(Feel free to jump on in)

An odd planet, full of the dregs of most civilizations' society; bounty hunters, assassins, thieves, murderers, outlaws, drunks, drug addicts and peddlers, informants and snitches, people with nothing to lose and no place to truly call home, people with no qualms about hurting others. Any shred of decency given was only a ploy, or some kind of move to put one's self in favor with an authority figure, and the only authorities truly found on the planet were those with power and the ability and will to survive. Needless to say, the whole planet seemed to be one large, seedy canteen, rife with rot from the inside out.

The land itself seemed to reflect the nature of those found inhabiting it. It was all cold, constructed chaos, buildings piled atop each other and crammed together, the sky a uniform, dismal, smoggy gray, day or night. Pale lights of every hue seemed to weep out of the buildings, pouring onto the streets below, giving them a forlorn look rather than the festivity one would expect from such colors. Everyone around eyed everyone else either with wary mistrust or a snake's smile. In a place like this, trust was counted out as money, or personal favors, depending on the one earning said trust from another. The air felt thick and hot, more greasy than moist, really, and was filled with all manner of odors, generally ranging from offensive to downright foul. It was a place filled to the brim with desperation, depravity, and sickness of the soul. Naturally, a perfect place for one such as Solais to take his ease.

Of course, as he strode angrily from the burning frame of the bar he'd been in until recently, he forgot all about taking ease. He turned back to the entrance once outside and roared back into the flames; "And by the way! The drink you made SUCKED!" His complaint was met by the sudden collapse of said building and he sighed, shaking his head. The whole mess had occured because of a spilled drink...he'd been sipping something he couldn't pronounce that had tasted bitter and foul, when suddenly, a group of loudmouths had wandered in. Hadn't taken long for them to spot the supposedly human man sitting alone at a table and decide to cause trouble for him...he'd managed to put three in the group down and had a fourth by the throat, avenging his fallen drink, when the bounty hunters in the room suddenly snapped and figured out who this strange man was...and from there, it went downhill. Solais had enough of a bounty on his head to make whoever turned him in a very rich man or woman for a very long time, in several different systems. Ironically enough, the reason his bounty was so high was because of mishaps like this...albeit, on a far grander scale.

The Nightmare sighed to himself and spat into the fire contemptuously, muttering something about dumbass bounty hunters and their need to complicate things beyond all reason, then wandered off down the street a ways, apparently looking for a new bar to enter. "Damn, and I didn't even manage to get a buzz yet...this is turning into a bust real fast...Oh well, fourth time's a charm." He felt fairly proud of himself, however; so far, this was the only bar he'd actually destroyed. Well, if you didn't count the broken furniture and glasses and laser-pierced walls of the other two...this one had been the only one to collapse, anyway. So far. And if that wasn't restraint, then what was? His mood brightened considerably, and he perked a bit as he continued to wander, looking for a likely watering hole, his past rage already long forgotten...as well as which direction he meant to be heading in. The demon soon found himself lost, not that it worried him much. Merely irritated him.

It hadn't been a very good day when I had first been forced to land on this horrible planet. the Grey sky was depressing only heightened by the failure of my ship's shield systems. I had landed at least a week ago now I kept looking for the replacement part. In truth that this place even existed was a sad sad thing. This day I found myself in a rather sickening looking bar dressed in my usual lab coat, skirt and simple blouse along with that ever present metal arm. I appeared defenseless compared to a good number of the patrons and was currently 'dealing' with one whom decided I looked like a sex toy.

"Alright alright!!! damn it I'll leave you alone!"

He said when he was painfully wounded when he attempted to touch me through my personal forcefield. with that I turned back to the bartender whom looked at me curiously before finally offering up a drink to me. one I had asked for before I was confronted. it was black as the void as I picked it up and swirled it in front of me.

"Hmm so it's called Drieroplistusx shouldn't kill me."

I said simply taking the drink down my throat. then again not much could kill me now; the nanites in my blood made filtered out most of the things that could kill me or even make me sick extending my life indefinitely though for most purposes besides my immeasurable IQ I was just a human with an extended lifespan.

