Personification Life - IC Part VIII [open]

[The BranRiech]

"It does happen to be just us right now . . ." Kei nodded knowingly and smirked as well, adding for a rather pervy expression from Kei. Her life had been a mess recently, Tieria broke up with her, and she'd basically become "That friend" in her eyes.

"Statue-girl won't mind, will she?"

[Tiltjuice]

"It does happen to be just us right now . . ." Kei nodded knowingly and smirked as well, adding for a rather pervy expression from Kei. Her life had been a mess recently, Tieria broke up with her, and she'd basically become "That friend" in her eyes.

"Statue-girl won't mind, will she?"

"I won't tell if you won't," Tasia said, rolling over to face Kei. "Dessert and then dinner? I never did have parents to tell me the right order. Dictionaries have got it right, in my opinion." Her eyes glinted.

[AETEN II]

Volturius shook his head, less annoyed with Tipper's ignorance of the typical complicated history of the Night Lords Legion, which was fairly understandable. She likely heard everything from second-hand accounts from other Legions or Warbands- and those were biased sources unlikely to report anything remotely close to the truth. Hell, with the degradation of most Night Lord Companies in Warbands composed of the criminals and insane- it was unlikely that even most Night Lords would be a trustworthy source.

"Those were Curze's last formal words at the final gathering of the Night Lords. His actual last words were recorded by the assassin- quote: Your presence does not surprise me, Assassin. I have known of you ever since your craft entered the Eastern Fringes. Why did I not have you killed? Because your mission and the act you are about to commit proves the truth of all I have ever said or done. I merely punished those who had wronged, just as your False Emperor now seeks to punish me. Death is nothing compared to vindication."

"I'd also note that he wasn't proud of us at the end- he actually hated the Legion at the end of his life- viewing us a marauding band of criminals like those he purged as a child. Which frankly I cannot blame him for- while my old brothers were certainly loyal and more or less trustworthy- our ranks, even our noble Warband from which I descend, was infested with criminals. Not those that mortals would call criminals normally- but Astarte-defined criminals. Murderers that backstab their brothers merely to obtain their armor and weapons. Disgusting honor-less cowards that clung to the criminal history of the Night Lords, and not the vigilante past."

The astartes then lightly sighed, annoyed at Tipper's constant mental beatings on herself. It was highly unlikely that the average cultist would even be closely involved with chaos astartes matters- let alone even allowed near them.

"It's understandable for you to not have perfect knowledge of the workings of chaos astartes Legions. I'd also disregard anything you think you know-rivalries bias most and especially information on the Alpha Legion- it's likely falsified. Even some of my brothers should not have their word trusted when describing the Night Lords."

Tipper's expression brightened and she raised her head to smile at him.

"Volturius, I probably have a lot of misinformation. Astartes... are..." she bit the corner of her lip as she thought out her feelings about them. "Astartes are beyond the pedestrian. It's rare to actually be around any of you. I was fortunate while on the ship but Astartes are seen as... sacred? Demigods? I can't explain it. You're respected by us. You're also feared by us. But you, Volturius, you are more than that. I greatly respect you and I don't fear that you'd hurt me, but I really do worry at times that you'll become offended by my opinions or lack of correct information. I'd never do anything to insult or dishonor you on purpose."

She breathed in and then snorted. "I'm just Tipper. I mean well. I didn't fall in love with your wings or feet or Legion or gene seed. I fell in love with your heart. Everything else is part of the package."

She reached out and tugged on his wingtip playfully. It was a daring move on her part but she felt it was time for her to stop fretting over stupid things. He obviously wouldn't bother with her if he wasn't comfortable around her. Furthermore, he had yet to accidentally roll over on her or to swipe at her in frustration.

"I'll disregard useless information. If it's allowable, will you teach me the history? I want to learn. But not right this moment. I think I'd like to take a break from Chapters and Legacy and forming things for just a few hours. I think we should take the city up on its offer and find a way to hunt down... things that shouldn't be allowed here. We should meet with the officials, and to find them, we should ask the cultists who are tied into the city."

