Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Tiltjuice]

Blossom nodded in understanding. Family troubles were not fun, though she doubted it was as bad as being chased a away with torches and pitchforks because you had morphed into a blood drinking night stalker. 'Well, if you ever need to vent I am always willing to listen." she said with a nod. She took a few more sips of her blood before deciding to change the subject to a more cheerful topic. "I love the island don't you? I mean, aside from the sun of course."

Finally, the pâtisserie and dessert were served by the mechanical crows. Mousse au chocolat, crème brûlée, mille-feuille, and the children's contribution of fresh waffalo in ice cream. Scarface escorted the children from the kitchen and made them sit back at the dining table in the backyard.

Arthur stood up and tapped his glass. "Now a toast, a drink, to the horror that we're in." he proclaimed with a wineglass in claw. "For the good guy and the bad guys." Gretta added as she stood. "For the monsters that I've been." Neil added. "Three cheers for tyranny!" NVE said in turn. "Unapologetic apathy!" Nevvie shouted, not wanting to be left out. "Because there is no way we're sorry for what we do. Thank you everyone that came to the party, and we hope to see you again." Neil finished. he motioned for Scarface to take the chicks inside as the raptor clan left the table and the guests to finish the desert.

As soon as they had gone inside, the house faded away. As mysteriously as Neil had arrived, he left. The table, chairs, and food were left behind. Under Chrys' glass was an envelope containing the test results he wanted. Ray had a similar envelope That instructed him not to open until Fortu ordered him. Jonathan was left wondering why they left, not sure of what was happening. But he knew that would not be the last time they would see them. Music played softly from a phonograph left on the table, a promise of return, and a crater in the sand that would be washed away.

"So far. I've never been here before, though, but I must say I love the change of weather. Much too cold back in Bielefeld. Thanks for the offer."

She blinked as the envelope appeared under her glass, and her hand shook slightly as she stretched it out to slide the results out from under. The raptors were gone, but they were a blast and she knew somehow that when they came back, they would return things to "normal". Which, in this crazy whacked-out existence of theirs, was actually topsy-turvy.

Sophie hugged MB to her chest and watched the house vanish. Had it all been a dream? No, it was The Great Waffalo Roundup of 2013.

"Okay, bye!"

It was said to the raptors as well as her other friends standing in the former yard. The child, unable to locate her parents, crawled onto Hans' lap while still clutching her rabbit.


"It's a beautiful island," Hans replied to Blossom. He leaned forward to grab Sophie's leg and position her better. "The sun's nice but evening is better. Stars are unobstructed by light pollution. Silver sand and oh fuck no."

This last was directed to the twins. They'd parked themselves in front of Hans and wanted equal attention. He grumbled under his breath and sent them back to Swith only to discover that she was no longer in attendance. The cultist leader wasn't fooled. Krieger was never far from Sophie. He was fairly certain other, more fouler things were safeguarding the twins. He noted their somewhat forlorn shuffle towards the compound. They kept losing people; first their father and now their little raptor friends. Life wasn't fair.

He offered an apologetic shrug to Chrys. "I'm going to walk them home. Want to come with?"

"I'd love to, yes. See you later, Blossom," Chrys said, hiding a smile at Sophie and the twins swarming Hans and the cultist's less than enthusiastic reaction. Peace and strife in equal measure, she thought, giving a last glance at the envelope before sliding it into one of her bracers. The petite blonde got up, disguising a laugh as a cough as MB saw her and disappeared further into Sophie's arms with a No! Bad golden-hair!

Ogoti also noticed the twin's retreating backs and took stock of Charumati's disappearing routine. He softly sniffed the air; his eyebrow raised in question to her choice in guardians but he said nothing to Dora. They hadn't attended much of the party but they'd arrived in time for the end of the meal, the toast and the house's vanishing.

"I wonder what all that was about?" he mused. "Dora, did you know the raptors well? Is this something they do as habit?"

"Unfortunately I don't. Know them well, I mean," Dora replied, her expression just as puzzled. "Apathy and tyranny...did they retire from mad science to be political philosophers?"

(OOC - I'm getting dragged off to movie. I'll be back after, though!)

[Swith Witherward]

The teen didn't know how to take the gift. She didn't even expect a gift, from anyone, and she always felt a little bad accepting gifts from others. Still, Swith's gift was wonderful; a little piece of all her old friends, some of the only people she could truly, 100% be herself around, without conforming to some attitude or conduct. That was special to her, and there was no way she could turn it down. The User and Mon were cool, and Torii liked them, but she carried herself on Lidev.

Restraining herself from outright diving for the locket, Torii reached for the small charm. "I, um..., Thanks. Thank you....um....for the locket. You know you didn't have to, right?"

