Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Kei, who was walking the halls after showing Ki the way out of her apartment (Giving him her number in case he wanted a drink, or demonstrations), barely noticed the small Foal wandering the halls with a flower in his mouth. She was busy thinking about things, and nearly tripped on poor-little Saren as she lumbered past. The goddess wasn't stupid though, and noticed him just at the last second.

"Hmmph."

It wasn't something she was used to, but she was used to a damn lot of things, and a lot of them were here in the building.

"Who are you, little guy?" She smiled, picking up the small Foal.

Saren was similarly unaware of the foot preparing to hit him in the side, and simply stopped and stared up at her, as if he was confused. He simply went along with her as she picked him up, and he smiled, dropping the flower to the floor as he opened his mouth and held his hooves out. "I'm Saren! Prince of Tinell!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. It was a wonder everybody didn't know this already, what with the volume he tended to shout everything at. "Who're you?" He asked, smiling and beaming at her with his bright, reptilian red eyes.

[The Factory of Spike]

Motimer got up from the floor. He needed to pull himself together. He started to walk around the party, looking for the people Nick had recommended he talk to. Willow and Giovenith were on other sides of the room. He decided to talk to Willow first. He walked up and said, "Hello, I'm Mortimer. I'm new here." He was staying very focused about thinking normal thoughts that allowed him to function normally.

The grey pegasus pony stopped mid-sip of his drink, and shifted his gaze away from Cerril, Sterling, and the Seer to observe the new person who had waltzed up to him. The (what he presumed at the moment to be a) human looked to be about an adolescent, though Willow was still shaky on his judgement of said things, and was dressed rather darkly. He seemed grim. Not like Willow had any flippin' business talking, though.

"... Hello, Mister Mortimer," Willow greeted bluntly, but politely, scooting his drink up with his front hooves. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Oblivious to any offense he might have caused by walking into a conversation, he thought about the question. It was tough to think of a reply. "No." He finally said, and stayed standing right where he was. He had answered the question, and now he would wait to see how it was received. He looked down at this boots.

[Giovenith]

The grey pegasus pony stopped mid-sip of his drink, and shifted his gaze away from Cerril, Sterling, and the Seer to observe the new person who had waltzed up to him. The (what he presumed at the moment to be a) human looked to be about an adolescent, though Willow was still shaky on his judgement of said things, and was dressed rather darkly. He seemed grim. Not like Willow had any flippin' business talking, though.

"... Hello, Mister Mortimer," Willow greeted bluntly, but politely, scooting his drink up with his front hooves. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Oblivious to any offense he might have caused by walking into a conversation, he thought about the question. It was tough to think of a reply. "No." He finally said, and stayed standing right where he was. He had answered the question, and now he would wait to see how it was received. He looked down at this boots.

Willow stared blankly at the newcomer of few words, adding onto the awkward hanging silence. Since it had been Mortimer who had approached, the natural assumption would be that he'd continue on, but apparently not so. It confused Willow. He sucked on his teeth and glanced to the side, racking his equally socially inept brain for some kind of breaker to the trench they were in. No, bleak meeting bleak didn't bode well. If heavy amounts of it were flammable, the place would be ashes.

Well, there was no solution Willow could naturally come up with. Time for plan B: What would Sterling do?

Willow wordlessly reached behind him and dragged a small plate with a pastry across the table. The steady coughing of plate against table seemed particularly obtrusive laid against the painted black wall the two's vicinity created.

"... Cake?" the pony asked straightforwardly, lifting an "eyebrow."

[Motoneuron]

Kei let out a hearty laugh, grinning immensely at the mention of wanting a good time to relax. "Hun'." She said in an atypical fashion for Kei. "There's in infinite amount of opportunity for a good time here. We could go get wasted at Chaos, we could go out for a night on the town and barhop, we could do pretty much anything."

She smiled.

"Anything you want to do in particular? There's a party downstairs."

Ki briefly raised a claw to his chin as he thought. Even with wanting to relax Ki still wanted to learn as much about this place as he could and the party seemed like a good opportunity to do so. It might also give him a chance to endear himself to Kei, someone with a power like that he definitely wanted on his side.

