Personification Life - IC Part VIII [open]

[New Aksarben]

At least he wasn't wearing his beloved trench coat. Bran thought while he watched Chrys at work, already feeling better. He eventually stopped coughing up blood and gave a shaky thumbs up.

He really didn't care about his clothes, as shirts and a hoodie were always replaceable.

"Thanks."

"Not at all," Chrys said, adding mischievously, "though you look a bit too skinny for my taste. Nothing like tall, dark, big and handsome." She wondered what Dia would make of the stone.

"How's things look over there, Jacob? Ate?"

"Ate is seeing double, I believe. He might have a concussion or something. Also, my arm feels a bit strange. I keep getting a pain in it so often..." He trailed off as another one happened, his face twinging a bit from the unexpected pain. Jacob then noticed that Ate was leaving, and he said, "Well, maybe you could check to self you are still seeing double without it. That would prove that you are okay...."

[Tiltjuice]

Ate hummed thoughtfully, both impressed by Chrys's powers and out of thought. "I believe I'm fine. After all, it could be the cracked nature of my mask that is causing me to see doubles." ,he replied. "I do need to change clothes, however." He indicated, referring his coffee-stained clothes.

Chrys nodded briskly, and turned back to Bran.

"I was always quite skinny . . ." Bran said. There was a lot of truth to that statement. Growing up in one of the poorest European nations where food was rationed to even the valued members of the military, he barely got enough to eat, only enough to stay alive. All things considered, he only weighed around 120.

"Hey, I like how I look!" He said playfully, deciding that a trip down to get another shirt was a waste of time, and opting to go shirtless.

"It works for you...but the pant-leg only thing kinda looks strange." The blonde looked apologetic. "I tried to spare as much fabric as I could, knowing you guys are more modest than us in tan and gray, but it looks like I still took a fair chunk out of your pants while trying to heal you. Anyway, trust me, it feels really good in the shower, or the hot tub, or anywhere really, when your partner outweighs you by more than 150 pounds."

[The BranRiech]

"Hmm, I think I'm a bit heavier than Rylli, but not much." Bran said, well, that was all he was going to say on that, as it was somewhat private. He looked down and blushed. "Ah!"

He ran off hurriedly, with only a pair of boxers and his shoes on.

The man returned later, dressed now, in his usual, a pair of khaki dress pants, and his trench coat worn over a white shirt.

[Tiltjuice]

Chrys chuckled at Bran's embarrassment after he ran off. When he got back to the empty room, she glanced around.

"Well, that wave doesn't seem to have affected any of the lab equipment. But I think we all agree dropping it is a bad idea. Anything else you guys want to try?"

Outside the building, the taxi driver got tired of waiting and honked his horn.

[Giovenith]

"Why do they call mad, Giovenith?" Yuna asked, tilting her head sideways at the question that didn't make much sense to her, but she saw how it might!

At least, in her mind.

"Water, like this," said Giovenith, smiling slightly and waving her arms around in the pool. "And all that goes with it. The moon. Mirrors. Night. They call it all mad. And in a way, it is, but not the way they think. Those who would chain us up with wreath of flowers, and call every emotion we breathe that is not devotion to them insanity! They call it all mad because they know these things shield us away from them."
She swam around a little bit, moving in a few circles. "For they say that water is deadly to mad girls! Or at the very least, disobedient ones. Same thing to them, I suppose. Ah yes, always drowning, aren't we? No one ever seems to know how to swim. I think it's because they can't swim, truthfully, and as water is the dreaming, and the dreaming is where they lose power, they try to prevent us from running to it. Ah, how silly it all is."

[Swith Witherward]

They say actions speak louder then words. This is true when what Swith said left Thriller speechless in a good way. It is also true when he gently held onto her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead and a smile afterward. And with a soft reply he said, "It's fine." He held onto her hand gently and lead her and the kids into the movie theater.

