Elysium Inn (Always Accepting Literate People)

[Yoshkun]

If there was one lesson that Leon Julius Gamble has learned from life, it was simply ‘to take what was yours and then get the hell out’. His various gambling exploits in Los Vegos had been carefully observed and monitored by CLOAK for months, watching every card the crafty lion placed smugly upon the thick green pad of each standardized poker table to the eventual lofty sack of chips he cashed in on an unsuspecting and mournful teller. They even had specialized high focus equipment installed directly onto the table where Leon would sit comfortably at the stroke of twelve, almost certain this little device would catch the man pulling some sort of horrendous infraction…but they could see nor confirm anything of the kind. It seemed simply impossible that an ordinary man could be this skilled at poker of all things, but without visual evidence, the CLOAK officials could not risk busting him and exposing their secret organization.

However, little did they know at the time, but Leon Gamble was no ordinary man nor was he the mouse in this game of chase; he was the cat. He had done a little snooping on his own and found out that he had been carefully monitored from the moment his swaggering step had pushed through the extremely well lit front doors. In fact, the only reason he hadn’t cut out with his small fortune in chips was because the amused grin kept growing a new inch on his mug with every night those no good suits were left scratching their thinning noggins. Eventually, however, Leon grew tired of this little game and finally turned in his chips and collected his large cash sum, not saying a single word to anyone as he collected his belongings from the upstairs room and pushing out the front door with the same delicious swagger as the day he entered. It was true that Leon was a true blooded Lion humanoid who could turn into a mad beast in mere seconds, but it was also incredibly easy for him to blend into society as an everyday joe nothing as well. Lions from this particular race had no fuzzy brown ears for women to coo over, as nice as that sounds, but only a furious tail that swished with its own brand of justice from side to side like an irritated pendulum. However Leon was wise to this ‘New World’ and knew all it would take was a little tape and little discomfort to successfully “cloak” his lions tail beneath the snug confines of his favorite jeans. He even kept his beautiful golden brown mane hidden with his favorite ‘New City Yanks’ hat and he thought that was that.

CLOAK never let anyone think ‘that was that’ and although they were left baffled by such a card stud, they knew perfectly well there was more to this cocky b*****d than met the mortal eye. They waited patiently until he was out of Los Vegos city limits before sending their highly trained operatives to the scene with such an eager hunger to snatch him up that they foolishly did not monitor the situation. Needless to say, Leon escaped the clutches of CLOAK and left their operatives a deaf and bloody mess out in the countryside while he walked his way right into New City with a fresh and pleased attitude. This city had some of the BEST poker tables in the world and he was just itching to feel the ace of spaces between his rough fingertips once more, but only a fool would stay out in the open with such a dangerous and determined organization trailing his a**…and Leon J Gamble was no fool.

So that leads us to two weeks later, sitting at one of the open tables with the fresh smell of Bob’s fantastic breakfast buffet wafting through his snaring nostrils like the pleasant beat of a welcoming drum. However, the only thing he asked his main man Bob for was a cup of coffee, because Leon was focused on this particular morning. On the tabletop lie a full deck of cards spread out just like they would be on the usual table, his icy blue pupils never taking their focused glare off anything else swirling around his slightly tilted head; his mind constantly running a pattern drill of cards in his thoughts like an online game of Solitaire. That is, until the rather eerily pleasant voice rattled every bone like a bouncing ball through his eardrums while his attention was fully grasped with a quick glance behind him to shout down the excited pest.

“H-holy s**t…” he murmured, his solid jaw dropping a bit as his pupils refocused enough to take in the entire scope of the curvy lady of the arachnid nature. Although his wide eyes had started trailing her after she made her usual look see, his startled stare did not leave her until her hips were firmly placed in front of the buffet table. The hungry lion’s grin widened to such a girth that it shouldn’t have fit his cheeky face, but somehow it did as he glanced up towards the ceiling with a quiet chuckle.” Why yes God, thank you, don’t mind if I do…”

He started to sit up from his chair as his hand reached for the back to lift, but with a little frustrated struggling which was obvious on his expression, he slowly lowered himself back onto the chair irritably as he slumped slightly on the table.”No…no…I have to focus. The first tournament is starting up soon and I HAVE to focus. Focus…focus…” he repeated, taking his cup into one hand and letting the dark liquid roll into the back of his throat before setting it back down with a satisfied sigh; regaining his composure.

“Okay…let’s go over the face cards again...”

[Yoshkun]

Sono felt his fiery red orbs sink into a peaceful horizon beneath his closing eyelids, the faint breeze of a gentle fall morning tickled his cheeks with a playful glee that made the long inhale of fresh morning air all the more pleasing. He slumped back against the creaky wooden bench and folded his arms across his chest pleasantly, only letting the small clatter of hungry squirrels collecting sacred acorns for the long winter ahead catch a small peek from his otherwise perfect state of concentration. In fact, he always came out to this very park for about a week now since he had arrived in New City and found this spot to be particularly serene for his usual meditations. It was unusual for his emotions to be so controllable when he wore this mask of fire…for it truly took on a personality of its own.

There had been a long period in Sono’s world travels that he had spent in the East as he continued to scribble and note all of the interesting personalities he happened by, but none caught his interest more than a performer who simply called herself the fire dancer. She performed spectacles and feats of all kinds with a seemingly endless strand of raging fire, practically boiling from her fingertips as her hips swayed to its insatiable crackle. It caught the eye of many men, and a smack on the back of the neck for several married men, but it was Sono who was truly intrigued. Granted, most of the enchanted observers could not see that the fire dancer was not one of their own, but instead a fire deity who actually cast the waves of cascading flame from her own devine palms. Desiring to learn more about her, Sono waited patiently for several hours as the spectators began to slowly vanish one by one until the moon shone brightly overhead; immediately catching her attention and summoning him personally to her tent. She also seemed to be a collector of sorts with several artifacts strewn about from the mortal realm, and when Sono mentioned he was a mask maker, her expression could not have burned any brighter than the warm smile that singed her tanned cheeks. He also explained his special “talent” and asked politely if she would consider giving him her blessing to use her skill if he in return made the most beautiful mask he could carve; she happily agreed. So for the next four nights Sono lay on the floor of that tent with his trusty whittling knife, carving a piece of wood with deliberate and precise strokes until the mask bare the face of a truly gorgeous woman; one who could even rival that of the fire deity. Pleased with his work, she gave him her blessing and Sono took off deeper into the East, all the while carving a very detailed homage to the fire dancer when he could find the time between observations. When at last it was completed, he isolated himself deep into the mountains and waited exactly one night before placing it on his face with heightened excitement and anxiety.

Soon, the mask had molded with his body and left him screaming until his throat was hoarse for several agonizing minutes while the morphing flesh shot violently through every nerve until he was sure he was being burned alive by the hottest fires of hell itself. When at last he could choke in a few drawn breaths with sweat pouring from every pore burning beneath his hot skin, he realized at last he had become one with the mask. Filled to the brim with excitement, Sono ignored the pain and traveled until he could find a steam in which he could stare into and learn exactly what he drew from the Deity’s soul. The first thing he noticed was that his hair was a very fine shade of red and a bit longer than he was used to, but even more intoxicating was the pupils that crackled like angry spurts of magma into his reflection…as if to tempt him into coming in after something that was never there. Sono spent the next few nights by the stream as he took notes on his physical differences, the beginnings of sparks that clicked between the rough feel of his hands rubbing together, and the addition of a rather furious temper that could be triggered by even the simplest mistake or dose of pain. As time grew, he became closer to the mask and became very skilled in the art of flame dancing…often as a way of reminding himself of days in which had long past.

After what seemed like an eternity, his eyelids fluttered to the incoming flash of light as his now concentrated pupils made their proper adjustments to observe the world around them. As it happened, only about a few feet away from where he was sitting, Sono caught the slightly huffing figure of Sera trot along to a stop near the local water fountain and ‘cool’ herself with a few gentle splashes of cold water. Although he had only been at the Inn for a week, he had seen Sera wandering the hallways with that certain glow of intensity that he often found in himself in this rather temperamental state. It seemed she was trying to disguise herself to blend in with society, but Sono was not so easily fooled, as the flames dancing teasingly off the heat of her skin were immediately recognizable to someone who shared a similar flare for ‘hotter things’. She did seem to be incredibly pretty, and from the general whispers around the hallways, she was also considered to be fabulously wealthy. Not that he particularly cared about those kinds of things to say the least, but it was rather intimidating to a man who only traveled the world with the money made from his own masks. So, when her voice rang quietly in tow with the soft sway of the light breeze and her feet yet again pounded against the path in which she had already set for herself, Sono could only simply watch as she passed by without even a spark of nerve to say something. Anything. How’s the weather? Nice jogging outfit? No, all of those things seemed ridiculous to say to a woman who would find him near mad for interrupting her musical exercise while not possibly realizing they lived in the same illustrious building.

His fiery tongue fiercely washed over his clenched teeth while his brows furrowed angrily, inwardly cursing himself for not being able to utter at least a simple hello. You would think a man who had learned to adjust to so many personalities could know something as forward as saying hello, he thought as his back slumped against the park bench yet again while his eyes trailed to the warm sun shining overhead with a small sigh.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

For all the power and well heightened senses that her many long lives have given her, Sera could be a little dense at times, which was surprising, considering that she has managed to evade C.L.O.A.K for so long despite all her bad hiccups in the past. But that was simple, most of her disastrous fires could be put down to ‘natural causes’, the Humans were none the wiser; she just had to shake a few smart alec’s who thought they could take her down. As if. Sera may be dense at times, but she was also full of surprises. Sometimes.

