Elfen High 2: Skin to Bone, Steel to Rust

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

"Oh, this isn't the cafeteria food," Sari-chan corrected him, smiling, "I don't think any of the lunch ladies are even here anymore. I think they all left yesterday or earlier today. No, I made this myself. It's a new recipe, actually, for some sort of hamburger casserole. I'm glad you like it. I didn't know how it would turn out. I thought I might have added too much Drano. You have have more if you like!"

Smiling, she pulled another fork out of her sleeve and took another bite of her "casserole."

James' face suddenly went back to pale. "You put... Drano... In it...?" He asked. "I'll... I'll be right back."

He shot up from the table and ran to the nearest bathroom to blow chunks. Sorry for the short post, can't really think of anything more to put here.

[Olthar]

Seeing James run off, Sari-chan immediately got up to chase after him. She then stopped, turned around, and ran back to bring the "casserole" with her. Walking into the bathroom that James had entered, she approached him, munching on another bite.

"Oh no!" she cried out, watching him vomit, "Are you allergic to Drano? I'm so sorry! I had no idea! Do you need me to run to the infirmary to get you some allergy medicine?"

[Hetland 2]

Maria stumbled into the cafeteria. She was hungry. She didn't want to hastle Sari-chan for anything but she really wanted to taste something and the last time she'd tasted something was when Sari-chan made food. She'd had a long day and was sore all over. She smiled and trotted over to Sari-chan as she ran off sitting down next to her spot and leaning her head on the table. "Sari-chan... I'm hungry... Where'd ya goooo..."

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

Seeing James run off, Sari-chan immediately got up to chase after him. She then stopped, turned around, and ran back to bring the "casserole" with her. Walking into the bathroom that James had entered, she approached him, munching on another bite.

"Oh no!" she cried out, watching him vomit, "Are you allergic to Drano? I'm so sorry! I had no idea! Do you need me to run to the infirmary to get you some allergy medicine?"

James finished his business. "N... No... That's fine, really..." He staggered to the sink and washed off his face. "Drano... Isn't supposed to be... A food ingredient..."

He took a couple deep breaths. "S... Sorry..." He said honestly. "Uh... Anyway..." He looked at her, smiling, colour slowly returning to his face. "I just... Uh... Oh, sod it." He suddenly enveloped Sarina in a big hug, accidentally knocking her "casserole" to the floor. He teared up a little. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Sari-chan."

[Olthar]

Sari-chan was surprised to be suddenly hugged. She was supposed to be the one to spontaneously hug people. Nevertheless, she returned the hug, smiling.

"Hurt me? Did you do something? I don't remember anything. Anyways, what's done is done," she said, smiling, "There's no point living in the past when you have the future to look forward to. So don't feel bad. Just move on and make sure that tomorrow is always better than yesterday. That way you can be happy."

Breaking away from the hug, Sari-chan smiled at James again before giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then leaned down and picked her food up off the floor and took another bite.

"Well, I'm going to go back to the cafeteria to finish eating now. I can make something for you if you'd like to come along."

[Ameriganastan]

Maria stumbled into the cafeteria. She was hungry. She didn't want to hastle Sari-chan for anything but she really wanted to taste something and the last time she'd tasted something was when Sari-chan made food. She'd had a long day and was sore all over. She smiled and trotted over to Sari-chan as she ran off sitting down next to her spot and leaning her head on the table. "Sari-chan... I'm hungry... Where'd ya goooo..."

"Wherever there's a hungry belly in school, The Great and Mighty Lazrian will be there to fill it up!"

Laz kicked the cafeteria door open(And off the hinges by mistake), standing there like he thought he was a hero.

"One second there..."

He quickly hopped behind the counter, yanking something out of the deep freeze, and giving it a quick fire breath thaw. He hopped back over the counter, and set what looked like meatloaf in front of Maria...except it was bright purple.

"Mind-Flayer meatloaf. Those squidfaced bastards make good eating. Dig in!"

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

Sari-chan was surprised to be suddenly hugged. She was supposed to be the one to spontaneously hug people. Nevertheless, she returned the hug, smiling.

"Hurt me? Did you do something? I don't remember anything. Anyways, what's done is done," she said, smiling, "There's no point living in the past when you have the future to look forward to. So don't feel bad. Just move on and make sure that tomorrow is always better than yesterday. That way you can be happy."

Breaking away from the hug, Sari-chan smiled at James again before giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then leaned down and picked her food up off the floor and took another bite.

