Helena Kingsley's Story

Jojo had known something was up, the mood in the area being ominous and tinged with.. something. He paused behind the two in front of him, watching as the man staggered toward them. His eyes narrowed, and he saw the expression on the man's face. He took a preemptive step back.
"Oh no."
Splat.
Jojo spun in place, grabbing the two people closest to him- Ash and Helena- and forcibly turning them around to look away from the sight. He probably hadn't reacted fast enough to stop them seeing at least a little, but at least they'd be able to look away from the main course. "Don't." He turned back to Illusion, worry in his voice. "Miss Illusion, can-" He was cut off as he took in the sight before him. Jojo's hand flew to his mouth and covered it as the man began to twist and contort, Jojo's eyes beginning to widen as he took an unsteady step backwards and looked behind him for a moment before turning back. He felt something splattering against his face and chest, but he didn't put two and two together yet. All he knew was that as he'd turned back to look, something had smacked him in the face. He couldn't look away as the man was literally ripped apart, torn to pieces in front of the group. Whatever had hit him was in the back of his mind when there was something like that in front of him. He looked at Illusion and Eine, wishing they would help, but Illusion looked back at him and shook her head. Jojo looked over at Eine, who simply stood there with a stiff form, darkness in her eyes. He took yet another step backwards, his head starting to feel light.
He knew he was going to start heaving.

Blood, flesh, bone and organs splattered across the ground. The man was literally ripped apart. Jojo gagged visibly, doubling over slightly and keeping his grip on his mouth even tighter than before. His body shook as he tried to fight back the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. He looked up again, and took another step back.
Blood splattered across his face and arm, and he immediately spun around and began heaving hard. Dropping to his knees, he covered his mouth once again as he started retching. It took him a little while, but he eventually stopped himself. Breathing hard, he'd barely managed to avoid actually coating the ground with his breakfast.
"Guess.. that's why we need to fight demons.. heh.."

It was in this position that he was able to clearly notice Caius' own freak out. He couldn't hear the man very well because of the fairly loud wind, but Jojo knew a tortured tone when he heard it. Whatever was going on with Caius, it wasn't good. He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on Caius before slowly standing up again. Waiting until he was sure everything had ended, Jojo slowly moved over to him. His head was still light, and he felt nauseous, but his concern for Caius overrode that feeling. Stepping down over to the taller man, Jojo spoke. "You.. You okay, dude? Lemme know if you need anything, yeah?" Jojo's voice trembled and he felt a bit weak, but obviously Caius was dealing with a lot more than just a random person he'd never met exploding. He looked tortured, tormented.
Jojo couldn't have that.

He reached out, placing a hand on Caius' shoulder as he crouched in front of him, slightly to his right. He didn't offer any more words, but he figured Caius knew that he was there if he needed him. He turned back around, looking over everyone else. " Is everyone okay?! Anyone need any water? I can run to grab some if you need it!" There was worry in his voice, and he tried to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. He'd almost thrown up at the scene, so he somehow doubted he was the only one that had that urge. "What the hell was that..? If that's regular for a demon like Rick said.." A look of resolution came over Jojo's face as he slowly stood up. "Miss Illusion, actually, can you grab some bottles of water from your portals for us, please? It might not be necessary, but.. it'll be something at least." He didn't mention how Rick and Vesper both seemed unaffected. It was.. he paused for a moment. Just what had those two seen to make them so.. stoic about this? A little bit of anger coursed through him, but he stifled it quickly. He'd talk to Illusion about exactly what they'd made Vesper suffer through later on. Right now he needed to make sure everyone was okay, and make getting angry wouldn't help with that.

He let out a long breath. Half of his face was coated in blood, and there was a huge patch of the stuff on his shirt. He paused for a moment, blinking before reaching up and wiping his face. He'd assumed it was sweat from having to fight so hard against his vomiting, but..

Jojo went pale as he noticed his hand coated in the blood he'd just wiped off his face. Looking down, he saw that his shirt was coated in the stuff. Thick, crimson blood stained his white shirt. He swallowed audibly, he seemed to go even paler. He went to speak, but couldn't. He hadn't noticed until just now exactly what it was that had hit him. He'd been too busy trying not to throw up, and then his concern for Caius had put the thoughts in the back of his mind. He was probably hit just before Rick tossed up the air barrier, which made perfect sense to him. He'd turned Ash and Helena around just in time, it seemed.

Jojo silently turned around to face away from the group, swallowing a third time. He crouched down, quickly yanking off his shirt and using it to wipe the blood from his face. He then quite happily tossed it onto the floor, standing up once again. He exhaled hard, shuddering as he turned to the others. "Uh.. permission to go grab another shirt?" He seemed to be fairly fine, but his pupils were a bit dilated and he was shivering a little. Not too much, but enough.

Inside his mind, he was piecing together everything that had happened. A demon had literally just burst from a man in front of them, torturing them to death and enjoying it. Jojo looked over everyone in the group, and he clenched his bloody fist. "That.. can't be allowed to happen."

"Oh...yeah...fine." Helena mumbled, a few moments after she realised that Dawn was asking her a question. It wasn't exactly convincing. She wasn't certain why she'd even said it. She certainly didn't feel okay. However any attempt to try and explain why she was upset...either kind of went without saying, or was something that she had to keep to herself at all costs. So she offered up the most socially acceptable response and went with it.
"Just k-kinda tired."

She hadn't totally hidden the shake in her voice.

Helena followed along with the group as they started walking, her eyes downcast and generally making little effort to pay attention to what was going on. That was until the group of people crossed their path. The young woman hadn't been paying sufficient attention to the halt, an nearly walked right into the back of Jojo who's been a little way ahead.

Something was...off...wrong. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

While on some level, Helena was pretty sure that there was something not right, the moment one of the men's arms began twisting themselves out of their sockets was something she couldn't expect-

Helena was stood in a dark expanse. She could see nothing at all within it, and yet she was somehow certain the darkness spread in front of her a great distance.

She began to walk forwards, compelled by some unseen force. In her peripheral vision, Helena could pick up the fuzzed edges of buildings and walls in the gloom, all devoid of light and life.

It seemed she was walking for hours when she began to become aware of colour, somewhere in the distance. A red light far on the horizon. A last, something other than this oppressive darkness!

And then, without warning, Helena was elsewhere. Looking through a small gap out into some...indistinct room... as if she were somehow trapped in the space between walls. Through the small crack she could make out..a man in a well-pressed suit, adjusting his tie.

Somewhere else again. A dark room. And a blade..a scythe in greenish gold, the feeble light reflecting a strange hue off its edge.

Back in the dark street. Helena found herself stood below the red object, that towered over her and bathed the patch of ground in crimson light. A cross? From here it seemed to be a cross. As she watched however, the light that issued from it was dimming. Dark mist was crawling around the cross's base and snaking its way up to the top, consuming whatever light it did once give out. Helena, unsettled, began to back away from the corrupted thing, preferring to some degree the passive darkness of the lifeless city over whatever was devouring this object.

She turned away and jogged back into the shadow. It was..less oppressive than before. Less threatening. Now that she was used to it.

Crack!

An arc of electricity burst across the air over her head, spreading out and disappearing, searing white against the fuzzy black.

Crack!

Another blinding fork of light.

Then...a splatter. A repulsive feeling of warmth across one side of her body and around her feet. In the illumination cast from the bolts of energy, she could see the blood pooling around her feet, sliding down her face-


Sunlight.

She was outside the WDL base.

Why wouldn't she be?

In the few moments it took Helena to get here bearings one again, she gradually realised that she was facing the opposite way to where she had been before. When had that happened? Why had that happened?

Her concerns about that were diminished however when the girl became aware of something else. The warm, liquid sensation of something sliding down her face...had not gone away. Reaching up gingerly she felt for it, something thicker than water and warmer than anything had the right to be...and pulled away to find blood spattering her cheek and hair.

"Oh god!" Helena yelped in horror and alarm, swinging round to be met with the carnage of the courtyard where the man had been stood seemingly moments before. The memories came flooding back of the man snapping his own shoulders out.
"OH GOD!"

If she'd actually eaten anything in the past thirty-six hours, she might've joined Jojo in throwing up.


She hadn't much idea what had happened, but Helena was already pretty certain that it was considerably more than she could handle. The fact that Rick, whom she took to be the leader of this group, was utterly unconcerned with this carnage, and citing it as 'fairly standard' pretty much made Helena's stomach drop through the floor. More than a few people there seemed...totally unfazed by this. And..if anything that was more acutely disturbing than the pieces of corpse littering the area.

"This is...insane!" she exclaimed, as she swung round for something to try and get the spattering of blood out of her hair.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I wasn't even good at being a NORMAL PERSON! You can't just expect us to handle this! It's not fair! "

Tears stung at the corner of her vision but the sheer horrifying absurdity of it all expressed itself in anger over despair.

"Someone just died! Doesn't that even bother people!? I don't want you to turn me into someone who isn't horrified by that! I don't ever want to be like that!"

----

Meanwhile, the intercom over the yard crackled suddenly into life and the rather familiar noise of the defence system gave voice.

"Would you like me to say 'I told you so' now, Angel? Or would you like that communicated to you through official channels?" ORIN asked.

Down in her control room ORIN sat sideways across the chair, legs hooked over one arm and cup of coffee sat between her hands.

She was pretty certain she should be worried about some demon killing a prisoner in the middle of the compound, regardless of what Illusion thought on the matter..

But Angel being humiliated made it hard not to take some satisfaction out of it.

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

With a simple nod acknowledging that Ash had done what she needed simply by reaching the auditorium, she proceed to fold her arms behind her head to wait. The following spectacle with Caius was mildly amusing, as well as a good reminder to her that prudence was the wiser choice when it came to this place. As much as she hated authority, she could stomach it where the alternative would result in worse humiliation like that boy had received. Unlike him, she wasn’t stupid.

Next came the briefest of lectures into what boot camp was going to entail, though it was still somewhat vague what that consisted of specifically. Maybe if they’d had more time she could’ve asked questions and found out a bit more, but she’d have to simply settle on the fact that she’d be learning her special abilities (Whatever they were), how to fight, and apparently participating in some reality show-esque survival game. All in all, she actually couldn’t complain too much. It was better than traditional schooling by a long shot, and she’d been in enough scraps to know the joy of punching some smug fellow in the face. If combat training required sparring, there was more than a few of her fellow demon-kin that she’d gladly take the opportunity to introduce to the floor. Camping wasn’t an issue for her either. In fact, she liked it a little rough.

