As Tobias descended the main staircase, he spotted Malcolm waiting near the front entrance, holding an attache case in one hand.
"Young Master." Malcolm turned to face Tobias, stepping forward slightly.
He stopped, and Malcolm held out his closed hand. Staring at the hand for a moment, he extended his own, and Malcolm placed a black leather eye patch into his palm.
"For your left eye." Malcolm explained simply, then began to walk away.
Tobias turned back to him and suddenly asked on a whim. "What's in the case?"
"Ammunition, Young Master. I am a bodyguard, after all." Malcolm smirked slightly before continuing to leave.
Tobias smirked as well, the moment of humour being unexpected. He fastened the eye patch over his 'blind' eye, steeling himself to the fact that it was now a permanent thing for him to wear the eye patch in public.
After leaving the mansion, Tobias spotted the same men in suits from the day before standing outside of the mansion. With his new knowledge, he concluded that these men were members of the CCG, out on patrol.
Stepping out of the mansion's gate, he could tell that the CCG men were doing an investigation of the area, as if they expected a Ghoul attack at any second.
Walking down the street, he met Rize with a silent nod, and together they began to walk away from the mansion, unconcerned with the surprising number of CCG in the area.
"My, my... they're out in force today, aren't they?" Rize giggled slightly as they passed several of them conversing on a corner.
"Alice informed me that they've had a change in leadership, so they're becoming more aggressive." Tobias kept a careful eye on them as the two of them passed, considering that he was wearing his eye patch.
"I see..." Rize smirked slightly. "Hopefully they're a bit more of a challenge than the CCG back in Tokyo."
"Was the CCG in Tokyo completely pathetic?" Tobias asked, slightly amused.
"No, quite the opposite." Rize laughed slightly. "They were incredibly efficient and skilled. They were even so generous as to give me an S-rating for a threat level."
"Threat level, huh?" Tobias questioned. "What's the rating system?"
"C-rated Ghouls are the most pathetic. Even a couple police officers could take one of them down. Then there's B-rating, they're a bit of a joke, but they can still do a bit of damage. A-rating can be a potential threat, but the real threats are S-rated. I used to be one, but since I live here now, I've basically lost my reputation." Rize smiled sweetly. "But then there's SS-rated Ghouls, they take down entire teams of CCG and police without any trouble."
"Do you know any SS-rated Ghouls?" Tobias asked, expecting a negative answer.
"My ex-boyfriend was an SS-rated Ghoul, he could make mince meat of an entire platoon of heavily armed CCG without even bothering to use his Kagune, or even his Kakuja for that matter."
"His what?" Tobias stared at Rize, unsure of what exactly a Kakuja was.
"Put it this way... he has two forms to his Kagune... the normal Rinkaku, which is a lot like mine..." Rize smiled. "Or his mutated version, which was caused by him cannibalizing some Ghoul he had a personal problem with."
"So Ghouls have issues eating other Ghouls?" Tobias asked. "Is the flesh of a Ghoul toxic to another Ghoul?"
"No, he ate the guy's Kagune... and the guy's own Kakuja at the same time." Rize waved her hand slightly. "The massive intake of RC Cells caused his Kagune to mutate."
"If you don't mind me asking, what was your ex's name?" Tobias asked, walking down a nature trail he recognized. It eventually lead back to the park where he used to work, but it wasn't popular due to the extensive distance except for die-hard hikers...
Prime hunting ground.
"Ooooh, this is a nice spot. Nice and quiet." Rize gave the tree lined trail a smile as she wrapped her arms around Tobias' forearm. "Should we wait for someone to come to us, or should we head back home?"
"I was considering to walk further down the trail, but Alice expects me back soon. Mishka is coming to visit." Tobias didn't fail to notice the fact that Rize didn't answer his question about her ex-boyfriend's name. Maybe he could find out the names of possible SS-rated Ghouls with a bit of research at Umbrella?
"Mishka?" Rize asked, curious.
"Tabitha." Tobias corrected himself. "I call her Mishka, it means little bear."
Rize laughed. "She's more like a squirrel, if you ask me."
"The fact remains... I have to go back." Tobias smirked. "And I hate to say it, but you're not exactly allowed to be there, it seems."
"That just makes our little meetings even more worthwhile." Rize teased him before quickly pecking him on the cheek. "Well, have fun with Tabitha, I just might head to the park for some hunting." She smirked for a moment. "The park is my hunting grounds, by the way... If you want in on the action, just be sure to save some for me, okay?"
"Maybe you'll just have to fight me for it." Tobias winked cheekily at her before returning her kiss in the same sassy manner. "Until then, Rize..."
