Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[Luminesa]

Rabbit looked at the wound-right in Henry's side, over his liver-and he nodded. "Yes, of course," he whispered, as he summoned an orb of light and sent it into the wound. He was shivering with rage inside. Not only had Anatoly stabbed Henry, but he had ganged on him like a true coward. He could not take the Von Kressel himself, he had to have people help him, otherwise he would have been battered himself. "...Yes...I will not tell anyone..." he answered, softly. In his mind, however, he was thinking violently about Anatoly. If he runs into me alone...If he even tries to fight me alone...I will make sure he will know terror...Attacking my student with his friends like the little brat he is... he thought, darkly. Lorian was merely annoying himself, but Anatoly genuinely had wicked intentions. He was seeking to hurt Henry, if not outright kill him, and he would make sure that for this he would know pain.

Henry Von Kressel

Feeling a lot better after Rabbit healed him. The cut was now closed, which made Henry get up from where he sat at. After he was healed, his tone went back to the calm, polite tone he used commonly.

"I'm... Sorry for the bloody mess that I've caused in your room, Midori and... Momoko. As I've promised, I'll tell you what happened. I was walking through the hotel, trying to get some fresh air and maybe spend some time outside my room. It was when I met Anatoly and two of his friends.

They slammed me against a wall so Anatoly could hit me a few times, as you can see by the wounds in the face. He proceeded to... Threaten Rabbit and a few of Mana's students as well. Then I reacted. While I fought the two of them, Anatoly managed to stab me and run away. But there is a reason why I want this to be kept secret.

There is a chance of me fighting him in the next round. I'm grasping, firmly believing that I will fight him in the next Round. The attack was a statement, one that is supposed to meant that he doesn't fear me, or anything that comes from me. If it's a statement he's looking to do, he'll receive one from me. He crossed the line of my patience, and now he'll have something in return.

Once more, I thank you for your attention and willingness to help me. I owe you, both of you. If you ever need help, please do let me know and I'll help with the same willingness you had towards me. Rabbit, shall we go?"

Midori huffed and crossed her arms. "I certainly don't care about the blood, since I am glad you are better. My only concern is that this entire thing seems like something that you're doing merely out of pride. If you told the judges, they could take care of this little punk quite easily for you..." She sighed, and then she smiled resignedly. "But I can't stop you from doing it, and I trust you to take care of him. He seems like a mouthy little punk anyway. Make sure you kick his butt. And if you can't, make sure to tell a judge!" she suggested.

"We will certainly do so," Rabbit answered, as he stood next to Henry. He then turned to his student, now also his ward, as they went to go. "We shall indeed go now. Have a good day, girls." He then led Henry out of the room, keeping an eye on him as he followed. He then stopped in the hallway and spilled his thoughts to him. "Henry...I am so sorry. This is my fault. I...I should have been with you, when you went into your room...Otherwise Anatoly would not have been able to ambush you...I am so sorry..." he whispered, rather shaken as he spoke.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry Von Kressel

Feeling a lot better after Rabbit healed him. The cut was now closed, which made Henry get up from where he sat at. After he was healed, his tone went back to the calm, polite tone he used commonly.

"I'm... Sorry for the bloody mess that I've caused in your room, Midori and... Momoko. As I've promised, I'll tell you what happened. I was walking through the hotel, trying to get some fresh air and maybe spend some time outside my room. It was when I met Anatoly and two of his friends.

They slammed me against a wall so Anatoly could hit me a few times, as you can see by the wounds in the face. He proceeded to... Threaten Rabbit and a few of Mana's students as well. Then I reacted. While I fought the two of them, Anatoly managed to stab me and run away. But there is a reason why I want this to be kept secret.

There is a chance of me fighting him in the next round. I'm grasping, firmly believing that I will fight him in the next Round. The attack was a statement, one that is supposed to meant that he doesn't fear me, or anything that comes from me. If it's a statement he's looking to do, he'll receive one from me. He crossed the line of my patience, and now he'll have something in return.

Once more, I thank you for your attention and willingness to help me. I owe you, both of you. If you ever need help, please do let me know and I'll help with the same willingness you had towards me. Rabbit, shall we go?"

Midori huffed and crossed her arms. "I certainly don't care about the blood, since I am glad you are better. My only concern is that this entire thing seems like something that you're doing merely out of pride. If you told the judges, they could take care of this little punk quite easily for you..." She sighed, and then she smiled resignedly. "But I can't stop you from doing it, and I trust you to take care of him. He seems like a mouthy little punk anyway. Make sure you kick his butt. And if you can't, make sure to tell a judge!" she suggested.

"We will certainly do so," Rabbit answered, as he stood next to Henry. He then turned to his student, now also his ward, as they went to go. "We shall indeed go now. Have a good day, girls." He then led Henry out of the room, keeping an eye on him as he followed. He then stopped in the hallway and spilled his thoughts to him. "Henry...I am so sorry. This is my fault. I...I should have been with you, when you went into your room...Otherwise Anatoly would not have been able to ambush you...I am so sorry..." he whispered, rather shaken as he spoke.

Henry Von Kressel

With a slight smile, Henry answered the Japanese girl with a lighter tone.

"It isn't for pride... It is entering his world and winning him there. I'm quite sure that Mercillia could give him a beating for the next years of his life, as I know her since I was a child. But... Things here are quite complicated. You'll understand if it comes to the fight itself. Once more, I thank you both, and also thank you for your worry, Ms. Midori. Have a pleasant day."

As Henry walked alongside Rabbit, he calmly placed a hand in Rabbit's shoulder.

"Rabbit. It isn't your fault. Anatoly was probably watching me, planning it. It isn't your fault, okay? It is merit that I came out of it alive. Things you taught us, day after day. Persistence, values to stand for and the ones that support us in battle, righteousness, these are the things you pass to us and the outside people can't see behind the punches and spells. So, don't feel guilty about it, right? You came at the right time."

[Luminesa]

Midori huffed and crossed her arms. "I certainly don't care about the blood, since I am glad you are better. My only concern is that this entire thing seems like something that you're doing merely out of pride. If you told the judges, they could take care of this little punk quite easily for you..." She sighed, and then she smiled resignedly. "But I can't stop you from doing it, and I trust you to take care of him. He seems like a mouthy little punk anyway. Make sure you kick his butt. And if you can't, make sure to tell a judge!" she suggested.

"We will certainly do so," Rabbit answered, as he stood next to Henry. He then turned to his student, now also his ward, as they went to go. "We shall indeed go now. Have a good day, girls." He then led Henry out of the room, keeping an eye on him as he followed. He then stopped in the hallway and spilled his thoughts to him. "Henry...I am so sorry. This is my fault. I...I should have been with you, when you went into your room...Otherwise Anatoly would not have been able to ambush you...I am so sorry..." he whispered, rather shaken as he spoke.

Henry Von Kressel

With a slight smile, Henry answered the Japanese girl with a lighter tone.

"It isn't for pride... It is entering his world and winning him there. I'm quite sure that Mercillia could give him a beating for the next years of his life, as I know her since I was a child. But... Things here are quite complicated. You'll understand if it comes to the fight itself. Once more, I thank you both, and also thank you for your worry, Ms. Midori. Have a pleasant day."

As Henry walked alongside Rabbit, he calmly placed a hand in Rabbit's shoulder.

"Rabbit. It isn't your fault. Anatoly was probably watching me, planning it. It isn't your fault, okay? It is merit that I came out of it alive. Things you taught us, day after day. Persistence, values to stand for and the ones that support us in battle, righteousness, these are the things you pass to us and the outside people can't see behind the punches and spells. So, don't feel guilty about it, right? You came at the right time."

"...Thank you...I suppose I am just more concerned, now that I...am your guardian..." Rabbit answered, remembering his position as Vladimir was now dead. Changing the subject slightly, he explained, "I-I see, however...that you have also gained another ability of mine...Your wounds healed themselves before I even got to them...Because you do not have as much of my mana, it is rather slow for you...but as long as your wounds are not too deep, it should be effective...It should also strengthen you in a fight...I do not know how, but as long as it helps you...I am happy...That is all I want, to help you to succeed and to be happy..." He knew he sounded sentimental now, but he couldn't help it. Henry was almost his child now. He could not help if he suddenly felt like a mother who wanted to hug all of her baby's wounds away.

[Saldinado]

Shaun's words, as nonchalantly as they were spoken, were absolutely devastating. He was actually worried about losing a large part of himself, due to doing something that was not normal to him. Whatever it was, it came across to Soleil as self-harm, even if that self-harm did not necessarily mean suicide. His eyes widened as Shaun explained himself softly, and he breathed-in sharply. Yet he knew that if Shaun wanted to trust him, he had to be strong for the both of them. He listened to him, and he smiled sweetly. "...I won't let you lose any of you...I-I'll hold you together, because we're family now, and...that's what family does. I just...don't want you to hurt yourself. And I'll make sure to keep you from hurting yourself, because I love you...Okay?" He gave him his word, and while he kept away, due to Shaun's seeming aversion to hugs, he continued to smile, to let him know how much he cared.

Shaun Calhoun

He laughed weakly at Soleil's mentioning of the word 'family'. Did he really see him as his own family member? Hearing this made him smile warmly and looked at him with sincerity as well as a little bit of fear in his eyes. "Thank you for understanding." He then leaned back in his chair and got comfortable, once again getting back into his contemplative pose. "So now that we got that out of the way, what do you suppose will be our next course of action? If nothing else comes up soon, I'm going to be heading back to sleep; I feel completely exhausted at the moment." He chuckled as he played with a lock of his hair, twirling it as he looked out the window. "Sure is nice out there. Maybe a stroll through the garden will be nice for me. Perhaps clear my mind and give me some fresh air. Staying inside a hotel room for hours on end can make you go stir crazy. Plus, I have a really bad craving. By any chance, do you think that there's any pizza, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and ice cream around here? Because if so, I will kill to have some." He laughed softly as he tried to get his mind focused on something else other than what happened.

Hopefully this will be enough before he can speak to Allistor again. Or perhaps he needed his time as well. He didn't know, but what he did know was that he needed to know the truth from him. His reason for their intimacy. Was it all so that he can release some stress, or was it because he actually wanted to? Just thinking about it made his heart beat even faster and grit his teeth in anger. His leg was even starting to bob up-and-down very rigorously as a quiet growl was emitted him in between his clenched teeth. Seeing this, he tried to calm down, although his leg didn't stop moving as this was rather normal for him to do usually. "So yeah..." He said leaning his head into his hand even more now with a little tension in his voice. "What to do now..."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry Von Kressel

With a slight smile, Henry answered the Japanese girl with a lighter tone.

"It isn't for pride... It is entering his world and winning him there. I'm quite sure that Mercillia could give him a beating for the next years of his life, as I know her since I was a child. But... Things here are quite complicated. You'll understand if it comes to the fight itself. Once more, I thank you both, and also thank you for your worry, Ms. Midori. Have a pleasant day."

As Henry walked alongside Rabbit, he calmly placed a hand in Rabbit's shoulder.

"Rabbit. It isn't your fault. Anatoly was probably watching me, planning it. It isn't your fault, okay? It is merit that I came out of it alive. Things you taught us, day after day. Persistence, values to stand for and the ones that support us in battle, righteousness, these are the things you pass to us and the outside people can't see behind the punches and spells. So, don't feel guilty about it, right? You came at the right time."

