Topic: Operation Blindfold

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-08-30 03:27 EST

The moon hovered over Rhy'Din in the beautiful starlit night sky. Its gentle glowing light caressing the land with its serenity. At times like this many are in the wonderful place of dreamland, but for others it was the beginning of their new day of work. On this night was the start of Operation Blindfold for a cat and dog of interest.

Their names were Clarabelle and Axis. The cat, which was Clarabelle, was a Russian Blue. Her bluish-gray fur being ever so soft to the touch and those green eyes being ever so curious. She was a beautiful lie to behold. Clara was far beyond what one could declare innocent. She could be mean, clever, lethal and sweet all at once.

Then there is her partner Axis. An Aidi breed of dog with short, white, thick fur and brown eyes. Like his partner Clara, Axis was deceiving in appearance. He may pass off as a regular dog that roamed around without an owner and getting his nose into things, but in all truths he was just as dangerous as his counterpart.

Their initial mission was simple: Locate Ammy Phoenix, find out what her life in rhy'Din was, collect information on Lupinossai and other possible valuable targets. No part of their mission was to harm someone unless their own mission was in jeopardy. They were spies, not assassins. It all sounded easy and it could very well be. Only time could be able to tell their success.

Part 1: The Search for Ammy Phoenix

So, there they were. In the realm or Rhy'din. Not long ago did they arrive and there was little time for lollygagging. The duo set out to work and had started roaming the streets looking for anything relating to their objective. They searched high and low. They wandered through alleys, market districts and apartments. Ears, eyes and noses were always searching to see if there was any trace of Ammy, but their luck was seeming low.

Rhy'Din seemed to be full of so many types of people. Some were new to Axis and Clara, although others were familiar. They even noticed a few Lupinossai walking around. If Ammy Pheonix was in this land they were curious why Lupinossai were walking around so freely and why the place was not leveled. The pair were realizing she could be anywhere in this realm and who knows what happened to scouts sent here in the past.

"This is impossible. If Ammy were truly here these Lupinossai would be dead," Axis spoke to Clara telepathically as he walked beside her through a moderately busy street. "It is no wonder they nicknamed it Operation Blindfold. We have absolutely no idea what is truly going on here."

Clarabelle would chuckle over their telepathic link, "Perhaps this is what Ammy wants, my dear Axis. To cower and hide among many, especially in a realm of Lupinossai. Think about it. She is untamable, cruel, aggressive, a person of genocide, mass murder even. If she stays in a place and does none of this then it can be believed she is not here. She has become aloof, creating an illusion to hide herself."

Axis snorted at Clara's words. He was skeptical of Ammy Pheonix's existence in this realm. "Or so we believe. We may end up being paid to just be sightseeing." he replied to her with amusement. Axis was one to often be skeptical when things were not so obvious. Although, it did not mean he wouldn't go through with his job. Orders were orders whether or not emotions said otherwise.

"Then let it be so, Axis. It is the agency's loss, not our own." she purred at that thought. To be paid for walking around. That would be a nice vacation and she could slip in many cat naps to enjoy. Those thoughts were cut short when she eyed a dead person down an alley and turned to move inside of it.

Axis changed directions and followed Clara noticing she caught something of interest. Maybe she was onto something. Then she spoke to Axis as she thought, "Axis, I have noticed there seems to be a bit of a murder problem going on here, although it is all physical. Surely this cannot be the work of Ammy Phoenix considering some people out here are. This is the fourth alley we have seen tonight with a dead person."

"That is indeed an interesting point." Axis said noting the frequent occurrence of deaths. Clarabelle started searching the body. It seemed nothing was taken on this dead human yet. They had a dropped gun beside them, though the person had stab wounds. It must have been a kill and run.

As she searched the dead man's pockets she picked out some kind of data pad device that was in its own little carrier fabric. She pulled it out of his coat and out of its bag and set it on the ground and looked at it pondering just for a moment. She pressed the power button and it turned on. "Oh, dear Axis, I believe we may have come along early luck. If we could just connect to a network somewhere I can find her I bet."

Axis wagged his tail in happiness. "Good, good. Let us go somewhere else before someone thinks we are two rabid animals who killed this man. I saw a torn up home with no one living in it two blocks over. That should be a good spot."

"Good call." Clarabelle turned the device off, nudged it back into its bag and slid it over to her partner. Axis would take the bag by its handles and lifted it up, carrying it with his mouth now. He casually moved out of the alley with Clara following him. They moved down the street unsuspectingly. Their biggest advantage it would appear is that there was so many kinds of creatures in this realm allowing them to be more flexible in their tactics without looking unusual.

It did not take long for them to reach their destination with Axis leading the way. The home Was rough looking. It did not look like it had been cared for in some time. The windows were broken, door barely closed, the walls looked a little weak.

Clara would jump up to the window and enter the abandoned home before circling around in the home to the front door and slowly pushing it open for Axis. Once that was done he followed her inside the house and they went into what seemed like it could have once been the living room. It was hard to tell since a lot of furniture was missing in the home.

Axis gently put the bag on the floor and held a paw down on one end while Clara pulled the data pad device out of it and let it lay on the floor. She turned the device on and waited for it to boot up. Once it was all set she began touching the screen, "Lovely. Just lovely. I am happy this is a touch screen. I get so tired of little keyboards, " Clara thought to herself.

She began looking into the internal storage of the device seeing if there was any important files to access easily. Unfortunately, she kept coming across photos and other files that made her cringe in disgust. After realizing there was nothing important she brought up a keyboard on the screen and she started typing away once she found she had some network connections.

"Find anything?" Axis finally spoke telepathically to Clara after being quiet while she worked.

