The Training Ground

|LUTHER ROTHENBURG|

TIME: 0300 PM AFTERNOON
LOCATION: ÉCLOS

A huge jolt of energy hit the wall, zapping it on all sides with such a force it would be reduced to rubble, but, not in this case. The energy encased it turned red like flames but yet not so. It licked the stone changing it amidst the light was a shadow. The shadow commanded the power like an artist through the stone as he sculpted his masterpiece. The power increased the red light of the alchemy flickering rays upon the shadow. A man’s face was formed between the site.

The man being: Luther Rothenburg, an unstoppable military machine. Nothing could hurt him it seemed nothing could make.... even a dent in his vast power. The man was able to with stand pain and even hunger, filled with the determination to finish the task and do it to the utmost right. The alchemy he controlled surrounded him like a warm coat but was vicious to anyone else. Luther was a monster none could surpass him in any way shape or form ....

"Hey short stuff stop showing off and bring me lemonade!!" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Luther's blood red eyes popped open with the slight twitch of a muscle. He ignored the caller and focused his power on the wall surging more energy into it. The wall sparked again and continued to shape and form. Luther waved his hands like a conductor of an orchestra.

"HEY!!! HEY!!! I'M TALKIN TO YOU!"

He closed his eyes again gripping his fists on the air strengthening the alchemy more. The wall literally looked as if it was on fire, and yet it was a beauty to behold.

"HEY~! KID!"

And Luther lost it. The 'would have been masterpiece', came crashing down onto the training ground. The dust clearing fast with the futures technology designed to keep the other trainers safe.

"How... many times... do I Have.. to tell you" Luther spoke calmly his hair obscuring his eyes. "My Name is Luther Rothenburg not Kid!"

"You sure look like a kid to me" called the soldier lazily from a safe distance away.

"You must be mistaken I am not a kid" Luther replied trying to reform his magic.

"Owwww~ did I hurt the little boy's feelings wanna go for a timeout back in pathetic little town with all the other little babies"

"I AM NOT A CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Luther roared finally losing his cool exterior as alchemy erupted from his hands sending the ground around the soldier straight into the air.

"SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" called the soldier shooting high in to the air and vanishing from sight closely followed by Luther’s alchemy.

"You better be" Luther said calm once again. Though. There was still a muscle still twitching on his head. He then returned to his alchemy reforming the rubble wall. Now his thoughts raced faster

Calling me a child I'm not even that short.... It’s such an insult they don't know who they're messing with I have a job to do I don't have time for fooling around. Truth was there wasn't much of a job to do...being only second in command. He had to wait for orders from his BOSS.

Second he scoffed in his mind Second, that's like last to me. I have to be better I have to surpass them. His power increased again with the speed of his thoughts. I won’t let mere children beat me.

He was a hunter and the leader of the group who hunted after the Children, Children who were rouge and out of place, Children who defiled the name of the grand city of Éclos. He would stop at Nothing until every…..last…. one of them was gone. After all, how else was he to be promoted? Luther lived to be promoted, he worked day after day. He started at the bottom of the chain and now, Now look at him. Such a high honor it was to be second in command.

Second he scoffed again. He pressed his hands deeper into the ground and rose them up again. Not for long the alchemy engulfed him once more then faded as it zapped around his finished creation. It was a gigantic, perfect replica of a group of children tied together. He half grinned at it. Once this job is done, I’ll get promoted again. For me, it will be a dream come true. He held a hand out towards the stone formed children. For them however.. He snapped his fingers and the entire structure shattered into nothing.

“Eliminated.

Ruukia slowly appears from the shadows, then she fires off a few senbon at the dummies, they pierce into the dummies about 2 inches, and smiles to herself. "Ah... that's a kill..." she giggles with delight. Then her delight turns to a delicate sigh, "how I do miss seeing my prey bleed to death... this is quite boring.."

Then she hears a voice scream in the distance. "SSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!" she looks up and sees the soldier fly away. "my, my... I wonder what could have happened to him..." she asks, soon fading back into the shadows.

As she formed back out of the shadows, she watched a short man cause a building to collapse before her eyes, she smiles under the mask and walks towards him. Her outfit is skin tight, only showing her naval, but the outfit seems to strain over her large bosom and shapely behind and thighs. Her body was very fit and toned, but showing little muscle. As she got a little closer she put her and on her hip. "goodness me... somebody had a little temper tantrum, hm?" she asked mockingly. "does somebody need a hug...?" she smiles under her mask. Her soft, short raven hair gently moves through the breeze."

There was a new recruit training on the field. He was young, barely old enough to be considered an adult testing high in a lot of areas and that he was becoming cocky during training. Today was no exception he's on the field and its already turning into a game of showing off. He was going through the shooting course; jumping over obstacles and sliding from one cover to another when he should have kept his gun at the ready and crouched like he was supposed to during training. Sure he hit the targets but more often than not he would leave himself open and if he was going in with a team would have risked getting them into a tight spot or worse.

Another target popped up just as he entered a simulated home with dim lighting. Just as he readied his gun to place a few well aimed holes, it disappeared. Odd, the target didn't appear to have fallen and he didn't have time to hit it. Instead of simply stopping and walking over he continued his route as normal until he happens to reach that spot. Instead of seeing the cut out he sees a piece of torn cardboard sticking up from the holder. A sound catches his ear and he swings around with his gun ready and fires. It was another normal cut out with one hole shot through the middle. He continues if a bit less confidently. Just when he starts through another door he catches another glimpse and he instinctively shoots. Nothing. Then again, another blank wall and marks where he shot at it. He has to stop and reload.

Just as he cocks the gun the missing cut out re-appears, hitting him square in the face. Seeing as its made out of cardboard it doesn't hurt him but it does stun him enough to make him shoot wildly at something that's coming straight at him. Before he has enough time to empty his clip he feels something squeeze around his ankle and in an instant he's on the floor. He loses his grip on the gun as he finds himself being dragged through the rest of the course. The light nearly blinds him when he exits the building through the window, hitting the ground hard. It doesn't stop there. He's pulled towards the open safety door that separated the gun course from the other training courses. He looks down to see what has him. A beastly looking person clutches at his ankle with a clawed hand trying to wrench him free. When that didn't work her maw opened to clamp down around his leg. The pain forces him to let go.