"I know, but I wanted to," Swith replied. She smiled at Torii and placed the locket in her hand. "It's just the right thing, and the best thing. It just took me this long to muddle through my own emotions before I realized that I could do something to brighten your day."

She shrugged a bit bashfully and snorted a soft, playful laugh.

"Hmmmm?" Giovenith tilted her head (smucker still in mouth) questioningly at the new, young face that had appeared before her. Her eyes flickered down to the miscellaneous objects on the ground, back up at the girl, back to the objects, then back at the girl again. Finally, she took the smucker from her mouth, swallowed her bite, and leaned a bit forward on her arms and shins.

"Are you a cotton candy angel?" she asked Myra genuinely with the mildest skepticism, the tone any child used when asking something.

"Nope," Myra shook her head. "I'm just Myra Bones. My dad moved into the building a while ago and the Thriller's hire me to babysit sometimes. Are you... a fairy?"

Giovenith's cheerful nature and colorful hair confused her a bit. She'd never seen a real fairy... even though she had looked at one early before Dan took off. Myra pressed her bottom lip between her teeth while trying to suppress a grin.

[Giovenith]

"Nooooooo," quirked Giovenith, slowly tilting her head to the other side with a deep-looped smile. Pulling her legs out from underneath her, she rested her head in her hands and took a moment to take Myra in with a three-cornered smile. "But I suppose it doesn't matter much what I am right now, if I choose that it doesn't. You can choose to do that too, you know. We all can play a great big game of pretend."

Myra's air felt warm and curious, making Giovenith welcome it openly (not that this was unusual for her in the first place). The building never failed yet to bring in the fascinating, this new warm girl was almost inevitably no exception. But like a good tale, Giovenith preferred to see some people show themselves, rather than rip out their stories.

"The Thrillers, huh?" she asked in a sing-song voice, looking to the side briefly. "Beautiful family, simply gorgeous! You are very lucky girl!" At this, Giovenith seemed to willingly slip onto her side on the ground, continuing to look up at Myra. "And special, too. I wonder what seashell you would be. Maybe one that sings a song of the deep and elusive? Seems likely if the Thrillers have taken their shine upon you."

[Torsiedelle]

"Wow.....Swith did it for me? Nobody else...just me, to brighten my day, because Mr. Thriller is dead."

Tora's heart slumped back down, nice and cozy, and a little tickled by the nice gesture. "Thank you, Swith. I really like it, a lot, and I'm sorry about Mr. Thriller. I never really knew him well, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy. I wish I could've known him better."

She meant it. She really never spent time with the "older" residents, only the Nikanors and a few other people. Maybe they were alright afterall.

The wind licked her hair lightly; she loved it. She loved the tropical climate, and the warm nights, made bright and vibrant by the humid skies, and the reddish hue that the sky was given. This was the kind of weather that she wanted to spend time in with Tsu.

She spoke softly, so that Swith could only hear. "Say, do ya ever think that Lidev would come back, or Tsu? Lidev only ever sent a note, and.....nevermind about Tsu. I shouldn't have said anything about her. Nobody knows except Gio."

[Swith Witherward]

"Wow.....Swith did it for me? Nobody else...just me, to brighten my day, because Mr. Thriller is dead."

Tora's heart slumped back down, nice and cozy, and a little tickled by the nice gesture. "Thank you, Swith. I really like it, a lot, and I'm sorry about Mr. Thriller. I never really knew him well, but he seemed like a pretty cool guy. I wish I could've known him better."

She meant it. She really never spent time with the "older" residents, only the Nikanors and a few other people. Maybe they were alright afterall.

The wind licked her hair lightly; she loved it. She loved the tropical climate, and the warm nights, made bright and vibrant by the humid skies, and the reddish hue that the sky was given. This was the kind of weather that she wanted to spend time in with Tsu.

She spoke softly, so that Swith could only hear. "Say, do ya ever think that Lidev would come back, or Tsu? Lidev only ever sent a note, and.....nevermind about Tsu. I shouldn't have said anything about her. Nobody knows except Gio."

"Thank you," Swith said with a gentle bow of her head.

Swith pondered Torii's question. It was a good one. Not too long ago, she would have tossed her head back and proclaimed that no one ever stays dead and everyone always comes home again. But that was before Thriller had died. Swith had been smacked with the awareness of her own limitations. People did in fact die or go away and never return.

"I honestly don't know, Torii. I don't know if they'll ever come back. Lidev carried great responsibility on her shoulders. She had so many struggles, and they were eternal. Her father was an oppressive bastard. She was dedicated towards the struggles in the Zone. I wish I were omniscient and could tell you where she was and what she was doing, but that power just isn't one I have. As for Tsu? I've known Tsu for ages. She was one of the first people I met when I arrived here. I liked her, but she was flaky. She had a dangerous temperament. She enjoyed being cruel to people. That doesn't mean I dislike her, but a lot of people were upset by her actions back in the day. She tortured the janitor... because she was bored. She tired to kill an innocent man... because she was bored. She found out that Mon was crushing on her, and told her she loved her, and then laughed cruelly because it was a joke... because she was bored. Hell, she even once followed a wounded Mon up the stairs and stabbed her to death... because she was bored. I think I killed her when she did that? I can't recall. I killed her for something or another, and then brought her back after she sat in the Soul Meadow and thought about what she'd done. And then she tired to kill Bran, and Klaus shot her. She came back a bit better behaved after that one."