"Now, if you would kindly follow me so you can learn how to become superpowered cool people, we should leave quickly. We'll be heading to the nearby garage to procure a nice vehicle for everyone to share." Illusion gestured for them to follow her, and Ash resisted the urge to raise her hand to interject. Following slightly behind the group, she figured she’d raise the fact that she’d make her own way using her bike at the garage, particularly given the arrival of Mister Friedman. She did however, turn back to the supply bags. ”Shouldn’t we carry these-?” Ash stopped herself as the bags seemingly dropped through the floor, the portals taking them closing as quickly as they arrived. ”…Never mind.” She mumbled, jogging a little to catch the rest of the group and follow after them.

The walk to the garage was going relatively peacefully, that Ash almost felt inclined to make conversation. In fact, she was about to when they suddenly came to a stop. Illusion first, then by herd mentality, the rest of the group. Leaning slightly to the side and moving up from the rear of the group, Ashley looked to see what appeared to be a bunch of the WDL goons, including that big wig from the other day, escorting some prisoner. He looked normal enough, but looks could be deceiving. She briefly wondered what sort of thing he’d done for such treatment, but didn’t care enough to find out. As far as sideshows went, this wasn’t very amusing.

”Uh, hello? Can we get moving again?” Ash asked, but her question was cut off by an ear-splitting crack, and the sudden feeling of movement as she was forced by another to turn away. So visceral was the feeling that filled her being that it made her visibly flinch. She knew that whatever going on behind her was bad. She could see it in the expressions of the people she’d turned to face. The sounds. Smells. Everything. All the warning signs were there that she should take her good fortune and not look behind her. But she wasn’t a wimp. She was tough. She could handle whatever it was. ”The hell JoJo! Get off me you do-” Ash hesitated as she slightly pushed him away, freezing in place as the blood caked across him registered through the slimy sensation on her hand. She wasn’t nearly as soiled as the boy, nor had she really felt it through her thick waterproof clothes, but it was still there. Slowly, her eyes traced the mess back to its source. She’d seen messed up things before, but never this close. Never this real. It was horrifying, and seemingly never ending. Transfixed on it like a train wreck or a car crash, her mind and body started to get through the shock and start shrieking alarm bells in her head. She took a step back, then inched further away. Barely, she managed to contain her own reflux as she covered her mouth and swallowed it back down. The taste left a knew sensation of disgust through her senses.

It was some sick joke. Some twisted prank by Illusion to throw them out of whack. It had to be. And yet, the blood on her hand from touching JoJo confirmed otherwise. She felt a little weak in the legs as they refused to work, the display of their insignificance and reminder of their mortality a world-shaking experience. As the winds gathered around them from what Ashley recognised to be one of Rick’s spells, it gave the black haired biker a chance to pay attention to the declarations of the demon that rose from the carnage in front of them. As the smoke billowed and the soldiers that had been escorting the prisoner scrambled to safety, Ashley was suddenly very happy to have a nerd like Rick helping them, but she didn’t get to dwell on that feeling long.

The message from the demon was clear. That were to fear him, and what he had planned for them. Ash didn’t really need it stated to her so plainly, as her body already felt that dread all over. The only solace she could take was that for whatever power this monster had; it clearly was not unstoppable. If it was, why didn’t it just murder them where they stood? No, this was just a vow on their heads. It didn’t actually mean anything, other than reinforcing the idea that there were many out there who wanted them dead. All the more reason for them to hurry up with this boot camp and learn some magic mumbo-jumbo to protect themselves from such dangers. Rational as those thoughts were, Ashley couldn’t keep her focus on them. Not with the corpse in front of them. Not with the memories that kept flashing through her mind to remind her of what happened, desperately trying to make sense of it and help her process it.

Around her, the reactions of the group varied. Breakdowns, indifference, mischievous smiles and even JoJo’s ever present practicality. Ash barely registered her own shock as her mouth remained agape, taking it all in. Slowly however, feeling returned to her numbed senses. Her brain began to catch up to the present. Vesper and Rick responded with casual indifference, like this was expected or normal. Ash 100% agreed with Helena’s reaction to that, though she didn’t voice it. That was insane. The fact they could just… Ignore that! Were they so desensitized to that gore and violence that they didn’t react at all? Even with training, Ashley didn’t believe she’d ever be able to handle something like that. She hoped she would never need to again.

Nearby, Caius was having his own personal freakout, though JoJo seemed to be on top of that one. His issues sounded a lot different to what her and Helena were feeling, so Ash instead focused on supporting the only other person who seemed to have a similar reaction to her. ”I’m with... Uh…” The pressure of the situation and the intensity of it all seemed to freeze up her brain, Ash unable to recall Helena’s name at the moment. ”…With the squirt. This is nuts! If you expect us to just accept this sorta thing, you’re even crazier than I thought!” Ash tried to sound tough and forceful, but she couldn’t stop the shaking in her legs. Her body was quivering in a flight or fight state still, and the adrenalin refused to stop. It was definitely putting her on edge in dealing with all of them, her words particularly directed to Rick, Vesper, Illusion and Eine.

”I was maybe okay with this bullshit before all this but this is… It’s just…” Still trembling, JoJo was the first to speak, probably not hearing this side of the conversation as he inappropriately began spouting some nonsense about water bottles. Probably his way of coping, but Ashley wasn’t putting up with any of that crap right now. Too many emotions were running high at this point, and she had to lash out. ”Oh shut the hell up JoJo! Stop acting like some bigshot prick! I’m sick and tired of your freakin’ mediating bullcrap! Just have a goddamn honest reaction for once and shit your pants like the runt and I!” Storming up towards him, Ash had to stop herself from giving him a rough shove, once again noting the blood soaked across him. ”Tch…” Rapidly spinning back around to Rick and the other, she remembered her beef with them, voicing it aloud. "What the hell is wrong with everyone here?!" With a frustrated yell, Ash finally stopped long enough to regain a little composure, catching her breath. She wanted to just get away from this situation more than anything else, but there was no running away at this point. She had to deal, at least to some extent. ”Screw this shit…” She swore under her breath, kicking some debris across the ground. “Why’d this crap have to happen to me…?”

Dawn returned Hel’s response with a sympathetic smile. “It’s, um. It’s been a lot, huh?” “A lot” was an incredible understatement, really. Especially given what she had told them of how, exactly, she came to enter the WDL. There was little that Dawn could say to the near-stranger in support, however, aside from an earnest “Hang in there,” as the meeting progressed.

Caius’ arrival didn’t seem to go unnoticed by their Principal, either- moments after he had glanced into the auditorium, he was whisked into one of Illusion’s portals and thrown onto the ground before them. Illusion took a moment to chew the man out before addressing the rest of the Seven, giving a brief rundown of what, exactly, Boot Camp would entail. Survival. Cooperation. Caution, most of all. Evidently, the WDL weren’t overly welcoming when it came to anything that wasn’t fully human- with the exception of Illusion, it seemed. Their fellow trainees were, in a way, could be considered as much as a threat to the Seven as whatever “Boot Camp” had in store for them.

Recruits in a supernatural hunting organization. All of them- even her, as strange as the thought was. The little procession began a journey to the garage, Illusion congratulating a man on a child that he seemingly hadn’t even mentioned before on the way. In the back of her head, Dawn began to worry that they were heading right this instant. She still needed to ask if there would be someone available to take care of Iggy for her- the last thing that she wanted was for her poor boy to be left by himself for a whole week. Dawn was preparing to ask one of the higher in staff when they came to an abrupt halt. Surprised, she looked over the shoulders of the others to see a batch of WDL officers, apparently transporting a prisoner, and then-

Snap.

The prisoner’s arm was twisting, popping and cracking under the weight of some invisible force. Bone was not meant to bend like that. Limbs were not supposed to yank themselves free from a body, thrown carelessly on the floor like trash. Dawn’s eyes widened in horror, hand clasping tight against her mouth and nose. The man was being torn apart by the seam, but she didn’t look away- staring at the scene, the mutilation, as if it were impossible for her to avert her gaze. She took a few steps back as the rest of his limbs were twisted loose, free hand gripping tight into the side of her skirt.

Slick warmth pattered gently against the front of her shirt. There were shouts around her, retching...pounding? But her focus was on the massive towering shape that bloomed from the...bits left of the prisoner. Dawn pressed her palm tighter against her face. The demon’s message was clear- he could reach them all easily if he so desired. And yet, after delivering it, he simply disappeared, leaving them to process just what, exactly, had happened.

He wanted to intimidate them. That was his purpose, and it seemed to have succeeded...for the most part. The staff didn’t seem all too bothered, except Eine, whose face had darkened as soon as the whole thing had begun. Oddly enough, the veterans among the Seven were almost completely unfazed. Apparently, demonic torture happened often in this line of work. The aloof nature of their company was quickly picked up by some of Dawn’s fellow newcomers- Helena screaming at the WDL members, Ash joining in quickly after, shoving Jojo for his attempt at stabilizing the whole mess. Understandable, in all the chaos of the moment, but it prompted Dawn to say something in defense of her friend. “He was just trying to help.” Her face was pale and drawn, and she spoke somewhat weakly, trying to look everywhere but where the prisoner...was. The last of the newcomers, Caius, was still lying on the floor, looking completely haunted.

Dawn, finally managing to tear herself fully away from the remains of the prisoner,had begun to hastily wipe at herself in an attempt to clear the blood away. It came from her skin easily enough with a few swipes (although there were a few patches that had already begun to dry, and now refused to do anything but smear), but there was nothing to do about the worst of the spill, which had landed on the front of her clothes. Unlike Jojo, there was no way for her to remove it without completely throwing modesty out the window, so on it stayed, Dawn’s hands left hovering above it in a helpless sort of gesture.

“Water,” she swallowed, craning her head away from the coppery scent. “Water would be...really great. I think.” Dawn didn’t comment further on their circumstances, or the fact that the veterans were unsettlingly at ease with the carnage. Perhaps it was a matter of distraction, perhaps something else. She stared down at her bloodied hands, looking ill.

