Here Comes the Rain Again, {First Mort; then open}

[Bandit]

'You lose everything, By the end, {{OOC; Yay my old table. :3 }} Still my broken limbs, You find time to mend.' It was night. It wasn't especially dark, not by a long shot. The one-eyed dog hardly cared what time of day (or night) it was. As long as he could steal he was fine. However the thief was not alone anymore. He knew very well that in one of the abandoned houses down the street his daughter, Adela was waiting. She could very well thieve as well, but Bandit knew he was and always would surpass her skill. Night was her worst time, but Bandit had learned to thieve from his master by doing so at night. When humans were asleep and the only thing that stood in the way were a few security dogs and beams. And no one ever put a dog in jail for wondering a building. It was different now. Bandit wasn't sure if he enjoyed being alone. He got a certain enjoyment about having a master to teach him when he was younger. He never thought about his death; even now he didn't. And then he met Chiharu, and now both she and his son had been taken from him. The thief wasn't sure what he missed. Being lonely when he was with others, or being with others when he was alone. It was complicated. Bandit continued to walk down the sidewalk, his head tumbling these thoughts over as he kept a look out for something to steal. His ears flicked back and forth and his one good eye darted in every direction. He had no use for his nose, it never worked. Bandit was mostly white, his head only had a small trace of gray in it. So of course, the dog stood out, even in darkness. He hardly cared, if he couldn't hide he could run. And oh could the mixed sight hound run. The only trouble was, was that the streets were quieter than usual. 'What is going on, then?' Bandit thought. 'There's always someone out at this time. There's no celebrations or else there would be more people about. What are they afraid of?' Bandit sighed, this wasn't like the humans. And he didn't like it. Not one bit. Suddenly a sound caught his attention and he looked across the street. There was one of the store-owners, locking up for the night. A smirk grew upon his jaws. He waited for the store owner to lock up and walk on. This was his chance. He hadn't done something like this in a long time, but now he had an opportunity. As soon as the owner was far enough away to Bandit's liking, he crossed the street. Cars were rare at night, even rarer on this night. After making is way across, Bandit sat down in front of the door. He began to analyze the lock, and he wondered if it was possible for him to bit the lock open. He was never sure how the humans picked a lock, and Bandit didn't have the tools or appendages to do so. However Bandit was smart, he saw that no key was left in the lock-something that rarely happened but was still something to check. He then knew that there was almost always a spare key with such small businesses. He backed up and lifted a 'welcome' mat where he found a key. It took him some time, many leaps, and many grunts before he got the key in and was able to turn it. It was hard, it scratched the key and lock many times. Bandit didn't care, he got it open eventually and now he had until sun rise to take whatever he could. Bandit strolled over to a section that had meat, and he took some of them. He took enough for Adela and himself; he did not want to take too much even though that would have been smart. If he was ambushed he needed speed, and he wouldn't want to loose any food. He held a string of sausages around his neck and a package of some raw meat in his jaws. He paused suddenly, he heard a sound outside of the store. 'It can't be a human.' He told himself, and indeed it wasn't. The night became even darker, as storm clouds approached. Rain began to fall making it harder to see and be seen, and Bandit was in a temporary shelter. He wondered if it would be smart to stay, and at that moment he loathed knowing Adela was waiting for him. If he had been alone he would have eaten his fill and taken his time, but he had to get home. 'She can wait. The storm will pass soon and the food will become soggy.' He also needed to gather up the strength to run with the sidewalk wet and slippy. So Bandit waited inside the store, his eye and ears taking in the sounds and sights of the store and the brewing storm outside. He simply had to wait, and that was all. Word Count: 841

[Akemi]

[OOC: I've been too lazy to make a table so far...but I suppose I should :p]
{ic.}

Night was popularly thought of as the time that Death stalked the earth, darkness smothered the land, and the nocturnal creatures roamed, hungry and screeching. So, in other words, it was about time for Akemi to go for a nighttime stroll.

A medium-ish, unimposing creature, Akemi easily blended it, and rarely worried of predators: why would she? A dog's biggest dangers were men, cars, other dogs, and bears (and a bear wouldn't last long here, trust me.) From the looks of the village, she didn't have to worry about unkind men - which was odd... it was empty enough to be deemed unsettling - She saw no cars flashing by, their tires whirring with death, and not a single bear in sight. Huh.

Akemi turned the corner in time to see the shopkeeper leave, and she flattened herself against a building and caught her breath in her throat as one of the strangest dogs she'd ever seen somehow managed to unlock the shop. After a struggle of course, in which Akemi breathed easy: there was no way he could hear her over his own sounds. But then he was in the shop, and the wolfish female trotted across the street, and propped herself up to peer through a window as the male gathered up his fill of meat. He looked as if he would look out the window, so Akemi returned to the ground, and crawled to the door to peek in there.

