Masenai Autoro's Story

"I recommend following the girl with white hair Kikuchiyo." came a voice in Robin's mind. Robin looked around confused initially before slowly realizing someone had finally made it to the city after all. He was glad his own entity appeared finally. But he was confused as to why Charity would want him to follow that girl he saw moments before. He shrugged as he wandered the streets and alleys to search for her again.

"Why does that guy want me to follow her? Is she a circus member, or one of us? Mase is so obscure at times. He thought to himself. But all the same, he kept one hand to his gun as he hefted up his sack. He thought he felt a nearby presence of something dark, but he chose to ignore it.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" he called into one alley hoping for a reply.

---

In the meanwhile a beggar man was making his way into Friergate. His mind and thoughts were focused on getting to his Child and formulating a strategy. But knowing Robin he knew he was gonna do his own fletched bounty hunter plan and try to confront his bounty, whenever he found one.

"Which is why I need to find him as soon as possible. I must keep under a low profile though, the circus is also in town. Something may happen if someone on either side does something, and I don't like that assumption at all." the Virtue Muttered to himself as he started to pick up the pace. "Don't run into trouble Kikuchiyo!"

"Oh hi there." Robin said to the voice that replied back. "My name's Robin. Mind if I come through this alleyway?" with that he slowly moved his hand away from his gun and shifted his small sack of spare clothing and other personal items. He walked over to the other side of the wall and sat down facing the girl.

"So what's your name, and um, did you come in here to get away from this heat?" He noted it was a bit hot this day and realized he'll be starting to sweat since he was still wearing his jacket.

----

The Virtue of Charity sat in a smaller, less vehicle crowded alleyway. He had gotten tired after running to get into the city on foot and he examined his shoes and other things in case of any damage. He then decided to do his usual thing and he pulled out a silver cup and scooted to the lip of the alley.

"Spare Change? Anyone? Can you spare some change? Anyone willing to give spare change?" was the mantra he gave to every passerby. he was always willing to test the hearts of the people he felt he was once a part of. Heck, it was usually how he found his Children when he needed a new one. But he knew for the most part he, like so many other homeless, would be ignored.

Such was the existence of Masenai Autoro, Virtue of Charity.

As Servant soon drifted off to sleep, her head resting peacefully on her Master's shoulders, Nozomi's consciousness was made aware of the sudden arrival of an owl familiar. It had a recording in it, a voice he recognizes to be of Alistair, the Circus' leader and patriarch. His eyes dimmed as silver flashes of light engulfed a large diameter around the apartment as he set up a psychic net, to ensure that their conversation remains private.
"Moving the Sky Castle eh? *Sigh* Can't you do it yourselves?" Despite his complaint though, Nozomi still stood up, letting Fumina's head rest on the soft cushion he was sitting at while he walked to a drawer. Taking out a board that looked like the map of the city and a stone, he set it up on the table. With his telekinesis, he allowed the stone to levitate on its own, encircling the city. He left it on an infinite loop, constantly encircling the city. He also set up a field so no one can touch, get or affect the entire setup. Turning to the owl, he spoke again.
"The castle is now in motion. Since I am too lazy to think of the best place to have it rest, I'll leave it up to you. Lionel has the Anchor Key. Once you find your comfortable spot, just tell him to use it. That should stop it." He walked towards the owl and picked it up. Seeing the recorder inside, he realized that Alistair was listening to it in real time. But to be doubly sure, he took out the recorder from the familiar, destroying it in the process. He rationalized that Alistair would probably have done the same, to avoid any tracing. Crafting a familiar of his own, this time, in the shape of a raven, he placed his message there and sent it back to the Sky Castle, landing just in between Serpent and Alistair.

---

Navigating through the alleys and streets, Leona felt her Child's aura was close by along with--another one. This one wasn't hostile though. This one was from their side. Taking confidence that Rion is in safe hands, Leona thought of exploring the city for a little while longer before going back to pick up her Child. Reaching a part of the streets where vehicles scarcely come around, she saw a particular homeless man. Still, there was an air, an aura emanating from him that told her that there is more than meets the eye to this man. She casually approached him and stood just a few inches away.
"Charity is defined as the act of giving until it starts to hurt you personally isn't it? Simply giving your excess isn't charity, it's justice. Have you already given so much that it's starting to hurt? How many skeletons do you have in your closet now?" Leona spoke up, reaffirming her presence. This man was no new blood like Kyo's Catalyst. This man seemed like a veteran and a fighter like her though she's not sure if they've met in the past or not. It's been too long and her memory was getting a bit hazy.
"I suppose you've already heard of me? If that's the case, do you think you can lead this group on the front lines? Humility doesn't seem too willing to take that role."

---

Few hours after Rin had met up with Izumi again, Priam had them moved from the shopping district to the security bureau, where the main bulk of ALIAS was once situated. Now, it had been taken over by a private company and used as some sort of firm for distributing capable and well-trained guards to various establishments. Heading underground around five floors deep, Izumi was taken to the training area. Currently, there are no more members to train as they have stopped operations a long time now.
"Wow! This place is big!" Izumi marveled at the large area complete with simulation machines, armaments rack and arena. Priam walked to keep up with her as he provided explanations.
"Indeed. A lot of people who sympathized with the group's ideals allowed us to build this facility. We also have a lot of engineers and scientists working to craft new weapons that will allow us to finally level the ground against Entities."
"So basically--my powers are obsolete now?"
"Heh, we'll find some use for your abilities. Your skill in manipulating information is quite handy. Now wait a moment, Rin's simulation is starting." Priam and Izumi looked at a large monitor where Rin was conducting her training. They were simulating it on the same kind of setup as downtown Friergate, with all the alleys and tight spaces.
Now conducting simulation no. 97. ALIAS Operative #67 Rin Nakahara vs. ALIAS Operative #75 Chloe S. Victoria... Start simulation.
Rin took off first, armed with her Savage and the Beretta and 686. She also had two M-9 bayonets on her this time. Her opponent, a white haired girl who stood no taller than her, was carrying an SG550, two ES Five-SeveNs and two knives. Not wanting her opponent to get the first strike, Rin fired first, shooting a bullet from her Savage. It missed its mark as her opponent closed the distance between them. Also firing a shot, Rin barely dodged the bullet as she nearly bumped into a building's sharp corner. The distraction was enough though. Chloe closed in as Rin tried to fire another one. Swerving to the side, Chloe stabbed Rin's rifle with much force, breaking it. Ditching the useless weapon, Rin grabbed a knife, in an effort to bring this battle to close-quarters match. Outside, Priam and Izumi watched attentively.
"Rin--seems to be having a difficult time. Her opponent is just a regular human?"
"Yes. Chloe just has sufficient training and experience to make up for it. ALIAS' members are all skilled enough to prove a challenge to even the most battle-hardened of Entities."
Back at the simulation room, the battle had turned into a revolver match. Neither of them can afford to get cornered into an alley. Shots were firing left and right, both competitors giving it their all.
"So this is ALIAS. The resistance born from mankind's desire to bring this chaotic war to a swift end..."

