TWO YEARS AGO, A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION GOING BY THE NAME TEAM IMUM WRECKED CHAOS ACROSS THE LAND, DAMAGING CITIES AND KILLING THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS. While Imum itself has long since been disbanded, however, the region remains broken: entire towns have been laid to waste and the Association struggles to find homes for those who were lucky enough to survive the attempted genocide. Reconstruction trudges on as usual... but with three factions - the Association, the corporations, and the people - each wishing to take the rebuilding of an entire region down opposite paths, how long will it be before Lyeant's last leg gives out permanently?
So, Leap has graced us with yet ANOTHER beautiful and fantastic skin!!! Please say your thanks to her heard work over this skin, but like most things --- There are flaws, currently there are the site links which link to no-where yet, but we will be fixing them in a jiffy.
On top of that, there may even be flaws that we might not even know about, so please --- Let us know in PM or Discord so that we can fix these problems asap <3 thank you all for being such great members and here's to the rest of TBE's future!!
tbe: take two! is inspired by, but not associated with nintendo's pokemon franchise. the current skin was created by pharaoh leap using font icons primarily from ion icons and fonts from google fonts. banner art by hopereiv of pixiv. characters, with the exception of canons from the manga, belong to the members who write them, and all posts and templates on site are credited to their respective authors and artists. we claim nothing that is not ours.
Brows furrowed and ears twitching the mutant could hear something cry out in a mix of surprise and frustration. It wasn't anyone he could tell that much; he was very familiar in the crying of an animal in distress and that was just the ring that he had gotten used to. The mutant hopped up onto a wall and looked around another surprised cry coming from nearby. The wind wasn't too bad today; it ran through the mutants fur and caused the few bits of metal that were on some straps to jangle uncomfortably against one another. The mutant twitched an ear when the third cry went through the air; it was actually fairly close. He couldn't just keep ignoring it anyways, if it was an animal that was too badly hurt he'd make sure it was laid to rest quickly. Raiven slid down the wall much to the surprise of some birds that flew up in a surprised flock. He peeked around the alleyway between one of the many homes that dotted the landscape; if it wasn't for all of these he bet that there would be many a tree or even a big pasture for some of he natural creatures to roam around on.
First I come to get some pocky then I get my sorry self lost and end up in this place? What next?
The mutant let out a soft puff of air when he noted some shuffling shapes one of which seemed to kick a box. The fourth cry split the air, it was something feline by the abrupt hissing sound that followed immediately after. The mutant felt his brows furrow again and he crept around the corner. The three shuffling shapes after further inspection actually turned to be out rather small looking people. Children perhaps? But then what were they doing... The mutant blinked a few times and felt his claws dig into the brick in the side of the building. Were they messing around with the small creatures in the box? If he could yell at these kids oh would he do so without an issue. But since he couldn't he just had to LOOM over them until they realized that the lamp light was blocked. The middle one, a rather chunky looking child was the first to notice. The three of them were moments later found flopping over themselves as the mutant went to see what they were kicking around. One of them exclaimed that he'd have his parent's out here and there'd be trouble! The mutant shrugged and bent over to check what was in the box.
Of all the things... Kittens.
Six in total and most of them looked emancipated from lack of food or care, He sighed and pulled out some of the fish he had caught earlier before tossing it into the center of the six. They glared at him for a few moments before hunger took over and they tore at the fish. Instead of leaving the mutant picked up the box and hopped up on the wall that he had stood on earlier. Maybe he could keep these few safe for the night before turning them over to a vet? They could probably find a home for them... Well he'd just have to drop them off before running away; they'd try to ask him questions he knew that and he couldn't afford to be bogged down with them. The cats didn't relent on the hissing every time he put his hand near the edge of the box, but they did at least eat three fish amongst the six of them. Hopefully they'd be okay after all of this.
Stepping out of her car, Riley stood with one hand on the door as she gazed out across the residential area. The station had gotten a call about some sort of disturbance, possibly a wild animal, though she couldn't see anything yet. Shutting the car door, Riley stepped towards the house that had made the call. With her luck, it had probably just been a stray dog, or--
There. On the wall. Riley moved so quickly she nearly tripped, throwing herself behind the nearby fence. Her heart beat a mile a minute as her hand shot instinctively to the holster of her gun. "Shit," she mumbled, pressing her back against the fence and peeking around the edge at what she had seen. "What the fuck is that?"
Riley stared for a moment longer before pulling her head back behind the fence. She could only describe what she had seen as some kind of beast. Could it have been a mutant? And what was it holding? Some kind of box? Well, she certainly wasn't going to find out by hiding. Gathering her courage, Riley stepped out from behind the fence.