The fact that Sono had been close by, lounging on a park bench, and the fact that he inhabited the park on a daily basis, all went unnoticed to Sera, who would usually only react if something felt immediately threatening to her or someone jumped out at her whilst she jogged (it had happened, but muggings were no trouble, though she occasionally overreacted)
But today turned out a little differently than usual, as Sera’s peripheral vision picked up on the vibrant red hair of Sono, a memory came unbidden into her mind, that of about a day ago, her traipsing about the Inn looking for Janet and almost bumping into Sono; but for some reason, she couldn’t remember him as clearly as other thoughts. This puzzled her, as usually her memory was as clear as a blu-ray movie on an HD screen (an invention she admired), but something about this Sono guy struck her as odd and it was these perplexing thoughts that made Sera slow down her pace.

Without taking a glance to check her surroundings, truly a dense moment of hers, as she tried her best to blend in, Sera suddenly vanished in a brief flash of fire. As quick as that had transpired, she re-appeared directly behind the bench that Sono was relaxing on, leaning over his head to block his view of the sun.
“I know you… You stay at Elysium, right?” She spoke matter-of-factly, her golden eyes shining a little and her cheeks still flushed from the exercise, though she wasn’t out of breath. The exercise wasn’t particularly necessary, but Sera simply enjoyed being outside, she didn’t spend much time inside the Inn on sunny days, she was always flitting about doing something or other, usually only at Elysium to eat the fine cuisine or bother some of the guests. Two weeks down the line and she hadn’t interacted much with most of the guests though, just a few, whereas to others she appeared aloof. Clearly Sono was amongst the latter, because Sera couldn’t remember him well enough to even find a name, just vague thoughts. Very odd indeed, for his presence was intriguing to her now that she was finally paying attention; what on earth was he? He hadn’t always had this fiery look had he?

Remembering her place, she quickly looked up at their surroundings, yanking the hood of her jacket down, and pulling the headphones down to rest around her neck, the music now paused. Slowly her gaze swept the area, her mind doing most of the surveillance that her eyes could not pick up on; then again, who knows what sort of technology those tatty CLOAKs had thought up. Glancing back down to Sono, she had a slightly quizzical expression, golden eyes narrowed, a little smirk at the corner of her lips, “I think my jogging outfit is nice too…” A slow grin crept over her mouth, her lips parting as she flashed a smile and laughed a little, she hadn’t intentionally meant to catch some of those thoughts, but once she had, Sera couldn’t resist saying something. Straightening back up, she moved round to stand in front of the bench, still staring at him with that little smirk and curious gaze.
Sera may have lived for over thousands of years, (counting this current five-hundred-year-period as her eleventh life/cycle, give or take a year) but she still acted as if some things surprised her, like a child experiencing things for the first time and she couldn’t recall ever having met something like this person, maybe she had, maybe she hadn’t. There were a few sides to her, as well as her care-free and joyous side, she could also vent her wrath when she wanted and her head may as well be an encyclopaedia at times, but who wanted to act like a know-it-all all the time? That was too boring. It was due to these train of thoughts that Sera had decided a while back, to try and keep her lives separate, tucking those past selves to one side like books on a shelf, picking out information when she needed it; her mind was as vast as it gets to contain all those memories, and a dangerous place for someone to venture.

As she continued to watch him, she suddenly realised one of the things that bothered her about him; he was similar to her in way of that fiery presence, but only difference being that he wasn’t hiding his as much as Sera. This only bothered her because she considered him to be one of those kinds who ‘didn’t see a point in hiding’ all that much; and there she was, walking around in her sheep’s clothing. If only she had the gall to let loose a little more, of course ignoring the earlier lapse of judgment when she poofed about like a silent firework, but to not care or worry about what the Humans consider normal? That’d be nice. But a Phoenix didn’t fit well in a city picture, whereas ‘Seraphina’ did, and she liked the city, with all its rapidly developing wonders.

[Yoshkun]

Sono had been lost in thought for the last minute or two as he bathed quietly in the sun’s overprotective warmth that never quite fully satisfied the craving for sheer heat that his skin seemed to tingle for. In fact, he had been enjoying the sensation so much that a small smile slowly curled on his usually furiously pursed lips as another pleasant sigh escaped silently from his nostrils. It was only when the continuous stream of never ending light suddenly vanished into an eclipse of the phoenix’s shimmering hood did the fire dancer’s eyes find themselves staring directly into her own after a few startled blinks of bewilderment.

In fact, he was so convinced that she had kept on jogging through the thick autumn leaves and eventually reached the outskirts of the rather ‘unique' Inn that he hadn’t even bothered to keep track with her and assumed her graceful step was completely out of eyesight. No, Sono was only left with this miscalculation as he now stared up at her with a look of shock and disbelief that fizzled his usual volcano-like glare into a cooled glance of awe. He probably would have continued to stay frozen in this state of discomfort had not for the fact that she spoken to him, as if to throw steaming coals of thought into the roaring inferno of his enigmatic mind.

“Uh…I suppose so. I mean, yes, I do stay there. Just needed a quiet place to continue my studies…” he muttered, rubbing his right shoulder shyly as he felt oddly nervous at being questioned so randomly by the woman he had been thinking about only minutes ago. Even more embarrassing was the way she mentioned the jogging suit while chuckling and rounding to the front of the bench; causing Sono’s cheeks to lose color as he finally drew his gaze away from her in a fit of shyness. Damn, he thought irritably as he huffed at being so thoroughly humiliated and so easily caught off guard with body and mind.

It was truly uncanny for him to be feeling these kinds of meek emotions in this state, usually filled with a passionate excitement and hot headed attitude that he had never been able to get a true handle on…but embarrassment? He cringed slightly at the thought, thinking back quickly to the time where she had almost bumped into him in the crowded hallways when he himself was in fact wearing a different mask. At that time, Sono had been wearing the mask of whispers (his preferred state) and nearly every feature laced about his body was mostly if not radically different. However that was then and this was now and a new wave of pride swelled over his previously deflated form, his eyes lighting up as they locked onto her expression with a silent intensity that only beings like themselves could understand. It was true that the mask of fire was only a fragment of his overall being, but it still did not prevent him from understanding some of the depth that lie within a heart constantly lit by the flame of its furiously burning desires.

Still, if he had left the previous mask on, surely he would have been able to scout out this scenario long before she could get the drop on him and also probably would have yielded more information than he had now. However his worldly travels came in very handy in certain privileged situations like these, as one could hardly take a breath in some circles without hearing wild tales of the one called “the phoenix”. Although he wasn’t really concerned with supposed myths when confronted daily with much more real people he could converse with, he had to inwardly admit there was a bit of intrigue on a being that possessed the heat of a thousand fire dancers. Every story added cryptic clues to its whereabouts and its supposed appearance but all the while never revealing too much to the true identity of the creature. Sono’s mind worked very differently from the way most men analyzed and processed data, even though he was actually a forest spirit, by truly absorbing what snippets of information he was randomly tossed and being able to mentally calculate them into the larger frame of the whole picture in his mind.

It was actually the first time they almost came shoulder to shoulder a few days ago that he realized it, that his mind finished the puzzle that so many men had died for without even having the first piece; Seraphina was THE phoenix. The very notion of this had excited him on some level, but now to actually be within a few feet of something so sought after was slightly humbling. However, feeling that he needed to regain some of his injured pride, a small smile crackled on his expression while his body melted comfortably back into the bench.

“You’re definitely the legendary phoenix I take it.” He finally mused, using his own matter-of-fact tone as his demeanor shifted from shy to generally pleased.

[Ms Silver Lining]

::: Μιωα τλε δλεερ ❤
=======================================»»

The funny part about being lost in this new place, was the fact that it probably wasn't that big. Miwa is horrible with directions almost mentally challenged. She was always getting lost, some days were better than others. On the worse days she could get lost and the destination could be right around the block. She was a sheep that needed a Shepherd to guild her safely from one spot to the next. Her life became so much easier when she found Kiyoshi. As she walked down the halls she often shield her eyes from the sunlight pouring through the windows. She could hear the sounds of the busy streets and cars, horns blowing, people shouting for taxies, even down to the human footsteps. Her senses were always a little higher when she was on guard. Although her friend told her she was in a safe place Miwa was still use to hiding from other Shepherds. The last thing she wanted was to get stolen while Kiyoshi was away. She held her hand up again as she strolled by another window so that the shadow of her hand could guard her eyes. Her eyes usually took a little longer to focus with light after waking up. The light wasn't painful, just irritating.

After walking the same hall twice or maybe even three or four times she stood in the middle of the hall. Her hands hung at her side as her eyes studied the end of the hall. Right or left? She couldn't remember which way she had gone before to get in the same spot she stood in now. She was tired of running into dead ends and her stomach was begging for food. The sheep bounced on her toes in utter frustration. If Kiyoshi was just in the room when she woke up she wouldn't have to go through this. The small hairs on her skin turned cold as soon as Cerano set his eyes on her. Not because he might be dangerous, it was just the feeling that most Sheep got. They were paranoid in a sense so, before he uttered a sound she turned her head to look over her shoulder. Her dark pink eyes watched the neko man walk over to the wall, leaning against it calling for her attention and, being the nice sheep that she was she could not ignore him. So, her body carefully finished the turn it started and spun slowly to face him.

