Gotham: The Coming Storm IC

[Shadowwell]

Gotham: The Coming Storm

OOC

---

Wayne Manor
3 Weeks prior
Inside his study sat Bruce Wayne, normally the massive wingback chair he sat in would seem filled by his presence currently it was different. He cradled a picture frame in his hands and looked into the eyes of the man whose picture it contained. It was one of the few pictures of Alfred he let there be in the Manor. As he held it in his hands he spoke solemnly saying “ Alfred, I have been a little lost without your advice, especially recently. I drove the few people who could be considered my friends away with my stubbornness, you always told me that would happen.” He chuckled darkly for a moment before continuing “ This city is rarely what it appears to be, it never has been before anyways, I just had a feeling things would happen.” He sighed before standing up and pacing, with the picture still in his hands. “Maybe they were right, I am yearning for the days this city my family has shed so much blood for, needed me, and it might not any longer. Regardless, after tonight I guess I will make plans with Lucius about a possible successor, The kid Braun is looking promising though some things about him do worry me.” He just shook his head before facing the window overlooking the bay and Gotham beyond it.
Several hours later
Gotham, Crime Alley
In an alleyway, in the East End of Gotham, the area aptly named Crime Alley, stood a rather well-known figure. Batman stood looking sadly at the Wayne Memorial, while it was really nothing more than roses and some others things placed at the spot where Martha and roger Wayne had fallen, it still served its purpose. Batman leaned down and placed three red roses there, one for his mother, his Father, and one for the Child he was, that died that day. He stood back u[p and looked around briefly before he melded into the shadows. Soon only the faint sound of metal grating on pavement could be heard. Batman had one last thing to do this night, he had to visit an old acquaintance.

Two and a Half weeks later
The Batcave
It had been a few hours since he had triggered the File, and Robin was typing away at the Caves main system computer when the others entered. First was Nightwing closely behind him were others who ere allies of Batman.
“What do you me--?”
“How could he --?”
“That sly old ba-”
They all started speaking at once, and Robin yelled which was surprisingly loud despite his small stature “QUIETT!!, As I said over the call, he apparently prepared for this, the bastard. I was looking at the file on the Red hoods, and a notice popped up saying ‘Storm Watch Protocol Enabled.” It then listed files and information that was previously hidden. It was heroes guys, from all over, not just Gotham, he has apparently been planning for this for a long time, as per usual.” He then sighed and turned back to the computer and continued “Right now the only thing we can do, is greet them properly, well I will, you guys have enough on your plates respectively.” After a few more minutes of small talk the others left, and Robin went about to set things up for the newcomers.

---

Gotham Hotel and Casino
Present Time
In a dark backroom there stood a lavishly dressed man and across from him sat a thug bound to a chair. The man spoke in a Cajun accent saying “ You see Clarence I realize you are a rarity for a gang member. You are one who has honor, which is certainly a rarity in our business, but most of all you are loyal, not loyal to whoever is stronger or scarier than you, but truly loyal.” The man paused and reached into his pocket and retrieved a coin, before he continued speaking “ You gave your loyalty to one man, “ He then flipped the coin into the air, and it landed in front of Clarence. His eyes widened as he recognized the coin. “ You see, he gave me his blessing, Said he liked my style and fairness. Now will you listen to me?” the thug nodded and the man whispered some things to him. He soon left the back room and made his way to an elaborate showroom of sorts.

The suavely dressed man with an obscure face sat down at a large round table, around which the majority of the Major powers in the Gotham Underworld sat, with their respective henchmen behind them. “ Hello Ladies, Gentlemen, and whatever else you may be, Welcome as cliche as it might sound i invited you all here today to discuss a proposition of sorts. A peace treaty if you would, We will all be stronger together than apart. I propose that we don't make any active moves against each other into another's territory. I am proposing this for survival purposes, we here all control the majority of Gotham's underground, not including the absent Mr. Falcone, who didn't accept my invitation. So gentlemen what is your answer?" He then sat down once more and looked at each of them as he waited.

Wayne Manor

In Wayne Manor, Alfred's twin grandchildren each just out of their teen's were bustling around finishing the final preparations. Today was the day, the guests of their missing employer were scheduled to show up sometime today. Each of them would have a room and their own area in the Batcave, if they so chose to stay here. Besides them there was the young man who went by robin here. He would be introducing the newcomers and screening them, not that Batmans choices were likely to be rejected.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

In the abandoned subway tunnels, beneath the city of Gotham

The tunnels running all throughout the Gotham underground were disgusting. Many of them were partially flooded with stale sewage, which had lain stagnant for years. Other parts were infested with spiders, whose webs could fill up the full tunnel's breadth. The trains had long since stopped running through these ancient tunnels, leaving the smells of the decades come and gone to lay dormant and mingle, providing a very disagreeable smell to invade the nostrils of anyone so daring as to infiltrate the grimy lair. The lights at each station were still on, thankfully. This was apparently common all across America: abandoned subway stations still held electronic activity, and were occasionally inhabited by the homeless because of their seclusion and their electric access, being given free living and shelter in such spaces. It was easy to see why they would choose such a place to live, compared to the crime-filled streets above where no protection from the elements was to be found. The stations were, relatively speaking, safe, secure, and warm, much better than any dank alleyway tucked between shady stores.

Kiu Hua, a vigilante known more popularly as The Flower, walked in these rancid tunnels. She wore a skintight suit which accented her small frame, as well as a pair of long gloves and knee-high boots, all of which offering suitable protection against the elements, and of things like scratches and rough edges, as well as hiding any biological trace of herself that might be dropped off and left behind. The latex of her suit was used not only to achieve the form-fitting feature, but also for its valuable use as a waterproof material, allowing her to wade in water, or even swim, without soaking all the way through. Her hip was double-belted, with a couple of bags hanging from these belts. One of these contained a few lily petals, and even entire flower specimens, while the other contained useful small things. A length of rope was brought for utility purposes, it being easily turned into a climbing tool, and lastly she carried with her a combat knife, which she would grip in the reverse style, allowing for a much easier stabbing motion from up-to-down. This was all complimented by a leather choker, and lastly a half-mask covering the lower half of her face. This offered some protection from the horrid smell of the tunnels, but it could only do so much.