--

"Nah, Samael isn't the one who enjoys being worshiped. Now someone I do know would be that prideful bastard Superbia. Yes I did call him a bastard but I was using it in it's correct term and not in a degrading one."

--

"Oooh, sounds rather nice indeed. But where to put all of that? In the corner perhaps? Against the wall? Or possibly in the middle of the room?"

Swith blushed intensely and followed her family into the theater, her heart happily floating somewhere high in the sky.

--

Xanthe laughed. "Someone gave birth to him? Good God save that creature's soul." She thought about it a moment, imagining the demon in a much younger form and wondering if he was a handful to tend to. "I suppose he was probably very cute when little. Has his snout always looked that way?" She gave it a bit more thought and added, "I always thought he'd hatched from an egg. He just looks like a hatching-thing. It somehow seems nobler. Some of our daemons hatch, but that's only because Swith has a weird sense of humor when she fashions them. They pop out of their shells, look around stupidly and then pop to adult form. There's really no reason for it. She could make them fully formed, like everyone else does, but she cherishes that moment of "cuteness" as they squeak on the floor. There's even a little safety built in should they stray from her. It's a word that's unique to each of them. She utters it and they pop back into that small, newly-hatched state." She gave that even more thought and added, "I suppose t'would be funny on a battle field."

--

"Along the wall," Blythe said. "Yes, we can push Lucius' bed to the other corner and put them here by the door. Or else put them upstairs in the mirror room, although I'd like to leave that as a fun little play area. No, we'll just move the archangel's bed. Do you think he'll care?"

[New Aksarben]

"Hmm, I think I'm a bit heavier than Rylli, but not much." Bran said, well, that was all he was going to say on that, as it was somewhat private. He looked down and blushed. "Ah!"

He ran off hurriedly, with only a pair of boxers and his shoes on.

The man returned later, dressed now, in his usual, a pair of khaki dress pants, and his trench coat worn over a white shirt.

"Now that Bran is dressed again.... Do you think we should keep trying to learn about this marble, or give up just in case it might cause worse injury if we damage it.... It was jarring enough to get thrown against the wall...." Jacob said, looking intently at the marble slab on the floor. "Oh, Chrys? I think that there might be something wrong with my arm, by the way. It keeps twinging...."

[Teepot Kingdom]

Ate headed to his room. The hectic introduction that he had received to the other tenants of the apartment building along with the excitement of the stone proved too much so shortly after a hang-over. He had a massive head-ache, and although he was unsure whether it was from the fall he took or not, he wanted only to take a shower and unwind again.

Taking a shower, he redressed in a pinstripe suit and tie, black slacks, a fedora, and his only spare gas mask; and, although he was getting dressed, he had no intention of heading back downstairs again. After all, he had been seriously neglecting to spend time with Fae and Abaven. Sitting down on the couch, he played with the two birds in his living room after feeding them. When he was to return downstairs was of debate, as even this small amount of time was enough to heal.

[The BranRiech]

"Right, I believe that doctor used this room when she was here. I think she bailed on the last flight out of the old airport when the city got hit. Didn't know her, her security wouldn't let me near." Bran said and shrugged. He looked at the animal crates and shrugged. "I don't want to know what she was doing though, but maybe we could use some of these tools and things. Oh, a scalpal!" He pointed.

"May I poke it with this?"

--

Yuna just stood there in the pool, listening to Gio's fog-sponsored insanity.

"So . . . Things that are different are bad? And then what?" The young priestess asked.

[Giovenith]

Yuna just stood there in the pool, listening to Gio's fog-sponsored insanity.

"So . . . Things that are different are bad? And then what?" The young priestess asked.

"No!" snapped Giovenith, making a little splash in frustration. "They will call your chains jewelry, their bites kisses, their strikes hugs, their guilt-tripping heartbreak, and your emotions insanity! Now do you trust the water or not?"

[The BranRiech]

"Alright, alright." Yuna said and put her hands up defensively, ducking lower into the pool. She was now officially afraid of Gio, just because she was acting so different. Was she using a potion? Yuna got that way sometimes with a potion she'd make, but it wouldn't last for long, and Drova always joked about it. Was she simply playing a joke? Drova would always get mad at those, so probably not.

