A strange pair (Grufurion)

[Mani4c]

Noxus strolled down the streets of the Red light district in North America's Cyber City, his reason for being in this seedy section of the network was simple, he was trying to collect viral samples. Abraxas' Evolve operation had been headquartered in this sector, and he wanted to see if there were any residual traces of the virus. He hoped that if he managed to sequence the viral code that made up the download, he'd be able to either cure, or adapt it for the NPD's use.

Noxus looked around the street he was walking on, the Red Light had always been a sleazy place, with scantily clad women and thuggish looking men constantly prowling the streets, but with the evacuation, the worst of the worst had come out of the woodwork.

Noxus was hoping to keep his head down, but unfortunately for him, that was not going to be an option for long. He heard the sound of several men hooting and hollering, not unusual for this part of town, but it was what they were saying that got his attention, and who they were saying them to. The men were harassing a young woman with blonde hair who was wearing a yellow uniform of some kind, saying lewd things to her and propositioning her for, as the men put it "A good time". 

Noxus scowled and stormed over to the men, he may not have been a paragon of virtue, but he despised people who were disrespectful towards an innocent woman. Noxus activated his armor and grabbed two of the men by their heads, knocking them together and rendering them unconscious. The rest of the men turned and tried to assault Noxus, throwing punches or pulling knives.

Noxus mopped the floor with them, slamming their heads into a nearby wall or simply smacking them around with his enhanced strength. When the last member of the group was lying unconscious drooling on the pavement, Noxus deactivated his armor, offering his hand to the woman. "My apologies madam, you should not have had to see that."

[Grufurion]

The young woman looked around, blinking at the sight of what had just transpired before her. She then looked up at the figure that caused the appropriate beat-down on all the sleazebags that were harassing her. She blinked for a couple of seconds, before throwing a hand behind her head and scratch there as she said, "Aww, I was just about to beat them up myself. A couple more seconds, and I would been doing what you did." She then flashed a smirk up at Noxus, taking his hand to pick herself up. What he would not expect was the surprising amount of strength she exhibited in doing so, her looks displaying the idea she was just a frail avatar. "Thanks for the help though, saves me time in beating them up. Name's Seras, if you were wondering."

[Mani4c]

Noxus noticed the woman's strength, his eyes widening somewhat, 'Apparently her statement about beating those goons to a pulp aren't just bravado.' Noxus nodded when Seras introduced herself, "I am Noxus, it is a pleasure to meet you Seras." It was at that point that Noxus examined the woman, something he did out of habit for everyone he met in an attempt to commit his acquaintances to memory.

Her hair was a pale yellow, pulled back into a spiky bun above her neck. Her eyes were a deep blue, and seemed to stare right through him. Her skin was a bit pale, which made the angular features of her face stick out along with her eyes, he also noticed that her teeth were sharp when she smirked, perhaps she was a predator of some kind?

Then...Noxus noticed her figure, and immediately blushed. Seras had a very curvaceous figure, with long, strong legs that flared out into very womanly hips before becoming slender at the waist. Her shoulders and arms were slim, though he could notice the shifting muscle under her arms, a subtle detail that betrayed the strength she had. And then there was the part of her figure that drew Noxus' eyes, much to his embarrassment. Seras was very buxom, and the uniform she wore only emphasized her endowments.

Noxus swallowed nervously, realizing that he had been staring. "oh...OH! I'm SO sorry miss Seras! I...umm, I was being incredibly rude!" Noxus felt horrible now, he had just beaten a bunch of thugs into the pavement for being lecherous pigs, and here he was ogling the woman. An admittedly GORGEOUS woman, but still a woman nonetheless! Noxus swiftly let go of Seras' hand and placed both of his together, bowing his head in apology. "I truly am sorry, that was very inconsiderate of me..."

[Grufurion]

Seras had become a little self conscious when Noxus explored her body with his eyes, but the sudden embarrassment she saw coming from him made her giggle. "Well aren't you just the cutest. No worries, I can tell the difference between a lecherous gaze and admiration. You certainly didn't have that "I'm gonna rape that" look about you, so you're fine," she said.

[Mani4c]

Noxus sighed, "Regardless, it was not proper of me to do that." Noxus looked Seras in the eye, "I'm not used to dealing with my emotions and desires, they're...still new to me." Noxus wrung his hands nervously, he wasn't exactly lying, his emotions had been continually evolving since his joining the NPD. Unfortunately for Noxus,  that included a libido like Mani4c's, though he was far more restrained than his older brother was. "I'm not very good at dealing with beautiful women, I find myself getting distracted." Noxus didn't seem to have noticed that he called Seras Beautiful, being so lost in his jumbled thoughts.

[Grufurion]

Seras for a second after being caught off guard for being called beautiful, then smiling as she beeped Noxus on the nose with her finger. "Careful there, you could make a girl blush," she said. She then turned to leave, only to look back at him. "So, you going to let a lady like me walk around this seedy part of the net?"

