Well, wasn't that just dandy? Hunter kept a close tab on Varian's signature until he felt the guardian drop down into the alley behind him. His face twisted into a scowl beneath his mask, but on the inside he was grinning. It took the strength of his iron will to keep his limbs from trembling in anticipation and his mind filled with white noise so his thoughts wouldn't betray him.

"I see how it is, you lure me here by gathering together, and when I offer my hand in friendship, you seek to trap me! I applaud you all... I was not expecting this kind of guileful tactic. I couldn't have done it better myself," he spat, his hands slowly pulling out of his sleeves and lowering to his sides as he widened his stance, almost like a gunfighter readying himself for a duel.

"What's your plan now that you have me trapped? Capture me? Force me to use my superior abilities to find what you seek and then kill me? I should have known."

Hunter's power wasn't slowly building anymore, it was practically humming against the stone walls of the alley as he pushed his power throughout his body so it could be at the ready and he could react in an instant.

Amunet circled closer, almost vibrating with energy, ready to teleport within a moment's notice. She laughed aloud as she listened, despite her nerves about Varian showing up so suddenly. "He really has that betrayed and wounded tone down," she murmured to her axe. "Time, I think, to intervene."

Sliding through the dimensions had always been one of Amunet's favorite things to do and not just because she was good at it. For a split second, the world disolved into a dazzling array of sounds that she could see, colors that she could hear on her skin and then the second was gone, done. It was a teaser of euphoria and no more. Between one step and the next she passed through this space and out into the alley, directly behind Varian, the least volitile of the light Guardians. She draped an arm casually around his shoulder, though her muscles and powers were taut and prepared to transport a safer distance away.

"Are we having a party? Why didn't anyone invite us?" she pouted, nodding her head to her Axe.

Varian flinched in surprise as Amunet popped into being directly behind him, even though he really should have seen it coming, considering his usual luck. But beyond that, his demeanor was calm, collected. "Amunet, my sister, it has been too long," he murmured, giving her a nod of recognition. There was no distaste in his words whatsoever, only sincerity. He didn't shrug her off, either, but rather let her lean on him for a time. There were more important matters to address.

"Hunter, I don't know what kind of mischief you're up to right now, but surely it's nothing that will lead to anything beneficial for any of us. Amunet here has obviously been waiting for the right time to show herself, and I just found Richard not two moments ago up a tree with a loaded crossbow. He shot at me, by the way. Typical Richard, really, but still not the welcome I would have hoped for." He huffed, acting more peeved about it than he really was. And it was only at this time that he finally removed himself from under Amunet's arm and moved to join his other sisters.

"So, what is this? Are you just causing trouble for the sake of something to do as seems to be your usual, or are you trying for something bigger this time? I mean, we're all here. If you wanted to cause something huge you could certainly do so, as I'm more than sure you're aware. But what would that accomplish, yet more strife between us all?" Those turquoise eyes of his fell to the wayside before rising to glance first at Erena, then Violet, then back to Hunter. "Clearly, there's enough tension here to cut with a knife. Clearly a few of us hold contempt for our own kin. But we can all just turn around and go our separate ways right now and have peace between us all again, however temporary. We don't have to fight." It was a touch of irony, perhaps, that even as he said this one hand had moved to grasp his whip. Well, it couldn't hurt to be prepared for the worst, could it?

It was almost a little too much. All the Guardians, most of which Erena had not seen for many centuries, thrown together in the confined space of a deserted alleyway. And those who weren't in the alley directly were not even out of hearing range. Definitely not the best combination of events in her own opinion.

Darting her eyes around swiftly, attempting to look at everyone at once, Erena tried to see if any of the new arrivals would initiate an attack. She was somewhat relieved - although not by much - at the sight of Varian, yet Erena was still suspicious of him, as she could never quite grasp his ever-changing personality. For a quick moment she caught Varian's eye as he gazed around at everyone and spoke. Erena listened to his words carefully, and had to agree with every syllable he uttered. But even Erena could not help but notice his hand tightening around his weapon, the whip.

Erena had to resist a crooked smile at the thought, that even though those of the light wished for peace more than war, all three of them would easily involve themselves if the occasion called for it. Cautiously keeping her magic level the same, she watched all the other Guardians to see how they would react. What they did now would decided Erena's next move; whether that be to fight or to flee.

As Hunter's power intensified, Violet readied herself more and more. The grip on her sword was tightening so quickly that she was loosing feeling in her fingers. The sword moved about its own will from underneath her palm for a moment, as if making its way into a more 'comfortable' position.