"...Thank you...I suppose I am just more concerned, now that I...am your guardian..." Rabbit answered, remembering his position as Vladimir was now dead. Changing the subject slightly, he explained, "I-I see, however...that you have also gained another ability of mine...Your wounds healed themselves before I even got to them...Because you do not have as much of my mana, it is rather slow for you...but as long as your wounds are not too deep, it should be effective...It should also strengthen you in a fight...I do not know how, but as long as it helps you...I am happy...That is all I want, to help you to succeed and to be happy..." He knew he sounded sentimental now, but he couldn't help it. Henry was almost his child now. He could not help if he suddenly felt like a mother who wanted to hug all of her baby's wounds away.

Henry Von Kressel

"Rabbit, I'm alright. Trust me. And now I understand what happened with the wound from the blade."

Then, Henry turned to leave, stopping two steps after, returning to Rabbit's position... And hugged him. A small period of silence was present, until Henry calmed his concerned teacher down, or at least tried to.

"Thanks, Rabbit. I know that you worry about all of us, and I know that what Vladimir asked of you is hard. But you already taught me and prepared me for many things to come. There's no need to concern about me, alright? Rest, take your time without all the nervousness you are being put through. I'll do the same. Once more, thanks."

Then, he let Rabbit go, as he returned to his room: The next days were going to be a war, and Henry had to be prepared.

[Luminesa]

Shaun's words, as nonchalantly as they were spoken, were absolutely devastating. He was actually worried about losing a large part of himself, due to doing something that was not normal to him. Whatever it was, it came across to Soleil as self-harm, even if that self-harm did not necessarily mean suicide. His eyes widened as Shaun explained himself softly, and he breathed-in sharply. Yet he knew that if Shaun wanted to trust him, he had to be strong for the both of them. He listened to him, and he smiled sweetly. "...I won't let you lose any of you...I-I'll hold you together, because we're family now, and...that's what family does. I just...don't want you to hurt yourself. And I'll make sure to keep you from hurting yourself, because I love you...Okay?" He gave him his word, and while he kept away, due to Shaun's seeming aversion to hugs, he continued to smile, to let him know how much he cared.

Shaun Calhoun

He laughed weakly at Soleil's mentioning of the word 'family'. Did he really see him as his own family member? Hearing this made him smile warmly and looked at him with sincerity as well as a little bit of fear in his eyes. "Thank you for understanding." He then leaned back in his chair and got comfortable, once again getting back into his contemplative pose. "So now that we got that out of the way, what do you suppose will be our next course of action? If nothing else comes up soon, I'm going to be heading back to sleep; I feel completely exhausted at the moment." He chuckled as he played with a lock of his hair, twirling it as he looked out the window. "Sure is nice out there. Maybe a stroll through the garden will be nice for me. Perhaps clear my mind and give me some fresh air. Staying inside a hotel room for hours on end can make you go stir crazy. Plus, I have a really bad craving. By any chance, do you think that there's any pizza, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and ice cream around here? Because if so, I will kill to have some." He laughed softly as he tried to get his mind focused on something else other than what happened.

Hopefully this will be enough before he can speak to Allistor again. Or perhaps he needed his time as well. He didn't know, but what he did know was that he needed to know the truth from him. His reason for their intimacy. Was it all so that he can release some stress, or was it because he actually wanted to? Just thinking about it made his heart beat even faster and grit his teeth in anger. His leg was even starting to bob up-and-down very rigorously as a quiet growl was emitted him in between his clenched teeth. Seeing this, he tried to calm down, although his leg didn't stop moving as this was rather normal for him to do usually. "So yeah..." He said leaning his head into his hand even more now with a little tension in his voice. "What to do now..."

Soleil blushed, and then he smiled. "...I-I don't know if any of that is here...I-I would cook for you, but I can't make pizza..." He then yawned himself. Remembering his mission, he knew he had to get some rest before he went out for the night. Digging the folded letter out of his old set of pants, he put them in his new pocket, and then took his boots off, placed them by his bed, and curled up under the covers. He was indeed tired, from using so much mana, and he knew he'd need all of it, when he went out. Slowly, his stressed mind dissolved into nothing, and he rested himself, with Shaun sitting close-by. As weak and uncertain as he was, in the future he would do everything he could to defend Shaun, just as he was going to defend Ruta tonight...

[Vlamistaatti]

Hedeon

Back at the garden there was a blight of tension running in the air, centered between that white haired fellow and this, thing, whatever it was or where it came from.

That peaceful quiet air was broken completely as the creature let out a shilling cry, very high pitched in its choice of tone and sounding distinctively of those when one would cry out in genuine agony.

Perhaps due to whatever magic based properties its sound waves carried with, that scream further empathized itself with a tiny shock wave travelling cross the garden field. Curiously enough, Hedeon was but unfazed by this strange and sudden outburst, though to his own admission that volume was uncomfortable to listen to. Following the wave everything then calmed down, being as the usual. He in turn merely continued that standing pose towards it.

[Luminesa]

"...Thank you...I suppose I am just more concerned, now that I...am your guardian..." Rabbit answered, remembering his position as Vladimir was now dead. Changing the subject slightly, he explained, "I-I see, however...that you have also gained another ability of mine...Your wounds healed themselves before I even got to them...Because you do not have as much of my mana, it is rather slow for you...but as long as your wounds are not too deep, it should be effective...It should also strengthen you in a fight...I do not know how, but as long as it helps you...I am happy...That is all I want, to help you to succeed and to be happy..." He knew he sounded sentimental now, but he couldn't help it. Henry was almost his child now. He could not help if he suddenly felt like a mother who wanted to hug all of her baby's wounds away.

Henry Von Kressel

"Rabbit, I'm alright. Trust me. And now I understand what happened with the wound from the blade."

Then, Henry turned to leave, stopping two steps after, returning to Rabbit's position... And hugged him. A small period of silence was present, until Henry calmed his concerned teacher down, or at least tried to.

"Thanks, Rabbit. I know that you worry about all of us, and I know that what Vladimir asked of you is hard. But you already taught me and prepared me for many things to come. There's no need to concern about me, alright? Rest, take your time without all the nervousness you are being put through. I'll do the same. Once more, thanks."

Then, he let Rabbit go, as he returned to his room: The next days were going to be a war, and Henry had to be prepared.

Rabbit took the hug willingly, and he hugged Henry back. He was at least happy to hear that Henry thought he had taught him well. The boy's concern for him also touched him. Most people did not see into the Rabbit behind the mask, full of worries and fears masked by constant cheer and kindness. Yet Henry saw it, and tried to console him. That meant everything to the masked professor. When Henry let go and walked around the corner to his room, Rabbit whispered, "...You are most welcome...always..." He then turned and began to walk back to his own room. He needed some time to think, to be alone with his thoughts.

As he got there, he remembered that Ruta was still missing. He had not even come back for the last performance. Had he really vanished into thin air? He could not leave Paris, could he? Not without his students. As he locked the door behind him, and he went to the sink to wash-up, he whispered to himself, "...You cannot run forever, Antonius...As long as I am here, you will always return..."

Later that day, about 9:30 PM...

Finally, night came. Most people were in bed, sleeping or simply hanging in their rooms. Soleil had slept most of the day, and when he woke-up, he was slightly disoriented. He looked around the room, and when he realized it was nighttime, everything inside of him immediately awakened. He jumped out of bed, put his boots on, and then he snuck out of the room. As he passed Ruta's room, he saw that it was still empty.

...Don't worry, Professor...I'm coming... he thought. He knew he would be cutting the curfew close, if he was not already, but he had to do this. His beloved teacher was in danger, his teacher who walked in the darkness because he felt that was where he belonged. Soleil planned to show him otherwise...

When he got outside, the traffic was still fairly busy in Paris. He would have to be careful walking around. It was fairly chilly as well, and for once Sol was happy for his thick robes, which efficiently blocked the cold. Pulling his letter out of his pocket with his now-gloved hand, he looked at the back and looked at the map that had been drawn. He then looked down the street and ran across it, heading for the location of the item...the one that she wanted Ruta to have...the thing that might make him happy. As he ran, his breath was cold and dry, and he was fairly uncomfortable running in all of his heavy clothes. Yet he knew it had to be done.

When he arrived at his destination, he looked up at the sign above the place's door. La coupe de Bronze, a smoky bar on the darker side of Paris. He did not like this area of the city, and he certainly did not like this bar. Just opening the door, he could smell all sorts of foulness inside-stale cigarette smoke, sweaty people, and strange mixes of food. ...Is this really the place?...This bar? he thought, nervously. He walked inside, looking much younger than most of the people there. His young, innocent face and small, robes figure looked very different from the older men in their cheap suits and the older women in their slinky dresses. Many a Dark Mage had come in here before, he had heard, as well. This was certainly not a place to play around in. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the letter again, folded it away, and began to look around.

"...Professor?..." he mumbled, as he looked through the crowds for the old Jaëgar. "...Professor, please answer me..." he whispered. He barely dodged a drunk man stumbling by with his girlfriend, before he decided to sit down and to try and focus. He ended-up sitting at the same table as two other people who were far older than him. Putting his face in his hands, he tried to breathe into them to avoid inhaling the smoke. The music was terrible and was giving him a headache. How on earth was he supposed to find anything here?

[Charlia]

The place was awful. It looked like a bizarre party, but the brightly colored walls were painted with blood and there were muscles strewn about like macabre streamers. And there was a mirror in the corner.

She looked into the mirror at her own face, but something seemed off. She could see faint lines around the edge, and when she ran her fingers along those lines, she could feel a ridge.

Her face felt... wrong.

She rubbed the ridged part of her face, and to her shock, it separated. She touched it again, and before she knew what was really happening, she found herself pulling her face off.

What greeted her below was hideous. Raw, bubbling, oozing flesh and blood, mixed together in an indistinguishable jumble of horror. Her own eyes staring out of the disgusting mass. The faint outline of her mouth, curved in a horrible smile.

She screamed, and screamed, and blood poured down her throat and into her lungs, and she just kept screaming--

Katelyn's eyes snapped open. It was dark. She felt weird, and her head hurt, especially her entire face--she reached up and felt it--normal skin. Thank goodness.

But she was still scared. Glancing over at the other bed, she briefly debated whether or not to see if Hailey was awake, and then decided against it. Her girlfriend deserved some sleep. Instead, she quietly crept out of her own bed and slid into Hailey's, snuggling up close to the other girl and feeling her heart rate slowing even as she did. A tiny smile crept across her face. She felt warm and safe now, and the sight of Hailey's sleeping face made her feel quite peaceful.

Love you, Hailey, she thought, and closed her eyes again.

[Saldinado]

Shaun Calhoun

"Ah, it's alright; I can survive without them." He chuckled as he stayed in his position and watched as Soleil placed a piece of paper in his pocket and remove his boots and got up to go and lay down. Seeing as he was moving on to the next round of the tournament, he would need all the rest that he can get. Seeing that he was finally sleep, Shaun smirked as he got up from his spot and walked over towards Soleil and watched him for a few seconds before holding his hand up and soon creating a small rabbit with his mana. He looked at the thing as it has exquisite details like before and stared into it's empty black eyes as they soon filled with a more light pink color. Coming to life, it twitched it's nose and scratched under it's ear with it's foot before looking back at Shaun. "Now do me a favor, and watch him okay?" Smiling faintly and giggling in his low, mature tone, he kissed the nose of the bunny before placing it near Soleil so that he had access to them. Also taking into precaution that he could possibly squish the rabbit whenever he moved too much, Shaun made to where if that was the case, the creature would simply disperse into thin air, only to return to it's original form and act as if nothing ever happened. Leaning in and kissing Soleil's forehead once again, he backed up as he stretched and back away from him before looking at the door with his smile disappearing.

