Elysium Inn (Always Accepting Literate People)

[Yoshkun]

Sono felt his lips part into an amused grin when he sensed the weight in Sera’s lower half tremble ever so slightly in his presence, his breath burning like hot coals against her neck as he laid his chin upon her shoulder; his strong arms firmly wrapped around her slender figure and unwilling to let her to slide to the floor like a young school girl smitten with her first crush. The flames between them were things of lust unspoken, a passionate blaze that made their senses tingle to such extremes that mortals delusional from ecstasy couldn’t possibly phantom the pleasure they shared. Even so, it was the pseudo phoenix who was pulling the strings of desire on this Halloween night, and without that nuisance of Sono’s conscious interfering…that was the way he liked it.

“I wouldn't really call it a game of tag… as I can do much more than a simple child when it comes to games.” He remarked coyly, the devilish grin plastered upon his expression indicating there were several meanings laced within his words. His gaze shifted across the staircase to Miwa and Kiyoshi when they passed through, his eyebrows arching ever so slightly at the amusement he felt from such frivolous costumes. A sudden urge within him to reach out and to pet those soft bunny ears upon such a adorable pink head caused Sono’s grip to falter slightly, but he chastised himself for such selfish desires and resumed his hold on the fire mistress. It wasn’t that he was concerned with Sera slipping underneath him and escaping into the night away from their flirtatious game, but the thought of setting the poor girl ablaze and earning the ire of everyone in the room did not sound very appealing. So, instead, he simply wished the little bunny a happy Halloween as she hopped by and into the dinning hall with her man in tow. The dark and brooding Kiyoshi did not escape his sight though, as the irritated swagger of the ‘vampire’ drew an unexpected playful grin out from within him. Most spirits who experience a natural life often retained their sexual preference, but spirits who were born as various guardians of nature were able to be swayed to any tune; which included Sono. That being said, the only melody the pseudo phoenix was interested in was the sweet one in his arms that suddenly had the audacity to pull out of his reach! The nerve! Did she not feel the massive wave of heat split into two like puzzle pieces that ached to be complete as one, as he did? Sono was not used to the unstable emotional palette of Seraphina, which caused him to act poorly and pout by folding his arms across his chest while turning his head to the side at her words; as if mortally offended by her actions. Still, when he noticed her drinking him in so thoroughly out of the corner of his eye, the childish gestures and behaviors melted away as he placed his gloved hands on his hips and posed to model for her.” Like I told you earlier sunshine, this is no costume. This is the real deal! This is me under your skin…which isn’t entirely a bad thing.”

He chuckled and placed a hand on her fiery red locks, his finger twirling around one of the red horns hanging loosely from her head.”I do like your costume, though. It’s very fitting” He mused, pulling his hand away and stepping off the bottom step so they could stand close enough that their bodies were merely inches apart as they had been hours ago in Center Park. His eyes fell downward to her heels, slowly working their way up her curvy hips, past her nearly exposed chest, and finally resting on her magnanimous set of eyes; his matching amber pair boiling like a erupting volcano by this point. His jaw began to wiggle a little, a light chewing noise filling the gap between their faces as it became apparent he was actually chewing gum. His breath was still just as sweet, lightly blowing upon her cheeks in a teasing manner to provoke that true ‘inner demon’ buried beneath her fleshy surface.”Plans? I know nothing of Halloween…I thought you were the expert on it. You said you were.” That wasn’t exactly true, but in the pseudo phoenix’s mind, she might just as well have said that. He leaned even closer, shutting out the rest of the little ‘audience’ around them and blowing strictly upon the phoenix’s moist lips, his eyes flashing dangerously as mischief curled upon his own lips..”So…I want you to show me what it means to celebrate Halloween, to teach me what kind of tricks ghouls play in the night, and…” His hand rested under her chin, wrapping his free arm around her waist and pulling the phoenix so close that it was a wonder their lips weren’t already locked in a passionate embrace.”…to do exactly what devilish fiends do on this special occasion.”He laughed softly and pulled innocently away from Sera, leaving her with only a warm taste of what kind of 'heat' he was now capable of before stepping into the main portion of the lobby.

He probably wouldn’t have said anything more and simply left the Inn for Sera to follow behind, but something made him stop short when he was walking by the girl in the police uniform. His breath became noticeably shallow and his heartbeat suddenly sped up tremendously, not to mention that his stomach was beginning to churn and it was incredibly uncomfortable. It wasn’t coming from the pseudo phoenix persona of that he was certain, but something much deeper within his soul; something spiritual. To him, she had to be like one of those candies that had the hard coating surrounding a gooey center…except this center was much more important than candy. Without explaining himself, he reached out and ruffled Unique’s hat a bit and smiled.”You’re alright, kid.” He had little to say but that, since he only had a vague understanding of what made his spirit react so strongly to her; so he simply left it at that and continued to the door.”I noticed there was a huge party going on in the park. You like parties, right? We could do that if you want.” His attention was now focused on the girl he left standing teasingly by the stairs, a small smile dancing on his already glowing features as he continued to chew the bubblegum. He didn’t know about her, but he was certainly ready to blow off some of this continuous energy he was building up.

[Viice]

Val's eyes were fixed on her cigarette when she heard the crash of Bob falling from his seat. When she looked she could not see Bob's condition as he was behind the counter, but the bunny girls reaction was enough to convince Val that he was not in a good state. She sat up a bit in her seat, arching her back, but it was useless, she couldn't see anything. But suddenly she heard a horrible cracking sound and she brought a gloved hand to her lips, Jesus, was that Bob? He stood up moments later and looked fine to Val, what an interesting fellow...

Kiyoshi's hustle had been impressive at the sound of the girls cry for him, and this was how Val learned his name. She watched him speak to the girl and suddenly two glasses were pushed towards him as well as a gesture towards Val. She smiled slowly and leaned back in her seat and as he looked back at her she examined her cigarette as if she was oblivious to what was going on. She took a drag as he stepped over to her, still looking ahead of herself innocently, and when he reached her table she tilted her head towards him, smoking rising around her visage.

"You read my mind." She said through a silvery doubled voice. She nodded a bit towards the seat across from her when he asked to join her, and as he sat down she leaned forward resting her left forearm along the smooth surface of the table. Her right hand was close to her temple, the black Djarum resting between nimble fingers as alluring eyes locked with his through thick black lashes. Her tail gently lashed back and forth behind the chair absently, the way a cats would in thought. No, he was not a Vampire, simply clad as one for the holidays. Her own pearly fangs were, however, very real, and shown as she smiled. She reached for the wine and tilted it a bit examining the lable. Romanée Conti?! Her eyebrows rose. "Well...this place gets more impressive by the minute. What a wonderful selection...I haven't had wine this good in quite some time." She said tilting it back so it sat flat. She'd let him pour the wine, she figured it was a gentleman's job to do this. She snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray and her gaze rose back to his.

The fact that Kiyoshi's eyes had kept wondering to Val could be explained by the fact that she was a Succubus. She emitted pheromones constantly and they were known to drag the eyes of men to her form wherever she went, but the effect the pheromones had varied man to man. Some hardly noticed at all, and others were intoxicated, Val guessed that Kiyoshi was somewhere in between, perhaps a bit more effected than most from how often he had been looking at her. She considered what he must look like without all the makeup, but it was clear he was a handsome individual underneath the costume. His eyes were intense though, she noted this, they seemed troubled and clouded with worry for this girl he was clearly responsible for. She hoped that he'd loosen up, between some of the best wine available and light conversation with a creature of her kind how couldn't he?

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Aman couldn't help but tilt his head to the side as Cerano spoke. Aman couldn't quite understand some of his words, but he explained that his and Janet's relationship was strictly professional. Aman couldn't understand why he would go to the length to make that clear. He took a moment to look up at Janet and then back to Cerano. Janet was so kind, it made Aman wonder why the two of them weren't friends. Maybe it was a sort of professional thing. Cerano said he was a butler, a sort of servant. Maybe servants just didn't try to associate with the people that they served. Aman tried to thing well about it, but he still couldn't manage to make himself feel any better about it. The fact was that Janet was just so sweet, as far as he knew, how could anyone not be her friend? But as Cerano introduced himself Aman couldn't help but smile, the sort of flamboyancy Cerano exhibited was something Aman liked. Though Aman couldn't remember why, if Aman was still alone he would probably have time to worry about not being able to remember. However, with current company as well as the situation at hand Aman had plenty to distract him from such worries.

As Cerano spoke about Aman's robe Aman looked down at what he wore, he knew it was bad but hearing it in such a way from Cerano made a sad look cross his face. "I'm sorry..." he said apologizing for such abhorrent clothing he didn't even remember putting on. As Cerano asked for what Aman's preferences were, as well as his size Aman immediately started spouting off his measurements "Sixty-two inches tall, thirty-two inch chest, twenty-six inch waist, thirty-three inch hip, thirteen inch neck and thirty-one shirt sleeve..." Aman spoke with a blank expression, the information came from faded memories but was very prominent as it came up. Aman wasn't quite sure were it came from, Aman looked from side to side. He was a little embarrassed about blurting out like that. He tried to think about the rest of Cerano's question about preference but nothing came forward in his head. "I.. um.. I don't have any preferences Mister Cerano... Anything is fine really..." He said, fidgeting a little.

