Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Germanic Templars]

Datus, found himself getting tired as well as he grabbed onto the ball and fell asleep with it in his hands.

--

"Right.. Well it has been nice talking to you and all and I hope to see you in the future." He then looked towards Xanthe, placing an orb over her so that he wouldn't disturb her in her sleep, he and her both vanished back to their room. Xanthe, if she were to wake up, would find herself on her bed. While Lucius would be busy sitting at the table drinking some coffee.

Wren carried Datus from the room once they gurney had arrived. The technician settled Barox in and then gave the nod when it was an appropriate time to return.

Wren transferred Datus to a hip and stood beside the bed. She clasped Barox's hand.

"Don't worry, you'll be home tonight," she whispered.

He'd awaken when he wanted and would find himself free from pain or discomfort. Such was the magic his own company worked.

The thing he would awaken to, just barely, would be Wren's hands clasping his hand. This feeling of no pain and a friend nearby made him smile, well not on the outside, but on the inside... Drugs, depending on the type, can be a sommab****.

He swallowed the oatmeal in is mouth before he gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled. " Morning, dear. How did you sleep?"

"I slept just fine, thanks to Mr. Breakfast Breath over here." Natiya teased, settling into the couch with him without another word. She didn't think any needed to be spoken. "Anything good in the news today, besides the snow?"

"Well not much besides the same old stuff that is on the news. You know, people getting away with murder for a while before being locked up, issues around the world, those things."

[Germanic Templars]

"He finally got married?" She asked, so what shocked. " last I remembered of him was that he had to leave planet and I was in my early hundreds when that happened, in fact I was 102 years old. And he was 82 years old."

------

Feeling a small tickle of fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from the bed room, Lucius decided to get up and have a look. He poked his head into the room. "Everything alright? "

Much as she'd done for the McCoys, Charumati produced a globe for Mr. Thriller. This one revealed the wedding, and then a few scenes of him interacting with the twins.

"Siduer is your grandson, and Sydney your granddaughter," Charumati smiled as the children frolicked on the grass with Thriller and the dogs.

"Cornelius was old, but his body was youthful. His eye, well... I like the fact that he never restored it. He was a handsome man. Oh, and this is Sapphire, one of his grandchildren," she added as the clever scientist came into view.

She caused the scene within the globe to flicker until it became a static display of Thriller with the twins, with Sapphire added in. She solidified the device and handed the object to Ms. Thriller. "He's recently passed, the result of war. I've come here looking for him. Instead, I've found his family, which is delightful to me. Tell me, have you seen him come through?"

--

Xanthe stared at Lucius wide-eyed for a moment. She shook her head. "Bad dream. It's passing now."

"Well unfortunately dear he has not come through here, I wish he would of though, be nice to hear from him." She paused for a moment before switching over the subject. "Now I knew he had a cat for a daughter, but I never knew that he would eventually have children. The kind that involves actual physical work rather then brain work. Not trying to talk down to my son or anything, just... Surprised."

--

"Things will be better now that you are awake. Hopefully. Anyway, I am out hear drinking coffee and thinking." He then moved away from the door and headed back to his seat.

[The BranRiech]

"Well not much besides the same old stuff that is on the news. You know, people getting away with murder for a while before being locked up, issues around the world, those things."

"Well, it is the world we live in. Anything about the Branriech in it? I heard they're returning all the land they took over. The borders will be the same as they were when I was a child, I hear. It's a loss of face, I'd say, but then again, it's for the better in the long run." Natiya said, hoping to at least see a little sidebar about it.

[Germanic Templars]

"Well not much besides the same old stuff that is on the news. You know, people getting away with murder for a while before being locked up, issues around the world, those things."

"Well, it is the world we live in. Anything about the Branriech in it? I heard they're returning all the land they took over. The borders will be the same as they were when I was a child, I hear. It's a loss of face, I'd say, but then again, it's for the better in the long run." Natiya said, hoping to at least see a little sidebar about it.

"Well anything to actually make the peace of the world better is good I guess. True a loss of face, but a gain of respect." Aleki pointed out. He took a sip of his coffee while still keeping an eye on the news.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

The file turned out to be an interesting read-over for Ray, who began to scratch his head at some of the instances of rather silly-sounding examples listed on the paper. But of course, because this was the raptorverse, everything had to be treated as a combination of serious, threatening and 100% realistic. Well, 'realistic' was perhaps too far of a stretch. The better term was soon decided as 'real'.