"Dirty photos mostly. Checking our account and making sure the agency paid us this time. I am not doing another mission and then find out later some bad paperwork went through." she growled softly at that. After a few minutes there was a sigh of relief, "Okay, good. They paid us. Now down to business."

Clarabelle continued further into her business now simply searching the networks in Rhy'Din for anything under the name of Ammy Phoenix. Unluckily, she found nothing. At least not under the name of Phoenix. However, she started to notice other names. An Ammy Spiritor who was involved with something called the Lupinossai Den, which later renamed to Den City.

"Axis, check this out," Clarabelle told him telepathically. Axis came and sat next to her and looked down at the data pad. She pointed at the web page she was looking at. "I am having trouble finding Ammy Phoenix, but there is an Ammy Spiritor. She ruled this Den City for years, fought gods and goddesses, a high ranking alchemist, powerful mage and owns some shop called the Alchemist's Fire." Then she scrolled down the page and saw a picture. The only problem was these pictures that wasn't a human. It was a Lupinossai. "Huh, how odd. A lupinossai doing all this." Clarabelle was stumped at this. They were looking for a human, not a Lupinossai.

Her partner Axis kept reading over the page and re-reading. Something certainly seemed wrong with this information. "Familiar behavior, except it is a Lupinossai doing all this and is even saving other Lupinossai."

"Ew, what if she went all furball on us. Look at this. Long red hair and everything. There is no way this is a possible coincidence, Axis. What better place to hide than those among you hate with all of your heart?"

Axis snorted at her ideas, "This is a bunch of tomfoolery. This cannot be her."

"And what if it is, my dear Axis? We can afford trial and error if we play our cards right."

"Do you seriously expect the agency to believe Ammy Phoenix is this... Ammy Spiritor in fur? They are looking for a human, not a Lupinossai," he argued.

"Axis, she is a mage and an alchemist. She could be a snake if she wanted to. Besides, whether or not she is a Lupinossai or Human in this realm no longer matters. There is an Ammy Spiritor who counts as a high valued target. For now we skip locating Ammy Phoenix and her whereabouts and start tracking down this Ammy Spiritor." she talked as she started typing and moving through the network. "Look, here. There is Den City even on the map. A little ways out, but I bet if we can get in there we can get more information on this Ammy Spiritor before finding her directly. Even if she isn't the same Ammy I am sure they would love to catch her. She's got all the right qualities. We will focus on Phoenix later. For now, the Lupinossai."

The aidi sat there thinking over the situation and finally nodded in agreement to her decision. "I concur then. We might as well get payment for some progress instead of walking in circles. We should get started. That city is a nice distance away."

Clarabelle nodded to him and soon she powered off the device and slid it back into its bag. "No time to waste, let's go." Clara ordered Axis. Without another word Axis picked up the bag with his mouth again and soon they skittered out of the broken home and into the night on the streets. They knew where to go now and where to find all these Lupinossai and this Ammy Spiritor. Next stop was Den City.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-09-05 19:57 EST

Part 2: Deceptive intrusions.

It took quite a few days before the duo had gotten close to Den City. At times they had gotten a little lost and asked for directions on a few travelers they came across. Even with a map they were new to this land and there were things they saw that wasn't precisely on the map either making things a little difficult to navigate around.

All in all they would eventually reach the Den city, except when they did they did not move inside it immediately. The two would stay hidden in bushes and searching the parameter. Each guard on the walls and their routines were noted and who they were letting in and out of the gates.

"Looks like they let almost anyone into that place," Clarabelle sent to Axis telepathically, "Think they would let a cat and dog walk straight in?"

"Hard call. They may not like stray animals. Next thing you know it we end up in an animal shelter or end up in someone's kitchen." Axis responded to her.

Clara turned her head and stared at the white dog with a very annoyed look. "What crawled up your rear and died? You have been excessively skeptical of this entire operation." The only reaction Clara would get though was a glare. Nothing was said back to her. Clara's ears folded back for a moment and she looked back at the gate of Den City.

"Anyways, I have devised a plan. Will be easy. They may or may not shoo us away, but there is a way we can get past them. I want you to run in there, yipping and whimpering while I chase you."

if there was any moment that Axis could have gotten more frustrated with Clara, it was that moment. "Are you joking me? First off, I will not be humiliated in such acts. Second, why not just wait until night time and then we slip in through an open gap somewhere to get inside."

The feline looked back at him again as she started to explain her idea into more detail, "Think about it closely. They have people everywhere with guns. If we go sneaking in they may think we may cause trouble. There might even be one of those trigger-happy guys that every army has and it may look odd with a cat and dog snooping around the walls unusually. Another thing, if you chase me everyone is going to go, 'oh my god, that dog is going to eat that cat. We better put him down'. If I chase you it will be, 'oh my god, that is so funny. did you see that cat chase that dog'. Is that more clear for you now?"

"I hate you so much," Axis answered. If there was one thing that was more embarrassing than anything in his life it was going to have to act like he was being whipped by a little feline. The only reason he was about to do it is they had a job to finish.

During a moment of silence after Axis' answer, Clara would immediately go into attack mode when she saw the gates open for inbound travelers. Claws were extended out, fur was poofing out and the yowling and hissing commenced. Axis would dart out of the bushes yelping and whimpering with his tail between his legs as he ran for his life. The Russian Blue started chasing after him as fast as she could with all her feline fury.

As they approached the Den City gates some of the guards took notice to a cat chasing a dog. The guards had no idea what to do about the situation and just watched with a very confused look. Some even started to chuckle at the scene. The travelers walking through the gate and stepped to the side as soon as they saw a cat and dog charging their way. Even they were amused at the sight.

