Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[The Carlisle]

Kale noticed Gio looking at her in approval. She nodded back. She was glad that a rift hadn't formed between the two because of the trouble she had caused. She looked away and towards the door. "Kurt, take this woman inside. Follow the papers," she said. The Stretcher plant obliged. It started walking, taking quick but careful strides. The main body of the plant did not rock or move at all. It scurried inside though the backdoor, into the warmer hallway of the building." Kale looked back at the group.

"Can you guys handle this one?" she said. She got into her stance just in case.

[Torsiedelle]

"I've got these two!" Giovenith announced to the others, two paper swarms very, very gently lifting Toscha and Dora from the ground and toward indoors. Once inside, they would keep them suspended until somebody else (preferably a medic) took over them. Since they were taken care of in that regard, she turned to walk over to one end of Flint, crouching down. "Torii, we need to get her inside, now. Okay? I'll take her legs, you take her shoulders, alright? Yuna, Myra, get Kei!" The last part was obviously directed at the other girls.

Flint would probably be fairly heavy for the two young girls alone, but she would be manageable. As for Torii's pleas about her condition, Giovenith decided now was not a good time to address as them, as it was far more helpful to bring someone in questionable condition to medical attention than it is to get all poetic on another person's ass about it.

"Bu-but....you're right. We gotta go, now!", Torii nodded. She took Flint's other side, and tried hoisting her up. She was no doctor, and Flint needed a doctor badly. Hopefully, they could save her. She hoped to god they could save her...

[Cerillium]

Marcus was first through the clinic door. His caterwaul set the various daemonettes into action (as well as Sanjay. We haven't forgotten about him.) Malaise was preoccupied with Tasia (another one who hasn't been forgotten!) but Ogoti had plenty of perky nurses to spare. Two removed Wren from the boy's arms and brought her to a treatment room; another two began drawing rectangles on the wall. They became doors to more treatment rooms and surgical suites once a hastily scribbled doorknob was added. Ogoti couldn't possibly care less for the cultist strike going on. He needed more hands and thus his nurses tumbled out of desk drawers, waste baskets and Sanjay's shirt pocket.

Daemonettes darted into the lobby to relieve Giovenith's birds of their heavy burdens and Kale's vegeTable of its patient. Several more followed the retreating birds down the long hallway leading to the back door. They hissed at the sun, squinting momentarily as the brilliant light stung their eyes and cast their skin a pale and sickly green. As with most medical emergency situations, there was very little chitchat with Torii and Giovenith as they took over Flint's care. The girls were bumped out of the way and Flint was hauled into the building by nurses; their priority was to address the cardiac arrest rather than placate teenagers.

Likewise, Albert's patient was swept from his arms. Two nurses flanked him and grasped each other's arms, and then he found himself sitting on the makeshift support. He only had their shoulders and heads to hold on to but they were swift and his weight didn't seem to phase them. This left only Kei, and she too was lifted and taken away at a brisk pace.

Deuce, as massive as he was, would need to wait until Ceril and perhaps a few more strong people could carry the Astartes (or slap the crap out of him to wake him up); Ogoti's team was now fully occupied.

The inside of the clinic was as overwhelmingly noisy as an ER on a full moon Friday night. Every treatment room was filled by the time Albert was brought in. He was settled onto a bed and politely asked to wait a little while. Triage procedures required that others be given attention first. Sanjay was set to the task of healing the Lamia while Ogoti dropped Flint into status and began addressing her mortal wounds. Malaise left Tasia in the care of another nurse in order to treat Wren; an urgent call was put out to the Observatory.

It was a whirlwind and, typical of this sort of situation, it left people like Marcus and the other first responders pumped with adrenaline and feeling useless. He was ushered from the clinic and told to wait in the lobby. This left him with nothing to do but pace.

[Tiltjuice]

Steam rose from Dora's burns. Her back and left side were a mass of dull pink, charcoal patches around the edges, and white where fat showed through. Her bloodied face rendered her almost unrecognizable; fortunately there was still most of her red hair left to identify her as her (or possibly Minerva). The shirt had been wrecked earlier by the table splinters' attack, and Aegis' fire breath had taken her windbreaker with it. Unconsciously, she shivered furiously, until Giovenith's bird brought her inside.

Pink foam began to stream out of the corner of her mouth, followed by a thin stream of blood.

