Elysium Inn (Always Accepting Literate People)

[Lightlender]

►►►►I have lost the will to change...

════════════════════════════════════════════

I am NOT proud, cold-blooded fake.......

The Sixty-year Story

Blood was soaking into every follicle. Were it not for the faint splotches of dry fur peaking beneath the crimson, one might have sworn the enormous feline beast's fur had been originally red instead of orange. But even this would be denied to him as the rain began to steadily fall, drenching the muddled creature. It tingled at first, as everything did to his senses; he was a newly born being, created with limited memory and yet infinite capacity to understand, adapt, and learn. Damp whiskers began to twitch beneath the falling rain that strummed the lust forest canopy overhead in a lulling staccato monotone. He could taste every raindrop, as salty as fresh tears—as though the heavens above mourned the loss of everything the once-Caspian held dear.

The bitter memories still stung as though venomous, introduced into his bloodstream through fangs that knew no remorse for one such as he—an abomination of nature. Everything he loved, everything he cherished was gone now. Even the lover who obediently served his every whim until her death, Golden Fleece, was gone…consumed by a mate too jealous to ever let another predator taste her precious blood. He'd really done it, hadn't he? He'd really killed her in order to protect her, breaking the greatest of all the Forest Gods' forbidden taboos. A tiger could never feast upon another of their familial Streak. It would be one of his greatest regrets, a lasting wound that would ache until his final breaths were spilled into the chilled morning air and clouded before his very eyes in futile clusters of moisture and warmth.

He was still panting, gasping for breath, still clutching a disembodied corpse he'd used to bludgeon the few remaining soldiers to death with. In the final moments of conflict, the were-tiger had somehow managed to beat an entire platoon of armed men with a severed torso and three fourths of a man's leg. From there out, the monstrous cat simply began piling the bodies where they lay, heaps upon heaps, until nothing else moved amidst the rampaging flames. Now that the rain fell and doused the smoldering embers, the Caspian could at least breathe a sigh of relief—regardless of however grief stricken the low guttural noise was. He brought his bloodied hands closer to his face, as though perplexed by them, their complexity, and how easily jointed fingers and claws could be committed to senseless murder.

This new form somehow came with understanding, revelations which a mere tiger would never have and could never gain. As he experimentally flexed his powerful digits, he simply knew that the stench of blood would never wash from his fur...no matter how hard it continued to rain. Yet, deep down, the monstrous cat wished that it would continue to pour like this, forever. As if the heavens' tears could bathe away his heinous sins, or maybe that he could somehow drown his away his sorrows in them. He could only close his eyes, tilt his face toward the slightly stinging rain, and surrender to every falling drop that hit his fur.


"Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye…
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"


The phantom beast threw a startled glance into the distance, immediately jerking his massive head to fling another elsewhere. He'd heard it, a distinctly lilting voice calling out to him from virtually nowhere---yet seeming to echo from everywhere. There was no scent upon the air to trace, no presence to be felt as when being preyed upon from the shadows of concealment. It was as if a ghost now mirrored his birth, watching his every move and mocking him with a voice his small round ears could not track down. His dark black lips curled into a sneer that revealed his sharp fangs, a low growl rumbling up from his chest in the manner all cats did when threatened. He even loosened a faint roar toward his silent stalker, hunkering down close to the muddy ground on all fours. If he'd taken down an entire army, what else was one more threat? Clutching his meat-cudgel close, the beast let off another feral roar, shaking his bloody mane violently to warm whatever was out there that he meant business. Anything short of absolute retreat would be met with the most extreme prejudice imaginable. But the voice came again, distinctly feminine, leaving the tiger's ears to aimlessly flicker nervously in response. Where his ears deceiving him, or were his senses simply dulled by the coppery-scent and flavor of blood lingering within every pore, ingrained beneath his soaked fur. It was all he could see, taste, or feel—vermillion so thick that he strained his eyes so as not to see red again and black-out into another murderous frenzy.


"In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?"


She stood there before him, brazenly unfazed by his grotesque and ungainly appearance, appearing so suddenly – yet obviously into plain view – that the beast visibly flinched and questioned how he hadn't noticed the small woman standing beneath the veil a very large black umbrella. She wore little more than tattered white robes with a hood drawn close about her face to shut out the rain's wintry bite. Nonetheless, he could still see the ethereal glow of her blue eyes piercing him where he stood. She walked slowly enough to appear as though standing still, gliding toward him on a smooth curtain of air. He blinked several times yet, every time he did, the woman appeared to be standing a step closer than the last; before long she reached upward and stroked the side of his blood-greased muzzle with her palm while he still gazed vapidly ahead to where she had once been. The sudden contact jarred him back to reality and he swiftly jerked his face away, almost stumbling over his own two feet in the process. Bearing his fangs did so very little. The woman merely smiled in response and took another bold step in his direction, somehow terrifying the merciless predatory at his wit's end. Did she not see the corpses piled around him like scattered autumn leaves and broken twigs alike? Could she not smell the putrid aroma of death and carnage lingering upon the scent of burnt cedar and pine?

The more he looked upon her, the less and less human she appeared to him. She almost glowed, a dire contrast to the dreary scorched-black realm around him. If tigers knew of angels and of demons, the Caspian might have imagined that a glorious seraph had come to visit him in the depths of the blackest Hell. Phantoms could sense their brethren, the specters of the night, ghouls, and all the rancid hellions of the Abyss. Though newly born, the ghost tiger could almost smell the peculiarities of this woman riding the breeze all the way to his flaring nostrils. Her skin was too pale, too alabaster, as though no blood flowed within her empty veins. Her eyes were wide aghast, haggard with building dark circles beneath them, mirroring how the whites of her eyes were instead a murky black like the color of night. The hollow-eyed woman slowly outstretched her clawed fingertips again, lightly toying with his whiskers the way the wind ordinarily would. He hissed, which sounded more like a confused roar if the soft touch of her palm hadn't soothed him so and drained his fury before his flames of hatred could thoroughly spark. But before he could recoil again, the woman merely reached out again and scratched beneath his chin the way one would a kitten. Without knowing how to react, the huge phantom merely froze where he was, with his fur bristled and his eyes widening furiously. "And what shoulder, and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart?" the woman mused once more, withdrawing her clawed hand back to her side with a listless sort of gaze in her luminous eyes that left the enormous tiger bewildered. His instincts told him to strike down a human when he saw a human, to kill all haughty apes on sight and spare not a shred of mercy as they had done him and the rest of his clan. But something about this woman didn't settle right. Her scent was off, as though hollow and faint—almost ageless—betraying the girl's youthful shell. In the moment his fangs should have pierced her throat, he met her eyes once more and stood there, frozen in time. "…it's poetry. You do know what poetry is, don't you?"

For some reason beyond his fathoming, the tiger shook his head 'no'. This only made the woman's momentary smile glow all the broader and brighter. "Ah, you comprehend my words – yet you cannot speak. I see. That's cute…" She reached up with a long, slender object in her grasp, bringing it to her lips to inhale from and exhale wispy black smoke that made his nostrils burn. Innate understanding told him that it was a pipe and that she was smoking it, as far as human customs were concerned. Nonetheless, it still perplexed him beyond reason, why this woman would inhale smoke and incessantly insist on touching him? He would have cleaved the precious white flesh from her bones to cease her obsession with him, to finally end how lovingly her palm could seek his muzzle and somehow soothe all the rage he could muster, yet some unseen spell held him at bay whenever her darkened eyes met his. She must have known something about it; she smirked when he jerked awkwardly against the arcane magic at work. "Oh? Do you wish to strike me, kitty? I can assure you that nothing good will come of such desires. After all," she paused, taking another slow pull from her kiseru pipe as she gestured to the abysmal remains of what was once a proud and majestic forest. "…I think it's about time you ended this little tantrum of yours and seriously thought about your future from this point on…don't you?"

The witch's words sank deep, although the phantom knew not the reasons why. He hadn't considered what he would do after his vengeance was savored at length. But, as he followed her swift gesture at the smoldering remains of his home, the lumbering creature could see that nothing he knew existed in this blackened hell he'd crafted—not even the Forest Gods who had seemingly cursed him with this abominable form. He knew nothing of this new world, where darkness permeated deep within every pore, every vein, running thick within the lifeblood of the new and unsightly reality. This wasn't what he wanted; this wasn't what he and his lover had dreamed of together, or what his dead brother once spoke of—this wasn't freedom from the humans. This was precisely the opposite. Vexed with this hybrid form, trapped within neither flesh nor fur, but a crude amalgamation of the two, he needed only glance at his reflection cast back from the pooling blood at his feet to realize the clear and present truth. He was no longer tiger nor rightly human. He was some kind of monster. "You seek understanding." though spoken as an inquiry of sorts, the white-robed woman's tone easily suggested this as a firm and undeniable fact that the beast could scarcely question. He did wish to know more about the world around him now, something an animal never bothered to query or even consider beyond a passing afterthought when grooming or feasting. Now, filled with countless questions, the tiger phantom truly wished to know what he was, and what he should do now. The witch took another puff from her kiseru pipe with an air of finality about her. "I'm Zephyrine Anderson, the Hollow Witch. And I can guide you, as I have guided many extraordinary creatures over the years…for a small fee." she mused, extending her hand toward him. The beast puzzled over the strange gesture. He stood there, idly gawking at her small hand for over a full minute, until Zephyrine's brows knitted with faint irritation and her youthful face soured into a childlike pout. "…you shake it, tiger." As if almost frightened, the phantom cautiously reached out and took the witch's hand in his own.

