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 Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:45 pm
Reserve - Cyborg and Elves and Fiend, oh my !~
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:08 pm
Everything about you pains my envying
Your soul can't hate anything
Everything about you is so easy to love
They're watching you from above
"Bliss" - Muse Bliss... ? Zero was completely silent on her way home, in despite of Eirnae being near her, and all traces of her previous cheerfulness was gone, replaced by deep thought. It had all started with a simple idea, just one thing to make Eirnae smile again. A little gift... if only to make the elf's pain go away for a little while. If only to make her forget for a little while, allow her to think. Only they'd now where both bonded to... stones. Shadows. Whatever they where. Her brain was too numb to think about it all too closely. She'd only wanted to do something without screwing up once, but it seemed that she'd yet managed to do just that - screw up. She couldn't even tell if the elf was upset. She hadn't dared to look. And now it had been hours until they came back, and while she usually was asleep at this hour, right now it wouldn't come. She'd watched the elf dance for her goddess from her window, ducking as the woman turned to come back inside so she wouldn't see the cyborg had been watching her all this time. She still felt horrible, usually she would at least have accepted it by now. She waited, still, until she heard no more movement from the room beside her own - Eirnae had felt into trance. Wordlessly, and mostly without knowing why, she got up and went to that room, painfully aware that she was being followed, in despite turning around only to see her own shadow. That was honestly creeping her out, and making the fighter inside her bristle. She'd turned the handle slowly, as if afraid to wake the other woman - even fully knowing that Eirnae was near-impossible to awaken in her short, trance-like sleep - and stepped inside, sitting on the mattress, long and slender fingers reaching to wipe what was left of tears from the elf's face. She took the time to settle the curls afterward, her movements always slow and calculated not to pull. She was always so beautiful, but when she slept, she was ever more so. All she'd wanted was to make her smile... And maybe, just maybe... And then she realized. She'd wanted to help Eirnae forget Lenore. She'd wanted Eirnae to see her... No, no. She couldn't be... She couldn't...The woman was heartbroken, wounded... and there she was. NOW she really felt like an a*****e. The urge was too strong, and she cried right there and then, sobbing, unable to contain the self-loathing. Eirnae was heartbroken and there she was, foolishly in love with her !Zero might have looked just like an adult woman, but there was plenty of things she did not know how to deal with. This was one of them. So all she could do was cry it all out. Just like a child. In her whirlwind of mixed emotions, she didn't even notice the black tendrils that had crept around her arm, fully engulfing it from where her hand rested on the mattress to her elbow. Neither did she notice any of the attempts from the fiend to project calm to her. The woman was simply not listening to reason right now.
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Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:32 pm
Sleepless Nights This was, quite honestly, driving her crazy. At least the... shadow's projections of annoyance had ceased soon enough after that one day, but she could still feel him. Constantly. It was quite honestly driving the blue haired woman nuts. And keeping her awake. Apparently the little thing was nocturnal, and thus bombarded her with projections of feelings (like, right now, he seemed to be a bit sad that she seemed so ticked at him. What the hell.) all night long, keeping her completely awake, only to finally slow down a bit during the day and thus making her basically falling asleep at the drop of an hat somewhere in the afternoon. This was a pretty bad thing for a woman that had children to watch over. Thank god she had Shina and Eirnae, and that, well, most of the children where old enough to take care of themselves. Beside Alden, which Sei and Shina had been mostly taking care of lately. It still made her feel like a**, and made her a bit angry. This was one of those nights. She'd went and checked on Eirnae and now she was in her room, sitting against the window ledge. She'd asked for it to be wide and large for such a reason after all, and she only stared blankly out the window. Well, the little ruby was definitively active. She'd had no issue he would wind up looking like the small black child, or the purple one she also saw there. Unlike most of the objects-turned-sentient she had come across or owned, Red moved. And projected. Alot. In fact, the small, oval stone was fluttering right in front of her, as if staring her down. It was kinda funny. It did not seem threatening, however. If anything, it expressed a whole lot of concern right now. "I can't sleep right now." She tried. "You're being way too loud." The small stone emitted confusion for a moment, and she sighed. But then she reached out, fingertips barely brushing against the tip of the shadow tendrils. Eventually, the tendrils coiled loosely around her fingers. It was hard to stay mad at it, oddly - probably because he'd just project hurt right back at her and somehow manage to look like a kicked puppy, against all logic since it had no eyes. And it just seemed so protective. The way it almost tried to chase Uno clean out of the house earlier had been kinda funny... for her really, but not for the doppelganger. It all worked out in the end because, apparently the gem couldn't stand to be too far away from her. The cyborg couldn't tell if it was a good thing. What she did not notice was that the gem's projections had dimmed to a near-whisper. In this blissful near-silence, she felt asleep against the window. ...Under the careful eyes of the gem.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:57 pm
Fate Plays with Loaded Dice... Merci` Merci followed Dio down the street toward Twilight Designs. Her long red hair was tied up in a sloppy bun and her fox ears were flattened back against her head. She loved the little fiend, but she had noticed lately that he seemed to be on a mission. Despite her love for him, and her constant support, he seemed to be content keeping his personal crusade a secret from her for now. Merci's knee high boots clacked along the sidewalk as she followed the silently floating child in front of her. "Dio, slow down. I know your anxious love but I can only walk so fast." Dio slowed down and started floating next to his guardian. The storefronts along this stretch were interesting, and he wished he had time to explore everything. He really didn't though, he was on a mission today. Merci was taking him down to the shop to see if Mystic was available, Dio had things he wanted to show the older shadow and talk to him about. Athan had been as good as his word and the scrolls along with a pile of notes had been delivered to the old Victorian he stayed in with his family.
The scrolls and all the notes were tucked into a shoulder bag that his Guardian was lugging after him. Dio hadn't really listened when Merci had told him that he should probably study it carefully before he went and talked to Mystic.
Ooooo. The fiends attention was snagged by a large Geode in a store window not far down from where Twilight Designs was on the street, and Dio froze in midair.Merci heaved a long sigh and smiled a little bit. No matter how much the little boy tried, she doubted he would ever really change. Zero Dream Zero had finally decided that it was time to go back where it all began. If she was stuck with.... well, Red, in lack of any other name, she might as well learn to take care of... well... him ? her ? it ? What gender did a rock have ? The emotional pattern seemed male to her, but who the hell knew. She didn't quite think like a lovely flower of femalehood herself. Maybe it was why the gem had chosen her. Anyway, answers would be pretty good right now. That, and she's gotten paid a rather hefty sum, and there was a necklace or two inside Twillight Designs with her name on it... She was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and worn-down, battered old jeans. The sweater did a good work at keeping her warm, and her legs... well did not need so much thought on that regard. The glow of her cyan eyes was becoming more and more apparent as darkness started to settle in. And so was Red "waking up", so to speak. Merci` Merci reached over and pulled at the long sleeve that fell over Dio's entire arm. "You were the one that wanted to go down here and see if Mystic was there remember? Now is not the time to get distracted. It's getting late and Seraph is going to be upset if he has to hold dinner for to long." She tried to turn him away from the window but the shadow had other plans.
His concentration was broken, not by the pull on the arm but by the feeling of familiarity. Dio wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was distracting. His hair fell over his face and he turned his burgundy eyes away from the shop. Something else was out there.Merci's hand was still attached to his arm when Dio floated down the walkway toward Zero. At first the woman wasn't sure what was going on, and then she saw a faint glow in the dimming light. Her hand tightened on his sleeve and she tried to slow him down so she could get her bearings and decide if there was any danger.
Dio was having none of that, he phased through her fingers. Curiosity bringing him and his Guardian right in front of Zero. He recognized her from before, but he hadn't really checked her out last time.
She was way cooler then he had given her credit for.Zero Dream Zero was lost in her thoughts, and so did not really see either of them coming. Add to this Red's projections and the cyborg was all but lost from the world until she came face to face with Dio and backed away slightly, startled. She had a pretty good night vision, and her eyes went from fiend to guardian, and so forth, for a moment. And for that moment she was blissfully lost until she returned to reality. She'd seen those two somewhere... Wait, the shop, they where there when this all happened. "Oh." She blinked. "Im sorry, I didn't mean..." She shook her head a bit. "...We met at that place, didn't we ? I didn't quite get your names, I believe..." She sounded a bit distracted still, because the second she almost crashed into Dio, Red had all but gone into overdrive. The gem slipped out of her shadow, twirled around her for a moment, then went right for him, hovering in front of Dio's face and projecting so much curiosity that Zero had issues focusing. Merci` Merci smiled a little bit and nodded to Zero, "Yeah, it can be a little disconcerting when you get one of those stones. I had the hardest time adjusting to my Dio." She paused for a moment and then rolled her eyes, "Please excuse my manners. My name is Merci, I'm kinda in charge of this little nightmare." She gestured with her free hand to Dio. "Though how much I am really in control, is a mystery even to me. This is Dio, least thats what we call him. They don't really come with a name." She could see that Zero was having a hard time and she reached out gently to touch the other woman's shoulder. "Would you like to find somewhere to sit down?" Dio was at first totally fascinated by the fact that Zero's eyes were glowing. He wanted to get really close and look, but suddenly the familiar feeling got stronger. The Fiend paused and radiated confusion until he saw the little wisp. Something in him remembered.
He had been in so much pain, he had been dying. Horror melted through him and he lifted both hands to cup around the small wisp, the long sleeve falling back over just his fingertips as he seemed to pull Red closer to his chest. Dio shut his eyes and he bowed his head, obviously trying to sort through the mix of emotions that he hadn't been prepared for. Zero Dream "That might be a good idea." Zero trailed off, then shook her head again. "Im sorry, it's just... he's really loud." Perhaps the other woman knew exactly what she was talking about. "He takes so much brainspace that it's hard to focus. Im Zero and... Well, if they don't have names, I shouldn't feel bad about calling him Red then ?" She pondered this over, then looked around. "...Oh man, where did he go ?" The projection had gained some blissful distance, and he couldn't be far, she just didn't see it. The stone pressed lightly against his chest, the tendrils of shadow stretching slightly to curl around him. Red knew this other, he decided, but did not know from where, or how or why. He focused on Dio and tried to project calmness on the other, since he seemed so unsettled all of sudden. He knew this other, and somehow he was precious. He would protect him too. Merci` Merci glanced over at Dio and her brow furrowed. She could feel the confusion, and the pain and it concerned her. He was happy just moments before, what the hell could have switched his mood so fast? "Alright, come on I think there is some sort of Deli that has outside seating. Even if they aren't open we can steal the chairs for a moment." She took a hesitant step and then continued down the sidewalk, trusting Dio to follow her. Dio felt the shadows from the wisp and his eye opened to look down. 'I'm sorry, I don't know whats wrong with me.' He didn't notice that his Guardian was moving off, 'Your, Red is it? Is right here.' His voice spoke in Zero's mind. The fiend's hands moved enough to show the little red stone clasped against him.
He felt safe for some strange reason. His mind knew that there wasn't anything this little wisp could do to protect him, but it didn't stop the feeling of utter calm that seemed to cling to him.
He moved off after Merci, hands still clasped around the little stone. 'Come on,' he spoke to Zero again, 'Don't wanna be left behind.'Zero Dream Well, that was still startling. Hearing someone speak right in her mind was still a bit new ans scary for her. "Okay, can you watch over him, then ?" "Yeah, we can, and if they are open, ill buy you a drink for the trouble." The cyborg shrugged. "I thought I would get to the shop before Red woke up, but... Yeah that didn't quite happen. It's a bit... overprotective, I guess Dio is his next "victim". Usually it's me." She said with a laugh Red remained near Dio, quite happy with his current position it seemed, and allowed himself to be carted off to follow the two women. Merci` Merci smiled and glanced over at Zero, "you get used to that too, they seem to be able to project thoughts to anyone they want to hear them. I suppose not having a mouth is kinda detrimental to talking." She grinned and came to a stop in front of a nice Deli, the lights were still on, and around the awnings were white Christmas lights. She pulled a chair out for Zero and helped her sit down. The kitsune was worried, the blue haired lady seemed a little overwhelmed. Dio floated to a stop next to them and dropped himself into a seat. He lifted Red to right in front of his face and and brushed his bangs behind his ear. Both burgundy eyes focused on Red and they crunched up in something like a smile. His index finger stroked across the surface of the stone and teased the shadows. 'Hello little one....'Zero Dream Zero gladly sat down, and allowed her bearings to straighten a bit. "I suppose so, really. I just wish it didn't, well... do so so strongly. I get confused sometimes." She managed a smile. "It knows it affect me and... oh, to hell, the stone seems like an he to me. He tries to tone it down, I can tell, but it doesn't really work when he's excited." She couldn't help but glance at Dio and the gem. Nothing or no-one yet had gotten the little ruby to react _that_ strongly. Red let Dio touch the smooth surface for a moment, tendrils curling around the other's fingers playfully before sliding just out of grasp. He could tease too , he seemed to think, as he projected amusement to the other. At least the worrying feelings that had come from the other seemed to be mostly gone. Merci` Merci nodded a bit, "From what I figured out, you wanna keep them close. When your separated it really hurts them and is really uncomfortable for you. You get an emotional overload sometimes, Dio has done it a few times. We went to visit Reyna, who helps out in the jewelry store. You got him in Twilight Designs right? I am assume since thats where Dio's from. Anyway outside of her house is a swamp like area, and Dio freaked." She looked over to the two of them too and sighed quietly. "They seem to like each other mm?" Dio's bangs fell back over his eye as he watched the stone. 'My name is Dio.' He was speaking to the stone, but Merci and Zero were not restricted from his voice. He sounded like a tenor, and his voice was calm with an edge of laughter. He let the little wisp escape him, he could have made a grab for him, but he decided it was more fun not to.
The older Fiend was totally fascinated, and it showed. He was not paying attention to the guardians at all as he played with Red.Zero Dream "Yeah, well... Red tried to chase Uno out of the house when he first saw her. I think she confused him." Zero couldn't help but laugh. "She is kind of like my twin, but not. It's odd. He didn't freak, but he realized he couldn't quite go far without me along. Kinda annoyed him really. I've got it at Twilight Designs, yes... I went there to cheer up a friend, and we both walked out with... well. Them. I figured if I went back there, someone might give me some answers as to what im supposed to do now... At least more than what little I've been given." "Well, it's good at he's focusing mostly on Dio for now, gives me a breather so to speak." When a waitress came, Zero sent the kistune a glance. "Do you want something to drink ?" Red seemed equally amused, as he closed in the distance in between them and curled his tendrils against the older one's hand one more. There was definitively a familiarity in this one, and the little stone didn't seem to question it further. He couldn't truly answer, but he did project interest. Merci` Merci curled her tail around her waist and settled back against the chair she sat down in. Her knee high boots creaked as she shifted to look at the waitress. "I'd like a coffee if I could, thanks." She ignored the looks the woman gave the shadows and turned her attention back to Zero. "There really should be some sort of class they give to us when they are little like yours. Once they get bigger they are kind of a pain. Mine I think is a little less, it's just his overt amount of curiosity that seems to get him into trouble. From what I understand some of them can be down right mischievous. Good luck with your Red."