She approached the hulking figure on the wall cautiously, her hand hovering dangerously over the holster of her gun. "Hey, uh... you," she called, not quite sure how to address the thing. She paused. She had been about to ask 'what are you', but that didn't quite seem like the best thing to ask. She didn't want to make it angry. "What are you doing here?"
At least they're eating, if they weren't eating I'd have to drop them off at the vet right away and hope that someone comes soon...
The mutant could hear some form of car pull up, but he figured it was probably just the home owner eventually coming back from a long day of work or the like. He felt himself yawn a little bit, the kittens instead of hissing were all looking at him in a curious way. He had fed them, pet them and wasn't kicking or pouring water in the box to mess with them. He started to pet one of them when he heard something, words; spoken words. He felt some panic initially his hand protectively going over the box his eyes focusing on what appeared to be someone in uniform. He had missed the initial "hey you" and was about to considered sliding over the wall and making a run for it when he noted that there was a badge on that uniform. The mutant blinked a few times and then slid down the wall still holding the box. His head tilted a little bit and he took a nervous step foreward.
A police officer? Why are they here? Did...
"what are you doing here?
The morph paused as though confused before setting down the box, the kittens mewled as he did so their worry already coming back that their only caretaker was going to leave. Raiven frowned a bit and noted that there wasn't exactly a lot of light out at the moment which would make signing difficult. He really started to curse the fact he couldn't talk, if he went for his pouches they might think that he was going for something. He didn't want that so instead he figured that he'd have to ask for a writing tool. But the problem with that is that he would also have to sign to ask... The mutant shook his head and just dealt with the fact he'd have to try to sign out his explanation. If the officer said that they didn't know what he was saying he'd just have to try another route. His hands were slow and deliberate so that the mix of the darkness and the likely unfamiliarity of what he was doing wouldn't be lost. He tried smiling while he was doing his signing, people usually smiled when they talked to one another right?
Officer, Just taking care of kittens I found, They hungry, they need care. Children were not providing with what they were doing. So I scared them in order to help.
The short amount of signing that he had to do would let him know if this person knew what he was doing. If they didn't they'd have to resort to another form of communication. He shifted nervously to either side, was this officer here by herself? That seemed like poor planning on the part if this had been a bad incident. He didn't want to get any close to the officer either; some of them took personal space to the extreme and you honestly never knew what you were getting into. He felt his smile turn to a frown again as another thought took hold; the kittens were probably very weak from lack of nourishment... He had to get them to a vet quickly.
I don't have time for too much of this.... Hopefully we can get this message across?
As the beast hopped off the wall and took a step towards her, Riley's free hand clenched into a fist while the other, still hovering over the holster of her firearm, inched closer to the weapon. Staring at the creature for a moment, she forced herself to take a breath and move her hand away from her gun. He wasn't doing anything threatening... at least, not yet.
Riley watched in confusion as the mutant began making gestures with his hands. She could only assume it was sign language, and unfortunately, she couldn't understand it. Her gaze traveled back up to his face and she was startled to see his teeth were bared. She took a step back, more out of instinct than fear, her face set and determined.
Her training was telling her to wait, that this thing might not be hostile, but her head was urging her to make the first move before whoever or whatever this was had a chance to hurt her. Riley grit her teeth, her hand once more moving towards her firearm--
Wait, was that meowing she heard? Riley tilted her head, peering cautiously into the box that the beast had placed on the ground. ...kittens? She glanced back up at the mutant, some of the tension leaving her body. Somehow, she couldn't imagine a ferocious beast taking care of a bunch of kittens. But that didn't change the fact that whoever this was had caused a disturbance. Not to mention indecent exposure, as that loincloth hardly counted as clothing.
"...alright, I'm guessing you can't talk," Riley said, her hand moving away from the holster of her gun as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But you seem to understand me just fine." A thought struck her, and she removed her notepad and pen from her uniform, holding them out towards the beast.
"Can you write? Tell me who you are, and what you're doing here."
I probably should stop smiling, people don't seem to like it when I smile.
Raiven's smile disappeared when the officer looked as though they were torn between two hard decisions. He couldn't make out everything about the officer, her scent was a mix of so many different smells that he had a hard time getting a sense of all of them. He sniffed a few time and put a hand up to his head. No point in trying to figure out everyone's scent completely, else people would probably be wielded out from him doing that too often. He blinked a little bit when the officer looked past him; he followed her eyes and noticed that she was looking at the box. Not something most would assume he would partake in caring for; kittens were beyond adorable but they would more than likely continue to hiss at him if he got too close. They were friendly only because he gave them the most basic of care; if he had anything to put water in he would since he knew that they didn't like getting wet. The mutant wrung his hands a little bit as he noticed that the officer didnt' seem to understand his signing. He could almost feel a huge sigh work it's way up through his body; he held it back though since he didn't want to be rude.