Swith gave it more thought. Tsu was a perfectly delicious chaotic being. She liked that about her. But when she was bored... ugh.

"I don't know if Tsu will return. I don't think she will this time."

"Nooooooo," quirked Giovenith, slowly tilting her head to the other side with a deep-looped smile. Pulling her legs out from underneath her, she rested her head in her hands and took a moment to take Myra in with a three-cornered smile. "But I suppose it doesn't matter much what I am right now, if I choose that it doesn't. You can choose to do that too, you know. We all can play a great big game of pretend."

Myra's air felt warm and curious, making Giovenith welcome it openly (not that this was unusual for her in the first place). The building never failed yet to bring in the fascinating, this new warm girl was almost inevitably no exception. But like a good tale, Giovenith preferred to see some people show themselves, rather than rip out their stories.

"The Thrillers, huh?" she asked in a sing-song voice, looking to the side briefly. "Beautiful family, simply gorgeous! You are very lucky girl!" At this, Giovenith seemed to willingly slip onto her side on the ground, continuing to look up at Myra. "And special, too. I wonder what seashell you would be. Maybe one that sings a song of the deep and elusive? Seems likely if the Thrillers have taken their shine upon you."

Myra rocked back and let her butt land in the sand. She crossed her legs, keeping the pocket contents pile between them. "Hmmm. I've always wanted to be a thrust. Like a robin? But my father says they're messy birds. Then again, my room is constantly messy, so hey it pretty much fits!"

She considered what Giovenith said about the Thrillers. Her reply was a bit hesitant and was proceeded by a heavy sigh. "I never met Mr. Thriller. He went off to war before Mrs. Thriller hired me. And then he died, so I never got a chance to meet him."

The teenager quickly moved on because, let's face it, tragedy isn't really that tragic when it doesn't actually touch your life. "I don't think I'm too special. I'm a half-and-half, sorta. I guess if I were a shell, I'd be one of those long pointy ones that spiral upwards. Those are best for making necklaces with, and they sound pleasant when they rattle together."

"So far. I've never been here before, though, but I must say I love the change of weather. Much too cold back in Bielefeld. Thanks for the offer."

She blinked as the envelope appeared under her glass, and her hand shook slightly as she stretched it out to slide the results out from under. The raptors were gone, but they were a blast and she knew somehow that when they came back, they would return things to "normal". Which, in this crazy whacked-out existence of theirs, was actually topsy-turvy.

Sophie hugged MB to her chest and watched the house vanish. Had it all been a dream? No, it was The Great Waffalo Roundup of 2013.

"Okay, bye!"

It was said to the raptors as well as her other friends standing in the former yard. The child, unable to locate her parents, crawled onto Hans' lap while still clutching her rabbit.


"It's a beautiful island," Hans replied to Blossom. He leaned forward to grab Sophie's leg and position her better. "The sun's nice but evening is better. Stars are unobstructed by light pollution. Silver sand and oh fuck no."

This last was directed to the twins. They'd parked themselves in front of Hans and wanted equal attention. He grumbled under his breath and sent them back to Swith only to discover that she was no longer in attendance. The cultist leader wasn't fooled. Krieger was never far from Sophie. He was fairly certain other, more fouler things were safeguarding the twins. He noted their somewhat forlorn shuffle towards the compound. They kept losing people; first their father and now their little raptor friends. Life wasn't fair.

He offered an apologetic shrug to Chrys. "I'm going to walk them home. Want to come with?"

"I'd love to, yes. See you later, Blossom," Chrys said, hiding a smile at Sophie and the twins swarming Hans and the cultist's less than enthusiastic reaction. Peace and strife in equal measure, she thought, giving a last glance at the envelope before sliding it into one of her bracers. The petite blonde got up, disguising a laugh as a cough as MB saw her and disappeared further into Sophie's arms with a No! Bad golden-hair!

(OOC - I'm getting dragged off to movie. I'll be back after, though!)

Hans watched the twins vanish into the compound. The universe was quirky, as was their mother and the house she dwelt in and so, by the time Hans taken his eyes off the door, they had already been fast asleep an hour in their own beds. By the time he turned to offer a smile to Chrys, Swith had spent a month in her own reverie. And by the time he noticed the campfire burning merrily on the beach, Swith had already presented her gift to Torii.

