Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Primordial Luxa]

Meanwhile the figure on the beach begins to once again drag his mangled body toward the sea in a perverse sense of desperation.

[/spoiler]

"Heads up," she drawled again, nudging Katya. Her tone was the same as earlier, but her expression was curious. "We should probably check him out, make sure nothing bad's happening. Work before pleasure, what?"

The figure had finally reached the water by this point and he now lay on its surface floating face down in the shallow only a few yards from shores. After a few minutes of laying their he exhaled and began to sink into the brine like a deflating boat.

[The BranRiech]

Kei at least knew where the door was now, as the male figure had ran down it quite fast, but Kei wanted to observe the one that refused to move. The armored goddess approached and stood before her, looking down on her from her tall stature that still wasn't as tall as some people thought. "Hello." She said neutrally, reaching out a hand with a thick gauntlet.

[Swith Witherward]

"Then it is settled. Come now, let me carry you... Then again, how do you want to be carried?" Barox, ever so the gentle-cyborg, asked.

Wren giggled. "Well, um... as long as it isn't like a sack of potatoes slung over your shoulder!"

Her hand touched his shoulder and her brows knitted in concern. "I also don't want you hurting that repaired damage to your back," she said. "I'd feel terrible if I caused you to be in pain."

She meant it. Everything she had in life was there because Barox shared her vision. All the achievements gained by Vitalwrench, all the people (and pets!) whose lives they made better, all the small things that kept her mind busy while Barox had been gone... all of this was because he had the same dream as she did. His heart and soul were a brilliant flame that warmed her and inspired her. The goofy, awkward tech priest held so many positive qualities that she couldn't have stopped herself from falling in love with him, even if she'd tried.

"How about we walk hand in hand?" A blush colored her face in rosy hue.

"A goddess? Heaven?". Lilian thought about a goddess existing for a moment. She had heard lots about different deities, but the information was so contradicting that she was never sure who to believe. Lilian did believe there was some sort of Heaven though. Life couldn't just end. People couldn't just fade away. "My dearest condolences, but how can a goddess die? Aren't they immortal?".

It was getting late, and people where leaving. "Should we leave now?", she asked. Lilian was too excited and curious to sleep, but she didn't want to be left in the dark. She'd heard tons of wicked scary stories about dangerous people who lurked after the sun set.

"Some are immortal," Marcus had overheard Lilian's questions. "Not all, and some have conditions to their existence."

He shrugged. "Most of us are staying on the boat. Want to come along?"

[Germanic Templars]

"Then it is settled. Come now, let me carry you... Then again, how do you want to be carried?" Barox, ever so the gentle-cyborg, asked.

Wren giggled. "Well, um... as long as it isn't like a sack of potatoes slung over your shoulder!"

Her hand touched his shoulder and her brows knitted in concern. "I also don't want you hurting that repaired damage to your back," she said. "I'd feel terrible if I caused you to be in pain."

She meant it. Everything she had in life was there because Barox shared her vision. All the achievements gained by Vitalwrench, all the people (and pets!) whose lives they made better, all the small things that kept her mind busy while Barox had been gone... all of this was because he had the same dream as she did. His heart and soul were a brilliant flame that warmed her and inspired her. The goofy, awkward tech priest held so many positive qualities that she couldn't have stopped herself from falling in love with him, even if she'd tried.

"How about we walk hand in hand?" A blush colored her face in rosy hue.

"Oh." He remarked. That one he didn't expect to here. None the less, it was an answer he would be glad to carry out, indeed. He gently, grabbed onto her hand, locking his fingers in between her fingers.

[Primordial Luxa]

Kei at least knew where the door was now, as the male figure had ran down it quite fast, but Kei wanted to observe the one that refused to move. The armored goddess approached and stood before her, looking down on her from her tall stature that still wasn't as tall as some people thought. "Hello." She said neutrally, reaching out a hand with a thick gauntlet.

The figure curled up tighter into a fetal position giving off a distinct hiss of warning as it did its entire skin changed color into a set of vibrant and violent colors that remind Kei of a some sort of dangerous animals defensive markings.

