Ariella's Story

Date: Friday, June 28th
Time: 8:00am
Weather: Morning chill

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It's been a week since the Museum de Creaturis Fabulosa has opened and there have been many attempts by pirates in robbing the exhibits. Some have been captured and put in jail waiting to be hanged, others have failed and were able to escape before getting arrested. Security on the Museum has doubled and there are now on-the-clock staff members there 24/7. The Museum it two-stories, though it looks like three-stories tall. The first floor has the stairs on both sides right next to the entrance door, gift shops, food carts, and in the back is the off-limits employee's only area. The employee's only room consists of an office space, a break room, and a jail like room for when the exhibits need to be cleaned or punished. The second floor is where the exhibits are held. This area is actually two floors in one. There are exhibits hanging from the ceiling to the walls, while others are on display cases on the ground. There is an armed guard on every single exhibit in the room. The Museum had just opened, guards at the entrance door checking if any guest has any type of weapon with them.

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It was just another day of being locked up in a cage and have humans stare at you for Ariella. Usually she would ignore them for the most part, but today she was told to play a song for the guest. Aria had been sitting up on her perch swing, the only thing she was able to fly up to, thinking of a song to play and what instrument she should use. Out of the three instruments she had in the box above her, which was tired up to the top of the cage so none of the public could take it, she decided to use her violin. She was the most skilled with the violin rather than the flute or harp. Now all she needed to think of was a song.

It took her a while, but Ariella finally figured out a song to due. She stood up on the perch swing, opening the box up and taking out her white violin. She then closed the box back up and jumped down from the perch swing. Landing on the bottom of the cage light as a feather. She was wearing a white flowing dress, where the back was just low enough for her wings to come out. Though her wings were only half the size of her body, when really they were twice the size, the cage just prevents her from letting them out all the way. Her wings also let off a light lavender glow.

Once noon hit, people were all gathered around the exhibits, wooing and awing at them. Ariella took a deep breath, placing her violin on her shoulder and rested her chin on it. She lifted her bow up and began playing, as well as sing. And though she not great at dancing, she did twirl around and dance along with the song. As her cage was just big enough for her to do so.

"Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone?
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more"

Once she finished, she lowered her violin, and the crowd of people around her began cheering and chanting for her to play again. She gazed out at the crowd with eyes of sorrow. If only they knew... She flew back up to her perch swing and was about to put her violin away when her collar gave her a painful shock. Though the visitors couldn't see, her grip on the violin tighten. She jumped back down, violin in hand, and looked at the crowd. She put her violin back into position and played another song.

---

---

To say that Morrigain, or Morgan, as most were fond of calling him, was angry, was an understatement. No, it wasn't just an understatement, it was THE understatement of the year. Or perhaps of the century. Or the entire millenium. It made no difference to him, he just knew he was downright mad. During visitor hours was the only time they took his god-forsaken collar off, so that he could shift into his demon form. Of course, he thought originally that he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of doing their bidding.

Which was when they showed him they knew his tricks already. Apparently there were hair-thin wires woven into the glass walls of his cage that gave off electricity. Even without the collar, they could still hurt him. And hurt him they did. The shock that wracked his body drove him to his knees as he snarled, the group of dim-witted morons that had been pressed up to the glass recoiling as he did so, afraid of him, of his blood-red eyes that seemed to glow as he glared at them, and his white fangs that elongated from his jaws, and the curling black smoke of his wolf-like shadow demon body as he shifted. He paced his cage afterwards, while hating himself for doing what his captors wanting, he also relished the few sweet hours he had in his true form.

His senses were much better now, and even through the glass, he could hear her singing. The first name he thought was Reena..., and then he shook his head vehemently. Reena was dead, long ago he had lost her. The one singing wasn't Reena, but it was still an Angel...Ariella. So they're making her sing today. He tossed his head, and resumed his pacing, giving the occasional snarl, snap, or lunge at the onlooker who pressed up against the glass making faces or yelling at him. His temper was worse than he could remember it being in a while, and he ran a red tounge over milk-white fangs. His captors would bring him his food soon, and woe to the one sent to feed him. He would have fresh meat tonight, and he knew they overlooked the loss of staff every now and again. If only the cureator of the museum would come...Morgan would relish the chance to sink his fangs into his plump neck. Just the thought of him made him snarl. Suddenly he stopped.

His ears pricked in the direction of Ariella's cage. She was playing a different song, and she was no longer singing. It was a fast-tempo song, but it was sad, almost unbearably so. Flashes of memories he thought he'd long buried suddenly came up to the surface of his mind.

A young woman with firey-red hair, emerald-green eyes, and wings the color of rubies extended a hand towards him as he lay in the mud.

She was being dragged away, screaming, and reached for her. He was kicked in the ribs, and he lost conciousness.

The smell of smoke and the sound of her screams woke him. He looked up to see the red-haired girl being burned alive. Her green eyes held his own as he couldn't look away. Even after the embers had gone cold, he sat their still, staring at them with a dead look in his eyes.

He was walking now, with no goal in mind, and all he could think was one name. Reena.

Back in the present, Morgan sat down on his haunches and howled. It was a long, low, and erie, ear-splitting howl. It sounded heartbroken. the visitors around his cage covered their ears and backed away, some of them shreiking themselves. The howl even cracked the glass of his cage. But it cut off as it became a scream. They had put his cage to work, shocking him. This time, however, it was so bad that it knocked him out, forcing him to revert back to his human form. He lay there writhing, and screaming in agony, until he finally lost all conciousness. There were murmers in the crowd around his glass prison, most of them of disapproval and disappointment, until a large black curtain came down, covering his cage and blocking him from the public eye. The crowd dispersed, heading off in different directions to look at the other prisoners in their cages.

