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Cassandra gave a smiall smile. "I figured I would run the train a second time, just to make sure that I didn't miss anyone. I'd feel bad if someone showed up just two minutes late... I've had it happen to me before..."

A dizzying number of events had happened over a very short period of time. Needless to say, Raya was a bit taken aback. She had just witnessed someone cutting their own throat open, reaching into their flesh, and removing some sort of gem. The smell of vomit and blood was sickening to her. Though out this entire "incident" she had remained silent, staring down at the floor in front of her, trying to keep the images out of her head. And it wasn't working too well. With this, it seemed sleep would be quite impossible for at least a few days now. She took a deep breath, releasing it shakily, her hands moving to her pocket unsteadily. An MP3 player and headphones slipping out of the rather large pocket. Perhaps she wanted to be alone for a bit. The headphones slipped over her head easily enough, she found a playlist she liked, and soon her ears were filled with music, separating her from the train around her.

Looking around at the others, she asked softly, "Anything I really need to explain for anyone? I know it's a lot to take in, and a lot to really ask, but... I didn't see any alternative..."

The train running twice sounded like a good plan on her part, although he did not fully understand all that she is facing, more people would be welcomed. It is not the first time he has faced unfathomable odds, always in the favor of the opposing side.

With her invitation for questions, his mind lagged. Incomplete thoughts chased others around his skull, nothing that would make sense beyond his own lips. His eyes land on Raya, guilt shot through him as she removes herself from them with the simple act of covering her ears with headphones. He has done far to much already, biting his tongue he turns away letting the others deal.

His eyes land on the exit sign hanging from the ceiling and entertained the idea of using it. Going back to his motorcycle and riding away, since he had made no promises of staying. His hand rests on his helmet, Cassandra needed a team and his presence seems to have alienated all those she is trying to gather. His fingers drummed against the hard plastic weighting his options.

Wandering hazel eyes followed Kyanite's gaze, her hopes beginning to fade a little. Cassandra's gaze travelled to Raya, wincing slightly as she saw that she was involved with her MP3 player. Her hopes suddenly plumetted, her stomach dropping to her shoes. Maybe... this wasn't such a good idea... To ask others to put themselves on the line like this, to have them stick their necks out for her sake--the more she thought about it, the more and more selfish it was sounding. Swallowing slightly, she looked down to the edge of her gown, which was still damp from washing the blood off it. It wasn't fair of her to ask this of them...

"If... anyone wants to leave... You don't have to stay, I won't make you... I completely understand..." As soon as she said it, she rose from her seat, making her way out of the train compartment. Vaughn moved quickly, trying to follow her as she stepped off the train and past the waving, shouting twins, stepping into the crowd and instantly disappearing. Even with his superior height, by the time he made it out of the train, he could not spot her in the crowd.

A few minutes later, she made her way to a far platform, sitting down on a set of stairs leading out to the street, resting her face in her hands as she let out a deep sigh. "This was a bad idea," she said softly. "They're probably getting ready to leave right now... I should have expected this..." She felt a deep pang in her chest and winced slightly. "They were pretty nice too... Maybe a little strange... But I suppose I take the cake..."

She sighed again. "Who was I kidding, thinking I would get help by posting on the internet? Man, they must think I'm a real psycho..."

Cassandra flinched as she remembered the Panel. She was going to face a really bad punishment this time... And now she had no chance of back-up... Well, she had to admit, she probably didn't have any back-up to begin with...

It was weird how the girl always seemed to read his mind. He found it slightly frustrating, that he is so open to be read by anyone.

With a sigh making up his mind he trails after Cassandra somehow trying to figure out how to fix this. Finding her on the steps, surrounded with her creations. The posture of defect tore at his soul, even if they did not win it would be a great tale to tell.

“Cassandra, I am with you.” he states, placing his hand over his heart, a slight bow followed. “If you will still find me worthy to help your cause.”

She didn’t seem convinced or moved by his words. He crouches close enough to keep their conversation private. “A wise man told me once that all good leaders question their ability to lead. That is the only sort of leader I shall follow for I know their heart and soul are in the quest and not the glory of the battle.”

He could see she needed him, in some small way beyond the outline of the mission. She needed friends, at that is what he offered as he held out his hand. “I may be short and not very heroic in appearance, my life and friendship is yours just the same.”

Looking up at him with sad eyes, she said softly, "i am 17 and a half. Six months ago, at an exclusive book signing, I first ran into my first Creation--Vaughn. A week later, at my own birthday party, I was kidnapped by him and the twins. They needed me, they said, that I was their Creator, that I was the only one that knew them, actually knew them. They've been dying to see me be their heroic Creator, their fabled leader... But then I had to go face a Panel of thirteen men that had already made up their minds that I was guilty... When my Creations saw me next, I was lying on the floor outside the coutroom, beaten and bloody, unable to even get on my feet. They broke a bone in one ankle, and shattered the bones in my wrist. They used me as an example for all Creators... to show what they would do to those who would defy them..."