Violet, indeed, was curious to know the answer to Varian's question.
A concentrated look passed from Varian to Erena as the two looked around the small alleyway. It surprised Violet that no other pedestrians, nor 'Pop' was making a sound, getting involved, not even walking by.

The woman's eyes relaxed, once again on Hunter. She watched his stance. Her reflexes were heightened, almost as if everyone's moves were posed more slowly than they really were. She took a deep breath, releasing anger and tension inside of herself. The grip on her sword lightened, though her glare hadn't moved from Hunter's eyes aside from the occasional glance to the other, Amunet.
It was Hunter's move now.

"Hmph. My hands are red it seems," he said with a slowly spreading grin that was easily visible beneath his mask. "The gods have seen fit to pit us against one another... two groups with different ideals to find one human out of 6 billion and convince her to either change the world... or leave it how it is. There is only one way this can end... and so I'm afraid I'm here to end you three. This was destined to become a battle, and I like to win... nothing personal."

With that out of the way, he pointedly grasped the ornate hilts of his katars, and pulled them slowly from their scabbards. The weapons sang an almost heavenly tone as the blades resonated with the power already pounding through his body. The tone slowly faded as the weapons grew more and more anxious in anticipation of being used in battle once again. He let flashes of past battles flash in his head and the blades began to pulse like some silent beat of life that the other guardians could feel pounding against their chests. The exhilaration of slicing through flesh and feeling the crunch of bone against Hunter's immeasurable strength.

It was these moments the twins lived for. Power was never meant to collect dust, it was meant to be used. There was no need for reservation... everyone should know of their power, for what was the point of being strong if you couldn't test your strength against the best anyone had to throw at them? Yes, the twins. In Hunter's left hand was Angelius, the winged lord of the sky who's speed had no peer, and the all seeing Tiamat in his right... the right hand of doom. Even mountains crumble at his touch. Hunter was already competitive by nature, and with the blades sending these thoughts thrumming throughout his body, it drove him to battle. He wanted it... no, he needed it. The katars were not shy with these thoughts, and they nearly rang against the walls of the alley as the spirits within the blades came to bear, making the dragons engraved on them glow with an eerie red light.

Hunter inhaled deep and slowly exhaled. The dragons gave him power... and their power came from the breath. Nothing else they could say would matter, everything else was silent and all he could hear was his slow, controlled breathing and his heart hammering against his ribcage. His icy blue eyes closed for a moment, and snapped open glowing brilliantly, the veins on his temples raising with a slithering sound. The all-seeing eye of Tiamat... he was no longer looking at the physical world, rather he watched as the energy radiating from his body beat against and reflected off the walls and the other guardians. Hunter also watched how the energy flowed throughout and around the other guardians, who barely registered against his senses with his own signature washing away the feel of the others.

His power was unique in that way... there was just no way to contain or hide it... it was either on, screaming to everyone who could sense it for miles and miles, or simply off. He couldn't regulate it in any way, but control had never been his forte. Driven by the desires of the Twins, he'd always sought greater power over control.

Hunter did not act yet, but was obviously at the ready. His luminous blue eyes watched them, looking past them and through them and waiting to see how they would act before he moved... but the trap was sprung. In an instant he could be behind them and cut off their escape to the street. With Amunet covering the only other exit, and Richard putting a ceiling on their movements, they would be effectively boxed in.

Varian's whip was quite visible and at the ready before Hunter had even finished speaking, but mentally he was going through the contents of his many pockets wondering if there was anything he currently possessed that could be used to stop this fight before it got too out of hand. There were several rather potent flash bombs stolen from a shady warehouse seven cities ago, at the very least. He sent that thought in Erena's and Violet's directions, silently asking for their guidance on the matter, being exceedingly cautious at the same time not to allow anyone else in on the unspoken words. It pained him to not include Amunet; though they had greatly differing viewpoints, he'd never found a reason to dislike her, unlike Richard and Hunter, who simply had too much of a tendency toward arrogance for his tastes. And Gilean was, well, Gilean. That wild card he couldn't predict would just have to make his own decision.

As far as Hunter was concerned, the whipmaster realized he was far beyond being persuaded by words, and probably had been from the beginning, actually. Thus, no words were spoken; Varian merely stared him down, enlarging his own presence to meet that of Hunter's, though his was notably more controlled, poised, the mark of one trained in the arts of efficiency and deliberation in combat, despite his everyday demeanour being quite the opposite.

He would not strike the first blow. No, he still desired to escape conflict if at all viable, but he would leave that decision up to his admittedly more fragile sisters. If they simply desired to leave, he could throw a flash bomb or two and they could attempt to flee. If not... he was ready to dodge any attack or guard his sisters from such. He was ready to see yet more strife between his siblings.