[Ignore. Wrong place. xP]

Ko Jun Chan, or Ko as he was more commonly called, was sprawled across the smooth glass floor of his prison. Rolling over to get away from the portion he had warmed up, the Wood Spirit found himself on his back staring straight up at the ceiling and, well, his reflection. Flinching as he saw the crystal-clear doppelganger staring back at him, he reached a gloved hand to his neck and, with a wince, gingerly shifted the wooden collar around his neck.

Ko could tell that the people around his cage were not interested in his idleness. Although he could not see them, he still knew. Feeling the heat of the floor beneath him suddenly spike, he was on his feet in a flash. Hearing the sudden murmurs of attention from people on the other side of the glass as well as the familiar sound of Ariella playing a song, he began to dance. To describe the movements would be near impossible for humans, and any attempt to learn or replicate the dance would be futile. The routine was the only true Wood Spirit dance that Ko could bear to show to the outsiders surrounding his mirrored prison. Any others that he did were made up on the spot. Among the words that Ko could catch through the muffling effects of the glass, he heard such words as "elegant" or "wild." They were the same adjectives he heard every time he was made to dance. He could only imagine what they would say if he really put his soul into the movements instead of just dancing along like a puppet on a string.

By the time Ariella's song ended, Ko was dizzy from spinning and the dozens of reflections that continued to stare back at him. Dropping down into a sitting position, he closed his eyes and breathed deep. He was nauseous from it all. The forced dances, the people, the fear of everything around him, and especially the fact that he hadn't been permitted to actually see another living being since he had arrived. Sure, he'd been allowed to talk to people, but whenever he was allowed out of his prison or someone was let in, Ko was always blindfolded as a precautionary measure. They knew that he would use his powers to kill them if he was given the opportunity.

Ko's stomach rumbled as he thought of getting his hands on the souls of one of his captors. He had been nearly starved of the life-filled substance since he had been captured. They had discovered that without it he was weaker; his wakq abilities didn't seem as intimidating to them when he was practically begging them for scraps.

---

After playing two more songs on her violin, Ariella flew up to her swing, putting her violin back inside the box. She then took a seat on the dangling swing, looking out at all the others trapped. There was Cole, swimming around her tank pretending to be happy like the rest of them had to do. Hearing a loud howl, then a agonizing scream, she turning her attention to another. It was Morrigain, or what most people call him Morgan, who seemed to have gotten shocked pretty bad as he pass out, seeing a thick black curtain came down and covered his glass cage. Poor Morrigain. Though he's a demon. He doesn't deserve this. None of us do... She sighed, no longer knowing what he was doing. She looked to Ko's prison, who seemed to be starving. There were pros and cons to his cage. Pro, he couldn't see anyone outside of it. Con, he had to stare at himself all the time. She shook her head, there were no pros to being locked up all the time.

Seeing Ko look hungry, made Aria feeling rather famished too. When were the staff suppose to feed them? No one came in the morning like they usually do. Thinking that there's nothing she could do about it, she folded her hand together lifting them up. She rested her thumbs on her nose, closed her eyes, and whispered "O Lord. Bless us trapped souls with nutrients to keep us stay strong and to help us to keep going." This was just a little prayer she made up on the spot, as she whispered, her wings glowed a low dark purple. But it seemed like the staff thought it was something else. She felt her collar beginning to buzz. Her eyes shot open and she lowered her hands, but it was too late. The collar shocked 20 Amps of voltage into her body, which would kill a human being, but since she isn't human she wouldn't die from it.

Ariella gripped the collar and let out a loud excruciating scream, causing her to fall backwards off the swing and slam on to the bottom of the cage. The shock only lasted seconds after she hit the bottom. She curled into a little ball, her eyes closed. She didn't dare open them to see the disgusting humans look at her. Why isn't He helping her. She was His creation, His daughter, and He isn't doing a damn thing for her.

[Ahh! Wrong place! YOU NEVER SAW THIS POST!!]

Cole Sills
Cole could hear a sudden howl, not long turning into a horrifying scream. She cocked her head in the direction of where it had came, and got to the conclusion that it must have been Morrigain, or Morgan. Not long after, there was a loud scream. It sounded as it had came from Ariella, and Cole couldn't help but feel no sudden surprise whatsoever, at either of the screams.

I'd do anything to get out of this cage...

She thought, flipping her tail fin violently. She saw a couple heads turn back to her, and immediately they were stuck on the fins which Cole was sure would burst into pieces from all the times she flicked it around so roughly. She wanted to hiss at them, swim away, somehow finding herself back in the ocean. But even she knew that was too much of a miracle to happen...She could always imagine, though. The waves, the exploration, and of course the freedom. Her tail started to fade to a gray color, as she started to wander back into the past.

Cole could hear her screaming, as she tried as hard as she could to help her sister escape from the net...

No!

Cole snapped back into reality as fast as she could. She wasn't going to let herself fall back into the depths of depression, making her life even more miserable as it possibly could be.

Cole swam around again, still with that trapped feeling, as the water didn't move, but stay perfectly still, stuck, imprisoned.

(wrong place. Sorry about that.)

James woke up from a dream where he met his brother, and not in a friendly manner. The dream did not make sense to him, considering the two siblings got along well in the past, before he became a pirate. Regardless, he had this dream for a while, now. The Captain wondered if this dream kept coming for a reason. This was not the time to dwell on it, though. He had to focus on finding a way to grab a hold of the exhibits, with no time to waist.

