Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Cerillium]

Barox nodded as the intel was told to him one piece at a time. "So let me just ask another. That means we can't attend it? Damn it if we can't, guess we will have to find another activity. And did you say your father worked for her for centuries? Well how old does that make you?"

"Attend the restoration? Go on the quest? I love my father but he's an insufferable asshole. I pity Naomi for putting up with him guff."

She pondered his question and found herself hesitant to answer. There was so much to explain and it would be nearly impossible unless he spent time in the Void. She settled on easy answers.

"Chronologically? I'm 26. We don't age in the Void. Not even an hour. There are places, planets upon which we have our Manufactorum, where time does flow. My family spent time on one while preparing for the Drones. That's why Marcus aged. Eva stayed in the Void with Naomi and so she didn't age a day. We were there a very long time."

Wren turned the question back to him. "How old are you?"

[Swith Witherward]

There was some kind of a snuffling behind the door before it opened. The light shone in and revealed the head hanging out of the shadow.

She'd jumped slightly when Rache showed himself, ageless and weary. His readout cycled rapidly and endlessly, something she'd never seen before. Still his eyes spoke of a fellow warrior and so she felt secure enough to extend her gauntleted hand to the much taller Daemon.

"Hello," she answered to both Rache and Hans, a number of questions wrapped up in the single word. Why have you showed yourself? Will Hans be all right? Are you here to fight, and how do I join in? And so many more; yet even in the circumstances she tried not to be rude by deluging him with all of them at their first meeting. Convention and tradition - always so important, she thought, as her blue eyes met the Daemon's red.

She'd sensed Hans' pain and it bit at her. Like endlessly poking a football player in the chest, it was a provocation - and no part of Chrysanthe took provocations lightly. Not the Celt she was by blood. Not the Roman gladiatrix she'd almost been. Not the Conservator she'd become. She'd left the baton with Dia (for his it actually was; she'd just been holding it for him until he came back). It had no place here and now, when she planned to fight alongside Hans for the second time, the second of a pair of swords, finely honed.

Rache allowed the eye contact but sniffed at her hand; Hans cleared his throat.

"Please don't eat her. I love her. You'd make my life suck even more than you already do." There wasn't any humor in Hans' voice as he spoke the bare truth.

Rache grunted and moved back to give Chrys more room. Her swirling emotions spoke of deep concern and anxiety for Hans' sake but also of a fierce determination which he heartily approved of. He'd seen her in action, given that he shared Hans' eyes. "She intends to come along. I approve."

A curious expression came over Hans' face. He set his sword aside. "Do you?" he asked Chrys, and then to answer the unasked question, he added, "And yes, he'd eat you. This corridor is blocked off because it's a gateway. We call this dimensional state the Between. It allows us to separate, host and daemon, to give us both a reprieve from the others thoughts. It's a dangerous thing for those outside our group, but you must have Klaus' blessing to be here."

The truth of the matter was that she was here. She'd come here obviously just to see him. The thought of it pushed away some of the grief inside his heart. Questions formed in his mind, namely his curiosity over Dia. Had she told him? Did he approve? Had she simply slipped away while he was busy elsewhere. The latter was the most important to him because it was a matter of honor. "Dia... he's okay with this? I don't know where our path leads and I can't say what odds we'll go up against."

[Giovenith]

"Pffft," Giovenith spiffed out a laugh at the very unexpected wish admission, and the way it had broken the solemnity of the moment in such a light-hearted way. "Well, you know, I hope both your wishes come true! Seems fair enough, since one is nice for others as well. Hmm..."

Normally living in a city, Giovenith had never had too many opportunities to see the stars as they were now. It had never been some tragic loss like the sappy novels and movies always made it out to be; those people vastly underestimated a child's ability to find magic wherever it grew up. She, personally, had always liked to pretend that the lights of traffic were like a galaxy twirling around below her at night. Looking up at the real Milky Way though, she could finally see why so many people had spoken fondly of. It was like a sea of white up in the heavens, just waiting to have some hero or heroine's trusty ship sail right through it.

"You know, I know the world is hardly perfect, especially right now," she said, looking back at Marcus. "And I know it never will be, and that I'll find days where I wondered why I ever would have said something like this... but this is one of those moments where I feel like everything is going to be okay. It's sweet, like warm milk." Her finger reached up to point at the galaxy above everyone to emphasis this comparison.