Illusion idly pulled her phone from her pocket as she typed out a message. Brenhin's threats washed over her body and mind- he was essentially powerless against her, and she knew it. As the smoke demon finished up his speech, Lusy slid her phone back into her pocket and waited. Giving him a cute smile and wave as he vanished, Lusy turned around to see the carnage before her. Blood soaked the front of her shirt, staining her nearly completely. She'd gotten quite drenched, although she simply reached up and wiped her face clean with a cloth. She licked her lips, making a disgusted face as she turned away quickly and spat into the handkerchief she'd used to wipe her face, before spinning back around. "Gross blood.. tastes disgusting.." Letting out a soft sigh, Lusy dropped away into a portal, reappearing from it moments later blood-free. Idly cracking her neck as everyone nearby had their tantrums, she sighed loudly. Tensions were high, emotions were flaring.. She felt something deep inside of her frame stirring before she immediately snuffed it out, burying and then destroying it.

At ORIN's interruption, Lusy had to hold back a snicker. "Ah, yes, truly a shame that our most prodigious of Exorcists under Arthur himself has been oh so badly humiliated. Truly such a shame." She saw Angel stiffen. Angel himself was bursting with rage- his target had been able to escape before he drew his blade.
Hatred flew through his veins as Illusion taunted him, her voice echoing throughout the area. His blade rocketed from the sheath and crackled with violent electricity as he shot across the clearing so fast it seemed that he'd teleported. His face was contorted with pure hatred as he sliced at the vampire in front of him. A small smile slid across Lusy's lips as she caught the blade in her hand, her grip covering Angel's own. She stepped in to him, speaking softly. "Not in front of the new recruits, Angel. You might make them dislike us even more if you keep acting so.. uncouth." Angel glared daggers at the vampire before stepping back and looking everyone present over. Sheathing his blade, he returned his gaze to Illusion, fists clenched. His entire body was tensed. "Just because you're a part of the WDL doesn't mean I won't kill you one day, demon. Consider that a promise I intend to keep- for yourself and the rest of your damned hellspawns." He hurriedly rushed off, almost sprinting after his cowardly men. Lusy's grin dropped as she noticed Eine staring at her, and she turned to the others.

"Everyone, calm down, please." Angel certainly didn't help the situation..
She extended her hand, focusing for a moment before reaching into a portal and yanking out a large bag of water bottles. She tossed one to Jojo, who immediately began dousing himself in it, letting the blood wash off a bit instead of letting it dry. He took a few gulps, washing the taste of bile from his mouth. Finishing, he sighed hard, looking over at Ash. "Water to wash down the taste of me almost throwing up, and also to wash the blood off my clothes.. kinda.. Figured you guys might like to get some too." He ignored her remark about 'shitting his pants'. He was too focused right now, and he knew if he started to actually think about what he'd just seen, he'd probably spend the next week being unable to eat or sleep- he already figured he'd stay away from meat for a long while. He was still shaking a little with dilated pupils, a sign that despite his practicality, he was fighting hard to stop himself losing it. He had to take a deep breath to keep himself calm. Losing himself now would be bad. Someone had to keep their cool- someone who still had emotions, that is.
Don't look at the body.

Illusion sighed loudly, raising her hand and clicking to get the attention of everyone present. "I am a vampire. I've been alive for thousands of years- I've seen innumerable atrocities, endless violence.. Something like this is regular to me. I'm a demon from Hell, so if I were to be disgusted by violence would make my entire existence difficult. It's not nice, but.. it's true." She motioned over to Eine, who stood stock still. Her white suit was untouched, and somehow still pristine. "Eine here is a veteran of a secret war where billions of people were slaughtered, including her own friends and family. She took an oath to never allow that to happen again. Both of us did." Eine nodded, turning to Illusion. "I made a promise that zhe bloodiest conflict in history shall never be repeated, ja, as did many people, Principal Illusion included." Illusion moved to point over at Rick, then to Vesper. "And these two have had enough trauma in their lives to see this and become unflinching." She dropped her hands, sighing hard. "We're not going to turn you into unfeeling soldiers. These people have merely been through so much that they don't fear this any more."

Levitating off the ground slightly, Illusion crossed her arms. "We're not asking you to become heartless. We're asking you to help stop this kind of thing from ever happening. To protect innocent people from being hurt by.. that. Imagine someone you love and cherish being hurt by that demon. Is that what you want? We're here to give you the power to create miracles and save the world. You may all be what you are, but we're here to get you to use that potential for good. We're here to make the best of a terrible situation. We, I, know none of you asked for this. You were all content with your lives, but.. I'm here to help you become strong, powerful- able to protect those you care about and more. That's the purpose of the Warriors of Divine Light- to protect humanity from things they can't defend themselves from. That's what I want you to take from this experience. Not that you're stuck here in a world full of monsters, but that with our help, my help, you'll be able to protect the world- your families and friends and loved ones- from monsters like that smoke demon." Her tone was hopeful, even a little pleading. It was obvious she had high hopes for the Seven, and wanted them to succeed and prosper- and be able to save themselves from whatever lay around the corner for themselves and their loved ones.

Dropping to the ground, Illusion brushed her dress off. "You're in a position where you have the strength to save the world. I'm simply asking you to help us do that. You're all so much stronger than you could ever imagine, so please, so everyone's sake, please let us make you strong enough to save the world- emotions and all intact."

She paused, then spoke again. "Please help us save the world. We need you." She bowed at the waist, staying like that for a few moments before standing up again. She let her gaze pass over everyone present before turning away and raising a clean handkerchief to her face. Her own losses still plagued her, despite her ability to hide them.
Her body suddenly changed, and Lusy was standing, smiling, before them.
Her face shimmered a little as she spoke. "Sorry for the shameful display, but I have to put this illusion up for a couple moments. Some scars run quite deep, I hope you understand." Eine's own face had darkened even further, and her eye was closed. Her gaze was far away, and she reached up and idly touched the bandage covering her face with a clenched jaw.

So many scars for so many people still hurt.

The illusion vanished after a little while, and Illusion turned back to those present, a pained smile on her face. "Well, what an event.. Hopefully we all understand why we're here, now, and.. I want to remind you all that I'm here to help you in any way I can. No matter the hour, or the place, I'm here to help and guide you." She spun on her heel, floating off the ground slightly as she began to move away the way they'd come. "We'll be taking the long way back past the dormitories so you can grab a change of clothes." She left almost right away, pausing momentarily to pat Caius' head softly before floating on. Eine was quick to follow, head bowed slightly. Her memories plagued her- a storm-filled night mixed with lightning and chaos.

And black flames that scorched the very earth on which they stood, burning, twisting, devouring everything in their path.
Eine shuddered as her dark thoughts consumed her.

Jojo stood there for a little bit, crouching down to pick up his shirt. He stayed crouched for a while, reaching up to put his face in his hands and mutter under his breath. "Fuck me.."
He stood a few moments after, tossing his wet shirt over his shoulder as he followed Illusion back to the dorms. He hoped that he could have a bit of time in his room to have his own personal freak out.
He hoped Dawn wouldn't ask if he was okay.

The vampire floated slightly ahead of the others.
Brenhin had fallen into her trap perfectly, and Angel had been made a fool of as an added bonus.
The day was going very, very well.

However..
She wished those tears had been fake.

By the time boot camp came Vistra has been quiet for a while. Almost like she was absent from everything going on. It all just rushed at her at once. She was the Child of The Devil. The demons that had been chasing her for a year were indeed real, and very very dangerous. Her father would even be able to vist her soon. She had no doubt he'd attempt to move closer to her, maybe get a job here.

Vistra wondered if the WDL had a church anywhere inside it.

Then she wondered how awkward it would be to step into a church for the first time after learning her parentage. Whilst she knew she was still loved by God, since loving was kinda his whole point, would it change anything? She sincerely hoped not.

By the time Vistra snapped back into reality Caius has joined them. He was a few minutes late but Vistra didn't blame him. Things had been happening so fast here.

Boot camp, she decided, would be fun. She'd enjoy it, look forward to it, and learn all she could. Maybe she'd even grow closer to these people. They were half siblings after all. It wouldn't be so bad. Jojo seemed nice and he obviously cared about his friends. Ashley reminded her of every cool older sister from old sitcoms. Vesper was quiet, but sometimes Vistra liked the quiet. Rick could probably teach her a lot. Helena hadn't shown much of her personality yet but she handled all this well. Caius.....

Caius was trying. She thinks if he let's her get close they could have a good relationships and balance eachother out.

Her thoughts to her new siblings were cut of by a commotion ahead. A man, a boy really, stumbled by their group. With the way he was moving Vistra assumed best case this was a bad hangover and worst case this kid had a concussion. Never one to let a stranger stay in pain Vistra moved to the front of the group, arm outstretched towards the boy.

'Hey, are you oka-' A sickening splat and the crunch of bones stopped Vistra dead in her tracks. She was covered in something sticky and warm. Very slowly she looked down to see a red stain dripping from her clothes. At first she wondered if it was hers. It made the most sence to her. Vistra bled. That was her whole thing. There was no way this kid just.... exploded in front of her. People didn't just blow up.

No. She'd look up, see the boy perfectly intact and then she'd apologize for bleeding everywhere.

She raised her head ever so slightly. He'd be fine. He'd be fine. He'd be-

Red.

There was so much red.

It coated everything around the mound that had been the boy. The metallic smell was so strong that even Vistra felt the need to cough. Red had always been Vistra's favorite color but now she was thinking of changing it. Maybe a nice calming blue.

Caius it seemed was deeply effected by it all. It made Vistra's stomach drop to see someone that strong brake down. With the way he was muttering to himself she assumed it wasn't just a fear of blood.

Caught so off guard Vistra couldn't do much but stare slackjawed at the bloody pulp. Thankfully none had gotten into her mouth.

Illusion stepped forward, looking much more somber than Vistra thought possible for her. Every word had Vistra attention. She nodded along mutely, until Illusion dropped a bomb she didn't care to hear.

'Imagine someone you love and cherish being hurt by that demon. Is that what you want?'