Aman could bring one vague memory forward out of the darkness, which eventually led to realization. Aman could remember not having a lot growing up. Aman remember not having a family aside from his brother. Aman remembered food being scarce as well as clothing. Aman could remember being the one to throw scraps of clothing together as he was the only one with any patience for tailoring between him an his brother. All of a sudden Aman felt terrible for what was happening. He felt he was mooching off of Janet who had apparently taken him in. They were giving him a place to stay and clothing and for all Aman knew he wasn't paying them a dime. It made Aman feel terrible but he wasn't about to say anything that would upset Janet or Cerano so he just looked down with a sorrowful expression on his face. He fidgeted with the patchwork cloth as he sat, glancing up at Janet or Cerano every once and a while.

[Yoshkun]

Visions

The streets were vividly lit by the brilliant moonlight shining overhead, and to a lesser extent, the eerie decorations that hung on every street corner. The buildings were nothing more than darkened silhouettes, blurbs in the darkness that could not be distinguished from one to the other. That made it difficult to tell if this picturesque setting was truly set in New City, but there was no reason to doubt otherwise. Then they came, maybe ten, maybe thirty or forty (it was hard to determine an exact number) people of all shapes and sizes dancing and marching down the street. The violent shaking of hips and limbs, the trembling of thighs and knees, and the piercing scream of an elderly lady took center stage of this once in a lifetime performance. Their motions were all as one when they moved, perfectly choreographed from the bald man in back to the aforementioned senior citizen towards the front. All led by their master conductor, surely the one in the forefront who moved an inch or two differently from the rest. She was beautiful from head to toe, exotic as well with that darkened tan and blond locks to match those of fairy tales; not to mention the clothes of one who apparently had nothing to hide. Her tails swaggered and her ears perked, grinning like a mischievous child with a new toy. Her minion seemed to be under her spell as well, a elven man in fine if not plain clothing who was performing a strange shaking motion around the leader. Was this part of the dancing as well? Suddenly the conductor’s mood changed, her fluid hips came to a halt as she searched for the elf companion; desperation blooming within her stare. She waded through the crowd until she found him, grabbing his arm and pulling far enough away until there was only an echo of confusion from a crowd suddenly free of the madness. Why had the dancing come to an end? What did it all mean? All of these questions lingered from a unseen watcher but all was beginning to vanish into the darkness until only the sweet sound of silence remained.

In Reality

Sharp, silver eyes fluttered open as the man sleepily observed the settings around him. The walls were bare and there was only one window he could see, the floors littered with his various bags and easels that had yet to be set up. The fan was lightly whirring overhead and his large black parka was hanging neatly on the closet door. He took a long breath, his exhale resulting in a long line of white smoke pouring from his parted lips as if freezing from some nonexistent frigid air. He glanced down slowly and realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt, his fingers idly rubbing against his chest to make sure he was still alive. That’s when he suddenly remembered where he was; he had checked in at the Elysium Inn in scenic New City. He had spent weeks walking across many highways and streets to reach this place, and had rented a room right before passing out on this bed…three days ago. To be fair, he hadn’t actually checked out a room yet but the Imp behind the desk had taken pity on him and allowed him access to an open room until he was feeling well enough to properly purchase it. Without wasting another second, he drug his feet across the bed and onto the carpeted floor, his white sneakers lightly squeaking as he rose from the mattress and put weight on them. The man was very tall, even for this assortment of males, and stood at roughly 6’1 on a good day. His body was well proportioned as well, being not too skinny but by no means truly muscular as well; much like that of a track athlete or a swimmer. He ran a tired hand through locks as white as snow, glancing at himself in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. How long had he been out? He felt like he had just awakened from a coma, or possibly even death with all the weird visions he had been having. Shaking his head slightly, his hair fell neatly into place as it always did which allowed him to pick up his white collared shirt he had discarded before passing out days earlier. It only took him a second to throw it over his head and button up properly, reaching for the nightstand and picking up his credit card and keys before heading out the door and locking Room 14 behind him.

He couldn’t quite remember how he got to this floor or where the front desk was, so he quietly made his way down the first staircase and began to wander aimlessly on the fourth floor. He came across two people standing in the doorway on his way back, one being a skunk demon and the other a finely dressed butler with feline features that really stood out to him. He said nothing to them, but they might have felt his chilling presence pass by them as he glanced in the room and took note of the small boy fumbling about. There was always such a presence about him, as to be near him one would think there was a window open nearby with the shivers given from his aurora. Remaining calm about his situation, the man did the same thing for all four floors until he finally found his way into the lavish lobby he remembered from days past, arriving at about the time Sono had enticed Sera before walking away. The man said nothing about this, but his usual distant stare shifted into an expression of concern when his eyes rested on the phoenix blocking the staircase. How truly warm she made him feel! Not in the beautiful woman kind of way either, the kind where he felt as if he were about to break into a horrible sweat at any moment! Deciding not to bother her about it, the man simply worked his way around her before placing a hand in his pocket and making his way towards the front desk; a faint smile unfreezing his solid expression as he recognized the man behind the desk that had been so kind to him.

“Mizu.” He said softly, a small but noticeable Russian accent laced within his words when finally reaching the desk. It wasn’t loud enough to truly gain any attention however, as his silver orbs had noticed a police woman in line first and he didn't want to interrupt them. So, he simply decided to patiently stand beside the woman until they were done. Another long breath of white smoke poured from his nostrils, his head turning ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of Unique. She nearly had the body of a fit athletic male...and yet, just enough of a feminine curve to be suggestive and fairly attractive. It was rare to see such things in his culture, but even more bizarre was her attire. Unlike Mizu, he recognized the human police uniform but could make out the subtle differences in the design that made it impossible to be authentic. He had no knowledge of Halloween or even that this was the day of, but he knew her clothes were somehow different. What particularly captured his attention was the hat. He liked the way it tilted so rebelliously to the side and the way it looked on her head; stylish to say the least. Perhaps he would take a closer inspection. While Mizu babbled about the way to sign in as he had to him days before, he silently reached up and removed Unique’s police cap from atop her head. A pleased smile parted his lips, as the once cold features of a perfect ice sculpture melted away into a handsome young man; the hat finding its way onto his own head as the small smile extended into a fully fledged grin. It was about this time that Mizu was wrapping up his speech and it gave him time to use one of the pens on the desk to write his name in the check-in book as instructed. He reached for a blue one and silently scribbled Kyoto Mori in neat cursive handwriting on the appropriate slot before white mist enveloped the pages from a long sigh; making the check-in book a little chilly to the touch.

He rolled his eyes upward and realized he was still wearing her blue police hat. He reached for it and removed it quickly before gently placing it back on top of Unique’s head; only slightly more crooked than it had been before.”Nice hat.” Kyoto remarked quietly, his tone very warm and very quiet as it always was; offering an apologetic smile as if saying sorry for taking it in the first place. He reached into his jeans and removed the credit card he taken from the nightstand earlier. He wasn’t sure how he had come across one of these, but it was in his name and worked with all of this Western finance business; which was good enough for him. Mimicking what Unique was sure to do with her debit card, he set his own card next to hers and waited for the Imp to officially check him in so he could go about his way. As one could imagine, he had quite a hunger built up after spending three days in a mini coma and was quite starving for whatever aromas came wafting out of the dining room down the hall. He at least assumed that’s where the delicious scent was coming from. For now, however, he continued to stand next to the police woman and returned to a emotionless expression; his breath becoming visible as usual on longer breaths.

[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 pondered a moment and then said "I think unless my head totally pops off then I should be fine no matter what." Obviously there were other situations which Bob wouldn't be able to recover from that he couldn't foresee and some that he could but he didn't particularly think of at the moment. But poured some more bourbon into his glass. But for the moment it remained untouched as Bob took another small piece of fudge and popped it into his mouth. The things Bob had said seemed to have an effect on Miwa, her attitude did manage to turn around so Bob was glad for that. He couldn't allow the little pink bunny to be upset. Bob's soft spot for such adorable creatures was actually quite common knowledge, most people didn't think less of him for it either. Bob was about as cold-hearted as one could be to everyone else, his dark visage and dark glare was more than enough to take peoples mind off his collection of stuffed creatures or attraction to other cute things.

Bob raised an eyebrow at Miwa as she asked whether or not Bob liked stuffed animals. It should have been obvious by know what with the white bunny now accompanying the pink one. But Bob supposed that there was room for doubt in that situation. "Yeah." Bob said in response to her initial question. When she asked if Bob had any more Bob hopped off of the stool and crouched back down under the bar. Opening a sliding cupboard Bob pulled out a small collection he kept in the bar. Bob stood back up with the armful of stuffed animals setting them down one by one. First was his blue stuffed wolf that he had out earlier that day. The next he set down was a little larger stuffed polar bear. Third was small stuffed Orca and put down next to it was a stuffed moose. Fifth was a small stuffed sheep and lastly was a stuffed panther.

"These are just the one's I have here." Bob said sitting back down and taking a sip of his bourbon then chasing it down with a bit of one of his cupcakes. "I have a bunch all over the place. But most of them are back up in my room." Bob scratched the back of his head trying to think of where he got all of these damn things. For the life of him he couldn't remember how he got so many. Sera had brought him some whenever she wanted something, but for the most part he couldn't remember how he got so god damn many. Deciding that he would never really figure it out Bob cast the thoughts aside as he brushed aside a few strands of his black hair out of his eyes.

Bob looked over Miwa, her long pink bunny ears and emerald eyes and pink hair, she looked far different than she did when he saw her this morning. But she was equally as cute despite that. But what was at the front of Bob's mind was that he hadn't seen her around before today. She must have just checked into the inn, which was obvious by now but Bob only just now thought of it. Her reason for being here, as well as Kiyoshi as the two of them seemed connected somehow, seemed to involve her safety for some reason. But beyond that Bob didn't know much, usually he didn't really care anyway but when it came to Miwa it was obvious the norm for Bob didn't apply. "So what brings you to this place anyways?" Bob asked rather casually taking a sip of bourbon and finishing off the rest of his cupcake.

