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A Tale of Seven Children//Rebirth

The Earth, 2017

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a part of A Tale of Seven Children//Rebirth, by zody.

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zody holds sovereignty over The Earth, 2017, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

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The Earth, 2017 is a part of A Tale of Seven Children//Rebirth.

1 Places in The Earth, 2017:

35 Characters Here

Rick Brackwall [112] "Pay no mind to the man behind the paper."
Jonathan Black [108] "If what you believe in isn't worth fighting for, then what is?"
Vesper Himemiya [105] "Do you require something? If so, tell me a story."
Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade [98] "I like to think I'm the Demon of Sarcasm..."
Vistra Mauve [83] 'The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Hopefully.'
Caius Grady [80] "A word of warning, piss off!"
'Illusion' [79] "Am I here? Am I there? Do I even exist at all?"
Dawn Memoli [72] "The future is now."
Helena Kingsley [64] "Someone told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn."
Sister Rianne [49] "I can't save your sorry hide every time, you know."

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Helena Kingsley had spent the rest of her afternoon constructively, as much as one could upon being imprisoned.

She'd been left pretty much to her own devices, which was a mistake as far as she was concerned. Helena was pretty sure she wasn't going to go fight her way out of the compound, but after spending some time walking round the perimeter, watching the patterns of the patrolling security, she came up with a plan to leave the place entirely unnoticed.

The WDL compound was enclosed, but sat in one corner was a large, twisted olive tree, something that had probably been around before the wall was. It was tall enough that it would be fairly easy to swing up and onto the top of the barrier from that side without too much difficulty. They were, of course, designed mostly with the intention of keeping things out. She might encounter barbed wire at the top potentially, but it seemed possible.

One of the compound's exorcists seemed to pass every two minutes or so on their patrol of the perimeter. Helena suspected, giving as she was not terribly physically fit, it'd probably take her a minimum of five to edge her way up...meaning someone was likely to catch her.

She could, however, use the combination of the dark, and the dense foliage of the tree to her own advantage.

As night fell, Helena sat on a set of steps across from the tree, apparently reading whilst she waited ofr the guard to pass across the periphery of her vision and round the corner.

As soon as he did, the small young woman sprang up discarded her prop, and rushed over to the tree.

Her first attempts to grab one of the lowest branches fell short. Her lack of jumping ability causing her hands to sweep through empty air as she flailed around for a handhold. Eventually though an attempt though let her grab onto the low bow and, with some difficulty, haul herself up into the tree. It was rough and prickly, and her hands were already cut in places, but it was time to move to the second step.

She hitched herself into the fork between the two branches, concealed by the dense foliage, and waited until the security passed by on the next sweep. She noted the sound of the boots on the concrete approaching and passing, with no sign that he'd noted anything out of the ordinary about the olive tree.

Now she had about two minutes to hitch up over the wall, give or take, to find some ornament or archway to hold onto, and to drop down on the other side. From the noises of traffic drifting over she was pretty sure it was an ordinary street.

Then what? Find some police. Find a payphone. Run into a store. Anything that might alert people to the fact that she was in trouble. She was not going to just do whatever she was told by an organisation who'd kidnapped her. She was not just going to pretend that this was acceptable, she was going to do something about it. And she was nearly at the point of escape.

Lifting up from the gap between the branches, Helena began to edge up the trunk that leaned over to the side of the wall, her sheepskin boots scoring some purchase on the warped undulations of the ancient wood. She'd made her way up to where the large branch arched up in a wave form of spiky branches.. and that was when she saw it.

Some small, indistinct shape shoved roughly onto one of the spikes so it protruded through the thing, leaving a little trail of white stuffing bleeding out of it into the leaves.

Her toy rabbit.

"Going somewhere?"

A voice.

Right above her head.

Helena's gaze snapped upward to set on a pair of glowing, acid green eyes in the shadows right above her. The pupils were slitted, like a cat's, and drawn into small, vertical lines.

She knew those eyes.

"Remember me?"

The same eyes she'd had nightmares about for years as a child, waking up in a cold sweat with the image of them seared into her memory. The thing she'd spent every night of her childhood checking under the bed and in the closet for. The green-eyed thing that wanted to eat her.

Helena's heart leapt into her mouth and her stomach just about dropped trough her shoes, leaving a yawning pit of dread.

The shadowed face seemed to smile and the sickly light from the eyes glimmered off the edges of sharp white teeth.

It spoke in a bit of a stage-whisper, leaning in a bit closer, the alst thing Helena wanted at that moment in time.
"Just wanted to let you know that I gotta hide. So as no-one can see me. We're being watched everywhere round here, it's a real drag. I go after you now, and you'll make a bunch of noise, security will turn up...that sort of thing. Once you're over the wall though.. no cameras so.. if you go then I'm gonna eat ya. Pretty much just as."

For a moment she face withdrew out of sight before re-appearing just beside her.

"I'm good at hiding. It's one of my skills. But. I can go the other way. If you start telling people what you saw..."

Suddenly it was on the other side, still smirking.

"Well at best they'll chalk it up to a real overactive imagination. At worst.. well I won't have a reason to leave you or..anyone else alone so.. it'd get messy pretty quick.
But again to re-iterate, you leave here and I'm gonna eat ya. Just thought it's only fair to let you know, right? Don't want anyone thinking I'm not fair.
I think that's about it.
Oh.
And.
Think fast."


Grip seized around her shoulders and before Helena had time to react she was tumbling out of the tree, bouncing off the burrs and twists and hitting the ground below. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and for a moment she was pretty certain that whilst she lay stunned she was going to have her head torn clean off by the horrifying thing in the tree, but was able to draw breath and raise herself up onto her knees without anything springing down on top her, until a soft thud in front of her signalled the rabbit being dropped down onto the grass. The rattle of a storm drain grate apparently marked the thing's departure.

By the time the exorcist on patrol that evening made his pass of the tree, he would not find anyone there.

By that point Helena was walking back in, trying to make sense of the mix of horror, distress and outright disbelief at the situation.

She had been stolen away from her life and taken to a place against her will, an organisation was intent on forcing her to fight something, and she was being stalked by some terror from her childhood that was going to kill her if she tried to run away.

It was unthinkable. It was impossible. It was happening. And she had no idea what to do.

Walking into the room she had apparently been assigned, Helena slammed the door, locked it, and sank down into a sitting position against it, arms wrapped around her rabbit. From there she spent the hours scoring the shadows of the furnishings for movement until the light of dawn started to shine in through a gap in the curtains.

It had not been a good day.

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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#, as written by zody
At around 11 am the next day, everyone required at Boot Camp was sent a simple text.

'Auditorium. 12:00.'

Awaiting the arrivals in the auditorium was Illusion, standing next to several bags of supplies. A grin on her face, she swayed side to side and hummed to herself, nodding to anyone who spoke to her. Standing beside her in a white suit, a red armband with a white cross on her left arm, was a woman none of them had seen before.. except three of them. Narrowing her eyes as Dawn and Jojo arrived, she looked over to Illusion with an obviously worried glance.

Illusion turned to her, shaking her head. She muttered something to the older woman under her breath, and the older woman let out a sigh and returned to her position. She didn't introduce herself until everyone else was present, although when Rick arrived she gave him a silent, curt nod.

Eine Minerva, chief medical officer, was a kind, patient, and incredibly powerful woman. Don't mention the bandages.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Notable NPCs
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

It was a long night. After finally managing to draw a spell upon a playing card he rested for the remainder of the night. He wanted to continue but without enough rest he would be exhausted for the trip tomorrow. Not that he was going to get much rest trying to sleep however. What few nights that went by without that same nightmare were a blessing. This was nothing new to him though. He was complacent in knowing that there was little reprieve from the nightmares. What he felt was not so much a sense of fear but a reluctance to live it all over again. Alas, he retired to his bed all the same.


Seven o'clock. The clock rang right on the minute, waking him by the same hour he had been awoken almost every night for many years now. Silencing the loud beeping box he arose, tired but for the most part rested. It was not the first time that night he had woken, the nightmare doing well in keeping him from sound sleep.

Out from his bed Rick went through the usual morning routines. Down in the cafeteria he had a bare bones breakfast, an assortment designed to give him an optimal amount of nutrients and proteins for the day. Back at his room he reviewed the notes he took the day before. It didn't fail to bother him, the arrangement he had made with Asmodeus. He did not fail to consider the fact that he couldn't trust that the death pact she placed upon him might work differently than she described. With the idea that someone else could pull the plug on him at any moment it certainly gave him a number of things to dwell upon.


He was checking over his inventory of spells when his phone gave a light beep. A text on his phone from the principle issuing the time their expected to show for preparations before they set off. Since he was for the most part prepared he was able to get ready at a comfortable pace. He donned his outdoor attire, a WDL uniform tailored for extensive travel and managing less than optimal weather. For scrolls he had twenty two various sheets of paper adhering to his body. They ranged from pamphlet sized to a regular scroll sheet size and they all simply clinged to him beneath his shirt and pants. A fair majority of them were attack spells since he figured there'd be little rush in the casting of utility spells in most foreseeable situations.

With his pack on his back, his pens in his pocket, his sword at his hip, his clip board with paper on his belt and his special magnifying glass in his other pocket he set out through the front door and on his way to the auditorium.


Rick arrived at the auditorium exactly on time, even taking the effort to wait outside a bit before entering when the clock hit twelve. He entered to see both Illusion and Chief Medical Officer Eine awaiting them.

"Good morning Ms. Illusion. Guten nachmittag Eine."

Rick bid good morning to each of them respectively.

Illusion, a wide smile on her face, gave Rick a cute bow and a wink. "Mornin', Ricky!". Standing beside her in her pristine white suit, Eine bowed at the waist, a small smile on her face. "Guten tag, Herr Rick. Wie geht's?" Straightening up, she spoke again. "I'll be accompanying you and the other to ze- to the Boot Camp." She went silent again, however, and awaited his response. Ever since that day, Eine had been much more relaxed around him. He defied her self loathing, after all.

"Mir geht es gut. Wie geht es dir?" He answered back to her question, a friendly greeting all the same.

"I'm honored to have you along for their initiation. I must say I'd hope none of them require any sort of medical attention before the end but with civilians taken in times of uncertainty the possibility of a mishap can't be underestimated."

