Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Swith Witherward]

"Well it's not so much stabbing of the back. It's more of giving you a bad deal and heading out before you could say W-T-F. Though I am sure he could still kill the bastard. I do not know. All I know about the guy is rumors and old tales." He then sighed and continued on. "I came across this video before I left. I have been meaning to show you, but I didn't want to show too soon until I was sure it was the being I think it might be."

"I see." Charumati rested her head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. She said nothing for a while and could have been asleep... or dead, since she didn't make the same efforts Swith did to blend in... and then she clucked her tongue.

"Come with me. Or stay here. I have a gathering to attend."

[Germanic Templars]

"Well it's not so much stabbing of the back. It's more of giving you a bad deal and heading out before you could say W-T-F. Though I am sure he could still kill the bastard. I do not know. All I know about the guy is rumors and old tales." He then sighed and continued on. "I came across this video before I left. I have been meaning to show you, but I didn't want to show too soon until I was sure it was the being I think it might be."

"I see." Charumati rested her head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. She said nothing for a while and could have been asleep... or dead, since she didn't make the same efforts Swith did to blend in... and then she clucked her tongue.

"Come with me. Or stay here. I have a gathering to attend."

"Coming with.. Assuming we are teleporting there, of course. Right?" Levi asked with a smile. Was bad enough he was insane, but he was also known to act like a parasite and try and live off others for free stuff from time to time.

[Swith Witherward]

"Coming with.. Assuming we are teleporting there, of course. Right?" Levi asked with a smile. Was bad enough he was insane, but he was also known to act like a parasite and try and live off others for free stuff from time to time.

"Levi, it's a two minute walk."

Charumati shook her head and called for the twins. They came out of their room, a bit red eyed and miserable looking, and she shooed them and Levi out the door. "The raptors are hosting some event," she explain to Levi as they crossed the narrow bridge in the lagoon. "You might as well show up in Thriller's stead. After all, Thriller and NVE used to spend hours running the halls."

[The BranRiech]

"As real as I can tell. If they are Human, which I doubt they are, I could never tell. They're real." Bran shook his head, chuckling at the same time. In all the time he'd known them, he had seen them in human forms, and had seen them hating every minute of it.

"Yeah, I mean, you can ask them too."

[Germanic Templars]

"Coming with.. Assuming we are teleporting there, of course. Right?" Levi asked with a smile. Was bad enough he was insane, but he was also known to act like a parasite and try and live off others for free stuff from time to time.

"Levi, it's a two minute walk."

Charumati shook her head and called for the twins. They came out of their room, a bit red eyed and miserable looking, and she shooed them and Levi out the door. "The raptors are hosting some event," she explain to Levi as they crossed the narrow bridge in the lagoon. "You might as well show up in Thriller's stead. After all, Thriller and NVE used to spend hours running the halls."

"Yes and if I remember one instance, Thriller killed either Gretta or NVE, but at the same time, he got killed as well. Heh, was talking shit like always. It's funny though, Thriller never hated them even though they had a dislike towards him. Ah well, that's the past now and everything is just fine."

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

"Oh, thanks, um....Neil."

'Yay, I know a raptor on a first-name basis!", She thought excitedly. "Even here, though, time is relevant to me. Christmas time is soon, and I wanna ask some of the adults about having my most favorite family member ever over, and I gotta do it fast, but for now? Tea."

She bowed every so slightly to Neil, then gratefully took her cup of tea and blew a few times to cool it down.

"Isn't is wonderful when we all get together?" Neil said with a chuckle. "So, who do you want to bring in?" Gretta inquired.

Arthur sat in one of the more distant seats looking for Chrys, Insidious, and Ray. He had to speak with each about various things from business, to personal, and back to business.

"You know," Caroline said as she sat down, "How many times in a person's life to they actually see a real Velociraptor walking down the street? Maybe we should act a bit shell shocked by it?" She was speaking very softly so only he could hear.

Her cup seemed to have coffee in it as well. She sampled it and detected nothing amiss other than it not being as robust as Tina's brew. She looked the guests over, recognizing some while also seeing new faces. She and Jonathan were outside the clique thanks to their new identities. Breaking into it might prove to be a challenge.

"Quite right." he whispered back in agreement.

Looking across the table he spotted Bran talking. "Are our hosts really dinosaurs?" Jonathan asked with false but convincing surprise.