"Happily. Although the epic of the Night Lords is neither pleasant in events or ending- it remains a fine tale. Even if the ending is tragic. I am thankfully spared the maddening prophetic visions passed on from the gene-father. Last I need while creating a Chapter is the torturous visions of constant failure and destruction of what I've built. Certainly glad that I dodged that genetic bullet. Most of the Gene-Seed traits passed on by Night Lord blood are positive- our eyes put to shame those of kin. And while the prophets spawned by the Night Lord's gene-seed are certainly useful for planning- it is a horrible existence."

Volturius then stopped to consider the thought of working as a mercenary group. While not a glorious role, it would allow for the.. amusing.. procuring of the criminals and even herald to his Primarch's days as the rogue Night Haunter- the terror of the night. Obviously enjoying the thought, Volt's mind began to delve in the limitless possibilities of entertainment such a chance offered. It would be amusing. And there should be a significant reduction in crime, what with the tortured carcasses of the assortment of criminals standing spiked on a mountain near the city, the sparks of life that remained in them after his tortures being torn by the vultures surely attracted by the smell of rotting flesh.

"Yes. Hopefully the crime rate would not rapidly reduce from the certain demoralization of the various criminal hubs that would surely follow. Numerous Night Lords hold the taint of Slaanesh simply due to our universal thirst for fear that our prey holds- and the love of giving them a torturous death upon catching them. Which would be advised first, the cultists or the officials of the city? I'd prefer to consult with the city officials with the full backing of a complete Chapter, a thousand strong. Out of personal love intimidation mainly."

[Swith Witherward]

"Happily. Although the epic of the Night Lords is neither pleasant in events or ending- it remains a fine tale. Even if the ending is tragic. I am thankfully spared the maddening prophetic visions passed on from the gene-father. Last I need while creating a Chapter is the torturous visions of constant failure and destruction of what I've built. Certainly glad that I dodged that genetic bullet. Most of the Gene-Seed traits passed on by Night Lord blood are positive- our eyes put to shame those of kin. And while the prophets spawned by the Night Lord's gene-seed are certainly useful for planning- it is a horrible existence."

Volturius then stopped to consider the thought of working as a mercenary group. While not a glorious role, it would allow for the.. amusing.. procuring of the criminals and even herald to his Primarch's days as the rogue Night Haunter- the terror of the night. Obviously enjoying the thought, Volt's mind began to delve in the limitless possibilities of entertainment such a chance offered. It would be amusing. And there should be a significant reduction in crime, what with the tortured carcasses of the assortment of criminals standing spiked on a mountain near the city, the sparks of life that remained in them after his tortures being torn by the vultures surely attracted by the smell of rotting flesh.

"Yes. Hopefully the crime rate would not rapidly reduce from the certain demoralization of the various criminal hubs that would surely follow. Numerous Night Lords hold the taint of Slaanesh simply due to our universal thirst for fear that our prey holds- and the love of giving them a torturous death upon catching them. Which would be advised first, the cultists or the officials of the city? I'd prefer to consult with the city officials with the full backing of a complete Chapter, a thousand strong. Out of personal love intimidation mainly."

"The cultists could put us in touch with the right people at the city. The ones who made the initial offer," Tipper shrugged. "I don't think they're looking for a large army. We could find Will and ask him?"

She closed her eyes for a moment and reflected on what he'd just said about Gene Seed traits. "I'd heard that your Primarch landed on a dreadful world where it was eternally dark, and that he raised himself in the bowels of the hive and preyed upon the criminals until there were few left. It was so dark there that his eyes began to see in a broader spectrum. Is that true?" She tilted her head to squint at Volturius as if trying to read the story on his face. "Was it really dark and that's why he could see so well? And why was he alone with no one to raise him?"

Tipper had indeed discarded all of the things she'd heard from other sources, but no one would know his Primarch better than Volturius. If she was going to learn the truths, she wanted to hear the stories from him. More than that, she wanted to know his opinion of those stories. In her mind's eye, that Primarch had all of Volturius' physical features but none of his mutations. He spoke in the same voice as the Raptor, of course, and carried himself the same way. She had nothing else to base the mental picture off of.

OOC: upon looking it up, he didn't have feathers. That makes me sad.

Bran shrugged and walked off, wondering how anything could be bigger than the mighty "Mriya" that he's only seen once or twice before. He went to nearly the middle of the plane, to a seat right next to the windows looking at the wings of the plane. He smiled, and cuddled into his seat to prepare for a long flight, sitting down.

