Amelia Desaro's Story

She had lived her life in darkness for so many years, that sometimes she forgot what it was like to be outside during the daylight hours. She was sure at one point that the sun had been a source of pleasure for people who lived on the surface-world, but in this day and age, the sun was a cruel traitor, one that destroyed shadow and illuminated all of the safe places that allowed her to creep through the city undetected. Today, however, two of her scouts had reassured her that the downtown intersection of 19th and Broadway was totally secure. She was safe to scale the buildings to the roof-top.

So she did.

She kept her katana strapped to one hip, and used her own human strength to climb the thirty-story building, hand over hand, clinging like a spider to the metal and glass framework that jutted and cracked in multiple places. Years of climbing practice had given her the skills she needed to expertly scale whatever vertical surface was laid before her. She took it on as a personal challenge, something that she absolutely had to conquer. She had to prove to herself that she could do it. No challenge would be unmatched by her will to master it. So in spite of the pleasurable ache in her muscles, and the sweat that trickled over her temple, she forced herself to the top, swinging one long leg over the edge before bringing the other over as well. She perched there, half-crouched, catching her breath and smiling in triumph as she looked down at the young scouts below.

Oh it was always amazing to be so high above the ground. Here, she could pretend that the city buildings were far away from her. It was just her and whatever God lay beyond the veil of eternity, so high above her head. Spacing her feet apart for balance, she tilted her head back, until all she could see was the grey-blue sky. It made her dizzy.

The daydream lasted only a moment before the true meaning behind this mission came back to the forefront of her mind. Amelia looked across the roof-top, staring towards the building that lay not twenty feet from the opposite ledge of the building she was on. She needed to get from here to there, and from this vantage point, there only seemed to be one method available. Lifting to the balls of her feet, she burst into a sprint, picking up speed, her strides becoming longer until her right foot planted on the ledge, leg muscles bunching before she launched herself across the vast expanse that meant a quick death if she didn't calculate this right.

Both feet hit the ledge of the opposite building, and she threw herself forward, taking the brunt of the impact to the back of her left shoulder before she rolled to a crouch. Grit and dirt clouded up around her, blinding her momentarily, but the heavy dust didn't take too long to settle.

That jump was amazing, Desaro...

The sound of her headpiece crackling to life startled her. She pressed her finger to her ear, squinting one eye shut as she shook her head, reaching back into a small pouch of her utility belt that hung loosely on her hip. From within, she withdrew a battery-operated scope, setting the lens to her eye and twisting the outside rim to adjust the focus on the building she was trying to visualize, nearly three blocks down the street.

The windows she peered through were dusty with old grime and years of disrepair, but it was the movement behind the glass that caught her attention and brought a smile to her face.

"Gringo, Mortecai," she said in a low voice. The mic crackled noisily in response. "Seems as if the hunch was right. Dunno what's going on in there, but there's definitely something worth investigating. Copy?"

"Copy, Desaro. Making a return, over?"

"Roger." It didn't matter if it was politicians or rebels or supplies or weapons. There were no secrets kept that the Underground did not eventually find out about. What was the worst part was that she always wanted to be in on the action, much to the dismay of those who would rather keep her alive as the key strategist and co-leader of this renegade band of miscreants.

Well, they were her renegade band, dammitall, and she was going to do whatever it took to secure their freedom, in the end. She looked back over her shoulder, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to re-make the jump. From high to low areas she could usually free-run, but when it came to jumping that kind of a distance and up...different skills entirely. So, she made her way to the edge, rolled to her belly, and began to shimmy down, using the drain pipes to anchor her as she moved.

Once she hit the ground, Gringo and Mortecai, the scouts who had accompanied her, were there to meet her. They both carried small, but effective pistols and the same scope that she'd used to see the building. They had a handful of them for this very purpose. The three exchanged glances before turning to walk further down the alleyway, towards one of the many manholes that lead to the steamy sewery realm that had become the realm of the Underground forces.

Gringo, the strongest of the three, used his bare hands to move the metal plate back into place, and the tree were plunged into darkness.

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New York's sewer systems were a network of tunnels that provided water to drain away from the city streets above. It worked like a matrix, with pipes running vertically and horizontally all over the place, like a human-sized anthill or beehive. And like most insectile homes, there was a heart to the mechanism, a central control center where all of the activity stemmed from. This was the water refinery, the giant, abandoned system of platforms and machinery that was meant to purify the sewer water at one point, but had long since broken down. The machines had been gutted for old parts, the massive casings left empty for people to make homes out of. Overhead, the cement and metal dome that housed the massive structure was strung with catwalks, where people patrolled frequently, poking their heads out of the manholes like ground hogs, and keeping an eye on what went on down below. Lights, lanterns, whatever could be found was strung in odd places, creating small avenues lit by odd, fleurescent orange lighting.