[Lightlender]

Throw away the darkness, I wanna see you SHINING!!..

The Sixty-year Story

It had been several months since the Hollow Witch took him into her tutelage and seasons were beginning to cluster together in one synonymous heap. A lot had happened since she found him vehemently lumbering within the shadows of a burnt away forest, glazed in blood and too feral to know friend from foe. He remembered how he had felt then, recalled the terrible urge to slice her throat clean out of her neck with his fangs and chew away the gristle before the piping hot steam rising off her flesh could cool. And although the sinister desire gnawed at every fiber of his being – if not wrenching at his heartstrings to simply act and resolve the consequences at later notice – he couldn't bring himself to strike the woman down where she stood. It was if some unseen magic seized his muscles tighter than rigor mortis, lacing every heated joint, every bone, and every quivering tendon with an unyielding stiffness despite how violently synapses sparked and fired off in an attempt to maul the woman where she stood. Even now, it proved a difficult concept for him to explain and Taiga had long since learned to abandon the practice of attempting to place animalistic concepts before a filter of human logic and reason. The two would never coincide.

It took several weeks just to learn that rule of thumbs; everything else seemed to fall into place after that, simply establishing that he was no longer merely an animal set loose upon the unsuspecting masses. He was somewhere within a gray world, teetering between human and beast, accepted by neither realm and deemed a pariah by his deceased clan. The Forest Gods no longer spoke to him; they stopped whispering the world's secrets to him amongst the rustling of the autumn leaves, or the babbling brooks, or even the twittering birdsong throughout the day. His idols had cut him off and turned their backs, leaving not even a blind eye or deaf ear for the phantom to believe him. Because of this, Zephyrine's first lessons were easily grasped: "To exist in this hellish world, you have to become faithless and impenetrable by fruitless ideals."

Many more lessons came, some of which the Hollow Witch best taught physically—branding the teaching into his flesh, beating them into his lifeless body as he lay too enfeebled and weary to put up any further resistance, and some lovingly offered like soothing salve while his wounds recuperated over the long, bandaged months. In truth, he couldn't claim to dislike the way Zephyrine trained him—she was stern, cruel, and yet she was somehow playful at times. And although he didn't care much for her hellhound, her shadow demon, or the animated bear that kept her constant company, he honestly had no regrets in his decision to follow her guidance. Of course, now that decision had him stuck on a rickety old plane headed to Cream-of-some-young-guy, Tibet. Honestly, he'd done a fair amount of studying the human race as a whole, from the spark of civilization in ancient Sumer right down to the control of capital which kept the United States as a prominent (if not fundamentally flawed) super-power to this very day—but he'd never even heard of the place where Zephyrine was sending him. It sounded like someone had tossed a coin down a hollow well and simply attempted to pronounce the sounds it made on the way down. Ting, tong, bong, kong, dwoop! Why the ******** was she paying so much money to fly him out to 'BFE' anyway? Zephyrine Anderson was an ostentatious penny-pencher; to say that this unexpected twist of fate was uncharacteristic for her meant having an unbelievable grasp of the obvious, enough to state other blatant facts like the sky being blue or that farts often tended to stink to high heaven. Taiga usually kept his mouth shut to avoid showing the rest of the world what an utter lummox he could be at times—and this was one of those wondrous occasions.

Naturally, the plane was a collective of offensive body odors. No matter how much humans bathed, they always smelled either too horrid for words, or too highly perfumed for Taiga's sensitive nostrils to bear. The entire time it took to board the plane, the poor phantom struggled to breathe and often had tears welling in the corner of his eyes whenever that awkward rotund lady two rows in front of him brushed her gelatinous jiggling fat nearby. She looked like a plump lamb that spent far too much time grazing in the meadows—just the type to bring down for a swift kill if she didn't reek of cheaply made perfume. She spent the entire time bemoaning – in great detail – the fact that she couldn't bring her pet Chihuahua aboard the plane. Just so her precious 'Poopsie' couldn't spend the last few hours of his miserable life in her lap, quivering in a jittery mess of weak nerves and bug-eyed paranoia, like a pneumonia-stricken rat with Tourette's. Secretly, Taiga wanted to simply eat the damn dog and put it out of its cruel and unnatural torment. A mercy killing for all respective purposes, really. Anything was better than being forced to wear a huge red bow on the few strands of fur you had on your pathetic hairless body. Taiga silently shook his head. Poopsie…you poor, scrawny b*****d.' he thought, blinking when a stewardess seemed to block his view of the fat lady and her incessant b***h-moaning. At a loss and speechless impasse, he simply stared back at her for a second, unaware that she saw nothing of the perplexed tiger-man and how his little ears pulled away in confusion. To her, he was simply a scruffy man in his early thirties, a little on the ruggedly handsome side, with an ethnically dark complexion and bright orange hair that looked as though his hair was on fire.

"Namir. Namir, answer her!" a familiar woman's voice grumbled from the window seat. The tiger blinked again, cutting his emerald gaze her way with a scowl for the brown-eyed blonde at his left. She was Faze, one of Zephyrine Anderson's many minions—the woman had somewhat of an army of crazed science experiments and hellions under contract. And like him, she was hardly as she seemed. Although he saw her now as a beautiful blonde woman with just about every ray of light perfectly illuminating her flawless skin and somehow enhancing her already godlike beauty, he knew the truth. Without her Magic Veil from Zephyrine's shop, Faze was something of a lizard, a gecko, newt, or something else tigers knew very little about. Tigers didn't talk to lizards in the forests. The lizards were stupid, pointless creatures. They tasted good as a snack, so any conversation that could have transpired easily broke down into obscurity the moment the lizards went 'crunch' between a tiger's teeth. Faze reminded him of his new name, the one Zephyrine had paid to have created and put on his identification, official (faked) birth records, and passports. He was known as Namir Jerusalem in the human world, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to him. As far as he knew, 'namir' was just another world for 'tiger'. He scrunched his nose at the concept; why did humans feel the compulsive need to name everything, anyway?

"Shut the ******** up, Faze. Eat a d**k. Better yet, eat MY d**k…" Namir muttered, closing his eyes with a somewhat haughty sigh. He really hated that b***h. Just because Zephyrine appointed her as his guardian while they were away, she didn't need to act like his damn mother—if Namir actually remembered having a mother in the wild. Faze visibly flinched. She seemed too 'holier than thou' to honestly acknowledge such a crude response when it really should have been expected. Namir was vulgar. His picture was probably in the dictionary beside the word. As if the stewardess proved to be the second largest annoyance in his life, the phantom propped his head on his hand with the utmost boredom he could muster and lethargically slid his eyes to refocus on the young attendant whose bright smile was beginning to whittle itself away. Nonetheless, the girl insisted on smiling at the man—you simply had to admire her work ethic, if nothing else.

"Th' ******** do YOU want? You think I'm pretty or sumthin'?" Namir barked, raising his gruff voice an octave or two. The poor girl shrank back in surprise, her neatly braided black hair spilling from her flight cap to brush across her smooth ebony skin.

"….no, I—"

"…that was a rhetorical question, honey. You DO know what 'rhetorical' means, don't you? If you ever called me ******** pretty, I'd strangle you with that hair of yours. Now what the hell do you want? You're blocking my view of Jabba the Hutt. I wanna front row seat for when she dies of a heart attack." Namir mused, thrusting an index finger toward the obese lady and her loud aria of discord and complaint. The attendant seemed upset enough to slap him, which only aroused Namir at the prospect of making this little twig bend and break beneath his will. But when she heard his comment about the other passenger, she snickered softly behind her hand—she'd had to listen to a good deal of the woman's whining before the lady let her be and moved onto another attendant who merely wanted to offer her a pack of peanuts. Ironically, the portly woman snatched a whole handful and tried to funnel them down her throat by the pack-full. She shook her head, remembering that she was on the clock and had a job to do, no matter how frustrating her passengers were. She really didn't want to say much else to this guy, so she merely pointed her finger at her cart full various beverages so that Namir could add the facts together on his own.

"Do I LOOK like I'm ******** thirsty, lady? Did I even LOOK like I was paying attention to you? Fine, gimme a goddamn drink, anything…just hurry up and be done with it." he growled, indignantly folding his arms in his lap. He didn't honestly have anything against the woman. She was probably working this job for a very good reason, and although Namir knew he had no reason to trouble her the way he did, he simply hated humans. It was a prejudice that stuck with him after his transformation, like an ominous shadow that followed him wherever he went. As attractive as this girl was, Namir found that he couldn't bring himself to say a single kind word to her. The only reason he was cordial with Zephyrine was because she would easily pound him into submission, otherwise. A guy got tired of getting his a** kicked by a midget of a woman with more power in her pinky finger than he had in all of his rippling muscles. In time, one simply learned to pick and choose his battles as they came. Namir did. Still, this girl didn't deserve half of his harsh words. And it wasn't as if he was heartless and born without a conscience in this filthy form of his; watching this girl's chipper smile slowly fade bothered him, although he couldn't figure out quite why. It was strange, especially since he actually wanted to say something nice to her of being kind enough to consider him while he'd been spacing out. But it was like a curse took hold whenever he opened his mouth to speak to a human—hot flames and volcanic ash spat out, burning any human nearby like a fireball to the face.

