Halloween Town

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

"You've got an odd definition of scary, girl." Zeke wasted no time looking at both and weighing his options. That voice... it was almost familiar. And yet he never actually heard it until now. But there were few if any who hadn't heard of the White Terror of Little Russia, the greatest almighty seraph.

And... interesting. So they had actually fought her before in another side?

It'd explain the throbbing sensation. But what Zeke did next... no one could explain.

He grinned welcomingly, with a smile full of fangs and fire. If this was some trickery, it didn't feel like it whatsoever. No, in good and in bad, Zeke had always been true.

"I'm impressed, you've walked all this way? Damn, I feel bad for your knees. Don't you ever get tired?" Especially with my comrades you've burnt to ash. That was you too, wasn't it? Even with the same fiery grin, his words came far calmer and reasoned than they... ever had the right to be. "If you've come to talk, I have food and drink aplenty. It isn't as nice as a royal throne, but the least I can do is welcome you with bread, salt and heart." He moved in to give her a good hearty hug.

[SINIB]

Ivanna

As he moved in, ZEKE found himself halted in his tracks by one of the angel's pristine white wings interdicted in his path. She had no interest in his false pleasantries. In fact-it was negative interest—she had far more important tasks to undertake, one right in front of her. She needed to save this infected child of man, whether or not she herself acquiesced to such a procedure.

Of course, the former was the ideal outcome for Ivanna.

She walked past Zeke and continued inexorably towards Nanako. "I have no relation to his ilk. I would have been aware of one of my own siblings had entered into the Nexus. You have been infected-" Ivanna paused momentarily, as if she were wracking her brain for the best way to put it. "-by an organism which threatens to overwhelm you."

[Elf]

Nika

Huh, another stranger in this strangeland in this place? At least that's what she deduced immediately from the lack of one of those masks. And immediately picked up on that gal's vibe. She didn't mean the 1980s look, but she could readily feel there was another vampire in the midst. She wasn't one to beat around the bush, especially given the city's downright jadeness about the weird shit compared to her previous country, so she just approached the woman without much hesitation.

"Eh, took a nap and woke up in the future too? Or that's your style?" The pale woman in a hoodie commented about the other vampire's sense of fashion with a wide grin. "Heh, you probably fit here more than I. Unless there's a gym around."

Forest

Forest smiled as a pale woman in a hoodie approached her and spoke of her fashion choices.

"Pretty much my style.  It's a mishmash of things that generally includes black."  She grinned as she rubbed the back of her neck.  "And I kind of like the whole Goth aesthetic too, even though it's kind of cliche.  So you ended up here too?"

[Hibiki]

Nika

"I'm a light sleeper yet I haven't found anything amiss, that's for future. Last time someone robbed my place, I chased throughout half of Europe after my stuff. But nothing, nada. No robbers tampering with my treasures, no fools thirsty for revenge."

The vampire was really straightforward about her circumstances, even as she described them in vague, general terms. She indulged Forest's curiosity a bit more, continuing her story.

"Last place I had been before ending up here was called United States of America. That Columbia neighborhood is so similar yet different in certain ways, and in a way this place seems a bit more familiar. I don't think they're very into the Son of man either like those goddess worshippers, but Halloween's Halloween. But well, the way this place smells makes me feel trick people more dangerously for treats than your average kids."

[Panda]

Nanako

While Zeke blathered, Nanako's attention was fixed firmly to Ivanna, who kept getting closer by the second. What she said only deepened the frown creasing her face. It was more or less what Orcus had said, that time in the arena, that the Grace was a parasite, something that would consume her, corrupt her. But that was Orcus, who she wouldn't trust to get crunchy peanut butter on a grocery run even if she went with him. This woman was different, however, something about her words beckoned the squirrel girl to trust her, to believe her, feeding the confusion growing within her by the second.

"Alright, that's close enough," the squirrel girl said, leaning back another step, "Are you talking about the Grace? Because I've barely felt anything from it, and I've had it for a while now."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

Zeke froze up short of two meters with a dejected smile. "I think she is." And its arms crossed at Ivanna expectantly. "I'm not sure though. To me, it looks too small and cute to do any of that not as small and cute as you though. "  Their... Zeke's current body too, was born a blank slate. If it had any shred of consciousness left, did it curse its existence as well? For having a will imposed on it, as the dark dragon that preceded it...? He pulled his coat down to show them the nape of his neck. "In many ways, it's not that different from a baby right now, its own wish is yet to form. Just like Nanako."