[Torsiedelle]

Who did Torii want to bring in? To her, it seemed obvious, a family member, but she had many of those; no, it was the only family member she cared about. "I want my father.", She said bluntly. "I never got to have a nice Christmas time with him, and I wanna make a tree, and read stories from his bible, and play our guitars on Christmas, and all that sentimental stuff together. I'd think it to be a good idea, really. Besides, my sister could use some father-daughter time, too, ya know?"

She sipped her tea to make sure it was good. Not too hot, not too cold, just sweet enough to have a little bitterness, she liked it. When would more people be here? She thought she spotted Giovenith, and the other adults who she didn't really know well, but remembered from home. They knew Neil longer than she did, so they were more the guests of honour, in her opinion. She was just some teenager they rarely ever saw, but she still felt that they had some acquaintance. At the least, she knew them well enough to not be eaten or turned into something, should they one day be the enemy again, something that relieved her.

[Tiltjuice]

Dia and Luce looked at each other at the mention of time flowing differently, decided they were on vacation, and took their seats relatively quietly. It was, possibly, a miracle of raptor tech or wibbly wobbly timey wimey-ness that Dia's chair didn't immediately crumple beneath him.

The big man turned to Kei. "Right you are. Dinner should be good in all this company, right?" he rasped.

Finally arriving at the party itself, an unspecific greeting from Neal was at least reassuring. Might have been a crazy bunch, but at least they could prove good hosts. Once inside, he decided that it might be best to see what Luce had actually managed to come up with since the last discussion: Ray singled out and approached him, introducing himself quickly. "...So, did any progress get made on the discussion we had previously, or is it still in the works?"

Luce, on Kei's other side, found himself suddenly with a fedora in hand, courtesy of Deader. Using his dart-throwing skills, he did his best to try to Frisbee-toss it onto Neil's head; though it would be quite probability-defying if it actually landed.

"Nothing yet, I'm afraid," he answered, keeping his gaze on the MAD SCIENTist to see if his toss had managed to get lucky. "We're still doing our best to uncover what's going on, but as Tasia doesn't appear to have come here, our hands are tied until we go back to the city."

Arthur sat in one of the more distant seats looking for Chrys, Insidious, and Ray. He had to speak with each about various things from business, to personal, and back to business.

Chrys was still locked in conversation with Blossom.

Elsewhere, MB blinked curiously at the chicks.

Hello raptorlings! I came from junkyard in Detroit. He hopped closer to the trio and shook his head, brushing them all with his whiskers. Children were fun, even raptor children, he thought, as he sipped awkwardly from a teacup.

[Giovenith]

There were a few brief moments of squabbling between Giovenith and the ponies, the former wishing for them to attend the dinner, and the other two wishing to stay behind. It was first polite asking, logical reasoning, insistence, and then puppy-face begging, which Giovenith quickly learned Willow was immune to. Eventually, Giovenith realized, with no small case of the not-amused-at-punny's, that you in fact could not force a horse to drink water. Or go to dinner parties. She couldn't exactly lead them either, considering Sterling and Willow both had the intelligence to circumvent her, and the relative strength to effectively resist her with little struggle should she have had tried. So the ponies won.

Regardless, Willow assured her that the two gave their absolute best regards to Gioventh's friends, and that they hoped that should all of them ever meet on some later occasion, it would be a delightfully pleasant experience. With that piece of good nature in mind, Giovenith surrendered her disappointment to hurry her way to the dinner party (leaving Turtleboss with Willow), lest she be late. With or without the ponies, the Von Eldritch family were long-time friends that deserved to be honored, even if they could be a little kooky at times (but so could everyone here!), and there was no way she was going to miss that. It was quite the trek, but she soon made it to the occasion, pausing for a moment to sweep her gaze dramatically, taking in her friends, the garden, and the breathtaking architecture the Von Eldritch's were fond of.

"Lovely!" she squeaked to herself, before trotting along forward to look for someplace to sit, and to see what the others were doing. "They're geniuses at lovely things too!"

