Nani fliched as she listened to the girls screams. Her last words hit her hard and she looked down for a moment. Her eyes watered slightly and she rubbed at them furiously. She slowly pulled off her hoodie and sighed. She looked back up to see that one of the guys had run after the girl. She was tempted to follow but they didnt know her and would probably want to be alone. She looked back at the host for a moment studying his features. He was pretty good at hiding his emotions, that much she would give the guy. Yet even as he pulled on a facade there was something forced and stiff to his stance.

Nani looked toward the guy that had caught up to them just now then turned back to the host. She took a couple of steps closer to him but still kept quite a bit of distance between them. "Are we supposed to sign in individually or is it just that guy?" she asked quietly. Her voice was a bit raspy since she hadnt talked in half a week but you could still understand her. It seemed foreign to her, her voice that is. She barely recognized it as her own. This was the first time she had talked since her parents died and it was to ask a stupid question... But it didnt matter to her. Not right now at least. She looked straight at the host with a blank expression, her dull green eyes steadily on his. "If so, where do we go from here?" Where indeed.

Gwen was brought to his senses only when the girl with the hood spoke to him. He blinked and nearly laughed at his own stupidity – what had he been doing, lingering on the past? Hadn’t he learned to cope with all of this ages ago? Why had he gotten so serious?... It wasn’t like him…

Perhaps out of the pure will to escape the horrible feelings eating away at him, Gwen managed to cast them away completely. Today had simply been an off day for him… that must have been it. He had felt a foreboding feeling since early morning – he ought to have seen that as a prelude to the current situation, and that ominous feeling had thrown his routine out of order. Normally, he would have been out subtly making mischief in the Buffet with the other waiters. He would have been chuckling at the stupidity of the customers who dared to challenge him at the Gambling Hall. That’s how things should have been – the humans had simply caught him off guard. He clung to this thought, as if trying to convince himself that that was all it was. That was all. That was all…

With an eerily refreshed smile, the kitsune responded to the human girl, “Well, current circumstances are unusual for the Brittle House. We do not cater to humans, so that would be a matter to discuss with the front desk. I presume that the number of rooms would depend on your will, while reservations for services will be strictly individual.” Yes, this was how it should be. If he didn’t maintain a jovial demeanour, he would only get depressed like moments ago, and nothing went right then. If he didn’t keep a cheerful nature, he would most likely go mad. Hadn’t he learned anything from all those years he spent at the Brittle House?

Yes. He had learned how to cope, and so he would. “After checking in, you may proceed to your rooms or at this hour the Dining Hall may be to your liking,” Gwen said, gesturing to the different stairways that would lead to each section of the mansion. His green eyes flashed in the lantern-lighting as he glanced at the front desk. “However, that is quite a line, so I apologize but you may be in for a rather long wait,” he added smoothly. As usual, his apology lacked sincerity.

In all honesty, the sudden change in mannerisms was startling, even to Gwen himself, but it was how it should be. He had simply gotten a little sentimental from a moment of weakness, and that was all. These humans weren’t his concerns. If anything, for now, they were simply another batch of customers, as unwanted as the rest of them – so he would treat them the same way. However, he couldn’t completely ignore that voice in the back of his mind, saying, ’You can’t lie to yourself forever.’

That may be true, but he could try.

Faithy-Jane heard Kouta's voice and she instantly left her bag in the corner and opened the door just to hug him tightly. ''I don't know what to do Kouta....I don't know what to do...'' She sobbed. She then released from the hug and sat on the bed for a moment she just sat there not moving not responding. Then she slowly dragged her bag onto the bed next to her then Pip slithered out and rested his head on her lap.

''Faithy, dear. You should go back down stairs and apologize to the Kitsune.'' He hissed out in his Russian voice.

Faithy-Jane looked at Pip. ''You are right......but what is a Kitsune?'' She asked her snake.

''I am not sure dear but he is far from human from what I sense, he is more like a animal.'' He stated then looked at Faithy-Jane then he slithered back into the bag.

Faithy-Jane then looked at Kouta. ''I think I should say sorry to him....what do you think Kouta?'' She asked.

I don't know what to do Kouta....I don't know what to do...''
Kouta barely blushed at the sudden hug as the door opened. His eyes had turned slightly dull and looked more sad than they normally did. He didn't know how to deal with people who were crying. As Faith released him and went to her bed, Pip then saying that she should apoligize to the Kitsune. Faith asked him if she should and he replyed
"I think that might help... when i saw that Kitsune or whatever he is i felt something, he seems to be denying something in his mind... his movements and speech patterns prove this... if he knows we lost everything then he must have lost it all as well..." he moved closer to Faith, showing her the blunt dagger around his neck
"This is a reminder of my past, which i refuse to forget... i want my parents back too..." he looked at Faith in the eyes, then held out his hand "come on, sooner is better than later"

Slumped on the floor it vaguely registers with Ashley that something has changed. She remembered Kouta asking her name after saying that he'd sorted at the girl with the snake but then some sort of commotion had taken place and a boy she'd only just noticed darted past her and the dwardling group looking pale faced. Despite knowing better she pursued him knowing it was better for them to stay together and that he'd thank her later for bringing him back to a group of people instead of leaving him in the rotten house all alone in a corner. She just about found him when...she'd experienced such a strange feeling. Thats it and now she was here on the old floor of the house. Had she fainted? It was understandable considering she was stuck in the middle of no where with a bunch of kids but she hadn't realised it'd affected her enough to trigger...fainting.