Night falls.

Kyo and Miruka had had a great time together along with Hikari at his house. Though it was just a short period of time, they really did enjoy it even though they know that soon enough, they'll have to fight for their lives. After their dinner, Hikari invited Miruka to stay for the night, which he gladly accepted. When Hikari has said goodnight for the two, he went to his room, leaving behind two Entities.

"He's a sweet boy, I must say", Hikari complimented, "my Child is also a nice girl too. Too bad I've lost contact with her."

"So even though you and your catalyst are apart, she's still decided to keep the contract?"

"Yeah, I don't know why, but that's okay, I want her to continue to live on a normal life. So many people has already affected by the wars, we should end this once and for all", Miruka looked up the roof and said, "so, are you ready?"

"Do I ever?", Kyo giggled, even though he knows that he'll go on a mission, he still keeping his calm posture, "Come, let's go to my room."

They both stood up and went to Kyo's room. Miruka sat on his bed as he pulled out his laptop from his backpack. "It's been a long while, eh? I really did miss this."

"Tell me about it", Kyo reached to his own backpack and pulled out another scarf just like the scarf he is wearing, "in case you forgot, this is the scarf which I've specially enhanced. As long as I'm wearing it, it'll completely hinder my aura and no Entities should be able to feel my presence, unless they really focus."

"Yeah, I remember", Miruka chuckled, "so why didn't you just wear it earlier?"

"I don't think it was necessary", Kyo said as he put on the scarf, "let's begin now. Remember to back me up carefully, okay?"

"Did I ever disappoint you?", Miruka playfully responsed, "here, I've installed the cracking program in your phone. Do you remember how to hack?"

"I'm not that forgetful, you know", Kyo took his phone from Miruka, "well, see ya later, Miru-kun."

"Good luck, Kyo-chin", Miruka smiled and said to his friend. Kyo then opened the window and jumped out to the tree next to it and slid down to the ground. He began to ran and made his way to the Circus' headquarters in a district nearby. The moon is shining brightly today and there weren't a lot of people on the street now. A perfect night for an infiltrate mission.

After a while, Kyo has made it to the building. It is a ten-floor building looking just as normal as any other building in this city, though Kyo is well-aware that this is truly the earthly headquarters of the Sinner's Circus. "This is it, Sinner's Circus, here I come", he thought and smiled a determined smile.

He sneakily passed through the wall and went straight into the emergency exit nearby. The door was locked by an auto-lock. "You're making this too easy...", Kyo thought as he pulled out his phone and a wire. He then connected his phone with the lock and started to hacked. After somewhile, he managed to unlock the entrance pretty effortlessly. He put on his speaker. With that, he dialed Miruka, "I've found my way into the mother loathe. Now it's your turn."

Back in Kyo's room, Miruka answered excitedly, he really love to back up his members on missions like this. "Got it", he turned on his laptop, "let the fun begin", he thought. Through some installment and hacking, he managed to got the position of Kyo on the map and was able to control every cameras in the building and the screen is looking like a CCTV. "It should be clear from the position you're standing, there shouldn't be any guards there. Make your way to the second floor by the stairs nearby, remember not to make a scene."

Kyo nodded and followed exactly what his friend said. His steps were swift and silent and he cautiously looking around if there are anyone patrolling. From then on, Miruka instructed and watching every movements that Kyo made. They worked together in perfect harmony and Kyo has managed to pass through every guards that were patrolling the building.

"You almost reached the 7th floor by now, that is where the information room situated. There's a guard was walking near where you're standing. Hide in a pavement near there and waited until he's gone and you're free to run on the stairs."

Kyo nodded and hide away. When the guard is gone, he made his way to 7th floor. "I'm here, are there anyone around?", he asked through the speaker.

"Nope, the information room should be on your left. Explore a bit and you'll find it. Get the information and get outta there. I'll be coming there shortly too."

He then swiftly walked to his left and find the room, but just as he was going to opened it, he felt a presence was coming at himm and no doubt this is from an Entity. "Kyo-chin, don't go in there yet! Someone is inside", Miruka warned. Just as the door opened, Kyo managed to hide in a corner near there by the skin of his tooth. Because it was dark so Kyo didn't realize who it was. After that person has gone, he went into the information room. "I made it", Kyo chuckled.

"Looks like after a long while, your skill hasn't got rusted at all, Kyo-chin", Miruka said, "okay, I'm coming there. Check if there are any information about their motives and got out."

"Got it", Kyo said then turned off the speaker. He turned to the computer which is still left on. He sat down and began to checked the contain of the files inside. There are nothing particular there except for some files that Kyo thinks that it maybe useful. He copying the files to his phone. When he finished, he pulled out the wire and put his phone back to his pocket. He was intended to leave by then.

Suddenly, he felt that someone is returning to the room. Without a moment to lose, he opened the window near there and jumped into the balcony on a lower floor and jumped back on the ground. Kyo landed gracefully and quickly got out of there. "Phew, that was close", he said as he swept the sweat on his forehead. It seems that his undercover mission was successful. He began to run back until he came across with Miruka.

"Did you manage to find anything?", Miruka asked.

"Yeah, I will explain later. Right now, we have to make our ways to our own basement first."

"Heh, it's also been a while since the last time we went there, didn't we?", Miruka laughed.

Kyo nodded and then both of them began to made their way into an old, abandoned street in the remoted area of the City. But just as they're on their way, they caught sight of another two person who are also radiating Entities' aura. Though this presence must be from the ones that are from their side. Kyo quickly realized one of them is Patience - Leona Rain Vincent.

"Well, it seems that it was quite a coincidence to bump into you twice a day, Leona-oneesan", Kyo chuckled while both of them went to the two. Miruka regconized the man who was standing next to Leona, "I think I know you. You're Masenai Autoro, the Virtue of Charity, right? I'm Miruka Hiroyuki, Virtue of Kindness. Nice to meet you", he smiled and gave them a bow.