Tasia, by now, had stopped screaming if only because she'd lost her voice. Poor woman.

[Cerillium]

Sometimes things aren't what they seem; sometimes they're exactly what's expected. Then there are those times when you think you know exactly what will happen only to find out you're dead wrong. Or you're dead. Either way, it always comes as a surprise.

The truth of the matter was that the Businessman had indeed been bored. It seemed like a good idea, this wager. It would spice things up. It might even open eyes. He set out, hands tucked into warm trench coat pockets, and roamed the city in search of lies and intrigue, prostitutes and nuns, naughty children and lazy parents, and a host of other things that doesn't really concern this story. His wanderings had taken him to nearly every nook and cranny. He worked little magic. There wasn't any reason to.

The front door of the Wilting Succubus opened a few hours later and the Businessman joined the Dock Worker at the bar.

"Been having fun?" the burly man asked as his newly arrived companion stripped away scarf and coat. "Find what you needed to find? See what you needed to see?"

The Businessman said nothing. He rapped the bar to request a beer and then settled onto his stool.

The Dock Worker, realizing he wouldn't get anything out of him until the beer was finished, folded powerful arms and grunted.

The sun was just beginning to set on Bielefeld.

[New Aksarben]

Albert sighed happily as he settled into his bed, content to wait. Now that he was off his feet he should be able to not be in agony with every step. Namely because he didn't have to move that much anymore and could just lie down and relax. He could ignore the pain and discomfort of his body healing itself naturally, seeing as it was more tolerable. HE had gone through this before. When the nurses came back he'd probably need to explain to them that he wouldn't really need any help and that anything wrong with him would be better within a few days.

.....Actually, thinking about it, it would be for the best to not return home right now, nor tell Ray that he had gotten basically maimed while trying to help some other apartment dwellers. It would just cause him undue worry, after all, seeing as Albert would be better easily within a day, give or take a few hours to a day. If Ray showed up he would explain it to him, and assure him to not worry. And probably hug him tightly and not want to let go. Albert had been afraid that he would never be able to see Ray again after all. He knew it would have been difficult to kill him, but nothing had been stopping that place from simply keeping him there forever. It would have found a nearly perfect victim to torture, seeing as Albert would never really be able to die and would be able to recover physically within a relatively short time. But Albert figured there was no reason to dwell on those thoughts.

So, the personification glanced down at his tarnished, slightly melted, and corroded armor with some sadness and a twinge of anger towards that place. This armor had been his for almost decades now, and it would take forever to get it all repaired and in working order again. Glancing over to his leg, he let out a heavy sigh, and was at least glad he was spared some of the horrible injuries the others had received due to his preparedness with the armor and weapons. He'd have to make sure if Dora had managed to hold onto that sword too, or if it had been flung out into the yard with the rest of them, or something. She might want that in the future. Albert did still have the scabbard in his backpack(which was on the floor near his bed right now), too, which was a plus.

After his brief thoughts about the weapon he had loaned to the former conservator(who he sincerely hoped would be alright. She had been a great friend to him and Ray, after all), Albert's thoughts turned back to his armor. "Might as well start taking this off. Not the leg of course. Better keep that while my leg is healing so its not freaky to others.... Might as well keep the other leg on too, past the knee for both. No reason to look lopsided with my appearance...."

And with that mumbling to himself, the personification began to slowly work at removing the damaged armor, some pieces not wanting to come off as easily as others. He worked at packing them all back into his bag, hopefully so he can repair them later. The removal of the armor would show his normal clothing, right now a t-shirt and jeans minus his jacket, as that was stored in his backpack, which luckily seemed to be mostly intact after all that acid breath. He had to wiggle around to get certain pieces off like his tail and pelvis area, but soon all that was left was the armor on his knees down, which would be able to hide the worst of his injuries.

It turned out some of that acid had managed to seep inside of his armor, and his clothing was damaged and burnt in quite a few places, with the flesh under it being just as badly burned and damaged. Albert grimaced, poking some of the scared skin with a finger and hissing lightly at the pain radiating from that point. The pain in his leg had overridden the signals from other parts of his body it seemed, and he had been hurt worse than the personification previously thought once the shields had failed and armor joints had been ruptured by the acid. His skin was blistered, and eaten away in places, all the way to the dermal layer. It was a bit amazing that he could still move around, without to much struggle. It also seemed like many of the acid burn injuries were already healing, with blistered skin disappearing into what seemed to be fresh and healthy tissue ever so slowly.