'Homes', of course, was a very loose term. Here was where the dealings happened, where people sold parts of themselves for whatever they saw fit. Business of all kinds was conducted here, away from the prying eyes of the Nobles, and while some of the transactions touched all kinds of depravity, Amelia turned a blind eye to it. She might not agree with what people liked to do with their spare time (and wares), but this was freedom of a sort. It was either this, or the captivity, torture, and experimentation that came from being in the clutches of superior Nobles and their god-complexes. Beside, it was not her place to question what the Prince had allowed or disallowed within this community. She might have been the co-founder, but she was the leg man, the Hand of the Prince, the one who, basically, carried out all of the shit work.

Amelia did not mind it one bit.

When people saw her, they parted ways, allowing for her to make her way through the matrix of metal and on towards her own abode of sorts. She did not stay and camp close to the center of the trouble, no. She preferred to keep her own privacy, to make a home for herself elsewhere. This way she could hold counsel with the people she trusted to help her accomplish her tasks, and the others whom she didn't have business with kept their distance. She had the power and authority to operate in such a fashion. Such was the blessing of being second in command.

It took her a moment to realize that Mortecai and Gringo were still following her. Turning to glance over her shoulder, the woman smiled slightly, waving a hand dismissively at them and saying, "You guys can go back now. I won't be needing anything for a little while."

They hesitated, glancing to one another before Gringo said, "What about what you saw today?"

Amelia paused to think. Then, "Don't say anything just yet. I want a chance to think through possibilities. We could take a scouting group to map out the underground beneath the building, see if we can't find anything out that way. But until then, I don't see the reality of us taking on a hold like that...not without more information."

Both of them looked disappointed.

They're so young..., she thought to herself as they waved and disappeared back into the murky shadows. ...too young to understand that they aren't invincible...that this fight is far from over.

Gringo and Mortecai were two of the kids she'd decided to take on as apprentices of sorts. So many of the kids she'd seen had yet to deal with the reality of the world they lived in. So many of them stayed locked up down here, without a care for what went on in the world outside. They were content to sell their lives to their drugs, so long as they were protected, and had a place to sleep. That was okay. Amelia didn't care, but that didn't mean she didn't look for those who wanted to make a difference...who was willing to fight with her.

When she made it to her small living space, she changed out of her ranging gear and into something more comfortable, a long-sleeved turtleneck, jeans and combat boots. She let her hair down to hang around her shoulders, nearly to her waist, and slipped back out of the small, but clean alcove to go meandering once again. She took a seat on a jutted ledge, looking out at the dark little world that had been created for these people, finding herself wishing that she could fix it...make it better...

She once again fell into the pattern of wondering who could be willing to help her fight? What more was there for her to do?

Could she do anything more at all?

Morgan was about to answer Clyde when suddenly, Fleur walked in on them, lost and laughing at herself, as per usual. Morgan cracked a smile that only Clyde would recognize, and then nodded to him. It wasn't up to Morgan to make sure everyone got along. He just offered them a place to sleep and live in exchange for two things. You didn't bother him, and you helped out when needed. Other than that, Morgan pretty much left everyone alone. Then, with a sudden thought, he grabbed the back of Clyde's shirt, lifting the boy onto his feet. "C'mon, you can walk and talk at the same time. What's your idea?" He pointed to Fleur. "You, follow us. I'll show you to where ever it is that you're going. Where are you going, anyway?"

+~+~+~+~+~+

Tallen was not expecting someone to just come up and speak to her. While she did indeed stand out, she was rarely spoken to, let alone confronted by someone claiming to be her brother. Her pink eyes narrowed at him, and shadows twined their way up his arms at her will, ready to restrain him. "I would have you explain yourself. I have no brother, so you are definately not mine. Do you even have any idea who you're speaking to?" He knew her name, which was not always a good sign. There could be a number of different explinations. Perhaps he was apart of the Underground, or the Lost. Though the Lost had never shown intrest beyond raiding shipments every now and again.

The Underground, however...that had to be where this man was from. And she needed a way in, in order to meet the Prince, and find out who he was, what he looked like. Still, Tallen was very cautious, unsure of how to respond. Finally, she said to him, "My name is Knightmare. Not Tallen."

+~+~+~+~+~+

Diaren was sitting htere, guarding the entrence, bored to tears, when suddenly Desaro and her two lackeys dropped down from outside. He glanced at the three of them, almost ignoting them to a point, before fianlly asking, around the wooden stick he was chewing on, "Hey, Des. Did you happen to ask Keir where he was going? He left about an hour ago, but completely ignored me, as usual, when I asked him where he was headed. 'Course, I'm assuming you ran into him. Even if you didn't, anything interesting going on? Like something we're going to do soon? I never was one for waiting around."

Blood. So much of it. A pity that it wasn't nearly worth enough.