He softly sighed as he walked towards the door and quietly opened it, looking once more at the sleeping teen and closing the door behind him. Rubbing his face with his hands, he slapped his face a couple of more times as he walked through the corridors. He passed Henry and Rabbit as they were speaking to each other, giving them both a wave before letting them go about their journey until he made it at the lobbies where he saw Dominique and an older man talking to each other. He saw that Dom had his saxophone in his hand; it was as if that instrument was practically glued to him.

"For the last time sir, you may not ring the bell. This isn't a toy." The receptionist said sighing and rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"And what if it isn't? I do believe that as a paying customer of this fine establishment, I have the right to ring this bell! And you know how the saying goes: The customer is always right." Dominique said trying sounding smart and smiling before once again ringing the bell.

The man then scoffed and stuttered at the boy's tenacious audacity. "Sir! That's not how it goes! Please leave the bell alone!" He said with a little more annoyed, assertive tone.

"Never! As long as it sits right here on this desk in front of me, I will ring this here bell! As I, Dominique Teobaldo Corleone, will continue to ring this bell for as long as I want, or you will face the wrath of the powerful Corleone family!" He said confidently and loudly with a sly smile on his face before looking the man dead into his eyes as the both of them were having a near almost deadly staring match between the two of them. The silence and tension between the two of them lingered in the air around them as it was so heavy that one could cut it with a knife.

Meanwhile, Shaun watch in anticipation as what will happen next. As well as stiffing his laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Soon, he saw out of the corner of his eye Dominique's hand slowly creep over the bell before he quickly tapped it, letting the high-pitched ringing sound of the bell rung though the air followed by the deep, low laughing and giggling of Dom and the growling of the older man.

"Agh! Get out of here! Now!" The receptionist said as he looked at the younger man. "I will not ask you again!" He said as he himself had a very faint smile on his face.

"Okay, okay; but this isn't the last that you will see of me my good man! Good night sir! And I will be back! " The teen said with an almost assertive tone as he stiffed the laughs from himself and walked away towards the front entrance doors so that he can enjoy the fresh air and play some music on his saxophone as usual.

Shaun shook his head as he laughed as well before following the saxophone-wielding man and caught up with him. After some prolong hugging from Dominique and Shaun nearly dying from suffocation from the strength of his hug, they chatted for a bit as they until they made their way outside into the front of the hotel. The lights and sounds of the Paris night opened their senses as they sat on a bench behind them so that Dom can play and Shaun can enjoy the lovely playing of his friend. The coolness of the night, the sound of the melodic saxophone and quiet humming of the cars passing by filled his ears as a white curl feel in his face. Sighing softly and ignoring it while leaning his head back, he continued to watch the young man beside him play his instrument, trying to calm down. Hopefully this will offer some piece from the mess that he was in.

[Rhomaia]

Later that day, about 9:30 PM...

"...Professor?..." he mumbled, as he looked through the crowds for the old Jaëgar. "...Professor, please answer me..." he whispered. He barely dodged a drunk man stumbling by with his girlfriend, before he decided to sit down and to try and focus. He ended-up sitting at the same table as two other people who were far older than him. Putting his face in his hands, he tried to breathe into them to avoid inhaling the smoke. The music was terrible and was giving him a headache. How on earth was he supposed to find anything here?

La Coupe de Bronze

Mere moments after Soleil walked into the dingy old tavern, his ears greeted by the sound of off-putting Parisian jazz and the noisiness of drunken conversation between patrons and his nose assaulted by the foul mix of stale tobacco, hard alcohol, and the greatly unpleasant odor of sweat, he had already taken a seat at one of the ratty wooden stools that were barely able to support his weight, a testament to the stinginess of the pub's evidently inept management. The walls were somewhat plain with only a few objects of French culture and a few neon signs or artworks, but were otherwise bare and as sleazily decorated as the rest of the place.

On either side of Soleil, there were indeed two adult patrons who had been sitting in place, making idle conversation while the night was still young. To the boy's left was a pale, curvaceous, mature faced woman in purple and red robes who looked to be somewhere in her early thirties if one was to guess her age, with long black hair tied in a braid going down her back that held a slightly purple tint to it. Her eyes, with a distinctive orange hue, gave the appearance of still burning embers against the night sky. The woman's face was soft and rounded when it came to it's features, and she even had a gentle and welcoming smile as she saw the new arrival.

On the boy's right, however, was a more gruff, fair skinned man who looked to be more in his early forties and wearing a rather formal white suit, with a black undershirt and red tie, all overlaid by a pure white coat. Like the woman, his hair was dark, but had an almost ashen quality to it, perhaps having grayed slightly over the course of time, and his eyes were a deep ruby red. A soft glint flashed across them as they watched the boy take his place next to the man and thrust his face between his hands to keep out the fumes of cigarette smoke, to his own futility. The man was smiling as well, but the grin he had did not quite match up with the woman's, and looked more crooked and perhaps even unnatural for him, though good natured nonetheless.

"Are you alright there, draga mea?" the ember eyed woman inquired, her soft, melodic voice reminiscent of a mother cat's purr. She spoke with a slight accent that sounded vaguely Eastern European, but her English seemed fairly fluent with even that simple sentence. The ruby eyed man, however, spoke no words, taking only a sip of his water and smiling at the two. Either he was not able to hold his liquor, or he was not looking for drinks and a night of partying...

[Finsternia]

House Abendroth

Allistor was alone once again in his room. He and his family just had dinner together and he was full. He was sitting beside the window, looking down at the lively night life of Paris. In his left hand is a glass of champagne which he was swirling and swirling since when. His head's occupied by thoughts, mainly about what Lady Mercillia did to Madame Bourbon, the commotion that Madame Bourbon did during the rounds, Annice's wellbeing, and Shaun. When he realized who he was thinking about, his face burned a little as he shook his head. 'Why am I thinking of him?' His right hand is petting Glacia, which is coiled on his lap, like how a villain would pet his totally evil looking cat. He drank the contents of the glass and carefully placed Glacia on the floor before standing. He moved to the table where the champagne bottle was placed and refilled his glass. He smiled as the clear golden liquid poured out of the bottle and gushed towards his glass. He slightly swirled it and took a sip. He faced his reflection of the window and raised his glass while smirking. "Acclamations à mon stupidité."

He drank it all before placing it back on the table, beside the already half empty champagne bottle. Thinking that he still have a lot of time to do, he rummaged through his things and found his violin. He slowly removed it out of its case and placed it on his shoulder and rested his chin on it. He slowly glided the bow across the strings, testing it for a bit, and started playing the tune of Fairytail.

As his room was filled with the sound of his violin and his voice, he started singing the chorus.

I’m in love, with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

Coz I don’t care if I lose my mind

I’m already cursed

He continued playing and singing until the song was finished. Glacia was staring at him the whole time and broke the silence by rudely intruding his mind. "You are a drama queen, do you know that?" Allistor sighed and set the violin down before rubbing his temples. "Is it bad to sing? Or even play?" Glacia licked at the air and continued to stare. "I never said anything about that. Did I?" Allistor sighed again and went towards his wardrobe, changing his blazer with a think fur coat. "I'll be going out for awhile. Wanna come with me?" Glacia raised her head to look at her owner. "But you're intoxicated. And what are you, a child?" He glared at the small blue snake before closing the door. "It takes a lot of effort to put an Abendroth in a state of drunkenness."

As the doors closed behind him, Allistor failed to see a smiling blue snake, its eyes burning in a sapphire blue.

---

After a dinner with Allistor and the judges, Mercillia is waving a suspicious looking bottle in the air. She was clearly drunk, having finished almost three bottles of her special wine. "And, and then, her face was so blue that you thought that it might be a blueberry!" Aloysus shifted nervously beside her, trying to coax her to stop drinking. "But I'm not drunk! Look, I can still walk straight!" Mercillia stood up and wobbly crossed the room, giggling as she tilted this way and that. "See! I," She paused for a moment to drink straight out of the bottle. "am totally sober!" Aloysus shook his head and turned to the two other judges. "I'm sorry about this." Mercillia also gave them a bottle each of her special wine. It was made out of tea from different kinds of plants, fruits and flowers. It was fermented using a combination of the four elements, but mostly revolves around the manipulation of Earth and Water to control plant life. Mercillia bragged that it is terribly alcoholic, around 85 percent of alcoholic content. It's already a miracle that she still can jug her fourth bottle. When Aloysus turned back to Mercillia, she was already craddling a potted plant. "Shhhh... Don't cry." Then she laughed and threw the pot across the room. "That's what you get for opposing my proposal last meeting, Sarah!"

[Luminesa]

Later that day, about 9:30 PM...

"...Professor?..." he mumbled, as he looked through the crowds for the old Jaëgar. "...Professor, please answer me..." he whispered. He barely dodged a drunk man stumbling by with his girlfriend, before he decided to sit down and to try and focus. He ended-up sitting at the same table as two other people who were far older than him. Putting his face in his hands, he tried to breathe into them to avoid inhaling the smoke. The music was terrible and was giving him a headache. How on earth was he supposed to find anything here?

La Coupe de Bronze

Mere moments after Soleil walked into the dingy old tavern, his ears greeted by the sound of off-putting Parisian jazz and the noisiness of drunken conversation between patrons and his nose assaulted by the foul mix of stale tobacco, hard alcohol, and the greatly unpleasant odor of sweat, he had already taken a seat at one of the ratty wooden stools that were barely able to support his weight, a testament to the stinginess of the pub's evidently inept management. The walls were somewhat plain with only a few objects of French culture and a few neon signs or artworks, but were otherwise bare and as sleazily decorated as the rest of the place.

On either side of Soleil, there were indeed two adult patrons who had been sitting in place, making idle conversation while the night was still young. To the boy's left was a pale, curvaceous, mature faced woman in purple and red robes who looked to be somewhere in her early thirties if one was to guess her age, with long black hair tied in a braid going down her back that held a slightly purple tint to it. Her eyes, with a distinctive orange hue, gave the appearance of still burning embers against the night sky. The woman's face was soft and rounded when it came to it's features, and she even had a gentle and welcoming smile as she saw the new arrival.

On the boy's right, however, was a more gruff, fair skinned man who looked to be more in his early forties and wearing a rather formal white suit, with a black undershirt and red tie, all overlaid by a pure white coat. Like the woman, his hair was dark, but had an almost ashen quality to it, perhaps having grayed slightly over the course of time, and his eyes were a deep ruby red. A soft glint flashed across them as they watched the boy take his place next to the man and thrust his face between his hands to keep out the fumes of cigarette smoke, to his own futility. The man was smiling as well, but the grin he had did not quite match up with the woman's, and looked more crooked and perhaps even unnatural for him, though good natured nonetheless.

"Are you alright there, draga mea?" the ember eyed woman inquired, her soft, melodic voice reminiscent of a mother cat's purr. She spoke with a slight accent that sounded vaguely Eastern European, but her English seemed fairly fluent with even that simple sentence. The ruby eyed man, however, spoke no words, taking only a sip of his water and smiling at the two. Either he was not able to hold his liquor, or he was not looking for drinks and a night of partying...

