Personification Life - IC Part VIII [open]

[Giovenith]

Couples always wanted time 'alone', Giovenith chuckled and gathered up what she had managed to pick up. A book on horses (though it tended to certain more around caring for them as pets), an entire study book on unicorns (with examples from all over the world!), and great big Greek mythology guide (face it, there was no shortage on those things, the Greco-Romans got all the modern-day popularity), it seemed like a fine grab for now! She was already wondering how the pegasus was doing, so Giovenith made her way back to her room and peaked inside to find...

Willow was currently fighting fiercely with an ever-increasing tangle of cassette tape, the latter of which seemed to be winning, as it squealed out from her small stereo system and wrapped itself all over the pony. It tentacled all around his legs, in his wings, in his mane, and eventually brought him crashing to the floor. "We Didn't Start the Fire" was blasting out from the speakers at alarming volume, mocking the pony with it's merciless onslaught of 20th century headlines.

"What happened?!" Giovenith hurried over and flipped off the 80's rock, immediately ripping away the tape away from Willow.

"Your radio attacked me with confetti!" snapped Willow, fully believing that the hyoo-mun was in possession of a dangerously malfunctioning machine. Equestria had so far only made it to vinyl records in term of personal music devices, couple that with the fact that buttons were a rather finger-oriented invention, and it began to seem quite clear how he could have fallen into such a mishap.

"Oh, you poor thing," soothed Giovenith, earning an eyeroll from the pegasus, as she ripped and kicked away the last of the cassette tape. She sincerely hoped it hadn't been something she had been overly attached to.

"Why would anypony put confetti in their radio system?!" demanded Willow, stomping off some stray tape from his back leg.

"It isn't confetti, it's a music tape."

"Tape? This isn't sticky."

"No, it..." Giovenith stopped right there, feeling exasperated already at the prospect of having to explain the evolution of musical devices. It was already a miracle that she even owned any compact cassettes at all, let alone having to possibly explain CD's or MP3's to someone who didn't even know how planetary rotation worked. "Never mind." She turned the subject, grabbing and holding up the Greek mythology book. "Look what I found!"

Willow knew what mythology was, but 'Greek' was foreign to him. He swished his tail rather sardonically, looking up the book and the one holding it. "Sterling's the one who likes books, dear. You'd probably get more enthusiasm from him about it." He turned his back, starting to walk back off to his little blanket pile.

"Wait!" Giovenith quickly flipped through the pages. "No, I thought you might like to hear some of it, because it's got a pegasus in it and all."

That caught Willow's attention. The pony spun around in surprise, immediately zipping through the air back over to the godling. "Really?" he asked with some measure of excitement. Normally he wouldn't get so worked up around people, but this was huge. "What about unicorns? The shadows man did talk about the ponies here."

Giovenith smiled a twinkly smile. "Sit down, and I'll read you a few stories!"

Whoa there, Willow backtracked, a bit put off by the girl's sudden enthusiasm. "Um, no. I really just want to hear about the other ponies. Do they talk, or perhaps say where they live? Because if they do, then maybe they could-"

"They are really interesting stories," interrupted Giovenith, frowning and blinking at the pony.

Willow paused, taking in the hyoo-mun's expression. It was slightly confused, but almost in a pouty way... she had been put-off by his decline to hear her read out loud. Why? Willow was 18 years old, not some small foal who wanted to gather round the carpet for storytime, what he wanted was to figure out ways to properly function in this new world in ways that he and Sterling might possibly know. If this girl was telling the truth, then her books (he had spotted the one about unicorns as well) could be very useful. They were in her possession though, so it wasn't as if Willow could simply snatch them away to read by himself... the ponies had been given a privilege to stay here.

It didn't take too long for him to figure out that the hyoo-mun was probably quite aware of this. He leveled his gaze at her and narrowed his eyes. "... You're not going to tell me anything until I listen to everything you want to say, are you?"

Giovenith smiled.

Typical. Why had he expected anything else? Willow supposed sneaky conditions were lurking in any world, and he felt foolish to overlook the possibility that this youth would be above making them. His memory flashed back to when she had first jumped out and borderline-assaulted him with childish fawning, not to mention her occasional tell-tale 'cutesy' tone when dealing with either him or Sterling. This girl wanted to interact with the ponies, badly. And Willow wasn't so sure if he liked the predicted sort of attention he thought would come from it... something about the smile.

