Abigail"Sure, flannel. I can grab the other stuff if you go grab the sheets. I dunno how big your couch is and don't really care what color it is as long as it isn't pink." Law scratched the back of his head. "Is um, your dog like huge or..."
Abigail smiled as Law ran a finger against her arm.
"Um. Neat. So uh, about those sheets..."
Abby smiled and said, "Yeah. So sheets. Maybe flannel because it can get chilly at night?"
Roxas
Roxas walked for a while. He wasn't sure what to do now. He promised Vanguard that he would become a body guard or a police officer. Eventually, he came upon a girl in the streets. It looked like she had been sleeping there for a while.
Why has no one stopped to help her? This is a city. No one should be sleeping outside.
"Excuse me? Ma'am? Are you ok?" he said with concern in his voice.
As Roxas called out to the girl, she woke up. Thinking he was a foreigner she tried to ruffle through his hair with her hand. "Wow! I've never seen a foreigner before! Your hair looks so pretty!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm. On reflex, Roxas lightly swatted her hand away. "What? A foreigner?" He exclaimed, confused. Although, he wasn't from the Nexus so maybe that does mean he is a foreigner. He relaxed his guard.
"Duck,"
Roxas
Roxas listened to the girl talk. He could tell that she just got here, since she seemed to assume city people are magicians. Technically he can use magic but does that make him a magician? Well regardless, she wanted him to do something.
"Well i'm not sure I qualify as a magician but...."
He raised his hand and opened his palm towards the sky. His hand began to glow red. A fireball shot from his hand, going straight up into the sky. Eventually, it vanished from view.
Emily Blaskowicz
Don't panic. Panic kills people. It kills them because even the most insane situations can be worked through if one keeps a cool head, which you simply can't do when you're panicked.
Mental mantra aside, to say it was difficult to avoid panicking was an understatement. Doors leading into parking lots at medical clinics don't just spontaneously turn into Hedge Gates as a normal occurrence. At least she hoped they didn't.
Regardless, this situation could've been a lot worse. Thanks to having to pop into the Hedge earlier this morning for some Goblin Fruits, the catch for the Pathfinder clause was still active, letting the changeling navigate the Hedge without too much worry, aside from occasionally having to avoid a few briarwolves here and there, a task made simple with usage of a choice few clauses.
Oddly enough, the clause was now alerting the former Spring Queen to the presence of a new trod. Then again, she'd never entered the Hedge from her Clinic directly, so maybe this oddity should've been expected.
Sure enough, Emily soon found herself at a trod rich with Goblin Fruits. Admittedly, the chance of her actually needing to restock any time soon was somewhat doubtful, but it always helped to be prepared. That in mind, Emily topped off her stock of the small fruits before deciding that it might be a good idea to rest a bit before going any further. Glamour aside, the Changeling was still somewhat exhausted, no thanks to the downright hectic day at the clinic.
Ah well, I can just make my way back there once I've rested up. Even if that Hedge Gate is gone, there should be another at least somewhat nearby. I'd rather not have to use a Contract, but if push comes to shove, it really can't be helped, can it?
With this in mind, Emily sits down cross-legged in the midst of the trod, more flowers blooming up around her to join those marking her path into the trod, and meditated on the still air around her, keeping an ear open for any passing creatures of the Hedge.
Aisha
The woman let out a thoughtful hum as she listened to her Children and the pretender. Then she gave the deceiver a hard look and issued a warning in the First Tongue. The hissing of serpents, growls of beasts, and the buzzing of agitated insects exited her mouth before she spoke normally again.
"I will suffer this falsehood if that is what you all wish."
Then Aisha's attention returned to the Child she was cradling. She stopped holding her and instead pulled out her dagger. The blade bit into the palm of her other hand and she kept it there for a little while until a pool of white blood had formed. Then she put the knife away and instead pulled out a small vial in which she poured her blood into which revealed that the damage to her hand was already gone. A stopper was placed on the vial and she pushed it into the Child's hands.
"Keep it with you and keep it safe. If you are ever in great danger drink it, and you will be strong for a little while."
Abigail
"I was thinking an earth tone or something. My dog's an English Bulldog named Mr. Crumblebottom. He's a sweetheart, now my familiars might give you some sass," Abigail said as she picked up a few packages of sheets and a microfiber blanket as well as a comforter. She threw some pillows into the cart as well.
Then Archer appeared with a cart with some clothing in it. The redhead sighed and said, "As much as I loathe to admit it, Mr. Bondage Pants is right. You should try them on."
Abigail
Before Abigail could explain that her familiars were animals, Law made his way into the dressing room. Which left her alone with Mr. Bondage Pants. She glared at him for a moment before leaning on the cart, resting her chin on one of the pillows.
"What's your hidden agenda?" the redhead asked, looking at him with peridot green eyes.
Abigail
Abigail held up her finger and said, "Half Fae. My mom was human."
She bit her lip and said, "I'm empathic, Archer. I can sense it. I don't think you're going to hurt Law persay, but you want to hurt someone."
She dug a little deeper into her pile of blankets and pillows. She mumbled, "And can't a girl just like a guy and want to help him?"
Emily Blaskowicz
Of course a Trod like this can't have gone without being discovered by others.
The first clue as to her new company was a faint disturbance in the air, almost like the dying throes of a heat wave. Opening her eyes, the Changeling found a curious sight before her. A fellow Changeling, likely another Fairest, judging by her relatively human looks, clad in some kind of antique-looking plate armor. The embarrassed blush she'd come to expect from people who hadn't seen someone like her before, poor girl was probably questioning her orientation, complemented her fair skin quite well. Emily couldn't help but grin as the newcomer proceeded to explain the current situation to her in a tone that just barely betrayed her embarrassment.
Yes, I do think I'll have a bit of fun with this one.
Standing up, she all but sauntered over to the girl, extending a hand in greeting.
"Emily," she said, voice rife with mirth, "Of the Spring Court. Thank you for the warning, but I must ask what you mean by us being stuck here permanently. It's not as if there's anywhere else the Hedge will go but the world out-"
Wait a minute.
"You speak of the world outside of the Hedge as if it's not even the same world from which you entered it," Emily notes, the mirth now replaced by concern.
Emily Blaskowicz
...Wonderful. I've somehow navigated to an entirely different world through a walk in the Hedge after coming in through a Hedge Gate that popped out of nowhere.
A sudden flare of the girl's blush calmed Emily somewhat, allowing her to take another look at her circumstances.
Well, at least that Autumn bitch can't follow me here, so there's that. Actually, this might not be so bad. A fresh start might do me some good. And aside from this girl, nobody knows who I am...Hmm...
Her fellow Changeling's offer was met with a smile.
"I've no doubt that there is a certain safety in numbers," Emily agrees, taking Mordred's hand in both of hers and leaning in slightly, "And I've even less doubt that we may grow rather...close, in time. However, before I can take you up on your offer, I have a few affairs that I feel I should attend to. I can get around this city under my own power, but you may come along if you wish.
"Now then," Emily says, releasing Mordred's hand, "This harvest shouldn't take too long with both of us working at it, so let's begin."
Roxas was a bit disappointed by her lack of reaction. Magical litters? Was that some kind of spell? Either way, she just shot a bird down by accident, so maybe it isn't a good idea to show off anything else in an attempt to please her.
"Well anyway, I am Roxas. I know a little bit of magic but I wouldn't say im an expert, at least, not in this city. I can't summon "litters" but I can do other things." He said, as if being interviewed for a job."
Emily Blaskowicz
Admittedly, Mordred's enthusiasm caught Emily a bit off guard, and she couldn't help but allow a giggle at how...endearing, for lack of a better term, it was. Leave it to the Summer Court to respond to something that was seemingly embarrassing them not too long ago with such unchecked emotion.
I suppose that attitude fits her mien, in any case.
"You hardly need accompany me as a knight for these tasks," Emily says after the fit passes, doing her best to stifle any further laughter, "I'm hardly helpless. Regardless, I'd rather you accompany me as a friend, if I may call you such. Though, I'd rather we get to know each other first."
With that, she gets started with the task of harvesting the Goblin Fruits, the better to get out of here and see as much of this new city as soon as she can. So much potential...
Abigail
Abigail sighed and said, "I can understand that. I just don't want Law hurt. So, this person you want to hurt, do they at least deserve it?"
Emily Blaskowicz
"Hmm...It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that there are foes here that you cannot defeat with strength alone," Emily notes, looking back at Mordred, "But I've never been much of a fighter myself, so it doesn't matter too much just how much stronger these threats may be."
"And I'm already carrying as many fruits as I can," Emily says, patting down the modified coat to check that all the fruits are secure in the pouches sewn in on the inside, "Here you go."
With that, Emily hands some of the freshly harvested fruits over to Mordred, unable to help but smile with the knowledge that, no matter how far she was from home, she still wasn't quite alone.
"Anyway," Emily says, dusting herself off as she gets up, "Take as long as you need."
With that, she sits down cross-legged across from Mordred, resuming her meditation on the air around her, now vibrant with their combined Mantles, as she waits. Unlike the still air before, now it writhes like a living thing, the dry heat of the Summer mixing with the cool drafts of Spring.
Abigail
If Abby hadn't been leaning against the cushions in the cart, she would have staggered at the sudden swell of self-loathing she sensed from Archer. As it was she hissed slightly and rubbed her forehead at the sudden pain she was feeling there. She shook it off and eyed the Servant before making a face.
"You know, instead of killing this person, maybe you could help them. Novel idea, right?" she asked before looking back towards the dressing room.
“Good evening, ladies,” she said as she casually made her way over to the two supernatural women. The instant she closed into range Karin swung her fist in a simple and brutal sucker punch to Mordred’s gut. She held back of course; it wouldn’t do to damage the poor girl’s organs. In the next instant she charged forward at the pretty redhead, aiming to use the force of her body to bowl her target over.
Roxas looked around as this new stranger assumed a battle stance. They were in a congested area filled with people. They couldn't spar here. Maybe he could take the battle elsewhere. He was going to have to play his first move very carefully
He summoned both of his keyblades, oathkeeper and oblivion. He started running towards her, both keyblades dragging on the ground. He raised oblivion and threw it at Rikuyo. Continuing to run at Rikuyo, he gripped oathkeeper with a two handed stance, as if he were about to strike. Just before he got within combat distance, he attempted to jump and land on top of the tree Rikuyo was sleeping on. If he was successful, he would jump from the tree to the side of one of the nearby buildings and begin running up its walls. His intention was to take the battle to one of the nearby rooftops.
KARIN ZARAZA
Karin skidded to a halt as the redhead she was gunning for suddenly disappeared with a gust of wind. She whirled around, trying see where the woman had gone, but she seemed to have just vanished into thin air.
Then a bright light suddenly lit up the park, and heat scorched at her back. Karin turned around to face what was attacking her, winced at the heat and bright light in her face, and powered through the beam. She reached out and grabbed Mordred by the throat, and then bodily lifted the woman into the air. Karin narrowed her eyes slightly and began to squeeze, choking her.
Brian watched the battle nervously. It was always a bit disturbing to see the boss at work. The crunching of ice and snow brought his attention to someone wearing a suit of armor wandering into the park. Brian gave a long suffering sigh, knowing that it fell to him to redirect this stranger elsewhere.
"Hey, it's best you get out of here," he said, walking closer to the armored man.
Roxas
Roxas was a bit surprised as he landed on the tree. He didn't expect that to go over so well. Jumped on the side of a building and began running up the wall to the roof. He ran to the other side, awaiting his opponent, who he expected would show up in a matter of seconds. He took his battle stance, gripping oathkeeper with two hands. His legs were spread evenly and his knees were slightly bent. He was ready for anything.
AbigailArcher let out a low, sad laugh. "You don't think I've tried?"
Abigail toyed with one of the edges of one of the blankets in the cart. She scowled at the whirlwind of emotions she was sensing from Archer, shook her head, and met his gaze. She replied, "You know, it's never too late to try to save someone. And Mercy Killing is for rabid dogs, not people."
The brunette gave Mordred a swift kick to ensure she stayed down, using more force than the punch from earlier, since that level of strength was apparently insufficient. She then turned and ran at the poor dumbass in armor who had involved himself in her affairs. She didn’t intend to leave any witnesses.
Or corpses for the police to find later.
Roxas paused for a second. He realized that Rikuyo was not coming up right away as he thought. He thought he heard her shouting but it was muffled by the distance between them. They were just sparing so he decided to wait for her. Perhaps she realized his intentions and decided to go along with him. In retrospect it was probably just a good idea to ask her anyway.
He maintained his battle stance, still focused and ready to move.
KARIN ZARAZA
Her fist smashed straight through the hardened armor with a crunch, and she prepared to finish this fool off… if only someone was actually inside. The armor was empty. Her eyes widened in surprise. Was this actually a robot?
Karin started to withdraw her fist from the robot(?) thing, but it caught onto her arm and reared back for a haymaker. She brought up her free arm to defend against the incoming strike, but her opponent put far more power into the attack than she had anticipated. The punch smashed into her face with a sickening smack of metal on flesh, and her head snapped back 180 degrees. The damage would have killed a lesser being.
It couldn’t even hope to stop her.
Karin grabbed the robot's arm and pulled it away from her face, while the other arm twisted in the mechanical vanguard’s grip, gaining and equal handhold on it’s own arm. She squeezed down on them hard, threatening to bend the painted white metal.
As irritating as it was, she couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with this discovery. Her mouth parted in a tiny, malicious grin.
“I can’t learn from you the traditional way, so tell me… can a machine like yourself experience fear?”
Without waiting for a reply, Karin leapt up and planted both of her feet against the robot’s shoulder plates. In the second she had before gravity brought her down again, she pushed her legs out with all her might. Metal squealed, bent, and was rent apart as the machine was literally disarmed. The brunette backflipped off of it to land on her feet, still clutching both arms in her hands. The smile was gone, her face blank again. This was about to be over.
Abigail
Abigail frowned at Law's answer and was about to reply when a woman came tumbling from the ceiling to land right on top of Law.
"What in heck?" Abigail said as she moved to push the woman off on Law, but the beautiful redhead stood up and helped Law to his feet. Then she started to brush Law off, asking if they were friends of is.
Abigail felt her cheeks heat up and she replied, "Yes! We're of the friendly type to him and . . . you fell from up there and on him and . . ." She pointed, a squeak escaping her lips as she sensed something other about the woman.
Abigail
Abby frowned and moved towards Law. She said, "The clothing looks pretty snazzy. And well Emily, I'm Abigail."
The warning bells in her head were chiming, so instinct told her too keep her name to herself. If this "Emily" knew her name, then she'd gain some power over her, and Abigail didn't want that. She frowned, not liking the easy way this woman was talking to Law and Law's non-verbal response.
Roxas
Rikuyo finally arrived at the top of the building. Roxas knew that this was where the battle began. If he learned anything from his fight with Sora, it was that he had to fight smart to win. She leaped forward, attacking him from above with a strong kick. He jumped backwards, getting just out of range of the attack. Then, he leaped forward with as much momentum as possible, raising the keyblade and attempting to deliver a diagonal slash.
Roxas
Roxas was encouraged when his hit landed. He might actually have a good shot at winning if he played his cards right. As he finished his swing, he noticed that she lowered her stance. Not knowing what she would counter with, he decided to avoid the attack. Using the momentum he already gained from the charge, he jumped over Rikuyo, dodging her attack. He turned around, ready to face her next attack.
Roxas was not prepared for what happened next. Rikuyo turned around and charged him once again, leaping into the air. Thinking she was going to kick him again, he raised his keyblade over his head horizontally to guard. To his surprise, she landed on his blade. Before he could react, she delivered a swift kick to his body, knocking him back. He landed at the edge of the roof. Now on the defensive, he quickly recovered, getting up and preparing to counter the follow up strike.
Lorenzo Remei
Lorenzo laid calmly on the wall, a completely relaxed look on his face. Looking around, he could see the bone guy doing the handy work and to his surprise, Medaka. Well, if she found her way here, all the better. But it would be quite troublesome if she got in the crossfire, so turning towards her, he called out.
"Oi, Meddy! Mind doing me a favor and get people as far away from 'ere as possible? Counting on you sweetie."
Then, a shy looking frenchman brought him a bag containing his belongings. Smirking, he patted him on the shoulder, which immediately sent the lad running for his life. looking up, the pirate sighed before taking his trusty flintlock and rapier. Twirling it around, he pulled the trigger and shot right next to Surien's hear, the magic bullet but a hair's width away from grazing her. Immediately, the spark grew into a flame that engulfed the whole parking lot. Terrified, the nearby policemen ran away in kind. Some tried to put the fire away, and water appeared to pour from the ceiling. Despite all efforts, the flames persisted and grew wider and wider, circling the two.
With that, Lorenzo laughed and pointed his gun at Surien, grinning. "Now, now... where were we. Aaaah, yes. My smoke. You know, just being the strongest ain't going to cut it anymore. So, how about we make a deal, Suri? You win, and I will do aaanything ya feel like having me do. Lick yer boots, clean your stalls, you call it. But if I win, mhhh..."
Well, she did have a fine body. The more he thought about it, the more his blood boiled in anticipation. It had been quite some while indeed since he got to know a woman.
"How about you keep me company for the night?" he chuckled.
Forest
Forest frowned as she realized Lancer was shivering as she watched through a tiny crack in the door.
"Uh, hey lass? Got anything that could hold this thing down while I'm at it?"
Forest nodded, realizing she had a nail gun. She'd never used it, but she'd seen enough horror movies to know that they could be useful. "I'll be back," she told him before running back downstairs. On the way down, she grabbed a spare coat that looked like it would fit Lancer as well as the nail gun.
She sprinted back up the stairs to the roof access and said, "I can show you how to use this baby if you need me too, and I brought this so you don't freeze yourself blue." She held out the coat to him with a smile.
Emily
"He could," Emily agrees, "But I get the feeling that he's probably the honest type."
As much as Law had cushioned her fall, Emily still finds herself stretching her back out to work out the last of the aches.
Just then, Mordred pops into existence right above Archer to Emily's surprise. The Summer Courtier looks far worse for the wear, but she's still alive, unharmed, and Emily is assured that it's nothing she can't fix.
"Mordred? Wait, are you injured?" Emily asks, the concern evident in her voice.
It was for Mordred, a rather good thing that Archer was far faster reacting than Law was at reacting to a woman suddenly falling from the sky. Expertly, he snagged her out of the air, gently lowering her to her feet. "Do women usually fall out of the sky around you Master?" he joked, before blinking at the woman he'd caught.
"Saber!?"
Abigail
Abigail was suddenly glad for the Fae girl who tumbled onto Archer. However, Archer was swift enough to catch the blond and set her on her feet.
However the tone of his next word caused her to pause, "Saber?!"
The shock, surprise and the tumble of nostalgia and regret that filled the man in red almost made her stumble. She shook it off, being around this guy was going to cause her fits.
Abigail frowned and said, "That's not Saber. Saber's like super tiny. This girl's taller than that, plus she's sort of Faerie."
Dissappoint Birdy Bird Bird of FAIAH
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OOC: Birdy Bird Bird posts are very tricky to make. For every cheep inserted, calculating the spacing for the translation is crucial. That, of course, is a lot of work. Now, for the purpouses of not dying of old age by the time I, Franco, click on "Post," I shall give exclusive peek... into the mind of the bird.
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Unbelievable. Simply, utterly, unbelievable. He did it, he finally did it. That flaming idiot managed to do... that.
Seriously, he goes out of his way to talk to the girl, gets her all hot and bothered with some pompous flowery boast (WOW, MUCH SURPRISE) and...
Did he really just say that?
H-how did he, no, anyone. How could ANYONE think it was a good idea.
Well, it was Lorenzo for one. But even for him... he knew that was not something he would have condoned. He was born of his magic, crafted by his soul. He knew better than anyone just how much he adored, respected women. Perhaps it was because he was a bastard boy that he didn't wish to make a girl cry. That day, he made a promise, the most important promise of his life.
And here and now, that man had broken it. He knew not what had went into him, if he even thought at all during that moment. But no matter how offended the to women were of that, the thing that had been offended the most was Lorenzo. Not because he may get the shit beat out of him by the craziest lass he ever saw, but because he'd soon realize just what he had done.