His leg was still throbbing from pain but it had dulled with time, and the fact only gravity was putting pressure on it now. Under the armor his skin had been burned like on his arms, chest, head, and generally other parts of the body where the joints of his armor had been or where it had simply been eaten through by the acid. But the bones missing in his lower leg were slowly knitting back into existence, generating from nowhere. It would look quite miraculous if seen, but to Albert it hurt like hell. Well, like some of the tortures the damned in the Underworld suffered, for a more relevant to his own culture analogy. Plus, He was getting very hungry as his metabolism was sped up to increase the speed at which he healed. He'd probably be eating quite a lot once he healed, to make up for the energy expended. Also sleeping, probably.

"Ugh.... this is not going to be a pleasant next few days for me...." He groaned as he glanced around, hoping the others who had been hurt much more than he had were being healed and taken care of. He wasn't as worried that he'd recover because he knew he would after all. It was just a matter of time. And pain. It hurt re-knitting osseous, epidermal, dermal tissue after all, as his cells had to go into overdrive to replace what would otherwise have been forever lost. But at least it was a guaranteed thing, unlike the fates of the others(But Albert was willing to bet they would get healed just fine)

[Giovenith]

"God, this is the worst day ever."

There was little else that could be said beyond that one obvious exasperation. Giovenith sighed heavily, rubbed her eyes, and cracked a few stiff joints, trying in vain to wave off the worst of the panic now that most of the injured people were taken care of. There was still Mister Dexter, but there was nothing she could do about him. Besides, he was sure to be gotten to soon, and someone like him had to be really good at surviving stuff... right? She hoped.

"Come on, it's cold out here," Giovenith sighed to Torii, feeling sympathetic after seeing the other girl's reaction over the reddened Flint. "Don't want to catch anything for guard duty tonight."

It was particularly grim to remind her of that, knowing what had just happened. Bruises topped with fighting topped with stress and sorrow. The world's shittiest sundae. Knowing who had been injured, Giovenith would have completely and totally understood if Torii or Marcus didn't want to spend the night running around sleepless when they had things to mourn for. If anything, the heartbreak was likely to make them on-edge and unlikely to handle high stress levels well, and the last thing they needed was more conflict and division among them, quite so when watching one another's back for an incoming ax or claw.

Giovenith held open the lobby door for Torii, and spoke with catering evenness. "You can do what you want tonight, you know. Mourn. Get some sleep. Him too..." Her gaze rolled over to the pacing Marcus, who had just seen about half his family carted off into the clinic. She thought back to the stormy cave, and her heart took a sucker punch. "It's been rough for all of us."

[Morlodania]

Jorgen watched the massive cyborg pass, making room for him. He was somewhat worried by him, and his eye attempted to learn the man as quickly as possible. Medical... Emergency? Hmm... I may be able to help... Best see what I can do... Jorgen followed the cyborg, hissing and clicking coming from his mechanical parts as he did so. "Care to elaborate on this emergency, friend, or is that all you wish to say?"

[Torsiedelle]

"God, this is the worst day ever."

There was little else that could be said beyond that one obvious exasperation. Giovenith sighed heavily, rubbed her eyes, and cracked a few stiff joints, trying in vain to wave off the worst of the panic now that most of the injured people were taken care of. There was still Mister Dexter, but there was nothing she could do about him. Besides, he was sure to be gotten to soon, and someone like him had to be really good at surviving stuff... right? She hoped.

"Come on, it's cold out here," Giovenith sighed to Torii, feeling sympathetic after seeing the other girl's reaction over the reddened Flint. "Don't want to catch anything for guard duty tonight."

It was particularly grim to remind her of that, knowing what had just happened. Bruises topped with fighting topped with stress and sorrow. The world's shittiest sundae. Knowing who had been injured, Giovenith would have completely and totally understood if Torii or Marcus didn't want to spend the night running around sleepless when they had things to mourn for. If anything, the heartbreak was likely to make them on-edge and unlikely to handle high stress levels well, and the last thing they needed was more conflict and division among them, quite so when watching one another's back for an incoming ax or claw.