He wasn't a shepherd so most of her worries fell out the window. It help even more that he didn't seem frightening and even more when he smiled. It was automatic for her to show her small perfect rows of dull white teeth in return. He was picture perfect! She knew many photographers who would love to work with him, minus the ears. Humans weren't so happy about demons or anything that wasn't human for that matter. She ran off the names of photographers who would do well with his looks and thought of a body she could change into to take photos with him. She loved being in photos or taking them. She found she had more energy either behind the camera or in front of it. Hell! If she had her camera she would take pictures of him too! She wouldn't know where to look for it though; Kiyoshi put it away, along with everything else. While she was thinking of all this she completely missed what he said. She bit on her soft pink lip trying to figure out where Kiyoshi would have put the digital camera. Then her thoughtful gaze shifted as her eyes moved towards the floor and she cursed herself for not having it.

It only took her a moment to get over her frustrations and remember that she was hungry. She could find a way to get this mans picture another day. She shook her head slightly from side to side and the curls danced against her skin. "I was looking for something to eat. I can smell food and I'm famished!" She put a little more emphasize on the last word, shaking her head a little, in hopes that he would get a better idea of how hungry she was. She wrapped her arm around her belly and held her side as she walked closer. The wound she suffered reminded her it was still there with a slight sting of pain. Most of her movements were slow and deliberate. She was sure she wasn't supposed to be out of the bed yet but food was high on her list of importunities. "Do you work here?" She looked at his clothes and hoped that she was right. She would feel horrible if this was just the way he liked to dress and she mistook him for a butler of the sorts. "I hope its not too much trouble if I ask you to show me the way to food...or did I miss it and this is the after smell I'm catching?" The look on her face completely changed into sadness. Sad looks on Miwa didn't look right not that she looked ugly, in fact, she was adorable. So cute that it should be completely wrong for her to frown. Her cheeks would puff up and turn pink. Her eyes would even appear to water a little. She was usually happy and smiling all over the place and she didn't care if it made her come off as young.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Sera hadn’t been too sure what to make of his initial reaction when she had made herself known to him just then, had she caught him off guard? It seemed unlikely, but that expression of his was quite odd, though it did somewhat make her feel smug and added a little more mischief to the gleam in her eyes. She decided to forgive herself for the earlier mistake, though knew that it was terribly important that she not forget next time; if there would be a next time. She was supposed to be ‘blending’ in, lying low, incognito and all that jazz; moving to New City, she had decided she would hide right underneath the noses of those tatty Cloaks. Of course choosing Elysium to stay at clearly wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but once again, she didn’t want the hassle of sorting out an apartment or finding a place that she didn’t trust as much.
Feeling the corner of her lips pull up a little as she heard him reply, Sera tilted her head to one side, staring boldly into those blazing eyes of his.
“Studies huh… I knew I recognised you… although… you’re different from before.” Her eyes narrowed sharply, accusingly, though she still smiled as if she found something amusing in his presence, or rather mannerisms. His body language spoke to her what she did not pick up from his mind, and Sera could not help but smile at this subtle change that took place in him; he became awkward, or perhaps embarrassed was a better word for it, in her presence. Why ever for? Certainly she had spent a lot of time and consideration when choosing this humanoid body of hers, each one in all her lives so far was different, but always radiant; was that why he was shy, because of how she looked? Sera didn’t think so; she sensed it went a little deeper than the surface. A soft chuckle fell from her lips before she had time to stop it; perhaps it would have been best if she hadn’t said anything in response to that particular thought of it, because clearly he did not appreciate it, but Sera thought it charming. So far, this Sono person was proving to be a delightful entertainment, so full of fluctuating emotions, her jog round the park was now forgotten, even her stomach remained silent as its cry for food went unanswered. Bob would have to wait if he wanted any more stuffed animals from her, sweets too.

As she lifted a hand to push through her hair at the side of her head, she caught the sudden flare of intensity in Sono’s gaze, which brought forth an unbidden darkened glow to her golden eyes. The fire that constantly burned through her body, like blood flowing through veins, threatened to overflow and reach out in answer to this man, but she held back, though ever curious as to what brought on this sudden change in atmosphere around him. The air close to the bare flesh of her face and hands shimmered subtly, heat pouring off her body without her being aware of it, Sera had yet to remove her gaze from Sono, she had yet to blink.
Being the only one of her kind, living through the years in this endless cycle, though she enjoyed her time spent in this world, deep down Sera longed for kinship. Whenever she came across beings who could spindle fire well enough to call themselves Fire Dancers, or Elementals, she would sometimes feel a connection between them, but knew that this was just a fabrication that her pitiful soul came up with to keep her happy and content. There was no one like her. She knew this. She accepted it. And yet, she couldn’t help but wish and wonder; she partly blamed human fiction for that, those damnable fairytales and happily ever afters that she had become addicted to once (and perhaps still) Sera wanted a happy ending, but clearly there would be no ending for her. The Phoenix had to live alone.

Sera felt her smile gradually fade away, the dazzle of her features toning down as she stared at Sono when he spoke, darkening as her lips formed a tight line. There were reasons she liked to keep her existence a mystery, reasons why she flitted about the world without staying in one place for too long, reasons why she kept changing her appearance. Silence consumed Sera as she stared at Sono with an impassive expression, she was quite stunned however, that he had perceived her so easily; she was also angered by what she took as a cocky attitude; did he feel proud at having guessed her identity? She had not divulged any such information even at Elysium, she was a mere Elementalist, that was all; at least she hoped that was what they thought of her. Sera hadn’t been staying there that long, and even if she was staying there, she moved about a lot; was she growing too lax then? Or was he one of those smart alec’s? He couldn’t be in league with the tatty Cloaks could he? Impossible. Although paranoia was starting to settle in.
About half a minute had passed since he spoke, Sera felt her facial features relax and she managed a wry smile, laughing as if he had made a joke, though her eyes remained a smouldering golden shade.
“Clearly I would be a fool to deny anything to one as perceptive as yourself, though I would appreciate it if you didn’t toss that name around. I have many enemies.” She paused, narrowing her eyes and flashing a grin towards him, “You may even be one of them. So I would advise you to not fly too close to this sun.” Sera couldn’t see how this fellow fire wielder could possibly be an enemy, but that was due to her ridiculous notion of bonds, it had caused her trouble before. She had evaded capture in the past though, Sera didn’t want her kind of powers to fall into the wrong hands, sure she didn’t want to be alone, but she didn’t want Phoenix copies flitting about. She also didn’t want some of these particular humans to discover the secret of rebirth; no living soul on this earth has ever seen the Phoenix die, because it is when she is most vulnerable, over the course of three days she dies and is reborn anew. Sera recalled a few incidents in the past, when she had hung around the Middle East, her identity as Seraphina was connected to the Phoenix; she then seemed to recall a lot of fire and destruction. Stories of God’s wrath. Natures fury. Rumours were fun; she liked listening to them, even starting some of her own to keep the ball rolling away from the truth. Those were the good days. She’d move about like a ghost in the midst of those gullible humans, her appearance as a Phoenix growing less and less, the more time she spent in human guise.
Looking back to Sono, Sera moved her hands slowly and pulled the hood of her jacket back up over her head, the headphones still around her neck. She shot a few furtive glances around the area before settling her intense gaze back on him,
“Seeing as how I don’t seem to handle admirers well, I’ll give you a chance to talk if you like… but any funny business and I’m outta here.” She made a quick motion with her left hand, flicking her fingers out to emphasise her point; Sera felt tense all over, but a deep sense was niggling at her to listen first and run later.

[Kitsune]

Cerano did wonder what was going through the young woman's mind. She didn't appear to be with him. There was a certain gloss over her eyes--it was reminiscent to the look one got when they were caught in the midst of a daydream or a really consuming thought. The matagot could only assume what thoughts had captured Miwa in those few moments when she first laid eyes upon him. Was she stricken y his other-worldly beauty? Was she violently seized by scandalous thoughts? Was she attempting to undress him? The way she was staring and the cute little n** she took from her bottom lip would have confirmed it, but Cerano's nose told him otherwise. It was sharp enough to discern who cut one in a room full of people and also tell him what they ate to cause it. Her thoughts were innocent in nature, though it didn't curb his curiosity. He calmly watched her mull over whatever had her full attention, getting his gloves in place before letting his arms cross in front of him and pulling one leg up to rest the sole of one shoe against the wall behind him.

This woman was absolutely adorable. Cerano likened her to one of those delicate little porcelain dolls that had been oh so popular back home among the young women. He could dress her up in all sorts of pretty frilly dresses the likes of which she had probably never seen. Naturally, his first choice in costume would be a cute little Bo Peep ensemble complete with the ruffle petticoat and a fancy poke bonnet. Then he'd pull a few of her curls up to frame her pretty face inside the bonnet and arm her with a cute wooden crook with a silk bow tied near the top to match her dress! Why did he envision such elaborate outfits when he didn't have paper? Pulled from his thoughts by her talk of being famished, Cerano nodded in understanding. She looked hungry and clearly she must have been to rush out of her room in little more than her sleeping attire. His eyes drifted down the length of her body as she moved forward, an innocent gesture that could easily be misconstrued. The way she was holding her stomach elicited some concern but he didn't show it as he addressed her. "Bien sûr, mon chéri," he responded with a charming smile. "Trust me, I would not be in this ensemble if I didn't work here," he explained before raising a gloved hand and using it to toss his silky locks behind his shoulder. "Though I must admit, I do wear it well," he said more to himself than to Miwa. No surprise there, of course. Anything looked good on him. There wasn't an outfit in existence that Cerano Mancini-Boucher couldn't pull off. He looked drop dead gorgeous in everything he wore.