[The BranRiech]

The figure curled up tighter into a fetal position giving off a distinct hiss of warning as it did its entire skin changed color into a set of vibrant and violent colors that remind Kei of a some sort of dangerous animals defensive markings.

"Alright . . ." Kei whispered, backing away slowly from the creature (It seemed less than human, other than the appearance) and turning around to head out of the room. She transitioned the candle to one hand and drew her sword in the other, simply as a precaution in-case the thing she was turning her back to had any funny ideas about leaving Kei in peace.

With that, she started back towards the hallway where the other one ran off to.

[Torsiedelle]

"Hmm? Oh my...um...yes.", Katya replied. The strange figure was, well…different; not exactly something one would see on a tropical island on Christmas Night. It's sinking in the water gave her a flip-floppy feeling in her stomach.

"Let's check it out."

Suddenly, the pregnant girl was rather brave, and walked towards it, but remained cautious, and remained at the waters edge. It didn't look right. Was it a human? Had nobody else seen it?

[Primordial Luxa]

The figure curled up tighter into a fetal position giving off a distinct hiss of warning as it did its entire skin changed color into a set of vibrant and violent colors that remind Kei of a some sort of dangerous animals defensive markings.

"Alright . . ." Kei whispered, backing away slowly from the creature (It seemed less than human, other than the appearance) and turning around to head out of the room. She transitioned the candle to one hand and drew her sword in the other, simply as a precaution in-case the thing she was turning her back to had any funny ideas about leaving Kei in peace.

With that, she started back towards the hallway where the other one ran off to.

The creature behind her gave a quick look over its shoulder before mewling softly and changing its skin to match the walls around it. It then moved suddenly away from Kei. As she turned down the hallway the sound of footsteps echoed all though it was hard to tell if it was going away or towards her. As her candle shown on the walls she was able to glimpse that carving that her hands had felt, they were the very real English word "Filth" carved in with a blunt object over and over again.

[The BranRiech]

The creature behind her gave a quick look over its shoulder before mewling softly and changing its skin to match the walls around it. It then moved suddenly away from Kei. As she turned down the hallway the sound of footsteps echoed all though it was hard to tell if it was going away or towards her. As her candle shown on the walls she was able to glimpse that carving that her hands had felt, they were the very real English word "Filth" carved in with a blunt object over and over again.

As soon as the female creature changed it's skin, the fact dawned on Kei. These were the Luxans! These were her friends that she knew and loved from the apartment. The female she had just encountered had to be . . . Insidious, right? Yeah, she hadn't seen them at the beach, and this was why. They had been trapped (She assumed?) in here, probably driven insane by encountering their god during thanksgiving.

With this new in mind, Kei turned back one last time and whispered a name.

"Insidious?"

She hoped maybe the name would ring a bell, or at least garner a response from the Luxan woman.

[Primordial Luxa]

The creature behind her gave a quick look over its shoulder before mewling softly and changing its skin to match the walls around it. It then moved suddenly away from Kei. As she turned down the hallway the sound of footsteps echoed all though it was hard to tell if it was going away or towards her. As her candle shown on the walls she was able to glimpse that carving that her hands had felt, they were the very real English word "Filth" carved in with a blunt object over and over again.

As soon as the female creature changed it's skin, the fact dawned on Kei. These were the Luxans! These were her friends that she knew and loved from the apartment. The female she had just encountered had to be . . . Insidious, right? Yeah, she hadn't seen them at the beach, and this was why. They had been trapped (She assumed?) in here, probably driven insane by encountering their god during thanksgiving.

With this new in mind, Kei turned back one last time and whispered a name.

"Insidious?"

She hoped maybe the name would ring a bell, or at least garner a response from the Luxan woman.

The figure paused for a second as though it had been struck before shuddering and making another in humane sound. She fell away from the wall and began walking towards Kei her back hunched and dragging her knuckles across the floor. she swayed slightly from side to side not making a sound but approaching menacingly.