"Ugh, at least I have the internet."

He wondered who, if anyone, would sit next to him for the trip.

Swith came up the aisle. "Going towards the back," she leaned over and muttered to Bran. "Safest place to be. Maybe you could show me how to work my camera?"

[Giovenith]

The scan had gone quick and well despite Giovenith's concerns, and she found herself running along quickly to catch up with her pals. Poor tiny girl, getting hung up and semi-lost much easier, but all seemed to be going fine for now. Once trotting up into the plane and visually locating her friends to confirm that this was the right vehicle (wouldn't want to be flying someplace totally unknown!), she smiled and took her window seat in an empty slot. Now she could see the clouds and sky go by! Giovenith secretly hoped that all that stuff about one's ears feeling funny during flying either wasn't true or didn't apply to her; she certainly didn't want her ears hurting during such an important meeting and ceremony.

[Urran]

The door of the plane slammed shut, no turning back now. There was a low mechanical whine as the engines began to come to life. The monster craft lurched as it began to move backwards, the security agents on the ground bowed as the plane began to move away and to a far away destination. A crackle could be heard as the crystal clear voice of the pilot sounded over the loudspeakers in a calm, collected voice typical of most airline pilots. "Welcome passengers aboard flight 776 to Sakura City, Urran. We will be cruising at approximately 15,000 feet aboard this Nakijima 380. The flight will take at most 26 hours. Several meals will be served during the flight, we apologize for the lack of red meat. As you may have been told it is a health hazard to our species. Smoking is not allowed aboard any Urranese aircraft but you may use electronic cigarettes." As he spoke the jet began to taxi down the runway before stopping. "Alright, we hope that you enjoy your flight, if you need anything just ask our flight crew" At this moment the plane rocketed forward, throwing many passengers back in their seats. This is why we wear seat-belts. It seemed almost a minute before the front and then eventually the rear of the aircraft lifted off of the ground and into the sky high above the city. At this moment, two lights lit up. One, a smart phone in bright green indicating that electronic devices may now be used. The other, a seat belt sign indicating that all seat belts must remain fastened until otherwise indicated. The entertainment centers in front of each seat lit up and displayed the language options. These touchscreen devices had the option of English, Russian, Spanish, German, and Japanese. Japanese was obviously the default. The stewardess had been sitting down in her own seat in a small alcove by the front lavatories. As with the back it had a galley, a set of bunk-beds, and fridge. These were the quarters of the flight crew during the journey, and each level of the jet had two sets of crew quarters. Of course, because there were few passengers on this flight, there were only two crew members on this level, the flight attendant and the cook. She stood up with a notepad and came to the closest passenger, which just so happened to be Gio. "Hello miss, what would you like to drink?" she asked cheerfully.

[Giovenith]

"No thank you," Giovenith politely waved the offer away with a smile. "Well, no, actually, could you bring me a bottle of water please?" She had heard somewhere that things like drinking water or chewing gum helped with the foretold ear popping.

[Urran]

"No thank you," Giovenith politely waved the offer away with a smile. "Well, no, actually, could you bring me a bottle of water please?" She had heard somewhere that things like drinking water or chewing gum helped with the foretold ear popping.

"Can do" she said cheerfully. As it would turn out, she was pulling a cart behind her with snacks and drinks. She gave Gio her water and held out several different flavors of gum to her, all wrapped in colorful packages. "Pick one." she said with a pearly white smile.

[Giovenith]

"No thank you," Giovenith politely waved the offer away with a smile. "Well, no, actually, could you bring me a bottle of water please?" She had heard somewhere that things like drinking water or chewing gum helped with the foretold ear popping.

"Can do" she said cheerfully. As it would turn out, she was pulling a cart behind her with snacks and drinks. She gave Gio her water and held out several different flavors of gum to her, all wrapped in colorful packages. "Pick one." she said with a pearly white smile.

"Oooooo!" cheered Giovenith, instantaneously delighted by the appearance of all the pretty packaging. "Ummm... purple please! I really like purple! It's pretty! Pretty purple, purple is pretty, pleaaaase!" She giggled a bit at all the P's.

[Urran]

"Here you go ma'am." she said kindly and handed Gio the metallic purple packet of gum. "You seem young enoug, would you like a coloring book and pencils?" she asked. Typical of Urranese airlines, the younger ones got something to keep them entertained during the flight. This was a really long flight.