Part of the physical training course sits just beyond that door. The recruits body hits a muddy pool of water before he's dragged underneath several feet of barbed wire cutting at his uniform and pricking his skin. Next was the log bridge. Splinters jabbed at his muddied hands as he tries to stop himself from being dragged any further. Then comes the rope wall. Only the rope didn't seem necessary. Claws dug deep into the wood and strong limbs propel both her and his flailing body up and over the wall. He was being dragged through almost the entire obstacle course! Other recruits stopped and watched in both shock and horror as the creaming male was mercilessly jerked around like a rag doll.

Just when his screams become hoarse and his consciousness begins to fade does he find that he is no longer touching the ground. He goes weightless for a few moments feeling nothing but air surround him, then a hard 'thud'. He was on the highest platform on the course with a very pissed figure standing over him. He begins to whimper and beg for his life prompting a snarl that instantly halts his pleas before he's suddenly left alone. Left to get down himself. It took several other recruits to climb up and collect him. Battered, bruised, bloodied and shaking. "Looks like the grue got you." One of the recruits knowingly said with a chuckle while trying to coax him from a fetal position. "I told you it was a bad idea."

Aramay slid down the pole of the platform within seconds, then pushed off before reaching the ground to soften the landing near the recruits that were standing at the bottom making them jump back a couple feet. She slowly straightened up and wiped the side of her face with her arm. "Uhhh...you're bleeding." One of recruits points out finally after several seconds of silence. Aramay turns to them slowly. With snarl she mock lunges at them. No surprise, they flee down the course. Only afterwards does she turn to look at the side of her arm. A trail of blood trickled down from an open wound that had been grazed by a bullet. She places a clawed hand over the gash and applies pressure, enough to stop the bleeding and force her to cringe. She's pulls her hand away; mud from the course is caked over the wound.

Her ears twitch picking up something. She looks up into the sky seemingly to intently stare at nothing. Her eyes follow something off in the distance that can't quite be made out. Her muscles coil as she crouches down before propelling herself forward into a fast sprint. After several paces she takes to all fours which only further increases her speed and also causes her to look more like a grotesquely deformed, brindled hound racing through the training grounds. In the sky a few paces from her something can be both seen coming into view and heard. With a few preliminary bounds, her final contact with the ground propels her into the air. Just enough to catch the falling soldier that Luther had sent into the air. The sudden change in direction knocks the air out of him; cutting the scream short. In her landing she skids to a halt in a cloud of dust with the soldier laid over her shoulder. He may have received a few bruised ribs or broken ribs but he was alive. She drops him to the ground like a sack of potatoes with no intent on being gentle. It was a reminder that, he may have survived this time but it was unlikely that she would do it again if he were in a similar situation. The soldier tried to open his eyes and lift his head to see who caught him. The small amount of effort, or maybe it was the sight of what was stooping over him was enough for him to pass out on the spot. Aramay stretches her neck and back until she can feel a few pops throughout her spine."...idiot."

Her eyes pan over the field; silently watching Ruukia walk over to Luther.

Aramay's head turned towards the direction of the laugh. It looked as though it was becoming a common theme on the field today which she wasn't taking a fancy towards. Her eyes harshly darts to the owner of the laugh; intent on making sure the chuckle was stopped short. Her expression softened somewhat when she saw that it was a familiar face, Clem. Her ears twitch at the realization. The bright light threw her off making it hard for her to maintain an intimidating aura about her. She straightens up to take on a fairly normal posture; something she isn't often seen doing.

Her eyes looked back down at the subconscious soldier and her mouth opened yet took a few seconds before she actually responded; her voice was low and raspy. "I know." Anything more than a couple of words required a pause. Many physical feats were almost effortless for her to perform yet a simple sentence strained at her vocal chords. Therefore her words or responses were simple and few. Anything more than a couple words meant that it was something worth the effort of saying. "To see, if I...could." She adds. Her voice strains unnaturally and could send chills up anyone's spine. Intimidating or not it only added to her unsettling looks. For those who actually listened to her words would realize that she wasn't even sure if she could catch him. Not that she was incapable of it in the past but that she managed to achieve it in broad daylight was something of a challenge she hadn't taken on and it was due to her eyes being far more effective in lower light.

Speaking of which; she lowered her head just enough for her hair to partially cover her eyes. The sun was forcing her to squint and giving her a headache. That however was part of her training. Tell her to chase down a child late in the day or better yet after dark, through a building, down a poorly lit alley it was almost guaranteed that she would be on top of them within seconds. If the child's power kept them out of her grasp their screaming due to her chasing them would be enough to alert the others of their location. She could get into most places that others didn't like going or normally wouldn't fit through. Have a child run down a well lit street in broad daylight and she found herself taking more than a second longer to respond to what's happening in front of her. More than enough time for her to be left at a disadvantage for one reason or another. Therefore trying to use her other senses to compensate while training became aggravating yet necessary.

Of course there was the option of having something made to cover her eyes to block out some of the sun. Though the likelihood of her peripheral vision being obscured or the off chance that they would be knocked away leading to temporary blindness made her unwilling to take the chance. Plus she needed to rely on her own eyes, they alone were enough to make a child freeze in place without requiring a single finger to be lifted. Then again, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to have them just in case. For that off chance of needing them.

In the time that it took for her to respond to Clem and look back up at Luther from under her messy hair, a bit of a crowd had formed around around the irate male. It looked like Ara and Clem were the furthest him. Luther was the one that she always made sure to allow him his space. She was smart enough not to push his buttons as opposed to the others. It wasn't that way in the beginning. After a few testing spats with him in the past she became more inclined to listen to his orders. It didn't prevent her from shooting a defiant look, watch him intently or according to others seemingly stare him down. It wasn't simply because he was the second in command.

The only thing that broke her gaze and her posture was the pain that rose up her spine making her hunch forward and crouch down. The baring of her teeth and hissing breath made it apparent that she wasn't pleased with having to almost sit on the ground to alleviate the pain. Her tail swiped against the ground in annoyance. It had been over a year ago when it first started though it was still fresh in her mind. For weeks her body had been in pain from when she began showing unusual symptoms from the injections. With the occasional pains she still experienced, she wondered if the changes had yet to completely settle.

|LUTHER ROTHENBURG|

No sooner had his creation collapsed, by his own hand of course, that another voice addressed him. Now that he was calm again, he resumed his normal stoic behavior and was not affected by another’s presence. He heard the woman approach and did not turn to look at her as she spoke.