"Maybe going out on the town later, for now I'd like to meet some more of my new neighbors. Are they all as impressive as you?" Ki inquired with a smile.

[Mincaldenteans]

The expression on Rudolf's face was a curious mixture of bemusement and bewilderment. 2381? That future wasn't too future. It was close to Templar future yet far it the past from Rudolf's second home. Gre'thor, however, sounded similar to the time they were foisted upon Minerva's Lads. The Inn was beyond damnation and suffering. Still, the Klingon's own Gre'thor was probably twenty times worse than that.

Mezran's bark of laughter drowned out Rudolf's chuckle. His mind slipped into another thought stream. Haven has technical parts? Magic was completely foreign to the Klingon? Oh boy. This fellow was in for a shock. Perhaps the Fae could induce a state that mimiced whatever holo-technology Mezran was expecting? Still, an alien in an alien world is bound to suffer culture shock and perhaps have few pucker factor moments, especially in Bielefeld.

Better to lose his cool on a Cultist than Giovenith and her paper birds. "There are some things you'll need to acclimate to," he sighed, "and some odd realities that won't make any sense. You'd mentioned that there weren't any gods. How do your people handle magic users? Not magicians but beings that can poof things into existence. Fireballs. Braunschweiger sandwiches. Atomic kittens. You know, that sort of thing?"

The strange being was like nothing she'd seen or heard of before, even in the tales of her homeland. Dora slipped back into the conversation with a bottle of Balkan 176. (She'd tarried a bit to converse with the easy-going Fae, who was starting to draw her attention a bit more, especially after recent events. His liking for mice as companions, not food, pleased her; Luce and Chrys reminiscing about eating them made her wince a bit.)

Setting down the bottle, she pulled a trio of glasses off the awkward palm-up grip of her other hand and set one in front of each of her companions. Hers and Rudolf's had cans of soda inside, but Mezran looked big enough to take the alcohol straight. An impressive feat, considering her reputation and that of her siblings.

Mezran let out a grunted huff, "Magic," he spat with distaste. "Legends tell of a time when the gods plagued my people for their entertainment. Turning illusions into reality, reality into illusions. Madness and insanity mixed with justice and honor. We suffered their whims for centuries until one day we grew wary of their abuse and revolted, slaying one god at a time until the heavens dripped with their blood. Magic is nothing more than a parlor trick, anyway," Mezran concluded with a dismissive gesture and continued, "The Romulans do it all the time, thinking they are cunning with it, but they are merely scheming toDsahpu that I would skewer at the ends of a bat'leth!

"That said," Mezran took a healthy gulp of the terran drink, all but empty by the swig, "I cannot say I believe in magic. We have long since consider it mere ploys and trick of hands to boil our bloods. It is one thing to believe in myths and legends - after all those old mad dogs in Boreth clones the only venerated savior of our people not long ego - but quite another to believe that, that... things!... can be simply conjured out of thin air! Who here among us at this table wield such power? And if it is so, then I shall see it proven with my very own eyes! Where is this Dan fellow you spoke of? You said he mimicked things? And you?" He turned to face Dora, "Are you also part of this magic that Rudolf claims exists?"

[The BranRiech]

Kei giggled a bit at this, looking into his eyes with her own. She was drawn to this little thing, called Saren. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Saren." She beamed right back at him, really only caring because Saren was too freaking adorable to miss, or not notice. She held him up in front of her, looking him over a few times before setting him back down on the ground.

"My my, and a handsome Prince too, eh?" She chuckled heartily.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Kei giggled a bit at this, looking into his eyes with her own. She was drawn to this little thing, called Saren. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Saren." She beamed right back at him, really only caring because Saren was too freaking adorable to miss, or not notice. She held him up in front of her, looking him over a few times before setting him back down on the ground.

"My my, and a handsome Prince too, eh?" She chuckled heartily.

He grinned widely, a few teeth showing up in his smile. They were the teeth of an omnivore, rather odd in his species. "Nice to meet you too!" He said, staring up at her and practically clinging to her leg. "I'm the most handsome prince ever! Even though dad says that I'm in second place. But he's lying." Saren muttered out. "Who are you?" He asked, stopping his constant nuzzlings and just grinning up at her again.

