Exiles Recruitment: The Werewolf

[Blink]

Blink kind of liked the growing city of Ambrosia. As she walked down a busy market street, she found herself admiring the populace and what they’ve done here. There were all sorts of strange-looking people and creatures just interacting like everything were typical. She could see a woman with cat whiskers and perky little ears buying something from a tall humanoid figure that seemed to made out of rocks. Anywhere else, these people would be persecuted and laughed at. But here, in the entrance to the murky forest-verse known as the Tangled Greens, these people had found their own little slice of normal. Blink liked it. In fact, she admired it.
 
She had also found that people of Ambrosia were particularly pleasant to be around. If it wasn’t for the fact that she already had a job with a base of operations in Coruscant, she could see herself settling down here. It helped that she kind of fit in among the oddities that lived in Ambrosia: she was pink-skinned and had pointy elf-ears. As far as they were concerned, she was pretty average looking compared to your typical Ambrosian citizen. When she first arrived in town with two traveling companions, the blue woman that greeted her had no problem directing her to an inn. At the hotel, it was easy and cheap to get a room and directions.
 
She broke off with her co-workers to do some shopping on her own. She had secured a backpack and some supplies to put in it. She made it to the end of the market street and found the café she had agreed to meet her friends at. Both Rufus and Astrid were sitting in the outside patio already, drinks in front of them. They had their own packs they had purchased hanging off the back of their chairs.
 
“Guess I’m the slow one, huh?” She asked with a smirk on her face as she moved to sat down. “You guys been waiting long?”
 
Rufus shook his head. “Nah, we just got here. I ordered you a diet coke.” He nodded his head to the untouched glass of pop in front of her, and she let out a happy sigh when she saw it. She sipped that caffeinated goodness as he watched her, laughing. They were situated under an awning outside, but his bald head managed to seem shiny regardless. Almost as shiny, Blink thought, as the handles to his freshly polished pistols that he kept in shoulder holsters at his side.
 
After sipping the yummy beverage, Blink’s eyes shifted up to their female companion. Astrid, also known as the Shieldmaiden, was the Viking Warrior they had picked up in Costa del Sol. She had been an easy person to recruit, considering Blink’s prior relationship with her. But despite that, Blink did feel like it had been too easy to convince her. She didn’t like how little she knew about Astrid and her intentions in the Omniverse. But maybe this trip would help fix that. “You alright?” She asked the woman in red cloth.
 
Astrid looked up, obviously having been distracted. “Huh?” Her face-paint seemed to scrunch together as the woman laughed. “Yes, yes! I’m fine! Sorry, day dreaming, I guess.” She put on a big smile that Blink couldn’t help but return, even if she didn’t quite trust it.
 
“So, what’s the gameplan, boss?” Rufus asked, looking over at Blink. “We’re all packed for a long trip. Can’t say I’m super excited about it, but I’m ready.” Blink nodded at him. She knew he was a city boy, and trekking through the jungle wasn’t exactly on Rufus’ bucket list.
 
Blink pulled a file from her backpack and set it on the table. It had the word ‘Exiles Dossier’ on the front of it. “Right now we have a sharpshooter and we have a weapons expert.” She nodded to Rufus and then Astrid. “This time we need to find our muscle. We’re here to find a recruit codenamed The Werewolf.” She looked up to make sure she had both of their attentions. She did. “He used to live in the verse called The Pale Moors. Not sure if he was always a werewolf, or if it was something new, but something happened and he left to come here. To the Tangled Greens. “
 
“Have we considered that he’s actually here, in town?” Rufus asked. “I mean, I’ve seen some pretty crazy figures here. Wouldn’t be a stretch to say there’s a werewolf or two here.”
 
Blink nodded. “Yea, I had the same thought. The dossier suggests that he’s been mostly involved in a conflict between two orc tribes. But I think it’s reasonable to assume he at least came through this town when he first got here. It’s pretty werewolf-friendly. So before we leave, we’ll get some information about him.”
 
