The District of Columbia

[SINIB]

Luthien

Luthien puffed out her cheeks into a cute pout, staring up at the human man whom had so rudely interdicted the sunlight from reaching her chocolate-brown skin. This was her first experience outside the forest without its immense canopy preventing her from soaking in quite enough sun to feel lively.

But, her pout quickly melted away as she took in his devilishly handsome looks and carefree affect. The young sun elf's opaque eyes stared right back at him, the tips of her ears trembling with excitement. Was this to be her first time! Would the stories her sister had told her of human men abducting elves and using them as playthings true! She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as panic began to set in.

"I'm, um..." Luthien stammered out with a confused and suddenly apprehensive expression.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

If anyone could possibly mind the tan girl's stammering, Marc absolutely didn't. He laughed, shaking his head without a drop of worry, and  grinned teasingly. "Haha, how adorable. It's like you're staring at a ghost."

But this got him thinking for a second. Confidently, he put his arm to the side.

"Let me guess, you're new here?"

[SINIB]

Luthien

"Umu..." The elf muttered. Her deft arms glistening with muscular power deflated to her side. With trembling ears, she worked up her courage and responded.

"It's not like that, I mean, I've never seen a man before, so it's a bit of a shock that you look the way you do to me." Luthien seemed to be glowing with the power of the sun, her restrained member throbbing. "Are all men this, well, exciting?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

Huh? Did he look that odd? He thought he was a charming handsome devil, god, he hoped he didn't get cursed by a witch to get 10 000 warts on his cheeks like last time. That was a nightmare to deal with.

"Haha, I hope not. Two mes would be twice the trouble, and only half the booze for me to deal with." Marc laughed playfully at her response. He thought she was a strange one alright, but it turned out she was as transparent as a vintage bottle.

Those types don't last long in the city.

Alas, he was too kind of a soul to let that happen. Natives had to help new faces out. "The way you danced back there, you've picked that up somewhere? You don't see nice moves like that often." He held a hand out. "Name's Marc."

[SINIB]

Luthien

The oblivious young elf just blushed, glowing with the brilliance of her stored mana and rapidly shaking her head. "No no no no." She waved her hand in front of her face franticly. "That was just me goofing off, I'm not a good dancer at all." She gulped, stood on her toes, and lowered her arms behind her back, resting her palms upon her butt. "I'm Luthien. It's nice to meet you, Marc."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Aw, that's a nice name. I like it a lot." His good mood showed with a heartful chuckle...

Even while standing frozen there, hand stretched out.

"My hand..." He whispered between his beaming teeth.

[SINIB]

Luthien

The young elf cocked her hear, ears flicking around to listen for potential threats seeking to assault her. "What about your hand?" She asked, taking a step forwards and leaning in close to it. "Is this some sort of human custom I'm not acquainted with, maybe?"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"...Yep. Just a way to break the ice." He pouted and slouched his shoulders. Oh boy, he'd have a long day ahead if she was this much of an airhead. Well, he didn't dislike it. "Besides, when you settle on a contract with someone you can trust, a good old handshake's the best way to sign off the deal."

Not that she should trust him, honestly.

"So, want me to show you around a bit?"

[SINIB]

Luthien

The sun elf clocked her head with pursed lips, hesitating for a moment before finally grasping his hand with a doubtful look. Her grip was sofy and loose, and she only touched his calloused hand for a moment before retracting her own.

"I'd be happy to have a guide!" She exclaimed. "Show me show me show me!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure." He puffed his chest smugly and crossed his arms. "First things first, we're in Columbia right now. Comfy place, great businesses, just so happens to be in a bit of a civil cold war controversy, but we don't talk about that. Something about gods and getting along and tensions rising in the west. Terrible, terrible stuff. Great for business though."

He picked something shiny from his picked and pressed its button. Soon, a car in the back of the parking lot lit up, shining with its expensive and extravagant sheen before giving the hearty rumble of a sports model. "People here are super into their freedom, which is great because they're free to spend their money on what they want, and what they want tends to make my pockets fill up. Say, ever tried to start a company?"

[SINIB]

Luthien

"War?!?" The elf's ears began to twitch, leaning in and standing atop her toes to stare seriously into his eyes. "That sounds pretty serious-can you tell me more? I don't want to get conscripted into a battle zone, or anything." Luthien grumbled, shaking her head at his second question. "No, I was only born a few months ago. This is my first time leaving the forest to visit the human world."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Marc

"Goodness, you're probably the biggest toddler I've seen in my life." He crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. Was she some kind of homunculus? It wasn't the strangest thing he'd heard of or seen, but he was savy enough not to pry too hard. "Hehe, your curiosity's kind of adorable. Consider it, I got the hunch you'd go pretty far."

He glanced at the sky and took in the fresh air, and took a sneaky gulp of a hidden flask he kept in his pocket for emergencies.

