Personification Life - IC Part VIII [open]

[Erucia]

"Maybe? You know you can't possibly be the only soul in heaven. Maybe this is a time for introspection instead of conversation? Maybe what you most need is the very thing you've been given - solitude. Not eternal solitude, mind you. Instead, this might be the opportunity for you to think beyond where you are as a person?"

A wry smile crossed her lips. "And maybe this is Hell? To have everything you want and need except for the one thing you most want? As for personifications? Don't ask me. It's my understanding that they fade away unless they're killed outright. Otherwise, they're somewhat immortal."

She looked to the horizon and sighed. "Ray, perhaps what you should ask yourself is What have I done with my life since I arrived in Bielefeld? Had you lived it to the fullest? Had you done all the things you wanted to do? Did you see all that you wanted to see? Or, and let's be honest, did you put all your dreams aside for the sake of love? Because that's not living. That's just treading water in a warm spot in the lake. Maybe this is your opportunity to remind yourself of those goals? This is your wake-up call. You might just have a second chance, but will you do as so many others do? Will you squander it, or continue to put aside what used to matter, or forget how cruel death is once life is gone? Or, will you rekindle those dreams and incorporate Albert into them? Will you seize life by the horns, living it to the fullest as you walk side by side together?

"You're much too young to spend your life treading water. You're also much too strong to allow grief to convince you that you can't go on without Albert."

Ray sat for a few moments, doing exactly as Swith said. He thought of everything he'd done so far in his life, and everything he'd done in Bielefeld. He remembered everything he had at his disposal: thousands upon thousands of dollars, a fine business, a paramilitary government organization that he claimed membership, and several other things. But...he realized that he didn't really have a dream. It was once his dream to be a police officer, but he lost it long ago. Then it was his dream to find love, and he found it. And so, he realized that he'd been running without a dream: his goals had been achieved, and so he'd basically become stagnant and sat around.

But what was he to do, now that he needed a dream? He had everything he needed at his disposal. What would he do? What goal could he possibly take? From the sounds of it, he was very obviously going back to life soon. Or at least, in the foreseeable future. He needed to do something once he got back. Perhaps he could try and....Oh hell, he didn't even know where to go. All he knew was that this woman was right, and that he needed to find a goal.

"...You're right, ma'am. But my problem is that I don't know where to start once I go back," Ray sighed. "I have everything I need at my disposal once I go back: I'm rich, I'm connected, and I'm armed. But I have no goal! My dreams were reached when I was younger, and I realize now that I've been living without a set goal. Simply, as you've said, squandering my life away. Simply staying cooped away with Albert for all of my time.

"Perhaps....Perhaps I need to look back to my past for inspiration? Maybe I'll try and do something with my money. Something that I'll be proud of. Something like...perhaps a policing organization! Or a fund for such organizations," he began to scratch at his head trying to sprout off ideas. Soon, it was followed by stereotypical concepts of charity and help, and then a sigh.

"...I...I d-don't know. But perhaps this place...Whether it be Heaven or Hell, it can help me. Maybe I can use whatever powers I have here to determine what I want to do with my life, once I get it back. You're right: I can't squander my second chance at life, and I can't just sit around watching it all go by. And perhaps my first move will be to see what the house in front of me has to offer. Something to drink, and then: bam! My entire imagination, working to discover what I want to do."

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Albert listened, wondering why the raptor was rhyming so much. It kind of seemed unnecessary to do so, in his mind. But it wasn't really important right now, if the insane rabbit chose to speak in rhymes or not.. What mattered right now was getting Ray back as soon as he could. Albert's mind briefly thought of simply forcing the raptor to recreate Ray with force, but he guessed that would be stupid. Why would the raptor help in any way after getting beaten over the head with lab equipment, after all? No, it would be better to focus on getting Ray back and being polite to these raptors. Or at least as much as he could.

Albert was feeling so empty without RAy being there. Well, he technically was, but a pile of meat and fur didn't really count as his boyfriend. Albert felt hollow without Ray in his life, and was contemplating something that was very common in Greco-Roman myths when lovers were separated. But he knew he wouldn't go to the same place that Ray had gone. And he wouldn't go to that as long as there was a chance of Ray coming back to him someday. So he sighed heavily, and thought.

".....I would give anything to get Ray back. He's not only my lover, but he's my best friend. I have never felt like this for anyone before. I love him dearly, and would give anything to be able to be with him again. Just name what you want. I could even get you anything from my nation that you might want." Albert said, looking over at Neil, his face full of sorrow and pain at his boyfriend dying so painfully and suddenly. He rarely showed any of his emotions, so allowing these to show though said a lot about how much he felt for his Vulpes.

