Elysium Inn (Always Accepting Literate People)

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Yes! That was it!

It was a tooth rattling roar that echoed through the air. One that dwarfed the rumble of thunder through the stormy skies. The roar as Uzag's bike finally came back to life. As much as Uzag wanted to stick around this place he could tell that there wasn't much in the way of fighting going on anymore. Though there was a whole lot of potential, and if this place was really safe from CLOAK as the skunky hinted at, well it would be a place for Uzag to come back after a rampage through the city. Still, Uzag was smart enough to have caught on after a while that his bike was sort of his trademark. Not only that but it was big and bright red and there was often a trail of fire, destruction and gore leading right up to it. As much as he hated to do it, Uzag often figured it was better to rest up with his bike on the other side of town. Though it was often a fruitless effort as it was difficult not to notice the jolly green giant lumbering through town as sneakily as an Orc of his nature could.

But it certainly was better than nothing. Uzag hopped onto the massive thing that was his bike and revved it up a few more times, allowing it's deafening roar to echo up into the heavens. Uzag had no capability for subtlety and it was pure luck that Uzag wasn't murdered in his sleep. The hard rain had been the closest thing to a shower that Uzag ever had. It did nothing to relieve Uzag of his noxious odor and only added the scent of wet leather to it as his leather vest got soaked. But was nothing compared to the fumes that Uzag's bike churned out. Already a cloud of choking pollution enveloped Uzag and his bike and would follow him to were ever his destination would end up being. It served as a good cover for Uzag though, it was much akin to a constant smokescreen.

Well that was it, Uzag was off, his bike tearing a** down the road. the cloud of putrid smoke trailing him. It didn't take Uzag long to realize that the city was actually rather large. Good and big, plenty of good fighting to be had here. And if there was no good fighting, well knocking over a few of these tall buildings would be a good laugh. Regardless there was a lot of potential here and then some back at the place with the skunky boss. Uzag wasn't really looking to cause too much trouble though, he still left his Choppa back wherever he dropped it in the inn and it's no fun if ya can't chop some people up. He had his Burna, stuck in his bike. No matter how wet it was outside he could stell set a few folks on fire, but he was just out to ditch the bike somewhere "In-con-spiky-us" or something to that effect if Uzag could even manage to pronounce it.

But was only a bit into the city that the sounds of Uzag's deafening bike began to stutter. This was bad, very bad. Uzag just fixed the thing and look, it was slowing down. Uzag was giving it all he could and it was still just slowing down. Still, slowing down from the sort of breakneck speed that could snap some humies in half took some time. But eventually Uzag rolled to a stop and his bike just died. Now Uzag was clearly frustrated, his red eyes glaring down at his bike. He just fixed it, what the hell was wrong now? Uzag took in one deep, calming breath.... held it in....

...And let out a roar that made the nearby windows tremble. Spit flying out of his wide-opened maw. Uzag got off of his bike and with an unnatural strength lifted the thing off the ground. The thing was massive enough to cause Uzag to grunt with effort. But Uzag shoved it in a back alley behind some piles of trash. Good enough for Uzag anyway. He was simply not going to deal with his bike for now. It was hidden, his task accomplish time to do something else. The smells in the air, many lost on him as he smelled food in the air. Uzag's massive boots stomped down the paved sidewalk as he walked near the closest place that smelled of food. It was some cafe, not that Uzag knew the difference, it smelled like food so there was some in it.

Uzag's first action was of course to open the door to this eatery. It could easily be misconstrued as "rip the door off of this eatery" as he nearly pulled the door right off as he opened it. Now whether or not people had seen anything supernatural before or even on the off chance they were used to it, the sight of Uzag was like witnessing a giant, green skinned red eyed demon. The average human screamed and ran while many simply sat and trembled. Both of these things happened as Uzag entered the cafe. Many of the customers ran out in a panic after Uzag made his unruly entrance while much of the staff simply sat and trembled. Despite being huge, green, red eyed and having many teeth bigger than their fingers, Uzag was relatively humanoid and... well... he was a potential paying customer?

Uzag looked at one of the staff "Oi. You lot got food 'ere?" the woman merely nodded. "Well den stop starin' at me and go get me some." Uzag practically barked at the woman. This wasn't unnatural for Uzag, the girl was smaller than Uzag, not green like Uzag. So either it got quick to doin' what he said or it got quick to dyin'. The girl ran off, either to get Uzag food like he asked or to call the police. Whatever, if she took to long Uzag would just run back to where they kept the food and eat it from there. Meat, cooked, raw, frozen, didn't matter to Uzag. Hell, nothing really mattered to Uzag, moldy bread tasted just as good as anything else. Well, the fact that Uzag's genetic make-up pretty much made his half mold had something to do with it too. But that was besides the point. Uzag wouldn't even try to sit in one of the flimsy little chairs. Uzag simply ripped out the bolted down table within' the booth and set it aside so he could comfortably sit down and prop up his feet on the table. Uzag lit himself up another cigar, despite the one already in his teeth. Heaven help the person to tell him there was no smoking there.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Despite having some very violent and savage tendencies at times, Amelia knew her manners and could be polite if the need called for it, she also found that you could blend in better if you were polite; people always tend to recall the rude and obscene folk more so than the polite ones.
So, Amelia ordered her large meal, ignoring the questioning glance from the female behind the counter – Yes, it was all for her. Get on with it! – placing the money down onto the counter and collecting her tray of food, mainly consisting of three large pork and stuffing rolls, four blueberry muffins, two coffees and to top it, an apple. A nice red one too. Easy enough to carry over to a corner booth without any spillage, Amelia settled down into the cushioned and secluded booth, a smile spreading across her lips; this was going to be good. After the run last night, she’d worked up an appetite; despite weighing at around 130 pounds, she ate like the animal she was. The Change last night had been well needed, she’d managed to loosen up more so than she had at the fight, she always felt better after a Change and never let her body go too long without one.
The need is roughly lunar based, though it has little to do with the full moon. The natural cycles for Loup Garou are usually weekly, and as the time approaches, they would feel the symptoms; the restlessness, the itchy skin, the internal cramps and pangs. The signals become as recognizable as the signs of hunger, and like hunger, it could be put off dealing with, but before long the body would take over and force a Change.
But Amelia had learnt to forgo the natural cycle and transform her body as often as she liked. Changing more often improved control and ensured that one didn’t wait too long, since waiting could lead to nasty side effects like hands turning to paws in the middle of shopping, or once a wolf, being overcome by frustrated rage and bloodlust. Although the latter part was something Amelia had to contend with more often than she liked, no matter how many times she changed, she had to ensure that savage side of hers remained shut away.

