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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 20:07:00 GMT -5
Aiden chuckled lightly to her comment about looking the part. “I suppose you do look the part. Rather well, if I might add.” He smirked to her slightly. “More so than some of the top contenders of the sport.” He glanced to her as she spoke of Crimson and he gave a nod. “I imagine it wouldn’t do you any good to hurt your teammate.” He shrugged then as he looked ahead. “But then again, none of us are used to having such a thing.”
He relaxed into the seat and looked out the window to the passing buildings as they made their way toward her facility. Her next comment caused a soft, yet almost sad smile to curve up his lips. “That would be a treat wouldn’t it?” He glanced her direction. “Just trying to get rid of me from the competition?” He winked slightly before he returned his attention to the passing streets. Truthfully he never thought he could break Mr Marx’s grasp. He didn’t even know how much his brother owed the man. Much less...Marx wouldn’t tell him. It was like he was infinitely stuck on a loop, fight after fight, but no ground to gain.
Aiden looked up to the warehouse and nodded as he climbed from the car. He glanced to the shield that she brought up around her car and he chuckled, “That’s a neat device.” He poked at the bubble a moment before he followed her. He looked around at the nicely kept living space. To his surprise it looked more like a home than a lab. He walked over to the glass wall the overlooked the warehouse. The chambers that held creatures that she was raising.
He glanced to her and let out a chuckle, “Ah well, you’re not the only one to fall victim to that. I live where I keep Crimson as well. It saves quite a bit of rent.” He smirked slightly and then turned his attention back to the floor, his eyes looked to the doors that seemed to lead to a lower lever. “So...you must have more to your lab, hm?” He looked to her, curiosity sparked in his eyes. More curiosity than he had previously shown in anything thus far. “You seem to have all of the top of the line tools to care for the creatures. It is really a remarkable place that you’ve built here.”
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 20:29:42 GMT -5
"Yeah, well.." she punched a few buttons on a control panel which began opening up a large warehouse door that would allow the truck with their monsters to be let in. "I didn't build myself up in the ring so all my toys here are from my main money maker." She kicked on a few house lights after that so the entire area was illuminated brightly. "I'm glad you appreciate it though. I suppose someone has to other than me at some point, right? Lord knows enough of my clients don't like what they see when they come in. Assume I've only got a small time operation and that I wont meet their standards or quotas. First rule in this business.. don't go by other people's time tables. At least not if you want to produce award winning creatures."
She smiled at Aiden and studied him for a quick moment. "When Crimson and Grimstok get here we'll take them down to the lower level. That's where all my main tanks and tools are. Up here is more for experimental purposes. My fun projects that most likely wont go through." She shrugged then rested her hand on the console before she leaned against it slightly while facing Aiden. "So.. what are you feeding Crimson anyway? I know a lot of people use different mixtures and whatnot, depending on the creature. When I sold Crimson I gave a specific mixture for his diet, as I do all my creatures, and it ensures they run at maximum efficiency."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 20:39:41 GMT -5
Aiden crossed his arms over his chest slightly as he looked over the warehouse. “These things can’t be rushed. The creations that are rushed are easily torn apart in the arena, or lack the neurological connection that Crimson and Grimstok hold.” He turned to her and leaned against the wall slightly as he noticed her watching him, as if she were studying him. He drew in a breath when she asked about the feeding schedule, what he fed Crimson. “I honestly wish I could tell you the specific nutritional breakdown of what I feed...” His expression fell slightly. “I feed him what my sponsor gives me to feed him. It’s always been pre-portioned, and rather specific. But I couldn’t tell you if it follows your protocol for what he should be getting. That is something that you would have to tell me.” He searched her eyes a moment.
Aiden then drew in a breath, “Look...Kara...I know that you do not know much about me, nor do I know much of you. But believe me when I tell you I have little to no control over any aspect of this business. The food, the training, how I link with Crimson. That was all decided by my sponsor. I am merely the pilot. That is all that I bring to the table in the eyes of my sponsor. I bring in the money, and that keeps him happy. If I stop brining in the money, it won’t look so good for me.” He was very careful not to say too much. But he hoped that this would allow Kara to see that he really didn’t have any control over anything. He was at the whim of Marx. If he was told to do something, he had better follow through. Aiden shifted slightly as he heard the sound of a truck backing toward the facility. “That must be them.” He gave a bit of an uncomfortable smile. He wasn’t used to chit chat. He wasn’t used to getting to talk to anyone at all really. So her questions put him a bit on edge. He felt like he was being tested to be sure if he was treating the creature well. He treated Crimson better than Marx did...that was for certain. When he first linked with the beast he could feel the pain that the creature was in. It was overwhelming. But over time, he had made things better. He got him out of the tube quite frequently. He trained with him and worked diligently until that feeling went away...