Soleil saw the woman who was speaking to him, and he was immediately intimidated. Despite her kind smile and soft face, her eyes looked like fireworks. Something did not seem right about them. Her partner was equally off-putting to him. "...O-Oh...um...Y-Yes ma'am...I-I...I'm just not used to this much smoke...and it's...kind of loud in here...I'm sorry..." He immediately stood to go look around again, and for a moment he took out the letter and looked at the back again. Apparently he was supposed to go upstairs? He shrugged, put the letter away, and he looked at the woman. "...D-Do you possibly know what's upstairs?...A-An inn, maybe?...Or another floor of the bar?...I-I've never been here before..." he inquired, softly. He wanted to get away from these people as quickly as he could, before someone accidentally spilled their drink on him or the like. Or worse.

[Luminesa]

House Abendroth

Allistor was alone once again in his room. He and his family just had dinner together and he was full. He was sitting beside the window, looking down at the lively night life of Paris. In his left hand is a glass of champagne which he was swirling and swirling since when. His head's occupied by thoughts, mainly about what Lady Mercillia did to Madame Bourbon, the commotion that Madame Bourbon did during the rounds, Annice's wellbeing, and Shaun. When he realized who he was thinking about, his face burned a little as he shook his head. 'Why am I thinking of him?' His right hand is petting Glacia, which is coiled on his lap, like how a villain would pet his totally evil looking cat. He drank the contents of the glass and carefully placed Glacia on the floor before standing. He moved to the table where the champagne bottle was placed and refilled his glass. He smiled as the clear golden liquid poured out of the bottle and gushed towards his glass. He slightly swirled it and took a sip. He faced his reflection of the window and raised his glass while smirking. "Acclamations à mon stupidité."

He drank it all before placing it back on the table, beside the already half empty champagne bottle. Thinking that he still have a lot of time to do, he rummaged through his things and found his violin. He slowly removed it out of its case and placed it on his shoulder and rested his chin on it. He slowly glided the bow across the strings, testing it for a bit, and started playing the tune of Fairytail.

As his room was filled with the sound of his violin and his voice, he started singing the chorus.

I’m in love, with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

Coz I don’t care if I lose my mind

I’m already cursed

He continued playing and singing until the song was finished. Glacia was staring at him the whole time and broke the silence by rudely intruding his mind. "You are a drama queen, do you know that?" Allistor sighed and set the violin down before rubbing his temples. "Is it bad to sing? Or even play?" Glacia licked at the air and continued to stare. "I never said anything about that. Did I?" Allistor sighed again and went towards his wardrobe, changing his blazer with a think fur coat. "I'll be going out for awhile. Wanna come with me?" Glacia raised her head to look at her owner. "But you're intoxicated. And what are you, a child?" He glared at the small blue snake before closing the door. "It takes a lot of effort to put an Abendroth in a state of drunkenness."

As the doors closed behind him, Allistor failed to see a smiling blue snake, its eyes burning in a sapphire blue.

---

After a dinner with Allistor and the judges, Mercillia is waving a suspicious looking bottle in the air. She was clearly drunk, having finished almost three bottles of her special wine. "And, and then, her face was so blue that you thought that it might be a blueberry!" Aloysus shifted nervously beside her, trying to coax her to stop drinking. "But I'm not drunk! Look, I can still walk straight!" Mercillia stood up and wobbly crossed the room, giggling as she tilted this way and that. "See! I," She paused for a moment to drink straight out of the bottle. "am totally sober!" Aloysus shook his head and turned to the two other judges. "I'm sorry about this." Mercillia also gave them a bottle each of her special wine. It was made out of tea from different kinds of plants, fruits and flowers. It was fermented using a combination of the four elements, but mostly revolves around the manipulation of Earth and Water to control plant life. Mercillia bragged that it is terribly alcoholic, around 85 percent of alcoholic content. It's already a miracle that she still can jug her fourth bottle. When Aloysus turned back to Mercillia, she was already craddling a potted plant. "Shhhh... Don't cry." Then she laughed and threw the pot across the room. "That's what you get for opposing my proposal last meeting, Sarah!"

Beatriz merely remained quiet as the strangeness continued. Mercillia was not always the most pleasant person to be around, especially not when she was drunk. She worried silently, as she ate, that an angry-drunk Mercillia could possibly tear the hotel to shreds, before her poor husband could stop her. Or that she may get alcohol poisoning first, even. Her son did not seem to be much better, unfortunately. She merely sighed and took a sip of the wine. She did not want to drink much, considering the alcohol content was incredibly high, and she wanted to get to bed early. She only hoped there would be no more drama for her to have to deal with tonight...

[Rhomaia]

Soleil saw the woman who was speaking to him, and he was immediately intimidated. Despite her kind smile and soft face, her eyes looked like fireworks. Something did not seem right about them. Her partner was equally off-putting to him. "...O-Oh...um...Y-Yes ma'am...I-I...I'm just not used to this much smoke...and it's...kind of loud in here...I'm sorry..." He immediately stood to go look around again, and for a moment he took out the letter and looked at the back again. Apparently he was supposed to go upstairs? He shrugged, put the letter away, and he looked at the woman. "...D-Do you possibly know what's upstairs?...A-An inn, maybe?...Or another floor of the bar?...I-I've never been here before..." he inquired, softly. He wanted to get away from these people as quickly as he could, before someone accidentally spilled their drink on him or the like. Or worse.

"Ah, then perhaps you are not accustomed to such a place as this. I do suppose that young men such as yourself do not come to these establishments for such reasons..." the woman chirped with a quiet little chuckle as she crossed her legs where she sat, apparently not bothered by the flimsiness of her seat, or anything in the room for that particular matter. Putting a single finger to her lips, she merely showed a mild interest in the boy as he stood up, silently noting his appearance and the letter that he held in his hand...the one emblazoned with the symbol of a black, one winged dove on the back of the paper.

"An inn...? I'm afraid I am as lost as you are in that regard, I'm fairly new here myself, I do not know of any inn..." she said, giving a light shrug of her shoulders and a quiet sigh as she shook her head. Yet the catlike smile still remained on her face as she spoke again. "However, my friend here may be able to help you there. Cendre?" she called, turning her head to the red eyed man who had been sitting only a seat away from her and smiling even more brightly at him.

The man apparently named 'Cendre' nonchalantly took another sip of his water as the woman asked for him, evidently more focused on a small piece of yellowed parchment that he kept in his free hand, mostly hidden from the view of most of the now drunken observers and Soleil himself. Upon it were scratched rows and rows of words, names, in black ink, scrawled almost illegibly onto the paper as if it's contents had been hurriedly written upon it's surface. Some were scratched out even, though whether that was deliberate, or mere chicken scratch, few but he saw enough to find out.

"...There is a small lodge in the second story of the building, yes...There's only one room, however, not much more than that...and that is not to mention that it's conditions do not fare much better than what you see now..." Cendre responded, his voice quiet and deep and his words laced with a mild French accent that still remained fairly distinct from most of the Parisians that were in the bar in the current moment. He too, like the woman, was most definitely a foreigner, or at the very least not a native to Paris.

[Rhomaia]

Meire

Before-Timeskip; Two Days Prior.

The man listened as she spoke, showing a slight amount of disappointment when she refused to use the arts of black magic to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Of course, he did understand why such a practice would be considered taboo. All it would take was an inexperienced mage-in-training toying around with the dangerous form of magic to bring forth a force so terrible that the world would fall into chaos and destruction, or, on a less extreme note, cause a small town to be destroyed.

Then she mentioned his acute sense of aura perception, and how Jaegars are not meant to locate enemies hidden among the people. Jaegars were of the most powerful beings to ever walk the Earth, so it wasn't surprising that she would become curious of a man who seemingly can sense the slightest use of dark magic around him. "The fact that you were not trained for this will only make this more difficult for the two of us, and while I may have been able to sense their activity once, but my senses, as acute as they may be, still have their limits. So, I believe that I'm thoroughly out of ideas," he replied, sighing.

Ruby Kasoura

Before Timeskip; Two Days Prior

"...There is always the 'scorched earth' option for Jaegars situations like these...But considering that we have the lives of some five hundred student mages on the line, that's not quite a risk that I am willing to take at juncture..." Ruby said as she looked away from Meire and closed her one azure eye, her face darkening at the words she had just spoken.

Though Jaegars were known far and wide to be among the most powerful mages in the world, they were known far better for their brutality, cruelty, and utter disregard for any life if it meant another victory against the forces of Hell or the Abyss. Their warrior ideology, dictating that sacrifice is necessary for progress and that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, often gave more hardened hunters clear conscience when it came to such situations such as the one that Ruby and Meire now faced. The Great Chicago Fire, a catastrophe that killed upwards of three hundred people and untold thousands more homeless, is said to have been the work of the Jaegars in ridding the city of Black Mages. Innocent civilians could be kidnapped, tortured, and put to death if suspected of associating with Black Mages, without so much as a blink of an eye from the Accord proper. The Jaegar's masters never cared how many would die, only that the mission they had put forth be accomplished, and to this end these Hunters of the Abyss would resort to any means they saw fit to achieve their goals, even if it meant spilling innocent blood.

"...Without a way to safely lure them out, and with my creed forbidding me from performing any of the rituals you seem to be so knowledgeable of, I am afraid that we are between a rock and a hard place...If only there was some way to identify them within the population without needless bloodshed..."

[Luminesa]

Soleil saw the woman who was speaking to him, and he was immediately intimidated. Despite her kind smile and soft face, her eyes looked like fireworks. Something did not seem right about them. Her partner was equally off-putting to him. "...O-Oh...um...Y-Yes ma'am...I-I...I'm just not used to this much smoke...and it's...kind of loud in here...I'm sorry..." He immediately stood to go look around again, and for a moment he took out the letter and looked at the back again. Apparently he was supposed to go upstairs? He shrugged, put the letter away, and he looked at the woman. "...D-Do you possibly know what's upstairs?...A-An inn, maybe?...Or another floor of the bar?...I-I've never been here before..." he inquired, softly. He wanted to get away from these people as quickly as he could, before someone accidentally spilled their drink on him or the like. Or worse.

"Ah, then perhaps you are not accustomed to such a place as this. I do suppose that young men such as yourself do not come to these establishments for such reasons..." the woman chirped with a quiet little chuckle as she crossed her legs where she sat, apparently not bothered by the flimsiness of her seat, or anything in the room for that particular matter. Putting a single finger to her lips, she merely showed a mild interest in the boy as he stood up, silently noting his appearance and the letter that he held in his hand...the one emblazoned with the symbol of a black, one winged dove on the back of the paper.

"An inn...? I'm afraid I am as lost as you are in that regard, I'm fairly new here myself, I do not know of any inn..." she said, giving a light shrug of her shoulders and a quiet sigh as she shook her head. Yet the catlike smile still remained on her face as she spoke again. "However, my friend here may be able to help you there. Cendre?" she called, turning her head to the red eyed man who had been sitting only a seat away from her and smiling even more brightly at him.

The man apparently named 'Cendre' nonchalantly took another sip of his water as the woman asked for him, evidently more focused on a small piece of yellowed parchment that he kept in his free hand, mostly hidden from the view of most of the now drunken observers and Soleil himself. Upon it were scratched rows and rows of words, names, in black ink, scrawled almost illegibly onto the paper as if it's contents had been hurriedly written upon it's surface. Some were scratched out even, though whether that was deliberate, or mere chicken scratch, few but he saw enough to find out.

