Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Fvaarniimar]

Torii happily walked beside Bran for a good portion of the trip, saying only a sentence or two as they traveled. She seemed apprehensive at leaving him to scout, but it was what she had established for herself in the group, and so she went.

She didn't think that she had ever been to a bank, but this one looked large for a bank...or did it? She followed the Cat as quietly and quickly as she could, and hunkered down near a piece of debris as he established a link. "You mean, to make the bank open? The city? I don't understand.", She thought.

"Once we're all in the bank, we'll have to check out the vault. What Gio said earlier, about being stuck in one? I don't like the thought of that. It scares me, so I might just find my own little area, or keep watch wit someone else for the night."

<I meant making a connection going both ways again, like this. So that we're quiet, as we're going ahead and again it doesn't seem smart/right to be loud, not yet. Whatever you do, please don't pull away now or while we're scouting- I'd rather be able to talk to you easily and quietly. Do you want to keep watch with me? If I get a few naps before then I can stay up. Bank vaults are bad places to be in stories. Speaking of stories, your keeping watch with someone else (images of hearts, romance novels, and two indistinct people in a tree, kissing) is fine with me too. In books that sort of thing seems to be a common way to meet someone or get to know them better, and teens of your age seem to want to do that... Then again, I don't know if it's like that in real life...>

While at some future time Nick might figure out how to prevent it, for the moment he couldn't keep emotions and possibly a few stray thoughts from flowing between the two. Fortunately, the emotions remained similar, and hence neither would be thrown off by that phenomenon.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii snickered, despite the serious situation they were in. "I doubt I'd meet someone on watch tonight. I guess I like someone else-", Nick would catch a half-second glimpse of another girl, but there would be little time to see who it was before she suppressed it in a mini-panic,"-But they're not really into girls, and I don't want to make things really awkward. Besides, I know someone who'd be a much better choice than crazy little me. I wish I could meet someone else, but there aren't any other girls like me. I miss my girlfriend."

Torii's feelings would transfer to Nick's. It was sadness, and a pain that would make his heart physically hurt. She looked down and mumbled something to herself, then back up at the bank. "I wouldn't mind keeping watch with you. I don't know if Marcus or Mr. Nikanor are keeping watch, and Varona kind of intimidates me. I can trust you."

[Terintania]

"I don't know how much this was talked about, or debated, but perhaps most of the group could sleep inside the vault, while a few others could stay outside it so that if it does happen to close, it can be re-opened. I would be willing to stay up outside the vault," Nex said. He didn't need much sleep, and if he was attacked, he couldn't exactly die from that, unless they had some undead-killing abilities, which he kind of doubted.

[Fvaarniimar]

Torii snickered, despite the serious situation they were in. "I doubt I'd meet someone on watch tonight. I guess I like someone else-", Nick would catch a half-second glimpse of another girl, but there would be little time to see who it was before she suppressed it in a mini-panic,"-But they're not really into girls, and I don't want to make things really awkward. Besides, I know someone who'd be a much better choice than crazy little me. I wish I could meet someone else, but there aren't any other girls like me. I miss my girlfriend."

Torii's feelings would transfer to Nick's. It was sadness, and a pain that would make his heart physically hurt. She looked down and mumbled something to herself, then back up at the bank. "I wouldn't mind keeping watch with you. I don't know if Marcus or Mr. Nikanor are keeping watch, and Varona kind of intimidates me. I can trust you."

Nick winced a bit, feeling a very familiar sort of pain, but soon (when Torii stated that she could trust him) felt happiness spread through himself, going some way towards neutralizing it; it would trickle into Torii as well, hopefully, if not having a similar effect, at least making the hurt more bearable.<You know what?> The oft-rejected feline stepped forward towards the bank, trusting that Torii would do so as well, maintaining contact. <You're right. There aren't any other girls like you, at least not that I've met. You're totally normal, but willing to accept and embrace what isn't. That... That's one bleep of a rare trait, as far as I know, and it's- well, it means a great deal to me.> As Nick thought about it, delight and admiration flowed into the girl.