Such was life in Swith's camp. Time. The complete disregard for it. Chaos.

"Well, it appears there's a gathering," he said as he lifted Sophie a bit higher. Holding her while she held a large rabbit wasn't the easiest thing in the world. "MB, mind riding on my head? Klaus will kill me if I drop his child."

The one thing he didn't see was Dia. Blessed fate! "Why don't we put aside the painful events of the last few days, Chrys? Want to attend the bonfire?"

[Torsiedelle]

Maybe Tsu really wasn't coming back...

She wasn't. She didn't even leave a note. Not a damn thing. Torii was left behind, just like when Lidev left. The only difference was that Lidev always had a small, small hope of coming back, or so Torii thought. Tsu? She was erratic and forgetful. She wouldn't even remember Torii in a few months.....

"No, Torii, that's not fucking true and you know it! Tsu loved me, and that won't ever change!", She thought to herself.

She let Swith's words resonate a little while longer. "Tsu...Swith, I really don't think she'll come back, either,, but....I don't want anyone to know about this yet, because I feel like they'll just look down on me and say "I told ya so", and I don't wanna feel like that, so can we keep Tsu between us and Giovenith, please?"

[Giovenith]

"I've never been all that neat either... oh!" Giovenith touched her own face in shock at Myra's unwitting delivery of such heavy news. The godling had known Mister Thriller had gone to war, but not that he had perished... oh my, that explained some things. Poor Mister Thriller, and poor Miss Swith... not that Giovenith would voice these things out loud right at this moment. It seemed like an inappropriate time to bring such a thing up (not to mention Giovenith had little idea about what attitude to approach the death of a fighter with), especially when Myra here seemed to be in a relatively lighter mood. Tucking those worries away, she moved on with the other subjects.

"I, um," Giovenith briefly cleared her throat, changing her surprise into a polite smile. "I know what you mean there, yes, I've seen jewelry made out of them! I would be one of those round ones with the star in the middle. Because they're kind of like my pin, see?"

Giovenith pale fingers carefully crawled up to the headband that always rested on her snowy-fluff head, and carefully tugged on the decoration that always adorned it until it plinked off of the band and into her hand. The decoration consisted of a round, orange jewel the size of her palm, with two long, white, gauze-like, leaf/wing-like appendages coming from it. Although it was hardly visible from its normal place, further inspection showed that within the jewel, seemingly at the bottom of its inside, was a jagged representation of a star.

[Swith Witherward]

Maybe Tsu really wasn't coming back...

She wasn't. She didn't even leave a note. Not a damn thing. Torii was left behind, just like when Lidev left. The only difference was that Lidev always had a small, small hope of coming back, or so Torii thought. Tsu? She was erratic and forgetful. She wouldn't even remember Torii in a few months.....

"No, Torii, that's not fucking true and you know it! Tsu loved me, and that won't ever change!", She thought to herself.

She let Swith's words resonate a little while longer. "Tsu...Swith, I really don't think she'll come back, either,, but....I don't want anyone to know about this yet, because I feel like they'll just look down on me and say "I told ya so", and I don't wanna feel like that, so can we keep Tsu between us and Giovenith, please?"

"Yes." Swith nodded her head firmly. "It's nobody's business anyway. If they do find out and have anything negative to say... well... they can fuck off. Or they can come talk to me and I'll tell them to fuck off and leave you alone."

She spoke with extreme conviction. Torii was young and a bit of a stranger but she was still part of the quirky family which resided in that strange building back in Bielefeld. She liked Torii's temperament and youthful approach to things. There was very little she didn't like about Torii, except maybe when the girl let life beat her down. Life had a way of doing that to people, though, so Swith was willing to overlook those moments when Torii crumbled into a childlike state.

She offered a smile to the girl. "Well, it's time to make some new memories. I'm going to start by sticking sugar boxes on a stick until they catch fire and then smearing them onto sweet crackers. With chocolate. Can't forget that important part."

"S'mores!" chimed Naomi from the other side of the fire. She held a bag of Stay-puff aloft. "They're called marshmallows. Honestly Swith, you really should learn the proper words for things."

The godling stuck a few on a stick and handed it to Bran.

"I've never been all that neat either... oh!" Giovenith touched her own face in shock at Myra's unwitting delivery of such heavy news. The godling had known Mister Thriller had gone to war, but not that he had perished... oh my, that explained some things. Poor Mister Thriller, and poor Miss Swith... not that Giovenith would voice these things out loud right at this moment. It seemed like an inappropriate time to bring such a thing up (not to mention Giovenith had little idea about what attitude to approach the death of a fighter with), especially when Myra here seemed to be in a relatively lighter mood. Tucking those worries away, she moved on with the other subjects.