[Torsiedelle]

"So that's how you took on the name "Flint"?"

It was certainly a long one, and kind of grim, but it suited her. It was more like something you'd hear in a game or movie.

It probably wasn't what Yuna was thinking, but Torii thought it was cool, and her smile showed it. "Kickass.", She told Flint. "Sounds like the guy got was what comin' to him, if ya ask me. So, it's like that where you're from? I'm glad you avenged your mates."

In her eyes, Flint was even cooler. Torii didn't really have much to boast about, not that she cared to often, but Flint had interesting stories about her life, it seemed.

[The BranRiech]

He grinned widely, a few teeth showing up in his smile. They were the teeth of an omnivore, rather odd in his species. "Nice to meet you too!" He said, staring up at her and practically clinging to her leg. "I'm the most handsome prince ever! Even though dad says that I'm in second place. But he's lying." Saren muttered out. "Who are you?" He asked, stopping his constant nuzzlings and just grinning up at her again.

"Ah, well you know your father's lying, right?"

Kei grinned and nodded her head, looking down at him. His smile was a bit offputting, and she wasn't really expecting the strange teeth (For what she'd assume she'd see in a creature of his type). She finally decided to answer his question, and smiled again. "I'm Kei. Just someone living here." She shrugged. With her unusual getup of a tank-top and her sweatpants, she didn't look all too remarkable, besides for being pretty tall, and a bit larger than a normal human, still though, she could be anyone on the street.

"Can be a friend, but I suppose you're looking for your father?"

--

Yuna shivered. This girl was from a place that seemed most unforgiving, and made Yuna quite glad that she was from where she was. It wasn't perfect, but they had order in their lives. Flint's homeland seemed . . . Lawless. It was a foreign concept to Yuna, something indicative of a failed state, the worst thing that could happen to any system was to lose it all.

"I-interesting story?"

[Germanic Templars]

Natiya blushed at her stupidity, but remained proud, standing next to Aleki happily as the man prattled off about the teleporter. His accent calmed her, reminding her of a home she barely remembered but in dreams and memories of parents she never really got to say goodbye too.

"Putin, eh? Any relation to a past leader? Oh, pleasure t'meet you as well." She asked, because these people were from the future. "And yeah, we'd like to get down to Gliese too.".

"Eh, there have been many Putin in the past, no? Besides who I am related to doesn't matter much. And if you want down then go through the portal, it will take you to the station near the heart of the ship itself. Will I go with you, of course not, I still busy." Putin rambled. Before too long, he flipped his hood over his head to the point where his eyes were shadowed over.

"Well guess it's time to get a move on. Thank you again." Aleki remarked. He would wait for Natiya to go through before he himself went.

[Germanic Templars]

He looked at his son with a queer look but then remembered that his son wasn't there to see him be brought back to life. He walked over to his son, getting on a knee as he reached the side his son was on and hugged him tightly. A tear ran down his face, worried about other stuff to the point where he forgot about his own kids' needs in life. And right now they need him.

A sense of shame though flow through him due to the negligence he felt he put on them. Time he could use to spend time watching his kids take their first steps, he found work important, when he had the option for Levi to take control of the conflict back home so he could be there for his kids, he left them to go fight a war. Those thoughts that ran through his mind only made it worse for he held onto him a little tighter as he started to cry softly.

"Don't cry, Daddy," Siduer whispered and wrapped his small arms around Thriller as tightly as he could. Being able to touch him, and to smell the scent of shampoo and shaving cream, and to hear him breathing had convinced the boy that it wasn't a dream.

Little children had a bad habit of rambling off the top of their head and Siduer was no exception to that rule. He drew in a shuddering breath. "I missed you so much, and I was so sad, and Mimsy and Seeluer are big now, but Seeluer chewed up your old boots while you were gone, and Mimsy sleeps in your lawn chair, and I got my first permanent tooth, and Mommy died."