Rorian stepped out from that little room he liked to call the 'Exchange Centre' and into the hallway. While he had just witnessed the brutal murder of a family, his clothes were neatly cleaned and pressed, for Nekria would not have him be a filthy butler - no, that just would not do. Rorian raised the black book in his left hand, with Bloody Mary giddily twirling in the right. Rorian quickly scanned through the book while he started his pacing towards the office of his Master, his pen tapping against his face as he did. Selbergs, Sensens, ahh! Here we are. The Shamsils. He smiled as he found the name of the family, noting that their debt to him was 27 478 credits, and would have increased to 28 075 due to interest had he not decided to dispose of them today. Rorian gave a little sigh, seeing as how the family had only saved 5500 in cash, and their valuables were pitiful - he could only auction them off for miniscule amounts, nothing close to their debts. This was the only reason he had come to the conclusion that extraction of their blood would be the only way to make back his money.

Speaking of which, the child's blood had tasted awful - she was a dirty O+, which seemed to taste of the dirt her family wallowed in. In all honesty, Rorian himself wasn't even sure why he decided to drink the child's blood to restock on his own - the parents would have probably tasted better. He gave a small shrug, a smirk forming on his lips as he continued his pace. Oh well. Back to Work I go. Rorian gave a creepy smile as he made his way to the grand door that lead to His Lady's office. Before entering, however, he noticed that someone had slightly scuffed the right side of the door. He scowled profusely, making a small mental note to ask Nekria what should be done with the door, before nearly knocking on the door to enter her room. Just as his right hand rose to knock on the now-scuffed door, he heard that sugary voice he knew too well say to another 'Before you do any of that, however, I want you to fetch me Drean and Rorian, if you wouldn't mind.

Rorian gave another one of his semi-creepy smirks before knocking on the door, and spoke - however muffled it would sound through a wall - in his standard speech. "My Lady Nekria, that will be quite unnecessary." Rorian softly opened the door to reveal Vernigan, the supposed 'Man-Who-Couldn't-Lie' being shooed away by his Master. Rorian gave a bow, crossing his right arm - which placed his pen in his pocket beforehand - to his left shoulder to do so. "I am here and at your disposal, Lady Nekria." Rorian said before raising his head, and giving a a shallow bow to Vernigan.

Rorian couldn't wait to inform her of the details of the past few hours. He simply was dying to tell her.


Corvin McMordy

Near the entrance to the sewers, along the main drag, cigarette smoke slowly filtered its way out of a massive casing. To one new to the Underground, they would probably avoid this place, for taking own glance in was to look into a chaotic disaster: buts littered the ground, clothes were hanging from different places, food packages thrown around the room like a piece of modern art. A newbie would never have dreamed that the kid that lived in there was one of the weapon's dealers for the Underground: Corvin the Cobra. The kid was basically passed out on his bed, only awake enough to have a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. If this was an amateur who had attempted this, their bed would probably be roasting that certain loser, but not Corvin. Nope, his head hung off the side just enough that the onlooker could see his face, and his cig didn't turn his bed into an inferno.

By now the newbie would have probably passed on, not really noticing that one of Corvin's eyes had been half open the entire time. Corvin didn't need rando's thinking they could just pop in, still one of his guns, and make a run for it without him noticing. To be fair, Corvin should probably be up by now, like the rest of the Underground, but he was always too lazy and too tired to bother. His goggles were on, filtering out the little bit of sunlight that peered through the hole in his roof, which landed right on his body: Corvin liked to believe that he was solar powered. (Corvin still isn't sure how he got a place near a manhole, but he ain't complaining.)

However, as all good sleeps before this one, it was rudely interrupted by the Underground's constant noise. Sure, he could probably sleep through it if he needed to, but he heard a few other voices that kept his eyes open: well, maybe half open. For starters, he heard the Princess' voice cutting through the rabble, talking too those brats she carried around with her. Once her voice slowly faded away, Corvin legitimately thought that he would be able to fall back asleep. Until Diaren's voice cut through the sleep and made Corvin roll his eyes in annoyance. With that, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that Kier had done something weird and out of place again, he got up and changed in a flash. It was Corvin's philosophy that it was better to be fully prepared and lazy, than slowly get through things and be lazy. That way, you could sleep more. Or something.

Once in his normal attire and the cigarette in his mouth still there, he stumbled out of his 'house' to see what was going on. Some people from the Underground even stopped to stare or snicker at him, for it wasn't normal for Corvin to be up at this hour. Sure, he was up for fights, but there wasn't any fighting going on yet.

Amelia paused, glancing to Diaren for a moment as the young man stopped to address her. Still in her civilian clothes, with none of her attendants in sight, she looked the part of the normal Undergrounder. This was how she liked it, to be around the people she was meant to serve and protect. That was one of the reasons why she allowed people to address her by her name, first or last, rather than some ridiculous title that emphasized her authority.