[Primordial Luxa]

"No thanks but that's very kind of you." Insidious said while Primordial conversed with one of the tentacles. A few minutes later the tentacle retracted into the ceiling before reappearing with a circular ball of metal. It was covered in strange symbols and runes that burned with a weak fire that made the whole thing seem to glow. With a lazy motion a large eye opened up on its face, and began to hurriedly look around. They eye is incredibly synthetic looking and rather than a single circular pupil it was four triangular one. The tentacle releases it and it falls for a few seconds before beginning to float in the air clumsily. "It will follow you until the party starts" Primordial explained.

"Okay," Naomi watched the probe hovering near her. It seemed harmless enough. She looked at Primordial and gave a shrug, then offered her empty cup to a tentacle.

"Well, I guess I'll be off. Thanks for the tea." It really had been nicely flavored, and she'd certainly enjoyed spending time with the Luxans. She resisted the urge to hug them. Instead, the godling stood quietly and then waited for their weird magic to deposit her outside again.

With a familiar flash she was teleported to a location of her choosing upon the island the probe hovering near her blinking absent mindedly.

[Cerillium]

The stirring of the tide and the quiet noise of the grains of sand sliding over each other let Dora lapse into a semi-awake state of lazy awareness. Here, there were no concerns about Allspice, no Tasia, no Bane. A rare break in her existence, suddenly stormy of late. She breathed the salty air in and out. Despite her earlier coyness to Ogoti, she felt no rush to jump into things. The island, it seemed, was just what she needed.

"So much like home - my original home, I mean. Athens of so long ago; the familiar warmth and seaside - even the birds are similar," she said reflectively, almost to herself.

Dora's words mustered up old sentiments surrounding Ogoti's homeland. India had been very different so long ago. The population, pollution and politics hadn't yet tarnished that exotic land. It vexed him to journey there now. So very long ago. How much had Greece likewise changed?

"I don't think I've ever asked about your past. Would you tell me of your homeland?" his expression was sincere. "I've walked many places and lived through many times but I've never been to Athens."

---

Barox, realizing the situation brewing from the start, took the kids and kept them occupied away from the argument.
"Crimes against humanity? The hell you talk about?" He asked. He took a more physical defensive stance as he placed his left foot slightly in front and a lean back. "First off, young lady, we cannot just send elite forces after them, especially the current state our nation is in now. Two, we tried that, and with little success done. Now onto the next topic; it seems easier for individuals to set up a closed mind yet an open forum to criticize and talk down on things they don't know two shits about! This is just one of those few incidents I have to listen to." At this point, his blue eye turned red as his optic lens contracted a bit.

Besides, if you want to start pointing fingers at more people, point it at the rest of the representatives and the immortal emperor. That is right. Signed and documented under article 0769-2.100 was the new law. A law to hunt down mutants that endangered people's lives. So you can expect that when that law was enacted, we like so many others had to find a way to stop it. Others had more inhumane than what we got."

"In fact, if I had more time with the child, I could have, but still have the chance to now, to train him to be able to capture these mutants and reverse their mutations. But of course, when the populous catches wind of our ideas, the torches are lit, pitchforks are gathered and the fingers are pointed at us, for we are monsters!" He then stood there, crossing his arms and waiting for whatever she had next to say.

"Did you ask him if this is what he wanted to do, to be?" Wren crossed her arms and squared off with Dr. Smith. "Because, let me tell you, resentments are easier to avoid if someone asks rather than enslaves or forces someone into indentured servitude."

It was perhaps a poor choice in words but Wren was a priest. She adhered to her faith's teachings and couldn't help but be pained by the situation.

"And just what caused the mutants to exist in the first place?"

[Germanic Templars]

Barox, realizing the situation brewing from the start, took the kids and kept them occupied away from the argument.
"Crimes against humanity? The hell you talk about?" He asked. He took a more physical defensive stance as he placed his left foot slightly in front and a lean back. "First off, young lady, we cannot just send elite forces after them, especially the current state our nation is in now. Two, we tried that, and with little success done. Now onto the next topic; it seems easier for individuals to set up a closed mind yet an open forum to criticize and talk down on things they don't know two shits about! This is just one of those few incidents I have to listen to." At this point, his blue eye turned red as his optic lens contracted a bit.

Besides, if you want to start pointing fingers at more people, point it at the rest of the representatives and the immortal emperor. That is right. Signed and documented under article 0769-2.100 was the new law. A law to hunt down mutants that endangered people's lives. So you can expect that when that law was enacted, we like so many others had to find a way to stop it. Others had more inhumane than what we got."