Opening her eyes drowsily she took in a glossy floor and inhaled a heady scent. She felt disorientated and dislocated from the rest of her body but things seemed to zoom back in an alarmingly normal prospect when a foot lodged into the side of her ribs. 'Woosh' the air flew out of her lungs as someone booted her in the side and sent themselves head over heels.
Rolling over she accidentally knocked the brown haired boy in the head with her foot whilst rolling about clutching her stomach. "GEEZ WHAT THE-"










The air is thick and murky with incense. The House manufactures foreign heat but those closer to the ground can only feel the bitter chill of the night. A small selection of special spirits loiter tentatively nearby a broad desk playing with their hair whilst sending stealthy glances in their master’s direction.

Through the smoke two luminous, reptilian eyes stare back at them.

Up on the top floor of the House they all linger in mysterious fog, nothing is solid or for certain on the top most floor of the Brittle House it is the masters utmost domain and only the special spirits know what is what round here aside from him.

“Ink” comes his husky murmur from the midst of sweet scented cloud.
A special spirit steps forth and bows awkwardly whilst the others titter childishly to one another in discontent for not being chosen.
Two large teal coloured eyes gaze up at the master as Ink hangs upon every passing second waiting for him to bestow a message upon her.
She watches the master with eager eyes as he swirls a finger in the mass of water-coloured cloud that hung closest to him.

“New employees have arrived. Scattered and chaste in the otherworld, bring them to tea. Hurry before they aggravate the customers.”
Ink rapped her metal helmet to show understanding before she floated off through the fog leaving the other spirits to continuing swaying in the masters cloud.


Once she stepped foot off of Brittle’s floor Ink’s body rippled into action slipping on the well polished floor boards within her first few steps she bolted through the House slipping and sliding all over the place. Her thin spiritual connection to Brittle gave her the gut feeling that the majority of new employees were in the lobby.
On her way down she stumbled across two others lying unhelpfully in the middle of an unpopular corridor. The helmet protected what was left of her brain as she fell face first upon the floor catching a thin layer of beeswax on the bottom of her lip in the process. Licking it off she bounced up like an indestructible toy and turned to face the two that had tripped her.

She’d never seen them before, one being female and the other being male. Feeling the conscious buzz of a message needing to be delivered she experienced the gut feeling that suggested she should bring these two along to tea.
Seeing the blond female begin to curse and stammer nonsense about the House and the brown haired male join in on her gibberish with a hint of cowardice Ink waved her arms at them to gain their attention. With the appearance and height of a 6 year old Ink had no business with being subtle to gain attention. Gaining some sort of acknowledgement from them she snatched up a hand from both the boy and girl and began to drag them behind her with an unlikely strength for a ‘6 year old’.

She dragged the unfortunate pair all the way down to the lobby where it wasn’t difficult to locate the small gaggle of ‘new employees’. Customers shifted to make way for her and her queer company each of them staring in turn with their various eyes as the blond female began to hiss things such as “What the heck is going on here- What is this freak show- get the hell off me- why are you so strong”
Ignorance being a blessing to Ink she released the pair to address the other new arrivals who were dithering close to a current employee and a customer. Ink bowed awkwardly careful not to topple over first she then gave her helmet a rap with her knuckles…
“Called to tea you have been by Brittle. Accompany me you must. Touch and wonder off you mustn’t” came a metallic, feminine voice from speaker holes within the helmet.

Mazu watched as the other orphans interacted with themselves and the ones around them, and was taken aback by Faithy's outbursts.

''What do you know!" What did he know, exactly? In a place like this, who knew? The 'critter' might even be able to read minds or something.... "You are not even nice!" Mazu had to disagree there. You could tell he was trying to be polite, and as she had decided earlier, having a tail doesn't improve one's mood. "I tried to be nice to you and even that done a negative thing to you! Have you always been this mean!? You don't even know why we are here! We are here because we lost our family! And you can even smile without make us feel like we have done something wrong!"
Mazu wasn't particulary sure what about half of what Faith said, but she did know that, probably like the other orphans, she knew exactly what 'lost our family' meant.
''You know what I want!!.....I want my mum and dad back!'' The girl's angry words resonated through Mazu as she made an awful but true realization about her life. She wanted her parents. She had wanted her parents for while now, even before Mom fired those bullets. It was because Mazu had lost them both long ago; her father to numbness and her mother to work. And she wanted her brother back. Mazu blinked away tears. She so desperately wanted to wake up to find her brother giving an over-exaggerated account of how Mazu hit her head and got knocked out to their concerned parents. She just couldn't accept the fact that she was surrounded by... these... these... things. And lastly Mazu wanted to hunker down in a squishy armchair with her doritos.

The girl took a deep breath. As much as she wanted to, Mazu was not going to run away from her problems. She would face the storm head on, go down fighting, and take someone with her. All without crying.

“Called to tea you have been by Brittle. Accompany me you must. Touch and wonder off you mustn’t” Mazu looked up, not realizing that she had just zoned out. The voice with Yoda-like sentence structures sounded young and feminine, yet metallic. Mazu surveyed the speaker; a young looking girl. She had said 'Brittle'? Finally the guy- or so Mazu supposed- decided to show up. About time too. Mazu smiled. Perhapes this was all just some elaborate joke? "Lead the way."

Nani stared at the host for a moment in silence then slowly nodded. To be truthful, she hadn’t really been listening closely. Her mind had gone back to the distressed girls words.

''What do you know! You are not even nice! I tried to be nice to you and even that done a negative thing to you! Have you always been this mean!? You don't even know why we are here! We are here because we lost our family! And you can even smile without make us feel like we have done something wrong! You know what I want!!.....I want my mum and dad back!''