Walking along further into the room Rick acknowledged Illusion's greeting with a slight nod as he'd already greeted her. As he stopped he looked around momentarily to see if any of the others were arriving yet before looking back to Eine.

"Ja, mir gehts gut. Danke schön." She smiled politely at Rick. "I do hope nobody is hurt too badly, however.." She paused, giving a worried look over to Illusion, who was busy conveniently looking the over in the other direction. Eine muttered something under her breath. It was obvious there had been some sort of conversation before Rick had arrived, and probably not a good one.

"In the case of an accidental injury, however, I'll be around to patch up anyone who's been hurt. Of course, I've been selected to come along, and viewed all of the files." She narrowed her eyes as Jojo and Dawn entered, whenever they did, a look of concern crossing her features. "However, I've been.. assured that there will be no bear traps this time around. We have other staff accompanying us, however they have not been briefed on your.. special circumstances, something we wish to cover before we head off. As always, keeping your secret is paramount- you're regular, albeit new, recruit Exorcists."

Illusion chimed in at this, her smile warm and kind. "Ah, but Lusy brought along a friend! Zadkiel will be there, too, to take the suspicion off of the newbies! Lusy did a smart thing, so nobody will know much!" She turned back, swaying side to side and humming quite loudly. Eine clenched her fists, very subtly, but she still clenched them.

She was withholding information.

Rick could tell something was on Eine's mind as she was normally less tense in general conversation, especially just between them. Of course he was wiser than to simply pry when there were ears nearby to overhear, specifically the ones of Jojo and Dawn in this case.

"That is quite good, as is bringing Zadkiel. As I'm attending as both a senior exorcist to them and as their leader I should be able to keep the other six along and sequestered to the best of my abilities."

He then turned to greet the other two who had arrived, along with anyone else who showed. "Ah, welcome. We'll be briefed on today's event when everyone is present."

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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By the time of the meeting, Helena turned up a little worse for wear. She'd spent a sleepless night watching for the return of the monster, and was feeling more than a little sore from her tumble out of the tree. It'd taken a while to try and get the grass stains and dust off of her dinosaur sweater, which was by then bearing a few darker patches from her dabbing it with water from the sink, and several loose fibres from catching twigs on the descent.

She'd turned up however. Mostly because after a night contemplating it she couldn't see any other way out of the situation other than to do as there people said, lest she provoke the wrath of the creature. It was still horribly surreal, but the grim reality that no-one was going to save her from this had set it in earnest, and Helena concluded she was going to have to put her nervous breakdown on hold and do what they said if she wanted to see next week.

So she arrived at the auditorium looking scruffy, tired, and a bit unhappy. Also with a now stitched-up stuffed rabbit protruding from her sweater pocket. She wasn't really sure she wanted to leave him lying around and give more ammunition to the thing. It wasn't like the situation could get a lot weirder.

There were a number of people she recognised, and at least one she didn't, though the previous events hadn't really left her much in the mood for catching up, so she simply came and stood, fidgeting with a loose thread on her sweater. Fulfil the minimum criteria. That was all she needed to do.

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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Come morning, Vesper was already awake and doing her morning chore such as being inside the greenhouse where the flora appeared to have a vibrancy around her presence. Though, it was at a deeper level than normal. That would probably be in connection with her evening interaction to a person from her rose-colored history. She was even humming a melody that carried a tinge of bittersweet gentleness. It added a precious element of admiration and an ethereal imagery as her ash white locks were pulled into perfectly boho-styled side braiding, giving her hair a voluminous mess yet meticulous in design. It also matched her rather unique and fashionable dress once more accentuating her beauty and upbringing.

She appeared perfect among the blooming flowers and lush greenery, though her current attire would not be fitting for the manual labor she was doing at present, but it was not a concern. This activity pleased her and that was the only thing that mattered in her horizon. Well, there were also the replay of the warm scenario that was blanketed by the starless sky. Jonathan apologized for his absence, but that was inevitable and worked on both ends. She was not by his side as well. Should she apologize as well? That is right... she had almost set it aside... almost. Her hand that was hovering above a red snapdragon flower where a butterfly began to linger around it trembled.

"I know my place." She pulled back her hand and those abyss-like mauve eyes glistened with hollow ire as she turned her back from the said flower and the butterfly that seemingly unable to flutter away from the lure of red. In any case, she refocused her attention to the other plants, tending to them in an almost automated gesture. Once done, she went towards the nearby porcelain garden bench and eased herself there as she took in her hand the book she brought earlier. She opened where the bookmark was placed last night and continued her reading of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, not allowing her thoughts to wander listlessly when she must be an anchor above all.

Just like that, she passed her time in a blank peace. The only moment it was shattered was when a sound emanating from her pocket. She looked at her pocket, before closing once more her book but not without marking where she stopped with a bookmark. Setting it aside, she took out the object from her pocket which was her phone. There was a message stating simply to be in the auditorium at noon. If it was before, she would have not move from her position and continued her reading. However, it was not like that anymore for her. She returned the phone inside her pocket and in her hand the unfinished book she carried. Standing from her seat, she was about to walk when a cold sensation wrapped around her arm like a shackle. "Ziry jāhor dōrī mōris. Tepagon bē." She looked, but there was none.

She touched her arm held perhaps in a hallucination. "I cannot." She then went to the auditorium. Arriving just a bit after noon, there she saw Rick, Helena, Illusion, Eine, Jonathan, and Dawn. She entered without anything misplaced about her. Stoic, yet silently soft in her presence as she delivered her polite courtesy. "Good afternoon. Ms. Illusion. Dr. Minerva." She delivered a bow with the usual eloquent poise. "Good afternoon. Rick. Helena. Jonathan. Dawn." For this, she casually gave a nod, a friendly gesture she had been told, before standing again on her own in silence like a doll, without showing the whirlpool inside.


Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sister Rianne Character Portrait: Kane O'Reilly Character Portrait: Rinne Lucalia
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Kane's Dorm

Rianne wasn't sure if what she had said sunk in or not. He didn't offer much acknowledgement besides his usual grin, though ultimately she decided that it was no use overthinking about. Shortly afterward, she was introduced to another guest - Kane was more popular than she thought.

And it took about two or three seconds to register some of that information. Rianne made a shifty, confused glanced between Kane and his supposed aunt, both of whom looked to be around the same age. The older woman had certain features that made her look more mature, but her youth was unmistakable. Surely there was a reasonable explanation for this, but Rianne was having no easy time wrapping her head around this. Aunt. . . maybe he just calls her that? Whatever.

"Railroading is exactly what happened," she admitted bluntly with a small shrug. "But if he insists this much. . . well, I guess it could be good for the both of us." Their names were oddly similar, so she was surprised to hear it at first. In any case, whoever this aunt figure was, she looked like she meant business. A sturdily built woman, a prominent scar, a pair of revolvers on her person - definitely not weapons you'd give to somebody without a lot of experience in this day and age - heck, dual wielding guns was practically an inhuman feat in and of itself. You know some interesting people, kid. . .

"The WDL, huh? Same old. It's an institution alright, it's got its own fair share of self-righteous assholes and goody-two-shoes. Not the worst place to be hanging out, but sometimes I get tired of dealing with their shenanigans." She took a moment to glance at her phone. It was going to be midnight soon, she couldn't stay too much longer. Definitely had to leave at least an hour prior. She put it away and let out a small sigh, feeling a sense of unease wash over her again. Her heart began to beat a little faster as the clock ticked away, but she made sure her anxiety didn't show in front of them.

Setting

8 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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#, as written by Tanman
Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade
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Ash usually wasn’t the kind to be early to anything. Today was no exception. It was a real shame, since she’d really tried to make sure she was at least on time. Somehow it seemed that time just got away from her, what with going into town on her motorbike, only to find it mysteriously missing when she returned. Damn thing needed to learn to stay put. Regardless, she got her business in town completed, ordering a variety of items to improve the functionality of her room back at the WDL. Now however, she needed to deal with the arguably more important issue of attending boot camp. Right after she caught her breath.

Panting slightly from exertion, and already more than a little sweaty from her half-run turned jog turned walk, Ashley made her way over to the auditorium to join the others. Doing her best to compose herself just outside the door, once she managed to look like she hadn’t completely exhausted herself, she pushed open the doors, stepping through. She was only a little late. Hopefully a tardy display on the first day wouldn’t get her into too much trouble. Besides, she was here at least. And by the looks of things, wasn’t last. In her book, that meant she was early, since they couldn’t exactly start without the entire group.

“Afternoon.” She stated by way of greeting, looking to Rick, JoJo, Dawn, Helena, and Vesper, then over to what looked to be the nurse she vaguely remembered from her arrival, along with Illusion. She didn’t see any reason to apologise for her lateness, and certainly wouldn’t bring it up if they didn’t. Instead, she simply moved to take a seat and await the arrival of the other two members of their group. Well, after a moment, she decided at the very least she'd make a token gesture of sociability as she looked to the supplies and other materials off to the side. "Were we supposed to bring stuff?"

Setting

9 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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"The world works in a way
it doesn't give a damn on
how you feel, all it cares about
that it moves and so, I learned
to keep it inside even if I do explode
it's just me moving on eventually."
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Caius had always believed that these kind of waking ups would be far behind him now, the deer-caught in the headlights type of moment. But, life dealt him another a-hole card. This would be the second time where the first one was in the infirmary with the midget reincarnation of Looney tunes (Illusion). He was still wrapping his head around that and about what happened in that orphanage the other day. It was still fresh and poking at it just made it rawer than ever. He highly doubted that he would ever get over it as he covered his face with his hand, trying not to make his brains blow up from all the complicated shit going on his life.

Anyways, he should try to grasp his situation right now instead of what had already happened. He removed his hand from his face and had this confused expression. How did he return to his room, exactly...? Was he that drunk not to remember? If so, he should have a major drill-hammer orchestra raging inside his head now. But, there was just silence, he could almost hear the cuckoo birds chirping as if saying nothing was inside his head to begin with, as if he doesn't know that already. Well, the absence of that meant he was not drowning in alcohol. He was sober. Did someone take him back? That won't be out of place really, knowing his promiscuous side.