"In fact, if I had more time with the child, I could have, but still have the chance to now, to train him to be able to capture these mutants and reverse their mutations. But of course, when the populous catches wind of our ideas, the torches are lit, pitchforks are gathered and the fingers are pointed at us, for we are monsters!" He then stood there, crossing his arms and waiting for whatever she had next to say.

"Did you ask him if this is what he wanted to do, to be?" Wren crossed her arms and squared off with Dr. Smith. "Because, let me tell you, resentments are easier to avoid if someone asks rather than enslaves or forces someone into indentured servitude."

It was perhaps a poor choice in words but Wren was a priest. She adhered to her faith's teachings and couldn't help but be pained by the situation.

"And just what caused the mutants to exist in the first place?"

"Wow, you are a naive little one now aren't you? You don't think we tried that already? Asking doesn't always work. Some take it as a sign for weakness." He concluded with that and went on with his next question. One on which he bowed his head and shook slowly before looking at her.
"Three words,"Dr. Smith started out. "Project: Homo Superior".

"A project designed and lead by the emperor in the early years to try and "evolve" humanity into higher beings. Such methods of using our mind more and try to harness powers once fabled like telekinesis, or problem solving skills on a more computer base pace, meaning individuals could lean, apply, and create things quicker and better. Was used and designed for a good cause. Of course, like all risky gambles, this one was the worse. Project was shut down, mutants were hunted down all over the island. And if they swam, they'd just get eaten by the sea creatures. Damn kraken-like beasts out there."

He shook his head and continued. "And I bet you wonder where I was. To be fair, I was off planet for this one, studying on another planet's life species on how they adapt to their surrounding and taking samples. So I wash my hands clean on that one."

[The BranRiech]

The raptors? Kei had no idea how dinner would be in their company. She didn't even know if they'd serve Human or something (Not something she'd tried before, but was somewhat sort of interested in just for the novelty of it). Deciding on keeping her interests aside, and assuming it just tasted like beef, Kei shrugged. "No idea. I barely know the raptors."

--

It was around this time that Rylli, Natiya, and Rachelle (Maybe Aleki, if his User wanted) made their way over to the Raptor's house to enjoy a meal with their dear friends and neighbors. The Nikanors had pretty close ties with the raptors, so not being there would be a complete insult to them, their friends.

--

On the stupidity of his User, Bran had just barely noticed Jonathan's question, and scrambled to respond before he looked deaf. He noticed not who Jonathan was, but nodded at the question. "Yeah they are, good friends of mine, the lot of them too. I'm glad to be here." He smiled.

[Swith Witherward]

OOC: Very brief posts to unfreeze some of you.)

With a familiar flash she was teleported to a location of her choosing upon the island the probe hovering near her blinking absent mindedly.

Naomi took a moment to find her bearings. She was just outside the Raptor's gate. Grinning from delight at yet another fun Luxan transportation experience, she stepped into the garden and waved at Neil and Gretta.

It had been quite a long while since she'd seen her old friend. He was still "NVE" to her, and she found it difficult to call him Neil. She waved to him and then found a seat at one of the tables.

"Yes and if I remember one instance, Thriller killed either Gretta or NVE, but at the same time, he got killed as well. Heh, was talking shit like always. It's funny though, Thriller never hated them even though they had a dislike towards him. Ah well, that's the past now and everything is just fine."

"I suppose," Charumati snored, "Considering he's dead now."

The words sounded callous but, deep down, the pain was starting to well again. There was a hole that Charumati couldn't fill. It was shaped like an immortal emperor and empty of his laughter and mirth. She sniffed and turned her face away. "Let's just find a seat."

The twins bounded ahead to see the raptor chicks.

[Erucia]

Luce, on Kei's other side, found himself suddenly with a fedora in hand, courtesy of Deader. Using his dart-throwing skills, he did his best to try to Frisbee-toss it onto Neil's head; though it would be quite probability-defying if it actually landed.

"Nothing yet, I'm afraid," he answered, keeping his gaze on the MAD SCIENTist to see if his toss had managed to get lucky. "We're still doing our best to uncover what's going on, but as Tasia doesn't appear to have come here, our hands are tied until we go back to the city."