"Well, I'm going to go back to the cafeteria to finish eating now. I can make something for you if you'd like to come along."

James smiled and blushed, genuinely happy. "Uh... No thanks. Not good to eat immediately after puking, so I've heard... Thanks, though." He gave Sari-chan another hug and headed off, thinking. He eventually ended up in Richard's office again. "Hey, Richard, sorry to bug you again." He said, knocking. "But I've been thinkin' about what's going to be happenin' soon, and I was wondering..."

He swallowed. "Think Crowley would mind if I ordered some guns for you, me, other staff, and students, and trained everyone to use 'em properly?"

[Olthar]

Skipping away from James, Sari-chan returned to the cafeteria and sat down next to Maria, taking another bite from her plate before greeting her roommate.

"Hello there, second best friend! How are you doing today?" she called out, waving, "Ooo! What's that!? Did Lazzy-chan make that for you? That looks so good! I bet it tastes good, too!"

[Hetland 2]

Maria stumbled into the cafeteria. She was hungry. She didn't want to hastle Sari-chan for anything but she really wanted to taste something and the last time she'd tasted something was when Sari-chan made food. She'd had a long day and was sore all over. She smiled and trotted over to Sari-chan as she ran off sitting down next to her spot and leaning her head on the table. "Sari-chan... I'm hungry... Where'd ya goooo..."

"Wherever there's a hungry belly in school, The Great and Mighty Lazrian will be there to fill it up!"

Laz kicked the cafeteria door open(And off the hinges by mistake), standing there like he thought he was a hero.

"One second there..."

He quickly hopped behind the counter, yanking something out of the deep freeze, and giving it a quick fire breath thaw. He hopped back over the counter, and set what looked like meatloaf in front of Maria...except it was bright purple.

"Mind-Flayer meatloaf. Those squidfaced bastards make good eating. Dig in!"

Maria smiled at Laz nodding, "Thank you." and proceeded to poke it with a fork. It didn't respond, something she'd learned from eating Sari-chan's food which vaguely disappointed her. Still she chopped a piece off with her fork and nibbled on it. It wasn't as obvious as Sari-chan's food but Maria could still taste something. She grinned mellowly as Sari-chan approached her and waved at her, "Wanna try some?"

[Olthar]

"Sure!" Sari-chan exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat in excitement.

She cut off a piece of Maria's food and popped it into her mouth. Savoring the flavor, she spent several seconds chewing it before swallowing, squirming as she did so.

"Oh, that's delicious! You're a really great lunch lady, Lazzy-chan!" she called out to Laz before turning back to Maria, "Do you want to try some of my casserole? It's a new recipe that I just tried out today!"

[The Nuclear Fist]

Frida was a little taken aback by the counsellors behaviour, she wasn't used to being embraced by people she didn't know so for a while she just sat there rigid as a stone.
After a while, however, she started to soften up and returned the embrace hesitantly.
"What do you mean Mortal form?" she said after a moments pause.
"Do I have a non Mortal form? Are you mortal?" she asked, a curious expression on her face

"Child, we all have a soul. A soul cannot die, it can only be cast from its mortal form." Explained Nyarlathotep, trying her best to explain how the afterlife works. But when she asked if Nyarla was a mortal or not, the Outer God merely chuckled to herself. "I do not have a soul, and no, I am not mortal." She said, offering a pleasant smile and giving the young girl one last hug before standing up and returning to her seat behind her desk. "I will see to it that you receive the best training pertaining to your abilities, Frida. When the time comes, you will serve your purpose," began Nyarla, her words calm and businesslike, "and you will serve it well. I know this for sure." She patted Frida's hand before crossing her own hands in her lap. She hoped her words made the young student feel better, but she couldn't be sure.

[Seshephe]

Frida was a little taken aback by the counsellors behaviour, she wasn't used to being embraced by people she didn't know so for a while she just sat there rigid as a stone.
After a while, however, she started to soften up and returned the embrace hesitantly.
"What do you mean Mortal form?" she said after a moments pause.
"Do I have a non Mortal form? Are you mortal?" she asked, a curious expression on her face

"Child, we all have a soul. A soul cannot die, it can only be cast from its mortal form." Explained Nyarlathotep, trying her best to explain how the afterlife works. But when she asked if Nyarla was a mortal or not, the Outer God merely chuckled to herself. "I do not have a soul, and no, I am not mortal." She said, offering a pleasant smile and giving the young girl one last hug before standing up and returning to her seat behind her desk. "I will see to it that you receive the best training pertaining to your abilities, Frida. When the time comes, you will serve your purpose," began Nyarla, her words calm and businesslike, "and you will serve it well. I know this for sure." She patted Frida's hand before crossing her own hands in her lap. She hoped her words made the young student feel better, but she couldn't be sure.