He was ready, he told himself.

Violet just stood there. She listened to Varian as he spoke, anger boiling at her finger tips. Every word that seeped through his tongue seemed to trigger a new flash of indignation. This couldn't be happening. Did Varian seriously need the Innocent so bad as to be fighting this quickly over her?
A confused look fell over the womans features. It didn't take long for her power to rise off the charts, sending warning signals to her brothers and sisters.
Like a new found aura of some kid, Violet closed her eyes, squinting hard, as if trying to concentrate all of her energy in one place. Her hand that rested on her sword gripped down tighter. She didn't have years of training for nothing.

Anger raged through her veins, made her heart beat faster, made the color in her eyes, when she finally opened them, practically turn black. The Innocent could not make this world a darker place. It was already messed up enough.
Behind gritted teeth Violet unleashed her sword. It was almost indamissable the way she gained so much power. She smiled now, ignoring every word, every sentence, that danced off of Varian's lips. A short glanced was passed to Hunter. She knew what he was capable of doing for them, but she wasn't sure if she should let him do it, if she should ask him to.

Unlike Varian's and much like Hunter's power, though Violet's raged loudly, it was more controlled, that seemed to be one of the more admirable things the Guardians of the Light had.
Her vision swiveled from Varian to Erena. It was her call.
Violet's sword hung stiffly in front of her body, she held a very loose posture, one that she'd easily be able to move with.
Civilians would be lucky to not walk past this building. They'd probably be blown away just by the mass of power that could be felt between the Guardians'.

The Innocent must have been somewhere near. A small trigger of a theory leaped into Vioolet's mind. Perhaps Amunet and Hunter had already made contact with this woman, perhaps they were just trying to fight because they knew where she was.
Maybe it was best to get out of there.

Hunter watched the gears turn in Varian's head, guessing he was probably trying to think of what he had in his pockets. Hunter's lip twitched with amusement... how predictable: When faced with danger, pop smoke and run? It was a tactic Varian commonly used in the past. He aught to know Hunter well enough to know the all-seeing eye of Tiamat would cut through smoke like it wasn't even there. Unless... Hunter's grin faded a little bit. A flash-bang would still probably disorient him a great deal even though he probably wouldn't be blinded. There was never any telling what Varian had in his pockets, and he always had an irritating knack for tossing a wrench in the gears of Hunter's carefully laid plans... sometimes literally.

Violet's power flared up, and Hunter squinted reflexively against the sheer glare of it even though Tiamat's eye let him see straight through his own flesh. He'd forgotten how volatile her powers could be, but she predictably brought them to bear ready to rush headlong into battle. She was a lot like him in that respect, which was something Hunter both admired and respected. Erena had drawn a barrier around herself just as he thought she would, long before his actual intention was to battle... seems she knew him better than he thought.

His course was clear, and he'd already planned the moves he would need to make. The only thing left was to make them. The sound of loose dirt grinding beneath his sandals as he shifted into a lower stance grated against his ears. Hunter tensed, pulling his power inward in that split second before he would flash when several things happened. Tiamat sang a high tone that pulsed through his body and a burst of uncontrolled power blipped against his senses briefly: like someone teleporting for the first time. Normally he would have written it off as unimportant save for Tiamat's reaction and the burn of his mark on the small of his back. He watched the new signature closely, this time not having to turn his head or eyes to observe it, as Tiamat's eye gave him a 270 degree field of vision.

It was dim, though it registered in his vision as... different. If it could be said that he saw energy signatures as a color, she would be white... much like Gilean registered as grey, being neutral. Violet, Erena, and Varian showed up as an interesting shade of blue, and his darker brother and sister as well as his own power were red. He could dimly see her through the waves of energy pulsing against the walls of the alley and in that handful of heartbeats between when he noticed her and this moment where she was weakly calling out to them... he idly wondered if the other guardians had noticed yet or if they were too preoccupied with the situation at hand. He blinked once, letting the physical world slide slightly back into his vision so that it complimented the vague references Tiamat's eye gave him when he perceived energy reflecting off of an inanimate surface and knew what had to be done.

"Black Knight takes White Queen..." he said quietly right as his pent up energy burst outward. His world froze, almost seeming to turn shades of gray as he moved, launching himself to the right and up the wall two steps. He felt the brick crumble beneath his feet as he pushed himself upwards and across the alley. He twisted violently, feeling his already taxed muscles complain as he impacted high on the opposite wall. It felt as though he were landing in sand... a sensation that was probably not far from the truth. Brick and cement turned to dust beneath his body as he pushed off again, feeling a sharp pain lance up his leg, pausing for a moment in his hip and shooting through his spine, taking the scenic tour through his abdomen as he twisted in the air again so he would impact the building across the street behind the other guardians with his feet and not his head.

