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It was a simple plan.
Wait for the girl, waylay the girl, hold her for ransom, then kill her as soon as they got the money. Except it did not go according to plan. First, she ran. She wouldn't be able to run far. Hank had won a letter in track, and his two compatriots Billy and Jake had been on the team with him in high school.
The girl had disappeared into an alley, and Hank had gone after her. Then he had heard him yell, "RUN LIKE HELL!" as he bolted out of the alley, running into the park.
Billy and Jake took one look at what came out of the alley, and then they were running, too.
She could catch up to them easily. It was no problem at all. But her blood sang of the thrill of the chase, the feel of the wind in her face, the act of the hunt as natural as breathing. She would savor this chase, and then, when she tired of it…
Well, she would do what came natural.
Central Park gets a bad rap, but what could possibly be wrong with two young women walking alone at this hour? Danielle is dressed comfortably, and even left most of her more obvious weaponry back at home. There's something oddly refreshing about exploring the patch of green in the heart of the City… At the sound of a ruckus headed their way, she frowns, peers, and nudges Amanda. "Those fellows look.. distressed…"
It probably helps that Amanda could just.. teleport whatever they needed into their hands. She's a little lost in watching Danielle; it's the nudge that tugs her out of her daydreams and she squints ahead. "That… something scared those two badly, I think," she murmurs. While she's dressed comfortable enough, it's predictably white and blue. She's fond of those colours.
Hank runs pell-mell down the path, sprinting like the devil himself was after him. Billy and Jake are close behind, though, legs pumping, looks of fear on their faces, making the three look related in terror.
Then the snarling sound, and then a giant feline bursts from the underbrush, leaping from the ground to a tree trunk, vaulting off of it to land on a thick branch, green eyes blazing in the night, a ferocious smile on her face. She can smell their fear, and it intoxicates her.
The three spot Danielle and Amanda, then back to their ginormous pursuer. They can't spare the breath to warn them, but they do run past, hoping that perhaps their huntress will find easier, slower prey.
"Hnn.." Danielle slows to a stop, holding her ground. Something frightened those three athletic lads.. And then that Something launches from bushes to tree with inhuman grace. "Running only makes it worse, boys," she advises helpfully as the frightened trio rush past. Instead of running, she pads forward, peering up at the dark shadow in the tree, studying those hot green eyes. Unlike Hank, Billy, and Jake, there's not even a whiff of fear from her. "You didn't hear about anything escaping the zoo lately, did you?" she wonders to her girlfriend.
Amanda Sefton shakes her head. "Nothing." And they didn't stop to check newspapers, either! As soon as the men scamper on by, Amanda flexes her fingers, surrounding them in a bluish light. She can see the green eyes, but doesn't quite connect them with the woman she met almost a month ago. "Is there never a quiet night in this city?"
Jake, sadly, falls behind, and is suddenly landed on by the apex predator, yelling in pain as taloned fingers sick into his skin.
"YOU CAN LEAVE THIS ONE AND SAVE YOURSELVES…" She snarled at the other two.
"Guys! Don't leave me!" Jake yells. But, sadly, he is yelling at their back and the soles of their feet as they run with all the strength left in them.
The would-be kidnapper begins to blubber as the feline woman leans forward, hissing in his ear. "Don't mind me…I just want to see what your HEART TASTES LIKE…"
Welp. That's not okay. Scaring punks is one thing. Danielle bites back something rude as she watches the feline…creature leap, tackle, and threaten one of the terrified boys. "I want it on record that this wasn't my fault," she mock-grumbles Amanda-wards, then trots towards the predator and her prey. "Hey. Hey! You really don't want to do that," she calls in a louder voice, while also reaching out towards the feline woman to see if her empathy-thing might soothe some of that savage hunting glee. "Whatever he did, I'm sure he's sorry.."
"Noted," Amanda simply says, smirking at Dani in amusement. She brings up the rear. Oh, this magic stench is awfully familiar, isn't it? "But if claws start lashing out, I'm doing things my way," she adds.
The giantess looks at them, and for a moment, there is something dark in those green eyes. Something murderous.
Then she blinks, and the murkiness in those eyes seem to clear and brighten. She looks almost startled at herself, looking down at the man.
For a moment, she looks completley lost at what to do next.
Then her face firms and she crouches low. "If I hear you have tried to kidnap anyone else, I will find you." A long pause. "And then the NEXT person will find what is LEFT of you." She rises to her feet, then looks balefully at him. "RUN, PREY!"
He doesn't need to be told twice. He is up running like hell. Forget Red Bull. FEAR gives you wings.
She takes a long, slow breath, shaking herself roughly, then looks to the two of them. "You…smell familiar," she says uncertainly.
