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Madison Lovette

"Every monster has a mind."

0 · 1,171 views · located in The Earth, 2017

a character in “A Tale of Seven Children//Rebirth”, as played by Miss Echo

Description

Image


~ Physical Profile ~

Name: Madison Lewis Lovette
Physical Age: 24
True Age: 24
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Description: Standing at a height of 5’6” feet, Madison is a man of fair complexion, with gentle features, dark eyes, and even darker curls that fall to his chin. Even without his...unique choice of wardrobe, he’s notably androgynous, lacking the masculine hardness of features or the telltale stubble that would be clear indications of his gender. In addition, while he has developed muscles from the WDL’s training, his form is slim, further blurring the lines.
His androgynity, however, tends to be easily overshadowed by his aforementioned outfits. Although Madison is male, and identifies himself as such, it’s difficult to catch him at a time when he isn’t decked out in a skirt and heels. With the use of a bit of makeup, it becomes very difficult to determine that he is a man without being told.

While working, Madison tends to dress very professionally- donning his labcoat over a simple pencil skirt and blouse- but when out and about, he tends to be much more expressive and colorful in his outfits.

~ Psychological Profile ~

Personality:
At heart, Madison is an open, good-natured individual. Mellow towards most everyone, regardless of their own feelings towards him, he’s usually willing to have polite chit-chat when his schedule allows him to do so, or even set aside time for the sole purpose of talking with a friend or acquaintance. He takes most things in stride, and it takes quite some time for him to get riled as a result- although, even then, it’s very rare for him to explode. His rage usually manifests itself as silent anger and disapproval, contrasting greatly against his usual sunny disposition.
Despite being affiliated with the WDL for roughly sixteen years by now, Madison is still quite hesitant to harm others- although he is still willing enough to pick up a weapon if need comes to it.

Likes: - Sinatra
- Classic Swing
- Cocktails
- Fashion
- Forget-Me-Nots
- Dress shopping with Illusion.
- Discovering something new or forgotten.
- Squirrels

Dislikes:
- Wearing traditional male clothing.
- Wearing sandals with socks.
- Cruelty.
- Sour cream.
- When people are over-controlling over others.
- Straight tequila or vodka.

Strengths:
- Madison isn’t easily fazed, even when faced with the bizarre and unusual.
- His occupation and natural inclination to discover gives him a fair bit of knowledge regarding the supernatural.
- Intelligent.
- Compassionate.

Fears:
- The injury or deaths of close companions. While Madison worries little about his own death, well-aware that an afterlife is very likely in a world with demons and devils, the last thing he wants is for those he loves to be hurt.
- Possession.

Hobbies:
- Gambling. A habit from his wilder days, Madison takes a certain pleasure in risks and rewards. As the researcher has since mellowed out, and there are no casinos at the WDL, it’s not uncommon for him to invite various members of the organization to a friendly game of poker or blackjack.
- Madison adores dancing. Lindy Hop, quickstep- he’s picked up a few styles throughout his life, and is more than happy to use them.
- Given his line of work, as well as natural curiosity, Madison enjoys learning. While between reports, he will usually open up a new book or magazine, or browse the internet.
- Strolling. It’s also not uncommon for him to wander around the base in his free time, either, especially as it helps him think.

Secrets?:
- Has the tendency to smuggle nonhumans out of the WDL after they are brought to him. Interestingly enough, he has faced little repercussions from this habit.

Outlook on life: “There is little in this world that we shouldn’t try to understand.”
For all the difficulties that come with a WDL lifestyle, Madison has remained an optimist. He believes that there is no harm in offering a bit of courtesy in most situations- which, given his easy nature, often leads him into particularly interesting situations.

Affiliation: Warriors of the Divine Light
Moral Alignment: Lawful Good

~ Combat Profile ~

Major Abilities:
+ Holy Fire: Madison produces a righteous blaze from his body, often manifesting itself from his hands or fingertips. He is able to direct this fire and put it out if he wishes, although it does follow the physics of regular fire, capable of spreading and harming allies if he is not careful in his control. The flames he produces are especially painful to demonic entities.
+ Temperance: A facet of his Holy Fire ability, Madison is able to produce a gentle flame that, rather than burn, heals. This fire cannot spread or grow large, although by using it on the wounds of others, he is able to encourage the rapid growth of skin and muscle. This ability is restricted in that he cannot heal what the body would be unable to heal naturally- while he could patch up a cut on one’s leg and prevent bleeding out, he cannot regrow an arm or repair a spine after a sword has been run through it.
+ Sanctorium: Madison is able to erect a barrier made wholly of his magic, shielding him and those behind it from attacks. He is able to form shields of various sizes and shapes, although maintaining larger ones tires him out faster.

Minor Abilities:
- Spell Circle: A spell crafted for him by his guardian, this ability allows him to create a small circle of holy flames around a demon, keeping them pinned in place for as long as he can maintain the spell. If he so desired, Madison is able to launch his victim as well, throwing them in a direction of his choice.
- Abyss Hop: Another ability taught to him by another, Madison is able to create small “cracks” in the world around him. These rifts serve as transportation for him, allowing him to enter and leave them in order to quickly move around. However, this ability is restricted, in that he can only form these portals within his line of sight.
- Seirenes Hymn: Madison’s voice takes on a placating effect, easing feelings of anger or distress and calming others, although this effect isn’t necessarily foolproof.

Special Ability: Transmutation: This power allows for Madison to reach into the cellular makeup of non-sentient and minorly sentient objects and beings, reconstructing them. This ability is activated by touch, and takes a fair bit of concentration on his part to perform.

Equipment: Clothing, a Burberry-made purse, phone, wallet, keys, a makeup kit. The less mundane objects he carries on his person are a handgun (in the event that his magic were to fail him), charms, and a few bundles of dried herbs, such as blessed thistle, sage, and lavender.
Skills:
- Capable of using guns, although he prefers far-range rifles above anything else.
- Possesses a vast amount of knowledge regarding the supernatural.
- Knowledge of runic language, and can place some minor wards as a result.

~ Faction Profile ~

Faction: The Warriors of Divine Light
Rank: Middle 1st Class, Staff (Researcher)
Class: Mage
Title: N/A
Loyalty Level: 8/10. Even if some of the WDL’s methods and mentality disturb Madison at times, it’s still his home. Leaving it would be leaving his family, and he doubts that he would be able to do that.

~ Miscellaneous ~

Biography/History:
While the WDL has taken in many orphans throughout the years, Madison is a somewhat interesting case among them. Born the second child to the Lovettes, the boy’s early years were quite ordinary on the surface. The family wasn’t rich, but it wasn’t poor, either. They lived in the suburbs, and sometimes went out to the park when both parents had the time. The most notable thing about them was that their eldest daughter had died from a young age due to heart complications, and even that, while tragic, was not enough to set them apart.
What was, however, was the fact that the fact that the Lovettes denied any and all claims of them having a son.
They had daughters.

For whatever reason- grief, instability, or any combination of the sort- Madison had been raised as a girl by his parents. He played with dolls, grew his hair long, and wore dresses. Any and all paperwork officially listed him as “female”, and, given the fact that his was a home birth, and the Lovettes were a couple of fair reputation within their community, there was no need to question it initially. It was only after a young Madison had spilt on his dress and was sent to the nurse’s office for a change of clothing that his gender was discovered. Social Services were quickly called, and Madison was taken from his home. Due to a lack of foster homes at the time, he was placed in an orphanage, where he was placed into therapy to try and provide him with a normal life. Having grown up as a girl, Madison resisted the change, and would often steal the toys and belongings of the girls living at the orphanage for himself.
Some ways into his stay there, certain higher-ups of the WDL had happened to stop by the children’s home. For whatever reason, they did not leave alone- Madison came with them, adopted and brought along to the base. Without the treatment given to him at the orphanage, Madison quickly rebounded into old habits, hiding the clothing of female WDL members and dressing himself in them when he believed no one to be watching. One of these members happened to be Illusion, Madison’s self-proclaimed guardian, who simply bought him the clothes he desired and let him indulge in his fascination.

Madison himself remembers little from his early life, however- of if he does, he doesn’t mention it. He was raised primarily within the WDL’s walls, and, while his guardians were not cut from the most normal cloth, he had a fairly happy childhood. As he has grown, however, Madison has become increasingly aware of the darker side of the organization, and has become quite uneasy about it. Nevertheless, he has remained loyal, climbing to his current position within the organization- although he is still firmly against certain practices of the WDL, and even outright refuses to participate in a few.
This has not escaped the attention of certain people.