Giovenith held open the lobby door for Torii, and spoke with catering evenness. "You can do what you want tonight, you know. Mourn. Get some sleep. Him too..." Her gaze rolled over to the pacing Marcus, who had just seen about half his family carted off into the clinic. She thought back to the stormy cave, and her heart took a sucker punch. "It's been rough for all of us."

Torii was glad that Gio spoke first. She stepped across the courtyard of the building, the tiny pitter-patter of her boots against the ground being her only noise for about a minute. Her shirt was still torn from her desperate attempt to help Flint, and the older girl's blood got on her a little. She didn't think about it. She was cold, and needed a shower.

After entering the lobby, she spun around to meet Giovenith. "It has been a long day. Gio, I was going to just go out into the woods and stay there for tonight, but after seeing that? You can count on me to be guarding the place with you and Yuna. I don't know about Marcus, but I respect whatever he does, and I hope Drova can make it, too. With all those adults hurt, I think a lot of the burden will fall on us. If...if you and Yuna need some weapons, I got'em, don't worry. We'll just have to make a strategy. I'm gonna take a shower, now, so..."

She began to turn to leave, but finished her sentence. "Where will we meet up? I'll take a couple minutes."

[The BranRiech]

Having seen the others taken inside, and that no one who was wounded remained outside in the cold, Yuna returned to their friends as they left the clinic, probably not wanting to get in the way of people who actually knew how to fix people. She sighed, and clasped her hands together as she approached. "Hey, we got guard duty?" She asked. If she needed to, she'd go and grab Drova, who was probably napping in anticipation for their duty that night. "I'll go and get my brother, if you want."

Despite all the emotions swimming around in her, Yuna was still in "Emergency mode", and refused to let her usually vibrant character shine through, although she did smile a tiny bit that they seemed to be working together again.

[Giovenith]

"Yeah, yeah, both of you," Giovenith swung her head between Torii and Yuna. "Guard duty is still on. Bring what you can, but be practical, we're still indoors and surrounded by people. No guns that eat through walls. I've got a loose strategy. We can meet back here in the lobby in about half an hour... earlier if you can, though. I don't know when exactly the line is for when the things that go bump in the night come out to play..."

She sighed and cradled her face in one hand, letting everything seep in. One step at a time. One step. If you looked at all this crap at once, it would overwhelm you, so just slowly chew one little piece at a time. What did she have to do? She had retrieve Willow and Sterling, for one, the ponies were still gone and she didn't want them walking back to a danger zone she'd promised to protect them from. A quick paper bird could take care of that, though. They also needed other supplies aside from weaponry: Giovenith was thinking energy drinks and soda (purely for the sake of staying awake), maybe some light protection (like sports gear), walkie-talkies. Giovenith being Giovenith, none of these things would be hard to obtain, but it still sounded very tiring.

"Use the time well," she finally dotted the explanations with, nodding to Torii and Yuna.

[Cerillium]

Jorgen watched the massive cyborg pass, making room for him. He was somewhat worried by him, and his eye attempted to learn the man as quickly as possible. Medical... Emergency? Hmm... I may be able to help... Best see what I can do... Jorgen followed the cyborg, hissing and clicking coming from his mechanical parts as he did so. "Care to elaborate on this emergency, friend, or is that all you wish to say?"

Ceril didn't pause for discussion but spoke as he moved along the hall towards the back door. "Rescue mission gone wrong. Entire party brutalized. Cthulhu. God damned cultists on strike. Fucking cultists pissing me off today."

He couldn't explain much more because he had to flatten himself against the wall to make way for a procession of nurses who were carrying in victims. The ensuing silence was broken by the soft ticks and whirs coming from his body and the groans of the wounded as they were paraded past the pair. It allowed the old cyborg an opportunity to view familiar faces which were now twisted and torn. He didn't see Wren or Naomi although he was able to catch a glimpse of his new companion from the hallway upstairs. A thousand questions filled his mind, all of them dealing with Jorgen's build, but this wasn't the time to talk shop. "There's bound to be more outside. I could use your help." Then the procession ended and he was out the back door.

The back yard was covered in melting snow and mud. Deep mounds of white hid the pool and festooned a garish pirate ship anchored to it. The firing range was pristine, and the sheds and other warm-weather play areas all were blanketed. As it turned out, the only person still in the yard was the massive Astartes, Deuce. He lie face down in the mud and snow directly across from a large, upright structure. Ceril groaned and looked back at Jorgen. "Are you able to help me lift him? He weighs as much as a small car."