[Giovenith]

March march march march march...

There'd been a saying that when faced with long, arduous tasks, a good imagination kept you sane and going. So long as you didn't get lost in it, of course, but that wasn't the current danger. Giovenith didn't really chat during the journey, feeling that it would both be distracting, dangerous, and tiring given the energy they were already expending. Fear would have been her undoing if she allowed it to poison her thoughts. Doing so would have been too easy, what with everywhere looking like somebody took a dusty hammer to her world. Instead, Giovenith focused on memories and thoughts that always put in her in a cozy mood--the scent of mint and cinnamon, clean and warm houses, places of care (like hospitals), sweet-scented candles, thunderstorms, stuffed animals. She was aware of the thick darkness all around her; it wasn't blind naivety that kept her going through it, but a lantern made from the things dear to her heart.

When they arrived as the bank, the godling was reminded of pictures of ancient ruins from all over the world she had seen, only with a grimmer spin. With ruins from another time, a modern person could walk about with a comfortable detachment, unconcerned with a long-passed fate suffered by unalike, now-dead persons. But the sight of the devastated bank--built-up enough to be more recognizable than the building was in, but still baring the scars of this dimension's horrors--produced a kind of architectural Uncanny Valley, as the small teen was beholden to the corpse of a place once called her own, a prisoner in a never ending funeral.

Deep breath, Giovenith thought, doing so and giving her shoulders a much-needed roll/stretch. Eye on the future, mind on the present. Whether they closed the vault or not, a bank would be a very safe place to stay for the night, since banks were designed to be reinforced in many more places than just the door. They were a smart, strong, skilled group, and if they just played things right, they'd be out of here before they knew it...

But then again, now that she thought about it, this was their second night here. About a whole day or two in this horrible places, the whole lot of them. Obviously not everyone had been sucked along with them on this twisted adventure, but enough people had that eventually the large absence would become noticed. Bran's wife and kids would surely begin to wonder about him, Torii's sister about her, Marcus' family about him, Albert and Jacob about Ray, and Willow about her and Sterling. Surely the others had close ones left behind too. Giovenith felt momentary guilt for the worry they might have been causing all those people, but banished it by reassuring herself that it really wasn't something they could have helped, and that their loved ones would understand when they came home.

"We could set up some junk in the way of the vault in addition, to make extra sure it doesn't close without us noticing fast enough and cause an accident," Giovenith said to Nex. "Like a shelf, or cinder block. If it really is airtight, one upside to that is that they're pretty easy to block open. I heard of a vault so airtight that even a hairpin could keep it from shutting."

[Torsiedelle]

Torii snickered, despite the serious situation they were in. "I doubt I'd meet someone on watch tonight. I guess I like someone else-", Nick would catch a half-second glimpse of another girl, but there would be little time to see who it was before she suppressed it in a mini-panic,"-But they're not really into girls, and I don't want to make things really awkward. Besides, I know someone who'd be a much better choice than crazy little me. I wish I could meet someone else, but there aren't any other girls like me. I miss my girlfriend."

Torii's feelings would transfer to Nick's. It was sadness, and a pain that would make his heart physically hurt. She looked down and mumbled something to herself, then back up at the bank. "I wouldn't mind keeping watch with you. I don't know if Marcus or Mr. Nikanor are keeping watch, and Varona kind of intimidates me. I can trust you."

Nick winced a bit, feeling a very familiar sort of pain, but soon (when Torii stated that she could trust him) felt happiness spread through himself, going some way towards neutralizing it; it would trickle into Torii as well, hopefully, if not having a similar effect, at least making the hurt more bearable.<You know what?> The oft-rejected feline stepped forward towards the bank, trusting that Torii would do so as well, maintaining contact. <You're right. There aren't any other girls like you, at least not that I've met. You're totally normal, but willing to accept and embrace what isn't. That... That's one bleep of a rare trait, as far as I know, and it's- well, it means a great deal to me.> As Nick thought about it, delight and admiration flowed into the girl.