Before she could stop it the mental image of her father acting like that poor boy, stumbling, hurting, and then popping like a balloon was too much. Her stomach lurched and she turned on her heels. The delicious meal she had early couldn't stay after imagining that. She spent a good few seconds vomiting and missed all the rest of Illusions speech.

Shuddering she finally straightend up to see Illusion run off. Jojo soon followed suite. There was silence for a moment, broken by Vesper herself. The girl sounded remarkable calm and moved to comfort Caius. Normally Vistra would join her but at the moment she wasn't sure she could take a step. She was thankful Vesper acted as she did.

At last she turned to Rick. He had to know what to do now. 'Rick...uh...' She was at a loss. What could she say to make it better? 'I'm....sorry. About vomiting.'

================================



================================

"When was it that this feeling, I wonder
that I was held like this? I can't remember
maybe, I was never held ever, if that was
the case, then what is this feeling that seems
to make me feel sad and then warm at the same
time, I don't hate it at all."

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██Caius was utterly lost in the mist of the unknown and land of confusion. Reality, secrets, lies, and beliefs were colliding without any consideration to his psyche. It was a delirious encounter that caught him completely. He felt a nudge... There was a tint of familiarity. It was... he can't put a word in it, but it wasn't disliked. His golden eyes that were blank as if looking far beyond the truth gazed at the source. There he found the face of that snooty brat that intruded on his fight that day.

His mind was still in a race inside a maze that never ends. But, somehow, it slowed down, enough for him to take a breath. Still, he was not in a state to fully recognized what was really going on in his surroundings. That's why he only focused on the sensations reaching him.

When that familiarity touching him vanished, it was soon replaced by a pat of understanding. He looked where it came from and there was that dwarf of a man-child who desires to break him. But, he didn't turn it away. He didn't... then it was gone too. The next thing he felt was a touch of gentleness that it felt like a sting to him. He flinched as it grazed his cheek, but like it had been earlier. He didn't turn away. His golden eyes looked at the cause and found amethyst orbs reflecting him.

"You abandoned us, Cai."

Those words echoed in his head as he finally spoke. "I didn't... I" Then, he was pulled into a hold that he could only describe as intimate before. But now, the scent of flowers enveloped him in a softness, he could only describe as comforting, so safe as words soothed his tumultuous mind. White tendrils of hair touched his face, like feather, it pulled him back. Then... "Rebel to your heart's content." This person, he had no idea who she is... yes she is a woman, but her words, it was what he needed to hear most.

That's why his hands that were hanging limply on his sides slowly moved. His hands gripped onto her back, the fabric of her clothes, gave a smoothness, he liked. Then, shakily, as if he was afraid of being pushed away, his grip tightened, and soon, he wrapped his arms around her, like a pillow that offered him comfort. This one though, had the scent of spring flowers and a warmth, so soothing. He felt safe in it. That's why he couldn't help but to close his eyes. His mind finally blanked out.

"Sweet dreams, Ai."

His name is Caius, but somehow, he felt that name is correct. Ah, he really doesn't want to think. For now, it felt right to accept this feelings. So for now, he would, even if he knew when he open his eyes again. He would push this away. He would snarl at the one who offered. He would reject it vehemently. But most importantly, be embarrassed, but for now, it's fine. Like that, he just allowed his consciousness to fade away.

"Don't... tell." Well, he had to rebel a bit, he finally slept.

---

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

Ash made some space for herself away from the others, ignoring the comments that JoJo and the others made in favour of some solitude to really sit through and process what had happened. She ignored the blonde idiot that seemed responsible for bringing the exploding man to them as well. Although she had a few choice words to say to him, she wasn't in the mood right now. It was totally insane. Panicking wasn’t helping, but she wasn’t nearly as collected as the others. Well, with the exception of Caius. Funny, as they’d probably been the two talking the most shit prior to this moment. Ash didn’t smoke, but she sure as hell felt she could use one now. It was times like this where she’d spend some time alone again, riding her bike or shooting some hoops. Neither of those were an option. She'd just have to learn to deal with it.

As an awkward silence fell over everyone for a moment before their guide finally saw fit to speak, the parasol wielding vampire providing a ‘logical’ explanation of why everyone was so damn calm. Honestly, Ash didn’t really care why they could just stand there unflinching. It was still unnerving, even if it was explained so bluntly. In fact, she didn’t know what she wanted from them anymore, or how she could be comforted at this point. She really just wanted to go home, but that idea seemed further and further away by the moment. Even if she could go back, would it be the same after seeing all this? Would she be able to put everything she’d seen here behind her? She doubted that. The memories of this moment would probably be brought up in trauma counselling for years to come.

As Ash turned to look back over the group, Illusion moved on to talking about what this situation should really highlight for them, about what it was that they could do moving forward. Loathe as she was to admit it, it did resonate somewhat with her own views. What they’d witnessed was horrific. It terrified her to the core. She wouldn’t wish for anyone else to see something like that, let alone experience a fate like that man had. She couldn’t do anything to stop that though, not at this stage. Apparently though, she could make a difference. Given time, she could become more powerful and maybe help put a stop to demons like that. Maybe it was naïve to think that she’d be that capable, but somewhere deep inside of her, she knew that if it was possible, she had an obligation to see it through.

Stopping and watching Illusion finish her pep-talk, as well as the reactions of the rest of the group, Ash was a little surprised by the bow and seemingly genuine plead of the vampire. It wasn’t typical of what she’d seen of her thus far, and as such, made a bit more of an impression on her. Not that she’d comment on that notion. Sighing inwardly, she could feel her body winding down a fair bit, now filled with a dreading sense of weight rather than the tenseness from before. The whole situation had begun to feel pretty heavy, but slowing it down and talking serious did seem to have helped her calm down from her irrational state. She didn’t think it was an overreaction on her part, but she probably owed some people an apology. Not that she’d be giving one. Instead, she decided to try and lighten the atmosphere a little with an offhand comment towards Illusion.

“Bit melodramatic, don’t you think?” Placing a hand on her hip as she regarded the demon, she slowly began to take point and lead the way towards the dorm. Vesper seemed occupied with Caius, Rick with Vistra, and the others still seemed to be just dealing with what happened. Someone needed to start making a motion, and it seemed that person would be her. Moving forward helped put what happened behind her. Despite that however, Ashley couldn’t suppress the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

Rick Brackwall

Illusion took the words right from his mouth.

It was quite true, all of it. Whether they liked it or not all of those who stood resolute did so only because they never would of survived had they lacked the will to harden one's own heart. The seven's purpose here was to prevent this atrocity from occurring on a global scale, to prevent the extinction of mankind. They might not of understood that but he did.

He looked on as Angel departed, watching him pursue his fleeing subordinates. He had always been Rick's superior since the day he arrived. While he was often tense and hostile he had seen his dedication and focus. He respected him but that did not mean they could not disagree on matters. He was smart enough to keep his disagreements polite and keep his focus on working towards solutions rather than arguing over issues thankfully, an element which served him well when they spoke.


"Rick."

As the remainder of their group settled Rick only just picked up her voice from the chatter. He turned to Vesper, soft spoken as she always was.

"Let us go. You have to lead."

He looked from her to the group of them as she continued, still listening to her words.

"There is nothing else here for now."

He simply nodded.


"Of course. Let us put a close to this sordid scene."

He started away from the body of the dead prisoner. As he didn't need to change he'd simply go and wait in front of the dorms until the rest were ready. It seemed Ash was already on the ball, setting forth to get redressed and ready to continue. Before he could join her on route he was addressed by Vistra who had up until now been spurred to vomiting now that the shock of the event itself had lessened.

"Rick...uh..." She paused "I'm....sorry. About vomiting."

He looked upon the innocent and youthful face of Vistra, a bit of bile still upon her lips. Stepping right up to her, avoiding the mess she made while making look like he wasn't even trying, he gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder while looking straight into her eyes. There was no disappointment, no anger to his eyes. There was instead a sort of empathy intertwined with a strong confidence, like an adult consoling a grieving youth.


"There is no need to apologize. You are not weak for feeling ill at such a sight. No sane human witnesses a life lost like that and feels no such unease."

His tone was soft but conveyed all the seriousness such an event warranted. He would not let her go on and think herself lesser simply because she lacked experience in witnessing death. Taking his hand off her shoulder he put his hands together, closing his eyes in concentration. In his mind he formed the spell, the arcane forces channeling through his mind into his hands.

"Thought without doubt, Purity made tangible."

He spoke the incantation clearly, each word infused with a strength of purpose. A light began to shine from between his hand, it's golden hue peaking through the gaps between his fingers. As he separated his hands a small mote of golden light could be seen hovering before him, still yet flickering like the flame of an invisible candle. With the steady care a surgeon could only dream of having he moved his left hand behind the light and guided it towards her, careful not to touch it himself lest it disperse.


As the light touched the collar of Vistra's shirt it suddenly sunk into the fabric. The light expanded throughout her clothing, traveling in a circular wave radiating outward through the materials of her attire. Upon making contact with the blood the light seemed to push the crimson fluid away leaving behind naught but pristine fibres. All the blood along with the bile and any other undesired materials were forced from the cloth she bore, running free from her clothing onto the ground before her shoes. The light continued all the way until it covered all that she wore in one long flowing wave, driving out any and all manners of filth no matter how minute. Once the light collided with itself at the opposite end of it's starting point it simply dimmed, fading like the glow of cooling metal fresh from the forge.

Rick stood before her, watching his magic run it's course. It only took a few seconds for his purification spell to run to it's completion. As the light faded he simply nodded to his own handiwork.

"There we go. Now come along, I want to you take this opportunity to tend to yourself however you might require before we set out."


He hadn't let go of the warmth in his voice, his tone of comfort. He gently ushered her away from the scene of the murder towards the dorms so she could have an opportunity to clear her head as well as possibly the taste from her mouth.

He couldn't blame her. Only a sane human would feel their stomach turn at such a sight.

Forget the happiness you knew, for it shall be devoured.


Illusion had waited fairly patiently as the party regrouped, sighing softly as she noticed that half of the people there barely even fixed themselves up. Helena still had the blood on her sweater, Caius was still passed out in Vesper's boobs, and the rest were all still fairly ruffled. She'd been busy on her phone, and had given Jojo and Dawn a small greeting, but kept mostly to herself. A small smile sat on her face, now, however. He'd recovered quickly, replacing his fear and disgust with hope and desire- with resolution. That meant her job was much easier.