[Cerillium]

A floating silver tray with no one carrying it transported Stephen's short stack and a small dispenser jug of blueberry syrup out to him. Meanwhile, Chrys had departed, giving Stephen a wave beforehand, and headed back toward the front of the carnival to find Dia and/or Luce and then head back to the building to find Ray. Instead, she came across Dia and Hans seemingly facing off, and her face fell.

"...Guys?" she ventured, her bell-like voice wavering slightly.

"Ja?"

Hans hadn't expected Chrys to turn up. A sharp pang thrummed his heart; this might be the last chance he'd have to see her. He put on his best poker face however. A quick shake of the sombrero restored it to its normal cap form. "Dia and I were just going, eh, somewhere."

He cast a glance at the larger man and playfully tapped his arm with a loose fist. "Ja, just going somewhere. To, er, see Fritz. For something. No, you can't come."

It was better to be blunt. Sort of. Yeah. Whatever.

"... unless you really want to come, but you'll probably be bored. A lot. Ja."

And then sensibility kicked in.

"I'm most likely in trouble for some problems with the resident teens, and so I'm either going to be reassigned or taken to task. Dia offered to come along."

[Morlodania]

Jorgen silently followed the massive cyborg. Ceril's enhancements seemed far more advanced than his own, and Jorgen was almost a little jealous. He let it slide, however, as he was probably older than the man anyway. Jorgen nodded when Ceril mentioned he might need help. "I will be more than happy to assist." He followed him outside, seeing the massive Astartes. "Just a small car? Please, that's easy." He turned an knob on his mechanical arm, increasing the amount of power it could exert. "Ready whenever you are."

[Tiltjuice]

"Ja?"

Hans hadn't expected Chrys to turn up. A sharp pang thrummed his heart; this might be the last chance he'd have to see her. He put on his best poker face however. A quick shake of the sombrero restored it to its normal cap form. "Dia and I were just going, eh, somewhere."

He cast a glance at the larger man and playfully tapped his arm with a loose fist. "Ja, just going somewhere. To, er, see Fritz. For something. No, you can't come."

It was better to be blunt. Sort of. Yeah. Whatever.

"... unless you really want to come, but you'll probably be bored. A lot. Ja."

And then sensibility kicked in.

"I'm most likely in trouble for some problems with the resident teens, and so I'm either going to be reassigned or taken to task. Dia offered to come along."

"Well, that's good! I was j - What? Why not? Of course I'll come, and - "

Chrys shot a quick glance at Dia, who shrugged and ambled off some ways. Close enough that he could still be seen, but far enough that they had some privacy. "What kind of trouble? I'm coming along as well. Is that weird? I hope it's not weird. Actually - "

She waved at Dia to get his attention, and began signing away instead. Go find Dora. Katya had better not be screwing with her, or her head. I'll go with Hans.

The big man nodded and moved off; Chrys turned back to Hans, wishing her Conservator uniform and arm guards back on as she did so. "Now that that's handled, I'll go with you. There's a few things that I'd like to bring up, anyway."

Jorgen silently followed the massive cyborg. Ceril's enhancements seemed far more advanced than his own, and Jorgen was almost a little jealous. He let it slide, however, as he was probably older than the man anyway. Jorgen nodded when Ceril mentioned he might need help. "I will be more than happy to assist." He followed him outside, seeing the massive Astartes. "Just a small car? Please, that's easy." He turned an knob on his mechanical arm, increasing the amount of power it could exert. "Ready whenever you are."

The sight that greeted Dia's eyes as he entered the backyard made his eyes flare, and the old, familiar thrill for battle began rushing through him. The blood left behind from the Aegis rescue team and the smell of cooked flesh - all of it he knew well, both from his own experiences and Chrys' war stories.

"Machine men, where is my Sister?" he demanded, in a harsher rasp than his normal tone.

[Cerillium]

Jorgen silently followed the massive cyborg. Ceril's enhancements seemed far more advanced than his own, and Jorgen was almost a little jealous. He let it slide, however, as he was probably older than the man anyway. Jorgen nodded when Ceril mentioned he might need help. "I will be more than happy to assist." He followed him outside, seeing the massive Astartes. "Just a small car? Please, that's easy." He turned an knob on his mechanical arm, increasing the amount of power it could exert. "Ready whenever you are."

