Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Torsiedelle]

Klaus neatened his lapels and knocked on Mrs. Dimitrova's door. The snow was beginning to fall heavily here as well, although it hadn't nearly reached the levels found in Bielefeld. He rubbed his gloved hands together and did his best to not appear to be some sort of Nazi. He just looked the role so perfectly that there was seldom a chance of escaping it.

Note to self: get modern clothing, he sniffed.

He'd heard that Dimitrova didn't have a sense of humor. Things might get interesting indeed.

The wait would take a few seconds, before the sounds of several bolts sliding heralded the opening of the door. Draped in a skinny black dress, Mrs. Dimitrova stood there, staring at the man. She thought that he was probably another National Socialist Party member, or a blackshirt, as they were gaining ground in the western half of the nation. She was about to simply dismiss him.

"And who are you, sir?"

....

"Eh, I don't mind showin' a little bit of skin. I feel pretty, and, hey, it ain't like I'm in the nude."

Torii really didn't mind. She enjoyed it,, to be truthful, but she felt dirty to actually say that.

As for Marcus...

"I brought my guitar, so I can play that, and there's a radio to the side. We can listen to music, but you probably wanna do somethin' else, eh?"

"Well, Torii is the one who said she knew the place where we could make the club," said Giovenith, turning to smile at said friend. "You said it was pretty large, yes? How large, are we using all of it? We may have to clean a bit before we can set things up."

Additionally, Giovenith hoped that Torii hadn't picked some place dangerous to wander in, either. Nobody needed splinters in their skin, and boards and bricks falling on their heads.

"Oh, nothin' like that!", Torii shot back playfully. "Last year, my ex-girlfriend and some others had a bunker built behind their old hut, where I stay now. It's mostly inaccessible now, 'cept for a small area, but I think we can spruce it up and deck it out, and I can draw up a map for y'all. It's safe, I assure you.", She finished. A little excitedly, and added on, "We can always try to clear out the back area and explore the remains of the bunkers lower areas, too. It'll be tight!"

[Swith Witherward]

"Well, it's going to be a lonely few hours then." Bran grinned. He knew Swith would always work to restore Thriller, and figured it better be pretty difficult if Swith hadn't done it already, but he didn't even know anything about restoring people so no judgement could be passed. "You'll do it, Swith. I know you can, even if I know nothing about restoring people. Thriller's probably waitin' around for you, waiting to give you a great big hug." He smiled warmly.

"Good luck, Swith."

"I love you too, Bran," she hugged him again and then stood up.

"Oh, and Rylli, we're doing Christmas dinner. If you'd like to help, let me know. Or Naomi, if you can't find me."

She smiled at the Nikanors and wrapped her sarong tightly about her. There wasn't any reason to say "goodbye", so she simply walked away into the shadows.

[Cerillium]

The wait would take a few seconds, before the sounds of several bolts sliding heralded the opening of the door. Draped in a skinny black dress, Mrs. Dimitrova stood there, staring at the man. She thought that he was probably another National Socialist Party member, or a blackshirt, as they were gaining ground in the western half of the nation. She was about to simply dismiss him.

"And who are you, sir?"

"Otto Maximilian Von Klaus, on behalf of your daughter Katya," he spoke her native tongue with only a trace of German accent. "As well as on behalf of Tora."

He bowed and continued, "It's Christmas, Mrs. Dimitrova. The girls would like it if you joined them on a private island for the holiday. All expenses covered, of course."

---

"Well, Torii is the one who said she knew the place where we could make the club," said Giovenith, turning to smile at said friend. "You said it was pretty large, yes? How large, are we using all of it? We may have to clean a bit before we can set things up."

Additionally, Giovenith hoped that Torii hadn't picked some place dangerous to wander in, either. Nobody needed splinters in their skin, and boards and bricks falling on their heads.

"Oh, nothin' like that!", Torii shot back playfully. "Last year, my ex-girlfriend and some others had a bunker built behind their old hut, where I stay now. It's mostly inaccessible now, 'cept for a small area, but I think we can spruce it up and deck it out, and I can draw up a map for y'all. It's safe, I assure you.", She finished. A little excitedly, and added on, "We can always try to clear out the back area and explore the remains of the bunkers lower areas, too. It'll be tight!"

"I can help with that," Marcus chimed in. "Don't worry, Giovenith. We'll make it structurally sound."

He nodded to Torii and quickly added, "I have access to all sorts of tools. It'll just mean a raid on my dad's shop when he's busy. But he's always busy, so piece of cake."

[Torsiedelle]

The wait would take a few seconds, before the sounds of several bolts sliding heralded the opening of the door. Draped in a skinny black dress, Mrs. Dimitrova stood there, staring at the man. She thought that he was probably another National Socialist Party member, or a blackshirt, as they were gaining ground in the western half of the nation. She was about to simply dismiss him.

"And who are you, sir?"

"Otto Maximilian Von Klaus, on behalf of your daughter Katya," he spoke her native tongue with only a trace of German accent. "As well as on behalf of Tora."

He bowed and continued, "It's Christmas, Mrs. Dimitrova. The girls would like it if you joined them on a private island for the holiday. All expenses covered, of course."

She raised an eyebrow.

"On such short notice? Hmmph....my daughter is always so untimely, I wonder sometimes if her head is quite right..."

"I'll go, fine. It's not often that I get the pleasure of sharing a holiday with both of my children. I need take nothing, if I'll be in their company, with the exception of some clothes....allow me a moment."