Kiu walked down the tunnels, searching carefully around each corner with a bright flashlight. She had heard many rumors of criminal activity in these tunnels and, as a vigilante, it was her duty to try to put an end to them. She preferred nonlethal combat, and though she was an expert knife-fighter, her preferred method was stealthy use of the choke hold. Walking carefully and softly, making sure no clicks came from the step of her boot, no echoes came from her steady breathing, she advanced slowly but surely. Tonight was a patrol, as activity had died down very recently, but she was prepared for nearly anything just in case. One could never be too careful, this was a lesson learned the hard way many years ago. A lesson that she would never forget, not in her whole life, for it was the key to success. With a small frame and a lack of upper body strength, she learned the value of stealth.

Several years ago, she was very new to the hero business. She would scare off thugs and petty thieves through her display of skill with the knife, and for making herself near untouchable by dodging and redirecting. However, one fateful night, she fell into an ambush. With her usual heroics, she stepped forth to stop a mugger, only for several other men to appear from the darkness. Although she did fight, she soon was overwhelmed and pinioned. Handcuffed and brought to the harbor of Gotham, she was told eye-to-eye that her heroics were not appreciated, and she was dumped into the water after being hit over the head. Finding herself still conscious, she kicked and fought her way back to the surface and onto dry land, although her clothing, consisting of simply a pair of jeans, a black hoodie, and a hockey mask which had been earlier torn off and destroyed, was soaked through and freezing her as she lay bound. With a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill, and some good smashing against rocks and posts, she managed to free herself and ditch her freezing clothing, sneaking back home and rethinking her entire strategy. This fateful day was decisive for the girl, and she had ever since used stealth, and certainly gotten much better at the hero thing as time went on. Now, she was fairly effective at stopping those she came across, usually without being seen, and leaving her trademark lily at the scene of each victory, thus earning her the nickname which she had become famous for: "The Flower".

Noticing a shadow up ahead, she turned off her flashlight. Things were about to get serious. Giving herself a moment to adjust to the dark, with a faint source of light in the distance both ahead and behind, as well as starlight shining through the occasional grate, filling in the rest. Taking careful steps forward, she saw a hulking beast of a man. His skin was wooden, and smelled of rotting flesh with an odor so pungent it immediately overtook the entire tunnel's own disgusting scent. She froze in shock and terror, this being unlike anything she'd seen before. After what felt like eternity, but in reality had been but a fraction of a second, she let out an echoing gasp and dropped her flashlight, although her legs would not let her run. This beast was Solomon Grundy, a man she had heard of only through legend, and one she thought long gone. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

[Lancearc]

Gotham City, the Burnley District
Gotham University
Timothy Drelic

The low murmur of a large classroom filled with students eager, anxious, and downright bored out of their minds was most of what the young man standing at the front of that amphitheater-esque heard, the other being the sound of book bags heavy with the contents of the students' studies being thrown without much care into seats, on the ground, and atop the long wooden desks that spanned the entirety of the semi-circular rows that stretched from the floor, where he stood, slanting upwards towards the back of the room. It was approximately five minutes until he was due to give a near hour-long snoozefest of a seminar on botany, and students of the scientific field as well as Bio majors crowded in to see the renowned expert of the flora from across the world speak at their humble university.

Tim Drelic stood without much interest at the front of the room, though one wouldn't be able to tell from the outward confidence he showed, standing with great posture and a pearly white grin on his face, eyes sparkling, like there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be. Technically it wasn't that he minded being on campus at Gotham, though when he found himself here it was rather what he wanted to be doing that was the problem.

His eyes scanned the numerous faces that entered from the back of the room, but he only really cared for a very specific portion of them. It was odd, to be giving a lecture to young ladies not even three or four years younger than him as if he were some elderly bag of a professor like they were usually used to he assumed. He admired many attractive young faces, smiles, legs, and other...interesting assets as they swayed their way in to prepare, and perhaps a portion of that smile on his face was genuine by then. Look but don't touch mate, we're trying to educate and get paid. he reminded himself sternly, attempting to bring his eyes off of the great many distractions in the crowd at that point. He glanced slightly to the left, and was nearly startled from his shoes to see staring back at him a pair of brown eyes from behind massive, square framed glasses on a smiling face.

Good god get this man away from me. he mentally pleaded with the higher power as he observed the college student, looking down. About three inches shorter than him with those gargantuan stupid glasses, smiling like an absolute geek, a still having some trouble with acne it appeared into his 20's. "Hi there!" he greeted in a friendly tone, perhaps a pleasant one had it not complimented his appearance so perfectly, annoying and someone that Timothy wanted away from him immediately.

"Hi." Timothy greeted as bluntly and with as little enthusiasm as he could, though this failed to deter his number one fan.

"I-I have to say sir it's such an...honor to be able to hear you lecture today. I remember even since I was a a chi--" the annoying little bugger took off like a rocket, and Timothy had to reply quickly to make sure this didn't get out of hand.

"Yeah! Me too, buddy, it's great to be here for minds like you!" he feigned enthusiasm so painfully obviously it probably would've hurt anyone's feelings, but not this little persistent bastard.

The nuisance was about to speak again when another brave group approached the young speaker. Lead by a tall, leggy blonde that was absolutely, almost certainly the captain of the volleyball team he guessed, in slim fitting jeans, and flanked by two redheads that themselves weren't slouches when it came to looks. He smiled widely as they greeted him in the middle of the nuisance's next rambling, "Hello there!" he spoke loudly enough to drown out the student in the glasses.

"Hello, um...this is a weird question but first of all I'm really excited to have you speaking to us today! I'm just encapsulated by the nature, even the science behind it, the colors, the..." she went on, though Timothy was hypnotized watching her smile and how her eyes lit up and her bun bobbing adorably as she spoke, and was only snapped out of this trance when she placed a hand on his shoulder playfully, likely having told some kind of hit of a joke as she pushed him slightly. He laughed heartily, running a hand through his red hair.

"So, Mr. Drelic, would you mind if we got a picture with you? I have some friends who will be so excited to see that I got to meet you!" the blonde girl requested, Timothy quickly nodding his approval.

"Yes, of course! Yeah!" he agreed without any reluctance, bending slightly to fit into the frame of the photo taken on the girl's iPhone, putting up two fingers as the students crowded around him. With the photo taken, they proceeded to their seats and he heard someone begin to introduce him.

Well I suppose it's time to get down to it. Tim sighed inwardly, deflated as he watched, with great...interest, the group of girls turning to him and returning to their seats.

---

When his long lecture was finally concluded, Timothy was exhausted from the lengthy discussions, questions, teaching. The one bright spot was that afterwards one of the redheads had returned to the podium, having had a few questions of her own but being a bit shy to ask in front of everyone, and they'd had a lengthy discussion over the material for about thirty minutes after he'd finished. She had to turn and be on her way, Timothy waving goodbye as if in a daydream, she smiling and waving back as she left the room.