Totally willing to embrace what isn't? Tora had never thought about that before. She was normal, yes, but everything else around her was bizarre, magical, special...just like the little telepathic cat at her feet right now. She felt better, thanks to Nick's admiration, and a new sense of determination and strength built itself up inside her. Despite their situation, Tora was kind of glad to be here, with everyone else. "Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me, too. I guess there really aren't other girls like me. I mean, I'm surrounded by all these amazing people, and affected by all these bizarre happenings..."

She stepped forward with Nick, and kept an eye on the structure ahead. [i]"It's going to be dark in there, but you can see well, right? Gio's talking about keeping the door from closing back there, and she's probably onto something. All we gotta do is put a "doorstop" in there. I just hope it's cozy in a bank vault. Things are going good for us today."

[Fvaarniimar]

Nick winced a bit, feeling a very familiar sort of pain, but soon (when Torii stated that she could trust him) felt happiness spread through himself, going some way towards neutralizing it; it would trickle into Torii as well, hopefully, if not having a similar effect, at least making the hurt more bearable.<You know what?> The oft-rejected feline stepped forward towards the bank, trusting that Torii would do so as well, maintaining contact. <You're right. There aren't any other girls like you, at least not that I've met. You're totally normal, but willing to accept and embrace what isn't. That... That's one bleep of a rare trait, as far as I know, and it's- well, it means a great deal to me.> As Nick thought about it, delight and admiration flowed into the girl.

Totally willing to embrace what isn't? Tora had never thought about that before. She was normal, yes, but everything else around her was bizarre, magical, special...just like the little telepathic cat at her feet right now. She felt better, thanks to Nick's admiration, and a new sense of determination and strength built itself up inside her. Despite their situation, Tora was kind of glad to be here, with everyone else. "Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me, too. I guess there really aren't other girls like me. I mean, I'm surrounded by all these amazing people, and affected by all these bizarre happenings..."

She stepped forward with Nick, and kept an eye on the structure ahead. [i]"It's going to be dark in there, but you can see well, right? Gio's talking about keeping the door from closing back there, and she's probably onto something. All we gotta do is put a "doorstop" in there. I just hope it's cozy in a bank vault. Things are going good for us today."

<Yes, I can see well. I'm pretty sure that- in the dark- (image of rainbow from Carnal Carnival, slight sense of loss, image of a picture of a rainbow in a book in shades of gray with a band of blue, a band of green, a band of blue-gray, a band of grey with a hint of blue, and a slightly-green band) I can see better than humans.> Nick felt rather proud of that; combined with determination and strength courtesy of Torii, the feeling put him in a good mood and he walked boldly through the door, remaining pressed against the girl and directing her where and how she'd need to place her feet to avoid making noise.

[The Drone Empire]

Dani strayed close to FUBAR, as she found comfortable. Even in such an open position, she felt a sense of security in the shadow of the metal colossus. She wanted to say more, to speak, talk and relearn, perhaps even share her own knowledge with him. There was indeed a fondness inside her, uniting both parts of her; one under his outwardly perceived kindness, the other by his simple nature of origin. Either way, she was glad he was among them on their passage through this world of desolation.

The bank was ominous, and she felt little compulsion to enter the darkness. She wondered what FUBAR saw, the interior of the building would be more than apparent regardless of light levels, and whats more, anything that might lurk inside. Of course, his reasonings for following were unclear, whether or not he would even care for the safety of the others was uncertain, or that he simply sought to exterminate all the designated targets he saw, who just so happened to be in proximity to them.

There was slight want to follow them inside, the feline that had somehow been ensnared by this was an interesting little creature, the human in her was certainly drawn by it, but she remained. In truth, she was expecting something terrible to happen in there, and wanted absolutely no part of it, or so she told herself.