Frida straightened up a little in her chair and looked closer at Nyarla.
"T..t...thanks." she said
"I think." she added
She didn't know much about this Nyarla, except what she had heard second hand and what she had heard second hand she did not really believe. Still, she had to admit, she did feel a little better about her situation. Perhaps it had been the hug, or perhaps it had just been the fact that she had been able to talk to someone about these things. She wanted to be strong in front of Maria and her room-mates so she did not want to tell them how she really felt. Still, there was this one thing she still wanted to talk to someone about... clutching her hands tight she wondered if she would really dare to bring it up. Not quite sure, she decided that she still needed to say something so she sat back with a small sigh and pondered Nyarlas statement for a while.
"So... you don't have a soul... and you are not Mortal... then what are you?" she asked, looking a little pale.

[Nationstatelandsville]

Damien did drink, up, and then tossed the bottle back to the pilot, who went to dispose of it. He followed Lewis, and though for a moment. "How do bears communicate?" he asked. "Or even move from continent-to-continent. It seems a bit inefficient, but I no nothing of these bears. You seem to, though. Your encounters with them were less-than-friendly, I assume? Otherwise we would just walk right in there and they'd help us out immediately."

"Bears have workin' vocal cords and those Broca and Wernicke areas," Lewis said, gesturing towards his skull, "but biologists are too scared of 'em to admit it. They're actually as smart as, if not smarter than, humans. As for your second question, the bears have ways and methods even I don't understand. They're masters of disguise and stealth, somethin' that no humans have ever documented because they're that fuckin' good.

And, no, bears aren't too fond of me. It started when I was a stupid kid, stomped up to a cub, and punched it in its whore-mouth for lookin' dumb. The mother attacked and my brother killed her, but we found out that she was a Councilwoman. For years and years after, the bears tried to kill me. Sometimes, they sent assassins, which I killed easily. Other times, it was all out war, which was a bit harder. It all stopped when I signed I treaty with 'em in 1897, one which forbids a bear from attackin' me and promises six bear soldiers to fight and kill every Christmas. Come to think of it, it's been a few decades since I collected 'em. I wonder where they are."

As the two stepped out of the plane, two of the nearby trees suddenly approached them. The bear guards dropped the branches they had been holding and removed the foliage that had been covering their heads, revealing the bark to actually be expertly painted armor worn over carefully combed fur. They were both brown bears and each stood at roughly eight feet (holy shit, did you know brown bears can get to nine feet tall?) and carried massive spears made of wood and flint. Primitive and crude weapons, but effective and well-suited for camouflage. Their armor was modern and hand-crafted this very purpose, obviously made by an expert of inhuman skills.

"Still usin' the dwarves, Mountainfire?" Lewis asked the guard on the left.

"Yes, sir," the bear said with a nod in clear English, bearing the slightest Midwestern accent, "on loan from Asgard. Dedicated workers, very skilled craftsman. The Council is pleased with their creations."

"They aren't oft'n pleased," Lewis replied, "I'll have to get 'em to make me somethin'."

"Yes, sir," Mountainfire replied, "We are glad you have finally come, Lord Lewis-Legionslayer. You are 46 years and 11 months late to your first Assembly of the High Echelons, but all shall be forgiven and forgotten."

"What," Lewis said in shock.

[Ameriganastan]

"Sure!" Sari-chan exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her seat in excitement.

She cut off a piece of Maria's food and popped it into her mouth. Savoring the flavor, she spent several seconds chewing it before swallowing, squirming as she did so.

"Oh, that's delicious! You're a really great lunchlady, Lazzy-chan!" she called out to Laz before turning back to Maria, "Do you want to try some of my casserole? It's a new recipe that I just tried out today!"

"...Lunch lady?"

Laz's eyebrow gave a noticeable twitch.

"Now see here, I am not a lunch-lady. I am a chef. A cook. A...some other word besides lunch-lady that implies I serve food. I'm just stuck here until I can open my own place. Think I'll call it...Laz's place...yeah, I like the sound of that."

[Nude East Ireland]

Damien looked at Lewis. "What the fuck does that mean? Are you a... What?"

I'm tired, bitch, don't argue.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Minh raised an eyebrow at his friend. "I didn't recall you telling me this in your letters." he spoke for the first time.

I'm equally as tired, bitch.