But upon finishing the paper, Ray had to couple the given information together with what his task was: finding Dr. Martin Fortu. While the Eldritch Medical Facility wasn't guaranteed to hold any information, it certainly would be understood as a clear shot of attaining even barebones intelligence on where Fortu actually was. But there were two difficult parts that coupled together in this quest: finding out where to look, and not being subjected to the security systems of the facility.

Knowing that this was ripe in raptortech, all of the threats that had been listed were easily imagined as deadly and/or mutilating. Sterilization, Mushy-Pits, Incinerators and Nursebots all sounded equally horrible in the furry's mind, so avoiding them might be best. Of course, sneaking inside of the facility would prove to be difficult in itself since Ray had no clue where to start searching.

However, having glanced over the available facility tour for investors, Ray decided that the safest way to try and play it would be to enter the facility and try to join with the tour group. If he could cast himself off as a potential investor (considering his wealth and minor corporate status), then he could get a better look at the interior of the facility that would either confirm, add to or in-general better the current knowledge. After all, it was rather crude at best. And besides: trying to sneak inside with those crows watching probably would be a bad idea. Seeing as they were mechanical, they very well could be security measures, but their extent was unsure. But it was safe to assume that security both inside and outside the facility was tight. The best method HAD to be going inside with the group, even if the tour was limited.

.45 caliber Operator en-tow within his holster, Ray exited the vehicle and began to walk towards the front entrance of the facility. Hoping that he wouldn't be outright killed for stepping onto the property, he walked as normally as possible towards the front entrance where he hoped to join with the tour group when it began.

As the crows watch him enter they were soon picked off by a hidden laser turret.

The circular lobby had an ascetic aesthetic, bright white surfaces and smooth edges with light blue lighting providing the only source of zest in this minimalist design. It was a clean and futuristic place, and it emphasized it with not a speck of dust or stray hair to be found whatsoever. To the right there were four white round seats for visitors and a white small circular table at the far end that supported a catalogue, the local newspaper, and a medical journal, all arranged neatly in a triangle. The semicircular front desk was directly ahead with a single white computer. To both sides of reception circular metal white doors sat with a red light in the middle of each near the rubber seal to indicate that it was locked.

The receptionist (Doris Perry) sat reading a magazine with a bored look behind the desk. Things were always slow around here, she considered it a fairly easy job as there wasn't much to do but greet guests and answer their questions, and that rarely happened.

To the right of the desk a camera watched what was happening, drawn to the movement of the newcomer. The camera fit right in with it smooth edges and white casing.

[Giovenith]

"That sounds like a very lovely process, nature is usually a very reliable source. Though I have to ask," said Willow. "What if, by chance, the mother doesn't like the first thing she see's?"

---

It wasn't as if reading a piece of printer paper was some dangerous, elaborate process, but Kalia none the less felt the need to give Miss Herana the proper space to inspect the article. Kalia hadn't ever seen what a Prophetess looked like when they were reading into something, so the younger girl was genuinely wondering if Herana was seeing something, or just had a scrunched face from concentration. Either way, it had been just a moment over the time threshold for awkwardness, and Kalia was itching to know if her bike ride all the way to Temple had been worth anything.

"Kaliarana, you've just been standing there this whole time, please sit down somewhere," assured Herana pleasantly in Giovenisque, which the User didn't feel like writing out.

"Um, that's okay, I'm good," Kalia blinked. Herana was only twenty-six, but for all the way the young teen behaved, she might as well have been a senior citizen. Prophets and Prophetesses were free to talk to for the average worshiper, but Kalia still felt awkward actually doing it. "So, um, is that true? Did I just not know about all that...?"

"Oh no, I've never heard or seen anything like this," said Herana, crossing her legs and holding the paper at a distance. "To the point where I can't really make a philosophical stance on it, either. So no, I wouldn't take it as factual."

"Does that mean whoever wrote that is a False Prophet?!" gasped Kalia, tensing up a bit.

"Whoa now, Kaliarana, we do not just throw that term around willy-nilly," scolded Herana, tone turning a shade more serious. "Just because someone may say something out of the ordinary like this, doesn't mean they are a False Prophet. False Prophets are destructively crazy or out to hurt others, this is merely a harmless page you found on the internet. For all we know, the author could have just run into some bad research, or perhaps had an individual experience he mistook for truth from the beyond. Anyway, it isn't hurting anybody, so it's nothing to worry about."