Tim had long since gathered his notes and papers into the briefcase it was required to carry them, straightened his tie, and exited the campus to make his way to his new home in the same district. Outside, it was a bright day, and stepping into the direct rays from their blessed solar chariot, he felt a bit of an extra pep in his step, feeling rejuvenated and fresh.

Despite the fine weather, he wasn't blind to the state of Gotham City, and why he'd come here. The legendary protector was gone, the Dark Knight himself. If ever there were a time, an open window for crime to start a rampage throughout the city, it was now. The city was already on the way down the shitter before Batman had simply disappeared, and now it was declining at an even faster rate. Street crime, organized crime, it didn't matter, each now found a perfect new environment in which to flourish and grow at an alarming rate. The local law enforcement could do little to stop this type of growth, every knew it even if they wished not to admit it.

He'd come at a summons of sorts, though as it turned out the day he arrived was the day and damn near the hour he needed to be prepared to speak at the University, as somehow they'd caught wind themselves of his trip to Gotham City. He compromised that he'd have to make his way to Wayne Manor soon enough, but he needed also to head to the U, speak, perhaps even get some kind of position there, meet some cute ladies...

Of course, he knew he had greater things to take care of in this place. These people weren't safe. He'd had enough bloodshed in his lifetime, and he had to help them if few others would. Those lovely ladies at the seminar, the poor working people, even that annoying little four-eyed nuisance that had spoken to him like he were some kind of prophet. They all deserved a fair chance at safety, at life without worries. He had to provide that for everyone.

[Shadowwell]

In the abandoned subway tunnels, beneath the city of Gotham

The tunnels running all throughout the Gotham underground were disgusting. Many of them were partially flooded with stale sewage, which had lain stagnant for years. Other parts were infested with spiders, whose webs could fill up the full tunnel's breadth. The trains had long since stopped running through these ancient tunnels, leaving the smells of the decades come and gone to lay dormant and mingle, providing a very disagreeable smell to invade the nostrils of anyone so daring as to infiltrate the grimy lair. The lights at each station were still on, thankfully. This was apparently common all across America: abandoned subway stations still held electronic activity, and were occasionally inhabited by the homeless because of their seclusion and their electric access, being given free living and shelter in such spaces. It was easy to see why they would choose such a place to live, compared to the crime-filled streets above where no protection from the elements was to be found. The stations were, relatively speaking, safe, secure, and warm, much better than any dank alleyway tucked between shady stores.

Kiu Hua, a vigilante known more popularly as The Flower, walked in these rancid tunnels. She wore a skintight suit which accented her small frame, as well as a pair of long gloves and knee-high boots, all of which offering suitable protection against the elements, and of things like scratches and rough edges, as well as hiding any biological trace of herself that might be dropped off and left behind. The latex of her suit was used not only to achieve the form-fitting feature, but also for its valuable use as a waterproof material, allowing her to wade in water, or even swim, without soaking all the way through. Her hip was double-belted, with a couple of bags hanging from these belts. One of these contained a few lily petals, and even entire flower specimens, while the other contained useful small things. A length of rope was brought for utility purposes, it being easily turned into a climbing tool, and lastly she carried with her a combat knife, which she would grip in the reverse style, allowing for a much easier stabbing motion from up-to-down. This was all complimented by a leather choker, and lastly a half-mask covering the lower half of her face. This offered some protection from the horrid smell of the tunnels, but it could only do so much.

Kiu walked down the tunnels, searching carefully around each corner with a bright flashlight. She had heard many rumors of criminal activity in these tunnels and, as a vigilante, it was her duty to try to put an end to them. She preferred nonlethal combat, and though she was an expert knife-fighter, her preferred method was stealthy use of the choke hold. Walking carefully and softly, making sure no clicks came from the step of her boot, no echoes came from her steady breathing, she advanced slowly but surely. Tonight was a patrol, as activity had died down very recently, but she was prepared for nearly anything just in case. One could never be too careful, this was a lesson learned the hard way many years ago. A lesson that she would never forget, not in her whole life, for it was the key to success. With a small frame and a lack of upper body strength, she learned the value of stealth.

Several years ago, she was very new to the hero business. She would scare off thugs and petty thieves through her display of skill with the knife, and for making herself near untouchable by dodging and redirecting. However, one fateful night, she fell into an ambush. With her usual heroics, she stepped forth to stop a mugger, only for several other men to appear from the darkness. Although she did fight, she soon was overwhelmed and pinioned. Handcuffed and brought to the harbor of Gotham, she was told eye-to-eye that her heroics were not appreciated, and she was dumped into the water after being hit over the head. Finding herself still conscious, she kicked and fought her way back to the surface and onto dry land, although her clothing, consisting of simply a pair of jeans, a black hoodie, and a hockey mask which had been earlier torn off and destroyed, was soaked through and freezing her as she lay bound. With a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill, and some good smashing against rocks and posts, she managed to free herself and ditch her freezing clothing, sneaking back home and rethinking her entire strategy. This fateful day was decisive for the girl, and she had ever since used stealth, and certainly gotten much better at the hero thing as time went on. Now, she was fairly effective at stopping those she came across, usually without being seen, and leaving her trademark lily at the scene of each victory, thus earning her the nickname which she had become famous for: "The Flower".

Noticing a shadow up ahead, she turned off her flashlight. Things were about to get serious. Giving herself a moment to adjust to the dark, with a faint source of light in the distance both ahead and behind, as well as starlight shining through the occasional grate, filling in the rest. Taking careful steps forward, she saw a hulking beast of a man. His skin was wooden, and smelled of rotting flesh with an odor so pungent it immediately overtook the entire tunnel's own disgusting scent. She froze in shock and terror, this being unlike anything she'd seen before. After what felt like eternity, but in reality had been but a fraction of a second, she let out an echoing gasp and dropped her flashlight, although her legs would not let her run. This beast was Solomon Grundy, a man she had heard of only through legend, and one she thought long gone. Unfortunately, she was wrong.

