To say Toren was distraught would be an understatement of epic proportions. Seeing his sister's face on a bounty poster was like his worst nightmare come to life... okay, maybe not, since he didn't actually sleep... it was more like he went comatose for a few hours. But that wasn't the point! The point was that there were people after Mayu, people like him, who were pretty skilled at getting their bounty, and who weren't altogether human. Or even at all human.<br/><br/>"Double friggin' shit." He muttered under his breath, his eyes roving over the picture and the information provided there.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"So many cruel men wandering about these days.  It's a wonder that they could even fit them all on a single board," she said aloud, casually flicking her eyes to the poster clutched in Toren's hands.  "And yet...that one does not seem cruel at all.  I see only kindness in those eyes, though they shine through a haunted face.  Perhaps even the authorities make mistakes."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Toren, who was rather used to sensing people long before they'd gotten that close to him, nearly leaped out of his skin in surprise. He was swearing himself up and down roundly, making sure he kept in mind that he'd actually allowed someone to sneak up on him. After all, this wasn't something he could get into the habit of! His hand crumpled the image on his sister, making it indistinguishable, before letting his hand fall to his side in an unimportant manner, trying to take the woman's attention off the poster. He was about to make a sarcastic remark when she spoke again and he looked at her,<em>really</em>looked at her.<br/><br/>Whoa.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I apologize for intruding, Wanderer, but I could not help but notice your agitation.  I wished to ascertain if you were in need of some assistance.  Might I ask what has stricken your face with such a troubled look?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Toren might have said something like "Uh..." in answer, he wasn't sure. He was too busy doing the once over that he usually did while there was still plenty of room between himself and the good-looking body his eyes had picked out of a crowd. Long, dark, straight hair. Pale creamy skin. Curves in all the right places, and none of the wrong ones. Oh man, his eyes had fallen in love. So had his thirst, rearing it's ugly head to roar it's need down his throat in a scalding wave. Simply put, he was just suddenly ridiculously thirsty, just from looking at this girl. Woman. Whatever she was.<br/><br/>"Uh..." He said again, heard himself say it this time, and was instantly ashamed.<em>Some dark mysterious stranger you are.</em>He snarked at himself, getting both his thirst - and his libido - under control.<br/><br/>"Sorry," He finally got out, regaining a touch of his usual smoothness. "You shocked the shit out of me." It wasn't<em>quite</em>a lie, just not the whole truth. "About the bounty..." he went on, finally putting things into perspective and getting his priorities straight, "It's a friend of mine, someone I know wouldn't deserve it." He ran his fingertips through his unruly burnt orange hair. "I'm going to have to do something about this, before it gets fucked sideways. How the hell am I going to get that bounty removed?" he wondered aloud, his hair making it's way from unruly to a real mess. It was only then that Toren noticed the dry cackle on the air, almost like static electricity, that seemed to be emanating from the woman next to him. He eyed her with renewed interest, though now it was (mostly) professional. Whatever she was, Toren would be surprised if she was terribly much more human than he was.<br/><br/>Intriguing. But ultimately not important at the moment. After all, his sister was in danger.