He pressed his face into his father and sighed. "I've been not good. I yelled at Rachelle and was mean to Sophie, and didn't listen to Chi. I was just mad because you and Mommy were gone. And we snuck off to Japan, and almost got killed by Toshi, and Hans and Miss Chrys had to rescue us and then I made Rachelle and Sydney swear to secrecy so we wouldn't get in trouble."

"Well as important as honesty is, I must say, I am crying because I wasn't there for you enough. I abandoned you as my father did me, but not for the same reason." He let go of Siduer and step back a little to kneel down to get to eye level with Siduer. " You see, my dad left me, and my brother and sister, only so that we could have a better chance than having to live in conditions of that of weak materials and work in unsafe conditions. Me, however, I left you just so I could fight in a war I could have said no to and stayed back to live with you, your sister, and mommy. That is why daddy cried." Thriller wiped his eyes and looked at his son with a flushed face and a smile.

[Swith Witherward]

It started with an intake of breath and a wheezed exhale, the sound of a large animals breathing in the darkest corners of the dining room...

The hairs on Todesfall's neck prickled. "Come Wolf, we'll start downstairs. This second floor contains communal areas, such as kitchen, dining room, VR room and recreational room. Nothing but apartments as you go higher in the building (avoid the 5th floor) but the lobby gives access to the gym, indoor pool and the hallway leading to the back garden." He spoke quickly in an effort to get down the stairs before...

... the breathing, nearly blotted out by all the conversations, rose and fell and then grew silent...

Rudolf was about to show Mezran a bit of clever magic but his eyes were drawn to the shadows. What lurked there was familiar to him, and to many of the German cultists. No matter what, I have layers. Layers upon layers. Many layers. All the same. I am me. He chanted these words in his mind to make the statement real and then cast a silent message to Hans through their tether.

Hans was so preoccupied with Chrys' smile that he mentally swatted his brother away. It took several urgent pleas and a few growled curses before the cultist leader cottoned on. His eyes slid from Chrys and to the shadows. The smile on his face became fixed. "When honoring honor, honor the Honor by hour or ornery honors befall the lot." His hand slipped across the table to clasp hers. It might have been a romantic gesture had the tender action not been followed by a rough yank that dragged her from her chair and under the table.

"Aufhocker! Krank wird!" Hans shouted as they went, and it would be a weird thing to shout indeed and absolutely senseless but for the stone pillars suddenly shattering. An angry buzz emanated from deep within the plants. The lights went out.

Rudolf, being sensible, dived under the table as well.

[Fraire]

Tsanis looked around and noticed that everyone was talking to someone else. Well, mostly everyone. He also noticed that there were some people he didn't recognize. Must be some new additions to the apartment. Perhaps I can share some horror stories of the time there was a giant reptilian bagel that eats the...thing.....or....meh, I think of the story when I have the chance. He smiled and looked at his victims. Then again, maybe I shouldn't. Pfft, like that would happen. Then we can have a good laugh, and possibly someone peeing their pants. Tsanis began thinking of a good horror story about the apartment that would scare the living hell out of the newcomers when he thought he heard something. Tsanis began looking around in case there was danger, considering there usually was. Suddenly, the lights went out and he screamed like a little girl. Tsanis didn't do it out of fright, but to scare the newer arrivals.

[Terintania]

Wolfgang's ears pricked, and the fur on the back of his neck began to stand up. He found himself snarling deep from within his throat automatically. His ears pinned back as he looked at Todesfall, barking his agreement to leave. He felt a little bad for just ditching everyone else in a moment of clear danger, but Leroy was the fighter, not him. He quickly trotted after Todesfall, his fur still on end and his ears still pinned back. Only once they were a fair distance away did his fur relax, and his ears raise again.

[Morlodania]

Minerva paused to allow Jorgen to catch up. "You're just the man I was looking for," she purred. "Name's Captain Minerva Blackwater. I handle Charumati's business, which is now Naomi's business, but I also tackle things for the landlord and occasionally ferret out things for a few others."

