<span style="font-style: italic">Scat,</span>Til swears silently to herself as she clamps her lips shut after her last gaffe. Dropping Molly's name was the worst thing she could have possibly done under the circumstances, up to and including jumping down Vanika's gullet - at least the demoness might polish her off quickly. The bosses, on the other hand, have made quite clear what would happen if their personal details were compromised, and it made a quick trip to the stomach look like a bathhouse visit. If word got back that she'd been the one to slip up...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Easy, Til. It's just a name, that's all; nothing they can go on. Don't give 'em anything else, and you'll be fine...</span>The little catgirl forces her panic down, and takes a deep breath to compose herself - only to have it forced out of her lungs a moment later by the biting grip of her ropes as Vanika resumes her manhandling.<br/><br/>If the demoness had stopped at that, it might not have been so bad. Rough treatment is nothing new to Til, and a little more wouldn't hurt her - or if it did, she'd at least be unconscious before it broke her resolve. Her ego, on the other hand, is far less resilient, and already showing cracks before Vanika's words sunk their barbs in to worry at her. It doesn't take long for the demoness's tirade to bring her remaining emotional barricades crashing down - hard.<br/><br/>"SHUT! UP!" Til screams, straining against her bonds at Vanika. "I am so an Alley Cat - Molly said so herself! She even said I'm the best scrapper in the whole kindle! There's no way she'd just ditch me after somethin' like that... No way..." Breathing heavily, the catgirl relaxes in her bonds, still glaring in challenge at Vanika. She barely even notices Larynn until the aasimar steps in to intervene - on her behalf, much to her surprise.<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Larynn wrote:</cite>"Vanika, stop it." Larynn orders. While the feline was a criminal, the aasimar couldn't help but feel sorry for her. No one deserved Vanika's treatment (even if they had just threatened to eat her). "Miss, I think you need to understand the situation better. When or groups were fighting on top of the carriage, a celestial, Lady Elona was kidnapped from the first carriage with magic."</div></blockquote><br/><span style="font-style: italic">She's arguing <span style="font-weight: bold">for</span> me?</span>Til wonders, giving the aasimar an incredulous look. Nobody outside of the gang had ever stuck up for her before - buttered her up, sure, but only when they saw a belly trip in their immediate future. Nobody had ever taken her side after they<span style="font-style: italic">escaped</span>. So what in Goth's name is this one playing at? It's a trick; it has to be.<br/><br/>"No duh, Snack Cakes," Til retorts. "Nabbin' yer guest was kinda the entire point of the operation. So what if it worked? I can't exactly magick her back here for ya."<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Larynn wrote:</cite>"We didn't know about kidnapping until after the fight was over. She's one of the only people who can help explain the demon attack at Portal Square tonight. If anything happens to her, it will be one of the worst crimes in history. You don't want to be connected to this."</div></blockquote><br/>"And why not-" Til begins to protest, but stops abruptly as the implications of Larynn's statement sink in completely. A heist of that notoriety would be make her a living saint in the church of Mandagoth, but the other gods might not see her accomplishments so rosily. Being the only cat around when the news broke would be a very bad thing, particularly if she happened to be caught in the house of the god of bloody vengeance - which, by unhappy coincidence, is exactly where she happens to be.<br/><br/>"Oh," she finishes weakly, looking a little pale. "Um."<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Larynn wrote:</cite>"Any information you can give us that helps us rescue her can help your case. How many Alley Cats do you think will be at this sale? Are there any strong casters among them? Who-," She stops as she thinks about how nervous the feline must feel. Even if the effect is desired, the aasimar can’t help but try to be friendly. "Pardon me. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Larynn Bluefield…What’s your name?"</div></blockquote><br/>Til doesn't say anything immediately, instead studying the flagstones intently as she reconsiders her no-snitching decision in light of Larynn's argument. If word gets back to Molly, she's nine time dead - but how far do Molly's claws reach, really? Nemorosa? Meditel? Probably not to the Yekat range - maybe she could plea bargain with the chompers for a stint in a gulag somewhere, far away from Prometa and Molly. It's worth a shot, at least.<br/><br/>"Alright," Til relents. "But you gotta get me outta town after this is over, okay? I mean far, far out. Gimme that, and I'll tell ya whatcha need."<br/><br/>"Molly said the six of us was s'posed to make the trade," Til continues. "We were gonna meet the Stalker down at Port tonight - that's the guy who grabbed your lady - and meet up with another contact after to, ah, settle some affairs." The catgirl flexes one of her bound wrists, displaying a set of dagger-like fingernails to clarify her meaning. "Course, knowin' how Molly thinks, I betcha she sent somebody we dunno about - a scout or spy or somethin'. Magic's not really her style, though - unless ya count all that chemical stuff  Meffy and Lei always bring along. Anything else?"<br/><br/>Til pauses, eyeing Larynn quizzically in response to her last question. This aasimar is a strange one, no question about it - strange, but harmless enough. Besides, it's been awhile since anyone cared enough to show interest in her for something besides an assignment - why squander attention?<br/><br/>"My name," she says haughtily, "is Anatolia Marguerite Birdspeaking Tildrum the Sixth. But if you're nice to me, I'll let you call me Til for short." The catgirl puffs her little chest out against the ropes, grinning with obvious pride.