OTA

[can_fight_ugly]

WHO: Anne and OTA
WHERE: Around the South Village
WHEN: End of April/beginning of May
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: N/A - will add as necessary

---

After returning from the caves and rescuing the kidnapped villagers, and soon thereafter finding themselves besieged, Anne is putting her animal transformation powers to use; you may very well see, or be aided by, a large tawny tiger.

She does expend a lot of energy, however, so when she's not fighting or trying to secure the village, she's resting at home or trying to be excited about rationed meals at the Inn. Or, just catching a quick nap at the Inn.

As the month wears on and the ghosts visits become more frequent, Anne spends more and more time at and defending the Inn, but if you need to get to one of the other buildings, she will offer to run escort.

She's used to pushing herself under normal circumstances, doing so as a tiger isn't much different.

Private to Foggy - post-rescue

Anne was ready to be home. While the rescue missions had been a success, they had been stressful, full of fighting and biting the familiar ghost-like enemies, and not everyone had made it out alive. She finally finally - makes it through her front door and closes it behind her, dropping her pack on the floor.

"Foggy? I'm back!"

And she could really use a hug.


Private to Eddie - backdated to mid-April

She'd gotten a crash course in tigering in the caves, but now that she's back and still in possession of the ability, she's eager to see what else she can accomplish with it, and how else she can make it useful to the village as a whole. It's not exactly like her time with Venom, but she figures he more than anyone else has the kind of experience that might be useful in helping her push her skills further.

Still, it'd be polite to ask Eddie first, and so she makes a point to arrive early enough to catch him first, knocking on the door as a warmly-dressed human to start.

Seifer's House, shortly post-rescue

Anne had returned to find the attacks from the ghost-residents increased, and the actual residents ... waning. She was lucky that the two most important people in her life were still here, but not everyone was so lucky.

She makes a point to gather up a small skein of yarn she'd worked up before heading off to the caves, and heads out to see Seifer. Making her way across the village, she's alert and ready to transform into a tiger at the first sign of trouble, but fortunately it's a quick, quiet trek from her house to his.

She knocks onn the door, looking over her shoulder as she waits for him to answer.

Comments

Post-Rescue

[clouded_heart]

Foggy has been looking after Anne's place.

It's sort of what he defaults to, anytime she goes out or goes missing. If the weather is particularly foul or there's something dangerous about, he retreats to the Inn with her cats and a bunch of their belongings, but it's becoming more and more apparent that Foggy isn't really living in the Inn all that much anymore.

And given the way that half the village animals have taken to him, it's no surprise that when she comes in and he appears from the living room, he has both cats with him. He's in his own clothes, he has warmth and animals and now he has a beautiful and brave woman calling out to him. "The daring rescuer returns!"

[can_fight_ugly]

Anne smiles at the sight of him; her expression is tired, but genuinely happy. The fact that he's flanked by both cats draws a chuckle; Lynn was, of course, in love with everyone, but Belvedere was finicky and it's good to see him warming up to someone she really cares about.

She crosses the distance and immediately wraps her arms around him, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a long, grounding sight.

"I'm so glad to be home." She can feel the cats winding about her legs, hearing familiar mrrps for attention, but right now she's just sagging into Foggy.

[clouded_heart]

Foggy not only wraps his arms around her in return but he then picks her up in a bear hug and sets her back down. "I missed you, beautiful. So did your kitties. You want a lift to the fireplace? There's a hot meal and prewarmed blanket just waiting for you."

[can_fight_ugly]

Anne shrieks in delighted surprise, but it brings a chuckle out of her. "I missed you too, Foggy, it was rough out there." She leans in to give him a kiss, and then sighs at the thought of a warm meal and a warm blanket next to the fireplace.

"I would, gladly appreciate a lift."

[clouded_heart]

Before this place, Foggy might have struggled, but now he scoops Anne up into a bridal carry to take her down to the living room. "You're unhurt, right? You didn't have to fight anyone? Did you manage to stop Diego from hurling himself onto anything dangerous and stabby?"

[can_fight_ugly]

She links her arms loosely around his neck as he carries her, wincing a little at his questions.

"I am sorry to say we did all of those things. Not so much hurt as maybe bruised and tired, but I did have to maul a few attackers and Diego ... did what Diego does."

Hopefully he won't be too disappointed in her; she did arrive back in one piece walking under her own power.

[clouded_heart]

The fire is lit and stoked, there's tea and there's blankets and Foggy sets her on the couch where he had been sitting and kneels down to start working on getting her boots off. "Oh well, so long as you did more damage to them than they did to you. Tomorrow, we can walk up to the spring, have a long soak, fix up some of those aches and bruises?"