[Urran]

Tieria was out on the beach, he needed to find Minerva or someone to talk to about Anew. She could not succeed in whatever her mission was. The purple haired man walked down the beach and looked at the sky with a sigh. "At least i feel alive...."

[The BranRiech]

The figure paused for a second as though it had been struck before shuddering and making another in humane sound. She fell away from the wall and began walking towards Kei her back hunched and dragging her knuckles across the floor. she swayed slightly from side to side not making a sound but approaching menacingly.

If her experience with "Primordial" was any indication of the physical strength of the Luxans at this point, Insidious would prove quite easy for the Goddess to restrain. She didn't want to leave them in here and risk losing them once more like she almost did when Insidious started to blend with the wall. She sheathed her sword with a small cling, and readied herself to restrain the woman sauntering towards her. Extra effort was made when Kei crouched down as well, setting the candle next to her and placing both arms outward to grab her friend.

"It's alright." She soothed.

I'm going to either get them to the beach, or if that fails, put them out of their misery.

[Swith Witherward]

"Oh." He remarked. That one he didn't expect to here. None the less, it was an answer he would be glad to carry out, indeed. He gently, grabbed onto her hand, locking his fingers in between her fingers.

Wren lifted her hand to study their intertwined fingers. His were a good compliment to her own and she found herself wondering how many projects had flourished thanks to his fingertips and elbow grease.

"Mistletoe," she murmured and then lifted her eyes to look at the space above their heads. There wasn't any there, of course, but it was the perfect opportunity for her to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his mouth. Blushing profusely, she settled her heels into the sand again and looked away. A small, nervous cough escaped her.

"This food is going to get cold," she whispered. "Um, so let's gather up the crew and get over to the boat?"

--

Minerva was plastered. The cultist leader was perched on the very top of a palm tree and surveying the beach before her with pin-prick eyes and a sadistic smile. Cocaine was a wonderful thing. It took quite a lot to affect her but the activities of the forbidden rituals earlier that night had done her well. The tree swayed. Minerva rode it. It was times like these that Klaus and he men most hated her faction. It was times like these when she and her Lads were most akin to them. Belief was suspended. They could do anything their minds thought up.

A tiny bit of reason rattled about her skull like a packing peanut caught in a wind tunnel. It was there, to be sure, but just senseless debris that held little domination over her more predatory instincts.

"Tick tock, Tieria," she hissed as the mechanical man intruded into her line of vision. "Tick tock, you're off the clock. Do you have a liver?"

There wasn't any way in hell that Klaus would permit her to actually stalk and kill Tieria or any other resident. The packing peanut told her so. She dropped from the tree and soundlessly landed on the sand below. She crouched. She waited. She let Tieria pass by unharmed.

Her Lads peeled off and darted in and out of shadows along the trail. Minerva, basking in the pleasant thought of throttling a native pig, turned her back on the bonfire to join her lot.

[Germanic Templars]

"Oh." He remarked. That one he didn't expect to here. None the less, it was an answer he would be glad to carry out, indeed. He gently, grabbed onto her hand, locking his fingers in between her fingers.

Wren lifted her hand to study their intertwined fingers. His were a good compliment to her own and she found herself wondering how many projects had flourished thanks to his fingertips and elbow grease.

"Mistletoe," she murmured and then lifted her eyes to look at the space above their heads. There wasn't any there, of course, but it was the perfect opportunity for her to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his mouth. Blushing profusely, she settled her heels into the sand again and looked away. A small, nervous cough escaped her.

"This food is going to get cold," she whispered. "Um, so let's gather up the crew and get over to the boat?"

"Yes, lets do so quickly." They walked to the compound, which took them five minutes to get to. There they were outside the clinic. With a knock on the door and entering it, there was Levi just sitting there on one of the benches. Barox leaned close to Wren and whispered, "Best if we don't talk to the insane machine/cyborg, trust me, it's beneficial." Holding onto her hand he lead her to one of the side rooms where Sapphire came out of to greet the two earlier. To their surprised was Sapphire passed out on the floor with Dr. Smith kneeling next to her, running vitals and making sure she was okay. Doing this, made him pay no attention to the couple in the doorway.