[Swith Witherward]

"Minerva actually taught me how to make something, so my opinion of her is generally positive as of now. Will's been the one training me, and he still hasn't shown me any of the things you mentioned, so my new opinion of him is now negative." Yuna chuckled. She was joking though, Will was a pretty cool person to her, taking her out and letting her experience things she'd never get to under normal times.

"Born with them. We all are."

Myra scooted over to look at Yuna's wings. "They remind me of birds," she mused. "Can you fly with them?"

It seemed like a stupid question but there were plenty of beings who had wings and couldn't do a thing with them. She was also burning with curiosity. How did one get invited to be a cultist? It looked like a fun career, much better than being a librarian or teaching kids.

[Germanic Templars]

Barox nodded as the intel was told to him one piece at a time. "So let me just ask another. That means we can't attend it? Damn it if we can't, guess we will have to find another activity. And did you say your father worked for her for centuries? Well how old does that make you?"

"Attend the restoration? Go on the quest? I love my father but he's an insufferable asshole. I pity Naomi for putting up with him guff."

She pondered his question and found herself hesitant to answer. There was so much to explain and it would be nearly impossible unless he spent time in the Void. She settled on easy answers.

"Chronologically? I'm 26. We don't age in the Void. Not even an hour. There are places, planets upon which we have our Manufactorum, where time does flow. My family spent time on one while preparing for the Drones. That's why Marcus aged. Eva stayed in the Void with Naomi and so she didn't age a day. We were there a very long time."

Wren turned the question back to him. "How old are you?"

"How old am I?" He said, repeating Wren's question. He paused for a moment not to think on his age, but to make a riddle out of it for fun. When he had it, he simply smiled and said, "Well the average life span in my time is around 200 years, due to my defect, I can only live to 160 estimated. Now some say I look like I am in my 20s, but I am slightly older than that. Guess."

[Cerillium]

"How old am I?" He said, repeating Wren's question. He paused for a moment not to think on his age, but to make a riddle out of it for fun. When he had it, he simply smiled and said, "Well the average life span in my time is around 200 years, due to my defect, I can only live to 160 estimated. Now some say I look like I am in my 20s, but I am slightly older than that. Guess."

160? Wren wondered if she could somehow sneak him into the Void. He could live a thousand years and never age. She had lived there a very long time and never counted the years because they become endless, one joining another to form a decade and then touching another decade. It was easy to become lost in work and in dreams.

How best to answer him. She might insult him if she guessed too high and guessing too low might seem like belittling him. Slightly older? Her teeth worked at her bottom lip. "Hmmm. You don't look old. 30's? How about I guess the middle and say 35?"

[Cerillium]

"Pffft," Giovenith spiffed out a laugh at the very unexpected wish admission, and the way it had broken the solemnity of the moment in such a light-hearted way. "Well, you know, I hope both your wishes come true! Seems fair enough, since one is nice for others as well. Hmm..."

Normally living in a city, Giovenith had never had too many opportunities to see the stars as they were now. It had never been some tragic loss like the sappy novels and movies always made it out to be; those people vastly underestimated a child's ability to find magic wherever it grew up. She, personally, had always liked to pretend that the lights of traffic were like a galaxy twirling around below her at night. Looking up at the real Milky Way though, she could finally see why so many people had spoken fondly of. It was like a sea of white up in the heavens, just waiting to have some hero or heroine's trusty ship sail right through it.

"You know, I know the world is hardly perfect, especially right now," she said, looking back at Marcus. "And I know it never will be, and that I'll find days where I wondered why I ever would have said something like this... but this is one of those moments where I feel like everything is going to be okay. It's sweet, like warm milk." Her finger reached up to point at the galaxy above everyone to emphasis this comparison.

Marcus followed her finger and looked upon the stars again. He'd been there and seen a few up close; they looked no different than the sun. He'd been memorized by them on his first trip but then things had become routine. He took them for granted.

Giovenith's words made him look upon them anew and rekindled his awe of them. Everything was going to be okay. At least for tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Things changed so rapidly in life that it was hard to say what the next week would bring. For now, it was sweet, like warm milk.

He craned his neck to peer at her cheek and one eye. "Giovenith," he softly replied, "That's why they call it the Milky Way." He chuckled.

