The ditch wound deeper and it wasn't long before she was knee deep in the water. Excitement for the hunt was slowly being replaced with irritation. They could be at the concert venue already, finding their seats. Maybe flirt with a few people. Well maybe not Tenzin. Girl had a smile on her, when she showed it, toothy and filled with mischief. And a sense of humor to boot. And of course attractive. But for all of that, the woman wasn't the outgoing type. As in, Ten wouldn't be her wing-woman as they saw what was about. Still, they'd find some fun, she was sure.
But nooooo. Not Jacinda. Of course she had notice the gun fire and the small figure. Had to decide to go check it out. It wasn't like they were cops or anything. Not like they had time to stop every crime that occurred- if it occurred. It was only luck- bad luck rather- that they realized this was firmly Atharim jurisdiction.
So now Jacinda is slogging through swampy water and leaves and garbage and dead leaves and old branches, mucking up her awesome boots and her hot jeans. This is stupid. It was gonna get deeper and neither of them were gonna just go swimming in muck- at least not if they had to.
She eyed the bank of the ditch, on one side, the nice and shiny- by that I mean dry, you know. Dry and not ruining leather- walkway on the other. She could see in the dim light the ditch angled so it passed under the walkway. Made sense the run-off ditch became a pool. Yeah. Swimming was not a go.
"Let's get up to the walk way. Higher ground and all that." The words were barely out her mouth when the pop-pop-pop of gunfire went off. Her eyes went wide as they swung first to Ten and then to the walkway. Yeah, time to get the hell out of this ditch. Before they were funneled into someplace real bad. No fishin a barrel here.
She scrambled up the the rise to the walkway as fast as she could, feet and hands finding purchase in rocks and exposed bushes. She was sure he took a few spines or stings in her palms but that would have to wait for later. She peeked over the walkway to make sure they were alone before pulling herself up all the way.
Carefully they crept along the walk, parallel to the ditch. Up ahead she saw a pool to the right. Just as she turned to Tenzin, something swept up into the air. A big something. No. Two somethings. The light wasn't all that great here, but it looked like a big bird carrying someone. Quetzals here? Couldn't be. They were not that big. Last time she faced one had been in Mexico with Ricky right outside a cartel brothel. That had been a bad night. And a good one. El Diablo....that dick got what he deserved.
Course she also still had that scar along her arm from the one that came at her. Yeah, that hadn't been fun.
Something else. Harpy came to mind. Suddenly, one of the shadows dropped to the ground, the grass near the ditch. The thing swung around back into the pool. The person on the grass got up quickly- well as quickly as being dropped from 10 feet high would allow- swaying and keeping one knee on the ground. And she had a gun, looking about.
Quickly, Jacinda made a decision. "Go to the girl. I'll track the Harpy" With my staves! Damn concert security! She wanted her guns. Well, at least she'd see what happened when 50,000 volts lit it up. She'd had a guy tinker with hers a while back, upping the amps.
Let's just say that these weren't standard stun-guns. Damage was definitely gonna be done. If I don't get tore up in the process. The electrodes could detach, if they needed to, but that meant she only got one shot.
She ran toward the pool just as she saw the harpy shoot into the air with a smaller bundle. It flew high and there was definitely a struggle. More pops, the thing dropping until it hit the lip of the pipe even as the small bundle hit the water.
She ran down the side of the walkway leading to the pool, staves in hand eyes looking into the blackness of the large pipe the small form had disappeared into. Just as she neared the culvert opening, something jumped out, slamming into her.
"Shit!"
But nooooo. Not Jacinda. Of course she had notice the gun fire and the small figure. Had to decide to go check it out. It wasn't like they were cops or anything. Not like they had time to stop every crime that occurred- if it occurred. It was only luck- bad luck rather- that they realized this was firmly Atharim jurisdiction.
So now Jacinda is slogging through swampy water and leaves and garbage and dead leaves and old branches, mucking up her awesome boots and her hot jeans. This is stupid. It was gonna get deeper and neither of them were gonna just go swimming in muck- at least not if they had to.
She eyed the bank of the ditch, on one side, the nice and shiny- by that I mean dry, you know. Dry and not ruining leather- walkway on the other. She could see in the dim light the ditch angled so it passed under the walkway. Made sense the run-off ditch became a pool. Yeah. Swimming was not a go.
"Let's get up to the walk way. Higher ground and all that." The words were barely out her mouth when the pop-pop-pop of gunfire went off. Her eyes went wide as they swung first to Ten and then to the walkway. Yeah, time to get the hell out of this ditch. Before they were funneled into someplace real bad. No fishin a barrel here.
She scrambled up the the rise to the walkway as fast as she could, feet and hands finding purchase in rocks and exposed bushes. She was sure he took a few spines or stings in her palms but that would have to wait for later. She peeked over the walkway to make sure they were alone before pulling herself up all the way.
Carefully they crept along the walk, parallel to the ditch. Up ahead she saw a pool to the right. Just as she turned to Tenzin, something swept up into the air. A big something. No. Two somethings. The light wasn't all that great here, but it looked like a big bird carrying someone. Quetzals here? Couldn't be. They were not that big. Last time she faced one had been in Mexico with Ricky right outside a cartel brothel. That had been a bad night. And a good one. El Diablo....that dick got what he deserved.
Course she also still had that scar along her arm from the one that came at her. Yeah, that hadn't been fun.
Something else. Harpy came to mind. Suddenly, one of the shadows dropped to the ground, the grass near the ditch. The thing swung around back into the pool. The person on the grass got up quickly- well as quickly as being dropped from 10 feet high would allow- swaying and keeping one knee on the ground. And she had a gun, looking about.
Quickly, Jacinda made a decision. "Go to the girl. I'll track the Harpy" With my staves! Damn concert security! She wanted her guns. Well, at least she'd see what happened when 50,000 volts lit it up. She'd had a guy tinker with hers a while back, upping the amps.
Let's just say that these weren't standard stun-guns. Damage was definitely gonna be done. If I don't get tore up in the process. The electrodes could detach, if they needed to, but that meant she only got one shot.
She ran toward the pool just as she saw the harpy shoot into the air with a smaller bundle. It flew high and there was definitely a struggle. More pops, the thing dropping until it hit the lip of the pipe even as the small bundle hit the water.
She ran down the side of the walkway leading to the pool, staves in hand eyes looking into the blackness of the large pipe the small form had disappeared into. Just as she neared the culvert opening, something jumped out, slamming into her.
"Shit!"