"I.... um.... have one more thing to ask for you do do besides just bring him back. You see, Ray wanted to look like an anthropomorphic grey fox, and just bringing him back would restore his normal appearance. He would not really like that very much. So, can I ask for you to also find a way for him to be able to look as he did when he died? Like mix his DNA with that of a foxes or something like that? I would be willing to give up more for Ray to get that back. For him to be happy with who he is. Even more if you could make it so he naturally looks like that or something."

Jacob blinked at his brother requesting that, considering that not to long ago, Albert hadn't given a crap about the happiness of others. Not to the extent that Octavian didn't care, but still, this was quite a radical change from how he had been even a month or two ago. It really spoke to how much he loved Ray to be willing to not only give up anything to get him back, but also to give up even more so Ray could look how he wanted to. Jacob just wondered what the raptor response would be to it all.

As the allusion to pop culture was missed by the writer, things proceeded. The crafty predator of the "Jurassic" enjoyed the theatrics as he gave some thought to the price.

"Of course, he will be a grey fox as he wanted. The Genetics shouldn't be a challenge, easier now we are making one of him from scratch." Neil said as he typed some commands into a console. Gretta primed the equipment, synchronizing it with the console and scanning Ray's genome with laser equipment. Neil took out a pocket calculator out and ran some numbers.

"The price for his life will be control of your future or a year from your past." Neil said pointing to the figure displayed, which was +-365.

"Come on now, with your lifespan that is nothing. Won't you shake a trustworthy Raptor's claw?" Neil persuaded as he held out his claw with an open palm encouraging.

[Swith Witherward]

Ray sat for a few moments, doing exactly as Swith said. He thought of everything he'd done so far in his life, and everything he'd done in Bielefeld. He remembered everything he had at his disposal: thousands upon thousands of dollars, a fine business, a paramilitary government organization that he claimed membership, and several other things. But...he realized that he didn't really have a dream. It was once his dream to be a police officer, but he lost it long ago. Then it was his dream to find love, and he found it. And so, he realized that he'd been running without a dream: his goals had been achieved, and so he'd basically become stagnant and sat around.

But what was he to do, now that he needed a dream? He had everything he needed at his disposal. What would he do? What goal could he possibly take? From the sounds of it, he was very obviously going back to life soon. Or at least, in the foreseeable future. He needed to do something once he got back. Perhaps he could try and....Oh hell, he didn't even know where to go. All he knew was that this woman was right, and that he needed to find a goal.

"...You're right, ma'am. But my problem is that I don't know where to start once I go back," Ray sighed. "I have everything I need at my disposal once I go back: I'm rich, I'm connected, and I'm armed. But I have no goal! My dreams were reached when I was younger, and I realize now that I've been living without a set goal. Simply, as you've said, squandering my life away. Simply staying cooped away with Albert for all of my time.

"Perhaps....Perhaps I need to look back to my past for inspiration? Maybe I'll try and do something with my money. Something that I'll be proud of. Something like...perhaps a policing organization! Or a fund for such organizations," he began to scratch at his head trying to sprout off ideas. Soon, it was followed by stereotypical concepts of charity and help, and then a sigh.

"...I...I d-don't know. But perhaps this place...Whether it be Heaven or Hell, it can help me. Maybe I can use whatever powers I have here to determine what I want to do with my life, once I get it back. You're right: I can't squander my second chance at life, and I can't just sit around watching it all go by. And perhaps my first move will be to see what the house in front of me has to offer. Something to drink, and then: bam! My entire imagination, working to discover what I want to do."

She leaned forward and for a moment he was wrapped in the scents of her perfume. She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead.

"You'll do very well, Ray, no matter what you decide to do. I certainly believe in you. I believe in Albert, too."

She pulled away and smiled at him. "When you get back... because I believe in that, too... stop by my place. I want to talk to you about Blackeagle and Blackeagle. Lovely boys, the both of them."

She began to walk down the road, but paused a few feet away and turned back. "And it's not ma'am. I'm Charumati, but you might know of me as Swith. We haven't had a chance to really talk, but I recall you arriving on Gliese just in time for the Ball."

Her smile intensified, a sincere gesture that wiped the worry lines from her face. "Goodbye Ray. I hope to see you soon." She was gone the moment he blinked.

