Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Monfrox]

Flint stared at the girl. "You.....you, I do not forget...." She thought, but then went on to listen to what she had to say. Just what was this that they were seeing? Wait, did she just- "You want us to...go in there?" Flint asked. She checked her equipment and pack. "I do. I have my rifle, my pistol, and knife. Not much else, but not much else needed, da?" She stepped to the girl. "I remember you, though. I keep eye on you. Make sure is not trap, da?" She wasn't really looking for trouble or a fight, but she'd give it to anyone who was going to make it for her.

[Cerillium]

Marcus dropped a popcorn packet into the microwave. He found a perfectly sized bowl for it and put it on the table a few minutes later for all the enjoy.

"This was a good idea," he mused as he pulled the guitar down again. "We can just relax without worrying that someone will come along and force us to do crap we don't want to do, or ask us stupid questions we don't want to answer. I'll still need to work, but I have a reason to stay in the Building now instead of living at the Observatory. I sorta missed living here."

He looked to Giovenith. "Would you make a mural sometime? Like something with all of us in it?"

[Giovenith]

"I'd love to," Giovenith beamed, always happy to be given an excuse to make art.

Everywhere she went she liked to leave a mark on it if she could, and gaining a new place to do so filled a satisfaction that rested deep in her core for as long as she could remember. Already the girl's mind was alit with the buzzing high of creativity, sorting and shuffling the ideas like files until she could find the perfect match for her future project's path. Behold, the brain of Giovenith. Marcus' suggestion made her remember something else though, as she had been turning it around in her head a while until a good time to ask.

"But," she quickly tagged onto her last statement. "Only if you promise to show me your sculptures sometime." The bargain was dotted at the end with a wide, semi-teasing, good-natured grin. "Remember you told us about them?"

[Torsiedelle]

"Lovers makes he world go 'round.", Tora commented offhandedly.

Turning to Drova, she grinned sharply. "Looks like I got a challenger. Okay then. This is gonna be good, eh? Let's get comfy."

Tossing her jacket aside, and kicking off her boots, she began to stretch and crack her knuckles. This is what she loved; a friendly wrastle with a friend, in the comfort of her clubhouse. This place was great.

[Cerillium]

"I'd love to," Giovenith beamed, always happy to be given an excuse to make art.

Everywhere she went she liked to leave a mark on it if she could, and gaining a new place to do so filled a satisfaction that rested deep in her core for as long as she could remember. Already the girl's mind was alit with the buzzing high of creativity, sorting and shuffling the ideas like files until she could find the perfect match for her future project's path. Behold, the brain of Giovenith. Marcus' suggestion made her remember something else though, as she had been turning it around in her head a while until a good time to ask.

"But," she quickly tagged onto her last statement. "Only if you promise to show me your sculptures sometime." The bargain was dotted at the end with a wide, semi-teasing, good-natured grin. "Remember you told us about them?"

Marcus blushed. "I - er, sure. They're sort of lame, maybe? I tried modern art but didn't like it. So I um, well, welding stuff together and made chickens. That was my first project. Most of rest are in my dad's back garden. Naomi hangs clothes on them to dry."

He'd never shown anyone his work. He had honestly assumed people would laugh at it. The chickens had given way to a sheep, which shared the garden with a sundial and some stick figure children playing with a ball.

"I tried to replicate that giraffe in the park but the head was too heavy. My dad used the body for scrap but the neck and head are near a tree. It's like he's poking it right out of the ground to look around."

[Tiltjuice]

Both of Ogoti's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You've been out of it a long while," he stated, "And your body has been up to mischief while your mind has been elsewhere."

He opened the door and spotted Hans and Chrys. "Hans, I shook Tasia out of the jar. She bounced a few times but I believe she's back to normal size. Would you two mind coming in? You might want to be part of this conversation."