"Gio? What's wrong with you?" The girl asked bluntly. "And why would one need to trust the water? If one is experienced enough, well, not dumb, then water can be fun!"

[New Aksarben]

"Right, I believe that doctor used this room when she was here. I think she bailed on the last flight out of the old airport when the city got hit. Didn't know her, her security wouldn't let me near." Bran said and shrugged. He looked at the animal crates and shrugged. "I don't want to know what she was doing though, but maybe we could use some of these tools and things. Oh, a scalpal!" He pointed.

"May I poke it with this?"

"Uh, sure. Just be careful please Bran. I would prefer that none of us receive any worse injuries than what we already have gotten." Jacob said with a nod. He watched carefully, because he was beginning to think that this thing was more trouble than anything, and that it would be best to stop messing with it. His tail stood completely still, reflecting his mood.

[Giovenith]

"Alright, alright." Yuna said and put her hands up defensively, ducking lower into the pool. She was now officially afraid of Gio, just because she was acting so different. Was she using a potion? Yuna got that way sometimes with a potion she'd make, but it wouldn't last for long, and Drova always joked about it. Was she simply playing a joke? Drova would always get mad at those, so probably not.

"Gio? What's wrong with you?" The girl asked bluntly. "And why would one need to trust the water? If one is experienced enough, well, not dumb, then water can be fun!"

"Precisely!" cheered Giovenith, splashing her arms out into the air. "But THEY don't want you to be experienced! They keep you in a moat with a tower, and hope that you can't swim, because they can't live without you thinking that you can't live without them."

She took a deep breath, then sucked herself underwater.

[Tiltjuice]

"Right, I believe that doctor used this room when she was here. I think she bailed on the last flight out of the old airport when the city got hit. Didn't know her, her security wouldn't let me near." Bran said and shrugged. He looked at the animal crates and shrugged. "I don't want to know what she was doing though, but maybe we could use some of these tools and things. Oh, a scalpal!" He pointed.

"May I poke it with this?"

"Uh, sure. Just be careful please Bran. I would prefer that none of us receive any worse injuries than what we already have gotten." Jacob said with a nod. He watched carefully, because he was beginning to think that this thing was more trouble than anything, and that it would be best to stop messing with it. His tail stood completely still, reflecting his mood.

"No, I think we should wait," Chrys objected. It was uncharacteristic of her to hesitate, but she didn't want to see anything else bad happen. "Leave it to the professionals. I'm sure the raptors would love to take a crack at this. In fact, I'll go see if I can find one."

She headed out of the room.

[New Aksarben]

"Uh, sure. Just be careful please Bran. I would prefer that none of us receive any worse injuries than what we already have gotten." Jacob said with a nod. He watched carefully, because he was beginning to think that this thing was more trouble than anything, and that it would be best to stop messing with it. His tail stood completely still, reflecting his mood.

"No, I think we should wait," Chrys objected. It was uncharacteristic of her to hesitate, but she didn't want to see anything else bad happen. "Leave it to the professionals. I'm sure the raptors would love to take a crack at this. In fact, I'll go see if I can find one."

She headed out of the room.

"Good idea Chrys. No point in getting ourselves hurt, right?" Jacob said with a nod. He was glad that Chrys had also been willing to stop for the day. "Well, Bran. I am going to head back to the rec room and try to fix things there. It is still in a mess, plus I left my book there. See you later, Amice. Call me, or come get me, when the raptors arrive. I do want to see what all this marble tablet can do."

[Swith Witherward]

"And you're unexpected. I would have donned my armor if I knew formal events were to follow. Damn. An attempt at intimidation lost. I'll make up for it when I get my terminator armor." Volturius noted as he clapped his hands together, rubbing them eagerly in anticipation of what the recruits were capable of. Leading Tipper out of the elevator's seemingly new floor, following in behind Will with the clicking of his admantine coated talons.