----

Meanwhile, in the jungle, laying against a tree with his right hand covering over his left side was J'aluk. He was covered in sand, mud, and some seaweed with scars and scratches on him as well with a crack in his chest plate. There he sighed, with the slight pain and headache he was having. He rested his head against the tree and laid there and listened to the wilderness.

[Urran]

Tieria was going to stop Minerva and talk to her, but, of course, she vanished before he could have a chance to speak. He needed to talk to SOMEONE about Anew, maybe if he found someone more trustworthy, like Katya, or perhaps Gio to bring his case before the others. He continued his march down the beach as his hair swayed in the breeze. He also hated to admit it, but he had feelings for Minerva. She stood up to him, put him in his place, he admired that in her, he reached into his pocket and took out a bracelet that he had made for her and clenched it in his fist, but was careful not to break it. "As if she would accept it...."

[Tiltjuice]

"Hmm? Oh my...um...yes.", Katya replied. The strange figure was, well…different; not exactly something one would see on a tropical island on Christmas Night. It's sinking in the water gave her a flip-floppy feeling in her stomach.

"Let's check it out."

Suddenly, the pregnant girl was rather brave, and walked towards it, but remained cautious, and remained at the waters edge. It didn't look right. Was it a human? Had nobody else seen it?

"Right you are," Dora said, drawl gone, suddenly all business. She joined Katya at the water's edge, then waded in and reached down, intending to help the man out of the surf. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?"

The water rushed in over and around her sandals, but she ignored the feeling.

[Cerillium]

"Yes, lets do so quickly." They walked to the compound, which took them five minutes to get to. There they were outside the clinic. With a knock on the door and entering it, there was Levi just sitting there on one of the benches. Barox leaned close to Wren and whispered, "Best if we don't talk to the insane machine/cyborg, trust me, it's beneficial." Holding onto her hand he lead her to one of the side rooms where Sapphire came out of to greet the two earlier. To their surprised was Sapphire passed out on the floor with Dr. Smith kneeling next to her, running vitals and making sure she was okay. Doing this, made him pay no attention to the couple in the doorway.

----

Meanwhile, in the jungle, laying against a tree with his right hand covering over his left side was J'aluk. He was covered in sand, mud, and some seaweed with scars and scratches on him as well with a crack in his chest plate. There he sighed, with the slight pain and headache he was having. He rested his head against the tree and laid there and listened to the wilderness.

"Oh shit, what happened to Sapphire?" Wren set the food containers aside and knelt down next to the scientist. "Is she alright?"

She was tempted to ask Barox to record the event.

---

"Do you know what would be good right now? Tacos. Cheap ones, from Taco Bell."

Rudolf turned his head to peer at the Krute.

"Yeah, tacos. Not any of that shitty taco sauce in packets though. That shit is just - shit."

The cultist was laying in an almost identical position to J'aluk but without a grain of sand on him. He lifted a hand and scratched his nose.

"Have you ever noticed how fast food restaurants try to pawn Mr. Pibb off on us like it was equal to Dr Pepper? What about those Double Quarter Pounders with cheese? Ever had one? That's over 750 calories, my friend. You add on some large fries and you're looking at 1250 for the meal. Who does that? Who eats that much shit in one sitting? A Crunchy Taco has only 270. You could eat a fuckton of Taco Bell Tacos instead of one hamburger and some greasy potatoes."

A light flared and briefly illuminated his face as he lit a cigarette.

"Yeah, a fuckton of tacos. Yo quiero Taco Bell. So, what the hell happened to you? You're all the way out here and not looking like you're in the mood for tacos."

[Cerillium]

Chrys nodded at Klaus and was out the door in a blur. Dia stepped up to fill her space, towering over both Klaus and Luce. A light gray shadow fell over the room, and Chrys' mate returned Klaus' examination.