((do hope I'm good enough to join))

((More'n good enough! Always a pleasure to have a new drinking buddy. ))

Solais growled with agitation. Wandering was getting him nowhere but more lost, and was seeming like a waste of time more than anything. Twice since leaving the ruins of the last establishment, poor fools had tried to pick his pocket, only to find their oh-so-nimble fingers removed by a far more nimble dagger, and their own pockets picked in return as they lay screaming on the ground. True, he'd managed to nearly double what he had, money-wise, but still, this wasn't what he was after; he wanted to get drunk, dammit! He pushed his way through the crowd a little further, then stopped with a loud growl of exasperation. Every bar in the damned place looked the exact same! He quirked his head to one side, hearing what sounded like someone squealing in pain through a nearby door, and grinned. He doubted if he should...after all, pain usually meant toughs, and where there were badasses, there were bounty hunters...but how could he possibly deny the possibility of more fun? "Fine. You're lucky number four. Ready or not..." He pushed through the door.

He wandered in, drawing stares from several, and a few snickers...which stalled as, out of nowhere, it seemed, he pulled his trusty sickle, having anticipated trouble from outside. Many eyes averted quickly, seeing the huge weapon slung so casually across his shoulders, though others seemed to take it as a challenge. That was fine. Let them come, if they were foolish enough, just so long as he got his drinks in first. He looked around, and spotted himself a stool at the bar near the wall, with a slumped creature that looked like the bastard child of a vole and a man. He wandered over and grinned down at the creature's drunk gaze, pointing at himself, then at the stool. "Me, plus this spot, plus drinks, equals a good time." He put his hand on the thing's shoulder, then lifted and tossed him out of the chair as though he'd done little more than toss a rag. "You, my friend, do not fit into that equation at all, so move." He took the newly vacated seat, grinning savagely at the alien's failed attempts to rise or take his seat back.

As soon as he lost interest in the being, the demon took a simple look around the bar. Most of the inhabitants looked about as dangerous as week-old puppies, but he saw no bounty hunters...which was probably a good thing, considering the bounty posters outside the bar...and every other establishment on the planet. If there were any, at any rate, they hadn't made any move to acknowledge him as a mark yet. His gaze stopped at the lovely girl sitting at the bar a ways down from him. He gave a small grin, his violet and crimson eyes flashing as he looked her up and down, clearly liking what he saw. The lab coat did nothing to hide her body. Somehow though, maybe because of her skirt, maybe the expression that face of hers held, he figured that hiding herself from others wasn't the first thing on her mind. And judging by the fact that most around her kept a wary distance, he was willing to bet that it was because she didn't have to hide. Why hide when you could fight, after all?

Solais raised his hand and slammed it down on the bar, drawing the tender's attention. "I want you to take a glass, keep, and I want you to fill it with the meanest drink you've got." He was apparently used to hearing such orders, as he set about making the drink without question or answer. Soon, a glass was placed in front of the nightmare, seeming to glow a sickly orange, looking as though it might melt through the glass itself if left alone long enough. Solais traded credit for drink, and took half the glass in an easy slug, placing the glass back on the bar with an appreciative gasp of air. "Yeahhhhh....now THAT'S a mean drink. When you see it run empty....you know what to do."

Now that he had his drink, he rose from the stool he occupied and quickly took a vacant seat next to the lovely girl he'd spied earlier. Simple small-talk for now. If she decided she didn't want his attentions, he was fairly sure he could rectify the situation in his favor later, but for now, why not simply enjoy his drink? "So then...not often you find someone pretty as you drinking by herself in a place like this. You don't really fit in, you know...you're clearly not the kind of person to visit a place like this. So? What's your story?"

I was beginning to enjoy the mumbling and the chatting it was almost soothing now as I drank my odd drink. it was certainly powerful not that it would stop me from enjoying the odd flavors. then came a loud slam against the counter interrupting my thoughts and my calm. my eyes looked only to see s being dressed in black as black as my drink. I looked away shortly after noticing his arrival and returned to my drink which happened to be the same drink he had ordered not that I knew that yet at the least. My thoughts were on repairing my ship which followed well cloaked overhead. then the same one whom had interrupted my train of thought before approached me; first thing to pass through my mind was that he'd be another one to try to take me by force but, that thought was soon discredited when he actually took time to speak to me.