Other: bakabaka

So begins...

Madison Lovette's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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“Well, there they are.”

Word had travelled quickly throughout the base of the Children’s arrival- spread through emails, texts, passing remarks and conversation. Six out of seven! It wouldn’t be long before all would be gathered within the heart of the base, introduced to one another, made to unlock their birthrights and become proper soldiers. There were some who were nervous about the whole thing. The WDL had been founded to rid the world of the inhuman, and now they were taking a full set of apocalyptic halfbreeds into their arms? It wasn’t right.

Of course, that was only some. Just as many fell throughout the spectrum, with a few landing on the far opposite. Excited, rather than wary.

Madison was one of those few.

Settled in the neighboring room of the projector’s, the staff lounge, they- “they” being himself and his companion- were able to watch the meeting through a small two-way mirror that connected the two spaces. Useful for observers who didn’t quite want to show their faces in a meeting or the like, although such an occurrence tended to be rare. They were waiting there simply because it was the easiest way to watch without interrupting the meeting.

And because the place was rather comfortable, admittedly. The wallpaper was a muted blue, the floors a polished walnut. Madison had set a pot of tea to boil some time ago on a communal hot plate, and from a nearby radio came the wan voice of Sinatra’s “My Way.”

“Look at how close Ms. Himemiya is to Mr. Black,” Madison said. One hand was tucked beneath his chin, the other resting upon the tabletop before him. As he gazed into the dark hall before them, he took a moment to smooth out the front of his dress- Madison had taken the day off for the occasion, made obvious by the soft evening orange of the researcher’s sundress. “It looks like some of them are getting along well already. Marvelous.” The comment was made in complete sincerity- the smile on his lips was enough of an indication of that. Stretching his shoulders, Madison sat up in a more proper position, watching Rick’s presentation with interest. The pin on his arm glinted with the movement.

“And it seems that Mr. Brackwall’s taking his leadership well. I’m glad. Given how many entered all at once, I’m sure that this will be especially overwhelming. For everyone, really.”

His hand brushed upon the briefings placed upon the desk, as if in emphasis of his point. In their crisp manilla folders, there was little indication of their contents, aside from the stamp on the front labelled “BRIEFING” in fresh ink.

“Hopefully they’ll take all of this alright, and- oh!” Madison suddenly rose, head turning towards the kettle. “I think that the tea is ready. Would you like some, Candice? It’s chai, if you don’t mind.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sister Rianne Character Portrait: Kane O'Reilly Character Portrait: Madison Lovette Character Portrait: Candice Hallows Character Portrait: Yohan
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#, as written by Tanman
Kane O’ReillyImage

Kane listened to Rianne and Yohan with due respect, pleasantly nodding to confirm he was paying attention. The sister seemed hesitant to accept his praise of her, going as far as to outright state she didn’t think he should look up to her. Though he agreed with the idea that he should aim to be his own person, he saw no reason not to see the good Sister Rianne had to offer. Nobody was perfect, but those who strived on despite their flaws, those who sacrificed themselves for others. Kane respected that. Even if Sister Rianne didn’t believe in the strength of her character, Kane could see a strong light that burned brightly. A candle flame that refused to wither in the wind.

Yohan spoke something of water supplies, and Kane wondered if perhaps he’d distracted him from provision duties. Regardless, it seemed it was Rianne’s turn to apologise to the two, though Kane simply shook his head. “Not at all ma’am. I was the one wanting to be noticed, and you did an admirable job dealing with him.” Striding up, Kane extended his hand to clap into Rianne’s firmly, giving another one of his goofy grins. “Don’t think I didn’t mean what I said Sister. You’re special. I can see now more than ever what a privilege it would be to work with you. If you don’t think that’s the case, I’ll just have to prove it to you sometime.” Giving a slow shake, Kane withdrew his hand, turning to Yohan. “Sorry about the mess Yohan, I’ll make it up to you too. In fact
” Kane brought his fist down into the palm of his hand as an idea struck him.

“I’ve got some free time at dinner, we’ll do it then. We’ll meet at Sister’s room around six, and I’ll have a surprise cooked up. Ah! That means I better hurry and get ready.” Kneeling down, Kane picked up the rubbish bin, running off with it towards the garbage disposal before either had a chance to really refuse. This was going to be great! He’d have a chance to make some good friends, test out a new recipe, and maybe help cheer Sister Rianne up after her rough day. He was such a thoughtful fellow like that.


Candice Hallows
Image

Shifting away from the window as she finally fixed her blouse, Candice slowly made her way back over to Madison to observe the children in the adjacent room, continuing until she was just a short distance away from the double mirror, arms folded as she scrutinised them. True to Madison’s word, they were all filing in; both the two children Candice personally had experience with, along with the four newcomers. She’d hoped to have the time to more intimately get to know each of the children, but with so many arriving at once; she might have to forgo an individual approach. A shame, she’d have to alter her lesson plan accordingly.

“Look at how close Ms. Himemiya is to Mr. Black, it looks like some of them are getting along well already. Marvelous.” Madison commented from behind Candice, the young man’s voice brimming with enthusiasm. Turning to glance at him, she nodded once, bringing a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her sunglasses, removing them only once she’d shut her eyes. “Indeed. Though that’s probably more familiarity then I was expecting. I’ll have to review Vesper and Jonathan’s files to see if I can glean a sense of their connection.” Replacing her glasses, Candice opened her eyes once more, listening to Madison’s observation regarding Rick and the group dynamics. Smiling lightly, Candice strode over to him, leaning her back on the countertop next to the researcher as she held her elbow with one hand.

“Rick is a fine student. I have no doubt in his capabilities looking after them, especially with my assistance and guidance.” Candice stated with a genuine air of confidence, lightly flicking her earing with her right hand. Madison continued, only to be interrupted as it seemed the tea was ready. Smiling, Candice turned to face him, approaching as he asked if she’d like to partake. “Is there any need for a question there Madison? I wouldn’t refuse one of your blends even if Arthur himself wanted my share.” Responding warmly, Candice waited and watched as Madison prepped her mug, though the WDL teacher slowly noticed something she’d missed earlier.

“My, is that a new dress Madison? Are you planning on impressing our new trainees?” Slyly grinning, Candice wasn’t exactly chastising Madison, more just finding it cute that the young man wanted to make a good impression on the children. She herself had dressed somewhat formally for the occasion, business pants and jacket, along with frilly red blouse and her fair share of jewellery. Taking her mug and savouring the aroma briefly, Candice slowly sipped hers, the temperature not bothering her in the slightest, briefly glancing to the radio as the station moved from Sinatra to Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock.

“Still, only time will tell if they’re suited to life here. It’s a big change to go from a normal life to one where the rules you know no longer apply.” Watching Rick begin to field questions, Candice continued to lean on the counter casually, a sign of her comfort in the presence of Madison. “After all, not everyone can adjust to this place as well as you did Maddie.” Candice commented, giving a soft laugh. To think the little boy she’d seen so many years ago would still be here, even after she returned. He’d certainly grown up into quite the fine young man, and the confidence and enthusiasm he had in who he was always helped bring a smile to her face.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

A full list of questions to be sure, but that was to be expected. Rick simply stood, not at all stirred by any of Jonathan's requests. While it was certainly a lot of information to impart Rick figured he had the means to keep the flow of the conversation on his terms.

"Those are some very good questions JoJo. I'm glad you asked." He calmly reached into a pocket in his coat, pulling out a slick touch-screen cellphone. "The nearest phone is mine."

Walking up right next to Jonathan he placed the phone right in front of him. "Feel free to settle your personal affairs while I take some other questions. Please try to keep your call limited to letting family members, roommates and former employers know you are fine and not to be returning."


With that said he stepped back, looking back over to the group as a whole. "Do not worry, your personal belongings will be collected and delivered to your rooms at the earliest opportunity."

Granting that hopefully comforting piece of knowledge he brought a single hand up to his chin, thinking well on who to address next. He considered Caius but since he just picked JoJo he didn't want the girls to feel as though they were being segregated in the picking order. With that said as Ash had a habit of not really listening his information in the first place he considered the fact that giving her a second opportunity to ask questions he likely answered the first time he welcomed her would be helpful. After her the rest of the questions period would fly past with veritable ease, save Caius perhaps.