[Germanic Templars]

"How old am I?" He said, repeating Wren's question. He paused for a moment not to think on his age, but to make a riddle out of it for fun. When he had it, he simply smiled and said, "Well the average life span in my time is around 200 years, due to my defect, I can only live to 160 estimated. Now some say I look like I am in my 20s, but I am slightly older than that. Guess."

160? Wren wondered if she could somehow sneak him into the Void. He could live a thousand years and never age. She had lived there a very long time and never counted the years because they become endless, one joining another to form a decade and then touching another decade. It was easy to become lost in work and in dreams.

How best to answer him. She might insult him if she guessed too high and guessing too low might seem like belittling him. Slightly older? Her teeth worked at her bottom lip. "Hmmm. You don't look old. 30's? How about I guess the middle and say 35?"

"Close," He replied with a grin. "But slightly high. I am actually 33 years old. Amazing what the creeps and crazies in the 3rd district were able to do." He always enjoyed playing guessing games, especially if they involved age. "So then, without your whole thing that allows you to live forever, in the real world, dimension, whatever, what is your life expectancy?"

[Giovenith]

Marcus followed her finger and looked upon the stars again. He'd been there and seen a few up close; they looked no different than the sun. He'd been memorized by them on his first trip but then things had become routine. He took them for granted.

Giovenith's words made him look upon them anew and rekindled his awe of them. Everything was going to be okay. At least for tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Things changed so rapidly in life that it was hard to say what the next week would bring. For now, it was sweet, like warm milk.

He craned his neck to peer at her cheek and one eye. "Giovenith," he softly replied, "That's why they call it the Milky Way." He chuckled.

"And they were geniuses to call it so," Giovenith half-hummed, half-chuckled in reply, glancing back at her friend. "I suppose that's why they're in charge of naming these things and not us. Lucky ducks."

She secretly wondered if, had she been given a chance to name a heavenly body, she would have thought of anything good. One of the things she liked about the already existing names is that despite describing so far out and seemingly inconceivable, they all bore what were supposed to be household names-- characters from myths passed down through generations, cute things like animals, or even something comforting like the aforementioned Milky Way. It stirred the image of a bright-eyed person with blanket and mug below, telescope and story books handy, linking history and today. The skies were endearing in the humility given to such awesomeness.

"What would you name a heavenly body?" she asked Marcus, tilting her head up at the sky, trying to think of something herself.

[The BranRiech]

Myra scooted over to look at Yuna's wings. "They remind me of birds," she mused. "Can you fly with them?"

It seemed like a stupid question but there were plenty of beings who had wings and couldn't do a thing with them. She was also burning with curiosity. How did one get invited to be a cultist? It looked like a fun career, much better than being a librarian or teaching kids.

Coming from a world where everything that had wings could fly, like all the bats of their homeland that were hunted for food, Yuna thought the question a silly one, but Myra was Human (Or so she thought, it was still unclear) and wouldn't have known. "It's dangerous, but yes. Most Pyersai can fly with their wings. The only ones who can't are the ones with certain defects that affect muscles."

She waited eagerly for the next volley of questions, and if none appeared, then Yuna held her own for Myra.

[Germanic Templars]

- Templar Universe, Milky Way Galaxy, COROT-7 System, COROT-7b.

- COROT-7b, lava planet.

- Minerals: abundant

- Hazards: Numerous; Caution advised when mining.

- Vulcan Mining station: Abandoned....error...Rehabilitated.

A rouge vessel, as it slipped into the COROT-7 system, found itself orbiting 7b for a moment before entering onto the space station that orbit over the lava planet below.

Deep inside the station, near the humming red core, was a narrow chamber to where a figure, sitting behind a desk with glass that showed the core, giving off the only light to the room besides a few dim lights on the side with a narrow, diamond pattern, red and white carpet leading up to the desk on it's staircase. The walls and floors were white and made of a tungsten and steel mixture. Standing off to the sides of the room were several individuals who either wore robes or casual clothing of the time.

A ringing from the desk was the only chiming tune that echoed through the chamber. A cold shadowed hand reached out as it pressed a button. Soon a small, blue hologram of a Juggernaut appeared on the desk.
"Master, he has arrived back from the alternate dimension."