She quickly retreated into her home, and quickly came back with but a small suitcase, carrying several outfits, and some shoes. She was serious about needing nothing.

"So, when shall we depart?"

[The BranRiech]

Seeing that she knew shit about building a clubhouse, Yuna promptly shut her mouth and spoke no more, simply fine with milling around with other people her age. Her mind was racing about all the stuff they'd get done there, and her brother could be convinced to join too! He'd have someone else to go through the "Torture" with!

"Hey, Marcus. You won't be the only guy there, did you know that?" The girl spoke up.

[Swith Witherward]

Seeing that she knew shit about building a clubhouse, Yuna promptly shut her mouth and spoke no more, simply fine with milling around with other people her age. Her mind was racing about all the stuff they'd get done there, and her brother could be convinced to join too! He'd have someone else to go through the "Torture" with!

"Hey, Marcus. You won't be the only guy there, did you know that?" The girl spoke up.

Myra didn't know much about building anything but it all sounded like fun.

"Hey, I can sweep," she told Marcus.

She eyed Yuna's wings and giggled. "Yuna can probably get the up high stuff, too."

That said, it was also starting to get late and building a clubhouse in the dark didn't exactly seem to be the clever thing to do. She shrugged. "Wanna start on it in the morning? Bright and early?"

And here we must pause for laughter... because these are teenagers on vacation. "Bright and early" probably meant "noonish".

[Giovenith]

"Sounds good then, Torii! Seems sound enough. What about..." Her second question was quickly shaved off by Marcus' offer, making her light up. "Oh, thank you Marcus! I was concerned about making it safe to go inside, and if you have the means to help with it, that's super helpful. I know a little bit about putting carpets in and stuff, but nothing about structure. We're really lucky to have you, then!"

It seemed that everyone here fit into the project like a puzzle piece, making Giovenith much more enthusiastic about it all. Torri and Yuna had already told her of what they planned, from their conversation it seemed like Giovenith was going to find a lot in common with Myra, and Marcus could help with the practical parts. She nodded at Yuna's mention of bringing Drova, sure that he would contribute something valuable as well. Friendship, it made them unstoppable!

"I'm good with bright and early!" cheered Giovenith in agreement with Myra, believing that to be a good time.

[Cerillium]

She raised an eyebrow.

"On such short notice? Hmmph....my daughter is always so untimely, I wonder sometimes if her head is quite right..."

"I'll go, fine. It's not often that I get the pleasure of sharing a holiday with both of my children. I need take nothing, if I'll be in their company, with the exception of some clothes....allow me a moment."

She quickly retreated into her home, and quickly came back with but a small suitcase, carrying several outfits, and some shoes. She was serious about needing nothing.

"So, when shall we depart?"

"We depart now, Mrs. Dimitrova," Klaus offered his arm to guide her down the snowy steps.

To Klaus, it was a long drop into a shadow and a frenzied flight down blackened tunnels that seemed to be made of accusatory red eyes and bitter raven's wings.

To Mrs. Dimitrova, it was a short limo drive to an airport where a private jet allowed her to fly in comfort. She had her choice of tasteful beverages and arrived at a major airport just in time to catch a helicopter to the island. Klaus had proven to be an excellent representative and he seemed to be knowledgeable in all the same interests that she held, and he agreed with her on so many points! Truly the end impression of him would be a high estimation of his proper respect for proper things and a proper display of charm and manners.

"-- and watch your step," Klaus helped Mrs. Dimitrova off the makeshift platform and subtly guided her from the dream. The sounds of a departing helicopter lingered in her mind a few minutes more but were replaced by the surf's gentle roar.

He guided her towards the bonfire while silently dispatching one of his cultists to find Katya.

[Swith Witherward]

"Sounds good then, Torii! Seems sound enough. What about..." Her second question was quickly shaved off by Marcus' offer, making her light up. "Oh, thank you Marcus! I was concerned about making it safe to go inside, and if you have the means to help with it, that's super helpful. I know a little bit about putting carpets in and stuff, but nothing about structure. We're really lucky to have you, then!"

It seemed that everyone here fit into the project like a puzzle piece, making Giovenith much more enthusiastic about it all. Torri and Yuna had already told her of what they planned, from their conversation it seemed like Giovenith was going to find a lot in common with Myra, and Marcus could help with the practical parts. She nodded at Yuna's mention of bringing Drova, sure that he would contribute something valuable as well. Friendship, it made them unstoppable!

"I'm good with bright and early!" cheered Giovenith in agreement with Myra, believing that to be a good time.

"Yay!" Myra cheered, uncharacteristically throwing both arms in the air and performing a little dance. This was the best vacation ever.

She pointed to the huts. "Mine's right there. It has the red paper lantern on it. So, someone wake me up if I sleep in, okay? I'll pack up some stuff tonight."

[Giovenith]

"Sounds good then, Torii! Seems sound enough. What about..." Her second question was quickly shaved off by Marcus' offer, making her light up. "Oh, thank you Marcus! I was concerned about making it safe to go inside, and if you have the means to help with it, that's super helpful. I know a little bit about putting carpets in and stuff, but nothing about structure. We're really lucky to have you, then!"

It seemed that everyone here fit into the project like a puzzle piece, making Giovenith much more enthusiastic about it all. Torri and Yuna had already told her of what they planned, from their conversation it seemed like Giovenith was going to find a lot in common with Myra, and Marcus could help with the practical parts. She nodded at Yuna's mention of bringing Drova, sure that he would contribute something valuable as well. Friendship, it made them unstoppable!