"I would assume not, many of the pretty ones dislike the smog and the thickness of the air. It bothers me very little. Then the lack of defense most pretty ones have on their persons. I find it a rather enjoyable place compared to my other options in the star system to be trapped... the third planet is a desert after all. Here searching for parts to repair my ship I assumed criminals and bounty hunters would have more advanced technology on their crafts."

He looked familiar and i tried to figure out from where. my mind eventually remembered the last report I had recieved from the ADD, not that I often cared about the orders I was given from them, I was a field scientist... and quite frankly my trust of their group was still lacking I'd much more happily have been a freelancer but, the ADD labs did have certain difficult to find tools for me to use the rare time i spent at a base. I wore none of their marks which I was glad to know kept me from a good amount of trouble.

He merely nodded as she spoke, taking another slug of his drink, draining the dirty glass dry and placing it on the counter. Without a prompt or any trace of hesitation, a new one was placed near his hand. He mulled over her words, thinking them through quickly and thoroughly...a task most would have thought him incapable of. She'd said with all the bounty-hunters here...not other bounty hunters, which meant it was probably fairly safe to assume she wasn't one. That was good...but what had REALLY gotten his attention was the part where she'd said she was trapped. Meaning that she clearly had no way of getting assistance, else she'd have done it by now. That brought another smile, which he hid with his glass as he took a pull.

"Ahhhhh, that's good. It's fairly obvious that you certainly don't lack in defense, judging by how everyone here is willing to keep out of arm's length. So it's probably safe to assume that the squeals of pain I heard before I came in were courtesy of yourself, hmmm?" He gave a small laugh. He liked this one already...which probably wasn't good news for her. But she'd see that later. "Still, criminals aren't criminals because they're soft, and bounty hunters....they get paid to put people down, if not kill them outright. I wonder...are you capable of defending yourself against the likes of them? Chances are, whatever part you happen to be looking for...if one of them has it, they're going to want payment outside of money, and most will try to take it without your permission..."

He drained the glass once more and awaited his third, eyeing her glass as well. He raised his hand. "Bring one for her too." The keep nodded and set to it, making the drinks. "If you don't want it when it gets here, I'll drink it myself. Now then, back to you...how long have you been here? And what is it, exactly, that keeps these wonderful people from hanging around and pawing at you? You've got me all curious now." Which was true. The girl was clearly not to be trifled with, by most creature's standards, and he wanted to know why. He felt a slight crackle of energy around here, something that balanced on the border between the energy of living creatures and machinery...but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. Also, that arm of hers...yes, this one was definitely interesting. He realized he hadn't even heard her name yet...nor had he offered his own. "My how rude...it seems I was so starved for a pretty face that I completely forgot my manners. My name's Solais. Solais Saoris, at your service. And you are...?"

I took to enjoying my drink as I listened to him nodding where appropriate surprised the first move he made was to order them both a drink, which I took as an unusual thing seeing how many had tried to tear my clothes off before even uttering a word. I took the new glass and dipped a metal covered finger into it nodding when i determined it wasn't deadly to humans I began to nurse at it; the taste wasn't revolting.

"Yes... They're quite weak really compared to some of the things I've come across; not one has been able to get around my mind though; so far however not one has had a Cantium-oxide matrix or a multi-spectral sequencer... nothing I could even rig up to get me to another system and get new parts... It's a bit depressing how slow their technology is compared to my own."

I'd stretch my muscles as best I could my single armor covered arm remaining still it never needed to stretch half the time i couldn't even feel that there was skin beneath it anymore. I'd hear his name then offer my own without hesitation... alright I did take a deep drink from the lass before.

"I go by Zephrina now adays, old name doesn't mean much anymore really... Hey tender, another one same stuff!"

He'd bring another glass without a word as I continued to speak.
"Been here a couple of weeks now not too sure how long exactly but, heh as long as I have the highest I.Q. in the known universe I'm sure I'll be just fine, no one's gotten passed any of my 'projects' yet doubt with what I've seen they ever will... I'm sure they're just waiting for me to get drunk but, never going to happen."