"…Ee…I….a-aam…T-Tai…ga?" he garbled, testing his new vocal chords for the very first time. Zephyrine smiled cryptically.

"Yes. Yes…you are Taiga."

The Present

Nothing was quite a revitalizing as a nice, warm shower. Most took such simplicities for granted but, when you were covered with fur, it was hard to find a place that didn't mind a few fur-balls being stuck in the drain, or the smell of wet cat fur vaguely sweetened by strawberry-scented shampoo. He exited the bathroom with a broad smile, dropping the towel around his waist when he neared the bed and his displaced belongings. Nudity came naturally to him so he never worried much about it, although there had been a few embarrassing moments with his friend, Zephyrine. The Hollow Witch—his thoughts hadn't strayed far from her lately, although being obscenely cross with the shady woman. If only she didn't seize any and every opportunity to con people out of their money! Although she was extremely talented as a sorceress, her obsession with material gains always perplexed him. A tiger's only retribution came in how much meat he could cleave from the kill, and how sharp he could keep his skills when it came time to impress a mate. Zephyrine, however, was a woman of entirely different stripes. At times, Namir could only sigh and admit that he knew absolutely nothing about the woman—and that everything he presumed to know could be placed in question at any given moment, should Zephyrine bemusedly decide to torture him on a whim. This, she did quite frequently to ease the moments of boredom.

Nonetheless, as he slipped into a fresh pair of jeans and began hunting for wherever he'd kicked off his boots, he couldn't help but worry over the money-grubbing witch. No matter what he thought of the woman's business practices, she was the closest thing to family he had now. Everything he once knew was no more. He'd learned to accept it after all these long years. He put on his boots and found a small red piece of fabric from his gym bag, eventually tying it around his neck in a sort of make-shift ascot. Since it was Halloween, Namir often went with what came naturally to him; why hunt for a costume when you could literally make due with a few accessories? After a minute of grooming his fur down so that his chest tuffs didn't fluff up awkwardly, he grabbed up his cell phone, dialed a number, and began heading downstairs to see if anything was going on.

"…Zeph? Hey, it's me. What're you up to?"

((BIG UPS to Shin-chan for allowing me to do this...))

════════════════════════════════════════════

...I will shut the world away.◄◄◄◄

[Viice]

Come satisfy desire. Come set yourself on fire.

Phoenix continued to delight in her meal, favoring the
stuffed peppers which had a bit of a kick to them. Needless to
say she liked her food hot. She was getting dirty looks from
all around now but so long as she was eating it mattered little.
She'd made her point to this party and she was convinced she
wouldn't be bothered again. She leaned back in her seat as she worked
on a pickle, eyeing the area curiously. She had certainly heard
loud music from behind her, booming music in fact, she figured
it was some sort of performance being held by the town. Her foot
tapped slowly though she could hardly make out the words from
where she was. Phoenix eyed her shoe with a furrowed brow...no...
she hadn't been tapping her foot....yet her foot tapped. This continued
until the distant music ceased. Her foot was once again hers,
and her confusion slowly faded. Odd, but thankfully over.

She finished the pickle and leaned her head back, her
hands on her stomach. Ahhh that was good..
She mumbled to herself. She then lifted her hand and summoned a
small flame. With a lazy gaze to the sky, she directed the flame with
her mind to move from her palm up her fingers, then around them in a
fluid motion as if she were twirling the energy like a pencil. It danced
along her knuckles as she considered her next move.

[Sorry guys I really had a brain fart here...
working on my own thread and it's drained me big time]

.

//[L]ocation: Party// [C]urrent Music: The Prodigy-Baby's got a Temper//[M]ood: Amused// [S]tatus: Eating// [T]attoos: ex 1 ex 2//

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

The bright wattage of her radiant smile flickered and faltered, her hand holding the staff lowered a tad, Isidora frowned in puzzlement at D’s mention of the name planet ‘Earth’; what did he mean by that? This was Olympus, was it not? And wasn’t Earth some mythical planet that she’d overheard the Elders of her clan discuss once? It couldn’t possibly be real, and even if it did exist, how was it even possible that she had transported herself to its unknown location?
A sickening sensation began in the pit of her stomach and Isidora quickly raised a hand to her mouth, trying to rid herself of the unpleasant thoughts before they took too deep a root. It wasn’t possible. She didn’t have that much power. And Earth was a myth. This was Olympus, and over there, that small cluster of figures, they were Elves, what with their elaborate style and pointed ears. Elves mingled freely amongst the humans, trolls and … those other odd looking beings she had no name for.

Bringing the smile back onto her face, she looked to D, watching his smooth rolling motions on those wheels and taking more notes of her new surroundings; particularly that of the male species and their rather intimate interactions with females.
“No Demons to be slain?... Perhaps this area is already protected enough then…” She muttered to herself, bringing her attention back round to D and smiling softly at him, though his words were making it hard for her to keep smiling.
“No God or Goddess… but… old men in business suits?...” Isidora was shaking her head slowly, holding a free hand to her face; no Temples? Not one? What were skyscrapers? And this wasn’t a forest, but a park? But she could feet it beneath her feet, this was surely a forest; there was so much wildlife amidst these trees!
“I am… I’m from…” Isidora took a sharp intake of breath, shaking her head roughly, the tight sick feeling in her stomach felt worse than before. Looking at D, she could no longer keep the smile on her face, he had suggested that she should see the rest of the city, but all Isidora felt like doing was going back home. The Elders were right, she wasn’t suited for the outside world, and would Isis ever take her back, even though she had practically abandoned her people?
“You’re right… perhaps I would understand better if I saw more of this land...but..” She gave a small but audible sigh, staring down at the staff in her hand and then glancing around at the loud and energetic festival, she did not want to admit aloud that she was frightened, scared of what she might discover, the answers to questions she wanted to keep buried. “I wouldn’t mind enjoying these interesting festivities a little more… everyone here seems to be enjoying themselves and there is plenty to eat and drink.” She tried to remain upbeat for now, putting those darker thoughts to one side, her common sense being overridden by the helpless want to remain oblivious.
“Even if this land is not in any need of a Demon Slayer, I’m sure I can be of some assistance, I’m an excellent craftswoman and there is so much land I can use for materials.” Flashing her smile once again, she stomped her left foot hard on the path on which they stood, “Terra.” She muttered quietly and there was a loud crack and a slim pillar of rock shot upwards just in front of where Isidora stood, stopping when it reached her middle and she ran her free hand over the rough stone. “I’m pretty good with my hands.” Grinning happily, she couldn’t be more thankful that her control over the element terra (earth) had not faltered; surely this was a good sign? She still had her magic, even if this wasn’t her homeland. But it was. No questions. “Are you a practitioner yourself? Earlier I noticed that your eyes are a fascinating array of colours, do all males have eyes like yours, or is it that you wield magic? I cannot sense any magic in your presence however… but I suppose this is due to my unfamiliarity with the male species. I have a lot to learn. For instance, is it true that males like to eat their meat raw and bloody?” She whispered the last part, finding this little rumour she heard amongst her friends to be incredulous but also fascinating.
A moment after asking however, her attention was drawn to a burst of flames, her eyes widening in horror as she saw that a female’s hair had ignited. Isidora and D still remained mostly on the outskirts of the party, so she was unable to hear exactly what was being said, all she could catch over the pounding music beat was frantic screaming and shouting. Isidora instinctively felt the urge to assist this unknown female, conjuring up more magic to control those hungry flames but before she could act, the female in question had already dunked her head in a bowl of red wine.
“Do you think she is alright? Maybe I should help…” Isidora took a few steps, staring past the gathering crowds and wondering if things like this happened often, people catching their hair on fire. How utterly careless.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

I never really had a love...

Till I found you~

D couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as a pillar of stone rose out out of the paved walkway. This was new information and it confirmed more of D's assumption that Isidora was something special and not particularly crazy or anything. She said she was pretty good with her hands, D bent down to get a better look at the pillar and said in response "Ya look to be pretty good with more than that babe." D lifted his shades up so he could see the pillar a little bit clearer, once again revealing his eyes that glowed softly and shifted in color. A little light show dancing behind glass eyes, but was the strangest thing was that his eyes were supposed to be green, whatever force granted his strange empathic abilities also changed his eyes in such a way. Speaking of his eyes, Isidora also mentioned them.

D removed the shades from his heads and twirled them around in his hands, finally actually making eye contact with Isidora when his eyes weren't hidden behind his shades. There was many things he could have said to Isidora, who seemed to be lost on the subject on men in general, with a smirk D simply responded with "Well babe, don't count on me as much of a representation of the boys. I'm one of a kind." He said, successfully dodging her actual question about his eyes by responding to one of her other comments. This was made all the more successful since it was just a moment before their attention was drawn to a lady with a smoldering scalp. D returned his shades to his eyes and watched with some concern, but the lady managed to put out her head out in the punch before it got too bad. Even still, the vibe from the party totally shifted and D could feel it worse than any other. It sort of made him nauseous, or something to that effect.