“Keir disappeared again?” she asked tiredly. The only thing that was worse than her disappearing without an escort, was Keir performing the same trick. If he died or got captured, well, it wouldn’t end well for any of them.

Curse that stupid man and his whimsical fantasies.

Groaning softly, the woman pushed her hands back through her hair, before letting her arms fall to either side. She fixed Diaren with a look infused with exhaustion, though she did her best to smile. “I’ll have to deliberate with our fearless (read: stupid) leader when he gets back. You know how it is, no official announcements until we’ve both had a chance to discuss details.” She glanced behind her, surprised to find that Mortecai had approached without so much as making a sound.

“Perfect.” She said suddenly, smiling and reaching to grab Mortecai’s arm. “Take Diaren’s place here for a moment. I’m going to be borrowing him for a little bit.” Looking to Diaren, Amelia managed a more genuine smile this time.

“Unless you’d rather stand guard duty of course.”

When Corvin poked his head out of his home, Amelia turned to point a finger at him too. “I want you to come with me as well. Things we need to talk about.”

Corvin was known for his laziness, and Diaren for his occasionally misplaced enthusiasm. Perhaps, if she could get the pair to work together, they’d be able to curb one another to the point of being a rather excellent team. It was time she had a few new trainees. Her current ones were right where they needed to be anyway.

“Come along then,” she said finally, before turning and beginning to walk back through the small Underground city.

Rorian the Scholar

Rorian, in hindsight, probably shouldn't have bowed to the child known as Vernigan: it let loose the fact that he may consider Vernigan to be of actual importance, and he didn't. Mentally, however, Rorian shrugged the meager idea off, and kept his smile on as the boy returned the bow. His action made Rorian add a taste of sinister to his smile, for Rorian confirmed that the kid knew his place. Rorian knew that Nekria convinced all of her followers/mutations that she cared deeply for all of them, saying that they should refer to her as her first name, and sit with her. Rorian knew this to be a front, just as his was. When he first found out, it pained him dearly to know that the only one to whom he thought cared for him actually thought of him to be less than trash. However, over the years, Rorian has accepted this fact, for one reason, and one reason only: he would have done the same.

"I will work on my tasks. Good day, Nekria and Rorian. Rorian merely kept his 'friendly' smile present as Vernigan addressed them both, and then quickly left the room. The smile never really left Rorian's face, but it changed somewhat - instead of inviting and amiable, it looked a little more creepy - instead of looking like a smile, it began to form into a smirk. He said absolutely nothing as the time passed, for it was not his turn to speak - he had done so when he entered the office of his Lady, and he would not speak until addressed. It was just one of those things that he did - after all, he was below her, so she had the authority over him at all times to dictate his speech patterns, thoughts, and actions.

The only difference between himself and the rest of the Noble followers was that he was fully aware of his actions: for some reason, they could not see past their own faces. That thought made the smile even more awkward on his face, and he knew it.



To Corvin, this entire morning seemed to be staged: Step one, wake up a guy that doesn't wake up for another hour or two. It makes him drowsy and more easily controlled, which was exactly what Corvin was at the moment. He didn't really care what happened, but if somebody told him that something was going on, or to do something, he would probably just do it so they would leave him alone. Step 2, get Amelia to give him an order. Corvin was completely shocked to hear Amelia's voice cut through the common rabble amongst the people.

“I want you to come with me as well. Things we need to talk about.” Corvin's eyes were wide with semi shock, until he gave a sigh of exasperated fatigue, and turned around to re-enter his house. Now, this may look like Corvin was ignoring the Princess' order, but he really wasn't - he hadn't eaten yet, so he grabbed a disposable drink and bag of... something to go with his cigarette (Corvin had a feeling it was a bag of chips, but he couldn't really be certain until he opened it.) With his goggles now firmly attached to his head - for they were leaning a little to the right when he came out - and #42 making some prophetic nonsense while being shoved into his back pocket, Corvin came back out of his house and started towards Amelia. His posture was, to say the least, highly laid back - he had a little bit of a slouch going from not doing anything recently. He finally opened the bag of 'whatever it was - turned out to be pretzels... - and was munching on a few when he finally reached Amelia.

For Princess of the Underground, Amelia really didn't look like it. She was technically older than he, but those oddly large eyes certainly didn't solidify that fact. Instead, she looked about 15-16, but Corvin knew better than to feel superior to the Princess. Corvin looked slightly down to meet her eyes, since she was a few inches shorter than his own height, and swallowed the rest of his pretzels. "Alrighty, you got me out of my sleep. What's this all about?" Corvin's voice normally sounded quite nice when he was fully awake, but at the moment his voice was somewhat hoarse. Didn't help that those pretzels made it so damn dry, so he took a drink of his juice - at least, it tasted like juice - to wash them down. It tasted like liquified crap.