[can_fight_ugly]

The welcoming fire, tea, blankets and delivery to all of that is surprising enough as it is, but when Foggy goes to take her boots off she can only blink for a moment, before smiling warmly at him. "Sounds like a date."

But while he gets one boot, she'll work on the other. "How have things been back here?"

[clouded_heart]

Anne's been out saving people. The least he can do is make her comfortable. "Bit of an odd date, but a date," he agrees.

"Reasonably quiet? There's been some sightings, people who it can't be, or... you know, you say to someone 'I saw you walking back towards the Inn' and they tell you they haven't left that day. I haven't had trouble yet, but it's brewing. It's like... the feeling in the Kitchen before a gang war erupts. Anticipatory violence."

[can_fight_ugly]

"I think 'odd date' will have to do; there's a severe lack of fine dining establishments here, I've noticed." She jokes. Still, anytime spent with Foggy will be worth it - especially after the excursion she just had.

Boots off, she settles back against the couch as she listens, tucking her feet under her and drawing the blanket over her shoulders, holding her arm out to invite Foggy in so she can lean up against him.

"Guess we should be prepared for anything."

[clouded_heart]

"Dates are more than just fine dining, but usually don't include mixed, public bathing in my experience. But hey, maybe that's just my American way of thinking." He comes up to settle next to her, arm long the back of the seat to let Anne tuck herself in.

The cats are already up and clambering over them, oddly too interested in being near Foggy.

"I'd honestly be happier if I knew Bobo was living near us, but he's not going to budge from up North. That's a man accustomed to violence."

[can_fight_ugly]

"Yes, I think that's right; open your mind to the possibilities, Foggy! mixed public bathing, hunting outings, fending off vicious mirrors that might look like us or someone we know." She settles in and rests her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing in contentment for the moment. She'd been glad she'd gone on the rescue; it was something to be able to choose to head out, as opposed to being dragged away at a moments notice, but between her training with Seifer and her current tiger ability, she'd pushed herself, and was now appreciating the chance to relax.

Frowning as Foggy speaks, she spends a moment mulling over the issue. "There's always going to be people like that, dug in with what they're comfortable with. I'm sure you've done your best to convince him, but hopefully he's up for the task?" She curls back to look at him. "If things get serious, I can tiger my way up to check on him, if that would make you feel better?"

[clouded_heart]

Foggy's fingers find Anne's hair and stroke, gently carding through the strands. He's quiet for a little bit, watching Mr Belvedere settle on and against both of them, a warm, heavy lump of purring cat.

"I'm not worried about him in the least. It would be nice to have him down here adding to protection. I pity anything that looks at that man and thinks 'prey'." Foggy was very fond of Bobo, but the glint of madness and rage that peeked through at times was frightening, even to a criminal defence lawyer.

[can_fight_ugly]

"Mm. Offer still stands." She's faced down a lot of things here, in addition to her time with Venom. There's little in terms of monsters or monstrous that frighten her.

Here, now, she's starting to drift off to sleep; between the warmth, the purring cat curled up between them (Lynn joining to curl up against Foggy's side), the feeling of Foggy's fingers sifting through her hair ... she's able to rest peacefully, comfortably, and maybe get some decent sleep.

[excessed]

Returning from the rescue mission Diego found how much his life in this place is changing. Not just with all the madness that is going on, the growing tensions and troubles, but now he has not one but two brothers in the place. Still, with that, he makes his way south, knowing they need things, and to make sure others he's met here are okay.

He ends up heading for the Inn where many have taken to staying, looking around for others before gathering up supplies. Spying Anne, he nods at her, heading that way.

[can_fight_ugly]

Anne's currently string down at her meal quietly wondering if she were at the point of supplementing her food with small woodland creatures she could catch as a tiger, when she notices movement and looks up to see Diego making his way over.

She smiles, tired, but grateful for the company, and stands to give him a brief hug - or handshake, trying to read him and figure out what is best.

"Hey. How're things up North?"

[excessed]

After all they've been through, there's definitely a hug. Glad to see others with all that's been going on in the village as of late.

"Kind of crazy, actually. I've gotten company," he admits, gesturing for her to sit back down, moving to join her. "Uhmm, two of my brothers showed up in the tubes," he says, grinning kind of crookedly. "Part of why I've been staying up that way. Kind of keeping an eye on one another." Which is the truth, just not all of it given Klaus' detox and Ben's now living status.

"What about you? Anyone been hurt down here?"

[can_fight_ugly]

"No, not that I've heard, at least. The occurrences of the dopplegangers does seem to be increasing, though, so I'm wary and I hope other people are being alert as well."

