Welcome to Gaia! ::

1. Mute Monarchs
Both of them were on a ridge, above a large canyon. It was on the premises of the Castle of the Count of Monte Cristo. And the sniper rifle was pointed toward a girl.

"I don't see why you have to depend on that technology," said Edmond Dantes, the count himself. He wore fine clothes, and a cape. He was sitting on the ground, his back to the person operating the rifle.
That person, Q, stared through his scope and gave no audible reply.

The girl was 900 feet away, and her hair appeared to be made of fire. Her name was Tali. She was known throughout Dexterity for her Rez, which was not only the power to utilize fire, but also to revive herself like a pheonix. Many considered her immortal. She was physically weak however, and dependant upon her powers. A stupid maneuver for anyone that couldn't bring themselves to life over and over again.

Q was lying on his stomach, his dog tail between his legs. He wore red and black, and in the night, did not wear sunglasses. His left index finger squeezed the trigger little by little. At the last minute, the man made a minute adjustment, and was then greeted by the rebound of the rifle's butt into his shoulder.

Edmond put his elbow on his knee and sighed. "So did it work this time?"

Q remained silent, looking through his scope to see Tali fall to the ground, the bullet hitting her head. Immediately her three friends looked about. One of particular interest was the Askasa man, who fought with wires. They were deployed now, wriggling with fear of who the sniper was and where they were hiding. Although Askasa's skills, aided by the skills of his friends, Ismaru the Wind Soul, and Insom the Zombie, were good, they weren't good enough to pinpoint where the Count and Q were hiding.
The grey-haired man, at the old age of 25, could see Tali's friends yelling, and paranoid. They doublechecked everywhere. The Askasa man was breaking objects. Q could not see Tali's fire of Pheonix.

"I can't see her Pheonix yet." The gruff voice of a smoker broke the silence. Q had finally spoken.

The count quirked a black brow, his medium-length hair wisping in the new wind. He turned around and crawled up to the ridge. However, without the scope he couldn't see much. He wasn't looking for any details, though. Just a large red blast that marked the Pheonix.

"Was it a headshot?" Edmond asked.

Q grunted. Of course it was a headshot. He never missed. Edmond knew that as well, and recounted himself before thinking aloud "Maybe as long as the bullet is embedded in her skull, she cannot be revived..."

The mute pack of friends were around Tali now, crying. Q didn't appear to be showing any emotion. His tail twitched, however, and he itched his black collar. Something he never took off.

"Perhaps..." Q began. But Edmond knew where Q was going, and stood up. His body separated into many monarchs, all who flew quickly with the help of the wind.
The pack of invertebrates flew toward the location of the murder to make sure what had been done was done for good.

3. Technology

Q seemed to be in thought to himself for a moment, but then took the medical tape with him back upstairs. Edmond turned to Q from his position on the couch.
"Going to bed so early?" he questioned. Q was usually the nocturnal type. And while Edmond was still distraught at his own stupidity, and at the fact that a person so simple as Insom had injured him, he still felt he shouldn't be left alone for some reason.

"I need to wake up early tomorrow," Q answered, already halfway up the stairs. "To get the girl."
With that he went to his room, a small thing that was lined with displays of swords and guns on the walls. There was an armoire to the side, which contained different types of ammunition inside, and the more prized possessions of his were in cases under his bed.

On top of a normal set of drawers sat an ash tray, a lighter, a pack of clove cigarettes (kreteks), and a CD player with a rather large set of headphones. The man took a cig out of it's pack and lit it, placing it in between his lips before putting the headphones over his ears and taking the CD Player to his bed.

He laid himself on his back, and closed his eyes after pressing play.

"You make me come.... You make me Complete..." the music began.

Downstairs, Edmond was grumbling to himself. He would've punched something were it not for his hand bleeding. He had never known what would happen if one of his butterflies was killed, though these were his suspicions. Now he knew for sure, and had to keep a better management. With a growl, he slid his laptop closer to himself with his good hand, and turned it on. He then dialed up Mercain. Know how to call someone through the computer was just about all he knew how to do. He wasn't a fan of technology, if his disapproval of Q's methods were any indication.

"Mr. Dantes." Mercain spun in his chair on the other end of the signal with a smile. He held a throwing dart in his hand. But after seeing the look on the the other's face, he quickly threw the dart away from view. A small squeal was heard as something inflatable deflated. Mercain didn't seem worried.
"What can I help you with?" the hacker leaned on the table, to give the Count the impression Mercain was giving his full attention to the other man.

"We shot the Fire Pheonix today," Edmond growled.

"Well, anybody can do that, Edmond." Mercain laughed at himself, until Edmond slammed his good fist on the table. "Okay, then. I see this isn't the time for jokes."

"Q was able to shoot her in the head. I don't know, some type of special bullet or something.. Anyway, she hasn't come back to life yet. I was hoping you may have come up with some way to kill her for good while she's unconscious, because that's what she is," Edmond replied.

Mercain took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together. "Well I'm sure she'll stay down as long as the bullet's in her head--"
"I KNOW THAT!" Interrupted Edmond.

Mercain cocked his head, changing his train of thought. "What's wrong with you?"

Edmond lifted up his bondaged hand, a blood stain there. "This is. Now get to the ******** point." He put his hand back down.
Mercain seemed perplexed, but decided it was best to change the subject back to what they were talking about before. "We could try poisoning her while she's unconscious. Or some type of chemical-induced death."

The count threw his hands up. "Great! More technology!" It was sarcasm, of course.

"You know, if you think about it Edmond," Mercain was becoming agitated, "Tali herself is a thing of technology." And with that the link was severed.

When the screen turned black, the Count yelled in anger and tossed his laptop to the floor. The resulting crash brought forth a servant, William.
"Sir, are you all right?"

Edmond glared to his manservant. He took a moment to compose himself, and in that moment, instilled some great fear into his follower. "Go make me some tea," he commanded, and then forced himself to sit back down on the couch. William did as he was commanded without further word.

"... You make me completely miserable..."

Q took his only half-finished kretek, and snuffed it out on the floor by his bed, and was able to fall asleep with the beginning of the next song.

5. In Sickness and in Health

Sim hopped out, back first, from the large mirror located in the room Amigo and Roy were in. He landed in a kneeling position, where Amigo glowered down at the boy.
"Where's the girl."

As Sim stood up, he ran a hand through his feathery white hair with a sigh. "There was another man there. I think it was Q. Dressed in all red and black, grey hair.."
"Yeah, that would be him." Amigo crossed his arms. Being a friend of Mercain's had its advantages. Mercain had been in contact with Edmond for about a year now, so he had been privy to all the little information about the Count and his followers. Q was one of them. "What does it matter that he was there?"

"He was after Tali as well. He was able to get to her faster than I could," Sim responded, walking over to a couch and plopping himself down on it, arms extended over the back in either direction. "That guy creeps me out." He laid his head back, closing his eyes and crossing his legs, his right ankle on his left knee.