The building caved beneath the force of his travel, but there was still enough surface tension behind the crumbling stone to make one solid push as he felt his heart beat once painfully in his chest. The energy roared in his ears, becoming louder as he held it and each movement felt as though he were dragging more weight than the last. How long could he hold it? Well... until the tidal forces violently and horrifically ripped his body to shreds, or until he could no longer move: whichever came first. Hunter actually felt the muscles in his calves tear as he made his landing, and was forced to release his energy for a scant moment. His impact left a fair sized dent in the road and threw dust and debris into the air. Hunter's heart beat six times as he let go of his weapons, which after the level of physical exertion he just displayed was just under a second before he pulled his power inwards. The Twins were left suspended in the air with slowly falling bits of debris as he lowered his stance and slammed his left palm into the chest of one of the charging dogs, swinging free hand around and catching the second dog in the ribs.

The first dog bounced off the road about twenty yards away while the second crashed through a shop window across the street as color flooded back into his vision. Everything was still moving slowly, however, with the sheer amount of adrenaline pounding through his system, and there was ample time to reach out and catch the twins with the tips of their blades inches from the street and singing in harmony. Hunter slid them into their scabbards as he turned, which abruptly silenced their tone. Hunter pulled his power inward once again and for a brief moment the world turned grey as he closed the distance enough to grab Freylia around the waist. He couldn't tell if she was still running, or falling. His impact might have had enough force to knock her off her feet.

Hunter's grip was strong but not rough, and he lifted her clean off the ground and pressed her tightly to his body as he slid into a crouch, bleeding off the extra momentum from his quick flash. He looked squarely at the other guardians as he stopped, already pulling his power around him in preparation. He sent a quick flicker of thought to Richard and Amunet: seven different star constellations. Amunet was probably keen enough to know it was a destination... an address of sorts. He hoped it would be enough for Amunet to find the area he was going to and obscure enough for the others not to be able to follow him because as his second teleport this day, his only shot not to get caught would be to transport himself far beyond the range of the other guardian's senses.

His power rumbled around them as the surroundings began to twist and vibrate sickeningly before a resounding BANG! The pair vanished, showering the street with dust. It felt like his whole body was being compressed as he used it to shield Freylia from the roaring forces that were literally flaying his skin and kimono. He didn't usually jump this far for a reason: it hurt. There was a final stretch where they had the intense sensation of weightlessness, or falling very fast before the images stabilized and BANG! they appeared in a dark room, throwing a few loose papers around. A startled orange cat leaped to about head height with a yowl and surprised hiss before darting, bushy tailed, out of sight.

Hunter exhaled slowly and let Freylia slide slowly to the ground, leaving a warm wet substance on her arms and sleeves. His skin was literally steaming, and there was only shreds of cloth left of his once expensive looking kimono. For a long moment he just stood there, seemingly gazing out into space. After that second jump his whole body was numb, like he'd been slammed against a wall over and over again. He was thankful for that small grace at least. because if he had any feeling in his skin right now it would feel as though it were on fire. His hands slowly clenched into fists and released. At least nothing seemed to be broken.

"Lights..." he whispered hoarsely, and with a quiet click, the large, windowless room became illuminated. It was large, almost warehouse-ish. There were throw rugs strewn about and many of the comforts you'd find in a bachelor's home: Sofa, bed, an island with all of the things you'd find in a kitchen near one wall, and a door that probably lead to a bathroom. Most of the furniture was worn and threadbare, probably bought used from a local flea market. Hunter himself was a sight now that the light was shining on him: He was covered in the blood that was flowing slowly out of the hundreds of thin but deep cuts across his shoulders and back. "Time... Time for me to rest," he managed before his eyes rolled back into his head and he crashed to the floor unconscious.

((This got written far, far later than I had previously intended, heh. Sorry about that. I've had a rather harrowing night and couldn't keep enough of my attention on this post until just now. ._.))

Varian normally would have noticed a novice teleport such as Frelia's, but with the situation culminating so, his every shred of attention was on Hunter up until the very moment his sleeve was tugged. He noticed the girl and the folly of his undivided attention for the first time only as Hunter was already acting, and by then he might as well not have noticed it at all, for all the good it did him. In a blink, Hunter and the girl were gone, the girl he instinctually knew now was the one they were all looking for. He intercepted the image of constellations, at least, but they meant almost nothing to him. Varian held a hand over his eyes until the dust settled, his face contorting in a magnificent, rare display of temper. In the overhanging, stunned silence that followed Hunter's and Frelia's disappearance, Varian's aquamarine eyes roamed to gaze upon every one of the individuals still present before he became the first to break the quiet.