In the distance, she could hear more thunder rolling in, such a- was that really thunder just then? It had sounded like the roar of some wild beast, echoing eerily through the air; Amelia’s ears could detect the little things that others could easily ignore.
Forget it; there is food in front of you that you are not eating. Shaking her head, Amelia picked up one of the pork rolls, lifting it to her lips, inhaling deeply the scent of the roasted meat and the herb flavours of the stuffing; this would be good. But as fate would have it, Amelia didn’t get to savour those delicious scents for too long, as just mere seconds before the juicy meat touched her lips, the door to the café was ripped off from the wall and in its place stepped… well Amelia had never seen the likes of such a beast before, only in those Hollywood fantasy films maybe? Fairy tails? Never real life. Troll. Demon. Orc. Goblin. Various names popped into her head as she stared at Uzag, however it wasn’t his appearance that disturbed Amelia enough that she dropped her food, it was the stench. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she shook her head violently, her hand reaching up to bat at her nose like an animal. It was horrible, worse than horrible, it was ungodly! Though the scent of wet leather was trying its best to mask the toxic odour. Amelia was very much put off her food now and she grit her teeth together hard, growling under her breath as she tried to control herself, dull her sense of smell down a notch. This wasn’t fair. She just wanted some damn food. Why the hell did this clown have to come here? It was possible that Amelia happened to be the only one in the café right then, who was staring at Uzag without an ounce of fear, though that’s not to say she wasn’t completely scared of him, it was clear who would win in a fight between the two, but her anger was overriding everything else. So whilst others were trembling in fright, Amelia was trembling in anger.

It’s not like you can do anything, not on an empty stomach anyway. You’d be what, a 130 pound ball of fluff against that thing? Don’t push your luck. Her inner voice chiding Amelia into submission, she should just stay put and get food in her belly before continuing on her way. I bet he doesn’t even care about the CLOAKs spotting him. She thought to herself, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she watched him settle down, lighting up a cigar to fill the air with its noxious fumes.
Shaking her head again, Amelia began eating her now slightly cold pork and stuffing roll, trying her best to ignore the big green jolly giant over in the other booth. She ate quickly, but only managed to finish the second roll before slamming her hands down on the table, the plastic top denting and cracking from the slight force she had exerted.
“Ok, seriously, I could put up with your unique odour long enough, but combined with that cigar of yours, it’s leaving a really nasty taste in my mouth, so I suggest you put it out, so that I may enjoy the rest of my meal, smoke free.” Amelia glared over at Uzag, much to the shock of the few remaining customers and much to the shock her herself, who right then was scolding her terribly; this is not going to be pretty. Her upper lip curled into a snarl, teeth bared and fangs flashing, she was merely standing her ground. It wouldn’t be long till the wail of police sirens would be heard in the distance, if they did appear, Amelia would be long gone, she already had a bad enough reputation and she was making sure her hood remained up so that no one could get a clear picture of her face; damn camera phones would be the death of her, if not this green goblin.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Uzag was sitting comfortably in the cushy booth, with his boots resting on the table he so effortlessly ripped up from it's bolted position. Uzag was like that, destroying things as it benefited him, offhandedly or even just for his amusement. These things made to be kept undisturbed by human hands would trembled themselves if they could at the approach of the massive hand of the Orc. A good half the time Uzag wasn't trying to destroy anything, it was all just so flimsy he couldn't help it. Regardless, Uzag entered the place like a whirlwind of destruction and his very presence befouling. Not just his stench, close inspection of him revealed a multitude of scars and deformities that made him down right hideous to look at. But on the other hand, he was an Orc, it would be weird if he looked any different. A handsome Orc? When elves shrink two feet and grow two feet wider. It just didn't happen. Not just his appearance but his clothes though, shoddily stitched leather beneth some hefty metal plating and some equally heft ammunition draped all over him. Uzag looked like he was off to start a war somewhere.

Now there were many people who were too scared to just leave, trembling in their seats, fear that the slightest movement would offend the beast. What they didn't really Uzag wasn't all that offendable. Uzag didn't think enough of the Humies to give a damn what they did or said unless they wanted a fight. But nobody but those Cloak Gitz ever wanted a fight. And those Blue Humies in the white and black cars. Stylish lot if anything. If Uzag really really wanted to kill everyone he'd have done it by now. Not that the thought didn't constantly pop into his head, but he didn't really feel like it. He was too tired and hungry to waste the effort. It wouldn't be a good fight anyways so what was the point? Like all Orc's Uzag was terribly lazy when not motivated by a good fight. But something happened to grab Uzag's attention. A humie, or what Uzag assumed was one, speaking out against Uzag and his smell. Many cringed at the outburst.

Uzag however, his red eyes set on the snarling Humie with surprisingly impressive teef, let out a roar...

...ing laugh.

His deep and loud guffawing shook some things nearby that weren't held down. When he managed to calm himself down he looked at the Humie with impressive teef and gave her a grin. "Fink you can handle an Orcses stink eh? Even just it, dat's impressive." It was all Uzag could do to hold back his laughter, but he managed it somehow. "You got gutz fer a Oomie, plenty more den dis 'ole damn place. Right, I'll do ya a favor." Uzag took the cigar and put it out on the back of his neck, odd enough, but Orcs don't feel pain, so the smoldering end of the Cigar had no effect on Uzag's demeanor. Uzag tossed the cigar down on the table and looked around, forgetting about the loudmouth Humie with the nice teef. It was taking too long, the food. How long did it take to put meat on a plate and bring it out. Something was up.

Uzage stormed towards the counter and with the even more reckless abandon than he had exhibited before, Uzag smashed right through the counter and kicked in the door to the kitchen. "Alright!" He roared at the remaining staff. There was the girl he told to get him food, with no food. Then there was some people who Uzag assumed were in charge of the food with, surprise surprise, no food. One of them had a phone in their hand. They all looked at Uzag and started stuttering. Uzag pointed at the one with the phone in his hand "Ya betta be special orderin'." The man tried to stutter out a response but he didn't even have time as a massive green fist connected with his face. Between Uzags fist and the wall the poor mans head was crushed. Uzag tossed the limp body behind him, out the doorway and into the rubble of the counter. "Right then! Where's the damn food!" The woman from earlier raised a trembling hand towards a refrigerator where meat and other things were stored to keep cool but not frozen for use that day. Uzag went about his normal method, ripping the door off and began scarfing down a lot of the raw and precooked meat. It would only be a matter of time before police or CLOAK showed up now. More likely CLOAK, they always seemed to show up when someone managed to pick up a phone who saw Uzag. If that were the case, it was doubtful they would announce themselves with sirens.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

You know, I could have sworn you had planned on laying low during the day? How is this laying low? Huh? Going against the green goblin! Amelia tried to ignore this voice of reason; she also tried to ignore the subtle trembling in her hands, which thankfully were still flat on the table, so it wasn’t as noticeable. Jesus, why did I have to open my big mouth? Her expression remained the same, though partially hidden within the shadow of her hood, fangs flashing and eyes gleaming, she looked fierce, though how she felt inside was an entirely different matter. She was surprised at herself though, for being able to keep her gaze level for so long; whatever the hell this monster was, it was repulsive in sight as well as scent. Amelia's nose was crying out for some fresh air.