Astrid finally spoke up. “Why are we recruiting this werewolf, anyway?” Rufus and Blink both looked up at her with confused looks. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound argumentative, but…something must have happened for him to leave the Moors and come here. If he’s out in the jungle somewhere, he probably wants to be left alone. Right?”
 
Rufus didn’t have anything to say, so he looked over at Blink, as if waiting for an answer as well. Claire bit her fuchsia lip as she nodded in agreement. “You’re right, he probably wants to be left alone. But…I picked this dossier because I think he also needs our help. And that’s what I do.” She put her finger on the table, as if pointing down to emphasize her next point. Her voice got serious as green eyes narrowed. “I bring people back from terrible places. I give them second chances.”
 
Astrid smiled, seeming to like her response. But Rufus spoke up. “What if he doesn’t want a second chance?” Blink looked at him. Rufus shrugged. “I get it, he was a good guy and people died and he left. But what if he doesn’t deserve a second chance?” Blink didn’t even hesitate. “What if he does? Who are we to deny him a chance.” She didn’t say it out loud, but she also felt that if Guu, the old man funding their little super-team, had a dossier on this Werewolf then it was at least worth investigating. Neither one of them said anything, so she continued. “So we’re gonna ask around town, then we’re going out into the Greens to find him. Any issues?”
 
Rufus shook his head negative. Blink glanced at Astrid. He was day dreaming again, looking off into the street. Blink coughed to get her attention. “Huh, what? Yea, I’m good!” Both Blink and Rufus laughed. Astrid blushed. “Sorry, day dreaming again.”
 
Blink chuckled wordlessly as she sipped her diet coke again. She was happy that had picked this dossier. She felt like it was the right thing to do. Hopefully whoever this Werewolf was agreed with her…because they were going right into his backyard. Whether they were welcome or not.

[Blink]

It was a particularly long night at the Original Ambrosian Inn. Blink wasn't sure if it was because the nights were actually longer in the Tangled Green, or because she was just having a rough night of sleep. What little rest she did acquire was plagued by dreams. Up until now, she had almost completely moved past her previous life. It wasn't that she forgot about her life as an X-Men or the people she worked with, but it all seemed like such a distant past that she didn't bring them up in her head very often. This new life seemed real enough, and it wasn't like she had any plan to get home. So why think about it? But her dreams...those she couldn't control.

The teleporter rubbed her temple as she sat up out of bed. Her over-sized grey t-shirt draped over her shoulders, barely clinging to her skin. The dreams weren't bad...she wouldn't classify them as nightmares. But they still gave her a terrible feeling of unease. It reminded her of what she lost. What she was taken away from. Without consent. This new world was her reality, but she had no say in the decision. It was some being known as 'Omni' that had taken her life in his hands. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

"Good morning," she heard. Blink raised her emerald eyes to glance at one of her roommates. To save money (and room), the three members of the Exiles stayed in the same room. Rufus was holstering his pistols in the holders on both sides of his torso, strapped in from shoulders to hips. He had on his signature wife-beater underneath it. "You look like shit."

Claire smirked at his words. "Thanks, good to see you too," she teased. Her smile faded quickly, glancing down at the blanket under her. "You ever think about your life before this one? Like, where you came from?"

Rufus looked worryingly at his pink friend. He shook his head. "No." He said firmly. "And you shouldn't either. It's dangerous thinking. We're stuck here now. Best to focus on the future."

"Yea..." her voice drifted off. She moved to get out of bed and fetch her clothes. Her thoughts continued to stay on her previous life. The words Rufus said stuck with her...'stuck here now.' Were they? Maybe they were only stuck because no one tried to get out. Maybe it was a fight worth having. At the very least, it was worth investigating. This 'Omni' was just a person, after all. But first things first...they had a werewolf to track down.