"Well. Ain't that just spiffy." He kicked at a fragment of brick with his boot and shook the dust out of his tawny, unkempt mane. "Frak me, what now?" He seemed to consider this for a moment, as evidenced by a tender biting of his lower lip. At long last he conceded defeat, at least temporarily. A shrug crossed his shoulders lazily, and he returned his whip to his proper place before addressing the only individual of concern left.

"Amunet. You know I've no quarrel with you at least, I hope. And I don't expect you to help, either, as we are sadly on different sides of the matter. But you're a reasonable individual, and I have even less desire to fight with you than I do Hunter. I'd prefer to merely part ways, here, and," he smirked, "may the best guardians become victorious." His last words were spoken with haste as he fiddled with an item in one of his left pockets. "Erena, Violet. Gilean. You know I'd stick around if I could stand to. Eh. We'll see each other again soon enough. Don't bother trying to find me, I'll find you. So long, and thanks for all the fish."

A blinding flash of light and smoke masked his own teleportation at this juncture. There was no way he was going to pass up such a perfect opportunity to use one of his lovely flash bombs, of course. The man failed utterly at making entrances or exits that weren't needlessly dramatic.

Erena's six senses had never been more assaulted with sound, imagery, and feeling. The brute overload of magical power that emitted from those who chose to increase their power, Hunter's 'kidnapping' and quick exit, and the timely departure of Varian had consumed all her previous trails of thought. So much had happened in what probably was less than a minute, the only emotion Erena could feel was shock. Then of course, came the anger. The blinding, controlling anger that had often clouded her judgement, and was rather unwanted of someone who was 'light'.

Momentarily paralysed, Erena felt utterly useless, standing silent in the alleyway. Her teeth were clenched so firmly that her jaw was shaking slightly, in fact her whole body shook with the contained rage. She even felt a wave of emotion from the staff, which was rather out-of-the-ordinary, as the piece of wood was usually rather placid when it came to strong emotions.

A low growl echoed in her mind from the staff, it then went on to say: "I... do not agree with how this situation turned out, not one bit. It has made me more uneasy than I've felt in centuries. As much as you and I wish to rip out somebody's throat right now, there is not much more we can do right now". Speaking clearly despite it's angered mood, Erena's staff quickly allowed it's anger to ebb away, returning back to it's normal, down-to-earth state. "Consuming emotions will do us no good right now, please, calm yourself Erena".

Erena slowly released a pent-up breath, forced her shoulders to relax, and concentrated on making her heart to stop beating so quickly. Letting the anger wash away from her induced state of calmness, Erena opened her eyes to a new point of view. She was subconsciously glad of her easy mood swings, because although she often became maddened, she could just as easily become calm once more.

Looking around at the remaining Guardians, she stared sourly at Amunet and Richard, sending them daggers with her eyes. While glaring them down, Erena suddenly relised that somehow through all the confusion, her magical barrier had remained around her the entire time, although from lack of concentration, had dramatically weakened to the point of being completely futile. Pushing a little more energy into it, she heightened it so that it was some decent protection, but nothing to be threatened by. She wasn't sure what would happen next, so precautions were all necessary at this point.

Finally tearing her view away from Amunet and Richard, Erena turned towards her fellow light Guardian. She watched Violet for a moment, then turned her head towards the sky, and started to speak clearly, looking at no one in particular but addressing everyone in the vicinity. "I don't believe we have any real reason to remain here much longer... Shall we make this our farewell?". Erena thought that the Guardians would agree, after this event she was sure all of them wanted to go off and begin planning for their next moves. She herself knew there was a lot of thinking left to be done, and also actions to be made with haste. 'The time for waiting has officially ended...'

It was several hours before Hunter woke up again, finding his head resting on a shawl he remembered to be Freylia's... and a large orange cat curled up on his stomach, purring in his sleep as if forgiving Hunter for the sudden intrusion and the incredible fright he'd given the poor cat. He reached up slowly to pet the animal, but saw that his hands were caked with blood, as was much of his body, and gently shooed him onto the rug. The cat gave a sound of complaint, yawned, stretched and trotted off to curl up in the next best spot: Hunter's pillow.

He pulled himself slowly to his feet, ignoring the residual pain in his muscles, and his throbbing head as he took a step towards the bathroom and nearly collapsed to the ground again. His torn calf muscles hadn't quite healed, and the sheer amount of pain had surprised him. He grunted and forced himself back to his feet, making his way slowly and carefully towards the bathroom where he now heard water running. Odd... but he didn't see Freylia around so he made a guess at what happened while he was unconscious.