"...There is a small lodge in the second story of the building, yes...There's only one room, however, not much more than that...and that is not to mention that it's conditions do not fare much better than what you see now..." Cendre responded, his voice quiet and deep and his words laced with a mild French accent that still remained fairly distinct from most of the Parisians that were in the bar in the current moment. He too, like the woman, was most definitely a foreigner, or at the very least not a native to Paris.

Soleil nodded to them, looking at the list the man had as he was sitting nearby. Something about said list unnerved him the moment he saw it. Were those...names he had crossed-out? Not to mention he could just barely feel the prick of the woman's eyes as she looked with particular interest at the folded letter Soleil was holding. Moreso, she was looking right at the symbol on the letter. Did she know Ruta? He would not be wise to ask-in a place like this, and while sitting next to a person who may have had a hit-list, that would have been incredibly risky. Standing quickly, he bowed slightly to the couple. "Th-Thank you..." he whispered. He then rushed away, heading upstairs toward the lodge.

When he got there, he saw it was indeed an eyesore. It was a dull room, with ancient, possibly-molding plaster covering the walls. The wooden floors creaked under Soleil's small feet, and he felt that if he moved anything an army of roaches-one of the few animals he genuinely disliked-would come crawling out from some crevice to eat him alive. Deciding to be quick, however, he threw caution to the wind and began to give the room a look. He opened a few drawers by a bed in the corner-nothing was in them. No...Yona would not hide them in some obvious place, it seems... he thought. Standing up as he finished searching drawers by each bed, he blinked and thought. But...where else would she put them then?...Oh! He suddenly got an idea, and he turned back toward the beds.

Carefully he began to search again, this time under each mattress. He nearly gave this up instantly, though, when he saw a dead roach...or two...or three...under one mattress. Shuddering, he resolved to power through his disgust, and kept looking. When he got to the final bed, the one in the corner, he lifted the mattress and looked again. He gasped happily as he saw the piece of paper, with the same ensign as the letter in his pocket. Yona's final letter.

Taking it from out of the mattress, he put the folded paper in his other pocket. He then breathed easily for a moment, taking in the smoke-less atmosphere of the room. It still smelled rather bad, but he did not feel his lungs inhaling secondhand smoke. Yet he knew he would have to go back through there to leave, and so he did. He walked out of the lodge and back downstairs, and then began to look once more for Ruta, just in case he was possibly in the bar looking for the same thing. He had to be. Why else would he have left and not given any notice? Obviously he wanted to find something in this city. "...Professor?" he called again, as he walked through the room, avoiding the table with the strange couple.

[Rhomaia]

Taking it from out of the mattress, he put the folded paper in his other pocket. He then breathed easily for a moment, taking in the smoke-less atmosphere of the room. It still smelled rather bad, but he did not feel his lungs inhaling secondhand smoke. Yet he knew he would have to go back through there to leave, and so he did. He walked out of the lodge and back downstairs, and then began to look once more for Ruta, just in case he was possibly in the bar looking for the same thing. He had to be. Why else would he have left and not given any notice? Obviously he wanted to find something in this city. "...Professor?" he called again, as he walked through the room, avoiding the table with the strange couple.

And yet, there was no sign of the Jaegar lurking within La Coupe de Bronze. The same crowd of drunkards and degenerates were the only sight to be seen as the boy searched the main room, consisting mainly of individuals in plain clothing stained by the spilling of their own drinks whose speech was so slurred that their words barely even sounded like French anymore, made up by a series of grunts, loud chuckles and incomprehensible syllables interspersed with all kinds of profanities. Simply put, most of them were the worse for wear, but hanging in the back where few of them tread was a small group of black clad men and women, their faces well hidden by shadows that the dim tavern lights cast. However, they were not acting so uncouth as most of the patrons...They simply stood and spoke to one another in hushed whispers, and made the occasional glance in the odd couple's direction. They were far from intoxicated, but what would they be doing here in a place like this if not to get roaring drunk like the rest?

Meanwhile, the ember eyed woman had simply continued to grin at him in the same curious manner and watch, while the red eyed man in the white suit, Cendre, had gone back to reading his list, eventually handing it to her with a tiny smirk on his face, as if he had just found something interesting to think about. Giving it a thorough perusal, her large eyes narrowed slightly as she heard the boy call out the word 'Professor' into the crowd. Her gaze shifted from the blonde haired boy in robes, to the list again, and her smile subtly grew larger as the boy tried to make his way through, as though she had just made the same connection in her thoughts that Cendre did.

"...Is there something that you are looking for, draga mea?" the woman chimed, her voice still sweet as honey. "Or is it perhaps...some one...?" she asked this time, though with a faint ominous tone to her now. For some reason after that moment, she began to look a little more serious, and the faceless whispering strangers in the back ceased their conversation, their unseen eyes glued to the sight. The woman no longer held the same amiable smile, but an expression with eyebrows raised and her fire orange eyes narrowed, like there was something that she wanted to know from the boy...And that she would not be pleased if deprived of an honest answer.

[Kingdom of Irhk]

House Abendroth

Allistor was alone once again in his room. He and his family just had dinner together and he was full. He was sitting beside the window, looking down at the lively night life of Paris. In his left hand is a glass of champagne which he was swirling and swirling since when. His head's occupied by thoughts, mainly about what Lady Mercillia did to Madame Bourbon, the commotion that Madame Bourbon did during the rounds, Annice's wellbeing, and Shaun. When he realized who he was thinking about, his face burned a little as he shook his head. 'Why am I thinking of him?' His right hand is petting Glacia, which is coiled on his lap, like how a villain would pet his totally evil looking cat. He drank the contents of the glass and carefully placed Glacia on the floor before standing. He moved to the table where the champagne bottle was placed and refilled his glass. He smiled as the clear golden liquid poured out of the bottle and gushed towards his glass. He slightly swirled it and took a sip. He faced his reflection of the window and raised his glass while smirking. "Acclamations à mon stupidité."

He drank it all before placing it back on the table, beside the already half empty champagne bottle. Thinking that he still have a lot of time to do, he rummaged through his things and found his violin. He slowly removed it out of its case and placed it on his shoulder and rested his chin on it. He slowly glided the bow across the strings, testing it for a bit, and started playing the tune of Fairytail.

As his room was filled with the sound of his violin and his voice, he started singing the chorus.

I’m in love, with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

Coz I don’t care if I lose my mind

I’m already cursed

He continued playing and singing until the song was finished. Glacia was staring at him the whole time and broke the silence by rudely intruding his mind. "You are a drama queen, do you know that?" Allistor sighed and set the violin down before rubbing his temples. "Is it bad to sing? Or even play?" Glacia licked at the air and continued to stare. "I never said anything about that. Did I?" Allistor sighed again and went towards his wardrobe, changing his blazer with a think fur coat. "I'll be going out for awhile. Wanna come with me?" Glacia raised her head to look at her owner. "But you're intoxicated. And what are you, a child?" He glared at the small blue snake before closing the door. "It takes a lot of effort to put an Abendroth in a state of drunkenness."

As the doors closed behind him, Allistor failed to see a smiling blue snake, its eyes burning in a sapphire blue.

---

Henry Von Kressel

If anything, Allistor's violin session managed to wake Henry up. It seemed that his friend, who always seemed a composed, yet ironically provocative man, was afflicted by sadness or was simply bothered with something. Deciding that he needed to take some fresh air, he quickly got up from his bed, walking over to the bathroom.

Part of the wounds on his face had already healed, giving Henry a certain comfort towards the act of going out if his room: No one would notice the what happened, and the story could die in the same hallway that it started.

Quickly putting on a slim grey suit with a thin black tie, Henry left the room, closing the doors with Fawkes keeping watch over any possible invaders. It wasn't long until he reached Allistor, calmly adjusting his pace to be at the side of his friend.

"Do you want to confess your sins, brother? You could also play the violin or drown your sorrow in the champagne that is in the room, but the latte often causes hangovers and a small degree of amnesia. So, what happened?"

[Luminesa]

Taking it from out of the mattress, he put the folded paper in his other pocket. He then breathed easily for a moment, taking in the smoke-less atmosphere of the room. It still smelled rather bad, but he did not feel his lungs inhaling secondhand smoke. Yet he knew he would have to go back through there to leave, and so he did. He walked out of the lodge and back downstairs, and then began to look once more for Ruta, just in case he was possibly in the bar looking for the same thing. He had to be. Why else would he have left and not given any notice? Obviously he wanted to find something in this city. "...Professor?" he called again, as he walked through the room, avoiding the table with the strange couple.

And yet, there was no sign of the Jaegar lurking within La Coupe de Bronze. The same crowd of drunkards and degenerates were the only sight to be seen as the boy searched the main room, consisting mainly of individuals in plain clothing stained by the spilling of their own drinks whose speech was so slurred that their words barely even sounded like French anymore, made up by a series of grunts, loud chuckles and incomprehensible syllables interspersed with all kinds of profanities. Simply put, most of them were the worse for wear, but hanging in the back where few of them tread was a small group of black clad men and women, their faces well hidden by shadows that the dim tavern lights cast. However, they were not acting so uncouth as most of the patrons...They simply stood and spoke to one another in hushed whispers, and made the occasional glance in the odd couple's direction. They were far from intoxicated, but what would they be doing here in a place like this if not to get roaring drunk like the rest?

Meanwhile, the ember eyed woman had simply continued to grin at him in the same curious manner and watch, while the red eyed man in the white suit, Cendre, had gone back to reading his list, eventually handing it to her with a tiny smirk on his face, as if he had just found something interesting to think about. Giving it a thorough perusal, her large eyes narrowed slightly as she heard the boy call out the word 'Professor' into the crowd. Her gaze shifted from the blonde haired boy in robes, to the list again, and her smile subtly grew larger as the boy tried to make his way through, as though she had just made the same connection in her thoughts that Cendre did.

"...Is there something that you are looking for, draga mea?" the woman chimed, her voice still sweet as honey. "Or is it perhaps...some one...?" she asked this time, though with a faint ominous tone to her now. For some reason after that moment, she began to look a little more serious, and the faceless whispering strangers in the back ceased their conversation, their unseen eyes glued to the sight. The woman no longer held the same amiable smile, but an expression with eyebrows raised and her fire orange eyes narrowed, like there was something that she wanted to know from the boy...And that she would not be pleased if deprived of an honest answer.

Soliel had been hoping to God that this woman would leave him alone, and yet here she was, questioning him yet again. Even more so, she sounded like she was becoming hostile. This was added to by the group of men in black standing not too far away. The boy felt his anxiety kicking-in, and he tried to hide his pacing heartbeat. "...U-Um...Y-Yes...um..." His eyes darted around, as though they themselves were trying to escape her intense gaze. Finally, after a moment, he thought of an excuse. "...I-I was...looking for my papa," he answered, with a calmer expression, "my papa sometimes drinks here, and my mama was looking for him, so she sent me to get him...I-I have to find him before he leaves, so please excuse me..." He began to walk by, hoping she would take the bait. He was especially worried about those cloaked men who were now also watching.

[Finsternia]

House Abendroth

Allistor was alone once again in his room. He and his family just had dinner together and he was full. He was sitting beside the window, looking down at the lively night life of Paris. In his left hand is a glass of champagne which he was swirling and swirling since when. His head's occupied by thoughts, mainly about what Lady Mercillia did to Madame Bourbon, the commotion that Madame Bourbon did during the rounds, Annice's wellbeing, and Shaun. When he realized who he was thinking about, his face burned a little as he shook his head. 'Why am I thinking of him?' His right hand is petting Glacia, which is coiled on his lap, like how a villain would pet his totally evil looking cat. He drank the contents of the glass and carefully placed Glacia on the floor before standing. He moved to the table where the champagne bottle was placed and refilled his glass. He smiled as the clear golden liquid poured out of the bottle and gushed towards his glass. He slightly swirled it and took a sip. He faced his reflection of the window and raised his glass while smirking. "Acclamations à mon stupidité."

