CLOSED.

[String x Theory]

Saria looked up as Mohan entered the hallway. She smiled at his excitement over the lab.

"That's great Mohan" She replied, leaning against the banister for the stairs, deciding whether or not she wanted to go down. The whole situation was quite interesting and definitely had her attention, but she also experienced Kai before and it wasn't the best.

"So I guess you're going to start trying to figure out what makes Yuni tick" she said with a smirk. "Assuming Kai lets you, or something."

[Mohan Yorke_x]

Mohan nodded enthusiastically. "You know, its amazing that despite how many different kinds of organisms I come across, I still find more that need study. It's like a new breed of creature is popping up every single day. And then there are the failed experiments of other scientists - non ethical ones of course - but their 'mistakes' tend to be some of the greatest people, I swear."

He was rambling again, but he knew Saria was used to it.

"I'm also particularly interested in finding out why Yuni needs a caretaker to begin with. Usually that only happens with violent or crazy beings, which so far I have found Yuni to be neither. But I've also been wrong about people in the past."

He stopped rambling for a moment, noticing Saria's look. He knew she was trying to decide whether or not to go downstairs.

"Have you met Kai before?" he inquired, tilting his head to the side. "What's she like?"

[String x Theory]

Saria glanced at Mohan and quirked a brow as he spoke. A small smile formed on her lips as he rambled. She missed this.

"Well, yeah. She showed up one day and started shooting everything." She said matter-of-factly, again looking down the stairs. "She's kind of a sober woman I guess. Shows up, takes control, gets the job done. At least in my experience."

[_xX Faceless Enemy Xx_]

Lack_EXE

Kai didn't look like much did she? Skinny, almost skeletal, alabaster skin, deep eyes with an almost always far away look, and a bulky trench coat. Not much of that pale skin was shown either, just some of her legs, her neck and collarbone, and her face. The gunslinger picked up the glass of sake, and took the clay jar that held the rest of it, eyes darting to the booth Stykes motioned to before glancing over to the grinning Nekojin.

"That's what I said! Grumpy ol' bird..." Yuni stuck her tongue out at Kai, elbows leaning on the bar counter with her tail wagging. Her ears picked up Mohan's and Saria's voices from up the stairs, though her hearing wasn't acute enough to bend corners and climb steps.

"You are loud enough, child..." Kai responded, ghosting over to the booth to slid into the seat and set her drink down. She would assume Stykes would get his own drink, but she had gotten the sake jar just in case. "No need to be so formal, Stykes. Or wary. I need not be reminded what I am. And I will behave."

The violet haired woman took a sip of her drink, and waited patiently.

(( -flops about all sore and noodely- ))

[Mohan Yorke_x]

Mohan frowned when he heard Saria's description of Kai. He was hoping to have a friendly chat about studies, but she sounded so... rough.

"Oh, well. I guess I won't bother her then." He said softly before glancing down the stairs. "Well, I need some tea. So I'm going to go get some. You're welcome to join me if you want."

He turned and made his way down the stairs and into the bar area where he heard other voices. He saw Yuni first and waved a quiet 'hello' to her. He then saw Stykes in a booth with whom he assumed was Kai.

"Is that your babysitter?" he asked Yuni quietly, nodding his head in Kai's direction.

[String x Theory]

Saria watched Mohan descend the stairs but she remained where she was. He seemed so well adjusted, being back at the Heartless. She wondered if he too had nightmares, since he experienced a lot of the same stuff she did.

She reached into her pocket and fiddled with something inside of it. She didn't pull it out, just quietly fiddled. After a moment or two she sighed and began her descent down the stairs. Tea sounded nice.

[_xX Faceless Enemy Xx_]

Yuni blinked owlishly at seeing Mohan enter the bar room, giving the scientist a wide grin and a return wave. His question got a nod, ears twitching. Whatever she and Stykes needed to talk about was probably private... Very private. Then again, Stykes was generally private. And Kai was pretty private herself... This should be interesting...

"Yuh, she in a good mood today." Yuni said before taking a swig of her root beer, tail swaying. "Maybe you'll be able to do that nerdy thing and share them notes."

But, to advance towards her temporary bartender status, Yuni drummed on the counter and stood up straight. "Anythin' I can getcha, Mr. Mohan?"

[Lack_EXE]

Stykes cautiously followed Kai despite her words. Last they had met he had no idea what she was. He found a seat opposite the now sake toting creature. With drinking being the last thing on his mind currently he made no motions towards grabbing a glass. He gave a smile to Yuni's comment before taking a deep breath and beginning to speak.
"Thank you for seeing me by request, and on such short notice"
He did his best to remain calm in Kai's presence, the air around her gave an icy chill that felt a bit homey and calming to Stykes.
"I'll keep things short. Last we met I had no idea what you were. This isn't very surprising considering the normal folk who come through this manor."
Stykes stopped a moment, taking a moment to recollect the adventures he'd recently been on.
"In short, my people revere your kind as gods"
A face of slight disgust was made
"Though I don't share their sentiment towards any gods, if any of the stories I've heard are true-"
He paused one last time, and almost choked on his own words, or was it pride he was choking on?
"I want to become your pupil"
His eyes narrowed as he finished his words, his face still cracked from the dry deserts of his homelands despite being much better hydrated now.