First thing's first... hunter peeled his mask, and the remains of his kimono top off and dropped them in a garbage can, then opened up the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and choked down a small handful of pills. He'd feel better in a little while. Hunter leaned into the shower and turned the water off, a little surprised to see Freylia unconscious in the tub. The water had long gone cold and she'd be shivering in a few moments: it wasn't that warm in his hide-away.

"Idiot," he murmured as he gently lifted her out and carried her out to the sofa with slow, painful movements. He left her there, and was back a few moments later to wrap her snugly in towels to help dry her off and lay a thick blanket over her. Hunter shuffled back into the bathroom with a change of clothes and washed off in the cold water which actually felt good on his traumatized body. He emerged wearing a clean pair of pants and little else, ignoring the rumble of his stomach for the moment and moving to one of the many bookshelves that lined the wall by his bed which weren't apparent before.

She was holding a book when he first saw her, something that puzzled him. What idiot tries to teleport with an object they can't secure? What if it got caught by an aether wind and was torn away? No telling where it would end up, or in what condition... or if it would leave the aether at all and just be stuck in limbo for eternity... or until someone ran into it. Hunter winced at the thought of impacting a solid object in the aether while he was folding space. Even something as innocent as a book flung around by the tidal forces inside the aether would probably shatter his bones. Just as good that it was dropped, he mused to himself as he scanned the shelves intently. There was something about the book that had caught his eye, and he searched through his recent memories for that one split second when he'd seen it.

Hunter closed his eyes to see the visions more clearly and slow everything down, almost as if moving a TV show along one frame at a time until he saw the object he was looking for. A grin twisted his lips when he remembered the look on Varian's face that split second before he was gone. Priceless. If Hunter hadn't needed both of his arms to secure Freylia for the teleport he might have given Varian an offensive gesture as well. Varian's look of surprise and defeat was enough... it was about time someone caused something unexpected to completely change the situation or ruin his plans... now Varian would know how it felt!

There! He found the book in one corner of his vision... yes, that binding was painfully familiar. Hunter ran his fingers intently across the spines of the many books in his collection until he found the one he wanted. It was wedged between two larger books, and almost went unnoticed, but he pulled it out and looked at the cover curiously.

"Legend of the Divine Guardian Weapons... how... ironic," he grinned and tossed the book on the table by the sofa, where he'd left the Twins in plain sight and moved on into the kitchen to appease his growling stomach. In minutes the sizzle and smell of bacon filled the room and Hunter was whisking eggs together in a large bowl. The orange cat was suddenly perched on the back of a chair, nearly at eye level with Hunter, watching him intently and impatiently waiting for his share.

"Don't even... you don't even like eggs!" Hunter gave the cat an annoyed look. "You act like you never get fed... if anything you need to go on a diet, fatty."

"Mrowl," he replied, putting a paw over his eyes.

"That's what I thought. Go keep the girl company, you'll get breakfast when everyone else does." Hunter paused in his actions, about to pour the eggs into a hot pan and glanced back at his cat, who hadn't moved. "Go on!"

The cat jumped down off the chair with a sullen reply and was curled up on the arm rest of the sofa near Freylia's head moments later, purring almost into her ear. The sound was unlike what you'd think a cat to make: It was rather loud, to begin with, and the cat was making an almost bird-like cooing sound, or like a Tribble from that one science fiction show...

412 years previously

Her hips gyrated to the music that her tambourine enhanced. Varian watched from the opposite end of the room, entranced, absentmindedly nursing his brandy. Her dance was a controlled chaos, a disorderly beauty that weaved through the tables within the sizable tavern. Her garb and maneuvers were as wild as she was, he noted for what must have been the millionth time. He smiled at the thought, as he often did. These wonderful people lived a life so similar to his despite their mortality, though their nomadic existence was brought on by more adversity than his. Still, they recognized the important things in life, he had decided, and for that he commended them.

His thoughts were interrupted by the cessation of instruments and scattered applause, most of it half-hearted, polite but unappreciative. The drummer called for tips in a thick foreign accent as the dancer quietly floated to a side exit and disappeared. Varian rose, drained the last of his drink, and followed.

For a moment he thought he'd lost her, but a hand at his wrist soon told him otherwise. He whirled around to see her hazel eyes staring at him expectantly, impatiently. "Well?"

Varian grinned and attempted to tuck her long auburn hair behind one ear, a gesture of fondness. It defied him and flopped back into position. He sighed. "What do you want me to say, Aishe? It was beautiful as always. Riveting. Quite an exemplary feat of improvised dance, though you've done better." She pouted and jabbed at him with her tambourine, and his grin morphed into a smirk. He poked his tongue out at her. "Well, you have. The day I met you--"

"The day you met me, you were drunk, as I recall. Don't expect your memories to be correct, dearest."