Waiting until he had everyone on deck, he relayed the pre-theft plan: everyone would go in disguise, leaving their weapons behind so that when the museum's security searches them, they would not find those items. It was a gamble, he realized this would not be like other guards they went passed. Those were top-notch security they were dealing with. The purpose for this part of the plan was simple: learn as much about the exhibits and the building as possible, so to come up with a solution to whatever obstacles there may be. For this, thoroughness was necessary.

James decided to go in disguise as a preacher visiting the Museum and went inside the building. He took in the details of how the guards were patrolling while pretending to be casually looking around. Soon enough, he eyes were set upon an angel who had just completed a song. Aren't these men and women who run the place worried her companions from the heavens will come looking for her? Keeping a holy messenger captive is kind of dangerous under certain circumstances. Then again, there are times when someone opposing God may look like an Angel, yet is not. I'll just have to be careful while speaking to this one after the success of the operation of taking her along with other supernatural beings. If she is for real, I will eventually release her.

Looking around for a member of staff to talk to, he found one and said, "Pardon me, sir, but what be the name of this angel?"

The guard glanced over to where James was pointing. "Oh. Her? I believe her name is Ariella."

Show time. Curtains open, begin act. "Well, not to sound in any way disrespectful to this museum, but why would a man or woman decide to capture and hold hostage one of God's messengers, knowing full well it could invite his wrath?"

The guard simply laughed. "Few people get to see one of these beauties up close or in action. by putting them on display, the world can know what a supernatural being does and plenty more."

James shook his head. "I doubt any such being is truly enjoying this, despite appearances." The guard became hesitant in how to respond, since most visitors do not typically question what goes in behind the scenes. This made James grin slightly while looking in the man's direction. Got him where I want him. "You hesitate to answer, I see. What, then, is making them display such a deceitful act?"

The Guard hesitates, again. After another moment, he clears his throat and whispers the answer so nobody else could hear. What James heard made him go wide eyed and nearly fall backwards, though he recovered in time so that was not the case. They're using the collars on their necks to torture them into the museum's bidding, and some are remote controlled? That would explain a lot. If my crew can find the keys and a manual to each collar, I can look into taking those off of them, when the time is right. I only hope we can pull it off.

The guard then laughed nervously. "But... you didn't hear it from me, okay? I don't want to lose this job." Witht hat, the man left.

James, while having his eyes face the ground, clenched his fist at the thought of what was revealed to him. It gave him another reason to take some of the supernatural beings away from the museum. Those bastards will not keep this angel for long. I swear, I will make sure of that. I will take her to the Blue Phoenix, assure her I mean no harm through my actions, then finally free her when it is time. I cannot tolerate this outrage against her. Even as he paced around to glance around at the rest of the section of the museum he was in, anyone could tell he had a fervent rage building up inside him at what was going on. Even the 'exhibits' could see it in his eyes; James would not let them go through such torture for eternity.

It wasn't long before the rest of the crew had joined on the deck, James explaining what they would be doing, going in disguises to check out the place before anything else. She listened to James with a wide smile, fidgeting from excitement. It might have been because she was a relativity new pirate but the girl always got excited whenever they were to go sneak in somewhere or fight or, in this case, go out in disguise. Rosy was a little wary herself about leaving behind her one form of protection, but normally Captain new what was best, so she left her dagger in her dresser as she changed into something that would allow her to blend in with the crowd. As she looked down at the dress she wore she couldn't help the giggle that escaped from her as she twirled around. When she left the ship with the rest of the crew, Rosy preoccupied herself with combing her fingers trough her hair.

---

After making sure that she wasn't trailing too far behind or too close to the others, Rosy finally made it into the museum. All excitement she felt dropped into the pit of her stomach like a cinder block as she saw the 'exhibits'. They were trapped, being treated like animals in a zoo. Rosy clenched her jaw, eyebrow's furrowing in discontent. And she didn't really realize what she was doing until a man stopped her, "Excuse me miss? Are you upset about something?" The first panicked thought that ran through her mind was 'Crap, he knows, he knows!' But as she looked but at the man she gave a sheepish smile, "Oh, no, no... Well, yes, I mean, my brother was being rude to me and he called me a pig!" Rosy paused, wiping her eyes a little, "I was just trying to enjoy my day and he called me that! Do you think I'm a pig?" She looked up to the man, fake tears filling her eyes as she looked to the man who was struggling slightly for an answer, "No, of course not! You are a very pretty girl!" Rosy smiled to the man, easily wiping away her tears, not quite sure what else to do. "Well, enjoy your day!" was all she said as she quickly walked away, leaving behind a rather confused man.

That reminded her, she really should veil her true emotions better. When she stopped walking, finally assured that the man was not coming after her, she was in front of the cage of the Wood Spirit. Despite her feelings of the cages she really couldn't help but look in awe at his dance. Her mouth hung open and her eyes lit up like those of a child. Rosy instantly felt a pang of concern as he fell to the floor right after his dance. He seemed exhausted. She stood there, staring at the Wood Spirit as some of the other visitors began making there way to the other supernaturals' cages. Rosy stared intently, raising her hand and resting it against the cool glass of the cage, actually really tempted to tap the glass to see if he would acknowledge her.