"Oh. Um... heh, okay then," Kalia blushed and smiled, feeling a bit silly for wasting the Prophetess's time. "Sorry for asking, then."

"Don't be! Asking questions is good, it's how we learn things. I'm just glad you brought it to me before you could do something like go screaming and waving it to all your friends proclaiming False Prophet," chuckled Herana, standing up from her seat. "I know how people can be, always making a bigger deal out of things than they need to be. But you were a good girl! Here, candy?" The Prophetess offered the girl a bowl filled with little peppermints.

Oh dear... "Ah, ehehehehe," Kalia breathed uneasily. "Sure, I'll take one!" Her words were gracious, but her mind was elsewhere.

"Goodie! Now you can run along now, oh, or if you wanted to help us with some redecorating..."

"Actually, I really gotta head home now," said Kalia, quickly. "I promised my mom, I would, help with the dishes. So, thanks again, bye!" Kaliarana pivoted and ran out the Temple doors back to her bike outside before Prophetess Herana could get suspicious with her still in the room.

She really hoped that most her friends had been busy this weekend.

[The BranRiech]

"Well anything to actually make the peace of the world better is good I guess. True a loss of face, but a gain of respect." Aleki pointed out. He took a sip of his coffee while still keeping an eye on the news.

"Well, yeah. It's not like I care about the old dump anyways. I just head back every year to pay my respects to the folks. Already ordered two tickets back while you were gone. You can come again if you wish to." Natiya blushed a bit. "You've shown me your homeland, so it's only polite to show you mine again, I suppose, would be interested?"

--

"Nothing stopping the mother from stretching the truth really, but yeah, there's always that. It's not required, bit it's a cultural thing with my Clan. We're heavily into agriculture, and things having to do with nature. Our houses were made far up in large trees, using leaves, branches, and all manor of other things. Now? I live in a modern farmhouse in Eastern Europe. Far change. Still want to go back home someday though." Toscha said, filling Willow in on the nutshell of his culture, mainly because that's all the User had thought of so far, and he was racing to think up the entire culture.

[Germanic Templars]

"Well anything to actually make the peace of the world better is good I guess. True a loss of face, but a gain of respect." Aleki pointed out. He took a sip of his coffee while still keeping an eye on the news.

"Well, yeah. It's not like I care about the old dump anyways. I just head back every year to pay my respects to the folks. Already ordered two tickets back while you were gone. You can come again if you wish to." Natiya blushed a bit. "You've shown me your homeland, so it's only polite to show you mine again, I suppose, would be interested?"

"We might as well make it a nice little tradition to visit, no?" He said with a smile. "Anyway, I would be interested. Added that last bit to lock it down... Yea... So, what'cha wanna do today?"

[Urran]

Tieria was finishing repairs to his mech suit. He had climbed deep inside the machine and was busy patching up a few wires and fuel lines within the joint where the shoulder canon met the mech itself. He crawled through it with some futuristic looking tools for various purposes. He grunted and he literally crawled on his stomach under a coil that fed power to the gun. Suddenly, he felt a stabbing pain in his ankle. In the tight space he tried to look over his shoulder to see what had happened, but he couldn't, the space was just too small. "Uh!" he let out a panic grunt and thrashed about to free his foot but, try as he might, he could not. He began to panic. He was caught, no one knew how to get in here but Bran and Kei. Bran didn't like him very much and Kei was out doing her own thing. No one would probably notice he was gone! He came and went often and he didn't have many friends, it might be weeks before anyone would even notice that he was gone longer than usual. No! No! No! It could not end this way! Just whenever he had begun to change! He continued to struggle. "I refuse to end this way!" he growled

--

Yoshi was now out and about. He walked down the halls and to the lobby where he went to his mailbox and began going through the various envelopes. Ah! The sweet smell of payday! He smiled at the envelop and began going through the others

[Giovenith]

"So why move?" This coming from the pony who was already spending the vast majority of his time searching for a safe way to return to his own home. Perhaps Toscha had been forced to by circumstance, or had other reason?

[The BranRiech]

"Yeah, that'd be fun, you know?" Natiya suggested with a little playful elbow. "Visit the old house, stay in a hotel, see some sights. It'd only be a day or two, but that's worth it, right? As to whatever we want to do today, that's up to you, you just got back, so I'd be perfectly fine with relaxing."