[The BranRiech]

Appreciating the quiet nature of their walk, Bran had edged himself away from the group when they got to the bank, and was still walking at the same pace he was before Torii moved on ahead as he checked out his gear. Looking around through the bag, he counted out the things he had with him. When he got bored with that, he whipped out his phone (Not working now of course), and started flipping that around in his hand. He had no will to talk to anyone for fear of something hearing, so he had to amuse himself with what he had.

Not really listening for much other than the sounds of danger, he started softly humming a tune.

He stayed somewhat alert though, listening for noises, both near and far.

[The Carlisle]

Kale stayed near the back of the convoy as they marched along. Her eye wandered everywhere, taking in the scenery. Death as far as she could see. Not a trace of life in this gloomy place... well... natural life. The only plants she saw were the scorched remains of once proud trees, who's corpses stood stalwart against the elements. The more she saw, the more sad she got. A place like this should never exist. There should be life, but there was none here. It was unnatural, and it distressed her. Kale placed a hand on Joe, which calmed her down a bit. At least she brought some greenery to this dark place.

While worried, she was also curious. She had never seen many cities. The buildings while decayed still stood and looked like a city. Kale tried imagining what this place looked like before the devastation. It helped ease her mind.

[Lithuanian Empire]

August was walking a bit away from the group, a few meters to the right, and was investigating the landscape. He could not believe how leveled down this place is. In fact, it looks more like his timeline than anything, which, in August's eyes, was impossible. According to what he knew of the pre-apocalyptic period, the Earth was completely fine up to the late 25th century, but not in the early 21st!

August looked to the group. He was getting farther and farther from the others, so he decided to catch up. He effortlessly cut through an empty pipe that was blocking his way and ran towards the main group.

"Are we there yet, wherever we are going?" - he asked.

[Swith Witherward]

The bank's cold interior felt like a crypt. Papers and money were scattered here and there. Pens with cracked plastic cases dangled from tiny chains. There was a rotting picture of some scenic view hanging crooked on the wall. The counters and desks were coated in dust. Thankfully, there weren't any bodies or skeletons. Despite all the decay, the bank still had an authoritative feel to it. It had once been a proud structure and was only standing because the grey marble was stronger than concrete. It was the last bastion of humanity and intended to withstand another hundred years or more without maintenance.

Nick might not be familiar with the insides of banks but Torii and Bran would know that vaults were always in the back, usually through employee entrance doors if not directly on the back wall. In this bank, there was only a single door on the wall behind the tellers' counter. The problem was the counter itself. It had a rolling cage which dropped down from the ceiling at night to settle flush against the counter itself. The access to the teller area was a heavy door which was locked. The metal barrier had begun to rust away but it would take some effort to raise it or tear through it. Nick's clever eyes would find a solution, however. A vent cover hung ajar high on the wall, about 8 feet from the floor. It was a small opening but it stood to reason that a girl as small as Torii might be able to crawl through and drop out a vent on the other side to unlock the door. The problem was, there was no telling if the vents connected directly or what could be lurking within them.

Further away and back on the street, FUBAR seemed to tense. It was an inwardly drawing motion that would allow the unit to move quickly should the need arise. The weapons had been trained in various directions as he'd walked but now the primary weapon rotated towards a street on the right which joined with the main road they were all on. It transmitted a short burst of information which only Dani or another Drone could interpret: entities approaching, number unknown; identified as a species number unfamiliar to Dani; threat risk high.

That threat risk was the Drone's assessment, of course. Anything posing as a threat to it might be something more deadly to the flesh bags walking along the road with it.

FUBAR exploded into action seconds later. The unit, although bulky and seemingly plodding, swept Dani from the ground and worked its legs in a graceful ballet that brought it to a building to its left. It moved straight up to gain high ground, weapons still trained on whatever was approaching from the right. FUBAR seemed to shimmer and then it took on the hue of the building he had chosen to perch upon. This odd camouflage behavior did nothing to change Dani's own appearance. The metal under her hands warmed slightly to take on the same temperature as the concrete the unit was clinging to.

Another short burst of information in the Drone language followed by a softly hissed English word: thrall.