He looked to his side if a body was beside him. Well, there was only him, so that's good. A one-night stand is a good way of releasing frustrations, but he really doesn't like a complicated start-up so early in the game and knowing the people staying here, it's more of a hassle. He then looked around at the rather empty-looking space which would now be his living quarters for how long? No idea, anyways, he sat up from his bed. It seemed he was alone, he held his head with one hand while sweeping his hair back a bit as he tried to recall what happened at his alcoholic venture.

He's sure that he stayed in that bar until closing time. There were flashes of him being asked by the barkeep to leave and come back again since they're off now. Then, the noisy background of the bar which had been livened up as the evening deepens. He also remembered a lot of wine bottles and various shot glasses on his table. Then, he was talking...? That was the end of his memory lane from the patches he could remember. It was odd because it was like, his memory had been cut-off. Wait... Cut-off...?

He quickly checked his body and was relieved to know that all of his body parts and organs appeared to be all accounted for. His wallet, thinner than before, was also still with him and nothing seems to be missing. He was also still in his clothes from last night. Still, he was unsettled. There was a big chunk of his memory that was completely a blank. He scratched the back of his head because nothing was really coming up. It's like his memory had been tampered with and segments were deleted. "As if that was possible..." He muttered under his breath and even with the unbelievable things that can't be simplified by the common man's logic which had been presented to him. He was still able to deny it as a whole.

"It'll come back to me eventually if it's important." That's the conclusion he made and it was his nature not to think deeply of things. For now, he sniffed himself and without doubt, he smelled of cigarettes and booze combined. He's used to it, but having a shower won't be bad to start his day. Is it still morning? Ah, he doesn't care about it anymore. He stood up and stretched his muscles for good measure. Then, he began to undress himself piece by piece. One would think he was doing a strip show, but that's just how he is and he was also alone. He felt sweaty and sticky, a cold shower would be good for him.

Taking a towel, he entered the bathroom and enjoyed the icy touch of the water tracing down every part of his skin. It was a sensation that he welcomed and certainly roused him from his sleepy daze. When, he was done, he exited the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His physique was impressive and his tan skin was still glistening from the water droplets and his dragon tattoo can be clearly seen. His brown with reddish tips of hair was damped, but ultimately, he was quite easy on the eyes, giving out that sexy and exotic sight. That was also something he's aware of it and he uses it to his advantage especially during the hay days. After all, one should use every arsenal that is available to survive and he did just that. But right now, it was different, probably, he has no idea. He really didn't like thinking too much.

For now, he should change into some clothes and so, he started rummaging through that one box that held everything of his earthly possessions. He took out his jersey jacket, a shirt, pants, and a rubber shoes to be worn by him, after a while, he was done and was now casually lounging around. The schedule given to him yesterday was forgotten and was set aside on a nearby table top, out of his interest. Instead, he was picking through his things, wondering what he should keep inside and bring out. Oh... His eyes brightened a bit. He totally forgot about it, his phone. He took it out and apparently, it has a dead battery now. "Totally forgotten about that." He took out his charger and plugged it in. After that, he continued looking through his things, not entirely concerned about whatever else besides him has plans for. He found his brass knuckles and believed it should be useful in bashing some faces he is sick of.

His attention was taken when his phone turned back on and made consistent notification sounds. He took hold of his phone and found he had a lot of messages and mixed calls. They were useless ones from useless people in his book. Though, there was an unknown number present with a very short message. "Auditorium. 12:00." But, he was not that dense to not know it came from this place's management or even from that abnormality of a dwarf. "I should just skip it." He mentioned to himself, but then he recalled all the shit that happened yesterday. "This is such a hassle. Tsk." He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he scratched his head once more as a show of frustrating annoyance. He lazily complied with the message by not answering.

It was probably early to go and he was a bit hungry and should eat something as he opened some of his canned foods. Some sardines to fill his stomach. Just like that, he took his sweet time of eating and relaxing with some instant coffee on hand. Then, he proceeded to have his dessert with some of his smokes. He went towards the nearest window and opened it as he puffed one letting the smell sooth him. It was in that zen when he remembered that he has no idea what time is it really. All he had were estimations and all that. He took out his phone and had another shit moment. It was 12:15 PM... He finished his smoke and quickly left his room. Well, whatever it was about, if he was needed or something, that midget would have done something about it. So, it was not something important, probably. If he was left behind, that was good. He wasn't in the mood for anything and just wanted some time alone, to adjust to everything. He is still picking up the pieces even if he didn't appear to be doing that. Though, showing at the auditorium would be good enough for him to say that he did try, albeit late. He eventually reached the auditorium and peeked inside first to see if anyone was still there. If none, he could just go back to his room. He was actually hoping, they left him behind, but when did things ever happen in the way he liked it to be?

Setting

8 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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Shortly after getting back to the infirmary, Dawn had retired to her room, door left cracked open so Iggy could come and go as he pleased. For all the surprises and...hurdles that had come so suddenly, it hadn’t taken long for the little dorm to feel rather cozy. She had her dog, a few posters and pictures hung up on the walls, and her (well, Jojo’s, technically) games. Given more time, perhaps it would feel more like home than not. Until they got back from Boot Camp, there was no way to tell for sure.

Her morning was fairly uneventful, in the face of all that had happened yesterday. Shower. Have a quick ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast, then take Iggy out for a walk outside the main base’s building. Dawn had a lot to think about, and the peace of the early day allowed her to do just that.

Well, “peaceful” in the sense that Iggy would constantly stop to sniff at a patch of flowers or tree or building, but the spaces between allowed for a fair bit of reflection.

By the time that the text was sent out, Dawn had arrived back at the apartment, idly going through an assortment of documents and files on her computer. Mostly tax items, really. A handful of notes from university, alongside a few reports and assignments that would never be turned in. She was wondering what had happened to Dawn Memoli in the outside world- was she still enrolled at her college? Had she been erased from the public eye entirely?- when her phone purred against the rich mahogany of the desk. Clicking her way back to her desktop, Dawn grabbed her phone and went through it. A summons.

She entered the auditorium a minute or two after twelve, hair neatly plaited, hat cocked at such an angle to prevent imaginary sunlight from hitting her eyes. Upon seeing that she wasn’t alone, Dawn smiled, giving a short half-wave to those gathered. “Hello, everyone. And, um, good afternoon to you all, too.” The look of worry on Eine’s face did not escape her, and Dawn tipped her head at her in a quiet, separate greeting before moving over to Helena.

“Hey, are you doing alright?” She asked, softly. Given that Helena had apparently been drugged and kidnapped the day before, it was safe to assume that she was, in fact, not alright, but the girl looked ragged. Ash’s question had Dawn frowning a little as she caught sight of the luggage- were they? There had been nothing regarding it in the text. “I don’t think so,” she said. There was an edge of uncertainty in her voice that was hard to miss, however.

After a few more minutes had passed, the sound of the auditorium door opening again caught her attention. Curious, Dawn glanced over, and caught sight of a man peering in from around it. She faintly recalled him from the day before- Caius- and turned away after giving an acknowledging nod in his direction.

It seemed as if only a few Children were pleased to be at the WDL.

Not overly surprising, given the circumstances.

Setting

9 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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#, as written by zody
-| ? |-
-| Jonathan Black |-Image


Jojo hit the wall hard, his vision already failing him. He'd barely escaped, the monsters behind him continuing to wreak havoc and destroy the entire town. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands and clothes, panting hard. He heard the voice in his ear begging for him to run- to the place he'd be safe- to the.. extraction point? He couldn't hear them. They were so.. quiet?

He slowly dragged himself to his feet. He couldn't sleep here, nor could he stop. He had to keep moving no matter what, until he found the place he had to be. Up ahead was an abandoned factory, unused for at least ten years, so that's where he'd decided to go. He took a few more steps before falling to his knees, coughing hard. A thick, black, bitter substance splattered to the ground before him.
That wasn't blood, at least.

Standing up, his ears were ringing, and he felt himself swaying no matter how hard he tried to right himself. His vision blurred and cleared, swimming and not swimming. He felt sick- like he was poisoned.
Poisoned..
The voice in his ear was silent, now, replaced by a painful metallic screaming, and even that he could barely hear. The last thing he'd heard from them was.. something about communications being something.. being jammed..? Gritting his teeth and looking up, he saw it. The factory was cold and rusted before him. He wouldn't infect anyone here. He staggered through the gate, breath catching in his throat as he slammed into the door and fell through it.

His vision was.. gone. Not quite, but he could barely keep his eyes open, and even if he did, the world was spinning and swirling around him. His entire body was drenched with sweat, and he could feel more black liquid dripping from his mouth. He groaned, reaching out to drag himself into the factory. The hot sunlight was replaced with cool shade, and he breathed out hard.
The alarms behind him were still going loud, as were the sounds of destruction and chaos- explosion and, Jojo swore, the sound of a building collapsing to the ground.

Slowly dragging himself forward, he staggered onto his knees and almost fell, hacking up another glob of the black stuff and recoiling from it, shuddering hard at the disgusting taste. He shuffled over to something near him. A wall? Or a big metal box.. something.. and he leaned against it. He propped himself up against the cool metal, shutting his eyes and feeling the steel against his back. He could feel himself breathing, but the sound was far away. Something didn't sit right with him.. He wasn't affected despite being hit by the.. whatever it was.. bomb? It exploded and destroyed an entire block, coating it in black mist that eventually dissipated, leaving only corpses, debris and.. things.. behind. He was only infected a little while after the bomb hit instead of instantly, like it was.. delayed for him somehow.

He clenched his hand, seeming to float away from his body. He couldn't let himself turn into one of them. He couldn't let anyone else get infected.. from him, at least. He held out his hand, panting softly as he raised his blade. He opened his eye, barely able to see as he steadied it and aimed for his heart. He swallowed, wincing a little. His mouth was completely dry.
He took a deep breath and shut his eyes for the last time. He needed to do it. He couldn't hesitate. He couldn't become a monster.
He rammed the sword towards his chest.

The sword flew across the room, slamming through the wall across from him. Jojo looked up, opening his eyes. He could vaguely make out a figure standing before him, extending a hand. He couldn't see anything, and he could barely hear them.

"I can save you, but I won't save your friends. All you have to do is take my hand."

