[NPC] Bartender's Story

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Dialogue colour #07b3b3
Thought colour #618595

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It was cold. Krystal noticed it straight away as her bare arms prickled up with goosebumps causing her to sigh gently. It wasn't fair, out of all the people she could have had to be a guardian over, she got the boy who played life safe. Well, it made sense to pair up the safe boy with the fun adventurous guardian no matter how clique.

As she looked around, she rubbed her arms to shake away the cold hoping it would do something. I should have brought a coat or something,she thought. You see Krystal has always been sensitive to the weather, if the sun was out she would most likely burn and if it was even a little too cold, her body would immediately want to freeze over. Not like I can die again...technically she joked as she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her black jeans. Scanning around, her eyes fell upon the busy streets and with a smile, she made her way through the crowd.

Today was the first day of her new job after getting promoted as Guardian Angel material and fair enough some of the other angels wished they were in her shoes, but right now these heeled boots weren't living up to all the hype that surrounded the title. It came by complete surprise to her when her superiors gave her the order to go down and actually be involved in human affairs, because let's be honest that was all Krystal ever wanted to do after she died but there was a strict 'no intervention rule' for the average angel. But this time, she could live out the life she always dreamed before it got cut too short, well she did have certain rules and guide lines to follow and she couldn't really mention the whole Angel thing. At the same time she couldn't go rogue and start living like a human, otherwise, she would get punished and pulled out.

Grabbing her smartphone, which she savoured having one back since Angels have no need for such technology, she scrolled through her to-do list and stopped at the part mentioning the boy. "Theodore Richmond",she whispered, occasionally looking up to avoid any passerby's, "volunteering at a shelter," she raised an eyebrow, "in his spare time?. She looked up the address that she had written down on her phone and decided to take a cab there. Now Guardian Angel's weren't rich, just like humans they needed to work but at least they got some disposable income, enough to live on since their purpose wasn't to live, but rather guide and help the individual they are paired up with.

Before long she grabbed a cab and got to the place, an animal shelter and she wondered if she could possibly adopt although she didn't know how long she would be here for and if it was a particularly good idea. Giving the cab driver his money, she walked away before he could give her the change and stepped into the shelter, the little bell ringing to indicate a customer walking in.

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Dialogue colour #8B8378
Thought colour #a4b357

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Felix walked past a busker, chucking down some change before he walked past and looked around. He hadn't been to New York before although was close to going after his band got signed to some indie label to make an album, that was before the car accident anyway. As he stood, his sunglasses covering most of the lights that were so bright that he could feel a migraine coming along even with his eyes covered, he sighed gently to himself for only a moment before walking along the pavement again. His guitar was on his back, of course, Angels do not have possessions, but once he was promoted and sent down the first thing he did was buy a guitar and let his fingers glide along the strings. Oh, how he missed that feeling.

He didn't exactly know the schedule of the person he was assigned with, they just give them reports and some information about the people and a timetable of what they could be doing if it was outside their usual school or work hours: but he guessed she would be with friends. probably hanging out in a bar nearest to her apartment so he might as well start from there. Humming to himself, he easily found the place, mostly due to the smell of strong alcohol and the group of people outside the bar, smoking away. Felix smiled at them and pushed open the door, glancing around the place before taking a seat in front of the bar. "Just some coke with ice please," he grinned, taking off his glasses and thanking the dim lighting.

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"No, no, like this..." The boy said, laughing softly and brushing his well-kempt ashen black bangs behind his ear. He put one hand warmly on the child's shoulder, and the other hand on the keyboard. "Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf." He said in sequence, pressing the keys on the piano in tandem with the numbers that sprang forth from his sing-song voice. The man lifted his hand from the keyboard and put it firmly on the child's shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze. "Now, you."

"O-one, two, three, four, f-" the child stopped abruptly, hitting the wrong key, sending the melody to a halt. Frustration washed over the young child's face. "I hate this stupid thing. I want to play the sax like you, or the drums." The stubborn child said.

"If you want to be a musician, you have to master the fundamentals first." The older boy said. "You aren't going to become a saxophone prodigy or a master drummer without first learning how to play a simple melody." The child furrowed his brow. "Fine."
He turned to face his b҉r̵oth͢e҉r, but he was met with only empty space. "What? where did he.." the child turned around to face the piano once again, but was met with something different entirely. A bo͞dy҉. It was a y̗͍̼̠͕̻̣o̼̖u̡̹͇n͔̣̫g͓͟ ̷̺̠̲ͅw̛̟͍̖̟̱o̯m҉̘̹͕a̪̣͟n̠͉͎͓̜͜. She was
l͢҉̕a̵̸yì̸ng̨͘ ͢͞f̴̢̡a̢ce̴ ́d͏̶oẃ͘͠n҉̸ in a p̧̠̘͓̘͚ŏ̜͚̫̦̬̻͙o͉͚̭͕̺͙ͅl̝̩̥͈̳̝̏̅ͤ̂̿͟ ͎͇̫̮̼̩̄ͤ͗̓o͆̇̒͊ͫ͗̌f̻͚̪̝̗͗̅̂̆ͪ͑́ ̳̝̬̱͕ͩb̵͉̝͇͎̝͕l̘̤ͤͧ͐̈ͅͅǫ͍̻o̔̍҉dͬ. The child jumped up and gasped, he turned again to look for his brother, but he was nowhere to be found. I͠ņs̷t̶ead ̵h̨e ̵wa̧s ҉g̢ręȩted̶ by ̨a͏ ͢bl̵o͞o͡d͘y̧ kit͏c̵hen̢ kǹif̷e,҉ w̸hi͡c̸h͡,͝ ùpơn f͜u͘rt͘ḩer̀ ins͝pec͞tìon͢ w͟as͠ ͠se͏at͡e̵d dee͠p̷ ̴in͏ ͞h̢i͝s-͜
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"That fucking dream again..." he thought, jolting up from his bed, his twelve pillows, or at least the one under his head, damp with sweat. His over sized fluffy blanket felt like a straight jacket tethering him to his bed, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto his bare chest. He pushed his hair back with his trembling hand, and looked around his room to anchor himself to reality. He scanned the room, observing his many poster of famous musicians, movies and video games.

He looked at his laptop, dimly glowing on top of his oaken desk, and a cheesy lava lamp that sat beside it, which had been given as a gift to him by his mother the previous year. He noticed a spilled glass of water on the floor, which he must have knocked down in his fervor, and leaned over to pick it up. As he was doing so his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the time, which was displayed with angry crimson LEDs on his cheap department store alarm clock.

"Shit."

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"Late again, Dojima-san..." the secretary blurted out with a sigh as Haruo entered the school building. "I've been told that you're to report immediately to detention after class." he furrowed his brow at the slightly pretty middle-aged woman who manned the front-lines of the battlefield that was high school. "Whatever." He said bitterly. "Suzuki teaches me more with his cleaning lessons then you lot do in five hour-long periods anyway." The secretary scowled. "Don't be angry at me Mr. Tardy, I'm just the messenger. " Haruo waved her off as he made his way down the hallway, toward his last/first class.

