ATTENTION : Fox Lorraine

[ember mackenzie flare]

A sharp pain shot up Ember's leg. The shifter bit her bottom lip -- after letting loose a stream of profanities, of course. She was not in the mood to tolerate the simple things (such as tripping on rocks scattered about the cave floor). It had been a rough day... very rough. It seemed that the longer the regime of the monsters drew out, the rowdier the human beings became. Even the breeders were filled with some misplaced sense of hopefulness. They still thought, despite all their weaknesses, that it was their right to some kind of freedom. They thought they could stand up to Ember's.. I mean, shifters and get away with it, did they? Well, after today, Ember was almost certain no one would see things that way again.

Though she wasn't proud of it, she'd slapped a young girl of about eleven years across the face so hard, it drew blood. Okay.. who was she kidding? Ember had enjoyed every second of it. Despite how frustrating it was that she had to exert such force against impudent humans in the first place. One would think they'd have learned their place by now. They were meant as puppy chow and prostitutes - nothing more. Troubled youth might have been a sign of a stronger generation, if their troubles had concerned each other, instead of their captors. Now, it just meant nuisance after nuisance -- more messes for Ember to clean up. While she did appreciate the chance to make a show of her authority, she did have better things to do with her time. It seemed that only a select few shifters would rise to the occasion and oppress the rebellion in her stead. Which was part of the reason for today's proceedings.

Frustration blanketed the sight that escaped her then. Ember ran a hand through her hair, whipping back the curtain that hung around her "cubicle." The other shifters had beds. Ember had opted out of that luxury. Instead, she slept in her desk chair, on the off chance that she slept at all. She made up for it by consuming borderline unhealthy amounts of coffee and soda. She didn't care about stunted growth, she kept her teeth impeccably clean (like the rest of her), and she worked off any calories gained from such practices, so it really didn't matter. There was a fire in her belly that drove her onward when stronger men fell -- it wasn't like she needed sleep to build up some energy. Besides, almost every time she slept, she woke with the fear that the pack cave would be burning to the ground around her and overrun by those damn fugitives. Conceited? Just a tad.

One shoe made the mistake of being her path when Ember crossed her room, the curtain sweeping closed behind her. Ember gave it a firm bunt, relishing the sound as it slammed into the opposite wall. Interrogations started today. It made her angry as hell to have to interrogate the shifters, but if there was someone passing the opposition information... well, it was her responsibility as leader to put their head on a block, wasn't it? The problem was whomever it was had to be crafty to transmit information in the first place. He, she, whatever it was, probably wouldn't crack under pressure. That's why Ember was the one doing the interrogating. She didn't bring pressure -- she brought agony. On a personal level. The old shifter in charge of record keeping had looked at her as though Ember had sprouted ten heads when she asked for the files of every young adult shifter in the colony, but to take one's enemy, one first had to understand them.

The file in front of her now was that of Fox Madison Lorraine. A smirk played across Ember's face when she saw the name. It was one everyone who as anyone in the shifter colony knew. Fox was supposed to be executed, because she was barren. Ember had issued the orders herself. But it had been a ploy from the beginning. It was a test, to see what Fox would do. She found herself a way to be turned, and that was how Ember knew she was a keeper. Trained with guns, used to get in scraps with the boys, wasn't afraid to get down and dirty... Ember could see only one flaw with the other girl. She had an addiction to sex that needed to be dealt with. No matter. That was easily dealt with. All that mattered for the moment was whose side Fox was fighting on in the war to come. Okay.. "war" might be an overstatement. It would be more of a skirmish. The shifters would win easily. Of that much, Ember was certain. But anyway. Ember had found a weakness in little miss Fox -- a weakness Ember could easily prey upon.

There came the rustling of a curtain, and Ember knew she was no longer alone in the room. She closed the folder in front of her, folded her hands on her desk, and smiled up at the woman who'd just graced Ember with his presence. "Good afternoon, Fox." She gestured toward the chair opposite her. "Please, sit."