With that, he left, and Rize couldn't help by crack a smile at his cockiness.
"I'm here~!"
Tabitha breezed into the foyer with a bright cheerful smile plastered to her face. Alice was already waiting for her, and for Tobias, when she arrived.
"The doves are outside, did they do anything?" Alice could see the patrolling CCG from the window of her bedroom.
"One of them asked me if I saw the Rinkaku lady, but I said no. Which is true. I never saw that lady before." Tabitha seemed to be in a really chipper mood today, and Alice couldn't help but smile, despite the seriousness caused by the CCG presence. "She doesn't look like a nice lady anyway."
Alice laughed slightly at Tabitha's comment. "Toby just went for a walk. Something tells me he was looking for something in the area."
"What would he be looking for around here?" Tabitha asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
"Hunting grounds."
Tobias closed the foyer's main door behind himself with one hand, the other removing his eyepatch and shoving it into his back pocket.
"Find any good ones?" Alice smirked, since she knew the area best out of all of them. If she knew him enough, he'd either chosen the nature trail, or the nearby forest. Both of which eventually connected with the city park.
"I did, yes." Tobias nodded. "But given the CCG presence, I didn't go very far." He shrugged off his leather jacket as he spoke, draping it over his arm.
At that moment, Tabitha's eyes widened with sudden realization. "DID ISSACS MAKE YOU A GHOUL?!"
Alice and Tobias hadn't been expecting Tabitha to find out so quickly... nor with such volume, either. They both cringed slightly at her outburst, but neither denied it either.
"He did! So what did the T-Virus do to you!? C'mon, tell me! Tell me!"
"Cyrokinesis." Tobias explained. "I can control ice, the same way you control electricity."
"And what about your Kagune?" Tabitha seemed curious, then added. "Wanna see mine?"
Without missing a beat, they both activated their Kagune at the same time, Tobias' massive shields slamming down onto the floor on either side of him. They stood easily a foot taller than he was, and were about four feet wide, and had a steely smooth texture to them.
Tabitha, however, also had a large Kagune. Her Ukaku wingspan was at least ten feet in total width, and to Tobias, it resembled a pair of bird wings in general shape.
"Now, now, no use comparing the size of your Kagunes." Alice teased. "But, if Rize were here, she'd have both of you beat. Her Rinkaku can extend even further than either of yours... or even mine."
"Where is she anyway? I haven't seen her for a while now..." Tabitha dispersed her Ukaku as she spoke, her expression a slight pout.
"We saw her recently, she was at a coffee shop, deep in a book." Alice shrugged, unconcerned with the Japanese teenager's whereabouts. "Oh, Tabitha, looks like you ripped your coat again, want me to call Javier to fix it?"
Tabitha peered over her shoulder to find a huge hole in her coat, caused by activating her Ukaku. She frowned cutely, then nodded once, facing Alice.
"I don't even need to look to know that my shirt is torn as well." Tobias chuckled to himself, dropping his jacket onto his foot before shamelessly peeling the shredded shirt over his head. He then swiftly lifted his foot, causing his jacket to jump up within arm's length, and he deftly caught it with his free hand. "Might as well get a new one."
Tabitha turned back, confused by his words, but her eyes went wider than saucers when she saw Tobias' toned muscular body. He hadn't paid it much mind, but the T-Virus had completely changed his physique, giving him a vast increase in muscle mass, shape and density.
"Whoa..." Tabitha's gaze was riveted to his shotgun scars. "Did the security guards shoot you after you had the surgery?"
Tobias smirked as he shook his head. "These are from about... five years ago."
Alice quickly recalled his explanation of the incident. So he'd been about twelve years old when he was shot.
"Ooooh, okay then!" Tabitha seemed to drop the subject, then turned to Alice. "While Javier fixes my coat, can we have some flesh? I'm hungry."
"Sure, how about you, Toby? Feeling hungry yet?" Alice glanced up at Tobias, who was shrugging slightly.
"May as well." He replied, then glanced up the main staircase pointedly. "Shirt first, though."
Alice pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, then after a few taps of the screen, raised it to her ear. A moment later, she simply said. "Javier, Tabitha needs her coat repaired. She's waiting in the foyer with me."
A moment later, obviously after Javier's reply, she added. "Alright, I'll tell him."
She hung up, then glanced up at Tobias, who had stared at the usage of the 'him' pronoun.
"He finished making your mask. He said it's waiting for you on your desk." Alice explained, waving her hand up the stairs. "Since you're heading upstairs anyway, you might as well try it on."