Making his way to were he knew Suzuki would be, Haruo lamented that fact that he would miss the poetry slam. Though he was one of the newer additions to the Fairy Tale club, he had begun to feel a bond to the group, and was finally beginning to appreciate the fact that he now had friends for the first time since the incident. He was exited to tag along with Akihiko. Though the boy was haughty and narcissistic, Haruo liked him and felt a kinship with him through the experience of discovering their powers and helping each other grow. It made him feel like there was something else in his life, something bigger then the dark cloud that was his brother, whom always loomed over him.

He also lamented his cowardice, which prevented him from inviting Hana to attend the poetry event with him. All of his club mates knew that he had a crush on the girl, and they encouraged him to bring her along, but his fear of rejection kept that from happening. Besides, he thought, it was just as likely that he would be decapitated by Rin, had she caught wind of him asking her sister on a date.

As he finally located Suzuki to report for detention, he noticed something odd. The blue-haired beauty himself, followed by two other students who Haruo recognized as having belonged to his class. They looked as though they had been involved in some kind of melee, which was not out of the norm for Seiyuu, and probably the reason why he was approaching Suzuki as well.

"Well well, your excellency..." He said, looking towards Seiyuu as they both approached Suzuki from opposite sides. "Guess neither of us will be going to the poetry slam, huh?"

Scarlett was no stranger to danger, quite the opposite, and she thrived on it. The sounds of the great beasts around her shouting and roaring sent a valiant thrill through her like nothing else, and it called her by name. She was at least happy the guards hadn't caught her sneaking into the pegasus enclosure, the poor state of the cage made it all too easy to get in, and the decorative fauna did well in hiding her from guests with none too keen an eye, unlike herself. It wouldn't take long before they closed down the zoo and she could get what she needed to finally become a full fledged dragon...

But before she could celebrate her full success in infiltrating a zoo ran by a mad man, she was shook with the sound of a large cage erecting around her. Startled with the wild rampaging of the pegasi and the sudden magical fence that had sprouted before her. Sticking her head from the bush she was camping out in, she was amazed to see a slightly wilting metal cage outside of the pegasus enclosure, and a small mousy man struggling to use some sort of magic.

Scarlett knew this man all too well. He had ended many of her chances at becoming a dragon before, chasing her off of the property, but not any more, she would win this round. With a valiant shout, knowing she would be caught either way, Scarlett made a mad dash towards the wilting metal and rammed into it, breaking the fence loose and leaving a large hole behind her as she roared her victory. An honorable, if slightly weird action to take.

"Beware my powers! For I, Scarlett Joanne Penndragon, WILL become a full blooded dragon on this day!" Scarlett bellowed with a loud powerful laugh.

Dave didn't exactly like being hurried in general, but followed as everyone else exited into the hallway. Upon entering the room Dave noticed the smell of coffee emanating from cups here and there in the crowd. The smell of ink and paper. A general musk that is produced by a lack of central air, and a lot of bodies. Thank the stars for that good old Texas heat. He turned his eyes up to the fluorescent lights buzzing away. His least favorite feature of these buildings so far. It was going to be fun trying to pay attention while listening to that buzzing slowly boring into his brain. While he was pondering on this though, he had lost track of his group.

Don't Panic, he thought. He grabbed at his watch and made his way over to the wall, doing what he would say was a pretty good job of mirroring the expressions on some of the desk jockeys faces. Sliding over to the wall, he leaned against it in between a few people. No one seemed to pay him a second glance to his knowledge. As Dave acclimated a little bit more to his surroundings he looked up at the buzzing monstrosity again. His face scrunched in as the focus of his attention went back on the light. Who would invent such a stupid noise making flickering migraine factory in the first place? And why are all these people so used to it? Do they enjoy these things?

Once again, Dave thought, questions for a little later. He didn't say a word as he waited for the meeting to commence, making a mental catalogue of some of the faces he could see in the crowd through his Sunglasses. He also was beginning to wonder exactly what they thought he could do; why they would want him on a team like this in the first place.

While she was reaching for his hand she noticed the rings on his fingers. Why does he have so many rings? Britt let go of his hand and settled her hand on her lap. "So, socializing first?"

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The world ended the day the families never went home. At least, they didn't go home the same.

The camps were created as a means for calming a terrified people. Many saw that a containment of the Cured was the only way to get the nation back to where it had started. They admired the iron gates and stone buildings. They admired the illusion of security that the camps provided. It never occurred to them what was built inside. Blood had not yet stained the walls but the sterile smell did nothing to avert thoughts about what become of it. Large screens hung in basements meant to brain-wash and pray the hate away. Or even pray the love away. There were certain emotions people could and could not express. The people wanted normal. The people wanted uniform.

So began, Re-Education.

It started small, with what the establishment called "Productive Labor." How could the Cured begin to fit into society when they were under the impression that they were above those who had worked before them? In order to correct their superiority complexes and their work ethics, they were put to work building, mining, and assembling all sorts of structures and projects. It was hot work, and many passed out from dehydration or exhaustion. But, if a Cured could not handle it, that only meant he had to work harder. These were dire times, and many died from it.

Once the excitement died down, new standards were put in place for what a Cured should be. After all, these creations were meant to be the epitome of perfect. Everything needed to be regular. They added "Suggestive Psychology" to the regime. In order to trim and crop the Cured into carbon-copies, they needed to associate their "negative traits" with things that disgusted or terrified them. This was a time of fear, and any difference from the norm was seen as a sign for a stay in Re-Education. These differences included, but were not limited to, angry outbursts, homosexuality, skipping class, authority issues, and broken laws. In order to cure the Cured, they showed them pictures to represent their negativity, followed by an electric shock or a vomit-inducer. Many victims to this level of re-education came out stoic and highly dedicated to the cause. Some never made it out. There were held for as little as a day or as long as several weeks, but the results were still the same.

Re-Education became a topic of fear within the camps. It was never mentioned out loud, or even whispered, to anyone. It was a threat used by officials to herd the Cured into obedient lines. The equivalent of Voldemort, basically.

It was a world that only those inside the iron gates knew of. Almost. A Cured was able to get a message to the barest of hints of the Amber Rebellion. Only a handful of people at the time, it created outrage among the group. They used the information to recruit more naysayers all over the country, spreading out into almost ten chapters. It was then that they realized only those on the inside could truly destroy the Camps. The Chief Strategists of every division met and devised a plan. They appointed Aimee and Ethan Cerf to be administrators of the Inside. Aimee and Ethan had experience with the rebellion, and knew the systems. This allowed them to stay in contact with each other, as well, uniting the two camps. Aimee appointed Alexandra as her Second. This allowed him to communicate and recruit others in Camp Good, and strategize with his counterpart in Camp Evil. Ethan appointed Vidas Wagnar as his Second. Soon, Kenji joined the Inside, as well as a few others from both camps. The hard work was done by the Premiers, as the five Cured were affectionately known. Intercepting messages and passing communications between camps were crimes that could get them Re-Educated, at best, and Executed, at worst. It was a fate that none of them could assign to anyone else. They all needed to stay secret, and they all needed to stay loyal.