Through the gates and into Den City. Clara and Axis successfully entered the home of those from Lupinoss. Once they were far enough in Clara would slow down to a stop and she started moving off to the side. Axis went his own way as well and started moving along through the den circle. Clara was not too far off and was on the outer edges of the Den circle.

"Must be the center of get-togethers or something in this place," Axis sent over their mind link. Then Axis remembered something and was now even more embarrassed. "Oh dang it. I must have left that data pad out in the bush."

"Axis, you fool.... Nonetheless, I am sure we can get the job done. We do not need it for the next idea I have. We will need to locate maps somewhere in this city to know the layout. We each get our own maps."

"Sounds like a plan. When we get the maps. How about you search the east side and I search the west once we find out what it all looks like then we meet up during the night at the circle here." he suggested to his partner.

"I like that idea. I will work on getting us another data pad or computer. We both will stay on each side for three days and see how this place works. Good luck, comrade." With her last statement they both broke communication with each other and went their own ways.

Clarabelle would look around the Den circle and innocently went up to variously people looking like an adorable cat wanting some loving. She would rub up against peoples legs and swish her furry tail to and fro. She would purr and meow to them. It took a few hours on her end. Luckily for her, she had gotten some free food and lots of petting, but she would eventually come across an map left on the ground and took it in her mouth and carried it off.

On Axis part of the mission he was using similar tactics as Clarabelle. Innocent looks were one advantage these two had very easily among humanoid spies. He often approached children and other people susceptible friendly dogs. Most people would just pet him, a few wanted to even take him home, but like Clara he eventually got a chance where he saw a tourist with a laid out map and he stole it in a heartbeat taking it into his muzzle. In no time he darted off with that map leaving the tourist, who was unaware at first, without a map.

Over the next few days the spies examined Den City. Every alley, street, walkway, building and district that the society had. They would eat when they could, whether it was freebies or surviving on the streets, they did what they had to do with little rest.

During Clara's days she was high and low. Given she was a that made many things so easily accessible for her. She would jump to sit on the outside of windows, climb onto buildings and be able to fit into small places and sneak around. To everyone else she was just a stray cat wandering around when truthfully she was always keeping eyes and ears ware of her situations. To every person walking around, things they talked about even to thievery that happened in the alley ways. She was there being ever so watchful.

The name Ammy Spiritor had even been heard of once or twice over the course of her days of spying inside the city. The information she saw on the internet must have been true. This den did have something to do with this Ammy Spiritor. What was still unfortunate is it had nothing to do with Ammy Phoenix.

While Clara was sneaking around, lady luck was still working with Axis on his part of the mission. His first two days he wandered around the den. Often being close enough to people to hear their conversations. The most areas he lingered around were the shadier areas of the Den. Where something was always happening. Robbery, drugs, gangs and their little meetings. Most of it all was people and their own personal issues, except for a couple situations.

There was one case where he heard about weapons trading. He did not catch who it was since there was codenames and other various words being used, but when weapons were involved in quantities in trading something certainly must have been going on that would be worth knowing. He also learned of who was in charge of this Den City. A lady named Mirius Pojoris, which who was mated to Ammy Spiritor.

Nothing else was mentioned after those names came up, so he took off in search for a way to access more information. It was nighttime on the second day and he was looking around through shops and the den circle. He noticed some people had laptops. Axis needed to get one. Most people he saw were very cautious about his items. Not all always were, though.

Knowing the Den circle was an often place for people to hang out he made that one of his destinations to go. Slowly he walked with his eyes searching the area for any that was not too careful of their personal belongings. It was not something to happen as soon as he got there, however it took some hours before he saw someone with going to the trashcan leaving a thin, lightweight laptop on their table. Quickly Axis would rush and grabbed it with his mouse and ran to nearby bushes to hide only for a moment.

When he saw no one else was looking he bolted off further into the Den. he would go down multiple alleyways, around blocks and down streets quickly. Eventually, the white furred Aidi carrying the laptop would make it to the park the Den had and got into some thick bushes. He set the laptop down and opened it up and looked at the screen.

He exited out of some current programs the previous user had open and he started looking into to see if there was any local wireless internet and once again he lucked out. Axis started searching through the web on Mirius Pojoris, Ammy Spiritor and the Den. It took several minutes to search through until he got what he was looking for.

What he found was far more details and even a history on the Den itself. More detailed than what Clara had found. The history was longer than they believed. There was even history about a few things on Sliinkaa and Lupinoss. A visual timeline picture was on the page as a visual aid showing from when the Den started as lupinossai slaves all the way up to current day elections and progressions.

Axis took his time reading all of this information closely. Not a word did he want to miss. As he did his research he got a message from Clara over their telepathic link. "Axis, where are you?" she asked.

Axis replied to her almost immediately. His mind was in overdrive from excitement on all the new information,"Come to the park now, Clara. I have more information on the Lupinossai and Ammy Spiritor. I will be in the north-eastern part of the park in some bushes that are hugged up against a tree."

"I will be there as fast as I can. What is it you have found, my dear? Is it of Ammy Phoenix?" Clara could barely wait to find out the information. Even if he wanted her to come she wanted to know while she was on her way. The cat ran as fast as she could through streets and jumping over objects to make shortcuts through the city.

"I can only say maybe. I jacked someone's laptop and I did some deeper searching. I found a site that has a very deep and long history of the coming of Lupinossai in Rhy'Din. They were slaves when they were here under some fellow named Lord Brutin and this Ammy bought all of their freedom. Then of course their long history to what is of today, but listen to this. Her name does have phoenix within. She has a record of a large family. Listen to this name: Ammy Loraine Phoenix-Wolf-Spiritor-Shimmerscale. The beginning of her entire name is Ammy Loraine Phoenix, or so it is highly believed. Clara, I think we found our missing link."