Now, Akemi is a sociable dog: she doesn't like being alone, and will often approach complete strangers; however, this dog has something shiny attached to his face and had just unlocked a door: she was feeling more than a little hesitant. But, after an internal debate that lasted about a minute, she slid into the shop as unobtrusively as she could, and made plenty of noise so the other dog would not be startled by her approach and attack - she was rubbish in a fight. While she relied on her speed and agility, she doubted that her thus far perfect track record of never caught could hold its own against this long-legged guy.

Shaking some of the water from her fur, the female sat down, looking at him incredulously.

" 'lo! Don' attack me, mate, Ah was just curious, 'ow do you know 'ow to open the human lock-box?" Her accent is strange, perhaps even grating, at first, but after a while you get used to it.

[Mort]

Why should it matter, your dreams of a child?
Innocence is gone. Only fear to play with

[[OOC: Here cometh death.]]


Towns, villages, cities; homes for the humans as well as mutts and other stray animals. Flocking together, creating groups in order to get the false pretence that they're safe from any harm. Oh, how wrong those foolish fools were! Couldn't they see the shadows stretching far and wide, ever growing and ever searching for prey that was too arrogant to keep away from the dark jaws that lingered near the facades’ of houses, smiling as it proceeded to lure its victim close enough. Today however, it was empty, and Mort thought he knew why. His presence must have been known by the animals in the neighbourhood, as for the humans - well, deprived from nearly any kind of instincts they had probably failed to realize the danger themselves, but nevertheless they seemed to keep quite clear of the streets today. The black German Shepherd smiled briefly but felt a sting of annoyance at the village's desolate state. What could he do in this graveyard? One cannot play with the dead if one's alive, much less rob them of their lives.

But there on the side-walk came a pitiful looking dog with only one eye. This alone did not made Mort deem the Xoloitzcuintle & Ibizan Hound mix as pitiful - he simply thought that all dogs was of less worth than himself. There were no exceptions whatsoever. With disinterest the shadow watched Bandit perform his profession flawlessly from the other side of the street. Mort came to the conclusion that this one was smarter than average and his abilities to steal was certainly worthy of admiration, but only them. The dog itself was nothing else but something that was destined to be killed, preferably in the most gruesome way possible in order to give enough pleasure. And what was better than one victim? Two of them. Mort watched as a female arrived to the site, watching the thieving dog with curiosity and perhaps she was even impressed with the feats of the cripple. Mort stood silent near a building blending in perfectly, remaining unseen in the darkness. When Akemi went inside the shop he trotted over to the other side of the street to stand under one of the shop's windows, covered from the rain. Water dripped down from his long nose and onto the ground between his front paws as he sat a distance away from the door, hidden from view to the two dogs. The way he sat - with a straight back and the black eyes, which were impossible for anyone to make out what they were looking at, made it look as if he had no eyes, only the occasional light from the starry sky or a street lamp made them glimmer. He was a faceless phantom of the night and his slender body did not shiver despite being drenched in rain water. He could as well all ready have been dead.

" 'lo! Don' attack me, mate, Ah was just curious, 'ow do you know 'ow to open the human lock-box?"

Mort's ears flickered at the peculiar accent but remained in his spot, for now. They were where he wanted them to be; trapped in a cramped human abode, and if one of them could sense his presence then all the better. There is a moment to observe, and a moment to put plans into actions. He remained idle, but alert.



Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain
Too late

[Bandit]