The words rang in her ears, brushing harshly against every memory and emotion she had pushed down. The world was cruel, that much she had learned only about a week ago. Along with this knowledge came the insight that maybe she really didn’t know how things worked outside of her broken down home in the rice fields. The girl had thrown her emotions out so bravely yet rashly. Nani held a bit of admiration toward her, toward the way she could openly admit how she really felt and how she was willing to let others know. Nani wasn’t as strong as that. She had not spoken a word after seeing her parents being dragged out of that lake.
After the police took her to the hospital and looked at her with pity in their eyes.
After the doctor asked to confirm if the pale couple on cold looking tables were really her parents.
After her whole world turned cold and alone.

Her eyes refocused on the host; this was just another man in the world that she didn’t know. Another person out of the many in this huge world… and she was just one girl. The girl before, the one with choppy black hair and gold looking eyes, had passed through a difficult time. Nani heard it through her words, felt it in her voice and even saw it in her eyes. Would it last forever? Their pain and longing? It felt like it.

Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like a mechanical voice. Now what? A robot or android?, she thought to herself frustrated. She turned around and was surprised to see that the voice was coming from a small girl… or rather from her helmet. She blinked and had the sudden urge to laugh hysterically. The day’s events seemed to finally catch up with her.
First, the house changes from a ratty broken down abandoned looking shit place then all of a sudden it’s a glamorous old fashioned hotel.
Secondly, she wakes up to find that there are creatures all around the place; not to mention that some of them look like they came straight out of a fairy tale book and others from a horror movie.
And then, not lastly since it feels like there’s more to come, comes a small innocent looking girl talking through her helmet as if it were connected to her vocal cords!

Nani really felt lost and more than slightly freaked out by today’s happenings; the night wasn’t even close to over! She willed the urge to laugh out of her system because she knew that if she didn’t she’d very much give into it and most likely end up being dragged to a loony bin. Though from the looks of it she might already be in one.
With nothing left to lose (her sanity seemed to have slipped away unnoticed) she sighed and followed behind the others.

Coming slowing back into consciousness from his deep sleep, Brandon’s thoughts were groggy as he tried to get his bearings. Noticing first the hard floor below him, he remembered the events surrounding his arrival to the brittle house. “That’s right, I just fell asleep. Wait, what….” Something was off, he felt more constricted than normal as if he was wearing a coat. There was also an external warmth radiating from somewhere near by. “Wha, wait someone is besi…“ THWACK! His thoughts were interrupted as he received a soft blow to the head from an unknown source, which quite enough to pull him fully out of his slumber. His eyes flicked open and he sat up quickly to find himself looking at a girl around his age with long blond hair and what looked to him like a angry glare on her face. His hear pounded as his fear began to take over. “Who is she? Oh no, she must be angry at me! What did I do? She’s one of the other orphans from before. What should I do? I need to apologize right? But what do I apologize for?!”

"GEEZ WHAT THE-"

As his mind raced on, he watched the girl turn her head to look at something out of his field of vision. Not knowing what else to do, he followed suit to see what she was looking at. “Who is that? She looks kinda strange.” He thought as he looked at the little kid that was standing a few feet away and waving in their direction. She had on what looked like some sort of helmet and was wearing a strange expression. Drawn in by the peculiar sight, Brandon vaguely heard the blond haired girl say something. Pulled back as she said something else, he shifted his gaze back to her from the little girl.

“Oh no, what did she say? I wasn’t paying attention!” he thought as he mustered some courage and asked in a weak voice. “Wha, what was that?” However, before she could answer, Brandon suddenly found himself being pulled quickly through the corridors. The tiny child had grabbed them each by the hand and was quickly leading them in apparently random directions. At first Brandon tried to resist, but it was futile against the unnatural strength of the strange girl. “No, wait, st-stop, hold on!” He cried as he tried not to stumble over himself.

As they ran through the halls being pulled by the little girl, Brandon noticed it was harder to run than before when he had entered the house. Looking down he saw that he was now dressed in a full gray suit and red tie, along with undershirt and dress shoes. He also began to catch glimpses of strange looking figures as the group moved through the house. These realizations were just one more weight on his mind filled with crushing uncertainty and he blocked everything else out, closing his eyes as he tried to sort out what was going on. “Whats going on! I don’t get it. How did I change clothes? Why does this house look different? This doesn’t seem real. Wait. THAT’S IT! It’s a dream right? But it feels so real. It could be a dream. Maybe it…” His thoughts were interrupted as they came to a stop.

“What the heck is going on here- What is this freak show- get the hell off me- why are you so strong”

Brandon opened his eyes as he heard the voice of the blond haired girl stop the senseless stream of curse words and say something legible. Looking up he saw that the three had stopped in the middle of a room filled with not only the other orphans but more of the strange creatures. Brandon was scared stiff by the sight and though he shivered in fear, he tried to keep still as he could and not draw attention to himself. “I’m gunna die! I’m gunna die! I’m gunna die! I’m gunna….” He repeated in his mind as the little girl tapped her helmet before giving them instructions to follow her to Brittle.

Still quivering in fear, he resolved to just stay as quiet as he could and hoped that if he followed the instructions that he might be ok. In his fear, he continued to hold the little girls hand firmly as the physical contact was the only thing that seemed to keep him from away as fast as he could.

Gwen stiffened when he heard the shouts of another voice – from the words uttered, he could deduce it was human girl. Needless to say, he was surprised, albeit only a little, when an otherworldly little girl hurried into the lobby with two humans in tow. “Ink,” he murmured when the girl awkwardly bowed, her black curls framing her face from beneath the heavy helmet she wore. This child too, was young in appearance – perhaps even younger than Terra. However, one thing was certain – she was a Special Spirit as well, so of course she came bearing a message from Brittle.