Jojo couldn't see anything anymore, his body beginning to slump forward as he lost consciousness.
The last thing he did before he blacked out was grab the hand.
The last thing he heard was a laugh.






Jojo awoke with a start. His entire body was covered in a cold sweat, and he swallowed hard, eyes wide. His throat was dry, and he felt a little dizzy. He sat up slowly, reaching up to rub his head. "What.. the fuck. More crazy dreams, huh?" Jojo had been having extra weird dreams lately, although he figured it was the whole 'Child of the Devil' thing, maybe. He wasn't too sure, but he figured that his body had done.. something. After all, he'd batted a spider lady across the face hard enough to..

Jojo closed his eyes and threw himself back down, reaching up to put his hands over his face. He'd been in a perpetual state of shock yesterday. Everything that happened.. what the hell was going on? Sure, he could put on a smile and nod, but.. When he really put his mind to it, something was seriously wrong. He couldn't deny it since he'd been attacked by some sort of.. spider demon girl.. No, Non-Human was the correct term, apparently. Jojo made a noise, moving his hands from his face and opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. He felt something tug at his chest, and he sighed hard. When he was younger, his mother would always pop up and talk him through his nightmares, tell him what they really were- your brain processing data from the previous day and converting it into an abstract dream. A pang of pain hit him as he lay there.

He missed his mother.

Slowly he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting there for a little while. He figured a shower would do him good, so that's what he did. Standing up and stretching, his muscles rippled slightly as he let out a grunt. There was a lot of stress in his shoulders, so maybe a quick morning run would do the trick instead. He moved over to his box of stuff, and listened to the sound of the shower running. He hadn't noticed it before, but he nodded to himself. Dawn usually showered first, and Jojo decided to take a short jog around the residential district. Spraying on some deodorant and tossing on a shirt and shorts, Jojo left the apartment in a bit of a hurry. A jog, a shower, then a breakfast were all on his mind as he left.

Also on his mind was everything that was going on.

He'd left the apartment fairly quietly, and his jog took him around the majority of the residential district, and he gave a nod to a cute blonde girl with the nicest pink eyes he'd ever seen on his way around as she opened up what seemed to be a store. He'd have to pop up there later and check it out.
In the meantime, he was focused more on keeping in shape and in his routine.
He didn't want to be dragged into something like this and be sloppy or get lazy, especially if his life was on the line.






Eventually he'd gone back to the apartment, Dawn having apparently vanished somewhere after her shower. With that confirmed by knocks on both her office-turned-room and the bathroom, Jojo decided to shower.
The warm water cascaded down and around him, drenching him in the cleansing warmth a nice, hot shower had always afforded him. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, letting the water hit his face directly. The pain in his side had vanished pretty quickly after his 'surgery', and even the little scar that was left was barely noticeable anymore. He felt infinitely better, dropping his head and letting the water drench his hair. Protagonist hair, apparently. He figured he'd better start acting the part then, maybe a particularly genre savvy and meta protagonist like Nep- He paused his thoughts, opening his eyes and turning the hot water up before turning around, letting his back get some of the warmth of the shower water. He let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes again.
The steam was filling the room up pretty quickly and making it hard to see, and the water was hot now- enough to make his skin red and sting just a little, but he got used to it fairly quickly. He loved having stupidly hot showers. Always made him feel.. renewed, somehow.
The shower he'd had yesterday had cleaned him a little, but he still felt.. dirty.
Because he hadn't cleaned the blood of that spider girl off properly until now.

A little while later, Jojo had gotten out of the shower and gotten dried, ready and dressed. His stomach rumbled as he pulled on his glove, covering up the stupid black mark on the back of his hand with a disapproving look. He'd given it a looking over during his shower, and had no clue what it meant. He'd have to stop by the library later on and check it out.

"... After this Boot Camp thing, then."

Breakfast was a plate of bacon and eggs, with a coffee on the side. Quick, simple, easy. Delicious, too. Jojo had gone and brought a fair bit of groceries the day before, so he was prepared for making something for himself. He almost made two servings, but Dawn was still out, it seemed. After that was video games. Jojo set to work with a surprising amount of gusto, setting up his [BRAND] console and diving into the game he'd been playing through before he'd been, uh, assaulted and kidnapped. He wasted his time away, anxiously awaiting the call for Boot Camp or whatever was going to happen.

It was 11 am when he got the text. 'Auditorium. 12:00.'

Time passed quickly, the clock hitting 11:45, and Jojo switched his console off. Making sure he was ready, Jojo left the apartment, locking the door and pocketing the keys. A little while later, he reached the Auditorium, just behind Rick. Everyone there was someone he knew, and he replied to any greetings tossed his way with a warm smile and a wave of the hand. He felt anxious.
Very anxious.
Boot Camp wasn't exactly the most inviting name, after all.
He didn't intend on asking questions. Not yet.
He'd wait and listen for now.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sister Rianne Character Portrait: Kane O'Reilly Character Portrait: Rinne Lucalia Character Portrait: Candice Hallows
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#, as written by Tanman
Candice Hallows
Image

Striding up towards the door of Kane’s apartment, Candice took a moment to correct herself before carefully moving to ring the doorbell. To her immediate surprise, the door opened up just as she moved forward; a young student that she’d never seen before opening it and gesturing her inside. “Miss Hallows I presume? It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am, I’m looking forward to attending my first lecture with you. Your publication on non-humans was a refreshing insight into alternative viewpoints non-humans can hold regarding mankind.” The cheery, blue eyed student certainly seemed on top of the material, and that pleased Candice. She was happy someone appreciated her work, but she did have to wonder who this girl actually was.

“Yes, that’s correct. I’m glad you found value in my work. I take it you’re one of Kane’s classmates?” She asked, receiving a simple nod in response from the girl as she was lead down the hall. “Yes Miss Hallows, I transferred here today. Oh, where are my manners? I’m Erica. Erica Decall.” With a slight tilt of her head and a small smile, Erica stopped briefly for the introductions, shaking hands with her superior. “Please, we’re not in a formal setting call me Candice.” It was impossible for Candice not to respond in kind with her own smile. It was rare to find a student with this level of confidence and genuine friendliness. Withdrawing her hand, Erica continued to lead Candice down the hall. “Kane has been most helpful in showing me around. You must be proud of him.” The pleasant tone and demeanour from the young girl was certainly helping to ease Candice’s earlier panic, and it was also buttering up her ego. Perhaps a little too much, but she did enjoy receiving flattery, and the girl seemed quite nice. “My son is quite special to me. I think I’d be proud of him almost regardless of his actions, but I am happy to hear that he’s been of assistance to you Erica.”

Rounding the corner, the two stepped into the main lounge area, allowing Candice to take in the scene. Rin looked up as Candice walked in, a wide grin sliding across her features- there was a slight bit of deviousness to her grin, but nothing too bad. Typical. Ignoring the feline for the moment, she turned her gaze to look for Kane, finding him strangely absent, before noticing the final guest of the evening. Though she couldn’t hide the raise of her brow at spotting Sister Rianne here, she was thankful that her sunglasses would likely be doing that job for her. “My, I didn’t realise Kane had invited so much company.” Candice stated after a brief pause, watching Erica move around her and head for the kitchen. Likely, that was where Kane was.

“It’s… Nice to see you Sister. And you too Rinne.” Candice continued, wrinkling her nose slightly as she noted the smoke wafting from her cigarette. Though she was technically far older than Rianne, by appearances she was considered the younger of the two. The manner in which one conducts themselves is a far greater indicator of one’s maturity however; and in this case, Candice’s past experiences and general viewpoint on the sister was that although quite talented, she’d proven herself time and time again to be somewhat ignorant, brash and for the most part, just plain rude. Younger individuals she tended to give a free pass as growing up, experimenting and needing guidance. Rianne however, was well old enough to make her own decisions. Candice just didn’t personally approve of them.

“Tell me, what brings you here?” Candice inquired as she eyed Rianne, briefly throwing Rinne a somewhat quizzical look as she took a seat next to her. Looking back to Rianne again, it was clear that she was somewhat disapprovingly noting her disrespectful posture with her feet up on the furniture. She didn’t mention it however. At least, not yet. Rin shrugged, the small smirk on her face not shrinking or vanishing at all. She had no idea who the woman across from them was, and she didn’t know her relationship to Candice, but she had a sneaking suspicious that her favourite uptight snake lady was probably not on good terms with Rianne. ‘Uncouth’ is the word she’d probably use. Honestly, Rin saw a bit of her untrained self in Rianne, although nowadays putting your feet up was, well, not exactly something she’d do. Despite her playfulness, Rin was in a constant state of alert - it came with the job. However, her usually stiff frame was much more relaxed than usual. She wasn’t being shot at, after all. The bag at her feet was in easy reach, and Rinne’s revolvers could be drawn in a second when she’d last timed it. A soft voice echoed in the back of her head, and Rinne clenched her jaw as she willed it away.

She secretly hoped Kane would hurry up and get back. She idly bumped Candice’s shoulder a few seconds after she’d sat down. It occurred to her that she should probably keep it professional unless Candice stated otherwise - didn’t want anyone knowing her.. more intimate relations, after all. Rin idly reached up and scratched just below her scar, not wanting to interrupt Rianne’s response. The voice of the dead girl in the back of her head was being a bit of a pain to ignore.

"I'm not gonna turn down free dinner," Rianne answered, letting out a stifled yawn. "That, and. . . I'd been meaning to clear up some things, but unlucky for me, that's not quite how things turned out. He wants me to be his personal tutor, basically." She leaned forward a bit and with a miffed expression, waved casually around the space in front of her. "As much as I tried to convince him otherwise. I'd ask you to talk some sense into the little twerp, but at this point I don't know if I should be going back on my word."

“I think that would be for the better.” Candice replied bluntly, masking her own surprise at the revelation with her curt rejection of Rianne. Honestly, could she not even follow through on something as simple as that properly? She’d have to speak with Kane and remove any foolish ideas from his head before he made a grave mistake. Who knew what sort of hooligan antics Rianne would teach him if given the opportunity?

Rin sat there, quite happily gazing away from the two.. lovely ladies present. After Candice’s less than proper reply, she elbowed her in the side, not too hard, but hard enough. “So, the weather is nice today, huh?” Rin spoke a bit loudly, her gaze still out the window. She didn’t exactly want to get involved in their tense little.. Whatever. Candice and Rianne’s relationship was none of her business, but she wasn’t going to let them get into anything with Kane having worked so hard to make this dinner happen.