Well, god be damned give that idiot a medal.
Even so, he couldn't leave him alone like that. Because he to made a promise. And he would keep to that promise. After all, it is what that man wished.
Flying around the area, he finally found Lorenzo's acquintance. Perching on her shoulder, he spoke calmly.
"Do you think it's a good idea to leave him be like that?"
Roxas
He expected her to come at him once again, delivering a more devastating blow as a follow up attack. Instead, several tentacles sprouted from her body. Perhaps she had gotten more dangerous now but perhaps now she had given him the opening he was looking for this entire time. She underestimated him and now she was going to pay the price. He re-summoned his second keyblade, oblivion and attempted to slash the tentacles, breaking through her assault. If this worked he planned to charge oathkeeper with a gravitaga spell, throw it at Rikuyo, causing a small field of intense gravity to crush her.
Sarse
Sarse was even less sure how to respond to Gintoki's questions, words stumbling in his throat before he spoke. "Galactic... No, not exactly. I was certainly assigned to Earth, but then, I don't think that's quite where we are."
He could just tell them everything now instead of drawing out his responses and only effectively giving flowery yeses or nos for the questions. But he still stubbornly resisted the idea - perhaps because he would have liked to keep at least part of his usual MO intact as something familiar to cling on to.
Emily
Emily's relief at Mordred's safe, if unorthodox, arrival, quickly turned to minor outrage at Abby's comment. Pushing that aside, Emily quickly approached Mordred, feeling her over for any injuries.
"Thank goodness you're okay, let's see if you've got any-" Emily cuts herself off part way through checking for broken ribs, "Oh dear...Well, you're safe now, and I can fix this easily enough."
That other Changeling's already told the others, so it can't really hurt...
Pressing lightly against the Mordred's injuries, Emily lets the Glamour flow for the Contract, paying the price without a second thought. The power of the Eternal Spring flowing from her body into Mordred's, healing whatever injuries remained on the Summer Courtier and leaving her invigorated.
After a few moments, the rush of power fades, leaving Emily feeling somewhat drained. The changeling's shoulders fell as she slumped forward a bit, letting out a slow breath as she calmed down.
Roxas
His counter attack worked. He fought off the attacking tentacles and managed to stun Rikuyo long enough for him to close in and deliver what could be his final attack. It was clear to him now that she had been holding back. When she transformed she got stronger somehow, otherwise she would have taken much more damage from the gravitaga spell. For all he knew she could get even stronger after the attack was finished. Furthermore, it was clear ti him now that he could go all out against her. He was going to take a gamble that she didn't have a very high level of magic resistance.
"Get ready Rikuyo! This is the end!" He shouted. Roxas re-spawned oathkeeper in his hands. Now within blades range of Rikuyo, he raised oathkeeper in the air and cast stopaga. The tip of his blade glowed green and using this spell he attempted to stop time for her up to 8 seconds. In the 8 seconds he would use his light magic to rain down powerful large pillars of light to strike his opponent. He would do this by firing a continuous stream of light into the air. About 20 pillars of light would strike the immediate space around them during the duration of the spell. Considering how much space she takes up with the tentacles, a good amount should hit. This attack worked well on Vanguard, perhaps it will work on her as well.
Roxas
If Roxas had learned anything from his fight with Vanguard, it was that he can't win a fight just with brute force. When he tried this attack last time his opponent was damaged but not defeated or even stunned. Still, he was surprised that she was healing so quickly. He knew what was coming next, a fatal counter attack. Thanks to the fact that he stopped time to deliver his attack, he was able to time it so that he stopped delivering light strikes right as the 8 seconds were up. In that very same moment, he cast Reflectaga. He made a cross shaped block with his keyblade and a magical circular barrier surrounded him. Whatever attack impacted with his shield would create a large spread of light particles that contain the force of the attack that hit the barrier. These particles would be limited to the area around them, hitting most of the rooftop aside from the edges. It would also hit the immediate space in the air around them. This was the last part of his counter assault. If he could not end it here, he was sure to lose. He gambled that after that last assault, she would take him seriously and give him a attack worth deflecting.
"It's not New Namek either, and there are so many humans here that it must be something connected to Earth." he said, scratching the back of his head Whatever, pal, just know you should feel free welcome here even if you're not Earthling. I fought aliens once upon a time, but I don't bear any grudge from the past."The half-elf couldn't help but respond these things. "That's rather arrogant, you know? To assume that your races' presence means that this Plane is 'earth', let alone that you have the authority to allow or disallow the presence of someone here."
Then he set his eyes on Aisha, looking at her disapprovingly: "You know, I should remind the old-timer to throw away that vial if he doesn't already think about it. PTA would savage her like the wild gorillas they are."He must have misheard the man. Take away a gift given by Aisha to Anatu? While he had no fondness to blood magic, who would see a being like Aisha, or that gift, as evil? He wouldn't stand for it. "I think the two of you should keep yourselves well away from lady Aisha's gift. There is no harm in such a gift."
The half-elf couldn't help but respond these things. "That's rather arrogant, you know? To assume that your races' presence means that this Plane is 'earth', let alone that you have the authority to allow or disallow the presence of someone here."
He must have misheard the man. Take away a gift given by Aisha to Anatu? While he had no fondness to blood magic, who would see a being like Aisha, or that gift, as evil? He wouldn't stand for it. "I think the two of you should keep yourselves well away from lady Aisha's gift. There is no harm in such a gift."
Suiren
Suiren heard Butler’s words, but her focus remained on the man, the stupid, worthless, weak man. The Golden light continued to dance, as she did so.
She saw his glare, and she saw his indecision, his rage, his sadness, his confusion. She saw it fly though his eyes. But it was that glare that angered her more. He was enraged, enraged at her words. Good, that was the proper reaction. People react to the truth with anger, people deny things with everything they have, and with that their anger boils as they reject their nature and fate.
But Suiren was not like that, and because of that Butler was right. Her wrath was pointless against him. However, she would leave him with a warning. And a response to his silent challenge.
And so she reached out, her existence reached out and listened, and from the flames she heard the heartbeat. She heard the crackle, she heard the pulse of the ignition, and she claimed it for her own.
The golden light that poured from everything around her vanished, she had no need to for it. However from the flames it surged with even greater intensity. It danced like lightning from the remaining flames of the circle, and moved to Suiren’s limbs.
The golden lightning dance, and slowly it changed. The lightning was no longer there, but rather her feet and hands were ablaze with golden flames.
Golden Flame Ignition Blow!
It was a show, a show of her force, a show to tell them what she was. His flames were nothing to her, simply something else for her to reign over, just another thing to claim her superiority over, for she was the Empress.
And with that she simply turned and left, as the golden flames began to dissipate.
QuoteRoxas
If Roxas had learned anything from his fight with Vanguard, it was that he can't win a fight just with brute force. When he tried this attack last time his opponent was damaged but not defeated or even stunned. Still, he was surprised that she was healing so quickly. He knew what was coming next, a fatal counter attack. Thanks to the fact that he stopped time to deliver his attack, he was able to time it so that he stopped delivering light strikes right as the 8 seconds were up. In that very same moment, he cast Reflectaga. He made a cross shaped block with his keyblade and a magical circular barrier surrounded him. Whatever attack impacted with his shield would create a large spread of light particles that contain the force of the attack that hit the barrier. These particles would be limited to the area around them, hitting most of the rooftop aside from the edges. It would also hit the immediate space in the air around them. This was the last part of his counter assault. If he could not end it here, he was sure to lose. He gambled that after that last assault, she would take him seriously and give him a attack worth deflecting.
Rikuyo
The force of the shockwave was met with the shield that dispersed the kinetic force of the attack. The boy still ahd it in him, and again, Rikuyo wanted to end this fight. So she transformed back, her arm turning into a claw of a pistol shrimp, which snapped generating even more force. She kept at it in hope to smash away that barrier, he couldn't kept at it forever after all.
Roxas
He managed to hold the barrier together as she delivered a second attack. Immediately afterward, the barrier dropped. However, in its place a powerful shockwave of light magic covered the entire roof, engulfing Rikuyo. It contained the combined power of all her strikes to the barrier. Regardless he still took the third strike. Thankfully, he was already blocking, so he was able to absorb a bit of the shock of the attack and avoid getting sent flying again. Even so, he was still damaged greatly. He dropped down to his knees in exhaustion.
Roxas
Roxas watched as she blocked the attack, somehow ending up with only a damaged arm. That was more than enough for him. He lowered his guard, ready to concede the match.
" Alright Rikuyo, I think Ive had....."
Before he could finish, he was hit with a shockwave. He dropped to the floor and lost consciousness. His keyblades vanished as he laid down unconscious.
Richard Maxwell
Clearly unimpressed by the woman's rash words, he snapped his finger as soon as she spoke up to him. Her mouth open wide, it was perfect for him to simply send the healing water inside her gaping trap.
"I told you not to make me waste my breath." sighed Richard, giving the woman a hard, cold look. Then, he let his hand rest on his hip and continued.
"Now, if that one braincell of yours didn't die of loneliness, I suggest you don't cry or move erratically. If the liquid got into your trachea, I'm afraid you'd die. Just drink it, it will make the pain wear off to a degree."
Emily
Her task completed, Emily allowed a moment to catch her breath before collecting herself and straightening up to face Abby.
"Last time I checked, it's rather difficult to check for broken ribs without touching someone," Emily pointed out, "Unless, of course, you happen have an X-ray or, in this case, are willing to strip the injured person down in public."
With that, she allowed a grin, "That aside, I must admit to finding it amusing that that was the first thing you thought of."
Emily cut herself off there, deigning to not fire the final verbal shot. For now, at least.
"Hmm, convenient," Emily admits to Abby, "Unfortunately, I don't have anything like that, so I just have to make do. She's all healed up now, anyway, so there's no need to move."
That aside, the poor guy doesn't sound like he actually wants us to move this somewhere private.
"And Mordred," the Changeling continues, "If they had ways of tracking the air itself or Hedge travel, I think they'd have caught up to us by now. That said, it wouldn't be wise to stay here for too long."
Bondage Boy? Then again, those pants seem to support her statement.
"For that matter, it might not be wise to go back to your place," Emily says after a short pause, "Considering how easily these people caught us unaware, I'd say they've been tracking you for a while."
Then an idea strikes, and Emily turns to Abby and Law, "Could we perhaps stay with you for a while? At least until this mess boils over. We'd be in your debt. Besides, you'd probably want to clear out quickly anyway. If it turns out that they can track us, then they won't be too far behind, and with how much attention...Bondage Boy," Emily can't help but giggle for a moment at the moniker, "How much attention he draws, I'd say it would be best if we all got going quickly."
Seeing the woman advance towards Chalice Girl, Michael remembered all too late the effects of the Chalice on others. Cursing his own idiocy, the immortal quickly Enhances himself before interposing between Chalice Girl and the woman, staff already drawn.
"First off, I doubt you could actually destroy that thing," Michael says, watching her carefully for any signs of attacking, "Second, even if you do manage it, everything will going to go to shit for just about everyone here, and I don't think you want that. Besides, why do you want to destroy this thing?"
Michael
"She's leaving as quickly as she can," Michael counters, stepping back a few paces, "If that's not quick enough for you, then I suppose I can distract you."
"After all," Michael says, readying himself, "What are you going to go after first? The Chalice Girl that's running away from you? Or the one who will buy her time if need be?"
Michael
The sudden change in coloration was a clear indicator to the immortal that things had gone past the point of talking. Then the girl fired off some kind of energy blast, Michael already bringing the staff around to-
Break.
What would have been a movement to block the blast turned into a strike, the black corruption covering the staff seeming to pulse briefly in the infinitesimally small instant before the staff struck the energy blast, dispersing it to the immortal's momentary surprise. Shaking it off, Michael decides to stand his ground against this opponent, bringing the staff around to a guard position as he watches Rikuyo.
Still smiling, he winced once and the air turned extremely cold. Before anyone could react, the surrounding snow turned to water and splashed the staff-man and blast woman, only to turn back into encasing ice.
"Good grief, would you kindly quit that? I have better things to do than to spank misbehaving children."
Hopefully they would heed his sagacious advice.
Abigail frowned at Mordred's words and her chiding."
However if someone's hunting Changlings and maybe even Fae with the power to back it up, that's really not good.
She remembered her half-sister, driven mad by jealousy and a lust for power. She hadn't wanted Abigail dead, but she had wanted Abigail as hers. A shiver ran through her at the memory of her half-sister's hands on her body and her soft, cool lips against her heated flesh.
Then she heard Mordred mentioning that she wanted to kill, "Along with Law-unto-whate- and some perverted killer".
Abby's frown increased and she said, "Honestly, if someone is hunting Fae we should go to Law Unto Herself. Her home's protected against a lot of stuff and she's heavily armed. If you guys are being hunted she can help keep you safe until she can stop this guy."
She turned to Mordred and said, "Look, you might have some beef with her for some reason, but for stuff like this she's better than the police to get help from and she knows Fae and her place is warded by one of the Faerie nobles of my world. If she doesn't want someone getting in, they won't.
Forest
"You're welcome. I mean, I can't die of hypothermia, but I still feel the cold and I'm not even in it so I figured you'd be freezing," Forest said with a small smile and a shrug, "I'm just glad it fits."
She then nodded and said, "Well, you brace the area with one hand and hold the gun right up to where you want to nail. Don't put it at an angle or it won't go in right. Then you just press the trigger and BOOM it should be nailed. Technology, one thing I'll never get tired of."
Forest
"It's done, lass. Anything else you need?"
Now there's a loaded question if I've ever heard one, Forest thought to herself before grinning at Lancer.
She answered, "Thank you, that's great. Now let's get inside before more than your hair starts to turn blue. I could fix some tea or I have something a might bit stronger if you prefer."
Forest
Forest found herself grinning in return and tilted her head towards the stairs.
"Of course I do. Mead, cider, beer, whiskey, scotch, take your pick," she answered.
Her smile stiffened; the real reason her liquor cabinet was stocked was someone she wasn't going to see again. She shook it off, swung her arms and said, "I also have some peach schnaps too. Its good with orange juice."
Forest
"Did I already say that I like you?"
Forest would have blushed if she had fed recently at that, instead her smile grew. She replied, "Not exactly, but if you want to say it again I'd really like to hear it."
She moved to lead him to the kitchen, trotting down the steps. Part of her had been sad that everyone had left, but Lancer was still here and that was a nice thing. "Admittedly, its fruity and sweet, pretty much the epitome of a fruity girly drink, but I like it in orange juice. It can't get me snockered, but fermented liquor lost its kick to me."
She then sighed and said, "Part of the reason I have such an extensive collection was my godson loved it so, and with me here in the Nexus and him at home, he won't be able to drink it any time soon. So I'm glad someone's using it, especially since they're a Celt."
They soon reached the kitchen and Forest started retrieving glasses, ice, and various bottles. "Ah here we go."
EmilyLaw had remained silent at the girls doing their thing out of fear of being drowned in a sea of estrogen if he tried to move the chatter away from the topic at hand, but this was... strange as hell.
Emily watched with no small amount of dismay as Abigail, whether knowingly or not, continued to push Mordred's buttons in the worst way possible. Then Mordred's accusation of Abby being a Loyalist came about.
Loyalist? Well shit, we'd have been better off...wait...this place seems to draw people in from other dimensions...who's to say that this one is even from the same place as Mordred and I?
"Mordred," Emily interrupts firmly, "I'm fairly certain there's been a gap in understanding here. Chances are actually fairly good that Abby isn't quite like us. First off, she doesn't seem to have a Mask, unless pointy ears are part of it for some strange reason."
With that, the former Spring Queen turns to Abigail.
"And while you may not know it, pretty much everything you've said would've elicited much the same reaction from most Changelings where we're from. So that begs the question, do the terms Wyrd, Gentry, or Arcadia mean anything to you?"
Richard Maxwell
Richard turned around and looked at the woman as if she was crazy. Shaking his head, he maintained his calm smiling pristine impeccable number one nexus city citizen face as smiling, pristine and impeccable as ever.
Well, if he had to choose between the crazy girl and the snotty buffoon, he’d take the cutsey redhead any day.
“How about no? Now, I healed your boy. That will be five hundred, cash only.” Said Richard. Then, without as much as a single movement, the water encasing the woman melted away as quickly as it froze.
Richard Maxwell
Richard’s face grew pale as a ghost at the woman’s words. For what seemed to be an instant, he stopped smiling.
“You-“
The air grew very chilling, even colder than earlier. Richard winced and the snow surrounding him turned into water, liquid forming tentacles that squirmed and writhed around him.
“You asked for my generous services, and you tell me that you did it without the intention to pay?” he asked, his gleeful smile now gone as he gave the woman an aggravated look.
“I hear the organ trade is blooming lately. If you can’t fill my pockets with your money, fill them with your liver.”
Suddenly, as if he commanded it so, multiple spikes of ice were shot near the woman with incredible speed. Such an attack would have easily punched trough even an elephant, the ice now nicely encased into the ground.
Hopefully she would heed his sage warning and pay up.
Michael
To the immortal's momentary surprise, it would seem the fall had been faked, as the girl's new tail wrapped around the staff and pulled on it.
Huh, a martial artist, perhaps?
Letting himself go, the girl's own monstrous strength sent Michael sailing towards her as water tentacles hoisted her up into the air, the immortal pulling on his staff to bring himself around with an axe-kick.
...I've read enough pillow books to know where this is going.
Richard's gaze turned frigid. That woman, she wasn't normal. Smiling coldly, he turned to her and spoke.
"You, what are you?"
Roxas
"Ugh! This is insane!" Roxas said frustrated and conflicted. He wasn't strong enough to stop Rikuyo himself but he also wasn't sure if he could stop the creepy doctor and the staff guy. Based on their abilities so far, he thought that Rikuyo will probably win. Thankfully, he hadn't used any magic aside from that light cure spell, so his magic was almost fully recovered. If she went too far, he would have to try to stop her. He just wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible.
Roxas charged the staff guy. When he was in range, he planned to attack with a horizontal slash with oathkeeper and follow up with a diagonal slash from oblivion.
Richard Maxwell
"Answer my question." said Richard with a chilling tone.
Tapping his foot, all the snow and all the ice instantly mented and turned to water, running down and slithering across the ground until not a single inch of the area surrounding them was dry. It was as if standing atop a giant puddle.
Richard frowned. His affable smile gone, all that was left was an aggravating look. It seemed he'd have to find out manually.
"Kazikli Bey- Der Rosenkavalier." he said, words of a dull tone filled with magical power. Immediately, the puddle shifted and burst into many frozen spears, about a dozen thorns of ice shooting from below with the intention of impaling the woman from all directions.
Richard Maxwell
"Very well. Accept this as your farewell gift, monster." said Richard, nodding before taking a stance. His hand was pointed at the woman, open as if to grab something.
Then, there was a powerful surge of magical energy. All the water collected around the man's arm, swirling into a sharp edge at his palm. Not one droplet was left, all that was there was a maddening drill of water swirling around the man's arm, as if to consume it. Richard's face twisted in pain, the magical energy growing in power exponentially.
Then it all stopped, the water forming what seemed to be a lance of ridiculous size, it's point aiming for where the man's palm was directed at.
"Der Heilige Nagel Requiem!" Richard yelled, pouring all his energy into the lance of water. With those words, the liquid projectile shot forward, surpassing the speed of sound and causing a tremendous shockwave. The concrete below the bursting water shattered under the sheer force, a force so great even Richard was sent back a few feet.
He wouldn't be using that arm any time soon it seemed. How troublesome. However, even if that woman's blast was quite powerful, it wouldn't be enough to cancel out the full attack.
Richard Maxwell
A mighty attack, a lance that could not be avoided or averted by even the greatest of beasts of his knowledge. Unleashed, it was powerful enough to cut trough a skyscraper cleanly. And yet-
She was alive. More precisely, in one piece. That meat doll, that mound of monstrous flesh, that thing. It withstood his mightiest attack, a spell crafted with the sole purpose to kill him.