"Bring him in." The shadow said. Entering into the halls, dressed in his trench coat, brim hat and eye patch, was Leviathan being escorted to down the hall with two juggernauts flanking him from behind on his left and right. As he walked down, from his left and right he was being watched, first from a tech priest with 10 mechanical tentacles that came out his back with 8 being claw-like arms, 1 being a buzz saw, and another being a welding torch. The second, to his right, being a robed man whose face was covered over by his robe and pointy hat that followed, only thing visible about this man was his glowing red irises. Next to the wizard looking person was a female who wore what looked to be a white leathery jumpsuit, where every time she snapped her finger, a spark was seen glowing from her fingers. Finally back onto Leviathan's left was a droid that wasn't too keen on looking up as it was busy cleaning it's rifle.

As he got to the stairs, Leviathan took a knee. "I am here, alive and well, sir."

"Yes I see that, just as well on the mission too." The voice replied. "Tell me, this, do you know what happened?"

"Yes, I was given an order to kill the children of the emperor."

"And did you?"

"No, I was interrupted by some little bi-..Err.. Female."

"I thank you for refraining from using curse words in my chamber, however, I cannot thank you for failing to complete it full, pay deducted."

"Pay deducted?" He replied as his pupils dilated. "But sir, why? Can't blame me on that one, nothing I can do when she came strolling on in!"

"Enough!" The shadow shouted, as his voice echoed through the chamber with a bit of a shake to it. "You failed once, I admit, is new for you, but once can lead to multiple from there on out. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, we'll let Rasputin and the Puppeteer take it from here."

"What do you mean, sir?"

The shadow got up from his chair and walked towards the glass behind him, he stood there, staring out the window towards the core. "What I want to do next is capture the Epsilon Class warship, Hand of Malevolence in the alternate universe."

"Impossible, you seen how big that ship is, how difficult it will be, no way sir, not possible!"

"For you, maybe, for me, I have a wonderful plan in place. Here's what is going to Rasputin, being an old tech priest, can blend in with the rest of those tech men on the ship. From there, he can sabotage the ship's engines, comms, and it's defense system, shields included. From there Puppeteer, and maybe you, will surround the ship with the fleet, preventing anyone from escaping the vessel, allowing us to have full access to the ship. From there... Pause for dramatic effect... We take it back to Gliese 581g, and we dessimate the planet to nothing, see how the emperor feels about that."

"Sir that is a brilliant plan! We are in awe of your inspiration and intelligence!" Rasputin shouted from down the hall.

"It is. Now then, now that we have a plan, it's time to set it into motion, and time to end this petty fight that has been the core reason for this instability! Time to take down the Pseudo-God-Emperor once and for all! Time to take down the demented man and all his corrupt ways!"

Leviathan stood up, raising his fist to the air. "For the future!"
Then Rasputin stood up, raising his fist to the air. "For fortune!"
Following him was the puppeteer and the female next to him, in unison they said, "For the Pride!"
Finally, with a grin, Shadow said, "For all we hold dear, family, friends, and faith..." All in unison then shouted, "For our Overlord!"

-Cue theme song with it playing, Leviathan turning around and walking out of the room-

[Urran]

Despite all that was happening. Blossom couldn't help but not be sad. Her hunger had grown and that got in the way of her emotions. She would mourn her friend later, now she needed fresh blood. She eyed Lilian hungrily ut shook her head, snapping herself out of it. "No, no, no." she told herself. "I can't feed on a sentient being!"

[Swith Witherward]

Marcus’ shooting star was a burgundy-red ship several kilometers in length that floated a distance from the the planet Earth. The Tawdry Strumpet was Minerva’s pride and joy as well as her flagship for her principle raiding fleet. The thought of handing the keys over to Naomi and Friends caused her much anxiety and she’d relented in the end but only after Ceril promised his soul in forfeiture should anything go awry.

The Strumpet was built for agility but armed to the teeth. Forward-facing torpedo hatches rode high of her twin rail guns and a nasty weapons battery and several turrets adorned her graceful spine. An array of small bays on each side, could vomit forth a blistering of small fighters It was her main plasma canons that made her notorious, however. Oversized and more at home on a larger frigate, the twin beauties could swing 180* from her body specifically for broadside attacks or to defend her pert rump during retreat. She was warp capable and at home in the Eye. Most importantly, her Daemon was a willing entity and, like the flame-haired woman who governed them, it was capable of transcending Time.