Her body flinched a little at the sudden sound that burst from Uzag, she snarled beneath her breath reflexively, body tensing up for a pounce that was not needed; he was laughing at her! An Orcses stink?
“Still breathing ain’t I?” She barely got the words out through her still gritted teeth, a growl curling at the end, echoing softly in the heavy silence – Not for long at this rate. Jesus, he’s got a stench on him. Amelia forced her body to remain calm though, if she let fear get a hold of her, it could force a Change and she really didn’t want to go through that in front of all these people. There was no pop and dazzle to her transformation; it was something she considered extremely private, her ravaged soul laid bare and body defenceless through the agonising pain, if agony was even a close enough description to how she felt, she imagined it somewhere along the lines of being flayed alive. That sounded about right.
What the heck is an Oomie? Amelia kept absolutely motionless when Uzag began to move, taking that cigar of his and putting it out- on the back of his neck? What the hell was with this thing? Maybe he could heal fast like her, or maybe that was just his custom… Amelia had no idea why she was even trying to understand this monster, she just wanted to grab her food and go; how long before the cops show? What about the CLOAKs? Were they already here? Waiting… watching.
“s**t…” She muttered under her breath; she really didn’t feel like dealing with those creeps today, its not like she’d killed anyone within the city limits and yet they hunted her down like the animal she was. Was it because they knew of her past? Obviously they knew what she was, but did they know who?

Amelia was brought back to reality with a snap as the big jolly green giant stormed towards the counter, smashing through everything like a bulldozer gone wild. Her eyes strained to keep their focus on his great lumbering form, but she had to take this chance and look around at the rest of the place, check her surroundings. There were only a few people scattered about the room, shell shocked, frozen like a deer caught in headlights; Amelia could smell their fear, taste it, thick in the air, and damn, it was making the animal in her salivate.
Focus dammit! Shaking her head to clear her hazy mind, Amelia looked around herself, towards the doorway. She caught a few others eyes and tried her best to give them a smile, appear normal; she was just a regular person, albeit crazy enough to stand up to that thing in the first place, but normal. Human. Hearing a crash, she shot a look back to where the green giant had gone, into the kitchen area, and saw a limp body come flying out over its shoulder. Like a rag doll, the former man- she guessed it was a man, mainly due to the lack of breasts, the face too pulped up to tell anything besides flesh, hair and bones. And blood, let’s not forget the blood. Amelia’s eyes widened at the sight, felt her stomach convulse, her mouth salivating at the sight; though she wasn’t sure if it was because she was about to be sick, or because the sight was making the animal inside her hungry. Either option made her feel sick to the very pit of her being.

There were a few screams and scrambling noises, people finally breaking out of their trances, coming to their senses and fleeing as fast as their noodle legs could carry them. Oh how Amelia wished she was strong enough to run away as well, but after one look at the mutilated head of the human on the ground, her feet refused to give way, knees locked to prevent her from dropping.
She could hear the monster from inside the kitchen; he was after food, that was it? All of this mess, just for some food? Amelia felt her body tremble again, a mixture of anger, repulsion and fear; she could feel her skin begin to itch in places, a growl working its way past her lips.
Not good not good not good.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on ends, a prickle working its way down her spine, but not because of the Change that seemed so imminent, but because of something else. Her senses picking up on something, sending signals to her body, warnings; stay alert, they cried, danger. Amelia could hear it now, there were sirens in the distance, but it wasn’t them that got her body so tense, it was the almost silent footsteps picking their way through the rubble. The calm and slow paced breathing Steady pulses.
Amelia remained rigid, standing in front of the corner booth far to one side of the gaping hole of a doorway. The hood of her sweatshirt concealed her face enough so that she was unable to spot the people until they walked further into the room, entering her line of vision. Two? Three? They seemed pretty intent on the jolly green giant, maybe they wouldn’t notice her, she looked human right?
I think you should just get out of here; they’re not as dumb as they look. Amelia curled her fingers into fists, feeling her nails bite into her palms, the pain helped her focus, she couldn't Change here. The itching had already been replaced by a dull burn, but she was having a bit of trouble keeping her breathing steady and with every lungful of air she took in, the mingled scents of fear, blood and that putrid odour of the green giant was only adding to her sudden restlessness.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Uzag was a messy eater, it was probably best for everyone that he ate back in the kitchen anyways. Uzag had enough trouble closing his mouth around his massive teeth so he ate with his mouth full. Hardly chewed, just ripped and tore into whatever he could find. The place being a cafe, there wasn't anything good to drink, not for Uzag anyways, the meat was satisfying enough but... Well Uzag was a little picky. Back with his people he didn't have to worry about these sorts of things. The Gretchin all took care of it, plenty of meat and fungus ale. The good ol' days. But those days would be back again and Uzag would then be the biggest and strongest Orc of them all and him and his Boyz would crush the CLOAK Humies. Speaking of...

Uzag couldn't hear the CLOAK gitz come in, they were sneaky bastards, but Uzag could certainly feel something brewing, a fight so to speak. Any Orc worth his salt could feel a fight coming and it was only possible to sneak up on an Orc in the middle of one. Uzag turned, bits of meat hanging out of his maw. Uzag managed to spit out most of the meat stuck in his teeth as he turned to face the three men. The CLOAK boyz showed up then, it wasn't a big surprise though Uzag hoped to lay low himself. Like that was even possible for a guy like Uzag. Unless he wanted to live underground, which he certainly didn't, there was no hiding the giant green menace. Uzag could walk down the street and end up jumped by CLOAK operatives even if he hadn't committed any crimes or done anything wrong. Though his gruesome appearance and foul stench was crime enough. But Uzag liked it that way, kept things exciting.

Something Uzag was was able to distinct from the CLOAK boyz and the humies in blue was the fact that the blue boyz talked a lot before they started firin' or attackin' or what have ya. The CLOAK gitz would usually attack before ya even faced em. The good ones anyways, well some of them. It was hard to tell most of the time, CLOAK guys didn't ever really have a theme, some were pretty good, others weren't so much. It was all chance but most of the time whenever Uzag entered a new place it was usually the weak ones they sent first. Probably to evaluate the threat before they sent in the big boyz. After all, if it wasn't a good fight why waste the boss's time, that was an Orc's understanding. Now, sure, Uzag had a record with CLOAK, but different divisions didn't have this information on standby for every agent.