Hans had no reason to doubt Ogoti and the thought had never occurred to him that Ogoti wouldn't be able to counter his brand of magic. He shrugged, relieved that Ogoti had "fixed" her. Thus, the old god turned towards Tasia again and found her restored to her normal physical state.

"Damned annoying, Klaus' men are," Ogoti smiled at Tasia. "Still, it's all in what you say to them."

Tasia sat, uncertain and nonplussed. Mischief? She rubbed the palm of her hand on her arm nervously. Ogoti's smile was slightly reassuring, but she had no way of knowing what had happened, or how Hans or Chrys might regard her.

"Sister," she said softly, cautiously. "What did I - " and then things were marginally better, as Chrys swept her into a fierce hug. "I'll keep that in mind," she said to Ogoti over Chrys' shoulder, and the sounds of profuse "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Or rather, the slice of Ogoti that she could barely see in her peripheral vision, as Chrys had pushed her almost parallel to the exam bed/table with that hug.

[Tiltjuice]

"Well, since Lilian is back!" Giovenith announced, beginning to chitter her teeth in cheap imitation of a drumroll. "Here we goooooo..."

With exaggerated suspension, the godling very slowly inserted the key and turned it.

The key was a perfect match to the lock. There was a very soft click and then, for the first time in perhaps a hundred years, the seal between door and jamb cracked and sunlight shone through from the other side. The door swung open but the air wasn't stale. It was remarkably fresh as if someone had just recently been painting. A slight breeze caressed Giovenith's cheek.

It was as they imagined it to be, with all the things they'd hoped for. Soft sunlight warmed the room and birdsong could be heard coming from an open window. It felt wholesome. It was a home away from home.

There were several identical keys on a low coffee table, one for each teen, plus a few extra keys in a mason jar should their club membership ever grow. The Building had taken other things to mind as well: two new acoustic guitars and some hand drums and bongos. The breeze ruffled the pages of new sketch books which were sitting on a table near the window. Nearby were a variety of board games. There were also some practice mats which could be used for tussling or meditation or perhaps martial arts. Everything else was exactly what they'd hoped for.

"What's it like?" Marcus asked. He hadn't scooted behind the phone booth yet and Giovenith's body, while bathed in light from the room, still blotted out any view from his perspective.

MB had hopped inside and begun examining the hand drums and bongos. They brought to mind memories of Cuisine and himself working on those instruments, so long ago. More than a year, now. It felt like longer. But these were perfect - just the right size for him, it seemed. And with the right setup, he could play more than two.

He grinned a rabbit-ish grin, then turned to look at the others. Teem wolframist and the artsy one were talking shop. One of the flying people was with Communist girl. All was well.

[Tiltjuice]

"I have plenty of weapons. probably several more than I needed. I also brought along my power armor in case I needed it. I thought it would only be wise bringing along extra weapons and armor in case something happened. This is Bielefeld after all. Odd and dangerous things happen on a nigh bi-weekly basis it seems at times. So I thought I should bring along some armor in case I or others needed it. Its somewhat like that armor I've seen Conservators use, but more segmented. So it is one-size-fits-all, with the armor expanding around the person its put on. So again, like that conservator armor but with more pieces." Albert said, nodding seriously towards Dora. He shrugged, gesturing to the backpack that was resting on his back, packed tightly with weapons and armor pieces into a relatively small space. HE also had a few more weapons stuffed into the hammerspace pocket Giovenith had given him, which was residing inside his own jean's pocket.

"Oh yeah, I also have a few weapons in the hammerspace pocket Giovenith gave to me. And a few other random things like some bandages and some sealed snacks. Its quite useful having that thing..... Anyway, I could give you some weapons if you wanted them, Dora." As he finished he glanced over towards the big and menacing thing resting in the yard, hoping those who went already inside were safe. Some had been quite nice people, especially Naomi.