"Too much trouble? Of course not, mon chéri! It is my job to be of assistance and it would be my pleasure to escort you down to breakfast." He smoothly stepped away from the wall and approached the Sheep, worried she would burst into tears at any moment. What could he say? He had a weakness for meek women and Miwa was the epitome of meek. She was downright...sheepish. Her flushing face and watery eyes were foreign on her pretty little face and the matagot wanted her to be rid of the expression post haste. He might not have preferred women, but that didn't change the fact that he would much rather see them happy. That and he might get chewed out later if word got around to the boss-lady that a paying customer wasn't being assisted. Cerano didn't need nor want that. He was certain there was plenty of food downstairs for her to partake in. Bob always seemed to make more than enough. It was as if he had some uncanny ability to predetermine just how much he had to make to ensure everyone got their fill without running the risk of making so much it would be wasted. Not that food was ever wasted when you had bottomless guts like Sera's and, to a lesser extent, Iria and her odd vacuum. "There there. There is no need for tears. They do not suit you at all! Now, come! To the dining room with you! Your breakfast awaits." He slipped around behind Miwa and began to herd her toward the stairs.

[Yoshkun]

What had started as a simple meditation exercise in a secluded part of the park had turned out to an inadvertent full therapy of expression. He couldn’t help but inwardly enjoy the constant tension between them if for no other reason than the sheer amount of delicious heat that poured so freely from the racing adrenaline of both beings. The only time his intense glare appeared to falter was when she made mention of seeing him previously in a different mask. He had tried to avoid the sight of most of the Inn’s guest as a way to isolate himself completely for the peace needed to successfully transform. That way, when he molded with a new mask he would be able to emerge freely and build a first impression on that appearance before slowly lulling them into a different one over time. It was always incredibly awkward when he was forced into contact on a daily basis and even that much more uncomfortable when he was forced into the same contact on a daily basis. It had slipped his ever complex mind that she, of all people, had witnessed something not meant to be seen and therefore would probably have to explain his ‘condition’ to the phoenix. Luckily, the conversation had taken a three sixty in reverse when the word phoenix rolled off his tongue and passed his lips with a fiery certainly that seemed to put Seraphina on the cooling end; given the rather repressed shock written all over her soured expression.

He wasn’t sure how long the silence between them lasted, but while she continued to stare through him somberly his mind traveled in very secure directions in case she happened to be reading it; remembering some of the details of the many tall tales and comparing them with an intrigued glint in his otherwise gleeful pupils. Eventually it was the sudden crack of that small smile that twisted a little too sweetly on her moist lips that signified to Sono that he had poked a small hole into her otherwise flourishing pride and taken the advantage in their trade of wits; his own swelling pride gobbling hungrily with a genuine pleased smile that accompanied his now relaxed posture upon the bench.

“I see…” He responded with a small chuckle, rolling his eyes slightly at the rather flamboyant comparison to the sun but saying nothing of it. He took some time to observe her when she seemed to fidget with some sense of urgency, his smirk fading a bit when he came to the realization she may have interpreted the situation differently from what it actually was. Some part of him, the man behind the mask consumed with such pride and eagerness, thought it was rather cute to see such an unbelievably glamorous figure of history to be so demoralized with one sentence.

“Admirers…?!” He huffed, not sure whether he was more taken aback that he would be referred to as such or the fact that she was implying that he might try something on her other than what would be standard practice for two people having a conversation. His mind was shook of these thoughts as he settled himself with a small sigh, looking upward and noticing for the first time that she had quietly slipped the hood back over her head to mostly shield her face from public view. Was this to emphasize a point or was the almighty phoenix actually hiding from something? Sure, Sono had heard of this CLOAK nonsense but none of that concerned him to any panic after all. The ability to change your outwardly appearance almost at will was enough to keep any foolish enough on his trail from staying on such, and therefore kept him relatively safe. Once again this struck a note with the actual Sono, feeling a pang of pity for the mighty bird who must feel caged without the ability to truly hide from the scumbags from seemed to enjoy the thrill of the hunt more than whatever sick objectives they truly had. This was not the time for pity, the mask quickly rebounded from its lapse of guard and shot her a rather quizzical look when he took the time to ponder what she had left off with. Chance to talk? What did she want him to talk about? Him? Her? He really didn’t know where or what to begin with, but with his arms folding neatly against his chest again he thought he would take a shot at it.

“I suppose I should start off by telling you I am not your enemy, quite the opposite really. My name is Sono…Sono Masuku; and I guess in the simplest terms I would be called an explorer of sorts. I travel the world in search of new things to discover about others and myself…and then I write them down for recording purposes, of course.” He glanced away shyly again before closing his eyes entirely; not used to any sort of introductions but deeming it necessary since she seemed a bit on edge all of the sudden.

“As to your identity, I assure you it was nothing as fantastical as you may be imagining.” He remarked, his tone slowly cooling into its usual calm and reassuring state.” You have truly done remarkable things to keep your identity a secret for so many years, but I do suppose rising from the ashes would lessen the process a bit. It was actually the rumors I can only assume you started that was your downfall, because as with most myths of such magnitude actually do contain nuggets of truth buried within…if you know where to look. In fact, as I was sailing over from the East I had pieced together it was a young woman who was immensely fascinated with mortal cultures and thusly would stick close to a large gathering if she could. You would have to retreat to a part of the world where your presence really hadn't been felt before and obviously you would blend in to the western culture with a bit of self indulgent flare. Of course, knowing that much and with ‘certain individuals’ trying to rob many of their freedom…it wouldn’t be easy to find such a mythical being. Needless to say I didn’t really see an advantage to seeking you out but it just so happens when we passed in the hallway your heat signature…it flourished mine.” He said with a small bit of awe laced thinly between his otherwise neutral expression. Although he tried to keep the memory out of his ticking thoughts in case she was in them, he could remember their meeting like it had only happened seconds ago. Although he wasn’t wearing the current mask at that time, just their small encounter had sent burning shivers through its lingering nerves and cried out with such intensity that it drew a gasping breath seconds later from his shivering lungs. It wasn’t a bad sensation though, it was as if his lungs had never been filled with any sort of air…and in that one instance he could truly breathe. Perhaps it unknowingly motivated him to select the mask of fire as his first choice, but even now, he couldn't really be sure.

This was the second time he had let his eyelids part and found himself staring at something a traveler like him could only ever dream of finding, to some just chasing the creature was what drove their lives more than any humanly passion could ever hope to satisfy…and yet how does a dog deal with actually catching the car he has so idolized and dreamed about from afar? This bothered him slightly that he, a man who was not interested in myths of humans to a degree, would have the pleasure to behold what he richly did not deserve.

“That is when I knew who actually were.I...I am glad you have managed to keep safe in troubled times.” His flaming aurora had all but completely vanished and was replaced with a serene figure whose pupils now held such depth and understanding that it seemed impossible for him to actually to be the same person.

“I apologize for my temper. It gets the better of me as of late.” He knew she would understand him on some level, to feel the singe of burning emotions that often could roar for hours…but it always left them so very tantalizingly empty. Alone. Scared. Frightened. Often, he summarized, the heat that held them bonded at this moment was only a warm blanket over the stability of their own existence. For Sonos this was only a temporarily feeling of bitter fury encasing said emptiness…but for Seraphina...it would be eternities punishment. The phoenix, he thought with a bit of acknowledgment, was truly a creature the mortals could admire after all.

[Lightlender]

"Are you really alive right now?

Are you truly real?

...I'm pretty sure I'm not..."

This world had left him with nothing. Not even a place to live, and scarcely even a name to call his own. Bereft of everything he'd known and held dear, his world was now a single linear track leading toward bleak uncertainty. Nevertheless, Namir Jerusalem walked it without regrets, without sorrow, and without remorse for anything he'd done to earn himself such a cruel karmic retribution. The broken asphalt crunched beneath his size seventeens, the beige Timberland boots hardly putting up an effort against the littered chunks of pavement crushed beneath the nearly seven-foot-tall mountain of muscle. When he walked, the ground lightly trembled, as if quivering in respect of the man's enormous footfalls, left with only the sound of his passing as its only reprieve. He hadn't realized how long he'd been traveling since waking up this morning and combing a hand through his fiery orange hair, a mane peppered with white side-streaks despite the youthful visage of a man in his early thirties. The olive-skinned giant hardly seemed to match the ageless glimmer in his brilliant blue eyes, ones that shined with age and maturity beyond his years.

But then again, humans saw exactly what they wanted to see...

That had always been a timeless rule, rather than the exception. Humans were stupid, foolish creatures that never once gave an iota of concern for anything beyond their own hubris and self-serving appetites for power, sex, and renown. Namir scarcely had enough respect for them to rival that which he reserved for the scum beneath his fingernails. Little attention was paid to a man in a leather jacket, a dingy white t-shirt, and weathered denim jeans—regardless of how unusually tall and muscular he may have been, which perhaps lent itself some air of mysticism considering how easily he weaved between crowds along the busy city sidewalk. It almost looked as though he were sifting through them like a breeze, his contour wispy and distorted with every hollow step he took. One might have wondered if anyone noticed him at all, if not for the bewildered glance he would occasionally get from a passerby. Unbeknownst to those lucky few—who were unaware of their latent spiritual blessings—they were perhaps the only ones to see the towering brute for what he was beneath his supernatural veil. But their limited glimpses lasted only for a second; after that, the colossal man was gone before the time it took to blink.