"You..." growled Richard, his tone furious yet astonished. She did not seem to have any vampiric or demonic power. If one went by appearance alone, she was but a normal girl. And yet, her power compared to the strongest monsters out there! This was almost too strange. Almost.
So he laughed. He laughed loud and heartily, as if to respond to a funny joke. He seemed relaxed.
"Are you alright?" said Richard, his mood unnaturally jolly compared to the situation. Despite his exhausted state, he did not pant or show any sign of fatigue.
Abigail
Abigail blinked at Mordred's tirade about wanting to kill Forest and about Abby being a "loyalist" or whatever that meant. For some reason she was reminded of the American Revolution with the people being loyal to England and those being loyal to the Colonies. However, Mordred started ranting about Abby being loyal to people being slaves, and she felt her eyes narrow.
"Mordred," Emily said in a firm voice, "I'm fairly certain there's been a gap in understanding here. Chances are actually fairly good that Abby isn't quite like us. First off, she doesn't seem to have a Mask, unless pointy ears are part of it for some strange reason."
Abby felt her cheeks heat up and she reached up to touch the point of her left ear before trying to pull some of her red hair over it. She nodded and replied, "Emily's right. You feel completely different than I do. There's enough similarities that my senses tell me that you're part of some sort of Fae and human, but not a Fae where I'm from, and where I'm from if a Faerie tries to take a child to raise as a slave that's a grave crime with an even worse punishment. Children are precious. Faeries especially don't go around stealing them from their parents arms to put them into slavery where I'm from."
Then Emily turned to her and asked, "And while you may not know it, pretty much everything you've said would've elicited much the same reaction from most Changelings where we're from. So that begs the question, do the terms Wyrd, Gentry, or Arcadia mean anything to you?"
Abigail frowned at the question and toyed with the crystal around her neck. She said, "I'm sorry, and . . . Weird means stuff that's strange, Gentry is another word for 'aristocrat', and isn't Arcadia the name of Captain Harlock's ship?"
"Uh, gals? I think there's a better place to talk about this than in front of a changing room at Target. Like maybe my car. Or the parking lot," Law said, clearing his throat.
Abigail looked at him and said, "I don't want to get Mordred more riled up, so I want to get this cleared up before we deal with this hunter dude."
Richard Maxwell
"Ah, that's good. Good indeed. Man, this was just terrible. And I put all I had into that too, took me everything I had. No-"
Then, he chucked. He didn't seem to be quite there, as if he was lost in his thoughts. It's not like he was mad or anything, no no no. It's just that when seeing that meat doll regenerate like that, he couldn't help but get in his bad habits again. Just a little.
"I see. I lost because I went all out. It's only natural, I should have judged better than to focus on offense. Using mindless brute force was never my forte, unlike you. And yet I did get carried away. Maaaan, this is embarassing. So embarassing, so embarassing so embarassing. This is so embarassing I feel like puking, haha. And look, now I have no arms! Haha, hahahaha. Man, so embarassing. Embarassing embarassing embarassing embarassing." he raved with an oddly flat voice before laughing his heart out. He laughed so much, so hard, that it looked like he was about to die from it.
After a little while, he regained his composure. Getting up sloppily yet with a certain grace, he smiled and spoke once more. This time, he was calm. After all, being calm suited him better, keeping calm meant he wouldn't do mistakes like that again.
"Well, bravo. You won. Congratulations. With that, how about I treat you all to something to eat? I'll get you some clothes while you are at it."
Roxas sighed. "Look, all I was trying to do was stall until I had an opening to stop Rikuyo. I didn't really want to fight you." He said, a bit tired of being dragged around.
He turned around and began walking to where the other pair had fought, not waiting for a response out of fear that Rikuyo would do something else drastic. "You cant just attack people after they do you a favor!" He said, a bit annoyed that he had to fight when he was against it.
Forest
Forest nodded at Lancer's words to toasting Gabriel. She poured some orange juice in a glass and a bit of the peach schnapps, swirling it together. Gabriel, if he had been here, would have cheered the situation.
He'd probably say something like, "Good for you, Godmother. You're actually socializing with a man you find attractive. There's hope for you yet." Then he'd smirk in that infuriating way of his that's way too much like his mum.
Lancer poured himself a glass of pure schnapps with ice, lifted it up and said, "Cheers to your god-son."
The vampire lifted her glass and said, "To Gabriel. May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door." She took a drink, smiling at the mixture of juice and spirits and held the glass between her palms, rubbing them against the slick surface. "And the same to you, Lancer. Also, I doubt Archer's going to be staying here because his new master's apparently shacking up with Abigail. So, there's that. I do need to go out tonight though; there's an idiot I need to try to save."
Forest
"Well, it all works out after all," Lancer said with a snort before emptying his glass and moving to pour another glass of schnaps.
His ears perked up before he looked back at her and asked, "Yeah? Ya need any help? I can come if ya want, lass."
Forest perked up at his offer, smiled and nodded. "Actually, that would be great. I could use someone to watch my back, and considering what this guy can pull out, it would probably be a good thing. I feel a little outclassed."
She laughed as she sipped at her Fuzzy Navel. "Me outclassed. I'm an ancient vampire and now I'm a little fish in a huge ocean. Subjected to all the sharks' whims."
Forest
"Makes things less boring if ya ask me. Let's go. Explain to me along the way, lass."
Forest put the glasses in the sink with a nod. "Ah, first I need to change and get ready. I mean, going out to pummel some sense into someone wearing my PJs is kind of ridiculous. I'd be really comfy, but get cold really quickly. Well, come along, at least I can show you were my quarters are."
Michael
The immortal considers the situation for all of a moment before allowing a fond smile.
"Can't say I'd turn down the offer," Michael admits, "What about you, kid?"
"Though," Michael continues as he notices the hydromancer's current state, "He'll probably need a hand as it is."
Forest
"Makes for a funny story," Lancer grinned before gesturing for her to go out first, "Looking forward to it. Lead the way."
Forest grinned and said, "As for Funny Stories I can tell a few . . . But I have a reputation to uphold! I can't get lazy and go beating up the forces of evil in my PJs." However she led him down into the lowest level of the compound. There was a distinct lack of windows and the walls seemed to be thicker here. A low hum of magic seemed to vibrate around the walls, signaling that the wards were at their strongest here.
She gestured to her office, complete with its Army of Darkness poster framed on the wall. "That's my office, I have an entertainment room across from it, a sort of sanctuary for myself when people get too annoying or loud, and my bedroom with a full bath."
She opened the door to the bedroom, expecting a crack about how purple everything was, save for the painting of a murder of crows milling about on the Moors on the wall above her bed.
Sarse
The seraphim hoped everything would be alright with Just and the girl, disagreements over the gift of the woman nonwithstanding. Sarse felt like they were good people, and in a vague instinctive way, sensed they were... more aligned to the symphony than most humans. It made them feel closer to him, somehow. He thought about making use of the Song Of Tongues when he noticed they didn't speak the same language, but in the end decided against it. There was no point in butting in when they were getting along anyhow. There was also the fact his essence reserve was down to less than half currently.
He still didn't know what to make of Gintoki. The man seemed more off in the clouds with every sentence that came out of his mouth. It's not that he was that uncommon (by the standards of this city that he was admittedly still getting used to), but he came off as a little outlandish. As a person, that is.
"There are a lot of hotels and pensions around where you could rest for a night. Just need to find one," Sarse said, facing the roughshod samurai (?). "But I take it you don't exactly have money on you right now either?"
Forest
"Ready?" she asked with a smile.
Forest
Forest smiled at the look Lancer was giving her, realizing it had been too long since she'd gotten such a look. Then she tilted her head and said, "Well, follow me then."
The blond turned, gracefully pivoting on her heel, and lead him towards the garage.
Forest
As she walked Lancer to the garage she frowned and looked at him. "You know, I have no idea where to bloody find him. I mean, he's the sort once you see him you wouldn't forget him, but knocking my fists on some lowlifes to get them to talk would take a lot of time. It would be fun though."
She toyed with the charm on her choker and mused, "He's also moonlighting as a vampire hunter and Van Helsings aren't looked too fondly in the leech community." She tilted her head and asked with a grin, "Got any ideas where to start?"
Forest folded her arms across her chest and answered, "His name's Emiya Shirou. He's Japanese and a magic user. He . . . the best way I can describe him is 'calico'. His hair is white and red, and his skin is molted dark and light. He also has one gray eye and one golden one. He's a bit of a repressed wanker too, if his reaction to my bite was any indication. Oh, yeah, he can summon swords out of mid-air and make them explode."
Forest
Forest winched at the mention of Archer, twiddled her index fingers together, looked away and said, "I really don't think that's a good idea because Archer's the one who wants to kill him. Some retro-active suicide wish or whatnot. Even though time travel really doesn't work that way, but let him be a stubborn get."
She could practically hear the gears in Lancer's head turning as he put one and one together and she nodded. "That train of thought? Its not wrong. That's why Archer was so hot to contract with Law, so he could go kill . . . himself."
Forest
The blond nodded and said, "If Law's staying with Abigail, I could probably find her address. Even though she's born in this age, she's still half Fae and not very tech savy. If push comes to shove we could just go to her place and wait it out and make sure Archer doesn't do anything stupid."
Forest
"Well, you could come with me. Keep me company? Shirou had me on the ropes, and if Archer is him perfected then I really don't want to get into a fight with him," Forest replied.
It was one of the reasons she stayed close to Wynn. When outclassed you ask for the biggest, scariest backup you could think of. Plus, admittedly, she did want him to keep her company.
"Yup, I'm without a yen since I splurged what I had on me on pachinko parlors, and then woke up here with a headache. In worst case, I'll become a cardbox god. Eh, I guess I will manage one night or two as a one, that's still better than being a toilet god."
Sarse started with a slight scowl, "That seems a bit..." Strange choice of words aside, he didn't doubt the fact Gintoki could handle himself (probably), but he felt a bit sorry the man was so easily pondering things in those terms. "Well, if you don't mind -"
Noise.
The scowl turned into a frown as Sarse shook his head. There was a sudden disturbance far away, roiling like waves across the world. The seraphim cast his gaze into the distance as he sensed it, and the sharp contrast it made against what would simply be a influx of power. No, it was more than that, it was -
His train of thought was interrupted as the noise became a scream.
The whole of the Symphony of the Nexus shook. Like a tsunami rising over an beach filled with people, only to fall and silence their shouts with the rage of nature. Sarse's celestial soul itself was deafened and for a moment, only a deep, existential screech echoed in his mind, blanking out any other sound. Sarse clutched the sides of his head, feeling it would rip open, with his expression furrowed in extreme discomfort. Even as the shrill noise diminished, it lingered, and he trembled, seized by panic.
The angel physically stumbled in attempting to right himself, and mouthed off a 'sorry' to Gintoki as he turned heel towards his vehicle.
"Sanel! We're going!" he called out as he got up on the bike.
Emily
In hindsight, Emily noted that she probably should've taken into account that, distracted or not, Mordred was actually a fighter while most certainly was not. The Changeling's grip was just short of painful, but Emily stared back at her resolutely regardless.
"I'm trying to make sure we don't end up easy pickings for whoever attacked us earlier," Emily stated, "Maybe you had a run-in with some Kindred back before you got here, but we have no way of knowing that vampires here are the same as vampires there. Think for a moment, if this place has Changelings who haven't even gone through a Durance, Changelings who didn't even come around the same way we did, think of what other differences there could be! That aside, I'm not looking forward to meeting a vampire either, but unless she keeps regular correspondence with these two here, chances are that we won't even have to bother with her. Now if you're going to go out at night hunting vampires, I can't really help you there, but can you please focus on the immediate concerns? Like whatever shady group that one bitch who beat the hell out of belonged to, assuming she was part of one?"
Sarse
Even as he kept his attention on the road, Sarse's eyebrows shot up with surprise, then fell apologetically.
"Sorry. I just assumed you would've come along with me," the angel said, voice solemn. Sometimes he forgot, not all understood the world like he did. In that sense, he was very much like any other seraphim, you could say. His lips curled up just a little bit. "But since you did... well."
He took a deep breath as if preparing to go on a long winded explanation, then continued. "All of existence is a great, living, everflowing, dynamic melody, Than'sanel. A Symphony first woven by the one we call God. Or, at least, that is how I know things; and how I experience them even here in this world that is clearly apart from my own. This sensitivity I possess allows me to perceive a great many deals of things, including when the universe itself is harmed or flooded with noise that consumes its proper sound. And moments ago, I felt the greatest disruption in its tone I have ever in my... admittedly very long life, by mortal standards. It was as if the world itself screamed, cracking as if there was a clash of truly ancient and mighty powers."
His gaze remained on where they were driving, but he reclined his head back while addressing Sanel. "Anything that strong might be a considerable threat to the integrity of the world itself. And I don't know what we'll find there, but I need to know what caused it, and if it is something - or someone - I can stop."
After much zooming through traffic and road rules violations, they drew every closer to where the massive disturbance in the Symphony still lingered, and Sarse began to slow down. "We're just arriving," he offered his companion.
Mere seconds after, throught streets bustling with uncommon activity, with people going from one side to the other and speaking in hushed tones, the ground zero of the event that had so upset Sarse came into view. The first thing that drew his attention was the ruined building of a use he couldn't determine anymore due to the harm it had taken and pieces that had outright collapsed. The second was that there looked to be some sort of large, fizzling crater head. Immediately after, came the blockade that had been set up before the ravaged streets, attended to by a line of soldiers in gear that had a decidedly anachronistic feeling to it, like someone had pulled many distinct knights and fighters from the middle ages and reorganized them and their looks to adhere to a single theme of sorts.
Sarse ignored the masses they were keeping away for a moment, and parked his bike several meters behind the barrier before shutting it off and dismounting. The angel shot Sanel a look to follow him, and walked up to the guards.
"Excuse me," he said, calling out with a firm and calm tone. "Why is this barrier here? What's happened exactly to warrant this sort of concern?"
Richard Maxwell
"Are you..."
Without really thinking, Richard hugged the woman and held her as close as he could. He could feel her heart beating madly, as if she was terrified of something. He didn't knew why, but he felt like this fear was not unlike one that he had known. Even if he wouldn't have minded killing her earlier if she proved to be a threat, he realized that he had completely misjudged the situation.
She felt... warm. It wasn't unlike someone he knew. His expression blank and emotionless, Richard wiped her face with his scarf.
Kern Metera
Kern’s only thoughts as he talked to a concerned man in a suit were damning Just for not being her and for Christina for doing another check over. He should not be the person in control of the blockade, let alone explaining to people what was going on.
Kern was a giant of a man, standing at around 7 feet with a build that could be best described as a bear’s. His body was covered in armor, and on his back sat a massive Battle Axe which seemed to have some sort of mechanism built into it. As well as an additional pair of longsword sitting in sheaths attached to his belt.
And then another group of people, three men, 2 of which were relatively normal but the third one was… was he even human? He glanced at a couple of the men lined up and saw them tense up. But they did not act out; they were ordered to keep the line after all.
Kern gave a last couple of words before walking up to the new group of three, “For safety reasons we have closed off the area. I apologize, but even if you have reason to we cannot let you pass.”
His voice was a heavy baratone, fitting for his body type, as he carefully watched the group, with slight more focus on the pointy eared one.
Michael
Michael took a moment to look at the two, then at the clearly uncomfortable kid.
"It's okay, kid," he said, patting Roxas on the shoulder, "Chances are you'll understand this stuff better when you're a bit older, but let's just say that those two probably need a moment to themselves."
Emily
Emily furrowed her brow for a moment at Mordred's reply, not entirely because of the second tirade against vampires, but because of the last bit.
"Hold on, about this person who helped you before now," Emily started, ignoring the other two, "Did they ask for anything in return? Or were they just helping you out of the kindness of their heart? The first I trust, the second I'd rather avoid."
Richard Maxwell
“Shut up. Just shut up.” Richard snapped, looking down all while wiping the girl’s face off.
Caressing the girl’s cheek, he let her hair flow between his fingers before hugging her again.
“I’m not doing this because I give a damn about you. It’s just that you’re crying so pitifully I can’t help but want to puke. You are pathetic, you make me sick to my stomach. So sick I think I’ll go crazy any moment. I’d probably feel better if you just dropped dead, but I don’t even care enough to bother. That is how pathetic you are.” He snapped, harsh words without a tint of emotion.
“But that’s no good. I’m not feeling good at all, and it’s all your fault. It’s not like I care, but you are littering this whole damn place with your tears. If you keep this up, the whole place will be dirty again and there won’t be anyone left to clean it. I can't stand to see someone cry. That’s all.”
Then, he got up and wiped her eyes with his scarf again. Sighing, he bit his lip and turned around.
He really was a terrible actor.
“Come. You can’t stay with rags all day. “
Sakura
Almost the instant she took hold of the rod, Sakura was pulled off her feet by a powerful tug. Realising she could not hold on, she let go of the rod, but it was too late, she was already being propelled into the water at great speed, hitting it with a splash.
Sakura began to swim towards the shore, but before she could do so, she suddenly found herself suspended in mid-air, floating gently towards the ground, still thoroughly soaked.
Oh no, my phone!
Sakura took the device from her pocket, finding that, to her relief, it was still operational. However, that did not change her annoyance at what had happened.
As Sakura landed gracefully on the grass, still holding her phone in her hand, she glared at Togan. Whilst it theoretically could just be an accident, fishing ponds did not generally have whale-sized creatures swimming in them. Plus, Togan had created the whole scene in the first place, so he clearly chose to create such creatures. Add to that the fact that she had been pulled under almost the instant she grabbed hold of the fishing rod, and all the evidence pointed to it not being an accidental occurrence, but rather something Togan had intentionally caused, presumably using the same magical powers that allowed him to teleport her out of the water afterwards.
Sakura stood up and marched angrily towards Togan. Based on his previous record, it was probably not done out of malice, but right now Sakura did not care. In the last few hours, she had gone from being in the middle of a very enjoyable sex session with her husband to being lost in a completely different world, with no idea where either he or Rider were. She was not in the mood for dumb practical jokes, especially not when they left her only clothes soaking wet and could easily have damaged her phone or any one of a number of other things she was carrying on her.
“What the hell did you do that for?” she said, angrily. “My only set of clothes is now soaking wet-
Kern Metera
Kern looked at the new arrivals again, not even bothering to listen to the white haired man’s nonsense, and focused on what the pointy eared not-human said. His friend SENSED something happened here. Which also meant his friend was not human. He stole a quick glance at the others and saw some of them tensed up even more.
This was getting progressively worse, he really hoped these people would leave before Christina would get back; the last thing he wanted was to have to fight.
Especially since he was saving most of his energy for tonight.
“Look, it’s not safe, that’s all that matters. And you’re not getting through if you want to get closer. I apologize but that’s how it is.” He told them with a calm tone, while internally praying they would just leave as soon as possible.
Forest
Forest nodded and replied, "Well, in my experience when I'm about to go against someone who can curb stomp me I find its best to bring back up. And what backup is better than a Celtic Epic Hero, right? Plus, if Shirou tries to shoot me in the bloody back you can run his face into your fist."
Forest
Forest smiled at Lancer's eagerness to go and the smirk and the slight lifting of his bearing. She knew she had to feel out of place; an ancient Celt in this miserable, modern world. Giving him something he could do, to use his skills for was the least she could do for him.
She pulled out her phone and looked up Abigail Summers and was pleased to find her in the phone book. Like most Fae, she really didn't think about keeping herself anonymous. Soon Forest had an address and a phone number. Grinning the blond shook her phone and said, "And now I know where she lives so we're golden."
Then she lead him to one of her pride and joys, her collection of pony cars, specifically the '67 Camaro, Aka the Forest mobile. She opened the passenger door and said, "Hop in."
Forest
"Well then. Show me how this stallion rides, Lass."
Of course he just had to say that, didn't he?
Forest smiled and said, "Of course then, now I'll ride it a little hard from time to time and . . . Well. Yes, and bugger."
She laughed nervously before buckling her own seat belt and turning the key into the ignition, letting the car roar to life.