“Called to tea you have been by Brittle. Accompany me you must.” Ah, Gwen had forgotten about Ink’s strange manner of speaking – through her helmet, in that strangely punctuated voice. “Touch and wander off you mustn’t.”

So indeed, Brittle had made his move. A gnawing sensation returned to the pit of his stomach, so Gwen quickly turned away from the messenger, bowing to the remaining humans. “It seems you have been summoned. She will take you to where you want to be. I assure you, I leave you in good hands,” he said in a courteous manner, although he wasn’t sure how convincing his words were when their new guide appeared to be a clumsy young child…

It didn’t help that he knew that those ‘good hands’ would lead them to the devil’s lair.

Finding the line of thought depressing, Gwen discarded it in favour of looking over the two new arrivals. This new human boy quite frankly put, seemed terrified. It was evident from his fidgeting gaze and his tight grip on the Special Spirits hand. At last, there seemed to be one sensible soul amongst the humans, or perhaps he was simply a coward. Either way, the kitsune found it a little amusing. He probably would not have those many years ago – perhaps he would have even felt sympathetic towards the mortal soul back then. Of course a kitsune would feel no pity for such behaviour as, more often than not, he would be the cause of it.

However, the other human, the girl with the long blond hair seemed more enraged than anything else. She either didn’t care or was oblivious to the strange stares she received from many of the otherworldly beings in the lobby. What bothered Gwen more than anything else was that her reactions further drew out memories he wished to keep suppressed. “Please lower your voice,” Gwen started calmly. “Your ramblings are aggressive to sensitive ears. You’re disturbing the other guests.” The second half had more of an edge to it than he had intended, but he couldn’t help it – that irritating feeling was back to eat away at his insides. The memories had resurfaced, and he knew from personal experiences, that a temper such as hers would not go over well with Brittle… and it was also true that his own keen hearing was suffering from her loud voice.

Suddenly remembering the other two humans who had ran to the customer’s floor, he added to Ink in a smoother tone, “There are two more somewhere on the upper floor. Brittle will be wanting them as well.” Instantly, a momentary regret flashed through him. If he hadn’t told, might they at the very least, have escaped the fate to come?

Gwen chided himself for his stupidity – trying to fool Brittle, where had such a ludicrous idea come from? All Gwen could do was go through life as he always had, bearing with the ways of the otherworld. He should take care to distance himself from these humans as much as possible. They only put unnecessary thoughts in his head. With a quiet sigh, he pulled a smile onto his face and turning to the otherworldly guest with the hat, said courteously, “Sir, please proceed to the front desk. This matter with your ‘companions’ will not interfere with your stay.” The kitsune couldn't resist the slight emphasis on the word to make it clear that he knew of the customer's lie. Really, he needed to come up with a better way to channel his aggravation...

Ali didn't know how to react as a young girl wearing some sort of helmet approached them, she couldn't have been more than 6 years old. Was she actually working for Brittle? how long had he been picking up kids left right and centre because he was just too lazy to clean his house himself. As Ali walked through the halls seeing all these odd...creatures in away. But it seems to the staff of Brittle house weren't even phased by this, this strange world that seemed to feel at home in a fantasy world that should have been in a childrens book.

What on earth was he doing here? did he really want to stay in a place where the next person he tried to talk to would turn him into a deck chair. Rubbing his eyes he tried to calm down his irational thoughts, what would his mother say about all this? Of course she would want him to be happy and have a happy life. But was staying here for potentially the rest of his life be the path to true happiness?

Keeping his eyes on the highly polished floor he thought about how the house would even change from a falling apart haunted mansion kind of thing to a fancy hilton hotel that James Bond would hold a stakeout in drinking Martini's like it was water. A parrallel world perhaps or a void in the certain point of time which transformed the house. Ali wasn't good at science but this interested him deeper than any problematic equation.

Clove

He was caught off guard at the girl's sudden outburst and found himself unable to do anything but stand and stare. Sure, he could understand the whole traumatic crap: suddenly in a new world, having no parents, blah, blah, blah, he lived through all that, too. That was just a few of the perks of being in this realm. He knew the kids would come to terms on their own..but he wasn't expecting to deal with these emotions now. Hell, he wasn't expecting to deal with them at all. Sure, tears he could deal with. They could be ignored; but this? What was he supposed to do about this? He vaguely remembered the confusion of female emotion and well, being trapped in this world...he wasn't exactly equiped for dealing with them.

To his horror, she continued her tantrum upstairs. His eyes darted around the small group. Shit. Was he expected to go after her? Relief rushed over him when the boy took it upon himself to play 'the nice guy'. Thank the Gods, he thought to himself as the youth trudged up the stairs. He wouldn't've known what to do, anyway. Hell, most likely he would've brought the girl to suicide..

He sighed and rested against the wall, waiting for the boy bring her back. He smiled to himself. This was working out well enough for him. What with the kids' bonding due to similar misfortune, they would most likely stick together, watch out for one an other..all and all, make it easier to do his job for him. Though he did feel a pinch of pity realsing the way he was thinking, he pushed it aside. He knew better than to allow himself to get close, especially to noobs.

His thoughts were suddendly halted as, what looked like, a toddler dragging along two more youths. The one was a rather boisterous female, the other, a wimpering boy. He couldnt help but find amusement out of the rather odd couple. However, his amusment wilted as the Kitsune guided him away from the growing group of youths. Wait a minute, he thought, a slight paranoia siezing him as the little, helmeted child spoke, How am I going to find them? He stopped panicing, remembering what they were and mentally kicked himself. Clove, calm down. It's not like humans would be that hard to find. He exhaled and chuckled lightly at himself, uncaring of the eyes around him and stepped lightly next to the Kitsune. "Guess it's just you and me, Fox." He nods his head towards their previous direction and smiles, "After you."