[The BranRiech]

Bran was still getting settled in as the plane started taking off, and it was almost comedic to watch as he scrambled for his seatbelt, which he got on just in time. Once they were flying, he started messing with the computer in the back of the seat, surfing the web, and occasionally looking out the window.

He shuddered to think that he'd be spending an entire day on the plane.

--

"Well, I do have this Ice cream right here." Kei smirked literally and trailed off, liberally applying the spoon to the bowl in an effort to finish her treat before it was too late.

[Giovenith]

"Here you go ma'am." she said kindly and handed Gio the metallic purple packet of gum. "You seem young enoug, would you like a coloring book and pencils?" she asked. Typical of Urranese airlines, the younger ones got something to keep them entertained during the flight. This was a really long flight.

"Yes, please!" This plane was so awesome! They gave treats and art supplies, two of the greatest things in the universe in her eyes. "Do you have lots of colors and not just red, blue, green, and yellow?"

[Urran]

"Here you go ma'am." she said kindly and handed Gio the metallic purple packet of gum. "You seem young enoug, would you like a coloring book and pencils?" she asked. Typical of Urranese airlines, the younger ones got something to keep them entertained during the flight. This was a really long flight.

"Yes, please!" This plane was so awesome! They gave treats and art supplies, two of the greatest things in the universe in her eyes. "Do you have lots of colors and not just red, blue, green, and yellow?"

She giggled at Gio's excitment. "I have a 72 pack of colored pencils" she said happily and knelt down by her cart, digging around inside it. She pulled out a coloring book and a very large pack of pencils, as well as a mini, hand held pencil sharpener and handed them to the godling. She then scooted along to get the other passengers requests.

[Urran]

Tieria was lying down in the yard with his hands behind his head. He was napping, a book laying beside him with the page carefully bookmarked. It was a rather thick text with a gold and brown cover. He smiled in his sleep, dreaming of Kei and the time that they had shared on the beach. Neither of them knew it, or could tell, but he was changing, slowly becoming more friendly and emotional.

[Tiltjuice]

"Well, I do have this Ice cream right here." Kei smirked literally and trailed off, liberally applying the spoon to the bowl in an effort to finish her treat before it was too late.

"Ice cream? That better not be black cherry flavor!" Tasia yelped, turning to try to peer into the bowl. Like her sister, she had an addiction to a certain sweet food/drink.

[Torsiedelle]

As the jet rocketed forward and took off, Katya immediately tensed up. She was almost going to scream. Torii, on the other hand, was grinning that entire time.

Once they were in the sky....15,000 feet in the air, Katya had calmed down. She still didn't like it, though. Torii was still grinning. She loved heights, and this was no exception. 15,000 feet was as amazing as ever.

She looked over her seat at Bran, struggling with her seat belt, and watched him and Swith for a minute. Katya looked around for someone she knew well.


....

Meanwhile, as the apartment building, an old character was up and about. Dimitrus's first few days had been quiet, and she had met nobody new. This assignment was rather dull...

She walked by the communal sitting room and noticed the piano on the far side of the room. Well, she supposed that it was better than nothing...and so she walked in and took a seat. A minute later, the hall would be flooded with a medium-paced, heavy version of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

[Tiltjuice]

As the jet rocketed forward and took off, Katya immediately tensed up. She was almost going to scream. Torii, on the other hand, was grinning that entire time.

Once they were in the sky....15,000 feet in the air, Katya had calmed down. She still didn't like it, though. Torii was still grinning. She loved heights, and this was no exception. 15,000 feet was as amazing as ever.

She looked over her seat at Bran, struggling with her seat belt, and watched him and Swith for a minute. Katya looked around for someone she knew well.

"Anxious?" Dora was focused primarily on the in-flight map information, but she spared a glance sideways at Katya.

[The BranRiech]

A few minutes after Swith went off to the back of the plane, Bran excused himself and got up to follow her, waving to Torii as he left. He took care to avoid the crew to let them do their jobs, and in a few minutes more, he was just getting to sit down in the back with his friend. "I still feel alienated." He confided in her. "The lady directing us tensed up when she saw where I was from."

It was probably safe to say that he was simply overreacting, but it seemed to be taking its toll on him.