"I am not sure if I can even repeat that name. Do you really think this is truly the same Ammy?" she asked. Clara was getting closer and closer as she came to Axis' location and soon arrived in the bush with him and stared at the computer screen.

"It is hard for a 100% confirmation, although there are some saying she was once definitely humaran. Ammy Spiritor currently resides at a beach house on the Twilight Island and often works at the Alchemists Fire in Rhy'Din's market. Ammy has a mate known as Mirius Pojoris who has taken over the Den while she has gone on leave for personal reasons. Ever since Mirius began to run this Den they amped up the security and technology, leaving a lot of old primitive ways left behind."

"I am surprised they know how to use it. Then again people say the same thing to us." Clara looked at the webpage closely. "Alright, I think we have some good information for now. We know the Den well now and know what these lupinossai are up to as well as our dear red-head comrade. Let's head back to where the agency is stationed and give them a report tomorrow. For now I am tired and hungry. A well earned rest is in order."

Axis closed the laptop and let out a sigh, "Yes, I agree. Scraps are barely enough to keep one going. We will need the energy to make that travel back."

And with that the two laid down in the bush together. Clara curled up next to Axis as they slept safely in the bushes together. The next day they erased their tracks in the computer after reading more information. Axis would go to drop the laptop off back on a table and left it there. Maybe the owner may find it again.

After that the two would find ways to trick people into giving them food before they left the Den one leaving first and the other leaving hours after. The long travel back to Rhy'Din city was tiresome, although they would make it there just fine. They would return to their agency's hideout and report all their information and would soon get their next task in their undergoing operation.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-09-14 22:34 EST

Part 3: Confrontation

It had been a week since their last task. The dog and cat had been basking in their moment of glory as the agency was overwhelmed with the information that had found so far. For them it was a whole new ballgame, but it was not the end. Ammy Phoenix still had to be found and the clues of Ammy Spiritor was not enough to prove if the two were one of the same people.

In their new task Axis and Clara finally had gotten their new toys. They were voice collars that could be worn around their neck. Both were bound to their owners as these collars were linked to their telepathic abilities. When they chose to, these collars could allow them to speak vocally with its speech box and there wasn't a better situation that called for it than the one they were to do today.

Out in the market in Rhy'Din they wandered looking for Ammy's shop. Given they had time to gather more appropriate coordinates during their week stay at the agency's top secret hideout, they knew where to go and how to find Ammy Spiritor. They could only hope this woman was not a magic flinging lunatic or else there could be issues.

It was not long at all before they had found Ammy's shop. They sat together across the street staring at the shop seeing customers walk in and out of it with satisfied looks on their faces. Axis and Clara watched for maybe an hour to see if anything odd or violent happened, but it looked like any regular shop. Nothing surprising did happen.

Clarabelle moved off the top of Axis, as she was resting on top of them when they both were relaxing on the ground, and she stretched as she stood next to him. "Axis, I am going to go take a peek inside the shop. Will you stay on guard out here? If she were to kill me we might as well have someone report back. No sense in both of us dying together." she asked through their telepathic means.

"I am fine with that," is all he said in response to Clara's words. It was such a vague and short statement to reply with.

She looked at him then. Clarabelle did not like that statement. In a way it sounded like he was agreeing, but after humiliating him at the Den gates she did not doubt he would enjoy seeing her die for that. Nonetheless, she slowly walked across the street and towards Ammy's shop. There was no way for her to open the door until a customer would have entered or exited the building, but the moment one left she slipped into the shop and started snooping around like an innocent cat looking for food if not something else of cat interest.

Then again, she did start to smell snacks lingering around at the counter. Someone had made cookies and left them there. In an easy leap she was soon up on top of the counter next to a plate of warm baked sugar cookies. She didn't eat one yet, but instead she started to make cute meows trying to get someone's attention in the shop. If it was working hours Ammy should be there.

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-09-21 15:31 EST

Ammy was moving a new batch of healing salves to a dark closet to set and cure for a few days. As she put them away, her ears twitched hearing... a cat? Closing the closet she came out into the main shop and saw a cat on the counter by the cookies. She did what almost anyone would seeing a cat in their shop. She looked around the shop to see if someone had brought the cat in or lost the cat. Only the cat and Ammy were in the shop.

"Hmm..." she walked over to the cat on the counter. "Well hello there kitty. Hungry and lost?" she asked in a lovely singing voice that seemed to match the one Ammy Phoenix had.

Ammy would lean in and offer to pet the cat if she wasn't afraid of Lupinossai. The hand reaching out was animated stone and had several rings on it. She was wearing a green blouse and jeans today with her black apron.

"I wonder who you belong to hon?"

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-09-26 00:02 EST

Clara purred and her back and tail would rise off the counter enjoying the petting. She kept putting off the innocent behavior of a regular cat though she truly was just being sly. The Russian Blue only kept this charade going on for a mere moment until she broke character.

That was when she sat down by the pate of cookies, grabbed a cookie with a paw and started to eat it almost like a humanoid would, but that was not all. She had started to speak, not verbally, but through her telepathic link to her voice collar. The voice from the collar would sound like a gentle, charming female with a Russian accent.

"My dear Ammy Phoenix, where have you been? We have missed you for such a long time. Don't act like you do not know that name, you know that I know who you really are." The cat gave her a very sly look and her tail slowly swished to and fro behind her as she continued eating the cookie.

She then added, "Do not worry I am not here to hurt you. That is not my job. I have just come to check on you and the Lupinossai. Why are you in fur and not skin, comrade?"