She idly realised that she'd been unable to reply to Ash's little commentary earlier. Ah well, she'd rather not have kept the girl near the exploded corpse any longer.

Waiting for everyone to reach the group point, Illusion sighed softly. Caius and Vesper were still being lovebirds off alone together. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. "I'll let him sleep for now. He deserves it." They all deserved it, after all, though. Bringing them here, then rushing them into Boot Camp right away? That was an awfully risky move for Arthur to pull. Something in her chest stirred, but she stifled it as soon as it began.

She clicked her fingers, a second Lusy emerging from her body and immediately floating over to the place Vesper and Caius were. Gently tapping Vesper on the shoulder as the main Lusy turned to the others, she spoke. "We'll head off now. Vesper and Caius will join us later. I can simply teleport them to us."
"We'll head off now. Caius and yourself will join us later. I can simply teleport you to us."

The second Lusy smiled at Vesper, then looked over at Caius. "He deserves much rest. Sadly.. time is of the essence."
"You deserve much rest. Sadly.. time is of the essence." she spoke to the main group, pocketing her phone. The second Lusy pet Vesper on the head once, then spoke once more. "Let me know when you're ready to come."
"Let me know if you have any questions during the trip, okay?" With that, she simply lifted off the ground a little, motioning for everyone to follow her as she made her way to a building close to the entrance to the WDL's grounds- a large garage full of several.. coaches? Motioning to the coach marked '7', Lusy smiled and waited. The second Lusy appeared, merging back into the main Lusy as they touched. Vesper had her mobile number, after all.

"Now we wait for our.. lovely driver~"

The peace quiet was rather suddenly and rudely shattered as a black haired Italian boy came exploding out of a door into the open street. He half ran, half outright sprinted down the street, only to screech to a halt to wheel back and lock the door to the apartment complex before tearing back off down the street, the back of his shirt flapping wildly where it is too big for him and he had forgotten to tuck him in. It wasn't exactly his own fault that he was in such a rush, absolutely anyone could have slept through twelve alarms after sleeping for nearly that exact same time. It was a honest mistake to make and one that was entirely blameless and utterly one that deserved him being let off on.

Of course if he really believed that then he wouldn't be running down the street to work. It was times like this that he deeply wished he could simply drive to work again and then not have to worry about things like how much his legs were on fire trying to run down a simple cobbled Vatican road. He wasn't built for all this physical exertion god damnit, nobody should have to run so fast that their face was half melting with sweat. He both looked and felt absolutely terrible as he huffed and puffed and silently swore at the stitch in his side as he barrelled down the street, narrowly missing running into a group of soldiers who were busy running the opposite direction. He cursed whoever it was that didn't let him own even a simple push bike, the ground was flat! Why did he have to bust his lungs just trying to run halfway across the small city.

Eventually and thankfully he finally managed to reach the short office building that he was supposed to report to every morning. Taking the short flight of stairs up to the door two at a time it was hardly a surprise when his foot caught on the last step, his momentum carrying him forwards and only a panicking outreached hand stopped him from crashing face first into a glass door. Instead he simply fell forwards and promptly crashed down onto his face just inside the lobby of the office, breathing though what felt like every orifice in his body.

"Oversleep again?" Came a chirpy voice from behind a counter far above where he lay sprawled on the floor. He could only illicit a pained and tired groan in response before he dragged himself to his feet, clinging onto the reception desk for both physical and emotional support.
"I.... Ah... I am not built for this.... Madre Maria." He gasped and groaned as he painfully managed to finally bring himself up onto his feet with all the difficulty of a sleeping titan. The girl behind the desk, a pretty girl not much older than he was and likely only doing the job because it paid well and because if there was ever going to be a chance to bag a hot boyfriend then surely working around a lot of muscular men wasn't too bad of an idea. It was shame, the skinny Italian boy thought, that he didn't think he was her type, she was really rather pretty and pretty funny too.

"What's this? Third time this week?" She smiled up at him as she passed a paper cup of water over the desk to him, clearly she had been expecting him to come barrelling into office with all the enthusiasm of a headless chicken. He didn't even hesitate in grabbing up the cup and practically inhaling the water, the whole cup being drained in record time and with such ferocity that half of it came back up with a stifled burp.
"Thank you for that... Fourth time actually... God in Heaven why do I keep putting myself through this? How do I look?" He smiled at her, opening his arms and flashing a charming grin.
"Like death warmed up with a side order of sweaty."
"Bene, that's the look I'm always going for." He said with a chuckle before lob shotting the paper cup towards the office bin and missing rather badly when he failed to factor in the fact that paper cups don't exactly throw very well and it quickly spiralled straight down to crash land on the desk.

With a lot more embarrassment than before he quickly quick stepped away from the laugh of the receptionist. He had been working here for months now and he still hadn't actually learned her name, he was almost always in such a hurry because of the fact he was usually still asleep when they page for him to come in. This time however, as he finally reached his bosses door he didn't really have that excuse, seeing as he had gotten an email two days ago to be here on time. He braced himself before knocking and stepping inside.

His boss was sat behind his own desk, surrounded by paperwork that seemed to be a jumbled mess even for him. He was a short and squat Greek man that had a disapproving look in his eye whenever he seemed to notice the Italian was ever around and that look certainly was not absent right now.
"Bonito Frate, late yet again." He sighed, looking up from his computer before gesturing for him to come inside. "You're over an hour late, what's the excuse this time."
"I uuuuh.... I overslept?" He tried smiling as if it would make things any better, sadly however it just seemed to annoy the man even more.
"Overslept again. You need to get another alarm clock, one with a hammer preferably so it will make sure you wake up."

Bonito kept silent as his boss began to sift through the mess of sheets and other assorted office supplies until he managed to dig out a clipboard that also seemed to be overloaded with paper. "Seeing as you finally decided to show up, here's you assignment. Seems you're being attached to a small group of students, have fun driving them all over Italy. You'll find the list of names and faces in there, plus where you're first driving them to. Stick to them like glue and for Gods sake do not fall asleep when they need you to get them somewhere."
"Si si, I am trying, honestly."
"Well try harder otherwise you'll be out of a job at this rate." There was a heavy pause as his boss gave him a withering stare before pushing a set of keys over the top of the mound of paperwork. "You're driving bus seven, try not to crash it. Now hurry up, you're just going to be more and more late."

Bonito wasted no time in snatching up the key and scurrying out of the office, taking the back way out since it came out right next to the garage. It was down two flights of stairs, a quick walk and then a card swipe through another back door and he was in. He was incredibly aware of the sound of his footsteps against the concrete floor. There was something about this place that for some reason reminded him of the opening scene of The Highlander. He picked up his pace, not exactly wanting to find out if there was an angry immortal lurking around a corner somewhere nearby.

It wasn't hard to find the coach he was looking for, it was more of a minibus really than anything, with an embarrassingly large number seven painted on the side. Thankfully it seemed, as he was busy unlocking the bus, nobody seemed to be here yet. For once he wasn't the one that was late! Perhaps today wasn't going to be as bad as he thought it would be. Hopping inside he turned on the bus for a moment, all looked pretty good, a full tank and not a single failure light was blinking up at him. He had to admit the mechanics were surprisingly good at their jobs here. Everything seemed to work like clockwork, not that he was complaining for a second.

Whilst he had a moment he decided he might as well leaf through the paperwork he had been given. It seemed he was going to be stuck driving eight students around, plus two actual staff members. Pretty standard fare, though why he was being assigned to them permanently seemed to be beyond him. It made less sense when he had been made to move to a small and cramped shared apartment so that he could get to work at a moments notice. Whoever these people were they were clearly pretty important.

Another piece of paper had the coordinates for the satnav which he quickly fished out from the glove-box. He had to frown, there must be some mistake here because instead of sending him to some compound or the usual kind of thing that he seemed to be ferrying people to and from the satnav was pointing him to some empty field in the middle of nowhere. There might be some kind of mistake there that would look bad on him for even trying to go there, but on the other hand it could very well be the case that he was supposed to go here to somewhere that was hidden from the map. Shrugging as he put the small box onto the dashboard, all would be made clear eventually he supposed.

He was distracted by a buzzing at his hip. Somehow he had forgotten his phone was still in his pocket, somehow he had managed to grab that in his mad dash out of the apartment even if he had entirely missed to grab any food. Pulling his phone out he had a message from Emilio, one of his friends he had made at some club a few weeks ago. He had to admit he had a bit of a crush on the slightly older guy, his green eyes and small brown locks just made him feel giddy, especially when they tried to have a staring contest, Bonito lost and also sadly had to buy a round a drinks.


Can't sorry, works dragging me around to the middle of nowhere

Ferrying people around I guess? It's usually something stupid like that


He couldn't help but smile to himself at the bluntness, it was no small secret that Emilio was part of the infamous hook-up community. It was actually because of this which annoyed him most, Emilio wasn't exactly too picky with the people he slept with yet it seemed that he had absolutely no interest in him. He had to wonder if he was perhaps being too subtle about it all. Flipping through the paper work he found a sheet of mugshots, some of which looked more like they had been stolen from Facebook rather than taken professionally. He had to admit to himself more than one of them were actually really rather good looking, maybe he wouldn't mind working with them either.

Why don't you come find out for yourself :p

Says the one who's going to be partying t up tonight whilst I'm stuck in the woods.

"-our.. lovely driver" Bonito jolted in his seat as he realised where he was again, he quickly peered outside of the window to see there was a small amount of people gathered outside of his bus.

Gotta dash, work calls.

He quickly pocketed his phone and pressed the button to open the bus doors. Somehow though in his panicked haste, a direct result of figuratively being caught with his pants down whilst he was busy texting Emilio, he managed to accidentally turn on the radio. Whoever had been driving the bus last must have been listening to some classic rock channel as perhaps the worst possible song came on just as the doors were starting to hiss open. Naturally the world would kick him in the gut by having the one radio station in all of Rome playing Careless Whisper have it just start as the doors opened. He must have looked like a total sleaze as that saxophone intro came blaring out of the bus as he revealed himself before he could cut it off.