Marcus watched the Drones gain high ground. His augmented hearing picked up "thrall" although it made no sense to him. Still, the Drones were in motion so whatever it was that had spooked FUBAR probably wasn't good.

"Scatter! Take cover! High ground! Kale! This way!" he called as loudly as he dared before picking up Giovenith, kicking in the door to a small department store and darting inside. He darted through the dusty racks and gained the main stairs. Elevators weren't an option so he took the steps two and a time until he hit they second floor: women's clothing and shoes. Dim daylight illuminated the ages-old fashions and manikins. Marcus had always found the plastic things creepy to look at, with glass or painted eyes that stared out above shoppers' heads. They were aloof, unreal, unmoving. This store, once upscale, had very expensive manikins with lifelike features right down to their red painted fingernails.

He set Giovenith down and stared into eyes rimmed by false eyelashes caked in dust. "Oh, I fucking hate these things," he murmured. Time was pressing, however. There had to be roof access somewhere nearby. Stairs were built into structures as part of support. Somewhere there had to be an off limits access door. "We've got to get to the roof," he told Giovenith and any who had followed them. Turtleboss whimpered softly from inside Marcus' hood.

[Swith Witherward]

It wasn't long before everyone in the guild were awake and preparing themselves for the task at hand. The mood was a growing tension in the room, as though the bloodlust in the Klingons were boiling rapidly and threatening to explode at the slightest twitch. It could be the way a warrior glanced at another, or one shoving another aside to get to the food on the table (what little there was left on it), any little thing. Mezran observed them all in silence, having been prepared faster than most of veteran warriors in the guild. Their armor differed also, many of which whose armor were thick leather with only a few metal plates, while others preferred to keep their outfits as light as possible; perhaps some sort of scout. One warrior passed by Mezran, the hulking figure was a sight to see, the Klingon's bicep was as big as the captain's leg and he wore a variant warrior's outfit that looked more like a short dress than anything else. Still, it seemed to have suited the Klingon and everyone in his way promptly moved away.

"Warriors!" The old crone shouted, her voice bounced off the stone walls, her stance stoic and coiled, as though she were also ready for battle against the vermin. "You've been given your instructions; head north, a quarter's day journey from here and you will see the enemy. Do not spare any, show no pity to these creatures. Remember that they live for nothing but to multiple and consume everything in their path! However, if you encounter one of those dishonorable petaQ'pu that belong to Molor, do not hesitate to feed them to the novpu'! Q'apla, honorable warriors, I will see you all at sundown!"

Every Klingon in the room cheered and hollered, so much so that Mezran was convinced their voice alone would topple the building if it kept on much longer. Minutes later, every soul in Varth's Chosen marched out the guild hall, greeted by the citizens of Varth who greeted them in cheers. They were not the only guild to move out this day, as several others ahead of them were already out also.

--//\\--

"Spread out! The novpu' are everywhere!" A Klingon ahead of them said. The forest here was thick in heat, the sun's warmth having been taken and multiplied by several orders. It was stifling and Mezran understood why so many of their guild chose the lighter armor. Being a Klingon, he didn't complain, appreciating the added difficulty to the quest. His legs burned from the march and his lungs fell short as they were in higher altitude.

"ChryS, Ru'hOff, Ha'nS," Mezran called after behind him. His gaze was fixed upon a cave. The interior was pitch black and the faint cooing sounds of those vermin echoed lightly, enough for the Klingon to pick it up. They were far enough from the others, not that the other cared, too focused on their own duties and whatever glory awaited them. "This way," he said, indicating the cave and taking out his mek'leth and d'ktahg. "Let us finish this and be on our way!"

This never gets old. No matter how many days she saw, she would always love the heat, and the feeling of sweat trickling down from her scalp and neck to fall down her back.

She wished she were her normal height, but carefully kept any hint of it from reaching her face so Hans and Rudolf wouldn't turn her back. Becoming short and blonde again in the middle of a bunch of Klingons would probably end with her and others in very many pieces. Chrys grinned a toothy smile, tapped the tip of her tongue against the back of her teeth in lieu of sticking it out as she normally would have, and swept out her own blade.