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier, Leona, and I know that I have to step it up to my responsibility. So tonight, I've went and collect some information about our opponents. And I am well-aware that both me and Miruka here are not the perfect type of tacticians and fighters at heart, due to our nature. But it doesn't mean that we're useless. And now, we need help from veterans like both of you. So, will you agree to help us?", Kyo said to the both.

Masenai paused in his mantra of testing the humans as a woman came up to him. Actually, he felt her coming, her aura was that strong. He silently smiled as she spoke. "Hello Patience. We may have crossed paths before but I am uncertain." He said to the woman as he flipped his cup around with one finger. "To answer your first question, I have many, as you say, skeletons in the closet. But it's best they stayed out of sight for me. For I would then be lost in a sea of memory, and remember numerous times of battle and strife."

He was about to answer her second question, when he heard two other virtues coming. From the way they sounded to him, they were greenhorns. Naive, simple, over eager, greenhorns. One actually began to address him by title and name! He sighed and drew to his full six feet of height and approached Kindness first. "First off, never under any circumstances say your full name and title in public like that, again. No one knows who else may be watching, or listening." he stated as he moved his shoulders in a slight stretching motion.

"Now you, Mr. Info gatherer. Did you really get the info? Or did you just get the humans info of them? Subtle differences, Sky Head. And as for my help, I only act when I am needed. You do not know better about the wars. The endless cycle of Good and Evil. You may know of me, but you do not know me. I'll be searching for a more quieter place for me to observe humanity now. Thank you." he then turned and started walking but he motioned for Leona to follow in an invitation to come if she wishes.

"I better hope Kiku isn't getting into any trouble...."

------

Robin's eyes brightened at Rion's invitation to buy him a drink. "Really?! Oh you're an Angel!" he shouted enthusiastically. He was happy to hear that he would finally quench his thirst in the heat. "I promise to pay back every penny! I double promise on me grave!" he gave an almost traditional bow of gratitude his mother taught him.

Kyo and Miruka listened Masenai's "lecture" in silent. When the man turned his back, Kyo turned to his friend and nodded. There usual calm posture has changed and something are stirring in them.

"I see", Kyo said with a serious tone, "so in the end, you're just like the rest."

"I'm sorry, but my title is Kindness, not Maturity", Miruka said with a serious look, "I am fully aware that we can always be spied on."

"Since no Entites we came across wants to be united as what they called "Synchronicity", then fine, there will be no such thing as Synchronicity from now on. We should just continue with our own fights until this very war end. If there are no lines between of what you called as Good and Evil, then we will make one", Kyo smirked challengingly, "you think that we're just a bunch of greenhorns, but that is how we fight, and I don't think we understand the ways that you fight."

With that, both Kyo and Miruka jumped onto the balcony of a house nearby and then jumped onto the roof of it, looking down at the two, "If you never truly understand the true meaning of sacrifice, then please, you're just as naive as us", Miruka said. Before turning their backs and got away, Kyo said, "It seems that we can't work with each other, so there are no reasons for us to meet again. Still, if you want, then after all of this has done, find us and we shall decided between the "Maturity" and the "Naivety", who'll won. Have a good night."

Then they jumped to the roofs of the other buildings and quickly got out of sight. They then headed back to Hikari's apartment as they decided that since there were only two of them now, they should just let there basement as it is. On the way, Miruka asked, "Do you think we've made the right choice?", he sighed, "in the time we needed Chastity here to united us the most, she didn't turn up. The fate must be playing with us."

"We've never meant to be like that, but there are no other ways to turn back now", Kyo said calmly, "They were right. We've been taking it too lightly and now it's time to step it up, even if it means that we have to face anyone that opposed us by our own."

"I'm with you, Kyo-chin", Miruka smiled as they reached their destination. "I guess I should headed back to my place and see the information by myself, hopefully that we'll find something useful", Miruka said as they stood on top of Hikari's apartment, "may I borrowed your phone for the night?"

"Sure", Kyo handed his phone to Miruka, "Well, sleep well, Miru-kun."

"You too, Kyo-chin", he grinned and gave Kyo a friendly hug then went straight to his own home. Kyo jumped down to the tree and went into his room through the window. That is enough for tonight.

"Tsk! So much for being a veteran...losing your cool like that is--" Leona sighed at this revelation. She does understand that they have good intentions but, most of their ways are too rash. Fortunately, Leona was used to dealing with conflicts like this, as the Entity of Patience. She spoke up, a lone feminine voice among the three males.
"If you don't mind, could you tarry a little?" Leona called out to Masenai who was about to leave. Turning to all three of them, she finally spoke up. Taking three darts infused with her blood, she threw it in three directions, obscuring their auras and letting them be ignored by ordinary passerby.

"Alright, first off, Kyo, Miruka--you've been acting too rashly. Let me explain how a war is truly won. You can't win this war just by annihilating the enemy alone. You must also garner the support of the country--no, in this case, city's populace. At this point, the normal population do not know the distinction between Synchronicity and the Circus. If we were to attack first, then the population would see us as the ones who is morally wrong. It's hard but we must face the facts as of now. The Circus hasn't done anything too detrimental to society aside from a few problems here and there. So, hypothetically, what if we destroy all of Circus by attacking first? Then the populace would turn against us, causing only an endless cycle of misery and strife." Leona paused to catch her breath before continuing.

"There is a way to defeat them but we must wait. We must also place restrictions on how much are we going to let our emotions dictate our actions. In battle, one must only exert enough power to make the enemy lose the will to fight. Any less and your side loses. Any more and new chaos will bloom. The thing is, while many understands this fact, there are also a lot who don't."

"Since no Entites we came across wants to be united as what they called "Synchronicity", then fine, there will be no such thing as Synchronicity from now on. We should just continue with our own fights until this very war end. If there are no lines between of what you called as Good and Evil, then we will make one."

"Good and evil. Connected to what I said earlier. There is no such thing as truly good nor truly evil. It all depends on how society perceives it. A society of cannibals will perceive cannibalism as good yes? Same thing here. Believe it or not, there are reasonable members among Circus which, if they choose to reveal themselves, may even command the sympathy of the people. There is a Circus member who doesn't kill, which is viewed as good by the people. This is what's making this whole affair difficult. There is no black and white. Everything is a vast expense of gray. Circus is capable of doing good, in the same way as Synchronicity is capable of doing evil." Pause. She looked at each of them in the eye.