"Firstly, to answer a couple of JoJo's questions yes we do get paid. Every member of the WDL earns an hourly salary plus bounty sums tied into what we like to call Hunts. These hunts are, put simply enough, missions assigned to members of the order to eliminate notably dangerous members of the supernatural population. Members higher up in the order get higher salaries and are in line to take more difficult Hunts in exchange for proportionately larger bounties."


He strode back to the projector, hands behind his back. "You all may have noted that nearly all members are armed at all times. This is no coincidence, after all we are a martial institution. Just as any militant organization we have cause to believe we may be attacked at any time. Given the exceptional nature of our opposition there is a significant emphasis on security at all times. With thanks to the strong hearts and minds of the good people in charge of the security for WDL we have the freedom to learn and grow in this hostile world."

Finishing off those two questions he extended his hand over to Ash, inviting her into the conversation.

"As I understand you've probably heard much of what I have to say Ash. Any questions to add or shall I continue with another?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

“Where’s the catering?”

Ash was behaving herself rather well, joking aside. She didn't seem able to concentrate too well but it couldn't be helped.

”But seriously? Maybe later, Dick.”

"Anytime, Ash."


A short but suitable reply to her request. Having a one on one conversation with Ash later was no issue for him. If it meant she'd trust him more later the time invested would definitely pay off.

Lacing his fingers together he pushed his palms outward, stretching his fingers out with a small set of crackles. Unlacing his fingers he brought his right hand down to his side and the left out to point at Vistra.

"How about yourself Vistra? Any questions or concerns you wish to have addressed?"


Calm, casual, inviting, all those were things Rick exuded in his performance. It felt as natural to in as it was made to appear but that was all simply due to practice and conditioning. He could stand before a crowd of millions and break no less a sweat than he was here.

When the time came and all those millions would be demons on the ramparts he'd need that composure to cast the most taxing spells he'd of learned.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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Image


Image After being snapped at by Caius Vistra hung her head, and stuck to the back of the crowd. She didn't mean to upset him. Though, she supposed that he was a little upset due to the events they all had dealt with today. Hopefully later on she could patch up her not so great first impression.

She trailed after the group and gazed around her new home as she did so. New home. Huh. It definitely wasn't her father's house, but much better than living under a bridge. If they gave her a room, she hoped they'd let her spruce it up a bit. Her old room in Canada was rather small, but crowded in a warm way.

Caius was in the room they entered and Vistra made a point to avoid him. She sat down, and crossed her legs. The fact that Rick was going to explain everything to them made her feel alot better about everything. He even let them ask questions, making Vistra think of one of her old teachers. Rick was a bit like that.

Jojo went first, making good points. She eyed the phone. It had been a year since she talked to her father. If she was going to learn how to take care of herself here maybe her father would be safe. She missed him more than anything.

Ash, the girl who was the first to speak to Vistra went next. She leaned forward, waiting for whatever important question that would be asked. Instead she found herself smothering laughter down at her quip and the response Rick gave. At least it wasn't boring here.

Rick pointed to her next and she wasn't left caught off guard. 'Umm,' She absentmindedly scratched at on of the many scars on her arm. 'Well I'd like to call my father after Jojo is finished. And, will he be safe? Can I go visit him? Or can he visit me?'

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

"Well I'd like to call my father after Jojo is finished. And, will he be safe? Can I go visit him? Or can he visit me?"

Rick nodded, considering his response for a moment. As her hand seemed to be absently pushing a sleeve up his eyes were drawn down momentarily to spot what appeared to be a small number of scars present on her arm, at least the surface of the arm which he could see right then.

While many would simply assume she would inflict self harm out of personal issues his degree of experience was far wider, his mind more explorative as a result. While there was many possibilities for him to ponder he could deduct without forming any unrealistic assumptions that a power of hers drew on her blood in order to function. Self harming just seemed out of character given her apparent nature. That is not to say of course there couldn't of been something deeper to her than what meets the eye. That were more than a few layers to himself after all.


"Excellent question Vistra! I can assure you that your father is under WDL surveillance and protection. There is nearly nothing we at WDL take more seriously than the safety of the families of those serving in our order. In addition there are specified days for family members to visit WDL grounds. Here-"

With a motion of his hand the stack of blank slides leap to his hand, sitting snugly in his grip. On one side of each sheet was a schedule for each of them, his very own schedule to be exact. It contained all the times for their classes along with their upcoming commitments and events pertinent to all members such as the family days Vistra was just asking about.

Taking a corner of each paper with his off hand Rick absentmindedly tossed a schedule in each of their directions, the sheet flying with keen precision and landing directly before each and every one of them.


"A schedule for you all to review at your own leisure. Hopefully it should help provide some more answers for you all."
He addressed the group generally.

Last but by no means the least headache was Caius. Rick simply looked over, his demeanor only a little more serious if only to show that he was taking Caius seriously whilst still remaining pleasantly calm. He wasn't taking Caius any more serious than anyone else mind you but it was just that: A show.

"Caius, anything on your mind?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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"Questions? I have a lot
but, I'm not and idiot to just
listen to all the answers given
after all, nothing is easily shared
especially the truth that cut like
a dull knife in ragged pain."
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The sound of nearby footsteps, door opening and the room brightening, Caius knew that the others had arrived as he gave them a briefest of glances. He was actually in the middle of re-configuring his thoughts when they came, so they caught with a mixture of disgruntlement and confusion as his expression while scratching the back of his head. It's good no one pointed out his presence before them. That's because he was trying really hard not to recoil into the thinking that what's happening is impossible. But, really it was hard to do so.

Anyways, he took a seat even before the nerdy boy said so. That's because he still needed a few seconds to straighten himself and to prevent himself from directly rejecting everything happening around him. Once he had reclaimed his casual place, that was the only moment he was able to hear what the rule-kisser was saying or even took noticed that the lights were once again due to the projector being used. And what met his sights was the picture about of a man transforming into that beast. he had fought... the thing they call werewolf.

The guy was right about questioning his sanity, but there was no way he was crazy It was them who were. Anyway, he needed to have tolerance and so he did. The freak show was soon over and like some kind of two-bit class, a question and answer portion was thrown as the room brightened again. The first one on the plate was certainly not his friend, JoJo. His questions were reasonable enough and somehow made his head ache a bit as he massaged the bridge of his nose. It was mentioned about paper moving.... or spider monster attacking... The rest he could careless. "Tolerate. Open mind, Caius." That was his mantra and was actually for a very long time.

The answers that two-color eyed boy were actually in his ear and out next on the other. Well, he doesn't have any personal affairs that need any call or does he have anyone to call. He doesn't have any stuff that can be said as personal belongings. He already have everything he needed currently on his person. Then, the talks of hunts or everyone carrying weapons never interested him so, he zoned out and thought of other things. It didn't even registered to him when the Wednesday wanna-be was next on the list or that the girl who deemed all of them as siblings was called. The paper continuing his supposedly schedule also went unnoticed. He was off to his own world. The only time he was retrieved from that was when he heard his name. "Huh?"

He did not even hide the fact he wasn't listening as those golden eyes looked at the one who called him with a haze and a clear show of disinterest. There was a notable amount of silence as Caius really had no idea what was expected of him, when mental bells rang in his head. That's right, questions. "Oh. questions." He muttered to himself. Actually, there were a lot because his head was still swimming on many issues he has no idea about from the very beginning. There were questions like... Will his body change? Will he turn into something like that werewolf? Are there others like him, like them out there? What the fuck do they really want from him? From them? Will they ever let him go? Why was this happening NOW!? There were other questions, but those were some that echoed strongly inside of him.

But, he chose not to say it because he has no confidence that the guy would even answer it. He just has this feeling it won't be that easy and he hated it when his questions are like glossed over. You just answer it or you don't know. That's why he didn't bother. Still, he did have a very important concern. It took the top spot against the other questions inside of him. "Just one thing." He raised his index finger in the air to make a point. "I need a drink. Where's the bar?" This part, he was dead serious and wasn't joking at all. He really needs a drink to null his headaches and also to make himself stop from thinking. He hated using his brain for such annoying things. Just like that, his golden eyes cleared from that glaze of uncertainty. It was time for him to have a serious conversation with his good friend alcohol.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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As Candice spoke, Madison had risen from his spot at the table and began to pace about the little kitchen space that the lounge offered, grabbing a pair of mugs, switching the hot plate off, pouring himself and his coworker tea from the kettle. Free from its confines, the scent of chai spread throughout the room, filling it with its mild spice.