Uzag stared down at the CLOAK gitz with a sharp red eyed glare. He waited for them to make a move. He could tell at least one of them was wet behind the ears as the look of fear crossed his face. One of them looked older and more steadfast, probably a more important git. The three pulled their guns, the two following the older Humies lead. Firing as the iron sights lined up. The bullets bounced off of the metal bits covering Uzag's vital parts, others sank into his green flesh but Uzag didn't seem to even care about the lead shower, especially as he litterally leapt at them. Two of them were smart enough to get out of the way and out of Uzag's arm reach quickly. The one who before had exhibited some fear before hesitated and even though he began to follow after the others it was far to late as Uzags massive form came down upon him. Uzags gigantic hand closed around the handgun and the hand that held it in the kids hand. His grip was frightening and the boy screamed through his teeth as the bones in his hand were crushed. "Oi!" Uzag roared. "Let's put the pea shoota's... AWAY!" Uzag roared the last part a bit louder as his bulkish forehead came down on the hesitant CLOAK agent. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Uzag flung the boy through the air and back down hard on the floor.

Uzag's brutal treatment of the poor slob hid him to the other CLOAK operative who failed to catch his attention from the beginning leaped at him like a wild animal, shrieking something about a brother. Uzag turned, but not quickly enough to keep the kid from latching on and sticking a rather large knife into Uzag's green flesh several times. But again, Orc's didn't feel pain, Orc's was made to fight and win, pain was a burden in that equation. Uzag managed to rip the kid off of him and fling him to the ground beside the dead one. But even still that wasn't enough, he leapt to his knees and began sweeping the knife, cutting Uzag's shins. Uzag was mad now, growling and kicking the guy onto his back. Then bringing his massive boot down on the kids head. That was the end of that story.

But now there was the other one, who seemed content to sit aside with his arms folded. He wore a long brown trench coat which was common among CLOAK agents. Or, trench coats at least. He had short black hair, a few scars which earned Uzag's respect and long chops was the only facial hair he sported. Uzag faced him, this was the fun part, the exciting part. A good fight, Uzag could feel it. Well no, that was a lie, what Uzag could feel was a very large hole being made in his arm. This man had some kind of gun, it wasn't all too big in his hand but it packed a punch like you wouldn't believe. It could probably have blown a normal humans arm completely off. Uzag managed to absorb it with only a big hole in his arm. Uzags set of monstrous teeth worked into a grin.

Uzag leapt after the CLOAK agent with his arm worked to deliver a blow but the guy was fast, fast enough to dodge out of the way and fire off another shot right into Uzag's shoulder. But Uzag was lucky, a little higher and he would be missing a head. Ripping his fist from out of the floor Uzag charged after the agent again. This time keeping to the ground, on his feet maybe he would be able to keep after the guy. But the man was far to dextrous, leading Uzag around as the green fools fist only accomplished to break more property. More shots were fired and Uzag managed to avoid one but caught two to the chest. Uzags hand went to the booth he ripped up earlier. Uzag looked as if he was using it to support himself after those grievous wounds. The CLOAK agent brought his gun up to finish the monster, but the only thing his gun managed to hit was the table as it came hurtling towards him.

The size of the table and the force at which it was thrown was enough to knock the CLOAK man off his feet. Uzag ran over, not giving him so much as a chance. He stomped one leg down on the arm that held the gun, snapping it, another down on the man's chest, keeping him in place. Uzag's hands came down and took hold of the mans head and quickly relieved it from his shoulders. With it came an ungodly roar which echoed with the thunder of the storm outside. Uzag put the head in bag on his belt, a good trophy of a good fight. "Welp." Uzag grunted. "Time to get goin, before more CLOAK gitz show up." It was for certain and these ones would be a lot tougher than the last for certain. He began moving towards the door, his wounds ignored though potentially serious even for him. Uzag spoke out to the Humie from earlier, wherever she was, "You should come on, they gonna be shootin' anyfink dat moves 'ere." Whether it was an invitation or a warning was hard to tell. Uzag liked the humie for sure, she had gutz like he hadn't seen before in regular humies and teef like he never seen in regular humies. Whether or not they would get on well or he figures she would be a good fight was hard to tell.

[Yoshkun]

The Wayward Phoenix
不死鳥.

The heavy rain continued throughout the morning and into the wee hours of the afternoon, thick droplets forged from the foggiest gray clouds wailed against the glass panes surrounding the dining hall before seeping lifelessly into the arms of the moist ground below. Sono sat watching from his four legged perch, his eyes transfixed on the nearest window with such an intense golden blaze one would wonder if he held some sort of inconceivable grudge against the weather; and in some respects…he did. Though nature in all of its elements comforted the likes of spirits such as himself, this preconceived notion was not enough on its own to prevent a sudden frigid chill from sending waves of unwanted shivers down his spine. His fiery aurora dulled to a low hum, comparable to that of flames lit from the logs of some cozy fireplace. His arms folded roughly against his chest, his piercing glare focused solely on the horrid weather did not desist even in the slightest. It made sense to blame some of his uncomfortable body language on the new found urges etched into his nerves from a phoenix mindset, as the mask recoiled from the wet atmosphere like a frightened kitten falling into a icy cold bathtub. However, this sudden irritation was not so much from Sera as it was a personal loathing that lay deep with the jumbled soul of the wayward phoenix.

Journey Into Night

Livorno, Italy. 1810.

I had been spending a few months with a friend of mine, Francis D'Angelo, in Italy when it happened. Francis was a wealthy trader and the owner of a private villa on the coast that would make New City seem passé in its artistic magnificence. Keeping in mind this was over a century ago, there wasn’t any real technological taint to dampen the splendor of it all. I was posing as a handsome young painter from Florence who had only recently ‘returned’ to Italy, taking the idea for the mask from a wonderful painting I saw in France some years ago. Medium cut flowing blond hair with gorgeous hazel eyes, and a darkened skin tone that was nearly as tan as the locals. I have to admit, I could have been art myself with how well I sculpted that mask; which led to some wild parties with Francis. That was the thing to do around these parts and especially in this time. How I loved that villa, decorated from wall to wall with wildflowers and painted with such exquisite colors it would almost rival the smooth marble texture found in Rome. Francis had no idea who I really was…or what I really was…but every time I came to learn something new about humanity in Italy, I would seek him out and we would drink until they locked us out of every festive building you can imagine. Its hard for me to place Francis’ appearance now, but I do remember his curly black hair and that scruffy mustache that reminds me of the video game character kids talk so much about. This really has nothing to do with my story, but I suppose I like to reminiscence about happy things in my past when I know Sera can’t read them. Especially considering this next part would probably earn me some time in a weird bondage position with the business end of a whip on my backside. She just seems like that kind of girl. Anyway, my point is that I had long forgotten my forest home and found myself smitten with a beautiful Italian girl, one who just so happened to be the daughter of one of the most powerful merchants in all of Florence. Her name was Celia, and the radiance of her dark and slender features are only comparable to that of the phoenix herself. She was Aphrodite incarnate to say the least, and against my common sense and shy nature, I decided to pursue her on a very rainy day just like today.