--

"Simple. Persecution. The Humans from my universe didn't take too kindly to us "Monsters" and we were subject to much persecution. By the time we were allowed into the Branriech by their leader at the time, Kei, there was only around 4 million of us left, from a previous population of around 700 million. I don't remember any of it, and I'm glad. But my entire clan was allowed to immigrate." Toscha cringed. He did, however, remember the fires off in the distance, the attack gunships, and the propaganda. But then he remembered leaving, and how excited he was to visit a new place.

"We all made it, and we all live relatively in the same area. Some countryside in the southern portion of the country, the warmest places for us."

[Tiltjuice]

"Well...", Katya leaned back in thought. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and a few strands of blonde hair fell over her eyes. Her body shifted awkwardly in her seat, leaning a little closer to Dora.

"Weeeellllll", She strained. "Hard to tell. I mean, Yoshi DID get me pregnant, and we're not married.....but you ARE a woman....but I think mother would still choose Yoshi....? I honestly don't know. She'd flip the hell out either way, really."

A little clueless, but she honstly couldn't say much more. She didn't think about how bad things would be....just getting yelled at. Her mother scared her no matter what.

Dora tipped a one-shoulder shrug in Katya's direction. "Well, I'm sure things will work out just as well in any case. Either way, if she tries to start something, I'm sure we'll be able to deal with it one way or another. Anyhow, we should probably get to that lunch - unless you had something else you needed to do?"

MB disappeared in a flash, and reappeared atop Dia's head, seven and 3/4 feet up. I'm king of the world! he signed to Luce, who nodded politely, acknowledging the rabbit's slightly deranged sense of humor.

[Germanic Templars]

"Yeah, that'd be fun, you know?" Natiya suggested with a little playful elbow. "Visit the old house, stay in a hotel, see some sights. It'd only be a day or two, but that's worth it, right? As to whatever we want to do today, that's up to you, you just got back, so I'd be perfectly fine with relaxing."

"It is.. It is a good day to relax. Still A nice stroll wouldn't....I take that back it is a bit cold out so I think staying indoors next to you is fine enough for me." He gave a bit more time to think about the conclusion, and with a smile he said, "Yup, staying in."

[Giovenith]

"I am very sorry to hear about that," Willow offered out a foreleg hoof to shake, as a symbol of his sympathies. "I truly do hope that you will be able to find a way to return to your home. I am looking forward to going back to Equestria myself, so I hope that as mutual strangers to a new world, we can support one another through this."

[The BranRiech]

"Well, we can at least go and see some people you might have missed for a while, and you can meet my nephew if my sister in law is home, which, on a day like this? She sill be." Natiya smiled, promising to take him to Tolya today. "If I'm right, my brother and Rachelle were going out, so Rylli'd be home with the baby. Yeah, we could do that. Or, we could see some different people too." At least, Rylli should have been home, which she was, but Natiya, being ever the romantic, was deciding on allowing her returned hero decide Normally, she'd have taken charge by now, but Aleki deserved the right to choose what he wanted to do.

--

"Nothing to go back to, probably." Toscha sighed, taking the hoof with a resigned look in his face.

"It's too cold here." Was all he had to say. It was all he said as he took his first few slithers into the Branriech, feeling pavement for the first time in his life. He remembered seeing mittens for the first time, and wondering where the heck he could get a pair (Which he did, as a gift, the first human clothes he'd ever worn). Luckily, Bielefeld seemed warmer, but now, today, it certainly was not. It compared not to his home, to the larger-than-life trees, but Human society had its charms.

[Giovenith]

"Only going to get colder for the next few months. Try to stay indoors," responded Willow just as flatly, knowing there wasn't much he could say at this point to make things better. It was too condescending to try. "I trust the indoors are warm enough for your comfort, that is? If not, I'm sure we can arrange with whoever can help us to fix that." Here he went, becoming protective of someone he considered a friend. Willow refrained from smothering, but often made sure of whether or not there was something he could do for a friend if things seemed to have the capacity to throw them off or threaten them.

---

Giovenith had curled up on a couch in the communal gathering room to take a nap. No particular reason, just felt like taking a nap. Her shoes and legwarmers rested on the end she faced away from, and her legs were pulled up close to her chest like a tiny child. Winter was a very sleepy season, she felt, almost like sweetened poison... things were harsh, yet they also seemed serene, one had to be careful not to get suck into it for too long.