"That's correct. We still know nothing about how long or why. Our best shot at trying to learn anything would be to find their center of operations in the city, and/or this false Tasia." Luce sounded calm but his brows were drawn together slightly. "I think we might be assembling a more diverse group to handle that, now that Swith is no longer with us and you and yours are preoccupied. The wolf-man, Raymond Jansma, for one. And Dora's onetime lover, Kei. There may be others. Will that pose any problem for you?"

"It won't pose a problem. The more eyes and ears, the better the chances of success."

Klaus pressed his finger and thumb to his nose's bridge and pinched it to help him focus. So many details. So many things to keep track of. Bane was off in his own party land which meant there'd be more freedom to move around but he didn't like the thought of Allspice potentially getting their hands on other people to use as poisonous darts towards the Conservators. Time cops could be annoying as a whole but Luce's group had been extremely helpful over the last year. Decent people. They understood Fate. He lowered his hand and regarded each of them.

"If you need anything, just ask," he offered. "The raptors have taken a sabbatical but the tech priests at the observatory can fill in if you want things analyzed. Misaki is still floating around. She's dedicated to your group as a go-between. If things are dire, Chrys has red socks. And, as always, should you need to reach someone in an emergency, shout down a drain."

A glint of morning sunshine on the water caught his eye and he sighed. "It's getting late. It's too early. We've only one more day here at Ni, and then we return home. We can launch into your investigation full-scale once we're back. I promise you, you'll get answers."

---

The sun slowly rose higher. It bathed those still on the beach and set the partially reconstructed hut aglow. Long morning shadows stretched out from the pavilion. The animals in the jungle awoke and began their racket even as people were wrapping up their conversations.

Myra's ferry arrived at the boat to deposit sleepy passengers on the deck. Minerva's lads awoke from their stupors and set about their tasks. A piping hot breakfast was prepared in the galley and a boatload of cultists headed back to the land in order to complete the huts.

Minerva herself had vanished into the jungle, and Tieria wouldn't catch up with her. It was a good thing, too. She probably would have throttled him in her drugged-out state.

[Urran]

Yoshi stirred and woke up from his slumber. He rubbed his tired eyes and tossed his sheets aside before going about his usual morning routine, brushing his teeth, shower, breakfast, brush teeth again. Afterwards he dressed in his Yukata again, seeing as how it was too hot for a trench coat or kimono, wrapped the purple scarf around his neck and took up his notebook and pens, something else he had gotten for Christmas, as well as his violin, amp, and metal effect pedal, and walked out onto the beach where he found a fallen palm tree to sit on. He opened his notebook and plugged up his violin to the amp and pedal. Oh the wonders of modern electronics, he could make his instrument sound like an electric guitar. After playing a few notes he began to sing whilst playing. "It's in this world that I find myself, losing the will to resume this hell..." he paused for a few seconds and screamed the last few words while playing again. Despite his unassuming appearance, he was a fan of both classical, pop, and metal music. He decided to make an attempt at song writing.

[Giovenith]

Giovenith stretched and yawned, bemoaning the sight of the sun rising. Well, hopefully she could fit in at least two or three hours of sleep, maybe. She could run on that to get through the day, and then just catch up the next night. Though it'd be a shame to miss that breakfast... still, it was smarter to care to her more immediate needs.

Willow had already since fluttered off to a room and curled up under a comforter, falling deep into sleep. Nothing else was on the mind.

[Primordial Luxa]

The figure paused for a second as though it had been struck before shuddering and making another in humane sound. She fell away from the wall and began walking towards Kei her back hunched and dragging her knuckles across the floor. she swayed slightly from side to side not making a sound but approaching menacingly.

If her experience with "Primordial" was any indication of the physical strength of the Luxans at this point, Insidious would prove quite easy for the Goddess to restrain. She didn't want to leave them in here and risk losing them once more like she almost did when Insidious started to blend with the wall. She sheathed her sword with a small cling, and readied herself to restrain the woman sauntering towards her. Extra effort was made when Kei crouched down as well, setting the candle next to her and placing both arms outward to grab her friend.

