Welcome to Gaia! ::

The incubus merely shrugged his shoulders, still crossed over his chest in response. He knew Dante a little better than many of the islands residents. In fact he only knew a couple other of the island's residents outside of the island itself.

"Between Malice, the kid and my other matters inland I have been quite delayed as you could likely guess. Though when I got the message that there was someone here getting everyone's panties in a bunch I just had to see what all the fuss was about."

The situation was actually quite amusing to the incubus. Aside from the visit from Yumi and the feeding that ensued that was the reason his apartment was currently under reconstruction there had been little going on for the incubus.

Partially hidden by the shadows as he was he was only visible from the waist up, and from about mid-thigh. His bare feet on the ground could be seen as well. Deciding it was no longer needed to lurk in the shadows he stepped out from them. While doing so the shadows around him swirled around his body forming into his clothes. When he finally cleared them he was dressed in He was dressed in a black vinyl shirt looked poured on. It left his arms bare. The shiny black vinyl a nice contrast to his skin which was the color of finely polished bronze. His skin was like smooth flesh seemingly smoothed over hard muscle like silk over steel His pants were made of the same vinyl making it appear as if the lines of his body had been dipped in patent leather. Heavy leather boots came up just under his knees, gleaming metal plates on the toe and ankle.

He glaned over Dante at the woman that appeared. She was vaguely familiar, then it was most likely because she was a resident here. Aside from Dante and a few others he didn't know too many other residents here.

Mandy cringed as she felt the blade bounce back from Rake's tail, tossing her arm aside and hopping backwards a few feet just out of the rotating symbols. "Quint..." She spoke annoyingly.. "Your metal proves flawed." Her eyebrows furrowed, yet she still held the blade just in case she would get any other ideas..

At first she was somewhat confident in the woman's plans, but now she was more embarrassed at the unsuccessful event, although her face only showed it with annoyance, and on top of that, the beast was simply adding insult to injury. More and more characters seemed to be rapidly increasing, characters that all yield over dramatic entrances, only increasing Mandy's own distrust of her surroundings...

"'Much less have time to visit,'" She said mockingly, releasing him from her embrace and, after giving a small wave to Loki, placed her hands on her hips defiantly.
"Of course I have time to visit, I wouldn't have came here if I didn't have time, don't you think? Besides, I have nothing but time now that I -um- 'sorta' passed my goddess trials. I'm fine, thanks for asking, I'm so glad that you're concerened about my well being, how are you?"

As she talked she would be walking herself around to a favorable possition where she was in front of Dante but no obscuring his view of Loki and disturbing their conversation, forming a sort of triangle where they could all speak comfortably. She addressed Loki next.

"Have you been well? Still tagging along where the excitement is? -causing some of your own?"

Quint's unending attacks would have put a huge toll on any human, likely even killed them, but it quickly became re-apparent that Rake wasn't just some mortal wo/man. Panting from her blows, Quint backed away a little, enough to get out of the brightly glowing circle. For now she discarded the Bauxite casing, dropping it close to the side. Clenching and stretching her left hand, Quint knew she needed to think of something, fast.

Unable to get an answer herself, Quint started questioning with the thing closest to her: Morrigan's bats.

"I guess that trap was a dud..." Her bats laughed a little, or something close to it, responding. "No, it's just delayed. Rake's up to something: Hand to hand is a range that'll kill you before it." Frustrated, "Then what the hell can I do? That last attack wore me out, and playing 'keep away' with this thing would be harder to do than say." In her mind, Quint could see the bats shrug collectively, "..Dunno. Its a tough cookie, and I don't think you have a big enough hammer to break it." After a short pause, Quint broke their connection.

"Thanks a lot." She said aloud, her left hand now slapping her temple. Cautious about stepping in close, Quint dropped her sword, letting her bats rejoin the battalion of others. From here she transitioned into a new stance: Right hand a bit farther out than her left, both between being clenched and loose, swaying in and out towards Quint's face. Her feet matched the hands, right foot farther out, cocked slightly to the left, and the left foot was where most of her weight was. It was a lot more defensive than her last, Quint now focused on whatever Rake could be doing. Since their positions were a lot farther apart, it would be somewhat easier to dodge or parry a strike from the daemon.

She was still confident about winning, but understood now that it would be an arduous battle.

Clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back on her heals, Jeshia thought of the best way to answer Loki's question. There was a lot that had happened, though much of it did not have to do with the trials themselves. With a belated sigh, she began a slightly abridged version of her story.

"Well, Odin, being the nice war-loving Aesir that he is allowed met he chance to become a goddess. I think it was only because I was of average strength compared to the Aesir themselves, so I held promise for aiding in Ragnarok.
My mother, Hel, was opposed to this idea. You see, she considers herself a goddess, and indeed she is, over her own realm of the underworld, but she's really just the child of Loki and Angreboda and not a goddess at all."
She paused, trying to get back on track and to the point of her story.
"Well, I performed the first two trials, both of which were strenuous enough. Thor had me visit a Giant's land and kill at least five, which was insane, and Freya had me attmept to clear my mind of everything and 'meditate' till he was pleased. There were so many more to go, but when I was given the task of becoming familiar with every form of spirit and being that resided in both Asguard, Midgar and Hell, I failed... who thought that rocks and grass and moss had a life spirit of their own...?"
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and organizing them for her conclusion.
"After I failed, Allfather told me that I did do well and that he would grant me a partial god status so that I may use the new abilities to learn and grow before Ragnarok and so that I may try again later when I was stronger of both mind and body."

She let out a long slow sigh, "that's my story and that's what I've been away for so long for... that and family feuds. And what have you been up to? hopefully something of more interrest."

Loki guessed her concentration was being devastated by Jeshia's features still. Which even he had to admit were attractive, but being respectful to an obviously close friend of Dante's he made no effort towards seduction. It would be rude for one, two he did not know if this one was bethrothed to another which also would be a reason to not pursue her.

As Aonice nearly bumped into him he turned slightly on his 'chair' so to speak to address his question to her which he did have concerning his living quarters. Though he assumed she knew so he'd leave the reason out. Yumi probably told her anyway.

"Yes, my apartment is currently undergoing rennovations. Atleast the portal is. The room itself is being dealt with. Would it be okay if I stayed at the Manor with you for a while?"

Whatever Rake was doing, it was guaranteed that the attack would be something that needed not hit its target. Quint squinted her eyes, clenching her fists in anticipation, slowly shifting her legs back. She never before had to prepare for a creature that could potentially do anything, and this brought on a lot of frustration. She was also a bit annoyed by the fact that her carefully planned idea produced no harvest, except giving Rake a reason to modify its 'perfect' body.

Quint wouldn't give it the satisfaction of hearing her voice, though it was likely that it would have been shaky due to the rapid beating of her heart. She was upset, nervous, and most of all intimidated, but Quint wanted--needed to fight. Combat was what Quint felt she was best at; she'd need to be shaken down to the very core to extinguish the passionate fire of battle in her soul.