[Torsiedelle]

"Well, there is some more minor work to be done on my part, but I can do that on my own when I go to bed. For now, I'm up for whatever.", Katya replied, sitting back normally and brushing her hair out of her face. "Well, so long as we don't end up doing something ridiculous or dangerous, or wander too far from home. "

The young woman leaned back again, and her belly so slightly poked out.
"So, what do you want to get? I'll pay for mine, 'Kay?"

.....

Hmmph, Torii at least expected to be noticed by now. The teenager sat alone at a table near the coffee machine, taking the occasional sip of her tea and checking her phone. It was true that Tsu was starting to spend less time with her again, but not responding to a text or phone call? That was definitely strange. Just what was going on with that girl?

Torii felt ridiculous, with her head on the table, texting away, only to get no reply. She really hoped Gio wouldn't step in and break them up...she had so much riding on her and her girlfriend, she couldn't stand the thought of being separated....

Maybe, she thought, she should just stop thinking about it and go find something else to do. She'd definitely see Tsu later. She knew it.

[Erucia]

As the crows watch him enter they were soon picked off by a hidden laser turret.

The circular lobby had an ascetic aesthetic, bright white surfaces and smooth edges with light blue lighting providing the only source of zest in this minimalist design. It was a clean and futuristic place, and it emphasized it with not a speck of dust or stray hair to be found whatsoever. To the right there were four white round seats for visitors and a white small circular table at the far end that supported a catalogue, the local newspaper, and a medical journal, all arranged neatly in a triangle. The semicircular front desk was directly ahead with a single white computer. To both sides of reception circular metal white doors sat with a red light in the middle of each near the rubber seal to indicate that it was locked.

The receptionist (Doris Perry) sat reading a magazine with a bored look behind the desk. Things were always slow around here, she considered it a fairly easy job as there wasn't much to do but greet guests and answer their questions, and that rarely happened.

To the right of the desk a camera watched what was happening, drawn to the movement of the newcomer. The camera fit right in with it smooth edges and white casing.

Not noticing the crows being shot down, Ray continued on inside of the building. Opening up the front door, he entered inside and stood for a few moments to get a view of the building. The interior seemed...Well, what else would you expect? It was a futuristic, raptor building: it had to hold some sort of science-inspired class to it. It was quite interesting to see how nicely everything was established. It honestly made Ray somewhat envious, and he jolted down ideas for the security office. As of the moment, Defender Civic Security's building was by all means a converted office building.

Deciding to continue on, Ray removed his hat and continued forwards towards the receptionist. He didn't quite remember her name from the file, but knew that she was the only other staff member on-site alongside of...Dr. Cutter? Disturbingly telling name for a surgeon: almost convenient, like a raptor's plan.

"Um...Excuse me, m-ma'am?", Ray approached, a calm and innocent expression on his face. "I'm here for the building's tour, for the investors? I didn't come too early, did I?"

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Not noticing the crows being shot down, Ray continued on inside of the building. Opening up the front door, he entered inside and stood for a few moments to get a view of the building. The interior seemed...Well, what else would you expect? It was a futuristic, raptor building: it had to hold some sort of science-inspired class to it. It was quite interesting to see how nicely everything was established. It honestly made Ray somewhat envious, and he jolted down ideas for the security office. As of the moment, Defender Civic Security's building was by all means a converted office building.

Deciding to continue on, Ray removed his hat and continued forwards towards the receptionist. He didn't quite remember her name from the file, but knew that she was the only other staff member on-site alongside of...Dr. Cutter? Disturbingly telling name for a surgeon: almost convenient, like a raptor's plan.

"Um...Excuse me, m-ma'am?", Ray approached, a calm and innocent expression on his face. "I'm here for the building's tour, for the investors? I didn't come too early, did I?"

"Oh yes, a bit last minute but there is plenty of room. Can I get your name and number for our records?" Doris asked as she quickly and quite embarrassedly put away the magazine and assumed a more professional posture at her keyboard.

"Quite a busy day." she mumbled to herself as she sat at the ready. Three guests for the tour was quite the peak, and at the same time too.

The door to the left tuned green and slid open, revealing the circular white tunnel that was as brightly lit as the lobby with plenty of space to walk through.

[Tiltjuice]

The day was overcast so far, as they crossed the road and arrived back at the wall alongside which they'd spent some time. A lone seagull waddled over, before deciding the two newcomers weren't going to leave any food and wandering off behind a small dune.