Grundy had been doing a patrol of this set of tunnels. Rarely does he venture this close to the outside, his appearance was too catching. He was tending to some of the plants that served as an early warning system, when he noticed something. The plant was telling him something, when he heard something drop behind. He also felt something, if it had a scent it would be pungent and acrid, it was a feeling he was familiar with, fear. He turned around and noticed a woman in skintight clothing looking at him and shaking. He stretched to his full height that seemed to fill the tunnel they were in, while limiting the odor he gave off, and asked carefully " What are you doing down here little one?" As he spoke his deep raspy voice seemed to echo off the walls.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

-snip-

Kiu soon stepped back, just a bit. What is this monster? She asked herself this question, among many others, while considering possible routes of escape. The beast known as Solomon Grundy was one of the most terrifying things she'd ever seen. Kiu had come face-to-face with armed thugs, she had survived drowning, she had been kidnapped by gang leaders, had mutilation threatened against her, had to hide from Chinese policemen, and even stared into the face of mad doctors as they put her under extreme stress, but never had she known horror like this. Strangely enough, the beast lowered its scent and tried to talk with her civilly. Repressing a scream, she opened pulled her mask down and tried to offer an explanation for why she was here. The mask, of course, making it just a bit harder for her to be understood. She mostly did it because she needed the extra breathing space.

"I-I uh..." she tried to speak, and after uttering a few vague curses to herself, "I-I am here to patrol the underground..." she stated briefly, "There were reports of..." she took a deep breath, "Activity here, and I wanted to see what was happening, and why it stopped." At this point, she winced as if expecting to be assaulted on the spot.

[Shadowwell]

-snip-

Kiu soon stepped back, just a bit. What is this monster? She asked herself this question, among many others, while considering possible routes of escape. The beast known as Solomon Grundy was one of the most terrifying things she'd ever seen. Kiu had come face-to-face with armed thugs, she had survived drowning, she had been kidnapped by gang leaders, had mutilation threatened against her, had to hide from Chinese policemen, and even stared into the face of mad doctors as they put her under extreme stress, but never had she known horror like this. Strangely enough, the beast lowered its scent and tried to talk with her civilly. Repressing a scream, she opened pulled her mask down and tried to offer an explanation for why she was here. The mask, of course, making it just a bit harder for her to be understood. She mostly did it because she needed the extra breathing space.

"I-I uh..." she tried to speak, and after uttering a few vague curses to herself, "I-I am here to patrol the underground..." she stated briefly, "There were reports of..." she took a deep breath, "Activity here, and I wanted to see what was happening, and why it stopped." At this point, she winced as if expecting to be assaulted on the spot.

At her reaction he sighed, thuogh it sounded more like a growl, and said " Unless you mean to harm those under my care, you have no need to fear me child." He turned back to the plant and held a hand over it, as a green glow enveloped his hand and nourished the flower. He continued speaking with his back turned " That is why most of the activity down here stopped, I refused to allow them to take advantage of those who cannot even find a place in the Narrows or The Bowery. As soon as you finish you should leave, not all of the denizens are easily controlled or as kind as i am."

[Altito Asmoro]

Casper's
Diamond District
Lars Valentino

There are many, many guests. Lars was there, but rested on the bed. With prescriptions of aspirin, medicines, and perhaps a bottle of tequilla, which might be a counter-medicine to his current health condition, after an airline crashed into the sea. There's already news about that, but as for his attentions right now is the fact that he has the ways to reform his old ways. The Blue ring, similar with the one Green Lantern has, may be the final solution and the answer to his problem. His restaurant was an illegal investment, but his Gotham branch was designed with "retirement" on the future so no backing of crime, although he still remembered he did put few works with what left of Falcone in Gotham, particularly a money laundering business on it.

Few bribes to cops did paid them off from the needed attentions for his business. Thankfully, no attentions from them is quite enough. Now, he needs rest first, and deals with his problems later, perhaps tomorrow.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

snippy

"Do...do you mean to say this place is a shelter?" She questioned, "I knew that some people lived in these tunnels, but...do you have a full thing going on here?" Kiu seemed more than a bit shocked, having expected to enter combat by now. Her knowledge of Solomon Grundy was, admittedly, not particularly strong. After all, she only knew the legend: a bog body brought back to life through unholy means, a creature she'd been told many times over was more monster than man, someone she'd been warned was aggressive, evil, and overall meant harm to the world. Was this, somehow, a misinterpretation? Had the legend been wrong? This night had gone from horrifying and dangerous to just plain confusing in a matter of seconds, but it was, perhaps, better than the alternative.

[Eraus]

Aaron had been drinking heavily the night before and he remember that he had to go to Wayne Manor. Bat's been gone, If they expect me to play nice they got another thing coming He said as he got dressed in a grey suit and Vest. As he looked at himself in the Mirror he could help but thing that Gotham would need a man like him, A man who willing to Kill to make sure his city doesn't fall farther into the gutter than it already has. Aaron walked over to his room and got out his whiskey bottle and began to walk towards the walk. "Open" He said which cause the wall to suddenly split in half. Aaron went into the secret elevator and as the Wall closed the Elevator sent him downward.

Alright, I should bring my armor incase this becomes a shit show. He thought as he started to put parts of his armor into his Black SUV. " I got Whiskey, Armor, My Amulet..... What else do I need" He said thinking. " I might need a few more bottles, He said as he grabbed a bottle of vodka and another whiskey. "And Off to Wayne Manor" He said to himself as he got into the SUV and opened his phone and after a few minutes he opened an app which caused the lifter below the car to lift up and then entered his Personal Garage.

As Aaron began to pull out on the Street ha paused and looked around. "Gotham, Where the Good go to die" He said with a saddened tone. He turned on a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8XIgR5OGJc

and started his drive to Wayne Manor.

[Virshia]

Gotham City, the Burnley District
Gotham University
Timothy Drelic

The low murmur of a large classroom filled with students eager, anxious, and downright bored out of their minds was most of what the young man standing at the front of that amphitheater-esque heard, the other being the sound of book bags heavy with the contents of the students' studies being thrown without much care into seats, on the ground, and atop the long wooden desks that spanned the entirety of the semi-circular rows that stretched from the floor, where he stood, slanting upwards towards the back of the room. It was approximately five minutes until he was due to give a near hour-long snoozefest of a seminar on botany, and students of the scientific field as well as Bio majors crowded in to see the renowned expert of the flora from across the world speak at their humble university.

Tim Drelic stood without much interest at the front of the room, though one wouldn't be able to tell from the outward confidence he showed, standing with great posture and a pearly white grin on his face, eyes sparkling, like there was nowhere else in the world he'd rather be. Technically it wasn't that he minded being on campus at Gotham, though when he found himself here it was rather what he wanted to be doing that was the problem.