Dio lowered his head and put it against the table, gravity pulling his bangs against the table. He used his free hand and ushered the little shadow in front of his face. 'I think I know you. I don't know where, but I think I know what your saying.' His voice was low as he seemed to whisper to the little wisp. 'Your so strong.' The last was said with wonder as he stared at Red.Zero Dream "Ill'd like a coffee also." She said, and the waitress went off to carry on their order. "Gee, sounds like hours of fun in perspective ! He's already a pain right now, then surely I am doomed ?" Zero continued, visibly a bit amused in despite it all. "I think im getting used to it. Slowly. He used to keep me up all night but he seems to have realized I get bitchy when I don't get my sleep." Red all but beamed at the compliment, and twirled upon himself. He projected as much familiarity as possible, as if to say that, yes, he too felt like he knew this other. Quickly followed by confusion, expressing that he had no idea how either. Merci` Merci grinned at the other woman and she tilted her head, "Yeah, doom on a small scale. Overall though I think I got lucky. Dio seems more intent on the sky then he does in causing me trouble. Thank goodness. My little one was weak when I got him, something about his energy had been almost destroyed. I think he was pretty close to dead when I showed up. Desperation attachment more then anything." Dio moved his eyes up to Merci and the fact he disapproved of her self criticism was evident 'You saved my life, and I love you. Isn't that enough?' He had to deal with the hell he got from the medusa, he wouldn't let Merci say that she wasn't his choice. 'It wasn't necessity, you were the right person for me.' His eyes moved back to Red and he sighed quietly, 'Your lady seems nice.' Merci's eyes moved over to her little fiend, "Sorry Dio I didn't mean it that way." Her attention returned to Zero, "It really does get easier when they can communicate their wants. A lot like babies are easier to take care of when you understand the baby talk." Zero Dream "I've dealt with doom before... kind of." Zero still looked amused, and took a sip of her coffee once the two of them where served, listening to kitsune and fiend. Didn't seem like a desperation bond in the least to her, but she found it better not to intervene. "Yeah, it does sound like it. Then he can bombard me with words instead of feelings." Oh dear. Well, the stone did not react to being called an he, so she couldn't help but think she was spot on. Red expressed agreement to that, and rolled along the table in hope to amuse the little fiend. Merci` Merci nods a little bit and she picks up the steaming mug with one hand and cradles it with the other. "Yeah, and watch the fact they can go through walls and whatnot. It can make for some awkward situations if your not careful." She couldn't help but grin as she took a sip of the straight black java. Caffeine was most definitely her friend. "Sorry I keep going on. You look like Red might be a bit of a handful, you know if you wanna talk about anything I'd be happy to listen. I dunno how much advice I could give." Dio watched the little wisp rolling around and he couldn't help chuckling to himself. Red was amazingly fun to be around, and Dio already liked him a lot. Part of him hoped he could be for Red, what Mystic had been for him. A sort of mentor and stable older presence to look up to. 'Your going to make yourself dizzy, then you won't be able to float straight.' The smile was still very much evident in his voice.Zero Dream "That is pretty good advice, really. Going through walls ?" The blue-haired woman pondered this over. "...Yeah... Im in trouble. Not once. twice. There's another where I live." Twice the upcoming fun in perspective. Red projected amusement at that, and darted up, and did prove himself to be unable to float straight, still twirling a bit before landing on Dio's head for a "breather". Merci` Merci looked interested, "You have people who live with you too? I have to say the three that stay with me haven't exactly made things easier. Do you mind if I ask you personal questions?" It dawned on Merci that some people simply don't like to share information unless it is volunteered. Prying into Zero's life might not exactly be welcomed. The kitsune was however very interested in the guardian of the little wisp that had her Dio so enraptured. Not that he wasn't usually friendly, but his fascination usually wore off. The fiend scooped Red back up in his hands and brought the stone up to his cheek. He rubbed it against his cheek for a moment and then turned to look at him. His hair sparkled in the lights of the Deli, and looked like stars dancing across his brow. 'I tried to warn you.' Amusement was still very evident in the voice, 'You should try to be nicer to your Guardian though. Your very strong for being so small. You might hurt someone.'Zero Dream "It's all good. I live with a friend of mine right now, one of her daughters, and my adopted kids. My friend also got herself bonded to a stone - I took her in the shop to try to cheer her up, she's had... quite a rough patch in her life, kind of the reason why she is staying with me right now. She loves jewelry, so I thought about letting her chose something as a gift... Needless to say I kinda screwed up." Zero let out a sigh. "I don't think she's mad, but we haven't found the time to sit down and talk recently..." Red projected something that felt suspiciously like a pout. He wasn't doing all this on purpose, no no ! He did not like it when the blue lady was hurt. But he couldn't quite control himself, or at the very least had issues doing so. He was trying, through ! Merci` Merci nodded and sighed quietly, "I think I remember that, Dio was a little overzealous in his curiosity. I am sure he didn't make things any better." She shot a look at her charge, who was still preoccupied with the small stone. "I'm still trying to figure out what to do, my daughter will be coming home soon. Fiona wanted to go see the world and is now getting ready to return to the nest. If you ever feel like you need to get out and get a breather, I'll give you my number. With three snakes and Fiona in the house I think I'll be needing to get out a bit more often then I have been." Dio perked and looked at Merci talking to Zero, he didn't know who this Fiona was but he was kind of excited to find out. He let his hand drop to rest against the table with Red in it. He looked back down at the wisp and shook his head, 'I couldn't do much when I was little like you. I was... weak.' Dio said the last word on a sigh, he didn't like to think about it.Zero Dream "Your daughter ? Adopted or ?" Now it was Zero's turn to get a little deeper into private life matters. All of her children where adopted, and she couldn't help but be a little envious of others who actually had children that where truly theirs. "It's all fine with me - I can give you my cellphone number. Those two are probably gonna want to meet again at any rate..." Red remained a bit quieter for a moment, listening to the other and finally perked a bit. He would make sure Dio was okay, then ! Merci` Merci shook her head, "Adopted. She's an elfin lady, while I most certainly am not. I'm unfortunately unattached at the moment. The lady I am usually shacked up with it goodness knows where. Your a cyborg right? So is Cinderfae. though she doesn't have anything that shows quite like your lovely eyes." The fox lady grinned at Zero. Dio shook his head and moved over to sit next to Merci, cuddling against her side. He felt cold when he thought about things that happened to him before. He had almost faded completely away so many times he didn't like to remember. He held Red close to his chest again, like a security blanket.Zero Dream Zero seemed a bit startled again, but eventually broke into a grin. "Well, you've got to be the first person who's hit the nail on the head on the first try." She answered, looking a bit amused. At least that's what she was now... She couldn't help but bat her eyelashes. "My lovely eyes tend to creep people out, to be honest, but it's hard to see that they glow if it isn't dark. I am... unattached also, I guess. I've never had a lover." Of course, this got her mind on that one track she was trying to blissfully ignore. Red had been projecting calm to soothe Dio once more, but suddenly emited a whole lot of amusement. Oh, -he- knew much better than THAT ! Ever since they had bonded Zero had almost had a one-track mind, track going toward a lovely elven woman... The cyborg had to resist shooting a glare that could have frozen hell at the little stone. Merci` Merci nodded, "I didn't know what else would make eyes glow quite like that. Cinder and I have been together some years, though she comes and goes quite a bit. After watching some of the things that woman can do with her body, honestly nothing creeps me out anymore. That and I live with snake people." She took another long pull off her cup and shook her head, the amusement hit her all at once and she looked a little shocked. Her green eyes moved to look at Dio. The fiend just held up his hand, 'No it wasn't me. The little one is very strong.' he explained to Merci. Though both the amusement and the calm had done a lot to pull his mind away from where it had been. He was honestly amazed that Red was such a bundle of energy.Zero Dream "See how he can completely break my brain in tiny bits now ?" The cyborg didn't even bat an eye at Red's little display. At least with many people around it wasn't quite as.... brain-whacking. And Red was currently a smug little b*****d, apparently very proud to have derailed the conversation. Merci` The guardian shook her head and looked back to Zero. "You definitely have it harder then I did. Dio could barely do anything when he was small, he moved slowly and he didn't project much. Mostly you could just tell by what he did how he was feeling. I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel sorry for you." Merci couldn't help the sloppy grin.
Dio looked down at Red, 'You really should try to control yourself. You will drive your lady crazy.' He did however sound amused, some of the emotion still boiling over from the overload that Red created.Zero Dream "I figure it will get better once he can talk. Words being shoved in my head somehow would feel like invading than feelings being showed in my brain. If that makes any sense ?" The woman pondered out loud, taking another sip of coffee. "He has... good days and bad days, I guess. When he's calm he isn't so loud." Needless to say Red wasn't calm right now. The friend inside the stone gave another "pout". He was trying !!!! Just... not right at the moment. Merci` Merci finished off her coffee and put the cup down on the table. Her arms stretched up over her head and she offered Zero a smile. "I bet, well good luck with the little monster." The last was said teasingly, "He'll bring more joy to your life then you know." Her hand disappeared inside of her jacket and she fished out her wallet. Merci paid for the coffees and bummed a pen off the waitress to write down her number. "Gimmie a call sometime alright? I better get home before my snakes rip the place to pieces." she paused a moment and then sincerely, "Thank you, I really needed to talk to someone." Dio sensed that this was going to be goodbye, and he rubbed his cheek against the stone. 'We are going to be leaving little one, thank you.' what he was thanking him for exactly wasn't said. The shadow moved his hand and released Red from his grasp near Zero, 'Remember your Lady needs her peace.' His voice was soft as he rose from the chair, his mulit colored tail swinging free in the air.Merci followed suit, and stood up. "I got your coffee, don't worry about it. The shop stays open late you still might catch someone down there if you hurry." She pushed her chair in and waved as she rounded the table, starting to wander down the street, Dio in tow. Zero Dream Zero had been about to pay, but was beaten by the kistune. Oh well, she'd pay next time. She took the paper and pocketed it. "I think I am just gonna go home, I am getting a bit tired thanks to the little monster." She grinned. Ohhhh, the name was so gonna stick. "Thanks for your patience, and your answers, it's really going to help I think. It's all fine, she knew the feeling." Red "pouted" once more but after a quick rub on Dio's cheek he darted off and melded with his guardian's shadow once more.
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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:45 pm
Odd Communication Turns out Zero did not make it to Twilight Designs, but went home right after saying goodbye to Merci and Dio. But at least she'd gotten some of her questions answered. Red was still happily projecting his little heart away, but a bit more calmly, as if all the projection on the other fiend had drained him slightly. ....This was a good thing, really. So was being able to keep thought processes separate. It did seem like the two little fiend had hit it on pretty well, but being alone with Red, and Red projecting his side of the story as if the little stone was mulling it all over and trying to understand gave her a bit of a understanding. "It isn't all that uncommon really." Zero spoke aloud, laying on her bed and watching the ceiling. Red emitted confusion. "Well, a feeling of deja-vu, I get that often, you see ? It might become clearer eventually, given time. You know ?" The gem fluttered in her sight, bobbing up and down as if nodding. "There's no need to dwell about it that much. Beside, you do get along, yes ?" Another series of bobbing. "...Dear lord, it feels like im talking to myself." Zero laughed a bit. A small wave of discontentment hit. "Yes, I know, you can't help it. Ease up." And so he did. But then Zero just blushed. "No, damnit, Red, it's not like THAT, I will not go kiss..." Smugness. "....Shut up." Apparently the gemstone has won. Zero pouted, turned over, and proceeded to fall asleep. She had a whole lot of THAT to catch up on.
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Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:51 am
Musings Of A Cyborg Quote: ...Granted, it has been a long time since I've written in this little Word file I call a journal. I tend to only do so when my life in thrown upside-down in some kind of way. I figure this fits the bill, and I should probably get my a** in gear and resume the last... month or so for prosperity. ...Yes, Red, I know you think this is the stupidest thing since ever, but please do bear with me 6.6; Well, first of all, Shina showed up again. This is not a bad thing, Sei was very happy and I could tell. Apparently the angel has decided to stick around, in more ways than one. Then there's Eirnae. She also came back and... let's just say that heartbreak is not a pretty thing. She came here to talk to Shina but... apparently I did the job just as well. So now there are two more people living in here than usual, with as third on the way. Potentially a fourth depending on Eirnae. I will have to figure out if the both of them intend to make their stay... well... more permanent, and ask Adrian to make the house bigger. It's getting pretty damn cramped in here. I don't think Eirnae wants to go back to the manor and I don't think I would be able to pry Shina from Sei's side with a crowbar. I will wait for her to recover a bit more and see what's gonna go about that. ....To be frank... I... I don't want either of them to leave. Expecially not Eirnae. Is it foolish to be falling in love with someone who's heart been broken ? Probably. ....RED SHUT UP. Anyway. I tried to lift her mind, you know ? Make her happy ? She really likes jewelry and I found this shop called Twilight Designs... Well, only we got more than we bargained for. We got bonded to... well... they call themselves fiends. I think the name fit. They're both little stones right now, and Red... is already keeping me awake almost all night long, overall being a little red, oval pest. I still feel a bit like a**, not because of me, but... I don't think Nae needed something like this to deal with. Not right now. And I don't think I can tack them in a box and hit return to sender. ...Red's a little adorable pest, when he isn't driving me up the wall. I guess we'll have to see how things will go, hm...
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:44 am
Little monster becomes big monster It had started as a completely normal day. By now, Zero should honestly have grown suspicious of said days, since it always seemed like these where the days where the most ******** up things wound out happening. But for some reason she was not. Probably because she had finally gotten a full, good night's sleep for the first time since being bonded to Red, and that was a very good thing. The cyborg had risen at her usual time, went to get some coffee and leftover pizza (traditional breakfasts ? Not in here !) and settled in front of her laptop to get some work done. Work is always so fun when one is both a graphic designer and freelance hacker. Not that it took a genius to do it in her case - the technology here was so... backdated compared to what she'd grown up with. So many holes that it was laughable, really. The artistic talent was her true gift, really, but who was she to say no to a little more money on the side ? Especially since the hacking side of things payed well. Very well. And so she started typing away, cold pizza slice dangling from her mouth for a moment before one hand left the keyboard to support it and the other continued the typing movement. There she went, lost in her little world - she would probably get a solid hour or two of work in since it was so early and the kids would not be up until then. None that any of them required a whole lot of watching over, beside Alden, for which Sei was getting better and better at providing. Which was probably what had saved her a** in the last few days, along with Shina's presence. At any rate, she was off in her own little world, her little bubble of quietness that she only really got to enjoy when everyone else was asleep, and when the house was silent, which was a rare thing, keeping in mind how many people lived in it. And thus, she'd never noticed the small, red shape that settled just above her shoulder to watch what she was doing, snake-like eyes going from the screen to the side of the woman's head, as if pondering what to do. He had her completely off-guard. He only seemed to debate that for only half a second, as he lowered himself to make contact with her shoulder, his expression as smug as he could manage without a mouth. "Hi !"The startled scream made being kicked off so much worth it, and the surprised glare sent in his direction only made him giggle. "Why you...!" Well, -now- everyone was awake. And the woman would have one hell of an explanation to give, especially once she figured out that Red had amused himself with switching underwear across rooms while she had finally been allowed her precious sleep.
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:32 am
...Doom, you say ? Zero Dream Attempt number two to actually get to Twilight Designs seemed to have been successful. And Zero was pleased to see that her theory seemed to have held some good - as much has it had startled the unholy crap out of her, Red, now that he could talk and overall harass in other ways, seemed less intent on projecting and overall scrambling her brain. This was a good thing. She opened the door, and footsteps much heavier than one could expected a woman of her stature to have would announce her arrival to those who where inside the shop. She no longer really had come to assault the first person she saw with questions, since the kind Merci had handled most of that, but there was still some jewelry with her name on it in there... At last ! The woman had barely taken two steps inside the building that one figure emerged from her shadow, with a final flick of his tail freeing the small red creature as he floated to eye-level of his guardian. "Honestly." Red couldn't help but snarl a bit, even if none of his displeasure was directed toward the woman. "This sun thing needs to die. In a fire.""Stealing my expressions now are we ?" The cyborg seemed a bit amused. "Hey, if the glove fits."Reyna Crelos Mystic had felt the presence of another of his kind before either Fiend or guardian had stepped foot within the shop itself. He seemed to smirk faintly as he appeared behind his guardian and idly wrapped his arms about her shoulders and leaned against her back as he was often wont to do. ’… this will be entertaining.’Reyna glanced up to ask what it was he was referring to before her lone visible eye widened slightly as Zero and Red came into view. “Good afternoon,” she replied smoothly, effectively hiding the surprise she felt. Red seemed to have grown rather quickly! At least once he had been bonded to his guardian. She couldn’t help smirk faintly at his hair. It was… well, reminiscent of Athan’s, to say the least. Zero Dream "Hello." Zero wasn't really good at this whole idle conversation things. At least one time out of the two. "I, erm... Well I did spot some lovely necklaces before doom descended upon me last time." The cyborg said with a grin, pointing at Red. "Mind if I take a look ?" Red didn't seem to mind or care horribly about the lovely nicknames his bond was quickly finding for him, and, with a flick of a tail, darted to one of the jewel cases containing the jewelry and laid on top of it, peering at the designs inside. "Very lovely." His interest did seem to be piqued slightly, tail going back and forth. He'd planted himself right in front of the window and, really, it wasn't so uncomfortable if the sun didn't hit him directly. The little fiend looked oddly like a sunbathing snake, his trusty stick hanging to the side by the cord Zero had found so he wouldn't have to hold it all the time.Reyna Crelos “You’re more than welcome to take a look around,” the demon replied with a smile as she idly shoved Mystic away. He was getting to be a bit too big to be constantly clinging to her. She shot him a look when he simply nuzzled over against her hair just because he knew it would irritate her. “You,” she muttered as she turned to hiss at Mystic, “Are just looking to start trouble.” “Nothing new there,” Athan spoke up as he entered the room, long robes swirling about his feet as he moved. “Oh! Hello Miss Zero.” Mystic simply scowled with his bright eyes narrowed in irritation. Zero Dream Well, someone was in a bad mood. But Zero did not speak out loud, of course - given that she'd only met them once, in a rather.... confusing moment. "Hello there... Mister Athan, was it ? You'll have to forgive me, I am not the best with names." She offered him a shy smile. Red hadn't even noticed when Athan came in - to be honest, in the time he'd spent with the man, he'd gotten to used to his voice that it was easy for it to be drowned by the others'. "Oh hey hey hey Z look at this ! If you look at that stone this way" The little fiend clung to the glass and let himself slide to the left. "It's yellow, then if you look at it this way--" Red darted and clung in a similar way to the other side. "It's green !"
Was it possible to the little fiend to stop more than 5 seconds ? Probably not.Reyna Crelos Reyna looked like a cat that had caught a canary and was about to delightfully pick it apart with tooth and claw. “Nice hair, Red,” she smiled sweetly. It was a legitimate compliment, she did rather like his long, multi-colored braids. The faint hint of sarcasm that dripped from her voice was directly entirely towards Athan who simply frowned. He instead, turned his attention upon Zero. “Yes,” he replied with a polite incline of his head, “I am Athan. It is a pleasure to see you again, and.. I would ask your forgiveness once more for our .. prior meeting. You are fairing well, I hope..?” Mystic rolled his eyes and languidly stood on human feet with a stretch. What a suck up. Zero Dream "It could be worse." Zero pondered out loud. "...I think." After all, she hadn't gotten to sit down with Eirnae yet. Damn. That would probably be..... interesting. Especially since she had what seemed to be the perfect little poster child of what came out of these things. "Beside that, even since Red's stopped trying to shove my brain in a blender, pretty much. Do they all project that strongly ?" Zero was genuinely curious now, if it was all normal, or if she'd gotten the oddball. Mostly for the elf's sake. "Why thank you." Red seemed blissfully unaware of any hair comparison that existed in between himself and the spellcaster. He was of course a bit amused - after almost a year of being bonded sorely to him, he'd had one hell of an insight. Not that he had picked on his thought like he'd done to Zero, but he'd followed the other around...
"Operation SugarCoat all operatioooonal..." He projected this sorely to Mystic, of course, and straightened himself to flutter toward the other fiend, pushing on the glass to straighten himself up for takeoff.