Chrys closed her eyes against the sudden cold, and when she opened them again they were a stark white with the barest tinge of blue. The air roiled around her, keeping the chill out - a better choice, she thought, than giving Hans the wrong idea by sealing herself inside her armor. This was uncharted ground and she was determined not to do anything that might upset a balance. The celebrations of life were one thing, formalized rites that they were. This choice that lay before her now was quite another.

Yet in thinking Hans' speech over, there was one thing that stuck in her mind. Somewhere along the way, his love for her had just happened. Fate. She had a chance to learn, to grow. Spirit. And all things ended at some point; they lost nothing by taking a chance. Faith.

"I think...I'd like to give the idea of 'us' a try, if you don't mind," she confessed, her voice gaining strength as she went along. "But not right away, at least. I'd need to talk to my mate first."

There was a pause. She slid off the wall and landed in the sand. Her forearms moved as she appeared to brush the grains into a small heap. A bright, incandescent glow and a sudden flash of heat came from in front of her, though what she was doing was blocked from Hans' sight until she turned around. In her hands was a freshly blown, still sparkling golden flower that dimmed as it cooled in the winter air.

"For you. This could go well, or badly, but either way, you should have this, if only to remind yourself that we were comrades at least for a time. This is who I am. A golden flower."

She sat back on her heels and waited, anxious despite herself, for his response.

How long ago had that Zalgofest been? She’d leaped off a Segway and tackled him, and then he tackled her. That’s how it started, innocent and unintentional one warm night in August. Piles of stuffed toys, and laughter, and her shoes flying in opposite directions. More laughter and then a quick escape to his room for socks.

Socks.

Socks gave way to Oktoberfest and grey cardigan sweaters and roasted chestnuts. It was on that stone wall that he realized he had forgotten to be human. It was there that he’d healed from the intense grief caused by losing his brother. It was there that he’d fallen in love.

That wall! It was a backdrop of his life. The morning sun bathed the concrete and sand and captured the natural golden highlights in Chrys’ hair. It was only fitting that the wall be part of the sadness. She’d brought him here to leave no room for doubt, and if it were to end it was only fitting that the wall be part of it.

He felt as though he were riding into a battle which would end in window’s tears. The ocean’s lonely song echoed his heart’s sentiments. Not even the cold seemed to touch him. A warrior never quells in the face of danger, however. A warrior stood fast and saw his mission through to the end. He’d faced many deadly things (with fall less fear and dread!) and he prepared himself to face this as well.

She began to open her mouth and his mind inserted a half dozen statements he felt she would make but none of his imaginings could have prepared him for the actual words that tumbled out.

” I think...I'd like to give the idea of 'us' a try, if you don't mind.”

The ocean’s roar and the gull’s cry vanished, or perhaps they were just drowned out by the sudden explosion that had rocked his skull and chest. Anything else she said immediately after was inconsequential. No, it didn’t need to be right away… he’d wait a lifetime for his vivacious battle maiden. He’d wait an eternity until she was ready to beckon him to her side.

She slid from the wall and worked a magic no less intensive than the one she’d worked on his heart one October evening. She held up a flower forged from sand and time. His eyes fastened upon the fragile treasure and then on her own bare hands... hands that should have been encased in protective armor. His sadness hadn’t blocked out the cold. She had somehow made the air warmer. Had she done this to avoid casting an impenetrable shell over herself?

His worked quickly to unfasten his jacket buttons and then placed the warm wool over her shoulders as he knelt in the sand before her.

His hands cupped her own and brought the flower closer to eye level. It glistened between them in the morning light, a golden treasure which captured Chrys’ image at various angles. His eyes traveled beyond it to look into her frosty blue irises. He found his voice.

“I am German, a follower of the Teutonic set. We strongly believe in Wyrd. This is the connection of forces from the past, the present and the future… fate, or personal destiny, manifest. All things happen for a reason, Chrys. This chance we take together could go well or badly, but something has allowed us to be comrades, at least for a time, and for that I am most grateful.”

His gaze settled again on the cooling sculpture. “This is you, a golden flower.”

His fingers curled gently around the edges of her hands and he peered at her face again. “This is me, holding you and hoping to protect you from ever being shattered by careless wind or motion.”

The seagull took flight, as the sun's rays pierced the clouds and stirred up the air enough to help it keep aloft. Warmth pervaded Chrys, gliding along just underneath her skin, or so it seemed. So strange and new a feeling that Hans' words stirred in her, so different from that which had passed, centuries ago, between herself and Dia. The big man had struck sparks with her, and yet there had been times when he had been her trusted confidant as well. After time spent as partners, they'd become partners. With Hans, it was much different. Much easier; like slipping into a warm bath. And this, then, she supposed, was the first foot into the tub.

