to wait with him and began to approach the other knights with Gavin. Though the part of him that was jealous for her time didn’t like her going anywhere alone with her ex suitor, he was relieved she was going to help him come up with a lie to throw the patrol off. He knew nothing about Gavin’s ability to trick his comrades, but he knew he could trust her to think of something believable enough to convince them.

He hung back with Olivia, straining to listen to their conversation so he could be ready to run if he still needed to. As he did, he bristled at the sound of a familiar voice amongst the crowd. Of course, they just had to have the misfortune of running into Penelope’s brother, Layth of all people. He cursed under his breath, gripping the hilt of his dagger more seriously now that he knew Layth was the one they had to convince. If the knight decided to be disagreeable, he was going to be prepared to fight.

“Not a fan of Penelope’s charming little brother, huh?” Olivia eyed him with amusement as she noticed the way he had stiffened upon hearing Layth’s voice.

“Let’s just say the few times I’ve run into him haven’t been the most pleasant experiences of my life,” Crow muttered, recalling his first meeting with Layth two years back, their fight in the war, and the time when he had been caught by him and tortured for information. If his run-ins with the knight continued on the trajectory they were headed down now, he didn’t even want to think about what might happen the next time they confronted each other. As long as he had something to do about it, he was going to keep prolonging that encounter for as long as he could.

“Hm,” Olivia smirked. “I can’t say I blame you for disliking him after that little show he put on in our camp. That pretty face of yours was quite a mess when he was through with it. Although…” she folded her arms over her chest thoughtfully. “I have to wonder which of you would win in a fight if he didn’t have the advantage of chaining you to a tree. What do you think?”

Crow snorted, “Penelope didn’t tell you about the first battle in Grimsby?”

“Oh, she told me,” Olivia met his gaze with a sly expression. “But I only heard her side of the story: How you had nearly killed her brother and ended up stabbing her instead. I have to say, that’s not the best way to win a woman’s heart, Crow.”

The thief flushed and averted his gaze. He still felt guilty for what he’d done to her in that battle, even though she had said she’d forgiven him. The image of his blade sinking into her shoulder was burned into his memory like a nightmare he couldn’t forget. He wished he could change what had happened somehow to prevent her from getting hurt. “It sounds like you already know the answer to your question then,” he said bitterly.

“You’re not going to give me any of the details?” Olivia frowned disappointedly.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” he mumbled, turning away from her to cast a furtive glance towards the others. It looked like Penelope and Gavin had convinced Layth’s patrol that he was just an ordinary peasant. Now that the immediate danger had passed, he relaxed, though he narrowed his eyes as he heard Layth criticize Penelope for working with someone who was beneath them. He scoffed and shook his head. Her brother’s arrogance continued to astound him, and he couldn’t wait for their patrol to find and capture Jaxon and his men, if only to prove to him and the other elitist knights that the commoners could be useful too.

Eventually, Layth’s patrol left, and Penelope and Gavin walked back over to Crow and Olivia. The thief was quick to rejoin Penelope’s side, and as soon as her brother passed out of sight, he reached to take her hand in his. He smiled at her fondly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’re getting good at this. He didn’t even doubt you for a second.”

Gavin eyed them for a moment and then turned away again with a frown. “We should keep moving,” he announced curtly. His voice was laced with annoyance, though Crow couldn’t tell if it was because of watching him and Penelope together or because he was uncomfortable knowing just how smooth of a liar the female knight had become.

The thief gave a shrug in response and followed along as Gavin took the lead again. This time, they all walked at a slightly quicker pace, eager to get away from the knights’ camp so they wouldn’t risk running into any more patrols.

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

So psyched to be getting this off the ground~

I remastered my intro post from our last RP to fit the new character. Hope it's good enough!

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Caeyin

Age: 20

Race: Lunairan

Bio: Caeyin has only ever known the inside of a spaceship. He was born after the Lunairans fled from their own dying planet in search of a new land to call home, and he was only four when they found the Earth. The Lunairans spent the next five years analyzing and monitoring the planet, occasionally sending down spies once they realized how similar they looked to the dominant race: humans. Caeyin’s father was one of these spies. He was also part of a squadron that spread the Plague.

Until that day, Caeyin’s father was the one who taught him about the humans and their planet. He always had interesting stories and tales of fascinating inventions. Caeyin was immediately taken in by the humans’ ingenuity and secretly admired them for their efforts, though he never told anyone about this. Not even his father.