Amigo hmphed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, he shouldn't." He lifted a hand, waving it as if absentmindedly shooing away a fly. "He's just Edmond's lapdog. He won't do anything to you unless Edmond orders him to." He didn't seem too concerned with the fact that Sim had messed up and didn't have the girl.

Opening his eyes and looking about, it was at that moment Sim noticed something. Or rather, the lack of something. "Where's Shoy?" He asked.

Roy, a red-headed androgyne, was sitting on the floor in a corner, his white labcoat stained with blood. His hands were occupied with two human fingers. He appeared to be playing with them as if they were toys. "He's off to kill the wizaaard~" the madman sang melodically, as one of the fingers 'flew' over the other one.

Shoy was a man with long black hair and a trenchcoat of the same color. His main weapon was... An umbrella. But Shoy had a reputation preceding him. There was a legend that told of three swings from his umbrella killing thousands of men... And Shoy didn't even move from his spot while doing so. Shoy had been sent earlier that day to the Castle of Monte Cristo. Why?
Because Mercain knew Q would be out for the girl, and Edmond's mental courage had been weakened by whatever it was that happened to his hand. The Count never bled. It was the perfect time to send in his finest to achieve what he had always wanted: Revenge.

While most could not see it, the walls of the office Mercain hardly left were filled with images, drawings, posters, and pictures of Edmond Dantes. All were defaced in some way. Drawn on, ripped, or stabbed with throwing darts. It had been over a year now and it seemed today was the perfect day to finally kill the b*****d.

It was only an hour a go when there had been a knock at the castle's door. William had answered it, but soon Edmond was brought in. The both had enjoyed a cup of tea and were chatting. Each knew of the other's reputation, and each knew what their meeting meant.

Edmond, after about ten minutes of pleasantries, placed his empty cup of tea on the table. "So, I can only guess why you're actually here, Mr. Shoy."

The other uncrossed his legs, placing his own half-empty cup on the table as well. "Yes. Though I do so wish you good luck, Mr. Dantes. Are you going to draw your weapon?"

Edmond stood, drawing his rapier from its scabbard, and holding it in his gloved right hand. He moved away from the table and the couch. "Mr. Shoy, I had a thought..." The Count turned to the other man. "Would you like to go to the sparring room for this? I'd hate to ruin the rest of the castle."

Shoy smirked to himself, tapping his black umbrella on the wooden floor. "Sure."


At the top of the castle, Q had jumped to his balcony, and through his open window with Tali over his shoulder. Once inside, he closed the window behind him, and shut the curtains tightly. His curtains were very thick, and once they were closed, the room became incredibly dark. The man pushed his sunglasses up on his head, and flopped the girl down on his bed with a sigh.

He looked down at her, but only after lighting a kretek and taking his first drag. After a moment or two of lingering silence, he sat down next to her and reached out his hand to push her fiery hair out of her closed eyes. When not in a rage about something, or being completely immature, she was rather beautiful...

He exhaled above him before lying his head down on the girl's chest, listening for a heartbeat. He heard none and sat up, debating on what he should do now. He took a deep breath, but instead of becoming relaxed, he doubled over and began hacking up what felt like his lungs. His cig dropped to the floor, and he promptly stamped it out with his black boot.
As he coughed he made his way to the bathroom. He managed to get to the sink before he puked up a mass of blood into the drain. They seemed like chunks. It didn't look good, and it didn't feel good either.

"You shouldn't smoke." It was a young, feminine voice. It was sweet, yet full of warning at the same time. And it was coming from behind the man.

Q was having a hard time breathing, and it felt like his insides were going to come up through his throat. He reached for his dog collar, and pulled on it, to see if it would help lessen his agony, but he dared not take it off.

Behind Q, the little girl, dressed all in white, with long platinum blonde hair and pure black eyes, waved her hand through the air. "There," she stated. "You are better now?"

Q bent over the sink, his knees bent, and all his weight over the countertop. His voice even more gruff than before, he whispered his reply. "Yes. Thank you, Opal."
He set his forehead on the countertop, his sunglasses falling into what could only be described as bloody pulp in the sink.

He let out a loud groan.

The little white girl looked up at him. Though she couldn't see him. She was blind. "You shouldn't thank me. I am doing you a disservice by allowing you to live."

7. Dialogue

Back at the group of rag tag assasins' apartment, Amigo was kneeled next to Roy, who was still playing with his foreigner's fingers.
"Pleeeeeeease," Amigo mocked. "It would make Father Amigo very happy."

Roy looked up to Amigo, putting his fingers down. "But it feels like work. If there was a bit of fun in it, I--"

That was the time when Shoy appeared in the middle of the room, clasping his shoulder. A small amount of blood dribbled down his sleeve. He drew in everyone's attention almost immediately.

Shoy never got hurt. Ever.

The man in the center of the room shoved his fingers into the hole and pulled out the bullet, throwing it to the ground and standing straight up.
Sim sat up from the couch. "Edmond doesn't use guns."
Amigo shifted his weight. "Q uses guns. But Edmond wouldn't tell him to shoot you... Did he?"

Shoy appeared visibly shaken for a moment, a shiver going down his spine. It was moreso that he was missing his weapons, not that he was injured. "The Count is very fast. I was expecting quite a fight, but he exceeded my expectations altogether." He gave a passing glance to Roy, who was rolling one finger over the carpet and knocking it into the other finger. Shoy had been expecting a smart remark, but it did not come.

"So then they were working together? I haven't heard of that before," Amigo remarked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall, near the mirror.

Shoy shook his head, walking over to the couch and sitting on the end, so he could lean on the arm. "His lackey came in near the end. I thought we were alone and wasn't expecting it. It's my fault. I saw the bullet but Edmond pulled me into it at the last moment. He seemed mad the other guy had interrupted, though." Shoy laid his head back, closing his eyes and heaving a sigh. "It won't happen again."

Sim snapped his fingers. "I knew something was up with him." He looked toward Shoy, "You didn't feel him come in, did you? He must mask his ki or something."

Shoy hmphed. "He doesn't mask his ki, Sim. You can't make yourself completely invisible. I don't know how it's possible, but the guy has no ki."

"But even normal goodfornothings have ki," Sim argued. "Is it because he's not from here?"

"No," Amigo interjected. "Even people without Resonance souls outside of Dexterity have ki." He looked toward Roy. Although the androgyne appeared to not be paying attention, Amigo knew the man heard every word. "Is it possible his Rez is the ability to have no ki?"

Roy picked up one of his decapitated fingers and threw it toward the laptop at the far wall. "Q Q Q Q Q, Life like a quiz~" he sang, it was the lyrics from a jpop song.

The rest of the room all groaned to themselves. The monitor on the laptop flicked on.

"I've never met the guy," the madman finally answered, seeming to sober up. "I would like to see him for myself."