[Giovenith]

'Born again in the Spring, the world is a child;
Rise up tall in the Summer, the world is in it's prime;
Wither in the Autumn, the world is a wise one of golden years;
Die in the Winter, the world is paving way for the next generation;
Story of Eternity, Vision of Terrible Beauty;
Endless chapters, Endless dreams;
The Flow giveth me strength.'

So it was normally translated. The season of the golden years was most definitely upon the world, plants everywhere and about changing their hue to the appropriate shades in honor of it. Just because swimming and lots of outside playtime were over though, didn't mean Giovenith couldn't still have fun. Every season did it's best to make sure little children like her had sweet things to do during it's turn for the year! While sand castles and intense sunshine were gone, delicious harvest and leaf pile jumping were just waiting for things to get rolling! The godling couldn't wait!

Not to mention, trick or treating! Ah, yes, she remembered mama's Head Prophet's words every year... 'Halloween isn't like it used to be, y'know! The Man went and ruined it just like he ruined rock n roll and the rain forest! Bunch of G-rated sanctioned nonsense! Back in my day, trick or treat was literal! I remember this old man who wouldn't give us candy; Get off my property, he said! Do something useful like go to military school, he said! So what'd I do? I got as much garbage as I could get my hands on and made a statue on his roof! I didn't get caught, because every other kid in town was doing the exact same thing at the same time, what the hell were the popo's gonna do about it? THAT is what Halloween is f*cking about!'

She was almost going to miss it, for at least the nostalgia value. It had almost been a tradition, gathering round to hear the Jen's rants about how The Man wrecked everything that was once original and pure and awesome with his evil, soul-crushing, anti-kid ways. But Giovenith was sure that Bielefeld would hold many more new fabulous Halloween traditions to come! Everywhere and everything held a certain charm to it about its holiday spirit, and it was her self-solemn duty to seek out that charm where ever it (or she!) may be.

But it wasn't going to be all frolicking and games, oh no. At some point in time, the Lady of Eternity had decided that with the conclusion of the war and her daughter's new settlement, Giovenith had probably be set back onto her studying... or at least, the barely-reigned random research fests that passed as studies for her. Giovenith, personally, thought she had had a fine education thus far, and would find no trouble slipping back into the old habit of it. Mama had already sent her a note saying she wished for her daughter to read The Odyssey, which was why she was off to purchase a copy right now.

Laced sneakers smacked brick as the godling carefully jumped and danced along any edge she came across in her search for the book, ever whimsical-minded in both thoughts and actions. Every child of Pearlelei, as she could recall, had been educated a little bit differently, mostly due to era differences and personal wish. Giovenith-Aeritha had been taught entirely by oral lecture and imitation (as there hadn't been much other way back in the Middle Ages) by and of mama, where Hadenyx-Haletrynx had gotten something similar, only with more of those suddenly more-abundant books. As far as Giovenith(-Serina) knew, Hadenyx-Antonai had thus far been the only child who had gone to an actual school, at his own insistence. From what he had told her, school did seem really fun n some ways, but for now, Giovenith was satisfied with her current methods... sitting in a wooden chair all day sounded highly uncomfortable, anyway. The Odyssey was a good but long one she had heard, it would be far more preferable to read it whilst in a most cozy bed of plush and pillow.

[The BranRiech]

"Bielefeld is a nice city, one of the better cities I've seen on the surface." Drova said, doing the same, keeping an eye on the fight. "My money's on Octavian, he must be trained to fight better than the whelp, royals are of a better breed." He shrugged, going back to the topic he was asked about. "But less about that, you live here? What do you do?"

[Erucia]

She leaned forward and for a moment he was wrapped in the scents of her perfume. She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead.

"You'll do very well, Ray, no matter what you decide to do. I certainly believe in you. I believe in Albert, too."

She pulled away and smiled at him. "When you get back... because I believe in that, too... stop by my place. I want to talk to you about Blackeagle and Blackeagle. Lovely boys, the both of them."

She began to walk down the road, but paused a few feet away and turned back. "And it's not ma'am. I'm Charumati, but you might know of me as Swith. We haven't had a chance to really talk, but I recall you arriving on Gliese just in time for the Ball."

Her smile intensified, a sincere gesture that wiped the worry lines from her face. "Goodbye Ray. I hope to see you soon." She was gone the moment he blinked.

Ray stood still as Swith finished her final sentences, and it was shown that they were having an effect. He appeared relieved, and a smile was even beginning to form upon his face. A singular stream of salty liquid ran down the side of his cheek, and he snorted to try and keep himself from crying. It felt good to be so helped in such an odd land, and so he tried to keep his emotions from running too much havoc.