'You lose everything, By the end, {{OOC; }} Still my broken limbs, You find time to mend.' "'lo! Don' attack me, mate, Ah was just curious, 'ow do you know 'ow to open the human lock-box?" 'Eh?' Bandit had heard the other dog coming so very long ago. He stared at her, wondering why she thought he would attack him. Even more so, why did she speak to him? She didn't seem to care at all about the food he was stealing, only how he got the door open. Of course Bandit was suspicious. Most dogs at least questioned him about the stealing. It may have been a nice change of pace for most dogs, but for Bandit all it meant was trouble. Bandit turned his head toward the rain outside. Maybe it would be best for him to leave? The mix couldn't be sure at all. He could pretend to hear the dog, but what good would that be? It was still raining, he couldn't just leave. The kleptomaniac was paranoid enough to be on his paws at all times. After all, some dogs would just love to steal off of him, and humans would love to wound him. He was a great thief, but a horrible fighter. Avoiding, evading, and cunning was all he had half the time that stood between his life and his death. Still, if he couldn't leave (and he didn't really need to rush, after all Adela knew as well as he did about the storm and the ways of thieves) as the storm had yet to let up. It would probably be a while yet before the storm gave in. 'Maybe this would be a good time for me to educate her in the ways of thieves.' Sighing, Bandit let the meat in his jaws drop to the ground where he placed a paw over it as if to 'claim' it from her or anyone else who walked by. "I learned from experience that humans are often forgetful." It was clear he didn't like talking much, but he did indeed love to show off. "They often have spare keys about open the locks-" he then paused, trying to recall whatever the Akemi referred to it as, "lock-boxes. The trick is to turn the key, and once you unlock the door-its only a matter of what you want." Of course, there were a lot of other things. Bandit knew that almost all stores had extra security, he just knew where to step and where not too. He'd gladly show off, but he wasn't about to let all his tricks be told. What fun was there in that? "I could show you where exactly the key is." Bandit kept the sausages around his neck, but he left the other meat on the ground, unguarded. It didn't matter if Akemi took it, even though he would have been annoyed-Bandit did have most of the store to himself. As Bandit walked out of the store, he thought he caught the glimpse of a shadow in the corner of his one good eye, and his ears flicked rapidly in Mort's direction. Bandit wasn't sure what he heard-he certainly saw nothing, only having one good eye meant you often saw things that weren't there, or missed things. Still, Bandit wasn't sure what he heard, either. Was it breathing? Was it walking? Bandit couldn't smell; so of course he couldn't smell Mort being there amongst the rain. And yet Mort was there-watching Bandit's every move. If Bandit knew to watch out for dogs that were like Mort, he probably would have easily spotted him, but Bandit never made the equation that a dog could be like a security camera. Watching, listening, and waiting. Still, Bandit kept the odd sound; or odd being in his mind. It was probably nothing, as he had heard no real sound, but something was there. He had to remind himself to be careful, but certainly whatever it was wouldn't strike when there was a witness just inside the shop? Bandit ignored his thoughts, and walked over to the mat where he pawed up the mat in Akemi's direction, showing her the key. "Do you see? That shiny thing is it." Bandit then walked back into the store, shaking the little bit of rain water off of him as he again took his spot where his meat was and placed one of his paws on it. "Are there any more questions you want to ask me? I'm not exactly busy but I do have certain...duties." Bandit wasn't much of a talker. The odd feeling of being in company and wishing to be alone, or being alone and wishing for company was upon him again. Something enjoyed Akemi, and yet something inside him wanted to be alone, like the slender figure outside that watched them and Bandit payed him no mind; maybe Bandit even believed he wasn't there. Word Count: 811

[Akemi]

As stated earlier, Akemi rarely attacked - and if she did, it was only when she had a major advantage...like if her opponent was already dead. Bandit, still looking fairly alive, was therefor an incompatible match for the Navie dog. But, unfortunately, this dog didn't seem so sure of her, and Akemi found herself instinctively bottling up energy to rush into fight flight mode.

However, as luck would have it, the weird dog with the sausages on his neck apparently decided she wasn't too much of a threat, for he began to speak.
"I learned from experience that humans are often forgetful." Her ears pricked back ever so slightly, he had an undertone to his voice that suggested he would love anything more than to be stuck hiding from the rain talking to her. Nevertheless, she looked attentive as her curiosity was satiated - she wasn't much of a stealing beast. Believe it or not, she did have a few morals, though they tended to go out the window when she was hungry...or bored... Right, so scattered morals, but morals nonetheless.

Still, what he was saying was interesting, and she followed obediently to the door to peer under the mat where said key was hiding. She highly doubted she had the skill required to A) pick up the key or B) get it in the lock, turn the lock, and go inside. She'd leave that to the professionals.

When Bandit turned and came back inside, Akemi detected a hint of nervousness about him, like he'd been spooked deep down. A slight gust of wind brought the scent of another dog to her nose, but she dismissed it at first; there were lots of dogs here (though, granted, they seemed to be in hiding) but she stepped outside to paw up the mat for herself and get a closer look at the key; and unlike Bandit, she lingered and spoke to him from the doorway. Though, he did seem to be in a hurry to get out.

"Er, ye'h actually, but Ah won' keep ye." The fur on her back was prickling upright, it was a subconscious reaction, and she didn't realize it until she felt her heart speeding up; she did not know she was in danger, but her body did.

Still outside the door, she turned a full 360, she could see nobody, and her gaze passed right over the deadly shadow crouching so close to her.

" 'ello? She could see nobody, yet she was beginning to feel more nervous and twitchy by the second. What was going on?

[Mort]

Why should it matter, your dreams of a child?
Innocence is gone. Only fear to play with


When Bandit moved to the mat to show the key's location to Akemi, Mort remained still. It was clear that Bandit had noticed him but didn't trust in his own senses, and one really couldn't blame him. The heavy rain made it even more difficult to make out the stranger's scent and his dark appearance made him practically invisible, if not invincible. Calmly, Mort inspected the dog before him. They were about the same size although Mort seemed to be much thinner than Bandit which wasn't strange - he often lost his appetite if he didn't get to kill another dog for a while and therefore he had starved himself plenty of times, resulting in a slender body. It didn't have much of an effect on him though; his fur looked shiny and healthy and when he moved he did so with grace, and there was barely no signs of starvation to be shown. Mort had never been an amazing fighter, he was the kind who stalked and attacked when the best opportunity arised. Although he was an average fighter, he was first and foremost an assassin. The fact that he had two dogs to deal with made matters more difficult, because he would want to avoid a brawl even if he was sure he could take them both and live. He found far more pleasure in killing after winning the trust of another, or at least when they didn't expect it. Mort had many times stolen food from humans in order to survive, and this information which Bandit had shown both Mort and Akemi was truly interesting. Mort had never himself thought of looking under mats like that, even less using a key to open those "lock-boxes", not because Mort was stupid, quite the opposite, it was just that Mort's brain was too preoccupied with thinking about other things. Like new, interesting ways to kill.