That was when it happened.Craaacccckkk....Both Zero and the small fiend made rather priceless faces in a split-second delay of each other. "Red, what the hell did you..." "Nothing !!!!" The fiend had darted upward, and was currently poking at the glass curiously, ready to dart and hide in his guardian's shadow at the first sign of a very angry spellcaster. Where his hand was, there was now a very distinct - and deep - crack. Reyna Crelos Mystic was actually the first to respond to the situation, though what he had to say was rather garbled as it was interrupted by gales of laughter. Reyna was far too amused to scold him. It wasn’t so much what Red had done, but the look that was on Athan’s face. “Awww… Athan, your mini-me has super-strength,” Reyna snickered which sent both herself and her Shadow into another fit of giggles. The elder shadow seemed to hum with pleasure as he drifted over towards both the child and his guardian to examine the damage done. Athan remained silent, face twitching slightly about his left eye. He looked suspiciously as though he wanted to scream, but at who, it was hard to tell. ’Nice work, little brother,’ Mystic all but beamed as he reached to idly pet at the child’s hair, ’And lucky for you we tend to keep these cases in stock for just such an occasion.’“Indeed,” Athan frowned. Zero Dream It was incredibly hard not to laugh, really. After all, laughter was contagious, and the look on Athan's face was also priceless. It also spelled impending doom, and in the end impending doom won. "I... Erm, ill pay for that." So much for jewelry. So Red -was- unusually strong, then ? That explained a few things... Unlike his bond, Red couldn't resist - but his laugh was low and pretty easy to confuse with the sound of one clearing their throat. When Mystic went and started to pet at his braid the little fiend emitted some short of sound, a cross in between a pleased hiss and some kind of odd, reptilian purr. His tail gave odd little nervous twitches still, but the rest of him was in bliss.Reyna Crelos Athan sighed wearily. "No dear," he replied, "We truly do have several spare cases in stock. We, well, anticipate such things... most of the time." He looked genuinely put out, but his anger was quickly fading, replaced with an ever-present, deep-rooted irritation. 'It's true,' Mystic offered before he snickered quietly at how the other hissed and purred both at once. Little serpent! How curious. Zero Dream "I... Well... okay." If he said so. But the cyborg still clearly felt a bit responsible about the incident. ...She would get used to it. Eventually. On the complete opposite of that emotional spectrum, there was Red, apparently now somewhat proud of his little mishap. He'd gotten pettings and now he was a very happy one. He slid to coil loosely and rest his head on Mystic's shoulder. He quite liked this one - apparently they had a very similar sense of humor.Reyna Crelos To say the very least, Mystic was amused. He reached to idly wrap one arm about the child's shoulders as though he would Sam if offering her comfort from some sort of bad dream. In this instance, it was not protection from a nightmare, but from Athan. Sure, his temper seemed to have cooled but he always knew when the man had something he really wanted to say, and if his presence was enough to keep that from happening, then so be it. He had no issues going toe to toe with his maker. He was no longer a child, and while he had to allow him some sort of begrudging respect, he held no fear for him. Not anymore.Honestly, he wished he wasn't so... so... passive aggressive about it and would just do it. Be mad. Be angry. Who the ******** cares, anyway? Perhaps he'd have more respect for him, real respect. Regardless, his thoughts were interrupted when suddenly his guardian was standing near his side and was curiously reaching to tug at a few of Red's braids. "He turned out so cute!" she grinned. Vaguely, Mystic felt a twinge of jealousy. It seemed like all the recent children were, well, far more impressive than he. He grumbled that much to Reyna, but she paid him no mind and he more or less let it go. He wasn't that concerned. She resisted the urge to pester the Fiend further and instead stood with her hands on her hips as she faced the other woman. "So what's this you were saying about a couple of necklaces calling your name..?" Zero Dream "Oh ! Right..." Zero turned around, trying to locate what she had seen. "Where where they... ?" Maybe it would make Mystic feel a bit better that, for all that he mattered, Red didn't seem to appreciate being cooed at all that much. He had made no movement when the demon reached for the braids, but he didn't especially look all that pleased.
Cute. Pff.
The whole matter wasn't that Red was afraid of Athan, really - the little fiend was simply smart enough not to go picking fights he couldn't win. For now, at any rate. Still, he relaxed slightly under Mystic's touch, by pure reflex.
"Something's on your mind, big brother ?" He'd noticed the other seemed to have grown pensive all of sudden, and he kept his "voice" hushed low enough that only Mystic could hear.Reyna Crelos A quiet, throaty chuckle emitted from the elder shadow, though it was silent to all save for Red. 'I have never been especially fond of Athan,' he told him in a hushed voice, 'I cannot say we've ever managed to see eye to eye on.. well .. much of anything.' It wasn't a complete lie, though he was withholding information. He idly contented himself to pet at the child's hair and the tension from his shoulders and brow lessened. Reyna was hardly concerned with anything going on save for Zero's interest in her handiwork. That always pleased the demon. She smiled charmingly and reached to loop an arm through Zero's as though to offer her a tour of the shop since her first visit hadn't exactly offered much other than, well, chaos. "Most of the pendants are in this case, but sets can be found all over the place," she replied as she dragged the other woman towards a case at the opposite side of the room, "Most everything is sorted by gemstone color and type, so if there's a certain stone or color you like best, I can point you in the right direction." Zero Dream "Hm-m." Red didn't pry any further, and if he had noticed he hadn't got all the information, he certainly didn't seem to care all that much. Red's tail waved back and forth lazily as he watched the two women go trough the store.Zero allowed herself to be put on the tour, so to speak, watching everything with interest. "I love Lapis Lazuri, myself... mostly blue stones and, hm... Eirnae might like emerald..." She mused out loud. Reyna Crelos "Always an excellent choice," Reyna replied smoothly as she let go of the woman and reached instead of one of the many cases. She tapped the glass with a single, silver coin and the glass faded away. "Lapis is one of my favorites. Finding good quality stones, though... usually a bit of a trick." she went on as she reached to lift a rather large pendant necklace that still somehow, despite the size of the lapis cabochon as it's focal point, was rather delicate. "Athan," Reyna called over her shoulder with a vague wave of her hand, "Perhaps you might find an emerald ... something, for her friend?" The man in question merely nodded. He was in no mood to play Reyna's little games, though emerald was one of his favorites. He idly reached to touch the heavy stone that was draped across his chest. He shot Mystic a look that spoke of... distaste. Mystic simply scowled right back and had to shove back his desire to growl in irritation. It seemed he was becoming more and more like his Reyna with each passing day. What next? Would he too, grow claws as she did when angered? Zero Dream "It does look very lovely. Finding good quality stones must be a pain, since there seems to be a whole lot of knock offs and fakes stones. One of the reasons why I don't really wear a whole lot of jewelry." The cyborg admitted, one finger brushing the stone. "This one is very lovely, however. I think im gonna have to take it." She said with a small grin. Red coiled a bit more loosely around Mystic's shoulders and let his head falls a bit downward toward the other's chest, as he just watched them exchange glares. That was a tiny bit worrying, but damnit, he hadn't even done that on purpose !
Those kind of glares would have gotten a rise out of Red a long time ago, if he hadn't quite known what exactly he was facing. So he contented himself to pretend stony indifference.Reyna Crelos Mystic's anger was at least cooled somewhat by Red's presence as he coiled about him 'Little snake,' he murmured quietly, though his voice did not contain irritation nor was it condescending. Truly, he was more amused than annoyed where Red was concerned. His head tilted to the side as he regarded the little shadow for a long moment. 'You remind me of Dio, both covered in stars,' he went on as he reached to idly toy with one of the silver trinkets that tied back Red's braids. "It is quite a challenge," Athan voiced from across the room as he chose something a bit more delicate than what Reyna had offered up to Zero. His choice was an oval cut emerald that was surrounded by coils of sterling silver that slid along an equally intricate silver choker. "For your friend, perhaps?" he replied with a charming smile as he handed over to Zero. Reyna grinned. She had designed that one, too! "You want this one wrapped up, or is it for you?" she asked as she indicated towards the lapis pendant with one hand. Zero Dream "Ohhhhh, yes... I am quite sure she would love that." Zero said with a grin. Maybe this would work out ! Reyna's designs sure where very lovely, much more than most jewelry she had seen. "Im gonna keep that one, yes." She said, motioning to the one Reyna was holding. "Dio..." Red sounded a bit pensive. "I met him... I feel like there's something, some kind of odd connection. I felt like I knew him already. It's something important, but I can't tell what it was all about..."Reyna Crelos Mystic peered down at the child, curious. A connection, was it? They did have similar markings and similar stones to boot. Their being tied somehow didn't seem unlikely by any stretch of the imagination. 'Hm... have you had the opportunity to speak to him of it?' he asked. "This," Athan spoke up, "I assume should be packaged as a gift, then?" Zero Dream "Yes, please, if that isn't too much trouble." She said with a smile "Not yet... I could not speak when we met." He remembered being a stone amazingly clearly - but that may fade a bit with time. "...I think he felt it too."Reyna Crelos "It's no trouble at all," Athan answered as he strode over towards Reyna's desk to retrieve proper packaging for the trinket. He placed it in a black, square box which was then tied off with a black ribbon. A black business card with silver lettering was then tucked just behind the boy. "Also, I should think this piece will be a gift from the shop itself," he went on, "... for your troubles." Mystic nodded in understanding. 'Mm... I see,' he replied smoothly, 'Discussing it with him would probably be best. He frequents the shop often to speak with me and sometimes Athan. Finding a time to speak with him should not be too daunting of a task.'Zero Dream Zero seemed a bit surprised, but did not argue. Hey, who was she to b***h against that ? "Yeah, probably." Red shrugged a bit, shifting to rest his head on Mystic's shoulder once more. "I feel... like I must protect him. I don't know why. It doesn't really bother me, but I do wonder..."Reyna Crelos Mystic went back to absently petting at the child's hair. 'I would advise asking. Perhaps he shall know something you don't. He isn't the sort to withhold information, by any means, so if he knows... he'll share.'"Anything else you'd like to take a peek at?" Reyna asked Zero with a fanged grin. Zero Dream "Yeah, I know. Ill probably see him again soon. Z and Merci seemed to get along..." He hadn't particularly cared about that fact, but it was now proving itself useful to him, and so now he did care."Maybe later, I think I spent enough in one sitting." She replied with a friendly grin of her own. "Else I fear I might leave with half your lovely store, which would be bad for my credit card." Reyna Crelos "Understandable," Reyna replied with a quiet chuckle as she headed towards the cash register to tally up her purchase. "But I think you didn't do too badly this time around," she murmured with one of her sweeter smiles, "It'll be 20k even." Mystic moved away from the other shadow and offered him a slight bow. 'And I'm afraid I must be leaving now, myself,' he informed the child before reaching to fondly ruffle up his braids, 'I'm certain we will meet again soon.'Zero Dream "Yeah, I figure I can live with that." She took her debit card instead, and paint - no need to use credit for money she actually had. Really. "We should be going then. Come on, Red." The little fiend muttered something that was thankfully mostly inaudible to both guardian and fiend. He didn't want to leave just yet, they'd just started to talk !
And he did find himself wondering where Mystic was going...Reyna Crelos Mystic idly waved to Reyna as he left after drawing the hood of his cloak up over his head. He beamed quietly when she silently asked him to be careful and fretted over him. Athan, well, he didn't spare the man a second glance as she strode out of the shop like any other customer that was coming or going on solid, human feet. He paused until he was but a few feet away from the shop, somewhat within an alleyway that separated Twilight Designs from the next row of shops before extending one hand. The air glimmered slightly as he called several runes forth which brightened and grew into a circle in which he could comfortably step through. He was more or less on a bit of a quest, and had convinced his guardian to weasel information out of Athan earlier that day. He had spoken of a realm in which Lemurian crystals were not so scare, and he was in desperate need of one to continue his studies of the Dream Realm. Zero Dream Zero and Red where soon to follow, and the woman started heading the other way without giving a second thought about what Mystic was doing. For Red, however, this was far from so. The sun made him recoil a bit but he watched with intense interest as his "big brother" stepped through.
Ohhhh, this looked fun !
The little fiend bolted, and crossed the portal quicker than his guardian could register it.In fact, it was only when Zero felt an odd "thug" that she finally saw a red tail go through the portal. And said portal start to close. "RED ! DAMNIT !" Instinct won out, and the cyborg ran, faster than an human her stature could ever manage, and leaped in at the last moment before it closed. Reyna Crelos Mystic knew better than to look back or pause in amidst the portal, but he felt something and it felt as though whatever it was, was hot on his heels and following him through. To say the least, it was an unnerving feeling and the moment he was entirely through he slinked into the surrounding darkness, unseen for the time being as he waited for his would-be stalker to exit the portal as well. Zero Dream A wide-eyed Red was probably the last thing Mystic expected to see pop from that portal, but that was what did pop-out. The little fiend glanced around himself in barely hidden wonder. Hey ! This was SO MUCH BETTER than that overly sunny place !And, just before the portal closed, it spit a raving, screaming, and slightly ill-looking guardian out. "...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!" Who then proceeded to have a not-so-lovely meeting with the ground. She did not move for a moment, but finally perked. "RED ! YOU- nrrrgghhhh...." The woman flopped down again, still looking every bit as ill, much like a seasick person who was about to throw up. "You just wait until I can STAND !!!!!" Reyna Crelos Mystic's form relaxed and he emerged fully from the surrounding darkness to help Zero to her feet with one arm slung about her waist to hold her upright. 'For future reference,' he replied smoothly, bright eyes glittering with amusement despite his serious tone of voice, 'It is not wise to follow through an open portal uninvited.'He paused as he took a moment to glance around and gingerly removed the hood of his cloak. Where were they? It certainly did not look like the Gardens of Tulatha, and the massive, imposing buildings they seemed to be surrounded by could not possibly be temples full of the riddle-spouting monks Athan had mentioned in passing. Zero Dream The only answer that came from the little fiend was a bit of a giggles, as he did a few loops in the air."Tell... HIM.... that." Zero somehow managed to mutter, as her stomach seemed to finally start to settle. "God damnit I haaatttteeeee..." The woman, however, went silent when she finally seemed to figure out that there was a world beyond her portal sickness. She detached herself from Mystic and took a few shaky steps. No way....But there was no way she was wrong. She knew this specific location way too well for her to even think she might be wrong. ...I never thought I would come back here.
Ill'd never WANTED to come back HERE !Red seemed to suddenly still, eyes fixed on his guardian, a look of both worry and guilt flashing though at that very moment. He'd all but stilled, with only a few twitches of the tail.
He'd felt it all very clearly. Zero just seemed like a bomb ready to explode."...Mystic." She spoke, barely even a whisper. "....Where... Where are we ?" Please let me be wrong...But, from the way her whole body seemed to shake, it seemed like the woman already had her own answer. Reyna Crelos He squinted in confusion at his surroundings before moving to linger a bit closer to Zero as he would his own guardian out of habit. 'To be perfectly honest,' he replied slowly, 'I have no clue. I had intended to go to the EverGreen Gardens of the Tulatha and also pay a visit to a local monastery there rumored to have links to Lumeria.' His brow furrowed in a frown as he glanced towards the woman at his side that seemed to be panicking. 'The .. ah... unannounced presence of the both of you seems to have... influenced my portal, so to speak.'Zero Dream "...That'll be my fault." She announced. "This is Zonaria. Capital city of planet Xirian." She shook her head sightly, as if trying to clear some kind of daze away. "If you start to see the cement crack I subject you don't keep doing that direction. This is a floating city and im not fishing you guys from the ground." There was only a split second of silence before Zero broke into a run, darting right in a specific direction. If she was here, then... Then she just had to know. She'd never realized that she'd forgotten to warn the two. "Z ! Where are you going ?! WAIT !" Suddenly not so proud of his little mishap anymore, he was quick to dart after her.Reyna Crelos 'Quickly!' Mystic hissed as he grabbed a hold of Red and darted after Zero, all but abandoning his human form as he followed the woman as fast he could manage. Oh this was not going to be pleasant. He was far from his bond, and while yes, his age did allow him some freedom, he hadn't ever attempted to see just how much that he could expend before succumbing to exhaustion. Than in itself was an issue. He somehow doubted that Zero or Red could cast circles and or otherwise somehow teleport them back to Gaia. Zero Dream And Zero proved that she was one hell of a runner. Apparently on an afterthought, she ripped some of her t-shirt away, and used it to cover the upside down triangle mark on her forehead. Better not to attract any trouble. She slid through the sea of people, colliding with a few but not seeming to care much about it. The passerbys sent her glares, some yelled at her, but most did not seem to be phased. She was but one of the odd, ever so busy youths of Zonaria, probably late for her next party. If only it was so. The woman only came to a stop once they had reached one of the few places which seemed to possess any greenery in the city - a small park, with a big, laboratory-like building able to be seen in the distance. There was a massive, old oak tree - and at it's base, two stones. Two unmarked graves. She let herself fall on her knees, and she stared at the stones for a moment. So, she had been a coward, and she had fled... But her brother had found the courage to do what had needed to be done. She was glad, but that wouldn't stop a few silent tears from sliding down her cheek. Reyna Crelos Mystic's form seemed to shudder in relief as Zero finally came to a stop though he didn't dare waste his strength taking on a solid form. Instead, he remained as he was, lengthy tail curling around behind him in dark waves as he settled near Zero's side. He frowned and reached to idly touch the woman's hair in so careful a manner it was as though he feared he might cause harm to her by simply offering comfort. He glanced idly towards Red and then back to the woman that was crouched on the ground. He was at a loss of what to do. His Reyna did not cry, even when she should. Zero Dream Red skidded to a stop and hovered closeby, watching the two from a distance. Apparently he was not all that keen on going to deal with the whole can of mass suck he seemed to have opened, and given that he felt the woman's emotion quite clearly, who could blame him ?"...Im sorry." Weither or not she was talking to Mystic, or to the unmarked stone, was probably up to debate. She reached one hand to touch the one on the left. "...My father is buried here. At least the closest thing to a father that I've had. I.... I had to make sure..." Reyna Crelos He remained silent, still caught entirely off guard by the situation he had found himself as a whole. Sure, he knew how to comfort Sam, but she was but a simple child. Zero, at least appearances, seemed to be a grown woman. His expression softened and he reached to wrap an arm about the woman's shoulder's companionably. Mystic appeared as though aching to say something but paused as he glanced towards Red and then at their surroundings. They were surrounded by masses of people, all headed in some direction but a few seemed to have stopped and taken a keen sort of interest in their merry group. Zero Dream Red seemed to be getting increasingly nervous as the mass of people seemed to draw a bit closer, mostly to stare at him or Mystic. A few glances where toward Zero, but she seemed to go largely unnoticed compared to the two of them. The little fiend started to circle both the other and his guardian, narrow eyes fixed on the crowd.