"Out of immediate concern however- are any of the potential recruits daemon hosts? Such beings won't be tolerated for the main body of Tacticals or Terminators- untrustworthy and their abilities wasted. While some may be certainly tolerated (and their daemons egged on to mutate their host perfectly for combat)- they will form their own special shocktrooper squads. Last thing I need is to worry that the main body of my troops will go berserk the minute we drop into the fortieth millenium. Or anything post the twentieth for that matter. While Chaos is indeed our greatest ally, which we are sworn to serve, competence and proper organization come first."

"We don't permit children to become daemon hosts," Will said as the elevator doors closed. There was a momentary lurch to the left and then the elevator began to descend although the floor indicator didn't move. "Actually, we haven't had any new daemon hosts since the experiments in the 1940's. It was a fun run, but an absolute pain in the ass later on."

The elevator offered another ding and the doors slid upon onto a neighborhood. Women chatted with each other across picket fences. The sounds of lawnmowers filled the air. Lightening bugs were just starting to come out, and a group of children was playing at the far end of the cul-de-sac.

"Suburbia, Raptor. Raptor, Suburbia," Will said as he stepped out of the elevator which was actually nothing more than a delivery truck parked in front of one of the houses. "We're a bit away from the building, naturally. We're actually out by Raptor Lake, in a small subdivision just off the river. Hmm. Raptor Lake isn't associated with your brethren, if that's what you were wondering."

He gave a low whistle and a group of boys split off from the pack in the street. They'd been beating the hell out of each other with sticks, and most bore scratches and bruises. They came at a run, each trying to beat the other in an impromptu race and then they lined up like little soldiers in front of the trio. The boys craned their necks back to look up at Volturius. There were only twelve. The word "Astartes" was murmured from the pack, and a few bowed in greeting. His presence tamed their wild nature and they stopped scuffling and stood quietly.

"These are only a few. There are hundreds of them. They range from 10 to 16 years in age."

That prompted a murmuring of "Foundings" and "Chaos" from the pack and each boy then looked at the other from the corners of their eyes, preparing themselves should they be asked to start beating up on their companions and brothers once again just to prove they had the balls to survive the program.

"Yeah, they're eager little bastards, the whole lot of them. Well, only a few are bastards. The rest come from good stock." Will smiled at the boys and then turned his attention to Volturius and Tipper.

[Cerillium]

OOC: rescued by a collab! EEEeeee!
Minerva raised a delicate eyebrow. “Do you mean you’ll tell me how you ended up trapping me in this eternal cycle?” There wasn’t any animosity in her voice, and she certainly didn’t sound resentful. She drew her legs up so she was sitting on the mattress and she studied Klaus’ face.

Klaus groaned and laid his head back. “That was never my intention. You’d been dead too long and I didn’t think it-“

“No, it’s alright, Klaus.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Really, it’s been so long, and I’ve adapted.”

“I didn’t realize you knew I was behind it,” he replied.

Minerva chortled. “You never give me enough credit, you know. Do you mean to tell me you’ve regretted what happened… all this time?”

“Of course. Not because it would have kept you out of my hair. No, it’s that I hadn’t intended a Keeper. I didn’t realize one was lurking nearby. I intended one of ours.”

“Purna eternally shadowed me,” Minerva assured him. “There wasn’t any way she’d allowed you to get away with War’s daemons, no matter how good your intentions.”

“You knew of her existence before? You knew of Chaos?”

Minerva sighed and propped her arms on her knees. She rested her chin on them and closed her eyes, momentarily withdrawn into her own thoughts. When she finally opened her eyes again, there was a tingle of sadness to them. “I was assigned specifically because of my knowledge of Chaos. I grew up in India. Do you really think I could spend my childhood there and not know who Charumati was, or hear about Atosh? I was experienced in the occult. I was assigned by my government. I went into Germany for that purpose and got sidetracked by the atrocities. They didn’t want me involved in that, thus I went rogue.”