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-09-27 20:11 EST

Hearing cat talk was not odd. This was the realm of Rhydin, but hearing the cat use her Humaran last name had Ammy recoiling from the cat at first.

"H...how do you know my real name?" She asked in shock.

Hearing the cat say she and the Lupinossai were being checked upon rattled something loose in her memory. A memory of many nights in a laboratory with other Humaran scientists, fiddling with increasing the genetics of common species to be sentient spies. Her ears flattened and her muzzle wrinkled into a silent snarl. Ammy suddenly sprang forward for the cat, her intent was to scruff the Russian Blue.

"Who are you working for?" she snarled.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-09-29 07:08 EST

She yowled and hopped off the counter and onto the floor with a hiss back at Ammy. Her fur was even on end as she was not happy with Ammy trying to grab her. "Don't put your dirty paws on me! If you do there will be hell to pay on you and your family we will be sure of it!" Clara gave out another hiss.

The cat was alert now and staring at her watching every move she made. "They did say you had a temper. God, it's bad when the internet is right, although they said nothing about you falling for a bluff. Calm yourself and I may just talk with you about some things. Besides, if something bad happens to me then they will surely retaliate. You do not think I came here without eyes watching us did you, my dear?"

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-10-04 15:29 EST

Ammy had missed snagging the talking cat and planted her palms on top of the glass counter. Her fur bristled around her neck and cheeks. Golden eyes may have shown the sparkle of a mind summoning a thousand ways for skinning cats and twice as many recipes to use them in.

"Throwing my real name around in this realm is not considered a bluff to me. It's become a challenge to see if people can beat me and I'd rather stop such idiocy early. So, you've looked me up on the net? Well that now rules out you being just a common, sentient cat.

Why are you looking for me? I will remind you that making any threats to my family has lead to many wars, all we have won." She remained stiff in her lean on the counter.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-10-05 17:45 EST

"It was a bluff because we were really unsure if you were related to Ammy Phoenix. You just admitted it though. You are gullible." The cat would giggle through the voice collar while she was purring at the thought. She sat on her haunches and began licking her paw and grooming her head as she kept the conversation going.

"Oh, please. Threats are the least thing you have to worry from me. Anyways, do you suffer memory loss or denial to not have a clue of why you are being looked for? All the people you killed. The people you betrayed. Whatever happened to that first husband of yours again?" The cat seemed to know much. Too much at that. It was no doubt she had been studying Ammy deeply, finding all possible information she could. Including past operations she had been on. Then again it was her job to find all information on her targets.

She chuckled, "Oh, that is right. You killed him. Good work, comrade. Besides, winning a war is not something to be proud of. What have you lost in all these wars and battles? I bet they were all at great costs. Winners will do anything to win. That is what you are, Ammy. A winner. Never will you lose no matter what, because winners never lose. Only those around them lose and suffer. How would I know? Because I tend to win, too."

That was when Clarabelle stopped grooming herself and she walked up towards the counter and jumped up onto it. She would go to rub her body up against Ammy's arms while purring and swishing her tail. The Russian Blue did not seem to fear Ammy as much as one would think. "You tread on thin ice, Ammy. Careful where you step. The Humarans would like their best soldier back. They know you'll crack sooner or later. Every tool breaks and needs to be repaired and only the craftsman of such a unique tool is the one who can fix it."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-10-13 18:06 EST

Ammy stiffened a bit as Clara dared rub against her. Soft growled rumbled in her chest. "For one not wishing harm on themselves you seem to suffer a severe deficiency of diplomacy and tact."

Ammy didn't move after Clara and put up with the rubbing. How to know just how far this cat was bluffing and telling true she couldn't be sure. "Yes. I've killed many." She pointedly refused to touch the painful subject of her first husband.

"I feign ignorance as it let's me test just how far my enemy's knowledge go. Thank you for confirming that you know about Humarans. Just what exactly do you want?" Ammy put her muzzle close to Clara. Yes, she may get scratched but if she had to, she could scruff the cat with sharp teeth if Clara tried to bolt from her line of questions.

"As to being a weapon, I am no longer in that profession dear. I guess you're data was wrong."

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-10-21 19:04 EST

The cat had thought about what Ammy had said. She sait there staring into Ammy's eyes. She had fur of steel to be messing with Ammy in such a way and having high thoughts on knowing she was going to get away with it all. "You feign confidence and toughness because you fear what is to come. You have so much to lose now, Ammy. You know it, I know it. Besides, I am an intelligent cat snooping around you and humarans seem to suddenly show up at your house. Even a kitten could put two and two together."

Her tail swished to and fro behind her before curling around her feet. "Seems not. I said tool, not weapon. You are a multi-tool, Ammy. Look at yourself, how you're great at so many things. Alchemy, magic, weapon proficiency, inventor of high tech items, hand-to-hand combat and many forms of military tactics. I believe I read somewhere you cook well. Oh, I wonder how many people you could kill in one dinner."

Clarabelle would purr in delight. What she wanted could be so many things and she knew so much about Ammy she could likely get almost anything she wants. "There is almost nothing I don't know about you, Ammy. I'll partially thank your creepy stalkers that idolize you're life. Anyways, I have my own dilemmas. My partner and I will be running out of business soon. The agency we work with doesn't keep their spies for long fearing they'll turn on them. You're also our last job. Luckily, we know what's coming. Now I don't fear what will happen to me of course, but I'm sure you fear what may happen around you. So, maybe if you have offers for me I may help you out as well. What do you say, my dear?"

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-10-24 15:58 EST

Ammy's golden eyes narrowed then widened the narrowed again. It was the only sign that Clarabelle had struck a deep nerve in her. Protecting her family was all that mattered these days and it was often the reason Ammy was hurt constantly. Yet hearing how the cat ticked off all of the skills Ammy possessed as if reading a catalog of tools and weapons had her heart hammering heard.