But he had no choice. "Fine," he finally groaned in defeat, taking his spot in the little blanket nest and trying to get comfy. This was bound to be tedious....

"YAY!" cheered Giovenith, feeling quite victorious. The godling absolutely loved to tell stories to other people, real people (not just her stuffed animals), and was ecstatic to have an audience that basically couldn't run away would listen.

[Primordial Luxa]

Eventually however she arrives. She walks past the alley at first before circling back around to it looking down for the telltale sign of a meeting space and after a few seconds begins to approach Aegis. At first she looks no different from any other cultist, dressed in a knee length hooded cloak of black you would be able to infiltrate most organizations with the alone and the only thing no uniform about her was the pair of jack boot she was wearing. “I assume you’re Aegis” she inquired far before she was close enough for either of them to be a threat to each other. “Yes” he replied quickly cycling his mask through a dozen different imagine filters, “you must be Rachel”. She was armed with a small ritual blade and a chemical spray that his filter couldn’t pinpoint, her body was also host to about half a dozen implants, and genemods but they were incredibly primitive compared to his own. “No” she said coldly, stopping a few meters away from him “Rachel’s dead”. Aegis instinctually took a step backward “Is that so?” he replied, “Yes, she was killed two days ago”, as if anyone in this business simply dies Aegis thought, “I don’t know by who or why, but she’s dead.” She paused and for a long time both of them just listened to the rain come down soaking them both thoroughly “They were after her work” she continued, “Whatever she was working with you on, it got her killed.” “And so what you’re here to warn me?” “No. I’m here to give you this” she says handing him a pair of Taiwanese hard drives “This is the only things they were able to take.”

[Cerillium]

Swith's 1938 Opel Admiral 4-Door Cabriolet was idling outside the building. The god hardly drove it despite finally having obtained her license. Minerva peered at Klaus and Sophie through the windshield. The wipers gave her a small window of opportunity to see them. The door opened and Sophie clamored into the back seat. Minerva switched the old heater on to warm her up a tad.

"Alright, it's a miserable day but she needs a nice jacket. She can't run around in those vintage rags."

Of course, Minerva felt the same about Klaus, especially after he shut the door and trapped the wet wool smell in the small confines of the car. "Phew, you stink."

She pulled away and headed across town to the mall. It would be easier to do all their shopping in one central location rather than duck from shop to shop. There was a JC Penny there, and although it was an American chain, they often had some decent clothing for children.

Several hours later, they emerged from the mall and hopped back into the car. This little time skip wouldn't affect anyone else. Minerva's handler didn't want to mess with actually shopping. How dull. Minerva is all about action, damnit! So, after walking the mall, little Sophie had a new bed that would be delivered later that afternoon. She had plenty of new clothing to wear, and Minerva had bought some outfits that were a size or two too big just in case of a typical toddler growth spurt. She's also insisted upon purchasing clothing for Klaus. He didn't need his uniform anymore. The fact of the matter was, he didn't even need Kreiger rattling around inside him. She was fine with him wearing the Nazi garb while he worked, but it was high time he stepped into this time period. She was loathe to admit it, but his toned Aryan body made the style look good be it jeans or proper trousers. She added casual shirts and a few cardigans, and then some casual suit jackets. She was pressing her luck with the suit, but Milan and Paris couldn't be wrong! She made certain he had shoes to wear as well. Everyone got new winter jackets, scarves and mittens. Suffice to say, she bought a few things for herself as well. Leather and buckles were good for her line of work but she needed things to relax in as well. And then, since Klaus was a good sport about the whole thing, she stopped by Fredericks of Hollywood and applied some of her 'Nesh knowledge to finding a few entertaining things to wear for his delight at night.

The old car's trunk was packed with bags and the seat next to Sophie had more on top of it. Klaus ducked his head and closed the car door. He was still wearing his wool uniform despite her protests.

He didn't mind if she wanted to purchase a wardrobe. He might even wear it. When off duty. Which was never. The promise of naughty night wear meant he'd tolerate a few hours in modern attire though.