His eyes scanned the numerous faces that entered from the back of the room, but he only really cared for a very specific portion of them. It was odd, to be giving a lecture to young ladies not even three or four years younger than him as if he were some elderly bag of a professor like they were usually used to he assumed. He admired many attractive young faces, smiles, legs, and other...interesting assets as they swayed their way in to prepare, and perhaps a portion of that smile on his face was genuine by then. Look but don't touch mate, we're trying to educate and get paid. he reminded himself sternly, attempting to bring his eyes off of the great many distractions in the crowd at that point. He glanced slightly to the left, and was nearly startled from his shoes to see staring back at him a pair of brown eyes from behind massive, square framed glasses on a smiling face.

Good god get this man away from me. he mentally pleaded with the higher power as he observed the college student, looking down. About three inches shorter than him with those gargantuan stupid glasses, smiling like an absolute geek, a still having some trouble with acne it appeared into his 20's. "Hi there!" he greeted in a friendly tone, perhaps a pleasant one had it not complimented his appearance so perfectly, annoying and someone that Timothy wanted away from him immediately.

"Hi." Timothy greeted as bluntly and with as little enthusiasm as he could, though this failed to deter his number one fan.

"I-I have to say sir it's such an...honor to be able to hear you lecture today. I remember even since I was a a chi--" the annoying little bugger took off like a rocket, and Timothy had to reply quickly to make sure this didn't get out of hand.

"Yeah! Me too, buddy, it's great to be here for minds like you!" he feigned enthusiasm so painfully obviously it probably would've hurt anyone's feelings, but not this little persistent bastard.

The nuisance was about to speak again when another brave group approached the young speaker. Lead by a tall, leggy blonde that was absolutely, almost certainly the captain of the volleyball team he guessed, in slim fitting jeans, and flanked by two redheads that themselves weren't slouches when it came to looks. He smiled widely as they greeted him in the middle of the nuisance's next rambling, "Hello there!" he spoke loudly enough to drown out the student in the glasses.

"Hello, um...this is a weird question but first of all I'm really excited to have you speaking to us today! I'm just encapsulated by the nature, even the science behind it, the colors, the..." she went on, though Timothy was hypnotized watching her smile and how her eyes lit up and her bun bobbing adorably as she spoke, and was only snapped out of this trance when she placed a hand on his shoulder playfully, likely having told some kind of hit of a joke as she pushed him slightly. He laughed heartily, running a hand through his red hair.

"So, Mr. Drelic, would you mind if we got a picture with you? I have some friends who will be so excited to see that I got to meet you!" the blonde girl requested, Timothy quickly nodding his approval.

"Yes, of course! Yeah!" he agreed without any reluctance, bending slightly to fit into the frame of the photo taken on the girl's iPhone, putting up two fingers as the students crowded around him. With the photo taken, they proceeded to their seats and he heard someone begin to introduce him.

Well I suppose it's time to get down to it. Tim sighed inwardly, deflated as he watched, with great...interest, the group of girls turning to him and returning to their seats.

---

When his long lecture was finally concluded, Timothy was exhausted from the lengthy discussions, questions, teaching. The one bright spot was that afterwards one of the redheads had returned to the podium, having had a few questions of her own but being a bit shy to ask in front of everyone, and they'd had a lengthy discussion over the material for about thirty minutes after he'd finished. She had to turn and be on her way, Timothy waving goodbye as if in a daydream, she smiling and waving back as she left the room.

Tim had long since gathered his notes and papers into the briefcase it was required to carry them, straightened his tie, and exited the campus to make his way to his new home in the same district. Outside, it was a bright day, and stepping into the direct rays from their blessed solar chariot, he felt a bit of an extra pep in his step, feeling rejuvenated and fresh.

Despite the fine weather, he wasn't blind to the state of Gotham City, and why he'd come here. The legendary protector was gone, the Dark Knight himself. If ever there were a time, an open window for crime to start a rampage throughout the city, it was now. The city was already on the way down the shitter before Batman had simply disappeared, and now it was declining at an even faster rate. Street crime, organized crime, it didn't matter, each now found a perfect new environment in which to flourish and grow at an alarming rate. The local law enforcement could do little to stop this type of growth, every knew it even if they wished not to admit it.

He'd come at a summons of sorts, though as it turned out the day he arrived was the day and damn near the hour he needed to be prepared to speak at the University, as somehow they'd caught wind themselves of his trip to Gotham City. He compromised that he'd have to make his way to Wayne Manor soon enough, but he needed also to head to the U, speak, perhaps even get some kind of position there, meet some cute ladies...

Of course, he knew he had greater things to take care of in this place. These people weren't safe. He'd had enough bloodshed in his lifetime, and he had to help them if few others would. Those lovely ladies at the seminar, the poor working people, even that annoying little four-eyed nuisance that had spoken to him like he were some kind of prophet. They all deserved a fair chance at safety, at life without worries. He had to provide that for everyone.

Nearby, a very pale girl took notice of his presence, and giggled to herself. Cordelia Rose had waited a long time to confront this man, and she was relishing killing him. Her dead sister demanded that. She tailed him throughout the day, waiting for him to head to an Isolated spot before she made her move. She had powers similar to him, with the addition of an M2 Flamethrower designed to incinerate him. After a while, she ascertained where he would be going, and made plans to ambush him. She spent the rest of the day gearing herself up for this vendetta, and at night she was to be found on the road to Wayne Manor, hiding near the side of the road and awaiting his arrival.

[The Flutterlands]

Gotham Hotel and Casino
Present Time
In a dark backroom there stood a lavishly dressed man and across from him sat a thug bound to a chair. The man spoke in a Cajun accent saying “ You see Clarence I realize you are a rarity for a gang member. You are one who has honor, which is certainly a rarity in our business, but most of all you are loyal, not loyal to whoever is stronger or scarier than you, but truly loyal.” The man paused and reached into his pocket and retrieved a coin, before he continued speaking “ You gave your loyalty to one man, “ He then flipped the coin into the air, and it landed in front of Clarence. His eyes widened as he recognized the coin. “ You see, he gave me his blessing, Said he liked my style and fairness. Now will you listen to me?” the thug nodded and the man whispered some things to him. He soon left the back room and made his way to an elaborate showroom of sorts.

The suavely dressed man with an obscure face sat down at a large round table, around which the majority of the Major powers in the Gotham Underworld sat, with their respective henchmen behind them. “ Hello Ladies, Gentlemen, and whatever else you may be, Welcome as cliche as it might sound i invited you all here today to discuss a proposition of sorts. A peace treaty if you would, We will all be stronger together than apart. I propose that we don't make any active moves against each other into another's territory. I am proposing this for survival purposes, we here all control the majority of Gotham's underground, not including the absent Mr. Falcone, who didn't accept my invitation. So gentlemen what is your answer?" He then sat down once more and looked at each of them as he waited.