"This isn't just the human world though. Honestly, being just human isn't nearly enough these days. If you want to get ahead in life, you better hope you're either exceptional or exceptionally lucky." He smiled at her and shook his head. "But yes, war. It isn't the kind where anyone'd be stupid enough to go in guns blazing into enemy territory though. Apparently, two Gods appeared a while ago and started forming their own faction, and threaten to cut off this district's leader's main resources." He put his arms behind his back nonchalantly, giving off the details in a pretty detached perspective, like this conflict really didn't affect him that much.

"I don't think they're the same level as that monster, but I wouldn't risk if if I were them... or her. A battle like that would probably leave all sides with too many losses. It's more profitable for all of them to drive their pent up friction into their borders. At least, the fear of retaliation from their neighbors keeps either side from fully committing... for now. As for right now... we're in the largest faction's turf - Columbia itself. The other two are Alaba and Dunham."

He took another sip from his  emergency exposition fuel, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Which one should I start with?"

[MissingMandible]

Oakridge, Northern Dunham
7:15 P.M.

The snow crunched under Miho's boots as she stepped off the bus. The air was cold, with a little wind giving it an extra bite, but it was more than manageable. This was nothing compared to her tankwando match on Valhalla years before.

The off-duty captain walked the streets of the town of Oakridge - the town nearest to Fort Teagan, her new post after her division's foray into Columbia a few months prior. After that particular incident, and the shitshow that followed it, High Command rewarded them for salvaging the ad hoc operation by...posting them in the middle of nowhere to "re-evaluate the current state of the northern wall." Some reward, right?

After a few minutes of walking, Miho finally arrived at her destination: Cunningham's Bar and Grill. A favored establishment for the younger demographic, though older members of the population often visit it as well. It also became the unofficial spot for members of the Black Forest Armored Division when they go on leave. Like Miho and her tank crew right now.

The off-duty captain was greeted with a warm, happy, if not a little crowded scene when she walked through the front entrance. People were merrymaking, drinking and eating to their hearts content, chatting the night away in their own social circles. Miho had to weave through the crowds, trying to find her crew (and friends). It took a few moments before she caught a glimpse of fluffy, chestnut colored hair near the back where multiple large green tables reside- looks like Yukari was partaking in pool! Miho had to squeeze through a pair of people before finally reaching her long time friend.

"Ah, Nishizumi-dono!" her loader happily chirped, hitting the cue ball into a solid 3, "We were thinking you were gonna spend the night at the base!"

"Aheheh," Miho nervously chuckled, "Officers get the privilege of staying late, you know. Paperwork takes longer for us. You winning?"

"It's pretty close!" Yukari affirmed, aiming her cue stick before lashing forward with it.

However, the brunette's aim was a little off. The cue ball instead did a glancing hit of the colored 7 ball, changing its trajectory and causing it to go right into a corner pocket. A Scratch. Yukari groaned and allowed her opponent - some person Miho didn't recognize - to take her place at the table. Looking around, Miho realized that Aoi, Guso, and Emily were no longer around. "Say, Yukari, where are the others?"

"Oh, they decided to go see a movie," Yukari explained, "I think it was Cheerleader Samurai vs Megaton Shark or something. I decided to stick around here, though."

[Kotomine_Rin]

Costin Andrei

2 Months Later

The snowy hillsides and cold winds of the city didn't bother him at all. He hadn't arrived too recently, but he found himself occupied simply hunting wild game in the forests and gauging the lands around, so he hardly found the time to explore the city itself for long periods of time. Call him old fashioned or whatever, but he enjoyed outings in nature, and the animals made for pleasant game. It was adequate, far more adequate than his old world.

But one has to start somewhere. This city felt familiar to the dead apostle, almost like that land humans called America. As he watched his surroundings with amusement, he found a place that smelled pleasant. The warmth inside promised fresh meat to grind, something to whet his appetite.

At least, a tavern would provide some more information.

"Yo."

Long story short, a vampire walks into a bar. The fact it was broad daylight only made it even more terrifying. The ivory knight was huge, looming over the poor brown-haired boy like a black beast, hunched over to just fit in the room. With his back curled forward, his massive trapezoids nearly bulged out of his tidy attire - with eyes obscured by his glasses, there's no wonder his grin was so chilling.

"Ahh... billiards. How long has it been, since I hath encountered such fine play."

Why, the boy looked like he'd seen a ghost, shaking like that. Did he seriously think he'd just eat him here and then? Heh, too bad... he had no interest in the meat of weaklings. "May I try?"

Unfortunately, the boy was practically frozen in fear. He couldn't possibly pass Costin the puck under this pressure. "Seriously dude... relax." Costin sighed and glanced to the side. No, not quite glanced, he didn't actually turn to look at the woman, he only sniffed the air. "Nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning. That suits you... I like it more than perfume."

[MissingMandible]

Treadheads' Night Out

"Erm...Thank you?" Miho somewhat nervously said, not being really sure how to take that particular compliment. Yukari, meanwhile, tried to stealthily sniff her own right shoulder, gears working in her brain as to how the smell of shell propellent lingered on her body even after her showering.

The two women then carefully eyed the newcomer, sizing him up and trying to figure his ultimate motive. Yukari's opponent, breaking down from the unintentional pressure this man was giving off, shakily handed him his cue.