"Well, that's good! I was j - What? Why not? Of course I'll come, and - "

Chrys shot a quick glance at Dia, who shrugged and ambled off some ways. Close enough that he could still be seen, but far enough that they had some privacy. "What kind of trouble? I'm coming along as well. Is that weird? I hope it's not weird. Actually - "

She waved at Dia to get his attention, and began signing away instead. Go find Dora. Katya had better not be screwing with her, or her head. I'll go with Hans.

The big man nodded and moved off; Chrys turned back to Hans, wishing her Conservator uniform and arm guards back on as she did so. "Now that that's handled, I'll go with you. There's a few things that I'd like to bring up, anyway."

Jorgen silently followed the massive cyborg. Ceril's enhancements seemed far more advanced than his own, and Jorgen was almost a little jealous. He let it slide, however, as he was probably older than the man anyway. Jorgen nodded when Ceril mentioned he might need help. "I will be more than happy to assist." He followed him outside, seeing the massive Astartes. "Just a small car? Please, that's easy." He turned an knob on his mechanical arm, increasing the amount of power it could exert. "Ready whenever you are."

The sight that greeted Dia's eyes as he entered the backyard made his eyes flare, and the old, familiar thrill for battle began rushing through him. The blood left behind from the Aegis rescue team and the smell of cooked flesh - all of it he knew well, both from his own experiences and Chrys' war stories.

"Machine men, where is my Sister?" he demanded, in a harsher rasp than his normal tone.

"Grab an arm and I'll grab the other," he replied. "I'm Ceril, by the way. Welcome to Bielefeld."

He was about to begin the lifting when two things happened at once. Dia's bark had actually managed to startle Ceril and wake Deuce. The Astartes shrugged off both men and rose under his own power, regaining his feet to tower a foot over the larger cyborg.

His speech was slurred and the world still swam in front of his eyes, but he managed a raspy, "Who?" before setting a hand on each cyborg's shoulder to steady himself. He, like the others before him, was a blood and gore caked mess. He had come off mostly unscathed but now sported two extra arms and a wicked headache. Deuce couldn't recall much except the monster who was attempting to throttle him right before gravity shit the bed and threw them all around like rag dolls. He assumed he'd brained himself on equipment. How he managed to get outside was beyond his comprehension although, judging by the pools of blood on the ground, some of the others had made it out as well.

---

"You don't have to do that, Chrys." A blush slowly rose to Hans' ears. He hadn't minded Dia's company at all. The shared teen event had given him an appreciation of the man. He quickly recounted what had transpired, leaving nothing out as he explained his botched attempt to play dad. The plant creatures were still there and he explained those as well, advising her that they'd need to follow them back to the building for duty.

"- and that's the end of it. I don't know why Klaus ordered me to report to Fritz. He's not exactly the nicest person. He's the avatar of Plotter. He's a god."

[Torsiedelle]

"Yeah, yeah, both of you," Giovenith swung her head between Torii and Yuna. "Guard duty is still on. Bring what you can, but be practical, we're still indoors and surrounded by people. No guns that eat through walls. I've got a loose strategy. We can meet back here in the lobby in about half an hour... earlier if you can, though. I don't know when exactly the line is for when the things that go bump in the night come out to play..."

She sighed and cradled her face in one hand, letting everything seep in. One step at a time. One step. If you looked at all this crap at once, it would overwhelm you, so just slowly chew one little piece at a time. What did she have to do? She had retrieve Willow and Sterling, for one, the ponies were still gone and she didn't want them walking back to a danger zone she'd promised to protect them from. A quick paper bird could take care of that, though. They also needed other supplies aside from weaponry: Giovenith was thinking energy drinks and soda (purely for the sake of staying awake), maybe some light protection (like sports gear), walkie-talkies. Giovenith being Giovenith, none of these things would be hard to obtain, but it still sounded very tiring.

"Use the time well," she finally dotted the explanations with, nodding to Torii and Yuna.

(ooc) just moving things along. Getting off soon, will post tomorrow.)


"Don't worry; I know what to do here!", Torii said, carrying a hint of cheerfulness. She wanted to lighten things up a bit now...well, maybe later. She waved before skipping off to the apartment. She had to get ready, get clean, and meet up in thirty minutes, and she wasn't going to mess up. Tonight was going to be serious.