Morgan

Morgan listened to Fleur, and nodded. He cracked a small smile as she stammered through her explination of getting lost. He wasn't surprised. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if the girl managed to find her way into the Noble's fortress trying to find her bedroom. That's be an interesting way to infiltrate them. His reverie was cut short, however, by Clyde's sudden and unexpected suggestion.

Morgan halted, an intense and rather mad gleam in his eye. He said nothing as Fluer put her own input in, and then spouted at Clyde, perhaps in a harsher tone than he had originally intended, "There's no way in hell I'd ever go back to the Underground. There's a reason I left, Clyde. And it wasn't easy, getting out. I doubt they'd welcome me with open arms anyhow. The Prince would more likely execute me on sight. He's one of the few who know exactly how to kill me." He paused again after his little outburst, and lit a cigarette, taking a long drag before continuing on, motioning for the two to follow.

Diaren

Diaren nodded, following Amelia closely, rather excited. He liked it when he had something to do. It gave him purpose, and kept his mind off of other things. "Hey, listen Des...I know you don't really like Keir going off on his own. And I'm sorry I let him. But...he's our leader. It's not like any of us can just tell him he can't go alone. Besides...I'm not that inconspicuos, either." Diaren was rambling. He did that alot. His mechanical win sraped along the side of the tunnel as he walked, and he pulled it in closer. He'd have to fiddle with it later, and get it more compact. He sighed inwardly. Apart of him wished that his mutation was invisible. Then at least he could go outside and to the surfae with a small chance of being recognized. As it was, he normally could only go out after dark, when the streets were less crowded. His arm was easily concealed. His wing on the other hand...

Morgan sighed as Clyde stomped on Oryn's stuffed animal. "Honestly, you're worse than a child sometimes." He turned to Fluer. "You can find your way around from here, right? And the others can help you, if you get lost again." He then grabed Clyde again, litteraly dragging him from the others. He stopped when they had reached the edge of the steel complex. There were many different buidlings, the mil only one of them. But the mill was in the best shape. He sighed as he let go of Clyde. His back was to the other boy, and he was staring at the borders of the city. "People are beginning to move, and there are whisperings. It would seem that I've gotten the Noble's attention. They're looking for me, Clyde. The way I see it, we have two options. Either we get the hell out of dodge, fast, or I do something to get them off my tail. I'd prefer to do it myself, but I can't leave you behind, I'd never hear the end of it. As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right about the Underground. But if we do this, it's you and me. The others stay behind until we know whether or not we're even welcome. Then we'll bring along the others." He finally turned and looked at Clyde, his green eye like fire. "Deal?"




Tallen wasn't quite sure what to make of everything. The man who had claimed to be her brother had left as quickly as he had appeared, Drean fell in front of her, and her fellow Knight, Vernigen was there helping him. Slightly caught off-guard for a second, Tallen simply stood there, before realizing Vernigen had addressed her. She cleared her throat. "Knighttruth...no, I do not need any assistance. But I could do with the company." She knew very well Vernigen had no ability to lie, and would welcome his point of veiw without having to consider the possibility of being lied to. "That is assuming, Ser, that you'll be alright making your way back on your own?" She asked Drean, who loked slightly...well, grey. But then, he always looked like that.




Diaren silently followed, this time keeping his mouth shut. His superiors were talking, he had no right to intervigne. Instead, he turned to Corvin, studying the other boy. However, he was cut short by Keir returning, followed by Desaro speaking harshly to him. She was probably the only one who could do that. There was something bugging him though, it was just a feeling he had. Non-chalantly, he checked the small monitor built into his arm that was linked to a security cam outside the entrance. Nothing, only garbage, rubble, and shadows. Though there was something quite unnerving about the shadows. They seemed to...move.

Rorian the Scholar

Once they were alone in the room, Nekria took a small sip of her water and leaned back in her seat with one leg crossed over the other. She glanced over again at Rorian, head turning with the motion this time to give him more of her attention. "What is it that's humoring you today, Rorian?" She allowed the slightest upturn of her own lips even though she didn't quite believe in using the same tactics on Rorian as with most of the others. It was unfortunate, but easy to make due with. "Have you carried out your requests? Is there anything that needs tending to?" She paused as she took another small sip of her water, her gaze turning back to face ahead of her rather than on the nearby man. "Have any more children been admitted to the ranks?" Another pause as her tone threatened to drop, but continued to be as even as always. "Or is there any news on the rebels?"