Faithy-Jane nodded to Kouta then stepped out the room with her bag over her left shoulder then she carefully closed the door and rushed to the stairs and slowly went down them. When she got the the bottom of them she ruffed up her short dark hair then she saw him and she sighed nervously then she walked in front of him.

''I am sorry, I didn't mean any of it. I am deeply sorry for shoving you also. You probably know much more than me and you are just doing your job so I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me for my mean words. I really didn't mean them. You are probably nice, caring and so on really. you just got a job to do. I-I will no longer interfere with your work.....'' She smiled lightly to him then put her head to the floor and stood behind everyone like a 'good girl' as some say.

She fiddled with her fingers a bit as she pondered in her thoughts. 'I hope he does not hate me...'

Kouta gave a hidden smile as he saw Faith leave the room to apoligize to the kitsune. He followed her down the stairs to the reception and saw that the scene had changed since he had last been their. Now a few more of the lost children had appeared and sop to had a robot of some sort, saying something of Brittle inviting them to tea.
So Brittle is about to show his face eh? Finnaly... he thought as he stood with the others, who seemed to all be holding tightly together, with Faith at the back, he stood next to her. Staying quiet and tense, ready to run if the need arised for any reason, he didn't want to be led into a trap and have no way of getting out of it simply because he had not payed attention to the signs earlier on. Being a street rat had taught him that.

‘Fox’. Something about the term irritated Gwen greatly. He knew there weren’t many more options for a title, seeing as how he had lost his nametag and refused to divulge his name, but the simple word was enough for Gwen to justify a disliking towards the guest. He hadn’t liked this hat-wearing customer in the first place anyway. Before he could linger too long on the thought, the two missing humans chose to present themselves, coming down the stairs.

Immediately, the human girl came up to the kitsune. She seemed to have gotten over her outburst relatively quickly. “I am sorry,” she started uncertainly before continuing her long apology. She even suggested that he was probably ‘nice’ and ‘caring’. Gwen was just a little sorry to disappoint… He watched with slight bemusement as she bowed, touching her forehead to the ground before joining the others.

However, as earlier, he pulled on a courteous smile. After all, the humans were technically still guests… for now… “All is well. I was not feeling quite myself today either, Miss.” Very true that statement was – if he had been himself, he wouldn’t be greeting troublesome guests in the first place. He would have been burning a pixie’s wings discreetly in the Dining Hall, or gathering a few jewels at the Gambling Hall... “Brittle will be expecting you – please just follow the child,” he finished, pointing the human girl to Ink.

Then, turning back to the otherworldly guest, he added, “Honored guest, please follow me,” before slowly gliding towards the counter. As he left the group, with his back to the customer, his face fell, his brow creasing in thought. More seemed to be happening in the beginning of one night than they had in years…

Brittle, Brittle, Brittle… what could the legendary man be plotting? What was going to happen now? Gwen didn’t know at all. It had taken him years to adapt to the routine he had now, but now his life would be thrown into turmoil once more. He could only hope he would make it out with a cool head. He was a kitsune. He served Brittle. There was no changing those two facts, but something about the humans bothered him otherwise…

Suddenly all too eager to get away from the humans, Gwen pulled away from his position at the end of the long line for the front desk, and sauntered right up to the counter, checking back to make sure the customer followed. At the counter, the person about to check in was a woman, and for once Gwen was grateful for such a turn of events. “Excuse me, Madam,” he said with a bow and slight smile, “but there are some matters to attend to. Could this gentleman quickly check in before we are on our way?”

Not all that surprisingly, the otherworldly woman stepped back, letting the kitsune and the guest take her place. Gwen tried his best to ignore the disturbing look she was giving him as he gestured for the hat-wearing customer to check in. Gwen tried his best to hide his anxiety - he just needed to get away from the humans for a while. They were only having a negative effect on him. “Ah, please check in alone. Your ‘companions’ won’t be joining you,” he added as he handed the customer a pen.

Gwen still didn’t know what this customer was thinking when claimed those humans to be his acquaintances, but one thing was for sure – they wouldn’t be returning the same after meeting Brittle.

Seeing she had all the 'new employees' present Ink gestured they all follow her and made the rather tedious journey back up to the tea room. There were many tea rooms in the Brittle house. Customer tea rooms for the fat, thin, squashed, stretched, ugly, pretty, dainty and not so dainty but Ink was leading the way to a very particular tea room. One that was unavaliable to guests and anyone else but the special spirits for that matter.

On the way she babbled on to her tag alongs through her metallic helmet about how terribly apologetic Brittle was for making them flounder about down stairs amongst the customers, how awfully confused they must have been and how extremely glad they had to be to have someone like Brittle taking them in. Ink did well with leading them through a series of passages that avoided the general buzz of the House. She had a gut feeling that Brittle didn't want the 'new employees' to see more than they already had.

Ink paused at the bottom of a winding, wooden staircase and glanced behind at all the odd looking individuals following her. "These steps you must mind" came her mechanical warning before she turned back to face the stairs with a grim glint to her eyes. Jogging up the stairs she heard the patter of feet following her up. On reaching the last step Ink stared down the wide coridoor and spotted a few special spirits toddling around a corner to hide. Ink repositioned her helmet on her head with a pout. Those other spirits can't just wait for their own tasks they have to stick their noses into her job! Walking down the coridoor some way she stopped at the only door visible.

It had double doors with two large, golden door knockers hanging down in the shape of a manticore's head. Giving her helmet a rattle which was eqivilent to clearing her throat Ink gave one of the door knockers two raps before giving the other door knocker a single rap. The double doors shifted inwards an inch as a lock and bolt slid away. With a sniff the petite girl gave the solid doors a shove and pushed them open.