With just a tiny bit more embarrassment than he had needed to deal with he quickly stepped from the bus, half bouncing down the steps, clipboard in hand.
"I... Uh.... Sorry about that, didn't mean for that to happen." His accent made his voice light and bouncy His eyes quickly darted across the gathered people, not lingering on anyone as he gave them a cursory glance to see if they were all here. Pulling a pen from a pocket a put a small cross next to the names of Caius and Vesper, who seemed to not turned up. Wasn't really his problem, people didn't turn up all the time, they would just have to find their own way to the middle of nowhere. "I'm Bonito by the way, Bonito Frate. I'll be your guys driver so I'll be around if you need me." He gave another quick glance along with a smile, though this time he only looked at the students, something about the two staff members just didn't feel right to him. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it but it was like there was something inherently inhuman about them that made him want to get as far away from them as he could.

Sadly the best he could do was get back onto his bus and hope and prey neither of them tried to sit on his dashboard and just stare at him the whole journey or something. Although that would probably be better than George Micheal.

Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade

Cleaning up hadn’t taken particularly long for Ash, but it was a much needed moment to collect herself. After getting back to her room and locking the door behind her, she immediately began stripping off and tossing her clothes across the room. The jeans were a lost cause – the blood was well soaked in, and cleaning them would be far more effort than it was worth. Well, for any normal person that is. Her jacket being waterproof fared better, and being her favourite she was loathe to trash it like the former article. Maybe she’d consult Rick at a later time. Finally, though her singlet had done remarkably well in remaining untouched under her jacket, it too found itself tossed into a different corner for a different reason. Even if she wasn’t that messy, a shower seemed like the ideal thing after what had happened. Clad in naught but her underwear as she looked to the mirror, Ashley hesitated for a short moment as she examined herself. Nothing outwardly about her appearance showed she was anything more than your average girl. Well, she had a bit more confidence in her figure than that, but still. Other than some slight muscle to her form, she didn’t look like she was destined for anything great. If anything, she looked like a bit of a deadbeat.

Sighing, she unceremoniously stepped out of the last of her clothes, tossing them aside as she turned on the shower, leaving it a moment to warm up before climbing in. A few simple amenities had been supplied; though Ash inwardly cursed at the fact she’d have to dry out her hair after this. Grabbing the soap and lathering up, the solitude of the bathroom had provided her plenty of opportunity to mull over the events and what she wanted out of the situation. Perhaps it was selfish to think that way, but all the talk about grandiose things and helping to protect this world… Well, was that really her? She never pictured herself as anything of the sort. I mean, no one really does, but it certainly didn’t fit how she saw herself. For as long as she’d really had a sense of self, she’d seen herself as a bit of a screw up. She didn’t fit in; she didn’t tend to be the brightest or best in anything. Sure, she liked cars and engines and could do some decent mechanic work – Heck, she wasn’t a slouch in sports either, but she’d learned to keep to herself. Dealing with her own problems, making her own way, not really relying on or doing things for others was how she’d lived her life. Things were simpler that way. At least, that’s what she always told herself. She didn’t really believe it. Why else would she even bother interacting with people? Much as she hated company, she also craved it. The hypocrisy of it always struck her as ironic.

Try as she may to maintain her distance and her cool, snide façade; she didn’t really wish harm on anyone. Well, most anyone. The actual jackasses and apparently evil demons could get stuffed for all she cared about them. Still, when she did help people, was it ever selflessly? Most of the time she wanted or expected some sort of reward, but this was… Well, different. Sighing at the complexity of it all, Ash scratched an ass cheek. She was in no way a martyr, but she wasn’t heartless either. Now that she knew she had power and responsibility, it changed things. She’d always seen herself as an observer or someone that couldn’t really impact anything important. Someone else would handle it. Besides, when things got tough or too much to handle, she could just ditch the situation and wash her hands of it. That’s how she dealt with any problem she didn’t like and didn’t know how to handle. This time however…

Reaching to turn off the tap and stepping from the shower, Ash grabbed a few towels to wrap around herself. She was done running from her responsibilities. Running away after hearing of all this had just made things worse the first time. The fact that things were more dangerous and on a larger scale didn’t change anything. This was the situation she found herself in, and she had to deal with it. Not only to protect those she cared about, but those she didn’t either. She wanted to help this world and help others, even if the world didn’t exactly seem to like her very much. When she was little, Dad had always said to be the bigger person, to be the one that made the change or broke the norm. Prove to everyone else that they’re wrong without succumbing to their tactics. She hadn’t done the best of that in the past, but maybe now she could start setting a new example.

Rummaging about her luggage for a change of clothes, Ash ended up with a puffy parka in khaki green, along with some beige fur trimmings. It wasn’t as nice as her leather one, but it would do for now. Heading back out to the others, her expression had lightened somewhat since the incident, but it was barely noticeable behind her folded arms and still slightly distant position. Maybe it was the slight cock to her stance that gave it away? Leaning her head slightly to try and keep her somewhat damp hair from sticking to her neck, she watched the eerie performance by the dual Illusions with little more than a shake of her head and an eye roll. Still, the fact she didn’t give a derisive comment was a good sign. When they finally made their way to the garage, Ash was more than a little elated to find that her bike had parked itself neatly away with the coaches.

“Perfect timing. You must have known how much I hate being driven around, huh?” Ash commented to the motorbike, striding up and leaning on it as she heard word that they were awaiting their driver. Speaking of whom, he made his entrance far sooner than she expected, accompanied by a familiar saxophone tune. A small, frail looking young boy seemed to step out, nervously laughing to himself and commenting on the music. Ash raised an eyebrow as she appraised him. He looked like he should be serving food in a fast food joint after school, not driving a bus around. Then again… Briefly looking back to Illusion before turning to the boy again, she decided she may as well ask. “You a crazy demon vampire too?” Sliding slightly as she sat side saddle on her bike, she gave him time to reply, shrugging it off. “Well, whatever. Hey, think you can tell me where we’re going pipsqueak? I don’t intend to sit stuck behind a slow ass bus when I could be there in half the time.” Patting her motorcycle lightly, she hadn’t really intended it, but the driver might’ve taken offence at the implication of his lack of driving ability. Turning slightly to the rest of her demon kin, she smirked slightly. "Have fun on the lame train guys."

Helena had followed on in silence, neglecting to offer comment on the whole thing.

She couldn't help but feel it was a bit unfair that Vesper and Caius were being granted this time off whilst the rest of them had to hurry along, but didn't really see much point in commenting upon it. It wasn't like much she'd said so far had undergone any serious consideration, and she'd rather say nothing than throw another of her feelings out into the void.

The young woman stepped up onto the bus, avoiding Ash and the driver's exchange regarding the motorcycle, and made her way to a vacant seat near the back. She dropped down in the seat next to the window, pulled her knees up, and rested her head against the glass.

Her head was pounding. Going on thirty-six hours with no sleep and it was catching up to the point that it overrode her natural anxiety. It was only really at that point that she really acknowledged the aches in her ribs and knees. Probably what happened when you fell out of a tree.

Least she could sleep on the bus. Wasn't as if the green-eyed monster could come and get her in the middle of an occupied bus.
"...guess someone would notice...probably.." she muttered, without too much concern about how talking to herself in the back of the bus might come across. The making a good impression horse had definitely bolted by this point. All she wanted to salvage from this situation by this point was at least getting some sleep before the next thing happened.

A soft chuckle left Lusy's lips as Bonito exited the bus, and she watched as he crossed off the two names on the list. She stayed mostly silent as he introduced himself, a small smile spreading across her features. "Lusy forgives you for your catchy introduction theme~" Smiling to herself, she bowed at the waist. "Bonnie here is going to be driving us to all of our important places. Boot Camp, for starters.". Hearing Ash perk up from behind her, she turned and smiled. "Wells, alls you'll needs to do is follow the bus when it leaveses, but I'm sures you'll be able to do that, Ashie-washy~!" Spinning on her heel slowly, she smiled over at Ash. "And of course he is." She had a sly smile on her face, and gave the girl a wink before hastily moving up to get onto the bus and sit down, but Helena beat her to it. Her smile dropping slightly, she sighed softly. Poor girl wasn't exactly having a good time, after all. Lusy could see her emotions flowing around her, like a faint mist. She wasn't surrounded by the happiest aura, considering her past few days.
The slightest of smiles lit up her features, but she caught it before anyone noticed.

Getting onto the bus, she sat quite close to Bonito's seat, the closest seat to him, in fact. To give directions in case he got lost, obviously.

Looking back at Helena, she gave the poor girl a reassuring smile. Well, she hoped it was reassuring, at least. It was meant to be a warm, friendly smile. She didn't know if it was one. Turning back around, she pulled out her phone and idly played with it.

---

Jojo raised an eyebrow as their driver exited the bus to one of the catchiest songs he'd ever heard. Sure was one hell of an introduction. Cracking a grin as the guy before him got off the bus, Jojo nodded. Sure, it made sense that their driver was Italian. They were in Rome, after all. The thought then occurred to him that Arthur had a British accent, which was odd, and that Illusion- Lusy, as she preferred to be called- had an accent he'd never heard before. It was European, maybe? Not German, for sure, since Eine sounded totally different. Lusy wasn't French, either. He couldn't put his finger on it.

Stuffing that thought in the back of his mind, Jojo returned to the present. Bonito Frate, huh? Interesting name. He already had his nickname- Frate Train. Jojo stifled a laugh at his terrible nicknaming skills. He wasn't exactly the best, but that wasn't his problem. As Illusion spoke, Jojo nodded. It made sense that they had the same guy taking them to every place. No point getting multiple people if you had one reliable guy. Lessened the risk of a secret being leaked and also some other stuff Jojo didn't particularly care about.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on that last thought. What?
Shaking his head slightly, Jojo looked up as he saw Helena hop onto the bus. Quick, quiet, and with her head down. She didn't look good at all. He bit his lip.
"You said you'd protect them, right?"
Clenching his fists in his pockets, he tapped Dawn on the arm and moved forward, looking over to Ash as she mentioned sticking with her bike instead and wish them fun on the 'lame train'. He exhaled hard from his nose, grinning as he gave her a wave. "Don't go too fast, you might leave us behind." Friendly banter was allowed, right? Surely. He didn't have time to hear her retort anyways, since he'd gotten onto the bus awfully quickly. Passing Illusion, he locked eyes with her for a moment and blinked. Smiling at him, the vampire cocked her head to the side like an inquisitive bird. "Oh, um, nothing, Lusy." He moved down the bus, to near the back where Helena was, and sat down. Pausing a moment before turning back to her, he leaned over the seat and decided to man up and actually go with his promise.