"We need to do rounds," he reminded Minerva. "I suppose Chi will come in handy? There were some rumors that Bane's in town."

He raised an eyebrow at her. Bane was the asshat nobody wanted to see.

[Swith Witherward]

"As the second child, I'm supposed to be trained as the High Priest and or Priestess, priestess for me obviously. The second child always becomes the spiritual leader, while the first child becomes the political leader. Both are almost as important as the other though."

She slid a bit closer to the fire as well, gaining the warmth of the flames, and the smell of their meal. She took a few bites, speaking at the same time despite a few lessons in etiquette that told her not to, but screw them. "It's up to the parents if they want to arrange marriages for their children. Our parents said they wouldn't, I suppose it's because they were selected for eachother, they want us to choose for ourselves. It's recommended that we, I suppose "Hook up with" would be the right phrase, with nobles." She explained.

Will licked a bit of grease off his fingers. "Choice is good," he nodded. "It's better to choose. I can understand the nobles as well. I mean, status and all. You should keep your eyes open, though. Maybe there's one of your people out there who isn't noble but would be a good match for a High Priestess. Follow your heart, Yuna, wherever it takes you."

He spit out a few tiny bones and returned to his meal. "We'll start up again after we digest some."

[Swith Witherward]

The old car's trunk was packed with bags and the seat next to Sophie had more on top of it. Klaus ducked his head and closed the car door. He was still wearing his wool uniform despite her protests.

He didn't mind if she wanted to purchase a wardrobe. He might even wear it. When off duty. Which was never. The promise of naughty night wear meant he'd tolerate a few hours in modern attire though.

"We need to do rounds," he reminded Minerva. "I suppose Chi will come in handy? There were some rumors that Bane's in town."

He raised an eyebrow at her. Bane was the asshat nobody wanted to see.

Minerva's hand paused over the clutch. "Bane? Are you serious? That's all we need. A god damned godkiller. With all we have going on?! Honestly!"

She wrenched the car into gear a bit forcefully and snorted. "We need to confirm that he's here. I'll have my lads go to ground. If he is here, we need to alert the gods, godlings and other supernaturals. Even the Luxans should be made aware of him."

The cultist leader was not a happy camper as they pulled onto the rain-soaked streets. She drove in silence, mulling over the ill tidings. The pouring rain matched the heavy feel in her chest.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Monique allowed the rest of the world to vanish. All that mattered was the comforting feel of Fortu's hug. Absence made the heart grow fonder, true, but she was getting tired of all the side projects that took her away. It would all be worth it, though. Just a few months to go.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You know, this stew hasn't even gotten hot. I can crockery part in the fridge and we can go out to that Japanese restaurant everyone talks about. Later tonight?"

She leaned back and kissed his nose. "Are they still on your tail or is it safe enough for us to go for a morning walk in the park?"

"I think that they've got enough to worry about considering yesterday. We should be fine and Japanese sounds good." Fortu replied with a small smirk. He imagined them still barricaded in their house, fearing the angry mobs.

Of course in the event they did see and talk to him his appearance was different than they had known and he could give a false name. There was an advantage to appearing human, Raptors could barely tell the difference between them without concentration. Not to mention that everything felt way more comfortable and convenient.

[The BranRiech]

"Yeah, hell. I'd like to try at least. I'll probably just slow you down, but screw it. If I do, kick my ass out of your workshop." Kei chuckled. Seeing as Gio left, no social codes meant they needed to say goodbye to anyone. They were free to head down to try fixing his mech-suit. "Well, let's go try it, at least. It'd be fun, right? Oh, and what did your mission entail?"

--

"And truly, if your parent arranges a marriage for you, you don't even need to take them seriously. It's not a requirement to listen to them." Yuna chuckled. "Had a friend who was disowned for not taking his parent's selection. He came and lived with us for a year or so." She nodded, finishing up with the majority of the lizard. "I still believe I'm too young to be married, it's never crossed my mind yet, although I suppose I should be ready, right? So what about you?"

[Urran]

Tieria chuckled and motioned for Kei to follow him. "I felt a disturbance in my brainwaves and decided to track down the source. I was ambushed by another Innovater and now we have to repair Celebi." He explained. "I'm just glad there was only one of them...so, how have you been my dear?" he asked, eager to learn what his lover had been up to. They had not spoken for a while and their relationship seemed strained as a result.


