Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[The Factory of Spike]

Javert arrived at the ship, and climbed on board. This was his first time aboard the ship, and he didn't really know where to go. He sat down in one of the deck chairs and waited. He hadn't got much sleep last night, so he closed his eyes and started to drift off. If he wasn't supposed to be here, someone would probably tell him.

[Swith Witherward]

Dr. Smith looked up at her. "She's fine, just a.. Just a bit surprised when DNA results came back on something."

DNA results? Barox thought. Some reason the idea that she had a child without knowing may have struck her. Maybe it was a boy, or a girl, maybe it was one of the two children. But who would the father be? Questions swirled around in his,but the more he thought, the more he questioned.

---

The Krute took his head off the tree and looked at the him from the side the cultist was on with his eye.

"First off w'at d'a 'ell is Taco B'ell? And two, it be'cause I am near dead, barely surv'ivin' aft'a d'at typhoon. But t'ella me d'is, how'a still alive?" J'aluk asked, with a low growl while showing some teeth on the side the cultist was on.

OOC: Taco Bell? Seriously? OP on crack.

"DNA results?" Wrens' brow furrowed. A fleeting image of Maury Povich shouting You are the mother clouded her imagination but she brushed it aside just as the yacht's horn sounded in the harbor.

Wren snorted. "Well, she'll have to come around once we've settled her into a stateroom. They're about to set sail. Dr. Smith, let's gather up the children and head out, please."

--

"Taco Bell? Nectar of the gods," Rudolf retorted as he gingerly lifted the Krute off the sand. "Don't worry, my heavy friend. We'll get you patched up on the ship."

Before J'aluk could even so much as protest, cultist and funny alien vanished into Rudolf's own shadow.

[Germanic Templars]

Dr. Smith looked up at her. "She's fine, just a.. Just a bit surprised when DNA results came back on something."

DNA results? Barox thought. Some reason the idea that she had a child without knowing may have struck her. Maybe it was a boy, or a girl, maybe it was one of the two children. But who would the father be? Questions swirled around in his,but the more he thought, the more he questioned.

---

The Krute took his head off the tree and looked at the him from the side the cultist was on with his eye.

"First off w'at d'a 'ell is Taco B'ell? And two, it be'cause I am near dead, barely surv'ivin' aft'a d'at typhoon. But t'ella me d'is, how'a still alive?" J'aluk asked, with a low growl while showing some teeth on the side the cultist was on.

OOC: Taco Bell? Seriously? OP on crack.

"DNA results?" Wrens' brow furrowed. A fleeting image of Maury Povich shouting You are the mother clouded her imagination but she brushed it aside just as the yacht's horn sounded in the harbor.

Wren snorted. "Well, she'll have to come around once we've settled her into a stateroom. They're about to set sail. Dr. Smith, let's gather up the children and head out, please."

--

"Taco Bell? Nectar of the gods," Rudolf retorted as he gingerly lifted the Krute off the sand. "Don't worry, my heavy friend. We'll get you patched up on the ship."

Before J'aluk could even so much as protest, cultist and funny alien vanished into Rudolf's own shadow.

"Well if you are going, then take the kids and the keys to the last dropship left. One of the techies dropped it off for us. Act quick though, Levi is here and you know how sporadic he can be. One moment he is making you tea and sitting you on a throne, next he could be behind the throne choking you out with a rubber chicken while you attempt to spit out what you thought was tea but turned out to be piss."

"O-kay? Well I could go get the ship primed up, Wren, wanna get the children?"

"They are in the operating room. No worries, nothing sharp or dangerous is in there I made sure of it." Dr. Smith added on.

[Swith Witherward]

"Well if you are going, then take the kids and the keys to the last dropship left. One of the techies dropped it off for us. Act quick though, Levi is here and you know how sporadic he can be. One moment he is making you tea and sitting you on a throne, next he could be behind the throne choking you out with a rubber chicken while you attempt to spit out what you thought was tea but turned out to be piss."

"O-kay? Well I could go get the ship primed up, Wren, wanna get the children?"

"They are in the operating room. No worries, nothing sharp or dangerous is in there I made sure of it." Dr. Smith added on.

And so they went.