Now how to sneak away one of the critters for themselves...?

Ru'hOff and Ha'nS had followed Mezran without question. The krone (just as gruff as a Commissar) dispatched them towards glory and the brothers reveled in the chance to honor their god with enemy blood. The heat reminded both of parts of India during the War. It was a broiling sweat-inducer that caused their clothing to feel heavier against their skin. Their lungs kept them chugging along and Ha'nS briefly wondered if Klingons had biological features which favored the environment. He'd have to ask Mezran afterwards.

Ru'hOff was familiar with the creatures, having stamped out a few prior. Ha'nS hadn't bothered to ask what they were going up against. He assumed it was some deadly thing with ridges and growls to match a Klingon. Perhaps it would be as sharp and quick as a 'Nid? Certainly it would be large. Very large and very deadly with very sharp teeth. What else would drive this warrior race to such frenzy?

And then the cave came alive with cooing. Cooing? Ha'nS paused and tilted his head to better listen. No, they were indeed cooing. It was a vibrating purr that started high and pleasantly descended into an owl's warble. Chittering and squeaks also drifted from the dark opening. Parakeets? Monkeys? It had to be a nest. Yes, that was it. These were infants which could only mean that a much larger (challenging-sounding) parent prowled nearby.

His eyes locked with ChryS' own momentarily and he smiled grimly. Today was a good day to fight.

[Lithuanian Empire]

"Oh crap" - that's the only thing August managed to say before everyone scattered. People were taking cover in the buildings nearby, and though August didn't understand what is going on, he knew it wasn't good. He ran the the right and entered a small building. As the dim daylight illuminated the room, August noticed - it was a flower shop. Back in his timeline, neither shops nor flowers exist, so it was quite pleasant, though all the plants died down months ago.

The building was really small, only 1 floor high and sat squished in between two larger buildings. A ladder connected the flower shop's roof and the left building's top. The inside was not pleasant too - dead flowers, paper and trash everywhere. August quickly walked through the first floor, walked up a short staircase and reached the top. He was still holding his Heat Blade in his right hand, ready to defend himself from any attacker.

[The Carlisle]

Things happened so fast. The drone had burst in action, which meant something was coming. Marcus had taken up Gio and ran into a building. He was yelling for her. Kale followed in pursuit, Joe running to follow her trail. She followed Marcus into the building and up to the second floor. She slowed down her run to a walk. She looked around the room, curious of what it was. Tattered clothing hung from mannequins and soiled shoes were scattered about the place. This was the first clothing store she had seen, however ruined it was. She wondered about the cultural things about clothes, seeing how they were being displayed and such. But now was not the time to philosophize the cultural value of clothing. Something was out there, something dangerous enough to alert the drone.

She walked up to Marcus and Gio, Joe tailing behind her. "The roof?" she said with a slight whimper, "Well... its a good vantage point. You think there would be an access way, like a staircase for staff to get up to the roof. I don't know these buildings, but there has to be some sort of path like that." she looked back to the elavators. "Either that or... *gulp* climb up the elevator shaft."

[Swith Witherward]

Insidious nodded “They’re both a bit of a tossup. FleshMoulder is known for making more practical products, extra organs increased abilities, but Eden’s more cosmetic in nature so I think I’ll get it from them.” Insidious sighed “Perhaps…if Primordial is doing what I think he’s doing then he may need some time. Without the DEiMOS we are very weak. Primordial is probably working on it but without all of the necessary tools it will probably take some time.”

"How come?" It was only an innocent question but Naomi had a habit of asking them without giving any thought to how they might be perceived. "I mean, why are you weak without the DEiMOS? Are all Luxans dependent on one of those? What would happen if you were apart from it for a long time? Would you fade away?"

Silly questions, perhaps, but Naomi's curiosity was piqued once again.