This cat really knows what I can do. This can only mean the Humarans have gotten closer to finding me.

Her mind ticked off possibilities and plans for either vanishing or digging in, but the thought of her family in the crossfire... she shook her head.

"What do you want of me then? To kill people for you? Make your life of spying safe to continue blackmailing others?" she growled.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-10-30 22:06 EST

The cat was purring more and she would giggle using the voice collar she had. The whole situation to her was very amusing. "Oh, there is so much I could ask from you. The problem is I do not trust you so much. You always did seem so... flimsy. Then again, your life is in jeopardy. Mmm, choices, choices."

Those feline eyes stared into Ammy's eyes as she thought how to play this all out to her own advantage. "You seem a lot more cautious than what has been said about you before. Your life here must mean much value. So, how about we have some fun. You give me anything I like. Money, some yummy food, maybe some other things, possibly kill a few people I am unable to kill efficiently and I'll make you invisible."

She moved to stand up and walk around on the counter, stretching her body and chose a spot to settle on her stomach and rest, though she kept her eyes on Ammy and her ears often twitched in directions for any new noises. "And no, I'm not talking about silly magic invisibility. I mean I can make you non-existent, Ammy. You and your family. All information about them always being covered up and erased. The humarans already know about your current life, I told them so much and there's much more out there. If they weren't trying to secretly rid me and my partner we'd not be having this conversation. Of course, I could always vanish, but money is always lovely to have."

Her head would tilt slightly to the side and made a slow blink. The end of her tail still slowly tapping against the counter. "Once in a lifetime opportunity, comrade. Hire me and I can solve a lot of your humaran problems. I can tell you when they're coming, where they are, how many, when they sleep, alter information to keep them guessing. I know so much you could use. But still remains, can I truly trust you? I'm sure you don't trust me."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-11-12 15:52 EST

Ammy watched Clara move about with ease and relaxed demeanor.

I've dealt with thugs, soldiers, assassins, State Alchemists and more and yet, I must admit, I've never dealt with a black mailing cat in my whole life.

The whole situation would seem comical to her if Clara hadn't been digging her intellectual claws into how Ammy felt or the data on her and her family. What to do? She closed her eyes, ears slowly twitching back and forth as she gave the options a full dose of concentration.

I can try and kill her and this ally she has, but if what she says is true, then I'd be caught up in another war and I am so tired of wars. I could go along with this and support her, but how do I know she tells the truth of knowing Humaran movements and locals? Anyone can find data on me and my family in the realm. Sentient cats are not uncommon around this realm either... but... if she isn't lying...

She opened her eyes and looked at Clara for a long moment. "It would seem we both have trust issues with each other. Perhaps an exhange of proof would soothe those issues. You show me a Humaran unit that is in this realm. Once I verify you are correct, I'll offer you housing in my homes, access to any supplies you want and access to..." she ground her teeth a bit. "... my business and personal credit cards.

She leaned on her elbows now and watched Clara.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-11-15 20:37 EST

Oh the offers Ammy was telling to Clara had her purring loudly. "Do not worry I am not an expensive cat." A giggle had come from the voice collar. She remained resting on the counter watching Ammy watch her. It was like a never ending staring contest."Do you have a computer here, Ammy? Laptop or desktop will do. Oh, and a form of internet connection. Just nothing with those micro-keyboards. It's hard for me to use them. Lead me to a computer and I'll show you everything you want." She would give Ammy a slight cat smile.

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-11-20 18:59 EST

Ammy stopped her staring and went to her lab. Soon she was back with a laptop and sat it in front of Clara. It was on and logged into Magik Net, the Lupinossai aether communications line.

"Here you go Clara. One laptop with direct access to the net. Show me what you know and you will not regret having me as an ally." She crossed her arms and waited.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-11-23 23:06 EST

"Mmm, this kitty likes." she said with a loud pur. Clara moved in front of the laptop and she got to work fast. Ammy would see this cat work quickly on the laptop and at such abnormal pace. She was typing fast, windows were opening and closing and she was zipping through all kinds of information. Soon she found encrypted files on the net that he humarans were using, ended up saving them and closed out of everything and erased her tracks on the internet.

The files were saved on the laptop now and she opened them up in pdf styled files. There was images and all kinds of information in the file and Clara started slowly scrolling through it all. "I work fast, ja?" She would giggle and motioned to the laptop. "Images of you and your family, current occupations and mmm... look at all that history. Your records of your military career, your brother, your parents. Oh, and your sister. Yes, yes, I know about her very much." She'd show Ammy all the files, even old images that were pictures from Humara. Everything she was saying was true and the list of information was endless.

Then she got down to information in Rhy'Din. She had a map of Rhy'din from an aerial view and pointed out a spot. "My current station is there. They've got several in Rhy'Din. Very secretive. Often underground or something. There's more spies than just me and my partner here, Ammy." Clarabelle turned to Ammy and gave her a serious look wth her feline eyes. "You should stop using credit cards by the way. Not even I would use your credit card. That's so easily tracked. Other than that, do we have a deal, comrade? If so, I can erase all your information from their database and can keep you hidden."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-11-29 14:22 EST

Ammy was floored by how much intel that was out there on her and her family. This was going to jeopardize everything she'd worked so hard to build in Rhydin not to mention leading to trouble with Den City at this rate. She rubbed her chin. Damn, the kitty has me in a choke hold here. She isn't bluffing.