“They must be quite close, then, if they met each other before we brought them together,” Madison noted. “After all, I’ve never seen Ms. Himemiya so comfortable with someone.” There was a soft plink as he set the mugs upon the tray, and drew a gallon of milk from the fridge. This went into a separate pitcher, which was set between the tea. After a moment of thought, Madison added a small dish of sugar and honey, then set the tray and its contents carefully upon the table.

“And while I’m sure that neither of you need it, if either you or Rick needs any assistance with the others, I would be more than happy to lend a hand. I’ve been hoping to ask the newcomers if I could take a few samples from them, but that most likely won’t make for the best first impression.” He laughed, gently, adding a bit of milk and honey into his cup and stirring it.

Madison did not speak for a bit, concentrated on the chai. It wasn’t anything fancy- just a few packs of the stuff he had bought on a trip outside the WDL- but it was still good by his standards. If he was honest with himself, Madison wasn’t too fond of the tea that was shipped into the base. Off-brand, with a taste that was more akin to syrup than anything else. He was hardly a tea connoisseur, but he still made an effort to stay as far away from the base’s supply as possible.

Yes. This was far preferable, in his opinion. Madison threw in a pinch of sugar, then brought the mug to his lips.

“It won’t be immediate, that’s for certain.” His eyes had turned back to the window, where a few of the children had begun asking questions. He gave a small chuckle as one of them asked about a bar- Madison knew that urge quite well, himself- but for the most part, he simply watched. “My family has always been here, of course, but it seems like a few of them are a different case. They’re leaving behind everything for a life they didn’t even know existed before today. Hopefully they’ll get as fond of the place as we are.” Another swig of the tea, followed by a faint sigh.

At Candice’s observation, Madison gave a short blink in surprise, before smiling brightly at the woman. “You noticed?” He asked. “I bought it a few weeks ago, and it was just lying in my closet up until now. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion, and, well. Now seemed as good of a time as any.” He laughed, gently, brushing a few stray locks of hair back into place.

“Your outfit is quite lovely, by the way. The necklace is a nice touch.”

He lifted the mug, inhaling the steam deeply.

“I can’t wait until we can go out and meet them.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley
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#, as written by zody
| Jonathan Black |


JoJo picked up the phone, grinning at Rick in appreciation as he began to dial the number he knew by heart. He pulled the phone to his ear, moving to the back corner of the room away from the others for at least a tiny bit of privacy. He waited anxiously as the phone rang, half concentrating on it and half concentrating on Rick and the others. It rang and rang, and he swore under his breath. As the call ended, he hung up before trying again. Hopefully Dawn would realise who it was and would pick up this time.

No deal. JoJo sighed hard as he tried for the third time, this time deciding to leave a voice message. "Hey Dawn, it's JoJo. I was just calling to tell you that I'm fine and that I, uh, probably won't see you for.. a while? Some crazy stuff happened that you wouldn't believe, heh. Anyway, hope you and Iggy are doing well. Don't break my console or I'll kill you. Uh, bye. Don't call this number back. That'd be.. That'd be really awkward." JoJo ended the call, the voicemail being sent to his friend as he walked over to Vistra, hanging her the phone, before moving back over to his seat at the table.

He tuned back into the conversation in time for Caius' question- but also for JoJo to realise his most important question had been answered. The paper in the room seemed almost unnatural, although somehow Rick was also quite unnatural himself. JoJo still had that bitter taste in his mouth, and he'd also wondered how Rick had known exactly what type of crazy monster to conveniently pull up. Maybe they had files documenting their lives here? JoJo grumbled to himself, wondering just what was being hidden from them. Honestly, if these guys were the types to constantly be hiding things, JoJo was going to book a flight back to the US as soon as possible- and he'd totally drag Vesper along too. Sure, he wanted to spend time with his new family and all, but they weren't exactly JoJo's focus at the moment. Although, if it came to it, JoJo would gladly bring them along for the ride outta here as well.

"This place has a weird feeling to it. Although.. I'm sure it's just Rick trying to make us feel more at home or something. Maybe he's actually a super antisocial person and is just forcing it? I'm not letting him weasel out of my paper question, though, not a chance in hell. If there's magical spider girls, there's magical humans, too. Or paper demons.

But are we really safer here?
"





'I've provided what you asked at the location specified.
I very much look forward to seeing what you have to show me.

- :)
'


Within a few moments of the button being pressed, Leviathan's phone would vibrate in his hand as a reply was delivered.

Leviathan's phone lit up as a message was received;

"In five minutes the package will be acquired.
Please be at the location to witness retrieval.
The men that will restrain you will mean no harm and will leave when the package is out of sight.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Tor."


As promised, Leviathan only had to wait for five minutes until, right in front of Helena, two black vans pulled to the curb. A man, a blade at his waist, exited the car. He walked up to Helena, crouching down before her. He looked her right in the eyes, and spoke. "Helena Kingsley. We're here to take you someplace safe." He lifted a small container from his pocket as she focused on his face, spraying her with it. The concoction in the container was potent, and the girl would've dropped her phone as she fell. The man grabbed her, hoisting her up onto his shoulder as he began carrying her to the back of the van.

If Leviathan had agreed to the instructions, he'd be accosted by two men who grabbed his arms and pushed him to his knees, a third pointing a gun at his head. Helena would be 'accidentally' turned on the man's shoulder, allowing her to see Leviathan through half-closed eyelids as he did what any good father would do. However, for poor Hel, the back doors of the van would quickly shut behind her.

A man sat beside her, keeping a close eye on her as she lay on the floor and the van drove away. The men restraining Leviathan would let him go, nodding briefly and muttering apologies under their breaths before getting into the second van and taking off.




A little while away from the group in the auditorium and just down the road from where Kane, Rianne and Yohan were, an Exorcist clutched his head. The flashbacks kept haunting him, day and night, but still that was no reason for him to have antagonised them like that. Lately, he felt as if something was pulling at him; plucking at his insides and making his blood boil for absolutely no reason at all. He slammed his fist into the wall, grunting angrily as he stormed away. The meeting wouldn't wait- his flashbacks could. "I swear to God." He began to walk again, idly noticing a cat wandering down the opposite side of the road as him. He glared, and the cat seemed to glare back before running around into a nearby alleyway. He sighed hard, shaking his head. "Animals." He straightened up, shaking his head to clear it as he resumed his march to the building in the center of the WDL complex at full speed.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

"I need a drink. Where's the bar?"

Walking past Caius Rick simply gestured to the paper before him. It now had an address written near the bottom. It was a pub that was fairly popular among a number of the third class exorcists. Decent wings apparently, although Rick would never know as such an establishment was of no interest to him.

"It's on your schedule sheet."

He simply informed him as he passed by on his way to the doorway. As he opened the door he turned to address the group, standing in the exit as he did.


"With your questions answered I feel it's only appropriate to show you all to where you will be staying. After you are settled into your living quarters I will provide a tour for any who wish to learn their way around the WDL grounds and afterwords lunch for those who've yet to eat. Since it's your first day here I'll handle the bill, naturally."

He stepped through, allowing passage for the rest of them as he waited on the other side.

"Oh and Vistra-" He motioned to her from beyond the doorway. "Once you are finished your call do please remember to return my phone to me."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

It was almost as if Illusion knew his test of leadership was going too well and decided to throw another obstacle in his path to a smooth execution. After basically insulting the girl she had brought forth she disappeared, leaving him to pick up the pieces.

“Oh. Um. Hello. Sorry, I didn’t, um. I was Jojo's roomate, back home. I'm Dawn Memoli, but Principal Illusion already told you all that.”

At this point he was not surprised by the going trend that everyone JoJo ever met would show up here. The man certainly dragged a lot to this place when he arrived. Nonetheless Rick seemed no less pleased to meet her as he did the others.


"A pleasure to meet you Ms. Memoli. My name is Rick Brackwall. I see you've met our esteemed principle Ms. Illusion. I must say, what she lacks in tact she makes up for in spacial transit."

He shook her hand, his grip steady yet gentle. He was nothing if not polite to the new arrivals of the WDL, a standard policy for him. There was never a reason to be rude to someone. If he had grievances to settle he'd settle them properly.

"Thank you so much. It's been a year since I talked to my Papa and it's a big relief to know he'll be safe."