"She got the flame out, dunno what more you wanna do..." D looked down the path and back at Isidora with some concern. " 'Scuse me a sec Babe, I gotta kill this bad vibe." Dashing off down the path D looked around the party to see where the DJ had set himself up. It didn't take D long to find the guy and it took even less time to get rid of him, simply saying "Hey bro, take five." and passing on a little cash. Though, many in the DJ circuit knew Roller D, so the current guy didn't even bother to take the cash but left D to his own devices at the helm. D could only chuckle and stuffed his money back into his pocket. D had to unplug the turntables from the mixer, which cut off the audio for a moment. D then clicked open a compartment on his left earpiece. Pulling free a few long cords, D managed to plug his headset into the mixer. D did act as a DJ when he needed a bit of cash, even though he hardly ever spent the money he had. This wasn't his normal set up, but he didn't need it to be, he just needed a little music so he could switch over the vibe in this party.

As the music started, it was like a wave of joy spreading out through the vibrations. The emotional assault on the panic that had started to build. D usually only subtly affected people with his empathic prowess, but in situations like this, where the bad vibes where too much to handle, he was able to put the spirit of the music in people and managed to lighten their spirits. It was safe to say that emotions never ran high when D was around. As the beat picked up in the song it was like a small explosion of energy and joy busting through the air. It was enough to affect most of the growing crowd around the buffet and redirect their attention. There might have been a few so engrossed in their panic or naturally psychically resistant to D's abilities that it didn't affect them as much. But even then, who wouldn't want to embrace the music and the joy that came with it? Most people didn't like to be in a bad mood right?

The song was only a few minutes long, but it was long enough to distract the panicked populous, enough of them that it didn't destroy the good vibes of a good party. It was a good thing this was a party with a good audio setup, otherwise D wouldn't be capable of such a grand feat, his empathic powers were dependent on his music, no music, no nothing. However, inversely, the more music, the more he was able to do. Or should one say, the louder the music, the more he was able to manipulate. It was a rather short song, once it was over, D quickly disconnected from the DJ's set up and allowed him to take the helm once again and keep the energy going. D then rolled back down the pavement trying to see if he could find Isidora again.

Sent from heaven up above...

And it's so true~

D's Now Playing: Kaskade feat. Axwell - I Found U (Classic Mix)

[Vincent W Sinnet]

His life had been consumed by the hellfire of war, everything behind him was nothing but burning metal and blood. He was an only child, what he knew of his family had died off while he fought and killed. Only letters to tell him of the fate of those he had left behind so long ago. He had grown old while serving, he had grown skilled. Skilled enough to lead on with an elite task force, men he went on to know for years more. Men as skilled as he and no matter what, they always got the job done. But it was a cruel fate that lost them, a strike they were unprepared for and he had lost them all as well as his eye and his leg. More importantly, he lost his ability to fight. He was awarded his medals and discharged with all his honor but no future. A stiff bar of metal replaced his leg and black patch covered his eye. He walked forever with a cane, yet he managed, by some feat, to get in well with the police force of New City.

He disabled, disarmed and neutralized ordinance. A natural for the bomb squad as he had worked with explosives for nearly his entire service. He was something on an expert, enough so that the police would take him despite his disability. But there were others, who believed they could make far better use of all his abilities. A man who felt he had little purpose could at last feel useful again, he could at last do what he was bred to do. Fight. It was like being entered into the military all over again with a few key differences. He went through training, but it was nowhere near as intense as the replacement leg they worked up for him. It was the best technology they had at the time, it was painful attaching it to his body but it worked better as a replacement than any other prosthetic. But he never abandoned his cane, for what reason nobody really knew. He was a man of C.L.O.A.K, he hunted many, he worked on even more projects within their system. Not truely indepth, but whenever someone came to him with a product he always managed to work out the bugs and make it work even better than before.

But he was provided with an opportunity to lead again. He had the opportunity to lead a specialized squad of talented soldiers in the service of C.L.O.A.K. He wanted to deny them, he was ashamed of his failure as a leader so long ago. But he couldn't deny them, it was the best opportunity to truly revive that feeling that he had as a soldier so long ago. The squad was put together of some of the best soldiers and most promising C.L.O.A.K could offer. He was given each file on each person, he was given C.L.O.A.K owned property to set up an HQ and he was given a date at which all of these soldiers would come together under his command. But more importantly than all of this put together, he was given the title of commander. Though it would never be used even as a prefix. He would simply be known as Gustav.

Deep underneath the business district of new city, sat Gustav in the well lit room that welcomed all C.L.O.A.K members. It was a rather large place for such a few people, but it was available. It used to be the development site of co-operative effort to replicate man completely through machines. However the final product was corrupt and lost, the project was hence then terminated. All equipment from then was cleared out and new arrangements were made up. It was where these C.L.O.A.K operatives were expected to stay while not out hunting. The room where the elevator leading down into the headquarters was rather small, a few chairs littered the room but those would be cleared out in time. A door from this room lead down a long hallway, with doors only just appearing about halfway down. The first door on the left lead into a large room that had once been used for the hundreds of programmers to toil away at their work, it had been converted into a mess hall. The second door which was on the right lead to an even larger room that had chunks of it sectioned off and eventually individual rooms were built in.

Third door lead into a smaller room which had been set up for communications. The fourth door lead into a sterile room which was made up and supplied to be an infirmary. Now the hallway would take a sharp right where on the left would be the fifth door that lead into a lounge, couches, chairs recliners and all sorts were set up as well as TV's, pool tables and whatever else one might find enjoyable or relaxing was set up in here. The sixth on the right, with a big metal door blocking the way and no access besides a slot to take a keycard on the wall beside the door and a small keypad on the metal door was obviously the entrance to the armory. Weapons and specialized cloak equipment was all set up there for those who needed it. Two more doors one which held the commanders quarters and another unused as of now remained.

Gustav himself sat in the room that the elevator emptied into. Sitting on one of the many small chairs scattered throughout the room. In his mouth was a lit cigarette and with little ventilation the smell of it stuck in the room. His cane rested against the wall and his eyes studied an old photo of men he once knew. Men he had fought with and men who had died for him. Men he had failed, he did not know if he would fail these new soldiers, but he knew he would do his best to not.

[Kitsune]

Forever must have come and gone and Yaritza and Dallas were still walking. The distraction of costumed people and shop owners giving out candy abandoned her quickly, leaving the fox feeling very bored and in need of some form of amusement. They heard talk of a great party being planned somewhere in the city, but neither knew where to even start looking. It seemed the directions they got from people were entirely wrong or led them to gatherings that were hardly worth the trouble of looking for. Still, they continued their search, both excited with the prospect of partaking in a block party of massive proportions. Dallas did enjoy parties and Yaritza, well, anything with food and music was right up her alley. When they passed a night club with the doors open, she paused to listen in on the music pouring out into the street. Her ears twitched, assaulted by the noise that they were trying to pass off as music in there. That was not music! She would show them music. Stiffening her back, the woman marched right into the club.

Dallas, who hadn't been paying his partner enough attention apparently, only realized Yaritza was gone after she failed to answer his question. Stopping, he searched the shops nearby then scowled when he heard the music coming from the night club. That was "Yaritza!" he snapped. Rushing forward, he entered the club to search for the woman.



Five minutes came and went before the emerged from the building in a determined walk, each footfall creating the illusion of a drumbeat. With every step, the rhythm became more pronounced and the faint sound of instruments filtered in one by one. Drums, cymbals, maracas, and other assorted instruments started to flesh out the simple rhythm started by her feet. Behind her, the people who had been inside the club came out into the street, mimicking her movements. Gradually, the people on the street were roused to curiosity as the strange dark-skinned blonde moved past them with a crowd of dancers at her back. Was this a performance for Halloween? And, falling under the spell the vixen was weaving, they, too, fell in behind her as she moved. Their steps were timed with hers, so precise that it could only have been achieved through the use of magic considering the lack of a choreographer. When she jumped, they bounced; when she shimmied, they slid; when she pranced, they twirled. Yaritza's tails started to sway, displacing the cape Dallas had thrown over her shoulders to wiggle free from the slight weight. By the time the vixen reached the end of the city block, a crowd of thirty had piled in behind her, the congestion spilling into the streets to halt traffic. It didn't matter, though, because soon the car horns were honking along with them, the people inside drawn into the magic. The traffic cops blew their whistles in protest for only a moment before they, too, fell under the trance and began blowing them in time with the beat. People in the buildings lining the streets stuck their heads out into the street, captivated by what they saw.

And at the head of all the controlled chaos was the ever cheerful Yaritza and her elven partner in crime who was also gripped by her magic. Poor Dallas hadn't moved fast enough to stop her. Yaritza twirled around the shimmying elf then threw her arms up high into the air. Everything stopped all at once and the silence swept over the crowd before the vixen's voice rose up to destroy it all with the utterance of a single word. She reached back to grab a handful of the cloak on her shoulders, drew it around and flung the unwanted weight up into the air. At the same time, in a volume that defied all logic without the use of some kind of amplification device, she declared to the world around her what its next action would be. And it would obey whether it liked it or not.

"SAMBA!"

The sound of the invisible instruments erupted once more and the people around her began to dance the samba. Even those who had never heard of, much less seen, it were moving in time with the beat, their steps in perfect sync and never out of place. They weaved around each other, some people even jumping on the roof of cars. Trumpets blasted and trombones howled as the drums frenziedly beat, people clapping, people trilling and yipping, carrying through the crowded street. Yaritza, leading it all like some grand marshal, clapped her hands, twirled and spun, directing each and every one of them through will alone. This was all natural to her. It was how Carnaval came together so perfectly each year back home. Why the people worshiped the strange fox-people who mastered sound and music. Why they were revered as gods and made the subject of almost every festival. The trance party continued to gather more and more people, the magic working overtime with so many people listening. A few of the louder instruments stopped playing but the crowd kept clapping and the drums kept beating as she sang over them.