[chai]

THE HEADLINER, FINISHER I'M THE CLOSER, WINNER
best when under pressure with seconds left i show up.
- - - - - GIVE IT MORE !

Rumors had spread like wildfire throughout the shifter colony was once word got out that Ember herself was interrogating shifters. After all, if it was the Ember – undisputed leader of the shifters – questioning other shifters herself, it had to be big. And once the grilling began, well it had mostly everyone on their toes. Whispers of what happened to other people and what was going on had everyone on edge, and Fox had just about enough of it. The tension was creating more fights than usual – not that that was the problem – it just made Fox nervous for when her own interrogation would begin.

It had all started with picking the right outfit. She didn’t want to dress too casually, for Ember herself was always impeccably dressed, but she didn’t want to dress to formally and give off the impression she was sucking up. Because Fox Madison Lorraine was not] a suck up, nor will she ever be. So she had opted for a pair of jeans, grey tank top, thin belt, blue cardigan, and black high heeled boots. It was a casual dressy that she was satisfied with. But then the anticipation set in as she heard more and more stories of what Ember’s interrogations were like. Some were alright, but most were bad. So then the nerves set in.

Not because she was worried…okay she was a little worried, but only because Ember was a wild card. She was unpredictable, ruthless, and sadistic. But the part that worried her most was Ember’s unpredictability. She once read and stole a book called “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu in the breeder compound library. A seemingly simple book, its knowledge was very valuable and Fox had taken all of the author’s ideas to heart, and employed his tactics in her own battles. But from what she could remember, an unpredictable opponent was the worst kind of all, solely because they were unpredictable. You couldn’t really have a fool-proof plan, and they could be hard to read which is exactly what got Fox uneasy. She wouldn’t really be able to judge Ember, the girl could be smiles one minute and then tearing off heads the next. So pretty much Fox’s game plan was to hold the girl at arms length, and not get on her nerves too much unless she really pissed her off.

So when a shifter finally came to her, telling her that she would have an interrogation with Ember in a couple of days, Fox needed to relieve her stress. And normally this came in the form of an adrenaline rush courtesy of a fight. So when an annoying shifter started hitting on her, Fox happily seized the opportunity. Now Fox had no qualms about fighting a man, but this guy was pretty big and she had been scared for a split second that she was in over her head; until she got herself together and wholeheartedly entered the battle. The result was a split lip, bruised cheek, numerous other bruises and a dislocated left shoulder – which was a bitch to pop back in. The guy got a broken nose, broken wrist, and she had hit him so hard in the family jewels that he was still talking in a slightly high-pitched voice, which was insanely amusing.

In the last few days she had tried healing up as best as she could – her shoulder still hurt like hell – and the bruise on her cheek was finally beginning to fade. And whatever else didn’t heal she tried concealing with her clothes and makeup. So she was now looking fairly decent considering her injuries, as she approached Ember’s “interrogating” room. Upon being ordered to sit down, she did so – pulling out a silver zippo lighter from her pocket (she was having a major cravings for a cigarette which was normally brought on by nerves) – and fiddling with it nervously as she watched Ember through icy blue eyes.

“So what’s up Chief? You wanted to see me?” She tried to keep her voice indifferent and cool, as if it didn’t bother her that she was here now – and she was doing a fairly good job in her opinion. After all what did she have to worry about? She was loyal to Ember, and anyone who thought different was a complete idiot. Why would Fox ever ally herself with the humans? She simply had no reason to. Pulling out a carton of her favorite vanilla cigarettes, Fox eyed Ember, waiting for her reaction. “Mind if I light up, Boss?”