"I'm glad to hear that. Anytime you wish I'll lend my phone so you may contact him."

At least until they were given the clearance to own phones of their own and talk to their family freely. They'd need to start grasping their responsibilities first though. That much he was fairly certain.

"You're not a rabbit."


Rick questioned the response but had nothing to say once Ash chimed in.

“With that ‘genius’ insight from Vesper, I’d like to keep moving, and eat sooner rather than later - before we end up meeting the clown JoJo had for his third birthday party.”

Not much love for diplomacy this day it seemed.


"All joking aside though Ash does have a point. We should continue onward."

He turned and motioned for Dawn to follow as he started walking on his way to lead the rest to their rooms.

"Come, Dawn. I'll offer explanations on the way. I'm just showing everyone to the dormitories at this present moment."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Madison Lovette Character Portrait: Candice Hallows
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#, as written by Tanman
Candice Hallows
Image

“Fond might be a bit of a stretch, Madison.” Candice smirked, though quickly hid it behind her mug as she drank. She didn’t comment much more than that, leaving it to Madison’s imagination to determine what she meant by that. Instead, the conversation moved to that of their state of dress, Madison sharing his own compliment to Candice. Smiling some more, she rubbed her necklace between her fingers. It was quite nice. “I appreciate the sentiment Madison. I suppose we’re both a little vain.” Returning her mug to the sink and giving it a wash, she could hear Madison’s enthusiasm in his voice without even needing to hear the words.

“We’ll see when we get that opportunity. No need to overwhelm them any more than we already have at this point.” Returning her cup to the drying rack, there was a slight knock on the other door, before it opened, a middle aged man poking his head in. “Ah, here you are. I put the reports about what we’ve prepared for boot camp on your desk.” The man spoke, looking to Candice. He was tall and athletic looking, with short, dark hair and the typical uniform of the WDL. Nodding to him, Candice turned back to Madison to excuse herself, promising to catch up again as she headed out towards her office. “Thank you Bailey. Your dedication is a blessing.” Candice commented, receiving a taut salute in response. As he did, the large, metal and ornate looking gauntlets became apparent; emblazoned with symbols. “You needn’t praise me like that ma’am. Just doing my job as usual.” Stepping back as Candice moved up to leave, he gestured to let her lead, seeming to be quite the polite gentleman.

Walking down the hall with the young man, Candice spoke up first as a thought dawned on her, looking to Bailey skeptically as she spoke. “One moment Bailey, didn’t I ask Mara to provide me the report?” She asked, watching Bailey’s expression change a moment before he laughed, shrugging it off. “Well, that’s true, but she said she was really busy with some things. I didn’t mind at all, kept me busy.” He chuckled, but immediately stopped as he caught Candice’s stern expression. “You shouldn’t let her boss you around like that. She can’t keep shirking responsibility here, and as her superior you should be making a point of setting a precedent of what’s expected.” Narrowing her glare at Bailey, the man put up his arms in a calming gesture. “Y-Yes ma’am. I’ll do that.” Despite his words, Candice didn’t seem to calm too much. “I’m disappointed in you. You’re a fine fighter on the field, you just need to develop some backbone here at the offices.” Candice lectured, Bailey continuing to nod with the occasional mutter of apology and agreement. In the end, Candice sighed, giving up on the topic. It seemed Bailey was always going to be that kind of submissive person that people took advantage of, and no amount of Candice doing the same was going to change that.

Changing subject to the report and the upcoming training camp, Candice asked a few questions, such as which exorcists would be taking charge of the training, the various provisions needed, as well as any explicit instructions from Arthur. Satisfied that things seemed to be going smoothly (Probably more so than expected since Bailey was now in charge), she dismissed the young man, heading in to her office to look over her paperwork for the day. Though Illusion was principal in name, a lot of her work did tend to be delegated down the chain, and inevitably ended up at Candice’s desk for approvals or administration. Thankfully, Candice was fairly fastidious and meticulous in her work. Settling in, she began scanning over the report, making certain that everything would be prepared for the day.

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Character Portrait: Lance Ironheart Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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Lance sighed, his fingers stroking his cat AJ. He was a long haired, browned eyed, black cat with a single white sock. His name was very thoroughly thought out. Lance spent weeks thinking just what name would be worth his amazing kitten. In the end it seemed obvious. AJ, aka, Arthur Jr. A regal cat like this deserved a name that he could live up to. A name that all would respect. Lance could think of no other person that was perfect enough to name a cat after.

The Seven was here. The kids that everyone kept going on, and on, and on , and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and- oh. He was getting off topic. Lance stood, and AJ hopped nimbly to his shoulder. It wasn’t a strange sight to see Lance walking around with his cat. They were almost joint at the hip. If you wanted to find Lance, look for Arthur or AJ. He’s always near at least one.

’Well, AJ,’ He gave the cat a fond pat and was rewarded with pleasant purring. ’Let’s go see these kids. Maybe we’ll be impressed?’

The walk wasn’t long to get where we wanted. Although, he could stop for a quick drink before meeting them. The staff lounge was near anyway. He opened the door, raising his eyebrows when he spotted Madison.

AJ jumped from his shoulders and pushed his head into the arm of Madison. He meowed, clearly seeking affection. Lance took a seat and nodded towards his friend. ’Hey Maddie. What’s up?’

cornpops


Even after Candice left, and the Children had long since filed out to go on their tour, Madison remained in the staff room. He wasn’t lying about his desire to introduce himself to the newcomers, but Candice had been right- swarming them within hours of their arrival would most likely overwhelm them. So, with little else to do with his time, he had resigned himself to take care of a few schedules that he had been saving for his return to work. Better to get it out of the way now instead of later, when they would be expected to pack their things and head out with their trainees.

Especially considering the sheer amount of things that Madison planned to take along with him.

Kicking back the dregs of his tea, the researcher settled himself into one of the several armchairs scattered about the room, plunking his laptop onto his knees as he did so. The radio had been switched again, and was now humming a rift of tinny swing as Madison worked. It was a bit old-fashioned, yes, especially when he had a nice new set of earbuds somewhere within his purse, but Madison enjoyed the old fashioned. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing. Perhaps.

Madison peered into his cup, frowned, then put the laptop to the side so he could get more tea.

He had just placed the kettle back when Lance strode in. Madison immediately brightened up with a smile, and, fingers wrapped securely around his prize, he spun on his heel to face the other.

“Good morning, Lance. AJ.” Madison was very much aware of the cat’s name, and also found it very much charming. As he went to grab a bit more milk from the fridge, he paused to give the cat a brief petting under his chin before moving on.

“I’m doing wonderfully, thank you for asking. Candice and I just saw the recruits’ orientation- some of them were understandably confused, but I’m hoping that things will turn out alright in the end.” Madison took a large swig of the still-hot tea, winced a bit, and went on.

“What about you two? I hope your day has been going well so far.”

cornpops

AJ purred and happily lapped up the milk. Lance grinned and leaned back in his chair. ’I swear, one day AJ’ll like you more than me. You trying to steal my cat?’ As if to just rub it in his owner's face, AJ began to rub on Madison’s legs. Lance chuckled,shaking his head. ’Figures. You can curl up in Maddie’s bed tonight then, sit on his face.’ The cat simply meowed back.

Deciding to leave an argument with his cat for later he turned his attention back to Madison. He always loved the smell of tea, especially when Madison made it. He had special touch Lance always wanted. [color=#2e66a]’So, what did you think of them? Anything super cool about them? Cool power’s that’ll impress Arthur?’[/color]

cornpops---

Madison gave a gentle laugh, lowering himself back into his seat (a lovely velvet thing that he tended to stroke whenever he was in thought) and placing the mug on the stand beside him. The mug was replaced with the laptop, and he began to idly tap on the keys as Lance spoke- not writing anything of substance, but simply giving his hands something to do. However, as AJ winded himself between his ankles, the laptop was once again neglected in favor of the cat.

“I’m more of a bird person, really,” Madison said, “but I wouldn’t be opposed to AJ stopping in for a visit or two from time to time. I’ll put out a bit of tuna, pour some of that fancy cat wine from Japan- it’ll be a real treat.” His fingers scratched at a spot right behind AJ’s ear, and Madison briefly wondered if he should just pick the cat up and plop him in his lap for easier access, but decided against it. He didn’t want to spook AJ, after all.