Even when he glanced over to Faze for direction, her bitter expression suggested that his actions warranted an honest apology. He hated that. He loathed how Faze could make him feel like the lowest scoundrel alive at simply a glance, doffing all the layers of indifference the Caspian strove to keep up all day long. Just an angry look, furrowed brows, or a dismissive sigh threw the tiger into a paroxysm of regret and self-loathing. Secretly, he wondered if Zephyrine had cast some sort of spell enabling the lizard-woman to lord such power over him. "Stop lookin' at me like that, Faze…I get it already." Namir glanced up at the stewardess and fixed his lips to provide an apology, only to find the woman tilting a can of ginger ale over into his lap, spilling the frigidly chilled drink right on his crotch. There was a blistering silence that spread between the three until the sound of pouring liquid ceased, leaving the girl only with the task of politely tossing the can into a waste basket hidden inside her cart and offering the tiger phantom another of her lovely false smiles.

"Sorry. Turbulence. I lost my footing." And with that, she was onto the next passenger. The orange-haired man sat there for at least a full minute with an look of utter '********' pasted across his face until his unkempt stubble seemed to saturated in it. If you looked hard enough, you could see Namir's dusky face turning red with both embarrassment and anger. Faze reached over with a napkin and began to dab and soak up as much as she could with such a flimsy material, much to her companion's surprise.

"You earned that, Namir. Not everyone is as tolerant as I am." Faze hummed, her angry face likely to have dissolved somewhere between the spilled beverage and the attendant's mockery of a smile. She was simply like that; partly why the Hollow Witch named her as she did. Nothing seemed to faze her at all. There were times in his martial arts training with Faze where he'd seen the woman mercilessly break his arm, or tear one of his ligaments without as much as a second thought or shred of remorse—but shortly afterwards, she always came to him with a first aid kit, tea, and sometimes fond stories of her adventures in Zephyrine's servitude like the good little ninja lizard that the lizard was. Namir loved those the most, but loathed the woman's motherly nature the most. It reminded him of something, someone important from his past…that he was slowly starting to forget.

"I know that s**t, ********! Now, quit pokin' at my JUNK! Gimme that thing." he responded, snatching the napkin to handle the issue himself. Last thing he needed was for Faze to discover an impromptu erection only so that she could tease him about it for the duration of the flight. "…humans are too damn sensitive. Stupid ******** can't even tell when you're complimenting their hairstyles…like I know a damn thing about hair. I'm covered in fur from hair ********. You can't even SEE my skin."

"That's what you call a compliment? 'Yo b***h, I'mma choke yo' punk-a** out'?" Faze mused, cocking an eyebrow as she mocked Taiga's crude manner of speech down to the point-by-point insertion of ebonics. The Caspian frowned bitterly, making that irritated face cats often made when you poke them in the nose

"Don't ever talk like me again. That's just wrong. You're so…well, so damn WHITE, Faze. There should be a LAW against white people using language like that."

"E-excuse me?! What does my skin-tone have to do with anything? I can get 'hood' if I want to. I'm 'down wit da streets', mah nizzle. Word to your mother."

Namir palmed his face and groaned. "Faze, stop. Just stop." The woman's face inflated into a childish pout, honestly perturbed by the fact that he simply refused to acknowledge her street credibility. As if the color of your skin could dictate such things! She was green…and HE was orange! Unable to hold a grudge for more than ten whole seconds, Faze shrugged the issue off for later discussion and began to explain things. There was a reason why they were headed into the mountains of Asia, to a destination that scarcely existed on any modern maps. In fact, Faze only knew the place from her childhood memories; it was the place where her master lived. Although she hated keeping Namir in the dark about such things, she highly doubted he would have agreed if Zephyrine had outright told him at the onset. She could already see his response to that. He'd brag that his skills were already flawless and resist until someone had to knock him unconscious and drag him aboard a plane.

"…we're going to see my teacher. That's the purpose of this flight, you know." She whisked a hand through her wavy blonde locks, flipping her shoulder-length mane out of her peripheral view. "It's time you were formally trained in the art of fighting, Namir."

"…um. ******** that. You trained me and now I can almost kick your a** seven ways from Sunday, Faze. I don't need any more training. I'm the ******** s**t right now. Period. Dot. The end." That was a typical Namir Jerusalem response. Practice bravado came first, then mindless self-indulgence, and finally narcissism at its finest. But as the orange-haired man slouched deeper into the groove of the uncomfortable chair, Faze realized that was precisely why she enjoyed teaching him everything she knew. He had an aptitude to learn unlike8 anything she'd ever seen. Like a sponge, he absorbed and adapted to everything on an impulse, evolving remarkably fast. It was almost unnatural, actually, and it frightened her to think of how capable Namir was when he put his mind to something. Beneath the guise of a dull-witted, foul-mouthed cretin was an analytical mind that might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but was easily the handiest when applied properly. She found herself giggling at his arrogance. Just like a child, or perhaps a kitten, Namir admitted how much he truly needed to learn. He was young, rebellious, and gnawing at the bit in order to prove himself to her and Zephyrine. Perhaps that determination was the source of his strength, Faze wondered.

"We'll see if your confidence lasts after meeting with my master…" Namir face wrinkled up in tight scowl, baring his fangs. It wasn't as if Faze didn't understand his reluctance. The methods she employed to train him were often brutal, but child's play compared to what her teacher would do. Perhaps, on some subconscious level, Namir realized this. She glanced away for a moment, watching the clouds roll by outside the diaphanous dirtied glass of her window. The flight dragged on this way, uneventfully – although Faze did snicker when some little boy continually pointed at Namir and kept yelling 'look daddy, a tiger!' while tugging at his father's arm. Faze was typically accustomed to wearing Zephyrine's magic veils, so she sometimes forgot that she wasn't truly human and that her disguise had fundamental weaknesses in their design. Magic Veils were often useless against the pure eyes of a child that saw the truth for what it was. For now, Namir would simply have to endure the minor annoyance until they landed, much to Faze's morbid delight.

By the time they touched down Namir had fallen asleep, slouched deep in his seat, drooling to the point his shirt became soaked around the collar. Faze tried wake him as gently as she could, but after a few soft nudges she resorted to crudely kicking one of his feet to startle the slumbering brute awake. "We're here." They gathered their belongings quickly, hopefully to avoid being caught between excited children—who saw only a giant walking tiger and a green-skinned woman with a thick, snake-like tail protruding from an unmentionable area. Disembarking the plane into what could closely be called a run-down air strip, the two were immersed into a realm of squalor and poverty within seconds. The walls – the ones that were lucky enough to be standing – were built of rotting wood, patched together by newer timber that must have been of lesser quality. The patchwork seemed it could snap and break at a moment's notice if even an ounce more pressure was exerted against it. In several spots, Namir noticed huge gaping holes in the walls where he could faintly see people shuffling about on the other side. With all the broken timber – not to mention the lingering sawdust in the air from nearby construction – this place was a certified fire hazard. He tried to ignore the fact and continued walking behind Faze, whose mesmerizing gait managed to capture his attention. She had a way of walking that made men's eyes wander to her hips, following a smooth and curvaceous contour that lead to where the fabric of her leathery white catsuit was pulled taught. The stretchy fabric folded deep into a neat little crevice Taiga simply couldn't ignore, then spread graciously over ample buns Faze spent hours out of her day to maintain. For some odd reason, the blonde was a lot more interesting than everything else, which was odd when you considered that Namir could scarcely get along with her on an ordinary basis. Once Faze almost caught him locked onto her a** like a scud missile, however, the lumbering ruffian was forced to quickly turn his gaze to the floor – as though it suddenly warranted closer inspection. At least if allowed him to avoid a swift slap from Faze for watching her booty jiggle; he watched the ground and bashfully scratched the back of his neck as if to shirk off the idle faux paux completely. The cheap, cracked tiles were stained beige and skipped out of place when kicked, or were entirely missing to begin with, which made Namir all the more reluctant to meet an elusive 'master' who lived near this depleted uranium core of an airport. If it wasn't for the bratty kids yelling to their parents about a walking tiger and dragon, Namir would have easily wrestled his partner-in-crime back onto the plane and forced the pilots to head back to the good old U.S.A.

"M'kay. We've established that this place sucks. Can we leave now?"

Faze fought the urge to scowl, ignoring the orange-haired man for a moment. She glanced above the crowd of elderly Asian folk (which wasn't hard for a tall woman like herself to do) until she noticed a rather sturdily built young man in thatched scarlet robes. The youth was a monk by all definitions. He wore no shoes to protect his feet against the cold and broken paving, and he smelled of a light mountain musk that reminded Taiga of his homeland. The man was only an inch or two shorter than Faze, with a completely unremarkable face that most people would likely not remember by morning. His head was noticeably shaven bald; Namir even snickered at the fact that it gleamed when the light hit the monk's cranium at just the right angle. Faze wove her way through a small cluster of beggars, offering what little pocket change she had to get through, and flagged the stern-faced monk with a wave. "Sonam, friend, it is good to see you again." she hummed, smiling broadly from ear to ear. She looked as if she knew the man dearly, rushing to him as if she would tackle the young man with a crushingly affectionate bear hug. Namir could tell she wanted to, although she stopped a few paces away and addressed the monk with a respectful bow. Sonam lowered his head in acknowledgement, masking a subtle smile of his own. He spoke up in crisp English that was blanketed with a heavy Asian accent.

"Honored Sister Faze Bellasaur, it has been too long. The master has been expecting you. Please, come." Sonam led them outside, where a weathered rickshaw awaited, wedged between two small taxis of unknown manufacture. Namir couldn't tell if they were Volvos or Hondas and the fact that they looked like some b*****d child between the two didn't help matters much.