She smiled at him and brushed a few fiery locks from her cheek. "You're new and might not be aware of the Brotherhood. They're an idea group to network with, especially for a cyborg who's just arrived. Also, our janitor is just a janitor and a very busy being in his own right. Some of this Building isn't as magical as people think. In particular, the boiler. It's an annoying retro-futuristic bit of steam-driven machinery that none of us have the patience for. Demens... the landlord... refuses to allow Ceril to convert it into something more modern. Would you be interested in working for Demens? It would be contract work rather than full-time employment."

The cultist leader had continued down the hallway as they spoke, drawing them closer to the gathering in the communal dining room.

"Jorgen Rodgers." He nodded to the woman, this Minerva, his mechanical eye storing her image in his mind that he might remember it, as he walked alongside her. "Network with? Never was something I tended to do, should fix that." He listened to her speak, somewhat interested. "Boiler? Given that it's steam-driven, it is my area of expertise, and I do tend to have a great deal of time on my hands... Yes, it sounds acceptable that I could work with it. I might as well, I have nothing better to do other than read and invent things." He shrugged, his shoulder whirring as he did so. He didn't notice that the dining room was before them, nor did he notice the events transpiring within it. "Would this work deal simply be something of a verbal agreement, or would it be something with paperwork involved?"

[Mincaldenteans]

Mezran pushed himself out of his seat and unsheathed his mek'leth that he had on him since he was transplanted to this weird backward time. The lights were out but it didn't deter the Klingon as he growled at the minor complication. There were more ways to kill the enemy and while sight was preferred, a warrior never depended solely on that. Always prepared to fight, Mezran sniffed the air but could only smell the meat left upon his bowl and not much else.

"petaQ!" Mezran belllowed, gripping his mek'leth tighter and ready to strike at a moment's opportunity, " Come out and show yourself! Or when I reach for you, I will guarantee you first passage on board the Barge of the Dead to Gre'thor!"

---

Dan took cover under the table when the lights went out and the sound of shattering rocks that came after. Still processing what was happening, the fae realized he didn't know what exactly happened. He was with Chrys, Hans and Javert. Dora was on the other side of the table and the brown looking grizzled warrior had all but demanded to know who Dan was. The fae was going to speak up, but it was only moments later that Hans began rambling something incoherent, plucking Chrys to him right after and the room had gone dark. The fae was no fighter, but he knew enough about trouble to duck for safety right after the shattering sounds and lack of light.

He wasn't quite sure what was going on, and the bellowing of the strange alien had tempted him to risk getting the fool from danger but thought against it.

[Giovenith]

Willow was unprepared for the explosions and subsequent swallowing blackness that had sunken the entire festivities. The offered cake went smashing down someplace as the pony threw himself to the ground a bit too late out of instinct, wings popping out to shield his head and face. It was better to be rendered flightless than sightless. His breath felt sucked from his neck, and although a million thoughts flitted and pinged within his skull, all were too confused and panicked to put together any cohesive words. He remained in a chick-like fetal position, clinging tight until reason returned.

Giovenith, meanwhile, hadn't been so adaptive to action, as the shock jolted and blew her forward from her chair. The godling was flung to the ground like an unfavored doll, time permitting no cushion to her fall, as the bump that would soon swell on the side of her head would tell. The cracking and violent scattering of stone erupted around her ears, but had not yet been identified, and part of her wondered if maybe Scandi had done something. No... he would have Ben stopped before he could dig into Giovenith. This was something far worse.

Once voices began to hoot and murmur in surprise, is when Willow quietly slipped his feathers from his eyes and sat up, takingIin the ruined party. Across the room, his godling roommate was only making slightly worse progress, poking the bruise on her noggin.

"M-Mandi...?" Giovenith tried, wiping her hair from her eyes. "What happened?"

-

Saren.

The pegasus immediately dove for the overturned high chair, intent on assisting a possibly critically injured foal. Willow quickly found, however, that it was empty. Had he fallen out? Had Cerril let him out before?

"Everpony!" Willow called over his group, seeing what esrepsones would come. "Cerril, Saren isn't here!"

[The BranRiech]

Anything Bran was about to say, or whatever he was waiting for someone else to say certainly wasn't going to be said now as the pillars started shattering all around them, and the plants started buzzing and all that crazy shit! Bran ducked down, and started crawling for cover, swearing up a storm in his Native Russian. The thought of this happening in the apartment was nothing new, but Bran wasn't going to get used to it at any rate, just the random odds of it all got to him, and he started looking for cover, when the lights flicked off, leaving him in the dark.