The speakers of the laptop rang, causing Amigo to jump. Startled, he quickly went to stop the noise, which coincidentally was the only way to answer Mercain's phone call.
"I had a very interesting call just now," Mercain told the group."Q called me. He's wondering if we have access to something that will prevent someone's Rez from being used."

Amigo quirked a brow.
Roy jumped up, hands in the air above his head. "YES! I just invented one of those!" He got a serious face for a moment. "The RezSuspend. It suspends Rez and negates the soul's ability to use it!" He jerked his elbow back. "Score!"

Amigo frowned. It wasn't just Roy who had invented it. He, Roy, and Mercain had helped. Oh well. It didn't need to be said, everyone already knew. They would let Roy have his glory.

"Yes, well. It turns out the only way to really kill the Pheonix is to cremate her while her Rez is unusable," Mercain tried to keep the gang on track to the actual subject at hand.

Sim's ears perked up. "How did you get such specific information?"

Amigo's hand went to his chin in thought. That question had been on his own mind.

"Apparently," Mercain stretched out the word, as if drawing in the suspense as he wriggled in his rolling chair. "Q has a friendship with Opal. Before you ask-- Yes, that Opal. The one that kills everything. But, before I called up you guys, I had to look up Ms. Koboi for myself. I didn't believe a guy like Q could reign in Opal for a second."

Mercain seemed excited to be spreading this information, as if it were some special hidden gem. "I couldn't find much. But, I did find out that Aine, that crybaby alter ego of Opal, was murdered and that's how she is able to do what she does."

Amigo was able to jump in before Sim could ask the very same question, "What's Aine's murder have to do with Q?"

Mercain laughed. "Nothing really. Except when you consider the video of it happening." there was a large surge of tapping on the keyboard on Mercain's end, before a window was pulled up. The camera this was pulled from obviously wasn't the best of quality, as the video itself was very blurry and black and white.

"Everyone's gonna wanna watch this," Mercain said off screen.

Shoy tiredly looked up, as did Roy. Amigo and Sim were already looking at the screen.

The frame rate was low, so the frames were jumpy. There was a small girl - Aine - and a taller man. The man looked no different than anyone else, except when the frame jumped and the man's hand was on Aine's head. There was a flash of a tail. Only one man had a tail in this city.

There was a glow, a bright flash. Q's hand was behind him, arm outstretched. A white, ghostly figure was in it... Aine's body fell to the ground. Then there was a ball of light in place of where Aine was supposed to be. The ghostly figure in Q's hand had dropped - she was taking the shape of what the group knew to be Opal.
The next frame, the light was going through Q's chest. And the next frame, Q was on his knees. Opal beside him.

"What.... The... ********..." Sim's mouth was wide. Shoy's brows crumpled together in thought.

"What the hell was that?" Amigo questioned, stepping toward the laptop.
"Hold on, I'll loop it," Mercain stated off-screen. Then, the video played again.

"That must be his Rez," Shoy thought aloud.

"But what the hell is it?" Amigo asked.

Mercain minimized the video, much to everyone's dismay. He was grinning with delight. "I don't know exactly what it is, but it happened a year a go, remember? When Opal went crazy and started killing everyone. Q came in with Edmond two years a go. Nobody gave a s**t about Q back then, right? I didn't even know he existed until later. But, I do know that having a Rez like that's gotta be extremely difficult to hide."

Shoy stood up and walked closer to the laptop, nearing Amigo. "He already has his own device for disabling Rez." He finished the thought Mercain was trying to get to. "That must be why I couldn't feel his presence, either..."

"NO!" Roy, who had been quiet until this point, stomped his feet in anger. "My invention is nothing now! Why must he have something I don't!" The androgyne shook his head from side to side, his fists clenched. The one finger he still had in his hand snapped in two. "It's not fair!"

"Calm down, Roy..." Amigo pressured. "Maybe you should go outside for now."

Roy took the hint and did as told, slamming the door behind him.

"It can't be a generator like we have," Amigo turned to Mercain. "Then Edmond wouldn't be able to use his Rez, either."
Shoy shook his head and added his piece. "Even with Q in the room, Edmond could use his Jade Armor."

Sim, while perplexed by this whole thing, still went in a different direction. "If he has his own device, why bother asking you for yours?"

Mercain cocked his head. "Maybe he only has one. Perhaps it is a prototype. I didn't think to search for things that could mask ki or Rez since we had come up with the RezSuspend. I'll do that as soon as we're done here, and see if I can find out who made Q's."

Shoy crossed his arms over his chest. There was a moment of confused silence before Shoy asked, "Mercain. Was there more to that video? I mean, on the beginning and the end."

Mercain cocked his head, typing a few things on a computer to his side which couldn't be seen on the other side. He clicked around a bit, and frowned. "Yeah, but not much. Q walks up, Aine walks up, they're still for a while, Q does that aura thing, out pops Opal, then Q falls to the ground and..." He clicked a few more times, becoming more interested.

"Hey, wait. About an hour later Q's still on the ground and The Count comes in and takes him back to the castle."

Shoy brought his fist to his chin in thought. "Q was lying there for an hour? What was he doing?"

Mercain looked back over to the monitor with the video on his end. "Doesn't look like he's doing anything but lying there. Kinda looks hurt."

Shoy pointed to the monitor. "Show me."

Mercain didn't see why he should, but pulled back up a still anyway. Shoy was the most experienced fighter out of everyone. If he wanted something done, it was best to respect it.

Shoy brought his hand beck to rest on his chin as he stared at the image. He knew that look. After a moment, it came to him. "I know what that is."

Everyone looked at Shoy in disbelief. It was such a vague image, how could he know what it meant? It just looked like a guy crouching down on the ground...

"That's what happens when someone who doesn't know how to correctly use their Rez gets knocked back by the after effects. Askasa is similar. The Decay arm-- it takes Askasa's life force away. I managed to see what happened the first time he ever used it. It was like this," Shoy Explained. "Q must hide away his Rez because he's afraid of its adverse effects. Askasa does the same."

Sim cocked his head to the side. "But Fortenra just doesn't use his Decay Arm. He doesn't own a sort of limiter."

Shoy turned to his younger companion, explaining what more experienced travelers already knew. "Here in Dexterity a lot of people get killed off when they're weak. But outside they let people live easier. So people who can't get a hold on their powers find other ways to survive."

Sim frowned, but continued to listen, as Shoy obviously had more to say - the man had been all around the world, after all.

"There are also people -- on the outside -- who can't control their Resonance souls very well. If they have a powerful Rez, sometimes it can get out of hand. Be used when it was not intended to be, or tapped into unconsciously. Sort of like how Tali can revive herself. It's a bodily reaction." He paused for a moment, to take a breath, and try to word this as easily as he could. "People who can sense Rez know where Tali is, yards away. Even now, though Tali is technically dead, her Rez is still working. With a Rez that looks as powerful as Q's.. to separate a personality outside of the host body... If Q did not have control over it, anyone with even the most remote ability to sense Rez could feel him from miles away."