Rianne almost felt herself wincing at the woman's words. Mm. Well, it didn't come as a surprise, and even she herself had acknowledged the potential problems that could arise from this development, but. . . she wasn't sure why she took offense to that. Candice had every right to be worried, and honestly whatever she decided was none of her concern, so Rianne pushed those thoughts and those feelings to the back of her mind.

"Yeah, probably," she finally said, picking at her teeth with her pinky nail. Not setting the greatest example here, but it wasn't strange behavior for someone who never cared about leaving good impressions. Candice withheld her own follow up comment as another voice rang out.

“Alright guys, dinner is ready!” The call came from the kitchen, Kane poking his head through the doorway to see everyone, briefly raising an arm to wave at Candice. “Hey Mom, glad you could make it.” Smiling, Kane gestured the three to follow him, heading over to the dining table to take a seat, Erica putting the finishing bits of cutlery on display. The aroma was enticing, Kane happily gesturing to the small set of banquet trays with a small variety of meats, vegetables and other bits and pieces; the roast meal on full display with utensils readily available at each ‘station’ for self service. “Help yourself guys, there’s plenty there, so take as much as you want. Of course, you can always have seconds too.” Stepping to the side to let everyone else sample what they needed, Kane would take his meal last.

Rin sighed hard when the others moved to the dining table, being the last to stand up. She somewhat eagerly followed Kane to the table, openly licking her lips and grinning. No rations tonight, heck yeah. “Looks good, you two. I might have to eat everything there~” She teased, quite happily grabbing what she needed and heaping her plate fairly high with a mix of everything. It was all in easy reach on the table, after all. After this meal, she’d probably go for a few days on nothing but rations, so she wasn’t going to be skimpy on her meal. Besides, it looked delicious and there was plenty of it, so she definitely wasn’t going to be holding back. She sat directly beside Kane, giving him a grin as she waited. Did people at the WDL say grace, or..? Rinne silently hoped a certain someone would save her the awkwardness of sitting next to someone she’d never met by taking the seat beside her, and she mentally reminded herself to be on her best table manners. Not very good, being a kitty, but she always tried her best. She adjusted the cap on her head.

“Heh, well, I did put in a little something special just for you, seeing as Kane told me so much about his favourite Aunt.” Erica laughed a bit, taking a seat on the far side of the table as she noted Candice move to take her place by Rinne’s side. “I’m certain you’ll enjoy it, so dig right in.” She affirmed again, surprisingly having not too much on her plate, and not making too much move to eat it. She probably had a big meal or something prior. As for Candice, she carefully reached to take a modest helping of the range. At least, compared to her feline compatriot, though it seemed there was no need for extreme formality as she calmly reached for her cutlery and got to work cutting into the beef. Briefly, she gave Kane a bit of a look, flitting her eyes towards Rianne, but the young boy either didn’t notice or didn’t care, leading his mother to simply give in and decide to make the most of the meal. She could speak with him later about his educational decisions. For now, she simply had him pass the gravy.

“Heh, this is great. I’m really glad you all could make it. In fact, I think this is the first time I think I’ve had anyone over since well… Ever!” Kane spoke happily, making a point not to speak with his mouth full. Some formality would be needed around his mother, at the very least. “Did you get all the paperwork done Mom?” Inquiring slightly, it was met with a simple nod from Candice as she finished her first piece of the meal, daintily taking the napkin to brush her mouth before speaking. “Bailey is handling the preparations for tomorrow. He’s quite reliable at this sort of thing. After all, the training for the new recruits is likely to be quite the affair. No doubt there will be adjustments and improvisations to the schedule.” Of course, Candice wasn’t at liberty to discuss the details, particularly with those who were uninvolved with the children. Thankfully, Kane knew better than to inquire further than he already had.

From there, the group enjoyed the rest of the chatter and dinner until later in the night, Rianne being the first to excuse herself, followed by Candice and Rinne, before finally Erica said her parting words and headed off for the night, leaving Kane to relax at home.

Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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#, as written by zody
-| LORD OF ILLUSIONS |-
-| 'Illusion' |-Image


Illusion waited for everyone to arrive, bar the obvious exception. As Ash asked her question, Lusy shook her head. "No, no, all supplies and the like for Boot Camp are provided by the WDL and the present staff." She paused, then went quiet fully again. Closing her eyes, she furrowed her brows. ".. There." In the back of her mind, Illusion knew that some of the group would grow agitated by being forced to wait. Hopefully, that anger would also be directed towards Caius- a small lesson he'd need to learn unless he wanted to die. Illusion sighed heavily, crossing her arms and leaning back, sitting on a rip in reality she happily opened. Behind her, the dark mirror dimension was visible.

Waiting in silence until Caius finally peeked into the auditorium, Illusion reached behind her into the portal and grabbed Caius from behind, having opened a second behind him as he stood there. She stood up, dragging him through it and quite roughly tossing him to the ground in the middle of group. Closing the portal after she'd finished using it, she opened her eyes and looked down at Caius, raw anger easily visible in her blazing crimson orbs. "Do not waste our time again or there will be consequences. You're a part of the Seven, now, whether you like it or not. If you refuse to cooperate, Arthur has already given you your warning."

Sighing and brushing down her dress, Lusy turned to the others. "Alrighty! Now that we're all present and the other staff might find out your dirty little secret and kill you all because they might overhear our conversation," she looked at Caius, "because someone was late," she turned back to the others, "we'll have to make this quick. This auditorium is booked for a lecture in about 5 minutes."

Floating midair and now ignoring Caius entirely, she smiled sweetly. "Boot Camp has several uses. For your special cases, it'll give you an insight into your powers- some of you already know some of them. Several of you having already used your abilities- Rick is the greatest example of this among you all, his powers almost fully developed. Almost. However, while you have some skills, your true abilities are still dormant. That's what Boot Camp is for- to unlock and then refine them. We'll also be teaching you how to use your abilities, alongside practical combat training for you to use alongside said abilities. The last portion of Boot Camp is a week-long survival exercise in a forest where you'll be graded on teamwork, survival skills, and generally be tested to your limits." She turned to Rick. "Don't think your prior experience means anything. This Boot Camp is special, something you haven't seen before, Rick. I suggest you all be on guard."

Nodding to herself, she smiled again. "The other staff will be giving you a much more in-depth introduction, but I'd like to remind you all that you're regular recruits at this Boot Camp despite the circumstances, and you'll be treated as such." She smiled at Caius far too sweetly. "They'll be quite mean to you if you provoke them, so please don't be too rude." Cracking her neck and wincing, the small girl motioned to the woman beside her. "Head Nurse Eine Minerva will also be accompanying you for medical assistance if need be." Eine nodded as Illusion spoke, bowing in greeting to everyone present.

"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." She quickly strode past everyone to the doorway of the auditorium, humming to herself as she tossed open the doors. A man stood there, shocked, and she smiled warmly at him. "Good afternoon and congratulations on your child, Mister Friedman." He stood stock still, swallowing. "How did you..? Thank you, Miss Illusion." Lusy was already past him, humming to herself as she strode down the road. She expected the others to follow. There would be more information for them upon arrival to the camp.

She made sure to go the long way. She had expectations, after all, and a certain Demon Lord had best not disappoint.
Jojo quietly followed her, his interest having been piqued when she'd mentioned powers. Thoughts about that night filled his head, and he nodded once to himself before following her- just after Eine. The Nurse followed almost immediately after Illusion, turning to Jojo with a worried look on her face. He gave her a grin, and she nodded before focusing on not losing the small vampire before her. The bags of supplies fell into portals as Illusion left.






Around halfway into the walk, Lusy paused, watching as Angel and several other men transported a prisoner to the garage. She remembered that Arthur and Angel had met up earlier on in the morning to discuss moving the prisoner to a more secure location for interrogation. He was cuffed with the usual anti-magick transportation gear, of course, which was enough of a precaution for the idiot Angel to consider it safe to transport him.

Illusion narrowed her eyes, watching as the exorcist looked at her, giving her a hateful glare, before turning back to his men and motioning to continue on. Illusion paused, holding out her hand for those near her to stop behind her. Eine paused, a look of confusion on her face. Jojo slowed to a halt beside them, looking over and recognising Angel from the day before. The hair on the back of his neck pricked up.

Illusion's hand was on the umbrella at her side- not at all a good sign of things to come.

Setting

11 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva
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#, as written by claw
Warning: The follow contains gore that some may find unsettling, read onwards at your own discretion.


And now, sit. The boy twisted around, eyes darting to every corner of the room as he tried to locate the voice that had echoed around the place. It took him a moment to realise that his scanning for its source was fruitless, for it hadn't come booming through his ear, it had reverberated through his very being, crashing against his mind and soul as though it were a winter storm trying to breach the fortress of his mind.
"No." A noise similar to amusement seemed to bounce through his mind, a cruel and mocking sound that seemed to belittle him in just in making of the noise itself.
"Brave little creature, you fail to realise the depth of your position now." The boy twisted around, trying to escape the voice dripping with malice in his mind.

He froze suddenly, staring at the far wall. Where before there had been empty air there now sat two burning points of fire and light, hate and domination. He tried to turn aside to avoid looking at the horrific image only for the flaming orbs to follow him, no matter where he looked, Brenhins eyes were fixed behind his eyes and before them. "You see, little one, I own you now. You cannot defy me, not forever. Now, sit." There was a pull at the edges of his mind, a compulsion that screamed at him for fighting it. The edges of his vision turned a sickly orange even as the orbs of burning fire melted away from his vision. He gritted his teeth, fighting against the desire of his legs to crumble out from under him, all he had to do was focus, focus and resist and the voice couldn't command him, the drive couldn't force him to do what he did not wish.

This silent battle continued timelessly, with the boy standing fixed in one spot, teeth gritted and eyes tensed at having to focus so very hard against the Demon in his mind. And yet he could feel that Brenhin was almost mocking him, not even trying to force him to obey, as though he were trying to give him a sense of false hope that he could actually win. The boy pushed those thoughts aside as he tried to focus on very much not sitting down, even though the mocking presence continued to push against him.