“I didn’t see much of them to say,” he admitted. “The only person who used any power was Rick, and we already know what he can do. The rest mostly just asked questions- some of them called home before they left to look around. I suppose that’ll make camp even more spontaneous, though.” A sip.

“Would you like some tea, Lance?” Madison asked. “There should be a fair amount left in the kettle. It’s chai, if you don’t mind.”

cornpops

Lance nodded, humming as Madison explained that we saw. So they didn’t know much about the kids yet. He wanted to be there when they finally showed what they could do. If it was anything compared to Rick’s powers, then he assumed it would be amazing. They had to be rather strong after all, being half demons. He hoped they liked cats.

As AJ continued to nudge Madison, Lance stood, walking over to the kettle. ’I’d love tea Maddie. You always make the best. Though I’ll get it, wouldn't want to upset AJ there. I really do think you’ll find him in your bed one day.’ After pouring himself a cup Lance returned to his chair. He took a sip and sighed happily. The only thing better than smelling tea, was drinking it. Chai wasn't even one of his favorites, but Madison made it so well that he found himself drinking it as fast as he could.

’Great as always Maddie. You have to teach me your secret someday, okay? I want my future kids to drink this stuff.’ Of course, if he even had kids. Lance always found himself attracted to guys, and while not all men were biologically the same as him, his current love interest would most likely not ever want a family with him. Besides, wouldn’t that make him Madison’s other father? Not only weird, but would ruin his whole dream of passing down tea knowledge.

Lance shook his head, ridding himself of the strange fantasy he thought up. Maddie, his kid. Ha.

’Anyway, um, Maddie.’ He took a moment to clear his throat and put his cup up. ’Wanna go check these kids out in person?’

cornpops

[color=]“There isn’t much of a secret to it, really. As long as the leaves aren’t poor quality, and you remember to take it off the plate once it’s done, it should turn out alright no matter what.” The laptop was now completely neglected, placed on the arm of Madison’s seat as he used both hands to fuss over A.J. “Bird person” or not, Madison wasn’t about to ignore such a friendly animal. One hand travelled back beneath A.J’s chin, and the other gingerly stroked against the creature’s back. “Well, if he ever ends up wandering in, I’ll make sure to let you know. I wouldn’t want to make you worried,” Madison said. It was highly doubtful that A.J. and Lance wouldn’t eventually seek each other out themselves- the two were almost always attached at the hip, and cats had a nose for their masters- but the offer still stood.

At Lance’s own suggestion, Madison straightened, rubbing his hands together to rid them of any fur that might have gathered there. “That would be lovely,” Madison smiled. “Hopefully they won’t mind us tagging along for the tour. I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance.” If he had noticed Lance’s momentary drift, Madison didn’t comment on it- instead focusing on shutting down his laptop and sliding it into its case.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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In most religious text, one would be hard-pressed to find no mention of the “soul” of a being. The name itself differs quite often- spirit, the breath of life, vital force- but the concept remains nearly the same. The incorporeal force that drives our body, makes up our very selves. Still, given the steady research of the brain and its functions, many

Madison paused, fingers hovering above the keyboard, and frowned. “Many”...what? Researchers? That was a bit too specific- there were scientists who had forgone religion in the face of discovery, yes, but so had the modern day populace. People? Too casual. He tapped his lip, took a swig of coffee from the mug off his desk, and thought for a moment.

Members of society. Yes, that was good.

many members of society have become atheistic, or at the very least agnostic. The recent discoveries of the supernatural world, however, flies in the face of what evidence has led us to believe, and has turned several key scientific principles on their heads. Magick defies the laws of physics, certain supernatural species possess the ability to resurrect themselves in a new form (see; the Phoenikoi), and demons and devils, previously thought to be mere figments of the imagination, now walk among humanity. This last bit is particularly fascinating to me, as their appearance proves the existence of another concept by association- the afterlife. While we at the WDL consistently use “holy magicks”, demons, who are, by nature, capable of removing the “souls” of a being, give further credence to there truly being a heaven and hell. The prospect in itself is incredibly exciting, and opens up a brand new world of study for humanity. Of course, with such a new frontier to explore, countless more questions are opened up alongside it. Which religion could be considered the “correct” one, for instance? Are any truly able to be called correct?

The one thing I’m most curious about, however, are “souls”. The shared link. The thing that demons can hold in the palm of their hand, and yet humans have gone years without knowledge of. The purpose and capabilities are all unknown, but confirming its existence is a considerable step towards understanding this aspect of mankind’s being.


A bit choppy in some parts, and the grammar would have to be revised, but that could wait until a later date. For now, it was a matter of getting his thoughts onto paper. Smiling broadly, Madison hit the “save” button, and spun away from the computer to face the door of his office. Shortly after getting his papers in order back at the lounge, he had come here, hoping to work on a few papers until the time came for him to leave. Many of them were still locked far behind the dreadful irons of distraction and preoccupations. The upside in that was that the ideas were left to grow, swell up with tidbits and research and interviews. It would be marvelous to finally have them all down and in the database. Truly wonderful. While there came many struggles in the Warrior work, there was an undeniable upside in that he- along with his cohorts- were able to touch upon fresh territory. Parts of it known, others left a mystery to even the most experienced among them. Plenty of room for theorizing and musing and pondering.

Cracking a particularly stiff spot in his neck, he slid over to the opposite side of his desk, retrieving the folders piled neatly upon the polished oak and bringing them over to his workplace. Souls, God, Nirvana, Styx. Religions and myth mingled together, flooding reality with its incomprehensibility. For now, of course, he amended. There was just as much proof of the corporeal sides of the supernatural, just as there was incorporeal. For now, the easiest way of progress was to record what could be recorded, and work from there.

It was still quite entertaining to consider the possibilities, though.

Making a note to check on the labs when he had the time, Madison flipped open the manilla cover of one folder, eyed the contents, and cheerfully set himself back to typing.

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Character Portrait: Maniae Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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#, as written by claw
It would be intangible at first, the microscopical change in the air as something warped just the smallest spot in the world. It was no bigger than a pinprick at first, a tiny, tiny change in the air as it began to first heat and then instantly cool itself again, changing temperatures on itself over and over and over as the entropy of heat and cold began to expand ever outwards in tiny waves. It would be utterly undetectable on all but the most highly attuned heat sensors as it begun to grow and grow, first to the size of a ping pong ball and the constant flipping of temperature grew ever faster. Now it would be able to felt at a distant as the rapid rising and dropping of heat began to rip the air around in its turbulent air currant. It would be as though a draft had been open next to a burning building, the heat being blown in with the coldness of the blowing wind.

This growing wind would grow only steadily stronger as the anomaly grew in size to that of a football, the wind being great enough to pull at paper that wasn't weighted down, loose sheets slipping free to be cast adrift on the open air within the office. It would be as though nothing would stop the growth of this unknown force as it continued to expand, now as it grew to the size of a beach ball the wind began to become chaotic as even the temperature of the room was affected by the mass of chaotic change. It was as though it were a spinning globe, hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, over and over and over again, changing ever faster and faster and faster, threatening to rip picture frames off of the wall as they rattled against the storm in the air.

And then suddenly the wind and the changing heat ceased, but that was only for the space in the air had been filled by something entirely unnatural. Where the orb of changing temperature once warped itself into being, light and colour and reason had fallen in on itself. A perfectly round sphere floated under its own power in the middle of the air, colour constantly shifting and warping and falling in on itself in a twisting, shifting vortex of joyous rapture. The sphere seemed to glow and warble as it floated in a perfectly singular place. For anyone to truly look at the entity would be painful enough, focusing on one point of colour as it spun around and inwards in the vortex of light would have made their eyes burn as it tried to process all the different colours at once. And yet this wasn't even the worst bit of this strange force, for its creation wasn't silent. As it ripped the fabric of sense apart there was an extended noise, like mixture of the singing of a choir, singing faintly in the vestries of a great and glorious chapel, and the steady beating of feet upon a war torn battlefield, shells falling from the sky around them as the ground was torn to mush by shot and body falling into the dirt.

The noise slowly faded out as the orb remained in the air, unmoving, not reacting to anything around it, seeming for all the world an oblivious abnormality within nature until suddenly a voice echoed out from somewhere within the orb... Or rather a collection of voices, it sounded as if everyone who had ever lived were whispering all at once, a hiss that echoed a billion times over and each word echoed over and over on itself as each word were drawn out by the nature of the horrific speech.
"
Greetings to you, Madison Lovette.
Greetings to you, Madison Lovette
"
Your work is most of interest to us.
Your work is most of interest to us.