Mercain waited a moment, making sure Shoy was done, before he chimed in. "The outside is more advanced than we are, in terms of technology. They have things we couldn't even fathom having a use for. So since nobody cared about Q when he came here, I think it's possible that whatever his Rez Suspender is, he got it from wherever he was before he and Edmond came here."

"It would make sense that Q would ask you if you had a limiter, is his own was needed for himself," Shoy stated bluntly.

Sim took a step back, taking everything in. He'd never been outside the town walls, and now he was wondering why he hadn't been, if it was so amazing. It was so foreign, people allowing weaklings to just roam around, like they had a right to live...

Amigo jumped in with his new question. The mention of Edmond had sparked his interest. Mercain minimized the still image and turned to Amigo as Amigo asked his question. "Mercain, you know more about Edmond than anybody. You say Edmond came to Dexterity with Q already?"

Mercain nodded. Amigo continued, "How long do you think they've been together?"
Amigo's face made it clear was devising one of his master plans.

Mercain leaned back in his chair, thinking. "I don't really know much about Q. He's about as mysterious as Insom, if not a little moreso." He rubbed his chin, looking up at a picture of Edmond with a mustache and angry eyes drawn on the face with marker. "If I had to make a guess, I'd say at least two or more years before coming here. Why?"

Amigo put his foot forward, opening his hand in explanation of his motives. "Edmond has several servants. I believe at one point you said he's trained most, if not all of them. If Edmond has sparred with Q, or even known Q for as long as you guess, then they would have a deep trust. Edmond would know about Q's Rez. Edmond would know how Q is able to mask himself."

Mercain's brows creased. "You're right. I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Edmond still trusts you," Amigo stated in response. "You should go to him in a few hours, explain you heard about what happened, and want to know if Edmond's okay. Then you should bring up how it was weird Q contacted you about a limiter for Tali. Maybe bring something up about how he should bring Tali to us, to take the problem off Edmond's hands."

Mercain nodded, "Right, I'll call him in-"
"No," Amigo stepped forward, asserting his authority. "Go to him in person. Show you care. Even though I know you don't."

Mercain frowned, suddenly uneasy, "Outside...?"

"It would be best for you to get some fresh air in all these years, anyway. Trust me on this, it'll only work if you go in person. Show you are worried about him." With that Amigo cut the line and closed the laptop. He took a deep breath, then turned to Shoy. "You should go find Roy. I'm going to go out to eat."

Shoy nodded, giving a passing glance to Sim, and walked out the door. Amigo reached for his coat, which was on a coat rack.
"Wait," Sim grabbed Amigo's sleeve. "That Q guy... Should I be worried about him?"

Amigo sighed, and loosened up, looking down to Sim. "Even with this new information, Q is still only a dog. And the dog only does what its master orders him to. He will ignore everything else. You have nothing to be afraid of." He turned to continue putting on his coat, but Sim stopped him again, pulling on the sleeve.

"Are you sure? He will ignore me?"

"I am positive," Amigo replied. "Dogs have one-track minds. You should be worried about Edmond, not his pet."

Sim let go of Amigo's shirt, allowing the man to put his coat on and open the door to go outside. "You have nothing to worry about. I don't understand why you would be in the first place." With that he stepped out into the early evening and walked off.

Sim, left by himself, looked at his hands. His worry turned into play. He grinned. Why wait a few hours for Mercain to ask Edmond? Sim could get the answers straight from the source. He jumped through the nearby mirror.

9. Limits

Edmond was perplexed. But now he had a situation to deal with. He couldn't allow anyone to see Q in this state, but if Mercain went through all the trouble to actually come here in person, he had to let him in.

Thinking quickly, the Count came up with an idea. "Hey," he said to Q. "Look at me." Q's watery green irises looked up to Edmond, who in turn locked their eyes. "Aine," he commanded. "Go to sleep."
The Count wasn't sure it would work, but it was quick thinking. Q's eyes seemed to glaze over for a second, before he closed them sharply and jumped back. He startled himself and those around him, as he hit the coffee table and almost lost his balance. He brought his sleeve to his face, trying to wipe it dry. He reached out his free hand, and Edmond put the sunglasses in it.

Q quickly put his glasses on and looked away, bringing his hands to his sides. "I am sorry you had to see me like that."
Edmond sighed with relief. "It's all right," he replied. "I know it wasn't really you." He was just glad the command had worked. He couldn't have Mercain walking in and seeing a scene like what had just occurred.

Edmond turned to the servant, who was still waiting patiently. "You may let Mercain in, now."
The servant nodded and walked back over to the door.

Q sniffed, and wiped his face with his hands a few more times. He didn't even know he was capable of crying.
"Why don't you go upstairs and wash yourself off," Edmond suggested. "And when you think you've recovered enough, you can come back down here, alright?"

Q nodded, and walked back upstairs just as Mercain came in with a worried look on his face.
Edmond, shirtless. With fresh bandages over him. The hacker sat in a chair across from the Count.

"I heard about what happened, and I came to see if you were all right."

Edmond chuckled slightly. "Well, I've been better, as I'm sure you can see."

Mercain leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "Well, against Shoy, I'd say you're doing pretty good. I've heard bad stories about him."
Mercain was finding this seat rather uncomfortable. And he felt like it was too dark in the room. There were no glowing monitors around... It was too open here. He found himself growing uneasy by the open space.

"Yes, well, I had help at the last moment. Though I do believe we were evenly matched." That was a lie. Edmond knew he would've lost, unless Q had stayed there to help him the entire time.

"Really?" Mercain smiled slightly. "Well, your reputations precede the both of you. What I would've given to see that fight."

"I wouldn't say it was that entertaining..." Edmond smirked.

"Quit being so modest," Mercain replied.

Edmond Chuckled. "I've never seen you get out of your office before. There must be something more important at hand than my health, here."

Mercain looked around the room, fumbling with his hands. "Well... Maybe not more important..."

"Oh?" Edmond grunted as he pushed himself to sit up on the couch, rather than lay. The pillows behind him shuffled, and one of the servants quickly went to his aid, replacing them so Edmond could sit more comfortably.

Mercain watched, and waited for the servants to be done before continuing. He lowered his voice, as if unsure. "I got a call earlier from Q today. I didn't even know he could use the phone."

Edmond frowned. So that's why Q had the laptop. He wondered if he was already losing himself to Aine when he had called Mercain. "What did he say?"

"He told me about Tali," Mercain replied. "Said he had contacted Opal, she told him how to kill her, and he asked if I had invented a device to suppress someone's resonance soul."

Edmond's frown deepened. "I didn't know he had contacted you about this. I'm sorry to have wasted your time, but..."

"No, no," Mercain waved his hands. "It's all right. I actually do have a generator for that purpose. But I was under the impression you already had a limiter, so I wanted to ask you about it."