Her cross retort did nothing to nothing to scare off his expression. "Your accent gets more pronounced when you're angry, did you know that? And anyway, I was not drunk. I was mildly inebriated."

"You were drunk," she insisted. "And don't try to tell me 'Oh, but the Guardian of the Whip cannot get drunk', I know what I saw."

His pout mirrored her own, albeit mockingly. "But he doesn't, not unless he's consumed mass amounts of--"

She interrupted him for the second time that evening. "You'd had forty-two pints of lager and nineteen vodka shots, and that was only after I started counting. I'm sure the bartender thought you were going to keel over onto the floor at any minute. Which you likely would have, but didn't because Hanzi escorted you out before then and assigned me of all people to watch over your stupor."

"And I told you you were the most beautiful damsel I'd ever had the pleasure of vomiting my last five or six meals onto."

Aishe wrinkled her nose. "It took an age to get the stains out of my clothing. You're lucky you're so enamouring. Normally, I'd ha--"

It was his turn to interrupt her now, and he did so with a kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise and she backed out of it, touching a hand to her afflicted lips. Varian frowned in earnest now. Funny, for a second he could have sworn she'd leaned into it before remembering her normal stance on things. "No?"

She shook her head. "I care about you, but you know how I feel about the idea of a Guardian and a mortal having anything beyond friendship. You say you're not so very different, but I will die one day and you'll go on, studying humanity yet barely ever participating."

Varian's gaze left hers for the first time since he'd entered the alleyway behind her. "Should I have been dishonest, then, and let you feel betrayed when you finally found out? Even a Guardian can get lonely, Aishe. We're not beyond the range of human emotion." His eyes returned to their prior position only to find that the girl had vanished into the night, as she was wont to do when she no longer wished to carry on a discussion. Varian sighed and let her go. He'd find her again later, to apologize.

***

present day

Varian appeared in the very same alleyway, now paved with the usual asphalt instead of the cobblestones of so many years ago. An adult store had since descended upon the old location of the tavern, and he gave the flickering sign a dissatisfied grunt before departing on his mission.

As he crossed town he noted that, despite how different everything looked, most of the street names were the same. It made it that much easier for him to get to where he was going, at least, though if it hadn't moved he doubted there was ever a way he'd forget the location of his destination. And sure enough, he hadn't, for after a time he found himself standing before the doors to a library of epic proportions. Hopefully here he would find some book or scientific work that would contain the image of constellations he'd seared into his memory, and he could make a guess at where Hunter was hiding. It was the only thing he could think of to do.

Amunet tapped the butt of her Axe against the asphalt, an angry staccato. She was, in some ways, violent and ready to fight, yes, but she was in no way an idiot. The numbers were no longer in her favor, and it was no fun picking a fight when no one else really wanted one. 'Hunter's such a jackass,' she thought bitterly, a sentiment that her Axe vehemently echoed.

She sighed loudly. "Ah, Varian," she said, gazing toward the space her brother had previously vacated. "Always the charmer." She tossed her hair and whirled to face Richard, preparing a transport and searching for her dark associate. His signature was much fainter after the pure force he had exerted just a moment before, but he could still barely be sensed by her. It was always easier to feel those of her own side, after all.

"I thought it'd be a bit more fun this time, maybe with Erena or someone out for revenge, but what do I get instead? Everyone's present and accounted for and Hunter just ditches. Maybe next time, eh sisters?" she said, grinning widely and falsely. She winked, laughed, and then flung her power out away from her, sensing the small rip Hunter had left in his wake. She slipped through it with some difficulty. It was a very subtle art, following such trails, but subtly was her thing, if not in a fight then in her magic. She winked as she vanished...

... and emerged in what seemed to her a dump, exceptionally bland. She was in a bathroom, not the nicest she had seen in her lifetime, but Hunter's "scent" was thick. He had been there recently. Breezily, she swept out of the bathroom, depositing her Axe across her back again.

"That was rude. No one even swung a punch and you just jolt off to this... place. Mind informing me?"

Violet sighed heavily.
"What the hell," She said aloud, looking to Erena who seemed just as mad as she, if not more. The woman seemed to be able to calm down quickly, yes she was good at that.

Richard was left alone, and Violet almost thought about fighting the lone brother. She shook her head, though, trying, with some great effort to calm herself down. It didn't take long, though, so she sheathed her sword which diminished the amount of power she withdrew earlier and smirked to Amunet who left in a dusty trail to somewhere unknown to those of the Light.