"…sister? This guy's your brother? He's human…you didn't tell me you were half-human, Geico…" Namir grumbled.

"I'm not. It's a title," she icily muttered, "and the next time you call me 'Geico', I'll force feed you your Frosted Flakes from the wrong end of your digestive tract, Tony…"

The tiger felt his throat nervously begin to tighten.

She'd actually do it.

"Noted." he croaked, feeling remarkably humbled and awkward. Last thing he wanted was to have crunchy bowel movements. Faze and Namir climbed into the rickshaw and although Taiga doubted such a small human was up to the task of hauling them around, Sonam hoisted them up as though they weighed nothing at all. The Caspian subtly leaned over and whispered into his companion's ear. "He's on steroids. S'gotta be…" Faze shook her head and sighed exhaustedly. How on earth had she managed this long without killing her young companion? They arrived at a temple at some time late in the evening, having taken a scenic tour through the winding mountains that lead them all the way up to the secluded settlement. Although Faze took in the beauty of the countryside, painted by the various lush greens and garnet-hued sky, the expansive trip was wasted on Namir—who spent the entire time asleep and slobbering all over Faze's shoulder between her attempts to shove the heavy dolt away. Sonam let them get out before proceeding directing them toward the massive stone doors leading into the temple. They were laboriously detailed; despite the passage of time having worn away much of the ornate carvings that depicted an epic struggle between a white-winged crane and a large feral cat born of living fire. Namir hardly took notice of the design beyond a mild observance, since it was faded and the once vivid colors were now marred with age.

The temple had been sculpted into the side of the mountain centuries ago and the mountain itself hollowed out through many lifetimes of effort. And though it had no name, it was no less impressive to behold.

The interior was gnarled and jagged edges of the craggy structure had to be consciously avoided, as they were sharp enough to injure careless visitors. Faze stuck to Sonam's fluttering shadow cast from the small candle the monk lit and carried along. She only partially remembered the layout of the temple, having spent years away, but as she continued inward the woman seemed to gain more familiarity and slipped away from the monk's trail. It was unfathomably dark inside and stunk of Grandma's moldy attic. How Tibetan monks weren't legally considered blind from wandering around in pitch-black caves like bats was beyond Namir, who was beginning to suspect their guide had developed some sort of built-in sonar. The bald youth had been ducking low-hanging overpasses, sharp jags, and stumbling blocks with the utmost grace for nearly an hour—Namir had almost caught every single one of them. "This some ol' bullshit…" he griped, hitting his head against the rocky ceiling for what had to have been the tenth time since entering. He was more than thankful that light appeared just beyond his line of sight, the caves pouring out into a wider clearing where fresh air rid the tiger's nostrils of the peppery odor of mildew. The ceiling of the cave quickly rose dozens of feet higher, forming a canopy of granite where luminous rocks hung, stones that beamed as bright as glowing phosphorus. From these stones, the entire chamber was illuminated enough for one to see clearly. Sonam doused his candle with a gentle breath.

Namir whistled appreciatively, sauntering up to the edge of an enormous forest-garden that surrounded the inner-most sanctum of the underground temple—where an ornate golden shrine could vaguely be seen between the gargantuan hedges, bathed in emerald hues cast from the ceiling gems. Just beyond the hedge – peeking just above the lush green trees – the orange-haired foreigner could make out the tiered eaves of what seemed to be a two or three story pagoda, crested in the most exquisite golden accents and red brick masonry that seemed out of place or rather counter-productive for men of cloth who were expected to live as though beggars. Namir resisted the urge to mark the moment with his oh-so-clever sarcasm, mostly because Faze was glaring daggers at him before he could think of anything. With the concept of Frosted Flakes still fresh in his mind, the Caspian shuffled his hands into the pockets of his jeans and sheepishly coughed to avoid earning the blonde's ire. "Nice digs."

"...hmph." Sonam paused just at the edge of the expansive garden that loomed high above the small group.

"This is as far as I can take you, Sister Bellasaur. Within, the master awaits your arrival with great anticipation." With that, Sonam bowed his way out and vanished back into the shadows of the caverns, leaving Namir skeptically cocking his eyebrow with a dubious look cast to his friend.

"What is this, a one-string show? Why is he the only monk around here? Isn't this a Kung Fu temple or something? Where's all the Violins?" Namir blurted, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a pack of Djarum Blacks. They were his favorite brand, which he smoked almost religiously since leaving the realm of the Forest Gods. The woman's gorgeous featured shrank into a deflated look of disbelief. Was he really this stupid, or was Namir Jerusalem simply a superb actor? She was beginning to wonder. Faze sighed and snatched the cigarette from his lips, quietly taking a quick pull from it before slamming it down and crushing it beneath her heel…much to Taiga's chagrin.

"You mean Shaolin, not violin. This isn't that kind of temple, Tai. This isn't a religious sanctum, nor is it a martial arts study. It's a home for a very important person. Now, come. We mustn't keep him waiting..." she spun swiftly on the very heel that had crushed Namir's cigarette and started toward the pagoda.

"…you did NOT just waste my cigarette. Faze, these things are like ten dollars a pack! Faze?! Hey, wait up!!" His complaints fell upon deaf ears, especially once the neared the pagoda and could see a small and incredibly simplistic hut built near the side of the egregious edifice. Music was playing, loudly, and seemingly from everywhere. At first, Namir imagined he could locate the direction if he concentrated enough—but the more he tried, the more impossible it became. Each time he narrowed it down to a single spot, the tone simply shifted and moved as easily as a spring breeze, leaving him guessing from square one. Neither of them seemed familiar with the tune. It wasn't in English or any language that they were familiar with, although the looks on their faces as they approached showed that the melodic nature of it was indeed soothing. The closed in on the hut and Faze stopped just outside the simple burlap drapes that hung in the otherwise open doorway. The hut looked as though it was built of simple wood and nails, with hardly anything worthwhile that made it worthy of being near such a handsomely crafted tower. Nonetheless, Faze turned toward the hut and Namir had followed her. Things were getting even more confusing now. Why had they come all this way just to poke their heads into a tiny outhouse of a thing? Namir was already getting annoyed at this epic waste of time. "…so this is the place? Some great and wise master lives here who'll teach me how to Hadouken and Tiger Uppercut better? Wonderful. I've got a hard-on already." Taiga groaned.

"Powerful techniques, indeed, but you lucky you no get sued by Crapcom. Beside—King of Fighter much better game by far. Terry Bogard my homeboy." a fluttery voice spoke up behind the both of them, one curdled with old age and somewhat grisly. Namir withheld the observation that the voice reminded him entirely of Yoda with a touch of Pee-Wee Herman. The blue-eyed brute whipped around to find a tiny, hobbled imp of a man several feet below him. The elderly fellow was draped in simple robes, not unlike Sonam's, assisted with the help of a walking stick to travel and small bifocals to see. His hair was perpetually balding and white, styled in an unintentional horse-shoe around the old codger's shiny bald dome and peppered liver spots. Despite his apparent knowledge of 2D fighters, Namir couldn't help but find this old geezer repulsive—what with all his wrinkles and sagging skin that hung off the bones. He looked like a walking prune; the kind of prey that tigers avoided killing simply for the lack of any worthwhile nutritional value. The old man seemed to affix Namir with a speculative glance for a long moment, as though appraising a rough jewel, before deciding that the enormous man with fire-colored hair simply wasn't worth his time. He moved onto Faze, a smile so broad painting itself across his face until it was uneasy to look at. Without any warning, any explanation, he grabbed a double-handful of Faze's breasts and began nuzzling his face into them. "Ah, Little Faze! It would seem that seedling become blossoming flower. My, how you have grown. Used to think you always be flat as water-polished rock. Now you fill out whole shirt! This is very good thing!"

Faze would have seemed entirely composed, if not for a small vein swelling up until it began to pop out of her forehead as she smiled her usually charming smile. As if oblivious, the old coot simply stroked her nipples through the taught fabric of her catsuit, further pressing Faze's nerves. Namir knew her well enough to recall how much she loathed being touched in a sexual manner. There was this one time that he'd accidentally grabbed her butt while sparring; he still had the scars beneath his fur to remind him of the encounter. However Faze managed to hold back from slaughtering this old fart was beyond him. "I-It's good to see you as well, Master Wong…" The man eased away, still drooling slightly from the corner of his creased old lips. Faze pretended not to notice, calmly dabbing at her chest with the napkin she'd kept on hand. That's when Namir did the unexpected. He swiftly swung his right leg as far back as he could take it without throwing himself backwards, then planted his Timberland boot square against the man's skull, punting the poor old b*****d clear across the yard.

"Huh. He doesn't seem so strong to me." Taiga muttered, blinking in astonishment.

He honestly expected more from a man Faze respected so greatly. Apparently, this guy was all talk and very little substance. But for some odd look, Faze seemed mortified. She quickly ran to him, checking his body for wounds, almost on the verge of tears. Panic spread from her face and into her hands as she quickly began searching for first aid supplies from a small pack she carried around her waist, cursing in a foreign tongue that was neither Asian nor English in origin. "Namir! What on EARTH were you thinking? Are you okay? Are you hurt?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine…I kicked his a** all the way across the garden. Didn'cha see that? Why're you worried about me? Go check the old dude. He's the one that got— wait, what's going on? Taiga finally realized it. Faze was above him, slightly, kneeling down to soak the blood pouring from his abdomen, gushing from a deep gash made from a sharp stone that must have cut into his side. The fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks, toppling down in successive droves that buried him beneath its weight. In that moment, everything hurt. His muscles ached at once, tightening to the point they felt near explosion, blood filling them involuntarily so that the man's body swelled with tension and awkwardly flexed where it was, embedded within a broken stone statue. Finally, aware of his situation, Namir shot his friend a stupefied expression that begged for an explanation. Faze's face was turned pale and expressionless.