Edmond's brows furrowed. "No... You know how I am about technology. What would make you think we had one?" He was lying through his teeth. Q had just come down complaining of his being breaking...

"Well, it's just that, you know," Mercain was trying to come up with a way to say this without blowing his cover. "I was wondering how Q could be in contact with Opal without, you know, dying. So I looked him up, and a pretty consistent fact about him is that nobody can feel his presence. Ki, Rez. Nothing. And even normal people have a little ki..."

Edmond had to think of an excuse for that, quickly. "Ah, Q has always been that way. I think it is because he is not human."

"Not human?" Mercain wasn't buying it.

"He's sort of a werewolf." Edmond stated flatly.

"A werewolf." Mercain really wasn't buying it, now.

"I can't make stuff like this up," Edmond reasoned. Oh god. A werewolf? Is that seriously all he could come up with?

Mercain leaned back in his chair. It was clear to him that Edmond was pulling reasons out of his a** to get away from the limiter issue. Finally, Mercain came out with it."I saw what happened when Aine was murdered. I know Q has a limiter."

Edmond let out a sigh. "It shouldn't matter if he has a limiter or not, he was clearly asking for your help in the matter of the phoenix." Just because Mercain said he'd seen something, didn't mean he understood it. If he could get off the issue...

"Well, I understand that. And I am willing to help with my generator, of course." He was being cordial, before he got to the rude part. "But I want to know why Q has a limiter. And you know my curiosity, Edmond. If you don't tell me, I'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Then you'll just have to figure it out for yourself," Edmond growled.

Just then, Q walked down the steps, still in his suit. He was much more composed now, standing up straight.
Mercain, at the sound of the other's footsteps, stood up and turned toward Q.
"Ah, Q. We were just talking about you and your limiter."

Q grit his teeth, looking toward Edmond through his glasses. Would he? No, Edmond knew better than to tell anyone about his problems. He turned back to Mercain. "The limiter I asked you for?" He was going to play dumb.

Mercain forced a smile. This was proving more difficult than he envisioned. "No, the one you already own."

Q looked to Edmond again, grasping at some type of hint of what he should do. Edmond saw the look on his partner's face, and chimed in again. "I told you, whether or not he has a limiter shouldn't matter."

Mercain growled to himself. "Edmond and I were discussing your Rez."

Edmond grunted, "What?" How did the situation turn into this? "Mercain, what does it matter what his Rez is?"
If only he could get up without hurting himself...

"It matters to me!" Mercain shouted, turning to Edmond, but pointing to Q. "There is something wrong with that guy, and I want to know why it's so important you protect him!"

Q was taken aback. He wondered what had happened here. Why was Mercain acting like this? Was this what Opal was talking about?
"I don't have a Resonance Soul," He said.

Mercain jumped at Q, putting his arms around the man's neck. "That's bullshit! I saw it!" Mercain was trying to choke Q, but Q's collar was in the way. The hacker moved his hands up more, but wasn't strong enough to restrict Q's breathing, so Q did nothing to protect himself.

"If you saw it, then you already know what it is," Q rasped.

Mercain tightened his grip as much as he could, he had no response to that.

"Let go of him, Mercain!" Edmond shouted from his couch. "Get out of my house!"

Two servants rushed in, pulling at Mercain. Mercain eventually released Q from his grasp, but ran toward Edmond to do the same, clenching his hands around the Count's neck. In this, his grip was stronger since Edmond was sitting, and shorter than Mercain. The servants tried to separate him, but he wouldn't budge.
"You ******** b*****d. I don't know how I've put up with you for so long. But now that you're in this shape, I'll kill you with my own hands!"

Edmond closed his eyes, and rather than struggling, simply relaxed his body, and turned into thousands of Monarchs, slipping through the hacker's fingertips. "Edmond!" Mercain screamed.
The servants grabbed him and threw him out of the castle, but the hacker still pounded on the door outside. "I'll ******** kill you, Edmond! I'll do it! You b*****d!"

The butterflies massed near Q, before reforming into their host, Mr. Dantes. For a moment, the Count staggered, not fully able to handle his weight. Q held his shoulders. Edmond winced.
"What just happened?" Q asked. He was incredibly confused.

Edmond grunted, "I'm not too sure."

11. Seekers

Teddy brought her hands up to her face, pushing the goggles up on her head so she could look at Askasa with her bright green eyes. "Well, that's easy enough. We're Seekers."
Tootz came toward Teddy, putting her arms around the other's shoulders, with a smile, "And we're seeking."

Askasa stood up, having fully recovered from the electric shock. "For what?" Fortenra had never heard of seekers before.
Ismaru cocked his head to the side.

"Oh my gosh," Tootz brought her face to Teddy's ear. "They don't know what Seekers are?"
Teddy frowned slightly, "Dexterity is so behind the times. No wonder nobody comes here." She shrugged, forcing Tootz off her. "Well, no matter. I'm up for a history lesson!" she brought her hand up, pointing to the sky.

"Long a go, there was a legend of the perfect soul, the Fire Phoenix. This soul was the only soul that was truly immortal, and rendered its hostbody very powerful. The problem with this soul is that it has its own personality.."

"Yes!" Tootz jumped in, "Because personalities are different from souls. They're part of the body and mind. The soul is something alltogether different."

Teddy pushed Tootz over, "Don't interrupt!" she whined.

Ismaru and Fortenra blinked in awe. They were trying to process the information they were given, however, they were also trying to understand what was wrong with these two girls.

"Anyway," Teddy continued, dusting herself off. "Prophecy states that at every reincarnation of the Phoenix soul into another body, it always destroys the body and those around it. So there are people who's sole purpose is to figure out a way to permanently kill the Pheonix."

"But there's a problem! Since mass can never be created or destroyed, you'd think you can't de--" Tootz's mouth was covered by Teddy's hand.

"I SAID," Teddy growled, "Don't interrupt me!" Tootz was given a small electric shot.

"So then, Seekers are the ones trying to find the true way to kill the Pheonix soul?" Ismaru asked, trying to not laugh at the two.

"No," Teddy laughed to herself. "Killing the Phoenix is a job for the Monte Cristos."

Fortenra took step back, thinking to himself. "Edmond.."

"There is another group," Teddy said with confidence, "Well, I guess it's not really a group, as only one of them is in existance at a time." Tootz opened her mouth, a squeak came out, and she immediately closed her trap when Teddy gave her a dirty look.

Once Teddy looked back to Ismaru and Fortenra, she continued to educate them. "The Soul Stealer. His purpose is to obtain the perfect Soul, the Phoenix Soul."

"Soul Stealer?" Ismaru questioned. "Is that like another name for a grim reaper?"