"Goodness me... somebody had a little temper tantrum, hm?". Luther could identify the voice straight way. Of course, it was “her”. Ruukia Hanabi, she enjoyed teasing people, got her kicks from it or something. Her voice was mocking. Luther could almost sense her smiling at him, maybe with a slight smirk. "Does somebody need a hug...?"

He calculated his response, weighing out the odds of what would ensue from different reactions. He was not one to lose his temper easily. Some particular new recruits just irritated him. However, he was a strong man, able to control himself. He made a nod of greeting in Ruukia’s direction, but didn’t look at the woman. Why should he, he had a job to do. He didn’t need distractions.

At this moment another approached them. Luther’s eyes flashed to the newcomer for a moment. “Some people just don’t learn even when a hurtling body comes screaming over them.” . Luther rolled his eyes, and dropped his gaze again. He wondered if he should continue practicing or go check up on some new recruits. Some of them couldn’t be left alone, they were so foolish. He knew there were some that ran off to Project 21, and would pay for it in some way or another. Foolish recruits.

“Cethin” Luther said simply, acknowledging the man by name. He watched as the dark haired taller man, had practically danced over to them. Luther did not understand this particular assassin’s methods precisely. However, he was not really that ill hearted with him. Luther outranked him, so… so what if Ceth was taller. Ceth made a move as if to belittle Luther, but then seemed to second guess himself and skipped away. Luther “humphed” quietly. Ceth knew better than to mess with him. He had his reputation from the new recruits he consistently threw into the air or practised his alchemy on in other ways.

It was not a surprise that Cethin would know this as well. People learned quickly to obey him and not play with him. Testing Luther’s patience, regardless of your rank, could get you maimed or injured. So, Luther had quickly earned the respect he desired from his peers. He began to raise his hands again. “You all should get back to your training, and I as well. . He spoke quietly, but his voice was the type that demanded attention. No one failed orders, especially knowing what he was really capable of, and throwing a few soldiers would look like child’s play compared to it.

He gazed over the group gathered around him, what was he popular today or something? Another person had joined them. He hadn’t missed it when she showed, being a hunter, he was always completely aware of his surroundings. It was the “cleaner”, one of their best anyways. He made another nod in her direction. “Morgan!” Luther’s commanding and monotone-ish voice changed slightly. ”What are the numbers from today’s cleaning mission?” He asked interested, and hoping that they had increased. He really hated those children. The little rats of Project 21.

|Clementine|

"Well it was pretty impressive."

Clementine smiled at her, but with his eyes, for his kind smile hadn't been seen by anyone for countless years. He wore his gasmask full time until he was in the safety of his home and able to take it off to eat and sleep, mostly for safety precautions, for even he was not immune to his poison cloud, unfortunately for him.

He listened and watched Aramay. Ever since Clem had met the creature girl he was utterly fascinated, and somewhat sorry for her condition. The man had been in business long enough to see the horrors of some physical powers; sometimes the abilities killed you instantly, other times they kept you alive for too long. He had been lucky enough to strike with poison glands and an immune blood system, though his lungs had never truly formed right and so, like everyone else, there was always a danger of poison entering his lungs and killing him. Not that he minded really, there was always a catch.

Folding his arms and watching Luther in amusement, he couldn't help but laugh once more, "Kinda scary huh?" his comment was indicated towards the second in command, but in good nature.

When Morgan approached and Luther asked how many children in Project 21 had been cleansed today, his face turned solemn and he tittered as silently as he could, hoping Aramay did not hear. He disliked knowing the deaths of children, and discussing it in casual conversation put him on edge, but he tried not to show it. In order to change his mood he looked back to Aramay and grinned, "Well I suppose that's it for the drama of today. I'll see ya around!"

He began to walk away, trying to block out whatever the number of children cleansed was. Clem didn't want to know.

Ruukia scoffed as Luther ignored her, but she wasn't giving up. 'I wonder what it will get him to play with me...' she thinks, grinning to herself, she then phases into darkness, giggling with excitement. 'I am gonna have fuuuun~' she sings to herself.

She peeks out of the shadows as he sees Luther talking to Morgan, she phases back in and phases back out behind Luther, resting her breasts on his head, her elbows on his shoulders, tilting her head side to side. "ooooh~" she says in a sultry voice, "I hope they are a death count~" she giggles and slinks back into the darkness before Luther can react, then appearing in front of Morgan, her masked face inches from Morgan's. "did they slowly bleed and beg for mercy~" she says, a slight moan to her voice, then she giggles and vanishes back into the shadows, hiding in both of their shadows but very aware of what is happening and being said.

"Im-press-ive?" Clem's comment confused her enough to make her forget about the pain long enough for it to fade. It almost made her forget why she was hunched over in the first place. She wasn't trying to impress anyone. She gave up so much more than she bargained for, not just because of the obvious. The training and time that went into proving to herself that she could be productive, useful, more than just adequate. After the, changes, she had to train again to re-learn how to do almost everything, walking, eating. It took more than a couple months to get herself to stop having those 'fits'. Training just became a way for her to cope to the point where it became foreign to her to hear a compliment.

It didn't stop there either. People kept their distance in the beginning. Now they were beginning to relax around her. Clem began to speak to Aramay more openly. She looks at the masked man's eyes as they looked to be smiling. "Kinda scary huh?" Was it really? Wait, what was he talking about? "Scary?" She felt like a deranged yet very confused parrot; repeating everything that Clem was saying. Her eyes showed genuine confusion. With her head tilted it almost would have looked cute. His, tittering only added to it. Either her mind was now comprehending enough to pick up that Clementine was acting strange or being out in the sun this long was affecting her more than she expected."My job, I catch. With-out kids, no job. No purpose." In a more serious tone was her response. For some reason the thought of children still being around irritated her but the idea of being no longer needed scared her far more.