There were drawbacks to the Strumpet, the most frustrating being that it took a bit of sacrifice on the part of the crew to keep her running in top form. Prior fuel sources had been those men under Klaus’ command who had been stupid enough to be taken prisoner. Ceril had found a way around it and it wasn’t something Minerva approved of, yet the arrangement worked beautiful for all involved… provided things kept running properly.

For the first time in the history of the vessel, Klaus’ men were allowed to perform as additional crew. The ship was completely overhauled, primed and loaded. It had just returned from Gliese; Swith's internment had gone flawlessly. It reentered the Sol system on Christmas Night and docked.

Far below, Giovenith and Marcus made their wishes.

[Swith Witherward]

Coming from a world where everything that had wings could fly, like all the bats of their homeland that were hunted for food, Yuna thought the question a silly one, but Myra was Human (Or so she thought, it was still unclear) and wouldn't have known. "It's dangerous, but yes. Most Pyersai can fly with their wings. The only ones who can't are the ones with certain defects that affect muscles."

She waited eagerly for the next volley of questions, and if none appeared, then Yuna held her own for Myra.

"What about the really fat ones?" Myra stuck another marshmallow into the flames. She supposed obese Pyersai would just glide and hope their wing bones didn't snap. That's what her father's people did. There were a few notable ones who were so rotund that their names were used to frighten children into exercising.

She pulled the sugary treat from the fire and picked off the sticky, crisp shell. "It would be sorta funny to watch them try," she dropped the mess into her mouth and swallowed it. "I mean, they take it at a gallop and vault off the ledge, and then everyone holds their breath to see if they'll stay up in the air or crash to the earth like the Hindenburg. I guess it's like watching NASCAR for the wrecks."

[The BranRiech]

"I'd just think they don't fly at all." Yuna giggled. She hadn't really seen any fat Pyersai. There were some heavyset ones for sure, mostly generals and noblemen. They usually never flew either, choosing to stay home, or just taking vehicles someplace. "I do want to see that some day though, of course, hopefully they'd be fine if they couldn't fall, but I doubt they'd be able to make it far." She nodded.

"So where are you from, Myra? Humans seem to be from everywhere up here."

[Rocopurr]

"Christmas is on December 25th in the Christian Calender. Different names in mine but its the same date its always been. Its been over 6,000 years since his birth in my world, but Christians have always observed the date. Its important to them, thus I know when it is. Their parades and celebrations on that date always make me smile after all. I'm not Christian, but it still is touching to see reverence to an important date like that in honor of their God." He smiled happily at that, sitting down and being careful to not destroy the impromptu map. He continued adding to it instead, adding mountain ranges, rivers, little wavy lines to indicate oceans and lakes.... It was calming after the terrible storm yesterday to lose yourself in memory as that did for Jacob.

He gave a small wave to his brother's boyfriend when the fox furry approached. "Hey there, Ray. I trust Albert already gave you his present? Anyway, Lilian, that's Raymond Jasma. He and my brother are a couple, so he's sort of like a future brother-in-law to me? Anyway, he stays with me and Albert back in Bielefeld. He can introduce himself a bit more." Jacob nodded, but then his good mood was shattered by overhearing that Swith was dead.


'What? She's dead? How could she die? She was a god was she not?' His eyes widened as he thought of what could have possibly killed a god, but he shook off such horrible thoughts. He may not have known swith exceedingly well, but they had spoken on occasion. And he realized that even gods could die. Many gods within his own Mythos had died after all. But this would definitely not be a good day.


The unicorn tilted his head in confusion upon hearing that this strange hyoo-mun or something like a hyoo-mun was dead. He had never met Swith, but he assumed that this person was important to many people. So he kept his silence, looking at the fire in front of him, which lit up his purple fur and fez, which he was being doubly sure not to lose based on the fact that it could tumble into the fire. That would be just horrible if it burned like that!

Lilian nodded at the information. "I know Christmas is on December 25th, silly! I just thought that it had changed this year. My mom and I aren't Christian, but Christmas is still wicked cool. You get gifts, give gifts, and have lots of fun!" Lilian didn't notice all the details Jacob was adding to the map.

She was about to turn to Ray, but he seemed more focused on the death of someone called Swith. Lilian frowned and whispered to Jacob," Uuh.. Who's Swith?"