[Nationstatelandsville]

Damien looked at Lewis. "What the fuck does that mean? Are you a... What?"

I'm tired, bitch, don't argue.

"A High Echelon of the Bear Council," Mountainfire said, "Really, not a hard concept to grasp. Well, perhaps it is, for your small human minds, but for a bear..."

"I can't be a Bear Echelon!" Lewis protested.

"And why not?" Mountainfire's partner asked in a thick Russian accent.

"I'm not a bear!" Lewis spat.

"Yes, well," Mountainfire began to explain, "you are not, but you are. You see, our treaty with you binds you to our laws in exchange for sacrifices and peace. Thus, legally speaking, you are one of us. When Lord Whitetooh died many years ago at the hands of a hunter, the Echelons looked into the greatest warriors in the Northern American territory and simply could not ignore your record. You are far superior to any of our heroes and, though they did not like it, the Echelons could not ignore the tradition, for that is the singular purpose of their existence, no?"

"Maybe I don't want to be one!" Lewis protested.

"Yeah, well, you think anyone does?" Mountainfire said, "Never give the world to the people who want it. How have you pathetic apes not learned that yet?"

"Fine," Lewis grumbled, "does this mean we can skip the entrance trial?"

"You can," Mountainfire's partner responded, before charging at Minh with his spear. Mountainfire did the same for Damien, while Lewis simply stood and watched, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

[Nude East Ireland]

Damien looked at Mountainfire, drawing his sword and charging at the bear. He came within range of the bear, but suddenly stopped, and jumped to the side using his right foot to thrust into the ground and force him in the direction he went. He dove, landing on the ground and rolling onto his feet, and then jumped to the left. When he was behind Mountainfire's back, he turned violently and slashed, before landing. He jumped forward again, slashing multiple times.

[Erinkita]

Ellywick heard some talking and some shouting in the background, but it wasn't important. She struggled to her feet, still dizzy. What was in her head right now might possibly be the most important discovery any carbon-based being had ever made. If only she understood a single lick of it.
She groped in her backpack for her hard drive, her movements clumsy like someone half drunk. It wasn't actually necessary to have her hard drive in her hands to use it, but it made her more comfortable. The thing spun in her hands as she recorded as much as possible, occasionally giving it a nudge with her hammer.
I'm roasting the fruit of knowledge over Promethean fire here, she quipped to herself. Which as a terribly mixed mythological metaphor, especially considering the Norse setting. But who gives a shit?

Ellywick threw a look to her right and saw Ivy milling around, looking awkward at the screaming, crying thunder god. She threw a wicked grin at the green-haired demigod. "I know why you just seem human," she said "When I looked at your genome, there was nothing unusual about it. But you're still part god. And I get it now. Actually, I don't. Not at all. But once I figure out what the hell any of that was, everything's gonna make sense."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

William looked around the bar, and then at the enormous divine man-child assaulting the table with his bare hands. When Thor seemed to pause from wailing like a toddler who had lost his sippy-cup, William spoke up. "Sir, where did you lose Mjölnir? If you could tell us when and where you were with Dwarves last we could maybe go get it for you..." he offered. Perhaps you should refine your skill of holding your tongue, keeping your mouth shut Sheila muttered ...

Thor waved a massive arm in the air generally. "Somewhere in Brazil." he rumbled. "Dwarves are everywhere, pesky bastards. Set up shop in a lot of places, then have a quick and easy portal generator so they can run when they have to. Just look in the Amazon-"

"I know where they are." Crowley cut in. "I dealt with them a few centuries ago, maybe five." Thor didn't question why this supposedly under two hundred year old mage was discussing something that happened maybe five centuries before. He just raised his head happily.

"Yes! The All-Mighty Thor shall have his hammer once more!"

"It won't be free." Crowley warned. "You'll have to join us and you'll have to put your army behind us to-"

"I would lead my armies in a suicidal launch against Azazel himself if you get back that hammer!"

Crowley didn't say that was exactly what was going to happen. He just nodded. "Well alright then. To Brazil we should go. Unless anyone has any questions?" he waited for his group to ask about Asgard, dwarves, True Fae, Azazel, whatever.

Damien looked at Lewis. "What the fuck does that mean? Are you a... What?"

I'm tired, bitch, don't argue.

"A High Echelon of the Bear Council," Mountainfire said, "Really, not a hard concept to grasp. Well, perhaps it is, for your small human minds, but for a bear..."

"I can't be a Bear Echelon!" Lewis protested.