"I'm good with bright and early!" cheered Giovenith in agreement with Myra, believing that to be a good time.

"Yay!" Myra cheered, uncharacteristically throwing both arms in the air and performing a little dance. This was the best vacation ever.

She pointed to the huts. "Mine's right there. It has the red paper lantern on it. So, someone wake me up if I sleep in, okay? I'll pack up some stuff tonight."

"Alright, I will if you do!" agreed Giovenith, who then pointed in the direction of her own. "Mine's over yonder that path, it's got the swing bed on the porch. Sometimes a pretty lady who can't talk well may answer the door before me, but she's harmless. So might a grey talking pony with feathery wings, he can seem a little mean at times, but he's alright too. Watch out for Turtleboss, he likes people! He's a giant waterbear."

[The BranRiech]

"Mine's over there. Careful if my brother answers though, he's not a morning person, but he's in the club too." Yuna warned, pointing to a hug draped in orange tapestries, ones that Yuna demanded be brought along for some odd reason *Cough*Clubhouse*Cough*. "I usually wake up bright and early, so I might already be out on the beach and such."

[Swith Witherward]

"Alright, I will if you do!" agreed Giovenith, who then pointed in the direction of her own. "Mine's over yonder that path, it's got the swing bed on the porch. Sometimes a pretty lady who can't talk well may answer the door before me, but she's harmless. So might a grey talking pony with feathery wings, he can seem a little mean at times, but he's alright too. Watch out for Turtleboss, he likes people! He's a giant waterbear."

Myra's eyes widened as Giovenith listed her hut-mates. Holy holies! All she had back home was a goldfish and he died when she overfed him.

"Waterbear" obviously was like a polar bear, only tropical. And a pegasus? Did she just describe a talking one? Her head turned towards Yuna to see if she was thinking the same thing only, now that Myra thought about it, Yuna was pretty unique looking as well. So was Marcus. Torii had a neat accent. Myra had the feeling that she could wave a sign that read, "My dad's a dragon" and no one in the group would bat an eye.

"Not even Disney could top this," she said to no one in particular. She took note of Yuna's hut, which was next door to her own, and then wondered where Marcus' hut was.

[Cerillium]

Collab w/GT & Swith

Incense smoke hung in a low cloud about the ceiling, obscuring the light fixtures and casting the room in murky haze. The men gathered within were a dismal lot. A mixture of young and old, they clustered themselves towards the walls and corners to avoid the wrathful scrutiny of the Avatar upon his throne.

The chair had been heavily damaged in the prior encounter with Charumati but stood proudly at the far end of the hall. Atosh had restored the haunt. The floor once again gleamed without any stain from filth or gore. The pillars still bore chips from Charumati’s skull but were gleaming once again. The chains that once held Cornelius still dangled from the ceiling. It was an adequate secondary base. It was almost beautiful.

Atosh’s gaze roamed the room but it brought him no joy. His will was bent upon other things. Loathe as he was to leave the Ruins and thus miss out on seeing his sister’s suffering, it was better to relocate here; let the fools deal with Bane. Charumati would assist them, of course. Poor grieving widow. Poor unfortunate little wastrel. My, but her heart must surely be distraught?

Atosh sneered. It wasn’t distraught enough. She wasn’t suffering enough. Thus had he once again summoned the strange creature who had vowed to assist his cause. His ears detected footsteps passing through the outer chamber.

His lips curled into wicked delight and he looked towards the man who had single-handedly handed Charumati’s heart to her on a gilded platter. He had done what Klaus couldn’t; Atosh held no regrets for slaughtering Klaus for his failures. Yet Atosh wasn’t satisfied yet. This man, who had crossed the threshold and stood before him as a champion, was the ticket.

He wore a black brim hat and an eye patch over the left eye. A bandana covered his mouth and was tucked neatly into the man’s shirt. A shadow from his hat covered over his face while the black, ragged trench coat he wore covered him enough to look as if he were levitating off the ground. Upon reaching a close distance of ten meters from Atosh and his throne, he stopped.

He pulled down the bandana from over his mouth before placing his right fist over his heart, giving a slight bow in the process. In his usual deep, groaning voice he said, “So, Atosh, what has you bring me, Arelius Dante, to your most high...presence?”

“Ah, Arelius,” Atosh’s eyes narrowed in delight. “Apparently my dear sister is still seeking Thriller’s soul. She’ll eventually track it down. I want to put it someplace safe. But that’s not why I summoned you.”

“Oh trust me I knew this well before your arrival.. Lets say I have a source...From the inside.” Arelius grinned as his yellowed, sharp teeth showed. He then went on to say, “So I can guess you want me to find a way to: A: bring her here, B: Bring her kids here, C: Kill her kids, D: Kill Thrille... Or maybe all the above? That is just me, but you are the summoner...Lets hear what you have to say...Atosh.”

“I couldn’t care less about Thriller. Kill him now if it pleases you. I don’t foresee his return.” Atosh leaned back. “I want the daughter dead. The boy is part of destiny. Killing him will change too many things in too many unpleasant ways.”

“So in other words... You want me to go kill the girl and leave the boy?” He asked as he raised his only normal eyebrow. “Details please. I maybe able to carry out plans past then what is expected, but I can only do so well as to what I am told.”

“Far distant future, my friend.” Atosh’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “His existence satisfies my bloodlust. The girl is superfluous.”

“Right...Well then, I have a feeling that this kill and run will be more complicated than it sounds… As in, there will be issues I might have to face... Any you wish to tell? You know, about the kids, the area...What...What gives this mission to me?”