There was a faint hint of amusement on his face as he slugged down another mouthful of the strange brew. This one was certainly an interesting one. She spoke a lot, and mostly about things he didn't understand, usually to do with what parts her ship needed...not surprising, since Solais needed no ship to go here and there. Still, it'd be rude not to answer and to simply let the conversation die just because he didn't know much about technology. "True, seems there are large gaps in technological advances between civilizations anywhere...which is why people like myself choose to rely on the arcane. It's a different kind of science...but it's up-to-date no matter where you go. Nothing like magical energy...if you can get to a place with it, then getting back is simply a matter of casting the same spell. No worries of breakdowns and whatnot."

He stopped speaking as she stretched, which was a lovely and much-appreciated sight, watching her musculature tense under the lovely, smooth skin of her body. The arm caught his eye again, dredging up memories of a student he'd met once that had a false mechanical arm. He wondered if her arm was fake or simply coated in armor...and if so, then why only the arm...he drew his eyes languidly back up her form to focus on her face, which was no less lovely than the rest of her. He wasn't worried about being caught looking. As far as he was concerned, people didn't stretch like that unless they were looking to get a glance, and besides, she struck him as the sort of person who had a 'you can look, but don't touch' mentality to her...of course, he'd get his share of touching, too, if things worked out well.

"Zephrina. Nice to meet you." He couldn't help but smirk at the comment about her IQ. She had a sort of arrogance about her, certainly. Perhaps that was what was most attractive to him. "Projects, huh? Sounds like fun." He laughed. "Waiting for you to get drunk? I didn't even know this stuff could actually do that to you...I was starting to think it was just a bad joke." He'd been to several bars now, and, even with what he'd had to drink here, he hadn't even gotten a little tipsy yet. Quite honestly, the drinking was looking like a lost cause, but he pursued it doggedly, unwilling to give up so easily.

Of course, perhaps it was a good thing that he wasn't drunk, because trouble walked in through the door a moment later. Trouble other than himself, that was. A human walked in through the door, looking rather angry, and glanced around the bar, his eyes settling in on the area in which the two of them were sitting. Solais wasn't sure which of them he was glaring at, himself or Zephrina, but he was sure that it didn't particularly matter; this man had obviously come to bring harm, and that sort of thing usually spilled out onto the area nearby. Twas, afterall, how barroom brawls were born. Behind the man came more trouble. about six or seven more beings entered the room, of various sizes and races, one looking to be a giant panther standing on its hind legs, another looking somewhat like a lungfish with legs and arms. All of them wore fairly formidible looking armor, marking them as bounty hunters. "Here we go again..." He muttered to himself, but he didn't move. Their attention didn't seem focused on him at the moment...but rather on...Zephrina? He looked at her. "You know them at all? They seem to have some idea of who you are..."

The man spared an explanation as he strode up to her, a cold expression on his face. "Hey! You, the bitch with the metal arm! I think you owe me an apology for what you did to me earlier. Here I am, trying to be friendly and you go and cause me pain! Well, my friends and I have something to say about that...so I suggest you get with the making up, before we get really ugly!" Solais blinked...then put two and two together. This man was obviously the one from whom the squeal of pain had come in the first place... "You mean you didn't kill him after he went for you?" He asked, clearly puzzled by that fact alone. He did nothing for the moment. The hunters weren't focused on him, and besides, he was curious to see what the woman could do, after hearing her cryptic remarks. He did, however, reach into a pouch at his side and draw out eight small coins, one for each of the belligerent creatures that were there. Other than that, no move was made on his part.

I looked at the familiar thugs whom I had dispatched earlier and offered a laugh at them shaking my head. I decided to wait to answer any of Solais' question until after I dealt with at least one of the fools. The metallic arm I had let lay limp I now lifted as stretched a little before forming it into a simple fist I decided to show a quick display of power; I slammed a tool through the solid floor splintering it and creating a sizable hole in the floor.

"That is going to be your skulls because you don't listen to warnings my dear tiny brains..."

I decided then I could easily just chat while I pummeled these idiots. I looked at the drink that was left in my glass and quickly downed what was left with a slightly twisted smirk.

