Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Huh?” said Hazeline turning to eye Alex. “What was it like…for me? Well…pretty mind blowing I think…,” said Hazeline quietly watching the intraction between Ebony, her raevan and Zul. “Honestly, my mind…it was all fast and slow at the same time. Lazarus handled Xiu rather well. Xiu was reluctant to leave the Lab. He must have been attached to Lazarus or something…,” said Hazeline, recalling her frei’s plaintive cry for help from Lazarus when her younger brother hugged the frei. “Xiu, he has come a long way from that,” said Hazeline softly with a touch of pride.

At Zul’s introduction, Hazeline nodded. “Umm,hello there,” said Hazeline to the young raevan, unsure if all this sudden attention was good to the new frei.

“Welcome to the world, young one,” said Xiu gently with a touch of amusement in his voice. However, not wanting to spoil the young frei’s interaction with her guardian, the white frei refrained from floating forward. “You should go to her,” said Xiu softly to Ebony. “She needs to know you,”

The lab was bustling with activities today. Not only was Alex busy with two appointments - one of a newborn pick-up and another with the check-up of Xiu, Kyou and Lazarus was busy as well. It had been more than a year since the lab's reconstruction, and it is about time for a thorough spring (or more accurately, autumn) cleaning, and they are starting from Kyou's office.

"Oh God!" Lazarus winced and covers his nose and mouth with a hand as he opened a large cabinet filled with dust and cobwebs. He glanced momentarily at a movement in a dark corner inside, probably just a spider. "How long ago was the last time you cleaned this place?" Lazarus asked in disbelief.

"Uhm, never?" Kyou smiled sheepishly from behind the opened steel box covers that contain the fel essence collection.

The office room is in a total mess now, as Lazarus are cleaning out his cabinets. Towering piles of junk paper sat on one side of Kyou's desk, useless guardian application forms, failed experiment reports, paper advertisements, papers filled with random ideas or doodles. One would be surprised how much all these can stack up to over just one year. Lazarus sighed, he couldn't belief how messy Kyou's office can be. Over the years, Lazarus had learnt how to take care of himself and Kyou, especially after Lazarus's growth into Sigel. In contrast, Lazarus's room is a lot neater than any of Kyou's rooms. Sometimes the Sigel finding himself cleaning up after some of Kyou's mess, and he wonder if the role of guardian belonged to him or Kyou.

On the other side of the desk and room was where Kyou was doing his own organizing. Racks of test tubes containing fel essences sat on the desk and on the floor. Kyou had pulled most of them out so that it is easier for him to check the inventory of the fel essence. "Unoxidized Silver, check." Kyou muttered as he wrote down the shining fel essence's name before placing it back into the box. It was at this moment that he felt the nature calling to him. "I'll be back in a moment." Kyou said as he got up and went through the bathroom door just right behind him.

When Lazarus turned around, Kyou was already gone. Rolling his eyes, he got back to work. Deciding that he should clear the desk first before he pile anymore of Kyou's junk on it, he heaved up a pile of paper and started moving towards the cardboard box located beside the door. At the end of the day these will be sent to a recycling center.

What happened in the next few moment, Lazarus did not foresee, nor will he remember clearly what happened in the future. The top of the paper tower tipped dangerously as he heaved it towards it's destination, in an attempt to keep it balanced, Lazarus had knocked his body onto Kyou's desk by accident, causing a single rack of fel essence to topple off the desk. The rack had only contained two vials of fel essence, one was a strange furry rock, and the other had some very faint purple smoke in it. It was like slow motion when the vials hit the floor and smashed. Lazarus's eyes immediately trained towards the direction of the sound but it was already too late. It was only after a few seconds of pause however, when Lazarus started to feel... weird.

Kyou was washing his hands when he heard the faint sound of glass shattering coming from his office, then a few seconds later, the louder sound of something falling to the floor. Rushing to the door he yanked it open and he saw Lazarus just floated there with a giant pile of paper on the floor, scattered everywhere. "Oh, it's alright Laz, I'll help you pick those... back up.... again." his attention was immediately concentrated on Lazarus as he walked closer. Lazarus looked strange, his head was cocked slightly upwards and his eyes were white, as he moved closer, he can see that Lazarus's body was trembling slightly. Tentatively, he stepped over the mess on the floor and touched his hand to Lazarus's arm. But he pulled back his hand almost immediately. He was burning! "Lazarus??"