"I see. You honestly thought you landed that kick, didn't you?" She shook her head and sighed. "…no, you didn't land it at all, Taiga. You didn't even throw one. You were just standing there when he landed one on you." she clarified, but futilely. Namir's vision had already begun to darken as unconsciousness claimed him.





--- My darkside love affair come to my protection; Midnight’s on the way I’m losing my connection◄◄◄◄

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Once more Isidora was baffled by what this person said in response to her easy enough enquiry; was this odd new land she had transported herself to really that isolated from the rest of the world? No Gods or Goddesses ruled over this forest-that-was-not-really-a-forest and right before her eyes was a female who displayed power of a high level mage and yet knew nothing of her kind or even Hephaestus for that matter; and he was the God of Fire! Clearly Isidora would have to explain a few things, perhaps this female had been abandoned by her people? Maybe they had perished during the Dark Days of the Demon invasions? But she clearly had excellent control over her powers, had that come naturally?
Shaking her head a little, Isidora smiled gratefully towards Phoenix and accepted the offered seat, though she gave a backward glance to the party area, wondering where D had gotten to.

“Thank you, it seems there is a lot of questions and answers that need to be addressed and I would be glad to help. Shall I start with the basic Olympian knowledge, I mean, I don't mean to offend, but should I assume you don't know about your own kind?…” Isidora had set her staff firmly in the ground beside their table, its blunt end buried deep in the hard stone as if it had been soft earth. “Well...all magic flows from the Ever After and we are able to access it through the use of Ley lines which are small concentrations of Ever After energy that are scattered throughout Olympus; the Ever After being a magical plane of existence separate from our reality. Though not everyone is able to access the lines, it is mostly the Gods, Goddesses and the Mythic races who are able to kindle magic, as legends say that they once lived in the Ever After many eons ago before crossing over to the Mortal realm of Olympus, leaving the Demons behind who are unable to kindle magic themselves.” Isidora smiled grimly at this point, always finding satisfaction that Demons cannot cross-over so easily due to their inability to harness energy, though they could cross-over if there were a Mage foolish enough to summon them, or make a deal with one, it always ended horrifically with the persons soul often being taken or them being dragged into the Ever After to be tortured for the rest of eternity; once again, only the most foolish or power hungry were low enough to consort with Demons. And what was darkly amusing was how in this world, the humans had adopted the term ‘Happily ever after’ to end most of their modern fairy tales. It would have been more correct to have read ‘Happily in the Ever After’, though that wouldn’t apply anymore what with it being a barren wasteland ever since the vast majority of races abandoned the Demons. And of course, Olympus and Earth were two different worlds, however similar in some areas.

“You and I, and other Mages of the mortal race whose blood can kindle magic, can do so because apparently we are descended from the Demi-Gods… or rather we are blessed children of the Gods. How else can anyone explain the level that our powers can extend to, when we are born of the mortal race? Every Mage is different, we all have our own unique aura that is laced through our magic, some Mages have strong affinities with certain Elements, whether it be one or more, whilst others are good with spells and charms. I can tell that you have a strong affinity to fire, though what both puzzles and fascinates me even more is that I have never sensed anything quite like the magic you are harnessing, and your aura is … Forgive me, I am staring. You are a very interesting Mage and I hope to learn more about this intriguing land.” Isidora smiled gently, leaning back in her chair, and looking around herself. “So tell me, are there many other Mages in this area? I was hoping to find work as a Demon Slayer, but I have been told that there are no Demons in this area… No Temples either… Oh!” Isidora sat up straight quickly, staring wide eyed at Phoenix, “I’m ever so sorry, I seemed to have forgotten to introduce myself, my name is Isidora Dulciate of Amazon Lily, daughter of Isis, Queen Hecate.” She bowed her head respectfully, scolding herself for forgetting her manners, this new land was throwing her off balance, but she had to remember to be courteous at least.

[Ms Silver Lining]

There wasn't much running through Kiyoshi's mind after the sound of her pleasant duplex voice danced in his ears. Such a soundly voice this woman had! It dragged him even deeper into her lure but to say he was hooked would be far from right. If at any moment Miwa called his name or screamed in pain his attention would snap back to his sheep. No spell could kill the connection they have between each other. Their connection is deeper then love and deeper then any word could explain. Kiyoshi never had an interest in females or their aspects. Miwa was all he needed because she literally fueled his life giving him power and giving him purpose. He would have questioned his current actions had it not been for the sound of Val's voice. He was actually pleased with her reaction towards him. So much so, that he could not help but grin as he took his seat across from her. His deathly eyes flicked across her face and down to her chest. How could he not notice it when she so willingly lent forward on the table. She was practically showcasing herself for his liquid red eyes to drink. He caught himself staring and lift his orbs only to star at the smooth pink lips, he so secretly wished to lick. Kiyoshi blinked leaning back in his seat interrogating the thought he had at that moment. Her fangs weren't left unnoticed and although he was dress as a vampire his fangs were real as well. However, they weren't as long and looked more like the fangs of a dog.

"I'm glad to provide you with fine wine," his deep voice traveled from his mouth with full sound and power. The calm and held back voice of a grumpy Kiyoshi had died in order to make room for the confident windy voice reaching out to seize this woman by her thighs and lift her body atop the table top or against a wall. There was very little interest in the glass of wine he would pour for her and himself, unless of course they found other uses for the liquid. His eyes lingered towards the wine bottle and reached out to pick it up. "I'm Kiyoshi," He said as he poured her glass and sat the delicate glass in front of Val. He felt that his name was useless unless he could hear her whisper, or scream, it in his ear. He acted as if he wasn't interested in her for a moment to pour him self a glass. Then he casually moved his chair from the opposite of the table closer to her side. Turning the chair so that it faced her instead of the table. "Have to be honest. I'm not interested in your name, at this very moment, but what I do want to know is why you're so distracting? It's very annoying." He leaned his arm on the table searching for the vixen's eyes. Kiyoshi never liked to play games or beat around bushes. Often Miwa would like to play guessing games with him and he was never willing to play along.

When he thought about it he hadn't knocked anyone's boots for over a hundred years. It was safe to say he was obsessed with protecting Miwa. Val had performed a miracle. She kept Kiyoshi's attention for longer then a minute. He hadn't even glanced towards Miwa. What was one to expect from a male who hadn't had the pleasures of a woman for so long. Val had opened a cage that had some dire consequences, without meaning to, a beast within him that was sleep was starting to wake up. A side of him that was supposed to have died turned around in side of him. All he wanted was this woman trembling beneath him, exhausted, and out of breath. He had to take a deep breath and sit back in his chair to hold back the urge to lean forward and began a much-needed treasure hunt. The darker his thoughts became the less control he had, so he didn't rethink his thought on touching this beautiful woman. He stretched his arm out so that his fingertips could touch the soft locks covering her head. He gently pushed her hair behind her ear. An action he normally did so lovingly with Miwa, but there was a difference in the way his fingers wove through Val’s hair, down the side of her neck, across her jaw line, and back to her neck.

"I can't help myself." He vocalized while smoothly leaning towards the side of her face. "Why are you so damn intoxicating?" He breathed a small breeze across her neck. While his free hand reached across her belly and firmly placed itself along the curve of her hip. In one flawless motion his foot kicked the chair from under her, a gust of wind gently lift her body in the air, turned and opened her legs. Where his hands took her waist and pulled her onto his lap so that a thigh squeezed his waist. By the time her chair clatter against the floor Kiyoshi stood up and sat Val atop the table. Without another word his lips were pressed against hers. His right hand made a course through her hair while his left scratched and pulled the backside of her shirt. He pushed himself forward trying to press her back along the smooth surface. All his pent up energy and frustration were begging to be released and he would take it all out on Vall right then-and-there.

[Viice]

Val watched this mans face, it was odd how hard he was to read. She was usually so good at reading their body language, being able to tell how close they were to their breaking point, how baddly they wanted her, things of that nature. But this one's face was so cool and collected, so smooth in all he did, she wondered what was going on between those intense eyes of his. Even as his eyes traced her form dangerously low his face gave away no signs of desperation like that of the other men who had gawked at her. They were simply the eyes of a looking man. They were honest. She liked that.

His voice was as alluring as her own, and as he spoke she could feel his power laced with the words. He wasn't like the men she normally seduced and drained. He had character about him, a strong stern-ness. He almost seemed uninterested, almost, but then to her surprise he shifted closer to her, his scent now falling over her, and the words that followed held her in surprise. He was so damn honest! So daring that it was sexy. He reminded her of herself for a moment, when she seduced men into bed to drain them she didn't care about their names, all that concerned her was that they had something she needed. And that was the case now. It had taken her by such surprise, his face hadn't hinted such interest and she looked down and to the side. "W....well I'm..." Her words were cut short when he touched her face. Being a creature designed to seduce, it was odd being seduced. It was new to be at a loss for words. She gathered herself and her thoughts once more to try again. "You see I'm a..." Again she stopped, he had leaned in close, dangerously close, she bit her lip gently and looked from his lips to his eyes. She felt like a lost child, this was not the conventional way of things, he had skipped so many chapters involved in the very process of seduction, he seemed to have written his own doctrine on it now and she had no choice but to obey.