The battle of wills was broken all of a sudden by the sound of the door being unlocked and the tramping of thick boots as men poured into the room, armed with far too many weapons than was necessary to contain a simple boy. They pushed the startled boy up against the wall and forcefully turned him around, pinning his arms behind his back before the cold touch of metal locked around his wrists, weighing them down with what must only be handcuffs. "Comply with their wishes, my messenger, do not resist and this shall all be over swiftly. Things are moving apace and you shall soon be free to go about your business."

He was certainly in no position to argue against the wishes of the Demon Lord this time, though true he could perhaps try to run, or kick out against the guards as they pulled him backwards and forced him out of the small cell that had housed him, what good would it do? He was surrounded on all sides by men armed with automatic weapons that would tear him apart in an instant. If he ran they could kill him without even moving, if he fought then one of them would shoot him in the back, his only thought of solace being that his death could mean the destruction of the Demon sitting inside him. But even then, he couldn't be sure that would be the way of things, for all he knew the Demon would escape unnoticed and nobody would suspect a thing. As much as it boiled in his gut to have to so much as carry this Demon even a single step let allow carry out its wishes he knew that his being free to hunt the Demon after this little message of his was sent.

As they crossed into the open courtyard, blinking against the morning sun, his eyes darted across the floor, his mind coming up with all the possible ways he was going to have to escape. They didn't looking good, too much open ground for him to try to cross and to be shot down on. And then his eyes landed on a small group of people, no more than nine of them, watching him. And he could feel a sense of elation coming from Brenhin inside of him. There was a joy and a hate in there both, and it scared him more than he cared to admit.

"Halt, it is time." Those dark eyes glowered once more from behind the boys vision, the searing pain returned to compel him to obey the Demon Lords command.
"I can't just stop, they'll kill me" He winced internally, his foot catching on the floor, causing him to stumble. One foot crashed into the other as he tried to stop himself falling flat on his face with his hands bound behind his back. But it was this lapse in concentration that finally cast down the walls of his will power that had up until now kept Brenhin at bay.

Now, so suddenly having his mind twisted away from putting up the mental walls needed to protect himself from the Demons corrupting influence he could feel the icy claws of dominion latch onto the confines of his mind and against his own violation his whole body stiffened. It felt as though he were constantly falling, there was a sense of disconnect from his body as though everything was rising and falling all at once. His gut squirmed painfully as it warped in all directions. His throat clenched tightly and drily as it burned in his neck. He felt as though he were about to be sick and shit himself both at the same time. All this pain and discomfort combined together and he was sure that it was Brenhins doing to make him feel this in all it's terribleness.

"What are you doing?"
"Why, conveying my message of course. I must commend you on being both courier and parchment." That disconnect grew suddenly so much worse. He could feel the wind against his face, feel the chill in the air, feel the pain in his gut as it burned at him, could feel his eyes start to scream at him as they dried but could not blink. He couldn't even twitch, his whole body rejected him, though he could still feel it. It was as though he were a passenger within a puppet, there was no sense of control any more. He could feel his body though could not command it and horribly it dawned on him that this was entirely what Brenhin wanted him to feel.

A laugh began to grow within the boys chest, a lazy smile twisted across his lips as his eyes stared blindly forwards. The guards around him looked at him, obvious concern spreading across their features as they tightened their grips on their personal weapons. The chuckle grew as it spilled from his lips, pouring out across the courtyard in it's growing madness. And then he could feel as much as hear a voice that was somewhere between his own and the Demons own bassy tones echo from his throat.
"Pathetic, weak, frail things. Strange how Humanity has grown so tall and yet remained so weak. So easily twisted by your betters. Hmmm, yes, twisted... Allow me to demonstrate how twisted we can make you."

He could feel the Demons puppeteer fingers grasp hold of his body, shaking the looseness out of his limbs suddenly. He shoulders tensed and there was the feeling of his arms straightening behind his back and lifting, raising towards the sky. Inevitably they met the resistance of his bodies natural limitations... And kept going. Discomfort instantly gave way to horrible pain as Brenhin twisted his arms higher than they shoulder ever go, his shoulder blades began to squeal as they grated against each other. And he could feel it all, every single iota of agony as his bones pushed together, felt his skin and muscle tear, feel the warm blood dripping down his armpits as his flesh pull itself apart.

There was a sudden and harsh crack and pop then ended the screeching of bone against bone and projected his arms forwards. His shoulders were now entirely twisted around the wrong way, the bone jutting out of the bleeding cavities at his joints. As the bone popped and tore itself apart as his joints were spun around in a way that no Human could ever endure the pain allowed him some sense of control of his body once more. He pitched forwards, crashing down onto his knees as a blood curdling scream tore from his lips. The tears of pain that had been welling in his eyes falling from his face to splatter through the crimson blood that pattered on the floor. He was only given the briefest of respites, as though the Demon that had so totally consumed control of his body was savouring his agony like some fine wine. It was to be taken in small, carefully controlled mouthfuls, not chugged down like cheap booze.

Apparently deciding it was time for another sensual sip of this delicate wine of human suffering, the boy could feel the Demon lifting his arms which should be entirely unable to even twitch in their ruination. The pain only grew as his bound hands stretched out and began to revolve inwards towards his chest, then arced upwards, bringing his elbows crashing together. He silently pleaded within his iron cage of pain locked away within the confines of his mind, that Brenhin would stop here. He had conveyed his message, he didn't need to go any further. But the Demon wasn't even listening, other than to enjoy his screams of agony as they bled forth from his lips.

Against the flex of the boys joints the arms twisted once more. The pain he had felt ripping his shoulders around felt only more concentrated now as his elbows loudly popped, the cartilage being the first thing to break as it visibly snapped through his tendons. Then with a sloppy crack his elbows shattered in a sputter of bone and blood and marrow as they tore open to allow his ruined arms to continue to twist around. There was hardly enough blood in his arms now for them to bleed as heavily as they had before, the scarlet puddle around his knees spreading as blood pooled around him in growing rivets and flows. And yet despite the damage done the arms continued to twist, hands hanging limply and loosely from within their locked containers. Something had to give, the already damaged shoulders that continued to rip and tear noisily as the brutally torn flesh constricted against itself or the steal cuffs that bound the boys wrists.

It was hardly surprisingly then that the boys right shoulder was the first to go, ripping free with a sickening noise that sprayed droplets of blood across the ground as the meaty appendage slammed into the ground. The boy continued to scream in the blinding pain, not being allowed even a single respite from it as his left arm continued to rotate until it too tore itself from his body. Blood poured down his sides, his shirt already taken more than the fabric could ever hope to drink up. The pain certainly didn't subside now that his limbs had been torn from their sockets, rather now he had simply less to focus on. Rather than two burning brands of white hot iron he simple had two discs of indescribable agony.

If he had thought such things brought his pain to an end though he was sadly mistaken. Blood suddenly stopped flowing from his empty shoulders and instead a thin black mist began to pour from his veins instead. But rather than drift off into the open sky as mist should it began to coalesce into two thin tendrils that twisted around, lacing through his shirt and tearing the blood soaked cloth off him. His chest was made bare as the tendrils slithered down his back, the Mark glowing brightly for all to see. As the tendrils made contact with his skin of his back from the third rib down the flesh began to peel as though it were a carrot under a knife blade. Blood seeped down his back as the skin rolled along under the touch of the gruesome black tendrils. They halted just above the boys hips and like some feeding squid they raised and then stabbed into the boys back.

They dug deep into his body, he could feel it against even the pain in his shoulders and the agony of his back as the flesh had been parted, pouring blood into the open air. He could feel the muscle of his hips being pushed apart from the inside, feel the tendrils drilling into the bone itself. There was a sound not unlike that of an ancient oak falling to the ground and the pain stretched across his hips, down his legs and back up again over and over and over until with a horrible wrench both legs were torn from their housing, spraying blood in every direction as the limbs were cast into the air, flying far apart. The boy would have pitched forward on his screaming face had the tendrils not planted themselves into the ground, forcing the bleeding, ruined torso to remain rooted to the spot.

Were the boy able to house any form of coherent thought he would no doubt beg for it to end, crying out in desperation for any kind of mercy that the cruel Demon Lord would give him. And in response all he would get back would be the mocking laughter of one so drunk on his own power over someone he could never let it go. Instead though the boy was caught writing in the prison of his own mind as he screamed and bellowed and mentally tore at himself to try and find some form of escape in the content of his own mind. There was none to be found now, not from Brenhin, not for him.

His bare chest began to hiss and bubble as though it were being subjected to an intense heat. The fleshy bubbles grew not just in size but in number as they spread across his bare torso, as they burst small pockets of the thick black smoke drifted out of them and raised upwards, slicing the skin of his jaw and cheek as they passed and halted around his skull before becoming small needles and plunging themselves into the boys flesh, protruding out as they twisted in different directions. From inside his own chest a mass of shadows pushed the now exposed ribs outwards slightly, the bones cracking and splintering against the sudden force. As more of his flesh bubbled and melted away more of his bloody ribs were exposed and the force pushed out again, this time though there was nothing to restrain the damaged bone and like a bomb exploding they shattered outwards, sending shards scattering across the stone floor. His ribs didn't explode outwards alone however as his now only partially covered gut was torn open too spitting his intestines out across from him in a gruesome rope of blood and gore and ruined human that splattered loudly as bile seeped from the perforated organs, now long past use.

In the gaping space where once organs sat so tightly and neatly now there was only blood and sinew and pain. The boys stomach had been split open by a shard of bone and acid hissed away at his exposed flesh. His lungs were perforated like a sponge and black smoke poured out of them as they hissed in the open air. His heart still beat an irregular pattern though it had turned a corrupted sickly black, the flesh of the bloody organ cracking like a charred ham as it beat it's unsteady rhythm. The boy the inexpiable agony in steady waves as his screams fell silent, his throat bloody where his vocal cords had finally ripped, the force of his tortured screams silencing them forever. He realised then, though he should have died a dozen times over that the Demon was keeping him alive, sustaining him to endure every iota of pain. Every drop of blood was another syllable in his horrible twisted messages. He was the message, not as a human, but as a torn and twisted pile of meat that had ultimately reduced itself to nothing more than a mess of flesh that could not even hope to sustain itself. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it, Brenhin was too great, too powerful, too much for anyone to hope to crush. His ruined body was testament to that horrific message, nobody could ever defeat the Demon that could be lurking within any of them. Humanity was doomed, they were all doomed, everything was going to end in smoke and ash and the Demon would preside over the blasted remains until time ran dry.