The little snake did not like this.Zero did not move for a moment, and had seemed to start trying to lean on Mystic slightly, but she had caught herself once she realized she was about to faceplant. I know, father. I need to be strong.She moved, slowly as to not throw the elder fiend off, to stand, eyes narrowing as she noticed the crowd. They where drawing way too much attention. This was not a good thing Zonaria. The crowd stared on, exchanging whispers. What where those things, who was that woman ? The crowd seemed mostly consisted by curious, but Zero had not been raised to trust the people here. Far from it. "We might wanna bail out now." She muttered. Reyna Crelos 'If it's attention you're concerned over,' he replied as he moved to stand and glanced cautiously around them, 'My casting a spell will not do well in aiding us.' Not to mention it could be traced and then potentially followed. He clenched his fists at his side as he attempted to focus on their situation. He needed to find a way out and quickly. His eyes widened slightly as a figure in the crowd became a bit bolder and edged towards Red. Inwardly, Mystic was cursing. Why couldn't he be less.... shiny? 'Come along, little brother,' he murmured as he reached and wrapped one arm firmly about the child's shoulders and dragged him close, 'Let's not stir up any unwanted trouble, hm?' Zero Dream Red let out a little displeased hiss as he was graped, but he didn't attempt to wriggle free. At least just yet."The people here are extremely distrustful of things that are not their own race." She tried to explain, eyes locked to the crowd. "They're not very likely to try to harm us directly, not the civilians, but they're very likely to..." The crowd suddenly dispersed, as two huge, mecha-like humanoid, very heavily armored made their way. Zero hissed out a low curse, as if taking her cue from her little fiend. "...Call the cops." This was NOT her day. "Two of them. We've created quite a commotion it seems. ...I hope you're ready to fight. You can't reason with machines." Not THOSE, anyway. At least they'd cleared out the civilians as a standard procedure, so none of them would really get hurt. Or so she hoped. Reyna Crelos 'Oh joy,' Mystic laughed. It was a dark, maniacal sound that seemed harsh and quite different from his typical quiet, near-melodic alto. This was something darker, something more sinister that lurked beneath the surface but rarely had a chance to surface. It was a part of him he tried so desperately to deny and to hide away. Typically, that little voice had the tendency to mock him, but no, not this time. It was enthralled, and practically frothing over in bubbly excitement. 'Perhaps this will require some spell-casting after all,' he seemed to purr. His form flickered in a strange way as though he were some sort of holographic projection than living creature until he once more took a solid form. He moved to stand in front of both Zero and Red. Oh wouldn't Reyna be proud! A part of him was saddened that she was too far away to feel his glee and that Athan couldn't rush in to stop whatever trouble he was about to stir up. He cast one hand out before him but this time a silver coin like that which helped manifest his cloak of shadow appeared. It began to pulsate with a black glow before enveloping itself in a sickly, black sludge that lashed out with wispy arms as though desperately trying to escape its confines. In truth, that was exactly what it was doing. One of the many nightmare beasts he had captured some months ago was locked within and now being unleashed. 'Let's play.' Zero Dream Red seemed a bit startled, moreso by Mystic's sudden... shift than the two machines that where closing in on them. He moved to curl loosely around the elder's shoulder, letting a low warning hiss to the two tin cans, hands clutched on his staff. Oh damn right this was on.Zero, honestly, had no time to worry. She broke into a run soon after Mystic had started to cast, sliding out a long, silver stick from an hidden side-pocket of her cargo pants, snapping it in two where it bended before it could solidify again and projecting two long beams of plasma, crackling blue in the same shade than her glowing eyes. There was no way she could take two of them at once. Even back then she couldn't take two of those things at once. All she could hope was that Mystic would be able to hold the second one on his own for a bit... She charged straight for the first one, in what seemed to be a lightning of dancing blue blades. The second one definitively had Mystic as a target, and it didn't take long before something Red couldn't really identify was shot their direction.
Listening only to his own instincts, Red bolted and, in a very painful hiss, took the hit. The small fiend hit the ground, hissing in pain as some of his side seemed to have been nicked clean off by the blast, shadows swirling in a faint attempt to plug the hole.
"Damnit.... You.... You...." Reyna Crelos Utter, seething rage boiled within the elder shadow. His bright, violet eyes reflected his hatred for the machine that thought it wise to harm his brethren and seemed to glow the same as his guardian's did when her demonic instincts were triggered. Fury fueled his movements and made them sharper and far more precise than they typically were when casting spells. He did not think. He simply reacted. He didn't quite understand how it was he knew how to control the beast that was forming around that single, silver coin, he just did -- and he did so without a moment's hesitation. The beast that revealed itself roared, fangs dripping and claws ripping at the ground beneath them as it mirrored its masters rage before attacking the massive robot that sought to destroy them. It leapt forward and latched onto the machine, massive paws tearing and shredding anything within reach. It's entire form seemed to ooze and cling to it's opponent, corroding through parts of the metal like toxic waste. 'Hideous creations!' Mystic shouted, addressing the robots before them, voice rough and abrasive as though he had spent a century screaming at the top of his lungs, 'I've faired far worse than you! I am far worse a monster than you could ever aspire to be!'Zero Dream Pain.
That was summing up the fiend's world very accurately now. At least at first. It hadn't quite registered that a chunk of what would have been his hip if he had been human was missing. All that was registering was pain. It shocked through his system more deeply than it probably should. Kind of like if something hot and boiling was crawling inside his veins.
He could hear the sound of metal being battered, and he'd both heard and felt Mystic's nightmare beast brush past him as it began it's assault - yet it all seemed so far away. So distant.
So....
Gone.
Somehow, Red managed to work his way back to standing upright, but much like the elder fiend, it seemed different. As if something inside him had shifted. He'd stopped listening to pain, and started to listen to instinct. Instinct said to stand, and that was what he did. Some of his self still seemed to be breaking down, tendrils of shadow fleeing from him much akin flowing blood. But right now he didn't care. All he did was stare, blankly, at the robot and the shadow creature's direction. Instinct spoke again.
He would not be outmatched.
His tail gave one twitch, then another. Take it down, or else it will take you don't.
Don't wonder how.
You can.
You just can.
The child's slender arms where next to give a small twitch. The shadows of the tree and buildings, even the shadow of the enemies themselves seemed to twitch in response. Then it all rushed to him, like a smooth wave. The shadows twisted, locked with his hands... forming massive claws, razor sharp.
ATTACK !
With a loud, bloodthirsty scream, Red charged, zipping through the distance that separated himself from the object of his ire and madness in barely a few seconds, latching at the grillage which seemed to protect it's "eyes".
Weak points first.The sounds of chipping metals did not stop. Because that was exactly what Zero was doing. Her agility was her advantage, not her strength - beside, she could not heat the blade high enough to melt. They'd been built against such things, after all. Her blades might have been quite rare in Gaia, but in Xirian they where common place. A simple annoyance. She was too locked in her own fight, in her own struggle not to wind up crushed or blown away into tiny little bits to check on the two fiends. Her left hip was stinging but she did not seem to notice it as of it, even less ponder where it came from. The burn marks where of a bigger worry - she's gotten lucky and only gotten hits that grazed her and burnt some of the skin, but it did hurt like hell. The concept of pain, physical pain was once pretty foreign to her - not anymore. She had too much left waiting for her at home to allow herself to fail here. Reyna Crelos Mystic form seemed to undulate in a strange way and his normal violet complexion had darkened and blackened about the edges in such a way that had nothing to do with laser fire or the onslaught of attacks he faced from the massive machines that seemed to at last slowing down. His own problem now was that the rage within him seemed to be cooling and with it his strength. He chanced a moment to settle his gaze upon Red. He was hurt! Something within him screamed, infuriated by that, but he was having a hard time focusing. He had thought he had had a hard time prior to their impromptu battle. Apparently he was going to be seeing just how far he could be pushed before... before what? He died? He passed out and left his comrades to whither away in this strange world? 'Oh I think not,' he hissed as he urged the nightmare onward and beamed in pleasure when the robot took a hit that had damaged one of its legs, disabling it entirely so that it fell clumsily to the ground. He was quite content to continue on with the fight. A part of him took a sort of sick delight in the destruction that was being wrought all around them. Another part of him, however, was distinctly aware of his mortality and of Zero and Red's well-being. 'I don't suppose you think we could outrun these bastards before they send more?' he shouted to Zero. Oh by the gods if they sent more. That was something he knew he couldn't handle, though entertaining the prospect may have been. Zero Dream But it seemed Red wasn't quite done yet. Even when the machine hit the ground, he kept at it, ripping the metal off and sending chunks flying.
It was just like if nothing else existed at the moment. And just like if nothing else mattered beside seeing the thing in multiple pieces on the ground.
However, it wouldn't take long before the blows started to slow down, lessen both in speed and in strength, and the little fiend gave in rather quickly, passing out."....Red !!!" That was the split second of diversion that Zero had NOT needed - thankfully it was not a laser, but a metal fist that hit her, sending her flying and landing a few meters away. The woman worriedly did not move at first, but after a few seconds, she managed to work herself into a crouching position, her hand going to catch her weapon again by pure reflect. "Bastards...." Suddenly, however, her eyes went wide with the kind of shock that simply could not be good news. "...We run. Like hell. NOW." While Mystic did not see what she was talking about, it wouldn't be long before two other shapes would be apparent to the horizon. Two very unwanted shapes. Reyna Crelos A thrill of panic raced down his spine at the woman's words and he darted forward in a mad rush to snatch up Red's prone form. He carried the unconscious boy in his arms as he ran after Zero before in a rush of strength and energy he hadn't been certain he had left, passed her. He stopped a few feet in front of her and raise one arm while gingerly shifting the child in his arms to open a portal. His mind was a mantra of one thing: Oh please, oh please, oh please, don't let them be able to follow us through. The circle widened as it had before and he reached with his one free arm to grab Zero, perhaps a bit harder than he had truly intended to, and dragged her through. After that point they once more found themselves in Gaia, but not at Twilight Designs. Mystic had had enough forethought to not take them there directly just in case. He stood dizzily as he held fast to his grip on the child that was in his arms. He skittered as best he could to the nearest alleyway to hide within the shadows. The sun was unbearable. Oh deities be damned. If they had had to do what they had just done in broad daylight..! His eyes slid closed and he moaned a bit fuzzily as he leaned back against the brick wall as he was suddenly hit with a barrage of concern from Reyna and a tentative, yet highly annoying inquiry from Athan. 'Get ouuuut of my head boooth of you,' he muttered a bit deliriously before mentally tacking on: 'Reyna... I need you... find me.'Zero Dream It all, in fact, happened so fast that Zero only registered that they where back in Gaia - no, hell back home - was when the portal sickness settled in again. This time, she didn't just look sick - she actually was, through she had somehow had both the presence of mind and the decently to crawl a bit away from Mystic before being so. "....Never been... so glad to let out my lunch in my life." She muttered, eyes shining in the darkness, through dimmed from their usual glow as she looked at Mystic, her weariness apparent. "...Everyone's in one piece ? ...Red..." Reyna Crelos 'He's unconscious.' And oh did he wish he were. 'But he'll be okay,' he told her, voice slightly rasped from exhaustion and just barely there to begin with. He may not have sounded confident in his words, but he knew them to be true. So long as the shadow in his arms did not fade, he would be fine. Hawk had survived an attack by Doran as a child. Surely that had been far worse. He shuddered at that thought. Worse than how he felt now was by no means a pleasant notion by any stretch of the imagination. Mystic paid no mind to his surroundings or really to Zero as he slumped against the wall. He did glance up when he felt a familiar presence. His eyes snapped open wide and he glanced around suspiciously before he realized it was more than just a familiarity he felt -- it was Reyna. Heavy footfalls could be heard and the rapid-fire clicking of high heeled boots. The thought made him want to smile, but he hadn't the strength to do so and lacked a proper mouth anyway. He looked up and sighed in relief as Reyna rounded the corner looking a bit rumpled and worse for wear. She wanted to demand what the hell had happened but one look at the three of them huddled there in the alleyway stopped her in her tracks. Instead, she rushed forward to press a hand against Red's forehead and then to wrap an arm around Mystic to keep him upright. He sighed and leaned against her heavily before finally relinquishing his hold on the other shadow to his own guardian. Zero Dream Zero cradled her own little fiend in her arms much like one would a newborn, unable to hide the worry as her free hand went to smooth out the disbehelved little braids. He got her into such trouble, but even that did not stop the worry and obvious care. This woman was not the guardian of many by pure coincidence. She managed to stand - a bit wobbingly, but standing nonetheless. Her hand left the braids to instinctively cover the wound at Red's side. It was still a hole, but nothing was sweeping out of it anymore. The guardian looked worse for the wear - shirt half ripped off, and various burn wounds, and much less cuts. The advantage of hot laser blasts meant that they closed almost instantanously... But what now ? "Uh... That was my fault. Im sorry." Well, her presence did throw off the portal, and without that, none of this would have happened. Reyna Crelos "I find that hard to believe," Athan spoke up as he too came around the corner, though he stared disapprovingly down at Mystic who was doing his best to hide away within Reyna's arms. The shadow all but radiated magic from the spells he had cast. The demon hissed at him, fangs bared as if daring him to step closer to Mystic or to cause him any further harm than what he had managed to do very well on his own. 'It was an accident,' Mystic emphasized. He sighed and leaned his head over against Reyna's shoulder. 'I was going to Talutha, but Red darted through the portal and Zero had no choice but to follow,' he explained, voice wavering slightly as it faded in spots as though he were much further away rather than within earshot. Athan simply scowled before moving towards Red. He reached out and placed one hand over the boy's stone and allowed some of his own energy to bleed over into the little shadow so that the wounds he had suffered might heal faster. Zero Dream Zero was about to speak, agree with Mystic's side of the story but.... really. At this point, it probably was better for her to shut up. She would be in more than enough trouble once she got herself back home. For quite a few resident probably felt their respective bonds thin a bit by sheer distance. She was not looking forward to this. When Red seemed to start stirring a bit, she did her best to settle him and calm him back down. She did not know what happened back there... But... It was worrying. Reyna Crelos "And all this for a damn crystal," Reyna muttered as she hugged Mystic tightly in a rare display of affection. She had felt the distance between them when he hopped into the other dimension, but she had expected that. She had not expected him to return so quickly and in so much pain. Typically, she was impervious to what the average individual considered to be painful, but there was so much strain. It wore on her nerves very quickly. Athan glanced towards the demon as though to say something but before he could Reyna held out one hand in warning. "Shut it. Save whatever you've got up your sleeves for later when I give a s**t." The man huffed in response and folded his arms over his chest with an irritated luck. "Then I suggest we make our way best we can back to the shop," he replied as he wrapped an arm about Zero's waist to help support her and Red both. "A bit of rest before you venture home would do you good," he insisted as he peered down at Zero. Zero Dream Zero's pride was a bit nicked by that, but there was no way she could pretend to be able to walk back home on her own two feet at the moment. "Yeah... That doesn't really sound like a bad idea..." Hopefully she could get some water on the way. And some bandages. And disinfectant. Hell, throw in a whole first aid kit, she'd probably need it. The aftertaste in her mouth was horribly foul, urgh. Reyna Crelos Athan contemplated simply whisking them all there as a group with a spell, but by the looks of it, no one save for himself was really fit to endure such a thing. Thus, their trek back to the shop, which was in truth only a few blocks away, both tedious and painful for those that had previously been in battle. The stench of burns and old magic clung to them, the latter of which was most obvious from Mystic. What made him wonder was how exactly the elder shadow had managed to cast spells strong enough to leave such a residue behind even after traveling through a portal. It made him even more suspicious than he already was, but with Reyna on edge and snapping at every word he said, addressing the issue at hand was not so good an idea. Once at the shop, the shadow in question all but collapsed into the cool darkness that it promised. He groaned inwardly when Reyna caught him and hauled him to the back room where it was even darker. She pushed him towards one of the couches forcibly and he gratefully stumbled towards one and curled up beneath his cloak with the hood covering his head. The demon then went hunting through the cabinets for supplies. Zero's silent wish for a first aid kit was about to come true if only because the shop was legally required to keep such things around. That, and given the shop's tumultuous history, it was a damn good idea. Zero Dream Zero took care of her burns and wounds easily enough - apparently this was far from the first time that she had to patch someone up, and the fact that said someone was herself did not seem the phase her most. If anything, she seemed more upset over ripped pants (which revealed glimmering metal, not burnt skin) than her actual burns. How many close calls did she get ? It looked like if those legs hadn't been cybernetic, she wouldn't have been able to walk. She wasn't quite sure that it would do anything, but she took the time to bandage Red as well. Thank to Athan's involvement, it seemed like the wound was starting to close up, but the shade was off. The first scar of many ? That's what it seemed like. She didn't dwell on this for long - it did not take long before she allowed herself to slip into sleep as well. Reyna Crelos Mystic didn't move. It wasn't often he truly slept. More often than not, he was whisked off into someone else's dreams which meant no real rest for him. He didn't stir when Reyna moved to peel back part of his cloak and check for wounds. He was not hurt physically it seemed, just drained of his energy. His ghostly pallor and overall transparency was an affirmation of that. "What was he needing a crystal for, Reyna?" Athan asked, arms folded over his chest and a dark, unreadable look on his face. "You asked me for information and I gave it to you on good faith. Lemurian crystals are powerful." Reyna rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to face him. "He needed it to continue with his studies of his powers," she murmured in a hushed, but slightly angry whisper to avoid waking the trouble-making-trio nearby. She growled and cut him off before he could respond, " You have refused to help him. I am not going to deny him. He wishes only to understand himself and his abilities. He can't just go dancing through everyone's dreams at wild abandon every night, and he usually doesn't. Not on purpose. He's trying to learn how to control it." "And control is the one thing he lacks," Athan muttered darkly, hands now fisted at his sides, "He has always been a loose cannon, much like you." "Watch it, old man," Reyna growled, voice growing slightly in volume as she began to loose her temper, " We have a contract." She held one hand out and a bound document appeared within her grasp with both her and Athan's signature on it. He laughed outright. "You can't be serious! That is your contract for employment within the shop! Oh don't tell me," he spat, still chuckling with bitter amusement, "You're going to take my soul as payment for your occupation as artist and shopkeeper? This is absolutely priceless!" The demon scowled and a low, animalistic growl accompanied the venomous look. "Don't mock me. I wouldn't take your soul even if you offered it. Part of it is missing. I am not so lowly a creature to demand only partial payment." Athan's face, typically unreadable and nearly expressionless save for the occasional charming smirk, melted into a mask of rage as he strode towards the woman to glare down at her. "You.. have NO idea... of what you speak of," he whispered, voice dark and full of contempt. "And you hardly have room to talk seeing as you are bound," he went on as he motioned towards her left eye that he knew very well was intact, but covered by the eyepatch due to an unfinished spell that had meant to enslave her. Zero Dream It would not take long before a small figure would slide inside by the door, sliding along slowly but surely, as if each of his movements where painful. His eyes where distant, the glow a bit dimmed. Red was tired and, otherwise, very much so drained.
He'd been hit, and then... nothing. He remembered nothing, save for waking up with a sleeping guardian latched onto him as if he could fade away at any moment. Fade he would not, but he would probably manage to not cause anymore trouble for the rest of the day.
...Maybe.
He honestly did not care what the two where arguing about now. What he did care about was that they where getting louder and louder. It had been what woke him up, and if they didn't at least quiet down a bit soon, Mystic and Zero would probably be next.
He let out a small grunt of effort as he gave one last tail twitch to project himself in the air, sliding to nuzzle against Mystic and eye the demon and the spellcaster from his perch.