He had a destination, as evident in his purposeful stride. You see, he was a wanted man in a sense—a fugitive, if you will—and couldn't allow himself to remain in public view for too long. If he did, his pursuers would easily trace his every step and come swelling up from the bowels of hell to gnaw at his heels and drag him down to the depths below. Namir wasn't having that. If he had his way, they could chase after his shadow for an eternity and come up with nothing, as though he were on the witness protection program and merely vanished off the face of the earth. Mr. Jerusalem, the haughty b*****d that he was, enjoyed the concept actually; it was evident in his wily smirk. Playing cat and mouse was his specialty, yet it was eerily satisfying to finally get to be the proverbial 'mouse'. But before he could finish his thoughts, he felt something crash into him and tumble onto the pavement at his side. He cocked a snow-frosted orange brow, glaring over the rim of his deeply tinted sunglasses. Oh, dear—had he bowled someone over again? This was the fourth time today that had happened. You would expect a mystic veil woven by a self-proclaimed witch to perform a big more gracefully. "Hollow Witch, indeed. Did she seriously con me out of twenty bucks for this thing?" Namir grumbled, wondering if the glam was still intact. If someone saw him walking around in public without his charmed veil...well, let's just say that such a thing did not bode well for him. He looked down to find a young boy glancing up at him, looking as if he'd tilt over backwards in the attempt to find the enormous man's face high above. Namir blinked. "What?" he spat, a bit flustered by the child's expressionless stare. Were all human children this unsettling? Why did they all possess the odd propensity to gaze and stare at things that stood outside the norm? Or in his case, WAY outside the norm? "Er...ex...'scuse me?" he offered, remembering it as the normal custom when bumping into someone. His kin didn't have such rituals. When you bumped into a sibling, you either practiced the skills of the hunt in engaging play, groomed them, or asked them where the parents were if you were hungry. If you ran into an outsider who was not in your 'Streak', you bared your teeth and issued a fair warning with the ultimatum that they leave within a timely manner. And if they didn't, you drove them off or killed them on the spot. Humans made these things over-complicated, really. And even then, the boy didn't stop staring...making Namir all the more nervous. This child must have been defective.

"...big kitty!" the boy exclaimed, thrusting a drool-covered finger in Namir's direction. The scruffy old vagabond took a step back in surprise. Had the veil dropped or lost its effect? Holy crap, this wasn't good. If this crowded city street suddenly saw him walking around, that'd be the end of his little vacation on the spot. "Kitty, daddy! Lookie! S'a big orange kitty!" he blurted again. The enormous bruiser could be seen sweating off a gallon a second, so taken aback that his voice froze in his throat. He was lucky that the boy's dad was quickly on the scene, pulling the child back with a worried look of 'please don't crush me, Mister' painted across his generic features. All humans looked alike, really. Namir got a good look at the man, though—fine suit, tie, neatly combed hair, and expensive shoes—the man must have been a cubicle jockey, judging by his lack of assertion.

"...a-ah, pardon me, sir. You'll have to forgive my son! He's got a vivid imagination, you see..." Although he didn't realize it, Namir's fears were soothed in an instant, leaving the tall man glowering down at the both of them. Despite sucking in the air between the teeth of his fanged scowl, Namir's voice came as gently as he was capable of making it, fanning the timid fool and his obviously retarded (yet somewhat clairvoyant) son away without much concern. "It's nothing. Accidents like this happen all the time." And with that, he stepped around them both and made sure not to hit the father in the face with his bloated gym bag. He could heave a sigh of relief again. He didn't necessarily trust the magic of a woman calling herself a Hollow Witch, but at least the woman's mystic veil held up fairly well, despite the all-seeing truth uncovered through a child's innocent eyes. Seriously, he'd almost shat out a brick just now!

After a few more minutes of walking, the man finally came to the place he was searching for. It honestly looked worse than the run-down halfway house he'd been staying at until he'd made the mistake of sleeping with the landlady's daughter and getting kicked out. He probably shouldn't have slept with the landlady beforehand, either, he realized. But hindsight truly was twenty-twenty, wasn't it? He'd keep that in mind, reaching for the steel double-doors that seemed as though someone had come along with the explicit purpose of ripping the handles off.

"Hey, buddy...you really don't wanna go in there." a man murmured, reaching out to touch the giant's elbow. Namir raised a brow, glancing back over the raised collar of his jacket. "...no? Why's that?" he spat gruffly, almost sneering at the man. The fellow seemed in the right state of mind, at least. He had strong, determined eyes and a powerful physique; he probably wasn't in Namir's league of near-perfection, but he could tell the man must have taken a few trips to the gym in the last month or two. He could respect a fellow who took care of his body. The body was a man's temple and one had to take good care of it. For this very reason, Namir chose not to punch the man's lights out on principle alone for touching him.

"That place is haunted, bro. If I were you, I wouldn't set one foot in there. They say that the people who go in...don't ever come out."

Namir glared at the man as if he had a sign that read 'idiot' in bold font taped to his face. Of all the things to waffle on about! If this man knew what Namir truly was, he might have understood the true meaning of irony, speaking about ghosts in front of a true-to-life phantom. The burly man shrugged himself free of the Good Samaritan's graces and scoffed, trying not to seem overly pretentious as he pulled away. "Haunted, huh? Well if that's the case, this sounds like precisely the place I want be. Thanks for the hint, pal. Now take a hike." That rudely said, he pushed past the doors and stepped inside, feeling the final effects of The Hollow Witch's veil melt away like lukewarm butter on a sunny afternoon sidewalk. As an afterthought, he tried to grab at it before it faded away, managing only to paw at the wispy, dissolving gossamer threads with meaty finger-pads before his paw-like fingers felt only the uneasily distended air between them. For a moment, he simply glared at the empty space before shuffling his furry digits into a pocket, sighing as his black-striped orange fur emerged from the faux flesh mirrored by the Witch's skillful yet short-lived illusion. The enormous bi-pedal tiger growled his distaste of such cheaply manufactured magic. The woman must have clearly bought her magical supplies from Wal-Mart.

"...Zephy, you owe me a dub back for this cheap garbage the next time we meet." Namir, or rather...'Taiga' grumbled, luminous blue eyes peering through his shaded sunglasses to take in the inn at a glance. There he was, an almost seven foot tall tiger in jeans and a leather jacket, looking as if he'd just stepped out of a rock music video and into the largest gathering of spooks, specters, goblins, and otherwise unruly misfits this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Taiga let off an appreciative whistle, as this place definitely looked a lot better on the inside than it did out. "Nice digs. What is this, an MTV Crib or something? I'm seriously impressed here, no bull-jive." he muttered, mostly to himself since he was positive no one was paying him any mind since he'd just waltzed in from the street. Now he wondered how this was supposed to work. Was there a bell-hop to come and nab up all his belongings, namely his gym-bag that was heavier than most dead bodies? Or did he simply find the nearest cute girl or studly guy (if you were into that sort of thing) and ask for a key? From what he was told by the Hollow Witch, Zephyrine Anderson, this was a refuge for 'people like him' – those who had no place in human society and were thusly shunned for being even the slightest bit...different.

This was the right place, he figured.

This was the Elysium Inn of which the Hollow Witch spoke.

[Kitsune]

Mama-san was used to being the subject of stares and she knew that her provocative style of dress was bound to draw many an eye, so it was unusual for her to actually acknowledge a person staring at her. Unless, of course, they wanted her to acknowledge them or they were too irresistible for the ever hungry woman to ignore.

A young boy not long out of childhood and plagued by unfamiliar hormones and urges tasted so much better than older men whose hormones had tainted their flesh for years. Even the sweet flesh of babies paled in comparison. The meat was just too tender and didn't have much substance. It was why she often snatched them up and locked them up somewhere where they could mature a little. They could fight a little in hopes of gaining their freedom, build up their muscles and strength and, of course, the constant fear they felt would flavor them all the more. Years and years of devouring humans had made the spider-woman quite the connoisseur. She knew how to prepare a human and that was what drew so many flesh-eating youkai and demons to her place of business. Her motto was "No one serves people better than Mama-san". Humans usually read it as a compliment to them: she was an expert at customer service and they would always leave satisfied. Non-humans saw it as literally serving them on a platter much to their delight. Still others read it as a possible innuendo. She did run a house of burlesque after all.

This particular young man that she had caught the attention certain looked like her favored prey. Smelled like it, too. Mama-san glanced over her shoulder, her gaze zeroing in instantly on Leon. Quite the accomplished actress, the ageless spider-demon batted her long sooty lashes at him in a tease worthy of one of her young daughters' shows. 'He looks good,' she mused to herself. 'Good enough to eat.' Then she reminded herself of where she was. This was an inn, a place of respite and relaxation. Not only that, but it wasn't her place. She couldn't go around making meals out of the guests. That would get her ousted for sure. With that thought fresh in mind, Mama-san created a mantra that would hopefully get her through the day. 'The guests are not food'. She turned back to the breakfast spread and picked up a plate to load down with food.

Naturally she was drawn to the meats. Mama-san did like boiled eggs and toast on occasion, but she mostly enjoyed breakfast meats like sausages and bacon. So long as Bob kept providing alternatives to the flesh of man (and occasionally other demons), Mama-san would not dine on the other guests. Picking up the tongs, she began loading bacon strip after bacon strip, piling them on one side of the plate while eyeing the slices of brown sugar ham beckoning her with their sweet aroma. The woman got her fill of bacon and moved over to the ham to help herself then finally moved on to pluck up a few sausage links to fill in the empty spaces. Satisfied with her current selections, she made her way toward the coffee machine near the end only to stop briefly and secure a few pancakes to wrap the sausages with. With her freehand, she picked up a metal boat with warm syrup in it and poured it over everything. She set the boat down and moved over to the coffee, using her freehand to pour some in an empty cup.