Towards the end of the first infiltration wave, his father’s luck ran out. His ship was attacked by the humans in a last ditch attempt to stave off the Lunairans. No one survived. Caeyin was initially angry when he found out that the beings he had so admired had killed his father, but after a while, that anger gave way to understanding. The humans were being forced off their own planet by a group of foreign beings they had never encountered before. It was only natural to fight back. He came to accept that his father had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His mother didn’t share his opinion. She developed a burning hatred for the creatures that murdered her mate. She wanted to launch a full-scale attack to avenge him, but the Higher Powers refused to let her take their fighter ships. They were set on their plan of letting the Plague do the work so they wouldn’t need to shed any of their own blood. His mother would not stand for it. One night, she stole a solo-fighter ship and piloted it down to the Earth to strike back at the humans. It was still early enough that the Plague had barely taken effect, so the humans were strong enough to fight. They shot her down in a matter of minutes.

Unbeknownst to her, Caeyin had also snuck on board her ship. Being young and not understanding what she had been about to do, he was taken down with her. However, by some miracle, he made it out of the crash with his life. He came away severely injured and disoriented, and he passed out almost immediately upon seeing his mother's dead body. What happened next was all a blur. He vaguely remembered someone finding him and nursing him back to health, but as years went on, the memory faded and he assumed it must have been one of his people, since he had ended up back on the Lunairan ship again after the incident.

As he got older, Caeyin slowly moved past losing his parents in the war against the humans. He focused instead on his studies that would determine his future career. It was about this time that he learned he had a slightly unique ability that none of his peers shared. Instead of simply sharing visions and thoughts with others telepathically, he figured out that he was able to completely take over a target's optical pathways to make them see hallucinations.

As soon as his teachers realized his distinguishing capabilities, he was immediately placed into training to become a foot soldier for the Lunairan military. He learned to use his enhanced telepathic abilities to fight by making his opponents blinded by hallucinations during a battle. In practicing this, he discovered that he was only able to target one opponent at a time with the trick, but in one on one matches, he was unbeatable.

His instructors were pleased with his capabilities, but unfortunately, the feelings did not extend to his peers. The other Lunairans in the military training program found his unique ability both strange and frightening. Because of this, they distanced themselves from Caeyin, distrusting of him since he didn't fit the same mold as everyone else.

So, when he found out he had been chosen by the Higher Powers to scout out the Earth in search of any living humans, he was more than happy to go and leave his suspicious peers behind.

Other: Marked on his right wrist with traditional Lunairan brandings for bloodline and military rank.

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Caeyin itched to stand and stretch his legs.

He wasn’t sure how long he and the other Scouts had been sitting in the pitch black, metal box that was the cargo hold, but it had been long enough that he was growing restless. His luminescent eyes flicked across the faces of the other Lunairans in the room. Aside from their bright, violet irises, he wasn’t able to see any of them clearly in the darkness, but he could tell that they were just as agitated as he was. Faint shuffling sounds came from the other side of the hold as they shifted and fidgeted with nervous energy, every one of them eager to get out of the enclosed space. They were all footsoldiers of the Lunairan military, born and bred to fight, so none of them were used to sitting still for prolonged periods of time. To Caeyin, the flight to the Earth bordered on torturous.

He drew his legs to his chest and closed his eyes. The cargo hold wasn’t properly insulated, and he was beginning to feel a bit cool. He gauged the room to be at a temperature where water would freeze, as he could see faint traces of his breath in the darkness as it warmed the air in front of his face. There were plenty of other, better ships the Higher Powers could have let the Scouts use for the trip, but they didn’t want to “waste resources.” At least, that was their excuse for sending the Scouts on their mission in the old cargo ship. Supposedly, the military-grade crafts were currently being used to protect the Lunairan mother ship, located just beyond the planet’s atmosphere, and none could be spared for such an anecdotal assignment.

Caeyin suspected that in truth, the Higher Powers didn’t believe all the humans had been killed in the Plague, and they didn’t want to risk losing an armed ship to the Earthlings if the Scouts came under attack. Of course, they would never hint at such a possibility to the Scouts. It would cause some unwanted setbacks if anyone tried to abandon the mission for fear of encountering living humans, and they wouldn’t want the Lunairans on the mothership to worry that their potential new home was still infested with the primitive, violent beings.