Although the mention of the name "Swith" suddenly did jog his memory. He remembered her from the dining room fight, and from the few times he'd seen her. Always had known her name from mentions, but had never spoken to the woman before. Ray wanted to thank her and to even ask where she actually made her residence in the building, although the decision to blink just before stopped him before he could even start his sentence. He sighed, and kept his smile as he looked over towards the house. Finally, he began to slowly walk forwards.

Pieces of gravel and bits from the pavement that had come loose crunched beneath his feet as he went forwards. He took in the sight of the house, and felt a strange euphoric feeling overtake him as he came closer. A light feeling right in the center of his chest, was the best way he could think of it. Once up to the door, he opened it and stepped inside: a warming living room, with a white fuzzy carpet and cream walls presenting themselves. A fireplace burned underneath a modest television mounted to the wall, kept underneath a brick barrier. Ray's computer sat in the living room as well, on a rich wooden desk.

But what gave him some surprise were the picture frames along the wall, each one of them golden and silver rimmed. But they were all empty: nothing side of them, behind the glass barrier. It was obvious that they were everywhere in the house as well. Looking beyond into the dining room and kitchen, it seemed that they were there too. Even along the stairs going up to the bedroom and guest's room.

So, Ray decided to set down his bags. After all, he wanted them grounded, and he couldn't quite enjoy all of this when he was weighed down by his baggage. But when he placed them down, each one of the picture frames suddenly filled up. Looking around, Ray saw that they were all moments from his life: ones that pictures were never even taken from, even. He walked around slowly to each one of them in the living room, and discovered he could even get them to play snippets from his life if he touched them. Each one of them was a positive moment, something to cherish. He watched as he spotted his first (and unmemorable) birthday, chuckling at the scene. Then he went on: time with his dead grandparents, graduation from high school, then the police academy: even moments as small as his mother hugging him and telling him that she loved him were featured.

And for a few moments, Ray found himself again dealing with a few tears. But he shrugged them away and smiled at the images, and then walked through the kitchen. Finding himself at a sliding door to his back yard, he opened it and revealed the mix between countryside and forest.

And a blink later, a police car rushed past him as he stood on the sidewalk, looking on at the hoards of people milling about downtown Wolf City. Another blink later, and he found a rushing river, yet tranquil in its presentation. And another blink later, he ducked away from the horsemen rushing past him: they were running down the hill, swords drawn against the enemy doing the same.

So, for the next moments, Ray would simply create and recreate scenes from whatever popped to head in an effort to find something. Or perhaps, simply to play around with his imagination.

[Tsuyoi Tekikoku]

"maybe in a few weeks...i dont know...it's up to you..i can wait for a little longer,i dont care i just want to make sure your happy..that's the only true thing i care about,your happiness" Tsu nervously shook,she began to think of herself as a idiot for talking about this.

"You're really looking forward to it, aren't you, Tsu?", Torii asked. "How excited are you?"

Tsu had brought up a subject that actually made Torii feel a little uncomfortable nowadays, but she thought that Tsu was probably excited for it all. She wanted to know.

.....

Katya shrugged upon hearing Dora's question.

"I have a laptop. Why?"

"yes i am...im very excited,cause it's the next step and final in our relateship,it shows it's getting stronger~!" Anwsered."but if you dont want to i can keep waiting,cause ill do anything for you hun~!". Tsu was very excited,she had a gleaming smile.

[Swith Witherward]

"Bielefeld is a nice city, one of the better cities I've seen on the surface." Drova said, doing the same, keeping an eye on the fight. "My money's on Octavian, he must be trained to fight better than the whelp, royals are of a better breed." He shrugged, going back to the topic he was asked about. "But less about that, you live here? What do you do?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Bigotry exists in your species as well, eh? I guess it's a universal plight. Granted, the privileged classes can afford better training in backwater societies, but the common man fights for a better cause. Let's have a little contest."

[Torsiedelle]

"Wow...Tsu, I understand.", Torii replied with a sincere smile. "It's a big step! One that we need to be certain of, but one that will bring us a lot of happiness. So, you're looking forward to it?"

Torii was already thinking it over. Tsu had been the first person she met at the apartment, and her closest friend both by relation and time. She knew that Tsu was also faithful. It wasn't like she would ever leave it anything. Even if she did, Torii couldn't properly imagine herself with anyone else.