Klaus raised his head. “You are shitting me.” Each word tumbled from him as its own sentence and he stared at her.

“Shit you not,” Minerva sighed. “Didn’t know that? Thought I was just some meddlesome operative out to sink you? Then again, you weren’t exactly the Virgin Mary. Didn’t think I’d notice that you shipped people only when I was operating in the area? But I suppose that last shipment wasn’t on your orders. I’m thinking it was done without your knowledge, and I fell for it. I’d gotten too confident.”

Klaus became agitated as his sanity began to slip. “It wasn’t on my orders. I would never have done….. that. I didn’t learn of your capture until days afterwards and I arrived too late to-“

“I know.”

“I would have prevented it,” Klaus insisted. His agitation increased. “I should have been more aware. I should have slaughtered them all for what they did. By time I found them, they were already dead. But that didn’t change anything. You were still ra-“

“I know. Let’s get off that subject, alright?” Minerva set her hand on his cheek to reassure him. “What’s done is done. Life goes on, Klaus. Let’s not think about that part. Let’s name it something stupid and all-encompassing and refer to it only that way if at all.”

“Brussels sprouts,” he acquiesced.

“Wot?” The fact that he’d liken her ordeal to a tasty vegetable was a bit unnerving.

Klaus placed his hand over hers and pressed his face into her palm. “I hate them. They are bitter. They are forced upon me and I loathe them.” He closed his eyes. “They make me retch. Even thinking about them. Nasty layered abominations that explode even more bitterness when bitten upon. They’d become good if people served them properly but no one does.”

“Brussels sprouts,” she acquiesced in turn. There was something about his analogy that struck a nerve. The world swam in unbidden tears and she blinked them away. She swallowed words and clamped her teeth tight to mask a dry ache welling inside her.

Klaus released her hand. “Komm mal her, Knuddelmous. Kein Leid mehr,” he gentle spoke and moved his arm to invite her to seek solace. “Wir sind Feinde, ja, doch du machst mich so glücklich. Verstehen bitte dass Liebe, die aus Trümmern auferstand, Reicher als einst an Größe ist und Kraft.”

Minerva slid over and pushed herself against his chest like a small child having a bad day. “My German is shitty. I don’t even remember enough to know what you said.”

“It was Shakespeare. I said ‘alas poor Yorick, we knew him well.'” He draped an arm over her and pulled her closer.

“Yorick was nowhere in what you said.”

“I know.”

Minerva sniggered softly. “You probably told me to go skin a cat. Why is German so harsh sounding?”

“All the good languages were already taken,” he replied. “Don’t believe me? We procrastinated at the Tower of Babble. They were down to two and we beat the shit out of the Russian fellow. That’s why we sound sexy and Russians sound like drunken snakes.”

She snorted and buried her face in his chest. His skin was still colder than it should be but it felt soothing. Her tensions began to melt away and she felt her muscles begin to relax in sections at a time. He was the only male she allowed to touch her since… Brussels sprouts, and it was ironic in a sense that he was her greatest nemesis. Maybe it’s time I let go and reassessed things with a fresh mindset? She sighed and chastised herself for her eternally bitchy attitude towards him.

“So then, now that you are comfortable, we can get back to Purna?” Klaus asked.

Minerva nodded against his chest. “I was sent to investigate reports that you people were dabbling in the occult. Purna was an accidental discovery. But Klaus, I was never able to piece together what your people did. Not the full story. Explain that and maybe Purna would make more sense to me. She refuses to talk about it, and gives me ‘not today’ answers.”

Klaus exhaled. “This might take some time.”

“I’ve got nowhere to go, and I’m very comfortable where I am.”

Minerva’s request was difficult. The struggle in formulating a response had everything to do with the all-encompassing nature of that answer.