[Swith Witherward]

HOME AT LAST! Morning sunshine set the substantial snow blanketing Bielefield ablaze in tones of umber and red. Public works had done an excellent job at keeping roads clear but their efforts were little more than sculpting deep trenches through drifts that easily topped five feet; many rural streets were treacherous to drive upon. The corner of Subabsurdus and Main wasn’t any different than anywhere else. Snow parted in symmetrical fashion along each side of the pathway leading up to the odd structure which squatted there. The Building shivered and shook itself off, scattering the heavy white mess which crowned it. The snow walloped the ground with a jarring thud and the Building groaned itself back into a stationary state. The Serenity coasted the icy waters of Bielefeld harbor, seemingly and impossibly parting the rough, salty ice as it drew near the private dock outside of Point Park. Sig’s shipyard awaited the arrival of his new toy which was pulled behind the cultist’s pleasure yacht. Both vessels slowed and allowed tugs to take possession of the wooden craft. “Right, welcome home,” steamy puffs accentuated Will’s words as the gangplank kissed the dock. “We’re 27 degrees below zero… that’s -16 for those of you who can’t bother to learn how the rest of the world gauges temperature. Wind chill drops it to -37 Yank degrees. Don’t go running around for shits and grins, ladies and gents. Your forecast for the week is bloody cold, followed by more cold and a chance of really fucking cold by Friday.” He stepped aside to allow them to disembark. The group would find a path had been shoveled from dock to street. They’d need to walk through the deep channels to reach their front door. Only Kei was perhaps tall enough to peer over the sides to survey the bleak landscape. No one had been left behind. All were now home. (Needless to say, school had been canceled for the entire week which left Rachelle with plenty of time on her hands.) Minerva set off at once. There were many things to tackle and Fram was all of them. The bastard had made himself at home again in the lair and, without Swith, procuring Fred Phelps again would be a daunting task. The Conservators had been invited by Klaus to share a pint at Chaos, if they were willing. Klaus’ displeasure with Allspice’s tactics had brushed aside the normal Bielefeld business. Rudolf took up his position in the lobby. He opened his newspaper, settled behind the reception desk and awaited the new arrivals. He’d already traded in his tropical attire for his standard grey, woolen uniform. The former Nazi had missed the cold. Myra gave her apartment and phone numbers to the other members of the teen club. She hurried upstairs to dig out her winter wardrobe. Marcus was in no mood to trudge all the way back to the observatory; he’d stay in his old bedroom until travel arrangements could be made. The teen ordered a hot cocoa from the SCP vending machine and plopped down in the communal dining room. Tieria’s need to locate Minerva was known to the cultists. Their leader, however, was mired in Swith’s business. There was the outstanding matter of the will. (OCC: SITREP)

[The Factory of Spike]

Javert walked up to the receptionist. "Hello. I believe I have a room here. My name is Javert. I don't suppose you have any rooms equipped with dog flaps, do you? A very large flap would be helpful if such a thing is available."

[The BranRiech]

Somewhat used to the cold, the Nikanors nevertheless swarmed into the building, hoping to get back home as quickly as possible to make sure everything was how they left it. After they found out that it was how they left it, then they got settled. Natiya left to go back to her own apartment, Bran settled in on the couch to watch videos with Rachelle online, and Rylli sat opposite of them, Tolya in her arms.

--

Toscha, on the other hand, nearly froze to death as he quickly slithered into the building, stopping once in the lobby. The Lamia coiled up near a heating vent he saw and proceeded to warm himself up. It'd take a while, but he had time, a lot of time, all day in fact! He was perfectly content to simply sit in front of the heater all day.

--

Looking to Will, Yuna stood by, wondering if he'd want to talk to her or something, while Drova headed inside to watch some TV in the Communal gathering hall. He barely noticed Myra as he walked in.

--

And finally to Kei. She was now inside of her room, with Insidious sprawled out on the bed. The goddess was out of her armor, and sitting in a chair, contemplating the poor creature she managed to save.

[Primordial Luxa]

Their was a large peal of thunder and a sudden crack as the DEiMOS materialized on the edge of the apartments rear between the sheilds and the ruins of the old city.

And finally to Kei. She was now inside of her room, with Insidious sprawled out on the bed. The goddess was out of her armor, and sitting in a chair, contemplating the poor creature she managed to save.

The crippled and degenerative figure had not moved since Kei founder and while she was alive her pulse was weak and her breathing was short.

