#thinking abt Hunter Delara AU

[idv-ask-the-empath]

She would have laughed at how he followed her- mostly because she had the closest idea to what his train of thinking was. Sure, she felt the practically murderous intent, but the emotion of regret when he realized what he had been doing and where he was going... it was amusing enough that it makes her crack a smile- even if his emotions almost made her falter in her steps the first time she processed it. It was true, it caught her off guard. She felt his intent and because she had let her guard down, she almost let it get the better of her… she ended up clenching her fists, digging her nails into her skin until the pain of which grounded her and reminded her that she shouldn’t have done anything foolish or brash. Though, she supposed that was what she got for finding even mild humor in this situation. As she pursued the cat, her cloak flew behind her with the movement- which made her running look much more dramatic than it actually was or should have been, considering she was only trying to say hello to the cat. With a soft smile, she excitedly makes her way to the cat, who hops on to the boxed base of a lamp post. She cups a hand to her mouth in an attempt to make her voice just a little louder for the cat to hear.

“Kotaro…!” She called out gently with a soft and endeared voice. The cat perks up at its name being called and watches as Delara approached it. It meows a greeting as she sat down on top of the base alongside the cat, where she would run her fingers through its soft fur. She pet his head, to which the cat would purr quietly, leaning into the warmth of her hand as she continued. She stops soon enough though as the cat moves to bump it’s head against her arm in an affectionate manner before it hopped off the lamp post base, and approached Bane. It sat down, looking at him with a face that almost resembled a content smile, it’s tail swaying slightly as it meowed another greeting towards Bane. Kotaro had recognized him, and from the few times they had time to interact, Kotaro was rather fond of the hunter. All the while, Delara watched with curiosity to see his reaction, especially as the cat moved to rub against his shoe, as if greeting him further before sitting in front of him once again, almost as if waiting for him and the expected head pats that came with their encounters.

Now of course, Delara had already assumed that acts of kindness, or any show of softness was something he’d rather not hav anyone intruding on. She could respect that well enough, so she turns away slightly, shifting her gaze to her cloak, pulling up the red fabric and pretending to inspect the edge- which now that she did get a better look at it, was… beginning to wear. She’d need to get it fixed soon… she hated having to fix it, but she didn’t like not having it either. She wished she could have kept the original fabric, with how pretty and patterned the threaded patterns were. But the only things that remained of the original cloak were her good and the shawl. The rest, at some point… had to be replaced. She still kept the original in her closet, stowed in a wicker basket that used to hold other things instead of bittersweet memories. Hm… she may ask for sewing supplies. Though- she was never the greatest at it either. She had gotten pricked too many times with the needle, so her… Aileen would fix it for her and remark about how clumsy she waszzz with good nature of course. She smiles to herself, soft and nostalgic- even melancholy as she stared absentmindedly at the red velvet of her cloak. As if she had realized what she was doing, she shook her head and cleared her thoughts. Best not to get wrapped up in sentimentality…

Though she supposed that’s why she very much liked the animals here. Sometimes they were a little tough, but they were otherwise pleasant enough company. They’d become centers of fond attention, which helped Delara’s mood, and if they happened to be alone, then she didn’t have to worry too much about feeling emotions that weren’t hers. Animals were harder to feel for- not because they didn’t have emotions, but there was just… something about them that made it difficult. Still, it was a blessing amidst the other downfalls of her abilities. If she really wanted to, she could try, but she’d rather just give them their privacy. After all, trust and empathy from an animal had to be built differently from a person. She thinks anyways… she isn’t too sure about it. She’s never had too many friends… nevertheless people she trusted…

Duo matches always made her nervous. She typically never played in them for the sole fact that so much could happen at once. She hated feeling the distress of it all, not only from her powers but also herself. And as most duo matches tend to be, they were short a player, so she had went ahead and filled in. Who were the hunters for this round again…? It was… Bonbon and Bane, wasn’t it…?

This felt like it’d be a difficult match.

In search of a cipher, she wandered the Eversleeping Town- or at least, the recreation of it. She isn’t sure how “real” it is. Nothing at the manor felt real.

@idv-ask-the-empath

Now, Bane did not like to go friendly. It was something everybody was sure to have realised by now, with how mercilessly he went about his matches. Really, why would he go friendly in the first place? The Baron had assigned him this role and he refused to fail the man twice. He'd learned his lesson about kindness long ago... Of course, sometimes his friends would try to convince him to go easy on the survivors, or to just go friendly. If it was because they themselves weren't feeling up to the match then of course he'd understand. He'd gladly just try to play well enough for the both of them to win while he let his friend rest. Convincing him to go friendly as well though...

It took a while, Bonbon relentlessly using every tactic they could in order to try and convince him. For a moment he was tempted to simply walk off to hunt the survivors himself! The robot was damn lucky he felt to be in a more agreeable mood... So it was with a sigh that he reluctantly gave in to the robot he knew wouldn't have given up in their quest. Hey, he'd thought, at least he could spend some time with Bonbon, right?

Wrong, apparently. Rather than hide away within a corner of the map like Bane would prefer, Bonbon was insistent that it would be more fun interacting with survivors. He'd have to tell Burke to schedule another maintenance check because there must've been a few screws loose for Bonbon to think he was even remotely willing to interact with survivors in a more positive way... Still, the robot continued their attempts, beginning to push him forwards and forcing him to stumble along lest he fall over. Tch... who cared if the survivors were left unaware that they were going friendly this round? So what if they were to be tense and uneasy the whole time just waiting and expecting an attack? It wasn't his damn fault and besides, if they didn't know then they'd continue on to escape as quickly as possible and thus allowing him to leave as soon as possible!

Yet alas, the robot didn't seem to care, simply making sure he walked through the surprisingly empty streets with him until eventually they found a survivor further down trying to decode one of the cypher machines. Instantly Bonbon ran after them as they bolted away, trying to show that they were friendly and calling for their attention as they did.

This just left Bane to wander on alone.... He'd just find some corner of the map to hide in, now that his pushy companion was gone. So onwards he went, wandering the streets in the search for somewhere nice to relax, gait more slowed than when hunting and hook still firmly attached to his belt. His head was tilted high, simply surveying his surroundings in a manner more suited for taking in the details rather than scrutinizing any and every shadow for a survivor. Silently he noted the details, forming a mental map within his mind as he went along.

Despite the current situation though, he hadn't quite expected to see any more survivors, taking pause when he turned the corner and found none other than that 'empath' walking along. For a moment he froze, fingers twitching and barely resisting the instinctual urge to send out his hook. He was friendly, no hunting survivors... A quiet sigh escaped him as he tried to force the alarm bells in his head to silence and the tension to escape him. What was it friendly hunters were supposed to do? Spin...? ... No way he was doing that. Huffing, he considered simply turning around and leaving while he could.

@idv-ask-the-empath