Did he also implant a cluster in himself? Was that even safe? No, it looked... too different. The feathers were more like crystal scales, surrounding some strange bar-code.

"I don't totally disagree. But miracles need prayers in order to come to fruition. If enough people wish for it to be a cruel, ravenous tool of control, that might be the form it takes. But burn it, and you also snuff out the tool's potential for good. Would you kill a child, out of fear of an unknown possibility"

Zeke... the thing calling itself Zeke... shook its head in disapproval.

"It doesn't matter. Any answer is a good answer, as long as it is true to your ideals. I just want to understand... what makes an organism or an abomination... less worthy of your grace?"

[SINIB]

Nanako

While Zeke blathered, Nanako's attention was fixed firmly to Ivanna, who kept getting closer by the second. What she said only deepened the frown creasing her face. It was more or less what Orcus had said, that time in the arena, that the Grace was a parasite, something that would consume her, corrupt her. But that was Orcus, who she wouldn't trust to get crunchy peanut butter on a grocery run even if she went with him. This woman was different, however, something about her words beckoned the squirrel girl to trust her, to believe her, feeding the confusion growing within her by the second.

"Alright, that's close enough," the squirrel girl said, leaning back another step, "Are you talking about the Grace? Because I've barely felt anything from it, and I've had it for a while now."

Ivanna

"You've had it for less than a month." Ivanna's responce was pointed, icy. "That can by no reasonable measure be considered to be 'a while.'" She stopped five meters away from Nanako, taking the foolish child in. "What is the proper way to deal with a tumor? You excise it immediately upon finding out it exists, of course." Now, even though she hadn't moved, she was addressing both of them. "It would be absolute lunacy to wait to deal with such a problem. Once one starts displaying symptoms, it would require the grace of the lord to burn away the tumor without destroying the host. And with something such as this, these graces, as you call them—I fear that even I would be unable to preserve your mind were we to wait. It is in your best interest to allow me to cure you without a fight."

[Panda]

Nanako

Nanako furrowed her brow in uncharacteristic concentration as Ivanna and Zeke spoke. She'd watched the winged monstrosity that gave her these feathers fall, watched those feather spread out into her, Justice, and the land they'd fought in. Though she still felt like the shorter angel was telling the truth, it still felt off.

"Alright, look, just... You don't seem to be lying, but how do you know all this?" Nanako asked the petit angel, "I was there when the thing these feathers came from died, when they got scattered everywhere. If it hasn't been that long, then how do you know all this about it?"

"And you," she turned to Zeke, "Whaddya mean, this thing is guided by my wishes? You saying it's up to me how it grows, what it does?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Zeke

"Of course." Zeke grinned at Nanako and snapped his fingers, pointing at her... or the thing inside her. His pair of dark eyes were almost glittering, he looked like a scholar getting to share the fruits of their research for the first time in ages.

"The same way a parent imprints its values in a child, those things learn through the memes of their host. It may be a living thing like you and me, but it's really nothing more than a slave, it lacks the will that makes you special. In a way, you're almost its mother."

He took a few steps to the side, enjoying the clean air and bountiful skies by the two women.

"I think... I understand your point, Ivvy. But I can't agree with it. You fear it because you don't know it, don't you? Because it's strange, alien, and unfamiliar. Whatever choice is made here, it should be an informed one."

[SINIB]

Nanako

Nanako furrowed her brow in uncharacteristic concentration as Ivanna and Zeke spoke. She'd watched the winged monstrosity that gave her these feathers fall, watched those feather spread out into her, Justice, and the land they'd fought in. Though she still felt like the shorter angel was telling the truth, it still felt off.

"Alright, look, just... You don't seem to be lying, but how do you know all this?" Nanako asked the petit angel, "I was there when the thing these feathers came from died, when they got scattered everywhere. If it hasn't been that long, then how do you know all this about it?"

"And you," she turned to Zeke, "Whaddya mean, this thing is guided by my wishes? You saying it's up to me how it grows, what it does?"