“There is nothing to tell,” a feminine voice said from her position in the doorway. The cloaked figure took a step into the room. “Absolutely nothing. You, whoever you are, have until the count of three to leave or I’ll scatter your atoms across the Warp.”

Her head tipped upward although her face remained in shadow. “Hello Atoshmatu. We have business, you and I.”


Leviathan turned and looked at the woman standing there. He then lifted up his eye patch; a little grin came upon his face as his licked his sharp teeth. He clasped his hands together and replied, “Why most certainly, I shall remove myself from this... Hall...This once... Yes.. If I am ever needed again, Atosh... I’ll be busy getting out this task with the help of some fellow...colleagues, back home.”

With that, he pulled his patch over his deformed eye and his bandana over his mouth before placing his hat on. As he stepped back into the darkness and gave his parting words, “By the way, I know I told you my name, but please, call me... Leviathan.” He then vanished.

Atosh eased back into his throne and pursed his lips at the new arrival. "And now tell me whatever business you think you have with me. I have none with you."

[Cerillium]

"Doubtful they will, but we will ha-" Barox was interrupted when another tech priest called his name. He looked to see who it was. Standing there at the height of 6 ft 9 even with a hunchback, a tube cutting into his trachea that was connected to an oxygen tank, and a mechanical claw for a right arm stood carrying some tools. "Yes, Gregor?" He called to the man.

"Ye, can ya help out here a bit? We are doing a bit of demo."

"What, why?" He asked in surprise tone.

"Home called and they need all the metal they can get to help in rebuilding the nation."

"So everything must be torn down? What about the clone troopers and all?"

"Don't worry, we'll still have 2 platoons of 30 clones here and the factory, just that we are down scaling." Gregor explained in full.

Wren furrowed her brow. This was another something that she didn't understand but it drove home a very important point to her: no matter what the differences of opinion, the Templars were recovering from a very bitter war.

"I'll lend a hand," she volunteered. Now wasn't the time to mope or bemoan things. "Just leave the little clinic a while longer, for Datus' sake," she added to Barox.

---

Marcus shrugged. "I'm over in the Chaos compound. I have my own room there, Suite 2. But I'll come find you guys early. If you knock, you might wake up my mom and sister next door. Eva's a pain when she's riled up."

[Torsiedelle]

She raised an eyebrow.

"On such short notice? Hmmph....my daughter is always so untimely, I wonder sometimes if her head is quite right..."

"I'll go, fine. It's not often that I get the pleasure of sharing a holiday with both of my children. I need take nothing, if I'll be in their company, with the exception of some clothes....allow me a moment."

She quickly retreated into her home, and quickly came back with but a small suitcase, carrying several outfits, and some shoes. She was serious about needing nothing.

"So, when shall we depart?"

"We depart now, Mrs. Dimitrova," Klaus offered his arm to guide her down the snowy steps.

To Klaus, it was a long drop into a shadow and a frenzied flight down blackened tunnels that seemed to be made of accusatory red eyes and bitter raven's wings.

To Mrs. Dimitrova, it was a short limo drive to an airport where a private jet allowed her to fly in comfort. She had her choice of tasteful beverages and arrived at a major airport just in time to catch a helicopter to the island. Klaus had proven to be an excellent representative and he seemed to be knowledgeable in all the same interests that she held, and he agreed with her on so many points! Truly the end impression of him would be a high estimation of his proper respect for proper things and a proper display of charm and manners.

"-- and watch your step," Klaus helped Mrs. Dimitrova off the makeshift platform and subtly guided her from the dream. The sounds of a departing helicopter lingered in her mind a few minutes more but were replaced by the surf's gentle roar.

He guided her towards the bonfire while silently dispatching one of his cultists to find Katya.

Mrs. Dimitrova thanked the man and gave a bow, before turning to see her other daughter socializing with other children.

..................................................




"Sweet.", Torii said in response to Marcus. "Once we clear out the rubble to the lower levels, we can put up some yellow tape and a warning sign, warning us that disappearing into the darkness beyond that point may be a bad idea, ya know? Besides that, we can put some wood stuff here and there to break the monotony of stone and metal."

"Oh, by the way, my hut and the bunker are over there.", Torii pointed to a largish hut several meters behind them all. It was a round hut, looking to be made of straw and wood on the outside (though the inside had many modern furnishings). Behind it, the ground dipped and became a round area of dirt, and the bunker's mouth opened up right as the ground shot up again, by several feet, marking the edge of the jungle.

Torii was happy to be with peers, and she had actually made some friends. These weren't like her adult "friends", either, but other kids who she could relate to. No stupid lessons to be taught, or talks about family and adulthood; she could talk about other people, or what adventure they would go on, or music, or whatever else people her age talked about, and she didn't have to work or go meet people. She was having a lot of fun.

Until her mother called for her.

"Tora.", The woman's voice called from behind her. Torii jumped for a moment and turned around. Apparently, her dad wasn't the only person to be here for the holidays...

"M-Mom."

Her mother wrinkled her nose for a second, but shook her head and responded. "Yes, dear?"
"I didn't think you'd be here..."
"Mmm, yes...I believe it was your sister who extended the invitation?"
"Fo'real?", Torii asked. "I mean...really..."
"Yes, I was also rather surprised. I didn't quite expect to see my children at this time, though it's always a pleasant surprise. You two are always running around, and your sibling is so forgetful and untimely."