He drank it all before placing it back on the table, beside the already half empty champagne bottle. Thinking that he still have a lot of time to do, he rummaged through his things and found his violin. He slowly removed it out of its case and placed it on his shoulder and rested his chin on it. He slowly glided the bow across the strings, testing it for a bit, and started playing the tune of Fairytail.

As his room was filled with the sound of his violin and his voice, he started singing the chorus.

I’m in love, with a fairytale

Even though it hurts

Coz I don’t care if I lose my mind

I’m already cursed

He continued playing and singing until the song was finished. Glacia was staring at him the whole time and broke the silence by rudely intruding his mind. "You are a drama queen, do you know that?" Allistor sighed and set the violin down before rubbing his temples. "Is it bad to sing? Or even play?" Glacia licked at the air and continued to stare. "I never said anything about that. Did I?" Allistor sighed again and went towards his wardrobe, changing his blazer with a think fur coat. "I'll be going out for awhile. Wanna come with me?" Glacia raised her head to look at her owner. "But you're intoxicated. And what are you, a child?" He glared at the small blue snake before closing the door. "It takes a lot of effort to put an Abendroth in a state of drunkenness."

As the doors closed behind him, Allistor failed to see a smiling blue snake, its eyes burning in a sapphire blue.

---

Henry Von Kressel

If anything, Allistor's violin session managed to wake Henry up. It seemed that his friend, who always seemed a composed, yet ironically provocative man, was afflicted by sadness or was simply bothered with something. Deciding that he needed to take some fresh air, he quickly got up from his bed, walking over to the bathroom.

Part of the wounds on his face had already healed, giving Henry a certain comfort towards the act of going out if his room: No one would notice the what happened, and the story could die in the same hallway that it started.

Quickly putting on a slim grey suit with a thin black tie, Henry left the room, closing the doors with Fawkes keeping watch over any possible invaders. It wasn't long until he reached Allistor, calmly adjusting his pace to be at the side of his friend.

"Do you want to confess your sins, brother? You could also play the violin or drown your sorrow in the champagne that is in the room, but the latte often causes hangovers and a small degree of amnesia. So, what happened?"

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor calmly strolled the halls and pushed past the glass doors of the hotel. The night air was cold as winter is just around the corner yet the crispy scent of autumn still lingers. As he stretched and breathed in the aroma of the seasons, he noticed that he has company. He turned and saw a shock of white hair. "Sh-Shaun?" He blinked for a moment and his vision clarified. "Oh, Henry, I didn't recognize you."

When Henry tried to joke with him, he laughed a bit, his breath turning into huffs due to the cold. "If only I can forget everything, from the circumstances of my birth until this very moment." He started walking away from the hotel with Henry by his side. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I know you had a hard time today. I'm hoping you didn't 'drool' on your pillow again."

[Kingdom of Irhk]

Henry Von Kressel

If anything, Allistor's violin session managed to wake Henry up. It seemed that his friend, who always seemed a composed, yet ironically provocative man, was afflicted by sadness or was simply bothered with something. Deciding that he needed to take some fresh air, he quickly got up from his bed, walking over to the bathroom.

Part of the wounds on his face had already healed, giving Henry a certain comfort towards the act of going out if his room: No one would notice the what happened, and the story could die in the same hallway that it started.

Quickly putting on a slim grey suit with a thin black tie, Henry left the room, closing the doors with Fawkes keeping watch over any possible invaders. It wasn't long until he reached Allistor, calmly adjusting his pace to be at the side of his friend.

"Do you want to confess your sins, brother? You could also play the violin or drown your sorrow in the champagne that is in the room, but the latte often causes hangovers and a small degree of amnesia. So, what happened?"

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor calmly strolled the halls and pushed past the glass doors of the hotel. The night air was cold as winter is just around the corner yet the crispy scent of autumn still lingers. As he stretched and breathed in the aroma of the seasons, he noticed that he has company. He turned and saw a shock of white hair. "Sh-Shaun?" He blinked for a moment and his vision clarified. "Oh, Henry, I didn't recognize you."

When Henry tried to joke with him, he laughed a bit, his breath turning into huffs due to the cold. "If only I can forget everything, from the circumstances of my birth until this very moment." He started walking away from the hotel with Henry by his side. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I know you had a hard time today. I'm hoping you didn't 'drool' on your pillow again."

Henry Von Kressel

"Oh, don't worry. I... Wasn't going to sleep so soon, I guess."

As they both walked through the cold Paris, Henry started to heat himself up slightly. It was clear that Allistor had something - or someone - in his mind, bothering him to the point where he left the hotel, trying to find some peace.

"There's no reason to hide it, I guess. Yes, it was a hard day, but it's almost ending... Now, I don't know why you confused me with Shaun, but I guess it's related to the reason of your sadness. Do you want to talk about it, Allistor?"

[Charlia]

She was alone. Her pale fingers trailed along the dark wood of the banister, and for a moment she allowed them to tap out a familiar rhythm on the rail. Her face relaxed into a smile, and she--

"You can be incredibly dense when you feel like it."

What was that? She turned, her hair flying around and hitting her in the face as she did so, briefly obscuring her vision with black strands. Her hands no longer played idly on the wooden rail, instead clutching it tightly as she peered over the edge.

Nothing.

It must have been her imagination, she thought, and allowed herself to smile again. She was so tense. But she shouldn't be--she should be excited. She wasn't sure what she should have been excited about, but she knew something important was happening. Just looking down at herself confirmed that.

Instead of her normal clothing style, she was clad in a long, dark purple dress with a pattern of white amaranth flowers and tiny Moravian stars winding around from the bottom of the skirt upwards, wrapping around her waist like a ribbon and climbing up her chest and over one thin sleeve, stopping right at the middle of her right shoulder. A necklace of diamonds hung lightly around her neck, and she could feel earrings of some sort brushing against her face when she turned her head. If she wasn't going to do something exciting or important, why would she dress so formally?

"You worthless little--" The final word obscured by a cry of pain. This time, the shout didn't alarm her. This house was full of memories, most of them bad, so it wasn't that odd to her. Looking down at the bottom of the stairs, she could still see the faint outline of a bloodstain that had been cleaned enough so that no one who wasn't looking for it specifically would see... but had never fully disappeared. She traced the same pattern on the wall as she descended the stairs slowly, carefully skirting the remnants of the stain as she came to it. Her heart felt very light, moreso than usual, and despite the fact that she was here again in this house of sorrows and pain, she felt as though the world was right again.

The soft sounds of her feet against the floor were interrupted by a footstep just out of rhythm.

She turned again, but saw no one. Her gaze fell lower, to the floor, and caught on a long purple ribbon lying behind her.

...How odd...

Bending over, she picked up the ribbon, and felt a cool rush of air on the back of her neck as she did so. Turning yet again, faster this time, she darted glances throughout the room to try and spot any open window, any vent that the air could have come from, but the only vent was too far away for her to have felt anything coming from it.

Looking down at the ribbon in her hand, she continued to walk, idly playing with one dark red end--wait.

The ribbon was purple.

So why... was there a dark red stain spreading across...

Her eyes going wide with fear, she dropped the ribbon and ran to the door, turning the handle. The lock wasn't engaged, but the door still didn't open. Rather than continue to try in a futile effort to open it, she dashed to a window, and tried that. Nothing. Not even when she started banging on the glass with all her might could she feel any sort of weakening, so breaking it seemed to be out of the question. The other doors in the house, as she quickly discovered, were the same, and the windows were all unopenable and impervious to damage, even when she found a hammer and started swinging that at them.

She wanted to scream, to cry, but she took several deep breaths. If there was nothing she could do to get out, she would simply wait for whatever was going on to be explained. Crossing the house again, she took a seat on the couch in the living room, closed her eyes, and then felt someone else sitting next to her.

"Hello, Himiko-chan," she heard, a familiar voice. Her eyes snapped open, and she turned to see a pink-haired girl seated at her side, staring straight ahead.

"Momoko-chan!" she responded with joy, and no small amount of relief. "I didn't realize it was you! I--"

Then Momoko looked at her, and Himiko quailed as she realized that the girl's pink eyes were no longer pink. They were completely black. Even the whites of her eyes had been taken over with black. As Momoko smiled, she revealed curved rows of teeth like a shark's, the front row stained red.

"He's gone, Himiko-chan," Momoko said with a wider grin. "I took care of him for you. You'll never have to worry about him again."

"M-Momoko-chan?" Himiko stammered. "I--I mean, that's wonderful... but... are you okay?"

Hissing laughter. "I'm perfectly fine, Himiko-chan. Why are you so worried?" Leaning in closer, Momoko whispered, "Don't you want this?"

Himiko could feel the pink-haired girl's warm breath against her lips. She paled slightly, and leaned a little bit back, but Momoko just came closer, easing the violet-eyed girl down to the cushions, pinning her in place and kissing her. Breathing deeply, she continued with, "I love you, Himiko-chan. Isn't that what you've wished for?"

Himiko's face reddened slightly. "Y-yes..." she admitted, to which Momoko smiled and replied with a single word.

"Good."

After another kiss that seemed to last for hours, Momoko wrapped her arms around the other girl and whispered, "Himiko-chan..."

"...What... what is it, Momoko-chan?" Himiko mumbled, breathing quickly. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest if this went on any longer. And if it went any further... She shivered. She didn't know whether this was a dream come true or a waking nightmare. Yes, Momoko was showering her with affection, but... it felt so wrong... but it was Momoko, sweet, innocent Momoko who would never hurt her or anyone else... but that bloody ribbon and the voices...

Momoko cut her thoughts off with another question.

"...Would you die for me?"

Without thinking for more than a moment, Himiko replied, "Yes! Yes, of course I would! If that's what you want, Momoko-chan, then I'll die for you! Whatever makes you happy, Momoko-chan..."

Then she remembered that whatever she was talking to, it wasn't the Momoko she knew. This Momoko... was something else.

But she had already answered; it was too late to change her mind. A ghoulish grin spread across Momoko's face, and she whispered, "Perfect. You're perfect..."

She leaned down again, but this time, instead of kissing Himiko, she opened her mouth wide, far wider than it should have been able to open, revealing more and more rows of those same curved fangs.

"Ultimate pleasure," she whispered, "and ultimate pain... everything I could ever ask for. You're mine, Himiko-chan. Now, and forever."

She pulled the dark-haired girl closer, and Himiko fell into the blackness of Momoko's eyes... and was consumed.

[Saldinado]

An Offer You Can't Refuse

Sitting on the bench on the outside of the hotel, Shaun and Dominique had stopped their playing and listening for a moment, and decided to have a rather friendly with each other. They knew that they don't hang out as much as they do with others, and when they do, they're usually either eating, working out, or playing with their pets together. Leaning back on the bench, Shaun sighed deeply as he watched a young couple pass them on the sidewalk. Their holding of the hands, kissing and occasional groping began to make both him and his partner embarrassed at the sight. But he was more than embarrassed. Angered and envious even. If only a little. And this became prominent in his constant bobbing of his leg, which Dominique recognized this and tried to put two and two together and softly placed a hand on the white-haired man's shoulder.