♪ "Sempre assim / Em cima, em cima em cima, em cima
Sempre assim / Em baixo, em baixo em baixo, em baixo..." ♪

Walking beside her, Dallas mirrored her movements as awkward as it was for him. An elderly woman unfortunate enough to get caught up in the madness, fell in on her left and also mirrored her movements, the three of them dancing as the crowd of dozens followed behind.

♪ "Sempre assim / Em cima, em cima em cima, em cima
Sempre assim / Em baixo, em baixo em baixo, em baixo... Samba!" ♪

The trumpets started up again and the rest of the instruments followed, the mad music reaching its greatest din yet. As the vixen grabbed a lamp post to swing around it, she took notice of several youkai in the crowd. They had been stalking them for some time, but the music snatched away their senses and left them trapped within the samba as well. Yaritza's eyes narrowed some and she jumped down from the lamp post, scanning her immediate area for Dallas. It only took a moment for her to see the elf dancing with the elderly woman who was soaked in sweat, pale and two steps away from dancing into her own grave. Cutting in, the vixen snatched her partner's wrist and hauled him away. "We go now!"

"Go now!" the crowd cheered, still trapped in the music and oblivious.

The contact with Yaritza served its purpose and snapped Dallas out of it. He looked around, horribly confused and feeling very tired. "What...what happened?" He frowned. "What did you do?"

"Vamos. We go now!" The crowd echoed with another exclamation of 'Go now!'. Deciding to save the explanation for when they were safe, she and her companion rushed down an alley and down the next street, aiming to put as much distance between them and the youkai as possible before the music ended. There happened to be a rather large gathering of people not far up ahead, the sound of music and food filtering to her ears. Was it a party? Perfect! They could blend in with the crowd and lose the youkai for sure. Dallas just wanted to get somewhere they could sit down and maybe he could have a drink. Something strong. He was sure he'd need the numbing effect of alcohol when the energetic woman dragging him down the street finally decided to tell him what the heck happened.



Behind them on the next block over, the madness the sound kitsune created suddenly came to an end. Those who weren't in compromising positions simply looked around, shrugged it all off and moved on. But those people unfortunate enough to be left standing on top of cars or hanging from lamp posts were very confused. They had no recollection of ever dancing and couldn't figure out how they got where they were. And the old woman Yaritza and Dallas had danced with suddenly hollered out and collapsed in pain from a broken hip. Ninety-year-old women with advanced osteoporosis were never meant to samba.

[Yoshkun]

He wondered what kind of demented thoughts of delicious torture Mama-san was inflicting upon the victim in her daydreams for the moment, as the spider youkai sat for several moments in silence with a coy smile of delight perched upon her rosy lips before seemingly coming out of her trance. Leon had been watching in a rather bored manner with his chin firmly nestled upon one of his palms; vaguely curious if the gorgeous woman was devouring him in her darkest fantasies. He had to admit he was also slightly curious as to how a prime specimen like himself would taste. Would his muscles be chewy to the taste or something to discard? Was Mama-san a liver kind of girl? And if so, would she be pleased that his liver was relatively clean of the poisons that alcohol littered throughout the human liver? He even pondered what kind of oriental sauce she would use to make his skin oh so delectable, not because he was a raving lunatic, but because his confidence assured him there wasn’t even the slightest chance that Mama-san would be so ‘fortunate’ to find him on a decorative dinner plate. Then again, as long as she promised him some devilish fun beforehand, maybe she could have a bite.”You will not be disappointed, Mon Cherie. I know a shop downtown tha' has chocolate so fine tha' it quite literally melts like sweet butter over your taste buds and numbs the senses. I’m sure th' owner wouldn’t mind adding a little peanut butter to th' mix, but I tend to be a caramel man myself.” He shrugged, leaning back into his chair and kicking both feet up on the table. Since the days after disembarking from the cruise ship that brought him to the ‘New World’, the lion always wore running shoes. Today was certainly no different, as he was sporting a pair of deluxe Nike Air Max that blended shades of white and gray; gentle to the touch and hard on the pavement. It seemed kind of odd to people who knew the “Champ” that he would invest so much money in shoes when he could literally buy the best and fastest of transportation, but Leon preferred his own two feet to any human mode of transportation. Of course, there was a 2010 jet black Mustang parked in the parking structure a little ways from the Inn in his name; but hey, he wasn’t made of stone.

“I think it would be fair to say that most victims disapprove of their predator’s method, cooked or uncooked.” He chuckled lightly, smiling at her and tilting his head to the side when she spoke of her usual Halloween traditions. The lion cared nothing for humans and their methods, but being within the grasp of Mama-san and her thousands of children on a frosty Halloween night must have been a chilling and gruesome death beyond words.”That sounds like a whole lot of fun! I’m sure your children do a fine job of making sure your customers are kept in the utmost spirits. Ya don’t seem like th’ kind of woman who would allow otherwise. However, tonight ya can enjoy a little mischief for yourself I reckon.” He seemed terribly amused at what he said, as if some hilarious personal joke that only he could make sense of; folding his hands behind his head and grinning from ear to ear.”Ya know, if I were you, I would find the chance to possibly show tha’ so called form of yours in public to be somewhat liberatin’. Of course, not only do I not know whatcha speak of, but I guess I too suffer from the same ‘limitations’. Who am I to run my mouth?” He smirked thoughtfully, going silent for a long time until his alluring counterpart across the table spoke again. He dragged his feet off the edge of the table and back onto the floor, staring down at the shimmering silver watch neatly fastened upon his wrist. His eyebrows raised ever so slightly at what he saw, admittedly glancing over at Mama-san with a distinct pout upon his expression. Was this some sort of fancy illusion of hers? Had he really been talking to this femme fatale for that long? Well, it made no difference really. It wasn’t like he had some pressing meeting to get to before descending into the lunacy of yet another human holiday. He actually found that he genuinely enjoyed conversing with the spider, her whole existence as a seducer of human delights fascinated him in ways he could not describe. To be so venomous and destructive, and yet so polite and reserved in appropriate company. The lion hoped that in some capacity he would one day be able to unravel the jaded mysteries surrounding the youkai so firmly like the fine red cloth hiding her more ‘dainty’ of features; not even caring if it brought him to the threshold of madness and death. He guessed it was like that old saying…’curiosity killed the cat’.

“Ah, you’re right as always my sophisticated friend. I had not realized how long we had been chatting for. Forgive me if I have kept ya from any…pressing…engagements.” Although it would have been hard to distinguish with those darkened sunglasses shielding his eyes, but his point was clearly focused on the moaning basket that Mama-san had stared at so hungrily throughout their conversation. He rose from his seat, dusting off his white t and jeans as a form of habit before reaching behind him to retrieve his jacket from the back end of his chair. It was a very fine looking sports jacket and it was Leon’s personal jacket of choice during the winter months, slipping his arms through the sleeves and zipping it up to a little over the half way point. It was during his usual preparation cycle that he noticed Mama-san standing from her seat, quickly combing his hair before slipping his 'baby' back into his pocket so he could return his attention to her.”I must say, it has been quite a rush to speaking to someone of your elegance Mama-san. You are truly someone who I consider to be th' definition of dangerous. And I’m not referring to the spider in ya, I mean as a woman. Tis truly humblin’….truly humblin’. In any case, I will be back with your treats a little after th' stroke of midnight I should say; or at least I hope so. If ya need anything before then…ya know how to reach me.” He grinned and purred lightly, checking himself over to see if there were any blemishes (as if) while secretly envying how comfortable that card must have been. The lion had never really been a man to shake hands, and he had already gotten away with kissing her hand once…and he highly doubted he could get away with it twice. Instead, once she seemed ready to leave, he started to walk past her before stopping and putting a surprisingly gentle palm upon her shoulder. It was pretty obvious that the man had no respect for personal boundaries at this point.”…Try and be good, okay? I wouldn’t want ya to get too full before dessert…” With that, the lion was through the door of the kitchen and in the main lobby. The few weirdos gathered at the counter caught his eye for the moment, but there was nothing that would distract the man from his current objective. With one last smirk and shake of his head, he pushed through the main doors and found himself strolling down the streets of New City once more. He stopped momentarily, his ears perking slightly as two distinct clusters of noise caught his attention. One was a large (and loud) party of drunkards carrying on in the distance, while the closer one seemed to be…a song? In fact, from what he could hear, the voices were all in sync. He shrugged and rolled his eyes, knowing how absolutely bizarre humans could be on this particular night. Leon huffed and stared at the empty road ahead, wondering where it would take him. Perhaps it would take him to the casino and perhaps it wouldn’t, but since he was already moving his feet it didn’t seem to really matter now.