Torii actually chuckled a bit. "Yea, I guess she is. She's probably with Yoshi, ya know."
"Oh, she's still with him?"
"Yea, they're good, though I think they disagree sometimes. It's nothing bad, though."
"Ah, and what of you and your little...", she forced herself to say it, "Girlfriend?"

Torii's heart stopped for a second. She didn't want to bring that up just yet. "Um....yyyyyeeeaaaaa, no, Katya's fine."

Her mother huffed, but said nothing more. She wanted to at least correct her daughter's grammar, but she was the guest here, so she wouldn't try to make a scene, especially since Tora was with other children. It was good for the child, at least; better than spending all of her time with her father.

"Well then, I suppose....I'll be finding a place to stay? This does seem like a rather nice resort. Did your sister book it?"

Torii laughed. "No, this is just an uncharted island, and we use it for vacation. I'm not joking either."

This impressed her mother a bit, actually.

"Yea, there's one or two empty huts down the beach, maybe you can use'em."
"Well, thank you, Tora....perhaps you're not ill-mannered after all."
"Hehehe, hey, I'm not a wild kid, now."
"Yes, I suppose not....well, I'll be looking for your sister now?"
"Yea, sure...um....later."

Her mother nodded to the group before turning and leaving. Torii wiped her brow in relief, her worried expression turning to happiness. Her mother didn't go off on her, at least....thank the heavens. "So anyway...yea, that's my hut over there, guys....and you all just met my mother and father....OH SHIT, MY MOTHER AND FATHER! SHIT SHIT SHIT!", she almost bit her tongue off at that. This was going to be bad!

[Germanic Templars]

"Doubtful they will, but we will ha-" Barox was interrupted when another tech priest called his name. He looked to see who it was. Standing there at the height of 6 ft 9 even with a hunchback, a tube cutting into his trachea that was connected to an oxygen tank, and a mechanical claw for a right arm stood carrying some tools. "Yes, Gregor?" He called to the man.

"Ye, can ya help out here a bit? We are doing a bit of demo."

"What, why?" He asked in surprise tone.

"Home called and they need all the metal they can get to help in rebuilding the nation."

"So everything must be torn down? What about the clone troopers and all?"

"Don't worry, we'll still have 2 platoons of 30 clones here and the factory, just that we are down scaling." Gregor explained in full.

Wren furrowed her brow. This was another something that she didn't understand but it drove home a very important point to her: no matter what the differences of opinion, the Templars were recovering from a very bitter war.

"I'll lend a hand," she volunteered. Now wasn't the time to mope or bemoan things. "Just leave the little clinic a while longer, for Datus' sake," she added to Barox.

" 'Ave no worries dere, the clinic will stay here, pretty much the only other building staying since we need it in case we, or the clones get sick or injured." Gregor responded.

[Cerillium]

Mrs. Dimitrova thanked the man and gave a bow, before turning to see her other daughter socializing with other children.

..................................................




"Sweet.", Torii said in response to Marcus. "Once we clear out the rubble to the lower levels, we can put up some yellow tape and a warning sign, warning us that disappearing into the darkness beyond that point may be a bad idea, ya know? Besides that, we can put some wood stuff here and there to break the monotony of stone and metal."

"Oh, by the way, my hut and the bunker are over there.", Torii pointed to a largish hut several meters behind them all. It was a round hut, looking to be made of straw and wood on the outside (though the inside had many modern furnishings). Behind it, the ground dipped and became a round area of dirt, and the bunker's mouth opened up right as the ground shot up again, by several feet, marking the edge of the jungle.

Torii was happy to be with peers, and she had actually made some friends. These weren't like her adult "friends", either, but other kids who she could relate to. No stupid lessons to be taught, or talks about family and adulthood; she could talk about other people, or what adventure they would go on, or music, or whatever else people her age talked about, and she didn't have to work or go meet people. She was having a lot of fun.

Until her mother called for her.

"Tora.", The woman's voice called from behind her. Torii jumped for a moment and turned around. Apparently, her dad wasn't the only person to be here for the holidays...

"M-Mom."

Her mother wrinkled her nose for a second, but shook her head and responded. "Yes, dear?"
"I didn't think you'd be here..."
"Mmm, yes...I believe it was your sister who extended the invitation?"
"Fo'real?", Torii asked. "I mean...really..."
"Yes, I was also rather surprised. I didn't quite expect to see my children at this time, though it's always a pleasant surprise. You two are always running around, and your sibling is so forgetful and untimely."

Torii actually chuckled a bit. "Yea, I guess she is. She's probably with Yoshi, ya know."
"Oh, she's still with him?"
"Yea, they're good, though I think they disagree sometimes. It's nothing bad, though."
"Ah, and what of you and your little...", she forced herself to say it, "Girlfriend?"

Torii's heart stopped for a second. She didn't want to bring that up just yet. "Um....yyyyyeeeaaaaa, no, Katya's fine."

Her mother huffed, but said nothing more. She wanted to at least correct her daughter's grammar, but she was the guest here, so she wouldn't try to make a scene, especially since Tora was with other children. It was good for the child, at least; better than spending all of her time with her father.

"Well then, I suppose....I'll be finding a place to stay? This does seem like a rather nice resort. Did your sister book it?"

Torii laughed. "No, this is just an uncharted island, and we use it for vacation. I'm not joking either."

This impressed her mother a bit, actually.

"Yea, there's one or two empty huts down the beach, maybe you can use'em."
"Well, thank you, Tora....perhaps you're not ill-mannered after all."
"Hehehe, hey, I'm not a wild kid, now."
"Yes, I suppose not....well, I'll be looking for your sister now?"
"Yea, sure...um....later."