Rorian watched his Lady Nekria as she shifted her appearance from her 'motherly' look to how she always looked for him - serious, powerful. That was the Nekria he knew, even if he grew up with her motherly love. She tilted her head a little and posed a question towards him which he was expecting. What is it that's humoring you today, Rorian? He let his smile drop a little, but it stayed there anyway. "Merely the circumstances and my own thoughts on the Followers, Miss." He finally let his entire smile slip down to a small smirk as she continued her questions towards him. Have you carried out your requests? Is there anything that needs tending to? Rorian nodded slightly as he answered her next series of questions. "I have. The Shamsils have paid off their most of their debt, while a few knights are preparing to seize their home to repossess it. Our funds have grown as of late, as more and more civilians require loans that they cannot pay off." Rorian gave a little pause. "Otherwise, nothing needs your immediate attention as of now in the money sector, Miss. I cannot speak for Drean and the people however." he bowed a little, for he was to be apologetic for not knowing something. Rorian noticed that she took a sip of water during his answer, and Nekria continued with her questioning.

Have any more children been admitted to the ranks? Or is there any news on the rebels? He furrowed his brow a little, before letting it return to its normal state to answer. "According to my intel, we have lost a two of our ranks to the Underground as of last month - both male, late adolescents. No names listed." He opened his black book quickly and began to scan the computerized pages that were contained within. "Four new children have joined our ranks as of 5 days ago, 3 female and a male. They are all still awaiting their fates in their holding cells." He closed the book, leaving the thoughts wide open for Nekria to ponder about the children. "I apologize, I have no knew definite intel on the rebels, perhaps Drean-' a heavy knocking on the door interrupted him, and Rorian instantly suppressed his annoyance when the little robot appeared and printed off a page to which Rorian grabbed from its mouth and read aloud to Nekria, as he always had.

"Hello Nekria, you seem as lovely as ever today, how can I help?" Rorian spoke in his normal manner of half monotone, half intrigue. In reality, Rorian loathed the little robot that Drean used when he didn't want to talk to his Lady in person. However, before he could continue his thoughts, it printed off another page, one that he did not have to read out loud to be annoyed by. Hey there Mr.Money-bags, had any good 'wine' lately? His mouth was in a taut, hard line - he really quite hated the nickname 'Money -Bags - before giving the little robot a smile and answering. "Greetings, Drean. No, to answer your question, I have yet to have any decent wines lately, for I cannot indulge myself while working. Perhaps when I do find one, you would join me." He gave the little robot a smile before turning away from it to face Nekria and stated. "Both Drean and myself are present, Lady Nekria. What would have us do?"

Corvin McMordy

Amelia's eyes always made him feel weird when she looked over him, especially today: they were simply eyeing him over lazily before she said something. This isn’t the right place to talk about the sort of thing I need to talk about. Walk with me and I’ll explain it a little better once we’ve gotten out of ear shot. He gave a sleepy nod before following her as she walked to the back of the Underground City. Must be pretty freaking big if others can't listen in. Corvin mused before Amelia spoke again.I don’t want anyone overhearing and getting the wrong idea about what’s going to come to pass. Now it sound like shit was going to get serious, and Corvin's attention span slowly got longer and more focused as they walked. By her tone, it sounded like something was going to go down, and Corvin always woke up when fights and stuff happened. When they stopped, Diaren piped up about something.

Hey, listen Des...I know you don't really like Keir going off on his own. And I'm sorry I let him. But...he's our leader. It's not like any of us can just tell him he can't go alone. Besides...I'm not that inconspicuos, either. Corvin gave a little sigh with a small chuckle at Diaren's statement. Damn right he wasn't. Diaren stuck out like a missing limb - which is sort of ironic, since Diaren is missing a few. It didn't help that the guy had some metal freaky wings going on behind him. Corvin didn't necessarily dislike Diaren because of this, but how was he supposed to trust a guy like that?

“I don’t care if Keir does as he likes. I go off on my own all the time, and frankly it’ll be his own damn fault if he gets himself captured or killed. He knows enough to not give us all away.” Corvin nodded slighly, staying quiet the entire time and just listening to everybody's thoughts. He really didn't have much to say on either of the matters, since he didn't know what Amelia wanted, nor did he care about Keir's disappearing habits. But do not underestimate the kind of influence I have on him. the Princess turned to the two guys whilst saying her words, and Corvin smirked at her sentence. That sounds like the Princess.. He seriously wanted to light up a cigarette right now, but he really didn't need Amelia getting angry and beating him up over it, so instead he drank his liquified crap and finished off the pretzels before stuffing the empty bag into his back pocket.

Alright, what I wanted to say earlier was—“ Amelia was cut off, however, by the familiar shuffling and voice of that one man that could stop her: Prince Keir. ”Hey guys.” was all the dude said, and Corvin gave him a little nod to signify that Corvin noticed their leader. Amelia wasted no time whatsoever in blasting a few questions at the leader, the way that only the Princess could. Corvin shook his head and finished his drink of crap and threw it towards what looked like a garbage can - if it wasn't, somebody later on would be pissed, but Corvin didn't mind. He checked out of his peripherals to see that Diaren was checking the security cameras, and he gave another sigh. He needed a smoke...