"This stuff is almost weaker than stuff brewed on earth really but, it's better than nothing and do trust me when I say I don't make the same mistake twice they won't make it off the planet in one piece."

a final choice on my part I chose to let them strike first cocky I know but, I knew there was no way they could beat me.

Solais sat back and smiled, still palming his coins. He actually chuckled at the part where she slammed the tool through the floor then slammed her drink just as hard. The bravado on her part might have seemed overdone to some...but to him, it was refreshing. Such confidence...this was a rare find indeed. Apparently, her would-be assailants were impressed as well, because the rage they'd managed to work themselves up to had evaporated like water on a hot stove. In it's place was wary caution...well, caution for the most part, anyway, he ammended as the foolish human grabbed a creature that looked like a cthulu reject from his crew and started forward at what was supposed to be a menacing walk.

He put two of the coins into his other hand. No need for them; there was no hope for those two, advancing head on at that pace. They were doomed if Zephrina knew absolutely anything of combat with the strength she clearly possessed. The Nightmare found himself wondering how far, exactly, that strength could go...the first two attackers closed the distance, and the other six fanned out, spreading around. They couldn't come at her from behind, thanks to the bar being at her back, but they could certainly come at her from six directions, which might make things a bit interesting. Not that it mattered. If things got out of hand, he would take steps...after all, Zeph was his find, and no one was going to snatch her from him, not for any reason. The man and his hesitant-looking, tentacle-faced partner reached a point right in front of Zephrina and stopped. Even the human, belligerent though he seemed, had the common sense to start doubting his actions in the face of her steadfast resolve. It didn't stop him from giving his companion a slight push to one side while circling to the other...and throwing a single punch so absolutely clumsy it was almost an artform in itself. It was pathetic in every sense of the word; it was slow, it was weak, and anyone with a trained eye had seen it coming a mile away.

Tentacle-face didn't do much better himself, although his move wasn't quite as readable. It was, however, just as stupid; he stepped forward and wrapped a hand around her metal wrist, then tried to reach around behind her and grab her other hand, to hold her for his partner. Solais almost rolled his eyes at the sad display. It was almost an insult, they were fighting so badly. He watched the punch, seeming to move in slow motion towards her, and decided that she definitely didn't need his help. Not for these two. Half a second into the fight, and already the group had lost a quarter of its members. All that remained was to see how she did it.

I'd watch with some disgust at their feeble attempt at 'fighting' truth was I didn't have to move. I'd let the human punch me and the tentacle face one grab my arm of course when he did his hand would lose every layer of skin and a small portion of his muscle smoking as he'd remove it screaming in pain and I'd just laugh as his partner did the same with his back hand. I'd roll my neck a little before i'd slam the metal fist through the tentacle faced one's chest a hole but no blood the wound sealed by the forcefield generated by my arm and the nanites in my blood. The more humanoid looking one would get my regular hand at his face after I turned down my forcefield to just repel though him I'd gouge his eyes out with my nails with more speed than one might expect. It didn't take me long to clear their numbers completely even going as far as to follow one out of the bar just to kill him. I'd return with a gentle smile on my face carrying a few locaton devices and a few electronic registration key cards.

"Hmph... was hoping one of them might have some worth while ship, guess i'll just be more raw sub-atomic particles once I break them down."

I returned to sit near Solais wiping flakes of blackened skin from my metal fist nodding to him I'd look to a rather shaken tender.

"How about just giving me the bottle this time before I do that again to the first bar tender to piss me off?"

I pointed to a stain on his wall that had been one of the group.

"Really wish they had been one of those races that can withstand the forcefield, they're so much more fun to fight."

The tender would put down the bottle of what the pair of us had been drinking before and I poured Solais another glass before doing the same for myself with a slightly twisted smirk on my face.
"So what were we talking about before they made me kill them?"