"It's alright." She soothed.

I'm going to either get them to the beach, or if that fails, put them out of their misery.

Insidious fell into her arms suddenly as her kneecaps suddenly and loudly broke under the weight of her standing. She gave another brief whimper as she fell her skin changing in a pulsing red color that burned the eyes.

"Hmm? Oh my...um...yes.", Katya replied. The strange figure was, well…different; not exactly something one would see on a tropical island on Christmas Night. It's sinking in the water gave her a flip-floppy feeling in her stomach.

"Let's check it out."

Suddenly, the pregnant girl was rather brave, and walked towards it, but remained cautious, and remained at the waters edge. It didn't look right. Was it a human? Had nobody else seen it?

"Right you are," Dora said, drawl gone, suddenly all business. She joined Katya at the water's edge, then waded in and reached down, intending to help the man out of the surf. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?"

The water rushed in over and around her sandals, but she ignored the feeling.

The man didn't move at first and he felt cold to the touch, his skin was icy and frigid reminiscent of a dead man. As the moon light reflects of his face and the water it reveals a dark and menacing form. His hair is long coming down below his shoulder in matted filthy tatters while his skin seems shrived and gaunt like that of a man aged impossibly long on the outside yet who had retained in the inward body of young man. His face was covered in bruises and blood blister and under his impossibly white skin where a set of deep dark lines that looked like a patch work of black veins. However most disturbing was that his entire left cheek and jaw section had nearly completely disintegrated to be replaced with a gaping hole of ash and flaking grey dust.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii was all hype and talking, trying to stay awake for a reason, but that was her personal business. However, she couldn't stay awake forever, and had quickly fallen asleep while her friends did whatever they wanted. She did enjoy a few hours of sleep before awaking, which she thanked the heavens for, and stretched out on the ship's deck to bask in the sunlight. Really, though it may be boring every now and then, Torii loved the island for this reason. She never really spent long periods of time outside, and, even when she did, it was mild to cold, and always uncomfortable. Here, in the tropics, there was humidity, warmth, wind, and quiet.

Maybe she should check her diary in a little while...

She didn't get to build her clubhouse in the bunker. She was dissapointed, but they'd have all the time in the world to build it back home. She also hadn't seen her parents, which she saw as a bad sign. Maybe they'd killed each other, or maybe they had gotten lost? In reality, they were working things out, which was something neither sister could imagine. It would be like Satan and Jesus having a beer. Another thought struck her: Bran. It was really eating away at her. Where was he? When would he find her? Despite her not wanting to have another lecture, she felt like maybe she had to get things over with already.

Finally, where the hell was her sister? None of her adult friends were around anymore, suddenly. While her younger friends were really fun, she didn't want to loose her older ones. They had always accepted her, despite her being a mere seventeen years old, and she loved their company. It put her in a sad mood, thinking about that, and she needed to set her feet on solid ground for a while, so she simply got up and walked off of the yacht to go check the beach for her buddies.

---

Upon seeing the body up close, Katya had a single thought: "Nope."

She covered her mouth and inhaled sharply. It was sickening, and also terrifying. She didn't like it at all, and didn't deal in that stuff, so she quickly turned around and started walking away from the area as fast as she could. Dora could stay, but she was leaving the body, and never bringing it up again.

[Urran]

Torii was all hype and talking, trying to stay awake for a reason, but that was her personal business. However, she couldn't stay awake forever, and had quickly fallen asleep while her friends did whatever they wanted. She did enjoy a few hours of sleep before awaking, which she thanked the heavens for, and stretched out on the ship's deck to bask in the sunlight. Really, though it may be boring every now and then, Torii loved the island for this reason. She never really spent long periods of time outside, and, even when she did, it was mild to cold, and always uncomfortable. Here, in the tropics, there was humidity, warmth, wind, and quiet.

Maybe she should check her diary in a little while...