Scarecrow

Jonathan Crane, also known as The Scarecrow, was sitting in the corner watching the obscure man talk about unity amongs the crime families and organisations. Scarecrow could care less though. His only care was fear and he was quite tempted to unleash his fear gas upon everyone in this room. However, Scarecrow knew that his boss wouldn't like that, but he knew that the time will come soon. Soon the whole of Gotham shall become panic-stricken in fear and the whole city will fall into chaos and pandemonium.

Scarecrow crackled before standing up. "Falcone has accepted your invitation, sir." he said with a terrifying glee, "Unfortunately, though, he couldn't make it to this meeting having business elsewhere. So he sent me, The Scarecrow, to be his stand-in. Falcone wishes me to inform you all, that he has accepted the peace treaty."

[Shadowwell]

snippy

"Do...do you mean to say this place is a shelter?" She questioned, "I knew that some people lived in these tunnels, but...do you have a full thing going on here?" Kiu seemed more than a bit shocked, having expected to enter combat by now. Her knowledge of Solomon Grundy was, admittedly, not particularly strong. After all, she only knew the legend: a bog body brought back to life through unholy means, a creature she'd been told many times over was more monster than man, someone she'd been warned was aggressive, evil, and overall meant harm to the world. Was this, somehow, a misinterpretation? Had the legend been wrong? This night had gone from horrifying and dangerous to just plain confusing in a matter of seconds, but it was, perhaps, better than the alternative.

"It can be for those that need it, I know you are curious as to why i am so different. Lets just say I am atoning for my sins, as great as they are. This city, as horrible as it is to its people, has given me purpose." He was speaking calmly to her, as he could sense she was no enemy, though that didn't mean anything, he had been betrayed before, so long ago. It was how he turned into the monster he is know, as he thought of the past, his body quaked with repressed rage, and he had to fight the urge to destroy, it had become and increasingly common thing for him.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

snop

The young woman seemed to be starting to legitimately calm down, glad, perhaps, that the rumors she had heard were far from true. She reached into one of her pouches and procured a well-preserved lily, a simple flower, and looked at it for a moment. She was about to hand it over, her trademark, her signature, when the hulking creature began to quake, repressing a baseline instinct. Acting quickly, almost instinctual in her own motions as much as rage was in Solomon, she leapt back a few feet and withdrew a knife. She felt her heart beat fast once more, her stance changing in preparation for combat. She knew, in her rational mind, that she stood no chance against this thing, but the fight response, her pretending she was fighting an opponent of flesh and bone, of equal or lesser footing than she, it made her feel much safer despite the circumstance.

[Shadowwell]

snop

The young woman seemed to be starting to legitimately calm down, glad, perhaps, that the rumors she had heard were far from true. She reached into one of her pouches and procured a well-preserved lily, a simple flower, and looked at it for a moment. She was about to hand it over, her trademark, her signature, when the hulking creature began to quake, repressing a baseline instinct. Acting quickly, almost instinctual in her own motions as much as rage was in Solomon, she leapt back a few feet and withdrew a knife. She felt her heart beat fast once more, her stance changing in preparation for combat. She knew, in her rational mind, that she stood no chance against this thing, but the fight response, her pretending she was fighting an opponent of flesh and bone, of equal or lesser footing than she, it made her feel much safer despite the circumstance.

He sensed her beating heart, and the plant in her hand, he realised he was scaring her, and he started to calm down, then he heard something. It was faint, but sounded like stone grating against metal, there was also a scent in the air, and a primal aura. Grundy turned down the tunnel away from Kiu and looked carefully. He then spoke calmly saying " Now is the time to run Little Flower." As he spoke a sound akin to claws scraping stone and metal could be heard as a hulking form, as large as Grundy, larger even was illuminated by the light coming through the grates. The pure animalistic rage and hunger could nearly be felt by a normal being, let alone Grundy who was attuned to such things. He knew what had drawn Croc here, the scent of fresh flesh, He didn't wander the True Underground, or harm the people as they carried Grundy's scent with them, this new human didn't.

Croc roared, a sound more akin to a T-Rex than any noise one of his namesake would make, and rushed towards the human, who was frozen in fear. Suddenly The massive form was flung backwards as one of Grundy's massive arms intercepted him and sent him flying into one of the side walls, causing the tunnel to shudder. It had little true effect on the other monster though, Croc got up shook itself of then ran towards Grundy, snarling and slashed an arm with his claws. They tore through the arm, like a knife through butter, causing Grundy to bleed his strange blood reminiscent of tree sap, though his arm reformed shortly after the damage was done. Grundy used his good arma nd sent Croc flying to the far wall, that had the plants. As Croc picked himself up again, the plants started to wind around him, though he was able to shake them off quickly enough.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

-snip-

Regaining her composure after being told to run, her name, or at least her alias, being used directly, she shook her head and pulled the mask back over her face. This was not to hide her identity now, per se, but in preparation for what she was about to do. Reaching into her second pouch, which contained various small bits that could, with the right context, be useful, she procured a small section of pipe and a fistful of phosphate match-heads. She dumped them into the pipe, sealed at one end, and crammed a cork in the other end just as Croc began to charge Solomon. As the tree sap hit the bottom of the tunnel, she used a full match to ignite the cork, throwing it at Croc, and then running away as fast as she could. While she had never intended to use such a weapon against a living thing, instead using it for distraction, blowing out windows, destroying locks, or other such uses, this seemed as good a time as any.

Kiu ran and ran. She heard, echoing behind her, the detonation of her small-scale pipe bomb, a bright flash of white phosphorus shining throughout the tunnel and illuminating the path she ran. She had hoped that the mixture of explosion, chemical burns, and temporary blindness from the flash would keep Croc at bay, perhaps even giving Solomon the time he needed to make a decisive move. She did not know what Solomon felt in his heart for the beast, if he even felt anything, but she did not care. So long as she was fine, and she hoped Solomon would be just as fine, she found the courage to run away with all her heart. When one's life is in danger, it provides an incredible boost to energy. She did not stop until she was safely outside of all the tunnels, at which point she took of her mask and took a good few deep breaths, leaning against a wall, and trying to figure out what happens next.