"Hey, uh, are you alright, Helena..? You look kinda.. Did you sleep at all last night?". Insomnia sometimes got the best of our good friend Jojo, so he knew the look of an exhausted person when he saw one, but.. something else seemed wrong, too. It seemed to be a lot more than exhaustion, although he didn't know what. "If you need sleep, I'm sure they won't mind if you get some on our way to Boot Camp.." He thanked the stars he could remember people's names easily.
Hopefully this helped. He'd noticed Lusy turn to the girl just before, and it seemed they shared the same sentiment.
He realised he hadn't introduced himself to Bonito, and felt a pang of guilt. He might think he's a rude bastard for skipping the introduction, but Jojo had other priorities. He could introduce himself to Bonito later on, after all.

---

"Well, well, well. Seems like everything's going smoothly.." The man beside them crossed his arms, turning to them. The sharp teeth on their mask glinted in the light of the sun. "And you think this is going to work?"
A chuckle. "We'll wait and see. Bide our time. You've lost your chance now, Tengu."
"I have a name."
"Not now. Not any longer. You're a nameless, worthless trashbag. That's what they always said about you, isn't it?" The man stiffened, gritting his teeth and turning the stomp on the ground violently. "Shut up!
A mocking chuckle came from behind the mask, and the Tengu whirled around to grab them.
His hand flew and hit the ground a few meters away, and he screamed in agony. Black blood oozed from the wound, drenching the ground and hissing slightly. He breathed hard, his hair falling into his face as he clenched his arm. He screamed again, before his masked companion walked over to his missing hand and picked it up. Holding it for a moment, they carelessly tossed it over their shoulder at him. Hurriedly jamming it back into place, the Tengu eventually calmed down. Bowing his head, he looked up at the figure now back beside him. It was unearthly how silent they moved. "I'll kill you for this, after I'm done with them..!" He hissed.

Another mocking chuckle came from behind the mask. "Is that so? I can't wait to see you try." The Tengu growled loudly, obviously going to attack again. However, he felt the ice cold steel of a blade against his throat. From somewhere in the mass of cloak, an unseen hand was gripping the handle of a long, sharp blade. Or so he thought.
Slicing slightly against his throat, the blade left the Tengu and he moved backwards, putting a hand to his throat. Black blood met his fingers, and he panicked again. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
The being behind the mask didn't respond for the longest time, leaving the stunned Tengu on the edge. Slowly turning the mask to face him, his companion looked straight into his eyes. The Tengu shrank back as he saw the glaring, icy, vicious blue eyes burning through the slits in the mask. They were so.. unnatural. He felt the hairs on his neck stand up, his body freezing to the spot.
The mechanical voice that followed made his stomach sink into his sandals.
"If I wanted to kill you, waste of skin, you would already be dead again."

Rick Brackwall

He proceeded up to the bus, standing before the vehicle at the behest of Illusion when the driver emerged to unbefitting music whilst looking rather flustered.

"Well then..." He let the words hang before he approached the entrance to the bus. "Good to have you on board. Should be useful having regular transportation for this unit."

A few people had filed onto the bus already. Ash herself instead had opted to ride ahead of the bus. Rick simply continued onto the bus as everyone else had. Why stray from what was supposed to be a straight-forward trip after all?


Stepping on board he noted where some of the other passengers were located. He sat up front in the seats on the opposite side of where Illusion was sitting. He sat, taking a moment or two to configure his sword and other packaged equipment so they weren't in between him and the seat. Jojo's query's to Helena did not go unnoticed as he looked back to her as well.

"Indeed. Do tell if there are any special requests you desire answered. Just bear in mind the specific caveats that were laid out prior to now when forming a request."

With that said Rick turned back to the front of the bus, waiting for it to set out towards their destination. His expression was as calm as ever, the faint smile on his face giving the impression that he was secure and in control. A lovely facade but a facade nonetheless.

"You a crazy demon vampire too?" Bonito raised an eyebrow in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. He'd heard all the jokes about 'demons' and monsters or whatever nonsense people seemed to think was funny here. In his opinion they weren't really that funny, these attempts at jokes, just a little odd and off putting, but still he could at least try to give them a little bit of flair of his own.
"Oh si si, in fact I'm looking for some virgins blood right now if you're volunteering." He waggled his eyebrows with a grin directed to the rather grumpy girl, if his experience with such people was anything to go off of he was expecting at least an annoyed huff out of her, anything less would be something entirely expected.
"Have fun on the lame train guys." Lame?! That was just rude, he was the best damn driver in all of.... This garage... Probably. He was certainly gonna be the most fun to be around that was for sure.

He barely registered as one girl pushed past them all in her hurry to get onto his bus, she looked like crap warmed up. Though hopefully that was just because she was about to crash out and not because she always looked like that, he couldn't imagine what it must be like to not look club-worthy all the time. A shudder ran up his spine at the thought of not being his gorgeous self... Until he caught sight of himself in the side of the bus and saw he still had a cowlick rocking at the back of his head from where he hadn't even had the time to sort his hair out as he barrelled into work. Trying to be casual and subtle he managed to just about flatten it back down.

Nobody seemed to want to introduce themselves to him so all that really remained was to get going. He wasted no more time in hopping up onto the bus and getting her started. Smiling to himself slightly as he felt the thrum of the engines underneath him, there was something primal in feeling his hands grip around the steering wheel, a sense of control that sang to him as he slowly applied pressure to the pedals under his feet, feeling the revs building as he shifted gear and gently brought them out into the streets once more. He kept a close eye on the road, more to stop his challenger from slipping past him on the way to the gate, swerving gently around the road in a subtle manor to stop her from just about getting around his bus. He wasn't petty at all.

Thankfully they weren't stopped at the gates, the guards seemed to know it was a bit pointless to challenge one of their own busses as it slipped out into the open world. Thankfully it was only a short distance and two turns before they hit the open road and he could really let slip with the engine. It seemed someone had been tinkering with the engine or hell even replaced entirely because after all, since when did minibus' come with turbocharged V8 engines as standard. With his left hand he switched the radio back on and was far more pleasantly pleased to hear that whatever radio they were listening was now playing Brittany Spears- Toxic. A far better soundtrack for a road trip.

He waited until his competition had pulled up behind him again before waving flippantly out of his window at her, no doubt she was expecting the bus to be some slow beast. He was kinda excited to see just what this supped up minibus could really do so it was no small wonder a small grin as he gave it the beans. He hadn't really expected to be kicked back into his seat as the bus roared forwards, tires screeching against the tarmac. He damn near lost control of it as it quickly accelerated to sixty in just over a second and tore down the open road. He inadvertently stroked the steering wheel as he got back into the feel of things, this was what he lived for after all, the adrenaline pumped through him as his grin widened.
"Madre Maria, I'm gonna enjoy this bus." He whispered to himself as he gunned the engine, willing it to reach ever greater heights of speed.

Unfortunately this great speed meant that their journey time was cut down immensely, even if they were going just a fair amount over the speed limit... In a minibus at that. It was no small wonder then that Bonito was rather startled when the satnav barked at him to make to make a right turn... Off the road into the treeline that they had been running parallel to for some time. He had to sigh to himself as he slowed down, in part because he was slowing down but also because satnavs apparently didn't tell him the difference between fields and trees. Here he was hoping for some open air camping and instead he was going to be subjected to birds and spiders and goodness knows what else lurked in the woods, it was probably going to be wolves or something knowing his luck.

Thankfully they weren't about to plow straight into the trees as it seemed something resembling a dirt road ran into the woods themselves. That at least was something of a relief, after driving so wonderful a bus he didn't exactly want to be the one to end up ramming it straight into a tree in his need for speed. The road rumbled on a short ways, the trees ahead blocking his view of where they were actually gonna wind up at the end of it, such was the way with forest paths though that they never seemed to go in straight lines. It was frightfully disjointing form the nice and neat Roman roads. They did not have to go along this slow and bouncing road for very long however before a gate appeared from the trees ahead as if it had pulled itself up out of the ground when he blinked. If it could be called a gate at least, it seemed to be little more than a hasty made checkpoint with only a bar across the road to stop people from driving straight into it.

Luck seemed to be on their side still however as whoever was at the gate seemed to have been expecting them as the bar slid away as the approached and one of the guards was waiting inside to wave them into the car park just out of view of the woodland road. He couldn't help but give out a whimper of disappointment at having to shut down the engine to his new beloved bus so soon but needs must he supposed. He watched the doors swing open with downcast eyes, saddened that it was over so soon. "Well here you go kiddos, have fun at school. I'll be... Somewhere if you need me." That was a point where was he supposed to be reporting to exactly? Such was his suddenness to bury his nose in paper work that he didn't even realise they were being watched by crimson eyes upon golden wings.

For all the havoc that had been their past few days- their past few hours, even- the smooth, seductive saxophone riff that accompanied their driver’s appearance still had Dawn raising her own brow in question. She suppressed the urge to chuckle, however, pressing her knuckles against her lip to muffle any sound that might escape. She didn’t want to embarrass the poor man further, after all, although the hint of a smile played on her lips despite her best efforts.

“It’s nice to meet you, Bonito,” she said, once she had composed herself enough. “Thank you for driving us like this.” Dawn glanced over her shoulder to one if the more wayward of the Seven, Ash, who mounting her motorcycle in preparation to leave. From what she had seen, the woman was one who marched by her own beat. It wasn’t too shocking that she had chosen to drive herself than join the others in their carpooling. Dawn rolled her shoulders, the joints cracking with the movement, and stepped into the busline.