[Swith Witherward]

"I'd just think they don't fly at all." Yuna giggled. She hadn't really seen any fat Pyersai. There were some heavyset ones for sure, mostly generals and noblemen. They usually never flew either, choosing to stay home, or just taking vehicles someplace. "I do want to see that some day though, of course, hopefully they'd be fine if they couldn't fall, but I doubt they'd be able to make it far." She nodded.

"So where are you from, Myra? Humans seem to be from everywhere up here."

Eep! The question she dreaded.

"Bielefeld, same as you," Myra giggled, purposefully avoiding full disclose. "My father moved us there because it was easier for him. He's out of town a lot on business, so usually it's just me stuck at home. I haven't really had a chance to explore the city, except the street outside and a little of the Market, but I want to see the museums and stuff. Have you seen much of the city?"

[The BranRiech]

Eep! The question she dreaded.

"Bielefeld, same as you," Myra giggled, purposefully avoiding full disclose. "My father moved us there because it was easier for him. He's out of town a lot on business, so usually it's just me stuck at home. I haven't really had a chance to explore the city, except the street outside and a little of the Market, but I want to see the museums and stuff. Have you seen much of the city?"

"But I'm not from Bielefeld, originally. I don't believe many people are, actually." Yuna shrugged. She knew Bielefeld was built recently, and didn't much remember hearing about it before then. Well, maybe, Yuna nearly forgot when their people finally revealed themselves to the world. "Eh, I'm just not from there, and I haven't seen much of it either."

[Tiltjuice]

Namal, the draconic looking Khydir from Lykosae, was busy doing basically nothing. About the only thing he was really doing right now was shivering a bit, while wrapped up in a coat he had brought with him. NIght was definitely his least favorite time ever. It was too cold for a reptile like him. While the coat he was wearing, along with hisjeans, were keeping him warm, the slightly cooled sand against his bare feet was not very good for his overall body temperature. Feeling sluggish definitely wasn't a good thing for a reptile, nor did he want to fall asleep suddenly from the cold to hibernate until morning or whenever someone woke him up.

He did pass by a cabin on the beach, apparently still standing after the heavy storm yesterday, but Namal didn't bother knocking to see if they would let him warm up. There was a fire over across the beach he had noticed, so he might as well head over there. But he realy didn't want to walk that far just to get warm. He would definitely rather head back to his own place, but that was about the same distance down the beach....

"Hmm.... Maybe it would be a good idea to knock on this cabin's door to see if I could stay there for a bit to warm up..."

The door swung in, revealing bare walls and a coffee table still wrapped in clear plastic wrap. On the coffee table, there was also a dartboard. The tall, thin pillar lamp threw a warm light throughout the room.

There appeared to be no one in view at first, although a shadow cast against the side wall behind the door showed, high up, a small creature with two very long ears and a bucket next to the creature.

[Tiltjuice]

There was some kind of a snuffling behind the door before it opened. The light shone in and revealed the head hanging out of the shadow.

She'd jumped slightly when Rache showed himself, ageless and weary. His readout cycled rapidly and endlessly, something she'd never seen before. Still his eyes spoke of a fellow warrior and so she felt secure enough to extend her gauntleted hand to the much taller Daemon.

"Hello," she answered to both Rache and Hans, a number of questions wrapped up in the single word. Why have you showed yourself? Will Hans be all right? Are you here to fight, and how do I join in? And so many more; yet even in the circumstances she tried not to be rude by deluging him with all of them at their first meeting. Convention and tradition - always so important, she thought, as her blue eyes met the Daemon's red.

She'd sensed Hans' pain and it bit at her. Like endlessly poking a football player in the chest, it was a provocation - and no part of Chrysanthe took provocations lightly. Not the Celt she was by blood. Not the Roman gladiatrix she'd almost been. Not the Conservator she'd become. She'd left the baton with Dia (for his it actually was; she'd just been holding it for him until he came back). It had no place here and now, when she planned to fight alongside Hans for the second time, the second of a pair of swords, finely honed.

Rache allowed the eye contact but sniffed at her hand; Hans cleared his throat.

"Please don't eat her. I love her. You'd make my life suck even more than you already do." There wasn't any humor in Hans' voice as he spoke the bare truth.

Rache grunted and moved back to give Chrys more room. Her swirling emotions spoke of deep concern and anxiety for Hans' sake but also of a fierce determination which he heartily approved of. He'd seen her in action, given that he shared Hans' eyes. "She intends to come along. I approve."