Shifting uncomfortably against the wall of the cargo hold, Caeyin stretched out his legs again to prevent his muscles from growing stiff. Between the length of the flight and the low temperature of the hold, it was no simple task. He let out his breath in another puff of warm air, fighting the urge to get up yet again. There was no telling when they would hit the Earth’s atmosphere, so all of the Scouts had been instructed to remain seated for the duration of the trip. It was a difficult order to follow.

In an attempt to stave off his restlessness, he opened the bag of equipment he had been provided with before he had boarded the ship. He still couldn’t see very well in the darkness, so he used his hands to figure out what the objects inside were by touch. He reached in and picked them up one at a time, tracing his fingers carefully over each item. From what he could tell, he had been given three empty containers, a recording device, and a few packets of dehydrated food. There was another object at the bottom of the bag as well, but he couldn’t tell what it was, so he left it alone for now.

Caeyin startled slightly as the ship began to rumble and groan. It seemed they were entering the atmosphere of the plant, and he was suddenly glad that he had followed his orders and stayed seated. He looked to the eyes of the other foot soldiers in the hold, which were alight with a mixture of fear and excitement. It was the first time in many years that a Lunairan was going to set foot on the Earth, and none of them knew what to expect. Caeyin was even more enthralled by the idea of exploring the new planet than the others were. His father had been amongst the last group to travel to the Earth—he had been one of the soldiers assigned to spread the Plague—and he had told Caeyin stories about the humans and their home. Everything about the creatures had fascinated him, and now it was his turn to see this mysterious place with his own two eyes.

The ship lurched as it landed, and he could hear more shuffling as the others stood up. His heart began to race as he followed their lead, but his excitement was interrupted when the door to the hold slid open, and he was momentarily blinded by a flood of light. He squinted and shielded his eyes with one hand. Their Pilot stood in the entryway, silhouetted against the sunlight. After taking a moment to adjust to the brightness, the Scouts moved to stand in a line before him with the rehearsed efficiency from their military training.

Caeyin fell into the end of the line, slightly more distant from the rest of the Scouts. He wasn’t well liked by any of them due to a physical discrepancy that set him apart from what was considered “normal” in their society. For that reason, he often hovered away from the masses whenever they were called into formation. He had found that whenever he did this, they casted him less dirty looks, and he was able to get by without drawing as much attention to himself.

Once all of the soldiers were standing at attention, the Pilot began to address them.

“As you already know,” his violet eyes swept over them. “We will only linger here long enough to verify the extinction of the humans before we return to the base. You have each been provided with enough food for two days, containers to collect physical samples if you find anything worth noting, a recorder for visual and audio samples, and finally,” the Pilot’s expression turned cold. “In the rare event that you encounter any living humans, you have been provided a Silencer to exterminate them on site.”

Caeyin adjusted the bag that he’d slung over his shoulder. So, that was what the unknown object had been. He had never wielded a Silencer before. From what he knew, they were about the same size and shape as a ray gun—small enough to fit comfortably in one’s hand—but they used high-voltage electroshock projectiles that were powerful enough to knock a Lunairan unconscious... or stop a human’s fragile heart.

“You will all be working separately to cover more ground,” the Pilot continued. “Record any significant findings with your devices and collect samples along the way. Stay close enough to report back to the ship every other day to replenish your food supplies. You will repeat this process until I receive orders to fly us back to the base. Are there any questions?” His eyes landed on one of the Scouts whom had raised his hand, and he nodded to give him permission to speak.

“What if the humans overpower us?” the Scout, who Caeyin recognized to be his peer, Griirax, asked in a tone laced with nervousness. “We’re at a disadvantage if we travel by ourselves.”

“Overpower you?” the Pilot echoed with a slight chuckle. “If a disease-ridden, physically and intellectually inferior being overpowers you, then you deserve to die. However,” he gestures at a small electronic device on his own belt. “There is a system in place in the event that this does happen. If you ever find yourself in danger, just press this button. The rest of us will be alerted to your position, so we can come to your aid. Are there any other questions?” No one moved. “Very well then. I will be in the ship. You may begin scouting.” He stepped aside to let them file out of the hold and went back to the cockpit, closing the door to the hatch once they had all stepped out.

Caeyin didn’t waste a moment. With no reason to linger around a group of Lunairans who all hated him, he took off as soon as the Pilot had finished speaking, heading for the nearest cluster of buildings in the distance. To him, this planet was a fresh start, and he couldn’t wait to see for himself the world his people would soon be inhabiting.