"Hey," the dark-haired teen said as he placed a small smile on his face. "Are you okay?" He said in his soft, low and deep voice laughing slightly afterwards. "It looked like you were having an existential crisis at the moment. If there's anything wrong, you know that I'll be there for you to talk to, ya know that right?" He deeply giggled as he placed his saxophone near his mouth and began to play it once more.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well as a matter of fact, I'm pretty attractive too, but who's counting up the adjectives." He chuckled as his face was a little red in embarrassment upon hearing the words of his friends. They were so deep and smooth like velvet gliding across silk and even sensual to him. Realizing the small burning in his face, Shaun softly slapped both of his cheeks to try and get them to calm down. "Yeah...I will. Thanks." He chuckled. Sighing once again, he placed his left thumb and index finger on his earlobe where he idly played with his diamond studded earring before sitting quietly and listening to the sound of the saxophone near him. But soon, it suddenly stopped and the air was once again filled with an abrupt silence. Raising an eyebrow at it, he turned to see what had happened; he then saw Dominique with his phone in his hand, looking at the bright screen. It appeared that he was intensively watching it as if he were looking at a how-to video or something. After about a minute or two of silence, Dom finally broke it with a deep sigh.

"Well, I guess that this jam session will have to come to an end for now." He said placing his phone back in his pocket and scratching his head for a moment before speaking. "I need to go off and run an errand for a moment, so I'll have to go back up and get prepared." He said as he slapped his thighs and sighed before getting up with his saxophone and stretching and turning for a few seconds as the noticeable sounds of joints popping and cracking filled the air. After doing so, he looked at Shaun and smiled at him. "Sorry mate; care to come in, or stay out here?"

"Wait, what? Can I come with you? I don't have anything else to do. Everyone is probably sleeping and there's only so much one can do in a hotel without feeling like they're loosing their mind." He said with a small hint of desperation in his voice; he truly didn't feel like staying another second in this hotel. Being cooped in there for days at a time while slowly creating a snowball effect with the amount of mess that was going on around them were starting to take a toll on him.

"I don't know..." Dominique said slowly as he looked away from him and rubbed the back of his head. "Where I'm going, I don't think that you might not be able to handle it; plus, I don't want to get you involved in anything and you do something later on that you'll regret. I won't be able to deal with myself if that happens." He said with a little more of an assertive, almost serious tone in his voice.

"Um, what? I can handle it! I am mature and smart enough and able to defend myself off, so I can handle it! Just please Dom; I don't want to stay here any longer than I should." He said getting up and standing in front of Dominique with a more serious, as well as desperate look on his face. "You can trust me that I'll be able to keep up with you and stuff. Just please, let me go."

"..." Dom just stood there, looking deep into the pastel purple irises of his friend as the moonlight hit them with a look of uncertainty and worry. He didn't want to be responsible for anything happening to him and then everyone looking at him as if he was the cause of it. That would be good for anyone if that were going to be the case. He stood there for a moment, still not taking his eyes off of Shaun's and then closed them and sighed in defeat. "Okay...You can come. Just know that whatever I do or say, don't look at me as if that's how I usually am or feel scared to talk to me. I'm doing this for business." He then shook his head and walked inside the hotel, where Shaun soon followed him as they both went up to Dominique's room.

When they got there, Dom placed his saxophone in it's case and closed it and went to go and find something else to wear; looking in his closet, he grabbed a black suit holder and looked at Shaun. "Just wait here. While you're doing that, do me a favor and grab Prince for me; I forgot to walk him today." He then disappeared into the bathroom where he presumably went to go change his clothes. God, help me.

Meanwhile, Shaun nodded as he walked over to a small animal cage in the corner where the faint sound of a tail waging and soft wining can be heard. Shaun grinned greatly as he opened the cage and saw the miniature labradoodle sitting and constantly wagging it's tail. "Well hi cutie! I see that you're ready to go huh?" Shaun said softly as he watched the canine walk rather calmly out of the cage and into the white-haired boy's lap. "You look just like your owner, huh?" He said as he rubbed his back. And Prince did look like Dominique as they both had soft, curly brownish-chocolate hair that even though looked matted, was surprisingly loose and smooth as you can easily glide you're fingers through them without getting tangled or caught. Looking into his light grayish-blue eyes, Shaun got up and looked around the hotel room for Prince's leash where it was sitting on top of the nearby desk. Getting up, he grabbed the black and gold leash with small diamonds placed in rows of two around the entire thing, and knelt down to put it on Prince, who just sat still and let his expensive toy. And after Shaun placed the leash on, the door to the bathroom opened as Dominique came out with a dark semi-formal outfit with a pair of dark blue oxford suede shoes to complete it.

"Okay. Let's go." Dominique said as he put some some cologne and handed it to Shaun. "Here. Want some before we head out?" He said as he began to mess with his hair and fix his collard. His usual bubbly and cheery tone being replaced with a more stoic, gritty tone. "Um, sure. Thanks." Shaun said as he took the bottle from his hand and sprayed some on him. He then placed it on the vanity next to them and looked down at Prince, who was currently laying down, sleeping as he waited on the two boys. Soon, Dominique then turned to Shaun and smiled at him. "Alright. We can go. Mind going ahead of me first? I gotta grab a few things, and don't want to keep you waiting. Plus, I don't think that 'P' can hold in his pee any longer." He chuckled.

"Oh, alright." Shaun said a softly chuckling. "Let's go Prince." The lab then shot it's head up at the sound of his name and followed it's leader as they left the hotel room and went on ahead without Dom; who waited as they finally left to sigh and shake his head slowly before walking over to his bed where he looked under his bed and pulled out a small black case. Opening it, he revealed a short-barreled Smith and Weston revolver. "Hopefully I won't have to use you tonight. Especially not in front of Shauna and Prince." The teen said quietly as his checked to see if it had any bullets in it; six gold bullet casings faced him as he deeply sighed and closed the case and slid it under his bed once again. Getting up and placing the revolver in the waist holding in a easily reachable place, he grabbed a small coat so that he can conceal his weapon and protect himself from the cold Paris air before walking out of the door and closing it behind him. Once he made it downstairs to the lobby, he noticed that the receptionist was gone, leaving the golden bell unguarded. With a small smile on his face, he walked over to the metal sound-making device and rung it once again, giggling in his deep, bubbly usual tone before walking out the doors where he saw that Shaun and Prince were currently enjoying the quietness outside. Smiling at the two of them, Dom interrupted the two of them by walking over and patting the both of them. "So what's up! You two ready to go?" He grinned at them.

Shaun yelped as he felt his head being patted and laughed as he noticed that it was Dominique doing it. Smiling at him, he handed the leash to the other teen and nodded. "Yeah, let's go." Dom then let out a small grunt as he took Prince from Shaun and walked towards the right of the them, leading the way to where their location was. Shaun followed in suit as they walked together with Prince towards their destination.

"So where are we going?" Shaun said in order to get some information as to where they were heading. "If you don't mind me asking." He chuckled.

"We're going a special place of mine's Well, my family's; you see, they own it so-to-speak, and I have to check up on it to see how business is going. Got quite a few of them to check out so just warning you that we might be out here for a while, and you might see and hear some things that might not be needed for someone like you. Think that you can handle that?" He said without looking at the shorter teen beside him. "Oh? Well that's pretty cool. I didn't know that your family own some business in Paris. Or any business at all. Are they like entrepreneurs or something?" Shaun said now a little curious as to what his friend's family does. "...Well you can say that." He answered with a rather low tone. All the while, Prince was sniffing everything around him and seeing and hearing the scene of the Paris night. After asking the question, the two of them had a rather casual conversation, talking and laughing about different workout techniques that they can try out together, what to cook up next, or the occasional who was the better-looking or bigger of the two.

---

After about thirty minutes of walking, they soon reached their destination. Standing in front of them was a large iron gate that guarded a large Parisian mansion. A large fountain stood in the middle of the driveway as a decoration and statement piece. Looking at it, Shaun lost his breath as Dominique saw his partner's facial expression and smirked with a faint smile on his face before beckoning to the amazed boy to follow him. At the front of the gate stood two large men dressed in tuxedos; it appeared that they were guarding the entrance. Walking up to them, the men stopped the two of them and stared at them. Shaun stood there in nervousness as Dom simply walked up to them and stood in their face. With a smile on his face, he cleared his throat and spoke to the men.


"Bonne soirée. Nous sommes venus ici pour parler à Madame le Rouge. Vous pouvez dire que Corleone m'a envoyé." He said fluently and with confidence as a sly smile appeared on his face. The two men looked at each other before one of them leaned in and spoke into a microphone attached to his collar. "Monsieur Corleone's personnes sont arrivées." The man whispered as Shaun and Dominique stood there waiting for the man to answer them. After a few seconds, the man turned to them and nodded. "Good. Welcome to Chateau de la Rose Rouge. The man said as the gates behind them started to slowly open. With a nod, Dominique thanked them and walked through the gates as Shaun followed along side him. Soon, the gates closed once more as the men went back to their position, and guarded the front entrance. "They looked rather young to be here, no?" One of the men said. "That is true, but if the Corleone family sent them here, then they must be mature enough."

Walking along the driveway, they passed the large fountain in the center as the soft falling of the water filled their ears before it slowly got quieter as they reached the door. Standing on the stood of the stairs, Dominique turned towards Shaun and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now Shaun...I'm warning you that you may see some things that may not be how you say...Not safe for work. And I want you to be safe, so as a precaution, I'm going to have you go somewhere quiet so that nobody will bother you while I take care of business. You go it?" He said with a rather serious, almost hesitant tone in his words. Shaun looked at him and thought for a moment. After what happened today, he was probably able to deal with whatever was behind this door. Although just thinking about it made his face turn red. Looking up at Dominique, he smiled and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Dominique smiled at the boy's blush and mess up his already messy hair, letting his white curls fall over his face. He looked so childlike and innocent that he couldn't bare to keep him in a place such as this. Sighing softly, he walked up to the door and stood in front of it, where he rang the doorbell on the side and waited. Meanwhile, Prince was currently sitting down, scratching behind his head, curious as to find out what was going on. A few second later, the prominent sound of the clicks from the door unlocking filled the air as the soft creaking of the door opened, revealing a beautiful woman standing in front of them. She was a few inches taller than Shaun, but shorter and Dominique. Her strawberry blonde hair was perfectly styled in a Marilyn Monroe-style with a couple of loose curls hanging over her. Her lips were a bright red in contrast to her pale face as she was wearing only a small tight black dress as it only reached just above to cover her buttocks and black high heels to match; her chest nearly popping out of her dress with a pearl necklace hanging off her neck with earrings to match. Looking at the two boys in front of her with her ocean blue eyes, she raised an eyebrow at the sight and slightly cocked her head at the both of them. "Um...Bonjour children. Exactly what are you two doing here?" She said sounding motherly with a small smile on her face. "It's late at night, and you're out here all by yourself. Are you two lost?" Her French accent, sounding suave and sweet.

Shaun was in complete shock as his face was completely red in the face. And all the while, Dominique looked at the young woman with a young woman with a confidence, sly smile and spoke to her. "Well, we're not lost madame; in fact, we're suppose to be here. As we were sent here to meet Madame Rouge." He then looked at Shaun, who was still quiet and flabbergasted at the sight that was happening being the woman as he saw numerous women dress either in the same way as the one at the front door. "Why we are here upon the wishes of Mr. Lorenzo Corleone." Dominique said to her. Upon hearing his name, both Shaun and the woman looked at him with a little more attention. They both knew who he was.