Flint stared at the girl. "You.....you, I do not forget...." She thought, but then went on to listen to what she had to say. Just what was this that they were seeing? Wait, did she just- "You want us to...go in there?" Flint asked. She checked her equipment and pack. "I do. I have my rifle, my pistol, and knife. Not much else, but not much else needed, da?" She stepped to the girl. "I remember you, though. I keep eye on you. Make sure is not trap, da?" She wasn't really looking for trouble or a fight, but she'd give it to anyone who was going to make it for her.

"That's so," Dora affirmed crisply to Flint. "Albert, keep the armor for yourself. I'd appreciate a weapon if you have one to spare. Preferably one that's up close and personal. Still not too steady a hand with guns, if you remember. Missing all six shots out of a revolver isn't good for one's health, I think."

The overcast day - was it her imagination, or was the area right over the pillar and its browned, dried-out patch of grass much darker than the surround? But that mattered little, when there were friends and family possibly in danger.

"Right you are. Let's go. Albert. Miss...?"

[Monfrox]

"Flint. Just....Flint." The girl replied. Flint was what she had been called most her life, and it suit her well. She was quite rough around the edges most times, and even more so with her drinking. Even though she never got drunk anymore, she still had a bit of a fire about her when she hit the sauce. She preferred to have herself called by her Stalker name, rather than her full name. That was something she held in secret for someone close.

[Giovenith]

"Anything made with genuine sincerity in the heart is beautiful to me," Giovenith reassured her friend, nodding. "From a child's drawing on his grandma's fridge to that which has been praised as the highest works, pour your feeling into it, and they shine all the more. I'm sure they'll be great."

A horsey lip-flap sigh escaped her as she surveyed Torii and Drova preparing for their tussle. It wasn't bad, though; in a way, they reminded her of the small dracolings at home with their own play fights. There was nothing cuter than that, so she eased their own play wrestling from any obnoxious disapproving gaze. Fun was fun, no need to rain on it. Her hand reached over to steal a single puff of popcorn from Marcus' bowl.

"And believe me, if you've been in the official artist scene, you'll be grateful for those who know my view in that regard," explained Giovenith, smiling but rolling her eyes. "I'm sure the grumpy pegasus knows that well. Let's just say, that anti-anti-art is, in fact, a thing, and let that do the talking about the brutality."

[New Aksarben]

"That's so," Dora affirmed crisply to Flint. "Albert, keep the armor for yourself. I'd appreciate a weapon if you have one to spare. Preferably one that's up close and personal. Still not too steady a hand with guns, if you remember. Missing all six shots out of a revolver isn't good for one's health, I think."

The overcast day - was it her imagination, or was the area right over the pillar and its browned, dried-out patch of grass much darker than the surround? But that mattered little, when there were friends and family possibly in danger.

"Right you are. Let's go. Albert. Miss...?"

"Hmm.... I may have packed something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the hammerspace pocket, before reaching into that in turn, looking for anything close range for Dora to use. He reached in up to his elbow, searching around randomly within the pocket for something of use. After a bit of searching he grinned a bit, before withdrawing his arm from the hammerspace pocket. His hand was clutching onto the hilt of a Gladius, sheathed into a decorated leather sheath. He placed the pocket back into his own pocket before drawing the sword from its sheath with a bit of flourish, as a crackling of electricity is heard coming from the sword.

"This is a present from Grandpa Rome a while ago. You could possibly borrow this, Dora. Its an old Roman Gladius refurbished into something a bit more durable, with stronger metals used and an insulated grip. They also added in something special at my request, an electrical current that runs through the blade, making it even more useful when used against power armor. IT can short that out, along with other systems. And I'm sure stabbing someone with it will give them a nasty shock. Not lethal, but it will give attacks from it a bit more 'kick'." He sheathed it again, and held it out for Dora to take if she wished, as he shrugged off his backpack to get some of the armor pieces out to don them quickly.

[The BranRiech]

"Lovers makes he world go 'round.", Tora commented offhandedly.

Turning to Drova, she grinned sharply. "Looks like I got a challenger. Okay then. This is gonna be good, eh? Let's get comfy."