Her mother nodded to the group before turning and leaving. Torii wiped her brow in relief, her worried expression turning to happiness. Her mother didn't go off on her, at least....thank the heavens. "So anyway...yea, that's my hut over there, guys....and you all just met my mother and father....OH SHIT, MY MOTHER AND FATHER! SHIT SHIT SHIT!", she almost bit her tongue off at that. This was going to be bad!

Marcus blinked his eye as the woman left. That wasn't so bad. She hadn't laid into Torii.

He snorted. "Divorced, I take it?"

He wasn't about to bring up his own home life but there were days when the strain between Ceril and Naomi was palpable but that was only because they hadn't gotten married yet. It was just timing and not anything to do with avoiding marriage itself. He sometimes thought his dad was a dick for not marrying her right away. Then again, it would suck to be trapped between two divorced parents. Torii had his sympathy.

---

Wren gave a firm nod. "Good. We need it for the children."

She looked about the compound and wondered how they were going to manage it. "I suppose you don't mind working in the dark? I don't have access to any light sources."

[Torsiedelle]

Mrs. Dimitrova thanked the man and gave a bow, before turning to see her other daughter socializing with other children.

..................................................




"Sweet.", Torii said in response to Marcus. "Once we clear out the rubble to the lower levels, we can put up some yellow tape and a warning sign, warning us that disappearing into the darkness beyond that point may be a bad idea, ya know? Besides that, we can put some wood stuff here and there to break the monotony of stone and metal."

"Oh, by the way, my hut and the bunker are over there.", Torii pointed to a largish hut several meters behind them all. It was a round hut, looking to be made of straw and wood on the outside (though the inside had many modern furnishings). Behind it, the ground dipped and became a round area of dirt, and the bunker's mouth opened up right as the ground shot up again, by several feet, marking the edge of the jungle.

Torii was happy to be with peers, and she had actually made some friends. These weren't like her adult "friends", either, but other kids who she could relate to. No stupid lessons to be taught, or talks about family and adulthood; she could talk about other people, or what adventure they would go on, or music, or whatever else people her age talked about, and she didn't have to work or go meet people. She was having a lot of fun.

Until her mother called for her.

"Tora.", The woman's voice called from behind her. Torii jumped for a moment and turned around. Apparently, her dad wasn't the only person to be here for the holidays...

"M-Mom."

Her mother wrinkled her nose for a second, but shook her head and responded. "Yes, dear?"
"I didn't think you'd be here..."
"Mmm, yes...I believe it was your sister who extended the invitation?"
"Fo'real?", Torii asked. "I mean...really..."
"Yes, I was also rather surprised. I didn't quite expect to see my children at this time, though it's always a pleasant surprise. You two are always running around, and your sibling is so forgetful and untimely."

Torii actually chuckled a bit. "Yea, I guess she is. She's probably with Yoshi, ya know."
"Oh, she's still with him?"
"Yea, they're good, though I think they disagree sometimes. It's nothing bad, though."
"Ah, and what of you and your little...", she forced herself to say it, "Girlfriend?"

Torii's heart stopped for a second. She didn't want to bring that up just yet. "Um....yyyyyeeeaaaaa, no, Katya's fine."

Her mother huffed, but said nothing more. She wanted to at least correct her daughter's grammar, but she was the guest here, so she wouldn't try to make a scene, especially since Tora was with other children. It was good for the child, at least; better than spending all of her time with her father.

"Well then, I suppose....I'll be finding a place to stay? This does seem like a rather nice resort. Did your sister book it?"

Torii laughed. "No, this is just an uncharted island, and we use it for vacation. I'm not joking either."

This impressed her mother a bit, actually.

"Yea, there's one or two empty huts down the beach, maybe you can use'em."
"Well, thank you, Tora....perhaps you're not ill-mannered after all."
"Hehehe, hey, I'm not a wild kid, now."
"Yes, I suppose not....well, I'll be looking for your sister now?"
"Yea, sure...um....later."

Her mother nodded to the group before turning and leaving. Torii wiped her brow in relief, her worried expression turning to happiness. Her mother didn't go off on her, at least....thank the heavens. "So anyway...yea, that's my hut over there, guys....and you all just met my mother and father....OH SHIT, MY MOTHER AND FATHER! SHIT SHIT SHIT!", she almost bit her tongue off at that. This was going to be bad!

Marcus blinked his eye as the woman left. That wasn't so bad. She hadn't laid into Torii.

He snorted. "Divorced, I take it?"

He wasn't about to bring up his own home life but there were days when the strain between Ceril and Naomi was palpable but that was only because they hadn't gotten married yet. It was just timing and not anything to do with avoiding marriage itself. He sometimes thought his dad was a dick for not marrying her right away. Then again, it would suck to be trapped between two divorced parents. Torii had his sympathy.

"Eeeeehhhhh, somethin' like that."

Torii didn't really like talking about it, and she actually felt a little embarrassed. Maybe this was what it was like to have a parent drop by in front of your friends?

"My mom and dad don't really care for each other. My sister went with my mom, and I got dad, so I don't know what her opinions are on the matter, but I find it to be....annoying. Besides that, though, they're both on the island...I don't think they've seen each other in, say, sixteen years? Only exchanged note and a phone call maybe once or twice. Not very loving if you ask me; I don't see what my dad saw in the woman, but she's my mom, and I wanna be her daughter."