Yoshi shrugged. "Anywhere that I can get something to eat that won't kill me" he giggled. He had had quite enough of death for one lifetime. Upon Ray's arrival he took on his usual shy nature. He looked down and kicked at the ground but couldn't hide behind his hair because of the pact that he made with Swith. He was ready for the week to be over to he could let it down again.

[New Aksarben]

"Hmm.... We could go to a seafood place or something. Or chaos. I'm sure they have food that you could eat. There's probably many places we could go for food. I guess we can just go walking and see if we find anyplace that we might like." Jacob had apparently forgotten that it was raining, or he simply didn't care. Either way, the rain didn't seem to be bothering him at all. His tail continued waving behind him and he continued smiling happily.

. "Oh, and I'm sure we've all had enough dying. Once was enough for me. And probably enough for Ray, am I right, amicus?" Jacob peered around Yoshi over to the fox-man and gave a wave. "Salve, Ray. Have you net Yoshi before? I can't quite remember if you have, honestly."

[Urran]

"Hmm.... We could go to a seafood place or something. Or chaos. I'm sure they have food that you could eat. There's probably many places we could go for food. I guess we can just go walking and see if we find anyplace that we might like." Jacob had apparently forgotten that it was raining, or he simply didn't care. Either way, the rain didn't seem to be bothering him at all. His tail continued waving behind him and he continued smiling happily.

. "Oh, and I'm sure we've all had enough dying. Once was enough for me. And probably enough for Ray, am I right, amicus?" Jacob peered around Yoshi over to the fox-man and gave a wave. "Salve, Ray. Have you net Yoshi before? I can't quite remember if you have, honestly."

Yoshi bowed and gave a nervous smile. He was still as shy as ever around new people. At any rate, he didn't care where he and Jacob went, as long as the food didn't kill him he was fine with it. He quite liked the idea of walking around and finding something.

[Torsiedelle]

"Oh...well, thank you, ma'am.", Torii said, though she was feeling a tad awkward. A sense of urgency to gt out of the rain was also eating at her.

"Can we get back home now? I love the rain, but I don't wanna have my stuff ruined. Sorry."

....

Katya kept hugging Dora, and fell sideways into the bed again. "Yea", She mumbled, "Yoshi and I are fine. I love him..."

[Swith Witherward]

"I think that they've got enough to worry about considering yesterday. We should be fine and Japanese sounds good." Fortu replied with a small smirk. He imagined them still barricaded in their house, fearing the angry mobs.

Of course in the event they did see and talk to him his appearance was different than they had known and he could give a false name. There was an advantage to appearing human, Raptors could barely tell the difference between them without concentration. Not to mention that everything felt way more comfortable and convenient.

Monique kissed Fortu's cheek. "Sounds like a plan," she smiled and tucked the crock into the fridge. "In a way, it's very liberating, not having to rely upon them. What they don't know won't hurt them, although it's sad that you can visit them now. They really aren't so bad, when they're not trying to take over the world. The chicks were cute, too."

She slipped into the hall and returned with their raincoats and umbrellas. "We could always call a cab, if you think the car isn't safe."

The raptors made her paranoid, more so than any crime syndicate or police agency. They were unpredictable, and that made them all the more dangerous. Their own paranoia seemed to feed into it. In the back of her mind, Monique firmly believed that they'd turn up anyway, refusing to believe Fortu was dead.

"And truly, if your parent arranges a marriage for you, you don't even need to take them seriously. It's not a requirement to listen to them." Yuna chuckled. "Had a friend who was disowned for not taking his parent's selection. He came and lived with us for a year or so." She nodded, finishing up with the majority of the lizard. "I still believe I'm too young to be married, it's never crossed my mind yet, although I suppose I should be ready, right? So what about you?"

"I believe you're still to young to be married, too," Will said, dodging her question. "That doesn't mean you can't fool around."

He raised an eyebrow and cast a roguish look in her direction.

"I jest. Come on, let's get back to work. We have more things for you to learn here."