" 'ello?"

Mort contemplated for a brief second if he should take the chance to charge at the female, who basically begged to be attacked - he felt such an urge to kill and it was almost impossible to fight it... just a bite to the neck, and it would all be over. But no, he couldn't give in to his urge, not yet, not now. He had yet to play with his food and it was a must, half of the fun. The German Shepherd got up on his paws and began to lazily walk towards the door. "Excuse me madame, I didn't mean to frighten you," he spoke with a voice that was soft, gentlemanly and a bit creepy with its politeness. "I didn't want to barge in on your conversation with the master thief in there, otherwise I would have joined in. The weather's terrible tonight." He looked at her and let his mouth form a weak smile. Mort went past the female and sat down in the doorway with his back towards her and his tail elegantly wrapped around his body, but there was adequate space for her to return in to the shop if she chose to do so. "Your skills impress," said Mort to Bandit, but it was impossible to determine whether he looked at Bandit or something behind or beside him. His big, black eyes had the quality of looking both innocent and downright terrifying at the same time. "Madame, if you are going to return into the darkness, you ought to be careful. Demons lurk in the shadows at nights like this." Mort said this without turning around. He seemed to look straight in front of him - at nothing at all.


Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain
Too late

[Bandit]

'You lose everything, By the end, {{OOC; }} Still my broken limbs, You find time to mend.' "Er, ye'h actually, but Ah won' keep ye. 'ello?" Bandit noticed that the other dog seemed just as fearful as he had upon looking under the mat of the shop. Of course, Bandit had dismissed it. It was rare his ears played tricks on him, but he knew well that his eyesight was quite disabled due to the one side of his skull. On stormy nights such as this, then, it was almost always to be expected that Bandit would see such figures in the corner of his eye, only to look and nothing be there. 'But if she sees it as well, its not just me.' Bandit wondered if he should be afraid. It could have been a human, which wouldn't scare him so much. He could outrun a human fairly easily and he knew how to trick them at best. Another dog, however, was a different story. Especially when that dog was Mort. But Bandit didn't know that yet. "Excuse me madame, I didn't mean to frighten you, I didn't want to barge in on your conversation with the master thief in there, otherwise I would have joined in. The weather's terrible tonight." Bandit had a natural distrust toward any dog. No matter who it was, it was a thief's way of living to only trust other thieves, and even then not to a point that put his life in danger. The fact that Mort seemed to appear out of the shadows and without any true warning only made Bandit suspicious. No matter how calming his voice may have been, Bandit had used the same tricks when taking on Security Dogs. Soothing, calm, talking them out of attacking. Bandit's only worry was not on his life nor on Akemi's. He could careless about Akemi's life. He was only here to steal, and he didn't want Mort attempting to take what he had rightfully stolen. Of course, if Bandit knew Mort's other intentions, maybe Bandit would be more worried about his life being stolen, and not just his food. "Your skills impress," "They are skills that I was taught and told to master over the years. I would expect nothing less of my abilities other than they are impressive." Bandit spoke, still rather uneasy. He didn't enjoy speaking and so the less he did so, the better. The storm still continued outside, and he didn't enjoy that. The feeling he got from Mort was even worse than the feeling he got from the storm, as if Mort was born from the storm and wasn't natural. It made sense as to why the streets were so empty this night. Probably afraid of something like Mort, but then again Bandit wasn't about to believe such silly superstitions. He didn't trust either of the two dogs, no matter what their intentions were, and he would have rather been out in the storm even though he doubted he could get through it without being followed now that he was caught. He'd have to run if he wanted to escape from these two. "Madame, if you are going to return into the darkness, you ought to be careful. Demons lurk in the shadows at nights like this." "Why do you inform her of such dangers? If she doesn't know that they are there and doesn't know to heed them, it is all the better she becomes a victim of them." Another one of Bandit's principals. If a dog was worth living they would know such things without being told. A dog that couldn't keep up with a thief's way of living was useless to Bandit, and so a city dog was also useless for him if they did not know how to survive. It was best that the population slowly be slimmed down that way, if meant less competition for Bandit, and he rather enjoyed that. Not that Bandit was evil, he himself wouldn't kill a dog unless he had too. He was a thief, not a murderer.