"And why not?" Mountainfire's partner asked in a thick Russian accent.

"I'm not a bear!" Lewis spat.

"Yes, well," Mountainfire began to explain, "you are not, but you are. You see, our treaty with you binds you to our laws in exchange for sacrifices and peace. Thus, legally speaking, you are one of us. When Lord Whitetooh died many years ago at the hands of a hunter, the Echelons looked into the greatest warriors in the Northern American territory and simply could not ignore your record. You are far superior to any of our heroes and, though they did not like it, the Echelons could not ignore the tradition, for that is the singular purpose of their existence, no?"

"Maybe I don't want to be one!" Lewis protested.

"Yeah, well, you think anyone does?" Mountainfire said, "Never give the world to the people who want it. How have you pathetic apes not learned that yet?"

"Fine," Lewis grumbled, "does this mean we can skip the entrance trial?"

"You can," Mountainfire's partner responded, before charging at Minh with his spear. Mountainfire did the same for Damien, while Lewis simply stood and watched, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

Minh dodged quickly, pulling out his own sword and slicing the spear in half. "You're strong, bear." he said quietly. Then he threw one powerful punch at the bear's face. "But are you as strong as me? A theory is nothing unless you have the facts to back it up."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Ciel stared at the rats that were coming out of the darkness. Thousands of them, rather small, but still quite a lot, which made up for their size, kind of. But then these thoughts were thrown out the window when the larger ones moved in. These rats, standing on their hind legs, were taller than her, and she simply looked up at them, more amazed at them tha anything else. They seemed like a quite intelligent and strong race. She was surprised that nobody had yet thought of having them assist the war effort, but then again, maybe nobody knew they were down there?

When the scarred rat spoke, Ciel turned and looked up at it before speaking. "That is great to hear. We will need all the help we can get if we hope to defeat Azazel in Dis. Tell me, are there any other races in these deeper parts of Elfen High? Perhaps we could try to recruit them as well." She said.

A shrug from the scarred rat. "There may be. There probably are. But we don't actively seek things out here...its not right, this place. We were originally not that powerful or intelligent. We were just normal Old Demons who came here after rebelling against Azazel, we started to breed with the local rat and rodent population, who were already quite intelligent." Allow that image to be bleached from your brain. "But we still remember Azazel's name. We have no loyalty for him. This place mutated us into a whole new species. This didn't use to be a school. That's quite new. It was something else...the building came later."

[Constaniana]

Thor waved a massive arm in the air generally. "Somewhere in Brazil." he rumbled. "Dwarves are everywhere, pesky bastards. Set up shop in a lot of places, then have a quick and easy portal generator so they can run when they have to. Just look in the Amazon-"
"I know where they are." Crowley cut in. "I dealt with them a few centuries ago, maybe five." Thor didn't question why this supposedly under two hundred year old mage was discussing something that happened maybe five centuries before. He just raised his head happily."Yes! The All-Mighty Thor shall have his hammer once more!" "It won't be free." Crowley warned. "You'll have to join us and you'll have to put your army behind us to-" "I would lead my armies in a suicidal launch against Azazel himself if you get back that hammer!"

Crowley didn't say that was exactly what was going to happen. He just nodded. "Well alright then. To Brazil we should go. Unless anyone has any questions?" he waited for his group to ask about Asgard, dwarves, True Fae, Azazazel, whatever..

"Why would the Dwarves steal Mjölnir? It couldn't just be because they're little pricks...they must have had some motivation for it..." said William. "Crowley, would the Dwarves have any motivation for working with Azezel or possibly even the True Fae? " he asked. Something seemed off about all this, that when they needed the help of a god as mighty as Thor, his hammer just happened to be stolen. This could easily have been set up by someone wanting to make them waste time, or to try and isolate Crowley for some sinister purpose. William couldn't be sure of anything, but it was a worthwhile train of thought.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Sari-chan was surprised to be suddenly hugged. She was supposed to be the one to spontaneously hug people. Nevertheless, she returned the hug, smiling.

"Hurt me? Did you do something? I don't remember anything. Anyways, what's done is done," she said, smiling, "There's no point living in the past when you have the future to look forward to. So don't feel bad. Just move on and make sure that tomorrow is always better than yesterday. That way you can be happy."

Breaking away from the hug, Sari-chan smiled at James again before giving him a kiss on the cheek. She then leaned down and picked her food up off the floor and took another bite.

"Well, I'm going to go back to the cafeteria to finish eating now. I can make something for you if you'd like to come along."