"I, um," Giovenith briefly cleared her throat, changing her surprise into a polite smile. "I know what you mean there, yes, I've seen jewelry made out of them! I would be one of those round ones with the star in the middle. Because they're kind of like my pin, see?"

Giovenith pale fingers carefully crawled up to the headband that always rested on her snowy-fluff head, and carefully tugged on the decoration that always adorned it until it plinked off of the band and into her hand. The decoration consisted of a round, orange jewel the size of her palm, with two long, white, gauze-like, leaf/wing-like appendages coming from it. Although it was hardly visible from its normal place, further inspection showed that within the jewel, seemingly at the bottom of its inside, was a jagged representation of a star.

Myra felt a drop of dread slide down her back as she watched Giovenith's hand fly to her face. Oh no. Oh shit! Maybe she was his friend?

She held her breath and allowed Giovenith to dictate the next response, waiting to apologize profusely if she'd accidentally dropped a bombshell. That moment never came. Giovenith simply moved on to the shell topic and produced a small treasure from her headband.

Myra leaned over to examine the piece. It was a lovely thing, so delicately made. She immediately thought of wings rather than leaves, given that those body parts were a major fixture in artwork crafted by her father's people. The star within the jewel confused her, however.

"It's so beautiful. What does it symbolize? It reminds me of an old tale... well, sorta. It's like the Protectors are treasuring their greatest accomplishment, which is the Heavens they breathed out at the dawn of time. The stars."

Myra Bones, that makes no sense, the girl chastised herself. I doubt this girl has ever heard of those silly stories.

[Tiltjuice]

"So far. I've never been here before, though, but I must say I love the change of weather. Much too cold back in Bielefeld. Thanks for the offer."

She blinked as the envelope appeared under her glass, and her hand shook slightly as she stretched it out to slide the results out from under. The raptors were gone, but they were a blast and she knew somehow that when they came back, they would return things to "normal". Which, in this crazy whacked-out existence of theirs, was actually topsy-turvy.



"I'd love to, yes. See you later, Blossom," Chrys said, hiding a smile at Sophie and the twins swarming Hans and the cultist's less than enthusiastic reaction. Peace and strife in equal measure, she thought, giving a last glance at the envelope before sliding it into one of her bracers. The petite blonde got up, disguising a laugh as a cough as MB saw her and disappeared further into Sophie's arms with a No! Bad golden-hair!

(OOC - I'm getting dragged off to movie. I'll be back after, though!)

Hans watched the twins vanish into the compound. The universe was quirky, as was their mother and the house she dwelt in and so, by the time Hans taken his eyes off the door, they had already been fast asleep an hour in their own beds. By the time he turned to offer a smile to Chrys, Swith had spent a month in her own reverie. And by the time he noticed the campfire burning merrily on the beach, Swith had already presented her gift to Torii.

Such was life in Swith's camp. Time. The complete disregard for it. Chaos.

"Well, it appears there's a gathering," he said as he lifted Sophie a bit higher. Holding her while she held a large rabbit wasn't the easiest thing in the world. "MB, mind riding on my head? Klaus will kill me if I drop his child."

The one thing he didn't see was Dia. Blessed fate! "Why don't we put aside the painful events of the last few days, Chrys? Want to attend the bonfire?"

MB huffed, but gave in. Hans was more capricious than Chrys. The tyranny twins never let him do anything fun. Hopefully the cultist would distract her a little more. With a noise like something whisking through the night, the rabbit materialized on Hans' head.

"You always come up with the best ideas," Chrys replied, smiling at Sophie and greeting her with a musical hello. "I never say no to fire, especially not as a distraction from bad things. Or for bad things."

MB perked up at this and eyed the blonde speculatively.

"So this is Klaus' daughter...where do you come from? I didn't know he had a daughter; though I don't believe I've spoken two words to him before."

---

Elsewhere, Cuisine had gotten back to the bonfire. He'd vanished into the interior of the island about half an hour ago, and had just returned in a loud series of rustling noises as he tromped through the jungle. In his arms were about four or five pineapples.

He seemed to whisk in and out of his cabin, where a high-pitched mechanical whirring went on and on and on. When he was done, the folding counter clattered down onto its supports, revealing a long double row of tankards filled with fresh smoothies for the Building crew to pick up at leisure. Blossom's and Swith's stood slightly apart from the others' to avoid confusing them, though there was little chance of that as theirs were made from hermit crab blood (blue) and pureed liver (a vague maroon) versus the yellow pineapple of the regular ones.

Behind him, the Cabaret appeared to be in full swing, in more ways than one. Replete with their masks and Hawaiian shirts, they were a colorful sight, again in more ways than one.

---

Still elsewhere, Dia's absence (fortunately for Hans) was explained by his presence at another location, further up the beach in a more secluded area.

"You want me to what?"

A miniature pillar of red robes topped by an incomplete green halo repeated its request, as it gradually grew back to its normal size.