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 20:51:23 GMT -5
Kara tilted her head slightly when Aiden admitted the circumstances of his sponsorship. It set off several red flags in her mind actually. It sounds more like a forced fight than anything Aiden wanted to do willingly. He had no information and never actually mentioned who his sponsor was. She was about to say something else when her man from the truck got out and yelled up to Kara. "Hey! Grim's a little worked up tonight. Shook the van the whole way home!"
Kara sighed, her shoulders slouching slightly, and she abandoned whatever she was about to say and simply turned towards a mic on the console. "I'll be right there." She said through the comm system and then motioned for Aiden to follow as she headed towards a set of stairs leading down to the floor. "To be fair she's not used to a travel companion in the truck." Kara called out to the man as he began to unlock the trailer.
When they got down to the truck Kara stood back from the doors and motioned towards the tank that held an irritable Grimstock in it. She was still moving around a lot in the red-colored fluid before her eyes focused on Kara and she grew still. "Let her out." Kara instructed with a sigh. The man pressed the released button and quickly stepped back as Grimstock erupted out of the tank and skittered towards Kara who stood calmly. Just before Grimstok reached Kara the beast suddenly squatted down, almost completely prone, and chittered quietly as she looked up to the woman. "I know, darling. It's alright." Kara said in a soothing voice and reached forward to pet the beast along the side of its narrow head.
"Seems she doesn't care for Crimson's manners." She commented with a chuckle before looking back to the truck and the other tank.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 21:00:47 GMT -5
Aiden caught the tilt of her head. Luckily though the truck had come. He feared he’d said too much to her. But then again, if she was to be his partner she had to trust him. Right? Perhaps she could actually help him. He followed her silently as they made their way down to the truck. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he heard the growling of Crimson from within the truck. His eyes moved to Kara as she released Grimstok from her container. He watched as the creature rushed forward only to lay down before her master. Aiden let out a chuckle of his own. “Crimson doesn’t really have the best table manners.” He looked to the man that ran the truck and then back to the truck. “One moment, I’ll calm him down.” Aiden climbed into the back of the truck and walked deep within the box of the truck to the chamber. “Crimson.” He spoke as he leaned against the side of the truck to look up to the beast that struggled and tried to move within the container.
Crimson’s red eyes fixated on Aiden as he spoke. “Very good.” Aiden stepped forward and placed his hand against the glass. “That’s your new partner, hm?” He looked up to the beast that breathed heavily from within the tube. “You two have to get a long, just as I have to get along with her handler. It’s a two way street my friend.” He stared into the eyes of the creature a long moment. “Now, we will get you out, once you’ve settled a bit more hm? You’re in her house, you have to behave.” He turned and walked from the depths of the truck and hopped out the back. “Alright, you can unload him.” He spoke to the crew member. Aiden watched as the man unloaded the container from the truck. Crimson snorted and huffed as he tried to move within the container. “Perhaps he will calm once he realizes where he is?” He looked to Kara a moment before he looked to Grimstok. “He’s just a bit worked up. He doesn’t like much change. He’s been that way since I’ve known him.”
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 21:12:27 GMT -5
Kara remained with Grimstok as Aiden went in to settle Crimson. "Now listen here you." Kara told Grimstok. "You've got to play nice. They're friends." She sent the impression to Grimstok through their link and felt as the beast's heart rate slowly came down. "We'll do a quick check over the both of you and then tuck in for the night." When Aiden returned, announcing it was safe to unload Crimson she nodded and looked to her driver who got up and went to attach the tank to the pully system that would lift Crimson and Grimstok's tanks out and towards the bay doors.
"Come on, girl." Kara beckoned Grimstok who stayed right on her heels as she walked towards the bay. Normally if someone saw a beast out of containment like Grimstok was they would have panicked. Thought that it had gone rogue and escaped. However Kara was no more concerned about Grimstok than someone else would be worried about a dog.