Tossing her jacket aside, and kicking off her boots, she began to stretch and crack her knuckles. This is what she loved; a friendly wrastle with a friend, in the comfort of her clubhouse. This place was great.

Unbuttoning his cumbersome and constricting overshirt, Drova's T-shirt underneath left much better thing to fight in. And while Pyersai were usually frail, Drova showed none of it from his physical appearance alone. His bones were still lighter though, but it looked like it'd take a bit of punishment first, that, and they weren't really going to be fighting very much.

He quickly figured they were supposed to use the mats, and transitioned over onto it.

"Hey, what are we doing later?" He asked, hoping to keep up conversation while they were wrestling.

[Torsiedelle]

"Lovers makes he world go 'round.", Tora commented offhandedly.

Turning to Drova, she grinned sharply. "Looks like I got a challenger. Okay then. This is gonna be good, eh? Let's get comfy."

Tossing her jacket aside, and kicking off her boots, she began to stretch and crack her knuckles. This is what she loved; a friendly wrastle with a friend, in the comfort of her clubhouse. This place was great.

Unbuttoning his cumbersome and constricting overshirt, Drova's T-shirt underneath left much better thing to fight in. And while Pyersai were usually frail, Drova showed none of it from his physical appearance alone. His bones were still lighter though, but it looked like it'd take a bit of punishment first, that, and they weren't really going to be fighting very much.

He quickly figured they were supposed to use the mats, and transitioned over onto it.

"Hey, what are we doing later?" He asked, hoping to keep up conversation while they were wrestling.

"Huh...I don't quite know. Maybe catch a film? I dunno.", Torii shrugged. "Whadya have in mind? As long as I get to be with my awesome friends..."

She got into stance, ready to attack. "Just hope we don't beat each other up too bad beforehand! C'mon!"

[Tiltjuice]

"Perfect," said Dora, grasping the gladius underneath its hilt where it met the sheath. "I'm heading in - come after me when you're ready."

Without another word, she pressed her palm to the disc.

[New Aksarben]

"Perfect," said Dora, grasping the gladius underneath its hilt where it met the sheath. "I'm heading in - come after me when you're ready."

Without another word, she pressed her palm to the disc.

Albert nodded, and quickly began removing pieces of the armor and putting them in their correct locations, at which point they started expanding around his body to connect with the other pieces he donned. He grinned to himself, and in a very short time he had gotten the entire set on besides for the helmet, which he put back into the backpack to put on later in case he needed it. He pulled out a particle beam rifle and slung it around his back, before pulling out his plasma pistol and a Boltshot to use in tandem for now. In all honesty the personification preferred weapons for the right job, so he generally reserved the heaviest weapons for when he really needed them.

"Ready," he said, prepared for something to happen like before where a group of people wer all pulled through when one person touched the disc.

[Monfrox]

Flint gulped, unsure of what to do. In the Zone, it was best to leave what you didn't know about be, lest it happen to kill you. However, something possessed her, and she grabbed the disc like the others did. She wasn't sure what would happen, and was quite terrified to be honest. To keep her cool, she kept ahold of her AKS's sling and pack. She looked to the others, wondering what to do next.

[Primordial Luxa]

Dora, Flint, and Albert all disappeared just as quickly as the others did quickly reappearing alongside the other members of the party.

[Cerillium]

Tasia sat, uncertain and nonplussed. Mischief? She rubbed the palm of her hand on her arm nervously. Ogoti's smile was slightly reassuring, but she had no way of knowing what had happened, or how Hans or Chrys might regard her.

"Sister," she said softly, cautiously. "What did I - " and then things were marginally better, as Chrys swept her into a fierce hug. "I'll keep that in mind," she said to Ogoti over Chrys' shoulder, and the sounds of profuse "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Or rather, the slice of Ogoti that she could barely see in her peripheral vision, as Chrys had pushed her almost parallel to the exam bed/table with that hug.