I seemed no nonchalant now as though I hadn't just murdered several people in cold blood it didn't even seem as if I were angry any longer

Solais gave a mild blink as he watched his new drinking partner tear apart the first two pitiful attackers. Something happened when they touched her...he felt a flare of energy, and they began to burn. He smirked as they were dealt with...the smirk blossomed into a full smile as she proceded to tear apart two more...then a grin as three more fell to her furious strength. He was getting to like this one more and more! Finally, he erupted in open laughter as she chased the last one out the door, followed him, and drew out a long, agonized scream from her victim, which cut off rather suddenly, drawing a flinch from most of the others in the room, only making him laugh harder, the sound one of nearly-insane enjoyment.

"Oh, by all the Gods and Devils in all the realms...that was something! Truly spectacular! Well done, lady, well done!" He congradulated her, still laughing as she strode back in as though nothing was amiss, indeed, smiling herself as though she'd just enjoyed a pleasant chat. The woman was a born lunatic...meaning she was right up his alley. The bartender set down the bottle, drawing another grin from him, and a second short bark of laughter as she filled their glasses once more. "Lethal, lovely, AND generous, I've truly found Valhala, and you must be a valkyrie...though one wonders when the valkyries began to employ such technology as yours..."

He put the remaining coins in his left hand and set them on the bar, no longer having a use for them, now that all his would-be targets were dead, and brought his right hand back up to touch her arm in a curious fashion. He didn't really expect it to burn, and wouldn't care much if it did; to know one's opponent was to know their capabilities after all, and one does not gain knowledge without a touch of pain, generally. His hand settled on Zephrina's shoulder, and he had an easy smile about his face as he did so. It did not burn, but it did tingle intensely as he kept his hand there; it was indeed an energy field of some flavor or other. Whatever it was, he couldn't absorb it the way he could some types, but it didn't appear intense enough to hurt him. His grin broadened and he raised his glass. "Cheers, to my new drinking partner. We should do this more often. You're fun to hang around with." He clinked his glass against hers without waiting, drained it, and slammed it back on the bar, removing his hand from her shoulder without a sign that it had bothered him at all. "As to what we were speaking of...I believe we'd just discussed what had brough you to this rock in the first place, and as to how you managed to defend yourself...which you just answered most admirably, I might add."

He nodded towards her new cache of cards and devices with another smile. "Well, it seems you'll have a bit of fun rifling through those to find what you're looking for. I'd best not keep you. I've got a touch more drinking to do, anyway...perhaps something with a bit more kick to it than colored water...and finding a bar that serves such around here seems a touch more tedious than I'd thought. Whatever you decide to do, fair luck to you, and come find me when you're done with your business. Perhaps I'll have had more luck in securing a halfway-decent beverage by then. Regardless, I'm sure we could swap stories, or at least drink some more, whatever the outcome of our endeavors. Farewell, and may we meet again."

Of course, there was no 'may' to it. He'd make sure they met again...after that display of hers, she was on his mind far more heavily than any drink in the universe. Leaving a few more credits on the bar, he strode out the door, rounded a corner...and with a great beat from his wings, rose into the air to perch atop a building's rooftop corner, keeping him out of sight and giving him a good view of the bar from which he'd exited. From there, he simply waited for the time when his interesting new quarry left the building, so that he could tail her and corner her...and show her what a real opponent was like. Drinking buddy or not, she had awakened something fierce inside him that hadn't been kindled for a while, and now he needed to slake himself in her.

Another patron stalked out of the bar, and he thought for a second she'd decided to leave...but saw that it was one of the men who'd been lounging in a corner, apparently asleep. He frowned a bit, puzzled at that...but gave no thought to the man's sudden recovery, watching as he looked about, then hurried off down the maze-like streets with an urgent air about him. It was obvious he'd been faking his drunken state...but why? A local authority, perhaps, going to report the mess? Then again, maybe not...didn't matter. Solais riveted his attention to the bar doors once more, watching expectantly as they swung open again...

I didn't have a chance to answer in anyway other than a nod and smirk before he had left me alone in the bar. I decided it was time to take my leave from this bar hoping to meet Solais another time; friends were quite rare, especially for an ADD field scientist even if most of my 'friends' raped me the first time I met them and subsequently everytime afterwards; did it really matter with a regenerative form not in the slightest, I was quite the interesting toy for my friends with a regenerative hymine.