"If you two go around yelling your dirty laundry-" Was it how Zero said it ? No matter. He voice sounded detached - and drained. "-Then don't be surprised if people learn about it. The girl sleeps lightly, you know."
Really, he didn't care who was wrong, who was right, or all that. If they did not listen and Zero or Mystic woke up ? He would have warned them. Reyna Crelos Reyna sighed heavily and with a wave of her hand the contract dissolved away into nothing back to where it came from. She turned to eye Red before reaching to gently touch his cheek. "Go get some rest, kiddo," she murmured softly before turning back to Athan with a scowl, "We'll continue this... discussion at a later date." The man in question said nothing but instead turned to leave in a flurry of angry robes. He just had to find the one person in the entire universe that could actually make him angry as a business partner. "I'm leaving. I assume you can manage on your own for the time being," he muttered absently over his shoulder before he was simply gone. Mystic didn't dare move or even open his eyes. '... you don't have to defend me, Reyna,' he managed. The demon folded her arms across her chest moodily. "Well, he shouldn't be such a a** all the time." Zero Dream "I am resting." Red answered, leaning into her touch without really noticing he was. Apparently not darting around and throwing off portals was the equivalent of resting in the little fiend's world. The yelling stopped, and that was all he wanted. "Ill... probably fall asleep again soon." He admited after a pause. What exactly had he done to feel so drained.
He would have to ask Mystic.
Later. Reyna Crelos "You've got an interesting definition of rest," she snickered quietly before she moved to settle on the couch and allowed Mystic to curl half way across her. She idly petted at his hair, relatively unconcerned about much of anything else. She'd hear if someone entered the shop, so she wasn't that worried. What's more, one of the other employees would likely be on their way soon. "I swear," she chuckled quietly, voice hushed, "You'll never grow out of stirring up trouble, will you?" The elder shadow didn't respond vocally but he glanced up at her, eyes dancing with merriment and a hint of mischief. Of course he wouldn't! He was the epitome of what it meant to be a Fiend. Zero Dream Red shifted as Mystic did, fluttering in the air for a moment before settling down in his "big brother"'s lap, and wriggling under the shadowy cape almost comically. It wouldn't take long before the little fiend felt asleep once more. Reyna Crelos Reyna sat quietly and simply contented herself to watch the two boys sleep. She would have to pester Mystic for details about his little adventure, but for now, they all needed rest.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:53 pm
Crawling Your Way Back Home It took a few hours of rest before the woman dared to do the trek back home, far too stubborn to try and call her brother for pickup. She was well aware that she looked like hell warmed over, and that she was most likely gonna get one hell of a greeting once she came back home, which is mostly why she'd chosen to walk back home. She needed to unwind and de-stress so she wouldn't snap at whoever was gonna jump her once she crossed the door. It was a good thing her legs where the mechanical parts - it means her knees couldn't really buckle and send her tumbling on the ground. Not so easily, anyway. There where a few chips on the metal, easily seen through the holes in her jeans (which miffed her since they where not there that morning, and she was a bit self-conscious of that part of herself) but given that there was once fake skin on those, this was really the least of her concern. If she was lucky enough, she would be able to find a healer and have those burns not scar all too badly. She had one, and that was quite enough for the collection. Red had, thankfully enough, only awoken long enough to slide inside her shadow and seemingly fall asleep again, in despite it now being nighttime. Odd, but definitively welcome. She was neither in the mood and neither in the mental and physical shape to deal with a overactive fiend. She just wanted to somehow pedal through what awaited her home and find her bed for another round of sleeping. At least she was home now. She pulled out her keys to unlock the door and slid inside as silently as she could. "Zero."Sei. Thank whatever higher power, this was Sei and not Aylen. In answer, she simply tilted her head to look at him, whereas the blonde child all but carried her to a nearby chair, his face akin to a neutral mask that could crack at any second. "Everyone's okay ?" "Yes... But I don't think the same can be said for you." He'd felt the distance through their bond, clearly - far from enough to cause him to fade as his mother had explained to him, but enough to make him worry. "What happened to you ?"She only rose her hand when the child started tugging at the bandages. "They've been disinfected... and they're mostly burns anyway. Ill be fine, they just need to close up. I've... been in a bit of a ruffle." "That isn't exactly hard to see." Sei crossed his arms and gave a condensing look that no child his age should have been able to pull off. "It's that red thing, isn't it ?""He dashed inside a portal. I had to dash through also, or else the circumstances could have been much more disastrous. I... kind of derailed the portal. Wound up back home.." The simple way that Zero spit out the word was enough warning for the fa'e NOT to thread in that direction. "The shadows caught a little too much attention and we wound up in a scuffle. Everyone's okay." "That was quite stupid... of...""Him." Zero provided. Given that Sei has seen little of Red, since he spend most of his time with his mother as of late, it was easy for him to be confused. Then she gave a sigh. "He's a child, Sei. It doesn't make what he's done any more right, but it's the truth of the matter. I know it's hard for you to understand, but when Alden gets to that age, it will probably be easier. Not everyone is like you, or like me. I just hope he's learnt something from this." If it was only Do not dart in random portals it would probably be enough. "I rather hope so, else ill probably have to shove it down his brain somehow." It was clear to see that the fa'e was not pleased by the little shadow's intrusion in his life, and the random chaos it caused but like everything else, he dealt. He knew by his own existence that people did not always chose these kinds of things, and that somehow separating them would mean no good for almost everyone living in the house. It must have been quite a strain, when he thought about it - to have your soul pulled in all kind of directions to support all kinds of being. His logical way to view things made him more understanding than his "sibilings." The blonde looked over to his guardian once more. "Coffee ?""No." She couldn't help but crack a smile. That was Sei indeed. " Bed. Should be the same for you, it is late enough." Sei frowned a bit. Zero was treating him like a little kid again. "So not." But his features smoothed - he knew he would listen anyway, and he extended his arm. "Ill get you there." He honestly did not trust her to get though the stairs on her own when she was so wobbly. Her legs may not give, but the rest would. Zero only answered this with a small smile. "Thanks."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:45 pm
Who Needs Ants at a Picnic ? Merci` Merci walked over the fresh grass, it was honestly a very beautiful day. Her hair was free of it's usual braid and was blowing freely in the light breeze. Both of her hands were wrapped around the handle of a very heavy picnic basket. She held it in front of her as she strolled through the shadows of the trees, as it was more comfortable for the little shadow trailing after her. The Guardian had decided that Dio needed to get out of the house, she knew that if the little pain got his way he would be buried in books and live on the roof. She couldn't very well let him be antisocial, so she had put in a call to Zero and asked if they could meet for a quick bite. Most people didn't really react well to the odd floating creature behind her, so she decided a fairly quiet corner of the local park might be a good idea. There were tall beech trees, and spindly globe willows abundant in this part of the park, so it was easier for their wards to be comfortable. Dio was using the blanket she brought to sit on as a cover as he hurried between patches of shadow. They stopped in the clearing Merci had designated for their outing, and she turned to Dio after putting the basket on the emerald green grass. "Alright, can you spread out the blanket while I start getting everything set up? They should be here soon." Dio skirted the edges of the shadow, staying in the semi darkness. 'Yes, I suppose so. Why won't you tell me whose coming?' He spread out the blanket and had to catch it twice before he figured out it needed to be weighted down on the corners with rocks. Merci just smiled at him and winked, "Don't worry Dio, I'm sure it's going to be a pleasant surprise... trust me okay?" Zero Dream Merci was lucky on one aspect - if she had called all but one day earlier, Zero would probably still have been too sore to accept the proposition. But now she was feeling a bit better, and, well... Red had overheard and probably wouldn't have let her saw no anyway. Her multiple bandages where clearly visible along her arms and on her cheek, but there was no way in hell she was shoving herself into a sweater with that kind of weather - she would die on the spot. The woman walked down to the park a tad slower than usual, Red hidden in her shadow and grumbling about the sun as she tried to locate the red-haired woman and her fiend. Merci` Merci watched Dio lay out the blanket and when she was satisfied she dumped the basket on it. Seraph was an excellent cook, which was good because she was not. Most likely her cooking would have compounded Zero's problems with a good stomach pumping. She straighted and smiled at Dio, "They should be here soon, calm down mm?" Dio was a bundle of nerves, he loved people, but he didn't like not knowing who was coming. What if it was someone mean like Vance? Though he hadn't ever really met anyone as mean as the poker playing Medusa, he wasn't keen on being out of the loop.
It wasn't long however before he saw the blue haired lady from before and...
Goodness was that the little wisp? It couldn't be, could it? But it was with the blue haired lady he remembered from before.
Confusion set in, and suddenly Dio was feeling even more nervous, and extremely shy. He darted behind Merci, trying to hide himself behind her.Merci blinked and looked over her shoulder at the little shadow, curled up against her back. "Stop that your being silly..." She whispered to him before she turned her head back toward the two headed toward them. "Hey! Zero! Over here!" Merci raised a hand and waved it over her head to make herself more visible. Oh this was going to be so much more fun then she had thought. Zero Dream The little wisp wasn't so little anymore, wasn't he ? Zero perked slightly and headed in the direction where the two had chosen. A nice shady spot, as she had expected. At least she wouldn't have put up with Red's bitching through the whole picnic. "Hey there ! Hopefully I am not too late ?" Red seemed to oddly mimic his guardian on a smaller scale - he only had one bandage, looped around his midsection where his hips would be starting had he had legs.
It was a good thing he didn't have legs. They looked so bothersome. And slow. Definitively slow. In fact he zoomed ahead of Zero easily, peeking to Merci's side at Dio. "Hey there !"Merci` Merci grinned and moved aside, so the two shadows could talk without her in the way. Oh she knew she was being a little mean, but Dio needed friends. He'd seemed so happy with Red when he was a stone floating around that him being larger shouldn't have made that much of a difference after all. "Wow, lookit that. He's so big now! Congratulations, it's easier now isn't it?" She couldn't help a smirk at Zero as she walked around Dio and flopped down on the checkered blanket she had absconded from the hall closet. Dio gasped and was suddenly face to face with Red. His one burgundy eye got big, and round. He was big, and braided, and... hurt? What had happened? Was he okay? Suddenly questions were rolling out of Dio faster then anyone could have answered them. 'What did that to you!? Did something hurt you? Why do you have bandages on? Were you bleeding? Can you bleed? When did you get so big? How long have you been like this? Why is your lady like that? Is she hurt too?'
He just couldn't help the curiousity, and they only stopped long enough for him to pause and get his bearings.Zero Dream "I don't know, when he was a stone, he didn't wreck portals." Zero gave a soft snort, moving to sit on the blanket. "But it... is at least easier on my poor rattled brain, I believe." Whoa, whoa, WHOA. Okay. Red all but blankstared at the onslaught on questions that even HIM couldn't keep up with. He'd also blinked once or twice in a confused manner that was completely priceless and made Zero regret not bringing a camera.
"Im fine, really. Z and me and Mystic got into a fight with those two huge stupid tin can things. And we kicked a**. They like, shot light stuff at me and even THAT did not keep me down, it was totally epic." He gloated a little. Totally owned them. It's not bleeding, and it scared all awesome-like." He pulled at the bandage and let it fall off. The hole that was there was gone, and he pointed at a darker, star-patched area right at his side that seemed a bit uneven with the rest of him. "Is that just badass or what ?!"Merci` Dio blinked and he stopped talking all at once. His visible eye moved to look at the scar and he seemed totally confused. Then, after a moment of silence, the questions started again. 'Your happy you got hurt? Why? Didn't it hurt? What kind of tin can things?' The little shadow moved off to the side and got closer to have a look at the scar. Merci couldn't help a small smile, "You look, well, like you've seen better days. You okay?" Even though she was talking to Zero, her eyes were locked on the two boys. It was true that Dio seemed to like everyone, but he seemed to be more content around Red. Something that gave her a rest. His constant stressing over his studies was enough to put the Fox on edge. She was going to have to arrange these little meet and greets more often. Zero Dream "Of course not, getting that light thing inside me sucked hard. But the fight was totally awesome ! I dunno what the hell they where about, really, they just came out of nowhere, like... huge metal men but that can't think or do anything on their own, at least that was what Z said. She called them... Robots, I think ? They where odd. And stupid. Definitively stupid." Red announced, doing his best to still his ever-sliding tail to allow Dio a good look. "We kicked their a** then went home. That'll teach them not to mess with me." He all but beamed."I've been worse, honestly. Basically the little monster over there decided we where going portal hopping with Mystic and... Well... We got in trouble. It could have been a whole lot worse than it turned out, honestly." She knew that all too well. It had been a good thing no one had recognized her, else they wouldn't have come out of it alive. Merci` Merci just shook her head and pulled her knees up to sit indian style, she opened the basket and started pulling out food. "Sounds less then fun. Glad you came out of it alive, honestly things like that are why I'm usually a homebody. Dio's been changing that slowly, thats why I called. They seem to get along mm?" The woman's green eyes slid over to Zero as she was laying out the dishes Seraph made. "I didn't know what you guys liked, so Seraph kinda went nuts and made a little of a lot." Dio blinked and reached out to touch the scar. He looked kinda, well, scaly. Like the snake people he lived with. He wanted to touch him and see if he felt like Maili. 'You have scales? Are you like the Medusa? Can you turn people to stone by looking at them? You don't wear a blindfold like they do, but that doesn't mean anything. You went with Mystic? Did you go into someone's dreams? What do you mean you had a light thing stuck inside you? What kind of light thing?' Slowly he stopped asking questions and traced the evidence of the wound with his fingers, 'I'm glad your okay...' He said the last very quietly, as his unhidden eye rolled up to look at Red's face.Zero Dream "I can't seem to stay out of trouble, it seems." Zero let out a small laugh. "Apparently my presence ended up derailing the portal and sent us to my home world. I must admit... I am kind of glad it did. There was something that I needed to see for myself, and I've finally gotten to see it. The people here are very suspicious of things that they don't know off, so the fiends made them freak out. And I am not all that picky, I think ! It does look like they get along, but Red tends to get along with anyone, until he breaks their stuff that is. Apparently he has some quite of super strength going that he doesn't quite... control." My, wasn't Dio a little question machine ? With anyone else Red would probably have gotten bored, but Dio ? Dio needed to know all he wished to know about his awesome first brawl ! "Hm-m. I really like my scales. I don't think I can turn people to stone... Not that I've really tried." Red pondered this for a moment. Nahhh, probably not. "Mystic can go into people's dreams ? That's pretty cool, but we went to another world. And it's kind of hard to explain. Kind of like getting the sun stuck into you." Red made a face. "It really did hurt very badly, but I took it, cause im awesome like that !"
Red paused for a moment, pondering this as Dio traced the shape of the star scar. At least the area was mostly numb, as if his nerves down there where shot. "Ill't take way more than that to really hurt me. You don't have to worry. He finally said, his voice soft.Merci` Dio straighted up and looked Red in the face. His sleeved arm didn't move very much, he did everything with his right hand. The shadow reached and and grabbed Red by the arm and drug him over closer to the blanket. 'Wow, I can't believe you did all that. I've never done anything so, well, dangerous.' He sounded a bit sheepish before he started again, 'You wanna play a game?' Merci grinned and passed Zero and empty plate, "Dig in, I figured we'd need something to do while the boys did.. well.. whatever it is boys will do." He grimaced. "I wish I had known you guys were so beaten up. I'd have waited a few more days to do this." Zero Dream "And it's best that way." Had he really said that ? Red couldn't help himself and reached to touch Dio's hairs. He was so -tiny-. "Hm, I don't know many games... You might have to explain it to me. What do you want to play ?""We're not so bad, really. Im the worse one, I believe. Mystic didn't seem all that wounded, mostly tired. Red took that laser wound but that was it. I was kind of tossed around a bit, but I had to keep the second bot off them somehow. They're mostly burns and surface cuts so... It looks way worse than it actually is. Don't worry, I would have let you know if I was too bad off." She said with a smile as she reached for one of the plate. "I sure hope I don't get to do that again anytime soon..." Merci` The shadow beamed at Red. 'I dunno, I don't know many games. I've never gotten to really play with anyone before. I only really know Mystic, you and the pretty shadow lady Citrine. I only met her once though. Mostly I read. I read about some games though, like, Hide and Seek, or Tag. I've never played them before, so I guess maybe it isn't a good idea.' Dio turned to look at the Guardians for a moment, before he focused his attention back on Red. He was still confused by the other shadow, he still didn't understand fully why he felt like he had known him for so very long.
But it didn't matter, they were going to be friends.Merci couldn't help a grimace as she served herself up some potato salad and fried chicken. "Maybe we should get out more. Honestly Dio is so wrapped up in his damned books he hasn't really gotten to experience many things. I don't think he's ever even seen a fight let alone been in one. Might be good to show him the ropes a bit. He's just so tiny." Zero Dream "Hmmm, well, we can try and see ? What's hide and seek like ?" The name seemed like explanation enough, but who knew ? Humans sometime came up with the weirdest concepts. Like giant tin people that shot light."Oh, ill trade you. Any day." Zero said with a laugh. "Red drives me completely nuts sometimes. Im surprised he is so calm - I expected him to be darting around by now..." Merci` Dio shrugged a bit and looked around, 'Well from what I understand, someone hides, while the other one looks for them. You have so long to find them before you lose, but win or lose you take turns hiding and trying to find each other. I dunno if it's that fun, I've never really done it before. Then Tag is chasing each other around trying to touch the other, then you take turns chasing each other around.' Dio actually reached up and rubbed the back of his head with his unsleeved arm, 'I dunno I'm not used to playing, I probably won't be very good at either of them.' He sounded a bit sheepish and ended up staring at the ground instead of Red, he would be so embarrassed if he ended up being terrible at this.Merci couldn't help a huge grin at Zero, "You know a part of me wishes that Dio were probably a bit more active then he is. All in all though I think I'm one of the lucky ones. He's quiet and actually rather sweet. From what I understand some of them can be real terrors." She scooped a bite in her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Red has to be a handful, but your both welcome over at my place any time. Specially if Dio's mellow rubs off" Zero Dream To be completely honest, none of the two ideas seemed to attract Red much. This "tag" thing was so tiny, but perhaps in a rare glimpse of actual thinking, he was pretty sure he'd end up hurting Dio in some way - he was so tiny... And Dio was not one that he wanted to do any rough play with really.
"Maybe we should just talk then. My tail does still hurts a bit." Which wasn't completely a lie - there was still some sensitivity, but nothing that really hindered him. He flopped on the sheet much like a sunbathing snake, only with no sun involved. He could find another way to entertain the little black fiend then... Oh !