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WORDS seven five eight
TAGGED ember mackenzie flare
OUTFIT here and here
TEMPLATE PANIC! ITS LAUZ @ CAUTION

[ember mackenzie flare]

Unlike her friend Lucius (Oh yes, Ember knew Lucius and Fox were friends. She made a point of knowing the relationships between members of her the colony.), Fox had taken the time to bathe before coming to her interrogation. Her outfit of choice was formal, yet casual enough not to scream "suck up." Fox had obviously chosen her clothing carefully, which immediately clued Ember in to one thing: the prospect of an interrogation with Ember had made the brunette nervous. Ember might have smirked at the thought, if she hadn't noticed hints of bruises hidden behind cake. "Cake" was the word Ember used in place of "make-up," because to her, make-up always looked caky. She tended to avoid it as best she could, and wasn't afraid to boast her battle scars. Curious, though, that Fox's bruises looked at least two days old, which would have been right around the time she received word of her impending interrogation. "Hm," Ember mused aloud. "It seems that you shifters always get into fights before coming to visit me."

By then, Fox had taken her seat, and was already fiddling with a lighter. Apart from the fiddling, she seemed cool and in-control. The woman passed off the question of Ember wanting to see her. It was the sort of question that didn't deserve more than a nod, which was all Ember answered her with. Ember was too busy staring at the lighter, trying not to look disappointed or disgusted. Shifters were human fifty percent of the time -- the human body needed to be respected and cared for. Something Fox neglected, as previously shown by the hidden bruises. It seemed that all the greatest fighters had some other flaw in them, either personality-wise or habit-wise. But hey, that was all Fox's decision. If she felt the need to smoke, Ember wouldn't stop her. Unless she was asking permission to smoke in Ember's quarters. That changed things.

A small, false smile tugged at the corners of the shifter's mouth. "No, of course not," she said dismissively, then added, "I love having cancerous fumes floating about my living space." Ember dusted off the front of her skirt -- she was wearing a dress, as always. What most people didn't know was that she always had shorts on underneath, in case of emergencies. As pretty and presentable as dresses were, they were a bit of a hinderance if one were to, say, jump a person from behind or roundhouse someone in the face. The best thing about skirts in battle was they were easily torn away. But.. enough of this mental tangent crap. Ember was entertaining a guest. Actually, the guest was entertaining her, but never mind that.

"As I'm sure you are well aware," Ember began, the false smile still plastered on her face, "I've been calling these interrogations because it would seem there is a traitor in our midst." She paused to flip nonchalantly through the folder on her desk. Photos of Fox, taken on each birthday since her first, stared back her. She hadn't been much of a smiler as a child. It was interesting to see how she'd gone from a tomboy to a woman who knew she was beautiful - to a degree - and exploited the fact. Ember had never cared much for her appearance, apart from looking perfectly groomed. Beauty didn't matter when one had brute force on her side.

The folder was closed, and Ember folded her hands on the desk. "Have you ever seen a fugitive before, Fox?" She spoke it like a friendly question, no edge anywhere to be found. "There's a band traveling our way from the east, and as I understand it, two of them were born and raised in the wild. You may wonder why, if we know of their existence, our forces have not already taken care of them. But what most of your kind don't understand is that, while you may believe them to be, not all human beings are stupid. The two I just told you about - Daniel and Tally, I believe their names are - are quite the contrary. They've been taught to hunt and fight and all kinds of crazy things. One of the lessons they've learned quite well is that of disappearing.

"They're never where returning shifters claim they are. They move fast and make sure not to leave a trail. Should they arrive here, they are a force to be reckoned with. And -" Ember paused, as though what she was about to say were very important, "- I hear Tally's a gorgeous woman. Dangerous and beautiful, much like yourself." Ember sat back in her seat, taking a sudden interest in her nails. "Would you say you're content with your lifestyle here?"

[chai]

THE HEADLINER, FINISHER I'M THE CLOSER, WINNER
best when under pressure with seconds left i show up.
- - - - - GIVE IT MORE !