Oh yes, we have seen your path. Yes.
Oh yes, we have seen your path. Yes

We are the oracle Maniae
We are the oracle Maniae

Yes, we know much, much to come and much has been.
Yes, we know much, much to come and much has been.

They see not the tails you know. Their coins are hidden.
They see not the tails you know. Their coins are hidden.

We know it though, as should you all, that when the red turns blue, the sky must heat too.
We know it though, as should you all, that when the red turns blue, the sky must heat too.

Questions, always questions, always must know.
Questions, always questions, always must know.

Ask, ask, always ask or always left wondering.
Ask, ask, always ask or always left wondering.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maniae Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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The initial backdraft into the room had initially gone unnoticed. The AC had been malfunctioning for weeks, so a little sudden warmth was nothing too alarming- Madison simply brought up a wordpad on his computer, made a note to get around to having that fixed, then continued on with his work. Currently he was attempting to decide if “batteries” or “generators” would be a better word to describe souls, and seemed to be growing stuck on the matter. Sighing, he reclined in his chair, staring in mild frustration at the screen. Perhaps he should bring out a dictionary. It would certainly be more helpful than going off memory alone.

It was in the midst of his irritation that he noticed the folders strewn upon his desk had begun to flap open and shut, contents kept barely in place by a set of clips. Bewildered, Madison reached out and gathered the folders in his arms, and moved to put them away in his desk. The AC had certainly never been this strong- especially as it began to send frames rattling, books shuddering in the shelves they were stored in. The room no longer held the pleasant warmth he had set it to, instead rapidly alternating between extremes of cold and hot. This was not just a malfunction.

And then a stack of papers smacked into his face.

When Madison had pried the documents free, he found that the wind and the shifting had come to an abrupt halt. In their place was the most indescribable sound- like a hornet’s buzz, or a child’s giggle. Or a particularly angry cat. It was many things at once, all combining to create some sort of
sound. He cocked his head to the side, trying to pluck a shred of tune or sense to the thing as it played.

As the tune went on, it also appeared that reality itself was falling apart before him in the center of the room. Curious.

It appeared that, for whatever the noise was, it served to announce the presence of the twitching, writhing orb, as it ceased with the rift’s movement. Its voice- voice? Yes, Madison thought that was right- its voice, however, quickly made up for what absence of clamor there might have been.

Calmly, Madison lifted his mug, and took a deep sniff of it, checking to see if it had been drugged during a lapse of attention. It wouldn’t be the first time. Or the third. Or the fifth, for that matter. Upon finding it satisfactory, he lowered it, pressed the switch beneath his desk to communicate that there was a foreign entity on WDL grounds, and stood to gaze into the rift-sphere thing. For all his best effort, however, he quickly found himself looking just left of the being, as he found that trying to look at it was a tad too muddling for him to handle. He could only hope that doing so wouldn’t offend.

“Well. Good afternoon,” Madison said, chipperly. “It’s very nice to meet you, Maniae. I’m quite pleased that you enjoy my work- I’ve been hoping to publish a study on the potential origins of magick, and I would be more than happy to let you read a few pages of it if you’re interested.” He would have added a “Mister” or “Miss” before the being’s name, but the sphere appeared to have no characteristics that pointed to one sex over the other. And given the fact that it was referring to itself as a “we”, Madison could only assume that it had no gender.

From one pocket he produced a notebook, and another a well-worn pencil stub. He tapped the end absently against his bottom lip before jotting down something upon the paper. “I hope you don’t mind,” he smiled. “I’d be more than happy to put these back if you’re uncomfortable- it’s just that prophets are a rather rare breed. Especially one with such a fascinating entrance. You said ‘sky must heat’, correct?” Madison scratched down a few more notes, then suddenly paused.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what brings you here? I’m sure that you didn’t just drop by for no reason.”

Another moment of silence, and then,

“Oh, and feel free to help yourself to any of the mints on that desk there, if you’d like any.”

Manners were everything, after all.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Maniae Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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#, as written by claw
If the orb that made up the chaotic form of Manaie was at all aware of it's surroundings as Madison spoke to their unworldly entity it made no clear sign. There was no change in it's place, seeming to be less floating in one place but rather entirely fixed in the air, rooted as though it were a sinkhole in the fabric of time and space itself into which all reason was rapidly draining away. The constantly shifting myriad of colour was still falling over itself, twisting and turning as it was pulled inwards by the entropy of the unknown hole in the centre of the being.

Origin?
Origin?


The voice of ten thousand voices echoed out of the hellish sphere after a moment of silence. There was a strangeness to the question, a lack of emotion yet a hanging question. It seemed as though the cacophony of hushed and whispered tones could not agree with each other over how they should react to the questioning, though certainly it was not the first time the creature had been asked questions and certainly wouldn't be the last.

Origin without end
Origin without end

Darkness without beginning
Darkness without beginning

Masterless form
Masterless form

Will made death
Will made death

Always and never.
Always and never.

Seen, always known, rare harnessed
Seen, always known, rare harnessed


There was a pause in the demonic entities sonorous voice. Though it had been for just a moment the voices started to pick up once more, though this time there was no fixture of reason, no sense of logic. Each of the millions of millions of voices began to each whisper one after the other, all at once in a steadily growing wave of noise that rose into a harsh static of white noise that seemed to constantly compete with itself and grow louder and louder and louder still. Words would drown themselves out, languages would compete against each other, voices unknown and familiar would flash forth only to be consumed by the waves of noise until the orb of chaos suddenly fell silent once more.

Adrift, yet affixed
Adrift, yet affixed

We do not dictate our place, only desire it
We do not dictate our place, only desire it

His brood are here. They face darkness
His brood are here. They face darkness

Such terror awaits them, awaits you all
Such terror awaits them, awaits you all

Study. Learn. Beware. Darkness, light, hate, sin
Study. Learn. Beware. Darkness, light, hate, sin

The serpentine brood grows
The serpentine brood grows

They have separated. The pieces must remain together
They have separated. The pieces must remain together

Lost, we are lost
Lost, we are lost

Knowledge for knowledge's' sake
Knowledge for knowledge's sake

Time without end is stoppered
Time without end is stoppered

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Maniae Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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For a moment, Madison became concerned that he had offended the spacetime anomaly somehow- it hissed and screamed at itself (themself? Themselves?), as if they were thousands of beings arguing over how best to answer. Perhaps they were. Maniae had appeared just a few minutes ago within his office, after all, and Madison knew little about them aside from the fact that they were a prophet. But then they fell silent, and began to speak in the same cryptic style as before.

It looked as if they wouldn’t be having that mint after all.

Nevertheless, Madison immediately went to writing, scrawling as much as he could onto the small square of paper, and only flipping when all possible space had run out. He jotted notes and erratic bits of thought in the margins, and when that was done, looked hungrily up to the being for more information. Some might have been more questioning of the circumstances. Prepared a spell circle to contain this creature until further notice, perhaps, until they were entirely sure that it was not a threat. Madison was dimly aware that he should have been doing just that, from a logical standpoint. However, for what it was worth, Maniae had done little more than appear and make an attempt at conversation, and there was nothing wrong with that. Besides, passing up such an opportunity for knowledge would be absurd.

The voices picked up again, after a pause. Louder, this time, blending into a deafening wail loud enough to make Madison actively attempt to cover his ears until it subsided. He wondered if anyone else was hearing what he was, or if the sound was restricted to the room- or even his own mind. He hoped that was the case. As much as he was enjoying this conversation, he didn’t want any of his neighbors to end up concerned. Like before, the sound soon cut out, and, as before, Madison lowered his hands and moved lead back to paper as Maniae spoke. However, their words now were a bit more...chilling than before.

It didn’t take much to determine who the “brood” was, and even less to know that an apparent oracle declaring that there was something dreadful in their futures wasn’t at all good news. For a few moments, Madison remained silent, pencil still as he processed the information.

“Oh,” he said. “Oh dear.” He was frowning, brow creased with thought. “That certainly isn’t good.” There was another pause, before Madison suddenly broke free from whatever reverie he had put himself in. Smiling up at Maniae, he returned to his notes, adding in the last prophecy and circling it twice.

“Well, thank you very much for the warning, Maniae. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out from now on.

“Are there any signs that I should watch for in particular, if I may ask?”