Whether they all abide by those standards is another story that's yet to be told.

Jason had woken up not long ago, he was on a jog. He was very good at distance and he'd done that in track. 'The apocalypse shall not get in the way of my morning jogs'. Logic. Truthfully, if the need arose to run a great distance, Jason was up for it. The teen could sprint two or three miles without stopping for any reason. He decided to take a long loop around the gas station, about one mile for now. He ran pretty close to a factory looking building, and thought he saw something on top. He kept running. He was almost about to turn back when a small town came into view. He stopped, realizing the run back was a half mile more than a mile. He had not broken a single sweat due to the light pace he was going at. He studied the town for a second more before going back to report his findings to Wisp and Chris. As he approached the station, he dropped into a walk to meet Wisp, who was holding the child. Jason didn't yet know what to call her, and left it up to Wisp to decide. He was the one who saved her after all.

minerva woods
Ravenclaw
#0a1c9c

xxxxxxInteresting. An interesting premise indeed. Minnie smiled throughout the whole ceremony, her friends jostling her a bit when Headmaster Rogkrus announced his mighty plan. "You're going to be great at this," her friend, Maryann Hudson, whispered in her ear. "Kind of jealous actually. Wish you could be on my team."

The strawberry blonde laughed off her comment, waving her hand in protest. Maryann was probably right though. What kind of prize would they receive? Minerva pursed her lips together and leaned forward in her seat, legs crossed. On one hand, this seemed like a waste of time and resources. What about classes? What about all of the other friendships and bonds the Houses had built together over half a decade? On the other hand, this was an intriguing idea, bordering on brilliance. It would prepare them for life outside of Hogwarts and broaden their horizons, but how did this help her?

How did this benefit Minerva Woods?

The thought circled around in mind as she absently listened to the names, messing with the tip of her ponytail. Her smile never faltered and when Maryann was called, she squealed and patted her arm. All appropriate responses from the sweetheart of Ravenclaw. She watched the sea of black and green and blue and red and yellow with feigned interest.

"Zacharias Bageli from Gryffindor, Archibald Prewit from Slytherin, Avery Jones from Hufflepuff, and finally Minerva Woods from Ravenclaw."

Minnie's friends all giggled when they heard Prewit's name, but all Minerva wanted to do was sneer. All Quidditch meatheads, if you asked her. Not that she would ever admit to calling anyone that. She laughed alongside them and hurried up to the pedestal, crafted eagerness radiating off of her in waves. She didn't know any of these people well, despite having classes with them, but that wouldn't stop her. Her question still bothered her though, scratching at the back of her head as questions tended to do.

She smiled at the Bageli boy from Gryffindor. He seemed a bit flustered though she couldn't imagine why. Damn, did she seem intimidating? That's not a good sign. She turned away and faced the school and suddenly it hit her. How this benefited her.

Minerva had an opportunity to gain the trust of all of the houses, something that would come in handy later. In that moment, as she faced Hogwarts, she beamed.

xxxxxxxxxxxE L I Z A B E T H xxB R I S B A N E

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSong: Bad Reputation

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Even with his shitty attitude and blatant lack of respectful approach, Elizabeth felt her stained lips turn up into a grin as she swallowed back her own shot of whiskey. He had a certain devil may care charm about him that she found ridiculously attractive even though she knew that that meant nothing but trouble. Liz was a chaotic whirlwind that had no problems spinning out of control all on her own. Reckless men with an unchecked tongue might have been her bread and butter but the bigger picture always painted them to be more of an aggravation than anything worth keeping around. He’d suffice as a warm body and fun time but not much else.

"I have a really bad temper unfortunately, but I'm working on it. I've been taking these anger management classes and they've been helping. I'm still an asshole, but progress is progress. The name's Greg by the way, Greg Dawson."

Pouring him another shot then, Liz swiped the money from the bar top and popped it into the register, flashing his change and sticking it into her cleavage, instead opting to offer him a smirk in it’s place. “Pleasure, Greg Dawson. Elizabeth Brisbane but you’re better off calling me Liz.”

Pressing her torso against the bar, Liz perched her chin in one hand while the other reached for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. Removing them with ease, she shook the pack and popped one between her lips before reaching for the back of his neck and pulling him forward. Pressing the tip of her cigarette to the end of his, she inhaled slowly, deeply, until she felt her lungs fill with smoke. She was sure to make a quick mental note of the taught, hard sinew of his neck before letting him ease back into his seat. She wondered if the rest of him was wound as tightly. Pulling the stained cigarette from her mouth, an impish smirk colored her features as she listened intently to what he had to say.

"You know, there is a Narcotics Anonymous group in the same building as where I go for my classes, you should stop by sometime. We can clean up our acts together."

And, just like that, whatever carnal attraction she felt bubbling in her belly had quickly been snuffed out and replaced by bile. So, not only was he a hot tempered prick but he was also presumptuous and pompous. Jackpot.

Liz erected herself and took a step back from the bar, pulling forward and snuffing out the half smoked cigarette in the nearest ashtray. Though she didn’t exactly hide the fact that she was an addict, Liz didn’t take too kindly to someone making the assumption, either. He didn’t know a damn thing about her or her past, much less what she went through on a day to day basis with her addiction. She wasn’t sure if his blatant audacity made him ballsy or just downright stupid.

"Only if your up to it of course, I would never force anyone to do anything. That being said, I'll still annoy the hell out of you until you go. That's just the way I am. You'll get used to it eventually."

The tension that had seeped into the bar and weighed heavy in the air was made to feel even more tangible by the audible silence that echoed in the room. All eyes were on this newcomer, Greg. The patrons that regulated this dive knew what topics were up for discussion and which should never be touched. Unfortunately, this poor bastard didn’t. Now, Elizabeth wasn’t only disgusted and completely turned off. She was also pissed.

Placing either of her hands on the bar and leaning into her shoulders, Liz took a deep inhale before turning her eyes up and onto the unsuspecting man that sat across from her. Sure, he might’ve said what he had with the purest of intentions but, as everyone knew, the path to hell was paved with such. Leaning into him then, her pale blue eyes burning and her painted lips set into a hard line, Liz spoke clearly, plainly, being sure to enunciate every word so that her point was not only made, but stuck.

“Listen up, Greg. I don’t give a shit about your anger management or the Good Samaritan shtick you’ve got going. I don’t owe you or anyone a goddamn thing and if and when I decide to ‘clean up my act’ will be on my time and on my terms. You’ve skipped over annoyance entirely and jumped straight into the deep end of pissing me off. So, I suggest you get your shit and get the fuck out of my bar.”