[Swith Witherward]

Javert walked up to the receptionist. "Hello. I believe I have a room here. My name is Javert. I don't suppose you have any rooms equipped with dog flaps, do you? A very large flap would be helpful if such a thing is available."

The funny man in the grey Nazi uniform (which bore odd insignia where the swastika would normally be) eyed Javert and slid a clipboard across the desk.

"Standard lease," he explained in a heavy German accent which the writer is unable to duplicate because this isn't actually her character, "But a large flap will leave your apartment open to naughty residents who enjoy stealing. Believe me, we get them here from time to time. If you want one, you can have one."

He offered a pen to Javert. "The rent payments go in the little box on the wall. Full access to communal kitchen, dining room, rec room, library, indoor pool, shooting range... let's see? I leave anything out? Ah, rooftop garden. All okay."

The cultist rifled through some boxes and then passed several brochures to the new tenant. "New to Bielefeld? This is about the city. This is a listing of things to see and do, but there's more than what's in there. And this is information about the Building. Enjoy."

[The Factory of Spike]

Javert signed the paper. "I think I will need the flap. I don't have much that could be stolen anyway." Which is true, although he did have the silver pendant in the box in his pocket. "Thank you for the information." Javert stared at the uniform as he walks away. He climbed up the stairs to the room he has rented. He walked inside, and looked around at his new accommodations. Javer stared down in astonishment as the dog-flap formed in the door. He also did not expect the dog bed next to his own. This room would be perfect. He should have known something like this would happen. Javert turned on a football match (meaning soccer, to Americans).

[Swith Witherward]

Javert signs the paper. "I think I will need the flap. I don't have much that could be stolen anyway." Which is true, although I do have the silver pendant in the box in my pocket. "Thank you for the information." Javert stares at the uniform as he walks away.

OOC; past-tense, please.
IC:

A golden key had appeared on the counter the moment the cultist stuffed his application into the box on the wall. Javert would find that the apartment (and his own door) would immediately become his ideal setting once the key was inserted in the lock.

Rudolf went back to his newspaper. It was going to be a busy morning.

[Giovenith]

When she had still be on the boat, after her nap, Giovenith had changed into a big t-shirt (depicting some 80's dance music group; her mother had been fond of the 1980's) that was long enough to act as a mini-dress on her, so that she could get to work on repairing her main outfit. Once back at the apartment, the godling bid her pony friend adieu, before making her way to the communal living room, and plopping on a couch. Once cozy, she fished out a needle and spool of light pink thread from her outfit pockets and started on repairing her sleeves, humming Greensleeves cheerfully the whole time. It was good to be home.

--

Willow, meanwhile, had been concerned upon seeing Toscha head to the heater, and decided to check on his lamia friend. Besides, he had a present to give him.

"Toscha, are you alright?" he asked, landing on the floor.

[Germanic Templars]

Superbia, finally waking up from his slumber came to realize a change. He felt as if something was off but didn't bother. Instead he fell back asleep, cuddling back up to Blythe.

--

10 minutes after the yacht made port, the dropship came in from behind with Barox at the wheel of the craft and Wren and the kids sitting in the back. They would touchdown on the roof of the apartment, permitting there was in fact a free spot. Once landed, Barox opened the back door and set time to close in 30 seconds, more than enough time for everyone to unbuckle and get out.

--

Aleki, holding Natiya's hand, lead her into the warmth of home. He sighed and thought, Good to be back home, even if it is colder than hell.

--

J'aluk... He tried to examine his surroundings, but was starting to feel a bit out of it.

--

Appearing outside the room to Xanthe and Lucius's cozy apartment, was Samuel with a large scroll holder slung on his back with his hands folded in front of him. He then gave a delicate knock on the door, hoping someone was home.

--

As for Levi.... No one knows where the hell his is or where he goes.

[Swith Witherward]

Somewhat used to the cold, the Nikanors nevertheless swarmed into the building, hoping to get back home as quickly as possible to make sure everything was how they left it. After they found out that it was how they left it, then they got settled. Natiya left to go back to her own apartment, Bran settled in on the couch to watch videos with Rachelle online, and Rylli sat opposite of them, Tolya in her arms.