[Primordial Luxa]

“Who are you?” Aegis said, caution about accepting hard drives from unknown sources “What makes you reliable?” she paused for a long second trying to find the answer herself. To be fair she couldn’t think of any reason he should trust her. “I’m Sara, I was Racheal’s roommate. She frequently mentioned her work and I know it well enough.” Aegis folded his arms “And so what you’re an Info broker who wants money for the rest of it?” she nods unceremoniously “And if I refuse?” she didn’t speak for a long second “Then Ill leave and you’ll never know just what it is you’ve stumbled upon.” He laughed at the remark “And what? Go back to home where the people who killed Racheal are waiting? No. Its you who’s in over your head and if you want to last the night then you’re going to help me.”

[Tiltjuice]

"Oh...well, thank you, ma'am.", Torii said, though she was feeling a tad awkward. A sense of urgency to gt out of the rain was also eating at her.

"Can we get back home now? I love the rain, but I don't wanna have my stuff ruined. Sorry."

....

Katya kept hugging Dora, and fell sideways into the bed again. "Yea", She mumbled, "Yoshi and I are fine. I love him..."

Tasia flinched, then gave a clearly artificial smile. "...Yes, yes, let's be on our way." She took Torii's hand and began strolling back toward the building quite briskly.

---

Dora gave one of her trademark Pull the other one, it's got bells on no-nonsense looks.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you talking like someone just planted a fist in your solar plexus as soon as I brought up the subject of you two? You're not having any trouble, are you?"

She let her hands wander, in the meantime. Important topic or no, she had only so much willpower, and given where they were and the state of her attire, that wasn't very much at the moment.

[The BranRiech]

Hmm. While Yuna never really liked people skirting around her questions like landmines, she admitted that she usually did it quite a bit as well. She composed herself and sat up once more.

"Yeah, never really had the drive to fool around either. I mean, I'd be completely open to the idea, just never cared."

She nodded at the prospect of ending their break.

--

"Lead the way, Goose."

It was a reference to a movie she only saw once, and assumed Tieria never even saw. But hey, it was fun to quote media! Kei mentally slapped herself for the idiotic idea.

[Erucia]

"Hmm.... We could go to a seafood place or something. Or chaos. I'm sure they have food that you could eat. There's probably many places we could go for food. I guess we can just go walking and see if we find anyplace that we might like." Jacob had apparently forgotten that it was raining, or he simply didn't care. Either way, the rain didn't seem to be bothering him at all. His tail continued waving behind him and he continued smiling happily.

. "Oh, and I'm sure we've all had enough dying. Once was enough for me. And probably enough for Ray, am I right, amicus?" Jacob peered around Yoshi over to the fox-man and gave a wave. "Salve, Ray. Have you net Yoshi before? I can't quite remember if you have, honestly."

"Yes, once was certainly enough for me. Although I'm sure that it won't be the last time, unfortunately," Ray sighed at the response to his entrance. However, he soon changed his mood in response to Yoshi.

"...No, I don't believe I actually have met Yoshi. But I suppose now would be as good of a time as any to introduce myself," Ray turned to Yoshi and put on a smile. He could see that Yoshi seemed to be putting on a shy expression, probably nervous to meet him. No matter, it really wasn't too much of an issue. Hoping that it wouldn't be too much trouble, he stuck out a hand and offered it to the shy guest as a welcome. "I'm sure you know my name thanks to Jacob. It's nice to meet you."

[Urran]

"I read, and I'm a fan of people watching." She explained. She had an air of superiority about her despite her outwardly happy and cheerful nature. She wondered why this man was taking such an interest in her. He obviously wanted something more than friendship. Her suspicions were confirmed when he mentioned his company.

"Ah, sí. Reading - quite important," the salesman agreed, smiling. The air of superiority reminded him of Number 301 - who was always dignified, yet quite a hard man. One who wouldn't be out of place in an organized crime syndicate.

This woman (or girl?) bore watching, he thought. But Talwall Investigative had proven itself to be unreliable. Was there an alternative? Allspice might have to resort to using in-house staff, and that was always messy. No trace of his thought showed on his face, however.

Anew nodded. "Yes, VERY important. Now, did you want anything in particular?" She asked. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something and he represented a company so maybe he wanted to sell her something?


Yoshi tilted his head and shook Ray's hand limply and then bowed. Urranese weren't all that big on hand shaking except when meeting foreigners and Yoshi was no exception. He smoothed out his kimono was he stood up again.