"Well, hell, why not? I'm not that kind of a cop. Sure, I can do that, but you owe me one."

There was a considerable crashing noise, as that of an extremely large man through foliage or thick paper, followed by a raspy, sarcastic "Dia SMASH!" This scared a number of tropical birds into flight, as did a sudden, prolonged thermal bloom that was fortunately shielded from the beach by the thick undergrowth. When it was done, Dia and Deader stood there for a few moments, judging the artwork.

"Passable," Deader said eventually. "One for you it is."

Dia just shook his head and strode back to the beach, followed by Deader on MB's silver tray. Behind them was a series of paintings on a rockface, appropriately aged by Dia's powers over time. They depicted the natives being hunted by ancient raptors, and ancient raptors fighting off ancient Drones just as their modern-day counterparts had done so spiritedly.

There was balance in everything, after all, and mammal deception led into deception of mammals. A professional courtesy and so much more, from a mad alchemist to a gaggle of mad scientists.

[Swith Witherward]

Caroline and Jonathan retreated to their hut to discuss the odd departure of Neil and house. It was unusual, even for them. And thus do I park this pair unless one of them is desperately needed and Jonathan's handler grans permission via email.

[Cerillium]

"Unfortunately I don't. Know them well, I mean," Dora replied, her expression just as puzzled. "Apathy and tyranny...did they retire from mad science to be political philosophers?"

(OOC - I'm getting dragged off to movie. I'll be back after, though!)

Ogoti opened his mouth but found no words to fill it with. He was stymied. He'd never understood the raptors. Not a thing about them made sense.

He lifted two teacups from the table and handed one to Dora. Interesting toys, these vessels which filled with whatever the drinker desired. He imagined the source to be some larder within the raptors' house and he fully intended to drink their wine cellar dry.

"Well," he said at last, "That's that. How about that stroll? Unless you'd rather see what all the fuss is with that bonfire?"

[Giovenith]

"It symbolizes me," answered Giovenith nonchalantly, fiddling with the decoration by pinning it to the front of her clothing. "My mom gave it to me when I was really little, all my siblings have their own too, but with different symbols."

Myra's words about her "old tale" stirred up many different stories from Giovenith's memory, most of them various creation myths. Assuming that the other girl must have been talking about the mythology of where ever she came from, Giovenith leaned in with a wide smile, eyes growing bright and wondering.

"Do tell, that is, if you don't mind," she said, loving stories of all kinds.

OOC: Nighty-night!

[The BranRiech]

"Heh, thanks, Naomi." Bran chuckled. He hadn't seen his friend in a while, being the one who ventured into the Raptor's head along with the Conscript. Or was that Swith? Ah, both of them were good friends, and Bran still hadn't gotten to see Swith in probably a longer time than that. And then his mind instantly shot back to his worst moment.

The innocent little godling next to him. He'd shot her in the gut.

He tensed up, having forgotten that little episode up to now. Naomi never seemed to notice though, next time he'd seen her, she was as normal as Naomi ever would be. He dared never bring it up again. But did she really forgive him, did she even remember?

"Thanks, Naomi." He repeated, looking down.

[Torsiedelle]

That made Tora feel better. she felt like she was in good hands right now, and she really could make some new memories, and look forward to the future. However, she'd have to do that without s'mores.

"Eeeehhhhh, I'm not a fan of marshmallows, all sweet and sticky and chewy...and airy. They're icky, but I like chocolate and Graham Rackers.", She said, and watched everyone getting ready. "I can go get something else?"

[Tiltjuice]

Ogoti opened his mouth but found no words to fill it with. He was stymied. He'd never understood the raptors. Not a thing about them made sense.

He lifted two teacups from the table and handed one to Dora. Interesting toys, these vessels which filled with whatever the drinker desired. He imagined the source to be some larder within the raptors' house and he fully intended to drink their wine cellar dry.

"Well," he said at last, "That's that. How about that stroll? Unless you'd rather see what all the fuss is with that bonfire?"

Dora paused before replying. She knew the answer she'd usually give, of course - 'why not both?'

But that was the old her, the one who leaped and didn't even think about looking. Things had to change, as she'd thought to herself after her conversation with Giovenith. Only now, she was sure of the right way to do it.

"I think a stroll sounds like a good idea," she drawled, cheerfully. "Let's go for it." She took the cup and peered into it. Endless depths, just as life itself.

[Urran]

Yoshi smiled at the Lamia. He found it amusing how people always thought him human. "I'm not human." he said softly. "But I am from the same genus." he explained. As far as he knew Homo Urus was the only other member of the genus actually, but he might be wrong. He kicked at the sound a but, enjoying the warm night air.

---

Blossom excused herself from the people that surrounded her, she had promised Toscha a night swim. At least she could go outside without burning to a crisp. Turning to dust was not especially fun. She spread her wings and floated just above the trees to get a better view of the beach.