She wasn't keeping track of what the numbers were. Something was throwing her off. Her ears picked up something strange. Looking back at Luther she saw Ruukia rubbing herself all over him. Or at least that's what it looked like. She was acting completely out of line. "did they slowly bleed and beg for mercy~" Just as Ruukia slithers back into the shadows she would feel a rush of wind rush by her face and through her hair. It was a set of claws just barely missing the sly merc but close enough to nick at her mask as the beastly female rushed past before sliding to a halt. "Come out!" She snarled in the direction of the shadows that she dissappeared into, namely Luther's and Anna's. In an instant she was overwhelmed with anger thanks to Ruukia's antics. There were so many things she wanted to call her; snake, sadistic, slut, anything with an 's' in the pronunciation. It was too easy for Ruukia to simply hide in the shade while Aramay growled and snapped like a wild animal demanding for the squirrel to come out of its hiding place. She learned to restrain herself with Luther. The busty wench in the mask, was fair game.

[ Sorry for the terrible Zero post guys. My brain is like asgasg Dx ]



"La dee daa dee daaa~!".

Zero sang to himself as he wandered down the hallway, smirking widely as he thought of the day ahead. The sun was shining, the adults were happy and the children were..

. . .

The children were down in Project 21, alone and afraid. Zero was a child once, wasn't he? Why didn't he remember? Oh, right. The laws stated that he wasn't allowed to remember. He wasn't allowed to remember the pain, the suffering or the terror that came whenever a Scanner passed by. He wasn't supposed to remember the girl with the bear that seemed to look at him with admiration and love. Zero stopped, staring off into the sky as he tried to shut the visions out of his mind.

"Where're you going? You're coming back, right?!". The girl looked at him, eyes and voice full of concern and worry. "Of course I will, idiot~! I'll never leave your side, remember~?".

It was a small memory, but it was enough for Zero. That girl was... odd. She seemed so familiar, yet so anonymous to him. Zero shook his head, smacking the wall and growling as he attempted to clear his mind. Luckily for him, he noticed something that could easily keep his mind away from the girl and the memories she brought. Nearby, a group had formed, and Zero sighed as he saw the one-and-only Ruukia Hanabi teasing his friend, Luther Rothenburg. Zero shook his head, moving down to the area where they were just as Ruukia vanished into the shadows. He stayed a fair bit away, observing the group and taking a step backwards to leave, but... Something stopped him in his tracks, and he felt compelled to move over to the group.

"I'm terribly confused right now, buuut...~". Zero smirked, and turned away. He walked a fair way away from the group, then pulled a quarter out of his pocket. "I do enjoy having money, I must admit~!". Suddenly, something cannoned into him. Zero watched the fire flow around him, and he smirked as water exploded out from his cane. "Weeaaak~!". Zero smirked, turning around to the man that had attempted to light him on fire. "Do you like Dinosaurs, my good friend~?". Zero grinned, the coin suddenly expanding, growing flesh and sinews as it slowly turned into a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Dinosaur studied it's surroundings, then looked at the man with the cane. Zero smirked, pointing the cane at the offending man and nodding quickly. The T-Rex let out a loud roar and began to chase the poor fellow around Eclos. Zero laughed darkly, watching the man flee in terror as he adjusted his hat and looked back at the group behind him before pulling his cloak tighter around him.

The cloak was midnight black, with patterns of stars on it that seemed to shimmer and gleam as if they were real stars. Zero smiled, spinning on his heel and proceeding over to the group that had assembled around Luther. He twirled his cane as he walked, a smoking pipe appearing in his hand as he moved over to them. "Hello there, ladies and gents~! Don't mind the Dinosaur running around, he's not a problem~! Well, not for any of you, at least~!". Zero laughed nonchalantly, and pointed his cane at the shadows in which Ruukia had vanished. His eyes suddenly turned dangerously cold, dark, full of sadistic insanity that thrived in the moment. His smirk broadened, showcasing his elongated canine teeth.

"Ruuuuuukiiiiaaaaaa~ Didn't your mother ever teach you your manneeeers~?". Zero smirked at the shadows, the end of the cane glowing slightly. "I suggest that you come out of your hiding place right now, or your punishment will be most...~". Zero seemed to ponder for a moment, before settling on a simple word. "... Severe~". Zero turned to Aramay, his smirk seeming to vanish instantly as he pulled another coin out of his pocket, transforming into a leash as he smiled at Aramay with his eyes. "I don't want to have to put a leash around your neck, cutie-pie~ But you might leave me no choice~". Zero smirked as the leash vanished and the coin reappeared.

"Good to see everyone in one place, though. Oh, wait... Where'd shorty go- Oh, just under my line of siiight~!". Zero looked over at Luther, laughing lightly. "You're very popular today, short-stuff~ How's your day been~?".

|Clementine|

He stopped at what Aramay had said.

"My job, I catch. With-out kids, no job. No purpose."

She was right. Clementine knew that, even he followed his own job effortlessly, but for some reason speaking of the deaths of children like it was a game stirred him. There was something locked up inside that caused him to feel pity for the children; he could not kill them, despite the government trying to recruit him into a hunter position when he had first started he had refused. Clem had heard the pleas of broken mothers, usually abandoned by their partners, telling him to not kill their babies and he never did.
Adults were different, usually they were cruel and relentless. Even the mothers who had brought their children into this dark world, despite their knowing of what it meant to be a child. He had no pity for the adults, the ones who knew better.

His train of thought got cut short when Aramay went rushing to whatever Luther and the girl Rukia were doing. He tuned into the conversation, to see if there wasn't any trouble being caused, but caught sight of the man Zero came who approached the group in his usual unusual manner.

"Eventful, it seems." Clem answered for Luther with an amusing tone. He walked up to the group, curious as to what Zero was up to.

|Cethin Aurel|

Cethin looked back at Luther as he addressed him, and his eyes brightened with a cheery smile. He put his index and middle finger to his forehead before saluting the second in command, ”Luth-Man.” He grinned brightly before dropping his arm back to his side, completely ignoring Ruukia and focusing completely on Luther.

”Watch it, he might get ya~" Seth whirled in surprise at the loud noise centimeters from his ear, aiming a well rounded punch to her form in self defense before awkwardly changing the hit into a slap at the last few moments before impact. Her reaction to him was definitely not expected, and a loud laugh escaped his vocals. ”Cripes, don’t.” He breathed out, though his eyes flared up with mischief, positively firing up between them. ’Let the war commence!’