[Hanako]

OOC_ So I realized AFTER I added this reply that I was logged in as the wrong character... Right, so ignore that. Still playing as Akemi, juuuust a slip up O_O

IC
Akemi's feeling of unease dissipated as Mr. Creepy McCreepster showed up, however if Akemi had one major flaw...it was that she was just to trusting.

...whoops...

"Ye' didn't frighten me too much, is'all quite good." a big wolfish smile played across her muzzle; she was not normally to be thought of as ignorant or stupid, however she was at "that age" where any attractive male seemed a good enough reason to throw away any inhibitions and common sense she had aquired over the years. So what? He basically just materialized in front of her, that just meant he was good at hunting: all the better to feed her.

She sat quietly in the doorway behind Mort while he spoke in that calm, sexy voice to Bandit, and was taken aback slightly by the other dogs brash lack of humility. This kind, dark stranger had just paid the thief a compliment, and he replied in a brash, and rude way! Shame on him.

Mort's words on darkness and demons reassured her that he was, indeed a good guy He did, after all, care for her safety, did he not? And then Bandit spoke, and she felt all the fur on the back of her neck stand on end.

"AH will decide what is best for mahself sir thief!" she barked harshly at him, returning to all fours, and striding darkly past Mort to return to the inside of the store. She sat next to Mort, and still glaring at Bandit, said

"Mah names Akemi, Ah'm from over the seas, obviously." her grin returns to her muzzle.

uh oh.

[Mort]

Why should it matter, your dreams of a child?
Innocence is gone. Only fear to play with



"They are skills that I was taught and told to master over the years. I would expect nothing less of my abilities other than they are impressive."

It didn't surprise nor annoy Mort that Bandit answered his words without even the tiniest bit of modesty; they had been spoken just to flatter and convince the thief that he was all right, that he could be trusted - but Bandit seemed to know better than to trust easily. It was okay with Mort since even if Bandit had his doubts, he wouldn't be able to outrun death impersonate. Mort was certain of this, very certain that neither one of them would be able to outsmart him, so great was Mort's ego and, if the impossible would happen and his prey would escape (or even worse - kill him! But that, if something, would never happen), then it wouldn't be the end of the world for after all, Mort knew he was great and if he would fail he could console himself that it had only been because of dumb luck on his preys' sides.

"Why do you inform her of such dangers? If she doesn't know that they are there and doesn't know to heed them, it is all the better she becomes a victim of them."

Mort allowed a smile to dance over his lips. "Why, that is what a gentleman does, my dearest thief," he said and though he seemed far away from convincing Bandit that he was no one to fear, he seemed to all ready have won Akemi over. The fact that Bandit was mistrusting didn't make Mort any the less certain that there was a way to find a loophole, an opportunity when he would be able to catch Bandit by surprise. Mort knew the suspicious kind very well for he was one of them, there was no single being on this earth that he would ever trust except for himself, but there was always moments when even the most careful dog would let their guard down (Mort knew that even he could have such times, but he hated to admit it even if it was only to himself he had to do so). "I take it you're not familiar with the ways of a gentleman, though." These words were said with only the slightest bit of scorn, as if Mort looked down on the petty thief that sat before him.

"AH will decide what is best for mahself sir thief! Mah names Akemi, Ah'm from over the seas, obviously."

The black German Shepherd nodded. He suspected that the female enjoyed his company, and the thought that she did greatly amused him and gave him confidence, not that he cared if someone was attracted to him or not, but it made him even more certain that he would, indeed, succeed. "Akemi, from over the seas, eh? I've been to many countries from over the seas, but I was born in New York. The name is Mort." He turned to look at Akemi in a carefully inspecting manner and he thought about how very different she was compared to Bandit. Three vastly different canines in the same place, a place where a game had all ready begun, and if one asked Mort he would be the only one to survive it.

Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain
Too late

[Bandit]