[Yoshkun]

Each step became faster than the last as Sono began to pick up speed, his motions perfectly fluid like that of a track star with a wave of crimson flowing freely from his bright aurora wherever he ran. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, who he narrowly avoided, or what he supposed to be doing; mostly because he was enjoying himself way too much. His heart was beating at about ten to fifteen ticks a second and thus keeping his adrenaline at an all time high, while his muscles simply ached in pleasure at being used so fully. Sono wasn’t used to the quickness of the phoenix and was probably moving too fast to be caught by the mortal eye, perhaps only a wisp in the wind to the unknowing costume goers who were somewhat sickly from the over consumption of sugary treats or alcohol; depending on your age, of course. Although things were moving so speedily that he hardly had time to enjoy the spooky spectacles around him, he was positive he was somehow following Sera’s trail; as there had to be some needle leading his scattered compass of a brain in the right direction. A light whiff of the evening air confirmed his suspicion, as Sera’s boiling scent was still as fresh in his mind as it was when she was standing over him with her hands so firmly on her hips, if not more so. His eyes gleamed like hot coals with a wide grin spreading across his lips like wildfire at the overwhelming nature of it all. Oh, how impressed the goddess of the desert would be! If she was nearly intoxicated by his musky aroma as the fire dancer, imagine how smitten she would find herself next to a man who could claim the same breath of immortality! This notion inwardly pleased the spirit and kept him chuckling as he rounded around corner and accidentally set a lamppost up in flames. Whoops.

It was about five or so minutes after that when Sono suddenly felt something that caught his attention, in fact it caught the new phoenix by such surprise that he came to a halt with burning skid marks left on the pavement from where he forced himself to heel. He sniffed the air lightly, his burning orbs darting from side to side as he tried to pinpoint where this new scent was coming for. It was brief, but an alluring flame roared momentarily in his senses before cooling off as quickly as it came. It wasn’t as strong as the allure of either of the phoenixes, but it had a distinct smell to it. It was smoky, as if someone was cooking fresh hamburger and hotdogs on the grill. It was very unique he thought, but he didn’t mind it either. Wait, what was he supposed to be doing? Oh, right! He was supposed to meet up with Sera or something! So, as quickly as he had stopped, the phoenix took off into the night while moving like a freight train set ablaze.

He would reach the Elysium Inn about ten minutes later, taking the same shortcut through the shopping district as Sera had before him. It was kind of humorous, as for some reason there was a group of people and a few demons along the way standing scattered about like they were all hopelessly and utterly lost in the great maze that was New City. He might have stopped and asked what the problem was to settle his new found curiosity, but he was on currently a mission and could simply not be bothered! Sera had to be close by, as the heat coming from beyond the doorway was so intense that he began to blow sparks with every lingering breath. This gave the spirit an idea, a trick of sorts, since it seemed extremely appropriate on this special night. Instead of going through the front door as one might, Sono jogged around the building until he was on the side where his window to the ‘outside’ world should have been. He latched himself to some of the loose ledges of wood and brick and began to climb, pleased that the shoddy illusion the inn was veiled under made his plan so much simpler. He climbed steadily until he was on the fourth set of windows, scurrying as quietly as he could along them until he was near certain he was standing in front of his room. This was the drawback to the illusion, as it made it near impossible to see what room it actually was. He tried lifting the window with some restrained effort as not to shatter the glass in his hands, but when it wouldn’t budge, he realized with a small pout that it was locked. When had he locked his window? No matter, he would put his strengthened abilities to use! Sono placed a finger against the pane where each of the locks were and melted the glass around his finger enough where he could get to the locks and twist them. There was a mischievous grin smeared across his expression, mindlessly thrilled at his first attempt at burglary…even if he was breaking into his own room. He opened the window effortlessly and slipped through, standing on his two feet triumphantly only to have an extremely baffled expression seconds after. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around at the mess of scattered clothes and toys he had landed in. There was a teddy bear on his foot and he bent down to throw it away, glancing over at the opposite corner and noticing how perfectly tidy it seemed to be. How bizarre. It suddenly dawned on him that he had clearly miscalculated his entry point by two over and had landed in Room 3 instead of his Room 5. He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned slightly, more irritated by his mistake than breaking into someone’s room and completely ruining their window. He shrugged much like a little kid might when doing something ‘naughty’ and simply exited the room after shutting the door behind him.

To his surprise, there were several people gathered on this floor near the staircase. It seemed the entire staff was preoccupied with something important as the babbling maid was busy fussing over some girl he had never seen before. More importantly, none of them seemed to notice him exiting Sera/Bob’s room. He chuckled lightly and made his way past them silently, making sure his aurora was kept to a dim blaze as not to set anyone on fire or anything of the sort. His pulse began to quickly increase the faster he traveled down the stairs, the surge of excitement from finally cornering his prey coming to the complete forefront of his thoughts. Unfortunately for Sera, depending on how she viewed it, the second and rationale conscious within Sono had not awakened from its slumber and left his body to the whims and mischief of the pseudo phoenix. When he finally arrived at the top of the stairs in the lobby, his heart came to a near standstill as his gaze fluttered downwards and focused on a seemingly distracted Sera. Ah, so this was the costume she had so flirtatiously flaunted in his face. The red leather and hair captivated his attention and his thoughts, his eyes slowly pulling upwards from the tip of her long heels to the tip of her horns hanging off her head. It was certainly an impressive package when placed all together in one slender female, dragging a wide grin to the surface after licking his lips lightly. While sizing her up for this brief moment, he had continued to fan his flames to keep his presence mostly a mystery to her. Although his brain was still mostly blocked off from its main intelligence source, he had concluded that the phoenix could easily pick up on any real heat source nearby. So, it made sense in his mind that if you kept the flames low it would be like falling off her radar. Not taking a second thought to notice the patrons gathered near the front desk, Sono revealed himself with the thick clomping of his boots as he pounded down the stairs; moving as quick as he could without flaring the flames. However, he completed what he set out to do as he reached out and snatched Sera from behind, wrapping his arms around her neck and only tugging enough to prevent her from falling when he remembered she was wearing heels. Keeping them at bay no longer, he let his flourishing aurora flare up and intertwine with his prisoner’s; allowing a long sigh of relief pass through his nostrils as his senses bathed in the intense heat they provided as one. His bright orange eyes shimmered in the light, a lone grin on his expression as his terribly warm breath soaked over her neck while smelling sweetly like new bubblegum. Keeping in mind that Sono had stopped on the top step before lunging forward, this would mean that Sera would be lightly pressed against his chest if she hadn’t freaked out at this point. However, before any jumping or screaming could rock the eardrums of nearby civilians, the pseudo phoenix leaned forward and whispered sweetly in her ear…”Gotcha.”

[Vincent W Sinnet]

"Only in death will we have our own names since only in death are we no longer part of the effort. In death we become heroes."

Once an Army Man

No sound, no nothing. The troops that poured into the abandoned town were surprised by the silence. They saw a great many things upon entering, mostly their own soldiers dead on the streets, some shot and others in smoldering pieces. But as they got deeper into the area they were supposed to reinforce they noticed a severe lacking of an enemy to fight back. They had been told that a large number of troops from a terrorist cell was supposed to be here and even more importantly they had received a request from this outpost that reinforcements were needed. But they didn't see any enemies and not one of their own men still alive. Deeper they marched with their guns at the ready and their hearts beating, the silence was driving them crazy. It was at last that they had heard a sound.

It was the sound of heavy breathing, coming from down one of the desolate streets of this desert town. A squad of men carefully proceeded down the street, their every step was cautious until they saw a man garbed as they were, a man of their army, a fellow soldiers. This lone soldier was breathing heavily and nearly his entire body was shaking. A knife in one hand a handgun in the other. One other firearm was nearby, obviously discarded after being spent of ammunition. They made an attempt to contact this surviving soldier, the man turned quickly, his body tensing up and the gun raised to point at his fellow soldiers. In this man dark eyes was an unthinkable rage, his brow was twisted into a furious look that would not ever easily come undone. This man had been forced into a fury that took the lives of every nearby terrorist soldier. Every cell member was either gunned down or hunted down and cut to ribbons.

The survivor had a few bullets in him, but they were not enough to stay his fury. Not enough to stop this dark haired beast from taking life from all those who had angered him. The survivor looked upon these new men he encountered. He glared hard at them a moment, the gun kept still and pointed towards them. But he could see that they were his allies, his fellow soldiers. Within a few moments the gun was lowered and the dark haired survivor looked back to the stretch of road that was before him. His ragged breathing returned, his body shook like it had before. So hard that his gun had been jostled from his hand. The survivor fell to his knees and planted his forehead into the sandy road. His rage was spent and only sorrow remained. He did not fight as his comrades lifted him to his feet and dragged him back. He did not flinch or squirm as bullets were removed from his body and wounds were sewn shut. His mind was as far gone as it gets, but thanks to a man his mind soon got back into the fight.


Now a Dead Man

Everything for the Halloween feast had been put out. All the candy and treats, the fountain of chocolate was all set up and everything assorted for dipping into it. It was all very festive and fine, Bob had already taken from everything (Luckily before it went out so the chefs had time make sure everything looked nice, full and symmetrical) and piled up a large plate of cookies, candies and other various sweets. Everyone in the kitchen knew that as far as things went this was the only holiday Bob really enjoyed and it was simply for the fact of sweets. Though Bob could hardly get into the spirit of any other part of it. It was likely that Bob would stuff himself full of sweets until his undead stomach would tear, though it would be fairly gradual in building up to that point.