Her lean, elfin features softened. The growing heat bubbling up from Hans' words and reflecting back from his coat spoke to her on the most primal level. This wasn't at all what she expected. Easy, so easy, and so seductively, sublimely right - like the sirens of old.

"Your beliefs...they're so much a match for mine," she breathed in wonder. "How..."

Her eyes dropped for a moment to the sand, then snapped back up. Lost for words, she could only feel, in that moment, and so she did. Warmth, warmth, always warmth. The texture of his hands on hers, and the smooth surface of the delicate crystal under her fingers. The thick, soft wool draped over her arms.

[Swith Witherward]

"Makes it seem that that's my only option for leaving then, and it's not like I'm going to mooch an education off of you for nothing in return. I haven't made a decision yet though." Yuna admitted, although she probably wasn't even expected to make one yet. This was all so mysterious, it all had to do with gods and spirits, living underground, and things she shouldn't be exposed to. It was fun though, being able to meet all these new people, even though Will had technically stolen her.

But hey, what she didn't know didn't hurt her, and Will was considered too friendly for her to change her opinion now. "For spears anyways, you're going to want something small, but sturdy, bats aren't too large, like if you had a gun, you'd need a very small round to do it, which is why our guns fire small needles using air power. Never liked them though."

"You can leave at any time," Will replied, momentarily forgetting about bat hunting and spears. He appeared a bit crestfallen, though. He rather liked her, especially because she didn't ask stupid questions or throw tantrums. She didn't know what she wanted to be, and that was the best kind of person to work with. They weren't locked into some silly future dream involving three job professions (ballerina, veterinarian and mommy... for example) and had a thirst for life. At least Yuna did. Her's was a patient but eager mind.

He rubbed the back of his neck with a palm. "Seriously, if you want to leave, you can. I can take you back at any time. You'll retain your knowledge of the things you learned, mostly because no one would believe you if you told them you were deep underground on a rock floating outside of reality alongside a bunch of dead World War II British soldiers. That's why we don't bother to modify memories."

Aegis smiled and his masked whirred to reflect it "That sound nice." He said only now Naomi's intentions begin to dawn on him. Truth be told his mind was in a different place worrying about a variety of people and things currently happening under his watch. However Naomi's suggestion snapped him out of his tunnel vision haze and back to the present, a place he hated to dwell too much on.

Naomi's expression brightened. She liked the Luxan group. She couldn't put her finger on it, but they felt comfortable to be around. Her lack of experience robbed her of understanding the intense darkness and churning madness. Were she asked to sum them up, she'd probably fall back on simple, childish things and say Luxans are like a mysterious wad of black string in a pocket that's gone through a wash cycle... gnarled and knotted and all tangled up, but you stick your hand in the pocket and feel the texture and it delights your fingertips as you try to puzzle out exactly what they are.

Naomi was odd. Very little of what she thought made any sense of all, and most of it was quite contrary. Swith had thought about getting counseling for her, but Arthur was always so busy and the little godling would probably spend each session hugging the poor bastard and telling him how much she loved him. Swith wasn't about to pay good money for that.

And so Naomi... pure-hearted and kind and loving even if she did once turn a zombie inside out because she wanted to see if his organs were still working... looked up at Aegis and smiled in delight when he accepted her offer. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out a purple wrapped rectangle, depositing it into his hand. It wasn't that street variety of snow. This was uncut, 100% pure and as white and pearly as can be. Fuck Columbia. You haven't hit the ceiling until you've hit Chaos.

"And now for coffee?" she asked, not even realizing that one doesn't just hand out gifts like this in the halls (Minerva had wagged a finger at her, but Naomi really didn't understand why these things should be kept in secret.)

"Well unfortunately dear he has not come through here, I wish he would of though, be nice to hear from him." She paused for a moment before switching over the subject. "Now I knew he had a cat for a daughter, but I never knew that he would eventually have children. The kind that involves actual physical work rather then brain work. Not trying to talk down to my son or anything, just... Surprised."

--

"Things will be better now that you are awake. Hopefully. Anyway, I am out hear drinking coffee and thinking." He then moved away from the door and headed back to his seat.