[String x Theory]

Saria made her way into the bar, seeing Yuni behind the counter. Her ears twitched as she could clearly hear the conversation between Stykes and Kai. She didn't react to the conversation though. She figured she'd at least give them the appearance of privacy, although she really couldn't help her advanced hearing.

"I'll take a coffee, Yuni." She requested, sitting down at the counter. "Also, if you're not busy, I'd like to hear what's gone on the past couple of months in my absence. I haven't had a chance to ask you about it yet."

[Mohan Yorke_x]

Mohan looked over to Kai as Yuni mentioned swapping notes. He shook his head slowly. "Nah, she seems like a volatile kind of person. And I'm not so good at talking. So I think I'm just going to let her be."

He watched as Saria came in and sat down at the counter. "I did finish my upgrades though," Mohan said, beaming a smile. "So whenever you want to get to it, I'm ready to start poking at you."

"Oh, and, tea please for me."

[_xX Faceless Enemy Xx_]

"Gods..." Kai repeated, taking another sip from her glass before setting it down. Her throat worked at the alcohol going down, a web of silvery scars moving slightly under that black choker. She looked at Stykes in the face, barely blinking but with pale lids slightly lowered. "I used to eat gods. But cultures worshiping my siblings, and other similar beings, are not uncommon. Though in many more cultures, we are hated. Despised. Prayed against."

A violet brow quirked up slightly. "Do you know why that is?"

Kai wanted him to answer her before responding to his desire, leather bound fingers laced together atop the table's surface. He may notice the light blue hue that swirled in the dark recesses of her irises, a shimming in the air around their booth. Hexagonal plates formed a transparent dome, like a cozy little bubble. Nothing hostile about them, but they dampened noise from both sides.

Yuni looked more curious than worried as she glanced over and saw the light faintly bounce off these panels, but she diverted her attention back to Saria and Mohan. She gave them a grin and turned to the coffee pot machine thing, fingers wiggling up at the sides of her head. Thinking, wondering.

"How in hell do ya use this thing..." The teen asked, looking over at Saria with a confused pout. "Saria, I'm stuuuuuppiiiiiiidd..." But she was quick to at least get a kettle for tea in her hands, filling it with water and adding the teabags before the kettle was heated by her palms. "Nuh much as really happened since ya left, which I think was a problem. I made minor improvements to the manor, like cleanin' up that garden out back, fixin' the weak 'nd rotted planks in the porch, fixin' that trainin' room ya got downstairs, installin' an alarm system o' my design... Nuh much."

"Oh, she only volatile with me~" Yuni grinned at Mohan, feline tail swaying smoothly behind her. "E'eryone else-- 'cept Crimson, sometimes-- is fine." She giggled at his update on the upgrades, nodding as steam started to seep from the kettle spout. "A'ight. Poke carefully. I'm ticklish~"

[String x Theory]

Saria smiled at Yuni as she tried to work the coffee pot. "Being stupid and being uneducated are very different things." she pointed out. "Just open the top and pour water into the hole. Make sure there is coffee and a coffee filter under the spout, close the lid, and press start."

She nodded as she listened to Yuni's story. "Well obviously Stykes took his leave as well. And I'm guessing Ralic...?" She didn't finish her sentence, hoping that Yuni had some sort of update to finish it for her.

[Mohan Yorke_x]

Mohan glanced at Kai again as Yuni said she was fine with others. But he couldn't hear what was going on between her and Stykes, and it looked really intense.

"I don't know, she's kind of intimidating now." he confessed, turning again to the counter, awaiting his tea. "I guess I was expecting something else for some reason."

[_xX Faceless Enemy Xx_]

Yuni balanced the kettle on one palm as she got out a mug to set on the counter in front of Mohan, pouring the steaming liquid into it. Then she put a little saucer full of packs of creamer and sugar just for the fixings by the mug. She was giggling in amusement at his words.

"She jus' an ol' bird that's too serious." Yuni said, putting the kettle down. "But eh... If I get m'hands on her hoverboard thingy again, I'll letcha see it. Or any other fun lookin' experiment she got."

Now for the coffee maker... Yuni filled the empty put with water before opening the top, adding a filter and coffee grinds before pouring the water in. The pot was put back on the heating pan, the lid closed, and a random button was pushed. Did that work? It'd be really embarrassing for Yuni if Saria and Mohan found out she couldn't read because of a clever little machine...

So, to deter any mention or noticing of that, Yuni looked at Saria and thought. "I... 'aven't seen Mr. Ralic since before ya left, I think... I actually thought he went with ya, but apparently not..."

[String x Theory]

"Oh, no, I probably scared him off." Saria said, sort of awkwardly. She was hoping that Ralic had stuck around, but she knew better than to believe that for one moment. He probably got himself trapped in the shadow realm again or something.

"Anyway, what happened to our trickster friend?" she asked, referring to Cheshire.