[Speckle]

After another three or so days of seemingly aimless wandering, Specks and James managed to leave the Tengel behind. Approaching the main gate of Lamenolai, they were ushered through by a rather bored looking middle-aged bald man. Specks had been dreaming of traveling to Lamenolai since she was a littl'un, but even all those years of dreaming didn't prepare her for the sight that lay before her eyes. The sights, sounds, and smells overwhelmed her senses. The city was gigantic sprawling out before her with no end in sight. People were everywhere, haggling at the markets, entertaining on side streets, and riding strange creatures and vehicles. The smell emanating from the rich food being cooked at several local stalls made their mouthes water. They hadn't had a decent meal in quite some time. Approaching the nearest stall, Specks dug through her change purse to buy a deliciously sweet honey bun for herself, and a chicken kabob for James. They sat on a nearby bench, enjoying the treats and watching the unfamiliar whirlwind on activity before them.


---Meanwhile---

They were coming for them; there was no doubt in her mind this time. The nameless void rattegan swiveled her head around, trying to catch the sound of followers again. She didn't need to even see them, their footsteps were clumsy and obvious to her trained ears.

People in the alleyways had begun to stare. This wasn't surprising, it wasn't everyday you see a rattegan riding a gyrraptor. The large gaping wound on the gyrraptors throat might have caught a few looks as well.

She looked down at the imperial gyrraptor she was riding, her partner, her savior, her brother in arms. He too was nameless, as far as she knew anyways. The large wound across his neck, still dripping blood, prevented him from speaking. They had severed his vocal cords, leaving him unable to tell of the atrocities committed by these so called "pure-of-heart" people. The only thing pure about them was their pure hatred of the Imperialists.

Ignoring her the sounds and smells of the market, she focused on the nerves in her feet, checking on the gyrraptor's condition. He felt a little too warm, and his heartbeat had began to go thready. Cursing under her breath, she tried to think of a way to avoid the men chasing them. "We need a place to rest, somewhere hidden where they won't look," she whispered into his ear slits, refusing to even mention the word 'Purist.' The gyrraptor nodded and made a few hand gestures. The rattegan focused on the gestures before nodding in return, he had said "Leave it to me."

--------------

Licking the sticky honey off of her fingers, Specks stood up and stretched contentedly. James followed suit, stretching with a huge yawn. "Well James, let's go find a place--" Specks would have finished her sentence if it wasn't for the large imperial gyrraptor that had just practically steamrolled her. James was completely caught by surprised. Jumping up from his seat on the bench, he quickly scampered over to his poor trampled owner. She was pinned underneath the large reptile, who had apparently tripped in a pothole, momentum carrying him forwards into the girl. James nudged her arm in distress, hoping for a sign that she was okay. Specks groaned and twitched her arm. Positioning it under the gyrraptor, she tried to shove the beast off of her, but he was too heavy. The fall had knocked the gyrraptor unconscious. James, realizing Specks was going to be just fine, turned his attention to the mound of feathers and scales that lay on top of her. Advancing on the gyrraptor, he prepared to deliver a few nasty bite wounds, his fear for his partner's safety turned to anger towards her injurer. With a snarl, he slammed down his jaws, expecting to taste his enemy's flesh. Instead, he felt the wind knocked out of him as a furry black ball of fury slammed into his side.
"Keep. Your. Filthy. Jaws. Off. Him." the void rattegan spat out between bites and scratches. It seemed as if James had finally got the fight he wanted. The two formed a ball of sharp teeth and flailing claws, trying to find and take advantage of every opportunity to get at each other's soft underbelly fur. They seemed to be evenly matched, and the fight could have gone on for quite some time, but large clawed hands had gripped the two, wrenching them apart. James bit down on the offending hand, causing the gyrraptor to flinch. It seemed that while the two rattegans were fighting, he had managed to disentangle himself from Specks. He had helped her to sit back on the bench before turning to the two dueling rodents. He brought the void rattegan up to his eye level and stared her calmly in the face. "Put me down you great lummox!" the void rattegan snarled at him, wriggling in his grip. He continued to stare at her until she stopped moving and sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll be good..." Setting her down, he turned his direction to James in his other hand.

James refused to loosen his hold, keeping his teeth locked in the gyrraptor's flesh. The gyrraptor just brought James up to eye level, staring him in the eyes. This didn't phase James, he just glared back, trying to sink his teeth deeper. This continued on for about two minute before the void rattegan lost her patience. "As much as I enjoy watching your staring contest, I'd rather not sit around until they get here," she spit out, looking meaningfully at the gyrraptor. He simply flicked his eyes back and forth between the two rattegans. With a shrug, he set the blood rattegan down, or at least he tried to. James still didn't let go. "Oi! Numskull! Your free now, let go!" the void rattegan shouted at him in an exasperated tone.