Although curious about Tasia's gap in memory, Ogoti felt it was best to allow the siblings do their thing. He leaned against an exam table and folded his arms.

Hans had never met Tasia. The similarities between the two women was interesting but she didn't have the same spark, or flavor, that Chrys had. "Is she normal?" he muttered to Ogoti.

"Claims to not remember a thing after the Drones swarmed us. Only remembers a time period leading up to it."

Hans clucked his tongue and scrutinized the newcomer more closely. He could feel the joy radiating off his battle maiden and didn't want to deprive her of it but things were too out of place. He adopted Ogoti's posture and waited for the women to break apart. At least they weren't trying to kill each other. "So all this time she was running around as a pawn? Is she telling the truth? Who did this to her?"

"Who knows," Ogoti was growing irritated by Hans' questions. He was still sensitive regarding the Drones. "We might try asking her, eh? Haven't gotten that far." He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. "Ladies, we need answers."

MB had hopped inside and begun examining the hand drums and bongos. They brought to mind memories of Cuisine and himself working on those instruments, so long ago. More than a year, now. It felt like longer. But these were perfect - just the right size for him, it seemed. And with the right setup, he could play more than two.

He grinned a rabbit-ish grin, then turned to look at the others. Teem wolframist and the artsy one were talking shop. One of the flying people was with Communist girl. All was well.

Myra flopped onto a couch. "Mr. Bunny, do you want some popcorn? How about you, Yuna?"

Maybe popcorn was bad for rabbits? The girl wasn't certain but it wouldn't be fair to let him go hungry. "I'm sure we can see if there's carrots in the fridge, too. Why do rabbits eat carrots, anyway? They're always depicted as eating them but I'm sure wild rabbits don't have carrot fields on hand."

"Anything made with genuine sincerity in the heart is beautiful to me," Giovenith reassured her friend, nodding. "From a child's drawing on his grandma's fridge to that which has been praised as the highest works, pour your feeling into it, and they shine all the more. I'm sure they'll be great."

A horsey lip-flap sigh escaped her as she surveyed Torii and Drova preparing for their tussle. It wasn't bad, though; in a way, they reminded her of the small dracolings at home with their own play fights. There was nothing cuter than that, so she eased their own play wrestling from any obnoxious disapproving gaze. Fun was fun, no need to rain on it. Her hand reached over to steal a single puff of popcorn from Marcus' bowl.

"And believe me, if you've been in the official artist scene, you'll be grateful for those who know my view in that regard," explained Giovenith, smiling but rolling her eyes. "I'm sure the grumpy pegasus knows that well. Let's just say, that anti-anti-art is, in fact, a thing, and let that do the talking about the brutality."

Marcus took Giovenith's reassurances to heart. He'd seen her work and he knew her sage advice was coming from a true artist. He chuckled towards the end.

"Grumpy pegasus? I can't imagine some large, winged horse having an opinion about art unless it was that canvasses are tasty. Especially his opinion is about your art. I mean, c'mon, your arrival at the old building is something like a legend. Bones and his Brothers made friends with you and you came in and made a friendship mural on the wall for everyone. My mother - well, stepmom - loves to talk about that time last year when you taught her how to make Valentine's Day cards. Glitter and coloring and stuff."

He grew silent. It was That Holiday. Fantastic holiday if you had a girlfriend but dreadful holiday if you didn't give her the card or gift she wanted. Lousy holiday if you didn't have anyone to give anything to at all. He sent a message through the internal network which read:

Dad, don't forget to give Naomi something for Valentine's Day.

There. Done. The big brute had probably forgotten anyway. Now he had a few more days to figure something out.

Dora, Flint, and Albert all disappeared just as quickly as the others did quickly reappearing alongside the other members of the party.

Deuce caught their arrival with the tail of his eye. "The gang's all here," he said. "Miss Kei, you said Aegis ran down the passage over there?"