And, they seem to be losing numbers as well, but Ben brings some good news on that front and she smiles,

"Two of your brothers? That's great. How have they been settling in?"

[excessed]

"You think this is..." He shakes his head, not sure what he thinks about this. "I know some talk that we're doppelgangers to begin with. You think that's a thing?" He hasn't talked about what he had been told by another, and he definitely hasn't brought it up to Klaus and Ben. Though with Ben there, he's beginning to wonder. Would explain why he's no longer a gateway to that creature.

He hesitates on that a moment, considering. "Uhmmm, best they can. It's been rough. Uhmmm..." He pauses, considering things, and this being Anne. "Klaus is doing okay, and better now that Ben is here, I think. Ben... He hasn't been around for a while. Well, no. He was around but only Klaus knew. Ben was killed when we were teenagers. He's been a ghost since then." Pausing again and then explaining. "He's not a ghost here though. But he's definitely Ben, not a doppelganger, but I have to wonder how they managed it, and what that might mean about what is going on here."

[can_fight_ugly]

Anne frowns, thinking on his words, and what she'd learned from Tony when she first arrived about the fact that they were clones, technically speaking. "You know, to be honest it's something I forget about, most times; I have incredibly vivid memories of San Francisco and New York. I guess I still have a hard time processing ... all of that."

It take something to process all of what Diego tells her, although by now she's at least familiar with the idea that some people here remembered dying back in their respective homes. "I don't know. I have no idea what they're planning, if anything. Was this intentional or did something go wrong?" She shrugs, but she looks frustrated. "I'm glad you're brothers are well, though. I can only imagine what it would be like to find them and found out they're not their real selves."

[excessed]

"Yeah me too. I mean, why clone me? Hell, the way things are going, me and my family may be dead and not sure why you'd start over with the three of us." Though maybe because Ben and Klaus deserve another chance at life without Reggie ruining their lives. Not that his wasn't ruined, but he is more worried about them.

"Him being a ghost? It was something going very wrong. Not that it's surprising given the things that the old man pushed him too. We talked about the kid super heroes? Ben got the short end of the stick and he died because of it." He had never expected any of them to be there, and he's not sure how much to share about Ben, though this place has a benefit. "It's a good thing he's here. No matter why we're here." If he's a clone, so be it. He's alive and he's not a portal. That's all that matters.

[firacrux]

Things had been on a steady decline for some time now. People disappearing left and right, the attacks, the whole situation feeling more and more futile. This place had begun as an opportunity for a second chance, now it was feeling increasingly like a prison cell. Many of the people he'd grown close to were gone now. And he spent much of his time wondering what it was all for.

Like most days he was home, not doing a whole lot. When he answered the door, sword in hand though lowered, he looked genuinely surprised to see Anne there. Quickly he stepped aside to invite her in, no sense in being out in the open for too long. It wasn't safe. "Hey, somethin' wrong?" Other than Seifer looking like he'd either not been sleeping enough, or sleeping way too much. Hard to tell.

[can_fight_ugly]

Things are tense right now, Anne understands that, still she's unprepared to be greeted with the tip of a sword and there's a moment where she takes a step back before he collects himself.

She steps in with his invitation, though, and gives him a small smile. "Nothing wrong, besides the obvious. It's been getting a little sparse around here lately." She unwraps her own scarf and removes her gloves to tuck into her pockets, then retrieves the bag of yarn and hands it over.

"I come bearing gifts."

[firacrux]

Seifer was a little quicker to jump into a state of heightened alertness and hostility than the average person. Being raised as a child soldier and already being through his first extremely violent war at 17 will do that to you. Still upon realizing it was Anne he was quick to drop the hostility.

"Yeah," He rumbled gloomily, checking out the window in case there was anyone trying to tail her and locking the door. Couldn't trust anything anymore, it had him more paranoid than ever. "This whole thing's a damn mess. You want some tea?" He had plenty of tea. Eos was of course delighted to come dancing up to her and hopping around on little reptilian paws for attention. Julia, Rinoa's peakitten, was in her usual spot on the couch. More forlorn now that her master had been missing for some time.

Anne's words caught his attention and he perked up. "What'd you bring?" Any distraction is welcome right now.

[can_fight_ugly]

"I would love some tea, thank you." She hands over the bag and takes her coat off, intending to stay a while unless he says otherwise.

"Some yarn I've spun; it's a combination of my cats and the the zalpacas fibers. It's good for fine work, and thought maybe you'd appreciate a challenge; you've been working at it for a while now, I thought you're due for a step up."