"What kind of books do you like to read ?""...Well it does seem to work a hair." Zero pondered out loud, as she watched the boys converse. She took a bite from an ham sandwich. "Oh, he's one hell of an handful, it is completely crazy." Merci` Dio's eyes lit up and he moved to curl up on the blanket near Red, the piercing in his tail flickering as it passed through one of the tiny rays of light that managed to get through the trees. 'I read books about the stars. You know, planets, suns, moons, Nebula, and everything in between. I stay up at night, and I lay on the roof of our home, and I watch them. I'm getting close to being able to talk to them I think. Mystic is helping me with it.' Obviously the shadow was excited about the topic, as he leaned closer to Red as he spoke and his eye sparkled.Merci smirked watching the two childlike shadows. She lowered her voice so she wouldn't disturb them. "How is your friend doing? The one with you when you got Red?" One of Merci's ears cocked toward Zero so she would be able to hear the woman respond, even if she spoke quietly. It was just amazingly facinating to Merci, that the two of them seemed to get along so well even though they were like black and white... Zero Dream "Talking to stars ?" Red's eyebrows darted up in slight surprise. "I didn't even know people could do that ! That's totally awesome ! I wonder what they have to say..."
Red liked stars, and often settled to watch them at night, as his guardian slept, he found them pretty and they always seemed to calm him a bit, but he'd never thought they could talk. "I wonder how someone talks to them. I mean, they're pretty far, do you have to keep screaming and wake up everyone in the process ?"
....That sounded fun !"I havn't been able to talk to her. She's... had a rather nasty breakup, you see, before all this mess. I don't know what to do... I hate seeing her that way, but what if this is her way to deal. I... I brought her a necklace at the shop when I went there with Red, but... Im not... quite sure how or when to give it to her." The woman's cheeks reddned slightly at the thought. "...I've never really given gifts before... Well, you know, gifts for something other than birthdays and christmas and all that." Merci` Dio shook his head and Inched closer to Red, 'I don't yell, well, not normally. It's more like I can feel them inside here.' His right hand rose to touch his chest, just under where the black stone was embedded in his body. 'Mysic said I should be able to talk to them, and gave me a stone that will help me. It's really pretty, him and Auntie Reyna gave it to me. It's a crystal with gold stuff in it. If I close my eyes really tight I should be able to hear them. I haven't tried it yet, I was to scared.'Merci mixed her chicken and potato salad together, before she scooped up another bite. " I see, I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject. As far as gifts go, it's usually best if you wrap it in something pretty, and take her out somewhere nice. Like maybe dinner, or just a walk in the park. I dunno, Cinder always used to just have things delivered to me, but thats cause she's always off doing whatever it is she does up there." She gestures rather vaguely at the sky. Zero Dream "You want to, right ? Then you should try it. Fear should never stop you from doing something you really want to do." Red canted his head to the side, sending his braids into a wave-like motion. They where so extremely close, almost touching, which normally would have counted as a severe intrusion of Red's personal bubble, but... oddly, with Dio he didn't mind. "Fear only exists to be won over so one comes out stronger in the end. Otherwise it's useless.""Well, I don't want it to look like.... you know." Damnit, was she getting redder ? ********. "...Because it's not like that. Really, it's not." It sounded more like Zero was trying to convince herself. And failing pretty hard. Merci` Dio nodded and eyed Red, and then laid down next to him and curled up into his side, trying to avoid the scarred area. He had no concept of personal space, and he turned so he could look up at the sky. His brightly colored hair still covered half his face as he looked up at the clouds. 'I dunno why it scares me so much, It just does. Like I could get lost or something. What if I can't figure out what their saying? I dunno, you think I should just try it? Do it and see what happens?'Merci couldn't help an the soft "Aww" as Dio practically snuggled Red. She turned to look at Zero and arched her brows. "I'm embarrassing you aren't I? If your doing it as a friend, just give it to her. Tell her you want her to feel better, and you're willing to be there for her. Honesty I find usually helps." She offers Zero a smile. Zero Dream "Yeah. That's what im saying." Red shifted slightly so that Dio could curl a bit more naturally. "If you can't figure out what they are saying, then it just means that you will need to learn. But if you never try it, how will you know ? And if anyone somehow thinks it's funny, ill go and beat them up.""...I guess that could work, really. I just need to work up the nerve. I don't want to hurt her more than she's been, and almost all my attempts so far seemed to have messed up. I really do feel horrible. I don't even know if her stone already did it's thing, or what..." Merci` Dio couldn't help feeling happy and safe, his burgundy eye slid closed as he rested where he was. 'You don't get scared very much? I guess not, not if you can fight with metal and light things. I don't even know how to fight. Honestly he kinda wished he did, cause there had been a few times he would have liked to pop Vance a good one in the nose. 'What is it that you do? Mystic can use dreams, and I can read stars. What is it you can do?' Dio cracked his eye and rolled his head so he could watch Red while he talked.Merci used her fork to emphasize words while she talked, "You know I bet with the stone she would really like the support. I know I would have killed for a friend that could understand what I was going through when Dio was new in my life. I had so many questions and wasn't entirely sure what to do with them. Luckily we muddled through alright." Softly she smiled at Zero, "And don't worry, if you like her you'll find a way to let her know." Zero Dream Im not quite sure what I do. Im pretty strong I guess, but beyond that ? He still hadn't gotten to ask Mystic what had happened back there. If he'd honestly passed out from the pain like a little wuss (which he honestly hoped was not the case), how come he'd been so tired once he woke up ? No, there had to be something else. Something more.
...I don't really know yet. He admitted."I thought so, but... I can't seem to catch her. I don't know if she's avoiding me, or what..." She sighed. "....I just... I don't know anything anymore it seems. I thought I had a good grasp on myself finally, but I was wrong." Zero stared downward at the blanket as if it was the most interesting thing ever. Merci` Dio reached over and wrapped his hand around Red's bicep. It was very obvious that his left arm, which was covered entirely in the long sleeve, didn't do much of anything. 'How strong are you? Could you lift... Merci?' He looked entirely intrigued by the prospect of Red's strength. 'I bet you could be one of those strong men, like they have in the circus. I watched something on TV about them once, it was really neat. Cept your not as big as they are, I mean your bigger then me, but your still littler then those guys were.'Merci smiled at Zero and she poured her a drink, offering it to her. "Sorry all we had was orange juice. I hope you don't mind it. I haven't done grocery shopping in a little while cause Dio gets me into trouble." Her tail twitched quietly behind her as she poured herself a glass as well. "Emotions aren't supposed to be in control. I think thats part of what makes us all, well, human. Though I'm part fox demon and your part machine we still have some bits of us that are still human. We're still on the roller coaster of life. Hang in there, it'll get better." She raised her glass to Zero and took sip before she glanced back down at the boys. The redhead leaned over and dropped her voice to a bare wisper, "On an off note, those two are adorable. Your Red might be a handful, but Dio seems to have him snuggled into a standstill." Zero Dream Red blinked at that, and looked the woman over. Hmmm... "...Maybe ? I haven't tried to lift someone, but I kind of broke one of Athan's supposedly break-proof glass. On accident." Wasn't all THAT breaking proof now was it, if all he had to do was push on it to make it crack ? Honestly. "Heh. Looks can be deceiving... Being able to use the element of surprise is a good thing sometimes.""I guess so... And orange juice is fine, I love it." She took a sip, and tried to calm herself down, else she keep on going and work herself to tears, or something equally as silly. "Yeah, they are. They're totally different, yet... I gotta admit it amazes me a little." Merci` Dio couldn't help a tone of amusement, 'I suppose it would be. I hope your not going to be getting yourself in any more dangerous situations. You might end up with more then just a little scar.' The scar wasn't all that little, but Dio was trying to play it off to make himself feel better. He was a little confused as to why he felt so strongly for Red, but question it or not the feeling was there. The thought of him getting seriously hurt concerned him, and he lowered his eye so that Red couldn't see that worry in his eye as he was thinking about it. Merci settled back and sat in silence for a few moments, watching the children. "Sorry I'm Chatty Kathy over here, I just don't get to talk to that many people. Kinda tied to the house." Zero Dream "Hey, I told you not to worry, didn't I ?" Red peered up at him, like a curious cat. "Beside, I can't get hurt too badly, if I do, ill never be able to know what the stars told you !" He was trying to be comforting, really, and probably failing."It's all good, really, I know the feeling." The blue haired woman said with a grin. "I don't get to know a whole lot of people, myself." Merci` Dio looked up at Red, and he nodded a little bit before he snuggled closer and hugged the other boy. Honestly he just felt better closer to him. 'I was just being silly. I know you would be okay. Anyway you have the blue lady to look out for you too right? That and Mystic, he's so smart he wouldn't let anything happen either.' It didn't dawn on Dio that he might be a little to close or crossing any sort of personal boundary line.Merci leaned forward and propped her elbow on her knee while she sipped at her cup and gnawed on a chicken leg, "What do you do for a living if you don't mind me asking?" Zero Dream "Heheh... More like I watch over her." The red shadow announced, smugly. He didn't seem to mind having the other boy so close. Anyone else would have probably gotten their faces clawed off, but Dio...
Dio was different. It only made his brain hurt if he tried to figure out the how or why, so he did not even try. "I work from home, thank god, or he would probably have gotten me fired by now." She rolled her eyes and took a sip from her drink. "I do a bit of graphic design. And programming, among other things." Other things meaning freelance hacking, but really. One did not go down that direction in a public area. Merci` 'Hey, you don't live with the snake people like Mystic and I do, do you?' At this point Dio was curious if Medusa were everywhere, he didn't see them a lot when Merci and he went out to run errands, but that didn't mean anything. Partly the little shadow was wondering because of the scales on Red, maybe the snake people rubbed off on him?Merci nodded, "I do repairs and modifications to most kinds of weaponry. I used to work in public relations but I got out of that field." It was a nice way of saying she retired from killing people for a living. Honestly illegal activities were not exactly picnic conversation. Zero Dream "Nope. I've never seen any of them, actually." Red shrugged. There are lots of people where I live, but no snake people. There's one guy that's some kind of reptile, but he's not a snake, and he only drops be every now and then. There's this chick who's a bird, no joke, beak and all. And she did this fire-thing, which Red had learnt in the least pleasant way possible. And then there's the blonde who's kinda like Z and his screaming brat. And his mom. The blonde's mom, not the screaming brat's.
Really, this was getting complicated."I used to do something like that, I guess. Before I came here." Only she usually took down machines, not people. "I don't see myself getting back into that. Too many people depend on me now." Merci` Dio didn't realize so many people could be in one place. 'I live with Merci, and three snake people. They are Vance, who I don't like at all, he calls me all sorts of mean things. Seraph, who is kinda nice sometimes, but he doesn't feel anything at all I think. Maili is the other one, and I like her, she's nice and reads to me, and she looks at the stars with me sometimes too. Do you like your family?'Merci couldn't help a smirk, she toasted Zero, "Retirements great huh? I get you on the dependant thing though. I really do, I have three medusa and Dio. No to mention my Fiona. You work from home huh? Net based or do you have a storefront?" Zero Dream "The blonde is like that. Kinds of makes you wonder if he does feel anything sometimes. Ill'd say he's getting better at it, but eh. He shrugged again, lightly this time. "I... don't really interact with them much. I have Z and that's enough, really. Some of them are a bit of a pain.""It's all net-based. I don't think I would have much luck with a storefront, I am... not really a people person." Or patient with idiots. She reached for one of the chicken legs and started to gnaw on it. Merci` Dio pulled away from Red, 'Don't you want other people? Friends? Like.. me? or Mysic? Aren't you a little lonely? I know I get lonely sometimes and I have Maili and Merci.' When he moves his hair sparkles a little bit in the shadow.Merci nodded quietly and crossed her legs, sitting indian style. "I have a small storefront. I would be more then happy to put some advertisements for you in there if you would want to. Help your business a little bit." Zero Dream "It's not the same thing." Red shook his head, sending his braids flying like a wave. "They're not like you, or like Mystic. If that's even making sense." He sprawled on the grass, just like a lazy snake, glowing eyes on Dio. It was the truth - he did not feel like he had to keep himself guarded around either shadows. "I didn't mean that I didn't need friends, I just don't... really consider them friends. Not like you or Mystic, anyway.""That'll be pretty nice, my business has been getting a bit slower lately. Ill find ways to return the favor." She said with a cheerful grin. Merci` Dio's eye followed Red's movements, and he thought about it for a minute. Maybe Red thought of them the way he thought of Seraph. Seraph was not a friend, but not really an enemy either. He was neutral, but Dio didn't really trust him with his feelings or anything like he did with Maili and Mali. 'I think of you as a friend though. I know we just met, but even when you were littler,' the fiend held up his fingers so they measured about the size of red when he was a Wisp, 'I liked you. Maybe you and your blue lady could come over sometime and I could show you my telescope!' Dio was actually quite excited about the idea. He was after all going to stay with Mystic for a night, why couldn't Red come over and see his telescope?Merci heaved a sigh when she heard what the boys were talking about and looked over at Zero, "I hope you don't have problems with me, because it seems like we're going to spend a lot of time together." She couldn't help a rueful grin, "And as far as the business goes, if you have fliers or something I would be happy to put them out. Otherwise I can make something up for you and put it out. Zero Dream "...I think of you as a friend, too."Red glanced upward, a tad amused by Dio's finger motion. He was never that small. "...A telewhat now ?"Zero, for her part, laughed. "Seems like they've taken upon themselves to organize our free time, hm ? And I am pretty sure I have business cards, somewhere, I just... need to find them." Her room was, after all, a warzone. Merci` Dio rolled and floated up so he could mime what the telescope looked like, 'It's a big thing like this and you look through a piece of glass called a lens. When you do it shows you things really far away, and you can see stars that you couldn't without it. It's amazing, I really love it. You'll have to come see it. 'Merci brushed her hands on the blanket and started putting lids on the food. "Thanks for coming out here Zero. I appreciate it a lot. I think you've been out here more then long enough now though. With the way you and Red look you should get home and put your feet up. I guess I should invite you over though when your feeling a bit less under the weather though. Seraph will make sure your in the lap of luxury. He loves guests. So you think you could give me a call when you have some free time?" Zero Dream That really sound neat. Red nodded, some childish wonder slipping though. Ill'd love to see it, one day.Zero nodded. "Yes... We should probably get going." While the little fiend would never admit it, Zero could clearly tell what he was starting to be a bit tired. Being a nocturnal creature did not help him much there. Merci` Merci got up and pulled the basket off the blanket on the ground. "Dio, it's time to say goodbye to your friend. We need to let them get some rest." She waited while Zero got up before she folded up the blanket and tucked it in the big picnic basket. "Thank you for brining him out. Dio really enjoyed himself." She addressed Zero as she worked. Dio huffed out a sigh and looked at Red, he didn't want him to leave and he inched closer and hugged Red's arm. 'I don't wanna go, but I guess we have to. I hope you can come over soon.' He really meant every word, and he sounded exceptionally sullen. A sharp look from Merci made him let go of Red and move over to float next to his guardian. Merci offered them both a smile. "You get some rest and let those wounds heal properly alright?" Zero Dream Red sent a glare to Zero, but the blue woman remained unphazed. He sighed. "Ill see you, then...""Will do." Zero smirked. "Both of you take care, now." Merci` Merci shooed Dio down along the path they had come in on. The little fiend kept looking over his shoulder back at Red for as long as he could before the other shadow disappeared into the landscape. "Don't worry Dio, I'm sure you'll see him again alright?" 'I know, but I really like him. He makes me feel very, um, er, well safe.'Merci grinned and shooed him into the SUV. "Get in there and don't forget to thank Seraph for the food." Dio just nodded, and settled in the passenger seat. He watched out the window, staring at the park for as long as he could. Deep down he hoped he got to see Red again very very soon.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:10 pm
A note is posted on Zero's front door, plastered messily with some sort of odd, sticky substance. The note itself is on a pristine piece of cream colored parchment. There are spiraled designs along the edges in black ink. The first line of the message appears to have been cut and pasted on from an old tome or text.
"The snake did tempt dear Eve in Eden. The garden once green is now gray with death."
More writing follows in distinctly elegant, ornate hand-writing using the very same ink that was used in the scroll work along the border of the page.