"It's not as if we do not want to be united. It's just that most of us have seen enough of this endless warfare and we've lost a lot of comrades. None of us wants to bear that pain again. Individually, yes, we are weak. As a group, yes, we are stronger. But, Circus does have a strong bond as well, which they've proven time and time again. For an analogy, how many of Synchronicity's founding fathers remain? Aside from me, there's only Charity maybe. Compared to three amongst Circus. I myself, have only been successful in killing the First Wrath and even then, it was no easy feat. It takes time and careful consideration. We're at a point where the risks far outweighs any sign of reward." She wanted to say more but the two have decided to turn around and leave as well. Feeling slightly frustrated and disappointed, she turned to Masenai.

"You don't suppose my words reached them at all do you?"

Masenai almost literally stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Kyo's words. They didn't believe they were united anymore? Calmly pressing his head against one finger he raised his other finger almost like an antenna and tried to broadcast his telepathy to the two younger virtues. "Bound by the light, never to break apart, if broken the light will fade, and only dark will remain. Those are the words stated by the founders of Synchronicity. If we are not united now then the enemy has already won. I will not see Synchronicity splinter. As one of the founding members, it is my duty to uphold the group. I do not believe in total war as I did in the days when I was like you, back then I was rash, and I endangered many innocent lives. I do not want to go half-way into battle with my head in the clouds again, and endanger innocent humans in the process. If you truly wish for my help, then find me in an old Abandoned Cathedral. I was about to say, the time when I am needed is near."

Removing his finger from his temple he looked at Leona with an almost sad, somber look. "I merely wanted to test their hearts. To see if they are truly capable of fighting the Circus. They have potential. They just need someone to guide them. It's a shame I too have a child otherwise I'd pour all my mentoring into training the new entities. I'm getting to old for this." he said with a small smirk on his face. "Speaking of Children, we'll have to locate ours now. If knowing mine he didn't stray far from the one child I told him to follow."

----

Robin took the bottle and drank from it with a smile on his face. He silently nodded at the suggestion. "You'd be the first I'd go to. I need to find a way to make some money. Do you know if there's any wanted criminals here other then the circus?" he asked with an almost straight face. He hadn't seen a good bounty anywhere.

"You'd be the first I'd go to. I need to find a way to make some money. Do you know if there's any wanted criminals here other then the circus?"

Rion started thinking a bit. She figured that Robin might be a hired gun or some sort of bounty hunter, but..."Well, I don't know too many people...Circus isn't known too much because the Virtues and Sins are both trying to keep the fights and the wars as secret as possible..." Then she paused, falling into a bit of thought again. "Friergate is rather notorious for a high crime rate...there are a lot of wanted criminals with high bounties on their heads. Maybe if you managed to catch or find one of them, then maybe you can get some money." She pointed out.

Just then, she felt a familiar aura, a mention of her name of sorts. Turning, she could have sworn that maybe, somewhere out there, their Virtues were looking for them. It was just a hunch, but..."Hey, do you think our Virtues are looking for us?"

Leona stood up to her feet and agreed. "Heh, you're right. Especially Rion, she has a habit of getting lost most of the time. Still, I felt her aura along with another one. She's probably safe."

Heading to the alley where she felt Rion's presence, she was rather astonished to see Rion conversing with a man, who didn't seem familiar. Still, he had a nice aura to him, indicating that he was from their side, Synchronicity. She stopped just a few inches away from them as she teased her Child a bit.

"Well, well. Growing up a bit now, Rion?" She smiled as she teased her Child.

---

Rin had just finished her training session. She decided to take a quick shower first before heading out on her next assignment. As she let the water cool her tired body, she heard Izumi singing in the next stall.
"Izumi, please. We don't want it to rain." She remarked.
"All right. Still, how did the simulation go?" Izumi asked, shutting off the water for a bit as she took the soap. Rin didn't answer. "Hehe, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

After finishing up, Rin headed to a quiet room with most of Sacred Drive's surveillance equipment. She heard Priam come in and explain her new assignment.
"Before that though, let me introduce her to you. This is Operative #67 Rin Nakahara. She is an Entity, one of ALIAS secret assets." Priam showed Rin a woman dressed in corporate attire, holding a remote control.
"Good evening. I am the head CEO at the Hyatt building, also, a Sacred Drive stockholder. I am your client for today. We heard that some files went missing earlier in the evening. Despite nothing showing up on the cameras or the security footage, we are worried that Circus or Synchronicity may have had a hand in this. Head to the Hyatt building and investigate this matter for us."

Acknowledging the mission, Rin hopped on to the ride prepared for her by the organization. It was a rather new Yamaha V-Max motorcycle. As the lights turned on to guide her out of the bureau with ease, she rode off, navigating through the underground tunnels, to avoid further detection by neither side as she goes on to investigate what happened in the Hyatt Building.

"Well, well. Growing up a bit now, Rion?"

Rion let out a squeak of surprise when she heard that all-too familiar voice. Looking up and standing on clumsy feet, she noticed her Entity with...another, strange man radiating a strong aura. He was tall, looked homeless, but nevertheless, she knew that there was something more to this man. Turning her attention back to her Virtue, she looked flustered for a moment before fidgeting a bit, looking down on the ground. "A-Ah, he's just a friend I met today...wait, um..."

She glanced up with slightly confused violet eyes, to the man, then back to Leona. "W-Who is the man beside you...?" She immediately looked back down in fear of getting scolded or something else.

---

Somewhere else, a silver-haired man sighed as he watched another man throw darts at a dartboard, drunkenly again. A dart soared past him, and he blinked before speaking. "Sir, watch where you throw that. Surely you're not that cross-eyed." The drunk stood up angrily, glaring at him. "The hell did you say?!" "I just said that you have to watch where you throw, sir." The silver-haired man replied simply, a pool stick in his hand.

"You little sh--!" As the drunken man flew into a frenzy and charged at him, fist raised, the other dodged, sticking his foot out as to trip the man. "My bad." The guy fell down, groaning as he hit the floor hard. A friend of the drunk saw this, planning to charge the silver-haired one from the back, but he simply swung his pool stick to the other side, hitting the guy in the jaw as he fell over like his friend. Clapping could be heard from around them, and a few whistled and cheers. "You did it again, Yomi-san!" A man called, applauding.

Kaito turned to smile wearily at the audience he accumulated from the small fight. "Please- I told you guys to call me Kaito." He said, looking at his watch as he picked up a dart and chucked it at the dartboard, hitting bulls-eye. With a small smile, he started to turn away. "Kaito! Leaving so early, man?" One of the men who knew him there asked with a slight chuckle. Kaito glanced back, pushing his shades further up his eyes. "Yeah. I still have work in the morning, you know." Turning back, Kaito disappeared from the scene, eyes fixated on the path ahead of him to get to his apartment in time.