Luther’s voice then broke into their little exchange, ”What are the numbers from today’s cleaning mission?” Seth turned away from him, not interested in hearing what A had to say about that at all. Luckily, as more of the adults began to appear at the scene, it was quite distracting enough. Except for when Ruukia’s irritating voice broke through into his head.

”Did they slowly bleed and beg for mercy~?" A look of disgust filled his features at her reactions, but once more, a perfect new distraction showed up. The ground began to shake underneath Z’s feet, and a shattering roar filled the area as he took in the sight. It was the big man himself, having just made a discipline come back from the dead to haunt some poor unfortunate soul. A huge T-Rex began its pursuit, and Ceth couldn’t hold back his laughter, having to hold his sides for a few moments.

He prodded Anna in the side with his elbow, a wicked smirk on his lips. ”Haha, just imagine that thing with its tiny little arms chasing that poor fella, it tries to snap at it, ends up falling to the ground with that massive head of its and can’t really get up.” He had stopped laughing a little while back, and then swung his head towards Anna with a look, his arms pressed to his chest and his hands protruding, mimicking the Rex. “Rawr~” He raised his eyebrows, giving her a full, dashing lopsided half grin.

"You're very popular today, short-stuff~ How's your day been~?" Seth diverted his attention from Anna to look at the exchange between Zero and Luther, a slight wince to his features for a moment. Since Luther had already calmed down, Ceth expected to be impressed once more with that formal, unfazed response of his. Coal slipped one hand into his right pocket before hearing another voice join in.

"Eventful, it seems." Cethin grinned slightly before inclining his head towards the masked man, raising his left arm in greeting.

|LUTHER ROTHENBURG|

Luther calmly waited for a response from one of his favourite co-workers. He favoured her because of her job, and that she was able to exterminate Children. He had once been a Cleaner before, though not for long as he quickly moved up the ranks. However before he was able to hear Morgan’s reply, a rather unpleasant response came from above him.

His eyebrow twitched slightly but he made no other reaction to Ruukia’s misbehaviour. "ooooh~…I hope they are a death count~". Luther had little chance to berate her for her actions before she vanished into the shadows she adored hiding in. Coward Luther thought. The woman’s giggle followed her like a trail, and Luther quickly found her before she reappeared in front of Morgan. His eyebrow twitched again as she spoke. Gawd that woman was irritating. "Did they slowly bleed and beg for mercy~".

He may have spoken at that moment if it weren’t for another woman rushing up. Luther titled his head to see Aramay lashing out a clawed hand at the vanishing Ruukia. He smirked lightly at this. Aramay was another comrade whom, like Morgan, he respected. He remembered her when she was a new recruit. She was like a rabid animal, completely out of control and snapping at every moment. She fit well with Luther’s own stoic personality and listened to his guidance, like his very own watch dog. Although, she wasn’t just some animal to him, she was dangerous when it came time for it, a worthy companion.

"Come out!". Luther heard Aramay snarl. She had slid to a halt rather than attacking. Which, Luther was proud of. The old Aramay would have reacted viciously and maybe tore apart half the people there to get to her prey. Now, Aramay was in much better control. However, if need be he would stop Aramay if it so happened that she went too far. For now, though, he was enjoying the scene. Ruukia would get taught a lesson without him even having to move a finger.

He hated getting his hands dirty.

However, due to the massive group around him it didn’t seem like he was going to get any more done, How irritating he thought. Yes, irritating was a good word to describe the day. But, the sudden appearance of, yet another, made that word… not quite fitting. A white haired man, much taller than Luther, approached them with his usual grin, and a twirling cane. Luther raised his eye brows, wondering what was the cause for the said adjustment to the man’s usual attire.

"Hello there, ladies and gents~! Don't mind the Dinosaur running around, he's not a problem~! Well, not for any of you, at least~!”. The man, named Zero laughed as he joined their little ensemble of Adults. Luther rolled his eyes Wait…Dinosaur? . His eyes gazed over the area, and sure enough in the distance a giant T-Rex was in heavy pursuit of a few unlucky recruits. Ceth seemed to think it was hilarious as he told Morgan “Haha, just imagine that thing with its tiny little arms chasing that poor fella, it tries to snap at it, ends up falling to the ground with that massive head of its and can’t really get up.” . Luther shook his head at the exchange. The appearance of the creature was amusing, as Zero always was.

He looked back to see, another person receiving a punishment of sorts. Boy was this day interesting. “Ruuuuuukiiiiaaaaaa!~ Didn’t your mother ever teach you your manneeeers~? I suggest that you come out of your hiding place right now, or your punishment will be most...~". Zero stalked the shadows with elongated teeth, bringing Luther’s attention fully away from the T-Rex. Ruukia was definitely going to have to learn. "... Severe~" Zero finished his threat. Luther crossed his arms over one another, simply observing all that was taking place around him.

Interesting wasn’t the right word to describe the day either. He sighed lightly. No work will be done at this rate.. Zero was facing Aramay now and holding a coin. In an instant, the coin transformed into a leash, and Zero held it up to Aramay. "I don't want to have to put a leash around your neck, cutie-pie~ But you might leave me no choice~".. Luther blinked. A leash, really? . He didn’t think it would go that far necessarily unless Ruukia did more to annoy Aramay.

He hoped not. Luther brushed his hair from his face, and took another glance around. Morgan, still hadn’t answered his question, or she had and he missed it, due to. Oh I wonder? "Good to see everyone in one place, though. Oh, wait... Where'd shorty go- Oh, just under my line of siiight~!" Luther twitched at the word and his attention shot back to the group, namely Zero. "You're very popular today, short-stuff~ How's your day been~?"

Short-stuff…Oh, he’s gonna get it. . Luther glared at him for a second then moved his hands to fix his collar. He Hated being called “short”, but he knew Zero wasn’t serious. In fact, Zero was the closest to a friend that Luther had. He shifted uncomfortably despite it, the word just infuriated him. He refused to lose his cool in front of the others.

“Hello Zero, having fun tormenting the new recruits with supposed to be extinct beasts? . He half-smiled for a second. He still couldn’t think of a word to describe the day. "Eventful, it seems." another male voice replied. Luther looked over to thank him for the absolutely fitting word. Luther nodded at Clementine as he joined the group. “Very eventful indeed” Luther said in a monotone. “It doesn’t seem like any work is going to be done today at all. .