The doors croaked as they opened to reveal a room of splendor. The walls were detailed with diamond, ruby and gold with bewildering jeweled lights flattering the entire room with a disoriantating glow. There stood a large wooden table in the centre surrounded by high back chairs. Surrounding the table were many glamourous chests and other items. Ink bekoned the youths into this room. "A seat you must take. In. In. Come. Come." She encouraged.

Watching as the youths ventured in Ink noticed reluctance in some of their eyes and had a gut feeling it was not what Brittle wanted. Ink tapped her helmet anxiously uncertain of what she should so to reassure them...at that point though the door creaked open once again and a heavy presense filled the air.

Mazu's uneasy feeling grew as she was herded up the steps and into a... What a room! Mazu, who was born and raised in poverty, was dumbstruck. Daaaaaaang. This Brittle guy sure had some cash! The riches made Mazu's eyes hurt, so she kept her gaze locked on the wooden table. Following the helmet-wearing girl's instructions, Mazu stepped cautiously through the costly goods. She settled onto one of the tall black chairs, surprised by their comfy-ness. Mazu's unsettled feeling grew by the second. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end; warning. Warning what? Why should Mazu be afraid? After all, she was going to meet her adopted father. Yikes, that term sounds so... strange....

Mazu was just about ready to sprint out of the room when the door creaked open ominously. The embodiment of Mazu's uneasy feelings flooded into the room, paralyzing the girl. The first thing she noticed was his horns. Horns! But the farther he came into the room, the tighter the invisible hand squeezed her lungs. Mazu struggled to breath. His eyes.... Reptilian! Her adopted father- the term didn't fit Brittle at all- was surprisingly young. But old. His face was unlined, but he just radiated... something. And extra surprisingly, Mazu thought he was attractive. Holy cow! I think my adopted father is attractive! That seemed to be the last straw in the things that had happened in three days. Her life had imploded in on itself, and... and.... Mazu couldn't express the anger and frustration she was feeling right now. For some reason, all of it was being directed at the imposing person in front of her. Brittle.

Mazu knew she had no right to blame him like that, but still. Still. She also knew she should say something, but it was as if her mouth was filled with clay.

Ali seemed to come back to earth with a huge bump as they stepped into the large room. His mouth was hanging out for the duration as he walked i and paused hallfway around the room. His eyes fell on a picture on a beautifull landscape it was covered in snow and the lake arround it was frozen into a thick black mass. He thought back to winters at home with his mother, when she was having one of her more better day they would walk in the park close to there home so she wouldn't have to walk far. The fresh white powder flying away at there feet the icy breath of both of them barely leaving their lips, and watching as the park wardens hitting the icicles off lampost and tall tress which could cause more than a brainfreeze if one dropped on a person's head. He smiled at the though on his mother making a comical joke about death even though she must have known her time was coming ro an end. The moment she finnaly passed was terrible she was so weak and held onto Ali's hands so tightly saying how proud she was of him, and how he could ammount to anything if he tried to, she also wouldn't stop telling him how much she loved him over and over again she would say it like a resonating mantra surrounding him untill her final breath left her. He sat with her for at least two hours, in all truth he lost count of the hours since his tears muffled all sound. Death was such a strange thing some people live in fear of death and claim that there is no way it can be avoided no matter what religion you may belong to death is not fixed at all its just the tick of a clock all set for us all and were just waiting for the chime.

Blinking the tears out of his eyes he shivered as a cold feeling ran over his whole body, rubbing his arms he turned slowly. His mouth dropped open again but this time it was more fear than shock, or perhaps it was a bit of both. That was Brittle? He was...a god knows what. No words escaped Ali's mouth but a strange sqeaking noise from the back of his mouth emerged he cleared his throat after a while, he didn't know really what to do run or stay still. But his feet seemed fixed to the ground.

Clove

He stepped back a pace or two as the girl returned to the group. She had her eyes on the Kitsune and he didn't want to get caught in the cross fire if she decided to continue her little spurt. He watched with cautious anitcipation. Maybe he would be able to see the Kitsune in action? Instead, to his disappoinment, the girl stopped before the Kitsune and appologized. He raised his eyebrows at her sudden humble nature. She seemed to glide through emotions rather easily. He looked to the boy who brought her back. How could he keep up with her?

Shaking his head, he let his thoughts go. He was growing bored and didn't feel like dealing with the growing number of emotionally scarred youths. Plus, having had time to rest for a bit in one place he realised how tired he was from the journey. He stiffled a small yawn as the Kitsune and the girl made up. Better to let the employees do their job. He'd find them again when he wanted. He tolded himself this, but couldn't help but feel a sort of sinking feeling as the Kitsune guided him away. What exactly was to be done with the humans? Were they to be made a cuisine? He knew many creatures who rellished human flesh. Were they being escorted back outside? He heard the child-spirit mention Brittle.

He shuddered involuntarily. Yes, the legends reguarding the house were amazing. They described the beautiful atmosphere, the talented, yet mischievious employees, the rich decoration, yet nothing really about the man behind the scene. He was a mystery in every aspect. A name whispered in reverance, as if he were some sort of God.. He swallowed down a growing distaste. He knew all about Gods.

Unconsciously, he brought his hands up to his mat of black fur and nuzzled his fingers beneath his hat. It's wieght was bothersome, but necessary. It served as a reminder. It reminded him the power and fierceness of Gods and that he had a job to do.