He lived alone, no, he didn't even try living with his Child. It was inconvenient in his eyes, and since that noble friend of his pointed him here, he figured he should try working all by himself, just to relive a slightly better version of his past life. Then he glanced at the sky, remembering his lover. He let out a weary sigh- "Never mind...I act only when I am needed." With that, he started back on his way. What was in the past stayed in the past.

Robin nodded in slight thanks to Rion as she explained about the crime rate. It was just as he thought, there would be a lot of criminals need turning in. He was about to say thank you again when he heard her ask about their virtues. "Probably. I'm sure they're worried sick. I think my virtue is probably gonna sound more laid back-"

"Really Kikuchiyo? I was gone from your sight for several days and you're chatting up with a lady?"
Robin jumped in surprise as Masenai was standing next to Leona. "Leona meet my 7th child Robin Kikuchiyo Flynn. He's a good boy and his bounty hunting puts away bad humans and he usually donates almost all his earnings."

"Mase! Totally uncool!!" Robin shouted as he put his hands in his pockets.

---

It was a beautiful day, and it was a beautiful evening last night as well. Morrigan smiled brightly, pulling out an umbrella as she left her small rent free apartment, she opened it when she stepped outside the building and walked with powerful dignity and grace. She wanted the humans to turn their heads and looked. She loved the eyes staring at her as she walked towards the red light district.

"Time to get to work, seeking out those who are fit for my Love's Bite." she stated with a small chuckle as she made her way to prepare to find her next inkwell to make a new picture. She loved it when she painted with the red nectar of life. It stands out. The small smile turned slowly into a malicious grin at the thought of it.

"Leona meet my 7th child Robin Kikuchiyo Flynn. He's a good boy and his bounty hunting puts away bad humans and he usually donates almost all his earnings."

Leona heard Masenai introduce his new Catalyst. From the sounds of it, it seemed that he also has some experience in dealing with their current enemy. "I see. Well, this is Rion Mizorogi, currently my 4th Child. She is a little shy but, she is strong enough to last in battle." Leona also introduced her own Child. Her eyes darted from side to side though as she inspects the area for any sign of familiars or spies. So far, there are none.

"I suggest we split up for the time being. With four of us over here, our auras are more potent than normal. The Circus members may be able to spot us immediately. We'll have to find a meetup point though." Leona thinks about a good spot. Glancing to the other three, she thought of asking for their opinion.

"So, know any places?" She recalled that she still had her darts setup. It may shield them from detection for just a little while longer.

---

Arriving at the Hyatt Building, Rin immediately went inside to check the surveillance records. The security staff seemed to ignore her as she just gets by them without being checked or apprehended. "Priam must have informed them of my arrival. He acts fast."

Finding no trace on the security cameras and logs, as expected, Rin decided to take matters into her own hands. She asked all of the guards for any person who they initially thought as suspicious. Getting no answer, she then asked if anyone entered the information room on the 56th Floor. One guard admitted to escorting a developer that time of the night. Jotting down the details, she retraced the steps they took to get there.

As she walked down the corridors, she saw most of the families living there. Contrasted to the Hyatt Building's clean and impressive facade, most of the families living there didn't really belong to the upper echelons of society. They were mostly middle-class workers whose daily routine was deeply affected by the recent war. Glancing at some of the open windows, she saw that some of them are still mourning for the loss of their loved ones. A parent was even talking to an empty space, possibly recalling her dead son. Rin shrugged all thoughts away as she entered the computer room.

Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was still in its proper order. Checking the files, she found out that most of the records were still accounted for--except for two. Whom they belonged to, she doesn't know. "So, it is true. But the question is how and who? Probably, they don't want us taking note of their activity. I'll need to see if there are any Entities with a strong hatred against this organization." She stopped for a bit. It could still be the work of regular humans but, only Entities have the potential to completely do this without leaving a trace.

Rin went outside near the open convenience stores to grab a drink. Sitting just in front of the building while she guzzled down the beverage, her ears were listening attentively to any sounds that may arise this time of the night. And she wasn't betrayed.

Rustle

Rin immediately jumped at the sound, taking out her M-9 as she looked and listened in attentively. The sound seemed to coming in from the right, near the bushes planted at the sides of the building. Parting some twigs, she checked just behind the concrete chairs where she heard the sound. No one there.

"Hey!" Rin suddenly shouted when she saw a figure slip by her, passing through the adjacent bush. She followed her, switching from knife to handgun in a matter of seconds lest worst comes to worst. But, the girl just kept on running. She took aim as she scanned the intruder's aura but--

"The aura is weak. That may just be a regular human." Rin sighed as she lowered her firearm before heading back to the building. Glancing at the dark sky, she had a very bad feeling about the succeeding days.

"Storm's coming. I better be ready when it does. Besides, unlike the other Entities, I stand alone."

---

The woman quickly ran, escaping a younger girl who was following her, still keeping her hood up as she maneuvered through the streets. The night was already deep and very few people and vehicles were out. Stopping by to catch her breath, she laughed at her discovery.

"I may be getting a little rusty." The girl laughed as she sat at a park bench, staring at the highlights. The city sure had changed ever since the last time she was here three years ago. She initially thought of breaking into Hyatt and staying at an empty room but, her plans immediately changed when she saw an Entity patrolling there. Her aura reminded her of the Entity Diligence she once worked with in the past. Taking a good look at the park she was at, she found it to be quite pretty. A fountain, a small pond and the minimum of very bright streetlights. Most of the areas were illuminated by moon and starlight alone, making the place ideal for a date. "Well, I'd rather sleep with a roof over my head but, this park is very beautiful too."

Checking the park for any intruder or anybody who might intend to do her harm, she decided to stay there for the night as she didn't have any other place to go. Without taking off her hooded, white cloak, she laid down on the bench as she resigned herself for the night.

Compared to what she's been sleeping at in the neighboring cities, the cool and open park was heaven to the Entity named Astraea...

"There was an old Cathedral I've been meaning to go to. It's abandoned and quiet." Masenai suggested.

"Oh sure. Go to a place they'll be expecting us to go to. Sometimes I wonder if your spiritualism affects your decision making Master, I suggest we meet in a well contained abandoned building with custom seals around that exact area. Much more convenient then a church." Robin stated, trying to be a part of the now four way conversation. He looked at Rion in case she had any ideas.


----

It didn't take long to find a victim. Morrigan targeted a known man who was rumored to be a wife beater and a disloyal slob. Silently smirking she reached into a pouch strapped to her leg and blew it to him. Dusts of Desire, lead him to me, lead him to his inevitable end." As she thought those words the strange power caused the man to turn as Morrigan smiled and gestured him to follow him, as she walked towards an alley within the district.