"...alright, I'm guessing you can't talk,"
Raiven nodded in this and made a gesture to his throat and made the sign for fire. He knew that she wouldn't understand what he was saying but it didn't hurt to try to get a point across either. However when she pulled out the notepad and pen from her uniform he lit up visibly. He accepted the offered items and began writing almost immediately; he almost dropped the pen a few times during the process but that was to be expected with his pads. They were great for getting grip on most things save plastic; he couldn't hold a proper eating tool either which made him frustrated beyond belief. For how quickly he wrote his handwriting itself was very neat, though he almost misspelled a few words.
"Can you write? Tell me who you are, and what you're doing here."
Yes Officer I can write, Little rusty at the practice. Most folks don't entertain me for much longer than to get proper aim with a shotgun or something. I'm Raiven, I was just passing through the neighborhood when I heard something that sounded like an animal in trouble. Being a hunter I was curious at the sounds that were coming from this part and decided to investigate. I found three children kicking this box full of kittens in it and scared them off. I then fed them with some of the fish I had caught this morning from the stream a few miles from here. I was considered taking them to a shelter but with how I am I can't exactly just walk in the door. Is... There a problem with something I have done officer?
Raiven finished writing and held out the notepad and the pen[point towards him] towards the officer. He wasn't smiling since that seemed to unnerve her for some reason. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered staying, he could of ran the moment she pulled up. He knew what cop cars were and what they held. He had been avoiding them for the last twenty or so years after all...
Though she couldn't understand sign language, Riley did surmise that the creature nodding and putting a hand to his throat meant that he indeed could not speak. She was surprised to see that he could, however, write, and watched with interest as he scribbled away at the notepad with the pen.
When he handed them back to her, Riley's expression shifted from one of surprise to one of being impressed. Not only could he write, he could write well-- possibly even better than she could herself. His handwriting was certainly tidier.
"Raiven," Riley said as slowly read the note. Her eyes reached the end of the message and she looked back up at the mutant whose name she now knew. Well, most of it, anyways. "Is there a last name that goes with that?" She paused thoughtfully. "You didn't do anything wrong, if you're telling the truth. Scaring the pants off a few kids never got anyone arrested," she said, her gaze shifting to Raiven's scant clothing as she spoke, "but not wearing pants has. Indecent exposure to a minor is a felony. Have anything to say about that?"
She offered him her notepad and pen once more, hoping he wouldn't try to run. Despite appearances, he seemed civil enough, but she was not overly thrilled at the prospect of chasing someone of his size and probable agility through Eriwall's residential district.
It had been nearly twenty years since Raiven had heard his own name actually spoken, he could feels shivers run down his spine. His name was as unfamiliar to him as the word friend; there were none that he really figured could truly call him friend even with a meeting like the one he had the other day. He frowned a little bit as he got the feeling that this meeting was going to end in a fuss; nothing extreme mind you probrably just him trying to hop over the wall or pushing the... No he couldn't touch the officer, if he did that the'd be no better than a common thug. He'd just have to work things out and hope that everything would turn out for the best. His ears tilted backwards when one of the kittens mewled louder; were they still hungry? He could probably get his last fish out and feed it to them, if the officer would let him that is.
Is there a last name to go with that?
Raiven froze, his eyes dilated and he felt panic rush in for the first time in almost a decade. His last name? If he shared that he'd not only be compromising the safety of his hide-out but they'd be able to see what had happened to him. His nostrils flared a little bit and he'd slowly nod to the question she asked, he didn't like sharing his parent's last name. They were good to him but if he claimed them as his own they likely would get frowned upon even within their graves as some sort of freaks. They weren't that, they were just normal people that at one point were trying to get by while hiding Raiven from the worst of the world.
You didn't do anything wrong, if you're telling the truth. Scaring the pants off a few kids never got anyone arrested,
Raiven felt relief flood him for a moment, so everyone here was going to be able to walk away cleanly from this then? He wanted to smile but something told him with the way the officer just looked at him that he was probably going to end up taking a ride in that police cruiser. He could feel that sigh from earlier coming again; he held off the best he could but it just blew out as a rush of air. His wings and ears twitched sporadically when she continued.
but not wearing pants has. Indecent exposure to a minor is a felony. Have anything to say about that?
She offered the pen and pad to him again, he had the choice of running at this point. He could easily outdistance one police officer; but what if she called for backup? What if they brought a helicopter? Or dogs? Raiven sighed bitterly and took the offered pen and paper, his brows were furrowed in thought as he tried to figure out the best way of explaining why he wasn't wearing pants in the first place. He didn't have the resources to keep normal people clothing, normal sizes that the town he was by wouldn't exactly fit someone of his stature without ripping badly.