Rosy didn't even notice the security guard that came up to her, grasping her wrist in a tight grip, pulling it back, as a gruff voice spoke, "Miss, there's no touching the cages." The girl couldn't help but let out a short shriek at the sudden appearance of the man, some heads turning their way. As she turned to the man she blushed deeply, "I'm sorry." she quickly said, trying to subtly pull her hand out of his grasp. The security sighed, "Just don't let it happen again, okay miss?" Rosy quickly nodded, thoroughly embarrassed. She wandered away from the Wood Spirit, towards the angel, bypassing the demon and mermaid. Her mother had told her more than enough stories to make her want to keep her distance from those two. Rosy was always warned by her mother not to go too far out into the sea or a mermaid would drag you down and drown you, and that if she did anything bad that demons would go after her. Oh but she had always heard good stories about angels. But the girl couldn't quite see the angel as the other visitors stood in her way. Rather than go look at the other exhibits, she opted for wandering around, avoiding those supernatural beings that scared her.

---

After about a good half hour of laying on the floor, Ariella felt an oncoming buzz from the collar. That instantly made her shoot up to her swing, gripping one of the poles that kept the swing up. The buzzing seemed to lessen, then went away. Good. If she had gotten another shock as bad as the last one, she would of passed out for sure. As she was standing, she felt something trickle down her throat. Raising her hand to her collarbone, she withdrew her hand and saw that her fingertips were wet with blood. Crap. If she were to get another white dress stained, she'd have it. Opening up her box, she moved her instruments around, finding four different cloths. One of each of her three instruments and the fourth one for such occasions. It was a red spattered white cloth, used for only stopping herself from bleeding on her clothes. She had no idea why the staff insisted that she wears white.

Once the bleeding subsided, Aria put the cloth back into the box and took a seat on her swing. She huffed, crossing her slender arms over she chest and decided to just people watch. After all, there wasn't much to do. She had the choice of singing, playing one of her instruments, dancing (which honestly she is horrible at), or watch people up on her swing. She already sang, danced, and played her violin. Her only other choice was to sit quietly on her swing so everyone can 'admire' her. While she watched the stuck-up pricks who entered the second floor and would stare at each of the cages for a time being then move onto the next. What really caught the girl's attention was three, maybe four, people. They all arrived at different times, but when each one came in, she could tell that they weren't like most of the humans here. They had a rather strange aura about them. Most people Aria could sense that they're arrogant and selfish, while these four humans had a more virtuous aura.

The first person with the aura walked in and went straight to the Angel's cage. It was a slightly abnormal looking man, not as classy as the other humans. He was talking to one of the guards. She really didn't pay any attention to what they were talking about until she heard her name being mentioned. She jumped off her swing, landing on the bottom of the cage as light as a feather. She leaned forwards to listen, all she got was something to do with God's messengers and His wrath, she didn't get all of it because the guards laughed and caused her to take a step back. Now the guard was saying something about people getting to see these beauties and by putting them on display, the world can know about them.

Hearing this made Ariella glare at the guard, then the strange man said "I doubt any such being is truly enjoying this, despite appearances." There was a short pause before he spoke again "You hesitate to answer, I see. What, then, is making them display such a deceitful act?" Ah, so this is why the Angel had sensed some good in him. The guard them had whispered something to the man, but it was too quiet to hear. Once that was said, the guard left and soon after the man did as well. He seemed to be quite mad for some reason, maybe it was what the guard had whispered to him?

The next one was a woman, she was standing over at Ko's mirror prison for a while before coming over to Aria's cage. She couldn't tell why she had detected this peculiar from this woman, but if she was anything like the man from before, than she knew that there were some humans who knew right from wrong. The woman seemed to be very focused on two cages. Ariella's and Morrigain's, which sort of made sense, since they were the complete opposite of each other. A demon and an angel, trapped in a cage just a few feet away from each other.

The Last person Aria could identify was a rather young looking girl, who seemed quite discontent from the moment she walked in. A man had came up to her and they chatted for a bit, before the girl strolled off. The first thing the girl did was stop by Ko's prison, watching him dance around. She appeared to be memorized by Ko, until one of the guards came up to her and grasped her wrist. Oh, looks like she got into trouble. Once the girl was free from the guard's hold, she wandered off, passing Morrigain and Cole like they weren't there. When she reached Aria's cage, it looked as if the girl couldn't see her as there were many others in front of her. Within minutes, the girl roamed around.

There was a fourth, but it seemed like Ariella couldn't detect who it was. She shrugged, flying back up to her swing. She was growing tiresome and very hungry. She wished the museum would close soon so she could get something to eat and go to sleep afterwards.

---

Ariella was slightly glad that is was closing time, no more pretending to like being locked up all the time. One of the guards came to her cage with a group of five night staff workers. The guard unlocked the cages and said "Time to get washed. Get out now." He had a rough voice, opening the cage door and attaching the leash to Aria's collar.

She was the fifth one to be taken out of her cage to get washed. She was one of the few that didn't have her collar enhanced, because the Museum knew she wouldn't try anything. As they were heading down the stairs, Aria was daydreaming of flying once again, staring out the large three story window. The weather look so nice. Perfect for flying at night. But those days are over. The staff member holding the Angel's leash yanked hard, chocking her back to reality. They were now going into the 'employee's only' room, locking the door behind them when they entered.

This was probably one of the worst parts of the day, besides getting shocked for doing something unacceptable. Ariella hated getting bathed, at least by other people. Shoe would be fine if they let her do it herself, but nope. She tired to let her mind go blank, ignoring those around her, knowing what to do already. Luckily, this time the five staff members were girls, so she felt a little less uncomfortable having them wash her.