He pointed in the direction she mentioned. Things all looked the same to him, each tunnel seeming to be identical in construction. In truth, the Astartes didn't want to run around blindly. They didn't have much in the way of fire support and one good round would easily polish Naomi, Toscha and Dora off."

"I'm Deuce, by the way," he introduced himself to Toscha, Flint and the rest in a low voice. "Hell of a way to meet people, this, but there you have it."

[Torsiedelle]

Forgetting her stance for a moment, Tora's head jerked sideways at Marcus. "Valentines Day? Speaking of, how do you make cards, or give someone a letter? I never done it before, and I sort of don't have a girlfriend anymore, so yea..."

Not that she wanted to take part in the day, anyway. She hated it; no girlfriend, dumped both times, not to mention it was just all about buying stuff and looking good. Why should she care? It wasn't like anyone would reciprocate her feelings either. Why, then, did she want to know about cards and letters?

Wait, wasn't she still wrestling Drova? She needed to stay alert.

[Giovenith]

"He's got some pretty loudly colored opinions on a lot of things," Giovenith shrugged, then smiled at waved away the compliments. As she saw it, she had been a lost, hopelessly doped up on enchantment, and inexperienced in much of the wider world when Bones and his brothers had first found her... what, painting trees? To this day, she didn't actually remember why she would have done such a thing. The cats had been kind, though. They were still all very good friends. "Twas nothing! I remember I was there when your parents got engaged on a Valentines day. That was so sweet to see!"

Giovenith stopped and thought a moment about Valentines day. Other than the times she had to squeeze acidic lemon juice in her eyes in order to hunt down mischievous putti, it was generally a fun time of year for her. It was a day where she had another excuse to make lots of crafts, there were decorations everywhere, and so many nice things were on sale (stuffed animals, candy, flowers, etc. Who needed an occasion to buy those? No one, but they were readily available on Valentines Day). She didn't believe someone needed a significant other to enjoy the celebration.

But she wasn't naive. Pearlelei, in her own way, was very much as airy as her artist daughter, and hadn't been the one to sit down and talk to her about love. It was Giovenith-Aeritha who had taken up the opportunity and, being the very unromantic person the older deity was (as the one who used to kill knights "in shining armor" to defend mom's dragons; an old time fairy tale murderer), Giovenith-Serina had essentially come to the very blatant conclusion about romance: Romantic love is a lot like alcohol. Lots of people partake in it, and there is nothing wrong with that. But if you have too much it can make you sick, or do really stupid things ("Romeo and Juliet" were viewed like most people currently viewed Lindsay Lohan). It's best to wait until you're older to have it. Then again, considering the risks, it probably wasn't much worth the trouble even when you did grow up.

Thus Giovenith viewed herself as living behind a thing screen of glass, placidly observing these things go by. The screen did not exist defensively to keep things out by effort; rather, she believed that was where she was meant to be. It was egocentric, thinking her choices were a reflection of a reality, that she was not meant to love in that way anymore than water was supposed to catch fire. Clearly, this must have been clear to all. After all, no one courted the fairy god mother, which she felt closer to than any fabled maiden. The godling sat atop some wispy mist all day sporting a three-cornered smile, handing down her spun handiwork to worthy companions, aware of her dissonance and not lifting a finger to do anything about it. Because that was just the way things were. Or so she believed.

Then again, it also meant she'd never bothered to set up a safety net either.

"I can help you make Valentines if you want, Torii," Giovenith offered, not sensing the gloom beneath her friend's words. "I make Valentines for all of my friends and family every year, it doesn't just have to be about romance. Same goes for anyone here! Oh and uh, I'd keep your head in the fiiight..." She teased the last part, gesturing to Drova. Not paying attention was the best was to get jumped or tackled and lose the game.

[The BranRiech]

To be perfectly honest, Drova's head wasn't in the fight much at all either. He was starting to lean on the nearest object, listening to the conversation about the human holiday. Was there really a day dedicated to loving someone? Or was it just about friendship?