To keep her mood up, Torii chuckled and replied to Yuna. "Hey, I ain't a morning person, either, but I'll be up. I wanna get some waves before we start, anyway, get alert and focused. By the way, I never really got to know your brother."

[Cerillium]

"Eeeeehhhhh, somethin' like that."

Torii didn't really like talking about it, and she actually felt a little embarrassed. Maybe this was what it was like to have a parent drop by in front of your friends?

"My mom and dad don't really care for each other. My sister went with my mom, and I got dad, so I don't know what her opinions are on the matter, but I find it to be....annoying. Besides that, though, they're both on the island...I don't think they've seen each other in, say, sixteen years? Only exchanged note and a phone call maybe once or twice. Not very loving if you ask me; I don't see what my dad saw in the woman, but she's my mom, and I wanna be her daughter."

"Ouch," Marcus empathized. "Well, if it makes you feel better, she seems like a normal mom but didn't do anything to really embarrass you. My dad's an asshole. He would have probably humiliated me. I love him, though. I love his girlfriend more. She's an awesome mom. I don't know what she sees in him, but she sees the good parts of everyone."

He shrugged and realized he was rambling. It was just his effort to reassure Torii and get her mind off the prospect of a major fight between her parents. He meant no harm by it.

"Welp, guess we should all call it a night?"

[Giovenith]

"Awww, Torii..." Giovenith sighed, having been previously shocked into silence by the arrival and interruption of Torii's mean mommy. It was out of the blue, sudden, and had left her friend rather wound-up. Regardless though, Torii did seem to be taking it well. "Yes, we're all here for you, Torii," she reassured to her friend, trying to be helpful as the others had, but lightly so she could get the point across without picking at the quickly-covered scar. She topped the gesture with a quick reach and squeeze to her friend's hand.

"I am getting rather tired too," Giovenith agreed with Marcus. "We've planned a lot, but we need rest if we're going to do anything at all."

[Germanic Templars]

Mrs. Dimitrova thanked the man and gave a bow, before turning to see her other daughter socializing with other children.

..................................................




"Sweet.", Torii said in response to Marcus. "Once we clear out the rubble to the lower levels, we can put up some yellow tape and a warning sign, warning us that disappearing into the darkness beyond that point may be a bad idea, ya know? Besides that, we can put some wood stuff here and there to break the monotony of stone and metal."

"Oh, by the way, my hut and the bunker are over there.", Torii pointed to a largish hut several meters behind them all. It was a round hut, looking to be made of straw and wood on the outside (though the inside had many modern furnishings). Behind it, the ground dipped and became a round area of dirt, and the bunker's mouth opened up right as the ground shot up again, by several feet, marking the edge of the jungle.

Torii was happy to be with peers, and she had actually made some friends. These weren't like her adult "friends", either, but other kids who she could relate to. No stupid lessons to be taught, or talks about family and adulthood; she could talk about other people, or what adventure they would go on, or music, or whatever else people her age talked about, and she didn't have to work or go meet people. She was having a lot of fun.

Until her mother called for her.

"Tora.", The woman's voice called from behind her. Torii jumped for a moment and turned around. Apparently, her dad wasn't the only person to be here for the holidays...

"M-Mom."

Her mother wrinkled her nose for a second, but shook her head and responded. "Yes, dear?"
"I didn't think you'd be here..."
"Mmm, yes...I believe it was your sister who extended the invitation?"
"Fo'real?", Torii asked. "I mean...really..."
"Yes, I was also rather surprised. I didn't quite expect to see my children at this time, though it's always a pleasant surprise. You two are always running around, and your sibling is so forgetful and untimely."

Torii actually chuckled a bit. "Yea, I guess she is. She's probably with Yoshi, ya know."
"Oh, she's still with him?"
"Yea, they're good, though I think they disagree sometimes. It's nothing bad, though."
"Ah, and what of you and your little...", she forced herself to say it, "Girlfriend?"

Torii's heart stopped for a second. She didn't want to bring that up just yet. "Um....yyyyyeeeaaaaa, no, Katya's fine."

Her mother huffed, but said nothing more. She wanted to at least correct her daughter's grammar, but she was the guest here, so she wouldn't try to make a scene, especially since Tora was with other children. It was good for the child, at least; better than spending all of her time with her father.

"Well then, I suppose....I'll be finding a place to stay? This does seem like a rather nice resort. Did your sister book it?"

Torii laughed. "No, this is just an uncharted island, and we use it for vacation. I'm not joking either."

This impressed her mother a bit, actually.

"Yea, there's one or two empty huts down the beach, maybe you can use'em."
"Well, thank you, Tora....perhaps you're not ill-mannered after all."
"Hehehe, hey, I'm not a wild kid, now."
"Yes, I suppose not....well, I'll be looking for your sister now?"
"Yea, sure...um....later."

Her mother nodded to the group before turning and leaving. Torii wiped her brow in relief, her worried expression turning to happiness. Her mother didn't go off on her, at least....thank the heavens. "So anyway...yea, that's my hut over there, guys....and you all just met my mother and father....OH SHIT, MY MOTHER AND FATHER! SHIT SHIT SHIT!", she almost bit her tongue off at that. This was going to be bad!

Marcus blinked his eye as the woman left. That wasn't so bad. She hadn't laid into Torii.

He snorted. "Divorced, I take it?"

He wasn't about to bring up his own home life but there were days when the strain between Ceril and Naomi was palpable but that was only because they hadn't gotten married yet. It was just timing and not anything to do with avoiding marriage itself. He sometimes thought his dad was a dick for not marrying her right away. Then again, it would suck to be trapped between two divorced parents. Torii had his sympathy.