It was cold and foggy, the rain was deep and Francis was still resting from the unspeakably massive amount of wine he had consumed the previous night. I decided I would head out on my own to the flower shop...where Celia tended to some of the brightest flowers that even a majestic imagination of the highest order couldn’t hope to conceive such natural perfection. Not that she needed to work, considering her father’s wealth, but I suppose she just enjoyed it. Her rosy lips would always part when I walked in, as I had visited her every day this week and my presence was to be expected. She would always address me as “Marco”, as that was the alias I went under while in Italy. I've used thousands of names in these few short centuries, whether it’s needed or not. I just feel more comfortable in a skin that isn’t my own at times. Anyway, though extremely nervous, I had prepared a special rose to give her and held it secretively behind my back until just the right moment where I offered it. She seemed especially taken to it, though I didn’t know why, as my skeptical nature reminded me that she must have had several suitors with her father being so important to the city’s economy. However, my cynicism melted away the minute those large brown eyes fluttered at me affectionately. She grinned wickedly and summoned me to the back with a single motioning finger, beckoning me like the melodious sway of a snake charmers' tune; and needless to say...I followed. Once in the storeroom, she wrapped her delicate arms around me and brought her tender lips to my quivering ones. Like Sera moments ago, I thought I was going to collapse from my how bad my knees were shaking, but I held on…and onto her. Now we come to the climax of the story, and I’m not saying that to be funny, as something most…unfortunate…happened to me at that moment that still baffles me to this very day.

As Celia obviously awaited for me to make the next move beyond trading kisses, I heard something like a loud gunshot go off in the back of my mind. In actuality, it was the loud clatter of my wooden mask banging against the floorboards with a deafening echo that seemed to last for several slow seconds before reality caught up to both of us. Celia was obviously surprised, as the beautiful painter once locked in her arms now had long blue hair across his shoulders with hollow orange pupils staring back at her…which thinking back on it, would have probably made me look like an alien or something. My mind was quick to react, but even in the time I realized what had happened on assumption she had already let out a high pitched scream; my side filled with a sudden burning sensation that almost caused me to stumble over backwards in pain. I have no idea where she was hiding such a thing, but she had pulled a dagger and stabbed deep into my abdomen in her fright. She began using every curse word Italy had to offer, muttering things like 'freak’ and ‘monster’ so loudly it almost hurt worse than the large gash dripping flesh with blood all over my pants. By the time Celia began tossing any potted plants she could get her hands on, I realized any chance of an explanation was gone and decided to make a hasty exit before any reinforcements arrived. I removed the dagger and clenched my teeth, covering the wound as best I could with my trembling hands before staggering out as a imported pansy filled pot came seconds away from crashing against my skull. Thankfully, the storm was becoming a huge wash of hurricane proportions and provided ample cover for my escape while Zeus’ thunder bolts crackled overhead like cruel fits of laughter. I remember running for the entire afternoon and far into the night, the bleeding had stopped but the pain was so immense that I nearly collapsed into a field along the countrysides. I kept my mind preoccupied at first with trying to conceive how it was even possible for one of my masks to slip off, as it was bonded to my psyche...but the massive blood loss was starting to catch up to me. Celia’s haunting words kept me going though, as the screams of hatred and monsters she spoke rattled me to the very core of my soul. Although she hadn’t realized it, she had peeled back my greatest insecurity and shot it into the depths of my heart like a poison tipped arrow. Though I would recover and take another identity as I decided to travel East, the mental scars the experience had left me far outweighed the physical ones. Many years have passed since that day and I’m sure Celia drew her final breath ages ago, but the rain and the amusement of Zeus forever continues on like myself. A solemn reminder of what I really am and what I can never run from. No matter what Sera sees in me, the Sono she knows can never be real or loved. I realized long ago that I am nothing more than a twisted freak that can never belong to this reality. I…I am a monster.

---

By the time Sera’s barely clothed hips nestled within the chair, eager to torture Sono with a pleasurable fantasy, the man sitting across from her in the hoodie was long gone. His once tumultuous pair of eyes had eventually pulled away from the window and now rested on his lap, his gloved fingers twiddling slightly as his movements echoed his personal resentment and mental anguish. It was probably a full minute after Sera took a delicious bite into the fuzzy peach surface and purred excitedly at him between words before he actually looked up; resting his chin upon an open palm and staring across the table at her blankly for a long moment. Eventually, a short smirk and a raised crimson brow masked his suffering as well as his masks often shrouded his own natural appearance. He rolled his eyes at her, obviously disapproving of trying to get him back by using his own methods…but all of that fruit on her plate did make his stomach rumble in a low whisper. “See? You should listen to me more often Red. It could save your life one day…or from a bad meal.” His confident and calm demeanor had returned, though his phoenix-esque arrogance in jest remained true to form. He began to eye her fruits like a bird of prey, but for the moment he kept his attention on her and actually smiled a little.”I hope you’ve made up your mind. Thanks to your silly ways, I can feel myself already getting impatient.”

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Amelia could have darted for the door at any point, she could have escaped the madness that now began to unravel in the café, but instead she chose to back up into her corner booth, body trembling with restlessness and blood dripping from her clenched fists. She sat down with a soft thump, just as a bullet ricocheted off of Uzag and pinged at a spot in the wall right above her head, dust crumbled down onto her hood and she narrowed her eyes sharply at the sight before her.
Uzag certainly was a piece of work, he didn’t feel pain, as far as Amelia could tell, and he leapt at the CLOAKs without an ounce of hesitation.
“Ah! The Hulk! That’s who he reminds me of…kinda. Haha…” Shaking her head whilst laughing to herself, Amelia couldn’t believe the situation she was witnessing right now, but her mind decided to see the funny side to things. Deciding that he would now be called The Hulk brought a smile to Amelia’s lips, even as one of the agents was screaming in agony as the bones in his hand were crushed within the vice-like grip of The Hulk. Either she had snapped and was delusional, or another side to her had decided to surface; it was difficult to determine, as Amelia didn’t have the most stable of minds to begin with. But she didn’t seem to fear this hoo-ha anymore, her body continued to tremble with its usual restlessness whenever there was a fight that she was not a part of. But she wasn’t a complete fool, there was no way she would join in this fight, however much of an animal she was, The Hulk would skin her alive; and Amelia quite liked to keep her skin, or fur, depending on form.