Bob was as bored as ever, his mind floating around his past as it always did when he was bored while he mindlessly stuffed himself with sweets. Orange icing frosted the edges of his mouth from the cupcakes he had just devoured and he had moved onto a bunch of chocolate... things. Bob had a number of plates lined up in front of him on the bar counter. He sat behind it as always, mostly just to watch and see how things progressed through this meal. Perhaps to help anyone who he felt like helping. But mostly just to eat the Halloween treats. He was sure other might pass through but there was probably more exciting Halloween festivities that others would run off too. Bob didn't really care either way, he would eat all the sweets himself if given the chance after all. Some of the workers around the place would probably stop by and those who really didn't leave the Inn would probably do so too. Bob just hoped something would happen to alleviate this boredom.

[Ms Silver Lining]

Janet's ears perked up at the sound of the young boy's voice. It was something about the sound of a child's voice that honestly touched her tough heart. She couldn't make heads or tails of her sudden infatuation with children but she didn't fight the feelings. She simply shook her head slightly and patted the side of the bed, "Don't apologies," she cooed sweetly, "You're not a burden to me child. I enjoy the short time I've had with you so far. I'm sure your brother will return one day with something to help your condition." She went along with his story wondering if he really had a brother or not. Or if the idea was one he simply came up with himself, to make up for the empty memory he might have found or dreamed of. She wouldn't blame him if he were, for she was doing the same while trying to understand why she didn't know she liked children before. She would gladly go along with any tall tell story he created as long as it wasn't so far fetched that it simply wouldn't make sense. She sat up straighter when he thanked her; somehow not appearing stiff as a bored thanks to the smooth curves along her body. "You're welcome and Janet is efficient enough." She lightly pat the top of his head with a smile.

Yes, this skunk loved children but being overprotective was not something she possessed. She would never overreact with panic or race after a child who had fallen. This was evident enough in how she was capable of walking past Iria without seeming worried. Or panicking when she knew full well Miwa was in need of a doctors touch. So when Aman began to move Janet sat patiently with her hands in her lap and watched. Her sliver and gold eyes twinkled with delight to watch him put forth so much effort. It was obvious that he was using a lot of energy to simply turn on the bed but she found something really cute about it. She felt like she was witnessing a infant taking their first steps. A large stone of pride and joy sunk in her stomach. She had to keep herself from clapping and cheering for him about it. She wasn't use to showing so much affection in such a gentle way. She was all about tough love, falling down and getting back up to try again, tough love. She smiled softly as he turned to face her and looked over his attire. They were going to have to get some clothes for him. She couldn't have him walking around the inn in rags. Her thoughts on his cloths passed as he made his polite bow.

Janet chuckled and rolled the damp clothe in her hand, sitting it on the small dresser while she stood. She faced him and played along with his introduction, giving him a polite curtsy. If anyone who knew her had seen her play along wouldn't believe that Janet was in good health. They may believed that she had finally lost her sanity locked up in this inn. However, that wasn't the case. "Welcome Aman Didrik Outridge." As she reached into her pocket for his room key Aman took a tumble to the floor. Both eyebrows raised while he pushed himself from the floor and apologized. Janet bent her knees and lowered her body to his level on the floor, resting her body on her toes. "It's okay," she smiled and held out her hand with his room key in it.

When he would reach to take it she would gently pull him to his feet again, "This is your key to this room. It's room two and this is my Inn. Elysium Inn. First off, we need to get you some clothes and I know just the person to talk to." She chuckled thinking of Cerano and his love for fashion. She was sure the matagot wouldn't mind playing dress up with the young boy. She let go of his hand and headed for his bedroom door. "You can stay here or come along if you like." She paused. "On second thought. I rather you wait here until we get you some clothes. It'd be inappropriate to let you run around looking like that." She smiled opening the door to his bedroom. "I'll be back as quickly as I can with a friend. In the meantime, you can get a little more familiar with your bedroom. Do you like cartoons? There's the remote on the stand next to the cloth...I believe the listing for channels are right under it." She pointed to the desk and then tapped the doorframe. "Be careful while I'm gone." She shut the door and stood at there for a moment. She was worried to leave him alone but she wasn't going to baby him no matter how sick or weak he was. So she took a deep breath and turned from the door and headed down the hall.

She came to the same flight of stairs she pasted earlier to see Cerano standing in the middle of them. Janet hadn't forgotten about Iria and Tomahi so she wondered if he were watching them and if Iria snapped out of it. So she walked down the stairs and stood next to Cerano to see what he was watching. To her horror the one person she didn't want to see was in the wrong place. "Mizu!" Her firm voice thundered from the stairway as she walked the rest of the way down. When she reached the bottom she looked over her shoulder towards Cerano. "Cerano don't go anywhere I have something I need you to do." Her voice hummed with the anger she felt towards Mizu. She then snapped her attention back on the desk attendant not attending his desk. "What are you doing up here? Is someone standing in for you at the desk? There better be or you better get your two feet down them stairs!" She puffed furious that he would leave the front desk. What if there were more customers waiting and they were impatient enough not to wait for him? That meant she was losing money! What if they touched the treasure chest behind the desk? Who would pay for Aman's stay? One thing for sure, he was lucky Tomahi didn't know about it or where she so happened to be.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and put two fingers on her temple waiting. Just to give Mizu a chance to defend himself or get back to where he was supposed to be.

[Ms Silver Lining]

Picking up on the smell of water Tomahi leaned her head back to sniff the air while slowly turning towards the stairs. As soon as she finished her turn a young slender male slid into the wall opposite the stairs and ran over to the female on the floor. The neko took a few steps away from Iria to give the lavender colored hair male his own space to pull the girl onto his lap. Her nose twitched trying to understand why this man smelled like water. If she weren't so afraid of getting caught she might have gotten distracted and tried to lick his check. However, she only looked nervously up the flight of stairs she had just fallen down. The fall dealt a great deal of damage to her frail and skinny body. More than she was aware of and yet, it didn't matter because she was use to her body going through pain. She leaned her head to the side as Mizu pushed a lovely looking cloth towards her. Tomahi didn't waste any time to snatch the cloth from his hand and inspect its material. It was smooth as silk and felt like cream between her fingers. She pressed it to her light pink lips, running it from the corner of her lip to the side of her cheek, rubbing the side of her head against it's lovely surface. She moved her head in a way a kitten would rub against its owner. Her blood quickly absorbed into the fabric until the side of her head was cleaned. When she dropped it, it was twisted by strings of shadows and gone. Mizu would most likely never see the cloth in his possession again. At the same time, she doubt he cared about it if he gave it to her for her to clean blood with.

Her black ears flicked back when she realized Mizu's look of irritation and tried to understand why he was upset. Was it because he expected her to give the cloth back? Ha! Such a notion was absurd! The neko obviously didn't understand the concept of giving nor would she try to, and since she wasn't; the idea was quickly stashed away. There had to be another reason he was upset. Then she realized that he had asked her questions while she was too absorbed in the piece of material he had so willingly gave to her. What were the questions again? She fiddled her fingers through her short locks trying to find the faint voice of Mizu in her selective memory. She wrinkled her small face and rolled her golden eyes to the ceiling catching the tall figure standing on the stairs that nearly scared her half to death. The sight of Bob made her hairs stand on end and her limbs run with the chills. The neko's body grew tense and yet alert at the same time. Her eyes widen and her legs moved as if she would run if there were any sudden movements. Bob's eyes were frightening to say the least and because of them Tomahi had a hard time looking at the rest of him. How long was he going to stand there? How long was she going to stand there? She was supposed to be running from someone. So many new people were appearing left and right, so for a curious cat she was doomed to get sidetracked. She wrinkled her nose and slowly back away whenever she felt he wasn't looking her way. He smelled odd...

She stopped when her tail hit the wall, curling because the wall wouldn't give way. When Bob walked past she hissed softly under her breath. The cat never relaxed until the sound of someone's laugh caught her attention. Just the sound of his laugh released butterflies in the felines belly. Tomahi's ears turned towards the stairs before her eyes quickly fell to the corner of her sockets. It was him! She could bask in that shinning light of beauty for eternity only dreaming that he would pull her into his arms and touch her in ways she couldn't picture. This kitten had yet to play the tunes but she was willing to learn. All her life she thought she was the only one. He was so bright and well groomed too. He would never speak to a dark and young neko as her self. Blush quickly raced from cheek to cheek when the house cleaner began to talk. In less then a second of being on edge, to shy and nervous, she was curious again. Her eyes soften as they turned away from Cerano onto Iria and Mizu. She watched as Iria pulled herself together before turning her attention on her. Tomahi didn't like being under the spotlight and three people were more than enough to make her nervous. Her fingers began to fiddle with her long sleeves as her mind tried to put the words together. "Yer loaf?" She finally breathed a word. "Did the fall give you a speech impairment?" She ducked her head smoothly towards Iria honestly worried that the girl suffered some form of brain damage from their fall.

The neko was about to spread out a lie for them when she heard Janet's voice. The sudden vibration of the skunks voice caused Tomahi to jump once more and press her back firmer along the wall. Her wide hazel eyes stared at the skunk as she made her way down the stairs yelling towards the water boy. Tomahi looked from person to person bouncing lightly on her toes before she ran down the next flight of stairs onto the second floor. She couldn’t withstand any more company. As she ran down the hall she looked from door to door trying to find her way out. She needed to get away and because she wasted so much time her nerves were killing her. They made her heart race ten times as fast and her blood pump so rapidly that a trail of blood began to stream down the side of her head again. She began to feel dizzy and settled for finding a place to hide until she felt good enough to run again. She stopped in front of a door that was partly open. Then slipped sideways into the art room and shut the door behind her.