Teddy burst out laughing. "Oho, dear god no. No. Soul Stealers have a powerful Resonance Soul. They have the ability to reach into a person and pull out their soul. But they can't just throw the soul anywhere, that's why they're not Grim Reapers. They can only move the souls around. They can switch people's souls, like placing souls in different bodies. They don't normally do that, though. Their true power is when there is no host around for them to put the soul they've stolen. If that's the case, they take the soul into themselves. When that happens, the Soul Stealer can use the Rez of the soul they have stolen. In theory, the Soul Stealer can accumulate an unlimited number of souls and rez, and can use them all."

Askasa quirked a brow. "But?"

"Ooo, you're smart to think there is a but, because there is one." Teddy replied, smiling. She felt like a teacher who had just given a failing student an A for the first time. "Even though Personalities and Souls are technically separate, they are intertwined. The Soul Stealer, when he steals a soul, has to merge with the being of the other Soul. He takes on some of the personality traits of the the person who's Soul he has stolen. What ends up, is one soul, with the traits of many souls, hence the multiple rez."

"That seems like some kind of design flaw," Ismaru piped up. "Wouldn't he get really confused?"

Teddy pointed to Ismaru, her hand shaped like a gun. She tched as she pretended to shoot him. "That's right, it is. There have only been three Soul Stealers, according to the history books. While they all took different tactics to try and handle their power, they all eventually went insane with internal conflict if they absorbed too many souls."

"Then why would they want The Phoenix? It seems like it would be more trouble for them," Askasa thought aloud.

"Well, that's my personal favorite part of the story!" Teddy proclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "The Phoenix is always looking for the perfect host, and the Soul Stealer is looking to become immortal and all-powerful. Although Soul Stealers' personalities are strong, so far history has told us that their mental capacity has been weak. The Phoenix, when absorbed into the Soul Stealer... Well it's never really happened, but it's noted that the most likely situation -- and my personal belief is this, too -- is that the Phoenix can take over the Soul Stealer's body for itself. And since it is the perfect Soul, it will have the ability to steal any souls it wants, become one with them, become more powerful, and achieve its goal of consuming all life."

"And then no one would be able to stop it because then not only would the Phoenix be immortal and powerful, but it would reside in the only host it couldn't destroy. So it could continue to steal more souls and become even more powerful," Tootz had been serious instead of playful, that time. She and Teddy were both afraid of that happening.

"And that's what Seekers are for," Teddy stated. "We travel the world, looking for the Soul Stealer. Our job is to kill him, so he can't merge with the Phoenix."

Askasa was finding this hard to believe, since he had known Tali for a long time. She wasn't evil. Nor did she let her power consume her. She wouldn't have killed herself to use her power...
"Wait," he finally spoke up again. "You said the Phoenix destroys all its hosts. But it can't destroy the Soul Stealer. How is that possible? The Soul Stealer seems like a normal person like any other."

Tootz stepped forward, answering this one. "The Phoenix has such a strong personality, that it feels strapped down by a normal body built for a normal soul. Since Soul Stealers were built for housing more than one soul at a time, it does not have the same problem. Eventually, all Phoenix hosts either are consumed by their own power as the Phoenix attempts to free itself, or killed off by a Monte Cristo."

"But I know this Phoenix," Askasa rebutted. "She would not have been consumed. She was not corrupt. She was perfect."
Ismaru looked back to his surrogate brother, who appeared to be remembering his best friend. It was clear Askasa missed her deeply.

Teddy shrugged, putting one hand up. "My grandmother knew a Phoenix, and she felt the same. The ending was brutal. Your friend is no different."

"How dare you say that!" Askasa roared. "She was my best friend!"

Teddy jumped back, her arms giving off slight sparks, ready for a fight. This boy obviously had a short temper. However, she was still confused. "Was? What do you mean 'was'?"

"She was shot in the head by a sniper yesterday, and then was kidnapped today by a man with a tail. She hasn't revived yet," Ismaru sighed.

Tootz gasped. "A man with a tail? That's the current Soul Stealer! We've been looking for him forever!"

"He's been a wily one. We can't track him because he uses a limiter. No one can feel him. He's been the only one to go with such an awkward approach to his powers," Teddy placed a hand on her hip, closing her eyes in a disgruntled sigh.

"What's a limiter?" Ismaru asked.

"Jesus, they don't teach kids in Dexterity anything, do they?" Teddy groaned. "It's a mechanism that negates the use of ki and Rez. There are two types." She held up her hand, with only two fingers raised. "One renders the Rez unusable. They are Rez Suspenders." She curled in one of her two fingers. "The second stops both ki use and rez use. They are Negators." She lowered her hand, looking toward Ismaru. "You noticed he runs slow, right? It's because he can't use ki to enhance anything about him."

Ismaru frowned. No wonder.

"Anyway!" Tootz jumped up, trying to lighten the mood. "We heard as we were passing someone say the Phoenix was in the castle. The voice came from here, but of course by the time we got here you two were being silly and fighting over why she didn't say that information earlier. If you care so much about your precious Pheonix, then maybe you want to come with us to kill the Soul Stealer?"

Askasa smirked, and looked to Ismaru. Ismaru didn't look as happy about it as Askasa did. "Sure. Sounds fun." The response was from the waiter.

"But Insom was talking about the Castle of Monte Cristo... You said the Monte Cristos are the ones that try to kill the Phoenix. We should be saving the Phoenix, not killing the Soul Stealer," Ismaru suggested.

"No," Fortenra butted in. "We'll go in one big burst. I bet that Tailed guy works for Edmond if Tali's at the castle. We'll kill the Soul Stealer and Edmond at once."

"But Edmond's strong... Nobody's ever beaten him before," Ismaru interjected.

"You shouldn't be so self-conscious, Ismaru. I know you can beat an old fogey like that."

13. Rain

"I can't believe him," Roy grumbled to himself as he maniacally tapped keys on a keyboard. "He says, work on it, work on it, and I finally say fine and what does he do? Tries to make me not work on it!!" The redhead growled and slammed a few keys. Roy had been using one pronoun to identify two people. The first being Amigo, the second, Shoy.

The door opened, Amigo came in. Immediately, he noticed Roy there and smiled. "Thank you for working on it like I asked," he stated.

Roy hmphed, looking over to a large tube filled with what appeared to be nothing but water and discarded wires. "I don't understand why nobody can know about it," he replied.

Amigo turned, looking through a stack of discarded, leather-bound books he had found for Roy to read. All of them had something to do with the Phoenix, Soul Stealers, or souls in general. "They'll know in time. It's just important that they don't know now." He turned to Roy again, who was looking through a microscope. "Is there a way to accelerate the growth?"

Roy brought his face from the microscope and tapped a few more keys on the keyboard at the nearby computer, rolling his eyes. "Roy can do anything," he replied. "Maybe I will be done in three days."