Rorian the Scholar

Rorian watched as Lady Nekria lifted the robot of Drean off of the ground and set him in her lap. He made no comment about this action, for it occurred quite frequently - even if he was slightly against the notion. "I do not like the silence we've been receiving from the two rebel groups. I'm concerned that they may be planning something larger and I wouldn't want to be unprepared for it. Rorian nodded his agreement as a small, smug grin appeared on his face as Lady Nekria attempted to dismantle the little robot. It amused him to see such a higher being than the rest of the world struggle with circuits and electricity, but he had to hand it to Drean - the man did know how to assemble a perfect robot. It didn't help his little grin, however, that Lady Nekria simply looked adorable when she was pouting about something. "I haven't heard from Tallen recently and she was sent to visit the Underground.. Rorian dismissed the thought of the Knight known as Tallen falling into the wrong hands or betraying them: if he recalled correctly, she was in debt to him roughly 7 dollars.

The Underground is causing us more issues and I want to put a stop to it. Not to mention the minor issue with that runaway Knight of ours..." That wasn't an issue that Rorian felt like addressing - past failures always made his budget hurt. I believe our safest bet would be to stop with the small work and move on to the bigger prizes. There is no need to continue with the experiments on the children of each group. Nobody is coming to save them. There hasn't been an uprising. We need to do something to cause the uprising and bring the rebel groups out of their hiding. I believe the best way to do this is by capturing their leaders. Their followers will want to riot for the return of their leaders, but they'll be broken without anyone to direct them. They will be in chaos and that's exactly what we want." Rorian nodded, that smug smirk returning to his lips as he saw her train of thought perfectly, and loved where this was going. Lady Nekria stood up and took the little robot with her, and spoke her statement

So, Drean, Rorian, that's my instructions for you. I don't care how you do it, but I want those four here in our vicinity. I want them alive. That will be all." Rorian bowed respectively, smiling when his head was down, and his face quite positively sinister when he came back up. "It shall be done, Lady Nekria." Now, Rorian wasn't one for that 'sneaking in and stealing' stuff, he was better at 'Mocking people in public, waiting for them to show up and then kill them' sort of thing. Well, it was either that or "Show up at their house and demand money'. However, Rorian noticed that the robot was starting to print, and he motioned to Lady Nekria about it. "May I." He said, indicating the message that was printing. When it was finished, he ripped it off and spoke its contents out loud once again.

"Rorian, maybe I'll take you up on that offer some time, I've sorta wondered what blood tastes like. My dear lady Nekria, I'll work on your request and I might be gone for awhile but I'll try and contact when I can, also when I do I'd like to know if some information is true or not. Does your knight 'Tallen' really have a brother? until we 'meet' again, take care." He gave a small smirk towards the message after reading it, and then thought about the question posed at the end. However, he didn't have enough time to think, for another message was printed off and he nearly began to read it outloud. He scowled as he read it in a murmur. Money bags learn to enjoy some of the smaller things, cash'll only get you so far, Rorian narrowed his eyes and ripped the page into nice, even squares before discarding it accordingly.

"Lady Nekria, I too will begin preparation for this request by doing only what I was meant to - serving and money watching. If you so wish, I shall leave immediately on a lead I have pending." He bowed a little more shallow this time, his head beginning to compile a list of names and faces who would possibly be able to give him information in exchange for their debt being erased. The lead he had was simply a client he was keeping out of debt that was hinting at the location to the Underground, one that he would very much like to go see in person.

Corvin McMordy

Corvin nearly reached for a cig when Dairen barreled through the guy to get to the leaders of the Underground - since Dairen had a bunch of extra weight on him (metal limbs), that really quite hurt. Corvin narrowed his eyes at the metal kid, and reached for his cigarette out of spite. Cobra would have lit the cig if he hadn't easily heard Dairen's blabbering. "Uh, um....boss, we may have a situation outside...there's some girl moving shadows, and ah....I think...I think He's come back, boss..." Corvin would have just dismissed this as Dairen being overcautious and too easily excitable, but there was something about the way he said the word 'He' that made Corvin curious. Surely MetalMan here didn't mean...

That's him, right? It's not very easy to forget that face...even after four years. Corvin nearly dropped his cig as he walked quite quickly towards the screen to sneak a quick peak at the face. Sure, Keir would probably be pissed off that McMordy was being slighly nosey about security - the dude was lazy, so he gave up most of his rights to care about security... - but that didn't stop him from catching a glimpse of that face. Awkwardly orange/yellow hair, eyepatch over right eye.