Finally, she was alone! Her back hit the door and her body slumped to the floor where all the pain began. She didn't even want to look at her body. She knew she bruised easily and there would be purple and black spots everywhere. The neko groaned softly trying to focus on the room she was sitting in but the only thing she could really make out were shadows. One shadow in particular attracted most of her attention. It was the long shadow of an easel cast across the floor by the moonlight. "When did it get so dark?" She mumbled and dropped her head on her shoulder whispering, "I can go for a roasted salmon."

[Ms Silver Lining]

Kiyoshi stood in the bathroom glaring at the sharp red eyes looking back at him. His pale white hands clinched onto the side of the sink tightly. He'd give anything to Miwa but dressing up was one subject he avoided at all cost. The sheep loved to play dress up and the one time of the year where she could be anything she wanted to be she always found a way to talk him into joining. Personally, Kiyoshi did not enjoy Halloween or going around asking for sweets and candy. He just couldn't understand why Miwa enjoyed it so much; when she could change into whatever costume she wanted, whenever. Granted that she completely copies other unnatural beings she's come in contact with. It had to be the load of candy she could obtain simply by going door to door. He breathed through his teeth and calmly closed his eyes to remind himself why he was doing this. He had to do it every year this dreadful event came around. His eyes open just a tad while he ran his tongue over his canine fangs. They were real, always has been, but he was very skillful in not showing them. Miwa's voice suddenly played over from memory, 'Because of your wonderful teeth! You can be a vampire.' Her fading giggle ended the memory and he looked up at his reflection again. He had to set through two hours of Miwa putting makeup across his skin to give him the pale appearance of a vampire. Her attention to detail and shadow were excellent, nearly flawless to the point where it would be hard for one to tell if there was anything on his skin in the first place. He looked at the jet-black locks covering his head and finally stood up straight to smooth them back. He wasn't bothered that she dyed his hair black. It was better then last year when she turned him into a lycan. She was very determined to cover him in fur, spending the whole day with her carefully working on his body. She treated him as if he were a work of art. The thought came to mind when he looked at the added the extension of a pointed ear.

After he found himself in a better mood he pushed off of the skin and brushed his hand over the black suite. Under it he wore a crimson red silk shirt with golden button cuffs. He took one last look at himself and turned to walk out of the bathroom. Spread across his bed was a petite and vivacious female with perfectly peached skin and rosy cheeks. Pink slickly locks draped over her back and across the bed curling at their tips. Vivid emerald eyes barely blinked from the television and the faint voices from the movie The Lion King drifted in the air. To Kiyoshi, as he stood there watching Miwa, the movie was just background noise. His eyes watched the tiny pink bunny tail twitch with excitement from watching one of her favorite movies on one of her favorite nights. Her pink bunny ears moved ever so slightly when she giggled and hummed along to the lines of the three hyenas saying the name Mufasa. She knew every line from this movie. She watched it over and over again and still gave it the same reactions. She giggled and tried to imitate the laugh of a hyena while rolling in a ball and tossing around in his bed. In the middle of her rolling around she finally noticed Kiyoshi standing at the bathroom door.

"It's about time!" She smiled ever so brightly, bouncing onto her bottom and swinging her slinger legs over the edge of the bed. "You look splendid absolutely mysterious, dark, and sexy." She shimmed her shoulders as she spoken the word sexy. Miwa was always animated. Not in her gestures but in her choice of words. She stood up and lend over to fix her purple and black striped stockings that stopped a little past her middle thighs. The short black ruffled skirt fell, as it should around her small bottom. She wore a purple long sleeve top and a little black cape that stopped at the same level her skirt did. She looked around the room for a medium sized pink rabbit for her to carry around with her. "Kiyoshi," she whispered getting to her knees to look under the bed. She spotted her black slipper like shoes and pulled them from under the bed. As she stood up Kiyoshi was standing at her side with the stuffed animal she was looking for. Miwa smile and dropped the shoes in front of her. While slipping her feet into the shoes she took the rabbit from Kiyoshi and bounced with joy. "This is going to be so much fun!" She chimed while heading for their door. Leaving the T.V on for Kiyoshi to turn off.

The sheep wasn't happy about going Trick or Treating. Kiyoshi didn't want her to go outside so soon after suffering such a fatal wound. He was also unsure if the agents would know how to find them, or not, after fighting them. He'd rather stay low for a while longer and keep Miwa inside. "I wonder if the doctor is waiting for us in the lobby like you asked?" Miwa's voice slipped from her lips thoughtfully as they walked down the hallway and stairs. Without thinking about it Kiyoshi had already begun to guide the sheep along. Miwa never had to think about where she was going. Her body simply moved along as if he were pulling his own little wagon. As they walked down the next flight of stairs she was focused on petting her rabbits head and hopping down the steps. When they came across the small group Kiyoshi nod his head towards them, barely giving everyone a look over before moving on. However, as Miwa followed behind and saw Cerano and Janet she couldn't help but bubbled up another hello. Even though she had yet to figure out Cerano's name. "Happy Halloween!" She giggled and quickly moved along with Kiyoshi's long steps. Her long pink hair flowed behind her like a small stream and bounced in the air as she hopped down the stairs. She hopped right into Kiyoshi when he suddenly stopped and held his hand tightly on the railing. Miwa's body wouldn't be enough to push his tall person down the stairs. She blinked and looked around her vampire of the night at the flaming hair of a male wrapped around another person with hair just as orange. "Kirei da ne," she whispered almost feeling the intensity going on between the two flames at the bottom of the stairs. Was it just her or could she feel the heat rising?

Before she could think about it Kiyoshi had begun to walk again. He slipped past the male and female hardly looking at the group in the lobby. He knew where Miwa wanted to go, so he wasn't going to waste time. As Miwa past Sera and Sono she giggled and added a playful, "Happy Halloween." Then hopped along behind her shepherd. She played with the stuffed rabbit's ears until they finally reached the dinning area. When she looked up her mouth dropped, "Whoa! Kiyoshi look at all the sweets!" She laughed and hurried over to the table of chocolate treats. She squeezed the pink bunny rabbit in front of her chest squirming in her place because she didn't know where to start. Miwa didn't love sweets, as much as Bob did it was simply the fact that Kiyoshi didn't allow her to eat too many sweets. Halloween night was the only night she could eat as many sweets as she possibly wanted. She looked over her shoulder to see Kiyoshi taking a seat at a table while watching her and looking out a window. Miwa smiled feeling his hold on her slip away and allowing her to roam freely. She picked up a plate, holding onto her rabbits hand with her pinky while her other fingers held the plate, and her free hand began to pick out the cup cakes. She collected one of each flavor onto the plate making a small mountain of cupcakes. As her right hand picked up the last flavor cupcake, she had yet to put on her plate, she turned her head towards the bar.

"Mr. Bob!" She sung his name happily and quickly made her way towards the bar. She moved smoothly until she felt a small tug at the corner of her mind. It caused her to stop in the middle of walking and to look at Kiyoshi. His dark red eyes glared her down before looking to see where she was going. When he looked back to Miwa a frown had painted across her pretty lips and he let her go. He couldn't take seeing that face. As soon as she was free again, she smiled and skipped over to Bob managing not to drop a muffin. She sat her plate down on the bar counter and hopped into one of the tall chairs. "Did you make these too? I can't wait to taste them." She put a little more emphasize on the word wait as she sat down her stuff bunny next to her plate. The sheep suddenly paused before continuing to speak, "Oh, it's me Miwa if you didn't know." She closed her eyes and smiled. "I can change my appearance to anything I want. I'm a rabbit for Halloween, do you like? The look you saw earlier is my original appearance though." She nodded her head in conclusion. "Anyway, how has your day been? I hope that it was lovely."

[Vincent W Sinnet]

"Only in death will we have our own names since only in death are we no longer part of the effort. In death we become heroes."

Bob sat Idly munching his sweets, his brow effectively twisted into it's standard form, his glare at full form. His day had not been a particularly good one, he had spent far too much time by himself as well as a small frustrating encounter with his boss. His shark-like teeth flashed every time he opened wide to take a bite of whatever sweet he had picked up. His chewing was rather even if not short, he spent little time chewing and more time moving onto the next bite. The sweets tasted rather good, Bob would have to work hard on tomorrows breakfast so the other chefs wouldn't have to. Of course it would be different if the chefs had done a good job on something other than sweets, Bob wouldn't have cared less if that was the case. But as long as it was sweets Bob was very appreciative. And when Bob was appreciative, he would have half, if not all of the work done before the other chefs even arrived in the kitchen. Though his same scowl and bad attitude wouldn't necessarily be gone.

Bob was especially well into his sour way when he heard a voice in the air call his name with a prefix attached to it. The voice sounded familiar, but when his eyes rolled over to see who it had come from he couldn't say he recognized her. But it was suffice to say that she was absolutely adorable, his chewing slowed to a stop and his bad mood dissolved and he found himself struggling to keep his glare on, whereas normally it was as natural to him as brea-... well as natural as breathing would be if he actually needed to. She had to pause and look back, to whom Bob wasn't really curious about. This adorable creature seemed to know him and he was trying to fathom how. A few moments passed and the cute pink bunny continued skipping over to the bar with plate of goods in hand. Bob quickly (amazing amongst all other things that Bob would bother to move quickly at all) shuffled the large number of his own plates of goodies around making room on the counter.