"Well....I like the idea. Yea...but...maybe we should ask someone else what they think? I'm for it, I guess, but...still, you know...the others may think differently."

...

Content to let Drove and Will speak, Dimitrus had continued watching the scene in the halls. She decided that it was best not to get involved.

....

"Well, I don't think I can drink anymore...", The Dunmer said. "Had me fill. Now, time for bed...or music? Music would be merry at the moment. Perhaps there's a fun l'il adventure out there! This really is a strange place, eh? ....anyone?"

[The BranRiech]

"Alright, so what is said challenge?" Drova asked. Who was this? How could they even expect to challenge him? Sure, his bones might have been hollowed out for flight, but he was Royal, and a Pyersai. after visiting home for a few days, he sort of regressed to his old mindset, of him being superior. He didn't want to, but he did, somehow.

He still couldn't stop looking at Dimitrus as well.

[Torsiedelle]

What Dora would notice was that the door wasn't locked. Actuakly, it was open, and Torii & Tsu were talking. Katya noticed her sister's bruise, but decided to stay quiet for the time being, and slide through the open space between them. She waved for Dora to follow.

"I don't suppose I have anything planned. That little raptor ordeal was unscheduled, though interesting. What would you want to do?"

...

"Alright, so what is said challenge?" Drova asked. Who was this? How could they even expect to challenge him? Sure, his bones might have been hollowed out for flight, but he was Royal, and a Pyersai. after visiting home for a few days, he sort of regressed to his old mindset, of him being superior. He didn't want to, but he did, somehow.

He still couldn't stop looking at Dimitrus as well.

Dimitrus probably notice the boy to some degree. She would be flattered to know that he, even if he wasn't particularly human, found her pretty. It wasn't every day she heard that, especially with her job.

[Swith Witherward]

"Alright, so what is said challenge?" Drova asked. Who was this? How could they even expect to challenge him? Sure, his bones might have been hollowed out for flight, but he was Royal, and a Pyersai. after visiting home for a few days, he sort of regressed to his old mindset, of him being superior. He didn't want to, but he did, somehow.

He still couldn't stop looking at Dimitrus as well.

"Simple, mate. You fight using your royal moves, and I'll fight using my common... er commoner? Yes, that's it... I'll fight like a commoner. If you win, you get to humiliate me any way you choose. If I win?" Will paused and sucked his teeth. He really didn't need anything. Maybe a souvenir? Sure. Klaus collected his foe's buttons. Minerva kept locks of hair. He had no idea what Hans kept, but it was probably disgusting. "If I win, I get to pick something off your royal personage to keep as a trophy. And, I won't use magic on you."

--

Speaking of Hans.

Chrys nodded again in thanks, tying her hair up. "Not quite sure yet," she said, as her handler's brain wasn't up to thinking of pranks quite yet. "We could come up with something, though, I'm sure. Something with his darts...he's quite possessive of them. It's rather scary to see. Normally he's very quiet, and then when he figures out they're missing, he becomes a ravening beast of DOOM."

Somewhere nearby, a bass drumbeat rang out.

"Was that a coincidence?" Chrys wondered, giving Hans a curious glance.

"Poetic license?" Hans scratched behind his ear. His mind was dwelling on all the ways darts could be altered. Most of them revolved around the usual insanity. Rubber darts. Darts that vanished the moment they were thrown. Darts that rebounded on the thrower and stuck him in the ass. Darts that made rude sounds as air passing along their flights. Darts that exploded upon impact. Darts that couldn't be let go of once they were plucked from the cork.

"Let's kidnap them, leave a ransom note and send him on a wild goose chase."

[The BranRiech]

Always the one to accept a challenge, and being one to try to uphold his honor, Drova nodded. "I accept, but no magic, like you said." He crossed his arms. After doing that gesture though, he quickly removed his coat and tossed it away. While Drova was a royal, he was in no way a soldier, even though he'd soon have to go through Pyersai Military training. It was focused though on ambush tactics, or the use of heavy armor, even though their species had barely invented the Combustion engine.

Well. He thought as he dwelled on his physiology, and his species' history.

"I'm screwed." He mumbled under his breath, too quiet to pick up.

[Swith Witherward]

Always the one to accept a challenge, and being one to try to uphold his honor, Drova nodded. "I accept, but no magic, like you said." He crossed his arms. After doing that gesture though, he quickly removed his coat and tossed it away. While Drova was a royal, he was in no way a soldier, even though he'd soon have to go through Pyersai Military training. It was focused though on ambush tactics, or the use of heavy armor, even though their species had barely invented the Combustion engine.