--

Toscha, on the other hand, nearly froze to death as he quickly slithered into the building, stopping once in the lobby. The Lamia coiled up near a heating vent he saw and proceeded to warm himself up. It'd take a while, but he had time, a lot of time, all day in fact! He was perfectly content to simply sit in front of the heater all day.

--

Looking to Will, Yuna stood by, wondering if he'd want to talk to her or something, while Drova headed inside to watch some TV in the Communal gathering hall. He barely noticed Myra as he walked in.

--

And finally to Kei. She was now inside of her room, with Insidious sprawled out on the bed. The goddess was out of her armor, and sitting in a chair, contemplating the poor creature she managed to save.

"I suppose you'll want to resume your training, eh?" the cultist clapped his hands and then rubbed them together to restore blood to the joints.

At least she's still up for it. Will reached into Yuna's bag and plucked Naomi's gift out. He wrapped it around the girl;s neck. Warmth instantly washed over her.

"Don't be deceived. This scarf'll keep you warm, luv, but that doesn't mean your body's not cold. You can still freeze to death. Die because your blood isn't circulating to your organs and brain and whatnot. You just won't feel the effects of freezing to death," He knotted the scarf and adjusted it around her neck and ears so it lay smoothly. "Right. Training. It'll have to wait until they do Swith's will. Short staffed, you see. All hands on deck. Coffee?"

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Sanjay was very confused.

A few seconds ago, he had been in one of the tunnels in the school, now he very suddenly wasn't. Instead, he was in...a hotel? An apartment building? Something like that. It was certainly a very different location, with a bunch of technology he wasn't entirely sure about. But he'd figure those out later as he eyed the others in the lobby. It was a fairly diverse group, he supposed. He hadn't seen them before, so he doubted they were from Elfen High as well, but...never mind. He was sure it might start making sense soon.

He paused, seeing one of them go up to speak with the receptionist, who spoke back with a German accent. The Indian lad gave a sigh. Alright, a receptionist. That was good, he supposed. Some sort of order and sanity and logic.

He came up to the man, ringing the bell out of habit. "Err." Err? Yes, poetic and lovely, that. Nice work, Sanjay, what a grasp on the English language. He tried again. "Sorry, sir, just where am I?" he spoke in fluent and posh Received Pronunciation English, since first impressions were important. "I was in school, but then I saw a portal, walked through and..." he gestured around the room in general hopelessly. "I just have no idea." he shuffled, glancing down at his jeans and Beatles T-shirt. "So, yeah."

So, yeah. Yep. His English teachers wept.

[The BranRiech]

Kei simply watched Insidious' labored state of living. It was absolutely pitiful, and she didn't even want to think about her friend dying. She moved from her chair and got in closer to her form, trying to decipher what was wrong with her.

Oh!

Maybe it was the piece of metal sticking into her guts . . .

"I'm a fucking moron."

Kei rolled her eyes, and started thinking about the best course of action to take.

--

"I'm, I'm fine." Toscha shivered, only slightly warmer than when he had walked in. The Lamia was, again, not built for the cold like this, and probably picked the worst time to come to Bielefeld out of the entire year, when they were facing the sheer horrors of winter.

"Just staying warm." He managed a smile to his Pony-friend.

--

"Man, it's too damn cold out, ain't it?" Natiya asked, rolling her eyes. She wasn't dressed for this crap, and left all her warm clothes back in her apartment, which they were now in after much grumbling from her. At least Aleki was with her though, and that almost warmed her up enough to just simply know.

"We could face the cold and go across the street for some dinner tonight, if you wish."

--

Yuna nodded, and then blushed with warmth when her scarf was given to her. She forgot to receive some gifts on the island, and genuinely didn't even know they were supposed to. But this had to be the best gift ever!

"Yes, I'd like to continue." She stated, hearing about how Swith's will needed to be read yet, which put her at ease that she'd have a few more days to have some fun with her friends.

"Just let me know when it's done, and what's coffee?" She asked innocently enough.

[Giovenith]

"Here," Willow nipped on the scarf around his neck with his teeth, tugging it loose and dropping it on the lamia, nudging it a bit in place with his hoof. "I know you probably got your own, everypony seems to have, but just to help you warm up quicker. It didn't take long to see in the magic in it. I know the cold isn't healthy for reptiles."