[Primordial Luxa]

Insidious nodded “They’re both a bit of a tossup. FleshMoulder is known for making more practical products, extra organs increased abilities, but Eden’s more cosmetic in nature so I think I’ll get it from them.” Insidious sighed “Perhaps…if Primordial is doing what I think he’s doing then he may need some time. Without the DEiMOS we are very weak. Primordial is probably working on it but without all of the necessary tools it will probably take some time.”

"How come?" It was only an innocent question but Naomi had a habit of asking them without giving any thought to how they might be perceived. "I mean, why are you weak without the DEiMOS? Are all Luxans dependent on one of those? What would happen if you were apart from it for a long time? Would you fade away?"

Silly questions, perhaps, but Naomi's curiosity was piqued once again.

"No nothing like that" she says as he skin begins to take on a yellowish green fractal pattern. "Its just that it hold so much of our stuff. Its like if your house burned down, suddenly you dont have anything and you need to start all over. Its like that." she finished up the last of her coffee before asking "So anything else you want to do?"

[Tiltjuice]

Marcus watched the Drones gain high ground. His augmented hearing picked up "thrall" although it made no sense to him. Still, the Drones were in motion so whatever it was that had spooked FUBAR probably wasn't good.

"Scatter! Take cover! High ground! Kale! This way!" he called as loudly as he dared...

Few people fully recognized the combat potential of Conservators. They looked normal (mostly, Dia thought as he saw himself in a storefront window). Luce didn't stand out in a crowd, glasses-wearing and so thoroughly average-appearing as he was. Chrys, or Dora, or Tasia - the only thing head-turning about them would have been their beauty, and possibly the twins' shortness.

He blinked once - and in that instant that seemed so much shorter to others' eyes, he'd been standing there on the sidewalk with his armor beginning to shoot upwards and downwards. Someone with enhanced vision, Marcus or FUBAR perhaps, might have caught his eyes Shifting and the air roiling for a moment as his powers rejoiced at being able to come out and play. Then he was gone again, two rusted cars were piled up in a lean-to for people to take cover behind. The large faded yellow and orange sun on the storefront window heralding "Sunshine Bakery" had vanished into a myriad of splinters, and the only thing that could be seen was the barrel of August's plasma rifle - which almost matched his own abilities.

It was a funny sort of instinct-logic combination, but that was what happened when one had Time to think. A mild stench of rotted cakes and pastries wafted out through the opening, though the baked goods themselves were long since gone.

[Swith Witherward]

"No nothing like that" she says as he skin begins to take on a yellowish green fractal pattern. "Its just that it hold so much of our stuff. Its like if your house burned down, suddenly you dont have anything and you need to start all over. Its like that." she finished up the last of her coffee before asking "So anything else you want to do?"

"Other than see if Aegis is okay and maybe check out the skin alteration company? Nope." Naomi shrugged. It was a lazy day for her. Marcus was off doing his own thing, Wren was ill and Cer didn't want Naomi underfoot. She had little else to do. She doubted Insidious would want to see pictures of the golf ball she thought was a dragon egg or the wyrm that she thought was a baby Shoggoth.

[Primordial Luxa]

"No nothing like that" she says as he skin begins to take on a yellowish green fractal pattern. "Its just that it hold so much of our stuff. Its like if your house burned down, suddenly you dont have anything and you need to start all over. Its like that." she finished up the last of her coffee before asking "So anything else you want to do?"

"Other than see if Aegis is okay and maybe check out the skin alteration company? Nope." Naomi shrugged. It was a lazy day for her. Marcus was off doing his own thing, Wren was ill and Cer didn't want Naomi underfoot. She had little else to do. She doubted Insidious would want to see pictures of the golf ball she thought was a dragon egg or the wyrm that she thought was a baby Shoggoth.

"Let me call Primordial and see if he could use a hand" she said trying to be helpful, she stepped out for a moment to call him before returning several minutes later her skin a reddish color and covered in eyes like designs. "Hes in another city and would be thrilled if we joined him." she extended her arm and it opened up revealing pulsing lights and organic irregularities.