A split second after he had spoken, his watch started beeping. Luther held up a gloved hand to silence the group as he pulled down his sleeve and pressed the sides of the watch with his index finger and thumb. A compartment of the watch opened and the beeping cut off. “Second in command, Rothenburg, speaking. He said his voice controlled and powerful.

Another voice responded but only he could hear it. “Assemble in the assignment hall in ten minutes. ” The voice was nearly inaudible, even to Luther. He smiled and replied. “Yes, BOSS.”. The voice cut off and the watch shut as Luther adjusted his sleeve.

He looked back at the others. “Looks like the fun here is over… Zero clean up your mess. The rest of you finish what you have here and meet at the Assignment Hall in no less than ten minutes. . He swept his red cloak around his person and turned on his heel walking off fast. The numbers from Morgan would have to wait.

Finally some work to do ….

|RUUKIA HANABI|

Ruukia loved to see people agitated, more so when the "bosses" got irritated. Just seeing people get mad tickled her.

As she was vanishing into the ground she felt Aramay's claw scratch her mask, she smiled psychoticaly, 'play time...' she thought to herself. She moves into Aramy's shadow, targeting her spine with her long, deadly senbon when she heard Zero's beautiful voice, her mind instantly went from killing to passion, love. She moved through the darkness as she approached Zero. "“Ruuuuuukiiiiaaaaaa!~ Didn’t your mother ever teach you your manneeeers~? I suggest that you come out of your hiding place right now, or your punishment will be most...~" he pauses. "... Severe~" he said and a shiver ran down her spine. She feared, respected and loved him, he was a real man compared to the others. She watched him approach Aramay and make a coin turn into a leash."I don't want to have to put a leash around your neck, cutie-pie~ But you might leave me no choice~" he said and she giggles more. 'that will teach that bitch...' she thought to herself, she watched a little long, waiting for him tho finish talking, then she appeared next to him, hugging his arm between her breasts, her back arched slightly and she lays her head on his shoulder.

"I am here, my lord!" she says with giddy, "I wasn't being a bad girl! I was merely wanting to play!" she said in as cute a voice as possible, "then that mean, psycho Aramy tried to hurt me..." she says with a whimper and a sniffle. "and no, my lord... I had no mother... You know this..." She snuggled his arm more, loving the way he felt against her, how he smelled... She starts getting lost in him, a warm happiness covering her that only could provide. She absolutely loved him and she didn't want anyone else to have him.

The hunter recognized that smell. Zero. He always stirred her memories of times both harsh and hopeful. It took both Zero and Luther to get her thoughts an rationality back into some semblance of order. His presence was enough to distract her from noticing that Ruukia was aiming for her spine. Seeing that she wasn't the only person urked by Ruukia's actions and even willing to do something about her behavior took her anger down a bit more. She looks up at Zero as he approached her. The coin in his hand came to her attention. As soon as it reformed into the shape of a leash. Her eyes flash with a wave of shock, then glisten with renewed anger. Not enough to rush him.

There was a sense of mutual respect that she also felt with Luther. But enough for her to subconsciously bare her teeth, her ears to pin back and allow a growl to build in her throat. That was how Zero and Aramay usually were when they interacted with each other. One minute she would try to do everything within her power to inflict bodily harm on him and the next she would drop everything if she was ordered to bring recruits back into line. When it came down to it she performed to do the job she was supposed to and she did it well.

When Ruukia decided it was safe to make a jab at her, and while using Zero as a safety net even. On top of that she was so over the top. Her lies were painfully blatant. If she had fur on her neck it would have stood on end. "Psycho? Psycho?!" Her hands clenched into fists. It took so much effort for her to regain a working mind. Ruukia simply flaunted her assets and took the enjoyment of her job much farther than anyone would consider reasonable. She wanted to prove that she couldn't use others to keep herself safe around Aramay. "Just a floozy!" She springs towards Ruukia as if intent to finish giving her a few scars to remember her by. Even if she missed she was sure to try and snatch or slap her mask away from miss big chest and throw it a good distance away from her.

She didn't have enough time to register the outcome. Her ears turned noticing that Luther was speaking. “Looks like the fun here is over… Zero clean up your mess. The rest of you finish what you have here and meet at the Assignment Hall in no less than ten minutes." She huffed. Looks like she would have to finish her tiff with the ninja-wannabe later. "Bitch." She snarls under her breath before heading to the Assignment hall. If Ruukia kept this up she would end up having to constantly watch her back even if they were on mission. She wasn't one to let go of a grudge that was rubbed so deeply into her pride.

|Cethin Aurel|

After his greeting towards Cleo, Ceth’s eyes wandered back to Luther and Zero, watching both their reactions with high curiosity, being only distracted by Aramay trying to pummel Ruu again, to which Z had no qualms about, really. Furthermore, his interest was at its highest peak so far that day when Zero addressed Ruu’s misbehavior.

But of course, the little ’doll’ was unfazed by it, and just tried sucking up to Zero. Again, of course. "I am here, my lord! I wasn't being a bad girl! I was merely wanting to play!" Coal silently groaned, rolling his eyes. Oh she was so bad. "Then that mean, psycho Aramy tried to hurt me...!" And then a slight whistle escaped his pursed lips at her ruthless yet pretty obvious lying to somehow worm her way on his good side. How exactly, he had no idea. Ceth needed to jump into action, and without much thought, he did.

Z half skipped half waltzed over to Zero with a dramatic look of exasperation on his face. He hooked his own arm around Zero’s free one, hugging it close to his chest with a puppy dog face and a pout on his lips. He did his absolute best to mimic Ruukia’s childish girl voice, ”Yes, m’lord! We’re all good girls, we swearsies!!” He sniffled too, his lower lip trembling, watching Ruu out of the corner of his eye. Once she snuggled into him more, Ceth did the same thing, hugging Zero’s arm just the slightest bit more, bumping into her a bit. It was simply a good measure of spite for Aramay’s sake. But he really didn’t have to, as Aramay sprang forward, aiming a hit at the girl’s face.