Well. He thought as he dwelled on his physiology, and his species' history.

"I'm screwed." He mumbled under his breath, too quiet to pick up.

Will nodded. He removed his officer's cap and tucked it under his arm and then cleared his throat.

"You noble diggers all stand up now, stand up now... You noble diggers all stand up now." It almost sounded like the prelude to a song. Actually, it was. Pete poked his head out of the potted plant and provided harmony, and then Thomas, who was watching the fight from under a door mat, chimed in. It was a popular English commoner's tune, historically based, but also very catchy. Soon there were several more of Minerva's lads joining in and then a few more until the hall became absolutely lively with their voices.

Will gestured to the singers once they'd finished. He chuckled, "You should hear us at Christmastime. We love to carol."

He tossed his cap to Dimitrus and rolled up his sleeves. "Right, the contest. The Prince fights the royal way. I'll fight like a commoner."

As a one, every last lad threw their caps at Dimitrus and rolled up their sleeves. Drova was surrounded by them. They didn't attack. They stood placidly with their hands at their sides and simply stared at the royalty in their midst. Not a head bowed.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

“Well its heavily influenced by our founders hyper libertarian ideals. The government is among the smallest in the world as it only concerns itself with protecting its citizens and strengthening the Empire as a whole. Because of this combined with insanely low taxes, incredibly high exports, and slave labor almost all Luxans are rich beyond measure and our middle class is wealthier than the upper class in former America was. With all this surplus money, luxuries are abundant, which has led to an incredibly hedonistic lifestyle. However because of heavy free market ideals it’s just as easy to gain money as it is to lose which keep people hard working and job oriented. Religion is an incredibly important factor as it is part of our science. People are encouraged to be incredibly personalized both in appearance and goals, genetic modification helps with the former but the constant wars between companies keep them all weak allowing people to freely start up their dream jobs.” She said as her skin been to explode in spots of grey

"Sounds lovely. What's the weather like?" Arthur asked as he signaled for the check.

He insisted on paying, although his practice was a failure, he was quite wealthy. Money never seemed to a problem for raptors outside the borders of the Empire. Even thou he paid the same high tax rates, it was much easier to scam or steal resources from other nations. In fact, this was encouraged of government agents.

[Tiltjuice]

Up in the air, a trio of seeds drifted along, carried by the wind. As they dipped and weaved below the edge of the roof, the breeze was blocked, and the seeds dropped into a pile of soil that someone had left there.

[The BranRiech]

Oh . . .

He figured, figured that it wouldn't be a one-on-one fight. Now, Drova was surrounded by the commoners. This was a fight he couldn't win, unfortunately, and he immediately got down on his knees, admitting defeat before even a punch was thrown, or a wound given. He looked up at Will defiantly and sighed, looking down to the ground once more.

He reached for his coat and slipped it back on, adjusting his glasses.

"You win." He mumbled.

[Torsiedelle]

Dimitrus, watching the men surround Drova, singing, and tossing their hats, actually laughed. The scene was quite amusing to her, though she did feel a bit sad for Drova. The whole thing seemed a little unfair, though she wouldn't get involved in the whole thing.

[Urran]

Octavian did manage to land a few blows on Yoshi, forcing him to scream, not yell, scream. But he did manage to roll out of the way and take a low fighting stance. His right hand moved like a viper tracking his target, he just needed Octavian to get a little closer.

[New Aksarben]

As the allusion to pop culture was missed by the writer, things proceeded. The crafty predator of the "Jurassic" enjoyed the theatrics as he gave some thought to the price.

"Of course, he will be a grey fox as he wanted. The Genetics shouldn't be a challenge, easier now we are making one of him from scratch." Neil said as he typed some commands into a console. Gretta primed the equipment, synchronizing it with the console and scanning Ray's genome with laser equipment. Neil took out a pocket calculator out and ran some numbers.

"The price for his life will be control of your future or a year from your past." Neil said pointing to the figure displayed, which was +-365.

"Come on now, with your lifespan that is nothing. Won't you shake a trustworthy Raptor's claw?" Neil persuaded as he held out his claw with an open palm encouraging.

Albert thought for a bit. The first offer seemed a bit much to him. Control of his future for an undetermined amount of time? As a personification, he really could not do that. It would mean the raptors would be in charge of half his nation, mainly the ruling and upper classes. Which could mean they could really do anything with his nation. Knowing them, it would probably not be a very good thing for both his nation or him in the long run to give them that.