He suddenly turned his head and began nudging around in his saddlebag. "And, well, this may not be the best time, but I didn't get to give you your Christmas gift back on the island."

[Swith Witherward]

Superbia, finally waking up from his slumber came to realize a change. He felt as if something was off but didn't bother. Instead he fell back asleep, cuddling back up to Blythe.

--

10 minutes after the yacht made port, the dropship came in from behind with Barox at the wheel of the craft and Wren and the kids sitting in the back. They would touchdown on the roof of the apartment, permitting there was in fact a free spot. Once landed, Barox opened the back door and set time to close in 30 seconds, more than enough time for everyone to unbuckle and get out.

--

Aleki, holding Natiya's hand, lead her into the warmth of home. He sighed and thought, Good to be back home, even if it is colder than hell.

--

J'aluk... He tried to examine his surroundings, but was starting to feel a bit out of it.

--

Appearing outside the room to Xanthe and Lucius's cozy apartment, was Samuel with a large scroll holder slung on his back with his hands folded in front of him. He then gave a delicate knock on the door, hoping someone was home.

--

As for Levi.... No one knows where the hell his is or where he goes.

"Hurry, hurry," Wren urged the group. The wind wasn't pleasant up top.

She opened the roof access door and shooed everyone downstairs. She followed closely behind, the bag of food swinging as she traipsed down the stairs. The drop ship would be fine on the roof and could stay tucked in beside the Thriller's flying car and the hangar. She unbundled the children once they'd reached the communal floor. "Well, you two seem no worse for wear. We'll just wait here for Dr. Smith and Sapphire."

Her eyes caught sight of the dining room's frosted windows. We'll just wait here until it warms up, because there's no way in hell I'm going back out in that mess.

--

"Easy fella." One of Klaus' men lowered J'aluk onto a bed in the clinic. Ogoti would be along shortly to tend him, but, for now, the Krute was warm and dry and made very comfortable. The cultist left the clinic door open in order to keep an eye on the lobby should Ogoti attempt to skirt by.

--

"Just a minute!" Xanthe carefully wrapped the Gutenberg in its casings and then slipped off her protective white gloves. She eased the old book into a lock box which the goats couldn't get in to.

The former angel had spent her holidays in Bielefeld, oblivious to the weather or the absence of familiar faces. She'd devoted much time to restorative work and her efforts were paying off. The bible was no longer in threat of decomposition, but there was still a long way to go.

Xanthe brushed a shock of blond hair from her face and opened the door. Her eyes widened.

"Samuel! Well for Heaven's sake come inside! Merry Christmas!" It was, of course, the day after Christmas but Xanthe upheld the Catholic traditions and thus the holiday wouldn't end until Epiphany. She stepped aside to allow him in and then bustled about the kitchen, returning with two steaming cups of coffee. "Please, sit, Warm up a bit. How have you been?"

[New Aksarben]

Namal hurried into the building shivering from the intense cold of the outside world, a bit annoyed at everything because of his sluggish state. Why would humans live on such a planet that has a good majority of it freeze for half the year?! Namal's home was a larger planet than Earth, and his people lived entirely within the tropical or subtropical regions of the world, thus it rarely got cold enough to severely affect them in their homeland. So Namal's species had very few adaptions for surviving in the cold besides putting a lot of clothes on.

Which was why Namal was interested to see a human that appeared to also be half some kind of earth reptile given the scales. And he seemed to be relaxing near something that looked quite warm based on the fact he was relaxing and sitting there so calmly. So the draconic looking Khydir rushed over and gave a small wave to the lamia and also the strange looking creature that reminded him of an earth equine.

"Hi there, mind if I sit over there with you? I could use some warming up, too." Namal said with a smile to the two there, hoping they said it was alright. Namal wasn't sure if he had a room here yet, so he would take any source of heat he could until he got a room of his own. "My name is Namal Alexandors Urn-Aldwor, by the way." His voice had a strange accent, that sounded similar to a mix of western Slavic and Macedonian Greek but still alien at the same time.

---

Jacob, Albert and Octavian all headed towards their respective rooms, glad to be back to the building for various reasons. Albert simply wasn't a vacationing type of guy, preferring to work or stay home relaxing during free time. Preferably the work. Jacob wanted to get back to reading his books, as he couldn't bring enough along on the trip for obvious reasons of space constraints. Octavian was happy because it meant he could get back to working over at the ACF, and hopefully things hadn't gone to shit during his time gone.They probably hadn't but with so many strange objects there was no telling what could have happened.