With her breakfast in hand, Mama-san walked away from the buffet table and quickly scanned the room for a place to sit. There was plenty of room so it wasn't a matter of finding an empty space. It was more a matter of finding a spot with company she wouldn't mind keeping. In the end, her eyes settled on Leon as he focused on the card spread in front of him. Her eyes narrowed just a little as she tried to discern what he was up to. It hadn't been apparent before, but now she had an inkling that she had seen this man before. Was it on the street somewhere? In her business? On TV? Mama-san headed over to Leon and walked around the opposite side of his table. "Mind if I sit with you?" she asked. Her gaze shifted down to the cards. "Oh, you're a card player? Interesting... I've only been good at one card game. Spider Solitaire." She smirked.

[Lightlender]

"Are you really alive right now?

Are you truly real?

...I'm pretty sure I'm not..."

Over sixty years ago, someplace far away...

The air was crisp and cool, although 'Curved Fang' could smell warmth on the horizon. In only a day or so, the Season of the Sun would be upon them, forcing their Streak to reside closer to the river for the next few months. The younger cubs would need constant replenishment from the river's crystalline stream and the older hunters would appreciate the shade of the trees that shrouded the river bank. All in all, it would be another peaceful warm season, if not for the familiar smoky scent wafting from the black trees in the distance. The tiger watched his older brother meander closer, his proud muscles shifting in almost mechanized perfection, his coat silky and of the brightest orange and white. Although his stripes were more pronounced, his brother's coat had earned the eye of the most desired females of their Streak. Fang couldn't lie—he was jealous. Soon, his brother, Black Talon, would mate with her and their litter would be plentiful. How could he not feel some inkling of spite, especially since he was a better hunter and the strongest competitor for future leadership of their illustrious Streak. Nonetheless, Fang was happy for Talon, and as they combed the forests for decent prey, he couldn't help but share a few meaningful glances with his sibling that seemed something akin to telepathy between brothers.

"The black trees cough horribly this year, Talon." Fang mused, slowly gesturing his massive pink snout toward the iron settlement in the distance, the one where the long-legged apes were known to inhabit. Although there were shiny black trees that choked out black clouds all year-long, they seemed to burn more frequently during the Season of Sun. As he swatted his tail and trudged over the dried carrion of a previous kill they'd managed to make earlier in the week, he noticed his green-eyed brother giving him a sour expression. Talon always seemed perturbed about something. That was probably why his stripes never quite developed their thickness; stress had dulled them considerably.

"Those hairless monkeys; I curse their entire breed. Is it not enough that they take from us our prey, our land, and even our kin with their thunder-sticks that kill without fangs or claws? Now they vex the Forest Gods with black trees that burn endlessly. Their kind is a blight upon our world, Fang." Talon growled, weaving between the trees like a shadow roaming the cover of night. Black Talon had mastered that form of hunting, which was a fine achievement during the night prowls—but utterly useless during daytime hunts, where stealth was all but impossible due to their orange silhouettes. They needed bushes and foliage to hide within, but the hairless apes had begun cutting down much of the forest, leaving them bereft of proper places to stalk. It wasn't as if Curved Fang didn't understand his disposition, but he could never really bring himself to hate the Hairless Ones. After all, one of their naked pink cubs had wandered into the woods many moons ago, back when Fang had been yet a mere youngling. Curved Fang had been the only one to encounter it, but upon nuzzling it with his nostrils, the thing paused only momentarily before hugging his huge face and mewling like a recently nursed cub. Since then, Fang had assumed that not all of them were as evil as Talon surmised. His brother was merely a bitter sort, which made his assumed pairing with Golden Fleece amusing. She was a chipper girl, full of play and whimsy, much like himself. Although all of the males of their Streak had taken an eye to her, few were rightly saw as competitors for her affection. Even now, Fang believed that it was because that the three of them used to play together as cubs, it was inevitable that Fleece would select either he or Talon.

"Stay your malice, Talon. Save it for the hunt." Fang mused, rumbling some, the guttural sound produced from his belly speaking volumes. He never much cared for his brother's cynicism, nor the damper moods of one with such pale stripes. Talon growled his indifference, as if to flaunt the fact that he had a woman whilst Fang did not, pale stripes or no. His brother was incorrigible sometimes, yet Fang held no interest in challenging him. He was stronger than Talon in every viable way so there was no purpose in wasting play-training while they should have been gathering food for their Streak. The only problem was that there were few wild boars remaining within the wood, nor deer. The Hairless Ones had their sticks-that-spat-fire, killing their prey faster and more efficiently than their talons or fangs ever could. But the hairless apes and their hunger was insatiable and went far beyond merely filling their stomachs, hunting continually throughout the seasons despite having more than enough meat to whet their appetites. In the end, there was scarcely enough food to feed their Streak this year. The cubs were already whimpering about that troublesome issue as it was.

"You're too soft, brother. You'll never become a proper leader of our Streak with such imperfections." Talon grumbled, often musing over pointless flaws that Fang didn't necessarily possess, not that his brother cared to address his complaints. Instead, he hushed his older sibling with a glance and revealed his fangs. "Be silent! Your complaints drive away the spoils of the hunt. Besides, I see something up ahead..." The two tigers quickly ducked down behind a small hill of dirt, watching. Sure enough, Curved Fang's deep blue eyes saw movement just beyond the clearing of the trees. He could scarcely make out their shapes, walking brazenly like thin reeds peeking above the surface of tranquil water. They often came in packs, bearing their false furs that looked entirely identical to one another. Although neither Fang nor Talon understood the purpose of uniformity, considering a tiger's markings made him or her unique, the Hairless Ones came in twos and threes, each swathed in fur that smelled of sheep and strange oils. Talon's throat resonated with a fierce growl, stepping out of hiding against his brother's wishes. "Black Talon, have you lost your senses?! Get back down here!"

His brother flared back.

"I will not hide from them! They come into our hunting grounds and rob from us that which is rightfully our own...I will not cower from those hairless monkeys as you do, Coward Fang. You hide. I will drive them off." Talon growled, stalking near silently as a serpent, the sound of crunching leaves muted beneath his heavy padded paws. At the sight of his older brother's tail flicking irritably, Fang cursed his misfortune at being born a littermate of such a compulsive creature. This would ruin the already shaky relationship between their Streak and the human hunter packs. What exactly was Black Talon aiming to accomplish through openly walking up to them? Did he fancy himself some sort of diplomat, a spokesman for their kin who would plead their bargain with the humans to stop encroaching upon their lands? He became so infused with his thoughts of annoyance with his brother that he forgot to keep his attention focused ahead. When the thunderous roar and crack of thunder finally tore him away from his thoughts, it was too late. The echo was deafening whenever their thunder-sticks sang out; Fang rushed over just in time to catch the sight of his brother's muzzle being blown apart by an invisible foe's claws, shredded into chunks of steaming meat where his brother's body fell. A feral roar exploded from somewhere deep within him before had the chance to truly register what he felt—his claws moved on their own, cleaving flesh in sequence with every gnash of his sharp fangs, gouging the ruby-drenched meat of his enemies while the world itself spun maddeningly out of control. He couldn't see. He couldn't think.

The mere act of the hunt became nothing to him when blood touched his tongue; he only knew that he wanted more of it. And that these haireless apes would supply it in gross amounts to pay for what had been just now robbed from him. He whirled in the wind as something stung him from the side, ripping a deep hole in his flank that felt like the burn of snake's venom, leaving him painfully numbed and subdued just long enough for one of the humans to crack a thunder-stick across the side of his skull. The blow honestly rattled him more than he would have expected it too, leaving Fang acting solely on impulse alone. He turned and thrashed futilely at air, believing to have struck his assailant only to realize his folly when his vision realigned a moment too late. The uniformed man took a step in and bashed him again, routing the enraged tiger back a step. He must have thought to sneak in a third blow, proving that humans were poorly equipped to hunt. There was no creature in the wild who allowed himself to be struck a third time without either moving or striking back. A tiger's instinct told him to move, to act, no matter how badly wounded. When the man lunged, Fang knocked his thunder-stick away with a powerful swipe of his muscular arm—and with a powerful bite across the throat and shoulders, he put the human down after only a few seconds of wasted struggle. Like a struck antelope within his powerful jaws, the human eventually surrendered into the cold whims of death and fell silent and still. Tigers tended to respect such a time-revered custom, holding their prey gently as a last act of kindness, something every noble creature should have left this world with. But for this hated thing, this human, Fang spat out both blood and body with a vindictive snarl.

"...brother." he found his fallen sibling not far from him, fallen in a stiff heap as though his body had frozen. Much of his skull was gone, laying in pieces with bloodied gray meat they often savored upon when it came to prey-kills. Now, the very thought disturbed him and made his stomach churn. He couldn't even find the thoughts to explain what he was now feeling, suffering through alone. Even if a tiger had need for words, what select few could contain the grief of knowing that BlackTalon, his dear brother, was now dead? It hurt, almost as much as the wound left behind from being shot with one of their thunder-sticks. It burned like fire, but left him ultimately numb in the end with an inexplicable sorrow as deep as their Streak's proud river. However could he deal with something so complex? He turned to back away from the gruesome sight, unable to bear it any longer. Golden Fleece would need to know; he would undoubtedly become her next mate, although he'd lost all the previous enthusiasm he'd felt before. Now, Fang wished only to have moved from their hiding spot a second sooner. Perhaps then, he'd have been able to save his brother's life. If only he'd...