But the second offer was still not very good. A year from his past? What did that even mean? Did it mean they would simply take it, and use it for something or another, or would it mean they could make him do anything they wanted that year. And what year would it be that they would take? He hoped one of the more unimportant ones. But he wasn't in much of a position to negotiate, and he did not want to offend the raptors. Doing that might make it so Ray never came back to life because they might refuse to do so if Albert tried haggling.

So Albert sighed heavily, and said, "A year from my past seems the best option. So you can have that. But may I ask what you will be using that for?" He extended his arm and very carefully shook Neil's offered claw. He knew he could trust them to keep their word about bringing Ray back. They had, after all, managed to separate him and Jacob a while ago. Which had balanced his nation again, after thousands of years of being unstable. So Albert trusted them quite a bit.

"Anyway, how long will it take to bring Ray back? And will you be able to get his soul back from...... um.... wherever he went? I want my own Ray back, and not simply a copy. That would not be the same..."

---

Octavian did manage to land a few blows on Yoshi, forcing him to scream, not yell, scream. But he did manage to roll out of the way and take a low fighting stance. His right hand moved like a viper tracking his target, he just needed Octavian to get a little closer.

Octavian narrowed his eyes, observing Yoshi's stance. It seemed as if the scrawny man wanted to have Octavian get closer, or something to that effect. While Octavian thought that might be a bad idea due to the fact Yoshi seemed much more agile than he was, and sometimes being the more mobile fighter was more important than being the strongest. So Octavian slowed himself down, and fell into a stance that was somewhat similar to a boxer's stance.

The prince would have preferred to have some kind of weapon, even if it was a knife or something similar. He knew basic hand to hand fighting, but it was definitely not his specialty. He did better when he fought with weapons, or in conjunction with a squad of soldiers. But he was alone right now and apparently against someone who knew specialized hand to hand fighting. But he still wasn't very worried. After all, Yoshi was much more scrawny than he was.

So Octavian gestured for Yoshi to come and attack him. By flipping him off. "Mongrel, you still haven't won. So why are you retreating and acting like the cornered dog you are? Come fight me, Nothus." If insulting him more, Octavian hoped to provoke Yoshi into attacking him again. Hopefully in a way that would leave him open to counter attacks.

[Urran]

Yoshi simply used his hand to track Octavian's face, like a cobra would. He was too level headed in a fight to give into insults. As soon as the brute got close enough he would hit him in the eyes, joints, or groin. He knew that being quite and not giving in would probably be enough to provoke Octavian into attacking. Yoshi was scrawny and smaller than Octavian, but he wasn't stupid. A pool of thick, blue-purple liquid was forming around him, that leg was out of commission. He wouldn't be able to use his most powerful physical assets in this fight. He wasn't scared of Octavian. He was Swith's son, she had told him so. So that meant that he was great, he must be to be considered the son of a goddess. He wasn't scared of death either. But he was scared, scared of failing tora, scared of dying again. He might not be allowed to come back this time. He could feel himself weakening from blood loss but he wasn't letting octavian win. No, he would put up a fight to his last breath.

[Primordial Luxa]

“Well its heavily influenced by our founders hyper libertarian ideals. The government is among the smallest in the world as it only concerns itself with protecting its citizens and strengthening the Empire as a whole. Because of this combined with insanely low taxes, incredibly high exports, and slave labor almost all Luxans are rich beyond measure and our middle class is wealthier than the upper class in former America was. With all this surplus money, luxuries are abundant, which has led to an incredibly hedonistic lifestyle. However because of heavy free market ideals it’s just as easy to gain money as it is to lose which keep people hard working and job oriented. Religion is an incredibly important factor as it is part of our science. People are encouraged to be incredibly personalized both in appearance and goals, genetic modification helps with the former but the constant wars between companies keep them all weak allowing people to freely start up their dream jobs.” She said as her skin been to explode in spots of grey

"Sounds lovely. What's the weather like?" Arthur asked as he signaled for the check.

He insisted on paying, although his practice was a failure, he was quite wealthy. Money never seemed to a problem for raptors outside the borders of the Empire. Even thou he paid the same high tax rates, it was much easier to scam or steal resources from other nations. In fact, this was encouraged of government agents.

She didn't mind him picking up the check, her pride being something that she cared little about. "Depends on where you go" she replied as they began to leave "Regalia, Pendragon, and New England are quite sunny,but then theirs places like Reala and Heden that are chemical wastelands filled with rad storms. Seeth is constantly rainy, Aternal is a frozen mountainscape, Talos is entirely industrialized and Natlus is a desert."