Little Medusa, does your gaze still turn thy foe to rock and rubble? Time is short. The time is nigh! Save your strength, little serpent. Be not made of stone. It is your creator, your father, your maker who must atone.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:16 pm
Wiskey Tango Foxtrott, Batman ?!? "Damnit, Red ! Ease up !" Going outside at night, with a fiend that became twice as energic and unruly in the darkness... was not, and it is a good thing to repeat, NOT a good idea. If only she could at least put a leash on him... And prepare the speech she would need to give Nicolas once he found half of his magical supplies tampered with by said very curious fiend. If the purple-haired mage ever noticed, her a** was grass. Literally. She caught up with the fiend at the door of the house, where he had oddly stopped instead of darting through the door to continue his little "game" of outrunning his guardian. This was odd in itself, but she quickly figured out what. "...Ew." Ew was right. There was a note, on her door, tacked with some kind of.... stuff.... ... Ew was much better than the church's worth of swear words that where running though her mind. Red would doubtlessly learn most to all of them all too early, but better try to make sure it was as late as possible. "Stop that !" The fiend cut in sharply in her thought. Oh, girls... They sure knew how to miss the obvious. "Read it, it's wierd."And so she did. And as she did, her frown deepened, more and more, to a very dangerous level. Her gaze went from note, to shadow, then to the note again. It did not take a doctorate to figure out just what this seemed to be about. She tried to take it off decently but ripped it along the top, some of the... stuff.... dripping down the... Oh, EWWWW ! And she would have to clean this crap. "...I believe an explanation is in order." The woman turned heels and left toward the streets once more.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:23 pm
Of Words And Stone Zero Dream Honestly, it had been years since she'd been subjected to this kind of never-ending chaos. She had gotten used to her peace, damnit ! She had only just somewhat recovered from the battle (there where still burn marks and one bigger wound which hadn't fully closed yet) and there was another something rearing it's ugly head. Zero was ticked and felt perfectly justified in such. The previous event where one thing - but now the matter had been brought on her doorstep. Whoever this was, it knew where she lived. And if given half a chance, she would wring their sorry little neck for it. The blue-haired woman entered Twilight Designs looking as if there was a massive thundercloud following her, as well as Red, who somehow looked a tad worried, and a piece of parchment in her hand, no longer pristine due to having to rip it off her door and having been held in a deathgrip the whole way. Reyna Crelos "Oh for ******** sake," Reyna swore as she threw her hands up in exasperation and trudged back to her desk with a huff to glare moodily over at her employer. "I simply do not believe it to be a good idea," Athan replied, voice calm and quiet as he folded his arms over his chest and gazed directly back at the demon. "He does not listen to me." 'I listen far more often than you believe,' Mystic informed him briskly as he faded into view just as he stepped through the wall of the back room into the shop front. He smirked faintly. Really, Athan ought to have been paying better attention. He had been listening in on the better part of their conversation about him for the last several minutes. "Apparently so." Reyna hissed in discontent and turned so that she had her back turned to the other man. She was insulted, that much was clear. It was also evident, that Zero was not alone in her general discontent. Zero Dream Zero let the door close after her, and Red took place beside her, wondering just what was going on there. His guardian, however, did not. "Excuse me for breaking up your... discussion..." She took a few steps to the counter, where she let the note down. "...But I believe I have a problem." Reyna Crelos Reyna swiveled around in her chair to frown at the crumpled note that was laid upon her desk. She frowned. It looked familiar. Her visible red eye widened and she jumped up quickly enough to send her chair teetering to the ground to crash against the floor carelessly. "Athan!" she seemed to all but shout in her excited state, "It's a note.." Her declaration seemed innocent enough if not a bit over exaggerated until Athan too took a step back from the desk and eyed the note warily. He glanced towards Zero with a small frown. "Yes," he answered, "It seems you do." He paused for a long moment, not yet daring to venture closer to read the text. Instead he moved closer to Zero. "You've not been plagued by ... any... beasts or ... maladies since finding this note... have you?" He did not sense that it was spelled as the others had been. It looked perfectly ordinary. Zero Dream Uh ? What kind of question was that ? "Not... really... ?" Unless one counted Red, or Sei's damn katamari fandangle... "And im healing normally. There's still one slice that is being subborn but my friend says it's nothing too worrying at this point." She took a glance at the note. "You don't mean to tell me this thing is spelled, is it ? Then I fear ill'd have to track down the little b*****d and hurt him. Her. It. Whatever." There was way too many people in her house that had nothing to do with this. Red had slid off to the side, winding in the trailing ends of Mystic's cape in a motion that might have been considered fright if not for the upset expression his face bore... or at least as much as he could with no mouth to turn it into a scorn, letting out a low hiss. He did not like this. Someone had used him for this and he did. not. like. this.Reyna Crelos "Are you certain?" Athan asked again before he glanced away with a faint sigh. He did not know who or what it was that seemed to have a mind to cause them such pains. Especially with Doran gone. Who else would there be? He shook his head and moved towards the desk to glance warily down at the note. "Eden," he whispered softly. His brow furrowed in a puzzled expression as he read further before rolling his eyes at the wording. "What's it say?" Reyna asked from a few feet away. Like hell was she going near that damn note. She was not down with being poisoned or possessed, thanks. "It says," Athan spoke up, "The snake did tempt dear Eve in Eden. The garden once green is now gray with death." His voice seemed to grow slightly in strength and he looked up, looking quite frantic as he continued. "Little Medusa, does your gaze still turn thy foe to rock and r-rubble?" He swallowed thickly and gritted his teeth as though to force himself to stop. He could feel it now. It was a spell. The note in question did not contain magic, but the words he read aloud spoken by his voice did. "Time is.. short. The time.. is.. n-nigh.." he managed, voice shaky yet still strong with evident power. He held one hand out before him as though to shield his gaze from the note itself so that he might not read further, but it did him little good. The words were already burned into his mind. "S-save your strength... little ... serpent." "What in hell, Athan?" Reyna murmured, visible eye wide with confusion and the tiniest bit of fear that she had not managed to hide. She strode over towards him and placed a hand upon his shoulder only to find that she could not move it. She opened her mouth to speak in warning to the others, but no sound came forth. "B-be not.. made of... stone. It is your c-creator, your f-father, your maker who m-must atone." Athan fell silent. Neither he nor the demon frozen at his side moved. Mystic stared, wide-eyed with a look of sheer, utter panic. 'Reyna?' he murmured softly as he tried to reach out towards her mind only to be met by a wall of silence and stone. He choked back a quiet noise of pain. 'Reyna!' he called again. Nothing. Only silence. He glanced towards Zero and down at the child that was curling within his cloak. 'They're.... they...' he began in a choked voice. Not dead, that he was certain of. If Reyna were to die, he would as well. '..... they've turned to stone.'Zero Dream "Yes, I am-" Zero cut of. "A...Athan ?" Wait, something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong. "...S-Stop reading that !" It didn't do. She moved to rip it out of his hands, but it was much too late. The spell had been completed. "Damnit... Athan ! Reyna ! Answer me !" Red darted out of the cloak, in a mix of both anger and panic. "Athan ?! s**t, answer me, old man !"
That always pissed him off, but there was no reaction.Suddenly, something burned. Zero recoiled, hissing in pain and staring at her fingers. The fingers where pale as a statue. "...Oh... s**t." "Zero ! Not you too !!!"Reyna Crelos Mystic darted towards Zero, movements slightly stilted in his panic before he grasped her arm firmly with one dark hand to try and slow the effects. Quiet, softly spoken words came to mind and he whispered them softly, but the damage was already done. Most of her arm was slowly turning a pristine, pearly white and was entirely immobile. He had at least delayed the spell for the time being. He took a steadying breath as he tore his gaze away from Zero and glanced towards his guardian with a sort of lost, forlorn look. '... there is always a way to undo what has been done. We must simply find out how to do so,' he stated quietly, gaze transfixed upon Reyna still. Her already pale skin was starting to take on the glossy, smooth look of well polished marble. 'Quickly,' he spoke up, voice less hesitant than moment prior and filled with a steely determination, 'The spell used is not of a mortal's making. We need demonic magic.'And for that, they would simply need to head to his home. He brightened slightly at that thought. Home meant Reyna's personal library. Home meant a real life Medusa. Perhaps Charles would finally prove his worth. He doubted it, but still held onto that simple hope that the flamboyant snake would have know enough to be of some use. Zero Dream Zero could do nothing but stare, her mind locked in panic. Stare as it spread, upward and upward, suddenly some dark across the black... And finally stopped. "...Aaa..." The woman wobbled for a moment, but moved her legs to balance herself before she could fall back from the shock, which was slowly leaving her system. Her tanktop made it all the more apparent, as the line of white stopped just in line with her shoulder. Any further and... She didn't want to think about it. Red moved, swiftly, to cling on Zero's arm, careful not to put any pressure, as if somehow to shield what was left of his guardian against the spell with his own body.
"You mean, demons could have done this ?" His voice made something very clear.
Whoever it was, they would pay.Zero tried to move experientially, but her arm refused to budge. Apparently the spell had gotten to the joint in her shoulder. Her right arm, too... wonderful. "...I must have a cosmic "kick me" sign." She muttered, before looking at Mystic. "We should probably lock the shop for now... just in case this s**t is still contagious." Reyna and Athan had frozen instantaneously. The fiend seemed all but unaffected. And she... Well, perhaps being a mix of living and not-living had saved her butt. Somewhat. "Ill'd rather not deal with any more statues...." Reyna Crelos 'It wasn't necessarily a demon that did it,' Mystic answered as he carefully ushered both Zero and her Fiend out the door. He locked it from the inside and stepped through the glass with a backwards glance and soft sigh. 'It's... how the spell was rendered by using Athan's will against him. That is not typical of a mortal,' he went on in explanation. He held out his hand as though to call forth a portal before shifting his gaze over towards Zero. 'I'm sorry,' he replied, 'But this is the fastest way to get to my home. We haven't time to trudge through a swamp.' Zero Dream Zero just... stared at the portal for a moment, with a mix of disgust and "you've got to be KIDDING me"... then shook her head and sighed. If only staying here was an option, but noooo, she had to play Red's landmark. Or something. Really, she liked the swamp idea better, but time was the essence. "I really... really have a cosmic "kick me" sign. Hooked to my butt." She announced, before she stepped in, fiend in tow. Reyna Crelos Once through they were thankfully not whisked to another world, but directly before Reyna's home deep within the swamp outside of Bass'ken Lake. Mystic turned before heading into his home to check on Zero. She had not fared well last time they had gone portal hopping. 'Are you okay?' he asked as he looped a arm about her waist just in case she required help. It also would not bode well if she were to fall and catch herself with her arm that had turned to stone without risking the chance of it shattering. Zero Dream And, just as the elder fiend has expected, she had been heading straight to the ground, but thankfully he did in fact catch her before she could pummel down arm first, her usually pale skintone going more toward the green. "Hate... those things..." The blue-haired woman muttered. "...Give me a minute or so..." Red drew a few lazy circles around the pair, visibly a bit impatient. Really, this one... perticularity of his guardian was somewhat bothersome.Reyna Crelos Mystic simply nodded and waited a few moments before trying to haul her into the house. 'Come on. We'll get you inside and you can rest while we raid Reyna's library,' he told her quietly as she gingerly ushered her inside the house itself. "You're home early! I was just making some cookies!" came a sing song voice from the kitchen. There then came a shrill noise of joy as a small child came skittering out of the kitchen with a ghostly little dog and a medusa slithering after. "Oh," the medusa paused as he took in the appearance of Mystic and his .. friends..? "Silly! You didn't tell me you were brining home company! And here I thought it was just Reyna home early from work." The elder shadow looked somewhat displeased at Die's presence, but at the same time was somewhat thankful. Perhaps he would know something they didn't. 'That's nice,' he interjected before the snake could ramble on further as he was often wont to do, '.. I don't suppose you know anything about turning people to stone? Or reversing the effects of such, rather.'"OH NO!" the medusa wailed, "Did I accidentally turn Reyna to stone? Is that why she isn't with you? Oh nooo! I don't ever take my blind fold off just in case but oh noooooo!!" "Mommy is to stone?" Sam chimed up from where she stood between the medusa and her brother looking confused before her gaze settled upon the other shadow that she hadn't noticed was there. "Mystic has brother!!" she cheered, momentarily distracted by the potential upsetting news that her mother may have been turned into a statue. Zero Dream Zero managed to follow along, or at least she did her best to, and as the waves of nausea started to die down, it seemed to become much easier. Yet... the last thing she expected was the house to be, well... full of people. ...Or maybe it was just the sight of the giant snake. Giant snake who was now freaking out. "No, no no no ! You didn't do anything !" ...At least she was pretty sure he hadn't. But, telling them both that Reyna was in fact turned to stone... Especially the kid... "I got myself in a bit of a pinch, you see." She did her best to waggle her arm around. "...We where wondering if you knew anything about it so I could get my arm back ? It's... kind of bothersome." Ahhh, the ability to lie with a straight face. Years of perfection, folks. Red was about to interject with something, but the DEATH GLARE that Zero sent him somehow stopped him. Instead, he took interest at the tiny little girl. He hadn't quite ever seen a girl so tiny, but yet she was bigger than Alden. And she could talk. Hm.
Humans where so odd.
..."Yeah, that exactly's it. And you would be ?" Hey, if he could amuse her...Reyna Crelos "Goodness!" Die sighed, as he pressed one hand delicately to his face, "You gave me such a start! Here I was thinking I had somehow done something terrible when really you just needed help for your sweet friend. That is quite reassuring. Goodness. Who'd have thought such a thing was possible? How did you go about getting yourself into such a mess, dear? Would you like a cookie?" Mystic's face darkened with a scowl before he reached out and snapped his fingers in front of the medusa's face. 'Focus, man, focus! Do you know anything about turning someone back to normal after having been turned to stone?'Die frowned a bit and folded his arms over his chest as he thought. "Hmm.... Nooo. I don't think soo.. I do know of a good home remedy for dry scales..?" The shadow heaved a heavy sigh. Not helpful at all. Figured, really. Sam on the other hand was amused and she beamed brightly up at the other shadow. "Mystic's sister," she announced with obvious pride as she pointed up at her big brother. Zero Dream "...Ill'd have to say no to the cookie, thanks." Really, her stomach was still running in circles and like hell she was gonna get sick again in the presence of the poor shadow. "It's... a long story, really..." She broke off with a hiss, her valid hand going to her shoulder. The stone spread a bit more, but stopped as quickly as it started. "...I don't think we have time for this." At least not if she didn't want to become a part of Reyna's home decor, that is. "That's great~" The little shadow swirled around her, sending a worried glance at both his guardian and Mystic, but trying his best not to give in to the urge to dart straight to her, and thus scare off the child. If she was anything like Alden, she probably had the fearsome ability to shatter eardrums. "Does that mean I would be your brother too, hmm ?"Reyna Crelos Sam's eyes went wide and she squealed with joy before announcing, "Yes!" She clapped her hands happily and even Fragments did a little jig midair. Her moment of rapture was interrupted however when Mystic swooped down and grabbed her up. She beamed brightly and clung to him with a happy sigh. Typically it was he and not the overly flamboyant medusa that cared for her during the day. 'Little one... can you be a big girl and stay here to help Char-- Die bake? I have to help my friend fix her arm. It is very important.'She managed to squirm and slip her way out of his arms and nodded with a grin. "Yus! Can help Uncle Die cook." He reached to pat her lightly atop her head with a quiet look of adoration before hauling Zero and Red through the living room and down the hallway that led to all their rooms. Reyna's library, however, was well hidden and typically off limits. He cast a small circle that seemed to burn itself into the end of the hallway which appeared to lead to a dead end. The wall burned away with a sort of inner light to reveal a door. 'Let's hurry,' he murmured before pausing to stop Red before he could simply skitter through. 'And just as a general FYI... try not to touch .. well... any jewelry, charms, paintings, or... well... much of anything save for the books.'Zero Dream Really, Zero had no plan to really touch anything, even the books, since reading with one hand would really be kind of bothersome as is. No, she knew exactly who that warning was tailored for. "You heard that, Red ?" She couldn't help but glare a bit. "Yeah yeaaahhhh...." Really, he quite liked Zero, but sometimes she was boring. And grumpy. Thought for once the reason was kind of easy to see and understand - he'd be pissed if one of his arms was stone too.Reyna Crelos Mystic gazed levelly at all of the books, fingertips idly trailing down their spines as he carefully gazed at their titles. There were few he hadn't read. He had by no means mastered all of the spells, but he knew of them. For once the fairly useless amount of knowledge he possessed from the massive amount of books he had read seemed to be proving somewhat useful. He paused for a moment, frozen mid movement as a thought struck him. The book of the dark arts. Had Athan taken it back after he had refused his lessons? Surely it would have a spell similar to it which had been cast upon his guardian. Surely it would also lead to some sort of remedy as well. The elder shadow turned and with a flurry of movement scattered papers and stirred up the dust the had settled upon the desk within the study. He had not been back here. Not since that last "lesson" with Athan. He frowned and shoved those thoughts aside. Now was not the time for such reminiscing. He needed to focus. Zero Dream Zero remained mostly silent, doing her best to bottle in the pain as she could quite clearly feel the spell work it's way and her flesh turning to stone, which was FAR from pleasant. It was pretty painful, in fact. She focused on watching Red as he darted around the room, peering at the books and reading the titles. So far the shadow was not touching anything, but Zero knew better than to leave him to his own devices. Reyna Crelos 'Yes!' Mystic declared as he found the book. It was there beneath all the junk that had accumulated atop the desk, still open on the page he had left it on. He pulled a face. Oh deities be damned. He had forgotten about just how grotesque the illustrations were. He pulled a face and flipped through the pages quickly to find the index. Stone, stone, stone. He needed to find things about stone. He cursed inwardly. Stupid book was written mostly in some sort of archaic language. He sighed heavily as he cleared his thoughts and tried to relax. He could read it. He had done so before, plus there were Athan's translations tidily scribbled just under each passage. 'The Medusa's Gaze...' He had found it. He stared down at it, somewhat in awe. He had found it! Zero Dream Zero perked a bit, grapping the curious fiend with her working arm and peering over Mystic's shoulder. What kind of language was that.... ?!? It didn't even look readable, to her at least. "You found it ?!" Red hissed a bit as he was jerked away and setteled beside Zero. "What do we need to do, then ?"Reyna Crelos 'I believe so... yes,' Mystic answered as he trailed one dark finger against the page as he read quietly. The casting of the actual spell was less than pleasant. It required the actual sacrifice of a live, still-beating cobra heart. The remedy, however, at least seemed somewhat simpler and required no sacrifices of still living creatures. For that he was infinitely thankful for as he wasn't certain he had the stomach for it. 'We need supplies... should have most of it here already.' He drew in a deep breath as he fumbled for a piece of paper and carefully scribbled down the supplies in his own neat, tidy handwriting so that they would not be forced to refer to the book itself while hunting down ingredients for the antidote. 'First we need sea salt. There should be some in the kitchen. Also, a copper pan or basin.' Zero Dream Zero nodded and, after having read over the list with Red, both guardian and shadow set off to find the listed ingredients. In between the three of them, this didn't take too long at all, and soon everything was on the table. Reyna Crelos Mystic peered down at the ingredients anxiously. He had not ever stirred a spell before. He had only practiced at casting circles. '... please let this work,' he muttered darkly as he deftly added all the ingredients together. At first it seemed to do nothing but create a mess, but it quickly formed a paste that then rapidly dissolved into a liquid form as it was stirred. He paused for a moment and then cast the circle necessary to bind the ingredients together. It gave off a puff of a smoke which he waved away with one hand. '... well. It seems okay,' Mystic stated as he peered down at the gel-like substance that now coated the bottom of the copper basin. He carried it over towards Zero and gingerly reached with one hand to smear a bit of it on her arm. It felt cool to the touch, almost like some sort of aloe. Zero Dream Why did that not sound encouraging ? Red perched on top of one bookcase, a worried expression on his face. He was doing his best to hide it, but was failing quite epicly at that.
He would so have to track down the little b*****d and feed he.... she.... it's own damn liver.Zero tried to stay as still as possible, but while the salve was supposed to feel cool, it felt like pure ice on her arm, which was almost as unpleasant as the stoning itself. After a moment, however, the coldness seemed to dissipate a bit - and she was surprised to find one finger answering to her and starting to move. "I think it's working !" Reyna Crelos 'Yes,' Mystic replied slowly as he gazed over at her shoulder for a long, hard moment, 'The color to your skin is returning, and quickly.' He added more of the salve to her arm as he noticed that her skin was actually absorbing it. His eyes narrowed in thought. That could've explained the pain Zero had been in. It had literally drained every bit of moisture within her as it turned her arm to stone. 'Oh.. no,' he managed as he gazed into the basin. '... we're nearly out of it, it seems.' That... did not bode well. They would need much more of everything and quickly. That in itself could prove troubling given that several of the items used in the spell were not the sort that one typically found in an average store. He glanced from Red and then to Zero. '... we're going to need some help.'