"Me? Doubtful," Danielle looks more relaxed now that the poor fool is free to go do whatever poor fools do after a brush with their own mortality. "I'm positive I would remember running across someone like you." But she tilts a glance towards Amanda, as if silently checking for her own confirmation one way or the other. "But thank you for letting him go. I would've been obligated to step in, and neither of us would've enjoyed that."
Amanda Sefton says nothing, though she does approach and stand at Dani's side. The blue glow is still there in her hands, but not as.. -there-. Not so bright, demanding attention. Finally she speaks. "That would've ended poorly for everyone, I think."
The tall woman sniffs slightly, her brows furrowing. "They were trying to kidnap m…someone. I saw them, and accosted them. But…" She paused for a moment, and if trying to think on what to say next. "…I have these…impulses. I try not to act on them, but some are…more difficult to resist than others."
Danielle considers for a moment, then nods understandingly, "Control is difficult to learn, especially when part of you doesn't want to be controlled." She approaches a bit closer, hands spread slightly to show she's no threat. "I'm Dani. This is Amanda."
"We met once, briefly." Amanda finally remembers why that's all so familiar. Why the smell of magic is familiar. Still, she offers a hand, letting the lights dim entirely. "Still having trouble? I can't imagine it's been easy."
The Amazon's body relaxes, muscles easing, her stance changing from Ready to Resting. She nods to the two of them. "I am…THE JAGUAR."
She had spent hours in a mirror practicing, to build up the nerve to be able to say that without looking self-conscious about it. She felt she did a pretty good job.
She looks at the hand extended to her…then shakes it. Very firm grip the big lady has. "Greetings to you, Dani…Amanda." She tilts her head. "Are you two 'Superiors'…?"
Danielle may be confident in her own skin, but she has a protective eye for Amanda's, and watches that handclasp with a touch of caution. Just in case. "Nice to meet you, Jaguar. I'm … not overly fond of the term, but I suppose it fits. We each have our own set of gifts and skills." That's not meant as a broad generalization about humanity writ large, mind. "Not as outwardly impressive as your own, but we get by."
Amanda Sefton flexes her fingers after the shake. Oh good, they're not numb. Phew. "Usually by keeping our heads down," Amanda admits with a little frown. Part of her would like to be 'out there' doing things, but she knows how necessary it can be to maintain a low profile.
The Jaguar pauses. She frowns slightly. "That was the wrong word again. What is the right word. It's…hmmm…" Then her eye brighten and a smile appears on her face. "SUPERHEROES. THAT is the word!"
"Superheroes… not /much/ better than 'superiors'," Dani quips lightly, returning that smile. "From what we've seen, 'superheroes' are the ones who go out, do big things, get noticed.. Neither of us are terribly interested in that. Much less hassle to just help out where we can, when we can…"
Also it keeps her out of sight of her mother. "We handle the things that might slip under the notice of the big names because they have to keep an eye on the big picture. Does that make sense?" Amanda asks, glancing Dani-wards for confirmation.
Jaguar looks puzzled. "You have…special gifts, do you not? And you say yourself that you help people when you can, where you can?" She smiles encouragingly. "That makes you superheroes. Scope means nothing. Power means nothing. The fact that you DO when others DON'T makes you a superhero."
Danielle frowns faintly. This particular logic hadn't occurred to her before, it seems, and she takes a few moments to work her way through it. "I suppose you might be right. If that's your definition, then there's a lot more superheroes around than the ones that make the news every other day." For Amanda, all she can do is shrug slightly. They know what they are and what they can handle.. "You're not from around here, are you, Jaguar? I'm positive a little bird or two would've mentioned it before.. New to the City?"
Amanda Sefton never really looked at it that way either. She shrugs. "Not a point I'm going to argue," she says. "Everyone can have their opinion."
Jaguar shakes her head. "No. I come from South America. I have found myself here, and I feel it is my destiny to remain here, in an unfamiliar city. But, I feel I am doing something, something good…as long as I can control my…primal urges." She looks at them both, then says, "I am learning much, about superheroes and myself."
Danielle shoots another look towards Amanda, before volunteering: "Well, if you need friends, or help, you can count on us. The City can get overwhelming, so it's no bad thing to have people on your side." She quirks another grin and wags a finger, "Just.. be careful about eating the locals, is all." She reaches for Amanda's hand again, and muses, "It's nice to meet you, but we should continue our walk before it gets too late…"
Amanda Sefton takes the hand and scoots a bit closer. "We're out by the circus outside town if you need to find us," she adds. "It's not hard. Aim for the carnival music."
Jaguar smiles and nods. "I will do my best not to frighten anyone." She bows. "Good to meet you, Amanda…Dani." She straightens, waves, and then she is off back the way she came, at a very relaxed 40 MPH, which takes her out of view very quickly…