The purpose of the bow was to propel the arrow, the purpose of the arrow was to strike the target, and the purpose of the target was to be struck. It was the Archer who must ensure that these absolutes are made true. To fail in any of these three basics was to insult the Gods and Fate. So long as the Archer as arrows, a bow, and a target, they must strike said target.

Khalida of The Two Halves had taken to traveling after her wandering around the entire Elven Kingdom in search for a solution for the curse that had afflicted her for so many decades. It was rather annoying being represented as two halves of yourself. Conversations were...difficult. Things you would never say allowed, the other half would blurt out without regret or shame! Still there were some advantages to her curse. Like right now for example. Khalida had come across a peculiar gathering of goblins. Their numbers were massive to be honest and the assortment of Goblins was...A Goblin who is a goblin was a goblin but some of these gobs were actually impressive looking. Wisely enough Khalida opted to avoid them originally but it was difficult when there were that many gobs sulking about. If she didn't have an extra pair of eyes, legs, and arms...The goblins would have probably had a new play thing...or two?

There was a village nearby but Khalida would rather not endure causing a panic by risking someone acknowledging her as the Cursed Ones, or the Aspects of the Dread Wood. At first the plan was wait till they moved in but then the stupid wore off and it became obvious that the village was their target. Circumnavigating around the entire thing could be just as dangerous, if Gobs were organized enough to execute such a large attack they would also have rear guards to stop any funny business coming around. Better than facing this horde as just the two of her.

Yet then there was the plan that the Aspect of Malice devised. Why not wait for them to attack the village and in the chaos, cut a path right through?

And that was where the two Aspects that made up Khalida were. Skimming around the edges of the Goblin attack, bows in and hand Qin's sheathed and strapped to their hips...Picking off who they could as they tried to push through...

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Emerson was about to speak; when a guttural snarl interrupted him. Turning to where the noise came from, Emerson could not believe his eyes. A man was sword fighting what looked like a Death Claw, scales and sharp teeth intact. He didn’t know how to react; especially since he couldn’t tell if this was just some street performance. Turning over to the confused girl, he pointed to the monster and young man fighting it.

“Are you with them? Is this some kind of method acting?”

The monster looked so real, black liquid like outdated oil oozing from it. He didn’t know what it was, but it smelled similar to blood and animatronics don’t bleed. He realized, in terror, that the monster was actually a conscious thing. People around him were screaming, a few bystanders were recording it while covering their mouth in shock. He had no clue what to do, frozen in terror.

Hades was going batshit, snarling and taking off towards the thing. “No, no, no, no.” He scrambled, the leash being yanked from his hand. The canine lunged at the thing, biting its haunches and growling loudly. He was not letting his dog die because of some monster. Or was it an alien? He didn’t know nor care, as he raced and grabbed his dog by the harness. He yanked backwards, all the while backing away from the monster.

It was massive up close, foreboding and terrifying. But Hades didn’t seem scared, instead pulling on Emerson’s grip as he snapped his jaws and barked furiously. “Fuck my life.” He hissed between his teeth, giving the swordsman a look of pure bewilderment and fear.

The clouds were overhead before Midori reached the outer parts of the Hana no Gosho. This part seemed almost abandoned with the limited activity that went on within the walls. Perhaps it was reserved for only those of extreme high importance, leaving it rarely used if ever. This place was where the voice screamed from the loudest, and Midori was exhausted from pushing herself to the limits with the screamer and the eyes.

Midori found herself drawn by the faint smell of food. Climbing over the wall with the help of a tree, she used her hearing to pin point where people were so she could maneuver through the halls undetected. What seemed like an hour, Midori found herself just outside the kitchens were some servants were bringing back trays of finished food, and what appeared to be a tray of food that was spilled. It smelt good. Really good. It had been a long time since Midori had anything but the food she hunted, or occasionally stole to pass the winter months.

“Those two were really going at it, pulling at each other’s collars.”
“That long haired guy is pretty handsome huh?”
“Yeah and that guy with the black looking eyes. He looks especially fun!”

While the girls continued to discuss which of the men they believed were the most handsome, and the boy who clearly liked to cause a scene, they made their way out of the kitchen and onto their next duties, leaving the food to sit out for the servants dinner. Midori slipped through the door, and grabbed a basin of rice, filling it up with left overs before slipping right back out, sliding under the floors and in the dirt outside to stay hidden so she could eat to her fill.

Once her stomach was full, Midori found that she had drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t clear how much time passed, but she was awakened by voices extremely close by. They were headed the way Midori came into the Hana no Gosho. Servants, and those that were in a secret meeting with the Shogun. Those that were called for. The reborn guardians. It peaked Midori’s interest, so she listened, and waited. When the familiar voice from before spoke, she kept her ears tuned into the voices location, while moving swiftly through the halls, using the roof, and even hiding to not be seen. Once the voice holder was on his own, Midori rolled off the roof, hung on with her right hand, and using all her weight to swing towards the inside of the Gosho, letting go and landing right in front of Seimei himself, who seemed a little surprised. The rain had drenched her, her hair stuck to her face in all sorts of weird patterns, the rain running clean streaks down her skin through the caked on dirt, her worn and torn kimono stuck to her skin. “Seimei Loud. Too Loud.” Midori narrowed her eyes at him. “No more screaming. Hurts.” Midori pointed to her ears when she said ‘hurts’.

Seimei was indeed surprised, and more than a little. He wasn't sure if he was irked by this or pleased, since he liked to think he was on top of things at all times. His eyes narrowed as a fox-like grin spread over his face. "Oh," he raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps I am too loud, or perhaps it is you who is too quiet. How did you get in without my noticing? Please, why don't you sit," he said lowering his voice to a whisper and pointing with a closed fan at the tatami mat directly facing him. Through the mud and dirt it was hard to see what the woman looked like ... if anything she looked more like a vengeful ghost than a living human, but Seimei could sense what she really was, and she was no more a ghost than he was. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked her, tipping his head a little to the side.

Withthe way he responded, Midori guessed that Seimei was his name. What identified him. How did I know that? The thought was only a mere moment, shaking her head back and forth to say no when he asked about food and drink. She had eaten only a few hours prior. She didn’t take his offer to sit. “What want?”Midori asked, using a hand to flip the wet strands of hair back behind her head. “You been screaming since Hokkaido. Why have you been looking for Midori?What is special about Midori and Usui no Sadamitsu?” She outright asked,throwing caution to the wind. Midori made sure to keep a bit of a distance between Seimei and herself. Just enough so that she could react if he came at her.

"Ah, Sadamitsu. Did you know I've been trying to track you down for months, if not years, then you turn up here, just late enough to be a nuisance, but early enough that you're still technically on time. You really have more in common with your former incarnation than you're probably aware." Seimei asked her to sit down again, and explained to her about the Guardians and their special role whether she did or not. "If you heard me all this time, then why didn't you respond?" he asked.