[The BranRiech]

Yoshi smiled at the Lamia. He found it amusing how people always thought him human. "I'm not human." he said softly. "But I am from the same genus." he explained. As far as he knew Homo Urus was the only other member of the genus actually, but he might be wrong. He kicked at the sound a but, enjoying the warm night air.

"Well, nevermind. I mean, you all look the same. So no offense, right?" Toscha scratched his head, already screwing up something as simple as the race of who he was talking to! That had to be the first time that had happened, but he simple just assumed that the Urranese writer was a simple human. "Alright, so what are you then?" He asked, not knowing that Blossom was just a Vampire version of the same people.

He didn't notice the vampire either, soaring above the beach. He remembered that he'd go swimming that night, but didn't see his friend anywhere.

[Urran]

"I am what's known as an Urranese from the island nation of Urran." Yoshi explained. "We may look like humans but the similarities stop there...s-so where are you from?" he asked, trying to shift the conversation away from himself. He had seen Lamia's before in Urran, but he didn't know where they came from originally.

--

Blossom flew down and hugged Toscha from behind. "There you are you slithering snake. Konichiwa Yoshi san." she said respectfully and Yoshi bowed. "Konichiwa Blossom."

[The BranRiech]

"But there's differences?" Toscha asked. Yoshi really did look nearly the same as every other Human he'd seen in his times living in this dimension, and he couldn't recall hearing about the Nation of Urran, besides in News Reports and such. He didn't ask anything else though, as Blossom's cold arms wrapped around him from behind, causing him to blush profusely. The only other person to hug him was his mother, as Humans never seemed to want physical contact with something such as a Lamia.

"Oh! H-hey, Blossom." He nodded. "I guess I owe you that swim, eh?"

[Urran]

"But there's differences?" Toscha asked. Yoshi really did look nearly the same as every other Human he'd seen in his times living in this dimension, and he couldn't recall hearing about the Nation of Urran, besides in News Reports and such. He didn't ask anything else though, as Blossom's cold arms wrapped around him from behind, causing him to blush profusely. The only other person to hug him was his mother, as Humans never seemed to want physical contact with something such as a Lamia.

"Oh! H-hey, Blossom." He nodded. "I guess I owe you that swim, eh?"

"Yes, red meat and alcohol are toxic to us and our senses are heightened." Yoshi explained. He smiled at Blossom. "I will let you two have fun then. Nice meeting you Mr. Toscha." He walked off to go back into the room to change and maybe read a good book.

--

Blossom waved to Yoshi and smiled. "You're warmer than me...but I'm dead." she giggled. "Wanna go for a swim?" she asked.

[The BranRiech]

"I'd love to." Toscha replied. He hadn't a chance to swim, and honestly, he hoped that Blossom didn't expect someone who was great in the water. Snakes could swim, having seen Earth snakes swim across rivers, so the spectacle might not be the weirdest, but he wasn't in any case related to the Lamias of the sea where he came from, ones who lived their entire lives in water, known for their colorfully banded tails. He didn't know if any of them survived, but maybe they had.

"Well."

He removed the only clothes he need wear, his shirt, and cautiously advanced towards the beach, leaving little grooves in the sand, marking where his tail sliced through the find grains.

[Urran]

"I'd love to." Toscha replied. He hadn't a chance to swim, and honestly, he hoped that Blossom didn't expect someone who was great in the water. Snakes could swim, having seen Earth snakes swim across rivers, so the spectacle might not be the weirdest, but he wasn't in any case related to the Lamias of the sea where he came from, ones who lived their entire lives in water, known for their colorfully banded tails. He didn't know if any of them survived, but maybe they had.

"Well."

He removed the only clothes he need wear, his shirt, and cautiously advanced towards the beach, leaving little grooves in the sand, marking where his tail sliced through the find grains.

Blossom took off her dress and shoes and revealed a black tankini underneath. It was the only bathing suit that she had. Her entire wardrobe consisted of a maid outfit, two dresses, and two pairs of undergarments. She was too poor to buy many clothes. As such, she was careful with the ones that she had and carefully folded her clothes and left them on a beach chair so that they would not get sandy and ran down the beach, kicking up the sugary sand as she went and plunged head first into the warm, tropical waters. She looked up at the moon as she waited for Toscha. "It's so much gentler than the sun..."

[The BranRiech]

"I'm more of a day person myself." Toscha shivered slightly. His tail touched the water and he might as well have fainted. The water was freaking freezing! But wait . . . He hadn't been in the water in years. Was that it? No, it was colder than he remembered, but maybe he'd get used to it, and if he didn't, he'd definitely get out.

Slipping more and more of himself into the calm night waters made him almost giddy as his body tried adjusting to the coolness of it all.

A few minutes of this should be fine. He told himself.