[Torsiedelle]

"Oh...well, thank you, ma'am.", Torii said, though she was feeling a tad awkward. A sense of urgency to gt out of the rain was also eating at her.

"Can we get back home now? I love the rain, but I don't wanna have my stuff ruined. Sorry."

....

Katya kept hugging Dora, and fell sideways into the bed again. "Yea", She mumbled, "Yoshi and I are fine. I love him..."

Tasia flinched, then gave a clearly artificial smile. "...Yes, yes, let's be on our way." She took Torii's hand and began strolling back toward the building quite briskly.

---

Dora gave one of her trademark Pull the other one, it's got bells on no-nonsense looks.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you talking like someone just planted a fist in your solar plexus as soon as I brought up the subject of you two? You're not having any trouble, are you?"

She let her hands wander, in the meantime. Important topic or no, she had only so much willpower, and given where they were and the state of her attire, that wasn't very much at the moment.

Torii wasn't good with people, but she knew that something was just off about Tasia....she didn't know. She wasn't going to say anything, especially with how nice the woman was. She quietly followed Tasia.

.....

"There's nothing particularly wrong.", Katya replied. "I just...still feel a little bad about...us three. It's nothing to worry about."

She didn't mind Dora's movement, but she just wasn't very comfortable right now.

[Tiltjuice]

Anew nodded. "Yes, VERY important. Now, did you want anything in particular?" She asked. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something and he represented a company so maybe he wanted to sell her something?

The salesman shook his head. "No, thank you, señorita."

Initially, of course, he'd wanted to; but as her answers to his questions got more evasive and then she'd begun sporting behavior reminiscent of 301, he'd decided to report back with a suggestion that she be looked into a bit more thoroughly. Nobody suspected a mere marketing firm, after all, of being after anything other than how best to target consumers' preferences.

He tipped his hat and turned, about to head back to the lobby.

Tasia flinched, then gave a clearly artificial smile. "...Yes, yes, let's be on our way." She took Torii's hand and began strolling back toward the building quite briskly.

---

Dora gave one of her trademark Pull the other one, it's got bells on no-nonsense looks.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you talking like someone just planted a fist in your solar plexus as soon as I brought up the subject of you two? You're not having any trouble, are you?"

She let her hands wander, in the meantime. Important topic or no, she had only so much willpower, and given where they were and the state of her attire, that wasn't very much at the moment.

Torii wasn't good with people, but she knew that something was just off about Tasia....she didn't know. She wasn't going to say anything, especially with how nice the woman was. She quietly followed Tasia.

.....

"There's nothing particularly wrong.", Katya replied. "I just...still feel a little bad about...us three. It's nothing to worry about."

She didn't mind Dora's movement, but she just wasn't very comfortable right now.

Dora paused again and raised an eyebrow. Crossing her arms, she sat back and continued giving Katya the same look.

---

"So tell me, what do you like most and least about this place?" Tasia invited, continuing to sound super-enthusiastic.

[Torsiedelle]

"Wh-what?", Katya asked innocently. She sat up and put her hands in her lap, and looked at Dora curiously. "What's wrong?"

....

Torii thought about everything at the apartment, and her experiences and friends.

"Well, I like all the people I've met, and the friends I've made, and how I've matured because of it all...the bad parts? Well, I'm usually treated like a child in serious moments, and I usually find myself bored, and I think that some of my "friends" are starting not to like me...."

[New Aksarben]

"Well, hopefully a horse won't fall on you again, Ray. That would suck, honestly. But anyway....." Jacob shrugged, and looked around a bit. His tail continued waving, as he tried to think of what to say next. For some reason Yoshi hadn't said even a word since Ray showed up. Jacob guessed it was just because of his friend's shyness. Which seemed to get in the way of him finding friends unless someone basically asked him to talk, which Jacob decided to do.