His thoughts of the apocalypse were drowned out by some fresh hell as a gagging, clogging feeling began to run it's way up his ruined throat as though a horde of frogs were attempting to crawl up his gullet. Those that were brave enough or horrified enough to still be able to look at the ruined creature would see the bulges of some unknown entity as it pushed itself upwards. Then as it reached the boys adams apple it emerged. Rocketing from between his lips was a vast pillar of shadow, so sudden was the force of it's emergence as the five foot long appendage burst from the confines of his throat that the already agape jaw was thrown open so sharply that it all but ripped from his face. The boys cheeks tore apart like tender pork and there was as sharp popping sound as his jaw followed suit, hanging limply and loosely from under where the head had been snapped backwards. The boys eyes were locked in abject terror as fingers spread from the arm like the sprouting of some grim flower in the spring. An elbow joint snapped into existence on the black pillar and like a striking scorpion to moved at speed belying its size, the hand grasping tightly onto the upper portions of his remaining skull.

There was a twisted sound of bone cracking inwards under the strength of the black fingers under suddenly, as though it were a vaulting platform the unseen creature used the small, broken head to pull itself up and in a single gory flash what remained of the boys broken form exploded in a mess of ruined flesh and shattered bone and stringy sinew that splattered itself all around. The boys head was obliterated, finally ending the unimaginable torture once and for all as the Demon Lord emerged once more. The Demon, who's body was made of nothing but thick smoke so dense it seemed as strong as blackened steel rose tall into the air, billowing up to a great height that towered over the buildings. His arms stretched out and twisted as he almost flexed, seemingly proud of his horrific execution. His head twisted down to look at the Seven on the ground below him, well aware the stench that accompanied his form would be choking them, the smell of burning tar and rotting flesh was bad enough alone, let alone without the entrance he had caused.

Though no other fire coursed through his shadowy form, his eyes lit up in a deep orange blaze for just a moment as he beheld the gathered Seven. A twisted grin split across his dark face as he raised higher, long, thin, batlike wings stretched out from his back and pulled him even higher into the air.
"So easily broken. So easily manipulated. So easily terrified. You creatures are hardly worth the effort to control. But allow this most humble of demonstrations tell you of one simple thing. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, no matter how deep the hole you creatures dig yourselves into, nor how many soldiers separate you and I, I shall find you. You shall never know my coming, little creatures, for who can you truly trust in this world? Who even in this organisation who have so kindly taken you in against your will can you truly trust? Who can you know is free from...." The gigantic Demon Lord twisted forwards, his horrific face of shadow and darkness coming close to the ground and only intensifying the stench. "Deceit?" A deep, grating laugh echoed throughout the colossal form of the shadowy Demon Lord before his form suddenly lost all consistency and the smoke exploded outwards, spilling into the street before drifting into the sky and dissipating into the air. Were it not for the lingering stench and the ruined mess of the boy on the stones it would appear Brenhin had never even been there.

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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#, as written by Zalgo
Rick Brackwall

He waited as the remainder of the others arrived, most arriving only shortly after him. Caius of course was laggard and it visibly irritated Illusion given how she dropped him in on his back through a portal. Afterwords she segued nicely into the meat of the explanation, giving them a short briefing on the tasks they'll be set with.

"Don't think your prior experience means anything. This Boot Camp is special, something you haven't seen before, Rick. I suggest you all be on guard."

"I await the subversion in expectation with anticipation." He answered simply, giving a short nod before she continued on.


After that she wrapped up her explanation and they proceeded on forward, Illusion bidding the man coming in congratulations. She always did have a means of knowing things about people. Rick was not naive enough to not believe she had a means of prying into someone's business, albeit discreetly as it had yet to run against his mental barrier. All he knew was that lying to her was not an option. Luckily he was always a rather honest man, never truly lying in an outright sense. Just because he almost never lied though didn't mean he was obliged to share information unnecessarily.

As they went outside he spotted Angel along with four other guards escorting a prisoner down the street. He was about to bid Angel a friendly hello when suddenly the scene took a turn for the grisly.

Before long the prisoner's limbs were twisting about, typical results from a demonic possession. The event continued, the displays of self mutilation growing ever greater in gratuity until eventually there was little left of the prisoner save the upper torso and head. Meanwhile the guards who were supposedly keeping watch of the patient had backed from the scene, not acting upon it evidently. Angel himself had been standing aside, his hand clutching Loria the sword he kept at his side at all times. Illusion herself seemed rather unimpressed by the whole event. For the seven he couldn't confirm quite yet.


Rick himself remained composed throughout the event. He was tempted to identify the demon using his new magnifying glass however he was reluctant to show his hand and the fact there was a demon there was not the question he needed answered. What he needed to know here was why the demon chose to do this and what purpose the demonstration showed.

As it started attempting to crawl forth from the tortured victim's lips Rick swiftly gestured an arcane spell.

"Wind barrier." He quietly uttered towards the end of his motions. On queue the winds started to pick up, suddenly quite animated as they begun to swirl about the seven, Illusion and Eine. In addition clean air was being created at Rick's own position, creating a gentle draft against those around him as the clean air diffused into the forming dome of winds cycling around them. Rick's focus of study was more oriented towards offensive magics but most all casters had at least a rudimentary understanding of protection magics.


Thanks to the barrier the demon's stench was repelled, leaving the nine of them watching in relative comfort as the entity spoke. Hoisting himself up in an attempt at intimidation the demon spoke to them, no doubt trying to sow dissent among them before dissipating into smoke. All the while Rick held a fairly good poker face however slight hints showed through that he wasn't all too impressed. As the demon made his monologue he recorded the sigil imprinted on the dead guy's flesh into his clipboard as well as some bullet points regarding the entity himself.

After the demon had left Rick waited a couple seconds to see if the strange smoke had left. Once it could be confirmed to have dissipated he lowered the barrier, turning to Illusion.

"I figure this wasn't part of the Boot Camp experience you had planned. You said this would be something I haven't
seen before..." Rick walked over to the meaty remains of the prisoner, looking down at the discarded skull resting before
his boots.

"... This is all fairly standard for a demon."

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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They soon arrived, others were late, but it was to be expected. They are indeed labeled as demonic in origin, yet they had lived as ordinary humans. The redeeming trait of humanity is adaptability, but there are variations. Some are quick, some are slow. Everything around them does not fall into a sense of normality, just not yet. All of them have issues needed to be faced eventually and their pace is not of anyone's making. In any case, she remained still and silent in her place. Even with Illusion's demonstration towards Caius, she did not say or even grant it any expression. This reaction was also extended towards to the brief introduction of what they are to do with 'Boot Camp'.

Once that was done. They were lead to their destination and like many journeys, a stop is inevitable. Theirs was in the form of a male who had been mutilated to death by a demon. This kind of scenery was to be expected when it comes to hell-spawns. There are many depictions of such transgressions on books and even paintings. The imagination of the human mind is rather bountiful when it comes to the twisted, macabre, and cruelty. It does make her wonder if humans were actually another kind of monster. Then again, even the divine can be violent if required. That is why darkness is not to be feared even with all the symbolism it held.

And just like so, Vesper's face did not change. It was pristine and statuesque in its presentation, a porcelain doll beauty gifted with grace and apathy. Her eyes of velvet were lifeless in its gaze and she did not even flinch or trembled with the entire visuals. She did not even appear to be alarmed at all either from the brutality, stench, or the demon. Through it all, even with the demon's words that aimed to cause discord among and within, she does not have any feelings to provide. In any case, Rick had provided protection with his magic. It was then she took the moment to glimpse at the others.

There was a notion for her hand to reach out and offer a brief repose. But, she took hold of it as a mantra echoed inside her head. "All is none." That quelled whatever tinge that yearned her to bring respite. The sheen which held her eyes for a second soon vanished into the air. She removed her attention from the others and gazed at the enthralling gift left by the demon before them. It reminded her how kind that demon is as she focused her sights on Rick who noted such activity is common. Then, she looked at the escort of the sacrificial meat, a man with wheat-colored hair, whether this was known or not, it is a responsibility that befalls him. She could also imagine ORIN's sense of displeasure. After all, their confidence of having a safe haven had been crushed earlier.

Then again, it is not her place to criticize. "Ms. Illusion." Her voice soft as it had always been as she called out to the smaller female. "Shall we continue on?" The calmness she exuded was archaic in its elegance, not a blemish of fear or discomfort cracked though her skin. "Time must not be wasted as you say." There was no force, but a gentle suggestion in her tone. "With all due respect to your instruction." She was not bothered whether they stay longer or if they would be required to do something, like to clean up. However, the others do not share the same sentiment. Even if they had resolved a mask of rock, the inside is a lure of vulnerability. The others were thrown into the pits of blood. "This should be enough for now, Ms. Illusion." The rarest instance, she spoke of her thoughts.


Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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"I'll tell you a secret,
it's something that grants life
and grants death, whatever side
you choose, there shall always be one
truth which you must abide at all cost,
if not then, you are a no one."
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It seemed that everyone was still present. Disappointing. "Tsk." If it was remorse or shame, they were nonexistent because, he really wanted to be left behind. But, he was chained to the word known as attachment. That was the only viable thing that was keeping him collected as much as possible and his strong response of rejection. All of it, a means of self-defense ingrained inside his consciousness. He was still overlapping it with the reality that he was used to, like a child harshly clinging to a broken piece of glass even if he bleeds to death, but apparently, he would die of shock first instead of blood loss.

That's because the very moment he felt the goosebumps, someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him into that fleeting black hole that would churn one's stomach, making him rather dizzy before he met his seemingly constant companion, the floor. This kind of scenario was a repeat that he really didn't need to guess who was responsible. It was his sheer annoyance that he managed to ignore the haziness of his head and meet those crimson eyes glaring at him. There was a voice inside his head, to step back, but, his irritation of how he was handled, was far superior. "You should have left then. Tsk." He met that glare with his own of gold. Then, scoffed as he stood and crossed his arm in front of his chest.