[Monfrox]

Varona, ghosting the group still, watched intently as they scattered. This was it. This was what she was waiting for. She made a quick glance to the road behind her before noticing the drone taking action on high ground. That was the most common smart thing to do right now. She was farther back, which was her doing, but she wouldn't let it be her downfall. Sensing that she may need to get into her "Human tripod" stance, she took a deep breath and focused. After a few seconds, a sound similar to the snapping of bones resounded around her as her other arms formed out of her back.
It was funny, as she went from covert sniper to human arachnid in less than a minute.

With that out of the way, she began to quickly scale up the side of one of the ruined storefronts. Not only was it a store, but the upper levels served as an apartment complex. However, the highest it went was three stories, if you could even count what was left of the third story as an official level, that is. It looked like the top half of the building above the third story floor had been sheared off. Parts of the ceiling had caved in, but some parts still managed to stand after all this time. She picked a quick, shady spot near a window and hunkered down with her rifles out and ready. Her normal arms cradled her Kalash, while the other four clutched onto the ATR. She sat, and waited while watching the others.

[Torsiedelle]

The sudden cacophony of screaming and crashing from the group sent Torii into high gear, plucking Nick up and running into the bank. The door to the back was heavy...but there was maybe a way to break the chain. She looked for more places to try. The shutters were too thick for her to bust through...

"The vent!", She said triumphantly, running to it, but her enthusiasm faded when she realized how high up it was. At the lower end of five feet, Torii would have to make quite the jump. It was a small vent, too, and maybe it wouldn't lead anywhere? Well, it could also lead somewhere, but it would be an uncomfortable crawl to and fro, and she didn't think she could go fast enough if something scary attacked, like a spider, or a flesh-eating alien.

Nick was small, though, and fast...

She started running her fingers across his head and tried thinking again. "Hey, Nick, I could probably get through the vent, but I don't know what's in it, or where to go. Could you go in if I lifted you up? You could see in the dark easier, tell me where to go, and if there's anything I ought to avoid, m'kay? I'll keep watch at the door with the pistol."

[Terintania]

Nex gave a nod of acknowledgment to what was said to be their plan for keeping the vault open. He was never much of one to pay attention to how those worked. Such a heavy door seemed like it would slam closed, but he had heard they didn't, and that they moved easily, and that didn't make sense to his 1000-year-old mind. Heavy things were hard to move, and hard to stop moving, once they had started.

It wasn't worth mulling over, so he moved on, only to be distracted by Marcus telling everyone to scatter. Normally he would have just teleported on to a roof or something, but he still wasn't sure it was the best idea to use powers. Despite the fact that they were being attacked, they weren't being attacked by Cthulhu or whatever, so that meant they could attract something else to them, along with whatever it was that was coming towards them now, a fact Dia had clearly not thought of.

He darted toward a near-by building, which happened to be the flower shop that August had gone in to. He climbed up to the roof, spotting August, and crouched down, his back against the wall of one of the taller buildings. "You should probably get down. You don't want to be obvious," He said to August. This was quite strange for him really. He wasn't used to hiding. He couldn't die, so normally it didn't matter, but he didn't want to burden the group by being wounded. He also didn't want to have his mind melted or whatever. Yeah....Not sure he could heal from that.

[Giovenith]

Giovenith had been unprepared for being suddenly swept up and ran with, having been concentrated on the vault task when FUBAR had leaped away and more chaos begun. She heard and felt heartbreak for Turtleboss' cries, wishing that she could take him and reassure him that everything would be alright, but knew that now was not the time. They had to reach higher ground.

"Kale, if we can't find stairs, could Joe take us up?" Giovenith asked her plant-girl friend.

[The Carlisle]

Kale shook her head. "He can stretch, but not far. His limit is about one floor, and only if he is standing up straight on a stable platform. In the elevator shaft," she said, looking at Joe," He wouldn't make it to five feet." She rubbed her chin in thought. "We should look for a hole in the ceiling, something to climb through. But we should look for stairs first."