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 8:50 pm
Visiting An Old Friend Zero hadn't even taken the time to go back home, remove the gunk off her door, and possibly recover from her rather eventful day. No, there was really no time to waste, in her mind. Mystic had given her a portal ride back to the shop (she still wasn't sure if she was thankful of the fact, or if she would have prefered walking, as her still upset stomach was reminding her), handed her a list, and rather frazelely headed back inside Twillight Designs. Thank god the cyborg hadn't really required an explanation. These where the materials needed for the spell, and she needed to find them. Easy, right ? That was what she thought, until she finally looked down the list. Most of everything on there was completely unfamiliar to her. Lovely. Where the hell was she supposed to start ? Red was twirled loosely around her shoulders, almost akin to a living, shifting, rather annoyed scarf. The previous events still had him rather twitchy and overprotective of his guardian, even if she had been the least hit of the three. Part of him had wanted to stay with Mystic, to help him if there was even a way, but he had quickly noticed that the best way to help his big brother right now was to do exactly this. There where words of Dio being looking for things too, and that had him slightly nervous. Would the other boy be okay without him around ?
But really, he needed to focus on the task at hand. In fact, he noticed, belatedly, that Zero had gotten moving. Bad, very bad. He needed to focus, in despite being so worried. So he locked it all inside - it would be no use to look like a weakling right now. "Where are we going ?Thankfully for him, his guardian did not seem to have noticed any of his inner thought through their link, as she was likewise thinking. "Visiting an old friend..." They had been walking for a good hour and an half or so - or, at the very least, the woman was walking, and the fiend had moved to trail behind her. Both where silent, thinking separate thoughts yet slowly, awkwardly communicating with each other with feelings and thoughts instead of words, with a link that they often forgot existed. Zero did not visit Ajit often. It wasn't really out of ill intent - the cyborg quite liked the man, as odd as he was. He had been the one to find her, broken and bruised when she had first came to this world, and nursed her back to some sort of sanity out of nothing but the kindness of his heart. But really, while Ajit was a sweetheart... visiting him was often hazardous to one's health. This was never intended, but it did make Zero prefer seeing her friend in some short of neutral ground when things where less likely to... get odd. So to speak. They had finally reached what seemed to be their destination - a small, unassuming house in the middle of nowhere. She tilted her head toward Red. "I know you probably won't listen to me, but please do for once - Don't touch to ANYTHING here, unless I tell you it's okay." Red rolled his eyes. "What are you going on about ?!"The cyborg laughed a bit. "Trust me... it's for your own well-being." Upon reaching the door, she went for one of the usually un-used keys from her keyring, unlocked the door, and started her way inside. The little duo where barely inside that there was the kind of booming sound, accompanied by a rather unhappy voice. "Drat !""In fact." Zero said, almost all too candidly, as she ducked down to the ground and moved one hand up to grap Red's tail. "You might want to duck now." This time, Red did not ask any questions. He ducked, just in time for some kind of wave of what seemed to be magical energy to go right over their heads, which made the fiend's braids almost stand straight up from his head. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ?!"It wasn't long until, probably alarmed by the mental screeching, a small figure peered from the nearby hallway, eyes whidening at the sight of his "intruders". "Oh, Zee, darling ! Are you allright ?!" He made a dash for them, giving one dark-skinned hand for her to take. The man in front of them was... rather odd looking. Dark, chocolate skin with deep blue eyes and bright purple hair. It did not end there, however - in despite being quite obviously adult, he was quite short - making Zero look like a giant as she worked herself on her feet, and wound up towering over him. The last odd part where the bright green runes on his skin, and the wings. Fairy wings, that actually seemed big enough to lift him. "Nothing, for once." She cracked a grin. "I see you havn't changed any, Ajit..." "Yeah, well... well... Im working on it !" He pouted, taking flight and peering at Red, who immediately tensed. "And who might this be, dear ? Friend of yours ?""You could say that." She shrugged. "Ill tell you later, okay ?" ...That man is a fruit and an half. Red projected awkwardly though the link, which made it difficult for Zero to keep a straight face.If your mother had been a pixie, you'lld be a fruit and an half, too. The cyborg was definitivly amused. He's not that bad once you get to know him. And learn when to duck.What the hell was that about, anyway ?!?He's... got a few problems with magic. He follows the spells to the letter but they almost always backfire. It's not pretty sometimes.At least, Zero was now very assured that he probably wouldn't try to touch anything. "Well, then, what brings you here ? I doubt you braved the den of wierdness just to say hello and have tea." Ajit grinned a bit, as he started to flutter down the hall. "That would be nice, but I don't really have the time." The blue-haired woman went though her pockets for the list. "I am looking for a few things... I figured you might be able to help ?" The cyborg walked down the hall herself, followed by a somewhat unwilling shadow. The next room was a kitchen, and she sat in one of the chairs, with the halfling raising to peer over her shoulder to look at the list. "That is quite an impressive list of things, dear." Ajit looked vaguely worried. "For what seems quite a complicated spell. Dear, you arn't attempting anything silly, are you ?""Not me, per-se... I've had friends turned to stone, and these are the things needed to undo it. Im not going to do any casting, im just gathering things." "Ah... I prefer that, yes !" Silly Ajit, always forgot that the cyborg had no spell-casting affinity that he could sense... He took one more look at the list. "I fear I can't help you with most of those things, dear.... I don't keep alot of things around anymore. It's quite dangerous to keep a mass of spell ingredients around when... unexpected things happen.""You mean when spells backfire." She said with a completely candid grin, which made the man grumble a bit. "I guess... Well, I do have one lezuralis left... Really, would be dumb for me to not have any, since I use it so much ! But, it's the last one that I have... And I do kind of need it...""Ajit... please ? I really need this. As soon as possible." Zero conjured the kind of eyes that could have melted hearts of ice with an ease that seemed too easy. Or perhaps she knew how to pull Ajit's strings all too well. "You know where to get more, and I don't..." "Ngghh... As if I could say no to that face, darling." The halfling sighed, opened one pouch at his side and took out a small blue stone, blowing some of the fine powder that was on it off the stone. "Your friend will probably need it as a powder, but it would lose some of it's potency if I did grind it down for you. I assume he will probably know how to proceed... But dear, please, be careful with this, alright ? And if you could be a dear and pick some up for me as soon as this whole mess is rectified ? You go to Barton more than I do, and I won't be able to do much in the meantime...""Ill have some for you, tomorrow evening at the latest." Zero seemed entirely serious. "Just tell me where to go and what to say. I... Thank you, Ajit. You're a lifesaver. I would have no idea what to do with this if it wasn't for you..." The cyborg rose from her seat, took the stone, and gave a chaste kiss on her friend's forehead. "You're a dear." Apparently, it was all that Ajit needed to forget the pain of giving up the stone, as he all but beamed. "Oh, please... Anything for you, darling ! I am sorry I can't help you more than that... Here, ill write down a few locations for you, for the items I do know of... I am not entirely sure everything will work out, but..."Taking one sheet from the notebook on the tables, Ajit wrote down in smooth letters a few names and addresses - among which where to get more of the blue stone. He folded it neatly than handed it over to her. "You should probably get going then dear, if it is all so urgent. Call me when all the mess is cleared out, yes ? It gets a bit lonely here, ever since you left..." The halfling sighed a bit. "Yeah, I will. Im sorry, my life has been... pretty chaotic lately." That almost seemed like an understatement. "...Ill see you, Ajit." And with that, guardian and fiend where off.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 8:56 pm
Meta - Zero & Red / Kova & Opal / Trivii & Carnelian Zero Dream She had managed to find one thing, one single item from her list, but there where still others. A whole, never-ending-seeming bunch of other, the blue haired woman dared to think. She just might need help on this. The lezuralis was safe in it's container, hidden in one of the many pockets of the oversized cargo pants the small woman wore, and she decided now was time to take a break. It was dusk, and slowly the sun was slinking down, making it the perfect time for the shadows to be more comfortable being outside. This was all oddly calculated - after all, maybe this would be the way which could enlist her some help. Maybe. I want to go check on Dio. Red grumped a bit. What the hell where they doing, sitting there doing nothing ? This wouldn't get them anything ! That, and he was worried..."Dio's gonna be fine." Zero sighed. This was not the first time she had gotten that request that day. Little overprotective thing. She ignored the grumping she got in answer and took a sip from the can of soda she had brought from one of the vending machines on the way. At any rate, she needed to take the time, to go over that list a few times and try to figure out what was going on. ShortGreen Her train of thought, however, was slightly derailed by the appearance of a quickly striding woman of unusual appearance - exceedingly tall with long ears and a tail, lavendar skin, and green hair. She appeared to be murmuring to herself and paused a few feet away to squint at a piece of paper in her hand. The light was too dim, however, and she dug into the little velvet pouch dangling from her belt with her free hand. She withdrew a gently glowing stone - white and eerie and faintly luminescent - and held it over the paper. "I know, I know," she was clearly heard to murmur, "it's below your dignity, Opal, but I've gotta see if I'm going to find things for Mystic. Do you want your sister to cry because he's hurting?" Zero Dream There was a feeling, something nagging at the side of his mind. Some kind of odd feeling of familiarity...
The red shadow perked a bit, then slid off Zero's shoulders toward the woman and the gem. The familiarity came from the gem, nothing quite as strong as what he had felt with Dio, but there was something there.
He knew, instantaneously, that this was not an ordinary stone. This was a fiend, like him. He stopped in mid-air right in front of Kova and Opal. The odd woman was peering at something...
Are you looking for things for Mystic, too ? His tail went back and forth, slowly, like a metronome. He did not feel threatened by either of them at all. It looked like they where there to help, even ! How handy. ShortGreen Kova looked up and her face lit with a mega-watt smile. "I am! Are you looking, too?" The White Opal in her hand vibrated a bit, tendrils of aura slipping out towards Red in a sort of friendly greeting. Kova glanced down at her. "This is Opal and I'm Kova. I work at the shop." She held up her list. "Do you have these things yet?" Zero Dream "We've got one !" If he could have given a cocky grin, he probably would have - the shadow child seemed pretty proud on himself, in despite having little to do with the actual acquisition of the mineral. "It's the Le.... the rock thing."
Red extended one of his hands toward the wisp, so it could chose to curl if it wished. He vaguely remembered liking to curl around things, especially Zero."The lezuralis." Zero helpfully completed, having moved toward the odd pair. "I don't really have any idea where to find the rest...." ShortGreen Kova sighed. "Neither do I, really. I'm just following instinct. Well," she admitted, "after I go home and check the trunks. I always forget what I have in those and there's always a chance, right?" After a moment of hesitation, Opal extended a shimmering wisp to brush and wind around Red's wrist. Another flowed from her other side to wrap around Kova's wrist in an attempt to steady the connection. There was a sort of ladylike politeness to the drifting, dark mist. Kova, long since used to the way her stone reacted, ignored it to focus on Zero, waiting to see if there were any suggestions forthcoming. Zero Dream "That does seem like a good idea... That's what ill'd do if I had an habit of hoarding spell items... Which I don't. My friend doesn't deal in the same branch of magic, so there was little he could do for me." She frowned a bit, looking over to her sheet again. Maybe something would come to her.... Red did not move from his floating position, even as his tail continued to move back and forth like a lazy cat. "Well, hello there..." It was kind of odd, really, to think he once was something like this. Something so small and vulnerable.ShortGreen White Opal seemed to shiver at the attention and gave a happy, vibrant pulse of color. The carving stood out sharply in that moment and showed the delicacy of the flower petals. Again the tendrils drifted over Red's hands. "Hmm, I'll have to look. We've gotta find things fast before..." Kova trailed off and sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know how long things can go like this before someone cracks. I left my daughter back with Mystic to help him and to keep an eye on things." She smiled a bit. "Del reckons he hung the moon." Zero Dream One hand remained perfectly still, but the other moved to "pet" the tendrils. She would be safe (at least, the stone and the feelings he received made him think this would be a she) here with him.The strange display of Red affection almost completely got Zero's brain off-course, but she studied the sheet once more. "...Waiitt... I think I've seen that somewhere..." She tapped at one of the drawings on her sheet. "...But I can't remember where... damn !"  Trivii` Life can take funny turns if you let it.The thought was droll in nature, as the cat girl surveyed her reflection in the side panel of an expensive looking vehicle, fluffing a stray thatch of her silvery hair back into place and twitching a feline ear. Not bad. It would have to do.The fine golden shimmer in her pale gaze darkened to almost a metallic shade closer to her slit pupils. Sighing heavily she fished a pair of trendy mirrored sunglasses from her reticule and slid them into place before again contemplating her reflection. Good enough.And with a swish of her tail she stepped back onto the sidewalk colliding with another form, a cool expression tilting her lips as leather skirt and tight velvet blouse silhouetted her lithe figure back-lit from the sports car's reflective surface. Her electric aura caressing the other women, the cat girl surveyed them, purring softly "Your pardon." The small stone hung curiously ghosting by the womans shoulder, small tendrils of darkness casting her face into relief unmistakably moving of it's own volition and sparkling with an eerie life.
Small tendrils of darkness extended again to the other fiend, exploring and... happy? Zero Dream Zero almost toppled over from the impact, but returned to being steady after some wobbling. "It's okay..." She muttered absent-mindedly, pausing once she noticed the other stone. Another guardian... ? Another stone, indeed ? Red, apparently not wanting to create any jealousy, offered his other arm for the orange gem to wind around.
"Cat-lady helps, too... ?" He pondered this over.Trivii` The little orange stone extended long tendrils and drifted over clinging to Red's offered hand.
Vibrating with positive energy.Trivii looked from the woman to the fiend and rolled her shoulders, offering a hand, "My names Trivii, and you are?" Looking slightly amused and shaking her head at the wisp. Zero Dream "Red." It was a good thing that he did not have a mouth right now, or else it would be hard not to smile wide at the little stone. "Miss Trivii... If you don't mind, we... could use your help with something. Athan and Reyna where turned to stone, we need things so Mystic can fix them... ?" Ever so direct, was he ? Zero rolled her eyes a bit. "Im Zero." Trivii` Narrowing her eyes behind the mirrored shades, gold lit across her irises before she could suppress it again. "I'm good at doing research, I would be happy to help Mystic." Trailing off, she grasped Zero's hand, careful not to claw the other woman. "Red, Zero. Its a pleasure... The little one is Carnelian." The introduction was in hind site and accompanied by a vague motion of Trivii's free hand. As though hearing the address, the orange stone shimmered and retracted some of its shadows from Red before drifting back to it's Guardian.Zero Dream "Okay, letsee...." Red turned to have a good look at Zero's sheet of paper. He seemed to ponder for a moment, before tapping one of the pictures with the tip of his tail. "What about this, miss ? Do you know anything about that ?"Of course, thank you was not in Red's vocabulary, unsurprisingly. "Thanks, miss... We really need all the help we can get right now." Zero did not withdraw her hand, but seemed a bit confused.  ShortGreen "The more, the merrier," Kova added, looking up from her own slip of paper. Her smile was sunshine-bright and probably could only be measured in wattage. Her movement disturbed Opal in her hand, though, endangering the connection with Red, and the carved stoned pulsed with annoyance. Kova once more ignored her less-than-pretty moods marvelously. "I'm Kova, by the way. I work for Miss Reyna and Mr. Athan. This is White Opal." Trivii` Her lips curving slightly, Trivii releases Zero's hand and turns to the other woman nodding. "A pleasure." Accepting the sketch a speculative look flickers across her face. "It looks like fun." Carnelian swayed from its place near Trivii's shoulder the deep burnished core of the stone swirling with life and thoughts eager to be voiced.Zero Dream Hopefully those things wouldn't be too hard to find. The matter was in fact pretty urgent, and the only thing that stopped him from trying to urge the two women forward was the rather dirty look Zero sent his way just as he was about to speak. Damn, she was getting really good at reading his thought patterns. Or maybe the frown on his face gave him away.
"Is Mystic okay ?" He asked, once Kova had revealed her employment. He moved his arm idely to follow opal as she was moved out, since the little stone didn't look like it wanted to let go of him. For now, he didn't mind. He wanted to ask about Dio, too, but he had no idea if the alien would have ran into him and Merci or not."I wish I had at least possible locations to give you..." Zero sighed, shaking her head as she looked at Trivii. "But Mystic was.... pretty frazzled. He pretty much gave us a sheet, told us "find this", and kicked us out of the shop. At least there where no portals involved in THAT... ShortGreen Kova sobered and started to shake her head. She thought better of it, though, and shrugged instead. "I'm not sure. He seemed weak when I left but he's a determined sort. My lil girl is helping him at the shop. She'll be taking the best care of him that she can." The thought of Delilah back at the shop seemed to cheer Kova even as Opal practically fizzed with distaste at the mention of the other girl. "We'll get these things and save Miss Reyna and Mr Athan. Then it'll be okay." Opal retreated a bit from red and a series of flickers crossed her surface, warmth in the vague touch now. She seemed to be agreeing in some way. "Then we'll find out who did it and take care of them, too. Since it's hardly a nice thing to do at all." Trivii` Behind the mirrored lenses of her sunglasses Trivii carefully raised her brows and parted her lips in an expression of concern. "But Mystic is still unaffected right?" looking at her own wisp and then back to the trio...errr. quartet. "I'm going to get looking, I think I spotted a few books at the library when I first met Mystic that could help." Without waiting for a response to her question... must have been rhetorical.. Trivii moved down the sidewalk at a clipped pace, rushing towards the library. Reluctant to be parted from these wonderful new people, Carnelian ghosted in Trivii's elongated shadow, as far from its guardian as it dared, but also raced towards the shadowy house of books.Zero Dream Red gave a nod of acknowledgment to the catgirl before turning his attention back to Kova, tail lashing back and forth.
"Oh, don't you worry, I will be more than happy to deal with whoever did this." The look in his narrow eyes and the predatory half-growl in his voice promised nothing good on that regard.
Both he and Zero had been used, Reyna and Athan turned to stone, Mystic weakening.... Yes, there would be hell raised over this indeed.Zero busied herself with studying the paper once more, trying to figure out if there was anything else she was familiar with that she might have overlooked.
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