[Mani4c]

Noxus smirked, "Of course not, what gentleman would I be if I did that?" Noxus walked up next to Seras, following her as she walked down the street. "So, Seras, what brings you to this...interesting place?" The way Noxus said the word "interesting" made it clear that he was refraining from calling it something rude when there was a lady present.

[Grufurion]

Seras walked until they came to a street intersection before stopping. "Nothing much really, just hunting down bad guy viruses. You know, the ones that attack other avatars who haven't done anything wrong. I guess you could call me a bit of a vigilante since I stop their assaults," she said, continuing to walk when the overhead sign changed.

[Mani4c]

Noxus nodded, "It's good to hear that you're fighting against the monsters out there. Especially in these troubled times." Noxus was hesitant to reveal his reason for being here, mostly out of concern that Seras would end up injecting  herself into his mission and becoming injured.

[Grufurion]

Well aside from the NPD, who have already got a lot on their plate, I assumed that the local law enforcement might need a little extra help to keep things safe on the net. I'm sure all this vigilantism will put me on their radar sooner or later though, especially considering the makeup of my code," she said without too much care. It appeared she didn't mind others knowing she was a virus or not.

[Mani4c]

Noxus' eyes widened when Seras mentioned that she was a virus. "Interesting, you don't display many viral traits Seras. I'm only half virus, and it's far more noticeable with me." Then he realized that the NPD would eventually start looking for her once this war was done, and her being a virus..."Seras, I am an...associate of the NPD, I could ask them to officially grant you deputy status so you're not breaking the law, once this war is over, I fear that Viral beings like us will be looked at with more suspicion."

[Grufurion]

Seras had to think about that as she turned right on a street corner. Being hunted by the NPD wasn't something she really looked forward to after all. Maybe being given a deputy status would help in some small way. "I don't know, working for the NPD would mean having to deal with red tape. No doubt I'd have to run through some sort of boot camp too. Obviously I wouldn't just be hired on the spot after all," she said, more thinking to herself than saying anything. It would mean one less worry on my mind..."

[Mani4c]

Noxus chuckled, "Seras, I was...hired, after leveling a portion of down town...It's a long story, anyways, I'm sure that once you prove that you're not harmful to any innocents, you'll be welcomed with open arms." Noxus and Seras continued to walk down the road, Noxus scanning the area for any signs of viral incursion, when he suddenly had an idea, one that might help Seras become an NPD member without all of the red tape. "I've got it! I'm here on a mission of sorts, and I'd like you to assist me. But I need to ask, are you armed and able to fight? Because what I'm after is valuable to all the WRONG kinds of people."

[Grufurion]

Seras actually had to stop after Noxus admitted to leveling a portion of downtown, AND was hired by NPD after he had done so. She looked at him with a surprised look, having a hard time processing that bit of information. "That's...a bit surprising," she finally said. She then loaded up one of programs: A large rifle gun materialized in her hands as she held it up. "Meet the Hellsing Anti-Midians 13.7mm rifle. The only add-on I have that doesn't need me to use another to use. So yeah, I'm armed and able to fight. Just don't be too surprised about my actions if we do fight, okay?"

[Mani4c]

Noxus looked at the rifle, smirking slightly. "I assume that weapon is a sniper's gun...excellent, I could use the overwatch." Noxus lifted his right hand and produced a hologram, showing a syringe of Evolve. "This is Evolve, a virus based upgrade program that induces shape-shifting abilities to the user. However, it causes the user to become feral and vicious, and eventually they become willing slaves of Abraxas, a viral despot who wants to turn this city into a hive." Noxus deactivated the hologram, "I am looking for samples of this program, I hope that I can modify it so it doesn't harm the user."

[Grufurion]

After Seras put away her rifle, she poked the tube of the syringe. She didn't know such a thing existed. "Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if an avatar chomped another with this program in them?" she asked.

[Mani4c]

Noxus tilted his head, Seras' question was a bit...odd. "Well, if the person who bit the user took on the evolve's traits, I suppose it would be harmful, but otherwise it's nothing but a virus based add-on, absorbing the data just to consume it for food shouldn't do anything."

[Grufurion]

"Cool, that's all I needed to know. Let's do this thing then! Er, if you don't mind leading the way that is," she exclaimed at first, before shrinking back a little at her own outburst. She became a little meek after that, touching the ends of her indexes together.

[Mani4c]

Noxus smiled and led the way, it was a few blocks to what was left of the warehouse where the Evolve sphere had been hidden, Noxus knelt down in an alleyway across from the ruined building and tapped Seras lightly on the shoulder. "I'm going to check inside for any remaining samples, I want you to get to higher ground and cover me, if I get into a fight, I'll lead them here for you."

[Grufurion]

Seras nodded, "Right, I'll be your cover fire then. Heh, this might actually be fun." Slinging the rifle across her back, she located a walkway up the side of the building in the alley, and made her way to the rooftop.