"Ah shit!" He cursed.

--

"Nevermind, forget I said anything." Natiya smiled, blushing a little bit. She sighed, and figured everyone on the ship was going to think she was stupid, so she quickly followed Aleki through the portal.

[Fraire]

Tsanis gulped and realized that the pillars were broken. Any reason that he hadn't noticed before, but now noticed when they were in the dark, was beyond logic. Tsanis tried to think and decided to hide. He ducked for cover, only to flop onto the top of a table. Tsanis suddenly remembered he had powers and tried to shield himself in a protective bubble of sand. He messed up the first time, but then got it all around him, except for his feet. Immediately, Tsanis jumped into the air and, in the split second he was no longer on the ground, made the shield go where his feet where. He was now completely shrouded in sand. Tsanis started to put on layer after layer of sand shield until he thought he was safe enough, which was about two inches thick. He wasn't actually sure that there was danger, but Tsanis just felt that there was danger. What the hell is happening. Perhaps I can just....He made two small holes in his protective shield so he could look out, but realized that it was too dark. What an idiot you are. No, you're the idiot. Well it takes one to know one. Did you just prove yourself an idiot. No, I proved...you....an...a.....crud.

[Vrijeme]

The Seer's head bolted from left to right, trying to figure out what had happened. He dived for a table, using his sonic to light the way. He wasn't sure what had happened, where it occurred, or why this even was going on, but he was going to figure it out. He began to take scans and readings, wishing he could see better so that he could check his data, but knew he couldn't.

He got up and bolted to his new pony friends to make sure they were okay, then went about making sure everyone and everything else was okay.

[Torsiedelle]

A terrified scream emenated from Tora's corner of the room. The exploding pillars caught her off guard, and her proximity to them resulted in her being blown to the floor with great force, shards of stone peppering her side and shoulder with blood-red wells and scratches and pricks. Tora wasn't hurt too bad, however. Overall, the worst of her injuries were a splattering of small red dots around her arm, and a scratch here and there.

The impact alone nearly knocked her unconscious, but she was still dazed. The room was spinning...wait, where was the room? Everything was black, but she could still hear people. The lights? Everything that she could [barely] see was spinning and blotting. She felt numb, and a little sick.

Her heart was racing. She was too scared to move. She curled into a ball on the floor and closed her eyes tight, and she hoped that it was just some accident. Even the sounds of others being startled like her was reassuring, knowing she wasn't alone, but she was starting to sweat already. Didn't she just tell Flint about how it was safe here?

[Tiltjuice]

"Oof!" Chrys yelped as she flew forward, knocking into Hans. Blood began churning as she dropped flat to her stomach and tried to peer out through the darkness and stone dust. Being short and small hath its privileges. She sensed Rudolf behind her, and then Mezran's bellowing and Tsanis' scream distracted her. Her head snapped in that direction and her spatha found itself in her hand, sparking to life with a dull red glow. (She'd have done more, but she didn't feel like roasting Hans and Rudolf or possibly radiating the table to auto-ignition.)

Across the way, Dora had dropped her platter, sending shellfish and sauce skidding across the floor in every direction. She tucked and rolled where she remembered the island in front of the refrigerator, only to run into someone herself. The Russian swearing told her who it was.

"Just like old times, Bran, what?"

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

"Ah, well you know your father's lying, right?"

Kei grinned and nodded her head, looking down at him. His smile was a bit offputting, and she wasn't really expecting the strange teeth (For what she'd assume she'd see in a creature of his type). She finally decided to answer his question, and smiled again. "I'm Kei. Just someone living here." She shrugged. With her unusual getup of a tank-top and her sweatpants, she didn't look all too remarkable, besides for being pretty tall, and a bit larger than a normal human, still though, she could be anyone on the street.

"Can be a friend, but I suppose you're looking for your father?"