"So, how is his temper these days? Think he'll let me examine him on his own?" It had been a long time since Kara had seen Crimson and she didn't know if he would recognize her at all. "Don't worry about Grimstok by the way. She's a perfect lady... when I'm around." Kara said with a bit of a dark smile as she punched in more codes to the bay doors as the tanks were brought over and lowered as she doors began to open.
Beneath the warehouse was a large open space. Almost like an arena and there was another much more densely covered workshop with far many more tools and tanks. It was the true area where Kara carried out her profession.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 21:21:57 GMT -5
Aiden watched as Grimstok stuck to Kara’s heels. A smirk curved up his lips, very few handlers allowed their beast outside of their container. Marx had nearly killed Aiden the first time he caught him with Crimson out of the container without good reason. Marx saw the beasts as profit, as a tool, and nothing more. Aiden saw Crimson as a creature, a living thing. He thought that Crimson deserved to get out of the container for some free time outside of fighting and training.
When she asked about Crimson’s temper he glanced up to the container that was lowering down toward the second lab. “Oh...well...” He looked to her and then grinned slightly. “I wouldn’t quite trust him without me around. He’s...killed a few...accidents. You know?” He looked to Grimstok, he could only imagine the havoc she could cause if Kara was not around. “If he remembers you, and you feel confident...that’s your show.” He followed her. “I wouldn’t trust him without me though, if I were you. He’s a bit worked up, even now after our talk he’s not comfortable….” He sighed slightly. Perhaps Crimson was feeling Aiden’s feelings. The creature seemed to feed well off of his handler. When Aiden was worked up about something it directly reflected onto Crimson. And vice versa. Aiden could feel every ounce of the beasts anxiety right now. It created a loud static in his mind. It was a side effect of the type of neural link device that Marx had installed. It was the best of the best, but one of the newest, and it was still a prototype item. So, it had its draw backs. But to be able to feel the creature? To really feel it. That was something that no one else seemed to have.
Aiden walked up to the container once it had settled, his eyes looked over Crimson. “Ah...” He winced slightly as he looked to the gash. “I’d be willing to bet that he’s hurting, that will rile him up on a good day.” He looked over the deep cut from the battle. He could feel it singed into his own side. Though it was a dull pain compared to what he could imagine Crimson felt. “We’ll fix it, Crimson.” He looked up to the beast whom whined back at him this time.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 21:28:40 GMT -5
Kara did a quick glance over Grimstok as they got down to the lower level, she had a few scrapes, a couple things she would want to repair from when her leg had been grabbed, but overall she was fine. "We'll see to him first then." Kara stated and waved Grimstok off who skittered across the arena floor and up onto a ledge that was shrouded in black curtains. "Grimstok like's her hiding place." Kara explained. "I'll get to her in a minute."
Grabbing a few tools from her work station she carried them over to a receiving area between the arena and the workshop. "Can you have him get out and walk over to me?" She was going to let Aiden guide Crimson for now. She would try to communicate with the creature later but without a neural link it was a bit more difficult. Part of the fun in her eyes though. Connecting wit a creature who would never associate with humans if given the choice.
"We'll take care of his pain first and then patch him up." Kara explained. "I'm not super rough with them either. They are still living beings after all." She smiled, trying to reassure not only Crimson but Aiden as well. She really did have Crimson's best interest in mind.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 21:38:20 GMT -5
Aiden watched as Grimstok rushed to her hiding place. “I see...” He spoke, he then looked to Kara. It was almost as if the beast was a panther awaiting its prey to pass beneath it. He drew in a breath and looked to Crimson, “Sure...sure I’ll get him to you.” He spoke as he stepped to the container. He punched in the code on the side and it hissed open.
Crimson leaped out and landed just a few feet in front of the container. He stood on his hind legs for a moment and let out a low growl as blood ran down his side from the gash. Crimson then lowered down and walked forward. His ember eyes tracked Kara as drool dripped from his fangs. Aiden walked up next to him, his hand ran along the scales of the beast. “Breathe.” He spoke, the neural link imbedded in his head began to glow blue. The lines could be seen from beneath his skin. “She’s here to help you. She’ll make you feel much better, Crimson.” He spoke as he moved around in front of the beast.