Amigo clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Thank you. I know this is a rush job, but I know you can do it."
Roy turned to Amigo, his eyes saddened. "I do it only because it makes father happy!" he outstretched his arms and looked as if he were about to cry.
Amigo came running forward and hugged Roy, running his hands through his 'son''s red hair. "Yes, yes it does. It makes Father Amigo very happy." He looked at the microscope, then to Roy's head. "Will you be okay by yourself here?"
Roy nodded into Amigo's chest and gave a final squeeze before turning back to his project.
Amigo quietly stepped out of the room, and took an elevator up to ground level. Swinging his umbrella, as soon as he reached above-ground, he opened it and began to hum to himself. It was going to rain tonight.

Back at the Phoenix gang's home, Askasa was getting ready to leave, and yelling at Ismaru for not being in as much a hurry as he was.
"I don't see what the rush is," Ismaru stated. "Why do we have to leave now?"
"Because--" Askasa began, as he stuffed weapons into a duffelbag "We should--"

Teddy wagged a finger at them. "We are not leaving tonight!" she proclaimed.
Askasa shot up. "What? Why not!"
Tootsie grabbed around Teddy's waist, setting her chin on the other's shoulder. "Q-- that's the name of your Soul Stealer-- He is nocturnal. It is better to leave in the morning, while he's asleep."

"A sneak attack?" Ismaru smirked. His specialty. "Why not listen to them, Fortenra?"
The other boy growled at them, but still shoved his weapons into the duffelbag, albeit a bit slower.

Teddy frowned at them both and yawned, only to have her mate jump away with an "ow!".
"You just shocked me!" she shouted.
Teddy frowned. "No I didn't?"
"Yes you did!" Tootz stomped.
Then Teddy shocked herself, and winced. "There must be a thunderhead nearby or something.." she said to herself, stepping more into the house. An area where there was a roof, preferably.

Over the Castle of the Monte Cristo, it had already begun to pour.
Q didn't notice. He was listening to another song through his large headphones. And not having learned his lesson completely, had a kretek in his mouth. His arms were behind him, over the back of his chair, and he was blankly staring at the Phoenix once more.
The dresser was righted against the wall, and the many shards of mirror were in a pile in a faraway corner. It was nine PM.
"Riddle me this: Three half eaten corneas, Who hid the aureole...Stalk the ground, Stalk the ground..."

Edmond was heading upstairs when he stopped by Q's door. The Count had a jacket on, but had already recovered marginally. He was slightly on edge, though. If someone had come to kill him before they may come again to finish him off while he was like this. So he had always been scouting, careful if he felt ki or Rez. And while it was faint, there was no denying he was feeling it behind Q's door.
He had to stop himself, and stare at the closed wood. Q was keeping the Phoenix in his own room, right? Edmond frowned. He reached over and turned the knob, pushing the door open, but not going inside.
Q sat in a chair near his bed, where Tali laid in her coma like some typ of totem. Q was listening to music and smoking and just... Quietly staring at her. If the visual wasn't bad enough, he couldn't see it, but he could visualize what was happening.
It felt almost.. Weird. Q was warm with his own energy, but it seemed like tendrils of his soul were inching toward Tali. And as they inched closer the minute soul from Tali grew, trying to Reach Q's. They didn't ever seem to quite touch, and as soon as they were close enough they jerked away, but kept trying again.
If ever Edmond had been horrified, this was the time.
"Q!" Edmond shouted. Q didn't pay attention.
"You should have seen the curse that flew right by you. Page of concrete; Stain walks crutch and hobbled sway.."

"Q!" he yelled louder, still no response. Not even an extra breath. Edmond stomped into the room and yanked Q's headphones off, throwing them to the side. "Q!" Still nothing. Edmond grabbed one of Q's arms and began dragging him out of the chair. Finally Q's attention was had. He pulled his arm back, turning to Edmond. "Leave me alone," he said.

Edmond growled "No, come outside, I need to talk with you."
Q took a deep breath, taking his cig from his mouth with his right hand. "Can't it wait?"
Edmond glared. "No it can't, come on!" He forcefully dragged Q out of his own room and slammed the door shut, throwing Q's back against the outside of it. The cigarette had carelessly fallen from Q's fingertips in the room and was on the floor somewhere.
"What were you doing in there?" Edmond growled. He knew what was going on but he wanted some sort of explanation. His hands gripped Q's shirt collar, as he'd never bothered to change out of the uniform.
"I wasn't doing anything..." Q said softly. "What's the big deal...?"
Edmond shoved Q into the door again. "That's bullshit and you know it. You're breaking your own limiter. You--"
"Whoah, whoah--" Q brought his hands up. "I'm not breaking my own limiter, I swear-- why would I do that? That's stupid. I don't--"

Loud thunder shook the house.
"Fine, you aren't, whatever. I forbid you to be in the same room with the Phoenix."
At that Q finally started to care a little more. His teeth grit and he tried to push Edmond away from him. Edmond wouldn't let go, though. "You can't do that!"
"I can, and I just did," Edmond argued, his grip still tight.

"No you can't! I ******** shot her, I should get to stay with her as long as I want!" Q tried to turn around, to get back in his room. His ki was flaring up. If Edmond didn't do something soon the Seekers would be all over this place. Edmond growled and shoved all his weight into Q to keep his back to the door.
"Shut up and calm down. It shouldn't be a big deal you can't see her," Edmond was grasping at straws. Q wasn't buying it.
"No! What the ******** are you talking about?" he was getting antsy now, almost begging. "I can't do that! I have to watch her, I have to be--"
"You don't 'have' to anything!" Edmond screamed. "You can't see her any more and that's final!"

Q let out a guttural growl, as if he were an animal. He brought his leg up and kneed Edmond in the gut, but didn't get very far as Edmond had used his Jade armor, anticipating the strike. "Let me go, Edmond! It's none of your business what I do!"
Q now tried to get free with everything he had, but Q, having been limited for so long was just wasting his ki and not getting much done with someone with as much expierence as Edmond at his neck. The Count growled and leaned in even closer.
The both of them disappeared, replaced by a flock of monarchs which quickly flew to the sparring room.
The two materialized again, only Q fell to the ground and threw up from motion sickness. Edmond was a bit dazed himself, but recovered much more quickly than his younger companion. And as soon as he had, ran to the door and locked it from the outside.

It took Q a good two minutes to recover and figure out what had happened. He ran to the door and began to bang on it.
"Edmond! EDMOND!!" Q backed away and tried to shoulder the door. It wasn't getting anywhere. Q began to cry. "What the ******** is wrong with you?! I NEED HER!! EDMOND!"

The count took a few deep breaths and began to walk up the stairs from the cave. He whispered an 'I'm Sorry' to no one and hoped that being so far underground the Seekers wouldn't feel Q. Part of being a Seeker was the ability to sense the Soul Stealer's particular ki and Rez much better than anyone else, as it was so different.