"Bastard decided to come back huh?" Corvin said as he lit his cigarette, now behind the two leaders and the security dude. From his tone, it was excruciatingly hard to tell if Corvin missed the tall guy or if he really hated Morgan's guts. Thing was, Corvin wasn't really sure if he missed that guy or not either. Sure, him and Morgan shared a loved for smoking, but that was about the end of similarities between them - for starters, Corvin's fear of cats was indirectly linked to Morgan being somehow able to shift into that freaky tiger. Corvin sucked in a breath slowly, and then blew - more like gave a sigh of smoke - out the smoke in his lungs. He really liked the Lost Children, they were pretty decent folk, but he didn't like their motives. Who gave a crap about finding out about the past? The stuff behind them couldn't save the world from Nekria. "Brilliant, just effing Brilliant."

Keir Craig


“How was your trip?” Keir bit his lip and cast his eyes down. He always made her mad every time he went out. Which pissed him off due to the fact that she left the Underground just as much as he did, with just as little protection. Hypocrite she was. “Learn anything interesting? Two other boys shuffled behind her, and Keir gleefully recognized them as Corvin, a redhead much like himself, except was taller and wears goggles and constantly smokes, and Diaren, a much shorter blond male. He was different because he was half metal, though the limbs were fully functional, and metal wings. Or at least one. Keir wasn’t great at remembering the little things some times. But that’s was his Princess was for. His adorable, evil, little Princess. She was scarier than he was, and more productive sometimes. He was the face, and a lot of the brains. She was the power behind it all. They made a pretty kickass team.

But back to the current. Keir smiled slightly, “It was fine, thank you for asking,” he glanced at the two other men and gently pulled his Princess aside, “I…I saw her again.” He was talking about his sister. The only two that truly knew the whole thing would have been his parents, who were dead to him, and his little girl. His little girl who was looking like she was about to just roll her eyes, like she did every other time, “No…I talked to her and oh God Ameila, she was brainwashed so bad and I just want to chain her up and unbrainwash her. I want to just scream that I love her and she’s my sister.” He gripped her shoulders and stared at her with his large green eyes, wanting nothing more than to hide away in his room and calm down. Taking a deep breath he moved to take his hands off of her, but his body froze. Images of a young girl flashed through his mind. Alone, with family, alone. Fighting. Safe. Keir blinked back the pictures, able to see them clearly, but unable to describe them to anyone else. Frowning he stepped back from his Princess like nothing happened. “Sorry, I got carried away. It…shouldn’t happen again.” He smiled.

Suddenly Diaren barrled over to him, and Keir stepped back some more to give the boy some space, “Uh, um…boss, we may have a situation outside…” Keir groaned. Outside, he didn’t want to deal with outside. He didn’t want to deal with anything. But he was the leader, and he was looked up to. Put on a pretty face Keir, something’s going wrong. “…there’s some girl moving shadows and ah…I think…” Calmly he followed the upset boy to a frozen picture of a tall, lanky redhead, an eye…patch…no way. He should have left. He said he was gone for good. “I think He’s come back boss…That’s him, right? It’s not very easy to forget that face…even after four years.” Four years. Four damn years of not seeing him. Of not…Keir was sure the Fates were against him in every single way and not only was his…old friend here, but the shadow girl that was his sister of evil was there as well. Great. How the hell was this going to get handled? “Bastard decided to come back, huh?” Corvin broke Keir from his mini freak attack, but just barely, “Brilliant, just effing brilliant.” Keir kept his eye roll in his head and took a large sigh.

“Right. Princess, I’m going to save the world.” He said with a smile, though he wasn’t feeling it, like every other time he said it. Battles weren’t his thing, but he did try to break up skirmishes if he could. However he knew that Tallen was a Noble and could report him. There wasn’t anything he could do to stop anything. If Tallen took him to Nekria, he would rather die then say anything to her. Running a hand through his hair, Keir walked out of the room without another word and made his way to the surface, finding Morgan, another redhead, and Tallen. “Good afternoon gentlemen, and lady,” he nodded to Tallen, “As much as I love to have female company, if you could kindly return to wherever you came from and leave these poor pitiful men alone would be of great service to me.” Keir frowned slightly and shuffled in his steps. He hated fighting, and much less someone he knew, but he wasn’t going to die if Tallen attacked him. Cold green eyes flickered to Morgan and his friend, “As much as I would love to know what the hell your doing back here, I would like to have Princess with me when we grill your ass. For right now you two can head inside. Tell them I sent you if you’re asked.” He wanted to run a blade through Morgan, to scream at him, but he couldn’t. He had to deal with his sister. His now evil sister.

“Tallen, Knightmare, whatever you may be called, get off my grounds. You are trespassing on my territiory, and last time I check with my people, we weren’t bothering you in the slightest,” he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, “In fact,” he continued with a cool tone to his voice, “Last time I checked, it was you that was bothering us. Fancy that. I’ve done nothing, so scurry back to your master before I hand you to her in pieces.”