Abigail
Abigail frowned at Law and said, "Look, I really don't want to admit this, but I think Archer has the right idea. Maybe we should get the heck out of here?"
Ghost Child
The curious face of the child remained hidden under the brick and mortar of the floor as he waited for Kenzo to leave. Minutes passed as the man looked for the child but the spirit never popped up. Instead the other phantom walked into view before shifting into the broken toy. His tongue was still ripped out and and phantasmal blood dripped on the floor.
The mouth moved and Ghost Child's voice was what exited it. "Are you mad that I broke the toy, mister?"
Michael
The immortal frowned at the kid for a moment before bopping him on head.
"Oi, kid, where'd that come from?" Michael said, "I'm just saying they'll probably need a moment to themselves, that's all. The hydromancer here is just offering her a shoulder to lean on until she can compose herself. Until then, we're pretty much unnecessary."
Forest
The engine roared to life and a smile spread across Forest's face. She reached a hand down, turned down the radio but made sure her Ipod was docked. With a few quick swipes of her fingers and Judas Priest was playing while the engine purred.
Shifting the car into gear, Forest smirked and said, "You might want to hold onto something." Pressing her foot on the clutch and then the gas, the Forestmobile shot out of the compound like a rocket.
"No, no, no. That's wrong, you got it all wrong! If you break a toy, you ARE wasting it. By breaking it, it can't do anything ever again and no one can play with it anymore. So if a toy is boring, you should leave it in the toy box and find another one instead. Who knows, maybe someone else will find that boring toy to be the most awesomest toy since ever! But if you break it, you will make other children sad. THAT is wasting."
Abigail
Abigail was shivering in the front passenger's seat of the Firebird as she gave directions to her place. The feel of steel all around her made her skin crawl and her stomach churn. Her hands shook, even when she grabbed her quartz crystal to try to steady herself. She recognized the CCR on the radio, "Bad Moon On the Rise" seemed to be an apt song considering everything that was happening.
She pointed her finger at her townhouse and said, "There." She frowned at the classic black muscle car parked near her place as well and then blinked to see Forest and Lancer stepping out of the car.
Wonder why they're here . . . And how did she find out where I live?
Law parked the car and moved to help her out of the car, she stumbled out slightly, the cool air doing wonders to steady her. "Uggg, cars," she muttered, shaking her head.
Forest
Forest raised her eyebrow as Law parked the Firebird and began to help Abigail out of the car. She waved and walked over to them, a tiny smile on her face and said, "Hello!"
Forest
Forest bit her lip, looked at Lancer and then the green-around the gills Abigail as Law eased her out of the car. She gestured to the car then the redhead. "That car was made before fiberglass became a thing; its mostly steel which is mostly iron. Basically she was riding around in something that is both zapping her strength and making her sick at the same time."
She moved over to Law and Abigail and said, "Get her over to that tree over there and she'll perk up. She needs to restore her connection to the Earth." Indeed, there was a patch of grass with a very large oak tree nearby that the blond pointed at.
Abigail
Abigail felt heat fill her cheeks as she had to literally lean on Law for support as he helped her away from the steel deathtrap. She clutched his arm with white fingers as she took slow, and measured steps away from the damned car.
"I'm sorry, but it was the only way to get everything back without risking it falling off the broom..." Law said as she leaned against him, an apologetic smile on his face. "I'll make it up to you later. Somehow."
Abby nodded and said, "I know, plus following me on the broom right now might be madness."
She was surprised that Forest knew exactly what was going on and how to fix it, then she remembered that Forest had been Lady Umbra's retainer for a good while.
"Um. Hi. So uh, why are you here?"
"Well, your brand new and shiny Servant wants to commit retro-active suicide," Forest said with a smile, "He pretty much is going to try to kill Calico."
Emily
Her Summer fellow's reply just deepened her frown further, then flash of motion caught her attention before she realized that Law had just carted Abby off, literally, and left them alone.
Annoyance sparked into something more, and Emily had to take a few moments to calm herself, anger bubbling just beneath the surface.
"To clarify," Emily said, "You're telling me that a Mage of all people assisted you, didn't ask for compensation, and would be willing to shelter us? Have you had any dealing with mages prior to this? I'll admit that my freehold hasn't had too many dealings with them either, but what few have been more than enough. In my experience, Mages will seek Arcadia. Whether it's ours or something unique to them, I don't know, but they're perfectly willing to take their chances with our version. Are you really willing to risk that?"
“Look, it’s not safe, that’s all that matters. And you’re not getting though if you want to get closer. I apologize but that’s how it is.” He told them with a calm tone, while internally praying they would just leave as soon as possible.
Forest bit her lip, looked at Lancer and then the green-around the gills Abigail as Law eased her out of the car. She gestured to the car then the redhead. "That car was made before fiberglass became a thing; its mostly steel which is mostly iron. Basically she was riding around in something that is both zapping her strength and making her sick at the same time."
Law blinked. Then blinked again, as he helped the redhead on his arm over towards the nearby tree in front of the entrance. He then blinked a third time.
What.
She's crazy. How can he be a spirit and still exist here.
How does retroactive suicide even work!?
By killing yourself.
Well no shit jackass.
"You lost me at retroactive." he finally said, sighing. "This doesn't make any sense at all."
Out of his master's line of sight, Archer smirked a little. He'd made the right choice after all. His temporary Master wouldn't get in the way.
Forest and Abigail
Forest sighed and asked, "You mean you haven't noticed how Archer doesn't look like Calico Shirou? Like turn that other eye grey, completely whiten the hair, and darken the skin and you have your Servant. And since your Servant thinks his existence really sucks so hard, instead of doing something to fix it because he's in a position where he can, he's like, 'I'm going to listen to some Linkin Park and kill myself!'"
Abigail chuckled at that, before shaking her head and said, "But how is that even possible?"
"It's the Nexus. Alternate realities and time lines. Archer is from one, Calico's from another, but their origin is the same, and Archer thinks he can just end it all by killing himself before he becomes . . . himself," Forest said with a shrug.
Kern Metera
“The pavement is damaged, there is a massive crater, some of the buildings are damaged, and debris is been seen falling.” Karn explained it was the truth; there was no reason to talk about the fight that happened. It was not the reason they were preventing entrance.
Well, at least that was his reasoning, and the reasoning behind the order; he knew Christina also viewed it as a way to attract… others.
“I cannot allow anyone to enter, for their own safety” He remained at ease, having explained. He really just wished they would take that and leave.
As much as he didn't want to ruin the moment, something had to be said.
"Isn't it a bit chilly out here?" the immortal queried, internally face-palming at the lameness of that line.
And this is why I stick to fights.
Then, his face lit up. If he was going to fight that vampire, it would be wise to use everything he had. He didn't feel very good about it, but if things got too dire, he would need Rikuyo's help.
"Ah, Rikuyo. Since I've been kind enough to offer you a safe shelter and clothes, would you mind helping me out with a matter I need to sort out?"
Faust
Faust followed Shirou and the small girl onto the bird. It soared off towards a hotel at his mental command, he stood majestically on top of it as the air fluttered through his clothing. He suddenly got a mental communication from Mordred, asking him for a favor.
“Of course, what do you need my assistance for?” He responded with a managomous voice.
The sound of footsteps behind him alerted Michael to the woman's approached. The immortal aborted his interruption to bring the staff around, catching the kick squarely in the center of the staff. The blow pushed him back a bit, just in time for a dome of ice spears to appear all around them. Michael only had time to shoot the hydromancer an exasperated look before the ice promptly turned back into water, soaking all of them thoroughly.
The deluge left Michael looking no less annoyed as he did his best to clear his vision. Finally, the immortal managed to clear the water from his eyes just in time to hear the keyblade-user's complaint.
"Agreed, kid," Michael said, "Being a hydromancer of his caliber, however, makes him a fair bit better off than the average joe. And having her," Michael indicated the woman, "For backup only reinforces that. That said, you've already proved why it would be a bad idea to let you tag along for this. To put it simply, you're like a gun with a hair-trigger, and whatever we're going to be hunting tonight is going to require a more cautious approach. No offense to your capabilities, but we can't bring you along for this."
Quote“The pavement is damaged, there is a massive crater, some of the buildings are damaged, and debris is been seen falling.” Karn explained it was the truth; there was no reason to talk about the fight that happened. It was not the reason they were preventing entrance."Seriously, just let real authorities handle it. I'm not most law abiding citizen, I don't give a fuck about road safety laws. but I will sooner take orders from coppers than people that claim they have any real authority. Ya know, I can pretend I'm a bigshot as well. Though I used to be a leader of an army, even if Takasugi is more famed for leading an unit." Gintoki retorted, not too happy about being ordered by a fake. He drew a line in a dirt with his leg and said: "Well, if you cross this line before me you are entering my personal space and this may startle me and be worse for safety than any falling debris. I wasn't called a Demon for nothing. Spilling my parfait invites disaster."
Well, at least that was his reasoning, and the reasoning behind the order; he knew Christina also viewed it as a way to attract… others.
“I cannot allow anyone to enter, for their own safety” He remained at ease, having explained. He really just wished they would take that and leave.
Abigail
Abigail frowned, knowing she was missing something here, but if Archer was going to kill someone to literally end his own existence . . . Just thought made Abigail's gut twist as she wondered if she could stop it. Law wasn't overly fussed about it, but he was pretty fine with being around death.
Except the one that was trying to molest him.
Maybe I can have Corbie and Nihm find this guy and I can tell Forest and Lancer where he is. I mean, Law Unto Herself should be able to protect him, right?
Forest
Forest sighed, looked at Lancer and sent to him, And if we attempt to go looking for Shirou if Law's not keeping a tight reign on Archer, he might follow us if we try to find him.
Then Abigail snapped her fingers and said, "Also, be careful Forest, there's some changling woman who pretty much wants to give you a bad case of final death. She looks like Saber but taller."
"Eh, not overly concerned about that. Wouldn't be the first Fae I had to kill," the vampire said with a shrug, remembering a night long ago when she stood between the Wild Hunt and Gabriel.
Richard's smile didn't fade to Rikuyo's words. Instead, he rubbed his chin and thought for a second. Then, he spoke up with a cheerful tone.
"If I was to put it in simple terms... she's a good hearted one. The type who would let someone eat at her table knowing he would have killed her. Thing is, she's also an idiot. And don't get me wrong, I don't mean it in a bad way. But of all the idiots in this city, she's the biggest idiot I've ever met."
Giggling, he scratched his head and smiled in a relaxed way. Unnerving, that smile of his was, but that was a thing he knew already.
"Basically, think a wolf trying to live among sheep and trying not to eat any. If that is not stupid, I don't know what it is. Not that it's a bad way of thinking mind you, but there's no way she's going to keep it up. With that in mind, I rather not take the risk of her having to betray herself, so I'll give her a helping hand. After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed."
Faust
I got tangled into something that's out of my league. Some ridiculously strong woman stalked me and if not for the fact that a walking armor guy interfered I wouldn't have been able to escape. Well, I don't know if that guy survived, he got torn into pieces as he bought time. I'm pretty ashamed that I couldn't be of any help to him... I hate to be an inconvenience, but I need to change place where I live because I fear they could have tracked my apartment.
Faust listened to Mordred avidly, she’d mentioned something about a-talking armor. And the only one he’d seen was Vanguard. Whom he had found in a pile of heaping scrap metal. ”Wait, you met a suit of walking armor? Were you in a par-”
Faust cut himself off midsentence. A pit of dread filled his being. Something very strong, and very evil, it was coming closer and closer to them. This was bad. This was really, really, really bad! “Shit!” He exclaimed out loud as it got closer and closer. He tried to hide, but it was too late: it had apparently noticed them and had moved nearly instantaniously to intercept them, and now was floating directly in front of him.
Faust stood up, straightened himself, and looked at it directly in the eyes. After taking a moment to steady himself, he spoke up, in a perfectly clear and unafraid voice, masking his utter terror. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Caster.” He bowed. “What brings you here tonight?” Internally, he was saying something completely different. Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!!!
"Hello? Hello? It's Ricchy, your favourite vampire hunter. Are you there Forest? Can you answer? Pleaaaase? Cmooon. I know you're thereee."
Richard Maxwell
A smug smile grew on RIchard's lips. It seemed he got the wrong number, which normally would have warranted him immediately hanging up. But that lady sounded so desperate, he couldn't really say no could he? After all, he felt like such a nice guy at the moment.
"Eeeeeeh? Which Forest? There are plenty forests in this city, how do you know I am looking for the same Forest you are thinking of? You're really shady you know? And how do I know you aren't trying to pull one on me? I'm not sure if you DO know my Forest, but you seem to know A Forest. Even so, you should watch that mouth of yours. I don't know who you are, but I do know you just said fuck on the phone and I don't appreciate it. You could have really hurt my feelings there, but I am a generous person. In fact, I am so generous I will not hang up, just as you asked me. But what can you do to repay my generosity? Mhhhh, mhhhhh...."
Thinking about it, his smile grew even larger. By now, the mere smug smile had matured into a full shit eating grin. Chuckling, he resumed.
"Well, start with a good hearted apology. Something like Oh, please forgive me oh great Richard Maxwell, I did not mean to sully your ears with my filthy mouth. Something like that, please. Then we can talk business."
The sudden phone call was turning out to be an interesting one, no doubt. Even if the person on the other end had apparently dialed the wrong number, from what she could hear. A smug voice, muffled as it was, was still barely audible to the Changeling as the person on the other end, apparently one Richard Maxwell, made his demands.
That aside, Mordred seemed to be close to boiling over at the stranger. Deciding that this would be something she'd rather avoid, Emily rested her hand on Mordred's placatingly while she swiftly slipped the phone from Mordred's hand and held it to her own ear.
"I'm certain we could do much better than a simple apology," Emily said, unable to, "But wouldn't our business be better conducted face to face?"
Richard Maxwell
Richard coughed before speaking up, his cheerful attitude still present although allowing a more serious demeanour than earlier.
"Ahem, forget the apology for now. If you have something to do with Forest, I suggest you get to the Starside Hotel asap. Get your ass moving, time is off the essence. And, ah! It's best if you attract the least attention possible. Wouldn't want you to get noticed by her before you even got here would you? Now hurry, the night isn't as patient as I am."
"It's okay!" Emily said as Mordred propped herself up. The fact that the Summer Courtier didn't actually get off Emily brought her attention to the fact that Mordred was now straddling her.
Honestly, if this wasn't a public place, then this position might be more enjoyable...As it stands, however...
Emily looked away as Mordred continued her conversation, her face still red with embarrassment.
Emily
Emily sighed as she picked herself up, brushing herself off out of long habit.
"If you must...just, try to stay safe, okay?"
With that, Emily reached back into her pockets, retrieving a few more Goblin Fruits.
"For the road," she said, handing them to her fellow Changeling before pulling her phone from another pocket and handing it to Mordred for the Summer Courtier to add her contact details.
Noel?
Noel automatically threw up a barrier in front of her to block the incoming projectiles, the few that got past Saber’s defense glanced off it harmlessly. She was--quite surprised--to look over at Mata and see a collapsed wall. Before she could ask, however, Henry barked out an order to get one of it’s legs, and both Saber and Lancalot ran off after it. Noel looked at Henry, extremely confused.
“Um...why did they both go?” She asked him timidly.
Forest
"What about spirits? If you're that concerned about Archer, you might have to well... deal with him," Law said with a shrug.
Forest said, "I would deal with him if he wasn't in that stupid Predator mode of his! His Linkin Park James Camron plan isn't going to work!"
Abigail
Abigail leaned against the tree and took a deep breath. She asked Law, "Could you order him not to kill . . . himself?"
Richard Maxwell
Richard ignored Michael's comment, but allowed himself a blush at Rikuyo's remark. His pale face slightly flushing, he stuttered and mumbled for a while before speaking up.
"No! You got it all wrong, dummy! It's nothing like that. Besides... you shouldn't talk about lady killing."
He immediately regretted saying that, because he suddenly felt much moodier than before. His face fell flat, and he looked down before shaking his head.
"You know, if any of you want to back out, now is the time."
Richard Maxwell
A faint smile grew back on Richard's face. They were right, absolutely right. Besides, he asked them to come. It would be selfish to tell them to back down after all this.
"Yeah... I knew you two would say that." he muttered.
Then, he got up and smiled warmly. He wasn't as cold as before, not one bit. In fact, he was really happy that he could rely on someone's shoulders. Happy that someone truly cared.
"Because you two are the biggest idiots in the world." he chortled, his words stripped from any veneer and full of affection.
Then, with a bright smile he ran up to Rikuyo and hugged her.
"Thank you."
Emily
To say that the Spring Courtier was conflicted at the moment would have been a massive understatement. The last time she'd left Mordred by herself in a fight, the Summer Courtier had come back with broken bones. Even ignoring that, the fact remained that this could very well be a trap, especially considering that the person on the other end didn't seem to be one Mordred knew personally at first...
"On second thought," Emily said, "I'm coming with you. Considering what happened last time I left you alone in a fight, there's no way I'm just going to do that again. I know I won't be much use in a fight, but at least I can heal you if things get rough."
Emily
Emily frowned at Mordred's conditions, something that surprised her a little. Sure, the Lost care about the state of their kin, but Emily couldn't say she expected to end up caring this much about someone who wasn't even of her Court, let alone her Freehold. Then again, as far as she knew, Mordred was the only other Changeling around in this curious new place.
"Fine," Emily said with a sigh, "But I have my own condition to impose in turn."
"I can't stop you from getting into this," Emily said, trying to keep her voice even, "But if things get too dangerous, I want you to pull out. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to risk losing you."
Even with her self-control, she couldn't help but sound like she was pleading with her fellow Changeling towards the end.
Kern
Kern simply stood there stoically, letting the silver haired man go on like a loon.
‘Well, there is a lot of the city on your side of the line, so just leave you fucking loon!’ Kern wanted to yell. But he was disciplined, and even with his headache and annoyance he just took it, even after the non-human seemed to defend him. It really didn’t matter to him.
He about to begin asking them to leave once again until a loud sound ripped through the air. Like the sound of steel impacting against the pavement. And so he turned to look at the source, tilting his head so he could look behind the group of three, and immediately upon laying eyes upon it his body snapped in attention.
“Kern. Report. Now.” Ordered the Captain of the Guard.
Just
Just felt the air though his hair, he hear the stone and metal of the building crack under the force of his jumps and running. He held Anatu close to his chest, shielding her from as much of the wind as possible. It took a bit, far from his best speed in his prime, but they got there.
Well, to the barricade of his Guardsmen that seemed to be led by Kern. Good, he liked dealing with Kern the most. Simple man he was. He was slightly shocked to see the three he met earlier here as well, but he left that worry leave him for a moment, he had other things to deal with first.
And so he body fell onto the pavement, and it impacted, his legs hit the ground and Just landed in a crouch. The moment his body hit it however, a loud sound, as if someone smashed metal against the pavement ringed out as the pavement cracked. "Sleep, oh flowing steel." he whispered and then he raised himself to his feet and gently placed Anatu onto her feet, “Just stay behind me ok? Call out if you need me.” He told her, momentarily forgetting she could not understand him.
He then stood completely and began to walk, his face was completely different, it was not the laid back look he had all day, or the soft and kind look he had when talking with Anatu. Rather it was jagged and harsh as his eyes seemed to burn like cold embers.
“Kern. Report. Now.” He commanded as he began to walk past the silver haired man, his eyes locked on his Guardsman.
Emily
In spite of the concern for her Summer fellow weighing her down, Emily couldn't help but smile with Mordred. In the back of her mind, however, something was nagging at her that it would be best to make sure she was topped off on Glamour first. She still had a fair few Goblin Fruits, but who knew when she'd be able to find more?
No, it would be best to resort to more...indirect methods.
Clasping one of Mordred's hands in both of her own, Emily's smile widened.
"One more condition," Emily said, "After this is done, promise me you'll rest up a bit before you do anything else."
With that, Emily brought Mordred's hand to her chest, still smiling.
"Though," Emily continued, a hint of amusement entering her voice, "I'm certain I persuade you to lie down for a bit if I have to..."