When that happened, her Love's Bite Made short work of the wretched man. After the terrible deed was done she dipped her blade into the pooling blood and turned to the wall above the man and began to write a poem about his disloyalty and cruel beatings he gave to his wife. She even called it a betrayal of true love, which she denounces as a myth shortly after. She then signed it with a calling card to the cops, stating in her own words.

"Close but no cigar my blue blooded desirers of my Love's Bite, better luck next time dearies." Making the last line pool she gave the poem her seal of approval, a kiss. She then left the alley, her deed done and she proceeded to blend in with the other women of the red light district, twirling her umbrella to try and attract unsuspecting men to her charm. She loved the attention.

"U-Um, there are a lot of apartments in Friergate, and I can't guarantee that they all have people living within them...so, um, I agree with Robin."
Rion squeaked a bit before that statement, noticing that Robin was looking at her for ideas. The problem was, how were they going to find an abandoned one amongst the busy districts of Friergate? She wanted to point it out but she would have contradicted herself, so she glanced around the group to see if anyone knew.

---

A punch wasn't a good way to wake someone up.
It probably was the most horrible idea to wake someone up.
But it's what Kaito suffered as he awoke from a dream- Apparently, he had been suffering a bad one and his hand seemed to move automatically and brought itself down, hard, on his chest. He groaned, looking up with blurred eyes from sleep. "Ah, no good, I'll be late..." He muttered to himself as he got up, stumbling his way to the showers to freshen up. After a few minutes, he was already walking out, letting the wind blow through his silvery blue hair. Now, on the way to the coffee shop he worked at, he had to pass through a park- boy, he didn't expect that.
There was a girl, sleeping on a bench. Kaito figured that she was...homeless? Maybe. If the hood and the fact that she was sleeping on a bench of all places didn't give it away, he didn't know what else did. "Although, sleeping outside in a city like this isn't exactly the best thing to do..." He sighed as he remembered the noble's words. Glancing at his watch, he guessed he could spare her a few minutes...Walking over, Kaito cautiously raised a hand, lightly shaking the girl. "Um, Miss? Are you alright?"

"The young ones have a point. It might not take a lot of guessing on the part of Circus to narrow down our usual meet-up spots." Leona echoes Robin and her Child's statements. Thinking for a place as well, she thought of the suburban area where she lived. Taking note that her spell was still in effect, she continued.

"If I may, I suggest we meetup at the Bishop's Park in the subdivision me and Rion live in. The amount of tourist traffic there is particularly high, which may help us conceal our presence." She glanced at her Child, unsure if Rion knows the logic behind it. Nevertheless, she continued. "All living creatures have what we call an aura. The difference is, Entities and Catalysts emit them at a higher frequency than normal humans and animals, making us easy to spot among our own kind. If we hide it out in a place with a high population density, the combined aura of the people around the place will mask our own, making us harder to notice. Besides, with the war's confidentiality taking top priority, I doubt that most Circus members will have it in their minds to attack an open public space."

She recalled the First Wrath though. Unlike others, he made no effort to conceal himself, confident enough to attack open spaces. "I just hope that there are no more eccentric members like the First Wrath left among Circus..."

---

Rin let the day pass by while she stayed, trying to figure out the mystery behind the Hyatt Building. As soon as she woke up though, she immediately got a new message from Izumi, telling her of a new mission assigned by Priam.
"You guys are really abusing my return to the organization...still, it's not everyday that I get tons of missions assigned to me in one day." Opening up the encrypted message, she saw a word file containing her instructions as well as a news clipping, taken just recently.

Notorious serial killer strikes again! This time, the victim was a middle-aged man, allegedly reported to be a wife beater. As usual, no witnesses and no evidence was uncovered at the scene of the crime.

Rin looked up some more records relating to the incident. Apparently, someone was killing some very disloyal men by the dozen, making some intricate poems and prose with their own blood. The messages seem to be random but one particular passage concerned her.

"Come and get me Synchronicity~ I'll be waiting."

"There is no doubt about it, this is the work of an Entity. But the question is who and why? And more importantly, how do I catch him? Or her?" Rin laid back again on the bed in her room as she thought about the case some more. "For starters, I'll need to see the bodies, I guess. That may give me a clue as to what kind of enemy am I headed to face."

---

"Um, Miss? Are you alright?"
Astraea slowly woke up as she became aware of a man's presence beside her. Slowly, she stood up, still not removing her hood as she regained her bearings. "Oh right, I fell asleep here last night..." As soon as her eyes adjusted, she felt the man's aura. Its intensity was different--so different from all other humans she interacted with.

"An Entity? In a place like this? But this aura--no doubt, this one's from our side." She calmed down after sensing that he was from Synchronicity. Still, she chose to keep her aura masked, still wanting to avoid getting involved with any fighting for now.

"Yes, I'm very much alright, thanks for asking. I merely thought that sleeping in such a beautiful park like this was better compared to sleeping within the cold confines of the alleyways. Friergate sure has a lot of beautiful parks like this one." She exclaimed as she slowly stood up. "Well then, thanks for waking me up young man. I seem to remember having business elsewhere--"

Grumble

Astraea wwas surprised as her stomach made an all too familiar noise. She realized she hadn't eaten in days. "Oh I'm sorry! If you don't mind, can you point me to the nearest drinking fountain? I do not have any currency with me to afford the bottled commodities." She turned to the man, hoping she wasn't becoming too much of a bother.

---

"As of this moment, several hate sites popped up, each filled with deranged lovers making a request to this unknown serial killer, asking for favors such as killing a person that cheated on them--"

Nozomi immediately shut off the TV as soon as he heard of the news broadcast. Typical of people to get riled up over the acts of a serial killer. What's more troubling is the fact that many of these estranged teenagers seem to view this as some kind of arbitrary justice, jumping in on the hate wagon.
"Ah! You're going out today?" Fumina was legitimately surprised when she saw Nozomi put on his coat and scarf as he prepared to go outside.
"Yes. I felt like taking a change of pace for once." Taking two crows with him, he headed out, much to the glee of his anchor. He took a bus, getting off once he reached the red light district. Of course, he refused to pay, using his hypnosis to bypass the conductor once again. Walking around, he headed to the scene where one of the most recent killing was done, all surrounded by police lines and angsty, emo teenagers.
"Not surprised here. Someone who does it that way is bound to get a lot of attention." Glancing around, his eyes fixed on the message written in blood.
"Alistair, you may want to see this." He took out one of his familiars as he headed to a part in the street where no one would see him. Providing an image of the scene, he had it take off, flying towards the Sky Castle. Glancing around the streets, he looked if anyone was suspicious enough to observe. He espied a white-haired girl decked in all white, walking around, seemingly reveling in the frantic looks of the surrounding people.
"Synchronicity? No, this aura--damn it! I can't tell properly thanks to all these people! For all I know, she may just be another passerby. Nevertheless--" He took out the last of the familiars and sent it to observe the girl in white. He didn't know what it was that got his attention but, it may be due to the fact that both Yuria and the Yuria look-alike he saw the other day had white hair as well.
"Approaching is too risky. You'll serve as my eyes for now." As the familiar took off to follow the girl, Nozomi entered a nearby book rental, renting a book as he observed the girl's movements through the raven's eyes as it soared in the air.