"I got it." Aria said, reaching up to the bow on her left shoulder and untying it as the bow was the only thing keeping the dress on her, before one of the staff members did it. Her dress fell to the floor instantly. She let her wings glowed a slightly brighter dark purple, as they tucked back into her shoulder blades. She did not like anyone touching her wings.

There was a large, and deep, tin basin in front of Ariella. Where was steam coming out of it, indicating that the water was hot. Ah. At least it's going to be a hot bath. She thought, walking up to the basin she noticed it was only one third full. She then stepping into the water, feeling a little uncomfortable being exposed and all, but the water actually felt pretty nice. Two of the five night staff members had sponges with soap and began scrubbing the Angel clean. One of the staff put shampoo in Ariella's hair and scrubbed it into her hair. After all that, they poured cold water on her to get the soap off. When the water touched her, she shivered. Of course. I knew this wasn't going to be a relaxing bath. She sighed, as the three staff members washed the soap out.

"We're done. Here's a robe. You'll get something to wear tomorrow." One of the staff handed her a white robe, which Aria put on and tied the belt around her waist. The five staff members lead her back up stairs and back into her cage. Once in her cage, the Angel growled under her breath. She hated clothes that covered her back. Now she can't unfurl her wings. It would of been nice to at least have small slits in the back where her shoulder blades were.

A few minutes later a staff member can up to her cage with some bread, water, and what looked like a bowl of soup. Ariella didn't want to question if that was really soup. She was too hungry to even care. Dipping the bread into the soup, she took a bite out of it. It didn't taste that weird. Though she really didn't need to eat, angels don't usually get hungry. Maybe it was just because she's been on Earth too long and started to act more humanly.

Once she was done eating it was about ten at night. "Lights out." A voice echoed throughout the room, then turned off the lights. Stretching, Aria laid down on the bottom of her cage and curled up in a little ball. She wasn't that tired, but her eyelids felt heavy and then they closed. Soon she fell asleep, dreaming of flying once again, being the free spirit she was suppose to be.

James Falcon

From on the deck of the Blue Phoenix, James could see the lights to the museum were out, meaning it was perfect for the plan to execute. He just needed to inform the crew of what to do. A promise is a promise, after all. In order for any of the other supernatural beings to be liberated, he had to be the one to break the glass to Morrigain's cell. He could not trust anyone else to do it, not even Elise. It was only fair that he bare the brunt of whatever trap lay ahead, if any. He was not called "Crazy Falcon" without a good reason, and he was used to that nickname, by now, often saying that if he were not at least somewhat insane, many of his plans would not have worked so well in the past.

With all the crew members on deck, he finally gave details on the scenario to them, which went as follows:

"All right, everyone is accounted for, so here's the plan: A demon named Morrigain says he knows how to get the others out of the museum, but the catch is, he asks that he be freed first. It is a gamble, but it is a risk we will have to take. As you all know, by now, I am not one to sit on the sidelines. As such, I will be the one to crack the glass to his cell. Nobody heads to the others until I give the signal saying it is okay to come down. I have pickpocketed a map to the museum from one of the more drunk guards, which shows that we can sneak in through the ventilation. Getting out with the supernaturals will be no small feat. There will most likely be guards patrolling the area, inside and out of the building. The direct approach would have us killed for certain, so either keep your distance from them, or silently knock them out then get the heck out of dodge before they spot you. All the guards must be taken care of, or diverted elsewhere before we do anything else. Morrigain could provide the distraction we need, should all else fail. If he can do what he boasts about, things could either run smoothly or go terribly wrong. Again, it is a gamble, but we have no choice on the matter.

Elise, you and Maria handle the guards that are outside. Maria will provide the distraction you need to catch them offguard and take 'em down in in isolated area. Kage, you're coming with me inside the building. I could use your mechanical expertise to deal with the cages holding the supernatural folk. Wait until I crack the demon's cell and give the signal before you come in and handle the other cages. Approach only those that are left unattended until every guard in the building is knocked out cold. I'll keep them busy trying to find me." Once he made everyone aware of the signals he would give for certain situations, he concluded with, "Okay, once we're all ready, let's move out."

James hated bringing his pistol, saber, and rifle along, yet if anything were to go wrong due to Morrigain going back on his word, resulting in the crew going down, the Captain resolved to take him with them. He merely hoped it would not be the case. While Maria and Elise dealt with the guards outside, James stealthily entered the ventilation system, making sure Kage followed close behind. The Captain knew where to go and silently opened the ventilation shaft in front, where the intended destination was. In plain view were the cages to both Ariella and Morrigain. The hard part: diverting the guards away from that area.

His firearms would make far too much noise if used, which would give away his position. Instead, he resorted to a device he found on the ship earlier which was remote controlled. Using the controls, he levitated the small crystal ball to where the guards were, then turned the lights inside on which gave the illusion of a supernatural element. The deception was made complete with ghostly sounds to scare the guards like crazy. James decided to have a little fun with it by making the deceptive crystal ball chase those men until they've been tired out to where they would not be a problem if they tried anything. After that, he had stay in levitation somewhere away from the ventilation shaft.

Setting the remote down in the ventilation, James proceeded to quietly land between Ariella and Morrigain. No tricks, now, buddy. Any sudden moves that threaten to bring my crew down, and I'll be taking you with us. Do not make the mistake of thinking I would not proceed with vengeance against a supernatural if he or she harms anyone I care about. Those thoughts in mind, James brought out a nail and hammer, placing the mail on the glass before gently using the hammer to emplace the nail firmly into the glass before pounding harder with his hand out of the way. The resulting cracks would be enough for Morrigain o come out, and once he was sure the demon was going to uphold his promise, and that the guards did not see him as he made his agile move away from their sight and onto one of the gargoyles installed in the room with the help of a few gadgets, he gave the signal for Kage to go to the other cages after the guards left to try to find the demon and the one who set him free.