Emily
Emily simply sighed at Mordred's apparent failure to realize that she'd been talking about things they could do afterwards, before realizing something. Mordred's desire to fight this Forest person was just as viable a source of Glamour as whatever desire Emily could induce in the Summer Courtier without the aid of a contract.
Frowning internally at her own failure to realize this, Emily focused for a moment on that desire, drawing from it. A momentary rush informed her of the success of her harvest, the feeling of Glamour flowing into her bringing a slight smile to her face.
"Very well, let's get going," Emily said, releasing Mordred's hand, "Make sure you've eaten your fill before we actually get there."
Richard Maxwell
Richard was sitting on a nearby bench when he finally noticed two ladies near the hotel. He wasn't sure if they were the right bunch, but there was a way to find out. With a smug smile, he called them out.
"My, you sure had me waiting there! Come on, I've been patient enough to wait in the cold so the apology better be worth it."
Then, he topped it all off with a grin.
Richard Maxwell
Richard raised an eyebrow at the woman's words. Instead of scolding her for ignoring his request, he looked at her with a curious look, his smile constantly present.
"The sun? That's... surprisingly useful. I guess using you as bait won't be necessary." he said, not bothering to hide his disappointment at the last bit. Then, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the snow near Richard shifted and frozen spikes came forth, large enough to impale a grown man. Then, it melted and collected around Richard before falling down harmlessly.
"Let's just say that as long as there's water nearby, I can't lose. But that ability of yours, you say it has to do with the sun. Would you mind giving a little display?"
Richard sighed in disappointment.
"I ask you to apologize, you refuse. I ask you to show me what you can do, you refuse. How am I supposed to rely on someone who's strength is unknown? Well, whatever. A verbal description will do fine I guess."
Then, he walked up to her and smiled. He lightly held her shoulder, his fingers as cold as a snake.
"And please, don't lie. I'll know, and I won't be too happy."
Richard Maxwell
Richard was completely oblivious to the woman's discomfort. While his smile did widen at her explanation, he frowned as son as the redhead spoke up. In fact, her words were awfully suspicious. Why would such a simple detail require secrecy? And what exactly did replenishing imply?
He'd assume she was a vampire normally, but she WAS warm to the touch, and the power of the sun would be quite disruptive if she was a dweller of the night. Even so, the fact that she was hiding such things didn't exactly make him happy. He didn't like not knowing things, even less being hidden things.
Thinking about it, he smiled and spoke softly, jovially. "Well, that sounds useful! I'm impressed."
Then, he gripped her shoulder tightly and looked at her right in the eye.
"What exactly is that fancy energy you'd need to fire that? And how exactly would you replenish it?" he asked, cheerful as ever.
Richard Maxwell
Richard's eyes widened at the sight of the cigarette. Immediately, a concentrated amount of water shot straight at it and cut it in half, extinguishing it. He couldn't stand it, the smell of cigarette. It was simply filthy, awful and unpleasant. He'd have none of it.
"Fine, fine. I believe you." He said bluntly, allowing himself to sigh.
She showed no signs of panic, so even if she was hiding something important, it couldn't be that big of a deal.
Quickly regaining his cheerful smile, he turned around and glanced at her briefly. "But you know, you really shouldn't smoke. It's bad for you."
Then, he sat upside down against a wall and began to think.
Abigail and Forest
They really think you can control him.
Well we could, sort of?
You're not strong enough. If I was not bound to you though...
Forest frowned at the "Conversation" between Law and his "Driver" and wondered what the hell it all meant.
Law shook his head. "It's not that simple. He's sort of different than your run of the mill ghost that I've met with before." He leaned against the tree as well, rubbing his head. "I could do something but he's not around here right now anyway, and I doubt it'd make much of a difference to him."
Forest frowned and asked, "Could you find him?"
Abigail swallowed, stood to her full height and said, "Uh, I might be able to find who he's looking for at least . . ."
Richard Maxwell
Richard frowned in turn, his face almost turning sad for a second. While he would have normally scolded her for ignoring the risk of harming others trough second-hand smoke, he felt guilty about destroying a gift. Had he known it was given by a friend, he would have simply extinguished it.
"...Sorry." He apologized. His tone, while monotone, possessed a genuine trace of regret and hesitation.
"As for Forest, that comes later. We need a plan that can assure 100% victory."
So he laid silently upside down, thinking about what to do. This position was quite helpful, it let oxygen flow to his head easily. It helped him think.
And suddenly, a flash of genius.
"Um, that beam. How long can you keep it up?" Asked Richard, unable to hide his curiosity.
Richard Maxwell
"That... isn't any helpful. I need an approximate. Is a second? Two seconds? Five seconds? An instant? I need something to work with dammit!" he replied. He was starting to get frustrated with that woman. Just a tad bit.
Richard Maxwell
"Aah. So, let's say I was to set up saucers like this-" Said Richard, his grin growing exponentially as water around him collected into a bubble-like disk.
"- If I was to set them in a way that would converge your beams all over the area, even for an instant, it would be a sure hit. Even if she was to dodge the initial beam, they would be refracted in a way that would make avoiding it impossible!"
Immediately, he crated about 10 smaller saucers and shone his phone's flashlight on one of them. While at first nothing impressive happened, once their surface froze and shifted, the beam traveled between each and every one of them, as if to create a cage of light.
"See?"
Sakagami Kenzo
The puppet appeared in a flash of light, taking the blow. Immediately, he jumped back to avoid her grapple. While he managed to slip from her clutches, her claws had scratched his shoulder and tore a nasty wound. While he could still move his arm effectively, he was displeased.
Speed, striking power, endurance. He had the advantage in all of those, yet that man still stood. It was annoying, and the fact he used her as a weapon only made it all the more irritating.
Quickly, he jumped to the ceiling and bounced all over the area, attempting to cut him down from different directions.
Just ignored the man’s comment and continued to walk up to Kern, until he stood in front of him. Kern remained at attention, quiet for a moment, before he spoke. “It was the 7th sir.” Kern told Just crisply.
Just’s eyes widen slightly. “Damn it.” He cursed. She was here to, in this city? “Status?” He asked, already feeling as if he knew the answer.
“Escaped, sir.” Kern told him regretfully.
In other words Hamara let her go. He did not even entertain the thought that he was dead, that’s how farfetched such a thing would be. Damn it all.
“Where are the others?”
“The second in command is making rounds, and the third is in charge at the other blockade. This is a densely populated area; evacuation was a priority in order to prevent injuries from building debris.”
It being a second after confirming the safety of their lord, but it was most definitely a priority. And they continued to speak, Kern giving Just everything he asked about, completely ignoring the presence of the group of three.
Richard Maxwell
"Well, if you can only fire it once, wouldn't it make much sense to make the most out of that ability? Your beam is only a straight line, so it won't be hard to dodge for anyone worth his salt. However, if your beam was scattered in all directions, it would make the attack all the more effective. The only reason it could fail is if you missed the obvious target. Seeing how your words so far have spoken miles of your intelligence, I'm sure you won't have trouble doing that."
Then, he stood up and shook his head. Sighing, he carried on nonchalantly with a smile.
"Well, I can compensate for that. Don't worry, if you stick to the plan she won't pull as much as a hair from you."
Abigail and Forest
They really think you can control him.
Well we could, sort of?
You're not strong enough. If I was not bound to you though...
Forest frowned at the "Conversation" between Law and his "Driver" and wondered what the hell it all meant.
Law shook his head. "It's not that simple. He's sort of different than your run of the mill ghost that I've met with before." He leaned against the tree as well, rubbing his head. "I could do something but he's not around here right now anyway, and I doubt it'd make much of a difference to him."
Forest frowned and asked, "Could you find him?"
Abigail swallowed, stood to her full height and said, "Uh, I might be able to find who he's looking for at least . . ."
Abigail
The redhead cast Law a sympathetic look and nodded, "Yeah, we should unload the car and I really need to let my dog out. He's been inside all day and really needs to go out."
She did give Forest a look and said, "However, if you want I lend you one of my familiars. He might be able to help you look for this guy that Archer may try to kill."
Forest
Forest felt a surge of annoyance, but had to force herself to remember that, despite all of their extraordinary abilities, Abigail and Law were just kids with normal lives. Nothing that I know anything about, she thought with more than a touch of bitterness.
Before she said something, the klaxon call of a siren rang through her ears and flinched.
“Warning! Warning! Extreme gang violence is taking place within the vicinity of the Nexus blast furnace. Enforcers are mobilizing to retaliate. All civilians are instructed to clear the area and remain within your homes!”
The blond rubbed her forehead and said, "You two had better get your junk in and get inside. Baton down the hatches as it where. Now I'm wondering if its the damn werepumas or the Halloweeners causing this nonsense."
"Abby, it's late, I'm tired, and we've still got the stuff in the car to get inside. Even if we found him I doubt we could stop him right now."
She did give Forest a look and said, "However, if you want I lend you one of my familiars. He might be able to help you look for this guy that Archer may try to kill."
“Warning! Warning! Extreme gang violence is taking place within the vicinity of the Nexus blast furnace. Enforcers are mobilizing to retaliate. All civilians are instructed to clear the area and remain within your homes!”
The blond rubbed her forehead and said, "You two had better get your junk in and get inside. Baton down the hatches as it where. Now I'm wondering if its the damn werepumas or the Halloweeners causing this nonsense."
Abigail
"Aye, that'll work, lass," Lancer said with an approving nod, "Appreciated."
Abigail nodded and said, "Now, you can talk to him and he'll understand. He can talk back to you, so please don't get too shocked when he does. It makes him self-conscious. And don't call him a bird brain. He gets really sensitive about that."
She took a step back and wrapped her hand around the quartz crystal around her neck and focused.
Corbie, can you help me help some nice people out, please?
Forest
Forest nodded at the idea of Abigail lending them a familiar that would help them find Calico. She raised an eyebrow as Law armed himself with a .45 and said to herself, "Somehow I'm not surprised."
Her eyebrow raised even more at Abigail's spiel about being nice to her familiar.
"Werepumas? Halloweeners?" Lancer asked, his expression inquisitive, "What's that about?"
Forest frowned and said, "The Halloweeners are just a bunch of punks who like to go around and harm people, cause mischief and whatnot. A bunch of unruly hooligans. Werepumas though. . . . they're almost worse than werewolves. Same impulses, but with the craziness of a cat. And barbed penises."
Forest frowned and said, "The Halloweeners are just a bunch of punks who like to go around and harm people, cause mischief and whatnot. A bunch of unruly hooligans. Werepumas though. . . . they're almost worse than werewolves. Same impulses, but with the craziness of a cat. And barbed penises."
Richard Maxwell
Richard's finger twitched at the woman's rude assumption. How dare she even ask that? Of course he was sane. Then, he frowned before speaking up with a dull, nonchalant tone.
"Like this."
And about seven spikes of ice burst from the ground instantly, enough to impale her with ease and stopping only an inch from the woman's neck.
Richard Maxwell
"Uh? But I'm perfectly fine. I ate plenty this morning, I'm not starving, idiot." said Richard, slightly annoyed at the woman's anger. He didn't ask for any food or anything like it. He really wasn't hungry, and their persistence was only annoying him further.
"Also, what do you mean by fighting? She asked me a question and I answered. Well, it doesn't matter really. It seems she doesn't need my precious shirt after all. It did cost me a fortune you know?" he quipped cheerfully, putting his clothes back.
Then, Richard focused on the irritating sensation on his leg. It had gone for quite a while, but he paid no mind to it earlier. Then, he put his hand in his pocket and realized it was the phone vibrating. Without much care, he took it out and looked at the displayed message. Immediately, his eyes widened in shock.
No, shock wasn't quite accurate. Horror would be more appropriate. If he was pale at the moment, one could almost say he turned snow white.
Trembling, he held the phone down and clenched his teeth. One would almost be fooled by his present looks, for he seemed to be at least thirty years older. Without even thinking, he threw the phone with all his strength and crashed it against the cool asphalt floor.
Richard Maxwell
"Damn."
Richard ignored the two ladies completely. He didn't care one bit if he'd attract attention or if anyone was neaby. He was so mad, he felt he was going to snap any second. Rambling and cursing away, he kicked and stomped the phone again and again.
To hell with it, to hell with the hunt, to hell with everything. Tonight, someone was going to end up with an ice spike up his ass.
"Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn DAMN! Damn all of it! Is the universe trying to fuck me over today or something!?" He rambled incoherently, cursing at the top of his fragile lungs.
And then, he kicked it again against the wall, a small crack finally forming on the screen. Either this phone's constitution was legendary or Richard was that weak.
Either way, the hydromancer was now panting and glaring at the floor, barely containing his anger. Then, after a considerable while, he took a deep breath and sighed before picking up the phone and turning to the two with his usual cheerful smile.
He really wasn't angry. Or rather, didn't seem to be.
"Well, it seems there are some slight... complications. I'm afraid the hunt will have to wait for another time. If you want, we can exchange contacts. Hopefully next time there won't be any interruptions."
"Just who are you?"
The progenitor smiled and her blue eyes almost seemed to glow. A simple question deserved a simple answer. "Isn't it obvious? I'm your mother."
Good Citizen Richard Maxwell
"Oh, I don't care about anything like that. However..."
Richard immediately smiled smugly again. With a devilish look, he grinned all while rubbing his chin to ponder.
"I'll tell you if you apologize for earlier. Since the hunt is on hold, you finally have the opportunity to do it! Isn't it wonderful? Honestly, it's a really small price to pay for her lair's location. Am I not swell? Now, come on. I'm all ears."
Aisha
"There is no mistake. You are human, so you are one of my Children." There was absolute certainty in her voice. To Aisha it was no different than stating that the sun was hot or the sky was blue. All of humanity was her Child so all humans were her Children.
Captain Edward Coombs:
"Alright, then, let's begin." Coombs said after the teenager volunteered, "Joseph, would you kindly escort the other two outside?"
The other man nodded and began herding the other two witnesses out of the room. As soon as the door shut, Coombs pressed down on the recorder, "This is Edward Coombs" he began in his raspy voice, "Unit leader of the enforcers based at District 22, invesitgating Case Number Four Oh Seven Five. This is Interview Zero One. Would you please say your full name, Miss?"
Emily
Emily considered her fellow Changeling's words for a moment.
"Would your place be safe?" Emily asked, unable to help a slight grin, "After all, you agree to take a break after this."
Just
Just continued speaking with Kern, completing his recap on the situation, it seems they were close to ensuing that the area was structurally stable.
So it seems the tonight is a go then.
Then he heard the man mention Suiren, and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious he wasn’t one of Suiren’s followers. To stupid and on top of that he revealed he knew Suiren in front of them.
He probably had a run in with her at some point.
He turned to the man… no the entire group of three. “It would be best if you were to leave. We are going to begin checking out structures to see where it is safe to go, it would be best if no one was in our way.” He told them, her voice stern and gold. Gone was the nice old man from eirler, who was relax and at ease, and before them now stood the leader of the Guard of the Saint.
It was a partial truth; he really wanted them gone because he could tell some of the guardsmen were incredibly tense. The last thing he wanted was for there to be a fight.
Aisha
Soft laughter escaped Aisha's mouth and the sound of the plants rapidly growing quickened for an instant. "The original human was my Child as well. All forms of life are my Children. And if that's the case, then who do you think I am?"
Richard Maxwell
"Yeah, whatever. Just don't forget to give me back my clothes. Put them in a bag or something." Richard responded, leaning against the wall cooly like some animu character.
And he waited cooly.
Aisha
"The human form is... fitting. Out of all of my Children they are the ones closest to my purpose. The others are lacking in different ways." She patted the ground next to her and the plants receded from the area to allow room to sit.
"So, do you wish to talk? You seem to be rather inquisitive as humans usually are."
Suiren
The first thing she was expecting to see her room, to see the well-made, clean ceiling, to smell the smell of the nature that she filled her house with, to hear the flowing water of the stream, and the chirping of the birds.
Instead she was met with the sight of an odd, dilapidated ceiling, and the smell of dust, age, wet wood, and blood. Groaning she raised her self to a sitting position, and brought her hand to her head, rubbing her temples groggily.
Then she opened her eyes and looked at that hand, as she lowered it from her face. A frown covered her face as she looked at her hand and clenched her hand into a palm.
“That’s right.” She mumbled with an annoyed tone but oddly it did not seemed to be directed at herself, but at someone else, “I lost.”
QuoteJust
He turned to the man… no the entire group of three. “It would be best if you were to leave. We are going to begin checking out structures to see where it is safe to go, it would be best if no one was in our way.” He told them, her voice stern and gold. Gone was the nice old man from eirler, who was relax and at ease, and before them now stood the leader of the Guard of the Saint.
It was a partial truth; he really wanted them gone because he could tell some of the guardsmen were incredibly tense. The last thing he wanted was for there to be a fight.
Gintoki
He was a bit curious about what have happened here, but it was obvious to him those people were trying to hide the truth for him. If he bumped into Suiren he would ask himself. If Sarse wanted to know the truth, he'd better go find her as well. "Let's go guys. If they don't want to tell us anything, it's their business, I'm not in a mood for arguing more. I'll buy you parfait or whatever."
Than'Sanel, Selesnyan PlaneswalkerQuoteJust
He turned to the man… no the entire group of three. “It would be best if you were to leave. We are going to begin checking out structures to see where it is safe to go, it would be best if no one was in our way.” He told them, his voice stern and gold. Gone was the nice old man from eirler, who was relax and at ease, and before them now stood the leader of the Guard of the Saint.
Gintoki
"Let's go guys. If they don't want to tell us anything, it's their business, I'm not in a mood for arguing more. I'll buy you parfait or whatever."
Sarse
"Before we go, please answer me this. May I trust you, Just?" He asked, looking straight into the man's eyes.
AbigailThere was a moment of silent shock before Law followed her in, clutching her hand tightly like a life line. It certainly drew him out of his sudden realization as he hung around the place - there was a haunt nearby. Some time in the distant past, a death had been violent, or sympathetic enough, to create a link from the underworld into reality. There could even be an Avernian Gate somewhere around here if he poked around. Not in the same building likely, but close.
Abby tugged on Law's hand and said, "Maybe we should get inside so we can take Mr. Crumblebottom out before those gangsters come running. Corbie, you'll help the nice people, right?"
"Shiny!" was the crow's eager reply as he kept tugging at Lancer's earring.
Abigail nodded and said, "I'll take that as a yes, come on, Law." Then she started to drag him to her town house.
"I see," Sarse responded simply.The half-elf followed his friend, disappointed that Just had refused his offer of help. He had power available to help make Just's men safer and had been rejected; however skilled the man's knights were, surely help would be appreciated? It didn't make any sense. He wasn't sure if he understood the implicit pieces of Sarse and Just's dialogue either. He partly agreed with Sarse on matters of trust, but was confused as to the wording.
The angel smiled politely, and said, "I believe in paying trust forward. My inquiry is not from doubt in my own judgement. It is part of it. Yours is a right answer, so for now I am satisfied." And so he turned around and began to walk, before stopping to look back at the aged man. "At this time, I wish you luck and I hope I will be able to trust you based on your actions."
Content, he walked off.
Abigail
Abigail opened the door, and immediately a brown and white English Bulldog came waddling towards them at a brisk pace. His tongue was lolling out of is mouth as he looked like he smiled up at his master before skidding to a stop in front of her. She bent down and began to rub his soft fur as he gently chewed on the fingers of her left hand.
"Hey Baby, did you miss me? Did you miss me, Crumbles? Come on, let's get you out side so you can take a giant dump on Mrs. Ratchet's petunias again," Abigail cooed at the dog before looking at Law.
"This is my baby, Mr. Crumplebottom." Crumplebottom wallowed over to Law, wiggling in his eagerness to be petted.
Abigail
Abigail laughed as Crumbles laved all over Law's face and then his hand. The English Bulldog ate the attention up, rolling gleefully on the floor as he was petted. Abby rubbed the soft skin of his belly and said, "Someone's a happy baby, isn't he?"
The dog let out a soft, "Wuff!" in affirmation before leaning and licking Law anew.
She grinned and said, "People always need a shower after Crumbles greets them for the first time."