So all three simply headed for their rooms to relax and move their stuff back into its proper places.

---

Sigtrygg had honestly been happy to be home, because he actually did have clothes meant for heavy weather back in his homeland, and this weather wasn't too far off that. Perhaps a bit colder, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it all the same. So the Viking was busy sitting in the communal dining room watching the outside world through a window to simply watch the snow covering the town and reminisce of his home. Perhaps when it was a bit more hospitable he would try out his new boat in the water the city was built against. That would be quite fun to the viking.

---

Sterling trotted into the lobby following the shivering reptilian dragon, a bit cautious about approaching him due to the fact he looked so much like a dragon. Ponies and dragons didn't get along the best back in Equestria, seeing as ponies' magic wasn't quite powerful enough to take on arguably the physically largest things on their world. That and dragons had a tendency to hoard things and ponies tended to have lots of nice things that dragons liked to appropriate for said hoards. So Sterling was glad to dash off towards the stairs when he could.

He thought he saw a familiar face working at the desk in the lobby, so he waved a forehoof, following that up with a polite and friendly, "Hello there!" After which he adjusted his fez as it had fallen a bit off center in his rush.

[The BranRiech]

"Hey, thanks, Willow."

Toscha still felt tired, and his body was still quite cold, but feeling warm made him look a heck of a lot healthier. His mood seemed to improve right then and there, and he smiled brightly.

"Oh, you didn't need to get me anything."

Then Namal arrived. Toscha didn't know much of what to say, but the Lamia turned his head and started to stare at the creature. He looked like a dragon, or if there were any other lizards with wings, then he'd look like that too, but all Toscha knew of were the dragons that he'd heard of. "I'm Toscha."

It wasn't quite the name like Namal's, but it was his name.

[Swith Witherward]

Sanjay was very confused.

A few seconds ago, he had been in one of the tunnels in the school, now he very suddenly wasn't. Instead, he was in...a hotel? An apartment building? Something like that. It was certainly a very different location, with a bunch of technology he wasn't entirely sure about. But he'd figure those out later as he eyed the others in the lobby. It was a fairly diverse group, he supposed. He hadn't seen them before, so he doubted they were from Elfen High as well, but...never mind. He was sure it might start making sense soon.

He paused, seeing one of them go up to speak with the receptionist, who spoke back with a German accent. The Indian lad gave a sigh. Alright, a receptionist. That was good, he supposed. Some sort of order and sanity and logic.

He came up to the man, ringing the bell out of habit. "Err." Err? Yes, poetic and lovely, that. Nice work, Sanjay, what a grasp on the English language. He tried again. "Sorry, sir, just where am I?" he spoke in fluent and posh Received Pronunciation English, since first impressions were important. "I was in school, but then I saw a portal, walked through and..." he gestured around the room in general hopelessly. "I just have no idea." he shuffled, glancing down at his jeans and Beatles T-shirt. "So, yeah."

So, yeah. Yep. His English teachers wept.

"India set? Wait, you're not possessed, are you?" Rudolf raised a brow. No, something was off. He studied Sanjay a moment and then cast a glance at a list laying on the desk. "Right. Magic portal. It happens. A lot."

He lifted a clipboard and slid it across the counter. "The landlord was expecting you. You'll need an apartment, Sanjay Tagore. Standard lease. Read and sign. Payments go in the drop box on the wall each month."

More papers were pushed across the desk. The cultist was either ignorant of Sanjay's confusion or else choosing to overlook it in favor of his pitch. "Sorry about this rotten weather. Lousy way to first see Bielefeld, ja?. Have some brochures. Don't mind the lamia in the corner. Watch out for the Chaos gods. Oh, and there's food upstairs in the communal kitchen."

Rudolf turned his head to survey a few new arrivals. He set his fingers to his braces and blew a whistle to catch the attention of a dragon-ish creature standing by the lamia. "You, scaled one? Are you Namal Alexandors Urn-Aldwor? There's a lease for you. Come sign it."

