ooc: Huzzah!
IC:
Dionysia was a bit surprised that Uros didn't seem to recognise the power his body alone could convey. He was a big bro; he could unnerve anyone into going away with just a waggle of a weapon and a nasty scowl. She was pondering the strange big bro and actually beginning to think about some of the things he'd said to her about himself when there was a bright flash of light and a mudokon dropped out of the ceiling, narrowly missing her, and landed on the floor, wobbled and collapsed, evidently unconscious.
Dionysia stared; if the mudokon's clothes (which were hardly standard issue) weren't proof enough that the girl was a native, then the fact that she had fallen out of a blazing light was something of a giveaway. Such a blatant display of native power was terrifying; her first instinct was to leap to her feet and run to fetch a slig but her legs could barely move! And...
And she couldn't go to a slig. Whatever happened, she had to avoid trouble. A lifetime of fearing natives wrestled with her survival instincts, but then if she was going to escape, talking to a native couldn't hurt. She leant over the girl cautiously, examining her for any sign of external wounds, "Can you here me?" She asked loudly, unsure of what was wrong or if the girl was even unconscious. If she didn't get a response she'd check for pulse.
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Anger swelled inside Anni at #7's response. "You horrible slig," She hissed furiously, "All you care about is your stupid boss; you can't think for yourself at all, can you?-"
"That's enough, Anni," Emlech said, cutting off her tirade. He was catching his breath and walking sedately towards them. "Enough of this childishness. You're coming with me."
"I'm not!" She hissed.
Ignoring her reply, he went on, "It can be easy or I can have this slig carry you onto my train. Make up your mind now, as I haven't got all day to stand around."
Standing beside her, Jim was waging a silent war with himself. He couldn't let Anni be taken away! She had to get away; it didn't matter where! She just had to get somewhere the vykker wouldn't find her. Long ago, when he had first come here, she had talked about escaping. It had seemed idiotic then, dangerous, terrifying, but between that or going back to being a specimen pinned to some vykker's collection...
He stared at #7; the slig's attention was on Anni, and his face was hidden by a mask. But it was always the masks that had scared him most, the leather instead of skin and the blank, stretched eye-pieces... He tried to force himself to imagine the sunken, half-blind eyes behind the glass, and suddenly he threw himself at #7 with a roar of, "RUN, ANNI!"
Emlech, startled by the shout, acted instinctively. His had was already closed behind the handle of the snuzi in his bag; he yanked it out and fired at Jim. The shot was fired from dangerously close range; electricity arced through the mudokon's body and he screamed as he crashed into #7, throwing both of them to the floor. Jim lay on the ground as still as a rock.
Anni, too stunned too run, stared, her anger ebbing away and her face going pale.
ooc: Dripik, if you object to Jim running into #7, just let me know and I'll edit as soon as I get the chance