“Che.” Midori clicked her tongue in a displeased manner. “Seimei forget I arrive on time. Always.” Midori spoke, but it was like Usui was speaking. Subconsciously, Midori knew things she shouldn’t. Knew things about the past but didn’t understand. This time, she took his offer to sit, but stillkept a bit of distance. Midori knew who Seimei was, but didn’t. This frightened her. She enjoyed being in a familiar presence, but it was not one thatshe knew. It was one that Usui knew. “Many came for Midori.” She began, “People,Samurai, and Oni. Midori used power to survive. Midori fled into the Hokkaido Forest. One was very annoying. The voice was soft at first, then louder and louder. More that Midori went south, the louder it got. Midori hear this voice before.Then eyes came. Looked for Midori at night. Midori stayed up, running from the eyes that looked for her.”

Seimei listened. "The auguries were imprecise," he said, with a small frown. What was the point in learning such arts a reading the future and mapping the transmigration of souls if such obvious information went awry. He liked to have his net cast wide and to know everything - impossible as this was even for him - and it vexed him when there were blind spots. "I sent shikigami after you. They did not return. I expect you destroyed them." He leaned closer. "Who's eyes were these? Were they mine? The dreamwalkers? Or an Oni's?" He sat back. "Midori, please tell me about what happened, and how much you remember of your former life."
Midori nodded, finally taking a seat directly in front of Seimei, but keeping a small amount of distance between the two. Lightening lit up the night sky, the thunder booming life into the sky, the rains falling harder. “Midori did.” She said in reply. Midori instinctively leaned back when he leaned closer asking about the eyes. When he mentioned dream walker, Midori nodded. “Makes sense.Midori hear you talking to him..K-Ke-nn-tin? Ki-n-she?..” Midori tilted her head in thought at her own words, unsure of the actual name.
Midori shrugged her shoulders at his next question about her former life. “Don’t know. Midori never seen Seimei before, but knew his name when Midori hear it.”Then she added, “Midori want to smack you for being loud.” She narrowed her eyes at him. It was hard to sleep when she could when he screamed so loud inher ears for months. Now, it was quiet, except for the faint sounds of servants in the distance helping, and cleaning up after a boy who kept getting sick from too much sake.





During Kiyoyori’s speech, Kenshin just gave a bow with a tilt of his head to the leader of the mission. Of course Kenshin would stand together with Kiyoyori, because it was expected of him. Of course Kenshin would stand together with Kiyoyori, because it was what was needed. He knew the threat of the Oni was real, and not fake. There wasn’t much that a dream gazer couldn’t do aside of dream of the future if he wanted to know what was going on in Japan. Kenshin was privy to all sorts of information. Hajime, with much vigor and eagerness nodded his head up and down multiple times and so fast, Kenshin thought his head would pop off. “I’m with Yoyo! Hic!” The hiccup was loud, and Kenshin knew what was going to come next. After all, the boy did down almost an entire bottle of sake.

Once Kenshin and Hajime were able to leave the room, Hajime ran as fast as he could to the outer door, sliding it open in haste and letting his supper go. The nerves from the Shogun meeting, and the sake didn’t mix well with Hajime, his body letting him know this. Kenshin gave a clear ‘I knew that would happen,’ laugh, making his way past the boy without a single thought. He had the dream walker staff in one hand, and Suetake’s staff in the other. Once he had both in hand, both hands got extremely warm. Kenshin chalked it up to nothing more than coincidence, before giving orders to the servants to draw him a bath, and to have another brush out his hair during, and after. Tonight, he would not try to find the other missing guardian. Tonight, he wanted sleep. Once Kenshin and Hajime were shown to the room they would share with Kiyoyori, Kenshin placed both staffs in the same corner of the room, leaning up against the wooden post.

The bath was relaxing for Kenshin, and it was even more relaxing to have his hair taken care of. It was embarrassing for him to be present in front of the others with small remnants of food caught in his hair, and his robes wrinkled. Honestly that boy was going to try his patience at every turn.

Hajime, after emptying his supper he fought so hard to eat, was scrubbed down by a few servants in his own bath, and put right to bed ahead of everyone else. At least the evening would be peaceful. Once Kenshins hair was done, his night time kimono on, Kenshin settled down into the futon, falling asleep rather fast.

The rain continued into the morning, and it seemed like the rainy season was going to start. Hajime was up before the others, and down in the kitchen where he was eating his fill with his ax straped to his back. He wore a red top with the crest sewn into the left sleeve. The servants had learned after last night to make the boy a five course meal. Kenshin was the last to wake up, his eyes blurry and clouded over. A figure loomed over him, which he assumed was Hajime. “Go bother Kiyoyori. I’m not done sleeping yet.”

“Eyes looking. You.” A female voice said. Kenshin didn’t recognize the voice, and sat up a little startled using a hand to rub the sleepiness from his eyes so he could get a better picture on who was speaking to him. Kenshin knew of every one of his actions last night, so he would have remembered bringing a woman into the bed with him. A small womans face became clear with green eyes, and long black hair that seemed to shine in the morning rays. “And? You are?” Kenshin asked, surprised that he was being glared at by someone who he didn’t even know. Midori lifted her hand, and used her middle finger to flick Kenshin square between the eyes. “Fly annoying.” Kenshin landed right back laying down, a red mark beginning to make its appearance where he was flicked. “Itai! What the hell was that for?!”

“So you two finally met? Good. Kenshin, this is Midori, Usui no Sadamitsu’s current vassal.” Seimei’s voice came through the open shobi door. “Hurry up and get dressed. At mid-day we have our first meeting, and it’s well past dawn already.”

“Che..” Kenshin gave a sound of disproval, rubbing the sore spot between his eyes. “Damn woman..” He muttered very low so no one could hear, only to have that woman throw his staff at him. “Hear you I can.” Kenshin stretched out his arm, catching the staff before it could belt him in the face. Kenshin was going to yell back at the woman, until the look of the staff came into view. The Dream Walker Staff was a simple staff with a hole between the wood, separating the colors where the blue circle would appear if he was walking in dreams. Urabe no Suetake’s staff was clearly a monk’s staff with three rings on either side each, and either shrines or bosatsu figures inside. This staff was completely different. The brown and black of his old staff seemed to have wrapped around Suetake’s staff like an outer layer, merging and melting and reshaping the look of both staffs into one. Is this because I am the dream walker in this life? Kenshin thought, trying to figure out why the staffs merged. The golden brown twisted around the staff until to came up to the top where it merged and completely made a new staff head. The blue jewel in the center of the staff head pulsed the blue color like it would, recognizing it’s owner. Gone were the three rings, and it’s its place a circular pattern wrapping around the single ring while holding the blue jewel in place. Along the inner part of the circular pattern was dream walker symbols. The staff in height was the exact same as Suetake’s staff was.