"We... have a deal Clara. Now who is your partner and how guarded are these spy cells and their bases." Thoughts of striking them hard herself and wiping them out were in her mind.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-11-30 03:36 EST

"My partner will remain anonymous to you for now. In time you shall gain more knowledge about me and my ally." She started working on the laptop again accessing the database of the humaran network she recently just intruded and began changing a few informative logs and things before stopping, covering her tracks once more and looking back to Ammy.

"There. All information from their database is now... altered. It will keep them guessing for a while. They're a little dumb in keeping secrets here. They hired some real dummies." The cat purred and laughed, but then she got serious again. "There are at least 20 spies currently in Rhy'Din, including me and my partner. Within a 100ft radius, there is at least 5 humaran soldiers waiting for action on jumping you. They are all spread out to cover lots of ground, and are enclosing on this area, at least for now.

She pointed back at the computer to the files she had saved and was pointing at the map of the location of the cells. "There is at least 3 stations they have in Rhy'Din. Pretty decently protected. I do not know where the others are. Presumably, there are 5 others elsewhere which may or may not be outside the city itself." Clarabelle had the cursor highlighting the 3 spots she mentioned the places she did know existed.

"By the way, Ammy, I have all your information still in a place of my own. Very well protected by all means. If something bad happens to me or my partner then the countdown timer will release every single bit of info about you to multiple places on the net. In other words, I and my partner must stay alive to keep manually resetting the countdown timer. If I or he dies by any means, that timer will drop reach 0 and you'll be vulnerable. I apologize, comrade, but I must cover my own tail. Once I fully trust you I'll do away with the clock."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-11-30 15:31 EST

"Fair enough Clara. Covering ones tail is wise, especially when dealing with me."

She looked at the data and positions on the laptop in wonder and scrolled through the data. "If you wish protection from me then you'll have to accept becoming the shop pet. I can't let you into my home. Not that I fear you, but my family isn't dumb. They'll figure out things quick and you'll be exposed if they know about you. Staying here at the shop, you'll be safe, warm, fed and adored. I also have a full hi-tech lab in the basement that I'll give you access to. The laptop here stays in the shop as usual so you'll have full access to Magic Net and anything else in Rhydin."

She rubbed her chin seeing the cell locations and the data on them. "Tell me Clara, since you've been tracking me so well. What would my odds be for taking out these cells? Would Humaran Intelligence be alert if they went out?"

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-12-06 20:03 EST

"I am fine with portraying as a shop pet. Not the first time I have done it. As long as I get the good food to eat. None of that cheap stuff when I am fed." Clarabelle looked at the computer screen for some time. She wasn't surprised Ammy wanted to take care of the humaran problem, but she knew there would be trouble if Ammy wasn't careful. On top of that, since she was technically working with Ammy now she'd have to give her word of advice on how to deal with the people they both once worked for.

"In order for you to solve the humaran problem, you would have to do this in a stealthy, joint-strike operation. You would literally have to strike all their outposts at once, not only that, but have all their communications disabled at the same time. If something goes wrong with one you are going to have everyone's mother, sister, brother, uncle, cousin and comrade show up at your front door in the morning."

She would lay down on the counter now, curling up and getting comfortable as she spoke to Ammy more about the situation, "I suggest you remain as you are, keep low and mind your own business. Do not even give the appearance you are searching around for them. There is nothing you can do until the other bases are found. And don't worry about them attacking you. They are scared to death of you. An attack on you is a small chance. The few spies out here barely wanted to track you down. You are, after all, the best tool ever created back on Sliinkaa."

Then she had started to giggle, at least from the voice collar she was giggling. Physically she was just purring. "You know, they call this mission Operation Blindfold. What a lovely mission name. Starting to seem the mission is turning against the humarans and blindfolding them. Oops." Clara gave another giggle.

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-12-08 20:43 EST

Ammy took a deep breath. Her OCD to just go out and rip things limb from limb to stop them from being future threats pulsed strong in her. She let out her breath after a few longs seconds and then gave Clara a few hesitant strokes on her furred head.

"Very well Clara. I will stay put and go about my usual business. Make yourself at home here and let me know what you would like anytime you need something."

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-12-13 15:36 EST

"Oh, thank you very much. Soon I will be asking for some things. Perhaps cosmetic changes of the sorts, just so it will keep the humarans off our tails some more. But I do fear I must go, Ammy. I have things to do if all of this is to work. I will be back though don't you worry."

She'd move to hop off the counter and looked back up at Ammy, "Remember, act like nothing is going on. The moment you act suspicious they'll go after you or someone. It's all a stealth mission and they aren't ready to do any aggressive actions at the time being. When they do I will let you know."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-12-16 18:58 EST

"Right. Act normal. I think I can do that. Do you want any food to take with you? Maybe your partner is hungry?" she asked going to a mini fridge she had full of tasty snacks. She figured if she needed to be nice to Clara, best not upset this unknown partner of her's as well.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-12-19 19:34 EST

"Mmm, no I am fine for now. I like where you are going though. My partner and I should be getting back to... headquarters anyways. We have a lot of... new information to tell them." Clarabelle chuckled at her mischievous thoughts. She was going to milk all the money she could out of all this before having to separate.

She stood up, turned and was about to jump off the counter before looking back at Ammy. "By the way, look into making some potion or something for me. Make me like one of those anthro kitties or some magical collar that does the trick. Four legs and no arms can get hard some days in my line of work. Look into it for me will you, comrade?"

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2013-12-29 15:40 EST

Ammy looked at Clara when she asked for that kind of ability. Seems like everyone thought she was a miracle worker. She just gave a small chuckle at that thought.

"I'll look into it Clara. Do you know about teleport runes and marking? My shop is often not left open at all hours of the night. If you are familiar with them, I can set you into the allowed list to use and you can come and go in my shop without the need of a person being here."