What was this?

He stopped just short of the last human he'd killed with a crucial bite to the throat. He stopped simply because he smelled something familiar, unmistakable. He inched closer, sniffing the body closer before the flash of revelation stung at the back of his mind. This must have been some cruel slice of irony—how else could he explain this cruel joke fate was playing on him. Not only had he lost his brother, but although the features had matured and changed, Fang had just killed the man-cub whom he'd met all those many moons ago. But why? Why had this happened? What foul thing had changed this man from the child who happily hugged his broad nose and chittered happily until nightfall? Why had something this horrible been allowed to happen? Curved Fang felt convoluted inside, his limited understanding and emotions twisting around one another as if straining to expand within their inadequate vessel, leaving him exhausted where he stood. He flopped down onto his haunches, weary from it all, and finally let his sorrows free in the form of an exasperated sigh...

".....what has...just now happened to me?"

[Yoshkun]

Leon leaned back into his chair slightly as he took another sweet sip of the dark delight Bob 'served' every morning, his fingertips squeezing into the mug roughly as if to push out any struggling drops before setting the now empty cup down with an unsatisfied grunt. He glanced over at Bob with a small bottom limp whimper in hopes the rather eerie cook would find his way over and pour him an absolutely necessary refill, but since that was an extremely wild fantasy, his stare found its way back to the spider youkai; who seemed to be batting those flirtatious and extremely intoxicating eyelashes at him with all the wrong intentions. As a symbol of his immense appreciation, he returned a charming smile that lit up his features stunningly before both creatures returned to their previous activities. She seemed content with filling her plate with all kinds of assorted meats and left the lion with a small chuckle as he gathered his cards together to shuffle the deck; thinking.

Although known to mostly live with a laid back and easygoing persona that he loved to blow in the face of others like fresh cigar smoke, the actual truth of the matter was, he did not want other people to perceive just how deceptively brilliant he actually was. He had heard several stories in Africa of the Spider Youkai, a usual temptress of many varieties who were only interested in filling that insatiable hunger buried beneath the surface of a darling smile. There weren't many who lived around those parts but were feared to be some of the most terrifying creatures of the eastern world. It seemed diabolical to anyone of a normal rationale to basically trick the human animal into 'serving themselves' on an eventual dinner plate; but it was the way the spider youkai lived by. What seemed even more ludicrous was to know how terribly deadly these arachnids were and still to invite the danger upon yourself. Still, Leon lived his life on chances and on the thrill of a dangerous game. So, in his mind, there was no woman worth living for unless he was taking a chance and in some shape or form they were extremely dangerous. That seemed to summarize the business woman quite nicely and he would be lying if he didn’t say he found it to be overwhelmingly attractive.

His cheery attitude radiated like a beacon of shimmering light across an otherwise hungry room as he continuously shuffled his deck while still lost in thought, only being dragged down to reality when he heard the sweet call of a woman’s voice ring out did he shake any lingering daydream still rattling around in his mind; only to find himself looking up and straight into Mama-san's curious glare.

“Of course not! It’s always nice to have company at breakfast.” He finally said with delightful grin, seemingly recovering from his dreary state and motioning happily to the chair with his free hand. He would wait for her to take a seat and set down her filled plate of food and coffee on the table before placing the cards back on the table in a normal solitaire pattern; a curious eyebrow betraying his expression as he glanced up at her while continuing to grin.

“I suppose you could say I’ve been known to dabble in a few poker games in my time.” He teased with a playful laugh, using a single index finger to move a card across the table to signify the first move.” Spider Solitaire, huh? Mm…I haven’t played that in a long time. That actually sounds like a lot of fun! Perhaps when you finish your breakfast you wouldn’t mind refreshing my memory?” He pleaded with a small purr in his tone, moving yet another card across the table as he chuckled slightly to himself.

"The name's Julius Gamble by the way...but my friends call me Leon or Leo."

It seemed impossible to tell what Leon was planning at this point, perhaps he was working his way into getting to flirt with the attractive spider for a few minutes longer than her meal lasted, or maybe he was genuinely curious as to the rules of this ‘Spider Solitaire’. Nobody knew the answer to this question but Leon himself. In some ways, being unreadable was the whole fun to being a poker player to begin with.

[Kitsune]

His cheery aura was hard to ignore. Back in the old days, it probably would have sickened the spider woman to be around such an air for a prolonged length of time. She would have sickened him with her venom to temper that pleasantness. Living in modern times had exposed her to it more often though and she had, in effect, gained an immunity to it. Mama-san smiled back at him when he gave no response that would tell her he was against her joining him and so she placed her plate and cup of coffee down then removed the bamboo basket from her back. She didn't use care as she did so as one might expect from someone who often spoke to the basket and cooed as if there were children stored inside. She slipped it off her back and dropped it on the floor beside the chair like dead weight and chuckled some when whatever was inside it started clawing and whimpering. She would have encouraged it to keep struggling if Leon wasn't there. Instead, she pretended there was nothing suspicious about it and pulled her chair out, turning it ninety degrees before lowering herself into it with a light sigh at the end. She leaned back and crossed her legs at the knee, looking over at Leon with a smile.

Dabble? She would chalk that up to teasing and possible modesty. That intent gaze of his was something a novice couldn't replicate. He had the look of a seasoned card player; an intensity one could only see in a person who knew what they were doing, knew what the risks were and were ever watchful for them. She watched with interest as he reset the spread, setting up for a new game. Reaching off to the side, she picked up a piece of bacon and bit into it, her gaze never leaving the cards as he moved them around. That purr of his was cute and made her giggle, though it came out more as a throaty chortle. "I certainly could. If you're truly interested, that is. I don't want to tie up your time if you'd much rather spend it doing something else." She quickly finished off the first strip of bacon and went for a second, practically inhaling them though her jaw never moved in the chewing motion. The pieces she bit off were sucked down her gullet whole where the acid in her stomach would dissolve them. It was a little eerie to watch, but she thought nothing of it. Mama-san never chewed her food. Her teeth were for tearing off chunks and like a gator, she swallowed them whole. Her kind did that, as did most giant youkai. Perhaps that was why, in the olden days, heroes could cleave a monster in half and pull out victims whole and virtually unharmed?

At the mention of his name, her earlier curiosity over where she had seen his face before resurfaced and this time, with an answer. She was no card player, but one of her regulars (who was eventually served up on a platter after racking up a bill he could not pay) was and had come in one day a month ago in a horrible mood. He had lost in the first rounds of some national card game to some "upstart with spiky hair". He had been so irritated by it and hoped spending some time with the ladies would help. It didn't. After he left, Mama-san went to her office and checked up on this "upstart" out of mild curiosity and had seen Leon on television. Now that she knew who he was and where she saw him, she was a little surprised at herself for not remembering. Perhaps she was getting old. Realizing she had yet to say anything in response to his introduction, the woman blushed a little. "Oh, forgive me! I was just thinking..." she trailed off, pondering over another minor detail before offering a full explanation. "I knew I saw you somewhere but I couldn't put my finger on it to save my life. I think I know now, though...You're that card playing whiz." Knowing that, she wasn't all that sure she wanted to go over a game of Spider with him. He might find it trivial.

"People call me 'Mama-san'." Those back home knew her as Tsuchigumo, and a few other less than flattering names. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Leon-san." She extended her clean hand out for him to shake.

[Lightlender]

"Are you really alive right now?

Are you truly real?

...I'm pretty sure I'm not..."

The Sixty-year Story...

Golden Fleece was there; Fang found her down by the river, idly sipping water in wait of Black Talon's return. Frequently, after hunts, the two were known to meet together down by the riverside and discuss their daily activities. Talon would not come today. He would not come any day. Black Talon was dead. The large Caspian treaded softly so as not to alert her, yet her ears were possibly the most acute amongst the females of their clan—it was almost a shame she'd not been born a male; her abilities would have been a vital asset on the hunts, were she inclined to such things. But Fleece was a gentle sort, despite her sleek and powerful build, which made delivering the news all the more uncomfortable for an ailing Curved Fang. Her ears canted in his direction a second before she turned her head and peered through the hedge, finding stripes slinking through the brush. It took only a second to recognize their depth and pattern before the familiar scent found her nostrils. Curved Fang plodded from the bushes, weary, bloody, and reluctantly dragging his tail in the soggy dirt. "By the Forest Gods! Curved Fang, what has happened to you?" she gasped, racing to his left side to support his limping gait. He looked horrible, soaked to the quick of his fur in what looked and smelled like mixed blood. Some of it was his blood; some of it was not. The scent of it spread thick, tickling the very hackles of her instincts. She didn't know whether to support, rebuke, or attack him with so many underlying scents assaulting her. He smelled like prey and that agitated her desire to strike. "Curved Fang, what has happened to you?" she asked again, leading the wounded tiger down to the riverside to lay and wash his wounds. He had many of them, yet the gaping hole dug into his flank worried her most—there were no sign of claws or teeth, leaving her to suspect the worst. Humans had done this.