Fox remained cool and collected under Ember’s scrutiny, continuing to play with her lighter. Ice blue eyes met Ember’s own as Fox listened to her comment about shifters fighting. Well duh. Stick a bunch of strong, trigger-happy shifters in one place, and you were bound to get in a fight. And trigger-happy used in the sense of being eager to fight rather than going gun crazy and shooting at everything. Though Fox did get trigger-happy on occasion when fighting with guns. But there weren’t many gun fights to find, and the ones she had got in had been against some vampires a long while back. But that was another story. Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Fox brushed a stray hair from her eyes. “Well, everyone seems more on edge than usual.” Reveling nothing more, she turned her eyes back to the pack of cigarettes in her hands.

Oh Fox was quite aware of Ember’s sarcasm. But did she choose to acknowledge it? No. So she gave Ember a quick smile before reaching and pulling out a thin vanilla-flavored cigarette. Lighting the toxic stick up, she took a drag, blowing out a thin cloud of smoke with a smirk on her face. If it really got to Ember, well she’d do something about it. Otherwise Fox was in the mood for a cigarette, and there was no stopping her. Anyways, it gave her something else to do other than sit there and fiddle with her lighter. Plus it’d be fun to see how far she could push Ember’s buttons. Not that Fox didn’t like Ember; on the contrary she had great respect for her as a leader and a fighter. It would just be interesting to see how Ember would react, because normally the other shifters didn’t purposely defy her. Tucking the pack away into her pocket, she took another drag, feeling her nerves settle as the nicotine kicked in. So cigarettes were her guilty pleasure. Big deal. It’s not like they were really going to seriously harm her. She was a shifter. And apart from smoking and getting in fights, Fox always took care of her body by eating healthy and exercising daily. She kept herself in top form both physically and with weapon training. While the shifter colony didn’t have a proper shooting range, it was easy enough to find a target in the forest to practice on, and her weapon exercise routine took place daily. She practiced with her weapons almost religiously, and everyone knew not to bother Fox when she was training, or else they might just get seriously hurt.

Leaning back in her chair, and crossing her legs, Fox looked at the folder containing all her information with curiosity. It seemed pretty thick, like Ember kept tabs on everything single thing she did. There were even pictures of her at every age…and was that a list of her likes? Taking another drag, Fox let a light laugh escape her lips. “So does my file have a list of the names of all the guys I fucked too?” She asked with an amused smirk, blowing out another cloud as she mentioned towards the file with her hand that held the cigarette. Honestly, she wouldn’t be surprised. Ember was so anal about keeping track of stuff; it seemed that something as simple as a list of all the guys Fox had flings with would be right up Ember’s alley.

A slim brow rose slightly, and the amused tilt to her lips never left her face as she studied Ember. “Yeah I heard about that, Chief. Doesn’t mean I’m the traitor or that I know anyone who is a traitor. I try not to associate myself with human-loving freaks. Gives you a bad rep, and not the good kind of bad either.” Kind of a lie, since while Fox didn’t avoid human-friendly shifters like they were the black plague, it didn’t mean she was good friends with any of them. Sure she might have a friend or two who didn’t see humans as scum of the earth, but that didn’t mean Fox shared their viewpoint. She was not, nor would she ever hold hands and sing kumbaya around a fire with a human. The day that would happen, would be the day hell froze over.

As Ember began talking about the two fugitives most likely gearing up for battle, Fox tilted her head to the side, listening as she took another puff of her cigarette. The description of Tally brought a feral smile to Fox’s lips. A human like Fox herself? Sounded like a match-up made in heaven…for a fight, of course. “Sounds interesting. I think I’d enjoy fighting her.” At the sudden change in questioning, Fox didn’t even skip a beat. “Content enough. I’m not about to go run off and help the fugitives if that’s what you’re worried about.” Changing her position and leaning forwards to rest her elbows on the table, Fox blew out a stream of smoke as her eyes lit up with curiosity. “So what’s your plan of action, Boss? You do have one, don’t you?” If there was anything Fox knew besides being able to handle an assortment of weaponry and fixing/building a car, it was how to fight. From weaknesses to where a fight should take place, Fox did a lot of studying in the past (and even present) on how to fight correctly – and not just how to throw a good punch, but how one should use one’s surroundings to their advantage, and how to properly read an opponent. If she had lived in earlier times, she would have made a damned good general.