The tirade of the midget about him being late was old news to Caius. He had never been early or on time with anything in his life. So, why should he be mindful of it now? His time had always been on his own, that's why as if as an act of rebellion, he turned deaf to whatever that man-child was spouting about. So, in the end, he missed everything that was said, because instead he drowned the sounds by repeating a chant inside his head. "Booze. Cigarettes. Booze. Cigarettes." It was highly effective as he was left in the black. The only time, he was taken to this reality is when he noticed the others leaving the auditorium. It seemed they were done, if that was so, he would like to have another drink.

With those thoughts, he hanged at the back and was about to take the turn towards the dormitories, but wondered why the others were going in a different direction. Weren't they dismissed? Are they supposed to go somewhere? They were not looking and he could easily slip away. The temptation was great and he wanted to do it, but the midget would make such a fuss again. And clearly, he doesn't want to be touched by that filthy man-child again. It was disgusting and so with a heavy sigh, he changed his direction and followed grudgingly the others who were quite a distance with him.

It wasn't something noteworthy as he soon caught up with them, but he wondered why they were stopping in the middle of the path. And because he was someone who clearly was not able to read the mood, or more like didn't made an effort to do so, he called their attention with, "Oi!" As he walked towards the group almost closing the gap between them and him, He could also see someone in front of the group. A man? Then, as if on cue, splat... He felt something soft and wet touching his face, moreover, it felt to be a lot. This made him stop as he reached to touch his cheek as some viscous liquid was also there. He had a hunch, because of the coppery scent, he had been familiar with in volumes, but to see, is to believe.

His finger touched it as he took a look and saw it... "Blood...?" There were even some fragments attached to it. He felt everything inside of him froze as his eyes widened and as if to confirm looked at the man he had seen earlier become a perfect example of a class-B horror movie. There was also some creature he could compare to those dungeon bosses in games. He had always thought them to look cool, but that was naive isn't it? Because, without the protection of glass, he felt his body trembled and steadily shook like a tree in face of storm of black smoke.

The scene before him imbricate with a bloody moonlit night and the corpses of detached red cloaked limbs accompanied by the relentless plea for help. Then those eyes of burning orange vanished into those hungry gaze of that beast. That made him lurched as he covered his mouth and nose as the stench enveloped his senses. He barely managed to keep himself standing as the voices grew louder in his head and the something incessant was clawing inside of his throat.

"C-ai... he...lp..."

"Why? Why? Didn't you help?"

The demons in his head were having a field day as they assaulted him. He fell to his knees this time as he held his head and continuously shook it. "Just stop... I... I did all.. I can. I'm--" His words were like a broken symphony as his eyes of gold gazed upon the ground as if it can provide a sanctuary for him, an answer. "It's not... not..." He continued to speak in a broken language and the tough ego that he was earlier crumbled into a puddle of blood.

"You abandoned us, Cai."

"No, I didn't!" He shouted in resistance and the grip he has on his head tightened. Then, the scent of brimstone enveloped him in a paranoia of the unknown and a voice that brought sweet promises. "Do you want power?" This voice was a stranger, but it carried a definitive weight in his psyche. The tremors of his body seemed to subside a bit. "I ask, do you want power?" He raised his head a bit as if to look, allowing those gold orbs to peek from his bangs. "Do you hear me?" There was a hand in front of him, it was not a girl's as it was large and strong-looking. But, it was covered in blood.

His eyes widened in horror as searing heat suddenly surrounded him. It was like he was in the middle of an infernal blaze. He felt that his skin was being scorched apart. "Grab it or die." He didn't want to die. He doesn't want to as he hold on to it and the scene shown to him change. The hand was not there anymore but, in turn, it was his that were bathed in blood. He shouldn't be affected by it. He had lived through a life of decadence, his hands were never clean anyway, but why did it struck him so, because of the voices that surrounded him in intensity.

"Are you powerful?"

"But, you couldn't save us."

"You're nothing."

"Why did you kill us?"

That wasn't true... Not at all. He shook his head in denial. The voice became entities, like ghosts that slowly closed onto him as, if choking him of his lifeline. "I didn't kill you! It wasn't my fault!" He then in retaliation swung around his arm as if removing the presence around him in a wild dance. "Are you really sure?" He raised his head in defiance, but what meet him were the same gold eyes just like his, the same face, just a lot younger. His rage dwindled in confusion and surprise. "Who are you...?" The child that is him gazed with such disappointment. "Don't be stupid." The child closed the gap between them as those small hands held his face. "You ate them up, even that dragon. You are a…"

The next word was whispered like a ghostly wind and like a bullet to the brain, images of seething fire, gasping breaths, delirious pleas, and a bloodied dragon on flesh, flooded his mind and the plunge, wracked him with heavy trembles and the clawing grew stronger. "Just stop it!" In the mixture of confusion and delusions, his hand raised into a fist as it collided with the ground, making it shake like he did as stones and dirt flew around him. Displaying, his strength of inhumane capacity once more, and once it settled.

What was left, was a considerable sized crater, and his golden eyes still in a haze and his face with bloody small hand prints on both cheeks, fitted for a child. "It's a lie..." He muttered under his breath.

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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#, as written by zody
-| ? |-
-| Jonathan Black |-Image


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."

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine Character Portrait: ORIN
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Image"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.

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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#, as written by Tanman
Ashley “Ash” “Soot” Clade
Image

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…?”

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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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.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sister Rianne
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The Previous Day

[Rianne's Dorm - 11:33 PM]

The clock seemed to be ticking much faster now. Rianne pulled on her robes and lifted her staff from the mount on her wall, looking it twice over to make sure that it was in good condition. She glanced back down at her phone, the eerie message still taunting her as it glowed brightly in the darkness of her room. The only thing she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest like a drum, and the disjointed, panicked thoughts racing through her mind.

Am I gonna die? Is Melody even alive? Is this just some fucked up dream?

She stared blankly at the screen again. She must've pulled it up a hundred times, still in disbelief. Maybe this is just a false alarm, maybe she was losing her shit over nothing. What would anybody want from her, anyway? There had to be another reason for this, one that she just couldn't see yet.

But the more she tried to convince herself, the less she believed it.

[Della Pace - 11:56 PM]

Rianne wasn't exactly subtle when she departed from the WDL compound, but it was probably better than being caught doing something suspicious like sneaking out over the wall. She just hoped that she hadn't drawn a lot of attention to herself by doing so. The darkness of the park was accompanied by an eerie silence, and the cold wind felt sharp against her face. A handful of distant lamps illuminated small areas around them, but otherwise the only other light source in sight was the light of the moon.

Somewhere near the far end of the park, she could see it. Two, tiny red dots stared back at her. No other forms were visible from that distance, but those piercing eyes easily pierced through the dark shroud. Were they watching her? Had they been watching her for a while now? They remained there, unmoving. She willed her body to take a step forward, but it was frozen stiff.

She took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. Four more minutes.

Setting

12 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Brenhin Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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#, as written by zody
-| LORD OF ILLUSIONS |-
-| 'Illusion' |-Image


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.

Setting

11 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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When everything is said and done, there was nothing else but the eerie silence of devouring thoughts. Vesper understood it all. It is why she did not speak or even move from her position. It was because this stillness was necessary for all to gather what they could even if it was by pieces. Her amethyst eyes reflected a void that encompassed a mysterious meaning as she looked at the others and then lastly on Jonathan who went back to the dormitories. The blood will just keep on flowing. "It had always been since that day."

In any case, she assessed her state of clothing first. There were no blood splatters on her as she was fortunately placed in a position avoiding its trajectory. She remained pristine in appearance and the barrier that Rick made was enough to put a halt on any other lingering red taint and smoke. The result, there was no need for her to change, but that would not be the same with the others. With that thought, she finally moved and walked towards where the most senior of them seven is. "Rick." Her voice held only a gentle sentimentality. "Let us go. You have to lead." This time, her tone carried a bit of weight, but still subtle. "There is nothing else here for now." The meaning of those words can be interpreted in various ways, but it should be enough for Rick to grasp her point.

Afterwards, she left Rick's side and went towards the tall brown man who was still kneeling on the ground with a crater near him. She then stopped before him. There was a notable moment of quietude as she was like an emotionless doll on display. She was currently contemplating what should be done by her without removing her limit of, 'My Place' In the end, she reached out her hand to the man. Illusion had patted his head from she had observed and Jonathan did what he could to provide comfort. They were passing kindness at a glance, but there was more to that. That is why she took out a handkerchief and began to wipe away the bloody hand prints on the tall brown man's face, lowering herself to the ground as well.

"You do not have to accept. You do not have to conform." Her voice carried through the wind like a resonating lullaby. It was not only meant for the man before her, but also for the others. "You need not to be bound. It is fine to act, feel, and speak what you will." When, she was done wiping the blood on his face. Her hands slowly cradled his head and pulled it towards her bosom, like a mother comforting her child. "Grip on to your sanity and conviction. Do not settle with what it is." Her eyes reflected the image of the tall brown man, yet her words were not solely meant for him. "Rebel to your heart's content."

Just like so, she gently placed her chin on top of the tall brown man's head. The notion of perhaps getting dirty did not bother her. Everyone's emotions and beliefs all were distorted. That was understandable. The world they knew when they were young had been twisted into a level that was even beyond their imagination. They even had their own troubles that they conceal deep in the cage of their hearts and mind. Then to be asked to be tolerable, to be powerful, to be a monster, to save the world. Is that not too much for them who had only a desire to live their lives as peacefully as it could be, as normally as they could? Would they really be a prisoner of a fate attached to them through blood? At the very least, they should not lose themselves in the bloodbath. So, to this man in her arms as well, for now. "Sweet dreams, Ai.", as it was whispered as a soothing breeze.


Setting

11 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve Character Portrait: Dawn Memoli Character Portrait: Eine Minerva Character Portrait: Angel Lucius D'Brightaine
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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.'

Setting

8 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jonathan Black Character Portrait: Ashley 'Ash/Soot' Clade Character Portrait: 'Illusion' Character Portrait: Vesper Himemiya Character Portrait: Caius Grady Character Portrait: Rick Brackwall Character Portrait: Helena Kingsley Character Portrait: Vistra Mauve
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"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.