He hopped back into fighting stance though, seeing as Torii still was.

But before she was totally ready, he pounced. The attack was predictable as he narrowed his wings down to fold neatly against his back to avoid drag when he jumped, arms out towards the girl.

Yuna, however, would have none of the fight, instead turning to the popcorn that was brought out for them. "Awesome." She murmured, already shoving a mouthful of the stuff into her face. "Now . . . Wait, what's Valentines day then?" She asked, mumbling words together as she munched on the popcorn.

--

"Yep, right down there." Kei said, pointing one last time for the people just arriving. It'd show them the place where they would have to go within a few minutes. She shrugged. "He could be anywhere though, don't forget. It was just the place I saw him last."

Toscha, who'd resigned himself to following orders, shook his head when he was addressed.

"Pleasure. My name's Toscha. How'd you end up here, Mr. Deuce."

The question was referring to in general, about who Deuce was, not why he was currently in this wrong dimension or place.

[Warpspace]

It was what could only be described as a palace, one of sickly grandeur filled with odd and even offensive decorations of both the lewd and arcane natures. Akin to the most lavish temples and palaces of Ancient Rome yet with its own strange style cultivated by all followers of the Dark Prince. Segmented marble pillars spiraled into the ceiling with no applied sense to them, as if they had organically grown into existence or been sung into shape by architects who cracked open the knowledge of the Black Library, the hallowed library of the favored creations of the Old Ones. Chronicled across the kilometer tall pillars were near endless depictions of excess in all forms- infinite feasts of the damned and glorious duels from both the aeon-old past and the infinite possibilities of all futures. Keen eyes were aware there was much more to these engravings filled with sickly silver- for under scrutinizing eyes the figures moved with life of their own. Fragments of those depicted, both doomed and damned to endlessly relive their greatest affronts to human morality simultaneously in the past and present as all causality was torn asunder by the might of Slaanesh- the Dark Prince, Prince of Pleasure and Lord of Excess. His chosen would never know misery, nor sanity or isolation. For in its amoral arms only happiness would be found with all consequences applied purely to its enemies. Pain was in the past for all those dedicated to the Prince's path, merely pure pleasure and ecstasy awaited those who accepted the embrace of the God of the Immaterium.

Stepping through a writhing mass of cultists best left unsubscribed, Volturius relished moral nihilism. Pure freedom was what resulted, all cares and taboos were shredded and left abandoned by the demigod long ago, dead from both traumatic experience and the natural craving of power all Astartes coveted. The only true bonds he even held were the natural ones to all of his kin in service to Chaos and his patron god, and his mate and the child she was soon due to bear him. Swimming in his thoughts while walking through the temple and stepping over another mass of cultists, he supposed this practical monogamy was odd for a champion of Slaanesh (all hints of humility were lost on him after the treatment he was receiving, his days as an aspiring champion were long-passed), although it was also the natural of result of the priestess simply being perfect in everything save sanity, which no follower of Chaos could ever lay claim to. Unlike naive serfs he was familiar with from his service in his old Warband, she was wise enough to know exactly how an demigod such as himself ticked without drawing his ire through offensive ignorance. Especially as of now, as Tipper had been mentally fused with him, and he was certain the psyker was busy intercepting these musings as they spawned in his brain- if not even before. Even with his old kin, flesh and blood both biologically and spiritually, were not entirely trustworthy before his alienation. The brotherhood between them did indeed exist, but it wasn't completely trustworthy. Even with his greatest allies and dearest brothers, the Chaos Astartes had always kept one eye on his shoulder, watching for the silver glitter of knives.

With Tipper however, it was completely different. If anything, he enjoyed the simple ability to invest every ounce of trust without the slightest fear of any repercussion. Even now it still felt strange, complete trust was even incomprehensible to some Chaos Astartes, even some of his former brothers. The idea that they could equally throw dice into anything without any hesitation or fear was intoxicating and alien. Just put simply, it was good. It was better than any prior bond shared with a brother, it was reliable.