Richard Maxwell
Richard shrugged nonchalantly, his expression as bored as a chess board.
"There have been bigger and badder fishes around in here, and no warning was given for them. If it really was just a few armed hooligans, there wouldn't be much of an issue now would there? If you ask me, there is something fishy about this whole thing."
That, and he just didn't like the idea of having some shmucks rampage about in his city. If something happened to Forest, he wouldn't be able to kill her. She would come, there wasn't even any question about it. That is, if that whole goody two shoes hero talk wasn't a lie.
He doubted it. He could smell a liar from a mile away, and all she smelled of was-
What did she smell like again? He wasn't so sure really. But she wasn't lying that time!
Richard and company finally arrived to the blast furnace. What he saw, he didn't like one bit. With that in mind, it wouldn't be wise to charge in, so he'd let Michael do it for him.
"Mikey, Rikuyo, do your thing." He calmly ordered with a faint smile.
Abigail laughed and said, "Come on, I'll show you. You grabbed razors right?"
Emily
Emily frowned at the worried look on Mordred's face before allowing an almost exasperated sigh.
"It could very well be that he's just a bit busy at the moment," Emily pointed out, "Anyway, we've been in here for a bit too long."
With that, Emily led her fellow Changeling out of the clothing shop.
It took a while for them to find a decent enough motel room(limited budget or not, rooms that smell like ass are still rooms that smell like ass), but Emily managed to prevail at last. The room was cozy, tucked into the side of the small motel on the second floor, with a decent bed that didn't smell like cigarette smoke or cum, a relatively undamaged television, and the amenities you'd expect from a cheap motel room.
All but staggering into the room and flopping down onto the bed on her back, Emily allowed a relaxed sigh as she stared up at the ceiling before her gaze drifted to Mordred.
"We should probably wash up," Emily said, not moving anything as she sank into the bed a little, "You go first. I just feel like lying down right now..."
Richard Maxwell
Richard looked at the three impassively. With a snap of his fingers, thre columns of water shot forward and splashed the Helloweeners before freezing them in an icy prison. He should've gutted them, but luckily Michael spared them that fate.
"You scum, you don't have the right to so much as touch her." He muttered coldly before walking forward, a considerable amount of water slithering and coiling around him like serpents.
For a second, he would've sworn seeing that boy from earlier. And there were noises coming from the furnace...
Something fishy was happening.
"The furnace is on. Going in now would be risky, we need to find a way to shut it down."
Aisha
"The human form is... fitting. Out of all of my Children they are the ones closest to my purpose. The others are lacking in different ways." She patted the ground next to her and the plants receded from the area to allow room to sit.
"So, do you wish to talk? You seem to be rather inquisitive as humans usually are."
Emily
Waiting for Mordred to enter the shower and for the water to start running, Emily left the motel room at the first opportunity. One of the criteria she'd decided on when choosing out motels was the presence of a nearby liquor store. After all the near misses today, to say nothing of whatever Mordred had gone through before Emily had arrived, the former Spring Queen felt quite justified in deciding that a good hard drink was in order. Perhaps even several.
That aside, Emily was all too aware of the attention her condition drew to her, and that her only choice was to move as quickly as she could. With that in mind, Emily soon left the liquor store with her prize tucked away under her jacket.
Thankfully, the trip hadn't taken too long, as evidenced by the sound of the water still running in the shower. Even with the need for some kind of relief from the tension they'd been through, Emily would rather not have given her fellow Changeling unnecessary cause for worry. Retrieving her prize, Emily set the bottles of liquor down on the nightstand before looking around for something to pour the alcohol into.
Frowning at the plastic cups that were all the changeling could manage to find, Emily resigned herself to the reality of this still being a cheap motel room and quickly poured out two glasses of liquor before setting them on the nightstand, next to the bottles. With that, Emily resigns herself to wait for Mordred.
After what feels like an eternity, Emily checked the nearby wall-clock to find that all of a minute has passed. Frowning, the Changeling looks first at the door, then at the glasses, then back at the door.
...Well, we've got plenty here for both of us, so there shouldn't be any harm if I have some now... Just one glass should help pass the time well enough.
Resolving to apologize to Mordred for her impatience later, Emily quickly downs the contents of one plastic cup, sighing as the sweet burn caresses her throat on the way down before lighting a fire in her to chase away the chill from her brief excursion.
Yeah, I probably should get my hands on some proper winter clothes...sweaters are nice and all but-
It was at this point that Emily realized that she'd actually emptied the glass completely. The amber liquid in the other glass sparkles innocently at the Changeling, as if to tempt her.
...well...there's still plenty for both of us.
Six more cups of liquor passed the Changeling's lips before she realized that Mordred was still in the shower. Emily, now feeling a warming buzz reverberating through her body, decided that if Mordred wouldn't be coming out to enjoy a decent drink, then she'd bring the alcohol to Mordred.
With that in mind, Emily took up the opened bottle, still a bit less than half full, and made her way over to the bathroom, slightly amused by how the floor seemed to slip under her feet, but managing to cross the distance with a strange, drunken grace regardless. Opening the door, Emily sighed at the hot, steamy air of the bathroom as she made her way in, closing the door behind her to block out the sudden draft.
"Mordred~" she called, in an almost sing-song tone, bottle in hand, "Are you okay in there?"
Aisha
The progenitor hummed at the question. The invading foliage had firmly pushed its way into the area directly around her and was beginning to wrap around her legs and waist. "It was a long time ago. You Children can barely even imagine it. The elementals were first. Forces of nature held together with life and will. The next would come with water. It was... perfect."
Aisha paused for a moment and her gaze drifted to the sea. Her eyes nearly glowed as they gazed upon the endless water. "There was nothing quite like it, and while the elementals were company they were not enough. I wanted more. I needed more. My bones and spirit ached for it. So I spilled my blood in the water and waited. You started off small but all of my Children did. There was a lot of waiting. I didn't have the fortune to watch all of you mature and spread out but there were some."
Forest
Alone again, alone again, jigity jig, the blond vampire thought as she traveled the city. Lancer was off with the crow familiar, trying to find Shirou and she heard a cry for help. She'd chased down the cry to find some Halloweeners picking on a young man in a Quicky Mart uniform that was making his way home. She'd taken out the literal trolls and made sure a squad car help get the young man home.
She found herself wondering how Saber's expedition in the sewers was going. She also found that her "dark humor" was returning too. Part of her wanted to find the twit like Saber who decided she was going to play Buffy, not the vampire one, but the Vampire Slayer one, and decided, for whatever reason, that Forest had to die.
Richard Maxwell
Richard's eyes widened in surprize as some black thing, the only description he could muster at the time, covered the area the lot was going to enter. A shiver ran down his spine, cool sweat covered his face.
It was like that black filth from earlier. He'd have none of it.
"Stand back."
Instinctively, he waved his hand to command tendrils of water to shoot forward, frozen claws thick and fast enough to pierce trough a car.
Forest
"Hey, do you know where is a cheap place to crash by? I'm new to this city, don't you mind helping out a tourist from the East?"
Forest saw an Asian man, with eyes like a dead fish and silvery hair waving at her. Tilting her head, she walked over to the man on the bike, pulling out her phone as she did. She asked, "How cheap are we talking about here?"
Aisha
"I began the creation of the first and guided the multitude once they had arisen but there were complications. The world required a greater force to cultivate it and make it possible for the Children to spread and thrive. While I directly intervened with the speed of growth for the world I left the Firstborn to guide the rest of you."
The ancient pulled out her dagger and pressed the blade against her thumb. Beads of white blood spilled out and landed on the plant life that practically exploded in growth. It began to spread out to other areas of the beach and grow vines thicker than a man's torso. The surge of flora began to overtake the sand and cover it. "There had to be a balance. A more subtle hand was needed so I left and allowed you to grow without more interference as I cultivated the rest of the planet."
The stopped pressing the blade against her flesh and the moment she did the wound closed night instantly. She wiped away the last of the blood and placed the dagger back in her robes as the growth of the plants began to slow.
Emily
The Spring Courtier giggled at Mordred's response, leaving the bottle on the vanity as she approached the shower cabin with an amused smile.
"Come on," Emily said, "Don't be so stiff. It's our room, anyway, and you've been in there for a while, so of course I'm a little worried."
"Besides," she continued, "I'd rather not be drinking alone..."
With that, an idea occurred to the Changeling.
"Actually," she started with an impish smile, "If we're both going to have to take a shower anyway, why not take one together?"
Forest
"I'm not picky. Anything better than a cardbox or a doghouse will be fine." he replied.
Forest nodded and opened up the web browser on her phone. She said, "I've also got mapping and a GPS on this thing, so I should be able to get you pretty accurate directions. Somewhere close too. It's gonna snow soon and you shouldn't really be out in this mess on a bike."
A nimble finger with the nail painted a bright purple began to swiftly swipe over the screen. With a nod she said, "Ah, well, you're in bloody luck. There's a Motel 6 right up the street about three blocks over."
Aisha
The tanned woman smiled and the plant life seemed all the more beautiful because of it. "Hopefully. Hopefully it is over. You cannot imagine the time I spent cultivating the planet. The pains I underwent to constantly make sure it would be ready for the spread of life that would overtake it. I hope that what I was doing was no longer necessary. If my leaving disturbed the way life continued to function then the consequences would not be pleasant, but that is not something that should be focused on."
The smile was still on her face but there was tinge of sorrow in her eyes. Regret? Guilt? Longing? It could be any or all of these things. In the heat of the moment everything seemed so certain. She was so sure of herself. But she had eternity to reflect and question herself. Question her reasoning and the correctness of her actions. Of her role in the world.
Forest grinned and thought, If he only bloody knew . . .
However one guy on a bike would be an easy target, especially if he was a foreigner new to Nexus. He could easily vanish and no one would care.
Well, I could be up for a little guard duty, she thought before shrugging at him. "Sure why not? Its not like I have any place else I need to be."
Emily
Emily giggled at Mordred's response.
"Well, you're right here, aren't you?" the Changeling said, starting to undress as quietly as she could manage, "And as I recall you did mention being a knight."
"My my, what kind of knight are you?" she continued, her voice taking on a mock-surprised tone, "If you can't even catch a lady in distress...though I suppose that isn't your fault, is it?"
"After all, you can't catch someone you can't see," Emily finished, opening up the curtains enough to slip inside, sighing as the warm water cascaded around her, the scent of the soap Mordred was using relaxing the Spring Courtier just a little bit more. Shivering a little at the sudden draft, Emily pulled the shower curtain shut once more, seemingly unconcerned by her current state of attire, or lack thereof.
Aisha
"Is that truly what you think you are? Adults? You move from one mystery to another and satisfy yourselves with the smallest drops of knowledge before moving on. I cannot consider you adults like that. Legends and mysteries live unseen all across the planet. Realms of thought and power hidden behind and within the material world. You must understand yourselves and your home before I can consider you adults. It must hold no secrets from you. You must see the world."
Despite the words used she almost sounded tired more than anything. She had waited for her Children to grow to adulthood longer than civilizations have stood. There had been many that had gotten close, however all of them failed. But Aisha was patient. "The potential exists. Some of you see more than others but it will still take time. It's fortunate that I have all the time in the world to wait for you."
Forest
Forest grinned as she gathered her duster and set gracefully on the bike. She held out her fingerless glove covered hand and said, "Hi, I'm Forest."
Forest
Forest returned the handshake and said, "Actually I'm from Scotland. Most Yanks don't roll their R's as excessively as I do. So, what part of Asia do you hale from?"
Aisha
The progenitor almost seemed amused at the statement. They were such proud Children. Sometimes too proud, but they wouldn't be themselves without it. "I never denied that you Children are superior for the time being. But that does not make you adults. There are some of you that have come close. That have seen the secrets and understood the nature of the world around them but they are few in number. You do not quite understand yet."
Emily
Whatever reply that Emily might have had was sharply cut off at the sight of Mordred's current expression. The Summer Courtier's glare cut through the drunken haze clouding her senses, stopping her cold. Her fellow's words rang through her ears like a slap in the face, dulling Emily's senses to the otherwise enjoyable heat of the shower around them as she realized that, in her drunken haze, she really had pissed Mordred off.
Emily grew silent with that realization, the drunken gaiety soon replaced by a more somber expression as Emily drew the curtain open and gingerly stepped out of the shower, closing the curtain behind her.
The Spring Courtier remained silent, soft breaths and wet footsteps being the only sounds that marked her presence as she move over to the nearby towel rack and retrieved a towel to dry herself off with. No words passed Emily's lips as she went about getting dressed once more and made her way over to the door. Opening it, Emily didn't even wince at the draft of cool air cutting through the warm haze like a knife, turning back to the shower cabin.
"Sorry," the Changeling said, her voice suddenly devoid of the drunken, bubbly, amusement that had taken her by storm just moments ago.
Closing the door behind her, Emily stumbled back over to the bed, flopping down on the mattress on her side. The remaining bottle of rum sat innocently on the nightstand nearby, reminding the Changeling that she'd left its twin, now half-empty, on the vanity in the bathroom. Resisting the sudden urge to throw the bottle out the window, Emily waited, though for what she wasn't sure anymore.
Forest
Forest grinned and said, "You'd be surprised about a lot of fanboys." She eyed the wooden sword with a slight bit of trepidation and said, "Hey, you may face someone who has a severe weakness to wood you know. So did you just happen to wander in Nexus?"
"Oh, do you think so?" she smirked. Being patronised by anyone was a bit irritating. Probably she should show her a proof of her Supernal understanding. She uttered few words in High Speech, wondering whether the being could comprehend that.
Forest
"I'd be happy that it was doing something than sitting in a bank account doing nothing," Forest said with a chuckle. For some reason, when she got brought here, so did all of her accounts and assists. She was one of the wealthiest people in Nexus, probably after that golden pillock who was the CEO of Golden Rule.
However, having someone who might be at my beck and call during the day might be useful, she thought to herself. She said, "I might not have anything for you to do now, but I probably will in the future. See I've got this medical condition where I can't go in the sunlight, so I generally always need something during the day at some point."
Despite her inability to discern the meaning of the words she still managed to look incredibly unimpressed. "That means absolutely nothing. Your knowledge does not remedy the ignorance of the others and it is far from encompassing all the things of this world. You might as well have been silent. The effect would have been the same."
As Emily stared at the bottle, the roiling sea of thoughts and emotions soon faded to a dull roar as she considered her situation once more. After a few minutes spent in contemplation, Emily managed to push herself back off the bed and get into the bathroom once more. She really needed to talk to someone, but Mordred was probably still a little snappy and she was saving the bottle currently on the nightstand for Mordred. Retrieving the half-empty bottle of rum from the bathroom vanity, Emily made her way out of the bathroom and back onto the bed, flopping back against the mattress with the bottle clutched in one hand.
After a few moments spent like this, Emily sat up, looking at the bottle, then at the nightstand, where the two cups sat, then back at the bathroom. The Changeling's gaze drifted between the bottle and the cups once more before she shrugged and took a swig directly from the bottle. Looking at the bottle again, the Changeling took a few more before deciding that at the very least she wouldn't have to worry about the bottle snapping at her.
"You know," she started, holding out the bottle, "I suppose I've had worse days, but this has been pretty bad."
Emily leaned back against the head-board, kicking her feet up onto the mattress, considering the jeans she was currently wearing and deciding that she'd need to get her hands on something a bit lighter some time in the near future.
"I mean," she continued, taking another swig of the rum, "Just landed in some weird new place, the only other Changeling I've found is currently showering in the next room, and there seems to be some shady as hell group after us."
Emily lay there for a moment, propped up against the headboard as she considered the current situation.
"What's next?" she asked the bottle plaintively, "The return of that Autumn bitch?"
She waited for a few seconds, as if awaiting an answer, before knocking back another gulp of the rum, sighing as the warm burn slid down her throat. The Changeling set the bottle down nearby, now with only a quarter of it's original amount of rum remaining, and sat up, pulling off the jacket and the sweater and briefly considering removing the jeans before deciding that it was a bit too chilly for that. Now clad in jeans and a thin blouse, Emily eased back against the head-board, the pillows behind her providing something soft to rest on.
Forest
"I'm an odd jobs guy, so just ask me and I can run errands for you. But, if you don't mind me asking about it, are you one of Amanto? I just want to assure you I don't have problem with that, even if there are countrymen of mine who don't take kindly to you." Gintoki smiled at her.
The vampire tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear and said, "I'm pretty sure I'm not an Amanto. I am a vampire though."
Forest
Forest shook her head and said, "Nope, not joking. I can have red eyes and fangs though, but I have to go into feeding mode for them to show up. I mean, how can I get along in society if I always have glowing red eyes and fangs?"
"You disappoint me. You patronize humans of whom even the lowliest one has a spark of potential to Awaken and open their eyes to the Truth. We might sound like arrogant creatures, but your pride outstrips ours by far." she frowned at Aisha in displeasure, crossing her arms. "Honestly, I'm not interested in you anymore. I might just say farewell and just leave you be."
Richard Maxwell
Just before he could celebrate his victory against the black goo, it reformed back as quickly as it broke. To his dissappointment, it seemed things wouldn't be that easy. And then, it opened.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!! EW EW EW EEW!!" Richard cried in disgust. Or terror. Definetely more of the former of the latter, not that he'd admit the latter was ever present. So in the end, he shrieked in disgust.
Whatisthatwhatisthatwhatisthatwhatisthat!?
"What is that...thing?" He asked with a shaky voice, backing away slightly. Slightly. It was watching him, he didn't like it one bit. Neither the eyeball, nor the being watched thing.
J-just go away. Shoo!
Forest
"A lot of people would judge. And point, there would be screaming involved and then the running starts. After that people get out the torches and pitch forks and that's never really any fun," the blond vampire said with a sigh, "And curly hair's not too unusual. Okay, for a Japanese person it is, but not overly so . . . I don't know when to leave things alone and I sort of know what it's like to really need help and not get it. So when I can I help."
She shrugged as they approached the front counter.
Forest
"You could say that," Forest said with a smirk before noticing the exhausted expression on his face. "Come on, Gintoki, you look like you're about to drop on your feet. Let's get you a room and into bed. I'll give you my contact information if you need anything else."
Emily
Emily turned over onto her side to look at Mordred, only to find herself staring. Her rational mind could tell that Mordred had reinforced her Mask, as all she could see was what looked like a regular girl in red pajamas. However, the freshly showered look, the slightly damp hair, the way the pajamas fell around her frame...it was cute beyond all comprehension. The only thing that kept Emily from leaping off the bed to jump Mordred at that very instant was the knowledge that Mordred would soon be coming to her.
"Okay, sure," Emily said, turning onto her back once more, "Say, are you sure you don't want a drink?"
With that, Emily took up a cup and held it out to Mordred, "Just one is all. Can't hurt, really. If anything, you probably need the nightcap more than I do."
Emily allowed a giggle at that, noting that she'd had considerably more than a simple nightcap.
Forest
The blond vampire grinned and said, "Its a deal." Then grabbing some of the Motel 6 stationary and a pen, she wrote down her phone number and address. There was also a very crudely drawn map as well. All of these things she handed to the Asian.
"Art's not really my thing, I'm better with music," she said with a wiry grin, "But my building looks like an old factory or warehouse."
"Oh? Have I? I've acknowledged your potential to be inherit the World and all the mysteries within it, but it is still simply potential. You have forgotten much but in turn you have learned other branches of knowledge. There is no doubt that there is much that humanity has learned that I do not know and it is just as true that I remember things that humanity has long forgotten."
The progenitor stood up, and vines and roots seemingly let go rather than be ripped by her movement. "Perhaps you of all my Children will succeed. Perhaps you will fail. Only time will tell, but I am more than willing to find out with another."
She took out a slightly larger vial from her cloak and nearly filled it with her blood. While ingesting a large amount of her blood provided immediate but temporary benefits a slower diet of drops over time was capable of permanently increasing one's physical abilities and reverse aging. This amount would be good for a few centuries she imagined. She corked it and held it out to the Child. "If you cannot withstand the weight of time then once you have aged significantly drink a single drop a day. It will grant you youth and the opportunity to see what will become of you Children."