Once Blink had put her signature green outfit on, she followed Rufus out. Given they were going to be trekking it out in the jungle, both Rufus and Blink had backpacks with plenty of essentials already packed away. They headed downstairs and into the main courtyard of the hotel they were staying at. There, they found their viking Shieldmaiden companion known as Astrid walking past the gate from the main road. She had her own backpack on her back, and her spear split into three pieces, hanging off the sides of her pack. "You went out early," Blink noted.

"I did a little scouting," Astrid reported. "The dwarves near the city square heard about some of the orc tribes out in the Green dealing with a wild werewolf. That has to be our man."

Blink shook hands with Astrid in greeting as she spoke. She nodded at the blonde's words. "How far out?"

"Far enough. Couple days." That got a groan from Rufus, who had already shared his opinion on camping and hiking out in the endless jungle. He was a city boy, self-proclaimed. Astrid was obviously perfectly fine with the outdoors, and Blink felt like she landed in the middle of the spectrum.

"How hostile are the orcs out there?" Blink asked, hiding her smirk from Rufus' discomfort.

Astrid shrugged. "They're orcs." She said simply.

"Fair enough," Blink laughed. It was kind of a silly question, Blink admitted to herself. Regardless of how hostile the green monsters were out there in the Tangled Green, they were going to be problems. For them and for their werewolf recruit. "Well, let's eat some breakfast and get this show on the road."

The three began to head out from the hotel courtyard and into the main street of Ambrosia proper. They had a long hike ahead of them to get into the territory of the orc tribes they were looking for. There was a werewolf out there, alone and angry...and they were going right into his lair. It was the first real test of the Omniverse Exiles, and Blink just hoped it was the right adventure to undertake. She figured they may as well do their best to make life here worthwhile...while she's stuck there. For now.

[Blink]

The world spun around as pain surged through the temple of Blink. As soon as the handle of Astrid's spear connected with her head, she had been sent sideways and caused to flip forward onto her back to avoid landing face-first. For a moment, everything was blurry as she looked up into the roof of the Tangled Green; nothing but thin branches and thick layers of green canopy. She groaned as she recovered her wits and rolled onto her front, then raised up onto her knees. "Ugghhh," she complained, shaking her head so her dark locks came free from their bundle. She looked over at a grinning Astrid and glared at the Viking Shieldmaiden, who just stood there with her spear next to her, towering above her. "This is stupid."

"This is training," Astrid corrected through her smile. "You need it."

Blink let out another over-exaggerated groan as she summoned some of the emerald lights she could harness into the tips of her fingers. Both hands were suddenly holding green glowing daggers, made out of the same energy she used to create portals. "I can teleport," she reminded her companion. "I don't need this kind of training."

"Clearly, you do," Astrid responded again, just as quick and as accusingly. The blonde warrior spun her spear in front of her and then pointed it at the purple teleporter. "There will come a time where you won't be able to just teleport your way out of trouble. You have to be able to fight without it."

"Yea, we'll see, I guess." Blink said dismissively.

The two were in a clearing in the dense jungle that was The Tangled Greens. Astrid had her signature spear out while Blink was using her green energy daggers. Off to the side was the third member of their trio, Rufus, who was sitting in front of a campfire that he was tending to. The sun hadn't quite gone down yet, but was on it's way slowly but surely. The three were on the second day of their journey through the forest, towards the camps of orcs somewhere out in the wilderness. This training session wasn't a new thing, but it was the first time Astrid had talked Blink into not using her teleportation powers. Rufus was watching, fascinated as his feminine partners dueled.

With an emotional grunt, Blink jolted forward. She wasn't able to get very close to Astrid before the spear came into play, so she connected her sparking dagger with the blade of the long weapon. Blink was able to move swiftly and a bit unusually around the outside of Astrid's range, avoiding getting sliced with the long-arm with head movement and then quick flips. But for all of her great bouncing around, she couldn't get into the pocket with the shield maiden. Blink brought her daggers up to try and get the spear knocked sideways and give her an opening, but Astrid spun around swung at Blink with a powerful swing of the spear. Blink back-flipped to avoid it, showing her acrobat skills, but it only left her at a defensive disadvantage. Astrid moved forward to pursue the finish, which left Blink forced to back off even further, towards a thick tree.