Just at that moment, Lazarus's eyes rolled back to normal and it seemed like he returned to his normal self, panting slightly.

"Oh God Lazarus! Don't scare me like that!" Kyou exhaled in relief as Lazarus returned back to normal, or so it seemed. Kyou suddenly felt strong warm hands pressed against his shoulders as he was pushed back by the strong Sigel. Losing his balance, Kyou fell backwards and landed on the office floor. Still in shock, he struggled to get up but suddenly felt a sharp pain on his finger. Ignoring it at first, he looked up to find that Lazarus had went out the door. Then he look back at his cut fingers and found that he had accidentally cut himself on some broken glass. Broken glass? The shards were obscured by the paper mess on the floor, and as Kyou carefully picked up the papers, the realization that hit him was like being hit by a truck.

Lazarus was moving on pure instinct. He had exited Kyou's cramped office and his hunter-like eyes had settled on a small group of human and Raevans not far in front of him. Females. Most of them were not looking in his direction, some even had their back on him. Stalking towards the group quietly, he approaches his prey like a hunting predator. The one with her back towards him, she looked delicious. Like the final dash towards his prey, Lazarus moved forwards swiftly and wrapped his arms around the unsuspecting Alex, pinning his warm body against her back as one of his arms slither around her tender waist, and the other up to one of her boobs, massaging softly. He leaned his head close to Alex's and emitted a soft purr from his lips.

Xiu smiled as the newborn frei touched his face. Despite her outward appearances, this new frei, she was gently. The white frei gave an internal nod of approval and watched as the frei continued her greetings and at the sight of her interaction with Ebony, Xiu couldn’t help but smile. By the looks of it, they were getting along rather well. Xiu turned to eye his guardian and Alex. They had been whispering softly all this while and the white frei was curious. However…

Xiu found himself staring at the sight of a horrified Alex and a gropping Lazarus. Confusion flared within the white frei. What was this?! What was Lazarus doing?!

“Lazarus!” shouted Xiu; shock, disapproval and horror written clearly across the white frei’s features. “W-What are you doing?!”

Hazeline…

Blue eyes snapped wide open as instinctively, the white frei made a grab for his guardian who was too stunned to move and pulled her away from the red Sigel. This was not right!! What had happened to-to the Sigel he had admired?!

Stone grey wings snapped wide open as the white frei kept Hazeline securely behind him.

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Hazeline watched spellbound as the Sigel continued to grope at Alex’s breast. Wh-what was happening? Too stunned to move, Hazeline could only stare before having herself dragged away from Lazarus and shove behind Xiu.

“Xiu! W-Why is Lazarus behaving that way?!” screamed his guardian, terrified.

"Hazeline! Please! Calm down," said Xiu as calmly as possible. The white frei was did not want to see Alex being groped that way but...neither did he want Lazarus to shift his focus to Hazeline. Xiu hoped that Hazeline's yell had not caught Lazarus's attention. "Hazeline...please, stay behind me at all costs,"

Cordelia...she liked the sound of that word Ebony had spoken last just now. Was that what they called her? Like with Zul and his Alix and Xiu and his Hazeline? She liked the idea of having some title of her very own. Something to uniquely claim as her own. With more affection, Delia rubbed her cheek into her guardian's hand, very pleased at the woman whom had given her such an important thing. A name, it suit her.

The more perfect the moment, the more easier and faster it seemed to have to end. Two sets of smoke colored eyes looked to the others now, each one baring two very different emotions. Ebony's brows had furrowed into a deep frown of disapproval at the fire Sigel for ruining her moment with her Raevan, but also for what she could plainly see he was doing to Alex. Yet, just like the Italian, she was somewhat frozen in the surrealistic present. Why...why was he doing that?! She'd never known Lazarus to being so vulgar before!