“Himmler,” Klaus began, “Himmler believed in reincarnation. He believed it enough to expend a inordinate amount of energy into exploration of the Hindu and Tibetan beliefs. You must understand, the party leadership also embraced ideas pertaining to the occult. Most of them, if not all of them, clung to occult ideals and when there was a gap it was filled with twisted versions which placed the German people as superior. Atlantis, the watering down of Atlantian blood. You may laugh, but this was the inspiration; the undercurrent behind the party.”

His eyes closed as he rested his head against his. Minerva was nestled against him and his hand found a stray lock of red hair. He absentmindedly curled it around his finger. “The Schutzstaffel were modeled on thirteenth century of Teutonic knights. Officers claimed feudal state castles that were converted into training centers. Recruits were treated as warrior priests. We were given daggers in solemn ceremony. I still have mine somewhere. It’s gilded and bears the inscription meine Ehre heißt treue - My honor is called trust, a pledge of loyalty. We had rings engraved with our names and adorned with the totenkopf. We were knights. Our mantra was “recruited by blood, remain by body and soul.” Little did anyone realize the true depth of that oath.

“It was bizarre, Minerva. The whole thing was a freakish conglomeration of mythos and fable. It was Himmler who gave orders to appropriate all occult materials from occupied territories, especially from Tibet and India. Tibet became a focus on ancestral heritage. It was a time of medical experiments and dangerously fucked up ceremonies. They were sloppy. They touched things they shouldn’t have. Nothing was unattainable in their minds. Nothing. Even Norse ruins were incorporated and worn on shoulders and helmets.

“In 1934, Wewelsburg Castle became Himmler’s bastion. The northern tower had a crypt at the base and this became a temple to honor our dead SS leaders. Twelve pedestals with waiting urns. Someone died, he replaced the previous occupant. It was ominous.

“July, 1937, two years before the war. It was at the Hindenburg cathedral that fate was finally sealed. Himmler believed he was a reincarnation of Heinrich der Finkler – King Henry. There was a procession to the crypt on the anniversary of his death. Himmler stood there in prayer and meditation and the King’s remains were moved to a new grave. Himmler pledged to fulfill his dreams. The experiments took on a new frenzy after that; Himmler had stumbled upon Chaos.”

His finger throbbed and he opened his eyes to stare at his hand. The lock, tightly around the digit, had cut off blood supply. The hair was still slack and didn’t pull on Minerva’s head. He brushed it away with a thumb.

“Contrary to popular belief, Atosh wasn’t behind this madness,” Klaus sneered. “He’d like to claim ownership. Kuhscheiße. Yet Chaos was present. Allow me to digress a moment –

“Think of the avatars as matched sets. There are always five and always grouped around a period of history and usually begin in one region on earth. They're mostly naughty gods who screw up. A few sets have managed to avoid the wrath of the gods they're splintered from simply because they've minded their manners. Ogoti, Atosh, Preet and Swith are what we refer to as the Hindi set, although the religion isn’t involved in them or them with it. Their fifth – Malal – died long before. But there are others, as I said. The Teutonic set was in Germany long before Himmler’s birth. These avatars were banished shortly before World War I. Some chose to return to the Void. Others shirked off their godhood for various reasons.

“There were two who remained. They were mortal by choice now but both recognized Atosh had come along to fill the void left by the Teutonic set's departure. Both vowed to bring him down. Atosh had no inkling of their prior nature. It was easy for them to gain trust later on.

“These two fit Himmler’s concept. They were among the first to be chosen for the Experiment. Already established as SS officers, they gladly volunteered in order to gain better insight into the Nazi madness.

“These former gods, along with other chosen officers, were brought to Wewelsburg Castle. I was among them. We were dressed in our finest and laid upon twelve tables. We thought it was nothing more than another fealty ceremony. We were certain of it until twelve men came forward and simultaneously put a bullet through our heads. That’s when the fun began. That’s when we were introduced to Bloodthirsters. That, my dear Knuddelmous, was how I became what I am now. Himmler thought he was implanting the knowledge of former knights. We would fuse into one powerful being with our former incarnations at the moment of our death. He hadn't realized what he was really implanting into us.”