@Kei: "Yep!" He yelled, trotting in a circle around Kei's legs before stopping again right in front of her. "Hai, Kei! Nice outfit. Is that what citizens or whatever you guys are called wear?" He asked, with an innocent smile. Most of the people around him were either royals dressed in some kind of elaborate 18th century get-up, or military, dressed in what could best be described as a cross between futuristic and medieval armor. He then shrugged at her next question, thinking it over. "Uh... I guess that I am... I grabbed a flower and I kinda got lost. He's probably really worried." He said, before a loud shattering sound startled him and he hid behind Kei's leg, shaking. "That's where papa is!" He immediately started crying, his mind racing with all the horrible possibilities of what could have happened down there.

@Dining Room in General: Cerril was about to point out the fact that Saren was missing, a few seconds after realizing it, until a loud shattering noise took out the pillars and lights, causing him to shout. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He yelled before being knocked over, out of his seat, and onto the floor. As soon as he recovered from being dazed by the blast, he panicked, as any reasonable parent would, and started shouting. "SAREN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, SAREN?!" Being a royal, and used to assassination attempts by several Reil insurgents, Cerril was sure this was some kind of attempt on his life, and he frantically looked around for a chair, a vase, anything he could use to bludgeon the hell out of some humanoid rodents. After finding nothing in the pitch black darkness, he took cover behind a knocked over desk, preparing for the worst.

[Swith Witherward]

"Jorgen Rodgers." He nodded to the woman, this Minerva, his mechanical eye storing her image in his mind that he might remember it, as he walked alongside her. "Network with? Never was something I tended to do, should fix that." He listened to her speak, somewhat interested. "Boiler? Given that it's steam-driven, it is my area of expertise, and I do tend to have a great deal of time on my hands... Yes, it sounds acceptable that I could work with it. I might as well, I have nothing better to do other than read and invent things." He shrugged, his shoulder whirring as he did so. He didn't notice that the dining room was before them, nor did he notice the events transpiring within it. "Would this work deal simply be something of a verbal agreement, or would it be something with paperwork involved?"

Minerva threw herself at Jorgen and knocked him down. It was a nod to her other-than-human qualities that she was able to accomplish such a feat but, luckily, she had. A large column shard struck the wall where Jorgen's head would have been.


The shouts and cries in the room echoed weirdly in the confined space. Plants helped to deaden much of the usual sounds but they also played tricks on the ears, masking out footfalls and casting strange shadows for those who could somewhat see in the dark. Neither Hans or Rudolf drew breath. It was difficult for either cultist to hear much beyond the Klingon's shouts.

Deuce was too large to duck anywhere that would protect him. The large Astartes rolled and pressed his back against a wall. His lack of armor was unsettling for him but of no consequence. He'd take his licks and attempt to take out anything that came near him. Unlike most, he could see perfectly well in the dark. He assessed the situation and determined that the large, shouting Xeno with the odd forehead hadn't been what spooked the cultists to their undertable sanctuary.

"Aufhocker," Hans hissed for everyone's benefit, "Shapeshifter. Theriomorph. Not a vampire, but they go for throats. The density of magic here might have drawn it from upstairs. Been having some problems with the top floors. Hey! Everybody shut up! Listen! Listen for footfalls and breath! You won't see it first. You'll hear it."



Todesfall had dropped into a squat in the hallway near the stairs. His head turned toward the Wolf and he pressed a finger to his lips. "Remember yourself, Wolf. Keep a hold of who you are and if you meet yourself, make every effort to kill that other being."

[Mandicoria]

-snip-

Mandi was under a table when the event happened, he started having his flashbacks and started crying. He looked out and saw nothing but black, yet he heard everyone calling out to each other. He immediately noticed the glow of a lighter emitting from nearby. It was Scandi, and Mandi honestly never felt glad to see him before. He heard Giovenith nearby, and felt relieved to hear her. "I have no clue!" he shouted to her "Tell me, do you have any source of light?!"

Scandi looked at Mandi as he finished calling to Giovenith. This time, he really didn't mind Mandi paying attention to her. For Scandi felt as if the world had ended and that they needed all the help they could get. "Is everyone alright?" He called out as he pulled out a match to light with his small military issue lighter.