She sniffled slightly. "I can't stand to have to fight on my own anymore... Having power is one thing. Using it properly is something else... I'm not doing this just to stand for something that I think is right. I'm doing this so that I don't have to wake up every morning and worry about whether or not I'm doing what they want me to do..."

Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Kyanite. "I'm not a lady. I have lived in a small town, practically under a rock, my whole life. I just wrote a book. That's how I got into this mess. I could go back... I could destroy my Creations... I could pretend to live a normal life... But the Panel will still be after us... I know what must be done... And I can't do it alone... Believe me, I tried, and it was nine trips to the hospital, four surgeries, twenty-eight stitches, and one minute of being completely flat-lined..." She offered him a faint smile. "For what it's worth, I'm not all that heroic either... And compared to Vaughn and the Twins and everyone else I ever Created, I'm small too... And if you're willing to do this for me, then I will do everything in my power to keep going..."


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(OOC: ... I feel happy now, Cassandra doesn't get long speaches normally...)

"You sound pretty heroic to me... If I'd been subjected to... that sort of thing, I'd probably crawl into a hole and die!" The young man stood up, and moved nearer: realizing now that she was younger than he was, he'd gained some (false) confidence. "It really was a wild move to send out that post; if you do everything with that same... uh, power... you know, then I have total trust in you for this trip. I'm just not sure... not sure of my place in it, but if I can help in any way... I mean, that's what I'm here for!"

Cassandra smiled a little more, feeling her spirits raised a little. "Yea, well... It gave everyone else a panic attack when they found out what I was doing... My Creations, I mean... They never liked it when I put myself in danger, no matter what the reason... But by then I had posted it and was getting answers..."

Then she shrugged a little. "Most of them kept demanding that I take the post down, that it was a total hoax and that there is no 'Somewhere', Connecticut... Which is true, there isn't, but I couldn't very well say to board the train leaving for the Nightmare Castle... That just screams bad things are bound to happen... That's where I've been living for the last few months... It's not near as bad as it sound, except for the giant talking spiders... and the twenty-headed hydra... and the idiot princes that occassionally come wandering in to save me from the terrible Lord of the Dead..."

Vaughn, who managed to finally catch up, winced a little at the mention of the title. "You'd think you would have come up with a better title... It sounds so sinister..."

"You shouldn't complain," she said, "You're the highest ranking necromancer around... Plus I made you immortal to boot."

"Yes, and you abuse my immortality."

"Only when I need to feed the hydra something and I don't have a convenient prince wandering around..." she mumbled defensively.

Raya looked up as Cassandra whisked past her, the rest of the train soon emptying in pursuit. She slipped the headphones off her head, fixed her hair, turned off her MP3 player, and placed it back in her pocket. I hope that wasn't my fault... Raya sighed and stood, walking over to the exit/entrance of the train car. They were long gone. "I hope they come back..." She continued to stare out the door until the sound of a door closing behind her made her jump in surprise, she turned. The bathroom door that was open just moments ago, was now closed. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took a few steps towards the door. "Hello?" She waited a few moments, nothing. So she moved closer, tapping a few light knocks on the door. The sound of heavy shuffling could be heard from within. "Hello? Say something... If you don't, I'll just come in..." Complete silence. Raya turned the door knob slowly and opened the door. No one, just an empty bathroom. She let out a relieved breath and stepped inside, giving the door a gentle nudge closed. Her gaze traveled the walls until they fell upon the mirror. Much to Raya's surprise, it was not her own image in the mirror. Standing in that mirror, mimicking her pose and staring right back at her, was a blond haired woman with piercing green eyes, just like her own. She was adorned with heavy looking gold gilded plate armor, the outline being remarkably similar to what she has seen previously on the hill near her house. Raya simply stood there, awestruck. This person which had only existed in her mind was perfectly replicated in front of her in this reflection. The reflection grinned and two simple words resounded through Raya's head, flushing out all other thoughts. "Hello Master." Raya fell to her knees, an odd clanging sound rang out. What?! Soon after, she realized she was in a full suit of armor, exactly like the reflection's from just a few moments ago. More clangs sounded through the small bathroom as she stumbled to her feet. This time, the mirror was not lying. She heard the same voice in her head from just a few moments ago, "Really Master, you need to calm down." This was her character, Kitch, the one she had made and used in countless roleplays of her own. She had become Kitch, though obviously Raya was still in control. She rushed out the bathroom door, and thought better of running out of the train car, deciding to move back to where she was sitting a while ago. It was odd to move in all of this armor, it was rather grandiose in appearance, but it's structure was the same of most other plate armors, the only difference being she had a plate armor skirt, instead of leggings. On her back was a rather large sword, obviously wielded with two hands. The hilt was a deep crimson, with gold decorations here and there. This same crimson color was seen throughout her armor as well, along with white details here and there. Raya spoke softly to herself, feeling quite odd when she didn't even recognize her own voice. "I hope they get back soon..."

After another moment, Cassandra slowly got up, Vaughn quickly helping her to her feet as she smiled at Kyanite and Dizzy. "Well... we should probably get back before the Twins do something to the train... Those two always have to be supervised..."