Volturius now rounded a diverging hallway from the main great hall of the temple, snapping left for the path that led to his personal "quarters", better described as a palace to itself. The size of the first four stories of the apartment building, it too was lavishly decorated- albeit with more arcane items wrought into reality by sorcerer-artisans from the matter of the warp. Even Volturius, who once lived in fairly spartan conditions and previously eschewed ornate decorations, adored the hall gifted to himself and Tipper. Crafted to meet their mutual desires, the room itself was its own eldritch environment. Stepping from the warmth of the rest of the temple, the temperature of their hall was frigid in comparison- water crystals encrusted the cold marble of supporting pillars and beautifully carved ice sculptures of twisted daemons ran along the length of the hall. Just as the cold air hung tightly in the great hall, so did the banners of Volturius' newly-founded Chapter. A rich mixture of purples and blues, the tapestries appeared to be sewn from the psychedelic colored gases of Nebulae. On them they bore the chosen icon of Volturius' Chapter, the Eye of Slaanesh. A great serpentine eye mounted on multiple sets of curved horns, the cornea of which was a shifting eldritch rainbow of color that poured forth a fountain of emotions to gifted true sight by the Dark Prince, exalting all emotions in those capable of perceiving its full rapturous glory. At the center of the eyes was the pupil, a blazing sliver of onyx that contrasted the eldritch rainbow of the warp with utter oblivion- the perfect imagery for the Chapter dubbed "The Soul Reavers" and their brutal art.

But Volturius was getting ahead of himself. The full creation of the Chapter was a dreadfully long decade away- the gene seed harvested from his progenoid glands had to mature for a perfect crop before it could be cloned as necessary with the technology of Old Night. His children would indeed rise to be a perfect scalpel for his patron lord to wield, but the gene seed needed to be cloned and matured, and his neophytes schooled in warfare. The task would be a long and arduous one, but its reward unmeasurable.

[Hydronium]

Zeph soon became bored again. He decided to start some sort of get together with some of the other inhabitants of the building. He sat down, and started to channel inspiration. He sat there for about an hour, dumbly sitting at his table waititng for an idea to come to mind. Then, he started typing.
"Other members of the building;
Many of you may or may not have heard about the new arrival at the building. In that case, I would personally like to invite all of you to come to my apartment (6E) at 9:45 tomorrow morning for an introduction.
-Zeph"
He then deposited this in everyone's mailbox.

[Torsiedelle]

Torii was ready, and braced herself for the attack. She intended to grapple Drova to the ground for a tussle, anyway. On top of that, though, she nodded a "yes" to Gio's offer to help. She didn't want to show up with a bad letter, or something lame. She didn't give cards to anyone, really; not even her sister as a thank-you. She believed that one should give Valentines to the one they love, or at least like, so it could be special.

She took a quick step forward as Drova did, with a glint of mischief in her eye. He was charging straight into her, and she'd grab him like a claw, or at least try, and then the fight would be in her favor. Really, she just planned to constrict him like a python for a minute or two, just for fun.

[Rocopurr]

The first thing Lilian noticed was the smell. Her nose twitched in delight. It was winter, but the room spelled like a fresh spring day. It was bright and cozy. You could put up photos of the teens' adventures and it'd be perfect. "This is just... Wow.". She had been expecting a bland room that would need to be decorated and cleaned immediately. How had no one noticed this before? It was a beauty. Even if it wasn't of your taste, you couldn't deny that it was perfect for hanging out.

Lilian seated herself on the floor, near the couch. The carpet was soft enough to make sitting an enjoyable experience. She hadn't been paying attention to the conversations until Valentine's Day was brought up. "I love Valentine's Day! Holidays in general, really, but nothing beats a day celebrating love of any kind. The chocolate is great too! Lemme help with the valentines, please!". Lilian could easily see and hear the fight, but that wasn't her concern at the moment.