From Afar (Rp of Mocha, Vlad, Vanguard, Raven, DBZ, and Merc)

↘↘↘ Vincent remained determined on travel, and with the soft footsteps from Taffy coupled with the louder footfalls of the Lupine he was assured that they were making at least some progress. Even with Taffy's initial discomfort with being near the two at all, as long as they kept moving they should be fine. The Avian was content with moving on in silence, his wings twitching lightly to the pattern of his own breathing. The forest was silent till Taffy spoke up, and Vincent managed to tilt his head over his shoulder just enough to see her expression as she spoke; nervous? Sighing softly, Vincent pondered her name and while he typically refrained from sharing his own so openly she looked to shook up and confused to just leave her question open like that. "You can call me Vincent, bu-" He cut off, the ground lurching beneath his feet; causing his wings to spread suddenly as if to take off but within the forest he'd simply be flying into branches. No sooner than that thought crossed his mind he felt someone fall against him, and considering he wasn't bowled over by immense weight he could safely assume it wasn't the Lupine. The fall made him stumble, but as she grabbed him he settled his foot; planting his boot into the ground as the shaking continued. "Hold on a little tighter will you." Vincent urged, trying to stand straight as the earth shook; 'And this is why I fly.' He thought to himself, but he doubted trying to lift off with Taffy in tow would be a great idea so he kept his footing. Acting as an anchor as best he could; but the planet was about to shake him down to the ground as well if the earthquake kept up, so he tried to reach for Taffy's hand and arm to pull her back to her feet. It'd be easier to stand with the both of them on "firm" ground.

↘↘↘ Vincent closed his eyes for the duration; holding tightly to Taffy to assure she didn't tumble below, but he could feel her own little vice grip begin to dig into him. She had a firm grasp; and he felt more confident about the two of them not falling than he had before. But still.. As the earthquake began to slow down and dissipate, Taffy taking in recovering breaths as she mentioned that it stopped. "For now it has, but if I'm not mistaken aftershocks are a possibility." He spoke clearly, eyes darting this way and that; somewhere far off he was sure that a few trees must have been uprooted by the quake. The wildlife were running and scurrying about all over, or quivering in holes for those that could find them; he looked at the results of this peculiar quake just as Taffy began questioning how regular they were. But that was just it. They weren't, but he bit his tongue anyway; deciding not to voice his concern, what was the point of worrying her about that? Warning them about aftershocks made sense, proposing or suggesting that something odd was happening got him no where. With the thank you and assured safety of the others Vincent felt it was safe to move on, "You're welcome,Taffy. Warn me if you can the next time you're stumbling though will you?" Vincent jested, refraining from smirking to heavily. "I'd hate to fall down as well from surprise." He finished, moving on towards the town after he made sure that the Lupine came out of the quake without taking to much damage or fight of his own. With no actual injuries though, they made it to town rather quickly; and for just experiencing an earthquake the people were already bustling about.

↘↘↘ People ran this way and that, cleaning spilled foods or collecting fallen debris from the housing and stalls that lined the sides of the town. Despite the anarchy the earthquake caused however, he couldn't help but notice the eyes that found their way towards their little group. Sure, tourists were common; but this Lupine was much larger than the common variety, and not a lot of Avians enjoyed strolling into a town on foot with such company. The two of them stood out even here in this small farming town; but sooner or later the people began to look away, they had more pressing matters than tourists. "This is just a small town," Vincent chimed in; "Pretty, quiet, it's nice but you haven't seen anything yet." He went on but the call from the Lupine made Vincent chuckle. He was right, he doubted there was enough meat around to suit his particular pallet. "It wouldn't hurt to try the fruit here, sure there's no fun in the hunt or any real protein but it's the town's specialty if I'm not mistaken." Vincent went on, astounding himself with casual conversation; but then again, there wasn't much else to talk about regarding the target. They'd need Taffy to calm down before they got anything decent out of her, and as that thought crossed his mind heavy footfalls resounded in his ears; pulling his attention towards the smaller wolf beast padding his way towards the larger Lupine. At the youth's questions, his wings fluttered as if to hint at their massive wingspan; an instinctive reflex when most people began questioning or challenging him. Besides an imperious glance from the "birdman" and a flap of his wings, all Vincent did was cross his arms and avert his eyes. He began taking in the town around him once more, his hair shifting this way and that with a small breeze as his eyes covered all that there was to take in. No one seemed terribly hurt, but still.. This earthquake was unexpected by all. As the young wolf began to scamper off, Vincent spoke up again. "So you have yourself a traveling companion, huh Lupine?" Vincent inquired, casting a glance his way. "Must be hard keeping watch over a youthful," Vincent refrained from saying runt at this point. "wolf such as himself. How many do you have targeting this bad lady anyway?" He finished, curious now as to how many others were invested in this hunt. He was ahead of them, barely; and although he could use all the help he could get.. A bounty's a bounty. Rather difficult to collect for a large group.