With Vaughn following closely behind, she made her way back through the crowds and back onto the train. Before she sat down, however, her eyes fell to Raya, her eyes suddenly growing wide. After a moment of staring, she finally said, "Wow... You weren't wearing that when I left..."

Raya looked up at the group of people finally reentering the train. "I-I know! I don't know what happened!" Yes you do. Kitch's voice replied, though only Raya could hear it. "No I don't!" She shouted out loud. Raya was obviously quite panicked and distressed. Come on now... You're making a fool of us, just calm down. Kitch spoke again. Raya began to calm herself, taking deeper breaths, but still pacing about the train car, it was awkward even to walk, she taller than she was before, the armor and sword weighed her down, but her muscles felt used to it. Not to mention the voice in her head, she didn't think she was crazy, though that would seem to be the only logical explanation.

Cassandra was rather calm about it, though it still came as a bit of a surprise. "It's all right... Just... calm... What exactly happened?"

You are an idiot, Kyanite Locs. He scolds letting his head drop forward for a moment, taking a deep breath running his hands over his thighs before standing up. Human’s seemed to be obsessed with being normal, shutting the door on their uniqueness. He has only lived here for over fifty of their years, and still is clueless.

Upon returning Raya had changed, not only her clothes but her stature she towered over him even more. Just once he would like to run into someone who was his height, he always runs into people to tall. The sword and armor were not typical human wear at least not in this age. She must be another creator. Great. He glances around for people to materialize from thin air around him. Not sure he wanted to meet any more creations today.

Kyanite leans on a bench watching the others as he folds his arms, letting out a deep breath. His mind bouncing back to Cassandra’s words. These men, the Panel, is deeply afraid of something. Granted he didn’t remember much from the post not really having time to study and pick it apart like he normally does. One thing he has discovered in his long life, that desperation breeds trouble specially from power hungry individuals who like to beat up on children.

Cassandra's words pull him out of his thoughts. This should prove interesting.

"Uh... Well... I don't know..." She stopped pacing to turn and face Cassandra, her posture and emotional voice extremely contradicting of her physical appearance, "Well I went into the bathroom... And in the mirror, I saw myself, uh, I mean, I saw Kitch... And then... Well then this happened... And now, in my head, I can hear Kitch talking to me." See? Simple stuff, I told ya. Kitch spoke to her again, "Shush." Raya replied out loud once more.

Watching Raya pace, Cassandra 'hmm'ed and 'huh'ed for a while as thoughts buzzed behind those bright hazel eyes again, pushing her thick black glasses up her nose again. Her eyes were travelling up and down Raya, trying to think of a reason for this, but she kept coming up empty-handed. She tried to apply what she knew about how she Created things, but it didn't make any sense that she could hear her Creation still. With fragments of her Creations, she was able to borrow and use a characters appearance, ability, or skill for a limited time, but she never heard them in her head... Even now, with three Fragments still running through her veins, still unused, there was not a peep. Of course, none of the Fragmented Creations were whole enough, she supposed, to have seperate thoughts...

"Well... I mean, it's not all that bad... You won't look out of place where we're going... In fact, I don't think any of you guys will really stand out..."

"So? Th-that's not the point! I don't want to be like this forever!" And why not? Kitch said in a joking manner. "Because! I like being Raya, I don't want to be Kitch all the time!" Now now... Don't have a hissy fit. You can return back to normal, but for now I think it's best that you get used to being me. I have a feeling you're gonna need it where you're headed. Plus, I'm not the only one in here, but everyone else is too shy to come out at the moment. Just give'em some time. Raya began to calm down after being reassured that this was not a permanent change. She took a seat, though it was a bit difficult in all this armor. "I think I'll be ok..." She looked around, "Where's Kyanite?"

“I am right here.” he answered moving a few steps closer, eyeing her new form. The new figure is one of power, showing years of dedication shaping up for battle.

Focus. He warned himself as his eyes start to wander. Not there! Eyes, focus on the eyes. His intense gaze snaps to her face. She is just a child, you pervert.

That broke the spell she had cast over him only then able to settle his own rush of emotions, once in control he gives her a small reassuring smile. “This is a promising effect since we have a lack of weapons. Not that I have a clue what will prove useful against the Panel.” He turns to Cassandra. “Do you?”

"Oh..." She tilted her head as she watched his rather odd facial expressions, and sudden return to normalcy. "I uh... I apologize if my reaction from earlier offended you or anything... Seeing that kind of stuff in movies and games comes no where close to the real thing..." She let out a little sigh and shifted in her large suit of armor.

Cassandra thought for another moment, twirling a loose bit of hair around her finger. "Um... I've been successful in killing a couple of them, using normal killing methods... like stabbing and throwing off balconies after disabling their wings... But they always appoint new members..."

"Which is just to say," Vaughn said, standing a couple of rows away, "that you have no idea what to do beyond getting people gathered."

After a moment of thinking, Cassandra nodded. "Yea, that pretty much sums it up... I mean, I know a distraction and sneak attack are most-useful, but beyond that... I don't really know..."