She suddenly had her chair pulled out from under her, her legs were spread, he was pressed against her, she was on the table, his lips were on hers, a passionate series of actions, and she had no time to decide if they were right or wrong. The pheromones were out of control, they seeped even more now into the air due to her amplified excitement. What was she to do other than submit? He had her pinned and his delicious lips were on hers, she melted into it. She was not a creature that was ashamed of her lustful desires, they sustained her after all. She kissed him back and between exchanges she found time to speak, "Not that..you care.....but..." She traced her hand up the back of his neck and pulled it close, her lips finding his neck and working their way up to his ear, which her breath teased. "The name is Val Noir." As she spoke against his ear the doubled voice seemed to vibrate this sensitive skin, and she let her tail coil around his upper thigh slowly.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Unique reacted to Gesso in a most splendid manner. Normally people were a bit put off by his excessive nature. Any normal human would likely panic to his mannerisms, what with his constant passing into his own shadow. Speaking of which, Gesso had passed into his shadow briefly before Sera had shown up the shadow dashing across the floor as Sera bumped into Unique and then continued on. Gesso stayed painted on the ground as a shadow for a moment as Unique continued to stare at everyone. When Unique spoke Gesso's shadow took towards the counter just as Phoenix was leaving it. His form popped out of the shadow in a sitting position on the counter. He kicked his feet idly in the air, when Unique finished her sentence Gesso smiled and responded "Well this place certainly is heavenly." His high opinion of this place still evident, even though he had not yet left the lobby.

Gesso closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander after Unique asked if Val was a vampire. Oh certainly if she was she could have a taste of Gesso's blood any time. His thoughts went uncharacteristically into the gutter and he blushed and fidgeted even more while atop the counter. But the second Gesso caught sight of Mizu he hopped off of the front desk. Mizu certainly wouldn't like the bounty hunter sitting atop his counter. He took a few steps away and turned about so that he could easily see everyone at the front desk. Mizu seemed to be struggling with the large chest the ghost had summoned up. Gesso would have offered to help but it was probably strictly business and he might get in trouble or something letting a customer handle stuff like that.

Gesso let his smile widen as he saw Mizu become infatuated with Unique. After he finally said something Gesso couldn't help but giggle a little, his hand going to his mouth to try and prevent it from being audible. This guy certainly had a thing for clothing didn't he? Unique was certainly accommodating though, not seeming to mind at all that Mizu was staring. Such a laid back attitude was something Gesso could certainly respect. When she said she would spend a night here Gesso crept closer until he was directly at Unique's left side. "One small taste eh? Oh you may become addicted! One night will turn to two, to ten! A place so nice as this may be hard to leave!" Gesso put his sole hand to his chin and thought a moment longer before continuing. "I better be careful too~" he said in an almost sing-song manner before moving away from Unique's side.

Gesso had started into a skip to distance himself from the front desk but it immediately slowed into a stumbled and Gesso stopped in his tracks his hand shooting up to his left side, to the stump of his left arm. A slight surge of pain where the limb had been cut off. A brief flash of hallucinations passed in front of Gesso's eyes, some things that didn't particularly remind him of anything but left him with a deep feeling of nausea. His hand still lingered were it had shot too, he clutched that side of himself for a good moments, when he turned back around he even seemed a bit pale. But he still held a soft smile and relaxed look on his face. Words from an old skeleton passed through his head. 'Listen, you can't just throw it away. You can't slap on a new face and call yourself a saint. It's gonna come back up even after you forget, and probably at the worst possible time too.' Gesso still had no idea what the creature was talking about but it was possible that this was related... maybe.

[Ms Silver Lining]

Unique was smiling when she felt Gesso move rather close to her left side. She turned her head towards him listening to his small riddle. The human chuckled after finding her ID and debt card and said to Mizu, "In that case I'll stay for three nights. Just to give myself some time to take all of this in." She placed her cards on the desktop when another male ruffled her hat. It twisted her hair out of place and slightly across her face. She made her jump seem as if she were leaning forward and a turn of her head to find the invader. She wasn't sure what to make of the orange-headed male who produced so much heat he could be his own sun. The heat wasn't overbearing. It was because she didn't feel so much heat before he came near; that when he was near she felt a little uncomfortable. She pulled on her button up police shirt in hopes of giving her skin a little more fresh air. She gave him her normal smile and nod her head towards what he said. Strands of her hair lifted as she removed the hat and placed it comfortably back in place. What made him approach her and say such a thing was beyond her. She simply watched Sono as he walked away and over to the front door. He was defiantly attractive but Unique's thoughts normally didn't go further then admiration. Sono started to talk again to another female, about the party in the park. Unique knew of this party. The two girls that were glued to her arms before she came here wanted to go there. She wondered if her friends went ahead without her or if they went back to the dorm wondering if they should call the police or not.

The sleeping angle inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly through her nose. It was her way of sighing without losing her lovely smile. Turning her head back to Mizu Unique felt an unbelievably icy chill run across her back side and move to her right, along with a dry voice calling for Mizu's attention. Unique placed her left hand over her right arm looking at the male. One minute she was uncomfortably hot and the next freezing cold. When she asked herself to be cooled off she didn't think it would happen so quickly. She rubbed her arm and tried to listen to Mizu explain how to go about getting a room. She stared at him and placed her hand over her cards. "I see," she said and handed him her card while putting her I.D away in her pocket. Then her long slender fingers reached for the pen sitting next to the check in book. As she pulled the book closer towards herself she felt her hat being lifted from her head. The strands of her hair lifting out of place and falling gently back against her head. She finished pulling the book towards her and looked at Kyoto again. This time she pay a little more attention to what he looked like. She studied his pleased smile after taking her hat and his snowy white hair. He wasn't all that short either. She blinked and calmly looked away after he put the hat atop his own head.

How was she to react? Was she to go of in a fit of emotions or yell at him for touching something that didn't belong to him? To her nothing belonged to her and everything was easily disposable even her body. Such a thought would make her seem as if she didn't care for anything but she cared for her body the most. No one could take it from her. It was special because it housed something greater then it. Her body was a temple holding a jewel that wanted to shin in the light. She wasn't sure what it was but she was sure that everyone had it. Everyone who had a body was a temple housing some source of energy that should be looked at as a jewel. It was because she thought so highly of herself and others that she wasn't very attached to material things such as her hat. There was no reason for her to be upset for him taking it. He obviously wanted to ware her hat and although it was rude to simply take it, Unique didn't mind. He reminded her of Jack Frost and the thought made her chuckle.

She looked at the list of room and names and began to write her name next to another in room 6. Why she chose this room was simple. She found Light, her pet, the day before her seventh birthday. The fact that she was still six at the time was somehow important. This was where her logic came when it came for picking the room. After all she wouldn't be staying for very long. She then pushed the book to the side so that Kyoto could write his name down. She didn't mean to be nosy but she caught his name as he wrote it. Then turned her head slightly as he placed her hat back on her head. She smiled fixing her hat again. "I'm happy that you like it Kyoto. You're not the only one who's taken a fancy to it." She chuckled and felt her thoughts move a stray once again. Just as she thought of it being cold again she caught a glimpse of his chilly breath. The human arched a brow, figuring out why she was so cold. He was Jack Frost! She chuckled to herself and closed her eyes. What a unique gift he had! At that moment her skin began to give off a soft warm light to heat her tall slender body back to a more comfortable temperature. She thought it was interesting that he had such a icy gift but she preferred to be warm. While she waited for Mizu to return she turned around to see Gesso with a look that didn't seem very pleasant. What had happened in such a short period of time? He warm smile had become slightly smaller but she never lost it. "Are you okay?" She asked concern with her skin glowing like a light bulb. "You look sick."

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Biting her lower lip a tad, Sera tried to refrain from grinning wickedly; with this new body of his he certainly could do a lot more when it came to playing a few games, just the mere thought of it gave Sera’s body shivers of excitement, glowing embers crackling in the air as they dislodged themselves from her flame red hair, that seemed to contain its own shimmer of dancing flames. It was difficult for her not to get so excited around him, but rather than cling onto him in a mad dizzying passion, her body decided to expel heat into the air around her. Sera knew very well that if he had held onto her body so closely, with his breath hot on her neck, she would have unfortunately lost control of her own actions. He was a very bad influence on her. So even though it practically killed her to move away from him just a few inches, she had enough control over herself to at least do that. But it seemed that Sono had given up all control to his more id-ridden side, a mass of instinctive drives and impulses, so like a child; that adorable pout of his made her grin crack a little wider.
His words however were a complete contradiction to his wild child-like behaviour previously, Sera felt her eyes close for a few seconds as they sunk in; it certainly wasn’t a bad thing. She was going to enjoy tonight thoroughly.
Suddenly sensing that he had come closer to her, the heat intensifying in the pit of her stomach, as well as in the air surrounding them, Sera opened her eyes and stared up at Sono with a smirk,
“Well, red is my favourite colour and leather is… comfortable.” Shrugging her shoulders casually as if she hadn’t spent such a long time choosing what to wear for this most special night, though of course back when she had been choosing her costume, she had not even known of Sono then. Now, she was very glad for her choice, as Sono’s volcanic orbs left a burning trail across her body, settling on her eyes as they shone mischieviously. He was getting too close again, Sera’s gaze flickered to stare at his jaw as it began moving, that sweet scent from earlier now clearly identified as gum and how dare he exhale so teasingly across her cheeks. The fact that she was still holding herself back was becoming a pain, her body was trembling and the heat rose from her bare flesh, flames flashed in her burning amber eyes, flickering in the deep shade as she grit her teeth together.
“Oh really?” Sera raised an elegant eyebrow, had she said she was an expert? Perhaps Sono was just speaking words that he knew would provoke her; problem was, even though Sera knew this, it was working. He’s pushing it… A small voice at the back of her mind spoke, as teasing and seductive as Sono was being right in front of her, by grabbing her around her waist and pulling her close, his hand under her chin; such torment! “Devilish fiends, huh? Well I think we can work something out…” She said in a soft and suggestive manner, but before she could make any move, giving in to a little pleasure, he pulled away from her! He was a cruel man indeed and Sera was left shaking her head, a smirk curling across her lips at the thought that she had came too close to losing it; and in front of all these people too! Fine. If he wanted to play it that way, Sera was game.