Klaus sighed. “The rest is history. More and more men were conscripted to be daemon hosts. Greater Daemons weren’t bestowed upon them but they were daemon none-the-less. Most were War. A few were Plotter. They were recruited in turn by the two former gods. Those who didn’t join were slaughtered. Himmler had big plans. The breeding programs would have provided even more hosts but it never came to that. We were defeated by the Allies.”

“My current men, each and every one, was personally chosen by me. They're loyal to only me. The rest wavered and joined Atosh. I joined Atosh in order to carry on with the plot to destroy him. That’s why I remained with him for so long.

“Minerva, you should know. Your Purna? I didn’t invite her. I had planned for one of War’s daemons. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing my greatest nemesis in such a manner. Not to…Brussels sprouts. Not that way. But I was sloppy. I don’t know what went wrong.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “I’m sorry. I had no business trying to revive you at all. Not without your permission. I admit I was insane at the time.”

The cultist leader let go of her shoulder. His arm slid down to touch the mattress behind her. Revealing the toxic knowledge drained him yet he felt more at peace now than he had in a very long time. A sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes again. "Water, please."

[Mincaldenteans]

"Well I came from a cloning facility," Karen paused a moment, tilting her head, "At least that's what my mom keeps telling me. She's kind of a skank like that," she giggled. The waiter had come back with their drinks and moved off as quickly as he had appeared. "Your chef sidekick make house calls? My last one tried to swindle me out of a fortune, something about slave labor and union, and Rosie's not much of a cook herself."

Naomi's head tilted. "We have several clones living in the building. You'll fit right in," she assured Kate.

She smiled as the waiter presented her drink to her and she thanked him. "Quick service, good food, nicely priced. That's the attitude here."

"We do? How cute," she said and took a sip of her own drink. Clones, magic bunnies, and a friendly human face. Such a strange world, but then her own couldn't be that far behind. Settling her drink down, "So... what's to do around here? I need a new wardrobe, Rosario needs a new sack, and I have an itch to set up a party in my grandiose apartment, does this place cater too?"

[The BranRiech]

"Now hang on." Bran said and stepped forward. "Since when has pain ruined our sense of adventure?" He asked. "I broke a rib, yeah, that kind of stuff happens when we mess around with this stuff. But will we really feel like we accomplished anything if we just get rid of it? I don't think so. They taught us in the Air Force that setbacks are minor, and you feel better when you overcome them."

He pulled out a bottle of water, and prepared to dribble some on the relic.

"You alright if I try this, Jacob?"

--

"Uhm, Gio?" Yuna asked. She was afriad of her dear friend drowning, and dove down underwater as well to try pulling her up. Unfortunately, even though Gio was pretty diminutive, Yuna was even more so and could only tug without effect.

[Torsiedellious and Sturmovosk]

Torii watched yuna and Gio underwater, and with a sigh, decided that she would have to help. She didn't want to get her dress wet, either...

Oh well! She figured she could afford it, and dove in. She sank down by Yuna, and looked around. Hopefully, they could get up soon, since she couldn't swim well.

....

Katya joined Kei in rolling around on the bed.

.....

"Oooh, oh! Look, there it is! That's where they all live, oh my gawd! So coooool! Can we, like, go in, hu? Can we?"

The incessant yapping was caused by a young girl, a little younger than Torii. She had brown hair, in a bob-cut, and brown/gold eyes, light skin, and was of average build. She wore a black tank-top and slim jeans, and carried a checkered bag.

"C'mon, let's go in? I know you have business there, right? Besides, I think Mom and Dad would LOVE to here about it, and you never tell them about it, do you?"

The girl's sibling sighed and pinched her nose. "How annoying", She thought. "I actually wish the boy was here...damned incessantly yapping, enraging little kids..."

"Ugh....fine, I suppose we have time to check the place out."

"YAAAAAAYYYY!"

"Yea....yay. Now, move along, before I change my mind."