Sewage Worker
"Oh, what a surprise. The monsters and other beasts like staying in the dark, filthy area that keeps people away and makes it hard to track them. Who knew?" As they moved to leave he relaxed and began to examine the corpses of the Infected on the ground. As he checked on a Hunter he stopped what he was doing and looked up to talk to his subordinate.
"Mata, do remember to tell administration that we need to fix the hole here and that I recommend starting the Red Line. Oh, and after you lead them back out remember that we will have to talk about how you didn't inform anyone of these arrivals." The woman in question simply grumbled and stopped blocking the tunnel that the knight had burrowed into the wall. She gestured towards the rest of them to get a move on but didn't say anything.
"Fun shit that no one seems to know the group you work for," he spat out. "Even what passes for authorities of the law. You should work on that."
Mata Boyd
"We were hired by a benefactor whose identity is way beyond my paygrade. It disliked the idea of having such an obvious nesting ground for monsters unguarded and open to any kind of creature running from the law making an easy escape. We were put into place to keep people away and out along with containing or eliminating any extreme threats. Those beasts were an issue but relatively contained due to the Inner Workers coming in and suppressing any large gatherings." The worker's tone was rather neutral and much more professional than before. There seemed to be a need to remain more serious after seeing her superior.
Seras
It wasn't long before Seras found herself wandering the streets aimlessly, having nothing better to do now that she'd been kicked off the police force. Again.
Well, the first time wasn't really getting kicked off, but she couldn't exactly protect and serve as fledgling, so it was all the same in the end. Even so, Seras couldn't help but feel a little exasperation at the mess that had resulted in her getting fired. She doubted that she'd seen the last of that robot lady, so perhaps the night wouldn't stay too boring for long.
Even so, all the vampire could do at the moment was wander the streets aimlessly.
Seras
Seras raised an eyebrow when the girl responded to her suggestion with a reply in a tone that suggested that she was attempting to do the same to her.
"You're the one who jumped to conclusions," Seras shot back, "I just got kicked off for trying to help someone."
Seras
Seras frowned, deciding at this moment that she was starting to not like the woman in front of her.
"Congratulations," she remarked, "Now, how about we get home?"
"I can't exactly take public transportation like this," Seras continued, managing to keep her voice even, "So I suppose we'll have to walk."
Seras
Seras raised an eyebrow at the girl.
"I'm not worried about the sun," Seras said, "But this," she gestured with her shadow arm, "Is pretty conspicuous. Not to mention that I should probably get a change of clothes. And of course I had a daytime job. I just got fired from it."
Seras
The vampire stared at the Noriko for a moment, a little surprised that the girl actually seemed to be reconsidering. Finally, Seras allowed a chuckle.
"Very well," Seras said, "It's good to see that you're going to continue with your own merits for now at least."
"Now then," the vampire continued, standing up, "The least I can do is try to get some tea for a guest, so if you'll excuse me."
With that, Seras made her way into the kitchen, rustling up long forgotten tea leaves while setting some water to boil.
Richard Maxwell
Richard felt a light impact on his side, crashing trough the ice and sending him falling. Well, he didn't really feel it, most of his body was completely numb by then. Still, he could tell his face was laying on the cold ground. "Shit. I messed up." He choked out, trying to keep himself and his body together.
He needed to apply extreme focus in his bloodstream to control every single vessel, pumping the blood manually with magic. Such a strain could make a man go mad, but Richard was used to things like this. Perhaps... perhaps he had already gone mad long ago. Yeah, that had to be it.
Slowly, he turned to face the girl. There was no trace of the thing , bloody pulp. His blank eyes blinked, his body trembled and shook before turning completely inert. After a while, Richard smiled weakly before murmuring softly.
"Pretty shitty for an end, huh Riku?"
Noel Vermillion
Noel continued to hold her hands over him, allowing his arm to continue to soak up the healing light. As she looked up, her concentration was nearly broken. There was a woman who looked suspiciously similar to Saber who apparently knew Henry.
“Who are you--you’re not Saber!” She exclaimed in surprise. “How’d you get here, I don’t recognize you on the force!”
Richard Maxwell
Oh shut up, asshole. He thought of the staffed man's words. Not with any ill will, mind you. If he would have bothered to speak it out loud, it would've been nothing but playful banter.
Richard shook his head. "No, don't. If a beautiful one like you wasted her life to avenge me of all people, I'd be rolling in my grave. Heh, who knows if I'll even get one. I don't really care either way, about gods, graves and anything else. I just need one thing, just one thing..."
Quivering weakly, Richard then proceeded to do something impossible. He stood and patted Rikuyo on the shoulder.
"Can you smile?"
It's a female Shirou, Rin thought as she looked at the Japanese girl who just came up to them and introduced herself. She looked at Sakura, blinked, then smiled, extending her hand. "I'm Tohsaka Rin. So, do you introduce yourself to strangers regularly?"
Tar
He should've known there was something up with her aside from eerily resembling Saber. No normal person with a sense of self-preservation would ask about joining the Elites like that. Well unless they had some serious ability to back it up. Or they weren't exactly a "person", which meant they also tended to adhere to the first thing.
Experimentally, Henry clenched his arm. It didn't hurt nearly as much, though he felt like he shouldn't move it much. At the very least, his bones didn't seem to be broken anymore. The miracles of healing magic? The demon had to admit it was very convenient having easy access to that sort of care, considering how fragile this form was, relatively speaking. He turned neutrally to Noel and responded, "It's better. Thanks."
The detective faced the Saber lookalike next. "I suppose we can put you in contact with the Elites," he said. "Or I can ask the guys at the station to fill in a vacant spot or something. Never too many, you're not wrong there."
He was cautious about her true identity, but nothing about her had screamed alarm to him so far. Perhaps she could indeed be a good ally. So long as he knew what he needed to know.
"What's your name?" Henry asked, straightening his back and his tone of voice.
Saber
Saber wanted nothing more than a shower and a fresh change of clothing. She watched as Noel tended to Henry and sighed beneath her mask. Since she was covered in filth, she wasn't sure if she should remove her mask.
There had been a movie that Forest had shown her, most of it had gone over her head, but she remembered something about contaminants and the like.
Besides, there is Lancelot to deal with, she thought as she looked up at her burden.
Then she looked over at Noel and Henry to see what was literally another version of herself but taller. "Oh no," she whispered, not wanting to see Lancelot wake up and lose what little sanity he had left.
Saber
"W-why the heck are you here?" Saber's doppleganger said as she pointed at Saber, "Is that some grudge for me stalking you back then?"
Saber glared at the other woman and said, "I am doing what this city has tasked me to, protecting it. If I held a grudge for you stalking me, you would not be standing there." Saber started to guide Lancelot away, so he didn't see this "Mordred" and lose his sanity.
Vanguard
Vanguard removed his fingers from the woman's mouth in a slick motion, turning to the redhead woman.
"Oh?" He said with a tint of curiosity.
Saber
The former king gave Mordred a level look, her green eyes intense even with the mask. She said, "Then that is something you need to prove with your own actions."
Noel
As Saber and Mordred’s vocal altercation approached a crescendo, Noel began to haul away Henry. She didn’t want to be near this. She was sure he didn’t want to either.
“Tell me if anything hurts, okay?” She said when they got a reasonable distance away.
"Why wouldn't I be alright?, it was merely a simple fall from the sky. Don't you humans usually do that sort of thing?" She asked with a masterfully faked innocent voice that would have fooled all but the most shrewd people.Lone Wanderer
The Saint
And all around the city, in four separate points, brilliant pillars of light broke the sky. They raised high, each pillar taking the form of an elegant spiral before it straightened into a solid beam. The light pierced the clouds, and the clouds were pushed away, making the sky clear.
The pillars reached the heavens and their light made the sky bright. Not the black of night, not the blue of day, not the colors of the setting or rising sun.
No, a blanket of pure white spread though the sky, a perfectly pure white, and a white in which all is harmonious, all is equal, and all is true.
Then the pillars began to narrow, becoming brilliant rays, while giant spheres of light formed in the sky high above their origin point, the ray passing though the center.
Like four suns they sat in the sky, brilliant and incandescent.
Bright and almighty.
It reached far, from the police stations, to various homes from the most beautiful old houses to the modern apartment. It fell upon streets, it fell upon people.
Some of those ‘people’ began to wince, feeling pain. Some of them simply looked on in wonder. Far and wide this is what occurred. But yet it could still not reach the entirety of the Nexus.
Shinobu
"Before I came here I was eating delicious donuts, and before that I had donuts-
"Please enlighten me as to why there is a vampire here, what is your goal hunter of the night?"
This Mordred was still talking to her. The brash girl had something she waned to say to Saber, but Saber knew if Lancelot woke up and saw "Mordred", even though her bearing and mien were completely different than the Mordred that shared Saber's blood, it would not go well. Considering the episode in the sewers, she knew her friend's sanity at the moment was in tatters.
It would take little for him to go into a frenzy.
She faced this girl who looked like her and said, "Could you spare a few moments? I need to make sure my friend is taken care of, and if he saw you it would not go well."
If she did indeed fought Lancelot earlier, she would know how mighty he is in battle, and how dangerous he is when he lets his rage take over.
KOTOMINE KIREI
Something sharp and black exploded from zombie-Richard’s midsection, spraying Riku with lukewarm blood. Then it pulled away just as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving the corpse to flop to the ground with a large hole in its chest. Behind the show of sudden violence, standing atop the pile of rubble, a man in long blue robes with shoulder length dark hair stood tall, gazing down on the few remaining interlopers with hateful brown eyes.
Kotomine Kirei hopped from his perch to the ground with ease, the earth caving beneath his feet just slightly as he landed with a thud. He did not even bother with speech as a dozen black tentacles, swaying and wiggling in a mad dance as their master eyed the three people in front of him. What he saw was hardly enough to make up for what he had already lost.
Still, they would do, for the moment.
As one, all the tentacles came down on the same target: The redhaired woman, apparently intending to take the group apart one at a time.
Lorentohuw BalaganIrisviel
Tohuw gritted his teeth in indignation. His master was daring to heal him, indebting him further and further. This was unacceptable, unforgivable. The pain soon faded away, somewhat, only for another hindrance to appear before her eyes.
Frozen in place, the demon glared at the pile of meat standing before him in disgust. Death in his eyes and smoke seeping from his mouth, he could barely contain his urge, that deep animalistic urge all demons possess to break and wound and kill and maim. While he, Tohuw Balagan was not so base, they did not agree with him one bit. They simply wished for him to eradicate the pest before him, the pest that dared to inflict such shame upon he, Tohuw Balagan!
But he would have none of it.
Oh how he wished, for even the slightest second, to tear that poor fool to shreds and vent out his frustrations on him like a piece of modern art. Oh, how that would be lovely. But alas, that would not do. At least not now.
On second thought, that imbecile looked far too stupid to be the cause of this. And honestly, he cared far too little to actually bother exerting his grim will. So with a sigh, he relaxed-
And the floor surrounding him cracked ominously. With that, Tohuw nodded politely and stood, smiling weakly.
"My, my. I must have eaten something that isn't quite agreeing with me. If you excuse me, I need to take a breath of fresh air." He replied with a gentle, kind and calm, very very calm tone. In a way, it wasn't quite false. He surely did need out for the moment.
"Is that alright with you, milady?"
Sakagami Kenzo
"YAAAAAAAAAAY!!" Kenzo cheered happily, jumping up with abright cheery smile. Then, he grabbed onto her hands and held them while jumping up and down in celebration.
"Okay, so, its gonna be super awesome! There's warm baths and saunas and stuff, and I have enough food left to last for two more months! Its gonna be huuuuuge!"
Saber
Saber drug Lancelot to a couch in the waiting room of the police station they had emerged near. She gave some of the other officers explicit instructions to not bother them. Then she had used the locker room to shower off all the filth from the sewers. Sadly, all of her clothing and boots had to be discarded, but at least the station had sweats with the Nexus PD logo on them to spare. Even though they hung very low on her (she had to roll up the legs of the pants considerably, and the shirt hit her at midknee), it was better than facing Mordred with clothing that she had been wearing while diving in a sewer.
She returned and zipped the windbreaker she had taken up as she approached the other blond.
"I would suggest talking somewhere where we would have protection from the elements," She said, gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering.
"I don't know to leave well enough alone, but you ran into me so you're sort of my responsibility. However, any untoward move towards me or my mate up there will have consequences. The 'pick a god and prey' sort of consequences."
Sakagami Kenzo
"Aaaaaaaaaw, you're just so adorable!" Kenzo grinned before toying with her cheeks teasingly.
"Name's Kenzo! Sakagami Kenzo!"
Hyoudo Tenma
"Woah, so you're into that stuff! I seeeeeee..." She said with a cheeky grin, teasing the girl. Of course, there was no ill will behind her words or anything. In fact-
*CLICK*
Tenma's eyes were wide open as she felt something tug on her leg. Quickly glancing back, she looked down and noticed broken tripwire. At the same time, rapid clicking sounds and a small hiss could be heard along the hallway. Instinctively, Tenma flinched and in an instant, eight metal tentacles burst from her backpack and wrapped around the two to form a barrier. At the same time, no, an instant later, a powerful explosion from the wall nearby blasted trough. Luckily, the T.A.R.A.N.T.U.L.A was sturdy enough to take the brunt of the damage. Tough little things they were.
The smoke cleared and revealed a dome of metal limbs linked together. Then, after a moment, they released the formation and slithered behind Tenma.
"Fuck." She growled, her look far from amused. In fact, it was an angry look, one of someone who knew she could've just died. Had she not noticed that wire, had she not been quick enough, had those sounds been muffled, she'd have been a goner. And that infuriated her to no end. Gritting her teeth, she looked down and hard on the end of the hallway.
"You wanna play rough? O.K. I'll show you just how rough I play..." She snarled lowly in a whisper, more to herself than anything.
Sakagami Kenzo
“Hahaha. What a story. Well, if you intended to talking me to death, you succeeded. But I don’t get what all this talk about Onis is about. I’m just a man, you know, the normal everyday type.” Kenzo laughed half heartedly, shaking his hand to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation. Then, with a sigh, he looked at the vampire child. Not with the usual bubbly nature of his, but with a serious, stern look.
“And I’ll let you know I don’t appreciate being threatened like that. Just know I bite much harder than my friend over there. 800? Bah! At least five hundred years too early to run your mouth like that onme young lady. A kid should respect her elders, behave nicely, play fair, eat her vedgetables, go to school and go to bed before sunset. So no death threats, understood?” He said fiercely, not a single tint of unease or fear in his voice. He wanted to make himself very clear that her bullshit wouldn't faze him.
Forest
Forest did grin and said, "And Kenzo's an oni so he's not exactly a defenseless babe either, Regent. By and by, I'm Forest. Law Unto Herself; not the tile I would have picked, but apparently The Morrigan's Grace doesn't have the same sound to it."
Saber
"Actually, I am as alive as you are Mordred. My case of being a Servant was . . . unique to say the least, but I can assure you that I am a living, and breathing, but extraordinary person," Saber said with a smile as she pulled the windbreaker closer around her. She could feel her wet hair starting to freeze and she did sigh in relief as they walked inside of the cafe.
Food. I could raid a kingdom for a good meal, Saber thought as she found her stomach growling. She had expended a lot of energy in the sewers and her stomach was churning in need for food. Her eyebrows went up as Mordred ordered coffee for herself and "her sister". "Well better than 'father' or 'uncle/aunt'," Saber said with a slight grin.
"I think I and my associate, Emily, got into some serious problem. In the park that got destroyed, we left the gate leading to borderlands between the world of Fae and this plane, but a woman was already waiting for us, ridiculously strong. Odd man that was an empty walking armor tried to save us, but I ran away. I feel a bit like a coward to be honest, but I knew he was ridiculously strong yet he got shred to pieces by that monstrous woman. I don't have a clue though who destroyed the park, even if I have a gut feeling it has something to do with that incident."
Saber listened to Mordred's story and nodded. She then said, "A very good friend once told me that sometimes running away is the smartest and bravest choice of action one could take. Since you were disadvantaged, and protecting a companion, you made the right choice."
The waitress brought their coffee and Saber requested menus. She sighed, shook her head, causing her thawing hair to fly back and forth. "Nexus is a very dangerous place, and it took courage for you to come to me." She held out her hand and said, "I believe we got off on the wrong foot. I am called Saber, but my true name is Artura Pendragon."
Saber
"Irisviel," Saber said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "I am glad that a version of her thrives. The one I was close to did not meet a kindly end, but her husband, the fool, was a large part of that."
Saber smirked at Mordred's desire to join the Elites and said, "I think they would be welcome to have you. I wish you the best of luck. Now I have a warning for you, once we get some food." Emerald green eyes narrowed and looked around for their server to take their order.
Forest
"Don't make me pull over this car. We're all elders here, so let's bloody try to act like it and figure what the fucking hell this mojo death light is and see if we can't stop it. Or find someone who can," Forest said with a scowl.
She added to Victoria, "Also, we're heading to the Emporium of Man. If you just arrived in Nexus and are in need of things, I can cover you. Cash isn't a problem."
Forest
"They affect me too," Forest said, clinching her jaw as she felt her fangs wanting to lengthen in memory. She shook her head and said, "Regardless, we need to do something. Find someone who can do the footwork or whatever and then kill the wanker who's doing this."
She tilted her head as Victoria procured cash from literally blood and shook her head. "You could use clothing. I don't think what I have is going to fit you. You're tiny and I'm very bloody tall."
Sakagami Kenzo
"No." He growled, glaring at both and glowering in silence.
"No one is going to kill anyone."
KOTOMINE KIREI
Kotomine’s eyes narrowed when his target dove into a roll to get away, in the only direction available to her - toward him. He took a step forward with his left foot and raised his arm high above his head, his palm flat and fingers held together as though preparing a karate chop. When the redhead came to a stop, she had a split second to observe the priest right in front of her before his hand came down like a viper’s strike.
Saber
Saber's eyes lit up at the Double Decker Burger she had ordered. It even came on a pretzel bun and looked heavenly complete with fries and a root beer. It had all the trimmings: crisp, green lettuce, slices of red, ripe tomato, aromatic pickle spears, and deep plum colored onions. She rubbed her hands together as it was laid before her before reaching to grab the bottle of catusp beside her.
"The thing that bothers me is that normal people are defenseless against his influence. He can even negate my charisma, and that is not an easy feat, but what I am afraid of is there are people who I care about who would be targeted in his mania. People who I do not want to see hurt," Saber said before taking a bite and sighing.
Sakagami KenzoThe man in the front seat seemed to have quite the temper, and an extreme aversion to violence. That was an odd pair, usually the easily angered ones tended to be far more violent and ready to kill. That did not, however, change my stance on the matter. "I do not believe you can stop me. You need not participate but I assure you, the man responsible for this will die. Either by my hand or another's," I finished, glaring him down as he continued to glare me down. I had put up with intimidation from people with far more power and willingness to murder than this naive man, and the lack of his willingness to kill made any statement he made very hollow in my eyes. Without Logic or Power to back up his statements, his objections were merely the braying of a naive mule who did not understand how the world worked.
Kenzo glared at Victoria with eyes full of death. Then, he simply stomped once with all his strength, sending the car jumping. A small hole was caved in where Kenzo's foot now resided.
"I said, there will be no killing. Undestood?"
Forest
She pointed to Victoria and said, "No, we're not brainwashing people into being our bloody puppets. They inspect out of their own free will or we find someone else. We're not forcing ourselves on anyone like that."
Forest
Forest yelped and then her eyes went wide at the hole in her floor. "Fucking hell, my poor car! Did you . . . we could have wrecked or worse! Kenzo, and now there's a hole in my car!"
She felt the pressure close in around her, and she barely paid mind to the sound of people running away. Shirou probably escaped. Papa would be safe.
“Ahhhhh” Mia let out a soft pained moan as her body was squeezed. Pressure from every angle, but it wasn’t enough to break her. Bones were broken for sure, her already snapped arm flared with pain, and her ribs seemed to creak.
But she could live though it. But, just for this meanie she would put up a convincing act.