She looked around, a bit dazed, as her eyes readjusted to the light of the world around her. Having emerged from an abandoned subway station, the area of town she was in was very sparsely populated, the streets being almost entirely clear. A convenient cover, she slipped into a dark alley to consider her options. Now, with her eyes properly adjusted, she saw that the sun was beginning to set. Remembering she had an important meeting to get to, just near where she lived, as compared to where she told everyone she lived, she began to head home, using whatever alleys and shadows could prevent her from being seen, and which would avoid the crowded streets of the city center.

After a little bit more time walking, she found her way home. Ditching her suit and all its associated wonders, she began to change into some more formal. Stylish, but formal, rather than going pure business. The base of this all was a black leather dress, which would reach down to mid-calf, with a slit up the side of the skirt going to just above the knee. Through this slit could be seen a tall pair of fabric boots. Finishing off the bulk of the outfit would be a pair of lace gloves. As an added accent, and for the warmth it would provide in the cold city of Gotham, she donned a denim jacket as a finisher. Thus, she was dressed. Grabbing a purse, and tucking her combat knife into it, she felt suitably ready to go out and go to the meeting.

Thus, now prepared and with a safety weapon, she went on her way to Wayne Manor to find out just why exactly she had been summoned.

[Lancearc]

Gotham City, Burnley District
Tim Drelic

Timothy had long since returned to his humble abode in the Burnley District, a small but comfortable and modern apartment that was quite enough for the budding Botany professor at Gotham University to make his home in. The young man didn't waste any time in discarding a briefcase full of useless notes and charts that he had seen and understood well enough to recite them from memory by now. It simply appeared that he had a natural inclination towards Botany, and why not! As a child Timothy despised the outdoors for all the pollen, the bugs, the seething summer time temperatures. Now he was a part of that, so he'd learned to like it well enough. He loved the feeling of the sun now, insects still grossed him out to no end but pollen didn't even bother him anymore.

Tim found that showering was almost an unmatched pleasure as well. A hot shower, feeling the water pouring over him and seeping into his skin, it made him feel just as refreshed as a burst of sunlight, and for this he was eternally grateful to this twisted fuckers at Eden for making something already so great just that extra bit better.

Eden. The word itself was enough to make him want to gag. As he ran shampoo covered hands through his thick red mop, it sickened him to think of. Most concerning was that he'd been well aware of a recent acquisition of property in Gotham City. They intended to take advantage of the situation in the current shit hole metropolis that Gotham was, to somehow find an under the table way to expand their secret empire even further. Just another reason I have to be here. he shrugged in thought as he turned off the shower head, stepping over the edge of the tub and quickly finding a towel.

God, I bet they fucking despise me. Timothy thought, chuckling, finding such joy in the fact that he was a constant thorn in the side of their absurd schemes. Some poor fool sitting behind a desk was probably taking orders directly from the top, 'Why haven't we found him! What's taking so long! Fetch me another coffee, Steven!' he imagined some red faced supervisor shouting at the top of his lungs at some stressed worker in his little cubicle. Of course Eden was far more treacherous, he certainly could imagine them all laughing evilly as they threw that poor cubicle worker into a pit of snakes.

After he was dry enough Tim just resolved to change back into the same suit he'd worn to give his seminar. It wasn't too dirty, and he'd done next to nothing in it really. On top of that, he couldn't be bothered to go out for a new one.

---

Heading To Wayne Manor

"I'm just saying, not very often many people head out this way, just curious is all." the overweight taxi driver in the front seat continued futilely to have some semblance of conversation with the redheaded man sitting behind him, who had a look of pure exasperation etched into his facial features.

"I'm just saying, not very often I've wanted to jump out of a moving car." Timothy answered with a frown, before deciding he'd had enough. "This will be quite fine thank you, I'll enjoy a little walk I think." he insisted, the cab he rode in pulling off to the side of the road slowly. He opened the door, stepping out and paying the fat man for the ride before the cab pulled away, leaving him with a relatively short distance to go. He never minded a solitary walk, it gave him time to think. Was he overly late for this little rendezvous? What was the actual meaning of it? Not that it was difficult to guess, a little clarity would go a long way however. Would there be snacks? The important questions came flooding to him.

Maybe I'll be made great high Lord Drelic, true heir to Wayne Manor. he supposed hopefully as he carried on. The manor wasn't yet within sight of the eye, but he didn't at all regret getting out of that fucking cab. A stroll was always enjoyable, after all.

[Virshia]

Cordelia had waited in the bushes, waiting for him to arrive,She had figured out where he would be going by following him all day, and had ran to the path to ambush him. Even now, she could hear him approaching. Checking to make sure that the plants would respond to her, she stepped out into the middle of the road. She had waited for this moment for 10 years. It was this man who had killed her sister and nearly killed her, seemingly without a care in the world. That's what the Eden scientists told her, anyway. He walked past her, unaware of her presence. She smiled and silently walked out from the bushes, walking in step behind him as vines slithered from her arm, ready to pounce on him...

[Lancearc]

Wayne Manor

What an unbelievable fucking nightmare.

Relaxed as he was during his stroll to his destination, Tim just couldn't get his mind off of that fat bastard that had taken him this far. 'Oi, how ya doin' gov'na?' he recalled the man's initial attempts at humor upon taking note of the actually quite slight accent that Timothy spoke with, making him appear as if he were some kind of rough peasant living in the streets of medieval England, wallowing about in his own shit and eating stale bread and letting leeches suck his blood because he thought it would remove the sickness from his body. Fucking overweight twat, god I'm not going to take another cab anywhere in this place again. He continued this mental bashing of the obese taxi driver, even as he arrived at Wayne Manor. An impressive and quite beautiful estate, a place for the wealthiest men he could imagine.

He approached the door, but he quickly realized he wasn't the only guest that day. Dressed in a tight black dress that showed off a lot, and nothing much else did he really notice about the outfit. He had no choice, he had to put on his widest grin and introduce himself to this slight of frame yet incredibly fit mysterious stranger. He cleared this throat as he approached. "Excuse me Miss, I was invited here for the art showing but I had no idea that it had already begun!" was what he chose to start off with. To anyone else this may have been either a painful line or incredibly sweet, but to him it was almost routine programming. "I always was a fan of...sculpture." he finished before introducing himself.

"Timothy Drelic, peruser of only the finest art in the world, I believe you fall into my area of expertise."