"Sounds good to me." Robin stated whilst Masenai remained quiet throughout the explanation of the Auras and then the mention of Akito. The virtue almost trembled at the very mention of his Title. He knew the destruction Akito caused in the day. So many human lives lost to his anger, and Masenai and the other virtues struggled to defeat him. Leona had defeated Akito luckily, and was glad she did. But he knew as long as no new wrath was not around the more his fear grew that Judgement will sooner or later call upon a new wrath, one more terrible then Akito.

"I am rather pleased at that then. Bishop's Park it is. And I am sure somewhere there will be a suitable establishment to talk. I must be off now. Kikuchiyo, behave yourself, I will come find you tomorrow morning to find a suitable living area for you."

"Uh, I'll probably find a place before long but okay." Robin stated, slightly annoyed Masenai used his middle name again to communicate with him as Masenai gave a silent nod of farewell to Leona and to Rion as he walked away, Leaving Robin to sit back where he was in silent pondering of what he should do next.

-----

"Hey Morrigan, The cops are gathering around our usual hangout spot! Maybe we should call it quits for the day!" One of the girls shouted as Morrigan gave a friendly pout to them as they departed before giggling and waving them goodbye as she made her way out of the red light district, heading back towards her apartment as the traffic seemed to thicken for the day. Using her umbrella to keep the sun from ruining her complexion until she got to the door and opened it. Smiling to herself she pushed the door to slam it shut.

Sighing after a hard evening she stretched her legs before walking to a recliner and sit down and look out at the sights of the city through her window as she removed her black metal glove she wore, exposing her entity mark on her hand as she smiled to herself. "I believe a quick wash is in order after a few hours of television." she said to no one in particular as she took her remote and turned on her TV to watch and flip through channels bored. She giggled at several newscasts about her activities and almost started to blush about the idiotic teens requesting her to kill certain people.

She never kills by request, she kills who she feels legitimately deserves to be killed. Sighing she flipped to a movie channel and sat back and relaxed.

"All right then. Rion, let's go." Leona urged her Child as they decided to part ways for now. They should each come up with some sort of plan on how to fight back against Circus without risking their exposure to the general population. People are very gullible and very quick to lay down judgement on who is wrong or right. Sensing that Robin seemed troubled on where he should spend the night, Leona gave a suggestion.
"Hey, since you are Child, I think you can find a way to enter the Hyatt building, a 75 floor apartment complex in the center of town. It's under Sacred Drive's jurisdiction but, as long as their watchdog, the Entity Diligence, is not around, they shouldn't be able to detect you. Otherwise--" Leona took off a key she kept attached to her wallet as some sort of keychain and handed it to the boy. "That's a spare key to a dummy apartment I rent near the business district. You can stay there if you want. It's around a ten minute bus ride west from here, fifty minutes I guess, if you walk." Leona offered him some suggestions before departing with her Child.

---

Shortly after the bell rang, indicating that it was time for lunch, Mika was immediately hauled to the rooftop by a couple of girls from her class. They immediately berated her for--well, another incident that wasn't even her fault to begin with.
"Flirt!"
"Useless whore!"
"Pathetic!"
Such hurtful words were thrown at her as she covered her ears helplessly. One of them kicked her in the leg, sending her to the concrete ground, crying. They packed up and left her alone after that--since most of them will somehow stop once they see tears or blood fall. "Why is it my fault again? I didn't even talk to the boy. He just gave me a box as a present of sorts. If only they knew what was inside..." Mika suddenly felt like throwing up once the memories came back. Two days ago, a boy from her class suddenly left her a present, wrapped in a red box with a card attached. Written on the card was: "You are, what you eat..." She took it home, not really minding the suspicious message. Opening the parcel however, she was distraught to find two dead doves with their blood splattered all over the inside of the box.
"You know, it's very easy to end your suffering with them..." A voice immediately spoke up from within her mind, forcing her to stop crying and compose herself. "What are you talking about?" She spoke out loud, since she was alone in the rooftop after all.
"You know full well what I'm talking about. Just lead them to an alley, then use that black thing I've ordered you to strap on your thigh all the time! You can even do it in the open and they'll still see you as the victim. Just another poor, pathetic victim of campus bullying."
"No! I'm not going to do that! I-I'm not like you!" She shouted weakly as she covered her ears again, trying desperately to block the voice.
"You're a hypocrite, girl. You don't want to kill those girls bullying you, but you did not hesitate to put the name of the boy who sent you the parcel on that website dedicated to suggesting targets for the serial killer!"
"That--that was just an experiment! I didn't know what I was doing as I was too caught up in m-my--whatever! Killing is still against the law! I'm not going to do it!"
"Tch! You're not human anymore! Why don't you stop concerning yourself with the laws society placed upon themselves? Just be a good little girl and do whatever I tell you to do!"
"No...I don't want to...I want my old life back...please..." Mika broke down in a very quiet sob as she tried her hardest to resist the Entity within. Akito merely sighed as he surveyed the surroundings, wondering when he'll be able to come out again. Taking note of the time, he urged the girl again. "Hey, your next class is almost starting. Get inside and learn you little dork. Knowledge is power. Next up is history right?"
Mika simply nodded and picked herself up, forgetting to eat her lunch as she made her way inside her classroom. She made sure to dry her tears to hide any traces of her crying as she went back inside. The lesson on history was rather boring for her as she soon felt sleepy but, she had to resist. Otherwise, Akito will just give her a mental beating.