More brochures were set on the counter. Welcome to Bielfeld, one proclaimed while the other was a glossy rectangle which provided information about the Building. Included was a business directory and a few takeout menus.

[Monfrox]

"Where in the hell am I?" Flint wondered as she looked up from catching her breath. The only thing she remembered was running from the Mercs out of the Pump Station and guided by a voice in the back of her head that told her which way to go. Did she hit a teleport anomaly? She must've, and a powerful one at that. She didn't even know where she went. She looked up at a familiar looking building. "Did I hit Pripyat back there?" She asked. She pulled out her PDA and checked the map. The result was a pixelated image until a 'Location Unknown' wording blinked on. "Well that's just great." She said, unslinging her rifle and walking into the building cautiously. Was this a trick done by the Monolith? Or maybe this is what happened when you experienced an emission? The possibilities of explanation were endless, but none of them had any plausible rationality or logic behind them. She pulled up her face mask and relaxed a little, doing her best to remain out of sight and in the shadows.

[Swith Witherward]

"Where in the hell am I?" Flint wondered as she looked up from catching her breath. The only thing she remembered was running from the Mercs out of the Pump Station and guided by a voice in the back of her head that told her which way to go. Did she hit a teleport anomaly? She must've, and a powerful one at that. She didn't even know where she went. She looked up at a familiar looking building. "Did I hit Pripyat back there?" She asked. She pulled out her PDA and checked the map. The result was a pixelated image until a 'Location Unknown' wording blinked on. "Well that's just great." She said, unslinging her rifle and walking into the building cautiously. Was this a trick done by the Monolith? Or maybe this is what happened when you experienced an emission? The possibilities of explanation were endless, but none of them had any plausible rationality or logic behind them. She pulled up her face mask and relaxed a little, doing her best to remain out of sight and in the shadows.

"This shadow's occupied, luv." The voice came from behind her. It almost felt as if it came from her own thin shadow on the wall. A face loomed within it.

He was a pleasant-looking fellow, perhaps in his 30's and sporting ginger hair and a polite smile. "You'll be wanting the registration desk. You know, leases and settling in someplace where you'll feel secure because, my dear girl, you're not anywhere near the Zone."

A hand extended from the shadow and pointed Flint towards the reception desk where a small group of new and confused tenants was gathering. The hand retracted again as did the face. Flint would find herself staring at her own shadow if she chose to look again.

[Swith Witherward]

Yuna nodded, and then blushed with warmth when her scarf was given to her. She forgot to receive some gifts on the island, and genuinely didn't even know they were supposed to. But this had to be the best gift ever!

"Yes, I'd like to continue." She stated, hearing about how Swith's will needed to be read yet, which put her at ease that she'd have a few more days to have some fun with her friends.

"Just let me know when it's done, and what's coffee?" She asked innocently enough.

"Coffee," said Will, "Is magic. It wakes you up, it gets you through your day, and it keeps you sharp. Too much is a laxative. Too little is a tease. And decaf is Satan's cruel joke on the world. Or maybe Loki's? It sounds like something he'd pull. The best magic about it is that it can be shared with friends. I believe you made a few on the island? Perhaps we can put off your training a bit so you can settle in with them?"

Will was old, but he wasn't so old that he'd forgotten how important it was to teenagers to establish themselves in a group before moving on to do other things. Social hierarchy was crucial. Taking Yuna now would mean she'd miss out on the planning stages. No, it was better to let her settle in.

"I took the liberty of putting a cage in your room for your bat. There's some extra food there as well. No sense walking to the pet store in this weather, eh? Go enjoy things, Yuna. There's plenty of time for studies later."

[Giovenith]

"Actually I made-"

The appearance of the Namal stopped Willow's sentence in it's tracks, as he was surprised the appearance of a draconic creature. It was smaller than the adult dragons back home (whose size made ponies look like mice in comparison), but it still looked like a dragon none-the-less. His natural immediate reaction was to lift a foreleg in preparation to walk backward, but Willow caught himself on remembering the nature of the community he was living in. There were lots of strange things here. Giovenith claimed connection to dragons, and he trusted her. Not to mention that Toscha was certainly being friendly. He felt a little safer when the shadow man who had first greeted him showed up.

"Hello..." he greeted haltingly, looking at the Namal sidelong and flattening one ear thoughtfully. "I am Willow Streaks."