'You lose everything, By the end, {{OOC; }} Still my broken limbs, You find time to mend.' Bandit was used to just about anything. He was certainly old enough to know when a dog tried to trick you, and he knew fairly well how to trick other dogs. It wasn't that he was as good as Mort, he did not use his abilities the way Mort did. Bandit did his in order to survive, as he did thieving. But it was only the latter that he knew to preform accurately and without much fail. Bandit knew the types like Mort-he thought he did-he saw Mort as a manipulator. A distraction. Perhaps the kind of dog that was competition in Bandit's mind or an enemy when it came to being a security dog. Bandit did not know however, of Mort's other (and darker) intentions. Bandit simply knew that Mort couldn't be trusted; and nor could Akemi. Dogs like her were a distraction, dogs that would try to use Bandit's skill for their own good. Not that it was her fault, of course. Bandit knew that. But it was still something he wished to avoid. "AH will decide what is best for mahself sir thief!" Bandit's ears flicked, and he perhaps did the canine version of a shrug. 'It is her own life. She is not any of my concerns.' And that was true, Bandit didn't need to worry about her. He had more important things to worry about. Such as himself, and Adela. 'Adela..' He knew very well that she was not going to jump to a conclusion, but it was still his turn to bring back the food. He knew well that if it was her turn to do so, and she got drawn into this situation and came home late all he would see her as would be a slow thief. Which was in most cases, a dead one. He did not care at all for her safety if she had been thrown into this situation, but more-or-less as how his thieving would be affected. 'Never should have waited. It is a waste of time. Thieves are on a time limit, any moment we could be found. Or seen.' Bandit's head glanced toward the walls of the store, and then at the ceiling. He was searching for Security Cameras. "Why, that is what a gentleman does, my dearest thief, I take it you're not familiar with the ways of a gentleman, though." Bandit did not care for Mort's insults. However, a disturbing thought had come to Bandit's mind. 'What if that dog is the security?' Bandit's lip twitched and his ears flicked forward toward Mort and Akemi. Bandit then wondered if he should reply, he did have a want to. To show his pride for being a thief of course, and there was much honor in being such a thing. Bandit knew that Chiharu would have disagreed with Mort, but that didn't trouble Bandit. He had been called many things by both human and dog. What troubled him was that Mort may have been the eyes for the humans. He had to be careful what he let out and what he did not let out. 'I also cannot forget about the female. She too might be the eyes.' He may have doubted it, but it was still a possibility. He began to look at the walls again, searching for a window. Or a back exit. He found no window (or at least one he could get to and use) and even though there were back exits, none were close enough for him to depart through quickly. 'Drat. They have me cornered.' Bandit looked down at the meat he still rested his paw on, and the sausages around his neck. 'Should I have my last meal?' Bandit narrowed his eye slightly. 'I may not be able to run as fast, but I will at least have some sort of strength.' And Bandit would need as much strength as his flimsy build could get. "Mah names Akemi, Ah'm from over the seas, obviously." "Akemi, from over the seas, eh? I've been to many countries from over the seas, but I was born in New York. The name is Mort." Bandit snapped off one of the sausages around his neck with his fangs. His fangs were useful for such things (not nearly so for fighting) and he quickly ate one of them. He wondered if the 'gentlemanly' thing to do would be to state his name. An alias, of course. He wasn't about to give his name up to two possible security guards. He swallowed the sausage quickly so it was hard to believe he had chewed it. "My name is Bandero. I do not know where I was born." He muttered the words, "but I have traveled many places." And he left it at that, cutting off one other sausage and eating it just as he had done the first.

[Akemi]

Little did she know it, Akemi was surrounded by lunatics.

As the strange thief in front of her began to gobble down sausages like he wouldn't live to eat them another day, she got this inkling - mainly subconcious, waaaay in the back of her mind - that something was just not right. However, how could she possibly concentrate on 'Bandero' with this attractive, dark male next to her? Seriously. The shepherd was smokin'.

"I take it you're not familiar with the ways of a gentleman, though." and funny! Wow. Diss, burn, as the urban youth of today would say. After some further speech the black dog spoke to her - swoon.

"Well, Mort, it is a pleasure to meet you. After that sentence she might have batted her eye lids one too many times... Eh.

"Bandero, eh? Sounds like yer from one of those Mexico places or summit, went there with the old family once... lots o' dogs named Tito and ...Enchilada or somethin' like that." Her tail swishes pleasantly along the floor behind her. She seems to have forgotten how rude 'Bandero' was earlier, or at least she's forgiven him since.

While she was still unaware of the plot unfolding around her, some instinct in the back of her mind was pushing her to stand and run - she continued to repress it, smothering it with her sudden infatuation with Mort... Unfortunately, this infatuation was unraveling to look as if it would be her downfall..

[Mort]

Why should it matter, your dreams of a child?
Innocence is gone. Only fear to play with



In the end, everyone was worth the same; zilch. Every single creature on the earth had been born only to be detested and eliminated by Mort, but sometimes one encountered those who were a tad more despicable than normal. Mort had yet got enough reason to hate Bandit more than he all ready did - the fact that the thief was a more difficult target than normal didn't fill the German Shepherd with vexation, no, quite the opposite, it made him excited to have a challenge. Though if the victim proved to be too challenging chances would be that he would drop his mask, which he so carefully had crafted with charming words, at the wrong moment.

"My name is Bandero. I do not know where I was born. but I have traveled many places."
"Well, Mort, it is a pleasure to meet you."