James smiled and blushed, genuinely happy. "Uh... No thanks. Not good to eat immediately after puking, so I've heard... Thanks, though." He gave Sari-chan another hug and headed off, thinking. He eventually ended up in Richard's office again. "Hey, Richard, sorry to bug you again." He said, knocking. "But I've been thinkin' about what's going to be happenin' soon, and I was wondering..."

He swallowed. "Think Crowley would mind if I ordered some guns for you, me, other staff, and students, and trained everyone to use 'em properly?"

Richard paused. "Guns? Well, that could be useful enough. Expensive. Would likely work on the weaker demons- you know, the bulk of Azazel's army- though you can forget about the standard guns for fighting shit like fallen angels or the tougher demons. Unless, you know, you have super magic guns. Now, we can have you buy those guns- probably with your own money, we'll chip in when you're seriously low- and I'll have Crowley get some Swiss Guard or some other mercs to help as well. We're rich ourselves. But they'll help train the kids. We need to focus on the magic just as much as the technology, since a Magnum won't do shit to Azazel other than make him blink."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Thor waved a massive arm in the air generally. "Somewhere in Brazil." he rumbled. "Dwarves are everywhere, pesky bastards. Set up shop in a lot of places, then have a quick and easy portal generator so they can run when they have to. Just look in the Amazon-"
"I know where they are." Crowley cut in. "I dealt with them a few centuries ago, maybe five." Thor didn't question why this supposedly under two hundred year old mage was discussing something that happened maybe five centuries before. He just raised his head happily."Yes! The All-Mighty Thor shall have his hammer once more!" "It won't be free." Crowley warned. "You'll have to join us and you'll have to put your army behind us to-" "I would lead my armies in a suicidal launch against Azazel himself if you get back that hammer!"

Crowley didn't say that was exactly what was going to happen. He just nodded. "Well alright then. To Brazil we should go. Unless anyone has any questions?" he waited for his group to ask about Asgard, dwarves, True Fae, Azazazel, whatever..

"Why would the Dwarves steal Mjölnir? It couldn't just be because they're little pricks...they must have had some motivation for it..." said William. "Crowley, would the Dwarves have any motivation for working with Azezel or possibly even the True Fae? " ge asked. Something seemed off about all this, that when they needed the help of a god as mighty as Thor, his hammer just happened to be stolen. This could easily have been set up by someone wanting to make them waste time, or to try and isolate Crowley for some sinister purpose. William couldn't be sure of anything, but it was a worthwhile train of thought.

"Possible, but I doubt it. The dwarves hate the Fae. They'll work with Azazel, perhaps, if he paid them enough. Dwarves love gold beyond virtually anything in the world. Ayn Rand would love them. So perhaps they would work with Azazel. But I'm not sure the dwarves would be stupid enough to hand Mjölnir to Azazel- he would probably end up using it on them to cut loose ends, and that's bad for business. So I suppose we'll end up seeing what it is."

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James smiled and blushed, genuinely happy. "Uh... No thanks. Not good to eat immediately after puking, so I've heard... Thanks, though." He gave Sari-chan another hug and headed off, thinking. He eventually ended up in Richard's office again. "Hey, Richard, sorry to bug you again." He said, knocking. "But I've been thinkin' about what's going to be happenin' soon, and I was wondering..."

He swallowed. "Think Crowley would mind if I ordered some guns for you, me, other staff, and students, and trained everyone to use 'em properly?"

Richard paused. "Guns? Well, that could be useful enough. Expensive. Would likely work on the weaker demons- you know, the bulk of Azazel's army- though you can forget about the standard guns for fighting shit like fallen angels or the tougher demons. Unless, you know, you have super magic guns. Now, we can have you buy those guns- probably with your own money, we'll chip in when you're seriously low- and I'll have Crowley get some Swiss Guard or some other mercs to help as well. We're rich ourselves. But they'll help train the kids. We need to focus on the magic just as much as the technology, since a Magnum won't do shit to Azazel other than make him blink."

James smirked. That habit still hadn't disappeared. "I would like to agree with you, Richard, honest." He said. "But you're wrong. The right calibre, or some other special properties involving penetration and overall damage, will decimate fallen angels and tougher demons. I'll give you Azazel and True Fae, though, but I've heard that True Fae aren't keen on getting set on fire..."

He cleared his throat and nodded. "I've got quite a few people who owe me favours and can get us what we need on the cheap. I'll start putting out a call for anyone who wants firearms and go from there, including you if you want." He absentmindedly rubbed where Crowley had burnt him.