Once at the tree, the fuschia woman turned and ran right at it, placing her lead foot on it and jumping up. Using a combination of skill and speed, she literally ran up the side of the wide oak above five steps before allowing gravity to set in. She spun around, one of her arms back behind her head as she looked intent on driving that dagger down into a waiting Astrid. For her part, the Shield Maiden turned her spear upwards to try and slice the acrobat in the air. Just as it appeared Blink would get hit or successfully dodge out of the way, she did what she did best: disappear.

On the ground behind Astrid, Blink appeared out of an invisible tear in the air and looked to catch the blonde woman off guard. Astrid spun around though, she if she had anticipated from the beginning, and once again connected the handle of her spear with the side of Blink's head, sending her falling sideways into the dirt. With a grunt, Blink rolled onto her back, right in front of where Rufus was watching the training contest.

"Dammit," she mumbled under her breath, moving to sit up.

Astrid stepped forward, using the handle of her spear as a sort of walking stick as she walked. "You cheated," she accused down at the pink fight.

"Duh," Blink responded, shrugging.

"Ya still lost," Rufus chimed in. Blink glared at him and he smirked in response. 

Blink moved to shift herself from the dirt to a stump near where Rufus was sitting. Astrid remained standing, but she did move to lean sideways against a tree near where they had set up camp. The warmth of the fire Rufus had been tending to was glowing brighter as it got darker around them. "You're still a good fighter," Astrid told her. It was clear that Blink was unhappy with her performance. "That hasn't changed. You just can't be a one-trick pony."

"Even if that trick is really, really cool," Rufus assured her.

Blink smirked at that, but nodded her head. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I appreciate the training. I do. And I want to be a better fighter. But I'm a teleporter and that's kinda how it is. I'm not a good fighter around that, I'm a good fighter because of it."

"That's not true. You've got excellent movement and obviously your speed is second to none," Astrid told her, listing off some compliments. Blink could tell a 'but' was coming. "But you only rely on one weapon, and that's your teleportation. You have to sharpen your other weapons or you'll end up with nothing."

The teleporter just nodded and smiled. "Thanks," she told her friend, and then leaned back against the tree she was situated in front of. She wanted to stop the conversation and just agree to disagree. She was the one who had asked to train with Astrid, but she mainly want to work on the different angles she needed when teleporting. Astrid wanted to teach her how to be a melee fighter. Blink resigned herself that she would need to learn some one on one combat anyway, and Astrid was the best teacher she  could find for it. But she still intended to use her best skill anyway, because she was confident that was the most important tool in her arsenal.

"We should be in orc territory tomorrow," Rufus said, changing the subject. "Then we can narrow it down and find our werewolf."

Blink nodded at him, acknowledging what he said. Her green eyes peered up at Astrid, who was looking around the tree she was leaning on. "You okay?" Blink asked. "You see someone out there?"

For a moment, Astrid seemed distracted. But then she smiled and turned back to the other two. "No, no. I'm good. Just being cautious is all."

Blink squinted a moment, fairly sure that Astrid was holding back information. She looked herself in the direction the blonde had been looking, but she didn't see anything. With a shrug, she dropped sideways and closed her eyes, thinking about the day ahead. Astrid finally sat down, and Rufus remained awake for the first watch. Blink considered the possibilities of what they might find tomorrow: aggressive orcs, a confused werewolf and definitely a lot of convincing. She thought briefly about whether or not it was worth the hassle, but pushed that thought aside. It was a good long term game. She had to suffer a bit of camping in the Tangled Green in the short term, but the team she was building would be worth it. She knew it would be. Hopefully.