Clara and Axis · Date: 2013-12-30 04:23 EST

"That sounds fabulous, Ammy. I do know how to use runes and markings. It is a bit of a requirement to be a spy when having targets like you." The cat would purr more. "Anything else you should mention before I leave, Ammy? Time is of the essence in my case. I did just hack their servers and information, so I will need to go make sure things are going... according to plan."

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2014-01-03 19:02 EST

"Nothing else to know that would be problematic. If you talk around my helpers though, you may find yourself swamped with questionns so I'd be careful with speaking around them. Especially my daughter Lene and my adopted daughter Rawsha. They kind of find talking pets curious in a way you don't want to know. Outside of that, the shop is safe." Ammy said as she went back to moving a few things around in the shop.

Clara and Axis · Date: 2014-02-01 17:41 EST

Clarabelle moved toward the shop's door and stood by it. She would meow to get Ammy's attention to open the door. "Oh, do not worry, comrade. I'll keep it down to meows and purrs for the children and your helpers. Now, would you mind being a dear and opening this door for me?" she asked Ammy. If there was one downside to her being a domesticated cat, it was having trouble opening most doors.

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2014-02-03 11:13 EST

"Sure thing Clara. Don't worry, I'll figure something out to grant your wish. Sort of the reason I made this shop and offer my services publicly. For the right price, I can do anything for anyone." She grinned and opened the door for the cat.

"Run into trouble, contact me Clara. I'm sure you know exactly what I can do when protecting.... allies."

Clara and Axis · Date: 2014-02-10 16:27 EST

"Getting into and out of trouble at the same time is our specialty," she told Ammy before slipping out the door. Clarabelle would move far from the shop and down the street. After a few minutes, Axis, who had been sitting across the street watching, would have soon gone down the same direction. The two would meat up and began walking down the street together.

Axis then began to communicate to Clara using their method of telepathy to communicate. "So, what did you find out?" He was almost eager to find out what delicious information his partner in crime would have found.

The cat looked about, seeing all the people on the sreet minding their own business or getting into other peoples business as she talked with Axis. "A lot. That is Ammy Phoenix. I pulled a few bluffs, but she is a bit gullible and she slipped out some information on her own. I must warn you that there is a change of plan currently happening."

He chuckled hearing about Ammy. "Gullible? I never would expect someone like Ammy to be a fool. Getting her captured and bringing her back to Sliinkaa won't be so bad after all. So tell me what this warning of change is about?"

Clarabelle was quiet for a good moment. Axis probably was not going to like what she was about to tell him, but she did have to tell him either way. "We will not be sending Ammy back to Sliinkaa. She is working with us and I have lots of leverage on her. The humarans are now our enemy."

That was when he growled at the cat and snapped his teeth close to her. "You what!? And you don't even consult this about me in telepathy the entire time? That crazy woman will smite us, especially once the humarans are removed by her. Have you lost your mind?"

She didn't flinch when he snapped his jaws near her. The Russian Blue just looked over at him, glaring at him. "My dear Axis, did you not hear what I said? We have leverage on her. Look, I know it is risky, but we're screwed either way. The humarans will remove us once they're done with Ammy. It's our last job. Tasks of this class level tend to have any witnesses removed so nothing ever gets out. Ammy was very fearful of all the information I showed her. Also, she will be supplying us with her own money. She also does not know of you, so you are safe. If anyone is at true risk it is me. I did not drag you down with me as long as you and I keep our business around her separate for the time being."

A snort uncertainty came from the dog. "Wonderful. Instead of just slipping away while the humarans grab Ammy and us go and live in peace, you had to get us involved in something even more long term all for a few bucks. So, sense this mess is already in motion. What do we do now?"

"I hacked the humaran servers and swapped out some information to buy Ammy some time to keep her safe. Might be a few Lupinossai out there to get nabbed as they might think they're Ammy, but everything does come at a cost. Anyways, we will head back like everything is normal. I'll tell you all the information I changed. We have to keep our story straight with what we found." She replied to his question.

"You hacked them? Clara, they'll realize you changed any information."

"That is the funny thing about humans, Axis. Change tidbits of information here and there. Change one word to another, make it all look seamless. It fools them easily. It only takes one word change to make a sentence change its entire direction. I didn't make any drastic changes, just a few things to keep them guessing. Yes, I do know they know humaran Ammy, but they don't know Lupinossai Ammy. Any information they had on her is a bit... off now. Just trust me, my dear Axis. I have it under control."

The Aidi was getting a sinking feeling in his gut, not liking what his partner did without consulting him first. "Fine, I'll roll with it, but if crap hits the fan then I'm abandoning you on this project and going my own way in life. If we make it out alive when we get back to headquarters."

A sigh escaped Clarabelle. In ways she had some worries too, but the job had to be done. "Fair enough. I hold nothing against you. If all things go bad I will not frown upon you leaving. It is a delicate situation. Now, let me tell you all about what we'll tell them..."

The two would continue walking through Rhy'Din's city to head back to the shady and secretive headquarters they were to meet up at. On the way there Clarabelle would have told Axis everything that was changed and went more through on the new plan of their mission.

Operation Blindfold was far from over and it was only getting more complicated and dangerous as it continued.

Ammy Spiritor · Date: 2014-02-11 12:34 EST

Ammy would take heed to Clara's advice and went on with her life, taking care of her shop, her family and looking after Den City now. She did keep her ears open and was watchful for any sign of the Russian Blue's return. During her patient wait, she had managed to create a collar to allow Clara to take on a bipedal form like Ammy's. It sat on a display stand for now in the shop as a new item for sale in her shop to any interested in ordering one.