“Oi Onigiri hurry it up!” Hajime’s voice came from behind the closed door. “Hai Hai!” Kenshin replied in an annoyed tone. He knew better than to keep Seimei waiting for long. He signaled the servants to begin his morning routine of hair being brushed and well dressed. Kenshin was offered a grey kimono in place of his black one, the grey one having the special crest sewn onto the sleeve. His obi sash was the same as before as was his hair tie. After about 30 minutes, Kenshin made his way to the designated meeting place, running into Hajime and Midori outside. “Where’d you get the new staff Onigiri?” Hajime asked curiously. Kenshin sighed, not really knowing the answer himself. “That…I can’t say..”

“On..i..giri..” Midori repeated slowly, tilting her head to the side with a confused look at Hajime. “Hai! Onigiri!” Hajime said, beginning to tell Midori the story.

Hajime and Midori met in the early morning hours while he was stuffing his face. Hajime’s head pulsed loudly but that didn’t stop him from feeding his hunger. Seimei had come in and introduced them, leaving Hajime and Midori alone in the kitchen for breakfast. Midori didn’t say much but a few words, and it was hard to understand what she was saying when it was backwards, but the subject was there. Midori had on a colorful Kimono of greens and blues and pinks with a long green haori coat. The crest was sewn into the back side instead of the sleeve. It clashed with her kimono look, but Midori liked the look of it, and she could curl up inside with her small body. Very useful for when it’s cold.

Kenshin and Hajime gave nodded greetings to the others as they entered the room and took their seats, while Midori just strode right on it and took the seat beside Ikari, ignoring the whispers of servants on her manners. She placed the Naginata she received from Seimei just this morning down behind her with a low, but vibrating thud on the tatami mat. It definitely had some weight to it. Midori looked over at Kiyoyori and Ikari, blinked a few times, then looked back straight ahead at Seimei and the young Tsume. Midori had yet to meet these two.

“First I should introduce you to Tsume. She will be your scout. Her eyes and ears are very sharp, her claws too. She is my servant, which means no using her for odd jobs, fetching you new sandals or making tea. She will be able to help you sniff out the Oni, and find information you need.”

Kenshin snapped open his fan, giving a small throat hmph when Seimei looked directly at him when he spoke his sentence of Tsume. There goes his fun, and someone to permanently look after his hair. Perhaps he could talk one of the other members into it.

What Seimei was saying about the rain was true. It had started much sooner than expected. And for an Oni to be behind it, well that just made matters worse. Hajime didn’t like what he was hearing one bit. People often got sick when the weather turned colder. The elderly and young children were at the highest risk from his experience at Futoki-sensei’s clinic. “Where do we start Seimei?”

(OOC NOTE – For Naginata picture, omit the brown string part hanging from the blade.)

Tallyho hardened her stance as the woman with the intricate hair gripped her arm firmly. She couldn’t blame her, utter chaos was unfolding around them: The sweet pup who’d doused the blonde’s face in sloppy kisses only moments before, was now unsheathing its teeth, gnawing at the cyclopean like a particularly empowered mosquito. People around them were screaming and gawking, aiming their small rectangular devices in the direction of the monster. She wondered if the curious knick-knacks agitated the cyclopean more, seeing as they didn’t seem to be doing anything to kill it. One woman even threw herself upon the very tree that Tallyho had been trying to finesse her way out of since the beginning of this fiasco. And when the cyclopean let out another blood curdling screech? Well, Tallyho’s heart sank to the absolute pit of her stomach. Her legs felt weak and her waif figure threatened to collapse into the grass like a skipped stone sinks to the bottom of a river bank. Tallyho’s ears seemed to fill with water as she watched the warrior take a few messy swings to the monster’s neck. She couldn’t clearly hear the curdling hack of the warrior’s sword into the cyclopean’s tough, scaly neck, or the tingle of small onyx shards raining down on the width of his blade as the terror shattered from existence.

She stood there for a while, watching the pile of shards as a few hands seemed to pick through the dark gems left behind. As pieces were taken, Tallyho wondered what part of the cyclopean they were taking with them? Arm or leg? Jaw or claw? She halfway wondered why they’d want this sort of memorabilia at all. Her light head seemed to float back down to reality and the echoes in her ears corrected themselves.

She was a bit pleased (just a little) that her advice was right. That for once, she could definitively prove to her Baba that she had been listening to something all these years. She would have counted this accomplishment as a personal victory for the day, except what happened next gave breath to a whole new list of things she could have given herself a pat of the back for surviving.

There was a soft, low rumble in the distance. A sound Tallyho likened to wind rippling past her ears when she rode a horse at full speed. The sound was dense, and increasingly becoming loud. And then there were the trees—the leaves shuddered slightly and then more abruptly. Her green eyes were trained on the foliage, and without thinking she slowly reached up to grab the other girl’s arm too. It was a non-verbal gesture—one that would have translated as “not today Satan,” had there been such a figure in Airesian lore.

And then there was a light, a growing dome that seemed to creep from between the tall buildings on the horizon. The light inched slowly at first, but as it grew closer, one would realize that it was barreling in their direction at such a high speed that there was no chance at out-running it. As it came, the slow tremble of the lawn became more of an earthquake accompanied by a fantastic gust of wind that licked back Tallyho’s tresses in a single brush.

Tallyho, if she wasn’t already gone, decided that she was going to die today. The wall of light wasn’t stopping. It was far from stopping. It was going to decimate everything in its path and all of this extraneous stress would have been for absolutely nothing. Tallyho’s existence would have meant nothing. That cyclopean? Nothing. The wind felt increasingly suffocating as the light hurdled closer. Tallyho always thought that if she was going to die young, it was going to be on her own terms. But now, she supposed that she was a total fool because, hello, who could ever forget the great big explosion of light that occasionally ravaged the planet at unexpected moments? Silly, silly Tally.

The light was here now. Blinded, the child of the sun closed her eyes, held her breath, and let the wall of energy crash into her being.

*** THE CORE ***

It was like experiencing death while still being very alive. Sounds like some form of torture, but Tallyho didn’t seem to feel much of anything. It was a form of removal. Not the emotional kind she tended to excel at, but a more spiritual sort. She was floating in the center of nothing and everything. In nothingness for eternity. Incubated and independent of all facets of reality. Healed of all that ailed her only moments before: The dizziness, nausea, and heaviness in her heart was spooned from her chest and poured somewhere far away. The scrapes and scars on her knees and elbows that she acquired from her fall were wiped smooth from her skin. Her eyes were open, but everything was so dark that she wouldn’t have known the difference.

Another light flickered in the distance, but it was nothing like the frightening wall of energy that brought her here. It was warmer, softer, like a fuzzy laser pointing to the center of the universe.

Tallyho no longer felt like she was floating. Something cold pressed against her soles, and the pull of gravity felt gradually more apparent. Below her feet, a sprinkling of small white lights, almost like stars in a night sky. They forged a path running toward the light.