---

Wren gave a firm nod. "Good. We need it for the children."

She looked about the compound and wondered how they were going to manage it. "I suppose you don't mind working in the dark? I don't have access to any light sources."

"Don't worry, lights from the clinic and vehicle factory will come on soon enough. And if that isn't enough well, we'll have to pull out the flood lights from the factory. Don't look forward to grabbing the spare lights." Barox commented as he picked up a welding torch.

---

J'aluk was wondering out of the jungle with a bit of blood on his face and a scratch on his arm. He was slightly bent forward with his hand on his back. J'aluk thought to himself and regretted the failed plan on jumping from the tree onto the food below him. As he was pondering, he caught sound of two people. One sounded familiar to him, the other foreign. He went to investigate, but kept a low profile the best he could. He would find himself looking at a distance to see and hear the end of Marcus's, Torii's, and Gio's conversation. Curious, he was a bit, so he tried to move closer without a sound, but a slight snort from his nostrils, which matched a warthog's snort, escaped from him.

[Cerillium]

"Don't worry, lights from the clinic and vehicle factory will come on soon enough. And if that isn't enough well, we'll have to pull out the flood lights from the factory. Don't look forward to grabbing the spare lights." Barox commented as he picked up a welding torch.

---

J'aluk was wondering out of the jungle with a bit of blood on his face and a scratch on his arm. He was slightly bent forward with his hand on his back. J'aluk thought to himself and regretted the failed plan on jumping from the tree onto the food below him. As he was pondering, he caught sound of two people. One sounded familiar to him, the other foreign. He went to investigate, but kept a low profile the best he could. He would find himself looking at a distance to see and hear the end of Marcus's, Torii's, and Gio's conversation. Curious, he was a bit, so he tried to move closer without a sound, but a slight snort from his nostrils, which matched a warthog's snort, escaped from him.

"Let's do this!"

If there was anything near and dear to Wren's heart (other than the plight of children) it was demolition. She enjoyed taking things apart to see what made them tick. She dropped her robes to display the impressive mechendrite array stemming from her spine. Wren had a good eye for aesthetics and her cybernetics enhanced her alluring hourglass shape but she had her "what the fuck are you?!" moments. This was one of them. One of her eight sleek, black tendrils snaked over her shoulder to poke Barox with a delicate three-pronged claw .

"What do you want me to do first?"

---

Marcus had his back to the Krute. He also wasn't old enough to have his father's vast amount of sensors so J'aluk went unnoticed by him. His ears heard only what sounded like a pig in the jungle.

"Hey, we should hunt up something tomorrow. We could roast a pig. They have them here. Klaus says they have extra tusks coming out the top of their heads."

[Germanic Templars]

"Don't worry, lights from the clinic and vehicle factory will come on soon enough. And if that isn't enough well, we'll have to pull out the flood lights from the factory. Don't look forward to grabbing the spare lights." Barox commented as he picked up a welding torch.

---

J'aluk was wondering out of the jungle with a bit of blood on his face and a scratch on his arm. He was slightly bent forward with his hand on his back. J'aluk thought to himself and regretted the failed plan on jumping from the tree onto the food below him. As he was pondering, he caught sound of two people. One sounded familiar to him, the other foreign. He went to investigate, but kept a low profile the best he could. He would find himself looking at a distance to see and hear the end of Marcus's, Torii's, and Gio's conversation. Curious, he was a bit, so he tried to move closer without a sound, but a slight snort from his nostrils, which matched a warthog's snort, escaped from him.

"Let's do this!"

If there was anything near and dear to Wren's heart (other than the plight of children) it was demolition. She enjoyed taking things apart to see what made them tick. She dropped her robes to display the impressive mechendrite array stemming from her spine. Wren had a good eye for aesthetics and her cybernetics enhanced her alluring hourglass shape but she had her "what the fuck are you?!" moments. This was one of them. One of her eight sleek, black tendrils snaked over her shoulder to poke Barox with a delicate three-pronged claw .

"What do you want me to do first?"

---

Marcus had his back to the Krute. He also wasn't old enough to have his father's vast amount of sensors so J'aluk went unnoticed by him. His ears heard only what sounded like a pig in the jungle.

"Hey, we should hunt up something tomorrow. We could roast a pig. They have them here. Klaus says they have extra tusks coming out the top of their heads."

Barox turned around to look at Wren. Upon sight he turned a bit flushed on the face. "Umm.. Er,... How about..." He was stammering a bit. He looked over at the hanger then back at Wren. "How about.. Dismantling the hanger.. Yea."

---

J'aluk remained hidden, waiting for what might happen next between the group.

[The BranRiech]

Yuna had some . . . Experience in hunting. Not much, and it only amounted to being chased by a huge-ass bug, and getting a free ride on the back of a bat the size of a sedan, or was it a bus? Human vehicles were weird.

"Hunting? I could try and help with that, if you don't mind." She volunteered herself, not noticing the Krute that seemed to be hiding from them.

[Torsiedelle]

"Aaaaaaawwwww", Torii groaned. "I'm not tired at aaaalllllllll, but if you guys insist...."

To Torii, it was the perfect time to start, or at least keep up the festivities, and she really wanted to spend more time with the girls (one of her motivations, anyway).

"Besides, I haven't even played my guitar, but still."

In response to Marcus...

"I hunted once. I preferred fishin' , though. Still, I'll join you."