Delia on the other hand was curious at what was happening. Just like Zul, she had no initial concept of male or female really and didn't see anything wrong with the other fellow kin making physical contact. Hadn't she just done the same and they had been fine with it? Now she was confused as the other moved from one to the other, even pushing dear Xiu out of the way to get to poor Hazeline. Then the Sigel turned to her.

Something in her told her that things were not right given how everyone else was reacting, but she found herself momentarily awed by the older one. He was so strong! And so very warm! Perhaps even warmer than Zul! And there was that scent of food again, that delicious odor wafting from his burning form. Her eyes went wide when he dove for her neck and his strong hands claimed her chest. Oddly, she felt a sudden rush of heat spread to her cheeks as she blushed for the very first time. W-what was this feeling? She didn't understand!

Perhaps there was a maternal side deep down in Ebony that she hadn't been aware of because in that minute that Laz drew down upon her young ward, the Brit's vision went red and not because of the Sigel's appearance. Her whole form shook with a mighty fury as her knuckles turned stark white from clenching them so tightly into fists. Somehow she managed to keep from ripping the older Raevan apart then. Instead, through equally clenched teeth, Ebony hissed darkly, "Lazarus you had better take your hands off my Cordelia if you hope to live to see tomorrow. Zul..." She addressed the Baphomet without looking at him. "Take her away please."

The Italian was struck stiff, forearms covering her chest with one hand over her neck as Lazarus was off to--Hazeline! "Kyou," Alex whispered a little hoarsely, the shock and disbelief still making her stomach and throat tight. Laz...this was Laz, the one they all trusted and looked up to! What had happened? She knew something had to be wrong, even as her brain was screaming that he was acting on the contents of his soul... "Xiu...!" She stumbled towards the white Frei, hands shaking. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't--!

The red moved, hesitated, and then was attached to Cordelia, and Alex snapped. "KYOU!" Usually jovial and upbeat, Alex's voice became an angry demand, striding rapidly towards the Sigel as rage slipped into her bright green eyes. Her shoulders were tense, every muscle in her body set and ready to spring...

"Laz'rus?" Zul stared at the Incubus in disbelief. What in the blazes was he doing? The demon didn't understand what the appeal of the female chest was, but Lazarus seemed fixated and ready to claim the soft bits for himself. It was only when he saw Cordelia's face that he knew something was wrong, he just didn't know what. This was his new friend - he couldn't just float there like a colorful balloon!

The hand that had been holding the young Frei's snaked out and seized one of Lazarus' horns, pulling backwards with little effect. The Sigel was strong! Zul glanced up and over the other's shoulder in time to see the faces of two very angry women. One of them was his.

"Go right?" she breathed to Ebony as she stalked by the purple-haired woman, invisible hackles raised, lips set in a firm line. Alex didn't wait for an answer before she grabbed the Incubi's left arm, pulling with all her might.

Zul took the moment to release Cordelia and slip between her and Lazarus, unabashedly putting his gloved palm between her skin and the Sigel's mouth. Cold gathered in the cup of his hand as he pushed, before it fizzled out with a few sparks of ice.

The Italian moved again, her free arm slipping around Laz's chest and shoulder, using her own shoulder to press into the Sigel's arm. She forced his arm backwards at the joint, seizing his elbow and holding it roughly at an upwards angle behind the Sigel's body and attempting to push him to the ground. With Ebony's help, she knew they'd have him! "KYOU!" Alex barked again, her smiling face now contorted into self-righteous fury. "Xiu--Zul, check on Xiu!"

Nodding, the demon gathered Cordelia back into his arms and floated them both towards where the white Frei had landed, releasing her only once he could reach out to his friend. Warm hands extended to Xiu's graphite horns, touching his face, making sure he was okay. "Xiu, can you move?" he asked with concern, the heat within him seeming to grow in his chest. Was this anger...?

Stormy, steel eyes gave a quick side-long look to Alex. Did she even have to ask?! Ebony gave a curt nod and was off to meet the woman's moves with her own, reaching for the Sigel's right arm instead. She pulled with all her might, nails digging deep into the bulging bicep in hopes that the Raevan's hold would be broken or at the very least loosened. It wasn't easy, he was very very strong for being the first of his kind, but Ebony could feel his hold waning if just a tiny bit.