↘↘↘ Vincent cast a small glance Taffy's way when she had pulled away, her red blush causing him to smirk lightly at the mere sight of it but his attention was soon drawn away as Oscar went on to explain his pack of vigilantes and their cause. His story was definitely one of loss and purpose, and at the end Vincent let out a soft breath as he mulled it over. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard these kind of stories before, similar ones crossed the land through other bounty hunters; and he heard countless stories such as this from groveling targets. It was sad to hear none the less, and Vincent merely nodded at the very end. 'We all have our reasons, don't we.' He thought to himself, but decided to push the conversation further before it completely fell into despair. Taffy picked up on his story, and as she started talking about the meat juice he knew they could continue the conversation from there. "Worthy?" Vincent repeated, "You told us she summoned you to help her destroy the world, what about you makes her think you could help with that? In fact, where did she summon you from; I would think even the most reclusive Humans would hear about us at one point." His voice remained calm as his gaze shifted over to Taffy, he had only nodded when Oscar had finished his own story; offering an empathetic look but the job at hand was to learn about Ortensia. His story had led her to sharing more information about their target, and that was all he needed. What did surprise him however was that the wolf pack was doing this all for justice, while he was there for the bounty. No real personal vendetta, but he figured if he got paid and some families were avenged; that wouldn't be such a bad side affect. Then again, he wasn't all that troubled with targeting innocents as well.. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Vincent relaxed as he waited for Taffy to speak. This wasn't the time to think that over.

↘↘↘ As Taffy recalled the bit about how she was being summoned, and not only that but her blood would be the key to summoning even further warrior's should she not work out kept him thinking. He was somewhat familiar with summoning magic, but in all honesty his was specialized with inanimate objects such as knives and blades; tools of the trade. With the blood and seeming sacrifices going into these kind of summonings, he couldn't imagine what kind of dark corners the witch was summoning things from.. That large pool of crimson blood he had seen earlier started to make a lot more sense; and seem a hell of a lot more terrifying than it once had. If that blood was what started summoning people.. She may be trying to do it all over again; with fresher sacrifices this time around. 'All the more reason to hunt her down.. Her injuries should keep her down for a bit. Hopefully.' He thought to himself, but his own wanderings were soon disturbed as Taffy continued on about this.. Oregon, and another called America. 'You come from an organ.. In a beast called America..' He thought to himself for a moment, but figured that just couldn't be right. "As for the planet," Vincent started; easing his way into it. "This planet is called Varietas, not Earth. As for being some An-" Vincent began, his mind already working to refute all of these nicknames and claims of other origins as his eyes deterred to someone that was approaching them. Sure they had caught the eye of a few of these villagers, where a few may even question the coincidence of their arrival and the odd quake but none had truly come to approach them. This one definitely seemed different. As she remarked about what she was talking about Vincent's eyes glinted, so she had heard their conversation. Or at least the end of it. "Thank you for your concern, we can continue our conversation privately to keep the villagers at rest. We'd hate to unsettle them even further after such an unexpected, disaster." Vincent worded; his voice level and demeanor calm as he cast a glance around them as if truly interested in the state of repair the town was in. "As for the odd things you heard, I'm sure my friend here would appreciate if you kept that to yourself." Vincent finished with a light smile to emphasize his point, looking to both Taffy and Oscar to arouse assurance to the "keep it silent" point he was trying to make there.

↘↘↘ As the stranger to their midst assured them that she wouldn't even think of sharing what she had heard, Vincent couldn't help but feel at least a bit relieved. Unfortunately; that was coupled with a small sense of guilt as he caught her pained expression. The widened eyes and a rather hurt look as she looked over the group, yet only he got it; 'Oh look what I went and did again..' He thought to himself, trying not to dwell on how he wasn't as gifted in speech as some of his race claimed to be. He still managed to get himself into a bit of trouble with how he worded things. "I think a guide would be helpful, thank you for your offer." Vincent spoke sincerely; if he had denied it and tried to go off alone, to the forest once more he was sure they would save a bit of coin but this alternative allowed them to get some actual rest. Possibly a meal and a drink, not to mention denying her offer after his already poorly worded request got her hurt would be a bad choice at this point. Sighing inwardly, but keeping his expression as kind and still as possible his attention was soon diverted by yet another newcomer. He guessed they attracted even more attention than he had originally guessed. "Jerry Jaws?" He repeated to himself, audible none the less after the stranger had remarked about his oddly appropriate name. Vincent's wings had fluttered at the mention of being well dressed, but to be honest all he wore were casual clothes. His whole technique resided in being an unassuming Avian, no weapons, no ill motive, just another poetic individual looking for knowledge. 'Ugh..' He thought to himself, shaking it from his mind before finding a proper response. "I appreciate the warm welcome, but we're just pass-" Vincent started, a kind look on his features as he began his speech; on how they were merely traveling, passing through in an attempt to get back to business quickly but as he spoke Taffy had already begun to hyperventilate. Freaking out about the world she was on after having an astounded look on her face that he had originally missed, the mere whisper of "Those teeth" was all he had to go by before she started to fall; he went to reach for his arm but his wing came even faster beside it. Vincent knelt low as the broad span of his wing kept her from falling into the ground, his arm has made it behind her back but it was his wing that supported her the most; so with a small breath of relief he slipped his arm back to his side and kept his right wing steady to keep her in a kind of sitting position. "Sorry about that Jerry, but we were just on our way to the local inn and I think we'll need to be on our way." Vincent assured, managing a smile as he tried to compose himself. He turned his glance back to the High Entia, recalling her offer; "If you'd be so kind, I'd like to accept your offer now if that isn't to much trouble." As he finished with his request, he took one more glance towards the now comatose Taffy then his eyes shifted up towards the large mass that was The Lupine Fist, or Oscar to see just how their companion was handling things. Last thing he wanted was some more shouts about the bad lady..