Now that the demon was freed first, he was now able to provide a distraction so Kage could deal with the cages with the other supernatural beings. How the Captain executed this distraction was with a combination of silent takedowns and confusing the guards with pebbles thrown to get them to move in the direction they landed. All this was possible thanks to his agility and the tools which enabled him to move from gargoyle to gargoyle.

---

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The night was long in waiting, as Morgan knew what was coming. While stuck in his demonic form, due to them putting his collar back on after he had shifted, he was stuck, not being able to shift, nor being able to change into smoke. But then, they still had to give him his bath. He had a plan.

They came and got him last. Always last, to minimize casulties. Morgan brought at least one of them down every night, if not more. His ears pricked forward as the gaurds approached his cell. And for once, he let them take him without any fight. The gaurds were wary, and he could feel the eyes of the other captives on him. And still he did not fight.

They took him down to the bath, a scrubbed him down, his demon form, his human form, and still he did not fight. And then, as they were leading him up to his cage, and put him in, they removed his collar and told him to change. So he did. By now, the gaurds had begun to drop their gaurd. It was when they tried to put his collage back on the he finally fought. He turned on a dime, ripping out the throat of the gaurd closest to him while ripping the right arm off the other one. The rest of the gaurds backed off and slammed his gate shut, his collar lay forgotten on the floor of his cell.

He grinned to himself, and licked the blood off his paws and face as he waited for the captain and his crew. He could sense them approaching, and he chuckled to himself as he heard the captain's thought.

No tricks, now, buddy. Any sudden moves that threaten to bring my crew down, and I'll be taking you with us. Do not make the mistake of thinking I would not proceed with vengeance against a supernatural if he or she harms anyone I care about.

The crack appeared, and withouth hesitation Morgan slipped through it. He stood in his human form for a second before the Captain, saying, "You are wise to be cautious, but I meant what I said. I do not take needlessly, and I will not kill you. I want me and my kind out of here as much as you do." His eyes flicked up above the Captain's head for a second before he continued. "Besides, it's not your time to die yet. Seeing as I'm the only demon here, it's not only my job to take life, but to preserve it, as well." With a grin, he dissolved in smoke as a pack of gaurds came rushing at them. The demon made short work of them, but didn't kill them. Morgan had had enough of killing for one night.

He paused, looking around, his eyes resting on Ariella's cage. The demon stopped beneath it, and stomped his foot, once. Three dozen demons sprung up out of nowhere, smokey shadows of night creatures, the stuff of a young child's nightmares. He looked down at them, and spoke in a strange language, "Vehafor vi distraction. Nakta wer gaurds mojka de udoka. Shar svent pamon svados tairais coi ui ti, vur tir ti levnim nomenes letocloir udoka. Wux tepoha dout gaviric. Gethrisj."**

The demons scattered. Morgan had a slight scowl on his face. He needed his staff, for without it, he could do nothing about this place that he hated. Yet that was not his objetive. He needed to focus on getting the others out. He looked above, and then climbed up to her cage. By now, the others had woken up, or become aware of the chaos. He tapped on the door of her cage, saying, "Well then, I believe we've all over stayed our welcome, so it's time we all got going now, wouldn't you agree?" The door of her cage swung open, and while it truly wasn't needed, the demon offered the angel in front of him a hand. "Shall we?"

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**Translation: "Create a distraction. Keep the gaurds away from us. But kill no one whose time it is not, and do not harm those helping us. You have your orders. Go."

---

Ariella was woken up by a combination of noises. From guards running around to someone hammering something to pebbles being thrown. Slowly sitting up, she looked around, though it was too dark to really see anything. She could, however, sense a presents that was slightly familiar. Is it the four people who entered the Museum earlier in the day? It seems like the same aura. But she couldn't tell, she wasn't fully awake just yet so she wasn't really concentrating. Stretching, she wondered how long she was a sleep. Clearly it was still night, as the high windows showed only more darkness. Who's making all that racket?

After a few minutes, Aria's eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a small bit of light coming from the moon through the small windows high up towards the roof. She then noticed a small glowing orb flying about. It had a few guards chasing after it. What is that? Wanting to release her wings, she had forgotten the robe she had to put on after her bath. It wasn't a normal robe, this one couldn't be taken off by her hands, someone else had to take it off. There was a bit of pain coming from her back, right in between her shoulder blades, where her wings were suppose to come out. She did not like having her wings in for long, it was always painful the longer she couldn't unfurl them.

Once the Angel was a bit more awake, she could faintly hear voices off to the side. Who's talking? Who's out there? For some reason, she didn't like this. Something was off than the normal nights here. Trying to listen closely, she still couldn't figure out what the voices were saying. The talking stopped and there was more of what sounded like people falling to the floor. A few seconds later her felt the presence of someone under her cage. Her powers weren't that strong right now, so she couldn't figure out who it was. She heard a stomp then more whispering. She could tell, however, that it was in a different language.

Within seconds, dark shadows dispersed from underneath her cage, causing her to lean back some. She looked down out her hands, somehow lost in her thoughts. How did it end up like this? She hadn't noticed someone climbing up to her cage. There was a tap on her cage door, Ariella's head shot up and she stared at the figure in front of her. It was Morrigain. She froze, her heart skipped a beat. What's he doing out of his cage?