As if paralyzed just by the mere touch of Lazarus, Cordelia stood frozen in place. There was an uncomfortable fluttering and thumping in her chest as her rune pulsed like a dark strobe light. So much was happening so fast! She couldn't understand! Should she be afraid of this Raevan and what he was doing? Should she fight back? She didn't know! And she couldn't ask because she didn't know how. All she knew was that his touch was very warm and his scent delicious which made it hard for her to concentrate on what was actually happening around them.

But then the spell was broken and Delia gave a loud hiss, pushing at Lazarus as Zul got between them and poured on the cold. Too cold! She hated cold! She pushed and pushed trying to get away from that biting feeling and falling further into Zul as he pulled her free. A light sob escaped her lips and she pressed her face into the demon, unaware that he was the one who'd conjured the horrible sensation in the first place. As they floated away, a huge purplish mark was slowly growing darker upon the spot where the Incubus had sucked her skin.

As they struggled to keep the crimson white male in control, Ebony didn't speak much with Alex, yet finding it very easy to coordinate their efforts nonetheless. It was a good thing she didn't have to think too much on that matter because she needed all her concentration to remind herself not to injure the Sigel too badly. Every fiber in her being wanted nothing more than to push that arm past its breaking point. To punish him without mercy for even thinking of touching her Cordelia like that! But there was a certain logic thrumming in the back of her mind that she couldn't escape. What was wrong with him? She'd seen enough of Lazarus in the past to know he was not like this. And to find out what had happened, she must not hurt him despite everything.

Everything happened in slow motion to her, signaling that her adrenaline was in high gear. She saw Zul float towards Xiu with Cordelia, noted the details of the newborn's darkening skin and the way Zul's eyes remained towards the Sigel. She watched as Xiu clamored up and towards his Guardian, unscathed. Thank goodness, she thought with genuine relief, although her hold on Lazarus only tightened with her resolve. Alex wouldn't let anything happen to them, any of them! "Hazeline, are you all right?" she called, not daring to shift her weight to see for herself.

Ebony was at her side, and her opinion of the violet-haired woman increased ten-fold. After my own heart, came the fond thought, and somewhere in the rational part of her mind that had retreated, she knew that this was not the time to be thinking how wonderful it was to have another woman at that time who could hold her own. Alex's fingers curled more firmly around the strong forearm in her grasp, alarmed as the heat suddenly started to increase. "Lazarus, please, calm do--"

She blinked as she was suddenly flecked with water, tilting her head back to look at Kyou. "If I didn't feel like I'd like to crawl under a rock and die, I'd kiss you, doctor," she imparted a brief, grateful grin before following his directions, working with Ebony to force the Sigel onto his stomach, keeping kneeled at his side. "Please tell me you have an answer to this nightmare." Her cheeks were still red with her horror, but now, only a deep, tight hold of fear was in her chest. The situation could have been so, so bad if she'd been alone in her office...

"I have C'delia," the demon reassured his pale friend, resting a hand on Xiu's shoulder briefly. "Haze-a-line..." His blue eyes followed the white Frei, briefly observing the human woman. She looked so distraught! Zul still didn't fully understand what had just happened or why it was such a terrible thing, but what was done was done, and now there was only crowd control.

He drew the newborn femme into his arms again, holding her firmly and away from Lazarus. The Sigel would not win this battle--

Zul jerked his head and blinked his eyes a few times, shaking his creme-to-flame hair as though to dislodge his thoughts. Battle? There was no battle! There was Cordelia, and Hazeline, and Alex, and there was no battle, no...no battle, he thought, watching the Sigel's hateful stare with a dark one of his own.

He gave the Basilisk a gentle hug, shifting back enough that he could look her in the eye and observe her bruise. A soft, displeased sound escaped him, shooting Lazarus an unfriendly glance before returning his attention to Cordelia. "Are you hurt?" he asked softly, his voice slightly less smoke and a little more honey for the femme.