The Betting Ring

[Raven]

Ben stuffed it in his pocket, hoping Olivia wouldn't have seen it arrive. Wind and a hermaphrodite? The first part was clear at least: Olivia was not part of his team. He would regret having to do it like this, but Ben was inclined to listen to his sponsor. It was bad to have someone around who knew how he fought.

"Alright," Katrina agreed. "What did your note say...?"

"That's not as comforting as I think it was meant to be," Ryan said, smiling in spite of that.

"Unless they're playing us," Francis added.

[Neon]

Edrin shrugged. "I found a nice beach. It's warm and sandy." He added with a grin.

Elizavetta shook her head. "She had just washed all her gaudy makeup off her face to try and make herself..relate-able I guess? She was trying to play but was gosh awful."

Nicholas decided to get sexy and kissed the girl.

[Gifted]

thirty seconds later, Olivia was back. She still had her knife out, but she was holding it by her side when she met up with him. "I found a way down, but it's a bit of a walk."

"It's nothing. Probably some sick idea at a joke." Jon replied. Find the 'rapists'? Seriously?

[Raven]

"It wouldn't surprise me, given the circumstances," Katrina said in a whisper.
Another note came for Joan.

"Alright, lead the way. Slowly," Ben said, grinning.

"Sounds wonderful. Maybe once we figure this stuff out, we can go relax there for a bit," Ryan suggested.

Mia disentangled herself, and curled tighter into Nicholas' chest.

And a message for Leia got caught in the tree branches just ahead of her.

[Gifted]

Joan caught it and read , but she definitely wasn't happy about it.

Olivia nodded. "I didn't see anyone up here but it's best to be prepared." She pulled her knife and started walking back the way she'd come from.

Leia frowned. A note? Just falling from the sky? She went forward in the trees to grab it.

[Raven]

'Seriously,' was all Joan's note said.

"Yeah, I agree," Ben said, drawing his coil from around his waist. He swallowed as he followed her, telling himself it had to be done.

'They could be anyone,' Jack had written. He thought it was fairly clever.

[Neon]

Nicholas proceeded to make out with her, making himself smell, taste, feel irresistible. His hands didn't wander, not yet, but he was definitely thinking about it.

Edrin nodded. "Yeah. So, there's definitely you and me. Now what?"

[Gifted]

Joan scowled. The mystical note-giver in the sky could just get bent. She was sticking with Katrina until Katrina found her own team. Almost as if summoned by that thought, a note fell from the sky with Katrinas name. Identical ones were falling at the same time for Vlad and Rick.

"Oh, that's real helpful." Leia scowled and ripped the note to pieces.

Olivia followed, trusting any friend of Xanders. No matter what he said, she knew Xander was noble. He'd make sure to surround himself with the right sort, and she doubted any friend of Xanders would stab her in the back.

[Raven]

Katrina snatched hers from the air and opened it up to read it, not trying to hide it from Joan.

Olivia was right. Ben had no intention to stab her. But he didn't care if he attacked her. That was going to cost her. He flicked the coil at her chest, as quietly as he could manage, and sent an electric current down it.

Another note fell for Leia.

"Just keep looking, I guess. Did you get a hint about the other person?" Ryan questioned.

Nicholas was becoming a real pain, but Mia didn't want to give him up until she knew she wasn't alone. She returned his kiss at first, but then pulled away again and nuzzled his neck, trying to keep him from kissing her again.

[Gifted]

The note Katrina collected had only six words on it. The Wall. The Snake. The Doctor. "What's it say?" Joan asked.

Though twenty years as a shop owner had not dulled Olivia's fighting prowess one bit due to constant practice, nor her reflexes, there was one thing she'd built up as a teenager that she'd lost through simple neglect in the last twenty years, and that was the pain tolerance born of years of fighting. She was simply unused to taking any damage at all and as the electrified coil made contact she cried out in pain and clutched her chest. It took almost three seconds for her to have the presence of mind to back away, and by that point she had a large and painful burn on her chest. "What the hell, Ben?" She held one hand to the wound and the other held her knife up defensively between them.

Leia frowned and went to pick it up too

[Raven]

Katrina showed her. "I would guess that's my team - so I must be the doctor."

"It's dangerous to have someone around who knows how I fight," Ben said, sending out a burst of electricity towards her knife. "Though apparently, not someone who knows very well."

'Wild cards,' Leia's note read.

[Gifted]

"So you need to find someone who is a snake and someone who is a wall. Maybe a shapeshifter then, for one of them?" Joan suggested. She wished she'd gotten Katrina's note.

Olivia did no, but there was really no way anything she did would be lethal without that old knife. Knowing she couldn't outrun electricity, she instead shot forward and slashed at Bens face.

"That's only marginally more helpful." Leia sighed, putting it away.

[Raven]

Katrina nodded. "That makes sense," she agreed. "Probably it's just whoever has the same note. It seems like something that would be sent to all three of us. Unless they can only contact one person..." Katrina looked thoughtful. "I doubt they'd pick me, though."

Ben fell back, still receiving a bad cut on his face. He was lucky she hadn't stabbed one of his eyes out. He kicked, hoping to knock her over, even though that would only slow her down for a moment. He filled the entire area with an electric charge. She'd pass out eventually.

[Neon]

"All my note said was 'Look up.' Maybe they're in the trees too?" Edrin wondered, looking into the trees.

Vlad caught the note and opened it up.

Nicholas tried not to show his disappointment, kissing her head and snuggling innocently.

[Raven]

"Mine said 'find the queen'," Ryan said, looking through the treetops.