She didn't get to build her clubhouse in the bunker. She was dissapointed, but they'd have all the time in the world to build it back home. She also hadn't seen her parents, which she saw as a bad sign. Maybe they'd killed each other, or maybe they had gotten lost? In reality, they were working things out, which was something neither sister could imagine. It would be like Satan and Jesus having a beer. Another thought struck her: Bran. It was really eating away at her. Where was he? When would he find her? Despite her not wanting to have another lecture, she felt like maybe she had to get things over with already.

Finally, where the hell was her sister? None of her adult friends were around anymore, suddenly. While her younger friends were really fun, she didn't want to loose her older ones. They had always accepted her, despite her being a mere seventeen years old, and she loved their company. It put her in a sad mood, thinking about that, and she needed to set her feet on solid ground for a while, so she simply got up and walked off of the yacht to go check the beach for her buddies.

Yoshi was still in his song writing but decided that it just wasn't for him, he would just sing and play the songs of others and to stick to writing that he was actually good at, everything but songs. He giggled a bit at that before he looked up from his notebook to see Tora walking about alone. "Tora chan!" he called and waved for her to come and see him. He was a bit lonely and she looked like she was too. Perfect.

[Tiltjuice]

Chrys nodded at Klaus and was out the door in a blur. Dia stepped up to fill her space, towering over both Klaus and Luce. A light gray shadow fell over the room, and Chrys' mate returned Klaus' examination.

"That's correct. We still know nothing about how long or why. Our best shot at trying to learn anything would be to find their center of operations in the city, and/or this false Tasia." Luce sounded calm but his brows were drawn together slightly. "I think we might be assembling a more diverse group to handle that, now that Swith is no longer with us and you and yours are preoccupied. The wolf-man, Raymond Jansma, for one. And Dora's onetime lover, Kei. There may be others. Will that pose any problem for you?"

"It won't pose a problem. The more eyes and ears, the better the chances of success."

Klaus pressed his finger and thumb to his nose's bridge and pinched it to help him focus. So many details. So many things to keep track of. Bane was off in his own party land which meant there'd be more freedom to move around but he didn't like the thought of Allspice potentially getting their hands on other people to use as poisonous darts towards the Conservators. Time cops could be annoying as a whole but Luce's group had been extremely helpful over the last year. Decent people. They understood Fate. He lowered his hand and regarded each of them.

"If you need anything, just ask," he offered. "The raptors have taken a sabbatical but the tech priests at the observatory can fill in if you want things analyzed. Misaki is still floating around. She's dedicated to your group as a go-between. If things are dire, Chrys has red socks. And, as always, should you need to reach someone in an emergency, shout down a drain."

A glint of morning sunshine on the water caught his eye and he sighed. "It's getting late. It's too early. We've only one more day here at Ni, and then we return home. We can launch into your investigation full-scale once we're back. I promise you, you'll get answers."

"Yes, of course," Luce answered quickly, before Dia could make some snarky remark. The bespectacled man in the towel couldn't see any way to twist Klaus' words, but Dia was Dia. "I thank you, and we shouldn't keep you any longer." He'd also noticed the sunlight's reflection.

Dia, contrary to expectations, only grunted in amusement. The red socks he'd thought quite fascinating, when Chrys had mentioned them and what they did.

"It appears Chrys is going to be the contact from our side for both Allspice and Bane, and whatever else might come," he said, as a parting observation, holding open the door for Klaus. "She's formed quite the bond with Hans."

[Torsiedelle]

"Hmm? Ooh, there we are!"

She mentally patted herself on the back. It didn't take that long to find one of her adult friends! Taking that opportunity, she jogged over to meet her sister's boyfriend and bowed ever so slightly, then sat down Indian-Style in the sand. Her eyes still had that ever-present wonder in them that gave them a light blue twinkle, but her pupils carried a darkness in them. Overall, though, she was in a normal, happy mood, and leaned forward to better hear the man. "So", She started, "what's up? Have you seen Mr. Nikanor? My sister?"