Crimson turned his eyes to focus on Aiden. “That’s it. Now lay down for her, hm? So she can have a look at this wound.” He pat Crimson’s head gently, in a reassuring fashion. Crimson huffed slightly. His eyes looked to Kara warily for a long moment before he chittered and lay on his side. His breathing was elevated, his heart rate was ticking along quite well too. “I should have been paying attention...” Aiden beat himself up. “This wouldn’t have happened...” He sighed heavily. Crimson’s huge clawed paw reached forward and touched Aiden then and a snort came from the beast. Aiden chuckled slightly. “I can blame myself if I want to, pal.” He smirked before he glanced to Kara. “He’s ready….I’m glad you see him as a creature. It’s...a nice change.” He looked back to Crimson then without another word.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 22:01:00 GMT -5
"You can be completely aware of your surroundings and still take a hit." Kara commented as she brought a couple of her tools around to Crimson's side and set them on the ground. "It's the risk of being in the ring." She looked up to Crimson's eyes for a moment as the beast lay still before her. Either her memory was off or Crimson had gotten bigger. It was odd to her because all of her creatures were fully grown when they left her facility.
Writing it off as a fault in her memory she set into tending to the wound. "Mm, this is deep." She commented more to herself than to Aiden. "I'm gonna administer a bit of medication to numb the pain then we'll set to treatment." She reached over and picked up a small gun looking device and leveled it at the edge of Crimson's wound. When she pressed the trigger a soft mist emitted from the barrel and coated the wound, deadening the nerves almost instantly. "There you go. Should feel better now at least." She told Crimson and gave him a slight pat on the top of his forelimb.
Next she grabbed a larger gun device and held it directly against the open wound where a bit of flesh was almost torn completely off. A small needle protruded from the tip and pierced the flesh before retracting. Kara then watched a small monitor on the tool as the computer decoded Crimson's DNA and brought up an identification card from her own records. "There we are." She said with a smile and then held the gun to the edge of the wound once more as several arms extended from it and began to sew and mend the flesh and muscle in the wound as it worked to create and mend fresh layers. "This actually replicates the DNA of the beasts and so when I'm done it'll be like nothing happened at all." She explained. "Just try to keep him still."
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 22:13:30 GMT -5
“It is, but I usually don’t allow him to get hurt this much...” Aiden sighed slightly, to which Crimson huffed and grumbled slightly. Crimson watched Kara closely, his eyes focused on her as she approached him. His muscles tensed and his teeth showed slightly. “It’s alright.” Aiden stepped next to Kara and placed his hand upon the scales of Crimson. “She’s not going to hurt you.” He assured the beast. He looked to her as she spoke of the depth of the wound, his eyes looked over the gash again and he winced slightly. “Yeah...it’s deep...” He spoke with a sigh.
Crimson jerked slightly as she pulled the gun from her tools. Aiden looked to the beast, the blue lines beneath his skin began to glow once again. “Relax.” He spoke, his voice calm as he placed his hand upon the beast once again. Crimson lowered his head and lay motionless, he grumbled slightly, his claws clicked against the floor and scraped slightly. As the mist was sprayed over the wound Aiden could sense the relief. A soft smile curved up his lips and he nodded to Kara. “Much better.” He spoke though the blue glow did not disappear, he still kept the neural link open between he and Crimson.
He watched as she lifted the other gun and he drew his brows together slightly. It was a device that he’d never seen. It was incredibly high tech. “Wow...it completely replaces any damage?” He questioned in awe as he watched the device work its magic. “That’s incredible.” He stepped forward when the device was done and ran his hand along the scales of Crimson whom snorted and rolled over fully onto his back much like a dog. Aiden chuckled at the beast as he watched Crimson moved to his feet. The beast moved forward and sniffed at Kara. The ember eyes of Crimson locked on her as he closed the distance. He chattered slightly as he tilted his head before he let out a playful growl. Crimson then took off in a sprint around the lab. He growled playfully again as he rushed around, he jumped over tubes and sprinted in-between tools. “Uhhhh.” Aiden closed his eyes a moment. “Come back.” He spoke his voice soft, the glow beneath his skin returned.
Crimson huffed and made his way over to the two before he lay down before Aiden. He whined slightly and then he rolled onto his back before he yawned. Aiden let out a chuckle as he looked to the beast. “I uh...think he was trying to tell you thank you.” He smiled to her and scratched his head a bit. “Sorry about that...he has a whole warehouse to run around in...so...that’s pretty normal...” He bit his lip slightly.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 22:22:18 GMT -5
After Kara had stitched the last of his wound together she smiled and set the tool down as Crimson tested the lack of pain in his side then approached her. She wasn't scared of him, though maybe if she were wiser she might have held some sort of nervousness, but she just couldn't help but smile up at the beast as he looked down at her. When he ran off to make a lap around the lab she chuckled and picked up her tools. "Well you're welcome, and don't worry about it. Grimstok makes a mess constantly." She set the tools down on the table where she got them from and sighed.