It was all happening rather fast and the blood was getting to her head the more she sat there and watched, content with the violence, her mind and body long used to this kind of atmosphere.
“Ahh… my coffee’s gone cold…” As she had glanced down to her table just after Hulk stepped on one of the men’s head like a soft piece of fruit, Amelia noted how both her food and coffee had gone cold. She still took a few sips of the java though, grimacing at its cool and bitter taste, at least the muffin was alright even if it was cold, so she picked at that; the taste marred by the blood which covered her hands and now the muffin she held. The apple was shoved in her sweatshirts front pocket. Amelia was thankful her body was no longer threatening to Change, the fear having subsided as her other persona came to the surface; usually it was only at night in the clubs that she acted so calm and nonchalant. Certainly it would have been more fun had she Changed, but it would also have been too reckless and it was never a good thing to draw too much attention to yourself in broad daylight.
“Too bad for this one… he’s all Hulk and no Banner.” She muttered to herself, glancing over at the last man standing against the green giant, she put her elbows on the table, chin in her hands and watched them both with a serious expression; things were about to get uglier. And she was right, it only took a second but already a large hole had been blown into Hulks arm; nasty weapons these CLOAKs had, Amelia hated guns, she was more for hand to hand combat, or rather hands, elbows, knees and feet; she was a fan of muay thai boxing.

The agent was certainly a good one, leading Hulk around the café area to smash it all up, wasting whatever energy he had and getting shot at a lot. Amelia had to move a couple times to avoid being hit by any flying debris, she ducked to sit underneath her table, crossing her legs and watching everything from the shadows of her booth.
“Glad he’s against the damn CLOAKs, otherwise I’d be screwed.” Amelia wondered how much damage the Hulk thing could take, because right about then he was leaning against the booth he had ripped up earlier; was he tired? No way; a little voice tickled inside her head, hackles rising she gritted her teeth and bared her fangs once more, eyes shining brightly as the table flew swiftly into the last man. Within that same second, Hulk was on him, keeping him down and then ripping his head off with an almighty roar of triumph. Amelia seemed more focussed on the blood spurting from the guy’s neck, than how the Hulk tucked away the decapitated head into a bag on his belt. She felt the beast within her growl in anticipation, inhale deeply so as to taste the blood on the air; of course she could taste the putrid stench of mouldy Hulk over there as well, it really ruined the flavour. “b*****d.” She growled beneath her breath and then shook her head roughly to clear her mind and focus on something else. For instance, he was making a move, leaving the destruction behind and calling out to where she was, advising her that she should move on too.

“Fine. Fine.” She muttered and crawled out from under the table, kicking through the debris to get to the door, her trainers splashing through puddles of congealing blood, she kept her eyes on the large frame of the Hulk; how in heck was he supposed to find somewhere to lay low? Clearly wherever he would go, there would be destruction and violence and- “Well, seeing how my day has gone so far, it might be a little fun to see what happens next.” She said quietly, talking to herself more than anyone else. As she stepped from the café into the gloomy light of the outside world, the storm still raging on, it was clear to any human still standing at the sidelines that she wasn’t exactly normal. For instance, she was coming out from that hellhole in one piece, not a single scratch, she wasn’t screaming in terror and she was actually choosing to follow the path that the green monster took. The hood still concealed most of her features, made it hard to determine her body shape due to the baggy clothes; she clung onto these facts and hoped that her cover would not be blown.
“You owe me a lunch, you know that?” She shouted over the storm towards the lumbering stink Hulk.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

On top of everything, this Humie knew who to follow, the biggest, strongest and the greenest. Uzag couldn't help but let his uneven rows of sharp teeth form into a wicked grin. Though as to why Uzag owed the little one a lunch was beyond him. "Owe ya? Wot? I didn' eat none o' yourz." he pointed out plainly. But Uzag did remember being able to smell something good back at that place. "Ya, alright, maybe I could getcha sumfink." Uzag led them through the rain, across the street and down a ways, moving more quickly when he saw the fast approach of flashing lights and wail of sirens. The blue boyz always showed up and if Uzag got caught up with them then he would certainly get tracked by CLOAKs again. Uzag ducked into the alleyway in which he stashed his bike, deep into it, so that the thick shadows could conceal even his massive green form.

But already Uzag had something to say about the choice. "Dun wanna go inta to many o' dese. CLOAKies like ta sneak about dese dark places. But I already sniffed it out, none 'ere fer a time at least." it wasn't like Uzag to think that different CLOAK operatives might smell different from others. But at least he was right in the fact that there weren't any in the dark alleyway. Uzag moved to what looked like a collection of junk, garbage bags and a menagerie of other things. As Uzag started tossing bag after bag of garbage off to the side, the collection of junk was revealed to be what it was. Uzag's massive War bike, a heaping monstrosity just like Uzag, painted red and metal plating on the front designed to imitate a simplified version Uzag's (and pretty much all orcs) facial features. Difference being that the bike was painted a bright red. Uzag freed the tank locked into the slot in the back of the bike and setting his Burna to the side. Uzag also freed two of four large saddle bags and set them beside the Burna tank.

"Can't take me bike, dey'll be able ta follow it 'less I leave da city wif it." That and it wasn't working, but Uzag wasn't going to admit that part. "Gotsta hide me green, den we can get lost." Uzag opened one of the saddle bags still attached to the bike, in it was what looked like clothes, human clothes. "Sumfink I noticed, CLOAKies usually wear dese long coatz." Uzag pulled one free, it was torn a bit and blood stained but still in one piece. "Got quite a few o' dem from CLOAK boyz I killed." Uzag started wrapping up his exposed arms with a couple of the coats. Not only did it serve to cover his skin but also bandaged up his wounds from the last battle. It wouldn't be good enough doctorin' for a normal man, but for an Orc it was just fine. Soon, Uzag had all but his head covered and the bag emptied. Some time ago the same amount of coats would be more than enough to cover Uzag's exposed Orkyness. But some time ago Uzag wasn't nearly as big as he was now.

Uzag opened up the other bag, pulled out a large tarp looking cloth and something else. It was a huge, poorly constructed gas mask. Used to protect even the stern Ork systems from the chemical vapor emitted from the burning liquid spewed from the Burna. Anyways, it was big enough to fit over his massive maw, his eyes being the last things exposed. But that was easily rectified as he brought down the red tinted goggles that fit over the last bit. Uzag strapped on his Burna tank and was at last ready to roll. He didn't really look like an Orc any more. He just looked like a different kind of spook. But in the storm it would be enough to cover his tracks. Uzag didn't have to speak much louder so that he could be heard through his mask, he was already loud enough as it was. "Alright, time ta get movin', still not safe. Gotta get to da safe house. Come on." Uzag led on again, away from the wailing sirens, but not before tossing the large tarp over his bike and rearranging the garbage to hide it well. It pained him though, he just picked up his Burna and he wanted to roast the lot of them. Looking back once he started on his way disappearing into the rain. Though more lights shone on the horizon. Uzag could only wait and see if they would continue on to the cafe or stop to interrogate the large spook. Either way they were headed to the inn no matter who caught up with them or stood in their way.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