The younger girl happily ran inside, wanting to see what it had. She wanted to meet these strange people who were said to have powers and all sorts of wonderful tales. The older woman, a military personnel, followed behind. She really wasn't up for this.

[Germanic Templars]

They say actions speak louder then words. This is true when what Swith said left Thriller speechless in a good way. It is also true when he gently held onto her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead and a smile afterward. And with a soft reply he said, "It's fine." He held onto her hand gently and lead her and the kids into the movie theater.

--

"Nah, Samael isn't the one who enjoys being worshiped. Now someone I do know would be that prideful bastard Superbia. Yes I did call him a bastard but I was using it in it's correct term and not in a degrading one."

--

"Oooh, sounds rather nice indeed. But where to put all of that? In the corner perhaps? Against the wall? Or possibly in the middle of the room?"

Swith blushed intensely and followed her family into the theater, her heart happily floating somewhere high in the sky.

--

Xanthe laughed. "Someone gave birth to him? Good God save that creature's soul." She thought about it a moment, imagining the demon in a much younger form and wondering if he was a handful to tend to. "I suppose he was probably very cute when little. Has his snout always looked that way?" She gave it a bit more thought and added, "I always thought he'd hatched from an egg. He just looks like a hatching-thing. It somehow seems nobler. Some of our daemons hatch, but that's only because Swith has a weird sense of humor when she fashions them. They pop out of their shells, look around stupidly and then pop to adult form. There's really no reason for it. She could make them fully formed, like everyone else does, but she cherishes that moment of "cuteness" as they squeak on the floor. There's even a little safety built in should they stray from her. It's a word that's unique to each of them. She utters it and they pop back into that small, newly-hatched state." She gave that even more thought and added, "I suppose t'would be funny on a battle field."

--

"Along the wall," Blythe said. "Yes, we can push Lucius' bed to the other corner and put them here by the door. Or else put them upstairs in the mirror room, although I'd like to leave that as a fun little play area. No, we'll just move the archangel's bed. Do you think he'll care?"

As they entered, Thriller got out his wallet and paid for the tickets to see the movie. After receiving the tickets, he gave Swith her ticket and the twins their tickets.

--

"To be honest, I hardly know anything about his past life. Well his life before I met him. We were a bit bitter towards each other for a millennium before getting along."

--

"Eh, if he does I hope he could understand. He always does."

[The BranRiech]

Nothing to see here!

[New Aksarben]

"Now hang on." Bran said and stepped forward. "Since when has pain ruined our sense of adventure?" He asked. "I broke a rib, yeah, that kind of stuff happens when we mess around with this stuff. But will we really feel like we accomplished anything if we just get rid of it? I don't think so. They taught us in the Air Force that setbacks are minor, and you feel better when you overcome them."

He pulled out a bottle of water, and prepared to dribble some on the relic.

"You alright if I try this, Jacob?"

Jacob, having only been right outside of the room when Bran spoke, peaked back inside to see what he was talking about. "Oh, water? I do not see why not. Just be careful. I would rather no one else gets hurt because of that thing." Jacob stepped back inside the room, to make sure that Bran wouldn't get hurt. "I guess we can fix the communal gathering room some other time."

[Germanic Templars]

"I think I'll head back to my apartment, I was going to go to the town library though, if you wanted to tag along and get some books or movies." Natiya said as she checked her phone quickly, seeing the time.

"Well I might have to help my sister out at the PMC. Or possibly watch over the bloody gun store. For now, though, i'll possibly head for home and get a change f clothes."

[The BranRiech]

"Well, let's fix the place right now, and we can wait to see if Chrys or someone comes back. WHo was that new guy anyways?" Bran asked. He put the water bottle on the counter and started off across the hall to the communal gathering room. Bran figured they could fix that, and then get onto experimenting.

"After we find some things out, we can then take it to the raptors."

--

"See you later, Aleki. Love you!" Natiya giggled in a rather cliche' fashion and jumped up to hug her boyfriend. She let him go and ran off herself.