"I guess you're leaving too, then Richard," Violet said now, looking around, her eyes on the neutral one who carried the Scythe. She wanted to know his take on the situation.
"We will surely meet again," She added, turning her body around to Erena and her other brother.
"What do we do now?" She asked with another gentle sigh.
"Follow Varian?" Violet figured he'd of had the best lead on Hunter and the others as he escaped, though dramatically, before the others.
She shared this information, quietly, with Erena, as Richard was still there.
She spoke soft enough for him to not be able to hear her.
We need to find the Innocent, she can't be swayed to mess this world up more than it already is.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Hunter asked arbitrarily as he finished pouring the eggs into his pan and began chopping up bits of ham, mushrooms, and onions. It was a bit odd, that he would just seem to pass the knife over the cutting board and everything became diced. A bit of a grin twisted his lips and he held a piece of bacon between them as he swept the contents of the cutting board off into the pan and began shaking it vigorously.

“If I asked you: ‘what is the most important piece in chess,’ what would you answer? If you thought the king, you would be mistaken. The king is just the piece that determines whether you win or lose,” he continued, flipping the eggs so they would cook on the other side while he tossed some cheese into the pan and then paused suddenly. “Toast…” His blue eyes flicked from one side to the other as he turned the heat to the stove down. It was almost cartoonish how he flicked about in the kitchen, appearing on one side to open a cupboard, dig around in a drawer, or peer into the refrigerator. He finally dragged a loaf of sourdough from the fridge and laid out several pieces and paused again before coming to the realization that he didn’t own a toaster.

“Dammit,” he sighed, folding the mass of eggs into an omelet and sliding it onto a serving plate. He held out his hand for a moment while he was peering into the fridge for drinks and Angelius leapt from its scabbard into his outstretched hand, humming a quiet, slightly irritated tone. Apparently the Twins agreed with Amunet. The tone became higher as Hunter drew upon Angelius’ power, causing the dragon engraved upon it to glow a bright red.

“Anyway,” he continued, pulling a pitcher of orange juice out of the fridge with his free hand. “A pawn is dangerous, and can’t be ignored… steadily pushing forward and creating defensive lines across the battle, supporting and advancing the cause, impartial to every piece save other pawns, but it is not the most important piece. Knights are agile, preferring to work in tandem to flank and threaten targets behind enemy lines with little to no danger to itself and are my favorite piece, but no. The rook smashes through enemy lines using its strength and passion rather than strategy, while the bishops prefer to do their own thing separate from one another, each one threatening and protecting its own set of pieces. No… it’s the queen,” he said as he pressed Angelius, which was now glowing red with heat gently to each piece of bread on both sides, quickly toasting them, as he pulled out plates and glasses for everyone.

“No other piece alters the way the game is played more than the queen. She can move in any direction, threaten or attack any piece without restriction. People go to great lengths, often sacrificing many other pieces to eliminate the enemy queen and protect their own. Losing your queen suddenly puts you at a disadvantage, making your new strategy to protect yourself from the enemy queen, or to escort a pawn to the end of the battlefield to regain the one you lost. When you think about it, a large part of the game revolves around the queen.”

Hunter sliced the omelet up into three large pieces and slid them onto plates, along with a few pieces of bacon and some toast, then dug silverware out of a drawer and shuffled with a plate in each hand towards the sofa, laying one down for Freylia and pushing the other into Amunet’s hands without waiting for a response, as he made a second trip for orange juice. He was feeling better due to the pain killers, but was still in a good amount of pain, and it showed in the way he moved.

“So, if you and I are knights, and the sword and stave are rooks… Richard and the whip are bishops making Gilean the pawn and the gods king. So what does that make her?” He motioned smoothly to Freylia as he moved back to his own plate and began to eat, watching them both with an amused expression.

Amunet was only halfway listening to what Hunter said. He had the tendency to drone, or so was her opinion. Instead, as he spoke she examined the small girl who had just emerged. She was a skinny thing, absolutely unthreatening, physically anyway. Her eyes were large though, and confused. And frightened, although humans these days generally remained frightened throughout their natural lives. Her voice was soft and easily ignored. All in all, she was a girl that Amunet would never look twice at on the street, except perhaps to consider for a mugging or something. Physically, she was nothing special at all.

But the physical hardly ever mattered in the end, now did it?

"As far as I can tell, she is a non-player. But she smells like magic. Our magic." Amunet murmured. She was confused and skeptical. Did Hunter mean to imply thaithis was the queen, the Innocent? This scrawny girl who didn't seem to have enough power to stand straight? "Let's dump the metaphors, shall we? What is she, and why did you break up a perfectly good fight to get her?"