--

"Might be, why?" Kei asked, not seeing a problem with what flavor it was. "There's more in there. And I can always restock it."

[Torsiedelle]

"Don't worry, Mr. Nikanor.", Torii said. "I'm here for ya! So is Swith, and everyone else!"

Katya glanced to Dora and nodded. She was quite nervous. "Yes.", She answered. "I feel...nervous. I just can't explain it."

[Lancearc]

Meanwhile, as the apartment building, an old character was up and about. Dimitrus's first few days had been quiet, and she had met nobody new. This assignment was rather dull...

She walked by the communal sitting room and noticed the piano on the far side of the room. Well, she supposed that it was better than nothing...and so she walked in and took a seat. A minute later, the hall would be flooded with a medium-paced, heavy version of Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

Servants carrying him through the halls was a rather common occurrence back home, in his own grand palace, but in the apartment building Lance couldn't help but feel that the sights were lacking in grandeur compared to his home. No elegant art lined the walls, no columns rose to the ceiling, and most depressing of all, no massive monuments to him lined these halls. The food kind of sucked too, he'd heard, so he'd probably just be eating dates the whole time he was here, as he did now. The servants not carrying the throne were busy pitting and removing the skin from dates, all carried in a rather large basket. "This place is just so bland. I mean, so is the desert, but at least it is my home...why do none of you ever talk to me?" Lance asked, looking down at the servants.

"Oh that's right, my father cut your tongues out. I am very sorry." he remembered.

Just then, a loud sound drifted up from an unknown source. It sounded like these notes were supposed to be forming music, but they were so much different than the exotic music of his home that he could hardly tell, and the sound unnerved him somewhat at first. "Servants, follow this sound, we must discover the source." he ordered, they only nodding silently for good reason.

The sound was easy enough to follow, and as they discovered the source of this was a commoner seated before a very strange machine from which the sound seemed to be emanating from. He was intrigued, needless to say. "Excuse me, future commoner!" he greeted, waving from the elevated seat he was carried on. "I could not help but take notice of these strange noises, what is that strange looking thing?" he asked, indicating the piano.

[Urran]

The stewardess made her way to Torii and the others, lugging her snack cart behind her. She smiled at the group and took out her notepad. "What can I get for you guys?" she asked with a bright smile. She winked at Bran, he was visibly nervous to her.

[Tiltjuice]

"Might be, why?" Kei asked, not seeing a problem with what flavor it was. "There's more in there. And I can always restock it."

Tasia smiled slyly. "And is there anything I could do to get you to share some? Cook dinner, perhaps?"

Katya glanced to Dora and nodded. She was quite nervous. "Yes.", She answered. "I feel...nervous. I just can't explain it."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry. After all, your country wasn't at war with the Urranese," Dora answered, her drawl tinged with distaste at the idea. "And you fell in love with one of their own, despite being a foreigner and despite your own family's attitudes. I'd say you'd be more welcome than average."

The stewardess made her way to Torii and the others, lugging her snack cart behind her. She smiled at the group and took out her notepad. "What can I get for you guys?" she asked with a bright smile. She winked at Bran, he was visibly nervous to her.

"Right, one beer please."

[Urran]

The stewardess pulled out a box with a red death skull on it. After reaching inside she pulled out a beer and passed it to Dora and waited on the others. She kept looking at Bran, trying to encourage him as best she could without actually saying anything.

[Torsiedelle]

The stewardess made her way to Torii and the others, lugging her snack cart behind her. She smiled at the group and took out her notepad. "What can I get for you guys?" she asked with a bright smile. She winked at Bran, he was visibly nervous to her.

Torii nodded. "Um, yes, do you happen to have some peanuts? Oh, and some for my sister?"

Katya shrugged. "I guess I am, Dora, but I just feel a bit nervous. Oh, and it's not just that...I'm kind of afraid of heights."

[Urran]

Torii nodded. "Um, yes, do you happen to have some peanuts? Oh, and some for my sister?"

Katya shrugged. "I guess I am, Dora, but I just feel a bit nervous. Oh, and it's not just that...I'm kind of afraid of heights."

She tossed Torii two packets of peanuts and then waited on the others. She was glad that this was a small group, easy to handle and, so far, well behaved. She would get lots of reading done not having to constatly care for over one hundred people on this one deck.