[Cerillium]

Marcus had taken a seat on the thinking bench. He was still keyed up but the nervous pacing had been replaced by shaking hands and tensed muscles. He covered his face and blocked out the conversation around him.

Myra, on the other hand, had nodded at Torii's suggestion. She didn't own any weapons. She thought about running upstairs to grab a knife from the communal kitchen but what good would a knife be against the hosts of Hell? She yawned and flopped down next to Marcus instead, draping her hand on his knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. This day had been shit. Total shit. No, it was worse than shit. She couldn't think of a better word however.

[Giovenith]

"See you then," Giovenith waved half-heartedly after Torii, and smiled and nodded politely at Yuna, already knowing the Pyserai's ideas and plans. She had one more thing to do before setting off to put her own responsibilities in motion, and very carefully turned and walked over to the bench where Myra and Marcus were seated. It was bad, very bad, she could tell by the way the cyborg had balled up into a quivering mass of shock and deep sorrow. It took her a few silent opens and closes of her mouth to finally get the appropriate words out.

"I am so sorry," she said, quietly. "For everything today. Everything. Marcus, if you need to be with your family tonight, we all completely understand and support you. You were right before, you have no obligation to help us tonight, especially now."

[Tiltjuice]

Nick bristled slightly as Namal replied to his stray thought regarding vomit. <Oh crap I>'ve been talking this whole time? How awkward. The cat licked a paw; by the time he had finished licking it, Namal had inquired about getting on the ride. The now somewhat cleaner feline perked up his ears and was trying to figure things out when he noticed a few moving not-usual colored shirts. I guess there's still a difference between all of these colors... I know. I need a rainbow. Preferably a labeled one.

An obliging labeled rainbow appeared about a foot off the ground, in front of Nick's nose. So that's red- orange, there- wow, lots of yellow! It's all over- ooh, purple's cool! Neat- it's the color of my scarf! Feeling and ignoring a slight sensation of what a human would call giddiness, he batted around the neckwear in question, carefully avoiding use of his claws. Oh, wow! That one which always just looked washed out- it's purplish too! Everything looks like a rainbow! As his gaze returned to the shirt-wearers, it became apparent that they were getting into boxy structures. Wait... <Look! They (image of the shirt wearers) seem to know what to do! We just wait for the thing to rotate again and get into a boxy structure (image of Ferris wheel car) and... I guess something happens?>

Something did indeed happen as the Astronaut's first particle-beam discharge hit the Squirrel-on-a-Stick booth. Sawdust and bits of squirrels on sticks flew past, showering the Khydir hybrid, the rabbit, and the cat. MB, startled, immediately materialized a synthesizer and began playing an electronic tune that would sound familiar to anyone who'd played through Mario Kart for N64. At the same time, he returned to his normal size, but grew oversized ears that looked more like Arnold Schwarzenegger's arms. Picking up Namal and Nick, he ran up the rainbow just as the Astronaut's second shot connected with the Ferris wheel, blowing away one of the cars in a shower of heated metal. The multicolored arc led them back to the building's rooftop.

Phew. Closeness!

[The BranRiech]

Having heard that they were going to need some weapons beforehand, and simply thinking it would be a good idea, Drova came stumbling down the stairs. In his outstretched arms were a motley assortment of weaponry. His rifle was slung around his back, but the weapons in his hands were mostly swords, and some daggers. It was what he could scrounge up in the room of their's.

He wobbled over to the middle of the lobby, and started dropping things.

Yuna rolled her eyes, and then they shot right to her dagger, lying on the ground. "I don't know how to use a gun. I'll be using one of these." She pointed to the pile of weapons, hoping Torii wouldn't mind Yuna not using her guns or something.

[The Carlisle]

With all the injured being taken care of, Kale walked back into the building. She walked slowly. It was hard to endure everything. She felt like crying at this point, but she held back the tears. Why were these terrible things happening today? She hoped everyone turned out okay. She walked back to the lobby, to Rudolf.

"So... about the dining room. Can I still use it?" she said, slower than usual,"Is there some paper for me to sign?"

[Monfrox]

As Flint's body lay in stasis, something different happened. She found herself in the lobby of the medical clinic. "Where...am I?" She asked herself. She didn't remember getting here, or anything after the fight. She felt...out of place. Like something was wrong. She felt strange. There wasn't a way to describe it. Looking down, she found herself just sitting on a chair, but her hands looked pale. She could move her other arm. Was she alive or dead? She had no idea that she was actually somewhere in between.