I'd follow a rather strange man out of the bar looking over the codes taking a turn into an alley way hoping to meet a mugger or a killer or something on my way to my ship the fight bringing out the instabilities in my mind the urge to kill. I looked where he had touched my shoulder and smirked slightly holding my one flesh hand behind my head.

"Should have asked if he had a frequency or something so I could contact him and chat about possibilities of combining the arcane into the nanite structure... the eternal youth of tech and the supposed spells for unending life might just be able to work together."

Solais couldn't help the slightest shudder of anticipation as Zephrina strolled out of the bar. He was normally above such displays in his current state of mind, finding them almost animalistic...but, as he'd surmised before, she'd woken something up, and he found his mind shifting subtly. Not that it mattered. She was his, as far as he was concerned. He followed her, striding across the rooftops...and curiously enough, the walkways that bridged the rooftops. It was as though this place had been made as a playground for assassins and thieves, truly...so many paths one could choose to escape or hide, or plan an ambush...

And, apparently, someone had taken the time to do just that. Walking along in his quiet fashion, his booted feet not making a sound, he nearly stumbled over the man with the rifle crouched behind the high wall of this particular rooftop before realizing he was there. Solais paused and gave another mild blink as the man scanned the street intently...then tensed, as if sensing something. He whirled, hand flashing to a pistol he had holstered at his side...and died before even beginning to draw it. Quick and alert, and sure of such a reaction, Solais' hand had dipped once more into his pouch, and in the space of a heartbeat, a coin had flickered from his fingers through the throat of the man, to bury itself with a metallic "Clink!" deep into the wall. He gasped for air for a moment, then slumped to the side, his last breath gurgling out in a bloody foam from the hole in his throat and his gaping mouth. He took a look around, seeking more of the attackers...and suddenly it all made simple sense to him. The man who'd hurried away from the bar, looking around...he must have set this up. But why? It obviously hadn't been for him....otherwise they'd be watching the skyline as well...

He saw a group of men stride around the corner, blocking the mouth of the alley she was in...and one of them was the one from the bar. He stood in the center of the mass of grinning men and creatures, the only one not smiling. and stared down the street...directly at Zephrina. "Agent Zephrina...you're a very difficult person to find. Don't worry if you don't know my name, I don't expect you to. It's Rinth, by the way...not that it will matter in a few more moments...you see, you interrupted a profitable venture of mine some time ago, slaughtering all of the men I had assigned to it. A certain project involving some rare...narcotic elements. Normally, I enjoy such steadfast and direct approaches...but normally, they aren't approaches aimed at me or my enterprises. And, regrettably, it seems I must take your life. I simply can't let someone take the lives of my men and walk away, you understand. Unless, of course...you'd care to take a job for me? Perhaps pay back what you owe. I think we could reach an accomodation that way, don't you?"

The man pulled off his long-winded speech well, affecting neither fear nor arrogance on the outside, keeping his tone matter-of-fact and businesslike...but Solais, whose existence depended on emotion, could sense that he was very afraid. And also, that he was very desperate...and very much a fighter...more so than the men back at the bar had been. Most of the men around him were trained fighters as well, their cocky arrogance something of a mask for their capability...and also, simply the expression of men who have been hired to do a job that they simply can't see failing in. Solais smiled, wondering how they'd look when the first four or five of them ran into their messy demise. They all had guns, but for some reason came out like common thugs, with various clubs and even a couple of knives...and a sword, which drew a sneer from the Nightmare, who hated the things on a level that was almost instinctive. There was another man perched high above the scene, with another rifle in hand...apparently, he hadn't seen the demise of his companion across the way, because he was beginning to lift it and take aim at the woman standing in the street. Solais almost put a coin into him as well...but decided against it. Why not see how she could handle against a slightly more professional attempt? He had no doubts of her abilities...still, he couldn't help but even the field just a bit. He concentrated and projected a single thought into her mind, something of a suggestion to her mind; look up. The man hadn't fired yet, and was apparently awaiting a signal of some kind, not paying attention to much outside of the sight on his rifle and his leader. Solais stepped back, out of sight, and waited for the fireworks to start. He palmed a few more coins, just in case.