Live and Learn

That's fine, since Ryan's just about finished.

"As am I. You, however, won't." Ryan glances up at the dimming sky, a predator's grin spreading across his features.

"Until the moon rises, Le Chiffre," he says as he turns to walk away.

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Le Chiffre moves to get up, but realises what an incredibly stupid idea that is and slumps back heavily with a muffled grunt of distress, gaze following after Ryan with a sudden edge of panic.

Even if this is a bluff, he's not going to let it lie. He's already found that gambling his life doesn't work out too well, "Wait. WAIT! You're not seriously leaving me here? You can't.."

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Ryan stops and turns back part way, head tilted.

"Can't I?" he asks, sounding amused.

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"You've made your point, all right? I get it. No kidnapping. Fine." Le Chiffre's response doesn't sound at all amused and is still laced with plenty of uneasiness. It's surprising how a state of panic can suddenly make him talkative again and entirely forget about his wound.

"Just.. let me go. I can make it worth your while." Apparently he's still not beyond trying to use money as persuasion.

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That gets Ryan to turn around fully, an incredulous look on his face.

And then he laughs.

Not evilly or maniacally, or even for all that long, but he does laugh.

"You are sadly mistaken if you think to buy me off." The smile's still there, but his eyes have gone hard and flat. That was his pack mate, Le Chiffre. No chance.

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The failed attempt at bribery doesn't seem to entirely dampen his spirit when it comes to squirming out of a tight situation, but he is now dropping his gaze like a scolded teenager, "It was worth a try."

He's getting desperate, he can't think straight when his knee is hurting like hell, and he's really lacking in excuses for his actions. Maybe just owning up to it will help. And if it doesn't, at least he died telling the truth, "The punishment is hardly befitting the crime here. So yes, I did knock him out, but it went no further than some poetry recital, then an easy escape for him. I didn't even go after him after that!"

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That's true. Ryan hates to admit it, but that's very true. He scowls at Le Chiffre, appraising him.

"You have a point," he admits, sounding less than pleased. He frowns a little longer before adding, "The tree line."

It's the little things that let you believe you're not a bad guy.

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He's starting to wish he had done more to Wesker if this is what he's being put through.

The loss of blood must be screwing with his ability to understand English, because he's now staring at Ryan with a pained yet blank stare, "..What?"

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Ryan arches an eyebrow. "The tree line is the edge of my territory. If you manage to escape the woods, consider yourself released.

"It's no worse than the chance you gave Deitmar."

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"You.." Le Chiffre starts, though gets distracted by the previously mentioned tree line. That'd be easy to reach. Really easy if he didn't have his current injury. But a bullet really can make all the difference.

"You can't expect me to actually get there.."

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"I don't," Ryan agrees, the predator's smile returning. "But they say humans are capable of amazing feats, particularly when their lives are at stake.

"And to outrun a werewolf would be an amazing feat indeed."

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Le Chiffre eyes Ryan with a hefty frown before giving another attempt at getting to his feet. He doesn't get too far before he's slumping back down with a stifled yell and nursing his knee as if urging it to work. If it means saving his own life, he's going to keep trying for some time. He is, at least, a very determined man.

Though he's also a man who's not beyond a bit of begging, "Don't do this. Please."

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Reflexively, Ryan inhales and is nearly washed away by the scents. He's salivating and hungry and it's getting more and more difficult not to step forward now.

"You should get moving, Le Chiffre," he says mildly before he turns and walks away.

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The woman who walks out of the bar
is older, her stance much less tentative or friendly than that of an
18-year-old that Ryan had previously
met.
She glances up at the sky, and smiles grimly.
The sound of voices catches her attention, the fear in Le Chiffre's, particularly.
She heads in that direction, sacrificing stealth for moving quickly.
This time? She is wearing silver, a mesh covering her throat beneath the veil, and armbands that are an alloy of several hard metals meant to deflect knives or alien claws.
No weapons made of it, however, not here...even tonight.

Sooraya spots Le Chiffre, and pauses to coolly assess the scene before she goes any closer. There's no one else in sight.
Yet.

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Yet another attempt at moving has him collapsing back against the tree once more, giving up on begging and even failing in attempting empty threats. He knows they won't work and he's not about to waste energy over them.

He's so close to wanting to give up. Just let himself slip out of consciousness and not bother waking up again. It's the easy way out, but this just isn't how he saw himself dying (again).

For now he'll stick to mumbling numerous and desperate sounding curses under his breath, much like his own version to a quiet prayer.

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Then Sooraya's heading in his direction, her expression utterly blank. She moves at an angle to place herself between him and anything that might come out of the woods.

The bloodstains elicit a muttered curse. They're going to have to see to that first; she can't carry him. It's going to slow them both down too much.

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He's far too distracted by self-pity to notice her at first, but he does eventually peer up to spot the newest figure. The reaction she gets isn't one of relief, but something involving a visible flinch and a slight shift.

No one sane should be out in the woods at this time.

"..Are you with him?"

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"Since I have no idea who you're referring to, not likely," she replies, a touch sharply. "Do you want to wait for whoever did that," indicating his leg, "or get out of here?"

Sooraya has claimed to be any number of things, in the past, but sane has so far not been discussed.
She's not particularly minded to launch into a long explanation of her own status; not just now, thanks. Storytelling or introductions can wait until part of the audience isn't going to try to eat them.

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The sun is setting, the moon will rise shortly afterwards, and Ryan's ready and waiting. More than waiting because for the first time since he's been infected, he's pushing for the change. He doesn't expect anything to happen since he's been trying to hold it back for months to no effect, but here his vision goes black and white a moment before the moon comes up.

The soldier would be surprised if the rest of the change wasn't sweeping over him, and in another moment's time the black werewolf is shaking himself off and howling to the heavens.

It's time to hunt.

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It's impossible for him to keep from wanting to question her, but he realises now isn't quite the time. He's likely to die if he remains where he is, so no worse is going to come of it if a small amount of trust is put in a stranger, however difficult that may be.

A nod is all she gets at the final bit of her question, wanting nothing more than to get the hell away from here. His eyes dart back and forth as he begins a panicked statement of warning, "I think he's a--"

But that howl rippling through the area seems to finish what Le Chiffre had started to say perfectly. It's not a welcome sound.

"We need to get out of here now." You won't be hearing any noble 'go on without me' from Le Chiffre.

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"No kidding. Right. Come on--" she doesn't flinch at the sound, reaching for Le Chiffre's arm to help him to his feet.

If they're close enough to hear that? Too close.

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Ryan went quite a distance away to change. Just because he means to eat Le Chiffre doesn't mean he's keen on having the man see him naked. It's going to take the werewolf a few minutes run to get back to where he left the human.

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"The tree line," he says in an attempt at some self-distraction while trying to pull himself up with the aid of Sooraya, gritting his teeth and shifting the weight onto his un-injured leg. It doesn't stop his leg from hurting, but at least he can support his own weight.

Now would be about the time he'd be running impressively fast. If only his knee wasn't shot.

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She doesn't know why he says that, but at least if they get that far they'll have open space to move through(or fight in, if needed).
"Go on," motioning urgently for him to go ahead,
one hand on his shoulder. She doesn't look back, but her hearing's trained on the area behind them as best she can manage it.
"You're not armed?"

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