As the biased and spiteful being Mort was, he didn't believe that Bandit, or "Bandero", gave them his true identity. He was after all a dirty, lying thief and they if anybody were certainly not worthy of trust. Mort had seen thieves, both human and canine, before and they all were the same. But this only made him more excited, for what could be better than ridding this world of a loathsome bandit? As for Akemi... it was very tempting to choose her instead but he wouldn't be able to live of the feeling for to long after ending her life, while the thief on the other hand would give pleasure that would last for a long while. "Well, it's delightful to meet you too, Akemi," said Mort and then gave a nod towards Bandit. "You as well... Bandero." He watched as Bandit wolfed down a sausage without chewing it, as if he was worried that someone might take his precious meat away from him. He need not to worry about Mort stealing meat from him though, for he did not hunger for food.

"Bandero, eh? Sounds like yer from one of those Mexico places or summit, went there with the old family once... lots o' dogs named Tito and ...Enchilada or somethin' like that."

"Mexico. I remember streets being filled with trash, noise, horrid smells and stray mutts so skinny it seemed as if they could drop down dead at any second," Mort had to be careful not to smile at the thought of such easy preys, for even though he wouldn't go so far as to kill such dogs off with his own fangs he always had other ways to snatch someone's life. After a while the killing of such pitiful dogs would become too boring, but one would never have to look far for one's next target. "My owner complained on the food also, then again, humans are such picky creatures. It was long ago I was there though, so I guess there might have been good points as well..." Of course there were no good points to be seen for the one who only looked for the bad! There was satisfaction in watching the corruptness and cruelty in such places too.

Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain
Too late

[Bandit]

'You lose everything, By the end, {{OOC; }} Still my broken limbs, You find time to mend.' "Bandero, eh? Sounds like yer from one of those Mexico places or summit, went there with the old family once... lots o' dogs named Tito and ...Enchilada or somethin' like that." "Maybe I was born there," Bandit noted, still keeping in mind that neither of the two dogs could be trusted. "been moved around too much for me to remember if I ever set paw there." And that was true, after he escaped the Puppy Mill it was one home after another and he never saw the same place three times. He didn't care about that much, travel was easy for him. Bandit was used to running for his life, but he usually didn't see it the way he felt now. Bandit was used to giving Cops, or Police Dogs the slip, it was fairly easy to do. But Mort and Akemi had something different about them which made Bandit more aware that these weren't normal dogs. That there more on the line then the dinner her had just forced down his throat. Bandit was a Master Thief, he'd been in numerous tougher positions than this. But something about the two dogs who looked down upon him (as if he were some scum on the bottom of their paws, which he certainly was not, at least, in his mind anyway) told him that this was not like other times. That it wasn't about his stealing, it was something else. But what? Bandit had little idea. "Well, it's delightful to meet you too, Akemi,You as well... Bandero." Bandit inclined his head, if only slightly. 'They're waiting for a weak point, they'll wait all night if they have too.' Bandit began to wonder if he could simply outpace them, or loose them in the streets. He wasn't about to dash with his bounty (or what was left of it) all the way home, he was a lot of things. Stupid was not one of them. 'But--if they do that, the human will come.' And Bandit knew Police Dogs, how pathetically loyal they were. Once a human came by, all Bandit would have to worry about were the humans. He doubted this would last all night, but surely, there had to be a human nearby. Bandit flicked his ears, and he heard no such footsteps. 'A thief who reacts too fast is a dead thief, a thief who reacts to slowly is a dead thief.' He thought, remembering. 'There is honor among thieves, but never let your guard down. Everyone is against you, whether it be because they hate you, or hate what you do. You are your only friend.' Bandit wondered how many of these words he still thought were true. Of course, they were a lot more true than they had been moments ago; he no longer worried about Adela. "Mexico. I remember streets being filled with trash, noise, horrid smells and stray mutts so skinny it seemed as if they could drop down dead at any second, My owner complained on the food also, then again, humans are such picky creatures. It was long ago I was there though, so I guess there might have been good points as well..." Bandit nodded, he had seen his fair share of such places. Most areas had them, the thieves that couldn't live. Bandit as skinny as he was, was still healthy. He was a master, and was not about to admit himself to be anything less. So maybe his pride got the best of him when he added, "such places are filled with thieves who don't know a street from a sidewalk. They are thieves with no skill or code, much unlike myself." Bandit had pride in what he did, and even though he was greatly paranoid, he wasn't about to let that get in his way. "I am a trained Master Thief, do not mix me up with the others."

[Akemi]

Akemi scoffed at this arrogant creature.
"Well Ah'm terribly sorry teh have disturbed yeh, master thief. I did nae realize Ah was in the prescence of royalty." She turns her nose up at him and stands, turning around and heading towards the door. As attractive as she found Mort, she couldn't stand the weird, arrogant, and rather mean male that was 'Bandero'.

Reaching the door she turned around to glare at him again and give Mort a weirdly hooded look - perhaps it was supposed to have been some sort of advance, but it got lost in translation, because her instincts were telling her something was up, telling her to run away and hide from that handsome monstrosity... But how could she listen to such instinct, when he seemed so...charming.