My last name carries some heavy baggage officer, Diomedes. If the tree rings that I kept track of earlier this month are right this would be the fifteenth year in a row that I've been away from the world. As far as the indecent exposure goes? I haven't been in civilization for some time as far as things are considered, not to mention most pants with the way I run around don't tend to last long. Though I would figure that my fur would block potential indecent exposure? If not.. Well might as well just put cuffs on me. I won't run. But could we please bring the kittens to a shelter or something? They haven't been properly cared for, likely don't have everything they need here. If those children come back they'll likely treat them worse since i protected them. If I may ask what your name is officer? I don't meet people very often so it'd be nice knowing.
He finished writing and handed back the notepad and pen the same way as before, his tail was swishing back and forth behind him; it was pretty obvious he wasn't very thrilled with the idea of being arrested over such simple charges. His head turned towards the box and he felt his shoulders deflate, if he ran it would just take longer for those kittens to get care. He might not like cats but dammit he was going to try to save a few of them from starving to death. If there was one thing most humans liked it was having an animal as a pet; cats and dogs seemed to be the most common so they should't have any problems with finding a family.
Riley noted Raiven freeze and his eyes dialate as she questioned his surname. Though he soon nodded slowly at the question, she eyed him somewhat suspiciously. He didn't seem too keen on sharing, though she supposed if a cop was asking for her name she wouldn't be, either. His sigh as he took the offered writing tools supported the theory that he was less than excited about what he was going to say, which meant she was going to have to read his message carefully.
When Raiven handed her back the notepad and pen, Riley scanned the writing, her jaw twisted slightly in concentration. "Well, Mr. Diomedes, you picked an unfortunate time to abandon roaming the wild. Or at least, an unfortunate place to frolick around half-naked." She thoughtfully tapped her chin with the pen. The sound of the mewling emnating from the nearby box distracted her, and she glanced over at the kittens with a slight frown before turning back to Raiven.
"Tell you what, Mr. Diomedes. We can take these kittens to the shelter first if you agree to come to the police station without a fight afterwards."
Riley looked the mutant up and down, sizing him up. He wasn't that big; maybe six feet, give or take a few inches. And though he looked pretty muscular, she guessed a lot of it was just fur. She probably could have taken him in a fight if he started one, especially since she had her gun, but she'd rather not have to fill out the paperwork for that sort of thing.
"Oh, and the name's Riley. But you can call me Officer Tuff." She paused, grinning. "So what do you say, Mr. Diomedes? Ready to ride in a car for the first time in fifteen years?"
Raiven put up a hand to the side of his head when hearing his name coupled with Mr gave him a wierd flash of emotion he wasn't used to feeling. Was this regret? Was this him wondering if he could of changed anything? He didn't hear her comment about frolicking around half naked. he was too busy on trying to force out some unwanted memories. He gave his head a hearty thwack which caused both his ears and his wings to wiggle around a little bit. He didn't need this, not at such an important point. He had to keep his cool else he'd just be another problem that the police would have to deal with.
They wouldn't want that.
Tell you what, Mr. Diomedes. We can take these kittens to the shelter first if you agree to come to the police station without a fight afterwards."
He could feel his hands shaking, she could probrably see them too; his hands delved into the pouch that held his pen and notepad. Knowing that at this point no matter what he did he'd end up in that car one way or another. he didn't have a problem with it and if the officer panicked when he was doing this he didn't care if he got shot. His hand writing was alot less tidy, his tail lashed around uncomfortably and anyone could tell that the mutant was obviously bothered by the use of his last name. Even if it was respectful, even if it was because they had to keep it formal. A slow hiss went through his teeth as he finished his writing. It was sloppy, he could feel his shoulders slumping. He had avoided making pain for them for twenty years. Hopefully this wouldn't be the biggest problem that he'd have to face.
I will not fight. For the sake of the kittens. I won't fight because I have no interest in harming the innocent. Please though, don't call me Mr. Diomedes. That was my father's name... Not mine. I am raiven.
"Oh, and the name's Riley. But you can call me Officer Tuff, So what do you say, Mr. Diomedes? Ready to ride in a car for the first time in fifteen years?"
A pleading look was accomponied by him handing her his notepad; his pen went back into his pouch. At her question however he nodded; his ears were flat and his wings were splayed out to the sides. He would have to pick up the box and carry it, he wouldn't make the officer do so. The mutant stooped down to pick it up if the officer took his notepad from him. If not he'd just pick it up with the use of one of his arms. His brow was furrowed, his expression showed a worry that itself was not wrong.
He was afraid of what may happen.
No.
He was afraid of what they may say about those that cared so much for Him.