Amelia wasn't sure why she was still following the stink hulk, even if he had given her a little entertainment back in the cafe, he'd also ruined her peaceful and well deserved breakfast, or was it lunch? She wasn't sure what time of day it was, the skies were still so thick with storm clouds and she could feel water seeping into her trainers, as well as soaking through her clothes, but she didn't mind the cold too much; heck, she'd woken up naked this morning, that was normality for her after all. But what was also normal for her during the day was to lay low and she certainly was doing that by associating with this guy,
"No maybe's! I want a decent meal too, no garbage crap." She shouted up at his back as she followed him at a distance that didn't totally obliterate her sensitive nose, occasionally she looked over her shoulder to see if any CLOAKs were around, instead all she saw were regular cops.
As they both ducked into a thickly shadowed alley, Amelia's eyes adjusted to the dark, their blue shade seeming a tad brighter as she moved keeping close to the concealing shadows.
"Well that's good to know at least, though I can handle myself well enough in areas like this." She said nonchalantly, looking all around herself with narrowed eyes; it was dark and shadowy places like this that she sometimes made the Change, and every time she did she prayed to the Gods that no CLOAK would come across her mid-change when she was at her most vulnerable. "Jesus it stinks..." She muttered under her breath as she moved further down the alley to where Uzag was moving piles of junk about, revealing what looked like more junk but was actually some kind of machine. It was both hideous looking and fascinating, but Amelia held back from investigating any further, her narrowed eyes roaming over the bright red machinery and watching at what Uzag was removing from it.
"Yeah... I wouldn't ride that thing around the city too much..." Shaking her head, she crossed her arms over her chest and took a few steps back to lean against the opposite wall. Her ears strained to hear the wail of sirens in the distance, over the downpour of rain and crack of thunder, following this lumbering beast had been a tad foolish on her part but she'd just followed her childish instincts, wanting a bit of excitement for once instead of skulking about in fear of breaking her cover. But where to next? She wanted some more food in her belly at least and maybe she could head back to her hole in the wall where her meagre amount of belongings lay locked away. Amelia didn't officially have a place to call her own, no fancy apartment or anything, she'd mostly find an abandoned building to camp out in, but would never stay in the same place for too long.
What about this beast? I wonder where he hides out in this city...
"You certainly like your coats..." Amelia blinked as she took notice of what Uzag was doing, wrapping himself up in long coats to partially hide his big green self, as well as putting on some sort of mask; altogether, he still looked a fright, like something out of a horror film, but at least a little better than before. As soon as he started making a move, Amelia picked up her pace to follow, "Safe house? You have one?" She called out, watching him conceal his monstrous bike and pick up, was it his weapon? They left the alley and Amelia could hear more sirens and see the red and blue flashing lights in the distance, she hoped this safe house of his wasn't too far. "Your safe house better have some food, I'd kill for some meat right about now." Muttering the last part more to herself as she kept pace with Uzag, feet splashing in puddles now and then to better wash off the blood from earlier.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Uzag never really had time for things like talking. A few words rumbling up from his gut to the victims of his violent sprees, but that's not to say Uzag didn't like to talk. Picking up the human, or Ooman, language was difficult as it was much more verbal than the Ork's language. Uzag found that particularly lacking, seeings how even simple Ork communication was violent to a point. But Uzag also learned that a few words could certainly get a rise out of people, it could even lead to interesting fights. Uzag was smarter than your average Ork, but he had to be in order to get to where he was now, to survive where others hadn't, to lead the new generation of Ork boyz against those CLOAKiez and really mix things up. But that generation was still a dream far off. Those CLOAK boyz were putting down Ork uprisings faster than they were sprouting up. But Uzag knew that some boyz would slip away, get strong and smart like he did, then the real fun would start.

They had already passed the scene of the incident, the storm covered their presence well even when Uzag paused and grabbed at his Burna, hesitant to move on yet hesitant to use it. In the end he moved on, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than he had. Besides, if he used his Burna then the CLOAK boyz would really be on his a**. Even Uzag could recognize his own patterns and even more he could recognize that others would too. As much as a fire raging strong despite the roaring thunder and pouring rain appealed to him, staying safe for the moment was a priority. Besides, he had his fun already, he could last a bit longer. Uzag instead took his mind of his agitation by regarding his companion. "Yeah, fink it's a safe house anywayz. Not mine, some Skunkie lady is da boss dere, she seems alright, pretty tough actin' like you, gotsa mean stomp too." Uzag didn't have much trouble speaking through his mask since he was loud enough without it. It muffled him down to a respectable level. "Lookz bettah inside den it does outside, I could smell sumfink too, like food, so I fink dey might have sumfink for ya." Uzag would hope the Gutsy oomie with him would be pleased enough with that, she seemed to be wary of whether or not Uzag would come through on getting her food.

Though all this made no difference to the man watching from high above, the rooftops providing him distance and the storm providing him cover. Though who could tell were Richards eyes wandered as they remained hidden under the shadow of a wide brimmed hat. Despite the rain, Richard pulled out a medium sized PDA from his trench coats pocket and removed a small styles from it's cozy spot in the PDA's frame and started up a simple word program. The PDA was simple in design but still able to translate hand written word through it's touch screen. Richard liked to write things out by hand but wasn't shy of technology, making this the perfect for him. Though there was the occasional translation error, but he was not at all frustrated when he had to go back and correct things.

'So, okay, huge green guy walks into what looks like a little cafe. I mean this guy is tremendous. I'm not even kidding when I say he nearly ripped the door off without even trying. I heard this loud roar, I guess it was him. Definitely not human. I was watching from a ways off, but even I could see how he just waltzes in like he owns the place. Everyone is freaking out, but I mean, you have this sharp toothed green thing that's like just as wide as he is tall in nothing, all muscle, you aren't just gonna smile and bake him a cake. If that's what they did, they might of avoided the carnage. I dunno. So he goes into the back after... I think laughing at some chick who started standing up to him. Weird, but otherwise unremarkable. I can't see in the back but a little while later some guy just literally flies out into the front with a face I could only describe from a brief glance as "pulped". I backed off when I saw some other CLOAK guys coming along to deal with the situation.

After the big green guy left, with the chick who was standing up to him before. Getting weirder at this point, but maybe it's better to make friends with the wave of violence than enemies right? Will look into that more later. Anyways, I go to check on the damage before the boys in blue show up and all three of the guys that went in there died. Which I would expect since the Green Guy actually walked out of the place. It was gonna be him or them, that it was the Green Guy that survived... well... it's a bit more concerning now. Place is just debris at this point, everything's smashed, two of the other operatives are completely smashed up or crushed and the other one is missing a head. I've heard something floating around comm about Orcs, might want to look into getting files on that. Anyways, they took off, I would follow them but I have more leads to check on and reports to make. Besides, there aren't many places to hide a guy that big.'