She took a few seconds to collect herself, calming down and controlling her body’s rising temperature, the few flames that had been trickling about her flesh now dispersed into the air. Turning around slowly, with confidence that she wouldn’t break down with one look from Sono, Sera began walking through the lobby, seeing that Sono was now heading to the door; the fact that he had paid an interest towards Unique went unnoticed to Sera, as she was too busy trying to control her wild emotions from erupting outwards in a fiery destruction of chaos.
“A party? I suppose it sounds like fun… I’m sure I can think of a few devilish tricks on the way.” Sera smiled sweetly and seductively, walking straight on past Sono and out the door, not bothering to wait for him as she made her way down the street, knowing exactly where this party he mentioned was. After all, it was being held in one of her favourite locations, and on a night like this, with so much mischief in the air, Sera could hardly wait to see if anything exciting happened.

[Yoshkun]

To say Mizu was tired was an understatement. The imp had checked in a record amount of guests for the day, almost had a heart attack when poor Iria was ‘hurt’, and suffered through a barrage of embarrassment…courtesy of his two superiors. His otherwise exhausted demeanor did brighten a bit when he saw the tall white haired man descend the staircase, apparently healed from whatever was ailing him three days ago. The poor man had been so pale that he thought he was going to collapse on Janet’s expensive Persian carpeting, and that wasn’t going to do for anyone involved. So, thinking on his toes and doing the opposite of what he perceived Cerano would do, he offered the man a free room with the guarantee that he would purchase it later; as Janet would be furious otherwise. The thought of another stern lecture caused the imp to lightly rub his forehead after finishing up the check-in explanation for Unique, unable to look directly into those fluttering brown eyes after inadvertently humiliating himself. How foolish these girls must thought of him, staring at them as if a rouge deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming eighteen-wheeler. They were all beautiful to be sure, but Gesso wasn’t far off when he was thinking of Mizu’s fascination with clothes. Although he kept quiet about it with that nosy feline poking his head around every few minutes or so, the imp had done a bit of tailoring in Atlantis and enjoyed designing outfits. Cerano was certainly superior in fashions of creatures on land, and not wanting to add anymore fuel to his mocking fire that brewed especially hot for his understudy, it was just best to stay quiet about such things.

“Ah, yes. Lets see…Room 6 and Room 14! I’ll be back in a second!” He said after flipping through the check-in book with a single finger, repeating their names and numbers in his head silently before collecting their credit cards and returning to the backroom for what felt like the thousandth time today. He ran each of their cards through the machine with his usual precision before grabbing the second key for Room 6 and reaching on his tippy toes for the first Room 14 key. With both keys clenched in his left palm and their credit cards in the right, he stepped back up to the desk with a faint smile on his obviously drained expression.”Here you are! I hope you both enjoy your stays at the Elysium Inn! If you have any questions…you know where to find me.” Although that usually would have been said with an unbelievably cheerful tone, it came off in this instance more as dry wit. So there wouldn’t be any confusion, he placed each credit card in front of their respective owner and then added their keys on top of them before finally motioning for them to enjoy the Inn. He ran a shaky hand through his hair to straighten his luxurious lavender locks and put an elbow on the desk, quickly inserting his chin into the open palm while knitting his eyebrows in frustration. Thanks to whatever mischief he perceived the kitty girl created, Iria’s schedule was sure to be loopy and therefore she might hold off on inspecting the desk for another time. What a rotten day this had been, indeed. He felt his eyelids droop about halfway over his tired pupils as a quiet yawn escaped his throat, forcing him to put both arms on the desk and lay his head upon them shortly after. He knew he couldn’t nap though, as more guests could arrive at any moment and the thought of an angry skunk terrified him enough to stay conscious.

Instead, he raised his head up enough to where his chin could rest on his arms; silently observing the people left in the lobby. The first thing that captured his attention was his “sometimes boss” Miss Seraphina and some man getting up close and personal. Mizu wasn’t like the maids, who enjoyed glorified romance and relished in gossiping about it for hours…but his eyebrows did arch enough to the point that he would look interested. It wasn’t necessarily about the teasing lust between the two that caught his eye, it was the fiery man who seemed to be playfully mocking her. Who the heck was he, anyway? The imp squinted a bit and frowned, knowing that his razor sharp guest remembering skills would never let him down; even at the point of exhaustion. Well it didn’t matter anyway; if he was with Sera then Miss Diggers couldn’t really say anything to one of her 'personal guests'. The phoenix was practically paying for the Inn and in a sense, that meant Janet almost worked for the excitable red head. Too tired to ponder over it any longer, his gaze shifted over to Gesso after the firebirds left, who seemed to be up to his usual acrobatics and riddles. Then the bounty hunter stopped, almost doubling over in pain it appeared before turning back towards the desk; his skin flushed of much of its natural color. Unique, who seemed much shinier than she had a minute ago, turned and expressed immediate concern for the man; leaving the desk attendant with little to do but watch things unfold in front of him. He wanted to help his oddly dressed roommate, but Unique seemed more equipped to handle it right now than he did and therefore he left it to her until he could get a second wind.

[Ms Silver Lining]

Seeing the boy opening his eyes lifted an invisible iron blanket she was unaware of pressing on her shoulders. She brought forth a smile and pat his shoulder as her way of thanking him for welcoming her back. However, she was happier that he had woken from his sleep. She had a deep fear that the boy would sleep forever and never wake up again. He was so sickly, but she still had faith in letting him carry his own weight around. It was the only way she believed he would get stronger. No one can get stronger when everyone did everything for him or her. She removed her hand from him and placed it on her leg as Aman fought his way to a sitting position. The slight worry on Aman's face caused Janet to look towards Cerano and back towards Aman. She was about to reassure him that Cerano wasn't there to cause trouble when Aman seemed to understand on his own. She smiled and pat the side of the bed before standing to her feet to remove herself from between his view of Cerano. She moved also to get a good look at Cerano without Aman noticing her giving him 'the look,’ the look that normally said what it had to say without words. One that meant he better watch his step and treat the guest with care. Paying guest always came first and normally it was just business but with young children it went a little further then that.

She watched Cerano introduce himself and looked down at the watch around her right wrist. It was getting late and she hadn't made any of her third rounds. Not to mention that nameless kitten running somewhere around the inn. She lift her head after misunderstanding Cerano's words for a brief second. She'd listen to him talk enough to know some of his words didn't sound quite right but she let it slip by and continued to monitor the two. Aman continued to amaze Janet when he told Cerano his measurements. She thought he couldn't remember his past but he seemed to remember a lot more. She hoped none of the information he was remembering would cause him to question his past history. She shifted her weight looking towards the door as Kyoto passed and arched her brow. Now there was one other she was unaware of staying in the inn. Her thoughts instantly went to Mizu. What was he doing that he kept allowing strangers to slip by? Now this was serious. He couldn't just let anyone keep running back and forth through the inn. Were they paying for their visits? No, probably not. Mizu must be getting tired. When she thought about it his been working all day without his break. Perhaps he couldn't handle so many guests checking in, in one day. She knew he wanted to be promoted but she just couldn't see it when the butler did much more work, running back and forth, and performing random task for whatever guest that past him.

She looked between Cerano and Aman. "Well Aman I'll leave you and Cerano's hands. He'll take great care of you." She put a little more stress on the last sentence more for Cerano then Aman. "If you're having trouble just let me know. I'll make sure it's fixed." She smiled towards Aman, giving Cerano her last glare as she looked towards him and headed towards the door. "Have fun!" she added in her last comment before she left. She pulled the door closed behind her and headed down the stairs. Her long flat tail swiped closely to the floor as she headed down the hall and stairs. On her way she thought of Mizu and why he was suddenly slipping on his job today. Maybe the boy needed a change of pace, something different to do. Perhaps she’ll ask him to do her round around the inn and look for that black neko. She combed her hand through her hair noticing the large tiger guest ahead of her. She was in a bit of a hurry to get back into the swing of things but she didn't want to just breeze past her new guest without a friendly greeting. Even after his comment she clearly ignored from earlier. If he were paying to stay then he got the normal greeting as the rest of her guest. "Mr. Jerusalem," she spoke his name loud enough for him to hear without yelling down the hall. "I hope Cerano was accommodating and your room comfortable," she said strolling towards him with her hands at her side.

She kept her tone neutral, business as usual. There was no time for flirting or acting shy over past comments. She hardly had time to let such thoughts flutter through her mind. She was a businessperson driven on making money and making sure her guest were safe. All she cared about was their comfort and money. "Is there anything that I can help you with?" She wasn't sure if he was lost or trying to find a specific room. The guest came first in line, so getting to Mizu would have to wait. Even though there was much going through her mind Janet didn't let on that she was in a rush. Yet, she didn't seem as if she would spend all day with him either. She would help him as best she could and then move on. There was only one of her managing many things. If only she could clone herself. Her sliver and gold eyes narrowed in thought as she thought of this. Much would get done and she would be able to rest sooner then later.