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

snippy

Kiu looked at the man, and grinned. It was not a coy grin, nor was it that of someone genuinely interested and pleased, but instead one of amusement. She did not find his pickup line particularly effective, but it most certainly was creative. That was about as much she could say, or rather think, about it as he continued with another line or two about her own beauty. While she did find it rather flattering, she figured a proper introduction was in order if she was to be spending the evening with this man. He had an English accent, which she thought was rather strange, as the closest thing America usually had were those from Boston, but they did not pull off the accent very well. This was, in the least, something she could share with the flirtatious man, this purveyor of fine women: they were both foreigners in this strange, cold land.

"Kiu Hua." She responded, "Daughter of Yao Hua, wealthy Hong Kong businessman. He works in Western goods, mostly. I'm a local tycoon, an expert knife fighter, and I was invited here with probably the same invitation you got." She stated blankly, starting to button up her jacket. "At least, presumably. I wasn't told anything about an art gallery, but hey." She laughed, "I've yet to see any art either, so go figure."

[Eraus]

Wayne Manor

Aaron had finally spotted the Wayne Manor, He pulled up and Parked his SUV. He didn't really read the invitation they had given him but he assumed this would be a party. He took two bottles of whiskey in with him leaving the last one on the passenger seat. He then buttoned up his Vest and walked in through the front door. He Spotted two people he assumed were a couple and started to approach them. He couldn't help but notice the Dress the woman was wearing.

That Dress is Nice, I like the Denim Jacket aswell He thought to himself

"I'm Aaron Blacken" He said with a Smile. "So, Does anybody know what we are doing here? cause I just assumed this was a Party" He said looking around. "I brought a Bottle of Whiskey for the People to drink." Aaron said offering it to either of them while still holding the other one in his left hand.

[Lancearc]

Timothy listened to the Oriental woman's introduction while holding his friendly grin, revealing that she wasn't native, or at least he wouldn't imagine so given that she stated that her father was a 'businessman' from Hong Kong. She made quite certain that he heard the bits about her being a fantastic knife fighter and that her father worked in what she vaguely described as western goods, though he understood this quite well. Whilst she spoke, Tim had began the growth of a vine down his right arm, hidden within the sleeve of the suit he wore. Her parting shot about the lack of art went straight to his very soul but, of course, it wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

"Well I suppose certain pieces simply aren't worthy of being displayed with certain others." was his simple reply, smiling slightly as he kept a steady gaze on her from beneath his fiery mane. "I suppose I'd better get on your good side, if your father truly has conn--" he began, gasping as if it surprised him when the vine that had been creeping down his arm revealed itself. On the end, a beautifully blossomed flower, a China rose. "How absentminded of me." he feigned a bit of embarrassment, plucking the blossom from its tendril as the stem retreated into his suit sleeves.

"How fitting." he said as he held up the flower as if comparing it against her facial features. "Rosa Chinensis. Quite a beautiful thing, a common city flower from your home?" he questioned rhetorically with a grin, bowing slightly towards her. "I've no use for it now, perhaps, a flower for a flower?" he tried once more, persistent at the very least.

Another man had approached, introducing himself as Aaron Blacken and offering a bottle of whiskey to the both of them. He only offered a returned glance. "If I were to drink it wouldn't be that backwash, I'm afraid." he replied with a slight grin. "Timothy Drelic, welcome."

[Eraus]

"Listen here, I don't know who you think you are... Mister I shit Flowers out ma hand" Aaron said as he gave him an are you serious face. " Now I assume your not from Gotham, So I'll give your some advise don't start shit with people you don't know.... cause they will show you what we call a Gotham good time." Aaron said that last part with a chuckle.

"Anyway, Ma'am the Whiskey Offer sounds about right....Seeing as this man is a douche I'll start my drinking sooner than I though." Aaron said as he started to drink from his bottle. "Also Ma'am I really like that Jacket and those Gloves."

[Lancearc]

Timothy simply maintained his civil grin as the apparently local man carried on. "I shudder in my very shoes at the threats of a drunk." he stated simply with a bit of a mocking nod towards the man as he moved to drink from the bottle in his hands. His father had been a drinker, true to the old cliche of the abusive drunken husband. It was often that this was the reason his mother allowed Tim to stay far away from their home and over at friends' houses when it was possible, so that each of them might not have to undergo that type of night and endure the punishment of the heavily drinking man.

"I'm afraid I made my decision between turning to a drunkard and making this place safer some time ago." he finished, though the mocking, sarcastic grin was by then gone, replaced in favor of solemnity and a bit of a regretful, sorrowful shimmer in his eyes.

[The Ik Ka Ek Akai]

Kiu smiled, a real smile this time, if perhaps with a bit of a smug undertone at how her rose-based neighbor had been talked to. It was amusing, really, to see the two fight right in front of her. She had no worries about her situation, and knew that the two would almost certainly get out just fine if a scuffle did commence. Thus, watching the discourse between the two was a simple time of good amusement, and that was truly something that Kiu could appreciate. She especially loved the concept of the red-haired man defecating floral specimens out of his hands, finding it a strangely accurate phrasing, if a bit gross, but also humorous and enjoyable. The stranger, Aaron as he had dubbed himself, took a swig of whiskey to dull the mental pain he suffered being in the presence of a flirtatious Brit, and then complimented her clothing, but instead the more outer layers of it, rather than taking a nice look at her chest.

"Thank you, Mr. Blacken. The name's Kiu Hua. Nice to meet you." With this statement, she looked back to Timothy, the Sad Plant, and noticed that he had changed his expression and mannerisms significantly since the last time she so much as glanced over. It was a bit surprising, perhaps a bit unnerving. She did not know particularly what upset him, but she had a feeling that she would not be left in the dark too long.

Coughing to get attention, she tried to break the tension, "So, what are you both really here for?"

[Lancearc]

"To help."

Timothy's answered was plain, as blunt as it could be made. He'd, with great effort, torn his gaze away from the man and his daytime drinking without restraint, straight from the neck of the bottle in his hand. It was almost a spitting image of the father that had beaten his mother regularly, that had hated him his entire life and put him on trial for being the offspring of another man relentlessly, that had hardly spoken a word to him but had very often let him know exactly how he felt. That man that had sold his wife's son to some group of evil doers, putting him through the experiments, the solitude, the imprisonment, and fear, terror, absolute horror that grew quite swiftly from either being locked in a dark, small cell or under anesthesia on an operating table for months. I'm going to kill that man. was a thought that sprang to his mind, but he quickly pushed it out. He resolved to quietly wait for someone to see them into the manner, staring at the front door with his eyes occasionally taking larger glances of the structure. It was clear that he was no longer the first impressions version of the man that the woman, who'd introduced himself as Kiu, had met just minutes before, however.