"Hmph. Certainly poor timing. We come here for a Christmas vacation and we're all stuck here worrying for the entire time about Tasia," Ray huffed and got into a much more relaxed position. He was looking for some kind of social time, perhaps for a good conversation. It was at least lively here. "Worse yet, I've got my fur in winter-mode and we're stuck here on a tropical island. Wonderful timing, genetics."

He didn't really leave much time between his attempt at a joke and furthering the conversation. "But in any case...I'm somewhat curious as to what my role here is, again. I gave you little information on Allspice, I'm not sure as to what else I really offer. Forgive me if you've already covered his."

[Swith Witherward]

"It was nice to meet you, Dan, and we'll see you then!" Cuisine boomed after the glowing figure, and then turned to Hans. "Mind your drink there! You can keep the glass for now. I'll just stow the water bottle and the rest of it, close things up, and we'll be on our way, then."

The folding counter, now clear of bottles and cans and glasses caught the sun briefly as Cuisine rotated it back to form the beach-facing wall of the cabin. There was a brief rustling as he disappeared into the back and changed into a suit, coming back into view. It was a relatively short walk down the beach to the raptors' Victorian manor, so stately and with a contrasting backdrop of its own soil. Cuisine and Hans would arrive not long after Torii and MB would.

"Let's hope our friend Dan doesn't fall over into the bushes," Hans chuckled as the Fae wandered away. He fell in step with Cuisine, and he was still sweltering in his wool uniform.

Hans only had eyes for the Conservators. He wanted to get abreast of whatever new information they had to share, even if it meant sitting with Dia. That conversation might have to wait until after the dinner party, however.

He didn't see Klaus or Minerva anywhere, although he suspected one or both of them were behind the leaflet drop.

"Care to sit with my group?" he asked the chef. He wasn't certain if Cuisine had his own clique but it would be rude for Hans to not invite him.

[Tiltjuice]

"Hmph. Certainly poor timing. We come here for a Christmas vacation and we're all stuck here worrying for the entire time about Tasia," Ray huffed and got into a much more relaxed position. He was looking for some kind of social time, perhaps for a good conversation. It was at least lively here. "Worse yet, I've got my fur in winter-mode and we're stuck here on a tropical island. Wonderful timing, genetics."

He didn't really leave much time between his attempt at a joke and furthering the conversation. "But in any case...I'm somewhat curious as to what my role here is, again. I gave you little information on Allspice, I'm not sure as to what else I really offer. Forgive me if you've already covered his."

"I don't recall you having so much fur before, though I didn't actively converse with you. It's an interesting thing, is it not, the importance people place on appearance? I could, of course, help you with that," Luce replied.

Suddenly so many people seemed to want to help. It frustrated the reserved ex-soldier. Having been initiated, as it were, into his new responsibilities and practices by Dora, he was used to the idea that their business was their own to take care of. Kei, Ray, and so on, had things to offer, but Tasia was one of their own. Yet he had to admit that he couldn't be inflexible, and that Dora herself wasn't so straitlaced nowadays, anyway.

"Enjoy the party; there's always time to discuss serious business later if you like." It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"Let's hope our friend Dan doesn't fall over into the bushes," Hans chuckled as the Fae wandered away. He fell in step with Cuisine, and he was still sweltering in his wool uniform.

Hans only had eyes for the Conservators. He wanted to get abreast of whatever new information they had to share, even if it meant sitting with Dia. That conversation might have to wait until after the dinner party, however.

He didn't see Klaus or Minerva anywhere, although he suspected one or both of them were behind the leaflet drop.

"Care to sit with my group?" he asked the chef. He wasn't certain if Cuisine had his own clique but it would be rude for Hans to not invite him.

"It would be amusing, would it not? But it's true, best to hope not!" The big hat wobbled perilously as Cuisine moved along, but he reached up and took it off. It would be rude to show up still wearing it, anyway.

"Yes, thank you. I'm afraid I don't travel in very extensive social circles. It's usually just myself and MB, so it'd be a pleasure to meet new people. Who are in your group, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Germanic Templars]

"Yes and if I remember one instance, Thriller killed either Gretta or NVE, but at the same time, he got killed as well. Heh, was talking shit like always. It's funny though, Thriller never hated them even though they had a dislike towards him. Ah well, that's the past now and everything is just fine."

"I suppose," Charumati snored, "Considering he's dead now."