Looking back at Crimson she tilted her head slightly and tapped her chin as she looked him over. "You know.. I really think he's bigger than when I sold him." She turned towards a monitor and typed in a few characters to bring up his information. "Let's see.." She glanced over his profile, taking mental note of a few numbers, and then walked to his containment unit. One of the jobs of the unit was to constantly measure status, weight and length of the monsters. It was good for regulation in the ring as well. "Damn.. he's grown over two feet in length and gained almost a hundred pounds.." She bit the inside of her cheek and looked back towards Crimson.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 28, 2020 22:28:57 GMT -5
“Ah….he’s good at making messes as well.” Aiden let out a chuckle as he looked to the beast that lay on his back. Crimson bat a paw at Aiden playfully. Aiden chuckled as he tapped his paw. Crimson had never injured him. It was something that Marx didn’t seem to understand. The bond that Aiden had with Crimson was far more than what the link gave him. “You think he’s grown??” Aiden questioned his eyes looked to Kara. “Shouldn’t he be full grown?” He questioned. “I mean...” He seemed to think a moment. He tried to remember anything significant. Though, if Marx brought in his team of scientists he never allowed Aiden to be near Crimson while they did their studies. At least...studies was the word that Marx used. Perhaps is was experimentation. Though, Aiden hadn’t ever found a mark on Crimson from it. “He does seem like he’s started to move more quickly...” He spoke after a long moment of thought. “I just assumed I was getting used to the link...able to guide him better...”
Aiden turned his attention back to Crimson as he batted at his hands. He looked to the beast and let out a long sigh. Crimson whined at him and rolled back over to lay on his stomach. He grumbled slightly, bored. When Kara announced just how much Crimson had grown Aiden’s jaw nearly dropped. “What?” He questioned as he walked over to the unit. “That’s...not possible...” He clicked at the screen and furrowed his brows. “How is that even possible?” He questioned as he looked to her.
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Post by Nyte on Jul 28, 2020 22:35:26 GMT -5
Kara stared at the screen and read the numbers again, still in disbelief herself. "Yes, he should have been done growing by the time he left my facility a long time ago." She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to think through how this could have been. "That's significant growth." She opened her eyes and looked at Aiden. "Who is your sponsor? They've broken a contract with me and they're gonna pay for it. Any tampering of my creatures is grounds for immediate termination of any business deals and return of my beast to me."
She was not happy. Tampering with beasts was incredibly dangerous for a multitude of reasons. It could even mess with the link they shared with their handler if you weren't careful. The way Kara made her beasts decreased that risk but not enough that she was willing to risk it with anyone besides herself and she definitely wouldn't put such a beast in the ring.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 29, 2020 6:15:54 GMT -5
Aiden drew in a breath as he looked to her. He could see the anger in her eyes. He could feel it. Crimson rolled over and growled lowly as he looked to Kara. “It’s alright.” He held his hand up and reassured the beast. Aiden couldn’t afford to allow Crimson to feel his emotions right now. It could be deadly. “Look, Kara....” He looked to Crimson and bit at his lower lip. “As much as I would like to tell you who my sponsor is. I can’t.” His voice felt like the sound of a dropping pen in an empty room. His breaths shuddered.
If he told her it was Mr. Marx he would not see the light of tomorrow. If he didn’t tell her, he feared what Kara may do. He understood where she was coming from. In fact. He wasn’t too happy to hear that they had been messing with Crimson in such a way. He closed his eyes a moment. Crimson bumped his snout against Aiden’s shoulder. The ember eyes of the beast were trained carefully on Kara. His claws scraped against the ground. He growled again as he stared at her his muscles were tense. Aiden moved between Crimson’s line of sight and Kara. He faced the beast and drew in a breath. “She doesn’t mean any harm, Crimson.” He spoke before he turned to her and settled his eyes on Kara’s. He pressed his lips together and furrowed his brows slightly. “I’m not really sure what to say...” it showed in his expression that he wasn’t happy with this news either.
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