Resting his hands on his hips, he faces the Kitsune and smiles in acknowlegedment. He'd check in and deal with the Human issue later. Leaning on the desk, he takes his place between the Kitsune and the woman. He gives a small nod and a wink in the other customer's direction, "Sorry, love," then turns his attention to the desk, "So, how do I do this exactly?"

As Kouta followed the others to where the robot said they were going to meet Brittle many things ran through his head. What was he like? What kind of creature could he be to own a house full of monsters? Was he a demon? These were trivial questions to some, and a dmitably not that important to Kouta. All he cared about was being able to survive here. In fact he didn't even mind leaving the house and the others if it meant he could find someplace else to survive. But most likely that would not be the case.
Kouta and the others were led to a strange door in the shape of a manticore's head
... Great this guys probably a loon... then again it wouldn't surprise me if we were all crazy right now and this was all a dream but Kouta knew well this wasn't a dream, it looked real it felt real and even smelt real. This place was no mirage. The robot told them to sit down and Kouta did, still cautious and suspiscious. Though before he could really do anything a door opened up to expose a man with horns. This partly made Kouta believe that Brittle was indeed a demon. He stood tall and firm, looked old yet young and to Kouta personally looked intimidating, not like he would show any weakness though, no, he had to be strong now for the others.
He looked around to see some admiring Brittle while others seemed to be stuck with shock. Kouta looked at Brittle and moved forward, stirring up his bravery he said
"Hello... i am to guess you are Brittle... correct?"

Faithy-Jane instantly wrapped her arms around one of Kouta's arms with her chin on his shoulder. She felt much more braver, happier and safe around Kouta so it looked like she was not going to let go any time soon. But as he greeted Brittle she blinked at Brittle not in shock then she suddenly appeared beside Brittle as others said he was and poked him continuously. Like a child has it seemed and as it was but at the same time whether it was noticeable or not she was checking him out. Not in a way of perversion but as a fascination of human, animal and mythical anatomy. She seemed childish, naive and possibly to trusting on others but she was also smart, very smart.

She then stepped back with her head down and fiddling with her fingers returning to her nervous self she spoke. ''Sorry about that. I-it is very nice to meet you.'' She said then she instantly practically ran back behind Kouta and wrapped her arms around his arm and placed her chin on his shoulder again. Returning to her eased happy self again as she stayed near Kouta.

It was obvious that this guest wasn’t a frequenter of the Brittle House if he didn’t even know how to check in. Furthermore, Gwen was confident in his memory – he would never forget an irritating guest... with that thought, Gwen took a thick packet of papers from the concierge and slid it before the customer. “Checking in is simple enough,” he started, gesturing the papers. “On this page, please indicate the number and type of room you would like and your desired services – wake up calls, breakfast orders and others as such apply. You may also arrange these later on in your stay. Ah yes, over here, please indicate the length of your stay. If you are uncertain, simply write ‘indefinite’,” he recited, pointing at a several points of otherworldly text on the first page.

“In the following pages, there are our terms of services, although we will give the customer the benefit of the doubt in most any situations. The fifth page in particular is important, as it is the expected level of courtesy to our employees, our head chef in particular. One should always be wary around Sins,” he continued, flipping to each of the indicated pages. It wasn’t as if any of the customers actually bothered to follow the ‘courtesy’ outlines anyway, or Gwen’s job would have been far less aggravating. It seemed that Brittle didn’t care about his so called terms of services either, usually letting the customers do as they please. Holding back a sigh, the kitsune looked up to make sure the guest was at least pretending to pay attention before continuing.

“On the back, there is empty space for our guests to write whatever they please – first impressions, initial complaints, requests for services outside of our normal range, or any specific limitations of diet.” As he flipped the packet to the back, Gwen glanced at the otherworldly guest with a small, dark smile. “However, even if you choose not to, the employees will be able to determine what is… best for the customer.” Ah, yes... the employees would always figure out what exactly a customer was, whether the guest wanted them to know or not. They had gotten good at it, since it was always easier to stir a little trouble if they knew what they were working with.

Flipping back to the front of the packet, the kitsune added, “As for the agreement to these terms, we at the Brittle House are well aware that some guests prefer to avoid divulging certain information, and thus we give several options of verification. Of course, there are exceptions to even these options, but for one such as yourself, sir, you may take the pen, and write out your full, true name – we can tell when a false name is given – or you may simply stamp with your essence seal. If neither of those options is suited for you, you may also verify the contract with three drops of blood from your dominant hand.” Quite a handful to remember, but after being at the Brittle House and eavesdropping in the lobby for so long, Gwen thought he had gotten it down pretty well.

As he waited for the customer to fill out the forms, Gwen tapped the counter, gesturing for the concierge to get a room key ready... and then he found his thoughts wandering back to those humans… surely at that very moment they were meeting with Brittle… Gwen clenched his fist and scowled, choosing to distract himself by glowering at one of the lanterns in the distance. There was nothing that could be done. He just had to stop thinking about it…

Nani blinked a few times before guessing that her eyes werent playing tricks with her... this time. Her eyes rounded out into perfect circular shapes and her lips parted; to gasp or to scream she didnt know but not a sound came to her. This is Brittle?!?! The images she had made up along the train ride came to mind then. She had thought Brittle might be a snobby rich man, a perverted old grampa, a kind middle aged man and even a crazy old coot that wore his clothes on backwards... but never this. Oh no, her mind could never truly conjure up a sight quite like him.

Nani wasnt sure if she wanted to run for her life or stay in place to gaze at the man some more. He made her skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck to stand at attention. She was stuck as it was. Frozen still by this... this creature, man or whatever he was. His reptilian eyes and the odd horns potruding from his head made half of her want to fear him but there was another part that just wanted to stare at him and try to figure him out.