A curious expression came over Hans' face. He set his sword aside. "Do you?" he asked Chrys, and then to answer the unasked question, he added, "And yes, he'd eat you. This corridor is blocked off because it's a gateway. We call this dimensional state the Between. It allows us to separate, host and daemon, to give us both a reprieve from the others thoughts. It's a dangerous thing for those outside our group, but you must have Klaus' blessing to be here."

The truth of the matter was that she was here. She'd come here obviously just to see him. The thought of it pushed away some of the grief inside his heart. Questions formed in his mind, namely his curiosity over Dia. Had she told him? Did he approve? Had she simply slipped away while he was busy elsewhere. The latter was the most important to him because it was a matter of honor. "Dia... he's okay with this? I don't know where our path leads and I can't say what odds we'll go up against."

"I would," Chrys answered steadily. "I can't say as getting eaten would be very pleasant, but I'll take that chance anyway. I...ran that risk close to two thousand years ago, in the arena." Her eyes widened slightly, hoping to give Hans the idea that she wasn't trying to boast with a more 'innocent' look.

"He's not pleased...we've been together for a long time just on our own, without any serious entanglements. But he also knows me, and he understands. He'll stay out of it, and he's willing to accept it. As for fighting alongside you, if it weren't touching on this romance of ours, he'd be here with us as well. Even without knowing what our opponents are capable of. Either way, I came with his blessing, as well as Klaus'."

She folded her hands over her stomach, warmed by Hans' declaration, and stood stolidly in place. "And so it is."

[Swith Witherward]

"But I'm not from Bielefeld, originally. I don't believe many people are, actually." Yuna shrugged. She knew Bielefeld was built recently, and didn't much remember hearing about it before then. Well, maybe, Yuna nearly forgot when their people finally revealed themselves to the world. "Eh, I'm just not from there, and I haven't seen much of it either."

Myra was relieved that Yuna didn't press her regarding her origins. It was too difficult to explain it, plus she wasn't permitted to even if she could figure out how best to describe it.

"We should go shopping when we get home," the girl suggested, "or check out some of the coffee shops and stuff. It's better than staying in our apartments all day and hoping for stuff to happen."

[The BranRiech]

Myra was relieved that Yuna didn't press her regarding her origins. It was too difficult to explain it, plus she wasn't permitted to even if she could figure out how best to describe it.

"We should go shopping when we get home," the girl suggested, "or check out some of the coffee shops and stuff. It's better than staying in our apartments all day and hoping for stuff to happen."

"I'd love to. I need some clothes other than the Uniform, and other than my stuffy white robes. It's pretty awful, but the uniform's the nicest part. I feel like it's something I can rough up and get dirty in. My robes are ceremonial, granted through position." Yuna said. She remembered nearly countless times of returning home with her robes dirtied, and then being made to clean them all by herself. Yeah, the girl needed new clothes quite badly.

"I'll definitely go shopping with you, and maybe we could get the others in too." She spared a glance over at the other teens seated around them.

[Torsiedelle]

"I-I'd love to go clothes shopping.", Torii mumbled from beside Myra and Yuna. "I have a few other sundresses and my uniform, but that's all I really wear. Maybe some shorts and a shirt..."

She had fallen silent for a while, thinking more about Swith and her other problems, and gazing into the crackling embers of the fire. Besides that, she didn't feel like intruding on their conversation, and she was a little jealous over something.

Meanwhile, Katya had taken time to excuse herself and take a seat several meters away from the group to watched the horizon.

[Tiltjuice]

Meanwhile, Katya had taken time to excuse herself and take a seat several meters away from the group to watched the horizon.

Dora sensed someone behind her. She'd gotten up to stretch her legs a while back; a flare at the tip of her e-cigarette shone brightly but not strongly, so that only her face could be seen.

She turned.

"Hello, Katya," she drawled. "Enjoy the party?"

(OOC - Want to make Katya's reply the first part of the collab? Or did you have something else in mind?)

[Swith Witherward]

Myra brightened. "Yes, we should all go. You and me and Torii. Maybe we can get Giovenith and Marcus as well."

She glanced over at the other two. He was sitting with his back against the log and Giovenith was resting against his chest. She looked up at the stars and then back to the pair. She shrugged. They were good friends.