Ceth remained rather unfazed by the wind that passed with the swift motion. He was then distracted by Luther’s announcement- that Godzilla himself was summoning the team for some deed or another. ’Speaking of Godzilla....' The loud, earth trembling roar from the T-Rex sounded from somewhere in the background. A content, wry grin wiggled across his lips before Ceth dropped the act with Zero, blinking a few times before wandering back over to Anna. ”Meet at the Assignment Hall in no less than ten minutes.” A few moments after the order, he offered Anna his arm, just for jokes, looking first to her and then in the direction of the Assignment Hall. ”Shall we?”

Zero sighed as he felt the familiar body of Ruukia pressing against his arm. He simply stood there, staring straight ahead as she rubbed herself all over him. Zero didn't disdain her as much as the others, but that's not to say he explicitly liked Ruukia. Then again, that's not also to say he doesn't like her, either. Zero looked over at Ruukia from under his hat, and he leaned hard on his cane to try and lessen her weight on him. Not that he didn't like her. He was just being lazy as usual. Before that, Luther had been saying something to him. Zero blinked as the sentence evaded him, but he was fully distracted by Ruukia's antics. "I am here, my lord! I wasn't being a bad girl! I was merely wanting to play!". Zero smirked, letting her bounce her words off of him like a squash-ball on a wall. "Then that mean, psycho Aramy tried to hurt me...!". Zero let out a light chuckle, and then he realised something.

As Cethin waltzed over and grabbed his arm, Zero had to try hard not to laugh, or even grin for that matter. Ceth's play, an obvious way to spite Ruukia, was one of the most entertaining thing Zero had seen all day.”Yes, m’lord! We’re all good girls, we swearsies!!”. Zero snickered. 'Darnit Cethin, at this rate you'll make me lose my cool. Eh, what does that matter~?' He almost let his laugh out when Ruukia hugged him closer, and Ceth did the same. Suddenly, laughter erupted from Zero's lungs. He smiled to himself and looked down at the ground, still laughing in his head. "Oh my, we seem to have a bit of rivalry here, do we~?".

Zero stood still as he felt Aramay's claws attempt to rake Ruukia, and he blinked as one of them nicked him on the side of the face. He raised an eyebrow, his now liberated hand reaching up and tapping the moist, crimson liquid that was dripping down his cheek. Zero blinked, and his eyes suddenly darkened, the T-Rex walking over behind him and looking down at the ground as Zero studied the blood that had dripped onto his fingers. "My, my~ Looks like I'm bleeding~". Zero smirked, letting his tongue fall out of his mouth and trace up to his fingertips, blooding moving onto his tongue as he smirks.

Zero grinned, completely cleaning his fingertips of blood as his eyes shine with dark excitement. He smirked, staring straight at Aramay as the cut slowly vanished, and the T-Rex let out another earth-shattering roar from just behind him. Zero laughed lightly, a tinge of insanity creeping into the sound as he looked over at Cethin, his gaze travelling over everyone as his mouth slowly opens, words just about to spill out. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, and then...

"I like Trains~".

Zero grins, holding out his arm as the T-Rex vanishes, and a train suddenly speeds past, with Zero catching a ride on it. The train was fairly long, so if anyone else wanted a ride to the Assignment Hall, they could always just jump on.

Anna's half grin turned into a look of surprise as Ceth rounded on her, aiming a rather fast, powerful punch. Anna stepped back, raising her arms in a messy block. At the last second, he opened his hand and whopped her arm, causing her to hit herself with a solid thump. The look of absolute surprise on his features, mirrored by her own, made her chuckle. ”Cripes, don’t,” Ceth said, laughing himself.

"Who else would keep you on your toes?" Anna responded in a formal tone, though it held amusement as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. Luther's voice interrupted her jovial attitude, and in an instant she became all business, straightening and giving him her proper attention. ”What are the numbers from today’s cleaning mission?” Anna noticed Ceth turning away, but made no acknowledgment for now. It was not exactly her favorite subject either, especially when she saw some eagerness in the eyes around her.

Anna quickly recalled the numbers to her mind, even opening her mouth to speak, before she was interrupted by her favorite person. Irritation immediately swept over her features, quickly covered by a professional mask as she pushed her feelings away. Ruukia appeared inches from her face, but Anna did not give her the pleasure of a reaction, though her hand tightened into a fist. Before she could debate whether it was worth it to punch the woman in front of her superior, she vanished into the shadows. 'Lucky for her,' Anna thought, with slight regret that she had not had the opportunity to do anything.

Apparently, Ruukia got Aramay riled up, though. Anna was almost sad Aramay had not caught the annoying shadow creeper, but it would be a harsh repercussion for Ruukia's actions if she had. Anna had seen her tear people up before. Suddenly, she heard a loud roar. 'Speaking of someone getting torn up...'Anna thought, highly amused by the T-Rex now stomping around and making a rukus. Ceth jabbed her lightly in the ribs, gaining her attention. ”Haha, just imagine that thing with its tiny little arms chasing that poor fella, it tries to snap at it, ends up falling to the ground with that massive head of its and can’t really get up. 'Rawr~'” Anna just shook her head with a smile, rolling her eyes at Ceth. He was such a clown sometimes.

Her attention returned to Zero, who was playfully scolding Ruukia and warning Aramay to calm herself. "Good to see everyone in one place, though. Oh, wait... Where'd shorty go- Oh, just under my line of siiight~! You're very popular today, short-stuff~ How's your day been~?" Anna could almost sense Luther stiffen, though, because it was Zero, he got away with the jibe.

Then the Irritant, Ruukia, appeared once more, rubbing all over Zero this time. "I am here, my lord! I wasn't being a bad girl! I was merely wanting to play! Then that mean, psycho Aramay tried to hurt me.... And no, my lord... I had no mother... You know this..." Ceth unexpectedly went over, giving a mocking imitation of Ruukia. ”Yes, m’lord! We’re all good girls, we swearsies!!” Zero laughed, "Oh my, we seem to have a bit of rivalry here, do we~?" Anna gave a scoffing laugh at their antics, poorly covering it up with a slightly exaggerated cough as Aramay lunged at the woman, scraping Zero in the process.

Soon, another joined their, rather comical, group. By the gas mask, Anna quickly recognized Clem. "Eventful, it seems." Luther responded, “Very eventful indeed. It doesn't seem like any work is going to be done today at all." Suddenly, Luther received a call. It was from the Boss, apparently. Anna wondered whether it would include them, and what they would need to do. “Looks like the fun here is over… Zero clean up your mess. The rest of you finish what you have here and meet at the Assignment Hall in no less than ten minutes."