Beneath the transparent path of stars, a murky body of water was churning as if it wavered in a storm. And then she looked up, catching a glimpse of a flock of twelve large birds. They, glided above her gracefully, a mass exodus of white underbellies fleeing toward the warmth of the light. Their forms were soft and round. But what was behind her? She turned around to see a wide gaping vortex, muddied with shades of blue and black.

And as if on cue, it was like the houselights came on in a theatre. Gradually, scattered along the narrow path of stars, the blonde was able to make out the forms of the other people around her. There weren’t many, but she actually recognized some of them: The girl with the intricate hair, the warrior, the man with his dog, and others. She wondered if they could see her as well as she could see them? She took a step forward and physically she felt great. It was like she never jumped out of the tree or was on the verge of throwing up. She wondered if they felt the same inexplicable pressure to make a decision: To walk toward the light? Or not?

She looked toward the soft light, the direction in which the twelve birds flew. Then she turned to face the warped vortex at the other end of the path. It didn’t seem particularly inviting.


She wasn’t sure whether or not she should inquire about what everyone else was going to do. It was simple for her, she had made her decision. Besides there weren’t many options to choose from.

“I don’t know what happen,” she began. “But I go this way, I think.” Her voice echoed softly in the darkness. The blonde turned on her heels and began a hesitant stride toward the light. Her pale skin and light hair looked luminescent as she went.

The water below seemed to grow increasingly restless. Tallyho stopped half way across the path, growing ridged as she felt the faint vibrations from the star path at her feet. She thought of it as a threat that the path could shatter at any moment and dump them all into the mysterious waters below. Tallyho knew that she wasn’t going to allow herself to fall into that, but she halfway hoped that the others would pick a side of the path and scram, because this didn’t seem like a very stable place.

The blonde flinched, sucking air through her teeth as a cold wave of water billowed up on the path and took a lick at her feet. More waves seemed to follow suit. The water was rising and it didn’t seem like they had much time to meander in the void any longer. It was now or never.

She glanced pleadingly at the group before continuing on even faster, nearly sprinting toward the light. The warmth enveloped her and she fell into what felt like a nosedive into the sun.

zacharias bageli
gryffindor
#ec1414

xxxxxxZach trained his eyes on each of his new teammates as they each introduced themselves. Archie spoke up first, typical, his greeting seemed simply, harmless but Zach was thrown off by his last bit. "Especially you two. It's nice that we get to work with each other instead of against for once don't you think?" The Slytherin boy turned towards Avery and Zach. He blinked for a mere moment before nodding in agreement, "Yeah, it'll be interesting to say the least". He was on to the Slytherin, there was something else there had to be.

Avery spoke next, short and sweet, she seemed more interested in the safety of her rat then the aimless introductions from the others. Before Zach had any time to respond to the girls greeting, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the girl's room. He turned to Minerva, or as she liked to be called, Minnie. Again, like Avery her greeting was small and sweet, but Minnie was definitely all smiles. She was the only one of the group he hadn't gotten to know at all, hopefully that would change soon. He couldn't help but be intrigued by the girl's persona. Her lingering gaze on him gave him a boost of confidence.

"Bageli. Zach Bageli. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard something about me." He flashed a debonair smile with his comment, and ran a careful hand through his dark hair. "As much as I'd love to get to know all of you even more" he felt his familiar charm slipping back in, and sent a slight wink to Minnie on the couch, "I need to make sure my dear Grace doesn't have her feather's ruffled". With that he sauntered past Archie brushing past the boys shoulder and made his way to the boy's room not caring to close the door.

Sure enough he was greeted with an exiting caw and his little owl Grace was staring back at him with her dark eyes. "Grace, I missed you!" He bent down and stuck his finger through the cage and Grace nibbled affectionately on his finger. He laughed quietly, standing back up and then finally took the time to admire his room. Half the room was decorated in rich greens and silvers, the emblem of the snake on the bedsheets and curtains, the other half, his, was bright reds and golds, the familiar lion roaring back at him on his half. He had to admit, he really liked it.

He peeked his head back out the door and dressed the others, "Have you guys seen the rooms? They're amazing"

The cacophonous whine of hydraulic pumps drowned out the dock machinery working diligently outside the Astral Providence and the rising cargo ramp slowly blotted out the bright lights of the landing pad. With a thunk and a hiss, the interior doors and exterior ramp locked into place, leaving Emilie Graves in the dimness of a mostly empty cargo hold. She took one last stock of the supply crates and surged up the metal catwalk stairs toward the mid-ship. Now that the vessel was sealed up, there was business to discuss. With any luck, Jack was already going through prelaunch diagnostics and the other crew finding their way around the vessel with ease.

Through the central well, down the midship artery and on the other side of the crew cabins, Emilie finally arrived at the commons. A counter on the right marked the entrance to the galley and to the left was a somewhat cozy open room with a table, chairs, and an assortment of storage. On the far end of the room was another door that lead toward the power core and engines. The industrial interior was not pretty but it was sturdy and easy to repair and, as was evidenced in the commons, comfortable enough with a little tender love and care.

Emilie loitered around a chair on the far end of the table, facing the open door to the midship hall. All along her traverse from cargo to commons she had heard the voices of crew echoing faintly through halls and it left a warm feeling in her. The familiar jitters of pre-flight excitement were starting to build in her as she activated the ship-wide comms and spoke. Her voice sounded slightly tinny but clear. "Jack, Aimery, Nate, and Blue. Finish up whatever you're doing. Meeting in the ship's commons in 15. Aft of the cabins, midship." A gentle click from the speakers signaled the end of the notification and the captain set about tidying the room around her clearly busying an anxious mind.

Haru ate patiently, not paying too much attention to Tallyho who gobbled up her food ravenously, or Calliope who was clammed up in the corner. If anything he felt like his attention would have made their nervous behaviors worse, and so he focused on seeming as non-threatening as possible by just staying quiet and eating (not that that helped any.) He pinched away yet another dash of crumbs from his beard. Eventually, he thought, he would be due for a cut. But the days have been so long and preparations for this… interesting (?) group of warriors had taken up so much of his time that he didn’t get much of a chance to even think about personal grooming.

This group… They truly weren’t what he expected. Haru thought he would be given a cast of toned and well-weathered individuals ready for battle, especially considering what happened to the last ones. But instead he got a cast of, well, pretty people. The thought of training them made him want to snicker and a part of his soul buckled down for another century or two of waiting for the next cast of warriors because if this dinner scene told Haru anything, these kids might just die.

He hunched down for another snarl at his hen when one of the young men inquired about his book. Scrapes to Scabs… Haru hadn’t picked the thing up in ages and was a little surprised that it was still in the house. Even more surprised that this kid had the balls to touch anything in his house and talk about it.