Specks watched the creatures before her with a raised eyebrow, "I really need to teach you English James..." she grumbled, getting up from her seat on the bench. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on between them, but she could see the gyrraptor trying to release James, and James's refusal to let go. She wrenched open his jaws with her hands and quickly grabbed his body, stopping his second lunge toward the gyrraptor. James's eyes were smoldering with anger now, and he simply snarled at the void rattegan's insult. Specks looked the void rattegan up and down, she was a bit skinny and her fur was in need of grooming, plus James had managed to land a few bites and scratches, nothing serious though. The gyrraptor, on the other hand, wasn't looking great. The wound on his throat was bleeding profusely, and the blood loss was beginning to have an effect on him. He was swaying where he stood, eyes focusing and defocussing. He obviously wouldn't last much longer if the wound continued to bleed. Specks bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. She really didn't have the resources to take two more pets in right now, she hadn't even found somewhere to live yet. Plus the gyrraptor was anything but inconspicuous. He had a gaping wound and he was an Imperial in the midst of the largest Purist city on the planet. Still, back in the slums she had been taken in by the pack of kids, no questions asked. Perhaps it was time she showed someone the kindness they had shown her. With a sigh, she scoured the nearby stalls for a second, spotting one selling cloth. She fished out a few coins and paid the stall master for a small bundle of plain white cloth. Motioning to the Gyrraptor to come over, she wrapped his neck with the cloth quickly and efficiently, using her small blade to cut off the excess. Finishing wrapping his neck, Speck sighed, "Let's go then..." The Gyrraptor immediately followed her, but the two rattegans were busy glaring at each other, circling as if they were about to fight again. "James..." Specks tone was a dangerous one. She was beginning to get a head ache at the thought of how much money it was going to take to support four instead of two. James shot her a look before turning and following her. The void rattegan followed close behind, throwing out jabs at James's pride, calling him a 'mama's rat.'

Specks managed to find a tiny apartment that somehow fit all four of them inside. She handed over most of her coins to the landlord, after haggling down the price. If he had his way she'd be in debt up to her eyeballs. She quickly ushered the gyrraptor into the ground-level apartment, before grabbing both the void rattegan and James and practically throwing them inside. Turning to the arguing pair, she put her hand to her temple, speaking in a low, angry tone, "First of all you two, shut up. Second of all, as long as we're all under this roof, we are going to get along. I'm not going to be woken up at three in the morning for a rat fight." Jameson and the void stopped their bickering and stared up at Speckle. The void had a defiant look in her eye and a smirk on her face, while James was clearly smoldering with anger. "I'm not kidding. You see this?" she pointed to the half rusted metal cage in the corner of the room, "Don't think I won't stick you in there if I have to." Sheer panic alighted in the void's eyes for a moment before she masked it over with her usual arrogant look. "Now, I'm going to go find some dinner. So help me God if I come back and find anyone even thinking about picking a fight!" With that she she left the apartment, slamming the door behind her. An empty stomach always put her in a bad mood, as did having two extra mouths to feed.

[Speckle]

Specks perused the market for an easy steal, managing to swipe a loaf of bread and a particularly small dead chicken. She hoped it would be enough the the gyrraptor. Jameson had been her only pet for as long as she could remember, so she wasn't sure how much a creature of the gyrraptor's size would eat. On her walk back to the apartment, she got stuck behind two very slow walking old women who were bedecked in blue and white. At first she was annoyed, her attempts to pass them all failed and she was forced to shuffle behind them at an excruciatingly slow rate, but then she overheard what they were talking about. It seemed that a war had started between the imperialists and the purists! This...was not good. Judging by the gyrraptor's appearance, she was probably fostering two fugitives in her new home already. They'd have to leave as soon as possible, so much for a fresh start.

She finally made it home and was pleasantly surprised that her threats had worked. James and the void rattegan were still glaring at each other, but as far as she could tell no fighting had occurred. Tossing the chicken in the general direction of the gyrraptor, who had positioned himself between James and the void, she sat down in the lone decrepit looking armchair that had come with the room and pulled out her dagger to cut up the bread. "James and.. err voidy? D'you even have a name?" she called to the rattegans, "Anyways, c'mere." James scampered over quickly, taking the offered bread from Speck's hands. The void took her time, eying Specks suspiciously. It seemed that the offer of shelter and sustenance had done little to instill trust in the void rattegan.

((J 27/30 -- V? 5/10 -- G? 5/10))

[Speckle]

The pets ate in silence, James and the void avoiding each other like the plague. The gyrraptor remained calm and relaxed, quickly stripping his chicken of its feathers before proceeding to eat it. He watched over the rattegans, prepared to intervene if another squabble broke out. Specks shot him a thankful look and was finally able to relax. It had been quite the day, starting with becoming lost in the jungle and ending in the city with two possible war refuges. Gnawing on the loaf of bread, she spoke to the pets between bites, not really expecting much of a response, "So, I'm guessing you guys were involved in this war somehow, right?" To her surprise, the gyrraptor nodded sadly, setting down his chicken to make a few odd hand movements. This angered the void and she let out an audible snarl to make her displeasure known. James stiffened at her response and the room was thick with tension once again. The gyrraptor made a few more odd hand motions and the void rattegan relaxed, James followed suit after she squeaked a few things at him. He still didn't look pleased about the whole situation, but he wasn't about to attack anyone either.