Flint stood up and walked into the clinic room and wandered around seemingly with no direction, until she stepped into the room she was in. She walked up to the table, eyes gazing all around, and stopped when they fell upon her bloodied form. She froze and just stared as she tried to figure out what was happening, until she panicked and ran back out of the clinic. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the scene she just witnessed, but she didn't want to see it. She stopped in the entrance lobby to the apartment and calmly sat down again as she shivered.

---

Meanwhile, Cinnamon had successfully summoned her half-sister. A young, 16 year old girl in a school uniform with a head of long, dark brown hair stood next to her. "Wha-wh-wait...where am I?" She asked. Cinnamon made her cat ears and tail vanish so the girl wouldn't freak so much. She knelt down and turned towards her. "Hey, I know this is sudden, and there's going to be a lot to take in, but bear with me okay? I'm your long lost half-sister." The Captain said, trying to ease the girl.

She blinked. "You're my what now?"

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"Uhm..." The girl twiddled her fingers and blushed.

Cinnamon guessed she had the right girl if she was tip-toeing around her first name like she did.

"Go on. Your last name is Thompson, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah...but...my first name is....Sugar..."

Cinnamon laughed, which earned a glare from the girl. "Hey! That's not funny!"

"Yes it is!"

"How's that?"

"Because my first name is Cinnamon!"

The girl blinked and accepted her half-sister was telling the truth. The two shared a laugh about their parent's poor first name choice and hugged each other, glad there was finally someone blood-related in their lives. For the most part, Sugar seemed pretty easy going and open-minded. The two turned to Luce and Katya. "Well, what are we waiting for, eh?" She asked.

[Cerillium]

"See you then," Giovenith waved half-heartedly after Torii, and smiled and nodded politely at Yuna, already knowing the Pyserai's ideas and plans. She had one more thing to do before setting off to put her own responsibilities in motion, and very carefully turned and walked over to the bench where Myra and Marcus were seated. It was bad, very bad, she could tell by the way the cyborg had balled up into a quivering mass of shock and deep sorrow. It took her a few silent opens and closes of her mouth to finally get the appropriate words out.

"I am so sorry," she said, quietly. "For everything today. Everything. Marcus, if you need to be with your family tonight, we all completely understand and support you. You were right before, you have no obligation to help us tonight, especially now."

The boy lowered his hands and peered into Giovenith's uniquely colored eyes. "Before" seemed a lifetime ago in light of recent events.

"No, Giovenith," his voice was level but held a tinge of sorrow. "I was wrong before. I'm obligated to help just like my sister and mother were obligated to help. You pitch in when you can because you're tied to the same good bonds shared with everyone in this Building. Sitting here won't make the others well. But I'll be damned if I'll let some piece of shit monster come down the stairs to harass Ogoti's people while they're trying to save lives. I'm in. I'm joining you guys to patrol."

Marcus rose and pulled the godling into a tight embrace. He didn't have magic but he had heart, and he wished with all his heart that he could lend his strength to Giovenith just as she lent her strength to him on so many occasions since the island. "You're a beautiful friend," he muttered into her hair. "You're my first best friend and I love you for it."

It was an unabashed declaration coming from the purity of a young boy's heart. She was friend, but in a way she was like extended family, and yet she was a god and a girl and absolutely scruffy and silly. That made her the perfect person to hang with because it meant he could be himself. He let her go and chuckled as he wiped away a tear. Then, because Marcus was a dork at heart, he stuck his tongue out at her in an attempt to keep the mood light.

[Tiltjuice]

The girl blinked and accepted her half-sister was telling the truth. The two shared a laugh about their parent's poor first name choice and hugged each other, glad there was finally someone blood-related in their lives. For the most part, Sugar seemed pretty easy going and open-minded. The two turned to Luce and Katya. "Well, what are we waiting for, eh?" She asked.

Was this how women really acted? None of his Sisters seemed like this; nor did Miss Katya or Miss Naomi, or even Miss Kei from what little he'd seen of them. Though perhaps it had to do with the girl's age and living conditions and the Captain's being conscripted in her childhood. A lack of social skills?

"One of you," said Luce mildly, gazing back and forth from Cinnamon to Sugar to Katya.