The words sounded callous but, deep down, the pain was starting to well again. There was a hole that Charumati couldn't fill. It was shaped like an immortal emperor and empty of his laughter and mirth. She sniffed and turned her face away. "Let's just find a seat."

The twins bounded ahead to see the raptor chicks.

As seeing the kids go ahead, he looked over a Charumati. He then tapped her on the shoulder.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Neil gave a friendly wave to Naomi. One of his oldest friends who seen him through so many adventures in the old days, it was an honor that she came.

"That sounds so sweet. Family is one of the most important things." Gretta replied to Torii. Being made without parents, but now having to behave as one, was something that she and Neil still tried to figure out.

Arthur saw Chrys and Ray already engaged in conversations. He calmly waited and drank from his teacup that never ran dry.

The Chicks giggled in excitement and glee as they ran inside and came back with a bag of carrots among other vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, and radishes. They then saw the twins Siduer and Sydney running up to them and jumped in glee at the prospect of playmates.

"What a strange group we have here, I'm Jonathan Davenport. I just moved to Bielefeld from the Hamptons with my wife Caroline. It's so nice that we got a free vacation." Jonathan introduced himself.

[Tiltjuice]

Neil gave a friendly wave to Naomi. One of his oldest friends who seen him through so many adventures in the old days, it was an honor that she came.

"That sounds so sweet. Family is one of the most important things." Gretta replied to Torii. Being made without parents, but now having to behave as one, was something that she and Neil still tried to figure out.

Arthur saw Chrys and Ray already engaged in conversations. He calmly waited and drank from his teacup that never ran dry.

The Chicks giggled in excitement and glee as they ran inside and came back with a bag of carrots among other vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, and radishes. They then saw the twins Siduer and Sydney running up to them and jumped in glee at the prospect of playmates.

"What a strange group we have here, I'm Jonathan Davenport. I just moved to Bielefeld from the Hamptons with my wife Caroline. It's so nice that we got a free vacation." Jonathan introduced himself.

MB flew (not literally) as he chased after the chicks and made for the twins.

Wait for me! he signed, waving his ears madly and turning all sorts of colors, most of which weren't found in nature.

The stirring of the tide and the quiet noise of the grains of sand sliding over each other let Dora lapse into a semi-awake state of lazy awareness. Here, there were no concerns about Allspice, no Tasia, no Bane. A rare break in her existence, suddenly stormy of late. She breathed the salty air in and out. Despite her earlier coyness to Ogoti, she felt no rush to jump into things. The island, it seemed, was just what she needed.

"So much like home - my original home, I mean. Athens of so long ago; the familiar warmth and seaside - even the birds are similar," she said reflectively, almost to herself.

Dora's words mustered up old sentiments surrounding Ogoti's homeland. India had been very different so long ago. The population, pollution and politics hadn't yet tarnished that exotic land. It vexed him to journey there now. So very long ago. How much had Greece likewise changed?

"I don't think I've ever asked about your past. Would you tell me of your homeland?" his expression was sincere. "I've walked many places and lived through many times but I've never been to Athens."

"Classical Greece. So different from modern times. So very, very different. Democracy, such as it was, had just come to Athens. None for women, slaves, or freedmen, though. We didn't have very many rights. A few, but not many. It's why I don't like being tied down - in any sense, as you just saw with the warehouse scene." She grinned, self-deprecatingly. "Anyway, it was bright for Athens as a whole for about a century, and then power shifted elsewhere. Sparta, then Macedon under Alexander, then Rome. I followed the events there until just after the Romans conquered Greece. I haven't been back there since, with the exception of visiting my family's burial site from time to time."

A quick shrug that hid discomfort at being disconnected from where she'd been born. "Things have changed considerably, likely. If I ever went back, I think I'd spend all my time talking to historians, linguists, and so on. My ancient Greek would probably stand out among the Greeks of today."

[Torsiedelle]

"Indeed, it is.", Torii agreed with Neil. "Family is one of the most important things in life. I can't say much for mine, but my father was always helping and loving, and I want to have a family Christmas. Hell, I wouldn't even mind my mother, but....I feel that my father may be good enough. Gotta start small, eh?"

She quickly fell quiet again, and drank her tea in one gulp. She didn't need to think of mother; just her dad was enough. "Not that Ma would come anyway. Bitch. I still wanna get to know her, though. God, I just want dad here for Christmas."