The bunny put her own plate down and sat herself on one of the tall chairs. She asked if Bob had made the cupcakes she had piled onto her plate, but Bob had yet to find the will to answer. Confusion and amazement in his mind that such a cute thing could walk around and talk like it did. She put down a stuffed bunny next to her plate that also caught Bob's eye as he was rather fond of stuffed animals. Bob was a dark and dreary fellow with rather odd interests with that in mind. But if anything it was a good balance even though it was a sharp contrast. She paused a moment and then explained who she was. He felt at least his confusion lift, so it was the sheep Miwa he had encountered earlier. With everything that had happened and the time he had spent brooding he had almost forgotten her, which he inwardly scolded himself for. So it seemed she was a shape shifter or something. When she asked if he like it Bob cleared his throat and responded "Yes, very cute." It was a bit less deadpan than Bob normally sounded, but as simple and to the point as he normally was.

He brought one of his own cupcakes up to his mouth, before biting into it he said "My chefs are responsible for tonight's spread, I don't make sweets, I only eat them." Bob let out a breathy chuckle, another astounding feat which further proved Miwa's effect on the dead man. He even went on to smile briefly while doing so, not a wide and toothy smile, a rather simple one. But his shark-like did flash momentarily before he bit into his own cupcake. He chewed only a few times and swallowed it down, he set the cupcake back onto the plate it came from and stared off a moment. He didn't look directly at Miwa, with his glare gone he didn't look angry just sad. His face held a lot of regret and sorrow that he often twisted into anger which he couldn't do with Miwa around. But his thoughts quickly turned to her questions and his dark eyes turned back to Miwa.

Bob shrugged a bit "My day? Well I can't say it was lovely." he was somewhat agitated about disappointing Miwa, if he really would, but Bob was no liar. "Being agitated by my Boss and laying about my room with only my thoughts." Bob's tone was softer than normal, obviously because of whom he was speaking to. It was somewhat breathy, it made him sound tired. "And I can't say my thoughts are good company." Speaking of company, Bob eyed the pink stuffed bunny on the bar counter and reached down underneath the bar, his head still held up above the counter and the sounds of him rummaging through things could be heard. He continued to talk though "The chefs did do a good job though, worth keeping around if they can keep making sweets like these." Bob seemed to have found what he was looking for, as his body rose up and he was sitting straight again. When he lifted his arm up in his hand was a stuffed bunny of his own though white in color with long floppy ears. He placed it right next to the pink one, it was only a little larger, it's head relaxed against the pink bunnies.

Bob looked at it satisfied but didn't say a word about it otherwise, his eyes looking down at his many plates of sweets. He still hadn't finished his cupcake but he picked up a piece of fudge. He brought it to his mouth and bit off a chunk with one of his sharp teeth. After savoring it he finally looked back to Miwa "How about yourself? Are you doing well?" Bob didn't know anything about Miwa, her situation, why she was here. His questions were asked simply to keep conversation.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Aman actually hesitated before taking Janet's hand, he wanted to find the strength to get himself back to his feet. That's how it always was, as he could vaguely remember, always wanted to find strength he didn't have and ending up consumed by the dark veil of unconsciousness. Not wanting to pass out so quickly after waking up, he sighed and reached up for the key and found himself up on his feet. It was the key to his room, this was an Inn? A delightful place to stay at least, he knew he wouldn't be taking up much necessary space, but certainly she would want some money for him staying here. Or maybe his brother ended up doing some work for Aman to stay here, Aman couldn't tell and he would only speak about it if it ever came up. She mentioned clothes and Aman finally took some time to look down at what he was wearing.

Aman didn't come from a wealthy situation, but what he found himself wearing was absolutely atrocious. Aman was rather skilled when it came to tailoring though it did take him some time as most tasks did. But this patchwork abomination was something only his brother could have managed. Perhaps Aman had taken a long sleep and it was up to his brother to mend his clothes as they happened to wear and tear. But even then what he was wearing was far too big... what on earth... Aman's head was starting to hurt trying to figure out his clothing situation. He merely nodded at Janet. He would have liked to go with her but he figured she was right, he would have been ashamed to be seen in such a manner anyways. Aman managed to climb back into bed, though it took him some time and some struggle that made the act look almost pitiful. But as he finally found a restful position he let out a content sigh.

Janet mention something about cartoons and a remote, Aman merely looked at her with some confusion. He didn't have a clue exactly as to what she was talking about. When she told him to be careful, he gave a smile and said "Yes, thank you." This situation was all too confusing but he could tell that he liked this Janet person very much. She wasn't like his brother who was constantly fussing and worrying about Aman, it made him feel a little more free. He was sure that she would be back soon, but he was still feeling tired, he decided that a little rest would be fine and Janet would surely wake him when she got back. It didn't take him long to drift off to sleep once again.

It was only a moment or two after Aman had fallen asleep that demons that had been silent while he was awake were brought up and stuck out just above the surface. Aman's back arched and the sound of snapping bones echoed out of his body. His eyes opened and instead of the sparkling blue jewels that once were there, there were only beady black eyes with thick red veins webbed around them. Aman sat up quickly without hinderance a voice came out that was not indeed his. "So this is the new poor position we find ourselves in eh? Stuck to a weak young boy." The voice spit out the word boy with disgust. It's teeth were sharpened, unevenly spaced and yellowed. "Can't say it's much worse than before though." Aman's eyes closed momentarily and reopened as bright glowing red ones with black hinting at the edges. "We are to remain still." A new voice said, much deeper than the last. The last voice did emit from Aman, while this deeper voice still seemed to hold dominance over the body. "Of course of course, you're the boss. Until the boy figures us out of course." Aman's head nodded. "With any luck that will not come to pass." Laughter emitted from the prior voice, "Don't count on our luck! That's the last thing we need, we'll be back to square one with his sorrow drowning us." The deeper voice grunted. "Then let us savor this reprieve."

Aman's body laid back down, the hardened expression and features of the deeper voice faded and Aman appeared as he normally did. He rested rather peacefully by himself, finding himself curling up a bit on top of the bed, his hand clutching one of the pillows and pulling it close as he snuggled up to it. As cute as it may have looked, the demons would be sickened.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

“One of a kind? How fascinating, I would very much like to study more about you, as well as learn about the other kinds of male species.” She smiled politely, and then bowed her head to D when he excused himself, it seemed he wanted to help this unpleasant situation; Isidora could sense that the atmosphere had tensed considerably and though she could not sense any foul magic at play, she wondered what had caused that woman’s head to combust in flames.
“Ignis.” Isidora muttered beneath her breath and a few tiny sparks flickered into life before flaring up and an orange flame fluttered delicately in the palm of her free hand. It was lukewarm to her touch, though she knew very well that this flame was actually far hotter, it danced about in the breeze with a haze surrounding her hand; to others who glanced over towards Isidora, it would appear as though she were merely cupping a candle in her hand, the flames light dancing across her face and casting flickering shadows, her eyes once more illuminating in the dark. “Desino.” She whispered and the flame vanished as she closed her hand, glancing over at the pillar of stone she had summoned from the ground, Isidora smiled briefly, running her fingers over its surface and suddenly missing her home and the people she called her family.

Pulling away from the pillar, she walked a little ways back into the gathering crowds, her eyes scanning the various people she came across, searching for D’s familiar face. He was near an area thickly crowded by people and also seemed to be where the source of the odd music was coming from; there really weren’t any instruments, how on Olympus could they create such sounds? “It must be a new type of magic…” She whispered to herself, an excited smile forming across her lips at the prospect of perhaps learning a new talent. When the new music started, Isidora couldn’t help but feel her emotions rise up, she smiled radiantly and laughed now and then as people all around her were jerking their bodies about and dancing to this music; it didn’t take much to sense that the tense atmosphere had cleared up and people were enjoying themselves at this festival.

He must have powers of some sort, to affect so many people and spread such positive emotions through the odd music that he controls. Truly a remarkable creature, and quite clearly Marigold was wrong, not all males are savage animals. I have yet to meet any barbarians. Still smiling happily, she excused herself now and then whenever someone attempted to persuade her into dancing with them, though she loved to dance, this kind of music was new to her and she preferred to simply sit back and watch rather than try and join in so suddenly. But the good mood was certainly infectious.

Knowing that her stomach had been rumbling for a short while, and having smelled the delectable scents of various foods, Isidora soon found herself near the buffet area. She stood there for a while, simply staring at everything and wondering what some of the food was, at least they had meats, but she had never before seen anything like pizza and she had to admit that it looked delicious. But before she began reaching for foods, not even stopping to think about paying as she didn’t realise that she had to, a familiar sight caught her eye and she turned around sharply to hone in on a female whose hair was as red as fire and eyes a deep burning gold. The people around her didn’t seem too happy, but Isidora overlooked this, as what had caught her attention was the fact that this female was casually playing with fire. She was a practitioner of magic too! Isidora smiled her radiant smile, gripped her staff tightly and made her way over to where Phoenix was sitting, her violet eyes glowing with enthusiasm at the display of power she saw before her.
“Greetings and salutations! I could not help but notice a fellow mage like myself, and never before have I sensed such a strong affinity to the element of fire. It is an incredible gift. Are you a disciple of Hephaestus?” A generally polite and pleasant atmosphere surrounded Isidora as she spoke about things that would quite clearly label her as a lunatic in this world. It also had yet to dawn on her that perhaps this female had something to do with the earlier incident.