Lorenzo Corleone....He is one of the most influential, powerful, and dangerous mob bosses in America, with even some power in Europe and elsewhere. He's so powerful that he's even got the law enforcement and government wrapped around his finger. What does Dominique have to do with that man? And why is he even working with him?

"Why yes sir...Right this way." The woman suddenly said as she opened the door, revealing the scene of what appeared to be a party of some sort going on. Shaun saw this, and his heart soon began to race. In response, he got close to Dominique and grabbed onto his hand. Feeling his hand being squeeze, Dominique saw that Shaun was holding onto it. Smiling at him, he squeezed it a little tighter so that he can comfort him. Walking in, the three of them watched as they saw the numerous men and women, bottles of alcohol and cigarettes sprawled all over and laughing and rather suggestive advancements being made by everyone around them. Dominique sighed in disgust as he led Shaun towards a more secluded, quiet place inside the house. Closing the door behind them, the noise of people laughing and music blasting loudly was immediately shut down afterwards as there were only muffled, quiet sounds being heard in what appeared to be a study room of some sort. Leading Shaun to a leather sofa, Dominique sat him down and did the same as well. Looking at his partner, he smiled as he continued to hold his hand.

"Sorry for having you see that." He said looking embarrassed. "Now I don't trust any of these people around here with you here because God-forbid if they come and ask you anything I will..." He then calmed down and took a deep breath before finishing his statement. "Now I'm going to be out there to talk to a few people, so what I want you to do is stay here and not come out of this room. If you need to use the restroom, there's one in right over there,"he said pointing to a door on the far right corner of the room. "so you don't have to worry about getting up and going out there. And don't worry about people coming in here. I will make sure that they don't. So overall, it will probably take me a little over ten, fifteenth minutes to have this little meeting, and when it's over, I'll take you to go and get something to eat before we go out. Is that a deal?" He said with a small smile on his face that was full of honesty and care.

"O-okay." Shaun said as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I think that I might just take a nap while I wait. Just be careful, okay?" He said weakly laughing . He was starting to become a little worried of Dominique as he would have to go out there and deal with these people. Hopefully everything will go well. Dominique smiled and nodded, rubbing Shaun's head once again before picking up Prince and holding him. "I'll try to be quick. Promise." He said as he left him here and walked back out in the commotion outside. Shaun just sighed and laid down on the surprisingly comfortable sofa and tried to get some rest.

As Shaun was sleeping, Dominique watched the room so that nobody was around it before placing his hand on the floor near the study door and what vines and thorns soon became entangled on the door as a few roses sprung up as well, making sure that nobody was able to see or get through the door. Looking down at Prince, who was now asleep in his arms, he smirked as he walked around the house trying to find where the meeting was suppose to take place. Going up the stairs, he ignored the muffled sounds that were being emitted from behind the closed doors upstairs until he saw at the end of the hallway a large white door with gold trimmings and designs. "Jesus Christ, can you be an anymore subtle?" He sarcastically said to himself as he made his way towards the door where he stood in front of it and looked down at his waist, where the butt end of his revolver was slightly showing. Pulling his coat over it, he took a deep breath as he held his hand up and softly knocked on the door three times and stepped away from it. A few seconds later, the door creaked opened to reveal another man, this time in a white tuxedo. Looking at him, Dominique gave a small glare at him before the man nodded and opened the door fully and allowed the teen and dog to come inside.

The room was large and white with gold crown molding and two large marble columns standing at the end where a large desk with a glass full of wine was in between the pillars. Sitting on the desk with their legs crossed over one another was a woman; she looked as if she was in her early to mid thirties. Her bright red hair reaching just below the upper portion of her back. She was wearing a long, red silk dress with a slit down the middle that revealed her smooth, nearly perfect legs with a pair of black stilettos on her feet. On her left middle finger was a large diamond ring with diamond earrings and necklace to match. It would appear that she was the one of very high status. "Bonjour Madame Rouge." Dominique said sounding professional. Now it was time to get down to business.

"Well bonjour monsieur!" She said with a heavy French accent that sounded a little bit snobby. "It is a pleasure to meet you so that we can discuss our agreement. Although, I really wasn't expecting someone like...You to be directing it; how old are you young man?" She said as she grabbed the glass of wine that was sitting on the table and bringing it to her lips and drinking some before speaking again. "You can't be no more than sixteen or seventeen, no?" She said smiling at Dominique.

"Why yes, you are correct. I am sixteen. Although how old I am doesn't have anything to do with what I do with what we're about to do now. So..." He said walking over and sitting in a leather chair in front of the woman and crossed his legs as well while gently stroking Prince's fur as if he was a mob boss and looked into her eyes. "Shall we begin?"

"Why yes! There is money to be made after all!" She said smiling a little bigger. "My girls are some of the best around the city; everyone from the religious officials to government officials flock here from around the world to relieve some stress and have fun. Being powerful does have it's drawbacks." She said taking another sip of her wine. "But at least you can get away with it. Sometimes..."

"Yes, I know. As a matter of fact, I just saw the Mayor of Chicago having some rather...good times with the ladies downstairs. The man of Christian values and marriage is sacrosanct and all that. But it will surely be a shame if his secret double life were to get out to across seas. Especially to his wife and three daughters. Don't you agree?" Dominique said smiling rather cheeky while continuing to softly pet Prince. "Oh why yes, that is true!" The lady said laughing and removing the hair out of her face. "But what do I care, it's an American thing, so I really don't give a damn."

"Well that is true, but from what I've gathered on you, it appears that you could be in trouble as well." The teen said cackling playfully.

"And what do you mean by that young man!?" She said looking a little nervous as to what he knows.

"Well according to my research and inside sources, you have been stealing money from these men as well as charging them for their services. And the money itself comes from certain operations that go towards the cities and neighborhoods throughout both America and France, am I correct? So what were to happen if I were to say...Let this information suddenly come out at the same time the allegations of these powerful men being here come into light? And if I recall correctly, this little operation of your's isn't even known to everyone as it is disguised by the fact that it's a high end restaurant and golf club by day. It would be really bad for business if word got out that these rich bastards were paying hundreds just to fund a large-scale escort ring and not even get a cut of the action? As well as the men who would kill to keep these secrets at bay? Oh, the embarrassment!" He said sounding dramatic and sarcastic before laughing. "So here's what I propose: How about you give me, let's say...sixty percent of all the income that goes through here, or have your little Roman Empire come crashing down?"

"You wouldn't dare!" The woman snapped. "Where's your proof of such activities!? Huh?! You must be joking with me right? I will do no such things, and there hasn't been no such thing going on here; so if I were you, I would keep my goddamn mouth shut before you loose it! "

"Oh, so now you're threatening me, eh? I don't think that threatening the son of an infamous mobster would be a good idea." He said calmly before leaning in and looking into her eyes with a glare that could kill. "Because if so, my father will hunt you down and make sure that you or anyone else in a five mile radius will not be able to say such foolish things, do you here me? So let's try again, I demand at least sixty...Know what, sixty-five percent of the action that goes through here, or I just have a few people come over and make sure that nothing happens to your cash crop...Namely, your girls, no? So you have less than five seconds to give me an answer or face a battle that you know you can't win. 5....4....3...."

"Alright! I get it! You will get sixty percent, and only sixty percent whether you like it or not, and get the hell out of here." She said with annoyance as she sipped from her glass until it was empty. Dominique smiled as he looked at her empty glass and nodded, getting up. "Good. It was a pleasure doing business with you Madame Rogue. Thank you and have a wonderful night." He said as he turned towards the door and walked away; but before doing so, he stopped and said his finally words. "And also...I would like a list of your clients by the end of every month, thank you." Leaving the redhead to growl and consult with the men in the room. With a deep and heavy sigh, Dominique shook his head and looked down at Prince, who was still sleep in his arms. "Okay, now let's go get Shaun and get out of here."

Walking downstairs and towards the study room that was still entangled with vines, Dominique placed one hand on the door as the foliage shrunk until it finally disappeared, revealing the door. Opening it quietly, he saw that Shaun saw sleep on the sofa, softly snoring. Smiling at the sight, Dom smirked and walked over to the teen where he laid and gently shook him to wake him up. "Hey buddy, let's go. We're done here." Soon, Shaun's head quickly shot up from the sudden touch and saw that it was his friend. "Oh, it's you. Are you done?" He weakly said as he was still half asleep. "Well yep, I'm done. Only took me...A little over twenty minutes. But we're good." He chuckled.

"Cool...So where to now..." Shaun said as he raised and stood up, stretching before stumbling from getting up too fast.

"Well, I was going to get you something to eat, but since you're so ti-"

"No I'm not!" The boy said quickly. "We can go get something to eat." He said smiling as he held his stomach. "But can you do me a favor? Mind if I got on your back? I think that my legs are asleep still." He chuckled.

"Eh? Okay, if you insist." Dominique said laughing as he turned around and bent over a bit so that Shaun can climb on. "Hop on mate." He giggled. And soon after, his back felt heavy as Shaun got on top of his back, holding onto him like a child does with their parent. "You're comfortable? Let's go." Setting Prince on the floor and unhooking his leash, the trio walked out of the room and into the nosy and messiness of the main room where they exited the doors and closed it before walking through the gates and saying goodnight to the guards before stepping onto the sidewalk.

"So...What do you want to eat." Dominique said holding onto Shaun's legs so that he didn't fall.

"Well...How about something sweet?" He answered, leaning his head on Dom's back as he yawed. "I have a little sweet tooth."

"Well, okay then. I'll find us a bakery or something. Just hang on." He then looked at the young labradoodle as it was doing it's business in the bushes next to them. "Prince! Let's roll." He said as the small dog scurried beside it's owner, as they walked the Parisian night in search of something sweet to eat.

[Finsternia]

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor calmly strolled the halls and pushed past the glass doors of the hotel. The night air was cold as winter is just around the corner yet the crispy scent of autumn still lingers. As he stretched and breathed in the aroma of the seasons, he noticed that he has company. He turned and saw a shock of white hair. "Sh-Shaun?" He blinked for a moment and his vision clarified. "Oh, Henry, I didn't recognize you."

When Henry tried to joke with him, he laughed a bit, his breath turning into huffs due to the cold. "If only I can forget everything, from the circumstances of my birth until this very moment." He started walking away from the hotel with Henry by his side. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I know you had a hard time today. I'm hoping you didn't 'drool' on your pillow again."

Henry Von Kressel

"Oh, don't worry. I... Wasn't going to sleep so soon, I guess."

As they both walked through the cold Paris, Henry started to heat himself up slightly. It was clear that Allistor had something - or someone - in his mind, bothering him to the point where he left the hotel, trying to find some peace.

"There's no reason to hide it, I guess. Yes, it was a hard day, but it's almost ending... Now, I don't know why you confused me with Shaun, but I guess it's related to the reason of your sadness. Do you want to talk about it, Allistor?"

Allistor Abendroth

Allistor's cheeks burned red as Henry asked about Shaun, remembering what they both did that afternoon. He took a deep breath and faced his friend. "You see... Both of us... had sex with each other..." He placed his right hand on his face, slightly rubbing his temples before stroking his raven hair back in place. "Yeah, awkward, I know. It just happened for some reason."

Allistor placed his gloved hands inside his pocket, watching the night lights of Paris shine bright. They were walking in a street where the amount of people rushing around are quite a lot yet not that much if compared to more busy areas. "And I confused you with Shaun since both of you have white hair. The height's only the difference though."