Meanwhile, Akito observed everything within the room. He had been keeping track of a particular aura around school ever since it popped up months ago but now, he felt another one. The same thing, it was rather weak, fitting a Catalyst more than an Entity. The sickening feeling told him it was from Synchronicity. He pinpointed the other boy, having blue hair. He didn't have this same aura back then, telling him that it wasn't too long that he became a Catalyst. "In a way, this girl's weak body does me good. Her aura is just the same as a hospital patient, preventing any of them from detecting me. But, that means I can't use my powers either."

Wanting to find a way, he turned to hist host. "Oi! Mika! Do you know those two boys?" Mika glanced around the room, trying to see what he meant. "Blonde, glasses kid and that blue-haired newcomer. Know them?"
"I don't. I don't have any friends in class remember?"
"Idiot! They don't have to be your friends, just, tell me what you know."
Mika sighed as she told him everything she knows. "The b-blonde is Hajime Amaterasu. He's a little quiet a-and the n-newcomer is Hikari Mizuhara. He plays basketball..."
"Ugh...that it?"
"I only know them by name. I don't even think they can see me in this class." Mika buried her face in her notebook, showing the Entity within her mind her sincerity. Sighing, Akito quietly resigned himself. "Screw this! I'm going to sleep for a while. You listen to your lessons and alert me when you're done for the day."

And with that, Mika felt some sort of relief. The conversations within her mind weren't very pleasant and she was just happy at the fact that Akito will leave her alone until nighttime. Smiling to herself, she slowly buried her face in her arms as she drifted off to sleep.

---

Rin made her way to the morgue, where the victim's bodies were located. Showing her proof of identity, she inspected the bodies. Marks. Slash marks. The pattern was indicative that it all came from the same person: The wanted serial killer. Activating her search eye, she tried to inspect if anything will appear out of the ordinary.
"Iron traces? A metallic item was probably the main murder weapon. If that's the case, I may be able to trace some of the blood back to the blade. I just need a sample of blood to compare the iron amount, that's all." She took out a small syringe and absorbed some of the stale blood from the most recent victim. Keeping it with her, she exited the hospital, proceeding to the red light district, where the most recent kill was conducted.

(OOC: Leona and Co, seem to be delayed for one day so, I'm skipping ahead to the meetup point, just so everyone is back in the same timeframe...)
Leona arrived at Bishop's Park a little earlier just to make sure that the place is completely safe. As expected, the amount of human traffic is high, making their auras one last thing to worry about. There is still another problem though...
"As far as I can tell, a study I made on one of Nozomi's familiars has shown that they are robotic creatures designed to mimic their true to life counterparts. If that's the case, then they shouldn't be able to emit auras, as they're not really alive. So--" Leona's eyes darted from side to side, checking any living thing that moves about. Sensing that all of them are emitting their auras, she concluded that the place is very much private. She chose to meetup near evening as there was a scheduled event for that particular time, attracting even more traffic. She notified Robin by sending a mail to her dummy apartment earlier.
"All right, everything's clear so now, I just have to wait for Rion and the others..."

---

"You're a cute little thing, what's a Raven doing in the big city visiting sweet little ol' me hm?"

"So jealous of my familiars right now...it's getting called cute while I'm here, waiting it--whatever." Nozomi thought as he continued to watch the odd--well, to him at least, woman. His eyes turned to the mark on her hand. "That's the Entity of Lust's mark. So, I basically found her?" Nozomi leaned back. Alistair may want to hear about this since he seemed to be mustering their forces in preparation for something.
"Well, since you seem to be having a good time there so--" Nozomi switched his familiar to auto, allowing it to act more naturally. Walking out of the book rental, he started for home, heading to a bus stop. Before that though, he sent a long range, encrypted telepathic message to Lionel.
"I've now confirmed that the white-haired girl I followed is the Entity Lust. Whether or not she's connected to the killings is still unknown. I'll continue to linger around here until you guys can send in a replacement." Nozomi sent, deciding on heading home for the day as he continued watching Lust's move, this time, from the side near a fast food restaurant.

---

Rin had just finished tracing some of the blood remnants to a bookstore within Willow's Square. The iron trace wasn't too strong there but, there are even the tiniest bis scattered around, probably carried by the wind. She turned around to walk out, still keeping her Search Eye active.
"These samples are no good. They may just be random dust, scattered by the wind. I need something more concrete, more absolute. I need to--" Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she almost collided with another girl on her way out. Having her instincts heightened, she manage to dodge in time, as she was also an individual with a small frame. She muttered a quick apology to the girl.
"Ah, sorry." Rin said as she passed the girl, her arm brushing softly against the other girl's chest in that tight alley. Course, she can't help but glance back and--
"Seriously? She's smiling and blushing? Is she into "that"?" Rin wondered, albeit troubled at this. The girl seemed out of it as well, always keeping an eye covered. She reminded her of those troubled, introverted girls at her old camp. Still, thanks to the Search Eye, she caught sight of a kitchen knife, strapped on the girl's thigh.
"Is she the killer? She doesn't look too spry..." Comparing the glow to the sample she brought, she felt some relief when it did not match. Pushing the thought of the girl out of her mind, she continued with her tracking, eventually heading into an area where the amount of residential establishments were high.

Petting the Raven again Morrigan sighed as she looked out into the distance, lightly chuckling. The chuckling slowly stopped as her face slowly turned into a quiet, passive and slightly disturbed look. She felt some odd presences closing in on her residential area. "Already people are putting the chokehold on me? They never gave a single cent on all the others. Guy must've had some highly political friends." She muttered, drumming her fingers calculatedly, wondering what she should do about it before slowly looking at her bare hand with her mark and sighed before turning and grabbing her glove and slipping it on.

"I got news for them, it'll take more then special attention to stop me. If they squeeze me any tighter, they'll pay the ultimate price." she muttered, fingers now drumming even further before sighing. "I gotta get ready for my day job though.." she muttered as she pulled the towel from her head, allowing her hair to cascade down from her face as she walks back inside her apartment to go freshen up.

----

Robin walked outside the dummy apartment and discovered mail waiting for him. Looking at it he discovered Leona has scheduled a meeting for that evening and nodded to himself as he made his way back inside to get ready for the day ahead of him. He sighed to himself though.

"I hope Masenai is gonna show, I'd hate for him to not be there..." he thought to himself, "I hope that I find the answers to the questions he says he'll help me out with. Are they still around, and if not, what happened?" Robin sighed as he turned to look at the sword he had taken out of the duffel bag, the family heirloom from his mother's homeland was in good condition, and the only thing left to him that still brought his mother back to his mind.

Smiling ruefully he went back to his preparations for the day. He had caught sight of the news earlier and thought now would be a good time to start his bounty hunting business in Friergate to distract him till the evening.