"But yes, the moon always casts a more natural light on things."

[Urran]

"I'm more of a day person myself." Toscha shivered slightly. His tail touched the water and he might as well have fainted. The water was freaking freezing! But wait . . . He hadn't been in the water in years. Was that it? No, it was colder than he remembered, but maybe he'd get used to it, and if he didn't, he'd definitely get out.

Slipping more and more of himself into the calm night waters made him almost giddy as his body tried adjusting to the coolness of it all.

A few minutes of this should be fine. He told himself.

"But yes, the moon always casts a more natural light on things."

"I hate the sun...it burns, and it's taken friends from me over the past 700 years." she swam backwards for a few feet and started to tread water. "But reptiles need to sun to warm up and to aid in digestion so I see your point...are you a mammal or a reptile? you look like both." she mused. Toscha was nice and she felt comfortable around him. they were both misunderstood creatures living in a world that feared them for what they were.

---

Yoshi crashed onto his bed and sighed heavily. After a five minute rest he changed into the yukata Gio had made him and pulled out a manga to read. He would miss the raptors, even if they were a scary bunch. But why was he so exhausted? And where were Tora and Katya? He supposed that it didn't matter. Girls needed time to be girls and they weren't up under him arguing. As long as Dora wasn't involved he was fine.

[Swith Witherward]

MB huffed, but gave in. Hans was more capricious than Chrys. The tyranny twins never let him do anything fun. Hopefully the cultist would distract her a little more. With a noise like something whisking through the night, the rabbit materialized on Hans' head.

"You always come up with the best ideas," Chrys replied, smiling at Sophie and greeting her with a musical hello. "I never say no to fire, especially not as a distraction from bad things. Or for bad things."

MB perked up at this and eyed the blonde speculatively.

"So this is Klaus' daughter...where do you come from? I didn't know he had a daughter; though I don't believe I've spoken two words to him before."

---

Elsewhere, Cuisine had gotten back to the bonfire. He'd vanished into the interior of the island about half an hour ago, and had just returned in a loud series of rustling noises as he tromped through the jungle. In his arms were about four or five pineapples.

He seemed to whisk in and out of his cabin, where a high-pitched mechanical whirring went on and on and on. When he was done, the folding counter clattered down onto its supports, revealing a long double row of tankards filled with fresh smoothies for the Building crew to pick up at leisure. Blossom's and Swith's stood slightly apart from the others' to avoid confusing them, though there was little chance of that as theirs were made from hermit crab blood (blue) and pureed liver (a vague maroon) versus the yellow pineapple of the regular ones.

Behind him, the Cabaret appeared to be in full swing, in more ways than one. Replete with their masks and Hawaiian shirts, they were a colorful sight, again in more ways than one.

Hans stroked MB under his chin as an expression of gratitude. Impulsively, he lifted Sophie from his chest and turned the sleepy child so she could settle into Chrys' arms.

"Sofia Liesel Von Klaus, aged 3," he murmured. "Conceived after Klaus was banished into human form and before he was indoctrinated into Himmler's program. Minerva went back in time and saved her. The girl should have perished in a house fire. Klaus has had nightmares about her demise for centuries. Now he can heal."

Sophie yawned and fell asleep against Chrys' chest.

"Let me know if you don't want to hold her. She's a very well-behaved child. She comes from an era where children were expected to have manners. She's a very traditional child."

He leaned over to tug the edge of her dress down so her rump wouldn't be exposed. "She's already celebrated Nikolaustag, which is when German children honored Saint Nicholas. On the evening of 5 December, his Catholic feast day, children place a Nikolausstiefel... a shoe...in front of their door. Overnight, the Nikolaus visits the house and fills the shoes with sweets if the children were good, otherwise only a rute can be found... a bundle of twigs. He looks much like Santa Claus but Sophie knows him as Der Weihnachtsmann."

Hans chuckled as memories began to surface. "My brother Dolf and I, we're from Northern Germany. Weihnachtsmann returned Christmas Morning in our house. He was busy in all the houses while the families were at evening mass, be it Lutheran or Catholic. We'd rush into the house, stamping the snow from our boots and hanging our jackets, and then we'd stand by the closed parlor door until someone rang a little silver bell... the magic of Weihnachtsmann leaving. Oh Chrys, that was the best day of the year. We'd hop up and down as our mother slowly opened that door, and inside the parlor all of Christmas was there. The Weihnachtsbaum made the entire room smell like pine, and candles glittered on its branches and lit up the entire room. Toys wrapped in colorful paper were under the tree and begging to be played with. It was the only time of year when presents flowed. Times were still tough back then. Germany was still suffering from the effects of World War I, and toys were rare and special treats. They were treasures."

A blush rose to Hans' face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bore you with foolish memories. I'm sometimes too nostalgic for my own good."