"I'll take that as a yes then...," Speckle commented dryly, one hand held to her head in an attempt to massage away an oncoming tension head ache. "Do you have names, or should I just keep calling you Voidy and Gimpy..." The reaction was about the same to the previous question. The gyrraptor waved his hands, voidy got angry, and James got defensive. This time however, Specks actually noticed the hand movements the gyrraptor was making. The gyrraptor noticed her watching him and repeated the movements, a bit slower this time. Specks tilted her head to one side and squinted in the fading light, trying to figure out what he was trying to tell her. She couldn't make heads or tails of the motions though, and seeing the look of confusion upon her face he decided to try another tactic. Raising a claw, he began to scratch at the flimsy wood flooring, glancing up at Specks when he finished. Rising from her chair, she trotted over to see what he had written. Carved into the floorboards were three numbers, 724. She looked inquisitively at the gyrraptor who simply pointed to the number then to himself. "That's...your name?", she queried, a bit confused. 724 nodded, confirming her statement. "What about her?" Specks jerked her chin in the direction of the void, but the gyrraptor hesitated, looking to the rattegan and flashing some hand signs.

((J 28/30 -- V? 6/10 -- G? 6/10))

[Speckle]

The void rattegan hissed angrily at the gyrraptor, ears flattened against her skull. Clearly she had qualms about giving away their names, even if they weren't true names. 724 shook his head at the rattegan and signed a few more things. This calmed her down, but only slightly. She still looked furious that he had given out his own 'name' and even thought about giving out hers. Specks just sighed and shook her head, "Y'know what, just forget I asked." She couldn't blame the void for being mistrusting, for she herself acted the same around strangers. "I have to call you something though. How about...Liam?" she pointed to the gyrraptor so he knew she meant him. Liam had been her father's name, so offering it to the gyrraptor meant a lot coming from her. "As for you," Specks now turned her attention to the void, "How does Keri sound?" Keri had been the girl that lived next door to Specks when she was younger. They hadn't gotten along at all, and regularly got into fist-fights. It seemed a perfect fit for the aggressive little rattegan.

Liam nodded approvingly at his new name, preferring it over the rather cold sounding numbers he had been given previously. A name, all of his own! It gave him a feeling of belonging and worth. He was no longer just a statistic, no, he was a being.

Keri just flattened her ears further against her skull. She didn't really object to her new name, but at the same time she wasn't entirely thrilled about it. It made sense though, the girl was right. She needed to call her something, and Keri would work just as fine as any other word.

Jameson watched the naming with amusement. Keri? That name sounded familiar...ah yes! The little brat from next door had been named Keri. He grinned up at Specks, reveling in his partner's sense of humor. Liam though, what was she thinking? That had been her father's name.... He hoped the gyrraptor could live up to it. The fact that Specks had been willing to give it out at all was not something to be taken lightly.

((J 29/30 -- K 7/10 -- L 7/10))

[Speckle]

"Alright, now that that's taken care of, let's get down to business," Specks rubbed her hands together enthusiastically, "There's a war going on, and with war comes war spoils. With you two to worry about, I could use all the extra cash I can get my hands on, so I think we should join up." She paused to gauge their reaction.

James seemed rather enthusiastic. War meant fighting, and fighting was fun! He could use a good battle.... The fight with Keri seemed like a century ago.

Liam just continued to stare at Specks, not really reacting much at all. If it meant she could continue to support them then he was fine with it, but didn't people die in wars? He didn't particularly want to kill anyone, not even the ones responsible for his mutilation. If he harmed them, didn't that make him as bad as them?

Keri hissed angrily at her proposition. War was not something to be taken lightly. War was the cause for Liam's lack of speech, not to mention all the tortures she had been subjected to. Still, if it meant she got to tear a hole in those who committed the horrors upon her and Liam then maybe it wasn't that bad. She replaced her look of anger with a smirk. Those purists would pay.

"We're all in agreement then? Good," Specks was a bit surprised. She had expected Liam at least to put up more of a fight. What had those purists done to them? "We better go sign up then. Liam, you better go roll in the mud or something to disguise those imperialist markings of yours. James, help me pack up. Keri, go stare angrily at something." Orders given, Specks proceeded to pack with James's help. Liam did as he was told, slipping out back to roll in dirt until he resembled a wood gyrraptor. Even Keri obeyed, glaring daggers at Specks. Once their meager amount of possessions were packed up into a bag, Specks slung it upon her back and the four headed out to sign up for the war.

((J 30/35 -- K 8/10 -- L 8/10))