Anna gave Luther a nod as he left, looking around to see if there was anything she should take care of before departing. Ceth offered her his arm, saying with a joking air,”Shall we?”

Anna gave a mischievous grin before responding. "We shall! Beat ya there! No transporting there, that's no fun," She yelled over her shoulder, already running parallel to the ground on one of the walls surrounding the Training Ground. Suddenly, Zero summoned a train. Seriously, the adults were worse than children when it came to antics.

Anna gave a sudden jump, impossibly flipping her personal gravity 180 degrees to run down the side of the train toward the engine at a dizzying speed, a smile on her face. She was sure she could beat him this time.

|Cethin Aurel|

"My, my~ Looks like I'm bleeding~" A look of doom was beginning to creep across Cethin’s face as he turned around to stare at the unpredictability that was Zero, however he quickly canceled the look. It was enough play for now. Things might get heavily serious.

"I like Trains~" And suddenly the massive shadow cast by the T-Rex that had been looming over the first in command shifted with little warning into a speeding locomotive and its cars. Ceth’s mouth opened a little bit with a slightly dumbfounded look. ’Well, that’s Zero for ya. He sure does love making loud noises though; hope any recruits possibly in the way had quick reflexes.’ And just as soon as Zero had been there, he was gone in the next second. He turned back to Anna, only to find her about to dart away.

"We shall! Beat ya there! No transporting there, that's no fun." And just like that she ran and jumped sideways onto the moving train, running along the side of it towards the front. Ceth merely crossed his arms for a moment, shaking his head. ’Anna, Anna, Anna~ So naive! You must learn to be more specific. ’ As she made a mad defying dash towards the top of the train, Ceth scanned ahead towards the direction of the Assignment Hall, eyeing a recruit with a water bottle laying on the ground.

Z dashed forward, the tip of his boot touching down on the training’s lining before he suddenly emerged from where the bottle was, stepping forward so not to crush it. The recruit herself jumped back in utter surprise, simply staring at Coal as he grinned shamelessly.

He was a few yards off from the Hall, so quite technically he had broken absolutely no rules of Anna’s. ’Seriously, if she wanted to hold me back, she should have stayed long enough to lay out the rules. A clever smirk played across his face as he jogged to the door, reaching it with no problem and pulling it open.

He let out a loud sigh of accomplishment, stretching his arms out before sticking them into his pockets and strolling towards the main room where Luther would probably be at, the smirk still stuck on his lips.

|Clementine|

After waving to Cethin, the masked man stood silently at the events that had just happened before him. There wasn't much he could do or say, so he settled for a light remark.
"Phew, that was tense." Clementine shrugged, watching everyone make their way to the assignment hall either excitedly or in a bad way due to the recent argument.

He followed some far way behind those who made their way on foot (not exactly trusting Zero unless he surprised them all and crashed the train) and observed contently. Wanting to say something to Aramay, but not knowing what, Clem decided to leave her alone to brood on Ruukia's personal disturbance; after all he would prefer not to get caught in any drama that could possibly cause him to lose an eye or something of the sort.

Clementine was friendly. It was a fact that many knew about him, for he didn't go out of his way to cause trouble or make himself stand out to be known. He was a little bit older than those who stood around him but it wouldn't seem like it. His personality was light, content, amused or sometimes rather serious, and that's all he really put forward into groups or conversations. Silent, but not so silent to be noticed, Clem was a mysterious sort though not on purpose. However it was nice sometimes, he didn't die from disturbing the wrong person anyway (as he had seen so many do before).

Reaching the Assignment hall, the masked man could only ponder at the next job they had in store for them.

|DANIELLE LEIBER|

Dani just stood and watched as everyone else interacted with each other. Some of them seemed immature most of the time while others just had their moments of playfulness. Both annoyed and interested he and she wanted no part in their means of amusement and play. Dani preferred to be unnoticed.

She watched as Ruukia pissed Aramay off. It didn't surprise Dani. The girl was practically begging for it. Well, there was more that she was begging for, but Dani preferred to ignore that. It seemed to be the play of a few others.

Dani didn't dislike anyone. She just found that certain aspects of one's personality would not agree with her own and would not be a suitable friend for Dani. For example, Dani could never enjoy the way Ruukia played with others. The constant teasing and playful energy she seemed to always have would be too much for Dani. Aramay appeared to be someone Dani may enjoy being around every once in a while, but she had too much of a temper for Dani's comfort. As for Zero, he always seemed to take pride in his silly ability. It was nice to have him around to keep things from being boring, the others provided the same, but his pride would be a conflict with Dani. Luther seemed to have something about him that was more controlled and he seemed to keep a bit more to himself rather than share his every thought with everyone else. Dani admired that trait. She also admired the way Anna interacted with the others. Cethin was okay to her.

The adults in the room were instructed to meet in the Assignment Hall. Dani stood in place until the others began to leave. She did not want to move near anyone and cause them to notice her. She was enjoying the ability to observe the others around her before she would have to interact with them. Once a few of them were on their way to the Assignment Hall, Dani started her walk there.

Aramay found herself blocking out what was happening around her. More accurately she was still seething about Ruukia and being out in the bright sun was really starting to get to her. She was still alert enough to avoid the oncoming train that barreled through the training grounds but other than that she seemed to be inaudibly mumbling to herself and taking her time to reach the Assignment Hall. Her eyes squinted in irritation as she veered towards the shadows to take some of the strain off of her pupils. She found herself acting more irritable and dare we say, rabid under the sun. The extra exertion, from the spat was what did it. In her mind the issue was still left unresolved but for now she just wanted a cool bit of shade to calm her nerves.

The Assignment Hall appeared, locked. That's what she gathered when she noticed that the people who were already at the door were still standing outside. A subtle growl filled her throat. Sure she at least didn't rush to wait but her patience was already halved. She stood partially hunched forward with her back to the sun staring down nothing in particular. Occasionally she would twitch with a sense of discomfort. She would only break her near statue still stance to stretch or yawn, putting an attack dog to shame showing a glimpse of a maw full of razor sharp teeth.