There was a short moment of silence before he spoke. "Well then, I believe we've all over stayed our welcome, so it's time we all got going now, wouldn't you agree?" His voice wasn't as harsh or "demonic" as she thought it would be. But that didn't make her feel any better. The door to her cage swung open and the demon offered his hand to her. "Shall we?"

At first, Aria slowly started crawling up to Morgan to take his hand. Her cage was a bit far from the ground and with her wings restricted, her couldn't fly down. When she was close enough to him to touch, she felt a strong dark aura around him. Which made her scooted back, a bit quicker than she expected. She stopped, about in the middle of her cage, sitting in a somewhat scared position. She didn't know why she felt so scared. Maybe it was because of what she has seen him do to a few of the guards. She felt a bit bad though, he's just trying to help her.

She looked from Morgan's hand to her box at the very top of the cage to her robe. It's true she wanted to leave, very badly, but she just couldn't part with her instruments. And having no way to get up there to get them, she just couldn't bring herself to leave. Sure she always can get new ones, but those were very special to her, there a part of her. "I-I can't...My, my instruments...I-I need them..." She quietly said, her voice very petite and gently, it was the first time ever that she had spoken to Morgan. "I can't fly...This robe is constraining my wings...And I can't take it off..." She added, looking down and a bit off to the side.

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Morgan watched Ariella as she moved, clearly uncomfortable. He couldn't blame her. Despite the confusion of demons, there was no denying that they were, indeed, fallen angels, or the creations of sin and destruction. She actually scrambled away from him. Which was when he realized the aura he was radiating. He smiled to himself slightly. Way to go, idiot. Scare her out of her wits, why don't you?

He had lost himself in his thoughts when he realized she was speaking. "I-I can't...My, my instruments...I-I need them...I can't fly...This robe is constraining my wings...And I can't take it off..."

Her voice was soft, timid. In fact, it was the first time Morgan could recall that she'd ever spoken to him. Not that they'd ever had a chance, to be sure. Morgan had been the first of the creatures to be captured. Morgan shook his head, now wasn't the time to be reminicing. He glanced up. "Yeah, I understand what it's like not to have something that's apart of you. I know that all too well." He didn't bother explaining, or waiting for her to answer. Instead he shifted, and then jumped, in wolf form, up to her perch. It was a high jump, but then, he was a demon. He looked around a bit, the box was still far above him. And then he jumped, landing on the side of her cage and using his momentum to propell himself up, his teeth latching onto the box's handle as he went past it. Box and wolf came falling down, and Morgan landed in much the same place he'd been before, directly in front of the angel, only this time, he had her box in his hand.

He looked at her, and there was some wistful look in his eye, some shadow, some regret, but it quickly vanished. He held out his hand again. "Come on, we can't wait much longer. More gaurds are coming, and my little devils won't last much longer. Without my staff I can't help much, so I need to get you guys out first." He waited for her answer, standing in front of the door to her cage, his hand outstretched towards her.

Date: Friday, June 28th
Time: 10:30 pm
Weather: Foggy and Misty

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The owner of the museum was in his office and had been notified of the commotion going on up stairs. He ordered more guards, who were heavily built and armed with guns, to take down the intruders and make sure all the exhibits were all accounted for and in their cages. Once that was done, he opened a drawer in his desk and took out a small chest. He unlocked the chest and dumped the contents in his briefcase . He looked around, trying to find what else he needed to take with him. In the back corner was a medium sized case which held different types of weapons. Ones he confiscated from the exhibits when they were first captured. It was too big to take with him and he couldn't carry all the weapons. Luckily for him, he had a secret room he could store them in. It was an enchanted room so no being, human or supernatural, could find it but him. Opening the room, he pushed the case inside it, then closed and locked the room. It was time to go. As long as he had his briefcase, he'll be able to get the exhibits back, if any escaped.

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Ariella watched Morrigain's movements closely, ever since she recoiled away from him. He must have been thinking of something as he shook his head before he spoke again.
"Yeah, I understand what it's like not to have something that's apart of you. I know that all too well." He didn't give anytime for her to respond, not that she was going to, as he had shifted into his smoky demon wolf form. She watched as the demon wolf jumped up to her perch with what seemed like the height was not a problem. The box was still a few feet higher, which the angel could tell he won't be able to reach it in his wolf form. He could of just shifted back to his human self and grabbed the box, but instead he jumped from her perch to the side of the cage, then pushed himself off the cage to snatch the box in his teeth. When he landed, directly in front of her, the cage swayed a bit.

Morgan was back in his human form, holding her box him one of his hands. "Come on, we can't wait much longer. More guards are coming, and my little devils won't last much longer. Without my staff I can't help much, so I need to get you guys out first." He held the other hand back out to her again, waiting for her to take it and go with him.

Despite her nerves, Aria stood up and stepped closer to Morgan. Her right hand was close to her heart in an almost-fist and her left hand was wrapped around her stomach slightly gripping the side. "Okay, let's go." She quietly said, maybe a bit too quiet. She slowly reached her right hand out and gently placed it in his. His hand was surprisingly warm, which made her feel a little better.