Four on the bus. Two staying behind for the moment, and one driving on her own. Most, for all of the time given to them to prepare, seeming exhausted beyond belief. They were all bound together by circumstances, and, as Dawn made her way to the bus’ entrance, she made the decision to try and fully extend a hand to the others. While she wasn’t exactly there for the same reasons as they, they were still, in a way, a team.

Before she could reach the others, however, the doors had whined shut in her face. Blinking in surprise, Dawn reached forward and rapped against the glass, but the bus purred away before the driver had noticed. She stood in the emptied lot, lips pursed, watching the vehicle disappear out of sight.

“I...well, then.”

She turned towards those who remained, looking somewhat taken aback.

“I’m, um, I’m not that short, am I?”

Rick Brackwall

The last couple days were largely helter skelter and this bus ride was no different. The driver's failure to pick up Jojo's tag-along hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Excuse me, Bonito, You appear to have left-" He was briefly cut off as the bus accelerated suddenly, causing him to shift a bit before steadying himself.

"You appear to have left a student behind." He informed the driver. As he was at the front of the bus he only had a cursory idea as the the conversation that was being carried out behind him. Apparently Jojo was asking to what might of been bothering Helena. It seemed appropriate since she looked well worse for wear.


The drive was far from smooth, the bus jumping with every irregularity in the road along with the swaying that followed whenever Ash looked to pass them. The choice of music that was blaring wasn't much too pleasing to the ear either. While the others seemed tossed about Rick himself was faring fairly well. The various spell papers which clung to him like a second skin, concealed well beneath his uniform, also served a secondary use. By manipulating the paper and exerting force to direct where they go it subsequently directed where he'd go too. With the number of papers currently gripped to him able to exert the sum of their strength on both his torso and limbs controlling his own body's motions was child's play.

He kept apprised of the conversations underway in general, a fairly easy task since their numbers were few. Out of the seven of them two were still back at base and one was outside riding her motorcycle in lieu of joining them on the bus. This left just four of them, three if he didn't count himself. With that and both Illusion and Eine aboard the number of ongoing conversations were few, letting him pay better attention to what was being said overall.

Among the things he noted he could hear Helena speaking just prior to each bump they went across, as if anticipating each small jump and motion the bus was making. Towards the end he couldn't hear her all too clearly all the way from the front seat but he picked up on her mentioning Dawn's name.


As he was about to lean in to hear her better the bus took a sudden right turn, sending most of it's passengers towards the left wall. Rick obviously remained comfortably in his seat but the sudden turn had interrupted his focus. What he saw out the right windows took a sudden precedent over Helena's words at that moment as he spotted something that could only be well described as... Foreboding.

A strange figure stood around the edge of the woods, not far from the corner where the dirt road starts. This unknown person was clad in the dark attire of a plague doctor's uniform, an old make at that. The figure was still, standing with his shovel in hand, the head of which was buried slightly in the dirt he stood on. Beside the man was a grave dug out of the ground, the hole quite deep from what he could see.

What more was that this figure seemed to be watching them through the windows of the bus. Who he was looking at was unclear but it was evident that he was watching them through the cold dark spaces behind the lenses of his mask.


"What the..." Words failed Rick as the moment passed and the bus left the mysterious stranger to his grim task. Even still, through the back window the man could be seen watching them depart further into the woods. Rick simply sat back into his chair, looking forward as he dwelt on the matter. He seemed lost at thought as he mulled over just what that was.

Who was he? Why was he digging a grave? Why was he looking at them for so long? Why was he dressed so strange? Why was he digging the grave right by the path to their camp? All these questions and more flooded Rick's already crammed brain. What was the most agonizing was that for how unusual it seemed there was nothing about that event that specifically defied mundane explanation. It was the simple fact that all these particular details when combined formed a scene which was worryingly uncanny.


At last they finally stopped at camp, the bus coming to a slow still.

"Well here you go kiddos, have fun at school. I'll be... Somewhere if you need me."

Rick saw little need in igniting an argument with the bus driver but his expression said enough. Rick was by and large displeased with his failure to take the whole gathering along and chose only to make this known by the manner by which he passed, leaving the driver sternly unspoken to.


Once past Rick let the matter fade from his conscious thought, his mind falling back to thoughts of the strange plague doctor they passed by not too long ago. Standing proper as he awaited the rest of their exits from the vehicle he simply stood, his mind mulling over those very thoughts as he tried his best to appear not entirely lost in his thoughts, a definite falsehood as he was anywhere but in the moment at hand.

"Why the fuck are you three just sat around?!" Came the harsh bark of a very easily annoyed officer as he tried to tower over three WDL soldiers, all of whom were both broader and taller than the Italian native who seemed utterly diminutive next to them. The height difference certainly did nothing to temper the indifferent looks the three men gave their commanding officer as they sat on a huge metal pipe, two of them busy smoking their third cigarettes of the hour as they busied themselves doing the barest of work in their officers eyes.

"What do you expect us to be doing?" Asked the one soldier who wasn't busy smoking, his natural German accent blending into his voice only heightening the sheer levels of indifference to the short Italian officer.
"I gave you idiots one simple job! Finish the obstacle course, not just sit around on your arse for three hours." There was a brief pause, where the officers forehead managed to turn a slight shade of beetroot as he angrily looked from one man to the next as they gave him a series of dull, empty looks and indifferent shrugs as the soldiers in turn looked at each other in order to figure out who was going to speak again. Naturally the German seemed to have taken the role as their official spokesman in this particular matter.

"Well when we got here all we had left to do was put up the high wire, put the barbed wire down over the trench and dig the flooded tunnel."
"Get to it then! You're not being paid to just sit around!"
"We did try, we managed to at least get the barbed wire down. We were then going to get onto putting down the pillars for the high wires and get that set up but it was already done by the time we were finished." The answer baffled the officer as he very audibly tried to spit out a demand of an explanation of what they meant, instead it just came out as a spluttering mess. In his mind there was no way that someone could get an entire high wire course set up in the time it would take three men to wire up barbed wire across fifty meters of two and a half foot deep trench.
"So why aren't you out there digging the tunnel instead of sitting where it's supposed to end?!" He eventually manged to bark out.

There was another heavy pause between the four men where nobody seemed all too willing to give anyone any real explanation of what was going on. Indeed, it even seemed that perhaps there wasn't any explanation that really do any justice in explaining away why they weren't doing their actual job and were instead lazing around smoking in a forest somewhere in the depths of the Italian countryside. It looked like after a minute that the German was going to once more speak for them when he paused, mouth slightly ajar as there was a feeling of gently rumbling coming up through the metal pipe followed by a rapid scramble by the lazy soldiers, though they were not followed by their officer who stood bewildered at the sudden burst of energy.

It seemed though that the soldiers had the right idea in getting swiftly out of the way as the raised ground behind the pipe suddenly exploded into a shower of dirt and small stones that hit with such force that the poor hapless officer was blown clear off of his feet in a rain of earth. The explosion was followed swiftly by the spinning of a golden drill that spun clear out of the hole before seemingly fading away as though it were comprised of nothing but embers that drifted apart into nothingness. The drill too was then followed by a number of tendrils of the same golden energy that moved and seemed to grasp onto the ground as they pulled a figure forwards like the tentacles of a giant golden octopus. The figure stood up as he emerged back into the light, brushing dirt off his headphones before the brown could stain the white rubber and looked around for the three soldiers who had been cowering where they had thrown themselves out of the way of the oncoming storm.

"Oh there you three are, you guys can put the actual tunnel in now. I might have dipped down a bit far though so when it comes to actually adding water people might have to completely submerge to get through. God willing it should be fine though." His attention was sharply drawn to the sound of a loud engine going far too fast across over rough terrain. A flash of excitement ran through him as he jumped into the air, the tendrils of his wings pushing against the ground and launching him up above the tree tops.

Rumbling down the road and into the gate, nearly knocking the thing over, came the distinctive form of one the WDLs minibuses. A smile spread across Zadkiels face, a mixture of excitement and anxiety ran through him. This was the moment he had been waiting for all night and day, not being able to sleep had the side effect of giving him plenty of time to think things over in his head for many hours. It was one of the main reasons he had taken up whittling as a hobby after all, if nothing else it took his mind off of things for a while.

He drifted across the sky as the bus pulled over and the first people began to disembark, somehow looking far more shaken up than he had been expecting. His initial idea of how to introduce himself to these Children was to be imposing, let them know firmly that any attempts to act upon their Demonic nature would not be tolerated. Be firm but fair and generous, the way that God intended a teacher to be, strict but not cruel.

"Zaddie~!"
"Illusion!" If there was any salvaging the firm yet fair idea it was utterly gone now. If Illusion had seemed happy to see him he was practically bursting with joy, his voice raising nearly five octaves in his joy to once more see Illusion. Any hope of seemingly like an Avenging Angel of the Old Testament was entirely gone now as he lowered down in the sky to meet Illusion half way. "You didn't tell me you were going to be on the bus too!
It feels like only yesterday since I last had the privilege of your company, how are you? Is work going alright? They didn't give you any trouble when they arrived did they?"

It was at this moment Zadkiel remembered where he was and why he had even come over here in the first place and also the fact he still had his earphones in and music playing so he had rather sadly been shouting slightly without realising even as he pulled them out of his ears. "Oh I''m letting myself get distracted again, let me do the official shpeel first then we can back to catching up." He began to drift down to the ground, shifting in the air as he looked back at Illusion. "I'm glad you're looking good as always though." He said with a happy and genuine smile as he turned back in time to deftly land upon the ground once more.

"Behold!" He proclaimed loudly, adopting a stern voice as his wings spread out wide behind him and he stood up to his full height before the gathered Children after they had all disembarked from the bus. "You stand before and Angel of The Lord!
I am the Angel Zadkiel, sent by His grace to guide the Warriors of Divine Light in their crusade against the enemies of Humanity and the sanctity of His will." There was a pause as his wings trailed on empty air behind him, drifting like the tendrils of a jellyfish on slight ocean currents as his glowing crimson eyes moved from one person to the next, fixing each with his benevolent gaze before he tilted forwards slightly in a general bow to all of them. "And may I be the first to welcome you to the Boot Camp, I have been asigned to assist in your training and when that is complete I will be working alongside you all in the field some day as a senior field agent. Now, please do introduce yourselves and ask any questions you.... Hold on... Where's the rest of you?"