"If yae want to hang aroun' that sort of annoyin' thief type then ye feel free. Ah'm going on with my walk, though, an' yer -" once again, her instinct was telling her to stop, not invite him. It seems as if the heavens were saying so as well, because the distant rumble of thunder sounded.

Akemi is one of the unlucky dogs to have been born with a Astraphobia, a fear of thunder and lightning. In fact, a violent storm such as this one, was the reason she was homeless and lost to begin with. Her breathing quickened and she backed away from the door, scuttling backwards farther than Bandit and Mort to curl up behind a shelf at the back of the store.

If the storm got worse, or closer, she might have another episode...like last time.

So much for leaving.

[Mort]

Why should it matter, your dreams of a child?
Innocence is gone. Only fear to play with

[[OOC: Ugh, I'm so sorry this took so long.]]

"Maybe I was born there, been moved around too much for me to remember if I ever set paw there."

Through the course of his life Mort had noticed that not everyone had the same eye for details as he did; he had met dogs who just like him had difficulties with repressing unwanted memories but it was surprising how many there were that had no problems whatsoever with forgetting their pasts, or so it seemed. Of course they too had memories they could not get rid of but they seemed... unperturbed by the times long gone. They lived in the present instead of the past. Mort did too - at least, he had the ability of ignoring the days which had passed, but he could never forget. There were too many details he had seen; small details, so tiny that they could very well not even exist, which all lay collected in desolate drawers inside his brain. The drawers were placed in dark corners of his mind and usually obscured of view, but it was not impossible for him to bring a torch, light the place up and begin to read through those events of the past. Whenever Mort met someone that seemed to be totally oblivious to something that to him was impossible to not know, like one's birthplace, it filled him with a kind of rage that was as cruel and conceited as himself. It didn't matter if 'Bandero' actually knew where he had been born, for it annoyed Mort nevertheless. To simply be reminded of such denseness made his eyes darken even more.

"Such places are filled with thieves who don't know a street from a sidewalk. They are thieves with no skill or code, much unlike myself. I am a trained Master Thief, do not mix me up with the others."

Mort listened to Bandit's words and he had all ready established that this thief was a very proud being, and these new statements merely confirmed his theory further. "You seem to think you're above them, but a thief is still a thief. It's not that I don't admire your skills, they're rather awe-inspiring," Mort paused briefly, thinking; 'For a mutt,', before continuing, "But the fact that you're a simple parasite still remains. You take what isn't yours, you don't work for your food - yes, what you do does require some work but your ways of getting food on the table are far from honourable. You do not hunt your food like the dogs who still remembers the faces of their ancestors who lived, and still lives, in the wild, where the ability to hunt is the only key to survival. I guess that petty theft is something to resort to when there is no other option available to take, and the adrenaline rush one feels from running away from the humans or those rabid guard dogs does feel rather amazing, but there's so much you miss. The tracking down of prey, the stalking, the observing; the chase, the attack and at last the final bite and the unsettling but wonderful sound of bones shattering between your teeth," at this part the German Shepherd's eyes glistened. What he imagined between his teeth right now was far from the neck of a pheasant. "It is only you who have the rights to your prey. No one else has the right to lay a paw on your food, for it is you who have killed it with your own fangs." Mort nodded towards Bandit. "What you so desperately seem to protect isn't truly yours. I could take the meat from you any second I wanted, and you could scream and protest and bite as much as you wanted to in order to get it back, but your words would just appear as empty sounds to my ear. For why should I give the meat back to someone who isn't the rightful owner? True, I would be the same as you if I chose to take the food. So of course I wouldn't do that." These words might have seemed very offensive, but the way that Mort spoke made it sound as if he was merely laying out the obvious facts and that his intention was far from provoking the other dog. It was difficult to know exactly what his intention was.

"Well Ah'm terribly sorry teh have disturbed yeh, master thief. I did nae realize Ah was in the prescence of royalty. If yae want to hang aroun' that sort of annoyin' thief type then ye feel free. Ah'm going on with my walk, though, an' yer -"

The female seemed to be rather changeable and soon returned into the store after a rumble from the heavens had been heard. Mort came to the conclusion that Akemi must have a fear of thunder, which wasn't hard to conclude and it was a pretty common fear, both amongst dogs and humans as well as other animals. "Mr. Master Thief might be of the arrogant sort, but there is lessons to be learned if one has the patience to stick around those who're different from oneself," he said and his mouth curled into a thin, short-lived smile. "You needn't look so frightened, Akemi. I think the chance of the thunder finding its way in here and targeting you is pretty slim," Mort chuckled slightly and his words sounded almost like the ones a parent would say to a frightened child; they were calm and reassuring, so far from the cold intentions that lingered in the back of Mort's mind. It did in fact please him to see the dog in such a state of fear and he longed to show his amusement to the world, but to do so now would be devastating.

Faces are changing, but nothing is changing the pain
Too late