Setting

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Character Portrait: Maniae Character Portrait: Madison Lovette
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#, as written by claw
"Are there any signs that I should watch for in particular, if I may ask?"

Maniae paused for a moment, the silent creature remaining in it's singular point in the middle of the office. This time it didn't simply break into the chaotic rambling whispers that had all but broken apart it's thin film of sense and reason, nor did it repeat a question over to itself over and over again as though the voices that made up it's own voice were questioning the very meaning of the word itself.

Signs
Signs

Many, many unheeded. Many unspoken
Many, many unheeded. Many unspoken.

Fire and shadow. Flesh and bile.
Fire and shadow. Flesh and bile.

Always. Always. Always.
Always. Always. Always.

The deep grows bright with fallen blood
The deep grows bright with fallen blood


Slowly the warping, wobbling light that was the vortex of chaos, the mesh of colour that swirled into itself, collapsed into owns entropy began to do something that was as impossible as it's being, it began to run out. The beach-ball sized sphere began to diminish in size, the lines and tiny droplets of speckles of maddening colour began to run dry as they slipped one by one into the invisible centre of the creature. As it got smaller and smaller an ever growing noise began to ring out, like that of a train speeding along tracks on a vast open countryside, or the heart of some great beast in a hunt for the ages, their prey slipping past their jaws as their mighty heart pumped their limbs with adrenaline. And then Maniae vanished, falling in itself.

The air fell silent as the demonic entity vanished from existence, time seemed to stretch on in silence in the absence of the being all together. It was as though the constant swirling mass of colour had drained its form from the world itself, taking a part of the worlds colour away with it.

There was a change though, a sense of static that ran down the tongue and made ones ears prick at the edges, almost as if in confusion at the change itself. The reason for this bizarre energy quickly became apparent as Maniae suddenly reappeared, though far differently from the first time. This time there was no wind, no chaotic emergence, nor was it anywhere near as slow. Rather the creature manifested but a foot away from Madisons face, no bigger than a football and still perfectly spherical. Though certainly it even appeared differently, no more were colours shifting and swirling and confusing and consuming themselves as they fell inwards, rather now golden and silver light seemed to stream out of the centre of the creature as it remained fixed in the air. Even the noise of its arrival had changed, where before there had been madness and chaos, now as it tore itself into reality there was a sound of distant thunder followed by a dozen whispers in a dozen different languages all saying the same single message: "Respite"

We do not exist long in this state
We do not exist long in this state


Though despite the obvious change in the entities form and arrival the ever present echoing voice of a million voices and remained.

You ask for signs and there are none to be given to prevent its passing
You ask for signs and there none to be given to prevent its passing

Change and chaos is coming
Change and chaos is coming

Our brethren, the Demon Lords
Our brethren, the Demon Lords

They already move against your kind
They already move against your kind

There are some who cannot be saved
There are some who cannot be saved

We have seen your path, Madison Lovette
We have seen your path, Madison Lovette

There must come a day where you must chose
There must come a day where you must chose

Between your loyalty to your kind
Between your loyalty to your kind

Or your honest heart
Or your honest heart

Know, betrayal is coming. It comes for you all
Know, betrayal is coming. It comes for you all

They will be twisted from their paths. Learn. Guide them.
They will be twisted from their paths. Learn. Guide them.

Or the great end shall
Or the great end shall




Consume
Consume

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Notable NPCs Character Portrait: Maniae
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If you wanted a thankless job, specimen technician for the WDL was probably a pretty good one. Art Hunter found himself in the role of carting bits of demon all over Europe in order to return things for study in Vatican City.

Surprisingly enough, a job that centred around demon corpses was surprisingly uninteresting work. Mostly because demons ceased to be especially dynamic when they had no head or only half a body.

Most of the time at least.

At the outside of the WDL compound, a van pulled up into place at the barrier level with the exorcist on duty. Some squeaky electronic music pulsed out of the window as a dark-haired man in his twenties sat in the driving seat, numerous fast food coffee cups scattered round the other seat and a look of profound disinterest on his features.

“Hey Hunter. Want me to report you in?”

The technician looked round with a shrug of his narrow shoulders.

“It’s fine. Got to cart all this crap in anyway.” he replied.

What he was bringing wasn’t really something you wanted to leave lying around somewhere. You didn’t really get along too far by trusting WDL cadets to exercise common sense.

A couple of minutes later Hunte ended up pulled up outside the block used for research. He hopped out of the seat, disturbing his collection of coffee cups and cereal bar wrappers, unhooked a white coat from the side to throw over the jeans and T-shirt he’d been wearing, and opened the back. Inside there was a gurney, and strapped down on top of that a translucent rectangle of plastic. Any close inspection would be able to work out the misty shape inside was looking suspiciously humanoid in shape..but the puddle of green around the shape’s head, like some sickly chartreuse halo, was not something you’d ever really associate with a human body.

Pushing dead stuff around was not exactly difficult, but it did kind of limit your options. It wasn’t especially heavy, but he wasn’t going to fling something like that over one shoulder and carry it up some steps. All that green goop could be poisonous..or..acidic...or how it reproduced. All kinds of horrible options. And the young man didn’t feel sufficient levels of zealous commitment to the WDL to risk his own life to get them a research specimen.

He pushed the gurney up to the usual door, approached the intercom sat beside it, and pressed the button.

“ORIN, technician A Hunter, signing in. One deceased specimen. Unknown species. Something gross. Here to report to Lovette for where to assign this thing.”

No answer.

“ORIN?”

Still no answer.
“This is about last week? Very mature. I’m not going to pretend the chimunk voice was not funny ORIN. You can’t ask this of me. I’m only one man.”

At continued lack of response, the young man sighed deeply, and snapped the channel on the intercom.
“Lovette let me in. ORIN is sulking and I’m not abandoning a cadaver in the car park.”

---

ORIN, for what it was worth, was not ignoring Technician Hunter’s requests out of spite, (even if she might’ve been tempted she wasn’t quite that petty) but was more down to her having far more important things to contend with before she let anyone in.

She wanted to scream at Angel for being a negligent prick and not dealing with the potential massive security risk that had presented itself, but she was also pretty certain that between his contempt for her and how far his head was lodged up his own ass, any amount of lecturing from her was not going to sway him to do any more than he already was.

Instead she set about instructing all the staff in the detainment level of evacuate the area and reconvene on all exits, while she pulled down all the blast doors and sealed off the area, including ventilation and water. Nothing was going to get out of that place. If no-one else in the organization was going to be on this, she most certainly was.

ORIN threaded her gloved fingers together, elbows leant on the table as she scrutinized the cameras. Lovette could handle whatever that idiot technician wanted, she wasn’t there too-

ORIN stopped.

ANOTHER manifestation?

“Lovette what in the hell are you doing and why is there some fracture in reality in your office?” she called down the intercom, before snapping over to the higher staff channel once again.

“Seeing as it appears we’re simply no longer bothering with actually stopping demons anymore, I’m going to assume none of you esteemed people are interested in the fact that yet another entity has managed to infiltrate the complex. But considering that, despite the apparent apathy towards the safety of the base, it is still my purpose to detect security risks, I felt it necessary to send you a courtesy call.”

---

Helena bristled a bit at the response from the individual she’d spoken to about the food.
It hadn’t really been a big request in her eyes, but it had been met with pretty undisguised hostility.

With renewed despondency and interest in eating anything once again gone, the young woman rested her chin on her arm again and took instead to idly rolling the vial back and forth between her hands and trying to work out how she was going to escape as soon as she got the chance. Maybe if she stuck around until everyone else had wandered off she could sneak out..


As such it took her a moment to realize she was being addressed, ending up regarding Vistra a little bit like a rabbit in headlights whne met by the apparent concern.
“Oh. Yeah. Not so bad I guess. I just hadn’t done...whatever that was before. Disappearing some place and reappearing. That was pretty new. It’s probably just because of that. And whatever people knocked me out with and stuff. I’m doing my best to be calm and collected and all but...not super okay with all this.” she explained, twisting her fingers in the sleeves of her dinosaur sweater.

This was really not a good day.

Upon Dawn's offer Helena came to grasping the ginger ale in her hands, not really too inclined to start drinking it but also not wanting to imply that she didn't appreciate the gesture. After some of her previous interactions Helena concluded it was easier and better to just play along.
"Oh yeah, thanks." she responded.
"I'll try that."

Wait until these people leave her alone, and then make a break for it. Couldn't be too hard...right?