It was something in how Ms. Thriller had expressed her opinion of Cornelius that caused Charumati to momentarily draw upon her own absurd imagination. Hey, she was Chaos. 'Physical work' + 'having children' immediately made the poor creature think of procreation itself. Well, the act of procreating. Thriller, as romantic as he was, wasn't an overly naughty person but Ms. Thriller had conjured up an image of him just flopped on the bed like a dead fish. Well, dear Swith, let's make a baby... but I hope you don't mind if I play Sudoku in my head while you're enjoying yourself.

She suppressed a grin. It was his hesitancy and gentle nature that she appreciated most. He did quite well with the physical work, thank you very much Ma Thriller.

Then it clicked in Charumati's head. Of course the woman meant the effort of raising children. Didn't she? Wait. That didn't sound right. Maybe the woman had never thought that Cornelius would settle down long enough to start a family? Charumati became even more confused.

"Er... physical work?" she asked uncertainly.

--

Xanthe yawned and stretched, brushing off the lingering cobwebs from her nightmare. She folded her wings and followed Lucius into the kitchen area.

"Coffee is good. By the way, any recommendations for these?" One wing extended. The flight feathers were still damaged from the ice/heat attack.

[Cerillium]

The thing he would awaken to, just barely, would be Wren's hands clasping his hand. This feeling of no pain and a friend nearby made him smile, well not on the outside, but on the inside... Drugs, depending on the type, can be a sommab****.

Wren giggled. Barox was "there", technically. He just wasn't all there. She squeezed his hand again.

"Barox, I'll be right here. Datus is a lead weight so I'm going to sit."

She pulled a chair next to the bed, repositioned the child in her lap and then intertwined her fingers with Barox's. He'd come out of it eventually.

[The BranRiech]

"As long as I keep a blanket handy, and crank up the heat in my room. Lamias aren't supposed to live anywhere near snow. We're great in jungles and the desert, but other than that? We're an indoor people." Toscha said, frowning. "I'm fine though, you don't need to burden yourself. The apartment is fine as it is, just a bit nippy though."

--

"I wouldn't leave. I've learned so much in one day, who's to say I won't learn even more with staying through this?" Yuna asked. "I was just wondering, since you said the only way out would kill me. I was intrigued." She said, smiling generously. What was also going through her mind, was memorizing the corridors they were going through. "But hunting, let's get to that, shall we? Small spears."

[Cerillium]

After a few minutes of inspecting the pieces from the various boxes, Rachelle gave a thumbs-up to her father and Marcus, Branm in turn turned to him and nodded.

"We've decided on homeschooling her, that way, I can teach her all I know, and Rylli can teach the rest." He nodded. "I'm like her tech-ed teacher or something. And it's never boring, watching her take apart a toaster, and then reassemble it. But enough of that, we'll take them. How much?" Bran asked. He was willing to pay, and he started fumbling around for his wallet.

"A home cooked meal sometime?" Marcus replied. There was little sense in asking for money when many of the parts were gained through trade with other people. "Maybe when I'm not swamped with lessons though. I only get a little personal time."

His eyes traveled the road away from the observatory and he sighed. He enjoyed his lot in life. He was tired of trying to find his father. "Hey, say Hi to Mrs. Nakanor for me?"

[Urran]

"Well, there is some more minor work to be done on my part, but I can do that on my own when I go to bed. For now, I'm up for whatever.", Katya replied, sitting back normally and brushing her hair out of her face. "So, what do you want to get? I'll pay for mine, 'Kay?"

.....

Hmmph, Torii at least expected to be noticed by now. The teenager sat alone at a table near the coffee machine, taking the occasional sip of her tea and checking her phone. It was true that Tsu was starting to spend less time with her again, but not responding to a text or phone call? That was definitely strange. Just what was going on with that girl?

Torii felt ridiculous, with her head on the table, texting away, only to get no reply. She really hoped Gio wouldn't step in and break them up...she had so much riding on her and her girlfriend, she couldn't stand the thought of being separated....

Maybe, she thought, she should just stop thinking about it and go find something else to do. She'd definitely see Tsu later. She knew it.

Yoshi took his mail and walked into the communal kitchen to grab a cup of tea from the SCP machine, he had not seen what had happened to Tieria the last time that he had used it. He noticed Torii with her head on the table, phone next to her and he raised an eyebrow. "Tora?" he asked in the soft, gentle voice that he was so famous for. "Tora, what's wrong?"