↘↘↘ With Taffy resting beside him his attention soon turned back towards the High Entia, who thankfully was remaining rather pleasant and helpful despite the ever more complex situation that was beginning to develop around them. It was unfortunate to say the least, but at least they had a guide; he could count himself lucky in that regard. As the Entia nodded to him, he began to scoop Taffy up from the floor; his wing leaving it's supportive stance only as his arms found purchase beneath her petite frame. She was considerably light for a supposed world destroyer, but that thought only lasted a moment as he heard the Entia say farewell to good ol' Jerry Jaws. "A real pleasure," Vincent began to add on; "I'm sorry that you caught us at a bad time, but I'm sure that we'll see you around if we decide to stick around a little longer. Have a nice day." Vincent kindly finished, a warm nod of farewell expressed before he took his leave after the Entia. His pace was consistent, but he sighed once through the journey as his legs groaned beneath him. They didn't like walking much, nor did they enjoy the additional weight they had to bear; his wings itched to support him by flapping now and again but he kept them tucked in tight to keep from smacking civilians as he passed by or attracting even further attention towards the group. He knew full well that they had more than enough as is. As they drew closer, Vincent's eyes glanced over the inn in both a curious and critiquing manner; it was of decent size and stature, but he could tell that it was a small town inn as they entered. Plenty of empty space, cozy enough to be a home, he was sure that this was a great place for the local town to come and relax. Strangers must be an odd sight.. Even for an inn. Vincent waited away from the actual counter, watching as the Entia approached what seemed to be the owner of the establishment and explained their predicament; after an exchange of what looked like a card, Vincent could merely assume that everything went well as she made her way back towards them. "Well then I thank you for your help;" Vincent started, taking a pause in conversation as he approached the couch and began to set Taffy down atop of it. The material gave way to her weight, letting her sink in to a comfortable level. When she settled he returned his attention back to the Entia, "I appreciate the guidance, we would have been lost and dealing with countless curiosities if it hadn't been for you. I'm sure our friend here shares the same sentiment, I'll let her know all that you've done for us when she awakens." He went on, straightening his back and facing forward so that his full attention and direction was oriented back to the conscious part of their little group. "If I may ask however, what was that card you gave to the man? It wasn't some kind of payment, was it?" Vincent inquired; despite being well reserved in his own spending, he couldn't help but think of some form of return for services rendered. Especially if she had paid off the owner for a room or to allow them to stay in the first place.

↘↘↘ "It wouldn't be a problem," Vincent went on. The Entia had been helpful thus far, it would be only right of him to let her stay by Taffy's side till she woke up. He was sure that she would like to thank her as well, and besides, he was sure that he could still ask a few questions and find out a little more about the town and what was around if she stayed near. He'd need some kind of information to make his next move, his target was a slippery one and any hint or bit of advice was welcome. He just tried to refrain of thinking how unlikely getting any real information was. "I'm sure that she'd appreciate you staying by her side; and would like to thank you when she wakes up. Honestly, we're all a bit lucky that you showed up when you did so I apologize for any.. Earlier rudeness, I may have expressed." His mind flickered back to the look he was given, but that was so minor he didn't want to give it any further thought. A small apology would be enough to ease his mind, no matter how it would be received. Instead, as the Entia explained the card that she had given the innkeeper; and supposedly kept for most of the vendors and the town he found a new point of interest. "So you're able to keep track of the inventory of the whole inn for the past month, from memory?" Vincent questioned, running a hand through his hair as he wondered how everyone in town had grown familiar with it. Maybe she just kept great records? "That's quite remarkable, and an albeit odd, but useful profession. But it seems like we too owe you a favor now, if there was some way to repay it that is." Vincent went on, eyes glinting as his mind thought over the possibilities; his profession wasn't one that normally got lent out on favors. He doubted his services would be even needed, and he didn't plan to share his job in the first place. Still, how could he repay such a favor? Money would be simplest. As his thoughts wandered, his mind strayed; almost not noticing the bartender as he brought Jerry his drink. As he got closer however for the order, Vincent's eyes moved to the source of movement. Seeing how the large man was keeping his distance, Vincent let out a soft breath. "You mustn't blame yourself, if you do that is; she's just been through a lot today." He spoke up, loud enough to bridge the distance but in a muted tone as to not forcefully wake Taffy; but rather it be from his shouting or natural timing, he could hear her stirring behind him. He turned his glance to meet her, catching the sight of her clutching her guitar; but with the Entia already assuring her well being, he remained silent. Visual confirmation enough to sustain him for now.