"Your staff. I've seen it in the room down stairs. It's locked in bulletproof glass case. It'll be hard to break." Ariella told him, looking over the edge of her cage. About a twenty-foot drop. She glanced at Morgan, noticing he was about a foot taller than herself. "Besides, if you say we don't have much time left. You probably won't have enough time to get your staff. Plus, by now I bet that everything that's valuable down there is gone. So your staff might not even be there anymore." She paused, thinking for a moment, when she realized something. Slightly wide-eyed, she looked up at him. "That means the keys to our collars will be gone. We won't be able to get far if they use them. They can still hurt us or worse kill us." Her grip on Morgan's hand tightened some. Her collar was made out of her Angel Sword, an angelic blade that, if used properly, can kill an angel. The spikes on the inside of her collar were made from her sword, if it compressed and pierced her neck, she most likely would die.

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"Your staff. I've seen it in the room down stairs. It's locked in bulletproof glass case. It'll be hard to break. Besides, if you say we don't have much time left, you probably won't have enough time to get your staff. Plus, by now I bet that everything that's valuable down there is gone. So your staff might not even be there anymore...That means the keys to our collars will be gone. We won't be able to get far if they use them. They can still hurt us, or worse, kill us."

Perhaps it was because he couldn't forget about Reena. Perhaps it was because he was still an angel at heart. But the fear that was laced into her words and the way she squeezed his hand made his instinct go into overdrive. The muscles in his jaw and neck tensed. He looked away from her and spoke. "I won't let anyone hurt you." A far away look came into his eyes as he added, "Not this time."

He suddenly seemed to come to the present, and before she could respond, he pulled her close to him, and picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and then jumped. Twenty feet down they landed, almost silently, and he set her down gently. He made a fist in his hand, and when he opened it, a ball of shadow was floating there in his palm. It grew, and then unfurled, becoming a dragon made of shadows, the size of a basketball. The dragon looked at him, and Morgan spoke to it, again in the harsh, strange language he'd spoken in before. "Clax jacioniv ifnitot, xurwk jaunus jaciv itrewicric mobi tokeq. Gethrisj. Mrigato pamon levnim jacioniv, vur thesek svern jacioniv. Wux tepoha dout gaviric. Gethrisj!"**

He looked back to Ariella. "His name is Uthri, he'll lead you out. Don't let his sie fool you, he packs one heck of a punch. I'll send the others after you as soon as I get them. Look for the ship outside, that's where we're headed."

With that, he turned away, heading towards Cole's tank. The mermaid had already begun to swim around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on. Or at least, that's what he thought. In fact, her tank had been crcked, and was leaking. He cursed under his breath, and stomped on the ground again. A dozen or so more devils appeared, and he spoke to them. "Yth rigluin vi cage, vur glom coi mrith wer pab confnir ekik. Batobot ui wer ergriff idol yth shilta transport jacioniv. Qeelak, jaka."^

Five of the devils melted together and formed what looked like a ball of shadows. It certainly didn't look solid, but when the others moved it over where the water was leaking, it filled up, and then Morgan tried to get Cole's attention. "Cole, you gotta get away from the glass, I'm going to get you out of there, hang on."

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**"Take her outside, make sure she gets there safe. Go. Let no one harm her, and watch over her. You have your orders. Go."
^"We need a cage, and fill it with the water coming out. That is the only way we can transport her. Quick, now."

---

Ariella was still looking at Morrigain when he looked away and spoke. "I won't let anyone hurt you...Not this time." Even though he turned from her, she could see that he had a distant look in his eyes. She was about to say something, but he pulled her close and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Then he jumped down twenty feet and they landed silently on the ground.

Morgan gently put her down and made a fist in his hand. When he opened his hand, a ball like shadow floated in his palm. "What's that?" Aria asked, her voice hushed, as she slowly reached to touch it. But before she could, it grew and transformed into a shadow dragon.

The dragon looked to Morgan as he spoke in a rough, bizarre language. She couldn't figure out what he had said to the dragon. But he turned back to her and said. "His name is Uthri, he'll lead you out. Don't let his size fool you, he packs one heck of a punch. I'll send the others after you as soon as I get them. Look for the ship outside, that's where we're headed."

"Ship? What Ship!" The angel called out as the demon ran off, towards Cole's tank. Once she couldn't see him anymore, she spun on her bare heels to face the shadow dragon. "Well...Lead the way." She told it, as it just ignored her and moved towards the stairs. "Wait!" She said, catching up to the dragon. "Won't we get caught if we go down the stairs? I mean, that is where the guards are coming from." Though it seemed the dragon ignored her once more. With a sigh, she followed it. Maybe the dragon couldn't understand me. She thought, keeping her guard up.

It seemed the stairs weren't as bad as she had thought. Only a few guards had attacked them. Ariella was practically useless in fending them off, as she was bounded by a magic robe and still had her collar on which shocked her if she tried to use her powers. But Morgan wasn't kidding, the little shadow dragon had fought them off and they made it out of the Museum in no time. "Though you might not understand, but thanks for protecting me." She told the dragon, then looked around.

Aria couldn't help but smile a little. She had always dreamed of being able to go outside again. And now she is, finally out of that retched place, never going to return ever again. "Now, if only I wasn't wearing this robe, I could stretch my wings all the way out." She sighed, rolling her shoulders some as her back was starting to hurt again. "Well, time to go find this ship...Any idea where it's at?" She asked the dragon, but only responded in silence.

Hearing voices coming her way, the angel quickly searched for a place to hide. Seeing a clutter of bushes not far from her, she hurried over to them. She got down on her hands and knees and crawled in-between the bushed so her could hide. Crouching down on the bushes, there was a little whole from where she crawled through, so she could peak out. She put her pointer finger to her lips, while grabbing the dragon with her free hand, and lowering it to the ground.