And then he squeezed harder. And the scream she let loose was real, as it ripped though the silence, a horrifying and pained screamer.
Her other arm began to crack, fractures began to spread though her hip, and any ribs that were not already broken snapped like a twig. All the while the pain compounded as the more pressure was put on those spots. The bones broke more, and the pain grew even more. And again, and again. With each thing breaking the pain compounded. Until it was no longer bearable.
Her eyes drooped. And the tension leave her body. And then, her grip around Silver loosened allowing the blade to be freed and fall though the Dragon’s body, making a cut as it went.
But in its grasp, Mia went limp, apparently unconscious.
Sakagami Kenzo
"Shut. Up." He ordered the girl. He couldn't take it anymore, he wouldn't take it anymore. His fist was now clenched, his muscles were tense. His body begged for release, their sole target being her face. But he tried, oh he tried to keep it cool. To calm down. He had to calm down.
"Forest, I'm sorry for that. I'll help you fix it after."
"I do not know what a Contract of Summer is, but I do know someone who would be come quite cross if you manipulated people's thoughts to your advantage, even to stop someone as tyrannical as Hamara," Saber said with a smile.
"As for an Ace Up My Sleeve?" Saber said with a sigh, "It is not the one I would choose willingly, but it has certain advantages."
KOTOMINE KIREI
He may have struck like a viper, but he hit like a hammer. The attack failed to break through the hardened scales, but the force behind the blow was enough to numb Riku’s arms with pain. For his part Kotomine’s fierce scowl deepened when his hand failed to pierce through the girl’s suddenly very tough skin. Had he really lost so much in the previous battle?
Quickly swapping his style, the tentacles retreated back into the ground and grabbed the redhead’s arm with the hand he had just attacked her with, denying her ability to defend from that side, and pulled back his left leg and delivered a devastating kick to her right flank.
Or he would have, if a blast of supernatural energy didn’t slam into him at the worst possible time. Whatever it was, it burned into the joint where his left leg connected to the hip, and very nearly caused the priest to lose his balance. He wobbled almost comically as he fought to avoid falling backward, reflexively holding tight onto Riku’s arm, before firmly planting both feet back on the ground. The scorched flesh seemed to just slough away, replaced just as quickly by healthy skin and muscle. Even his robes had somehow returned to perfect condition.
Of course, as soon as he had recovered more ranged energy attacks blasted at him, this time from the other direction. These wounds too healed as quickly as they were dealt, but Kotomine had had quite enough of this. As the two latecomers approached, the muscles in his arms tightened and bulged, large enough for definition to be seen even through his blue robes.
Gripping the redhead girl’s arm like an over tightened vice, the priest pulled her past and behind him, as though he were preparing to pitch a baseball, and with just as much ease.
Then, one handed, he swung her in a half circle around him. Riku’s entire body stretched out straight from the centrifugal force, threatening to pop her arm from its socket. It was an impossibly wide arc, logic dictated that Kotomine’s arm was almost ten meters too short to hit Michael and Valerie with Riku’s body, yet she came flying at them both all the same.
At the completion of the swing, he released the girl’s arm, allowing her momentum to send her flying back into the massive pile of rubble he had emerged from only moments ago. If luck was on his side, that one move would have bought him all the time he needed to sustain himself. Of course, with the way things had been going the past few hours, he had no reason to believe that fortune would favor him.
KOTOMINE KIREI
He may have struck like a viper, but he hit like a hammer. The attack failed to break through the hardened scales, but the force behind the blow was enough to numb Riku’s arms with pain. For his part Kotomine’s fierce scowl deepened when his hand failed to pierce through the girl’s suddenly very tough skin. Had he really lost so much in the previous battle?
Quickly swapping his style, the tentacles retreated back into the ground and grabbed the redhead’s arm with the hand he had just attacked her with, denying her ability to defend from that side, and pulled back his left leg and delivered a devastating kick to her right flank.
Or he would have, if a blast of supernatural energy didn’t slam into him at the worst possible time. Whatever it was, it burned into the joint where his left leg connected to the hip, and very nearly caused the priest to lose his balance. He wobbled almost comically as he fought to avoid falling backward, reflexively holding tight onto Riku’s arm, before firmly planting both feet back on the ground. The scorched flesh seemed to just slough away, replaced just as quickly by healthy skin and muscle. Even his robes had somehow returned to perfect condition.
Of course, as soon as he had recovered more ranged energy attacks blasted at him, this time from the other direction. These wounds too healed as quickly as they were dealt, but Kotomine had had quite enough of this. As the two latecomers approached, the muscles in his arms tightened and bulged, large enough for definition to be seen even through his blue robes.
Gripping the redhead girl’s arm like an over tightened vice, the priest pulled her past and behind him, as though he were preparing to pitch a baseball, and with just as much ease.
Then, one handed, he swung her in a half circle around him. Riku’s entire body stretched out straight from the centrifugal force, threatening to pop her arm from its socket. It was an impossibly wide arc, logic dictated that Kotomine’s arm was almost ten meters too short to hit Michael and Valerie with Riku’s body, yet she came flying at them both all the same.
At the completion of the swing, he released the girl’s arm, allowing her momentum to send her flying back into the massive pile of rubble he had emerged from only moments ago. If luck was on his side, that one move would have bought him all the time he needed to sustain himself. Of course, with the way things had been going the past few hours, he had no reason to believe that fortune would favor him.
Saber
Between bites of the heavenly burger, Saber said, "From what you have said of your companion, she doesn't sound like a candidate for the Elites. Unless she is a reasonable medic; they are always on the look out for those. However, a lack of sobriety is troublesome, especially if it hinders her performance."
Then she eyed Mordred and asked, "Last night, did you, by any chance, get into an altercation with a black knight?"
Seras
The vampire couldn't do much to keep the embarrassed blush as Noriko responded.
"Sure," Seras called back before watching as the girl went inside. After a moment, the vampire decided to follow Noriko in, remaining at a safe distance, but keeping an eye on the girl nonetheless.
“GET THE HELL OFF ME, YOU LOWLY PERM-ADDLED PLEBEIAN SCUM!” She seethes with sheer hatred in her voice, acting with as much elegance as an angry walrus trying to devour the innards of a penguin.
“Yet you don’t even apologize despite the accident being YOUR fault? PEH, all because of you, now my clothes are beyond salvation. Just how exactly do you intend to take responsibility for your mistakes, and fix the mess in the first place, permy?!” She would ask, notably closer with all accompanying smell that her brief residence within the confines of a dumpster had imparted unto her, with all the wonderful qualities of decay, rot, and corpulent matter caking her back.
Noriko
"Fancy to meet someone from the same world. Don't worry, my lips are closed about your condition."
Watch what you say, Mage, as there are likely to be those of the uninitiated around. If you want to discuss anything beyond the normal, we will need to move elsewhere. Here is my phone number, 1-423-5997
With that done, I gave a different response verbally, just in case we were being eavesdropped on, whispering back to her "How could you tell that I had stunted growth, and was not just a child? After all I didn't give off any signs of it," faking a bit of a shocked expression as I did. I had to be able to convince any possible eavesdroppers that this was the case.
Saber
Saber winched and replied, "No, he is actually a close friend of mine and a previous knight of mine. You remind him of an old enemy; which is no fault of yours, but he is . . . unbalanced."
She sighed before eating a fry and taking a sip of soda through the straw. "He was the man I was carrying out earlier. That is why I wanted to make sure he was secure before speaking to you. Do you mind telling me what happened?"
"My relatives are doctors in the relevant field. Picked up from them the knowledge how to recognize it" She said in a hushed tone.
I do not mind a chat, but let us meet later, outside Emporium
After reading the text, I quickly replied to her text saying with the following:
Very well then, if you have a place in mind let me know and I will go with you. If we are going now, however, we would need to direct the conversation to make it seem natural or meet up again later.
Hitting send, I began to reply to her verbally, in order to maintain the facade, "Sorry about that, my phone went off, and it was something rather important, so I might be continuing to interrupt our conversation to reply. I do apologize, and I would normally never do something like that, however this is rather urgent," I said with a false apology, good enough to convince anyone watching. "And that is rather interesting, my father was not as much into medicine and science as he was into the occult. Its also why I choose to dress like this, he was rather old fashioned so I grew up wearing clothing like this and I took a liking to it," I continued, trying to keep the conversation going to fool any Kine around.
"By any chance are you familiar with the different OS types they have here? They seem relatively similar to my world, though they are a bit more advanced, I was going to go with the best windows they have here, as it probably is the best for data processing, but I am also considering Linux as I am familiar enough with computers to use it, and I am building my own computer, I might as well customize my own OS," I said, gesturing to the assorted computer parts I had in a large basket that I had gotten from the store.
After that, I waited for a reply to my text, and to see if the girl might have some relevant information on the OSes here.
"I usually go for two operating systems and boot whichever suits my needs at given moment" We can sit by that bench near the fountain outside the store. I shall veil us two so the crowd does not notice us and steers away That would not deter her pet though, but that is what she wanted.
Deciding to speak freely now that mundanes were no longer listening, I began to speak, "It was more of the latter, really. Though it could be said to be a bit of both. What I had used is called Thaumaturgy, or perhaps Blood Sorcery would be a more familiar term for you. Specifically, I used a bit of Technomancy, which is one of several types of Thaumaturgy I am familiar with," I said, answering the girl's question. "Now that we are now out of the earshot of mortals, I believe introductions are in order. I am Victoria Ashworth, High Regent of the London Chantry and Elder Vampire of Clan Tremere. What would your name be, young mage?" I was rather curious about her, as mages were a bit of an interesting subject for research among my clan, especially since our founder, and many of the eldest of our clan were once mages themselves.
With my piece said, I simply waited for the girl's response and pondered what kind of magic she might be able to use. It seemed she was at least familiar with mind and possibly life or entropy, as she was able to detect that I was not living.
"I'm Gudrun Solberg. I actually heard rumors about blood sorcery, but my knowledge about it scratches only surface."
My hunch was correct, the girl did indeed lack knowledge about Thaumaturgy, and thus likely had never heard of Clan Tremere as well. That would explain why she had no clue as to how I had done what I did with her phone. Interesting, perhaps I ought to offer to enlighten her. After all, it wouldn't hurt to share a bit of knowledge with someone who may very well turn out to be a potential recruit, though I doubt it would be under ideal circumstances. After all, a mage loses their powers when they are turned. I had figured that one out for myself after I had turned Sibyl. She likely would not accept, at least unless it was an emergency. After all, I wouldn't if I was in their shoes. The power of the awakened was indeed far more flexible than Thaumaturgy, after all.
Decided on what I would say, I began to speak to the girl in front of me, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Gudrun. You likely are not familiar with my clan, which is rather strange sicne you know of vampires, if you do not know of Thaumaturgy. After all, we are a pillar of the Camarilla, and have been practicing it for longer than I have been undead by a good two hundred years, so about a millennium," I said, giving her a brief summary of my clan. Then, I tipped my hand a bit to show her what I was angling at, "If, perhaps, you could tell me a bit about your magic, I would be more than willing to teach you a thing or two about Thaumaturgy. After all, I could hardly ask you to divulge your craft without offering something in return. Of course, we would have to further negotiate, but I am definitely curious about your magic," I finished, showing my keen interest in her.
After all, it was not often that one got to learn a bit about mages, especially one that may be from a slightly shifted parallel world than mine. Perhaps her powers worked differently from Sibyls when she was alive. It would be interesting to find out, so I was willing to take the risk of sharing a thing or two about thaumaturgy with this woman. Of course, she would be sworn to secrecy about it.
With that said, I simply waited for the girl's response, wondering how she would take it.
" I'm a Nordic necromancer. Know Havamal? '– if up in a tree – I see a corpse hanging high, – the mighty runes – I write and color – make the man come down – to talk with me.' "
"I do apologize, but I am rather unfamiliar with Necromancy, that is the purview of the Giovanni, not we the Tremere. However, one thing about what you said puzzles me, Gudrun. As far as I am aware, Awakened have no need for the trappings of ancient sorceries, such as runes and the like, for the most part. From what I heard from my childe, who once was a mage, they only used them to focus their will when they were inexperienced, or when it was a particularly difficult magic. In the end, I was under the impression that it was the fact that mages could bend the world with their will alone that brought their magic about. Is that not the case for you?" I asked, testing her to see if my hypothesis was correct.
Saber
"Lancelot use to no be like this. He came in contact with something that changed him for the worse," Saber said with a sigh.
She looked out the window, then pulled her phone out. The time she saw stated that it should still be quite dark. "No, this bodes ill," Saber said with a frown.
With that said, I began to speak, "Quite fascinating, my world does not work like that at all from what I know, given the research I have amassed over my centuries of life. This place is truly a fascinating place to let me come across new magics to study." I truly believed it as well, the best way to create thaumaturgy was to adapt the principles of another type of magic to run on blood. "I have the ability to draw up a blood contract with my magic, perhaps you would be interested in forging a deal between the two of us? I would be willing to teach you what I know in exchange for other information, and I would also be willing to give you a bit of my blood in exchange for some of yours, among other things," I said giving her a bit of what might go into the contract.
Depending on how she reacted to this, I might offer her the Embrace. After all she seemed like a perfect candidate to become a member of the Tremere. However, it would likely only be in an emergency scenario, after all neither of us wanted her to lose her awakened powers if not necessary. It was better for both of our research if she kept them.
Brunhilde Furst
It seemed like the woman thought I had done something to cause the young girl in her grasp to disappear into wind and rush away. An interesting ability, but not something I could do, and it just confirmed that it was indeed the woman who was the aggressor here. Deciding to clear up the first point first, I began to speak, "I had nothing to do with making the poor girl you were threatening disappear. That was likely her own ability and how she decided to escape from you." Giving the girl a glare from beneath my helmet, I continued my verbal assault, "I do believe you were the aggressor here, and it was a case of mistaken identity."
With that said, I had planned on leaving since the situation had resolved itself, however another newcomer, came, another blonde. She seemed to have missed the earlier part and was jumping in much as I was, and seemed to think I was the aggressor here. Reasonable given the situation, so I decided to explain the situation calmly.
"I had nothing to do with this, I walked into this situation much like you are now. This woman over here," I gestured at the crying girl, "Had bumped into a red haired girl, and seemingly mistook her for someone else, before lifting her up and yelling at her. The girl was rather inebriated, so she was likely was confused by what was going on. I stepped in to try to resolve the misunderstanding, then the red hair girl seemingly turned into air and fled. The woman over here think I did that, however I did not," I finished my explanation.
With that said, I waited for the girl's reaction to my explanation.
"If you are worried about what I would be doing with the blood sample, then that is understandable. However, I can assure you that not only am I not interested in using it to curse you, I do not have the knowledge to do so. However, even if I did, we could render me unable to do it to you through the blood contract," I said, taking a breath before explaining what exactly it was, "The blood contract is one of the most powerful rituals available to the Tremere, as it allows two parties to create a pact, either simple or complex, that cannot be broken, unless the contract itself is destroyed. The terms of the contract would be enforced as written for both parties, and are absolutely unbreakable, and the contract takes effect three days after it is signed in the blood of the participants of the ritual," I said, finishing the explanation.
"As for anything else, I would be willing to teach you any variety of skills or thaumaturgy I know, in exchange for you teaching me a bit about how your powers work, and anything else you have in mind could be discussed," I said, finishing my offer.
With the deal laid out, I sat back and awaited her response.
Why do you practice the magic you practice? After all, magic is a very dangerous force, and you seem cautious enough to not be playing with it, so you obviously have a strong reason for doing it."
Seras took a moment to consider Noriko's question, thinking back to the whole conversation.
"Honestly, a bit long-winded," Seras admitted, "And she certainly didn't act her age, considering she's even older than my Master. ...Honestly, between how easily she showed her hand regarding the whole thing about blood curses, and how blatantly she was asking for your blood in the first place, amongst a few other things...I'm actually wondering how she survived that long."
Elyssa:
Out of the malevolent suns' glares, her systems were stabilizing. However, a new situation appeared: she was not alone. Through the static of her cameras, a winged humanoid appeared. "Get back!" she lashed out.
She tried to get in a more defensible position, but it was obvious what a pitiful state the Fair Lady was in. If only she had more time for her routines to normalize...
KOTOMINE KIREI
Both newcomers had evaded his sweep, much to the priest’s irritation. He relaxed the muscles in his arms, which shrank back to their normal size, and carefully gauged his enemies as they charged at him. Bone-like spikes burst out of the woman, who attacked from the front, while the other man shifted around to the side, preparing to flank him. Smart… too bad what they didn’t know would get them killed.
Kotomine didn’t even try to defend against Valerie’s attack. Her knee and her elbow struck true, the bone-spike protrusions digging partway into his flesh. Michael came up from behind, about to attack with his staff, when the priest rotated.
It was an unnatural movement. In the blink of an eye, Kotomine’s entire upper body turned 180 degrees, while his legs didn’t appear move at all. The bone woman, brought along for the ride, suddenly found herself between Michael and his target. Whether he hit Valerie or aborted the strike didn’t much matter. The priest reached around and grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her away, her bone spikes seeming to just slide right out of him. The priest’s knee came up and his leg extended in a devastating snap kick to Michael’s midsection, strong enough to fracture his ribs.
Holding Valerie by the throat in front of him Kotomine Kirei narrowed his eyes and pulled back his fist, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Then, she quickly turned to look behind her. SHe heard footsteps, something else was coming for them.
"Careful." She whispered.
Sakura turned away from Rin and Vanguard. She walked towards Noriko and grabbed her arm, walking away with her. She didn’t want Rin to see her tearing up.
“What do you want to talk about?” She asked Noriko flatly.
"Oi, what you are doing in this place? The light from here spoiled my mood, so I come to shut it down. Are you here to do the same or just like crawling through such suspicious places?" he called out them. Better they were allies, not foes. Or he would have to fight his way through them.
"It appears we're here for the same reason, if that's truly why you're here" The vampire stated a bit suspicously. She continued "Beware, this place is full of traps, explosive traps to be more precise or at least that's what we've encountered so far". Shinobu gave him a closer look as he got near them "You're human aren't you?" she asked flatly.
Keeping the newcomer in sight, he asked "Who are you supposed to be?"
"You didn't do that. But she is bothered by your presence, and I'm not surprised. Anyone would be suspicious a stranger hiding her face." She turned to the two. "I apologize on behalf of my associate. I don't know what has happened between you two, but I don't blame you. Emily's a drunk who has loose self-control. I talked with Saber and she sneaked out without my knowledge." Mordred sighed. She had to get back to the apartment. "Can you help me find her if she's not in her apartment? She can be bothersome, but still it's a dangerous place and I cannot leave her like that. But first..." She looked at the black knight. "Remove your helmet and introduce yourself. You will look more trustworthy without that piece of metal on your head."
Rachel
"You've truly impressed me." Rachel said without an ounce of sarcasm. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who says more pointless drivel to get across a simple idea before. Your sheer pointlessness is something that should be lauded, it's something that only comes once in a generation, nay, perhaps even less frequently than that. Bravo. I don't often meet people who lack the understanding that brevity is a virtue very often to this extent."
Urthemiel
The Old God raised an eyebrow at the girl's state and gently patted her head. Her face and eyes softened so that they could even be mistaken for having a bit of true pity. One could call it overly sympathetic but one did not become important by using cold reasoning. Emotions were a key part of manipulation as well. "No tears. Crying won't solve anything, and I need you to be coherent if we want to figure out what happened to your friend. Now, while magic can do so it certainly doesn't grant people powers from nothing. Most likely your friend is possessed by a demon or is a powerful demon in disguise. Both are equally likely. Can you think of anything that might reveal which one it is?"
Or that was what she tried to do, anyway. Instead there was a loud noise or something, like a body hitting a floor.
Sakura
Sakura sighed. “What can you do for me, Noriko? What are your powers, how can you help me?”
Noel Vermillion
Noel smiled warmly at Mordred, wiping the tears from her face. “Rhonwen huh? Mordred Rhonwen. That’s a nice name. I’m Noel. Noel Vermillion.” She said, extending her hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you Mordred.”