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/left]

WORDS nine four two
TAGGED ember mackenzie flare
OUTFIT here and here
TEMPLATE PANIC! ITS LAUZ @ CAUTION

[ember mackenzie flare]

Shifters on edge, hm? Oh yes, that was a shocking discovery. "Do they?" Ember asked, her tone heavy with disinterest. "I guess I should give them something better to occupy their minds with. How do you all feel about opening up the old mine shaft and digging from some gold?" This was a jest, of course, but Ember didn't let her tone betray that. Everything about her voice inflection and facial expression suggested she was being completely serious. But she wasn't. Shifters had no need for gold. There was no need to buy anything anymore. Older shifters, the ones with experience and worldly knowledge, were out around the country keeping plants running that gave the shifters clothing, food, and electricity. They even had wireless internet, which only Ember used. Not often, though. The only sites left running were dead ones that hadn't been updated in a century. Quite boring, if you asked her.

In blatant disregard of Ember's sarcasm, Fox withdrew a cigarette from her pack, lit it up, and took a drag. Ember could tell from the scent of it that it was vanilla. Interesting, making a cigarette out of one plant, only to have it taste and smell like another plant. Fox's actions might have set Ember off, if Fox were any other shifter. However, Ember got the feeling that Fox was toying with her emotions, trying to see what her reaction would be. Ember wouldn't give her the satisfaction. She reached calmly across the table, pinched the cancer stick between two fingers, yanked it from Fox's grasp, and flicked it across the room. It squished against the wall before crumpling to the floor. Ember's cool mask didn't falter once. "As I was saying," she said, and continued.

Her fingers traveled, by instinct, toward the folder on her desk, and Ember paged through it. Fox didn't miss that. Noting it, Fox asked if her file contained a list of all the men she'd fucked. Ember had to chuckle at that. Though she was anal about organization and such, there were lines to be drawn when it came to personal affairs. "My dear," she purred, amused. "Who you use in your free time is entirely your business." After a moment's thought, she added, "Besides, I doubt you even remember all their names." Accusatory? Hardly. Ember was simply stating the truth as she saw it. To be honest, the whole idea of romantic attachments (or sexual exploits) made her want to vomit. The people in it for the romance were setting themselves up for heartbreak, and a rage of other emotions. Ember had no time for emotion - she was too busy running her world. The people in it because there was some kind of void they needed to fill, and found sex was the only way to fill it... well, that was simple. Ember had a void only the pain and suffering of others could fill. Enough said.

When at last Fox spoke again, it was to confirm what Ember already knew: Fox wasn't the traitor. So why had Ember kept her in here this long? Simple. She needed a laugh right about then. Fox had been more than amusing during her stay. Ember held up a hand, motioning for Fox to cut off her rambled explanation of why she wouldn't help the fugitives. "There's no need to explain yourself," Ember interceded. "The more you do, the more I think you're lying. But trust me, you don't strike me as the type who would help the humans." There. Let her know her time was wasted. Ember couldn't wait to see what her reaction would be. She hoped to see a flicker of irritation, if nothing else. If Fox wouldn't offer her that much, fine. She'd go slap a random shifter. According to Fox, they were all "on edge." Perhaps she could trick one into fighting her, giving her an excuse to kick some ass. The best way to finish the day.

Interesting. Fox admitted she'd enjoy fighting Tally. Ember locked that tidbit away. If the fugitives managed to get as far as her western shore, Ember knew who to match up with whom. The other woman answered Ember's question without missing a beat, then inquired as to whether or not Ember had plan. What a stupid question. Not only because Ember was the sort of person who knew how to stage, as well as lead, an attack, but also because Fox was questioning Ember's ability to lead. The corner of Ember's mouth curled in the ghost of a smile. "Yes, I have a plan. I find it funny that you'd think me stupid enough to share it with you, though. When the day of battle arrives, if it ever does, you'll know." She offered Fox a wave. "You're dismissed."