He was handsome and that thought made Nani even more peaked then she already was. It wasnt just his otherworldly attributes, though they were a big plus. No. In fact, to be truthful, what made him handsome wasnt the things you could see with your eyes (if that makes any sense to you). It was the strong pulsing aura that surrounded him. It was the air of authority that exuded from him. To say the least, it was like his presence demanded of your attention. He had only to step into the room to have all eyes fixed on him.

And that scared Nani even more. That type of draw- pull even, made him a very dangerous person in her eyes. That kind of power, for a lack of a better word, could be disastrous. Oh but how her hands itched to put down his image on paper! She had drawn many things people could marvel at but she had never drawn something that could capture a viewer. She figured if she drew Brittle the viewer would be captivated by it... but she knew she couldnt possibly draw him. She would never truly grasp in paper the essence of him. She wouldn be able to convey through pictures how he truly was. No, to even try it would be to set yourself up for failure.

Nani drew in a deap breath and shook her mind of those thoughts. How could she be thinking of drawing at a time like this! Truly, she has lost her mind now. She glanced at Brittle one last time before quickly veering her gaze to the polished floor. One thing was for sure, with Brittle as their new guardian, this would be one heck of an insane stay.

But then again, isnt it already?

Brittle laid his slit pupils on the various little faces that existed within the room. They looked even more down trodden up front compared to when he'd spied them at the entrance. Humans. Such unfortunate things. Such an unfortunate smell that clung to them. The smell of self delivered doom. These deplorable few had already managed to fog up the entire room with their...mortal stench. It was no wonder why the customers were so dishevelled when faced with these flesh smothered souls.

"Hello... i am to guess you are Brittle... correct?" His eyes flickered over to a bright eyed youth.

If it wasn't for the enhanced smell Brittle wouldn't of noticed the small female boldly giving his side a prod. She drew his attention down where his pupils enlarged to take in detail before observing her retreat. ''Sorry about that. I-it is very nice to meet you.'' Humans. Such clumsy things. Such ugly creatures with their bland features and dead weight scent. They both facinated and bored him.

He glanced to the side to see Ink tapping on her helmet anxiously. Not the worst looking batch he'd purchased that was for certain. He noted how the rest of them seemed anxious and uncomfortable. Was it the noise of the house because he could hear everything. Every conversation brewing, every gossip ever shared, every stomp, bang, clatter and cough within these walls reached his ears. Was it the many smells that flowed throughout the place from uncleaned sheets to the banquets that unsettled them. Was it the heat for he felt both hot and cold. The room itself did it surprise them! What could possibly be the problem he could not fathom with so much going on and the only way to solve such a thing was to learn to block out...the door fell shut with a soft click...the noise.

His ears became eveloped in silence. So that was the problem. A prolonged silence. Careful not to reveal his teeth Brittle produced a smile for the young ones. His social skills were a little rusty when it came to flesh forms, he hadn't invited any to tea for quite some time but if he started out slowly it should all come back to him.
"Children" He began awkwardly clasping his hands together. "My children" he paused his reptilian eyes darting over to Ink as she began tapping on her helmet a little faster as a hint he wasn't starting off so good.
"Won't you all take a seat. Make yourselves comfortable. I presume it's been quite the 'bizzare' journey for you" he suggested gesturing to the seats before taking one himself at the head of the table feeling quite large when he was all at once reminded how terribly small humans were. Observing as they all settled down into their high back chairs cautious as ever by the looks of things Brittle sent a glance at Ink and within moments had her at his side.
"Bring Gwen and another up here I have a favour to ask" he murmured to her before watching her toddle off with the message.

Now entirely alone with the Orphans he rested his elbows upon the table and gestured briefly to the jeweled walls of the room. "As you can see. I am wealthy and as I'm sure you've already gathered I'm not your average 'parent' and this isn't quite a foster home." He allowed for a few agreeable responses before continuing.

"You may think this is perhaps what humans call 'a dream' but I can tell you now that none of what surrounds you is a figment of your imagination. I am as real as real can be." The appropriate things to say began to return to him.
"I'll take the time now to apologise for not introducing myself instantly but I was extremely distracted when you arrived. (Lie 1) You're probably wondering why on earth you're here and the truth is I've always desired human children (truth) I've had a longing within me for quite some time to become a guardian which was a longing shared with my partner until she tragically lost her life. (Lie 2) By chance when I was observing the human world I saw all of you, you poor, miserable things without a home and you were all on your way to orphanages. It was practically love at first sight and should I say fate be the reason we're all seated here tonight (Lie 3)." He smiled round at them all though just under the skin lingered a predatory patients.

"I hope you can all accept me as your guardian despite my appearance. This entire place is your home now, you can go where ever you like within it and enjoy all its luxuries I assure you there are plenty. I will do my best to make your lives comfortable while you're here." he murmured leaving himself some space to gather whether they were following or not. They seemed partially on board. He'd need to change that which would be plenty easy to accomplish with his next move.

Brittle casually rose from his seat spreading around a feigned feeling of joy and relishment. "Of course I'd offer round the hugs and handshakes but I think what would be most appreciated is a little food. You must be famished!" With a click of his fingers the lights dimmed and the table burst into an array of popping as plates upon plates of bland scented food literally 'popped' into existance. Brittle knew what humans prefered to eat with their roasted chicken, jelly and potatoes all their peculiar meals which appealed little to him. The smell of the banquet didn't reach him but he presumed it must smell appetizing to them.

"Please enjoy the first meal of many! I only offer the best to my own kin. Don't be shy please do tuck in" he announced with a devious smile re-taking his seat and producing a glass of red liquid to sip on himself.