It was the first report saved to the PDA's SD card, and the first reason Richard had for removing the SD card from the PDA once it was powered down. He stashed it away in a separate compartment fromt he PDA and with that, bid the whole grisly scene adieu. He was sure that there would be plenty more to visit this day and the days to come. He wondered when it would be his turn to run towards the danger guns blazing rather than take notes from the shadows. But then, the sooner that happened, the sooner he would be missing his head like his comrade in the cafe.

"Right, here it is." It wasn't a long walk by far. The unfortunate fact was Uzag's bike didn't make it very far before breaking down. But they still had to take a few paths that were quite out of the way to get in front of the "building". The "building" being a nice way of referring to the run down building that looked like it probably should collapse because of the rain pelting it. "Come on, it looks bettah inside den anyfing." Uzag said after he beheld the place for a moment. He didn't take much time beforehand since he was either "fixing" his bike or rushing inside to see some fireworks. Uzag hefted open the heavy front doors with relative ease, but much less force than the last time for lack of urgency. The first thing he did immediately was sniff the air, his nose wasn't all too sensitive but he could smell food lingering on the air. It wasn't as strong as before. "Yah, I fink food is dat way. " Uzag said while gesturing towards the direction the smell came from. Uzag barely noticed the transition from the sordid sight outside to the beautiful one in the lobby. That or he barely cared, it was very hard to tell. Was Uzag just being stupid or aloof? "I'll take care of fings here, you go on." Uzag also mentioned, trying not to keep the hungry oomie from her food.



However, breakfast was just about over and the other Chefs were already bringing dishes back to be cleaned. Bob however still sat behind the bar, three large chocolate bar wrappers folded neatly and placed to the side while he worked over another. It was clear that he wasn't paying much attention to anything, possibly to busy brooding to do so. Though none of the Chefs would complain that cleanup was theirs to take care of, since Bob handled the preparations all by himself. On top of that, if someone came in late, Bob would be there to prepare them whatever they wanted. It was only while a meal was still being served that he refused to take any special orders. It was an easy system to work around if you didn't like what was being served. Unless you got on Bob's bad side, then you would just be lucky to walk away without severe scarring. Or was that just a rumor. Gesso sat by his cleaned plates, content among all of the food that he ate. It was a lonely meal but Gesso was used to it and he found it pleasant all the same. He kept a toothpick in his mouth and stacked the dishes neatly on the table. Gesso didn't plan on leaving quite yet though, which could be seen by the way he leisurely leaned back in his chair.

[The_Butterfly_Effect]

"Skunkie lady? What the..." Amelia felt her eyebrow rise at the words coming from Uzag's masked maw; just what kind of a safe house did he stay at? And was she really going to have to put up with more lumbering stink hulks like him? Her poor nose was burning enough as it is, she kept shaking her head now and then, as if that would dispel the stench. She felt her stomach rumble and growl in response to the mention of food, or was that growl from her throat? Amelia shook her head again, she was just thankful that they hadn't come across too much trouble since leaving the cafe.

Upon arriving at the supposed 'safe house', Amelia's eyes narrowed a fraction in doubt; sure he'd kept saying it was actually better inside than its outward appearance, but really... the place looked like a dumpsite! Amelia had found better squat sites than this pile of wood and brick, and the b*****d had made her jog all the way here in the pouring rain! As Uzag made his way inside, Amelia felt her teeth grind, fangs baring as she prepared to bark a few choice words in his direction, but then of course her eyes caught sight of the interior design of the lobby and well, she felt the hot air just slip right out of her parted lips. It had to be some kind of magic trick, an illusion spell or something, because inside this dilapidated building was a posh ritzy looking place that must cost an arm and a leg to stay for a night; at least by Amelia's standards anyway, she was more accustomed to living rough, sleeping wherever she could, dingy motels, abandoned buildings, even the woods. Needless to say she was speechless as she trekked cautiously into the lobby, the door closing behind her to shut out the gray and dismal outside world, allowing her to bask in the comforting warmth; she was growing more aware of the fact that she was soaking wet, dripping mud and water all over the floor, Amelia had the urge to shake herself off like a wet dog. But in this place? Would she get lynched? Ha! That'd be fun.
"Food?..." She mumbled, only half aware of what Uzag was saying as her eyes drank in everything greedily, when she dared to breathe, she allowed herself a cautious whiff through her nostrils and felt her mouth salivate from the lingering scent of cooked food; meat in particular. "Cheers buddy. We're even now." She grinned devilishly and began loping off in the direction of the dining room with swift and graceful strides, eagerness in every step.
Eyes alight with hunger, fangs glinting, she shoved open the doors of the room and stopped about three paces in, seeing the white coated people taking everything back into the kitchen; clearly she had missed breakfast. Upper lip curling, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath, it was fine, she could easily order something, right? It wasn't like there wouldn't be anything left to eat? Though that male sitting beside an empty stack of plates begged to differ. Turning to the bar, she saw another guy sitting behind it, oblivious to anything but the chocolate bar he was savouring.
A growl rumbled in her throat and Amelia swallowed hungrily, she had to be polite, who knows what kind of beings these people were, after all, she been lead to this mysterious building by the frickin' Stink Hulk.
"Oi! How do I go about ordering something? I need food before I start chewing on the furniture and that's never pretty." Amelia frowned as she stepped toward the bar, hands pulling down the hood of her sweatshirt, her long blonde hair slightly damp from the rain and blue eyes glowing a little too brightly; polite manners seemed to have been thrown out the window the moment she stepped into this place, her body was tense, she was wary and hungry, all together that made her a bit cranky towards strangers.

[Vincent W Sinnet]

Bob sat still for a second more, swallowing the last of the chocolate in his mouth. After that he turned his head so that his solid black orbs could glare at the new arrival as well as they did anyone else. It was second or more before he actually said anything in response."I suppose you would do it like anyone else." A deep voice said after managing to rasp out of a scratchy throat. There was another pause from the dead chef as he bit off another chunk of chocolate, chewed and swallowed.

It was difficult to say whether Bob was deliberately being slow in his actions out of annoyance with the woman in front of him or just a natural a natural tendency of the shambling dead."By barking your order at me like you are entitled or something." Bob finally managed to finish, his own rows of sharpened teeth flashed out from behind his lips when he spoke.

However, with that, Bob reached down beneath the counter and opened a small drawer where he retrieved a small pen and pad. He set the pad down and held his pen at the ready."So what do you want? I'm pretty well versed in the culinary arts as the head chef here. So order whatever you want." Bob said with a suprising lack of enthusiasm for someone who was bragging about their skills.

Gesso however, overhearing everything, was busy scribbling in a notepad of his own. 'Head chef: very irritable, use CAUTION! Blonde girl: kind of cute, also seems irritable, caution advised.' Gesso was a keen observer when he was on the job or when he chose to be. But he often had to take notes since his erratic behavior made for a very poor memory. Being with only one arm often reminded Gesso how he took for granted being able to hold a pen and pad at the same time while using them.