[Erucia]

"I don't recall you having so much fur before, though I didn't actively converse with you. It's an interesting thing, is it not, the importance people place on appearance? I could, of course, help you with that," Luce replied.

Suddenly so many people seemed to want to help. It frustrated the reserved ex-soldier. Having been initiated, as it were, into his new responsibilities and practices by Dora, he was used to the idea that their business was their own to take care of. Kei, Ray, and so on, had things to offer, but Tasia was one of their own. Yet he had to admit that he couldn't be inflexible, and that Dora herself wasn't so straitlaced nowadays, anyway.

"Enjoy the party; there's always time to discuss serious business later if you like." It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"Yes...Well, I suppose that enjoying the party would be best. There's no telling how much we'll wish that we did once it's all over," Ray gave a rather honest statement, and then chuckled for a brief moment before continuing.

"But yes, I didn't have this much fur. You can thank the raptors, because this isn't my original body at all. I kind of died," he sighed with a certain amount of nostalgia over the incident, which was rather ironic. "Would you believe me if I said I was crushed by a racehorse that fell from the sky?"

[Swith Witherward]

"It would be amusing, would it not? But it's true, best to hope not!" The big hat wobbled perilously as Cuisine moved along, but he reached up and took it off. It would be rude to show up still wearing it, anyway.

"Yes, thank you. I'm afraid I don't travel in very extensive social circles. It's usually just myself and MB, so it'd be a pleasure to meet new people. Who are in your group, if you don't mind my asking?"

Hans was internally taken aback by the question. No one had ever asked it. To be sure, that's because he was never apart from the men. At least, not until the move to Bielefeld. He had been faceless Schutzstaffel and then faceless Khornate. Seen one, seen 'em all. He hadn't even been aware of using the phrasing when he'd invited Cuisine. How quickly the heart heals!

"My group," just saying the words caused a feeling of warmth to spread deep within him, "I suppose is a few of the cultists and the Conservators. I don't see any cultists, so we'll just join the time cops, if that's alright with you? Maybe we'll see if Dan will join us?"

As seeing the kids go ahead, he looked over a Charumati. He then tapped her on the shoulder.

The twins squealed in delight when the chicks caught up to them. New friends! They recalled seeing them before, but they'd been smaller and less interactive. Siduer was particularily thrilled to have two other males to interact with. Girls were... a pain, and germy.

Charumati watched them run into the garden. She sighed and then turned when Levi tapped her shoulder. "Yes, Levi?" she attempted to offer a smile to him, but it was small and there was only fatigue in her eyes.

[Germanic Templars]

As seeing the kids go ahead, he looked over a Charumati. He then tapped her on the shoulder.

The twins squealed in delight when the chicks caught up to them. New friends! They recalled seeing them before, but they'd been smaller and less interactive. Siduer was particularily thrilled to have two other males to interact with. Girls were... a pain, and germy.

Charumati watched them run into the garden. She sighed and then turned when Levi tapped her shoulder. "Yes, Levi?" she attempted to offer a smile to him, but it was small and there was only fatigue in her eyes.

He had a grin on his face. Like the same grin Spongebob gives when he knows something is up. Iin a chanting tune he said, "I know someone who's stressed out and that is you-u."

[The BranRiech]

"Rylli!"

"Rachelle, I'm Mom, I can be Rylli when you become a cynical teenager." Rylli rolled her eyes as her daughter was inevitably complaining about not being able to swim yet that day, nor being able to play in her sand castle. Instead, the Nikanors (Besides Bran), had spent the day getting their old house ready to be lived in again, mostly cleaning and dusting. The place finally resumed the "Homey" status it had held last year.

Gawd. Last year. Rylli wasn't even married yet at this time, and yet they already had an adopted daughter. Wow had things changed. Now they had their own child, and neither of them were stuck in the water as Mer-people.

"Just come on, we can eat some food, say hi to our very good friends, and then maybe we can go and make a fire someplace."

"Thanks, Mom." Rachelle smiled to herself, shrugging. "As long as we can make S'mores."

Natiya gave a quick thumbs up, embracing her own child at heart.

--

"So . . ."

The conversation seemed to dull as Ray arrived, and being on the fast track to end up being about Tasia, Kei desperately wanted to change the topic. It wasn't that Tasia wasn't important, it was that they were at a damn dinner party.

"How about we discuss something else?"