The thunder was booming, and lightning striking through the torrents of rain. It'd be cold and wet down in the cave. As Edmond sat on his bed, he wondered if a new limiter would even do any good in a situation such as this.
Why did he kid himself? Q was too unpredictable without the limiter to even begin to learn how to use his power effectively.
He was beginning to think it was a mistake to try keep him in the dark about the prophecies. Q didn't know about past Soul Stealers, or their relationship with the Phoenix, or the Seekers. All Q knew was that it was the Monte Cristo's job to kill the Phoenix once and for all, and he had wanted to help.

The Count put his hands to his face, and rubbed his eyes with his palms. It was foolish to think the Soul Stealer wouldn't try to merge with the Phoenix even if the host body didn't know they were supposed to. Oh God, the League would have Edmond's head for keeping a Soul Stealer so close. His whole plan was blowing up in his face. Because of Q, he was so close to ending the curse, but now... Edmond shuddered. He knew he couldn't really hear Q's pleas for release from the Sparring room, but that didn't stop him from believing he did.

15. Lust

It was the second day of nonstop rain. Edmond was getting worried and went downstairs. The temperature was at least ten degrees colder, if not more down there. It was morning, so he figured Q would be asleep. Carefully and quietly, he opened the door, only to see Q huddled in a small ball right next to it, shivering. The sparring room, being made of natural caverns underneath the castle, was beginning to flood. Q was all wet, and his breath came out in spurts. Edmond felt like a slave master, and was immediately overcome with guilt.

"Q," he nudged the man with his foot. "Q you can come out now."
Q opened his eyes warily and stood up slowly. Once his brain slowly came into reality, he shot at Edmond, giving him the tightest, wettest bearhug Edmond had possibly ever received. Edmond backed up a few steps, feeling the other man shiver against his skin.

"It's okay.." Edmond started to say, expecting Aine to be out, but he was horribly mistaken.
"Don't even start, you backstabber. I'm only like this to share bodyheat," it was as if Q were a feral dog ready to bite its master. Edmond was almost frightened.
"Walk with me to get a towel," Q ordered.

Edmond swallowed, and began his ascent with Q upstairs. A servant passed by and he asked for a few towels and blankets. The servant came back within minutes and Q parted with Edmond to sit on the couch, covered by his new forms of warmth.
"I'm sorr--" Edmond was only cut off again.

"Don't apologize, you douchebag. I could've died down there. You didn't even give me any food."
"Well I thought-"
"You thought wrong, Edmond," Q snarled.

Edmond sighed. "Maybe we should go change," he offered, trying to remain cordial.
"Yeah. Yeah you go do that," Q snapped back.

Once Edmond got up and left, Q followed and slammed his own door shut. He changed out of his wet clothes and into his normal black/red getup. He then looked at his headphones on the floor. He picked them up and put them on his dresser.
That was when he finally noticed Tali wasn't on his bed any more.
He snarled, took a handgun off his wall, and stomped into Edmond's bedroom.

Edmond just finished buttoning up a new vest when Q put the gun to his head and cocked it. "Tell me where Tali is," Q barked.
The Count put his hands up. He knew his Jade Armor couldn't stop a bullet, especially not at this distance. But he also didn't think Q would act like this. Maybe he deserved it. Locking Q up was cruel.
"Do you really need to see her so badly? Since when have you cared so much about a girl, Q?"

Q growled, stepping forward, pushing the barrel into Edmond's head. Edmond stepped back with Q's forward movement.
"Tell me where she is. After what you did to me, don't think I'll sway that easily."

Edmond reached forward a bit, going for Q's sunglasses. "Do you even know why you care so much about her?"

Q's free hand came up and grabbed Edmond's wavering hand. "Don't ******** with me." Edmond began to feel faint, as if he were losing consciousness. It was only circumstance that he saw Q tinge green.

"Q, let go," it was a whisper. "You're..."

"Tell me where she is!" Q shouted.

Edmond felt like he was floating away. It was slowly, and strangely peaceful, but his very being was full of fear. "She's in the guest bedroom," his voice was hardly audible, but Q caught it and immediately left.

As soon as he did, Edmond dropped down to the ground, his eyesight wavering. Everything seemed to jump back to him, but he still felt exhausted. He knew he saw Q using his Jade Armor. Was this how it felt to have his soul be taken away? He wondered if the limiter had just saved his life.

Q walked down the long hall. At the very end was the guest bedroom, in which Tali was placed on the bed. The window was carelessly open, making the Rain painfully apparent. All Q wanted to do was sit with this girl, and watch her. That was all. If Edmond wanted to throw him in a brig for just watching someone, what would the count do next? Torture him for listening to music too often? He glared down at Tali, who's hair was all out of place again.

He smiled and bent over to rearrange it. Being near this girl made him happy. He didn't know why, but Edmond was not going to deny him of it. As he touched Tali, he felt warmer. He tucked the girls long hair behind her shoulders, then brushed her cheek with hand. It almost felt like... Even though she was unconscious, he could just feel that she liked being with him too.
He inched closer to the bed, sitting next to her. He paused, waving his hand over her body as if too afraid to touch anything but her face.
A voice in the back of his mind told him something was wrong, and this wasn't okay. Q didn't listen and bent over to kiss the girl he had sorely missed for a day and a half, locked away in a horrible, cold cave.

Amigo walked into Roy's underground lab, where there was an androgynous child in the large tube. "How old is it?" he asked Roy, who was watching scrolling text at the monitor.
"Fourteen," Roy answered.

The child had long red hair, just like Roy's. Its skin was pale, and its eyes had been closed until just now. Its back arched and the child moaned.
Amigo looked confused, and turned to Roy again. "What's going on?"
Roy stroked a few keys and the barrage of formulas on the monitor stopped.
"It is eighteen, and it feels the Soul Stealer using his power."

"It already knows Q's ki and Rez?" Amigo asked.
Roy nodded.
"Well, why is it... Acting like that...?"
Amigo was watching the expierement stroke its upperbody, up and down. "Is it... Is it trying to masturbate?" Amigo looked slightly disgusted.

Roy burst out laughing. "Well. Maybe."
The child in the tube moaned a string of words. Amigo grimaced, but still couldn't resist. "What did it say?"
Roy clasped his hands together. "It sounded like 'I want him inside me.'"

Amigo put his hand to his face in shock. "But it doesn't even have a sex, why would it say that?" He wanted to puke.
Roy chuckled again. "It has no soul. It only knows bodily things. It makes sense, doesn't it? It only knows what the body knows. It cannot feel want like love. To love like we with souls do is foreign to it. Once it has the soul we want to give it, things will be different."

Amigo nodded, but still was slightly awed. "You're right. I guess it does make sense. I'm going to go out now, but prepare... it.. For what we planned."

Roy nodded, but just as Amigo opened the door to leave Roy ran up to Amigo and hugged him, again. "I came up with a name for it, father! We can be parents!"
Amigo stopped in mid-stride with a sigh. He pet Roy's hair. "Oh? And what did you name it?"

"Sin."

How oddly appropriate.