"I've been asking myself that for hours now, Fleece. I do not know." he replied. Honestly, he couldn't find any way of expressing himself. He felt somehow dead inside, yet something was swelling within like a massive storm preparing to set at sea. Every so often, the maelstrom would hit the rocky jagged bluffs of limited animal logic and shred away a little of what Fang believed to wholly gospel and true. Somehow, his world was coming unraveled before his very eyes. He sat in the cool waters of the river, feeling somewhat relieved once the pain subsided from his injuries. The river was the most beloved of the Forest Gods, containing their essence and love for all those who grazed near it. It fed the fields, nurtured the trees, and revitalized all who drank it. Just sitting there, Fang felt his burdens lift slightly. Golden Fleece was there, pressing her muzzle gently against his face to assure him that everything would resolve in time; making it to the river had been the wisest decision. But she was wrong—nothing would come of soaking in the water, now that a great flood was about to come. You see, Fang was beginning to understand things—following a train of thought unbeknownst to tigers and their respective Streaks. This would not be the end, simply because Black Talon had died. Curved Fang, himself, had taken the lives of many humans. Their retribution would be swift, no doubt. No matter how he tried to tell himself otherwise, Fang knew that there would soon be war within the forests. "Black Talon is gone. The humans felled him. His end was not a glorious one." Fang spat bluntly, figuring that doing such helped them both come to grips with the sudden finality of it all. Fang could finally accept the fact and Fleece would waste no time with pointless questions. All she asked was:

"The Thunder-sticks?"

The proud orange Caspian bowed his head in acknowledgement. He'd watched Talon's entire face come apart, making the tiger's mind ever-wary of the humans' evil weapon. For a long while the tigress stood silently, watching the ripples pass over the surface of the water as though distantly gazing out to sea—although neither of them had truly seen the ocean. Other forest animals would speak of it, mostly through hear-say, or make myths and legends that seemed too far-fetched to truly ever believe. But right now, glancing up at her, Fang could tell that she had some notion of the concept. Like him, he believed that the Ocean resembled what a tiger could closely call 'heaven'. Tranquil and cool, it was a place where all Great Cats would gather at their end of days and rest throughout the remainder of eternity. Although he wasn't certain, he would have liked to have believed that his dear cub-hood friend with the golden-orange pelt had found some solace in seeing Black Talon's memory off to the afterlife, even through imagination alone. "What comes now, Curved Fang?"

"Vengence."

Golden Fleece turned to his face with a look of surprise, her ears tilting forward as if straining to recount what he'd just said. This was not the words of the cub she'd played with in the fields long ago. In fact, he almost sounded like his older brother. For as long as she'd known him, Fang was a peaceful and almost benevolent tiger. This was what made him so eligible to assume leadership of their Streak once the elders stepped down. Hearing him speak such a thing, so vehemently, made her heart shudder. She began to say something, anything, to persuade him from the course—but he wouldn't hear of it. He cut her off swiftly, gnashing his teeth to silence her moans. "...my brother was right. The Hairless Ones have turned against the Forest Gods..." he rumbled, slowly pulling himself out of the river water now that his wounds were closed and healing. "Tomorrow, I go to challenge the elders for leadership of our clan. After that, we prepare for war." he snarled, slowly turning from Fleece before she could plead for him to change his mind. In some situations, it was difficult knowing her so well. In one hand, he knew everything about his cub-hood friend, in more ways than his brother ever could. But in the other, there were times when he wished she were nothing more than an outsider he could brush away in order to protect her best interests.

"Fang, wait! Your brother, we must bring the clan to his fallen body and oversee his passage. It is tradition!" she called out to his back. He lifted his massive head and glared her down until she felt the urge to lay and tuck her head into her paws. She'd never seen such a look of sheer malice pass over the usually gentle Fang, but in that moment she honestly believed he would strike her down where she stood.

"Body? What body? Fleece, I ate Talon's remains...along with the rest of the humans I killed. All that I left there are bones that not even the flies care to sample." Fang snarled, swatting his tail in her direction as he slipped back into the hedge, his eyes burning brilliantly blue into the approaching dusk. Golden Fleece could only sit and watch him leave, shocked by everything she'd heard until now. Not only that the humans had invaded their forest once again and taken the life of the one she would choose as her mate, but also the frightening change that had come over her dearest friend. He'd become something dark, something sinister, and unafraid to break even the staunchest taboos the clan had held from the most ancient times. She could see it already; Curved Fang was lost to her now. All that remained was the hatred that Black Talon had left behind, curdling in the festering sorrow of his younger brother, Fang. In one day, she'd lost both her cub-hood friends. Like, Fang, her world ended in a weary sigh of submission.

"...Fang. Your scent...has changed."

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Sera frowned at Sono, a fierce glare threatening to fix itself upon her face, the gold of her eyes flaring up with the intensity of the heat that poured effortlessly from her body. Folding her arms across her chest, she leant her weight to one side, appearing as tense and uncomfortable as ever, but purely just trying to control the raging temper that could undoubtedly lash out like a solar flare. But she was calm. And this wasn’t an area she wanted to destroy if she was being perfectly honest, this city had its perks and delights and she was only about a decade into this new life, why start causing trouble now? And she’d been such a good girl too, laying low and all that. There was a lot of conflict raging about inside her head, but she had just enough focus to pull her attention back to the present, raising an elegant eyebrow when it seemed that she had used the wrong term for someone like him. Sera tended to just group all those who hounded her under ‘admirers’ if they kept at it long enough, though of course, some admirers were trying to destroy her (or at least find a way to do so) So this guy wasn’t one of those kinds of people?

She felt a twinge of pity, it hit her mind softly with a thud that made her clench her fingers into tight fists, a flame flickering into existence in the shimmering air before her body, before then being extinguished swiftly. Sera caught a few more of those surface thoughts of his, she saw herself through his eyes and ground her teeth hard; pity was not something she wanted, though she was well aware that she was as pitiful as they come. She feared those Cloaks, those humans and their technology, their capabilities continued to grow and adapt, every time she had ever come across them, they had some new trick up their sleeves. Her last life had spent about a century or so of its time evading those hunters, who slowly grew into the organisation they are today; and no matter how hard she tried to pick them off, there were too many of them, too well hidden, she could never manage to get them all and she was just one bird after all, a mere legend that some didn’t think existed anymore. Holding a hand up to her head, as if that would somehow block the mental images she was receiving, Sera forced her mind to shut out any intrusions from his direction, intentional or not; she sometimes wondered why she had picked up this particular power, however handy it was at times, it certainly had its drawbacks.

As Sono began to talk quite lengthily, Sera slowly began to settle, taking deep and calming breaths, ever aware that she was in a public area and therefore should act accordingly. Though as soon as she thought this to herself, she realised how pathetic she sounded; really worrying over this setting, over people spotting her flipping out, why did she have to bother again, besides liking this city a little?
“Sono Masuku… right…” She muttered, still frowning at him and seeming impatient rather than tense and awkward, her arms folded tighter around her chest, fingers curling upon her upper arms in a firm grip. Sera was careful though not to burn her clothing, that was a scenario she did not want to happen again. So this guy was an explorer? That would make sense in a way, he wanted to discover new things and learn more about everything, including himself; and he just happened to stumble across Seraphina, lucky her. As he began talking about her identity, Sera felt a slow smirk return to her lips, though it remained sour as she shook her head and then shifted to amusement, her emotions flickering across her face like the flames still bright in her golden eyes.
They happened to widen in disbelief when Sono mentioned that he had been in the East once, apparently around the time that she had been dwelling in the area. How long ago was that now? In her last life some time. Having shifted from one intense emotion to the next, she gave a brief laugh to herself and bent over a little with her arms still folded,

“Damn it all…” She muttered softly and then plonked herself down on the bench beside Sono, not bothering to leave much room between the two, seeing as how the heat clearly wouldn’t bother him as it would with most, that and she wasn’t bothering to tone the heat down either. As he continued his detailed analysis, Sera leant her head backwards over the bench, closing her eyes, a smile lingering on her mouth, laughter softly trickling from her parted lips; really, she looked like a tipsy drunk, sprawled on the bench and laughing to herself. This guy really was something, and to think, she could barely remember much of him the first time round, besides complete and total puzzlement, he baffled her senses, which in turn sparked her interest and forced her to linger, to find out more. Sera sometimes enjoyed learning about other super naturals that existed in the world, she often came across them on her travels, and even in this very park, she was seeking out a few in particulars; fiction or not.

“Glad I’ve managed to keep safe?” She laughed again, “I’ve been spending too much time with the humans… I barely know my Phoenix self anymore, perhaps that’s how I’ve managed to keep safe.” Shaking her head, she straightened up and stared ahead at the trees, before then leaning forward with her head on her arms which laid across her knees. “… all that psycho-babble-analysis… really isn’t good for me. I actually took pride in my work… and you went and punched holes in it like some…” She paused, sitting up and frowning in thought, her mind drawing a blank and in that brief silence her stomach decided to let out a rumbling growl. Sera turned to look at Sono, staring at him hard, her eyes searching his face before settling on his eyes that had taken on a rather different tone; she understood temper, that was for certain, it had left her broken many times in the past, she could shift from one extremity to the other in a matter of seconds, as quick as wildfire, intense emotions were rooted deep into her nature. Closing her eyes slowly, she gave an exasperated sigh and bowed her head a little, “Y’know, being immortal ain’t all its cracked up to be, and being the only one of your kind makes it harder on the soul in the long run. For what they’re worth, humans are entertaining... And I’m not a caged bird… I can call quits anytime I like.” Sera said with a single nod, of course, whether or not she meant those last words was questionable. Leaning her head back again, allowing the hood of her jacket to fall from her head and revealing her face, Sera inhaled deeply, eyes closed, “And don’t apologise for your temper, from what I’ve seen so far, you’re doing great. This is a nice place after all.” Exhaling gently as she spoke, Sera felt quite relaxed herself, despite her stomach demanding attention.