"Yoshi, Ray's a nice guy. You don't have to be so shy. He's a great friend, and you and he would be good friends, I think. You're both really nice and awesome people after all." Jacob said, gesturing to Ray again, and trying to prompt Yoshi to say something. "You could introduce yourself. Or we could just get going, if you'd prefer. I'm sure that Ray might be busy with something or another, anyway. Are you, Ray?" Jacob tilted his head in curiousity. He somehow had transitioned to speaking with Ray while talking, which was either because his writer was being scaterbrained or, well, its probably that.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Monique kissed Fortu's cheek. "Sounds like a plan," she smiled and tucked the crock into the fridge. "In a way, it's very liberating, not having to rely upon them. What they don't know won't hurt them, although it's sad that you can visit them now. They really aren't so bad, when they're not trying to take over the world. The chicks were cute, too."

She slipped into the hall and returned with their raincoats and umbrellas. "We could always call a cab, if you think the car isn't safe."

The raptors made her paranoid, more so than any crime syndicate or police agency. They were unpredictable, and that made them all the more dangerous. Their own paranoia seemed to feed into it. In the back of her mind, Monique firmly believed that they'd turn up anyway, refusing to believe Fortu was dead.

"Funny you should mention the chicks, I feel that they are not aging as fast as the average growth rate. They should be the equivalent of teenagers by now." Fortu remarked as he put on the coat and hung an umbrella from the crook of his arm. He thought unsure of taking Dave, he still wasn't convinced even though he searched top to bottom, in and out, even the extra-dimensions of the new car. Even though it was clean, the fact that it found him as he wandered the streets was enough to hold suspicion.

"We better take a cab to be on the safe side." he agreed as he offered a hand to hold.

[Urran]

"Well, hopefully a horse won't fall on you again, Ray. That would suck, honestly. But anyway....." Jacob shrugged, and looked around a bit. His tail continued waving, as he tried to think of what to say next. For some reason Yoshi hadn't said even a word since Ray showed up. Jacob guessed it was just because of his friend's shyness. Which seemed to get in the way of him finding friends unless someone basically asked him to talk, which Jacob decided to do.

"Yoshi, Ray's a nice guy. You don't have to be so shy. He's a great friend, and you and he would be good friends, I think. You're both really nice and awesome people after all." Jacob said, gesturing to Ray again, and trying to prompt Yoshi to say something. "You could introduce yourself. Or we could just get going, if you'd prefer. I'm sure that Ray might be busy with something or another, anyway. Are you, Ray?" Jacob tilted his head in curiousity. He somehow had transitioned to speaking with Ray while talking, which was either because his writer was being scaterbrained or, well, its probably that.

Yoshi managed a smile. "S-s-sorry, I-I can b-be a little shy." Yoshi said softly to Ray. He hoped that he hadn't offended him in anyway. He hoped Ray didn't think that Yoshi thought himself better than the dog-boy.

[Swith Witherward]

"Funny you should mention the chicks, I feel that they are not aging as fast as the average growth rate. They should be the equivalent of teenagers by now." Fortu remarked as he put on the coat and hung an umbrella from the crook of his arm. He thought unsure of taking Dave, he still wasn't convinced even though he searched top to bottom, in and out, even the extra-dimensions of the new car. Even though it was clean, the fact that it found him as he wandered the streets was enough to hold suspicion.

"We better take a cab to be on the safe side." he agreed as he offered a hand to hold.

Monique peered at him while buttoning her coat. "Is that unusual? For the chicks, I mean."

She clasped his hand and shook her head. "Really, if they weren't so intent on killing you, I'd suggest looking into it. They should be aging at a normal rate. Perhaps their parents are even aware of it? When you live with a child every single day, you don't really notice how much they've grown... or not grown, I suppose, in the chick's case."

[Erucia]

"Yes, flying horses do indeed suck. Maybe I'll take a note of that when I get angry at someone. Fairly efficient way of killing someone," Ray chuckled as he shook Yoshi's hand. He noticed the limp feeling, but he attributed it to Yoshi's apparently shy nature. He held no quarrels. After all, his appearance could generally be considered....odd, especially to someone not used to dealing with outsiders. Or, by that definition, anyone he didn't know and/or trust.

"It's quite fine, Yoshi. No problems," Ray replied as he retracted his hand back and he dusted off the front of his shirt before continuing. "In any case, I suppose I am a little busy. I popped by to see if Albert was here. Just wanted to pass on a business proposition is all. Of course, I could also go for something to eat, but I don't think I'm ready right now."