“It’s… One of the first books of its kind I suppose. Written a long time by this man named Constance,” Haru paused, not sure how to continue talking about the book without telling everyone that they were in a completely different world. “Let me… Help explain what happened today.”

By the time Haru sat up to speak an adequate amount of time had passed for people to consume at least one serving.

“I wanted to let you eat first before getting into all of this,” he sighed. He wrung his callused hands on the table and leaned forward like a father preparing to firmly tell his child that Santa isn’t real and that the pet goldfish died last week. He didn’t speak in the most coddling tone, but he was straining to sound comforting.

“I’ll try to answer all of your questions best I can, but I ask that you let me explain a few things first... That monster you saw today, the one that was growling and snarling, snapping jaws at you… Most of you have not seen or read about anything like it. But I’m sorry to say that there are more of them. A lot more of them. And somehow, someway, maybe because we’re all just really unlucky, it’s our job to get rid of them before they destroy everything and everyone.

It’s weird to say, but you’re not on earth anymore. Today you are in Aires. And I wish that I could tell you it’s as simple as “being on another planet,” but it’s a little more complicated than that. Aires is nothing like earth. It doesn’t run on the same fabric of time or development. It has none of the technologies most of you are familiar with. It’s a different line of reality with a different set of physics, and when you crossed that path of stars back there you were dumped right into this universe.

While Aires is very different from Earth on a fundamental level. What you all witnessed back there wasn’t normal for your world or mine. These monsters have been appearing in small numbers across our world, and it looks like they’re about to infiltrate yours.

We call them cyclopean. They haven’t been seen in hundreds of years around here, and that was because we had a full line of defense against them. And at the top of this defense was an elite group of 12 warriors named for the months of the year. They were given special abilities that were activated by the gemstones they wore. And with those powers they were given the task of protecting humans from the cyclopean. They failed their mission and were all killed a very long time ago… And now, coincidentally, all of you are wearing their gemstones. Don’t ask me how they got to your world because I don’t have much of a clue… But they are lodged into the necklaces and bracelets and rings from your grandfathers, and fate brought them to you.

There’s a prophecy that says that the stones will find kindred souls to finish the work that the original warriors started, and as much as I’d like to tell you that you can simply give them away and walk away from this, I need to be frank: You are the next set of warriors and the powers that those stones possess, can only be unlocked by you and no one else. I’m sure you felt your stones burning in confirmation… It was the spirit in your gem telling you that you are chosen and that you are not alone. That the people you are meant to embark on this journey with all happened to be in the right place at the right time. I don’t know why any of you are chosen, in fact if I had the choice I would ask for a more… A stronger group to be generous. But you are who you are.”

Haru exhaled quietly. He realized how ridiculous it all sounded, and halfway through he had already committed himself to all the hell he was about to get for it. But if he was being fair, there was no other way for him to give such a complex explanation for “here’s why you’re at my dinner table” in a simpler way.

“Okay… Now you can ask questions,” the redhead grumbled before reaching over for another slice of hen. If he was going to be roasted by a bunch of super powered, baby-faced infants, he might as well reward himself with more food.

[/font]

7:12AM

Tea spent her time waving in new students, completely forgetting to give them instructions on dorm assignments beyond the basic division on genders. While most were initially put off by her choice of station, she felt that an open approach, on open ground, right at the entrance of a building they were supposed to enter would be a great place to be, as they would have little to no choice of interacting with her.

And what a variety she was met with! They all shone with their own colors, their very presences already sending the environment into a tangle, and some with more force than others. That is, with the exception of that kid. While Tea herself was keeping her signature as low key as possible, he walked on forward without even noticing her, a veritable void that just seemed like the edge of a black hole due to how nothing he was. He didn't bother her, and so she didn't bother him, and having already seen the pamphlet in his hand, she knew that he knew what he was doing. At the very least, she hoped so.

Her mind was shaken from its train of thought as she saw another new student making his way towards her. His eyes seemed unfocused, as though he were looking at something that wasn't there. She thought to ask, but Ryan told her it would be polite to simply let them in their own time, and never to press for it.

She smiled in return as he greeted her, finally standing up. "Hi, I'm Tea! Tea Grey, at your service. Welcome to the Day Dorms! There are signboards inside pointing to where girls and boys should go. Feel free to pick any room, we're not doing assignments this time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask now!"

dash borrows #BD6A1C

Dash awoke to the cathartic noise of his alarm playing “The Imperial March” in such a grand fashion he wouldn't be surprised if he'd awoken the whole damn neighborhood. He let out groan and turned in his sheets slamming his hand against the alarm which sputtered one last note and promptly shut up.

Just as he was about to grace himself with the extra five minutes his sister’s rambling came from the bathroom. “Where is my highlighter?!” “How am I supposed to know?” “You steal everything Madison don't even try to pull shit over on me”. Dash threw back the sheets rather aggressively as he got out of bed and sleepily stumbled into the hallway and into the bathroom. “Ya know, I don't even need an alarm clock anymore if I'm being honest. I can always count on your cat fighting to get me out of bed” He said in a sarcastic manner which earned him a simultaneous eyeroll from the twins. He grabbed his toothbrush and elbowed them out of the way to quickly do his morning routine that took a mere 5 minutes.

He threw on a warm but comfortable outfit, as the leaves began to turn colors it got cold in Norwood, but it wasn't much of a stretch from New York. He slung his bag over his shoulder and hopped down the stairs sauntering into the kitchen where his mother was reading an article in the paper and his father was cooking… omelettes? Something that no one really knew about Sheriff Borrows was that he was a secret Rachel Ray, the man loved to cook.

Dash maneuvered past his father and snagged a piece of toast, “Morning”. His mother finally glanced up from her article and closed the paper pushing it to the side of the island in the kitchen. “Morning Honey, do you have anything going on after school?” Classic question. In which Dash always replied, “Not sure yet, I might hang out with Noah”. His mother's face lit up, as it always did when he mentioned Noah. The boy was definitely a major change from his last friends and his mother more than approved of the boy. “Alright, well if anything changes just let your father and I know”. Dash nodded and snagged his keys off the counter and went through the garage door to where his pride and joy, Martha, was parked in the driveway. His 2009 Forest Green Ford Escape was his most prized possession, he loved that car more than his sisters.

He hopped in the driver's seat and the warm air immediately blasted through the vents causing him to relax back into the seat. He reached for his phone in his back pocket and sent a quick text to Noah.



With that he tossed his phone in the console and turned on the ignition fully when his phone buzzed. Odd. It normally takes Noah a bit to respond in the morning, he's always on his run. Dash grabbed the phone and unlocked it, the message on his screen freezing him in place.



What could that mean? She's not, how could, she's dead. It has to be a joke, picking on the new kid it's classic. They couldn't possibly know. I destroyed everything.

He quickly deleted the message in a hurry and this time carefully set it back in the console. He gripped the steering wheel a bit harder this time as he turned out of his driveway. You're being ridiculous Dash, it's just a prank. It's just a prank.