Ivanna

"Because, child, I have already witnessed the tremendous harm they create even in this short time they've existed. The havok that they've created. As much as it pains me to admit it, I hesitated. I waited to see what might come out of that accursed forest, and many people have paid dearly for my indecision. Have you heard about what happened in the slums? Do you seek out knowledge of all the ills of the world? Of course you don't—I can tell—you simply wish to live your own life to the fullest, and experience your own happiness. It is in your best interests to listen to me, and to allow me to protect the world for your own sake as well as everybody else's."

Then, the angel turned towards Zeke, and she seemed to be glaring at him from underneath the protection of her wings. "And you. Cur. Monster. Cease speaking to me as if we know each other at once. I do not appreciate your games nor your tricks. You wish to see and experience new and interesting things, irregardless of whether or not those things would be beneficial to allow to play out. I have met your kind before."

[Elf]

Forest

The blonde raised an eyebrow at the other woman's words before tilting her head and folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, I visited the Columbia District yesterday.  It did seem very Septic, and not in a good way.  Normally I'm fine with Americans, but that place was too capitalized for my taste.  This seems to be more of my speed."

Forest looked around at the monsters around them and smiled.  "The monsters are hiding in plain sight here at least."   

[Hibiki]

Nika

The other vampire just nodded along in agreement, as they seemed to both have their grips with Columbia.

"I love hoarding money like a dragon sometimes, but you've got it right. Living there would be like living in a middle of political cartoon, and I cannot imagine how to kick back there and relax with all that cult of personality around. But here, monsters like us don't stand out even if we go against the flow without costumes and masks."

The woman flashed the telltale smile, exposing her sharp canines as if she cared not for keeping up a disguise, and offered her fellow monster a handshake. "You can call me Nika. My full name is a bit more grandiose, but it's best to trade life stories stories in some decent bar. Shall we look for one?"

Undoubtedly there was already one open somewhere at this hour. She was ready to follow the woman's lead about this, but just as ready to take the charge if the other vampire was out of ideas.

[Panda]

Nanako

Nanako's ears perked up as Zeke said his piece, slightly concerned by how excited he looked despite everything that was happen. That she could imprint on the Grace had her a little concerned of what it might learn from her, but also wondering what it could do if she allowed to grow, whatever that meant. What he said to Ivanna, however, rang familiar to her, an old memory clawing for the surface before Nanako pushed it back down to keep her focus on the here and now.

Her concern only grew when, for all of what Ivanna said, she didn't deny what he'd said. "A forest? Figure it'd be different for one growing from a person as opposed to dirt and trees and probably some wildlife in the mix," she said, slowly edging back cautiously, "You're making some good points, but I'm still not liking the idea of being set on fire to have it burned out."

"More importantly," Nanako turned back to Zeke, "What makes this thing grow, anyway? Did the one in the forest just go out of control for some reason, or...?"

[Elf]

Forest

"I mean, I had a fair share in savings at home, but the whole capitalism thing is sort of not working for the Yanks right now.  At least it was already starting to crumble when I accidentally drove here."

She did smile back as Nika exposed her fangs and shook the other vampire's hand.

"I go by Forest, but my friends call me Fore, and getting a drink seems like it could be a good idea."

Just as long as they don't have that orange juice from a can.  That stuff is bullshit.

[Hibiki]

Nika

The vampire gave Forest slightly skeptical look as she mentioned the very notion of things going downhill in America. This was the nation that fought a war on scale unimagined before, pulled through through a crisis that made it on brink of annihilation and then put those dozen or so guys on the Moon. But maybe she wasn't one to argue about the state of her adopted homeland as she took the nap around the peanut farmer's inauguration, and clearly long time must have passed by the time technology got so wondrously fascinating. 

Speaking of the devil, she of course had her smartphone around, a new useful tool in her wanderings. It certainly could be handy for the bar crawl.

"This neighborhood looks pretty great, no doubts, but let me look real quick for some place with this baby and save our time." She grinned, brandishing her smartphone with pride in one of her newest toys. "Just tell me what kind of stuff you're raring to see. I love the unknown so much when I'm fresh off grave like this that I love to go with people's flow."

Long nap syndrome, she loved to call it. Nika loved to live in the moment, let herself sweeped by the currents of society, human one and otherwise, unless she had a firm goal before her eyes. And the midnight was far off enough to not flip yet that tunnel vision switch on in her brain.