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Albert thought for a bit. The first offer seemed a bit much to him. Control of his future for an undetermined amount of time? As a personification, he really could not do that. It would mean the raptors would be in charge of half his nation, mainly the ruling and upper classes. Which could mean they could really do anything with his nation. Knowing them, it would probably not be a very good thing for both his nation or him in the long run to give them that.

But the second offer was still not very good. A year from his past? What did that even mean? Did it mean they would simply take it, and use it for something or another, or would it mean they could make him do anything they wanted that year. And what year would it be that they would take? He hoped one of the more unimportant ones. But he wasn't in much of a position to negotiate, and he did not want to offend the raptors. Doing that might make it so Ray never came back to life because they might refuse to do so if Albert tried haggling.

So Albert sighed heavily, and said, "A year from my past seems the best option. So you can have that. But may I ask what you will be using that for?" He extended his arm and very carefully shook Neil's offered claw. He knew he could trust them to keep their word about bringing Ray back. They had, after all, managed to separate him and Jacob a while ago. Which had balanced his nation again, after thousands of years of being unstable. So Albert trusted them quite a bit.

"Anyway, how long will it take to bring Ray back? And will you be able to get his soul back from...... um.... wherever he went? I want my own Ray back, and not simply a copy. That would not be the same..."

"Yesssss..." Neil simply said with satisfaction in his voice, answering all questions at once. The music on the intercom changed.

"Are you ready?" Neil asked as he typed out a command on the console.

A metal vat sparked to life as inside the transparent green sludge within stirred. Small wires converged on a point as stem cells received their genetic code. A small bit of organic mass that began to grow in the enzyme cocktail. The metal vat's many attached components began to spark as time was compressed, cutting out the length of time that would have been wasted idly waiting. A full grown NuRay floated in the tank awaiting consciousness with 20% Grey Fox genes added for phenotype modifications to match his previous appearance, not to mention now a full sized tail.

"Is he ready?" Gretta asked as she jammed metal probes into the dead pile of flesh on the counter.

"He better be." Neil answered as he typed the final commands. Energy flowed through the probes, powered by forsaken children (the most effective soul search engines known to Raptors). Beyond the other side they would pull Ray into his new body.

---

Suddenly without warning a few meters behind Ray, no matter the scenario he was imagining, the ground shook as an elevator forced itself up through the ground. The very nature of the unreal lift repelled the very spiritual plane around it. In ornate letters on the doors were "VE", they opened up to the Art Deco interior as a strange green mist poured out. Like snaking tendrils creeping across the ground, the mist reached out to pull him in. Music played softly from the elevator, beckoning Ray to enter it's greenish glow.

[Swith Witherward]

Oh . . .

He figured, figured that it wouldn't be a one-on-one fight. Now, Drova was surrounded by the commoners. This was a fight he couldn't win, unfortunately, and he immediately got down on his knees, admitting defeat before even a punch was thrown, or a wound given. He looked up at Will defiantly and sighed, looking down to the ground once more.

He reached for his coat and slipped it back on, adjusting his glasses.

"You win." He mumbled.

"The commoners win," Will replied without any animosity. "Drova, I'll let you in on a secret. Royal blood? It's the same as commoner blood. The only difference is station, and that matters little if you haven't anything common around to use to set yourself up as uncommon. The best rulers aren't ones with epic pedigrees. No, mate, not by a long shot. The best are the ones who rule to the benefit of the people. Treating them as inferior will only make you an inferior ruler."

He winked at Dimitrus.

The cultists returned to their hiding spots to watch the battled between Octavian and Yoshi. Will buttoned his uniform jacket and tugged at his sleeves to make the shoulder sit right.

"Now there's the matter of my souvenir. I get to claim one thing from your personage. I claim your sister."

[The BranRiech]

Listening to what he thought was quite a valid argument, and nodding. Drova knew when to admit defeat, and this was one time. He would have ended up beaten, bruised, and pitiful. But the end request suddenly blanked his somewhat humble-cross-between-defiant look. What?! H-He couldn't claim his sister, right? That was the last thing he expected, taking the next High Priestess, and more importantly, his sister?

"W-why? You can't do that." He argued meekly, suddenly proposed with a challenge he never saw coming. He loved his sister, and he'd do everything in his power to keep her safe, because, let's face it, Yuna would probably try hugging something to death.